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About This Game

Masks: A New Generation in the Iron Red Soldiers playset.

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03/19/2023

Detailed Description

I still remember how Halcyon City used to be. It was beautiful, dotted with parks and fountains, traffic flowing down ribbons of dark streets like a rushing stream. People brushed shoulders from all walks of life and everywhere on the globe, their stories and lives connecting in an untold lattice of community and intrigue. In those distant days, I really thought I would grow up and be a hero.


But then the Tangee came in their rust-red ships, and demanded we turn every super-powered individual in the city over to them. We refused. We fought. And we lost. In the Battle of Halcyon, entire blocks were destroyed, supervillains were freed, and eventually, hope died.

 

I still remember how Halcyon City used to be. I really thought I would grow up to be a hero. But the heroes are all gone now. And I never got the chance to grow up. So instead, I fight back against the Tangee, and the villains that they enlisted to their side. Maybe there's no more room in this world for heroes. Doesn't matter. I can still be a soldier.

  1. What's new in this game
  2. {A couple hours?!} The notification on Seismos' text that a message is being written flickers on and off for a few minutes. Then: {You don't want to know what the upcharge for a rush job like that, and usually it's flat out impossible anyway. However in this case I happen to have all the parts, so I would just need to push back all my other orders a day so I can code it and put it together. I can have it ready in five hours. Can't call my usual couriers on such short notice, so come by my lab around then, with 50k and the understanding that you owe me big.}
  3. Charlie "Zora" Bennett Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3 Charlie chuckles at Ben's concern for her accountant's attention. "Trust me. They're not going to notice or care." Charlie doesn't have unlimited money to spend, of course. But she hasn't ever reached a point where her dad came down on her about her spending, which says a lot considering the brands she buys. Which makes Calvin's suggestion of a thrift store particularly amusing. Charlie's never shopped at a thrift store, but she's not opposed to it. She likes to try "normal" things and get out of her Crazy Rich White People scene as much as possible. Though she's more likely to find clothing she wishes she likes rather than genuinely likes. "Alright! Arcades and clothes shopping sounds like a blast to me," she tells Calvin. "Once we've got Twilight rescued, hit me up." Turning back to Ben, Charlie gets back to the task at hand. "So, sounds like we got everything set up, right? I can go get the cash and meet back up with you guys."
  4.     Calvin "Verse" Zheng Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0 “Hah! Thanks, Charlie,” Calvin chuckles with a slight blush when she vouches for the incomplete group to Temperance. Even if she didn’t understand him, she always made an effort to include him. “I really don’t know what my whole deal is, either. I can do memory stuff. And I guess I’m kind of an energy vampire? Wait… does that mean I suck the fun out of the group?” His eyes glaze over while staring off into space, like that one meme where the woman struggles to solve complex math equations. After carrying the one in the air with his fingers, Calvin concludes that this is not likely. He certainly puts the lives of his friends in mortal danger, but death by boredom is the least of their worries. Calvin shakes his head to bring himself back to reality. Best not to go down that rabbit hole. Case in point, Charlie was asking him what was good to do around here! Proof positive that good things can come from him after all. “We have to take you to Super Score, the retro arcade with all the classics. They even have Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja! And there’s, uh… One of a Find, the vintage clothing store that might be more your style. I’m not very fashionable, but I know that’s popular…” He scratches his chin. “As far as saving Twilight goes, we can always stop by the Graveyard and see if Lady Gray has any power-ups we can borrow… I need to check in with her soon anyway.”
  5.   BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 Ben doesn't really react to Charlie's ability to casually acquire large sums of cash. He's known her most of his life, after all, and he's at least been around people with that kind of ludicrous wealth. "Awesome, Char. You're the best. I think--" His phone vibrates as he receives a new next. He frowns and taps a reply. {Actually I can do the $20k too. Friends in high places. Preference? Need it ASAP like next couple of hours. Doable?} He looks back up at Charlie. "She says she'll take a favor. Maybe that would be safer. Won't your accountants or something want to know where that money went?"
  6. Seismos gets a text back. {Yeah I figured as much. Hey, don't worry about it. These days favors spend better than money anyway. When do you need it by?}
  7. Charlie "Zora" Bennett Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3 While Ben works his magic to get the intel they need, Charlie tries to be as unbothered about being in this part of the city as everyone else seems to be. "So... what's good around here?" she awkwardly asks Temperance. Then she realizes the implication she made of asking, of all people, Temperance, and quickly shifts her gaze to include Calvin in the question as well. Ben's question about money comes as a welcome distraction. "Hey, do you think you could get a hold of twenty thousand dollars cash in the next hour or two?" "Sure." Charlie replies without missing a beat, answering as though he had just asked to borrow a buck. She realizes the brevity of her response to such a request is not normal. Normal people can't just conjure twenty grand on a whim or throw it around without care. But she's a Bennett. She's spent that kind of money on a dinner before. "I mean, if it's for Twilight, of course," Charlie adds, trying to emphasize that she'll throw away $20,000 for an important cause. They don't need to know about that dinner... Charlie's bank isn't too long of a drive and no one will deny her a cash withdrawal of that amount. At her bank, they won't even bat an eye at that sum. It's pocket money for people in her world.
  8. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 Ben pulls his wallet out of his his cargo shorts' pocket, opens it, and inspects the contents. {I have seventeen dollars and a free movie pass.} He glances up from his phone to look inquisitively at Charlie. "Hey, do you think you could get ahold of twenty thousand dollars cash in the next hour or two?"
  9. Seismos gets a reply within a few minutes: {Of course I do. Portable with a range of twenty meters. They're not cheap though. I don't suppose you have 20k in unmarked bills?}
  10. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 "Ah, heck," Ben curses, reading the final note from Kiraw. "I've got some good information from my contact. Here, I'm sending it to the three of you. But... the transport evidently has an autoturret. He says you'll need 'personal defense scramblers.' And... well, I've got another contact who could maybe help, but I kind of owe her a lot already. I mean, like, that's not more important than you guys being safe, I just... " He shakes his head. "Well, no. I'm not going to be there, so I should help as much as I can. It's the least I can do. Never mind. It's fine." He sighs and drafts a new message to another of his contacts: Beth Butane, the ex-villain turned black market Tangee tech broker who helped put Ben in contact with this crew in the first place. {Short notice, but do you have anything to scramble a beak autoturret?}
  11. There is a long while before Kiraw's reply and when it comes it's merely a file: A map of Halcyon City with a red line drawn from one point to another. Two points on the line are numbered with explanations scrawled in the margins: 1) Tunnel here, so no flying, but no cover for you either. 2) Abandoned high rise here, under construction once. Good place to ambush from height advantage maybe? There is another unnumbered note: The transport's auto turret is going to rip you to shreds unless you manage to get some personal defense scramblers. Good luck!
  12. Charlie "Zora" Bennett Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3 Charlie scoffs at Temperance. "Puh-lease! We've got this. No offense to Ben, but between your shadow powers, my ability to kick ass, and Calvin's... whatever it is that he does, we can take on whatever the Tangee got."   It's true that they'd still be a potent trio to deal with, but Charlie knows some of what she's saying is bluster. Ben is a powerful member of their crew. They all are. Except, maybe, for her. If Charlie was the one that couldn't make it, would Temperance still have reacted the same way? Afraid that they wouldn't be strong enough to deal with the threat? Of course not! Charlie tells herself. I'm more than capable. And I'll prove it. We'll pull off this rescue without Ben. No one will doubt that I can carry my weight around after that. Of course, if things don't go smoothly... well, Charlie will perform whatever mental gymnastics she needs to flip over that bridge when she gets to it.
  13. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 Ben thinks for a moment about how best to phrase his response. He flicks over to his favorite search engine for a moment and types in a few key words, browsing the blurbs listed beneath them until he comes across a promising Wikipedia article and opens it up. {Writing a paper about WW2. Was hoping you had something about the Belgian resistance's Attack on the 20th Convoy to Auschwitz. Really inspirational story. Gotta have it tonight tho}
  14. A few minutes later, Seismos gets a reply on his phone. {Depends, what are you reading?}
  15. Temperance "Midnight" Jackson Dgr -2 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +2 Mnd +1 It makes sense, the way he describes the potential weakness presented by the villains. She's interacted with a few in her time with Noctis, it was kind of a mandate among the group to use villains as assets. It was one of the reasons she'd been willing to give Ben a chance, despite her deep reservations at bringing more pale money into her circle. Villains are largely opportunists and the free pass from prison certainly kept them working with the Tangee but that freedom is only good for as long as the beaks can ensure it. They wouldn't be the 'take a bullet' types when push came to shove. "Cool. Thanks, man. I'll be in touch." She adjusts her glasses as she steps back up to the crew. Ben's launching into his apologies for bailing and she feels that steel grow in her spine as she steps close. Words are in her mouth, pushing at the back of her teeth, but then Charlie points out all the unknowns and Temperance realizes the truth of it. There may not even be a conflict here, a convoy like this will probably move under cover of darkness. Ben offers up his own contacts to try and clear up some of the mystery and she swallows that immediate rage-spark and the words that would have accompanied it. "Thanks." She makes sure Ben hears it, too. If she is gonna be appreciative she's damn well gonna get credit for it. His phone is in his hand but he taps out a message instead of dialing so she continues. "Taking on a Tangee convoy feels like a big job. I don't love not going in full strength." Touching a hand to her sweater, she feels the cold metal dangling from her neck beneath it. No matter how long it rests against her skin, the thing just never warms up. She can't quite silence that little whisper in the back of her mind that Ben isn't 100% on board with them. If push came to shove, who would he be shoving? "I wonder if there are any supers around with earth powers like yours. We could really use a decoy for situations like this." Shifting her weight and resting one hand on her hip, she takes a lean against the graffitied brick wall beside them. "The info is a big deal, though. You carried your weight on this one if you come through there." OOC N/A  
  16. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 Ben shakes his head at Calvin's question. "Nah, you guys need to focus on Midnight. I'm really, really sorry. I just can't blow this off." To Charlie, he grimaces and nods. "Yeah, I think they do. That's why I've got to go. If I no-show, and then someone turns up on the other side of town using my powers, I think that'll be the last straw. I'm sorry, guys. I know how this must look." He considers his phone for a moment, though, frowning thoughtfully. "Although... maybe I can at least get you some more intel about the convoy." He flicks through his phone, going to his contacts list and scrolling nearly to the bottom before he stops on a particular name. He stares at for a moment, hesitating, then sighs and hits the message button. {Need to borrow a book,} he types, {can you loan me one?} He hesitates again for a second before hitting send. "I'm... gonna see if someone I know can give us a little information." When Ben decided to make contact with the rebel underground, his main contact had been the former supervillain turned black market dealer named Beth Butane. But Beth didn't meet with just anyone, and Ben had needed to prove he wasn't with the beaks. Ironically, to do so, that's exactly who he'd turned to--a preening, backstabbing, completely unscrupulous carrion-eater named Kiraw. The ambitious Tangee had offered a mutually beneficial arrangement: details on a stash of valuable confiscated tech under the charge of a professional rival, Tertius of Spies Weerak of the Parched Fields. Ben had robbed the stash and turned the goods over to Beth, and Kiraw had usurped Weerak's title and position. They hadn't communicated since then, but the treacherous Tangee had given him a human telephone number to contact him at. And it was time to see if the bird was still willing to sell his people out for a chance at a promotion.
  17. Charlie "Zora" Bennett Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3 Once Temperance rejoins them, Charlie informs the team of the job her friend with CLOAKSS offered her. "Sounds like a nice excuse to attend a fancy gala, if anyone's interested. But seriously, CLOAKSS is doing good work and if we can help them, I think we should. On the other hand, I think rescuing Twilight comes first. We just need to figure out something about the convoy's route; where it's leaving from, where it's going, or where it'll be at some point. Anyone got a clue how to figure that out?" When Ben takes the call from his father, Charlie's ears perk up. His relationship with his dad has always been a curiosity to Charlie. She's adopted, so parent-child relationships have always been a struggle for her to deal with. And ever since her adoptive mother died, Charlie's been with her far more aloof and distant father, whom she feels views her as more a burden than a daughter. But having a dad as a villain? Now that's a whole other level of confusing! "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Charlie asks Ben. "You don't think they suspect you of, well, anything... do you?"
  18.     Calvin "Verse" Zheng Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0 "Aww, man... Thanks anyway...." Even though Dusk's response didn't hit the mark for Calvin, he still deflated like a sad whoopie cushion. The old geezer was supposed to say: "why, yes, m'boy, of course I remember your friend's name!" But why should anything in Calvin's life be that easy? It's not like he could just reload the save point from before Max got taken. There were no cheat codes out of this one. So... what the heck? How was he supposed to beat this level with no strategy guide? What would Weiss Ophidius do, the main character of the manga that he was writing? What would Lady Gray do? Why won't anyone tell Calvin what the hell he's supposed to do!? Calvin winced like a dog might with fleas when Earworm started whispering into his mind. He reached out to scratch the back of his head on instinct, slowly digging his nails in deeper. Before he could get too lost in the struggle, Temperance reached out to pull him back to reality with a simple hand on his shoulder. The hairs on his neck shivered like a wary cat before he relaxed into the familiarity of their friendship. This may have been a momentary courtesy for her, but it meant the world to him. "Ha! Back at 'cha, Tem!" And just like that, both Temperance and Ben were drifting away from him. Temperance was talking to Dusk, sure. But Ben was being taken away from the group by his jerk of a dad? "Yeah. No sweat, man. Is there anything we can do to back you up, or...?"
  19. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 Ben's heart drops into his stomach. Security? A meeting with the Speaker of Codes? Is this the prisoner transfer, or something else entirely? And he certainly can't ask. Because how would he know about the prisoner transfer otherwise? Steadying himself, he answers, "Of course. I'll be ready. And thank you for letting me know about the other thing. I'm God's servant, always." He hangs up, then looks at his companions. "He's meeting with one of the high-ranking beaks. Speaker of Codes Isuli. He wants me there to run security." He sighs. "It's probably not the same thing as the prisoner transfer. They usually don't meet anywhere public. And if I don't put in an appearance, well... I think he's already suspicious. And it sounds like the Tangee definitely are." He looks over at Midnight and Dusk, feeling absolutely wretched. "I don't know if I can help with Midnight. Or, uh... Max?" He gives Calvin a shrug, wanting to show support for his friend but not having any clue who he's talking about. "I can try to get there as soon as the meeting's done. Dad's sending someone to pick me up at eight. I'm really sorry, guys."
  20. Dusk's eyes widen as Seismos takes his call, and then narrow in suspicion. He steps up to Midnight and leans into her ear, cupping his hand so as to prevent anyone else from hearing his whisper: "Honestly, I'm a bit surprised you'd bother asking. Impressed too, if I'm being honest. The answer is super-villains. There's still enough of them out there with good relations with the Tangee that I wouldn't be surprised if one or more were escorting the convoy, and that's the biggest unknown element. I would advise that you don't focus fire on them though... once the situation deteriorates enough, they'll probably bail out on their own." Blair Zeal chuckles as Seismos answers his call. "Benjamin. You know you don't need to be so formal with me. Please... call me director." He laughs again at his own joke, before his tone becomes deadly serious. "I just got off the phone with Captain Okonkwo. He told me that this morning's operation was disrupted by some very nasty freaks. He also told me that one of them could move the earth. We're thinking it was the same one that tangled with Captain Tangee during that raid on the collaborator base a few months back." Blair sighs. "I'm going to be honest, Benjamin. It doesn't look good for you. But I'm calling in part to tell you that you have my full support. Any HUAC resources you need to take down this doppelganger and prove your righteousness, just ask and I will provide. I have faith in you." "Anyway, I've got another order of business I needed to talk to you about. I have a very important meeting with Speaker of Codes Isuli of the Clear Lake, and it's crucial that nothing happens to disrupt it. That's why I want you to assist HUAC with security. I'll have someone pick you up at around eight. Understood?"
  21. Temperance "Midnight" Jackson Dgr -2 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +2 Mnd +1 "Dusk, wait up." As Ben's phone rings, Temperance throws up a hand in the classic 'one moment' gesture before closing the distance to the retreating man. Shoving her hands into her pockets, shoulders slumped, she steps up beside him and glances around at the faces on the street uncomfortably. It would be stupid to let him run off without leveraging his experience, even if he is kind of a jerk. "Come on, man. You were some kind of Colombian super spy before Noctis, right? You gotta have more insight than 'good hunting'." Shuffling her feet, weight going from heel to toe, she stares at the older man with anxiety etched across her face. She could run a stealth op with accompanying ambush in a video game with the best of them but this is real life stuff. She'd dipped out of class during tests and shoplifted beer with her powers, real minor league stuff. "If you were doing this, what would be the big thing you'd look out for trouble-wise?" She hadn't had to call on Dusk's expertise much since taking up the amulet. Twilight was always there with a more approachable personality and a smaller age gap. But now it was Dusk or Trevor and there is no way that idiot knows anything about rescuing people from a secured transport. Pulling her glasses off, she gives them an idle wipe with the sleeve of her sweater and pops them back onto her face to stop the world from being a colorful blur. OOC Let's try for the Words of the PastWhen you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential. move here. Removing the Hopeless condition due to Verse's comfort.  
  22. BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1 There's a brief moment of panic as Ben looks at his phone's caller ID. "Pastor Zeal," it says, underneath a professional portrait of his father that he'd taken off his Wikipedia page. Ben doesn't have any candid pictures of his father; Blair never would have allowed it, in the rare times he and his illegitimate son spent time together one-on-one. The only photos that exist with both of them present at the same time are group shots, with father and unrecognized son as far apart as possible. He steadies himself, looks up at his friends, mouths "my dad,"  then hits the green button and holds the phone up to his ear. "Good afternoon, pastor," he says, adopting a cordial, professional voice, like an experienced receptionist. "How can I help you?"
  23. Dusk gives Seismos a cold stare. "As wise as those precautions may be, I'm not your babysitter, boy." He nods towards Midnight. "She's responsible for you as far as I'm concerned." Then to Verse: "Nope, haven't heard that name." Looking back to Midnight he says: "Good that you have your priorities straight. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get the convoy's exact route, so that's up to you. Furthermore, you're going to need to pick an ambush spot, or possibly even acquire an armored vehicle." He nods to Midnight with something that might be mistaken for respect. "Good hunting. I'll contact you should you succeed in your misison." He glances to the sky warily and turns to leave. Seismos' cell phone begins ringing. It's his dad.
  24. Temperance "Midnight" Jackson Dgr -2 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +2 Mnd +1 At her core, Temperance is every bit a fighter. She built up a lot of stress-fueled aggression as a kid in her parent's house and for a good portion of her school career that came out in some unhealthy ways. She ran the gamut of rebellion but one thing her parents could always count on is at least one suspension per school year for fighting. Hell, she broke Kevin Hamilton's jaw (and two of her own fingers) in 8th grade over his spreading some really ugly rumors about her around school. Joining Noctis gave her a focus for that, and Zora helped her learn to fight without hurting herself, but the simmering anger is always still down there hoping to boil over. Dusk is not ignorant to this fact, so he has to know exactly how telling her not to fight is going to needle away at her guts. Her shoulders square back and she drags one foot behind the other as her body tries to tighten into an aggressive stance, but she stops herself mid-stride and ends up simply putting her left arm toward him and staring at him over her shoulder in a strange side-stance. In the time that took he had already brought up Twilight and the immediate positive responses from her team turn her anger into shame. Shame that her first thought when hearing it is that she could lose her cool new downtown apartment with all the freedom that entails. It isn't that she doesn't want Twilight back. Twilight was the closest thing to a mentor she'd found in Noctis. But what if the intel is wrong? Or worse, what if they can't get the job done? "We really need to build back Noctis' intel department. Getting news like this so late really makes the whole planning montage thing hard." It wasn't snide or bitter, but just a matter-of-fact point from one coworker to another. Dust may be retired but without him she'd only have Trevor and that's just a nightmare to think about. When Calvin brings up Max a bit of discomfort flashes across her face with a tightening of the jaw and narrowing of the eyes. She'd never been hard on Calvin for that, and not simply because Max made his choice and he'd definitely do it again cause that's who he is. It was mostly because Calvin was never Verse to her. She met Charlie and Ben on the job, and they always felt more like Seismos and Zora cause that's who she's spent more time with. Calvin had been pretty much her best friend for more years than he hadn't. She couldn't be mad at him, even if she thought it was his fault, cause that's just who they are. She puts a hand on his shoulder as he stammers himself into silence. "You are such a dork." That anger and shame is gone and her lips turn up at the corner in a smile as she looks between the members of the team. She wouldn't be doing this alone. She has a team now, and that's enough for her to take Dusk's words to heart as she gives him a nod. "Okay, old man. We'll do the job." Straightening up, she sucks in a slow breath and levels her eyes on his. "We just have to do is hit what is definitely a heavily-guarded convoy, avoid or incapacitate any beaks between us and the prisoners, release them from whatever constraints they happen to be under, and escape without anyone dying. Right?" OOC Midnight will accept the influence and I've adjusted the stats accordingly. I'm probably going to try and spin this into my Words of the Past move after he gives us some details, in the event you planned to move Dusk along in the next post. Removing the Hopeless condition due to Verse's comfort.  
  25.     Calvin "Verse" Zheng Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0 "... Prisoners?" Calvin tilted his head to the side. He dropped one arm, keeping the other crossed at the elbow. "Hey, D. Did your intel, uh, say anything about... a codename: Maximus?" Max. The name burned up his throat like acid reflux. Surely, the rest of the gang remembered their resident strongman who allowed himself to be captured so Calvin could escape? He was fine. He HAD to be fine. Max was all about being super tough. Could this finally be Calvin's chance to make amends and rescue him? "Hold up; this is going down tonight!? But I have a five-page paper due tomorrow for my Honors Tangee History class!" Calvin blathered, unintentionally. He kept so many thoughts to himself that some of them were bound to leak out. If there was one thing scarier than a Tangee prison site, it was scholastic parents who still expected you to get good grades in the middle of civil unrest. Alien invasion or not, the Zhengs wanted Calvin to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or an ambassador. Someone they could be proud of. "Right. Sorry! Parents... habit... juststoptalkingcalvin. Go Team Twilight!"
  26. Charlie "Zora" Bennett Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3 Dusk doesn't back down or back off, but Charlie never expected him to. That's fine. She said her piece and didn't take his crap lying down. If he wants to continue being an ass, that's his prerogative. At least I don't have to put up with him. I don't know how Temperance does it. Is he right, though? Is that fighting instinct what gives heroes their edge? Dusk would know. He's old as shit. And Charlie can't exactly afford to make a mistake as much as she hates to admit it... "They're moving Twilight?" Zora suddenly snaps back into the conversation. This is huge! "Of course, we'll help! Tell us what we need to know and we'll get it done." We'll show you, old man. OOC Charlie will mark Potential for fulfilling one of her Drives. Shifting labels per instruction.  
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