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Sick Kids Foundation (Canada)
Help research that provides cures and support treatment for sick children.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Canada)
Creating a world of possibility for kids and youth with disabilities.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation (International) [New!]
The Cancer Research Institute (International) [Updated!]
The Terry Fox Foundation (Canada/International)
The Princess Margaret Foundation (Canada)
Cancer Research organizations that combine the expertise of many different research firms and Universities to find innovative treatments and cures for Cancer.
United Way Worldwide (International)
United Way brings communities together to face their greatest challenges, whether that’s helping families find stability, empowering young people or responding to crises.
United Nations Fund (International)
Unicef (International)
Two organizations whose contribution of expertise, human and financial resources and volunteer efforts provide humanitarian solutions to real world problems the entire world over. These charities operate worldwide. The United Nations Fund supports the various programs part of the United Nations’ global mandate, as much a foundation as it is a roof around the world, while Unicef has been helping children throughout the world through famine and medica crises, and are most benefited by other children of the world who raise money during holidays like Hallow’s Eve (Halloween).
David Suzuki Foundation (Canada/International – Dr. Suzuki has delivered many keynotes at United Nations Environmental Summit events throughout the years)
Through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis, we work to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada. We regularly collaborate with non-profit and community organizations, all levels of government, businesses and individuals.
Humane World For Animals (Formerly Humane Society International) (International)
The Humane World for Animals protects the health, lives and rights of animals the world over, ensuring that they too have a voice in this world. We are interdependent upon the complex web of life this entire planet over for our mutual survival. This is a world wide charity.
World Duchenne Organization (International)
Muscular Dystrophy Canada (Canada)
The World Duchenne Organization and Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s mission is to enhance the lives of those affected by neuromuscular disorders by continually working to provide ongoing support and resources while relentlessly searching for a cure through well-funded research.
‘There is a compelling need to ensure that wherever they are in the world, everyone diagnosed with Duchenne (and Becker) Muscular Dystrophy can benefit from a standard of care that is informed by the best practice of the best clinicians from all over the world, and is based upon the latest research.
World Veterans Federation (International)
The World Veterans Federation is a humanitarian organisation, a charity and a peace activist movement. The WVF maintains its consultative status with the United Nations since 1951 and was conferred the title of “Peace Messenger” in 1987.
I’d like to point out that it was the incredible Gary Sinese Foundation (United States) that brought the issue of Veteran’s rights to my attention. I’ve always had little respect for those who’d forget the great contribution made by those who’ve risked life and limb to defend those values that so many of us espouse. Perhaps the true measure of one’s principles are by that for which they’d risk their life.
“None can speak more eloquently for peace than those who have fought in war.”
Ralph Bunche, Nobel Peace Prize 1950
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (United States/Global)
The Reeve Foundation provides programs for research, uniting Scientists and Specialists from many different fields to find treatments for spinal cord injury translating them into therapies and support programs.
The Heart And Stroke Foundation (Canada)
For over 60 years, Heart & Stroke has been dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Our work has saved thousands of lives and improved the lives of millions of others.
The ALS Society Of BC (Canada, British Columbia)
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed. The ALS society provides a variety of programs to combat this disease and help those with it to survive.
The Global Foodbanking Network (International)
Ensuring that people the world over have enough food day to day in order to survive and lead healthy lives. In this challenging day and age services like this are becoming more and more essential. This is a world wide charity.
Margaret Atwood (Canadian writer)
Internationally renowned writer who continues to stifle us with her characters, plots and prose.
The Pierre Berton Heritage Centre (Canadian writer)
Visit a modest heritage museum for one of my inspirations as a Canadian writer. Children should read The Secret World of Og.
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum (United States writer)
Because Barris told me to put it here. If I didn’t, he said he’d walk. Geez. Stardom really gets to some people’s heads. Maybe I could kill him and bury his heart beneath the floor boards! Or I could encase him in behind a brick and mortar wall, for shaming my family name of Amantillado!
Wikipedia (Global)
The model for what may become the Encyclopedia Galactica, a complete reference and record of history, events and knowledge of humanity and its journey beyond. It is the encyclopedia of all that we know, what we surmise that we’ve known and will learn in the future. Yes, Wikipedia is a charitable organization of great importance. If you enjoy what I am doing here then please take the time to donate to Wikipedia. Surprisingly only 1% of Wikipedia’s users donate yet the site serves pages to millions every day.
Humble Bundle (United States/International)
A video gaming storefront benefiting a vast variety of different Charities in the United States and United Kingdom (hopefully soon to be expanded to include other areas of the world?). Their software bundles and video games allow you to choose which Charity your money benefits and how much of your money benefits that Charity. See? Gamers can do their part too and often do.
Multiple Sclerosis Society Of Canada (Canada)
Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative disease currently affecting an estimated 2.3 million world wide. By donating you are contributing to effective research in finding a cure and tipping the scales of MS research to change lives forever.
If you’re a resident of Ontario then please consider supporting Building Better Schools.
Other Ways To Help Using Your Computer
Donate your idle computer time to science! Join the World Community Grid by clicking on one of the links below and follow the instructions for how to participate:
Thank you for your support
Shhhh! Digital Media
Brian Joseph Johns
Warning: This story contains mature situations, sexuality and violence and is intented for a mature audience. Reader discretion is highly advised.
Shhhh! Digital Media presents…
Front Toward Enemy
by Brian Joseph Johns
Homecoming
5th Concession and Greenwood Road
Pickering, Ontario, Canada
August 26, 2026 21:52 EST
The drive from CFB Trenton had taken the better part of an hour and was already six minutes into the next. A woman in her early thirties drove the utility vehicle, a pair of thick framed glasses perched on her nose as she took the Westney Road exit from the Macdonald-Cartier freeway, westbound toward Pickering from where they’d left Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
In the passenger seat beside her, a large man lay propped up in the passenger seat, his head bobbing to and fro as he slept. His beret in his lap.
“Honey?” the driver turned to him as she stopped their vehicle at the light, behind the three other cars in front of her, all waiting their chance to make the right hand turn, northbound onto Westney Road.
She leaned over and shook his shoulder, and he suddenly awoke, looking slightly startled for a few moments until he’d realized where he was.
“We’re home,” she smiled at him upon seeing that he’d awoken.
“Sorry about that honey. I didn’t get much sleep on the flight from Germany…” he told her.
“Its ok. I’ve got you all weekend to myself. The kids are with your mom and dad,” she said to him, rubbing her hand on his leg.
“Oh! Damn… I’m so sorry honey. I totally forgot…” he lied to her.
“Its alright. I didn’t, and as long as one of us remembered our anniversary and to arrange for a sitter, we’ve got two whole nights together all by our lonesome. Just you and me…” her attention returned to the traffic and she advanced the car forward, dipping the hood out slightly and then proceeding when she knew the traffic was clear for her right hand turn.
“I’ll take the car tomorrow during the day for a bit and get you something then. I’m so sorry I forgot. Just been so busy with operations,” he replied, throwing it on a little thick.
“I can wait until tomorrow, but you’d better get me something nice,” she insisted to him, fully confident that she was worth it and always would be.
…
A few minutes later and they pulled onto the driveway, which was the better part of a hundred meters in length before it arrived at their home on a sizeable piece of land just north of the Greenwood Conservation Area.
She pulled the car up to the closed garage door, and got out at the same time as her husband. The two of them approached the front door together and he stopped and turned to her.
“Honey, could you run back to the car and get my contact lens kit from my rucksack? Its in the little pocket on the side. My eyes and killing me and I’ve got to use the washroom…” he said to her.
“Alright. Get in and get cleaned up, and then you’re all mine…” she tapped his tush and then turned and jogged back to the car.
She pulled the keys and unlocked the hatchback and slid his rucksack over to where she could see it. She then unclipped the zipper lock and zipped it open, taking a peek inside to look for his contact lens kit when she was greeted with an expertly gift wrapped box, with a tiny tag with her name on it and a heart encircling it.
She quickly grabbed the box and untied the bow, and opened the gift, to find a jewelry box inside. She opened it and found a silver necklace with a polished sapphire pendent, the number five embossed onto its face. She quickly unpinned the necklace and wrapped it around her neck, fastening it as the tears began to fall.
“You devious little…” she began as she closed the hatchback and began making her way to the front door. As she rounded the vehicle there arose a loud and sudden explosion. She felt a sudden sharp searing pain in her right thigh.
“Glen…?” she exclaimed as she limped in the direction of the front door, the smell of burnt chemicals and plastic thick in the air.
“Glen! Glen!” she yelled as she saw his body laying flat on his back, his burnt face and body covered with tiny holes, each of them swelled and bleeding against the backdrop of his motionless chest.
“Glen!” she screamed as she fell to her knees beside him.
Ernest Retirement
Ernest Lake, Ontario, Canada
South central basin
August 27, 2026 13:40 EST
The water was perfectly still until the heat of a perfect late August day. Stanton watched as his line broke the surface of the water with each turn of his reel. The device clicked softly as the line tightened enough so that the nibbles his bait was receiving were amply broadcast through the tension in the line, all the way down the fishing pole and finally to his hands.
As soon as he felt the first serious contender attempting to make a meal from his bait, he paused, holding his breath. He envisioned himself looking through the ocular of his scope, his trigger finger slowly tightening around the trigger, the pressure already compressing the skin on his finger so as not to throw is aim off by its sudden deformation from pressure.
Another bite. This time, much more bold.
Stanton paused again, the reel still behaving like the trigger. Pressure against his finger, keeping the line locked in place as he prepared to complete the movement of the trigger.
Another bite, and this time he moved. In his mind, the sudden jerk and report of his rifle. The hook slid quickly upward, looping itself through the jaw bone of the large mouth bass. From that moment, it had become a last stand between Stanton and the fish.
The line began moving erratically, appearing like a bug skating across the surface tension of the water until eventually the fish itself emerged. It fought with all of the strength it could muster, but nowhere near a match for the strength and focus of the man who’d hooked it.
His career might have come to a timely close, but his level of activity had not just remained the same, but had actually increased, for every night since his last day on the job, he’d had nightmares. He was being pursued, by a man. A much older man, but no less devoted to purpose than was he. Every night that man would eventually catch up to him, and he’d turn to face himself.
An older version of himself, and one that would finally catch up.
Stanton’s focus returned from his nightmare, and he turned his attention to the net that lay beside him in the boat. He firmly gripped his fishing rod with one strong hand. His left, and found the handle of the net with his right, the fish still fighting as much so as in his nightmares he’d continued running from his pursuer.
He readied the net, and held it in place as he lifted the fish enough in the hope of tiring it, when the waves started hitting the boat.
The boat rocked and then moved up and down and sideways, spinning him slowly so that he could no longer line up the net with the fish, and in the distance toward the entrance passage to Ernest Lake, he saw a man in a blazer and sunglasses speeding in a modern boat toward his location. The source of the waves that had already reached his location.
Stanton once again tried to tire the fish, adjusting his position in the boat and turning to follow the fish, but when he pulled to create tension, the line suddenly broke, and the fish escaped with his bait and hook all the same.
The driver of the speed boat, quickly put the boat into reverse just long enough to slow it as the driver and boat approached Stanton’s modest row boat.
“What are you doing! You’re not supposed to be driving a gas boat in here! This is a…!!! What the fuck are you doing here!” Stanton recognized the man behind the sunglasses.
“Is that a question or a statement?” asked Foller of him.
“Both. What the fuck are you doing here? How did you find me?!” Stanton glared at him, looking menacing as ever even beneath the shade of a pink flowery Tilley hat.
“Are you serious? You wore that fishing?” Foller seemed unimpressed by Stanton’s glare and on the brink of laughter upon seeing him in the hat.
“I forgot my damned boony hat back at home. This is all they had at the marina,” Stanton tore the hat from his head and resumed his glare at Foller.
“No problem big guy. Its definitely you. All the way,’ Foller laughed.
“You didn’t answer my question!” Stanton continued his pressure despite his clearly having lost face with Foller.
“I’ve made a few career changes since we last met… spoke. A better question might be to ask yourself how you would have found you, and then you’d have your answer,” Foller responded, Stanton sickened by the smell of gas that had broken his perfect fishing day.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” confirmed Stanton as he began packing up his gear.
“Absolutely. You’re looking at the Senior Agent now. They promoted me into your old job,” Foller smiled at Stanton as if he’d driven all that way just to lay that news upon him.
“The entire world is going to shit if you ask me. So what do you want? Why are you here?” Stanton closed his tackle box and lay his collapsed fishing pole beside it.
“To be a thorn in your side, and… there’s a case…” Foller explained to Stanton, resting his feet on the windshield of the speed boat.
“What kind of case?” Stanton asked him.
“Why would you even want to know? You’re retired now. No more engineer. No more Tier 1 special field operative. You’re just an old fogie with a fishing rod and a bad attitude, old man,” Foller reached into a cooler beside the driver’s seat and pulled a light beer from within and tossed it to Stanton, after which Foller retrieved one for himself.
“I’ve got my own, thanks,” Stanton threw the bottle back at Foller without opening it, and Foller nearly fell off of his chair as he caught it.
Foller waited until the boat steadied itself once again before resuming their conversation, during which time Stanton pulled an old style stubbie bottle of beer from his own cooler and opened it with a real bottle opener.
“Where’d you get that? That’s like vintage…” Foller asked him.
“So am I. I pulled a few strings. I know a lot old men with bad attitudes. We tend to stick together,” Stanton responded, taking a sip from the stubbie.
“Fair enough,” Foller replied, opening his long neck swift off easily with his hand and then taking a sip.
“So you’re telling me that you came all this way to rub me the wrong way?” Stanton asked him, leaning back in his row boat.
“That and to let you know that we have something that might interest you…” Foller replied.
“The case,” Stanton replied, taking another sip.
“The case. Yep. We’ve got two bodies so far. Both career men. Both with the same unit. Both with a promising future. Both taken out with the same modus operandi,” Foller explained to him.
“Which is…?” Stanton asked him.
“M-18 Claymore. A booby trap wired to the front door of their own home. Ker pow, ker plouie!” Foller gestured with his hands, giving Stanton a visual mime of the explosion.
“What kind of detonator?” asked Stanton.
“Chemical battery. From a cellphone. Lithium-ion. The latch on the door closed the circuit and ignition occurred instantaneously,” Foller explained to him.
“Any other casualties?” Stanton took another sip, leaning forward as he considered what he’d heard so far.
“Just one. Minor injuries. Justine Milner. The wife of MWO Glen Milner. She took a pellet to her right thigh, though its a miracle she didn’t end up like him,” Foller told him, looking down at his beer and then back to Stanton.
“She wasn’t with him when it detonated? Where was she?” Stanton asked Foller.
“It was their anniversary. Five years together. He told her to retrieve his contact lens kit from his gear bag, but he’d hidden her anniversary gift there. He bought in Germany while on exercise. Gift wrapped it for her and setup the whole surprise beforehand…” Foller explained to him.
“Your perp? He’s got a code of ethics. He doesn’t kill innocent bystanders. He’s someone that was there in Germany with him on the same exercise. He knew Glen’s plans about the gift, and timed the device and detonation around those plans,” Stanton presented his theory.
“They all arrived at the same time to CFB Trenton from CFB Lahr,” Foller told him.
“I thought they shut down Lahr?” asked Stanton.
“You picked the wrong time to leave, old man. Things are different now. Way different. For one, we’ve got funding. More than we’ve ever had. Secondly, we’re running operations in the interest of Canadian goals in Europe via bases that have recently been reactivated under the NATO Act. Unofficially so, but still active nonetheless. MWO Milner returned from a major exercise in the region, and everyone that knew about his gift to his wife returned with him,” Foller explained to him in the hopes of breaking his theory.
“You’re not dealing with a solitary perp then. You’re dealing with a network,” Stanton modified his working theory based upon the new information.
“Now you’re talking. The two victims? They’re both part of a special training qualification. One that you’ll find relevant to your service record, which brings me to why we’d like you to work with us on this case,” Foller took a swig from his beer.
“And that is…?” Stanton asked him, he too taking a swig from his stubbie.
“You’re part of a group of ten other men, whom we believe are all targets of the same network. You can either work with us on this, and gain our protection, or you can go it alone, and protect yourself. The choice is yours,” Foller finished his beer and sat forward, replacing the empty bottle into the cooler.
“Your protection didn’t help them. What makes you think that you can protect everyone else?” asked Stanton, he too replacing his bottle into his cooler.
“Something you never had when you were in active duty. A budget, and equipment,” Foller turned the key on his speed boat and started the engine.
“You know as well as I do that it takes dedicated and motivated personnel, not budget or equipment by itself to survive on the modern battlefield. I’ll work with you, but I want the rest of my team in on this. We leave right away and we track them all down until they’re accounted for. Got it?” Stanton made it clear that they were playing by his rules.
“My gear, your people. All ten potential targets are already under our observation and protection. We’ll leave from here and I have a chopper that will take us to CFB Petawawa, and from there, where ever you want to go,” Foller then backed the boat up and tossed Stanton a line to tie to his boat.
“Lets get this done, and when we fix this, you’re going to spend your funding to clean up your fucking gas in this lake. You got it?” Stanton tied his boat to the speed boat and then leaned back, reaching for his Tilly hat and replacing it on his head.
“And not another word about my wonderful Tilly hat…” Stanton leaned back as Foller accelerated the speed boat carefully and the two of them began their trip north to the marina and landing.
Securing The Perimeter
Gulf View Crescent
North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada
August 27, 2026 16:05 AST
The bus at this point in its trip along Church Hill Avenue was half full, or as the driver liked to put it more optimistically, half empty. Most of the noise on the bus had died down by the time it had arrived at Gulf View Crescent, and most of the students remaining were focused more on their phones than each other, and this was certainly the case for Douglas Savard, who was currently in game, crouched behind cover as his team in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint for Mobile prepared to storm the farm house.
“Alright Mick. I’m in position,” he spoke through his Bluetooth headset to his team-mate/classmate who was already at home and seated at the kitchen table as his mother made him a sandwich.
“Whatcha playin’ Mick?” she asked him.
“Doug and I are playing an army game, mom. We’re about to attack a farm house,” Mick replied to his mother, who had just finished cutting the sandwich into two and then placed it on a plate for him and brought it to him at the table.
“Better not do that on an empty stomach,” she said to him, ruffling his hair after she’d placed the sandwich in front of him.
“Mom! Careful!” he said to his mother, his stomach grumbling upon his having smelled the bologna, dill weed and mustard.
The school bus slowed after having taken a corner as it approached the stop.
“Gulf View Crescent east? Doug Savard ?” the bus driver spoke over the intercom.
“Just a minute Mick. I’m at my stop,” Douglas got up from his seat and walked to the front of the bus as the driver took notice of a car that had been following the bus since it had turned off of Hilltop Drive.
“Careful when you cross the road, Doug. Keep your eyes on the road, not your game,” the bus driver said to Doug as he stepped down the stairs.
The bus remained stationary, the stop sign extended from its side as Doug looked both ways before he cross the road. When he stepped out onto the road, he noticed the car behind the bus, and the two large men inside, both of whom were keeping a close eye upon him as he walked. He picked up is his pace, and when he got to the other side of the road, he turned to look at the men in the car once again, and began to run.
The car honked its horn at the school bus, which slowly began to move as the driver picked up his radio.
“This is Dan driving the Gulf View Crescent route. I’ve got a situation here. Looks like a pair of men in a car are following one of the students. I’m near 74 Gulf View…” the driver reported to his dispatcher.
“Thanks Dan. I’ll have them send out a Constable right away,” the dispatcher responded.
“I’m going to stay put and keep an eye out here until he gets in the door,” the driver responded, looking in the mirror once again as the driver of the car glared at him, honking his horn once again.
Dan remained stationary in the bus, and the driver of the car then ignored the stop sign and pulled out and around the bus, accelerating toward Doug as he ran.
“Are you off the bus yet? Lets do this!” Mick exclaimed through his headset.
“There’s men following me! Call the Police!” Douglas responded, clearly at the edge of tears as he ran.
Further down the street, the front door on the house on the north corner opened and a woman in her mid-thirties stepped out onto the porch. When she saw her son running for the driveway, she too began to run frantically toward him.
As she stepped out onto the driveway four men emerged in full camouflage, each of them bearing service rifles. The one on point immediately addressed her.
“‘M’aam, we’re here on behalf of your husband. I need you to immediately drop to the ground and stay as low as you can until we’ve secured the premises. Can you do that for us?” he asked her.
“My son! Please help my son!” she yelled, immediately falling onto the lawn face down, her eyes never leaving her son as he approached the driveway.
The car chasing Douglas sped up and as soon as it was driving alongside of him, it skidded to a stop and both men quickly jumped from the vehicle, forcing Douglas to the ground and laying protectively over him.
“Package is secured,” the driver of the car spoke over his headset.
“M’aam, Ellen? Your son is safe. We have him. Just hold tight and stay low until we’re done. What do we have on THERMAL?” the man who’d addressed Doug’s mother continued as he approached the porch of the house.
“The kitchen to the front hall is hot. The front hall closet doorknob was recently used, and it looks like the doorknob to the basement stairs too, but no heat on the stairs. She probably just closed the door,” one of men responded over his headset as he peered into the house through the walls via AI assisted thermal imaging.
“Kitchen cupboards?” the team leader continued.
“The dishwasher’s hot as hell. So are the cupboards directly above the drawers and sink. None of the lower cupboards have been opened or touched. I’ve got the garage door. Its cold, but the motor for the garage door was used recently. About three hours ago,” the man keeping the house under observation responded.
“Ellen? Were you at home at all about three hours ago?” asked the team leader.
“My son! Is he alright?!!! Where is he?!” Ellen responded.
“Your son is safe and sound with us. Now, could you tell me if you or your husband were home and near the garage about three hours ago?” the team leader asked her.
“No. I was out. Doing the shopping,” Ellen responded.
“Did you use the garage door at all today?” asked the team leader.
“No. My husband uses the garage as his workshop,” Ellen responded, her voice shaky and frought with panic.
“Which door does he use to get into his workshop?” asked the team leader.
“The garage door in the house. We never use the garage door outside,” she replied.
“Alright. Ellen, I need you to get up and proceed to the end of the driveway. You’ll see a man just to your right, half prone. You make your way to him and they’ve got your son. They’re going to take you somewhere safe until we secure the area. Are you alright with that? Can you do that?” the team leader asked her.
“Yes. I can do that. I’m going…” Ellen got to her feet, though keeping herself low. As soon as she saw the man the team leader had described, she moved quickly in his direction and was reunited with her son.
“Where’s my husband?” she asked the two men.
“He’s still at work. We have people there to make sure he’s safe as well. You’ll be reunited with him shortly,” the two men led Ellen and Doug over to the car and loaded them into the back seat.
“We’re taking them to the safe house. Bring this home for us,” the driver of the car reported to the team leader.
“Acknowledged. Alright team, lets get the sniffer in here. I’m entering through the front door now,” the team leader stepped up the stairs of the porch and carefully opened the screen door, after which he stepped through the doorway and into the house.
Another one of his men emerged from behind a bush and followed him in through the door, keeping his distance.
The two men stopped just shy of the interior garage door, careful not to cross over into an arc they visualized from the door to an angle of about one hundred and forty-degrees. Seventy degrees from either side at the center of the door.
The man who’d followed the team leader in then produced a small handheld device which appeared much like one of Stanton’s own digital multimeters. He switched a dial to a position he’d marked off with tape, there written upon the tape was the word: Semtex, while on the other end of the dial, at another setting was written NO2 – ANFO.
He pointed the business end of the device at the door, near the crack at the bottom and held down a button on the device which sat near his thumb.
The digital display readout, which read 0.0% PPM, quickly jumped up to fifty three, and then settled at fifty-six, where it remained.
“Bingo was his name, Oh,” the man with the sniffer device spoke aloud and into his headset upon reading the display.
“We’ve got a positive on the inside garage door. Any other heat sources we missed, before we blow this puppy?” the leader confirmed with their thermal optics operator.
“That’s a negative. The garage door is elevated from the garage floor by three steps, which means the device is probably glued in place with tile adhesive. Angled up at the door for maximum effect. If its the same detonator, there’s a small chance we might be able to prevent it from discharging with a breaching charge on the door, right near the latch. We can’t check the outer garage door from this side, as its probably booby trapped. We get the through that Mike Charlie eighteen and we can clear it from that side,” their thermal operator responded.
“Placing shaped breaching charge with a penetration angle directed at the latch,” the team leader pulled his breaching kit from his harness and carefully placed it, very cautiously ensuring that he did not move or jar the door at all during the procedure.
“Evacuating the residence. Stay clear of the south side of the house, the garage doors which point eastward, and keep watch for nosey neighbours walking their dogs,” the team leader followed the chemical engineer as they exited the residence and proceeded north and to the other side of the brick wall siding.
“Eyes on garage door and breaching charge,” the thermal optics operator reported.
“Tapping off breaching charge. Fire in the hole!” the team leader armed the detonator, and then discharged the device.
Barely an instant had passed before the loud thunderclap of the breaching charge explosive emerged from the silence of the residence. The door, which had once sat on its hinges was now splintered into several pieces, some of which had flown into the kitchen, while another large chunk of the door had been thrown into the front hall, landing on the shoe rack, face down.
“No joy. The device is still… hold…” the thermal optics operator quickly advised his team when out of nowhere, a second explosion emerged from the garage, a spray of lead pellets could be heard impacting the ceiling of the garage.
“We have detonation. The Mike Charlie eighteen is no more,” the thermal optics operator reported to his team.
“What happened? What set it off?” the team leader asked.
“The breaching charge didn’t break the detonator line. It pierced the lithium-ion battery, and it must have burned and then discharged after knocking the device onto its back. It deployed against the ceiling of the garage,” the thermal optics operator assured them.
“Team two, this is Alpha. We’ve secured the residence. Just making a second sweep of the hot spot for any secondaries. Confirmed the same device, and same modus operandi. Lithium-ion package for detonation charge, circuit completed and armed by door latch,” Stanton sat in a meeting room at a boardroom table.
Across from him sat Foller, who listened to the live report through the speakers in the meeting room.
“Alpha, keep us advised post forensic sweep of the site. Good job gentlemen,” Commander Jessick addressed the team in Prince Edward Island.
“That’s five so far. How long until we get confirmation from other five?” Stanton asked Commander Jessick.
“We should be hearing from two of them momentarily. The other three are way into the boondocks that its going to take us some time to get to them. No contact with those three as of yet,” Commander Jessick advised Stanton.
“Those three are the old timers. Like us,” Stanton told Jessick.
“Are you going to bring me in on this Commander?” asked Foller of Commander Jessick.
“You already are in on this, son, and on a need to know I might remind you,” Commander Jessick turned to face Foller, who looked away momentarily when confronted.
“I don’t believe that keeping these age based cliques is going to help us in solving these crimes and dismantling what is clearly amounting to be nothing more than a Canadian unibomber, with a penchant for military targets,” Foller responded to the Commander’s caution.
“Its a network. Its very organized, and its using the Claymore device to send a very clear message to us,” Stanton advised Commander Jessick.
“Could be, though I don’t think so. I believe there’s another explanation. Claymores are readily available and easy to deploy, meaning there’s minimal training required to setup a very frighteningly effective piece of ordnance, whose methods can be easily duplicated by anyone and made to look like a clandestine organization operating within our borders, when its probably just a few disgruntled flunkees who grew up on American post-modern militarism and war movies. Like watching the fall of the American empire but being unable to accept it thanks to years of American media influence,” Foller crafted his argument carefully.
Stanton looked to Jessick, and some hidden piece of information flowed between their eyes.
“The longer you keep me out of the loop, the less likely we are to solve this problem. Don’t you even care about the lives you could save by sharing it with me?” Foller pressed them.
“Commander, Team Echolon has just made contact with William Davis on Lasqueti Island. They’ve cleared him from his residence there and are securing the area up on the northern reach of Spring Road,” a voice emerged over radio from the speakers in the meeting room.
“That’s another one of us,” Stanton responded to Jessick.
“Another what?” Foller grilled them.
“Another old timer with an attitude you don’t like,” Jessick replied, maintaining his and Stanton’s connection.
“Sir, if I may speak freely, attitude and impressions are a matter of perspective, and you’re entirely keeping yours and denying mine. I’m a bit closer than you two, to the generation that’s going to be taking over from your watch,” Foller reminded them.
To be continued…
Credits and attribution
Special thanks to Butterfly Yaya Han @ yayahan.com and the world of comics and cosplay, who have certainly given inspiration and wings to an entire creative side of things with regard to costume and props. May they rekindle that sense of innocence that we somehow lost on our way along the road to adulthood. On that note, I’d also like to thank Kropserkel for the same inspiration and to remind you that you can see Kropserkel’s work on the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse [Nemesis]. Kropserkel has been one of the most prevalent and enduring forces holding the torch for a return to Battlestar Galactica, a show which was born during the same era that gave us Buck Rodgers (Erin Grey and Gil Gerrard).
Special thanks to the Goth/Industrial music DJs and staff at Twilight Zone Night Club circa 1985 on 185 Richmond Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Thursday nights were all Goth/Industrial (the kind of club music that Shaela Sheowellyn would have thrived in) and often buried over by the more commercial success of their Friday and Saturday night popular culture house music.
On Thursdays, so many important experiences happened there with regard to the Goth and Industrial music scene and with so many friends that I’d be a lonely fool not to remember them. Its unfortunate that the only history YouTube seems to recall of this night club is that of its pop culture nights which were Friday and Saturday. Fortunately Wes (thanked below) made up for that in droves as the owner and promoter of some of the biggest Goth/Industrial/Electronica clubs in Toronto during the late 1980s and 1990s.
Thank you to the clubs that followed, and to Wes, who ran many of them including Guvernment, Joker, and the Big Bop to name a few. Thanks Wes. 😉
Thank you to BCR, Phil and Dylan. True artists of a kind, including Skippy.
Thank you to Andrew R., Frank A, Michael S., Joan M., Janice L., Bernard, T.J., J.M., Jun, Nelson, Chris, Angela, Barry and Miguel and so many others. Keep the spirit of art alive. Nelson, remember that first song I played on the piano at the soup restaurant on Lakeshare Blvd at lunch? That’s our Koan. 😉
Special Thanks To Rocket Fuel Lakeshore Blvd West, perhaps the best place in history to get a coffee, circa 2001-2004. Miss you all very much. Its great to see that special place still inspires so many.
Special thanks to Udemy, whose courses I have relied upon for the last few years to allow me to grow my skills at my own pace, even finding time between my frantic work pace here at Shhhh! Digital Media.
Special thanks to Perplexity AI and their Comet browser, who have recently become a part of my software toolkit. Their AI powered helpers accelerate your research, reference at every step of the way, not to mention built in tools for content generation, though Shhhh! Digital Media does not rely on text generation for any of its stories, though I do work with AI for suggestions, and scientific accuracy of concepts in Butterfly Dragon, and for delving into the more esoteric traditions of mysticism that are aligned with the story and background of Era of the Spellbound.
Artwork: Amy Wong, Wendy Pusey, Ghastly, Birdman, Brian Joseph Johns, Daz3D, Unreal Engine…
Tools: Daz3D, Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Lightwave 3D, Blender, InstantID, Sadtalker, Google Colaboratory, Microsoft Copilot (Windows 11), Hitfilm, PhotoPea (a great web based Photoshop stand-in if you’re on a low budget or in a pinch), Borderline Obsession…
Shhhh! Digital Media 2026 Tools: Word Press, Gutenberg, Blockspare, Sliderberg, Rank Math SEO, Elespare, JS Archive List, Google Site Kit, Ultimate Blocks and WProofReader.
SEO is an entire mountain unto itself. My advice is to content creators is to set aside a budget for professional SEO setup and management. It’ll give you much more time to focus on creating meaningful content. If you’re budget limited, then stick to the easy optimizations and build up your audience until your budget includes room for professional SEO.
Mage Flow AI model which I’m using increasingly for editing and occasionally, generation from text.
DeepSeek AI for suggestions on exercises to improve aspects of describing scene and settings with a more sensory focused grammar.
InstantID by: Wang, Qixun and Bai, Xu and Wang, Haofan and Qin, Zekui and Chen, Anthony.
Research Paper Title: InstantID – Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds.
Sadtalker by: Zhang, Wenxuan and Cun, Xiaodong and Wang, Xuan and Zhang, Yong and Shen, Xi and Guo, Yu and Shan, Ying and Wang, Fei.
Research Paper Title: SadTalker: Learning Realistic 3D Motion Coefficients for Stylized Audio-Driven Single Image Talking Face Animation.
Two Minute Papers: A YouTube channel dedicated to computer science geared towards the end of the advancement of computer graphics technology.
Gratitude: Our Mentors, Senseis, Sifus, Sebomnims, lifetime inspirations, family, friends, the Nomads (ask Stanton about that one), the Music, the Movies, the Theatre, the Arts, ASMR, (both YouTube and Bilibili and the many other creators on those platforms), the Gaming and Developer communities and of course, the audience.
Martial Arts (in the words of real experts and at least one comedian)
- https://brucelee.com (home of the real Dragon and an entire family of inspirations)
- http://iwco.online International Wing Chun Organization (International presence of a very scalable intensity martial art, protected and developed by Shaolin Nun Ng Mui) and the alma mater of Jinn Hua’s own specialized variation thereof,
- https://iogkf.com International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karatedo Federation (even Hanshi had his teachers),
- https://itftkd.sport International Taekwondo Federation (Here there be Tigers),
- https://tangsoodoworld.com Tang Soo Do World (the path of Grandmaster Chuck Norris),
- https://www.aikido-international.org International Aikido Federation (how else would Navy Chef Steven Seagal liberate a
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier from a team of hijackers?), - https://www.stqitoronto.com Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (The City Of Toronto’s own Shaolin Temple),
- https://www.enterthedojoshow.com Master Ken’s Ameri-Te-Do presence (If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then we can at least laugh the loudest at others, and other Zen)
Thank you to the Divine Miss M and to Ms. Hirose of our Own for the inspiration for the character Aikiko Tanaka. May they always embody the empowerment of women and their self determination, despite the direction that some of the stories on Shhhh! Digital Media might take.
Magic (performance, illusion and perhaps the real thing)
- Magic Week Archive Videos from the history of the performance magic masters.
- Doctor Angela’s Symposium Learn about the truth and history of magic from a scholarly Phd. A great informed resource of both knowledge and speculation.
- Da’at Darling A student of the esoteric mysteries ✶ Thelemite & Pagan YouTuber • Podcaster • Author of Planetary Theurgy (2026) Creative Director of Katharsios Press. She’s a real busy Wytch.
- Real Witchcraft in Romania An insightful video whose central subjects are all witches in the country which originated the Dracula and Undead mythos that still pervades modern society to this day.
Special thanks
- Aitrepreneur
- Mickmumpitz
- PixelArtistry
- Hugging Face
- YouTube educational content producers
- AI content production pipeline
- AlphaSignal
Martial Arts Education, Courseware And Artisanship
- Jade Xu
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the lady who will choreograph and perform all of the Butterfly Dragon’s martial arts performance sequences if ever there is a live action version. Regardless, Jade Xu is an inspiring Wushu martial arts performer, along with her cast of co-stars, they really bring performance encounters into next level experiences for all to enjoy. - Aikido Shinburenseijuku
Experience the spirited tradition and execution of waza (technique) through the expertise and guidance of Shirakawa Ryuji, each of his videos exploring intriguing and applicable aspects of this circular and angular focused martial art, but most of all, step away from the claustrophobic perspective of many martial artists with regard to this branch of jujitsu, and learn to understand the true dynamics and application at play here from a renowned master. - Martial Club
These fellows are the living embodiment of performance martial arts, producing absolutely vivid and incredible action stories, taking martial arts to the next level. They’re literally doing what I’d always hoped I could do with Butterfly Dragon, but with their own well written and performed live action stories and stunts, after gruelling rehearsals and training to achieve their ambitions. In their own humble words: promoting the virtues and ethics of traditional martial arts in the modern world. - Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life. His online and self-study courses offer students the chance to train in the comfort of their own choosing, and at their own pace under Shi Heng Yi’s informed guidance. - Jesse Enkamp: Karate Nerd
Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling around the world to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts. Truly an adventurer into the world of martial arts, delving into new territory with every video.
Jesse’s Kobudo Mastery at kobudomastery.com
Jesse’s Karate Flexibility & Mobility Training
Jesse’s Strength Training for Karate - Rokas Sensei: Martial Arts Journey
A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history.
Rokas Sensei has also developed an incredible seasonal series called the Ultimate Self Defence Challenge that introduces select martial artists from the world over to face challenges that test their rank and mettle against other competitors. An absolutely amazing series with top notch production. - Seamus O’Dowd
An extensive and growing archive Katas, Techniques and Waza (mostly Shotokan), focusing on form, precision and technique. - Iaido: Train For Katana Mastery Like Samurai
The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art. - Tapp Brothers Exercise For Better Motion
Extensive courses for calisthenics and body strength, stamina and flexibility. They offer course that are geared directly for the improvement of flexibility, athletics and overall performance.
Special thanks to Captain Shayne and his wonderful butterfly sister!
Special thanks to Bandcamp for giving indie music artists a home under one roof.
Written and published by Brian Joseph Johns, Shhhh! Digital Media.
Copyright © 2026 Brian Joseph Johns.
