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There are a few things we do know. He was drafted out of Tennessean at the 18th overall pick by first year head coach Josh McDaniels. He was converted from an DE to an OLB for his first few years before being switched back to DE with the hiring of current head coach John Fox. He has been labelled a one-year wonder, a bust, a reach, over-drafted or 'never living up to his draft pick' since his arrive in Denver. This is mainly due to his poor sack numbers since entering the league. Though it has been noted he is one of, if not the best run defender on the team and he played much better in last year's playoffs.
Other than that there is not much being put out there about Ayers. Our entire fan knowledge of Ayers is summed up in a single paragraph. Let's try to expand and build upon this with what I have gathered here.
To being with first here is Ayers's personal information.
Date of birth: (1985-09-06) September 6, 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth: Jersey City, New Jersey
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 274 lb (124 kg)
African Studies major. Born as Robert Earnest Ayers, Jr
As a graduate at the time, recruiting sites like Scout and Rivals preferred Ayers as a linebacker due to his 4.5 (Also seen it as 4.6, 4.68 below) 40 time and 227-lb weight. He was fast and had a knack for getting into the backfield in a hurry; in his senior year, nearly a third of his tackles were for loss. Like most high school standouts, Ayers played on both sides of the line of scrimmage, he played FB on offense.
For me I thought it was very interesting that Ayers came into college as a stand-out linebacker not a defensive end. This could have been one of the numerous reasons McD thought Ayers was suited to play OLB (outside linebacker).
Highschool Vids:Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Note: It should be noted I am relying heavily upon the opinion and knowledge of this post, linked here and referenced at the bottom. As a Vols fan, supporter and follower the writer would have a better knowledge of Ayers's college years than an outside observer like me and should be a decent reference point.
Below is an article with comments from HC Boyd.
2004 Before joining CollegeMarlboro County High School linebacker Robert Ayers returned from Gainesville this past weekend and enjoyed his stay there, according to Marlboro County coach Dean Boyd.
"He had a very good time," Boyd said. "I do know that he has a very good relationship with coach [Charlie] Strong."
Two schools are leading in the race to land Ayers' skills at linebacker.
"I really think it's between Florida and Tennessee," Boyd said.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker runs a 4.68 40-yard dash and grabbed seven total interceptions during his junior and senior seasons.
Boyd said Ayers' effectiveness against the passing game stems from time spent watching game film.
"He can watch a game or two on a team that we're playing, and he'll figure out their tendencies and what they like to do," he said. "There's times out there that he's calling out [the offense's] plays before they happen."
Boyd said Ayers has good instincts for where plays will develop and delivers punishing tackles when he sets his eyes on a target.
If he applies himself, Ayers should be able to develop his impressive physical talent and be a quality player on defense.
"He could be an All-America," Boyd said. "It's all up to Robert. The ball is in his court."
Coming into college Ayers was big, fast and strong. You could not ask for much more out of a defensive linebacker prospect.
Well, except for a little maturity.
If there was one red flag about Ayers coming out of high school, it was his academic work ethic: he didn't have one. Like so many kids who found their path to popularity through sports, he was content to simply get by in the classroom and enjoy life on the gridiron with little regard to the future. It's a pattern that would come to haunt Ayers in his first few years at Tennessee.
College:Redshirting the 2004 season, Ayers had little more to do than enjoy campus life, grow, get stronger, and get faster. And that extra time - coupled with a lackadaisical attitude toward his studies - came when the Volunteers football team was perhaps at its most bankrupt point in terms of player responsibility and accountability. Having enjoyed so much success over the last several years (including near-total ownage of the Zookified Gators), the Vols were cocky. Players like "The Future" Kelley Washington had set the tone in previous years with a "me and the NFL" attitude, and several Vols had come to believe that the orange on their backs was a caste mark indicating their inevitable ascension to the country's premier sports league. College was a time to lift weights, look good, keep reasonably out of trouble (with a loose definition of "reasonable"), and prep for the millions of dollars coming down the pike.
That was not the environment Ayers needed at the time. Like so many college kids, time away from home was time to fuel the bad habits that hadn't been eliminated yet. Without rehashing his off-field record (personally I would like to know more but I couldn't find it), it suffices to say that his final incident with the police came as an aggravated assault charge in 2005 with Jerod Mayo. Along with linebacker Rico McCoy, Ayers was charged with aggravated assault in March for hitting a student during a campus party that erupted into a fight between members of a fraternity and the Volunteer football players. Mayo and Ayers turned themselves in to authorities and were released on their own recognizance from the Knox County Detention Facility in March. In August, Ayers pleaded to a reduced charge. At the time of the incident, police responded early on the morning of March 5 to the University Center and found four fights outside and one fight inside. Holes were punched in the walls of a ballroom and a picture frame had been smashed. Ayers was suspended from the team. Head coach Phil Fulmer wouldn't suspend Mayo. He believed the charges against Mayo are a case of mistaken identity. "We've got some very immature young men on this football team, and certainly, if not immature, socially unadjusted at this time. I'm extremely embarrassed and disappointed in the actions of a number of our players over the last several months," coach Phillip Fulmer said. "I apologize to the university community, (University president John) Peterson, (athletic director) Mike Hamilton and all the fans that follow our program. We have a large majority of our guys doing the right thing and a few that have embarrassed us in a very big way." For more click here.
Yet through it all, Ayers continued to get bigger and stronger. Ayers wanted to be a linebacker but agreed to slide to defensive tackle, where the Vols had serious depth concerns. Ayers redshirted as a 230-pound outside linebacker, having bulked up to 250 pounds prior to the 2005 campaign, he made that shift, he backed up All-SEC choice Parys Haralson. Like so many others under Fulmer, Ayers didn't start in his first year as a player, though he made an entrance into 9 games. The stat line wasn't very impressive in relief duty (6 total tackles, 1 sack for a loss), but he was now working his way onto the field.
For those who don't follow the Vols, that last paragraph's recap of the 2005 season sweeps a tremendous amount of dirt under the rug. 2005 is known in the Big Orange land as TSOWWDNS (The Season Of Which We Do Not Speak): the year where the preseason 3rd-ranked Volunteers finally fell to their own hubris to end with a 5-6 record - the first losing record ever under Fulmer and the only year they ever lost to Vanderbilt (and that in Neyland Stadium, of all places). A general lack of team unity and purpose, and a lack of cohesiveness at the quartback position brought humility to the Vols in a big, big way. Oddly enough, this may very well have been the best thing that could have happened to Ayers.
For all of his neck-hugging and butt-kicking, Fulmer had a hard time getting through to Ayers in the early years. It's not hard to understand why: when a self-admittedly immature 19-year old has a few coaches telling him to grow up, a whole team of players fueling his playful instincts, and a seemingly inevitable track to the NFL Draft, one of the two messages is at a severe disadvantage. 2005 largely changed all of that; the clean-up of attitudes progressed at a much quicker pace once the team learned they were not invincible. Slowly and fitfully, character began to re-emerge in the team as players realized that the privileged post-collegiate existence they had come to assume was not at all certain.
Slowly, reality set in and the hunger returned, but it was not all at once.
Though the off-field issues ended for Ayers in 2005, he still had his academic problems to work through. The kid just wasn't a good student. Between his early legal problems and a tendency to flirt with academic ineligibility, Ayers's total off-field record would have been sufficient to keep him riding pine (or perhaps dismissed) from some other teams. Yet the one character trait of Fulmer that was both his biggest weakness and his biggest strength was his willingness to give players a second chance. Fulmer knew very well that most of his players had no recourse if they failed to complete college; they would simply return to their previous lives and pick up where they left off. In the case of an athlete with a hard-luck background, Fulmer often felt that yanking a scholarship was equivalent to condemning the player to a failed life. Whether this level of compassion is justified is a debate for another day, but it suffices to note that Fulmer would not drop a player that he felt still had a chance to turn his life around. Sometimes, Fulmer was burned by this approach.
And sometimes, Fulmer was right.
Somewhere in the middle of the uncertainty, the humility, the academic issues, and the inevitable nearing of the end of a college career, Ayers began to realize that racuous living had a very short shelf life. Slowly (and probably very painfully at times), he began to develop the personal maturity that he had lacked previously. There is little mention in news articles about the turnaround in these years, but reading articles about Ayers prior to 2006 compared to articles written after 2007 shows a complete turnaround: the timbre changed from writing about a physically gifted kid with little room for sense to a beast of a man who was a team leader and on pace to graduate.
Ayers shifted to right end the in 2006, playing behind Antonio Reynolds, but was hampered early in the 2006 season by a left hand fracture suffered in August camp. He would produce 25 tackles (17 solo) with one sack in 13 games, earning two late-season starting assignments.
In 2007, Ayers was a reserve, again behind Antonio Reynolds. Even though he was used off the bench, he led the team with four sacks and 12 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also collected 34 tackles (25 solo) with two pass breakups and four quarterback pressures.
The struggle to turn a life around isn't easy. Bad habits are very difficult to kill, especially when the temptation to feed those habits is still very much alive. Change is coupled with frustration when the mind and body are tasked with responsibilities they've never handled before. Progress is very difficult to notice, and months may go by without any feeling of accomplishment.
But at some point, there may be a moment where all of the effort shows payoff, and the accomplishments of a life changed are instantly recognizable. That moment came for Robert Ayers in the summer of 2008. During the marketing runup for the upcoming football season, billboards across Knoxville began to be covered with UT football ads. Photos of Fulmer, Eric Berry, Jonathan Crompton, and Arian Foster grew to life. And the most prominent UT football billboard in all of Knoxville - the one located near campus off I-40 just east of the Alcoa highway exit - featured only one person.
Robert Ayers.
The pose (seen here) in its reproduction in poster form) marked the defensive end from South Carolina as the image of the new campaign, "Carry the Fight". Seeing himself on the billboard, Ayers suddenly realized how much the team had come to depend on the one-time classroom slacker. One of the defensive campaigns for the 2008 year, Ayers turned in one of the brightest performances in all of the SEC during the second - and final - losing campaign of Fulmer's career.
Regarded as one of the nation's premier defensive players coming out of Marlboro County High School, Ayers struggled to earn his place with the Volunteers until his senior season.
For all of Ayers' physical ability, the coaches admit that he just recently emerged following a few inconsistent seasons.
"When Robert got here, he thought he was God's gift to football," former head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He wouldn't listen to the upperclassmen -- not in a bad way, but he just didn't take to coaching very well. (As a senior) he's starving for coaching, and he's giving great effort. He's turned into a big-time SEC defensive end."
Renewed dedication helped him emerge as one of the few bright spots during a troublesome season for the Vols. He would go on to earn All-Southeastern Conference honors and shared the Andy Spiva Award, given to the team's most improved defensive player.
As a senior, Ayers caught fire at midseason to deliver 49 tackles (34 solo) with three sacks, leading the team and league with 15.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also had six pressures and his first career interception. As a senior in 2008 Ayers became a starter at right defensive end, recording 49 tackles, three sacks, and a team and league leading 15.5 tackles for losses. He also had six pressures and an interception.
When asked about his off-field issues at the NFL Combine, Ayers was very up-front and honest. He freely admitted his problems during his college career and took the blame upon himself for all of them. He also noted that his last legal altercation was in 2005, that he turned an academic train wreck into graduation, and that he was a defensive captain and First-Team All-SEC. It took some hard lessons along the way, but the St. Clio standout athlete learned to couple his physical gifts with off-field maturity and turn himself into a complete player. It remains to be seen how much his draft stock is affected by having only started for one season, but whoever does pick him up can safely know that he's a character guy: he's "been there, done that" and has ended that chapter in his life.
When Robert Ayers is the first Vol taken in the NFL Draft in 2009, he will be the final star in the Fulmer legacy of caring about his players perhaps a bit too much.
Career Summary:
2008 - Games/Starts: 12/12 ... Led team and finished third in SEC with 15.5 TFLs while earning All-SEC honors from the league coaches and second-team honors from Associated Press ... Contributed two tackles while applying constant QB pressure at UCLA ... Part of DL that held Bruins to 29 rushing yards on 31 attempts ... Finished with two tackles including a TFL against Florida ... Had four tackles, including a TFL at Auburn ... Finished with a season-high five tackles against Northern Illinois ... Had career game against Georgia, finishing with a career-high nine tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and grabbed first career INT ... Credited with two tackles and first sack of season against Mississippi State ... Contributed four tackles including a TFL against Alabama ... Recorded seven tackles in return to home-state South Carolina ... Both tackles were TFLs against Wyoming ... Credited with six tackles, including two sacks and three total TFLs at Vanderbilt ... Added six tackles against Kentucky, including one TFL. Helped UT tie for third in the nation in total defense (263.5 ypg.) and rank 10th in the country in scoring defense (16.8 ppg.).
2007 - Games/Starts: 14/0 ... Paced Vols with 12 tackles for loss and four sacks...Set then career TFL highs against Cal and Southern Miss ... Led team with 11/2 TFLs against Cal ... Finished with three tackles against Golden Bears ... Had two TFLs including a sack against Southern Miss ... Finished with two tackles against Florida ... Led team with six tackles including, three TFLs and two sacks against Arkansas State ... Recorded one tackle and one quarterback hurry against Georgia ... Finished with two tackles an assisted on a TFL against Alabama ... Had three tackles including a TFL against South Carolina ... Finished with five tackles vs. La.-Lafayette ... Had one TFL among two tackles against Arkansas ... Contributed two tackles, including assisting in a TFL against Vanderbilt ... Had four tackles and a TFL against Kentucky ... Concluded season with fourth sack and 12th TFL in Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.
2006 - Games/Starts: 13/2...Made first two starts of collegiate career to finish 2006 season against Vanderbilt and Kentucky...Two tackles and one QB hurry vs. California...Two tackles against Air Force...Nearly had safety against Florida, corralling Gators' Jemalle Cornelius for 7-yard loss to the 1...Recorded sack against Marshall...One TFL against Memphis...Had TFL in three consecutive games (Florida, Marshall, Memphis)...One tackle and one hurry against Alabama ...Three tackles against home state South Carolina... Finished with four tackles against LSU...Logged two tackles against Arkansas...Broke up pass and finished with two tackles against Vanderbilt in his first career start...Recorded two tackles against both Kentucky and Penn State.
2005 - Games/Starts: 9/0 ... Made collegiate debut at LSU ... Posted first career tackle -- sack for 6-yard loss -- vs. Ole Miss ... Career-high four tackles vs. Memphis.
2004 - Redshirted.
Draft Analysis:Positives: Powerfully built athlete. Good lower-body strength to hold up at the point of attack. Flashes the ability to anchor and split double-team blocks on the edge. Good initial hand punch to stun the offensive tackle. Flashes some upfield burst to challenge wide and has good lateral quickness to redirect inside. Good use of hands to slap away the tackle's hands. Varies his speed off the edge and can surprise a lackadaisical blocker with suddenness. Can close with authority, flashing explosiveness. Versatile defender with experience at tackle and end. Developed into a team leader as a senior. Could be an ascending player who is just beginning to scratch the surface of his vast potential.
Negatives: Lacks an elite first step or the straight-line speed to be true edge rusher. Relies more on varying his speed off the snap and his strength at the point of attack rather than pure athleticism. Moved around a lot in Tennessee's defense and was allowed to exploit mismatches. Likes to tackle high and stronger ballcarriers can escape his grasp. Stepped up his play significantly as a senior and could be a one-year wonder motivated by big NFL paycheck.
Compares To: MARK ANDERSON, Chicago -- Ayers might be the rising star at this position, or 2008 could have just been an aberration. He had three so-so years and even in 2008, it was not until the second half of the season that he started living up to his high school headlines. He might not have the suddenness to play the edge in NFL, but might be a decent fit as an under tackle. (This I find very interesting, since we move him inside a lot.)
Pick Analysis:The former Vol is an athletic edge player with outstanding versatility. As a potential defensive end/outside linebacker, he's capable of stacking the run while also providing some pass-rushing skill off the edge. Though he has been pegged as a "one-year wonder," Ayers was playing the best football of his career at the end of his senior season, and he may continue his ascent as a rookie.
Injury Report2000: Did not play as a freshman in high school due to a shoulder injury.
2002/03: Played his last two high school seasons with a torn labrum in his shoulder. I believe this required surgery.
2006: Suffered a left hand fracture in August camp (8/08).
Big hitter:Here's a look at how the Volunteers will be affected by his absence.
What They Lose
Statistically, Ayers had a fairly impressive 2008. But the statistics fail to convey the ferocity and devastating hits that Ayers become known for in his time as a Volunteer. (Why don't we see this?)
What's Next
Fortunately for the Vols, the line seems to have risen to the occasion. Chris Walker, who has moved into Ayers's old position at starting defensive end, has had a monstrous spring, earning the team's spring M.V.P. and earning myriad praise from Kiffin, usually containing the word "unblockable." Walker lived up to that description in the first scrimmage, with five tackles, three for loss, two sacks and a safety. The freshman Montori Hughes has also exceeded expectations. He had four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the scrimmage.
Hughes, a low-rated recruit overlooked by most colleges, is a mobile 310-pound tackle who has been causing fits for the Tennessee offensive line in practice. Kiffin has shifted the junior Wes Brown to tackle from defensive end, and positioned Ben Martin at defensive end. A similar player to Walker, relying on his speed and quickness, Martin rounds out a Volunteers line that has been showing plenty of promise.
The defensive line may not be considered the strength of this year's team yet — it is lacking some depth behind the starters — but it is clearly no longer a weakness.
Ayers's Draft Rise:The upswing in performance in the 2008 campaign was sufficient to bump Ayers from a draft "maybe" to a likely first-day pick. Talk seemed to center on a mid-second round pick when the season ended, with the biggest knock that he had such little starting experience relative to other defensive ends in the draft. His ability to sustain his performance over multiple seasons is a complete unknown, and NFL scouts are keyed in on finding uncertainties just like that. Ayers needed some way to prove himself outside the 2008 season; together, the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine proved to be exactly that opportunity.
The Senior Bowl proved that Ayers could succeed outside of UT:
Coming in, critics were concerned about him not being a full-time starter as a Vol for very long. Then he straight whooped Michael Oher last Monday in practice and was basically unblockable in last night's game, recording 1.5 sacks — the half sack resulting in a defensive TD. He's a second-round lock who could move up with a strong combine showing. Ayers was the Defensive Player of the Game.
Ayers continued to impress at the NFL Combine. Answering questions about his past and present gave the NFL teams a chance to feel better about his maturity; with Goodell's crackdown on off-field incidents, teams are especially wary about problem cases, and Ayers walked out with a clean slate. His combine numbers were, for the most part, very good, and the only real flaw was making only 18 reps of the 225-pound bench press. (Though, for a guy with arms as long as Ayers, that's not as bad as it sounds.) The hard work, positive attitude, and solid performance gave NFL teams yet one more reason to believe that the Ayers of 2008 was indeed a different player than the cut-up who came into Tennessee in 2004.
So how much did the offseason circuit help Ayers?
As with most players, opinions varied widely on Ayers. Mike Mayock places Ayers as the top DE prospect in the entire draft, and the #5 overall prospect.
SI placed Ayers at #27 overall, with the notable quote:
Ayers played like the best defensive end in the nation last season and his combine workout may have moved him into the first round.
CBSSports places Ayers at #41 (6 in position).
Yahoo! places Ayers as the #2 4-3 defensive end.
Bleacher Report places Ayers at #28 overall.
Here is an scouting report from MHR on Ayers (click here).
As we all know Ayers was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the second of our two first round picks at 18th overall of the 2009 NFL Draft.
In his rookie season he recorded 19 tackles and no sacks. He recorded his first professional sack in week 1 of the 2010 season against David Garrard of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Broncos Career:Ayers started his career with the Broncos back at the position he originally wanted to play in college, Outside Linebacker. He played OLB for his first two years under McDaniels and his '3-4' defense.
As a rookie Ayers totaled 18 tackles (13 solo), two pass breakups and one fumble recovery in 15 games (1 start) . He registered multiple tackles in five consecutive games (Games 4-8) and six times for the season. He made his first career start at Phi. (12/27) and recovered a fumble on special teams in that contest.
His second year Ayers was as a starter and he posted 39 tackles (32 solo), 1.5 sacks (6.5 yds.), one pass defensed and one forced fumble in 11 games played (10 starts) in 2010. He tied for the team lead with 10 quarterback hits while ranking fourth on the club with six tackles for a loss. He recorded his first career sack (5 yds.) in the season opener at Jacksonville. He had two tackles for a loss and helped set the edge at Tennessee, limiting Titans running back Chris Johnson to his third-lowest rushing output (53 yds.) in his previous 24 contests. He missed Games 6 through10 with a foot injury.
Ayers made the switch from linebacker to defensive end prior to the start of the 2011 season and recorded a career best in sacks (3-12) and starts (13) in addition to his 39 tackles (25 solo), two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. During an 'Ask a Bronco' video done by DenverBroncos.com, linked here and referenced at the bottom, Ayers was asked a question about the two different positions:
Q: Having played OLB and now moving back to DE, what do you prefer about DE and will miss most about linebacker? (I paraphrased)
A: I am happy to be back, I do miss LB because it is very versatile, you can drop into coverage, rush the passer and thats fun. But DL is my home and I am happy to be back. But I need to keep working and trying to get better. (paraphrased again).
Notable Stats:
- A third-year defensive end who totaled 57 tackles and 1.5 sacks (6.5 yds.) in his first two NFL seasons at the outside linebacker position.
- Started 10-of-11 games played in 2010 and tied for the team lead with 10 quarterback hits despite missing five games due to injury.
- Recorded a tackle for a loss in four consecutive games to start the 2010 season.
- Notched the longest scoring fumble return by a Broncos rookie in team history with his 54-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football vs. Pittsburgh (11/9/09).
Before Pats game:As the Broncos' starting left defensive end, Robert Ayers must rush the passer and also protect the edge. But has he finally turned the corner?
That's what Broncos fans — and probably coaches — want to know with the third-year pro having made three sacks in his past two games, including two last weekend in the playoff victory over Pittsburgh. Three sacks in two games is double Ayers' total (1½) for his first two pro seasons combined. The 6-foot-3, 274-pounder from Tennessee became a lightning rod for criticism each time the Broncos' defense struggled the past two seasons, or when the sky turned blue.
That comes with the territory when a team expends a first-round draft choice on a player (No. 18 overall in 2009) and he doesn't turn into an immediate playmaker.
"I don't think I'm anywhere near where I need to be," Ayers said this week.
His performance against the Steelers offers optimism as well as a glimpse of his potential. Ayers got to Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at critical junctures of the game.
Ayers sacked Roethlisberger for a 9-yard loss early in the second quarter, forcing Pittsburgh into a third-and-16 while backed up on its 14-yard line.
Bam: On the next play, Roethlisberger's pass was intercepted by Broncos rookie safety Quinton Carter, setting up a Matt Prater field goal for a 17-6 Denver lead.
Then, on the last play of regulation, Ayers ended any Steelers hopes for a Hail Mary finish from the Denver 49 when he dropped Roethlisberger for a 15-yard loss.
"Robert, as the year has gone on, he's grown up; he's grown up as a man," (Then)Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. "He's grown up as a player, and he's really gotten better as we've gone on. I expect to see (further) progress in Robert Ayers."
What must be really encouraging to Allen and other Broncos coaches is hearing Ayers say he is not about to rest on his recent laurels. He wants to build on his performance today.
"It's just one game," he said. "I'm definitely not satisfied. I want to keep getting better. I always say I want to be the best player in this league. I'm not even the best player on this defense. But that's what I'm going to keep aiming for."
Ayers appears more comfortable this season as a 4-3 defensive end, returning to the position where he excelled in college. In the 3-4 alignment favored by then-coach Josh McDaniels, Ayers was an outside linebacker his first two years with the Broncos.
The challenge against New England, he said, is to pressure Tom Brady, who completed 23-of-34 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 41-23 victory Dec. 18 in Denver.
"Executing — that's the one thing that the Patriots do so well," Ayers said. "On third down, they convert a lot. In the red zone, they convert a lot. When they get in the red zone, we have to hold them to three points or possibly force a turnover. We know they're going to get their plays. But we can't give them gifts."
Here is another article done before the Pats game with quotes from Ayers's highschool coach Boyd.
Before Pats game:Marlboro County coach Dean Boyd knew it was a matter of time before Robert Ayers would make his mark in the NFL.
For Ayers, a defensive end for the Denver Broncos who played at Marlboro, that moment came Sunday in the AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The third-year player recorded a career-best two sacks in the 29-23 overtime victory.
Ayers and the Broncos travel to New England to face the Patriots today with a trip to the AFC Championship game on the line.
"Robert has grown into a good young man," Boyd said. "If he can continue to play the way he is playing, he is going to help not only Denver but also make a name for himself."
Sunday's production is what the Broncos had hoped for out of Ayers when they took him with the 18th overall pick out of Tennessee in the 2009 NFL draft. But that wasn't the case early on in his career.
When he arrived in Denver, Ayers was moved from defensive end to linebacker in the Broncos' 3-4 system. He managed just 58 tackles and 1½ sacks during his first two seasons.
But with the Broncos moving to a 4-3 scheme under new coach John Fox, Ayers moved back to defensive end this year and even switched back to wearing No. 91, which he wore at Tennessee. He finished the year with 39 tackles and three sacks in helping the Broncos to the AFC West division title.
"Robert, as the year has gone on, he's grown up. He's grown up as a man, grown up as a player. He's gotten better as we've gone on," Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen told the Denver Post this week. "I would expect that to continue."
Ayers hopes so but thinks there is plenty of room for improvement.
"I don't think I'm anywhere near where I need to be. … I'm definitely not satisfied," the former Marlboro standout told reporters this week. "I want to keep getting better. I always say I want to be the best player in this league. I'm nowhere near that. I'm not even close. I'm not even the best player on this defense. But that's what I'm going to keep aiming for, and I'm going to keep working. If I ever get to the point where I am the best player in this league, I'm going to try to keep getting better, too." (Same quotes as above)
And that drive and determination Ayers talks about is something Boyd saw early on in his high school career. Boyd said Ayers watched more film than any player he's had during his time at Marlboro and that Ayers wasn't afraid to mix it up even during his sophomore year.
"He would get physical and that is one of the first things a football coach wants to know if a guy is going to throw his nose in the hornet's nest and find out if he was tough or not," Boyd said. "Once you got that, you knew you had something to work with because he always had the size and speed."
Boyd said he exchanges text messages with Ayers frequently and was able to talk to him in October when the school retired Ayers' No. 56 jersey (I thought he played in 42?). Boyd will be watching tonight's game to see how his former player does against the Patriots' offense.
"It is fun to watch him and know we got a young man working hard, representing Marlboro County and doing the things to make you proud," Boyd said.
Here is Ayers's take on new players, including Peyton.
On new players:Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers remembers exactly what it felt like to play against Peyton Manning, and it wasn't good (Manning's Colts beat the Broncos in 2009 and 2010). Now Ayers said he is thrilled he's about to be on the same team.
"We want to do our part on defense. We don't expect him to come here and make us 16-0 and throw for 60 touchdowns and do those types of things," Ayers said. "We know it's going to take a team effort and everybody working. I think him from watching the way we were last year, from coaching. pretty sure he feels like he's coming to a team that's going to work."
Ayers swung by Dove Valley around lunchtime Monday after hearing news of Manning's imminent signing on Twitter earlier in the day. Ayers, one of the Broncos' most active players on social media, had been following the saga closely but trying to separate the facts from rumors. Ayers, though, said he wasn't surprised that Manning ultimately chose the Broncos.
"If you come here, look at the coach Fox and Elway and those guys, the city, the passionate fans here, the guys we have on offense, the offensive line, the running backs, the flexibility coach McCoy presents on offense, the improving defense, I think it's a great place for him. I don't think he made a bad decision," Ayers said. "I think he made a great decision. Hopefully we can prove him right and hopefully we can win a lot of games here."
And it doesn't hurt from Ayers' perspective that Manning also played college football at Tennessee. The Broncos drafted Ayers out of Tennessee in 2009.
"Me and Britton [Colquitt], now got three," Ayers said. "Fortunately, we've got probably the greatest, one of the greatest if not the greatest Vol of all time on our team."
Ayers had always publicly supported Tim Tebow last season, so I asked him (reporter) what he thinks this means for Tebow. Ayers said he doesn't necessarily feel bad for Tebow because of the business side of the NFL.
"I was telling my father, if they were to bring in John Abraham or Dwight Freeney, I'd welcome them with (open) arms. It's the name of the business. You can always learn from guys like that," Ayers said. "I'm pretty sure he'll be open to learning too if we decide to keep him. One thing that won't change with Tim is his work ethic. He's going to work. He's going to grind. He's not going to change who he is. He's going to keep working, he's going to be a leader, he's going to bring a lot of energy and passion to whatever team he ends up. If it's here, we're going to be happy."
Other Appearances:Like most of the Broncos players Ayers has done work giving back to the community. Here are a few events I found that Ayers contributed too.
Denver Broncos' # 91 Defensive End Robert Ayers was Keynote Speaker at YESS Institute's YESS Mentoring Celebration.
"Robert Ayers embodies the very essence of what the YESS Institute is teaching its students: community leadership, character development and the value of education," said Carlo Kriekels, YESS Institute Co-founder & Executive Director. "The YESS Institute is honored and the students are "super psyched" that Robert will be addressing them at the YESS Mentoring 2012 Graduation Event."
The YESS Institute provides high school students the skills to shift the negative cycle of poverty, dropout and violence into a positive cycle of leadership development, civic engagement and economic contribution through peer mentoring and emotional intelligence. The YESS Institute supports role models, agencies and schools through innovative emotional intelligence curriculum and peer mentoring. In the past 10 years, YESS Institute has achieved a 92% graduation rate for students previously considered the most at-risk for dropping out of school.
Denver Bronco Linebacker Robert Ayers Challenges BMS Students
Mr. Robert Ayers, of the Denver Broncos, addressed the students of Bennettsville Middle School. His presentation was both encouraging and uplifting. The students were actively engaged and excited by the presentation. Mr. Ayers challenged the students to study and work hard to achieve their goals. Mr. Ayers allowed several students to discuss their career aspirations and dreams before the student body. Marlboro County's own, discussed the importance of family, ambition and setting goals. Dr. Tillar, Superintendent of Marlboro County Schools, was also in attendance.
I think it is great that Ayers is going back to high schools and challenging the kids to do better and focus on their education. Ayers himself has struggled with his commitment and motivation to education which probably limited his potential in college.
Thoughts:Here are my thoughts and things I found interesting while doing this research. I found it surprising that Ayers was a great linebacker in highschool, this I did not know.
I thought his sack production was interesting. He did pretty good in high school with 8 I believe his senior year. But he never was an amazing sack artist in college with 4 and 3 being his best season totals. Seeing and knowing this I don't know why people complain about his sack production. I think he is producing at the level that he is capable of. I just think people are sore (butt hurt) because we could have had Clay Matthews or Orakpo but chose Ayers. Ayers has and still does what he does best and that is stopping the run.
I thought it was cool he tied for the lead on the team for QB hits his last year as an OLB, 2010. It shows he can get to the QB. I would be happy if Ayers produces 5-8 sacks a year for the next decade. Personally I think he is almost there plus I love the job he does hooking up Von Doom.
The arrest and academic issues were completely new to me, this I did not know.
The best part I found about this research is Ayers appearances at high schools to encourage students to pursue their education because Ayers made the mistake of not. It shows me a maturity and growth as a man, this I respect.
As has been the case with Ayers there is still that approach to 'wait and see'. We as fans are willing to give him another year in his natural position to better himself. But Ayers will need to step up his game to get that next fat contract as his rookie deal draws to a close.
DenverBroncos.com, Wiki, Tennessee - Rivials, Yessinstitute, NFL profile, NFL draft, UTsports, Den Scout, AskVille, BMS, MHR - Signs, DP.com, DenverBroncos.com Blog, DP.com Blogs,
Part 1: Rocky Top Talk 1
Part 2: Rocky Top Talk 2
Gainesville, SCnow, CBS Sports
Arrest:Govolsxtra 1
Govolsxtra 2
Vids:Ask a Bronco
That is it from me for a while, enjoy ~ Aussie.


text:
Used 2018 Ram1500 Rebel Truck Crew Cab
- Stock: P235822
- Odometer
- 9,918 miles
- Fuel Economy
- 16.0/23.0 mpg City/Hwy
- Exterior Color
- Bright White Clearcoat
- Interior Color
- Black
- Body/Seating
- Truck Crew Cab/5 seats
- Transmission
- 8 speed automatic
- Drivetrain
- four-wheel
- Engine
- 5.7L V-8 cyl
Dealer Notes
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
- 5.0
Incredible reliability and comfort
By ArmyDoc on Thursday, November 09, 2017My truck has 94K miles. I thought I would trade around 70K miles but could not justify trading until this beast began to fail. It hasnt. Its ride remains very comfortable. The cab is quiet. Has yet to disappoint me on any aspect. I justified new tires, spark plugs and brakes at 93K miles since she just seems to want a few more years with me. I could not be happier.
- 5.0
Great truck for the money
By harleyrider on Wednesday, March 07, 2018I have owned this truck for over 3 years and have driven from Vegas to New orleans, Vegas to Phoenix, Vegas to Rogers Arkansas and I have always gotten just around 28 miles to the gallon or just under 700 miles per tank, tank hold 26 gallons, I have cruise, V6, 8 speed auto trans and have always had my oil changed regularly, right now I drive over 130 miles per day and fill up every 4th day for about 55.00 dollars. I have not had to do the breaks, change tires or anything else except oil and gas. The truck has plenty of power for being only a V6 but I am very happy with it, I am waiting for the 2019 edition to come out and will trade my truck in for that with same options I have on my 2014.
- 5.0
Dream Truck
By Army68W on Tuesday, November 21, 2017Just recently bought this truck and have already put a few thousand miles on it. It runs smooth and powerful on the highway but easy to maneuver in the city. All the power you need and more. I have the 10th Anniversary Lone Star edition and the leather seats and extra features make it an awesome family road trip vehicle. Cant wait to get out on the road again!
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges. A negotiable administration fee, up to $115, may be added to the price of the vehicle.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New Products
Through-Window Transfer System
Each independent motion shares multiple servo drives, which reduces drive-train size and eliminates mechanical linkages and drive shafts. The result is smooth part transfer at high speed without loss of part control, according to company officials.
Atlas Technologies, Inc.: 810/629-6663; www.atlastechnologies.com
See also: Atlas Technologies Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Automation
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text:
Hemanth necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 28 diseños de 11 diseñadores freelance.
We need a professional looking homepage + one inner page for my SEO website.
Basically I want a complete redesign of http://www.seofreelancing.com . I really need this site to Impress anyone who visits it. It should be like this is the one stop solution for SEO. The idea is to allow the visitors to the site to know that I am SEO Freelancer who wants to offer my SEO services and also share SEO knowledge and tips and tricks.
I don't want to reuse any of the current parts of the site now. Everything needs to be developed.
I am looking for a Coded Template Design of One Homepage + One Inner Page
We need a professional looking homepage + one inner page for my SEO website.Please Read the Brief to see an example site. I am looking for a Redesign of http://www.seofreelancing.com
I have outlined some of the design suggestions I am looking for the Website Design. I am looking for a Coded Template Design of One Homepage + One Inner Page.
Some Things I would want to assist with for the Design of my Site.
1. The top links must be "Home", "Portfolio", "Services", "About Us"These links should be placed like in http://31three.com/. Its nicely placed and should not be parsed as text by search engine spiders. The one http://31three.com is perfect.
2. I also like the Color Scheme of the Site http://31three.com. Its not too plain like other SEO Services Sites. A nice shade like this would add value to the design3. I like the footer of http://www.usawebsolutions.com/. I also like the boxes on the left in the site http://www.usawebsolutions.com/
4. The Navigation bar in the site http://www.nddw.com/ is . Its a very neat Navigation bar with Text Links which is good for SEO also. The site http://www.e2solutions.net/effectiv…_india.htm has got a good Contact Us form which is below the Navigation Links which is good.
5. The small logo in top left of the site http://www.ephricon.com/ looks professional.
6. I would be placing Google Ads on all the Inner Pages and not the Homepage.
I may be placing one or two of the following dimension Google. ads. Hence I want the inner page to be designed Accordingly to incorporate them in a well blended way.
Banner (Image) 468 * 60
Medium Rectangle : 300 * 250
- This Design needs to be CODED
- I want the designer to continue to work with me for some small tweaks here and there once he is selected and the site is totally perfect. I want the site to use CSS and SEO Friendly Design.
I need the design to be FRESH and not cluttered.
PLEASE NO TEMPLATE MONSTER entries.


text:
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Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.


text:
QuirkesFurniture needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 46 designs submitted by 20 freelance designers.
We need a new logo for our business thats eyecatching A modern, long-established Furniture Store looking for a new logo to freshen up our image, suiting a new younger clientele - without being too modern to alienate our older customer base. To be used on invoices, websites.
The logo must have a connection with furniture
Quirke's Furniture
Desired Color Scheme:
Navy, Blue, White Backround (Open)
Desired Style:
Logo recogniseable as a furniture store
Accepted File Formats:
Illustrator .ai (preferable),Jpeg, PSD, Vector, EPS, Tiff
Hello were looking for a new logo for our business to use on invoices and our website
Our website is http://www.quirkesfurniture.com/shop/
Best of luck, please ask if need clarification. What were looking for is a eyecatching logo thats will look new and modern on our invoices and website.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Innovative hi-tech parts for spring-mounting, absorbing and sliding. Elastomer, duromer, plastomer and rubber-metal parts operate efficiently in a large number of applications because they are compact, maintenance-free and particularly durable. PEN is continuing to develop these parts and spring systems for special applications, according to the latest technology and to your individual requirements.
Bedriftens nettsteder
www Hovedside


text:
As you may know, you can search for photos by dropping a picture on Google Images. It shows you images that are equal or similar to yours. This is what happens when you feed one search with the result of the previous search. 2,951 times.
Dutch smartperson Sebastian Schmieg thought about doing exactly that, starting with a transparent 400 × 225-pixel PNG image. He put all the 2,951 resulting images on this video. You must watch it: it goes from space to ffffffffffffuuuuuuuu in four minutes. [Vimeo via Matt Biddulph via Kottke]


text:
1 lb Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 or 4 leeks, sliced (white parts only!)
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
6 cups chicken or ham stock
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cup cubed smoked ham*
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. Saute the potato until just turning golden. Add the garlic, cauliflower, leeks. Saute a few minutes just until the leeks start to soften. Pour in the broth and spices. Simmer until the liquid has reduced a bit and the potatoes and cauliflower are soft and starting to fall apart. Meanwhile, lightly brown the ham on all sides in a dry, nonstick skillet. Using an immersion blender or work in batches using a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the ham. Heat for couple minutes.
*I used one of those boneless ham steaks that are always on sale. Leftover ham would be good too.


text: Cutlerine Gone. May or may not return. Age 26 The Misspelled Cyrpt Seen March 15th, 2014 Posted November 15th, 2013 1,030 posts 9.9 Years 1 March 1st, 2011 at 12:23 AM , since edited First off, an apology. There's no update to The Thinking Man's Guide to Destroying the World today, on the first of March, because when I sat down to write the chapter on Sunday afternoon, I somehow found myself writing something completely different. Oh yes, and since ratings are always good, let's rate this... PG-13? Or something similar? Depends, really, on whether or not you can stand to watch Cyrus plumbing the depths of despair. So, well, here it is. Neither Here Nor There "This," said Cyrus for the hundredth time, "was quite possibly the worst idea I have ever had." He was standing on a barren plain, perpendicular to the norm, or so he thought; there really wasn't any way of telling for sure. Around him was the purple-black vastness of the abyss, pockmarked with floating rocks and sections of earth; above him, a river flowed across the sky from one horizon to another, withered black plants drifting across its unruffled surface. Here, there was no wind, no time, no sense: this was the Distortion World, and he was very, very sick of being here. Cyrus had had a plan, once. He was going to chain time and space to his will, and rebuild the universe in his own image. It would have perfect: no emotion, which meant no suffering, and no complications. Pure logic, that would be all he allowed in his new world. Only now he was stuck in the closest thing he could think of to an M.C. Escher painting, without any food, and with only a huge and rather angry dragon for company. He sighed. "It really wasn't meant to end up like this." Cyrus thought for a moment. "Mind, I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids and their pesky Empoleon." He sat down on a rock, but it vanished beneath him and he fell through the air, twisted ninety degrees and landed with a splash in a small pond. "I make it a rule not to feel emotions," he remarked to no one in particular, "but I hate this place. A lot." Cyrus got to his feet and brushed dust and water from his coat; it floated away to the left and spiralled into the abyss. "I suppose I'd better see about getting out of here," he said. Then he sighed. "I'm talking to myself. That's most definitely not a good sign. Perhaps I ought to get some company." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball. He dropped it, and it zoomed upwards into the blackness above. Cyrus watched it go with a resigned look. "I should have known better," he said glumly. "Oh, well. They're all fainted, anyway." He looked around, and stepped off the edge of his patch of earth; there was a dizzying moment of vertigo, and then he found himself balancing on a tiny chunk of rock that bobbed and swayed beneath his weight. "I wasn't aiming for that one," he remarked. "I wanted to get back to where the portal was. It could, after all, still be open." Giratina roared in the distance. To Cyrus, it sounded almost like mocking laughter. "I heard that!" he shouted, shaking his fist at the inky sky. "Don't think I won't come up there!" At that moment, the Poké Ball whizzed out of the shadows to his right, slammed into the side of his head and knocked him from his perch; after a brief fall with several twists, Cyrus landed painfully in what seemed to be the only tree in the entire Distortion World. Temporarily forgetting that he was supposed to be emotionless, Cyrus swore violently at the upside-down chunk of land above him, then slithered awkwardly down to the ground. "I believe I had a ball," he said with as much dignity as he could muster. The Poké Ball dropped out of the sky, bounced once on his head, and fell into his hand. "That's better," he said. Cyrus looked around. The strip of earth he was currently standing on was long and thin, and bent sharply upwards at one end to climb high into the sky. He couldn't make out the tip, but he had a funny feeling he had seen it before. "Is that the way back?" he wondered aloud, and walked towards the vertical landmass; as he stepped from floor to wall, gravity altered, and he found himself walking on the latter. He paused for a moment, dizzy, and made the mistake of looking backwards – or down, he wasn't entirely certain which one was which. Seized with vertigo, he windmilled his arms wildly, attempting to find a balance that he already had; the result was that he fell over forwards, and got a faceful of sand for his troubles. Picking himself up, Cyrus sighed once more. "You make very rash decisions when angry," he told himself. "Those two offered to take you back through the portal with them, but no, you had to stay here, and be dignified in defeat. Well, this is what's become of your dignity, Cyrus. Scrabbling around in the dirt, no food, no horizontal water and no way out of this godforsaken place. Still," he went on, resuming his steady pace up the wall of earth, "this does, if nothing else, prove that emotion is poison, which was essentially the point. It was my anger at losing that got me into this mess." Upon reaching the top of the wall, Cyrus saw a series of floating rocks laid out before him; he jumped onto one, almost losing his balance, and saw the other ones fade away, vanishing at his presence. "Oh, this is hardly fair," he protested. "Where do I go now, then?" He looked around and spied another chunk of floating earth above him; experimentally, he jumped up, and was only a little surprised when he rotated in midair to fall onto it. A further half-hour or so of manoeuvres like this, and Cyrus was... well, he wasn't entirely sure if he was closer to the portal or not, but he was definitely somewhere else. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, he cursed Giratina for bringing him to this world. As if it could sense his thoughts, the shadowy Pokémon roared again, the sound reverberating unnaturally in the alien air. "All right, all right," Cyrus said, in a placatory tone. "I didn't mean to cause offence." "Giygogagogwoh!" it roared back. It sounded like an angry modulator. "Suit yourself." Cyrus sniffed and turned his back on the area where he thought the sound had come from; it seemed he was wrong, because he immediately found himself staring into a huge, bullet-shaped head, held tightly in the grip of a massive golden helmet that resembled nothing so much as a great serrated claw. From somewhere within the nest of glittering metal and grey flesh, two eyes stared back at him with a gaze that no mortal man could have held. Startled, Cyrus took a step back and almost fell off the platform. "You—!" Recovering, he took a step forwards again, one finger outstretched and wagging reprovingly. "Giratina! I command you, remove me from this place and take me back to my world!" The glowing red eyes stared expressionlessly at him. "Giratina!" Cyrus changed tack; the imperious tone wasn't working. "For God's sake, have some mercy!" The dragon's body drifted in long, looping coils, the outlines of its shadowy wing-forms flickering in and out of existence, but the head was motionless, and the eyes colder than the grave. "Please," said Cyrus at last. This was a low, even in his current situation, but desperate times called for desperate measures; he knew that he would not survive here beyond a few days. The lack of food, or any life beyond Giratina and himself, would see to that. "Please, get me out of here." Giratina snorted, and from this close it almost bowled Cyrus over backwards; it turned away with a rush of air, and flew swiftly away through the maze of floating islands. "Damn you!" roared Cyrus, picking up a stone and hurling it at the monster's retreating form. It stopped suddenly about fifty feet away, and turned a sharp ninety-degree angle, flying off to the left and embedding itself in the side of a floating needle of rock. Something like a chuckle trickled through the air and into his ears, and Cyrus kicked furiously at the dust. "I can't believe it," he muttered. "I'm angry. Me. Angry." He made an irate tss noise and looked up, then down; his eyes couldn't rest on anything, and eventually he shut them. Bloop! Cyrus opened his eyes. A blue swirling disc had appeared before him, approximately twice his height and pulsing with a deep inner light. "Giratina?" he called questioningly, looking around. "Was that you?" There was no reply, so he stepped towards the portal; it disappeared as soon as he came close enough to touch it. "Oh, come on!" Cyrus cried. "What do you want of me?" "Giygogagogwoh!" The dragon's roar was incomprehensible, and if it was supposed to be an answer Cyrus thought very little of it. "What do I have to do?" he yelled. "Giygogagogwoh!" "Please, make another portal!" Bloop! Cyrus stared, surprised. Then he figured it out, and took a deep breath. "Th..." He broke off; it was just such a pathetic thing to say. The portal vanished, and Cyrus cursed. "Fine," he said. "You win." Bloop! "Th – thank you," he growled through gritted teeth, and took a step towards the portal. It held; emboldened, he rushed towards it – only to have it disappear again, leaving him clutching at empty space. A flash of gold caught his eye, and he looked left to see the top of Giratina's head rise up from beneath the platform he was standing on. One red eye regarded him calmly, and Cyrus sighed. He could almost hear the dragon's voice in his head: Say it like you mean it! "Very well," he said resignedly. "Thank you very much, Giratina. Happy now?" Giratina's head vanished, and a portal appeared in front of him. Cyrus tested it with one hand, and, when it failed to disappear, went through. There was a brief flash of white, and then he was somewhere else entirely. --- "Again," Cyrus whispered, voice barely audible. "The same room again." He glared upwards at the cavern roof. "And you can stop laughing!" He raised an accusatory finger at the hordes of Haunter clustered above him, grinning broadly and chuckling amongst themselves. "It isn't funny," he informed them. "I happen to be very badly lost in this cave." Cyrus eyed a sleeping Golbat, hanging from a niche on a nearby wall. "Mind you, there's food here, if the worst comes to the worst. No water, though." He pulled a face. "Ironic, that." He stalked disconsolately past yet another pillar, and through a short tunnel into yet another cavern. It was, of course, identical to the last one, and in fact to every single one he had passed through since exiting the Distortion World. Indeed, he was starting to think that perhaps he was going through the same one over and over again. Cave mouth. Pillar. Cave exit. Repeat, ad nauseam. Cyrus sat down, back against a pillar, and put his head in his hands. This was going nowhere faster than a caged Electrode. "I need," he said, "a plan." These were, regrettably, in short supply; so few of them were going around his head that a rational observer might have said that there were none. Cyrus sighed, and regarded himself sadly. His clothes were ripped, scuffed and bloody; pains were shot all through his body from the various injuries he had sustained in his perilous journey through the Distortion World; and to cap it all off, he had a headache the size of Jupiter from trying to mentally map this strange cave, where every exit just turned back on itself. Plus his spiky hairstyle was utterly ruined, which, though Cyrus did not care about appearances, was still annoying. "In short," he reflected, "I am, to use the common vernacular, screwed." Cyrus got up again, still leaning against the pillar, and went through his pockets for anything that might help. There were five Poké Balls, each containing a fainted Pokémon; a card key for Team Galactic's buildings; a half-eaten packet of mints and a short length of rope. His eyes lit up. He didn't remember obtaining this, but could it be what Trainers commonly called... an Escape Rope? Cyrus took a few steps away from the pillar, getting into a clear area. Then, he gripped the rope firmly in both hands and started to spin on the spot. At this point, Trainers usually teleported away to the cave mouth; when a full minute had passed, Cyrus was forced to admit that nothing was going to happen, and collapsed, dizzy, on the cave floor. This elicited a murmur of laughter from his spectral audience. "S-shut up," he said. "I thought it was an Escape Rope." He hurled the rope away angrily; it hit the floor and began to spin violently. Cyrus watched with a kind of horrified fascination as it lifted bodily into the air, whirling like a dervish, then vanished in a puff of smoke. "It was an Escape Rope," he said in a hollow voice. "Dear God, it really was an Escape Rope." At this, the Haunters on the ceiling could no longer contain themselves, and burst into riotous laughter, crying acidic tears of mirth; some of these dripped onto Cyrus, and burnt little round holes in his suit. He considered the merits of making a rude gesture at them, and decided that, though doing so might be submitting to his emotions, he would derive sufficient satisfaction from it to make it worthwhile. Thus, he did it, and, his spleen partially vented, moved on to the next room. This time, he knew he was coming around to the same cave again: through the door on the other side of the pillar, he could see his own back, and when he turned around, he glimpsed himself behind him, doing exactly the same thing. It was like being in a hall of mirrors, only supremely more disturbing. "Am I to die here?" he asked hopelessly. "Is this it? Twenty-seven years of nothing but trying to make this world better, to remove all that's unnecessary about it – and my reward is to starve to death in the twisted trap of some jumped-up dragon?" Despite himself, he was shouting now, storming forwards into the cave and shaking his fists in fury; had Cyrus been able to stand outside himself, he would have condemned his body's actions as representative of the weakness of spirit. The knowledge of this only angered him further, and being more angry made him yet more furious and so forth, until, his ire rising to a crescendo, he screamed curses at the roof and hurled a stone at a Golbat – only for it to bounce instead off a gleaming golden helmet, as an all-too familiar jumped-up dragon materialised before him. Cyrus froze. All his rage drained out of him in an instant, and he swiftly searched for something to say. "Ah, you again," he said politely. "Um, you're looking good. Is that a different look?" It was. Rather than six wings and no legs, Giratina now seemed to possess two wings and six legs, and to be more firmly earthbound than before. Its expression of utter calm, however, was unchanged, and for a fleeting moment Cyrus wondered if it was the embodiment of the paradigm he sought: a creature utterly without emotion. Giratina's lack of reply was unnerving; it failed to roar, or even to move at all. Cyrus found himself fumbling for more words, and listened to them pour out of his mouth like an onlooker marvelling at an idiot. "Well, if you don't wish to talk, that's perfectly fine; often I don't want to talk either. It's a nice place you have here, you know. The layout is a little confusing, but I suppose that's consistent with that lovely little parallel universe you've got. And these pillars" – Cyrus slapped the nearest one appreciatively – "they are sublime. Truly inspired decoration." I am a moron, realised Cyrus with horror. What am I saying? Giratina narrowed its eyes, and thankfully whatever fool had hold of Cyrus' tongue released it; he shut his mouth tightly, and watched the huge dragon warily. "Look," he said, when it became apparent that no reply whatsoever was forthcoming. "You seem not to like me, I understand that. I don't approve, but I understand. But surely there's nothing to be gained from letting me die down here?" He gestured around at the rocks and pebbles scattered around. "Why not let me go?" Giratina's vast, ragged wings curled around it and assumed a position oddly reminiscent of folded arms. "What do I have to do?" asked Cyrus in an impassioned voice, spreading his hands wide. "I said please, I said thank you. What more must I do before you will release me?" Giratina nodded slightly, and a picture flickered into existence before it. Cyrus started, surprised, then inspected it closely. It depicted some sort of orange-yellow crystal, about the size of his head and with odd discoloured patches marring its otherwise perfect surface. "What's this?" Cyrus looked up at Giratina, puzzled; the dragon motioned impassively to the left with its heavy head. He followed the gesture, and saw another portal there, a fast-moving whirlpool of blue energy glowing white at the core. "Through there?" Giratina nodded again. "Do I have to find this item... back in there?" Nod. "And then you will let me go?" Nod. Cyrus sighed. "Very well," he said reluctantly. "But this is it, you hear? I will do no more for you." Giratina spread its wings wide, and Cyrus noticed for the first time the red claws that roved like homeless dogs over their surface. Though their mobile nature was startling, of more note to him was their singular size and sharpness; they helped remind him precisely what order of being he was dealing with, and so he made no more remarks before climbing through the portal. --- "To think I voluntarily returned here," said Cyrus sourly, walking up to a stand of dead trees and watching them fade out of existence. "I can scarcely credit it myself." He passed through the space where the trees had once been, and they reappeared behind him; for a brief moment, he thought he was trapped in the centre of the wood, but then the ones before him vanished for some reason, and he was able to continue. Cyrus leaped across a series of stepping stones, trod on an odd, dark patch of earth and caused a floating island to mysteriously appear; shrugging, he scrambled onto it, and was confronted by a vast river, flowing vertically upwards as far as he could see. "This is... inconvenient," he said, after appraising it for a while. "I have nothing that knows Surf." He regarded the river for a little while longer. It was oddly silent; there was no babble or rush as the water ran up. "I suppose I could turn back," Cyrus said. "I could survive in that cave, if I brought some of this water with me. But then," he continued, "the water would run out eventually. I would still die." He looked at the water. "It would be most undignified," he reasoned. "And my suit would be ruined. However, it doesn't appear to be in the best shape right now, either." Cyrus turned away from the water, and looked back the way he had come. In the distance, he could see the flickering light of the portal. "Oh, damn it all!" he cried, and flung himself into the river. Immediately, he was plunged into a world of freezing cold; without the heat of a sun to warm it, the water was almost ice, and the shock of it stole all the breath from his body. Gasping and spluttering, he surfaced perpendicular to the ground, and through water-streaked eyes saw the purple-black sky rushing up to meet him. He was moving far faster than he had expected, but no land came into sight; Cyrus, in between his frantic efforts to stay afloat, wondered if perhaps he had made a terrible error, if perhaps there was nothing above him but this endless river, and he would freeze forever its icy embrace like the souls of the sullen in Hell's Fifth Circle... Then all at once, he was flying out of the water, gravity twisting and bending around him like plasticine, and then he landed with a painful thud on something hard, unyielding and mercifully dry. For a moment, Cyrus lay there, shuddering and gasping, trying to fill his frozen lungs with air; he was shivering uncontrollably, and in a moment he had grasped the gravity of the situation. Whether in the water or not, he was drenched to the skin, and was shortly going to die from hypothermia. This is what you wanted, a voice from inside told him, calm and quiet against the storm of cold that enveloped his body. You would have fought emotion with death. Cyrus tried to say something, anything, in response, but his lips wouldn't move and his jaw wouldn't stop moving; his teeth clattered against each other in a mad, macabre tap dance. With a strange, detached air, he realised he couldn't feel his face any more. Then a wave of hot air washed over him, and countless drops of water evaporated instantly; steam billowed off his clothes and skin and rose up above him, forming a great white pillar against the dark. Cyrus squeezed his eyes shut as a second blast rolled out, and he felt the exposed skin of his fingers and lips sizzle slightly, as water boiled away from them. Then it was over, and Cyrus was both very warm and very dry, and he lay on his back for a moment, steaming gently and looking up at the blackness above. A face leaned into his field of vision. It was young – very young – and framed with long, black hair. Its nose was small, and its eyes large, round and faintly anxious. Cyrus let out an almighty groan. "You again," he said. "Of all the dimensions in all the universe, why did you have to walk into this one?" "Thank you, Platinum, for saving my life," replied the face, as Cyrus climbed slowly to his battered feet. "That's OK, Cyrus, it was nothing." Cyrus glared. Platinum was twelve, cocky and almost as large a thorn in his side as Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia. However, there was a Rapidash standing behind her, its blazing head both the source of his salvation and a considerable threat, so he said nothing. "I didn't think you'd still be here," Platinum said. "It's been three weeks." "Maybe over there it has been," Cyrus replied darkly. "There doesn't seem to be any time here." He stopped to ponder that. Did that mean that he couldn't starve or dehydrate to death here? That was either a blessing or a curse, and he wasn't sure which. "What do you want here?" Cyrus snapped. The Rapidash snorted and tossed its head, and Platinum patted its neck. "I came for that," she said, and pointed to a large, mottled yellow crystal sitting on a floating island some way off. Cyrus stared. "You can't have that," he said. "I need that." "Like you needed electricity from the Valley Windworks, and a Red Chain made from the jewels in the heads of the Lake Legendaries?" Cyrus thought. "No," he said at length, "not at all like that. Those were so I could destroy the world. This is so I can survive." "You'll excuse me if I don't believe you," Platinum said. "Now, I'm going to get the Griseous Orb." She recalled her Rapidash, the great yellow unicorn dwindling to a point of red light and disappearing, and leaped lightly away across a series of floating rocks. Cyrus stared for a moment; all he could think was that the crystal was neither griseous nor an orb, and he wondered what had possessed the child to call it that. Then, his mind caught up with reality, and he jumped after her with a despairing cry: "Wait!" Platinum failed to listen to him, though, and so began a crazy race through the nonsensical gravitational field of the Distortion World; Platinum had a head start, but Cyrus was larger, stronger and more desperate, and soon they were neck and neck, racing up vertical walls, along upside-down plains, through mazes of vanishing rocks. "Don't you dare—!" cried Cyrus, snatching at Platinum's retreating back; he caught her scarf, which unwound easily from her neck and drifted away through the strange atmosphere. A second attempt to grab her fared no better: she ducked his hand, jumped up and fell ten feet to a patch of land above, hitting the ground running and heading along a different route to the so-called Orb. Cyrus almost shouted out in anger, but contained himself; instead, he channelled his energy into a running leap towards a wall. He landed, rolled and bounded back up with unusual athleticism; he ran up and at the tip, gravity jerked him away again in a graceful backwards somersault. He landed atop a huge needle of stone, high above the platforms he'd come from, and looked around wildly, breathing heavily. Where was Platinum, and where was the Orb? Come to think of it, where was he? From where he stood, he could see the vast, insane labyrinth of the Distortion World spread out around him. Platinum was a tiny figure racing vertically down a wall in the distance, and a few hundred yards beyond her, the other way up to Cyrus, was the Griseous Orb, resting on a little pedestal on its own lonely island. "Damn it! Wrong way!" howled Cyrus, and flung himself bodily from his perch, landing awkwardly on the wall and hurtling back down again, running faster than he ever knew he could. He was flying on wings of desperation, and a small voice in the back of his head sjirachied at the irony: emotion, the very thing that he despised as weak and unseemly, was now his most important weapon. It filled him with determination, shot his heart with adrenaline; pure logic told him he should have given up the cause as hopeless by now, but he was still going. Whether it was right or wrong was irrelevant. All that mattered now was getting out of here, back to reality, with all its failings and its beauties. Jump, roll, run, jump... The cycle went on, and Cyrus was steadily gaining on Platinum. Rocks popped into existence in front of him, creating a path; it was almost as if Giratina wanted him to catch her. Perhaps it wasn't so unlikely; an eternity with Cyrus probably sounded as congenial to Giratina as it did to him. Platinum was directly ahead and below him now; Cyrus dropped recklessly down a short cliff— —and the gap between them closed instantly. He grabbed her arm and both of them skidded to a halt, tripping over each other and tumbling through the dirt in a tangle of limbs and bruises. Cyrus recovered first; he couldn't afford not to. He leaped up and yanked Platinum's bag from her shoulder, hoping that her Poké Balls were all in there, and then held it out at arm's length, over the edge of the island. "Give it back!" cried Platinum, leaping up and making to snatch it. "I'm going to drop it," said Cyrus, and she froze, then lowered her hand. "What do you want?" "How did you get here?" Cyrus asked. "There's another portal. In a place called Turnback Cave." Turnback Cave... the name alone sounded like the nightmare realm Giratina had trapped him in earlier. That meant that if he went through that portal, the dragon would be waiting for him, and if he didn't have the Orb when that happened... "I see," he said. "Fine. Let me explain something to you, child." "You keep doing that, but it never makes any sense," Platinum said defiantly. Cyrus shook her bag pointedly, and a Potion fell from a side pocket. For once, it went straight down, and did not reappear. The girl shut her mouth tight, and watched him carefully. "Now, I said I would stay here to concoct a new way to recreate the world," Cyrus said. "But it didn't take long for me to see the error of this decision. You see, Giratina is the only natural living denizen of this place, and for good reason: it is hell. You say I've been here for three weeks; here, time doesn't flow, and every moment is never-ending. Nothing is intended to live here. "So I wished to return to our world. I don't care if it's corrupt or decadent; I just want to go home. And Giratina will let me out if I bring it that crystal." "The Griseous Orb," Platinum corrected. "That's another thing," snapped Cyrus, "stop calling it that! Is it griseous? No. Is it even an orb? No! It's a ridiculous name!" "It's—" Cyrus waved her bag around again, and Platinum fell silent. "Look," he said, "all I want is to get out of here. I could go into Turnback Cave, as you call it, but the last time I found my way there Giratina trapped me there for about four hours, judging by how hungry I became. It won't let me out of there until I have the 'Orb'. So please, child, please just let me have it." Platinum stared at him, somewhat in shock. "Did you just say 'please'?" "Today has been full of new experiences," Cyrus replied dryly. "Yes, I did. Please let me have that crystal. I need to leave this place." Platinum appeared to be mulling it over; hoping it would engender some sort of trust in her, Cyrus withdrew her bag from over the abyss. "Catch." He tossed it to her, and she caught it reflexively, then looked from it to him with further shock in her eyes. "You can have it," Cyrus said. "I'm not going to take things away from you. Just... let me take the crystal back to Giratina. If it doesn't want to keep it, you can have it after that. But please, let me have it for now." Platinum looked troubled, and Cyrus silently screamed at her to give it to him; in his mind, he could see her Empoleon appearing to throw him off the side as casually as he had thrown Platinum's bag to her, or blocking his path while she took the Orb. He needed her to agree to give it to him; she had Pokémon and thus held all the cards here. "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, I don't trust you, Cyrus." "What?" Cyrus stared at her, unable to comprehend what she had just said. "You tried to destroy the world," Platinum told him. "Maybe this is the best place for you." "No," said Cyrus. "No. That can't be right... That can't be right!" He stepped towards Platinum, but her hand flickered in and out of her bag, and a massive steel-tuxedoed penguin materialised between them with a sound like tearing iron; the Empoleon, recognising Cyrus, raised its bladed wings and the former Galactic Boss froze. "Please," Cyrus said, and dived as deep into humiliation's black waters as he could bear to go: "I gave you a Master Ball." Platinum almost laughed; Cyrus could see the corners of her mouth tugging upwards slightly. He ground his teeth; it was ridiculous, trying to reason with a child like this. She didn't understand anything. To her, the world was black and white, with good guys and bad guys; she failed to realise that there were shades of grey, or even that not everyone was a clear-cut participant in the game of morality. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll put it to good use." "Don't leave me here!" shouted Cyrus, as Platinum walked away down the island in the direction of the Orb; the Empoleon remained, its triangular eyes fixed on Cyrus' own. "You won't die or anything," called back Platinum, traversing a series of floating rocks. "There's no time here, right? So you won't starve or get old or anything." "You don't understand!" cried Cyrus. "This isn't enough to sustain someone!" Platinum didn't respond; she had reached the Orb. It was large, and required both of her arms to carry; she looked a lot less than safe as she wobbled forth along a narrow bridge of stone, heading back. "Why do you even need that thing?" Cyrus demanded to know. "Surely it isn't worth my eternal damnation here?" "Cynthia told me about it," panted Platinum, struggling to maintain her grip on the Orb. "It's meant to have some sort of mystical powers relating to Giratina. So I thought I'd see if it was real, and if it was I'd go and get it for—" "No!" cried Cyrus, but it was too late. She had come up to the floating rocks, and tried to jump them; with the heavy Orb in her arms, she had missed completely, and dropped from sight like a lead weight – taking Giratina's prize with her. "My crystal!" Cyrus ran for the rocks, the Empoleon too surprised to stop him; he looked down, and saw another small platform below, barely ten inches long and one wide. Platinum was clinging to this, white fingers curled around the rock. A few feet away, on another tiny ledge, the Orb was balanced on one edge in a manner that would have been impossible under the usual laws of physics. "Help me!" shrieked Platinum, and behind Cyrus, the Empoleon made a sound like scissors opening and closing very quickly. He glanced back. The huge steel penguin looked ready to kill him if he chose to disobey its mistress. "I think not," he told it, and jumped to the first stepping stone. The Empoleon rushed up to the edge, massive feet scraping against the ground, but it could do no more: unable to jump, it was stuck there, and Cyrus was safe from it. "Help me!" repeated Platinum. She looked like she was slipping, Cyrus thought. There were no other platforms below her, just the never-ending darkness; even if there was one, far down in the abyss, hitting it from this height would kill her. "That'll teach you," Cyrus said aloud, scrambling to the next rock and lying down to reach over the edge of the precipice. Platinum looked at him hopefully, but he waved her aside. "The crystal, child. I'm taking that." "I can't hold on." She was crying now, Cyrus noted; tears and snot were plastered over her face and dripping away onto the front of her coat. His fingers brushed the hard edges of the Griseous Orb, and it almost overbalanced; he swiftly caught it between two hands, holding it still. Now for the real effort: pulling it back up. Platinum's hands were pale, and the knuckles were white through the tight skin. Cyrus paused. It was hard not to look at her, even for him. She was so small, and so helpless, and her knuckles were standing out so far. If he let go of the Orb, though, it would fall. Unquestionably, he was the only thing keeping it upright. Then where would he be? Trapped in the Distortion World forever, or, if Giratina so chose, in Turnback Cave. Neither option was particularly palatable. Besides, what advantages would letting go and saving Platinum confer? She would live. The thought struck Cyrus like a bullet between the eyes; it came from nowhere, and sent an electric thrill through his body. "Pity is poison," he whispered to himself. "Emotions are the symptoms of the human disease." One hand slipped, and regained its place again. Those knuckles were so white; they were the last dregs of strength in an animal desperately trying to preserve its life. In the end, there was no difference between a man and a Vigoroth, or a man and a dog. Everyone wanted to survive. Cyrus shook his head to clear it, and heaved on the Orb with a grunt. He wasn't weak, but it was heavy, and it took more out of him than he thought to lift it straight upwards. He had it about six inches off its little island when Platinum lost her grip. --- Cyrus was never sure how it happened. One moment, he was holding the Griseous Orb, the next, his hands were wrapped around Platinum's wrist, and the yellow crystal was spinning away, tumbling end over end into the bottomless dark. Platinum cried out; at first it was a scream of fear when she fell, but it turned into a cry of relief as Cyrus grabbed her. The sound cut through his trance, jerking him back to reality, and he stared in disbelief at the girl dangling from his hands. His arms weren't his own; they hauled her up as he tried to shake her loose, and set her down on the rock, next to him; they wrapped themselves around her and tried their best to calm her long, juddering sobs, waiting for the fear to dissipate fully from her system; they pulled her close to his chest and held her there. Cyrus' head looked blankly down at all this, unable to even comprehend what was going on. He had thrown away his only chance of leaving Giratina's nightmare realm. "Damn you!" he roared, regaining control and peeling Platinum from him. He shot to his feet, dragging her with him, and held her by the shoulders, staring furiously into her eyes. "What did you do? How did you make me do that?" "I – I..." Platinum just looked scared, and confused. Cyrus made an incoherent growling sound and let her go, turning around and jumping across to the island where the Orb had sat before Platinum removed it. His hands were balled into fists and his entire body was shaking; one thought was going around and around in his head, screaming itself gleefully into all the cracks and crevices of his brain: You're trapped here forever! You're trapped here forever! Cyrus slammed a fist into the pedestal that had once held the Griseous Orb, and then again and again; his hand was bleeding, the skin across his knuckles splitting, but he didn't care. The pain was nothing to what he would have to endure here. "I – I'm sorry," said a small voice from behind him. He turned slowly, knowing what waited for him there, and was not disappointed. Platinum stood in the centre of the line of stepping stones, looking utterly devastated, one finger pushed anxiously between her teeth. "No, you aren't," Cyrus replied savagely. "You wanted to live, you wanted to trap me here. The only thing you've lost is that crystal." The girl flinched at his voice, but didn't leave. "You... really did need it to get out of here, didn't you?" "The light dawns. Your parents must be so very proud of you." For the first time in his life, Cyrus was in the grip of real anger, and it was as intoxicating as any material drug. Some tiny voice in his skull was yammering that fury was self-destructive, an emotion to be avoided at all costs, but he no longer cared about that. He no longer cared about any of those beliefs. All that mattered now was the Orb, gone forever and with it any chance of escape he might have had. "You can come out the portal I came through if you like," Platinum suggested weakly. Cyrus' eyes burned like distant factories in the night; he could feel the heat of his gaze himself, warming the inside of his eyelids. "Giratina won't let me leave," he said, and each word was invested with the full force of his wrath. "Do you think you can stop Giratina?" Platinum fell silent, cowed, then turned away to leave. She hopped from rock to rock carefully, and recalled her Empoleon when she reached the opposite island. Cyrus watched her struggle with the issue of whether or not she ought to say goodbye; she seemed to decide it would be inappropriate, and kept walking without another word. Cyrus sat down on the pedestal and followed her passage with his eyes; they still felt strange, all hot and blurry like flames. He didn't recognise this as the feeling that precedes tears until they started to fall. --- Platinum stepped quietly out of the portal, uncertain of what exactly she ought to be feeling. She felt hollow inside, as if someone had scooped out everything from inside her in the spirit of investigation, and then not bothered to replace it. So dead did she feel within that she was almost not surprised at all when she saw Giratina in front of her. Almost. Platinum stared at it, reaction dulled with shock. It was wearing the shape Cynthia called the Reverse Forme, she noticed. Presumably, it had been expecting Cyrus to return with the Orb; at any rate, it seemed faintly surprised, possibly even a little annoyed. Platinum looked up at its head, and took a deep breath. "Giratina?" she asked. "Would you please let Cyrus out of the Distortion World?" This caught the dragon's attention. The great head swooped down with a rush of air, coming to rest with the eyes level with Platinum's own. They bored into her, a piercing stare that could have unmanned Hector. Platinum swallowed, and looked away. "He... he tried to get the Griseous Orb," she explained hesitantly. "But I tried too, and I fell off the edge while I was holding it. Then he caught me. So it was my fault that he didn't get the Orb, because he saved my life instead." Platinum risked a glance at Giratina. The dragon had not moved a single muscle, holding the position, head lowered and eyes open. She waited for something, anything, to happen, but it seemed that was the end of her audience; Platinum was about to leave when suddenly Giratina roared, a deafening sound that killed a flock of Golbat hanging from the ceiling, and reared up, spreading its wings wide. When it crashed back down to the floor, the shockwave knocked Platinum over. "Bishaan!" "Is that a no or – or what?" Platinum begged to know, getting back up. "Please, just let me know what you mean!" Giratina's head swept down towards her again, and she leaped back a foot, trembling for fear it would vaporise her; however, all that happened was that its grim grey face cracked open, and it bared its yellowing teeth in something that might equally have been a smile or a scowl. Then it turned to the portal, moving with amazing speed for such a bulky creature, and vanished through the disc of whirling light. Platinum waited for a full two hours, unsure of whether or not Giratina would return. Eventually, she gave up and made for the exit; if she didn't leave now, she wouldn't make it back to her camp by nightfall. The sun was high in the sky outside, a familiar light that nothing in the Distortion World could equal. Platinum wondered if Cyrus was still there, doomed for eternity, or if Giratina had set him free. She could still feel his hard hands on her wrist, still see the wild look of fear in his eyes. By that point he hadn't been the Cyrus she knew; he was just lost, another boat beating helplessly against the current. A shiver wracked her spine, and she started walking. Whether he was free or not, there was nothing more she could do for Cyrus now. He was on his own. Platinum picked up a discarded Escape Rope, its white colouration marking out as used, and wound it absently around her wrist as she left. Stories The Thinking Man's Guide to Destroying the World * The Rocket Case * The Rocket Revival Neither Here Nor There * The Beastman * Coriolanus Rowland's Guide to Pokémon Husbandry Robin Goodfellow's Christmas Carol * Snow * Stranger Than Fiction My Trip to the End of Time, by Pearl Gideon * A Smell of Petroleum Pervades Throughout For information about A Grand Day Out, a bizarre short story in video game form, click here. Share Facebook Twitter Promote post… Respond Ignore User Report


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Murrays wins Wimbledon, beats Djokovic in 3 sets
LONDON (AP) -- Andy Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in Sunday's final.
The last British man to win the Wimbledon title before Sunday was Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in last year's final, won his second major title after last year's U.S. Open.
Murray and Djokovic played each other in a Grand Slam final for third time in the last four majors, with Murray winning the U.S. Open and Djokovic taking this year's Australian Open.
Djokovic, the top-seeded Serb who won the 2011 title at the All England Club, had won the last three matches between the two and still holds an 11-8 head-to-head edge.


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text: This tiny one room house in Phnom Penh is home to Chhay and nine of his relatives. Inside the 18 years old is trying to recover from something he describes as a massive mistake. Two years ago, he was talked into doing something he deeply regrets - selling one of his kidney for 3000 dollars. (AFP)


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WASHINGTON (AP) Deron Powers scored 14 points and Emmanuel Okoroba converted a three-point play with 34 seconds remaining as Hampton defeated Howard for the seventh straight time, 51-49 Saturday night.
Okoroba was fouled on his second layup in less than a minute after the Pirates (4-10, 2-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) had trailed 49-44 with 2:29 remaining.
Powers' free throw with 27 seconds left made it 51-49, but he missed his second try. After a missed shot by the Bison (4-13, 1-2), Du'Vaughn Maxwell couldn't put the game away, missing two free throws.
A steal by Powers with 4 seconds left denied Howard a final chance to tie or win.
Howard already had squandered plenty of chances, however, making just 9 of its 21 free throws. Hampton, which earned its first road victory this season, made 18 of 27.
Simuel Frazier and Mike Phillips scored 11 points each for Howard.


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