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| {{Era|ACB|ACR|AC3|TF|ACI|Assassins}}
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| {{Quote|Beware the easy path. Knowledge grows only through challenge.|William Miles.|The Lost Archive}}
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| {{Character Infobox
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| |name = William Miles
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| |image = William_Miles.png
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| |birth = 1948
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| |period = [[Modern times]]
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| |faction = [[Assassins]]
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| |appear = [[Assassin's Creed (French comic)|''Assassin's Creed'' (French comic)]]<br />''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''<br />''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''
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| |voice = [[Nick Jameson]] (''ACB'')<br />[[John de Lancie]] (''ACR'', ''AC3'')}}
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| '''William "Bill" Miles''' (born 1948) is a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]] who acted as a contact for Assassin teams spread throughout the world. Based in the Assassin headquarters, he regularly kept the teams informed about the situations of others. He had [[Desmond Miles' mother|a wife]] and one son, [[Desmond Miles|Desmond]].
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| Initially working from a remote compound known as "[[the Farm]]," William's dedication to the Assassin Order allowed him to assume the role of an unofficial [[Assassin leader|leader]], and he oversaw the activities of Assassin cells spread around throughout the world.
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| In late 2012, William joined the Assassin team consisting of Desmond, [[Shaun Hastings]], and [[Rebecca Crane]]. The team had managed to obtain an [[Apples of Eden|Apple of Eden]], and they eventually relocated together to the [[Grand Temple]] left behind by members of the [[First Civilization]].
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| ==Biography==
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| ===Early life===
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| {{Quote|One day you'll understand. All this unease will be worth something, I promise.|William to Desmond during the latter's training.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}}
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| William was born in 1948 into the Assassin Order, and he eventually chose to devote his life to the Brotherhood. By 1987, he lived with his wife in an Assassin compound known as "the Farm," which was located in the {{Wiki|Black Hills}} of {{Wiki|South Dakota}}, [[United States]]. He lived in the compound with approximately thirty other members.<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref><ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
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| William was responsible for the training of the young recruits, most notably his own son and [[Lucy Stillman]]. When Lucy reached the age of seventeen, he made the decision to raise her outside the Order. This was to ensure that she would be able to covertly infiltrate [[Abstergo Industries]], and her ties to the Order were severed as a result.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| William raised his son rigorously and would often emphasize the importance of being careful, as well as being prepared for an attack at any time.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| ===Researching Daniel Cross===
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| In 1998, William was contacted by [[Paul Bellamy]], the Assassin in charge of a Brotherhood compound located outside [[Philadelphia]]. Paul asked William to search for information regarding an individual named [[Daniel Cross]], who was brought into the compound by [[Hannah Mueller]] under the assumption Daniel was an Assassin.<ref name="TF">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''</ref>
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| William collected information regarding Daniel's ancestry, and was led to the [[Russian Assassins|Russian Assassin]] [[Nikolai Orelov]], who was closely tied to the [[Tunguska explosion]]. William relayed this information to Paul, and Daniel was brought into the Order. At some point, William met Cross personally and believed his sincerity.<ref name="TF"/>
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| In November of 2000, Daniel was personally introduced to the Order's [[Mentor (2000)|Mentor]], but assassinated him due to an impulse covertly implanted into his brain by Abstergo during his youth. Cross also revealed to Abstergo the locations of all the Assassin camps he had visited during his search for the Mentor. This resulted in the Templars initiating [[The Great Purge|an endeavor to destroy these camps]]. Nearly all of the Assassin camps were eradicated, though because William was warned preemptively, he and other Assassins on the Farm survived.<ref name="ACR"/><ref name="TF"/>
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| ===Overseeing the Order===
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| With the Mentor dead, and nearly all of the Assassin compounds seized by the Templars, the Assassins went into hiding, operating remotely from concealed compounds and cells. Eventually, control of the Order fell onto William, and he began to oversee the Order's activities.<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref><ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><ref name="TF"/>
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| Sometime in 2003, Desmond abruptly departed the Farm, claiming he was fed up with his parents' paranoia about the Templars, and believing them to be nothing more than conspiracy freaks. Despite endeavors to locate Desmond, William and the Assassins were unsuccessful in retrieving him.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| Despite Desmond's departure, William continued to loyally serve the Order, and kept in contact with the Assassin cells via the [[Hephaestus Email Network|Assassins' private email network]].<ref name="ACR"/>
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| In 2012, Lucy Stillman continued to work covertly in Abstergo Industries as the assistant to [[Warren Vidic]], who was a member of the Templar's [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]]. After the death of [[Clay Kaczmarek]], who had been used in the company's [[Animus Project]] as "Subject 16," Abstergo's [[Lineage Discovery and Acquisition]] division managed to track down Desmond and capture him, eventually using him in the Animus Project as "Subject 17."<ref name="ACR"/><ref name="AC"/>
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| Around this time, William and the other Assassins deserted the Farm shortly before a team sent by Abstergo arrived there.<ref name="AC"/>
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| ===Retrieving Desmond===
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| {{Dialogue3|Harlan|Shit! He's gone into shock!|William|Put him back in the machine, it's the only way to fix this|But the Animus did this to him!|Am I the expert or not? Do it!|William and Harlan T. Cunninghama arguing about Desmond's health.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
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| Lucy eventually broke Desmond out of Abstergo's facility in [[Italy]], and the two joined Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane to continue Desmond's Animus sessions, while pursuing the Assassins' interests. During this time, William kept in contact with Lucy's team and learned of Desmond's progress.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref><ref name="ACB"/>
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| Eventually, through reliving the memories of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], Desmond was able to ascertain the location of [[Ezio's Apple of Eden|his ancestor's Apple of Eden]]. Ezio's Apple of Eden had been hidden for centuries within the [[Colosseum Vault]]. The team then entered the Vault and Desmond retrieved the Apple. However, Desmond's body was influenced by [[Juno]], a member of the First Civilization, who made him stab Lucy with his [[Hidden Blade]], killing her.<ref name="ACB"/><ref name="ACR"/>
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| William dispatched several Assassins to retrieve the team from the Vault, and placed Desmond inside the Animus due to his fear of sedating Desmond too soon.<ref name="ACB"/>
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| Back in the Animus, Desmond continued to relive Ezio's memories, and eventually found a restored memory sequence from 1506. From there, he received an email from William stating that the memory sequence he had found would lead the Assassins to crucial information regarding another Vault.<ref name="ACB"/>
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| At the end of these memories, [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and Ezio Auditore located [[Pythagorean Vault|another Vault]] in [[Rome]], which was located beneath the [[Temple of Pythagoras]]. When Ezio's DNA activated a [[Vault pedestal|pedestal]], the room projected a set of coordinates: 43 39 19 N 75 27 42 W, which led to {{Wiki|Turin (town), New York|a small town in New York}} that was the location of the Grand Temple left behind by the First Civilization.<ref name="ACB"/><ref name="ACR"/>
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| Once the sequence was completed, William instructed [[Harlan T. Cunningham]] to sedate Desmond, though it was too late; Desmond had entered a coma and had fallen into the Animus' [[Black Room]]. Despite this setback, William was confident his son would recover, and so he and Harlan left Desmond to investigate the coordinates.<ref name="Initiates">''[[Assassin's Creed Initiates]]''</ref><ref name="ACB"/><ref name="ACR"/>
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| ===Relocating to New York===
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| {{Dialogue|William|Desmond, can you hear me? Son?|Desmond|I know what we need to do.|William and Desmond, upon the latter's awakening.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}}
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| While Desmond was still in the Animus, William transported Rebecca and Desmond to New York, while Shaun stayed in Italy to attend Lucy's funeral. During this time, William examined the Apple of Eden, though he concluded he did not have the genes to properly wield it.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| Upon arrival, William helped Rebecca stabilize Desmond, as well as monitor his condition. While overseeing Desmond, William questioned Rebecca and Shaun about him. William also mentioned that Desmond's DNA had a high concentration of First Civilization DNA, which would allow him to wield the Apple of Eden.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| [[File:Miles van 2.png|thumb|left|250px|William beside Desmond, as the latter regains his consciousness.]]
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| When his son finally woke from his coma, William was the first to greet him, with Desmond seeming surprised to see him, but recognizing him immediately. Desmond, after seeing the Apple nearby, stated to his team that he knew "''what we need to do''," and William proceeded to lead the team out of their van.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| ===Into the Grand Temple===
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| {{Dialogue|William|The Temple triggered a bleeding effect. You collapsed and entered into a fugue state.|Desmond|So naturally you dropped me into the Animus instead of...I don't know... making sure I was okay?|William and Desmond discussing the latter's sudden loss of consciousness in the Grand Temple.|Assassin's Creed III}}
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| Upon entering the Grand Temple, William ordered his son back into the Animus when Desmond began suffering from the Bleeding Effect. After completing [[Haytham Kenway]]'s memories, Desmond exited the machine, to which William demanded that Desmond enter it again, in order to find the key to the Temple's gate faster.<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>
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| [[File:AC3_William_Desmond_Abstergo.png|thumb|250px|William and Desmond coming to terms at the Abstergo facility.]]
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| Fed up with his father, Desmond yelled at William for provoking his own son, and accused him of being no better than the Templars, to which William responded by punching his son in the face.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| William revealed that the driving force of his whole career as an Assassin was to make the world a better place for his son, and that the impending countdown did not afford Desmond time to relax. However, he did acknowledge that he had been a poor father to Desmond, though the two still avoided each other for some time.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| Later, Desmond conversed with his father again, who apologized for snapping at him, and the two set their differences aside, with Desmond asking about his father's activity upon leaving the Farm.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| Meanwhile, Abstergo had been tracking William for some time, as they meant to use him as bait. Vidic planned to capture him in the hope Desmond would exchange the Apple for his father's safety, or attempt to rescue him.<ref name="AC3"/><ref name="Initiates"/>
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| ===Capture by Abstergo===
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| {{Quote|It appears we now each have something the other desires. I propose a trade. Bring me the Apple and I'll return your father to you no worse for the wear. Should you refuse, he will still be returned, albeit much worse for the wear.|Vidic to Desmond threatening William's life.|Assassin's Creed III}}
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| [[File:AC3_Captive_William.png|thumb|250px|William held captive in Vidic's office.]]
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| When Shaun located the third power source in {{Wiki|Cairo}}, William volunteered to go there, as they were running out of time and he wanted Desmond to focus on locating the [[Grand Temple Key|key to the Grand Temple]]. On his way there, he emailed his son, telling him to relax, as he had been "''fighting these bastards before [Desmond] was even born''."<ref name="AC3"/>
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| Recognizing the opportunity, Vidic sent his [[Master Templar]], [[Juhani Otso Berg]], to capture William in the Cairo museum. Seizing William, Abstergo brought him to the same building where Desmond had been incarcerated a few months prior.<ref name="AC3"/><ref name="Initiates"/>
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| Vidic then sent the Assassin team a video message in which bargained for a trade between William and the Apple of Eden in Desmond's possession. In response, Desmond complied, but chose instead to begin a raid on Abstergo's headquarters before reaching William and Vidic.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| On his arrival, Desmond navigated the facility and eventually used the Apple to influence Abstergo's [[guards]] into killing Vidic and then themselves, before leaving the facility with his father.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| ===Opening the Grand Temple door===
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| {{Dialogue|Desmond|You need to go. All of you. Now. Get as far away from here as you can.|William|Come with us. We'll find another way.|William pleading Desmond to reconsider his decision.}}
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| [[File:ACIII-GTEnd 4.png|thumb|250px|left|William's final moments with Desmond.]]
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| Eventually discovering the Grand Temple Key's location and retrieving it from the grave of [[Achilles Davenport]]'s [[Connor Davenport|son]], Desmond unlocked the final barrier that separated the group from the Grand Temple's inner chambers.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| Once inside, the group located a pedestal, and Juno explained to them that it would shield the planet from the solar flares with Desmond's touch. However, [[Minerva]] suddenly appeared hoping to discourage Desmond, commenting that touching the pedestal would also unleash a dormant Juno, which would conquer the Earth for herself.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| However, on deciding that Juno could be combated, Desmond made his choice and went to touch the pedestal. William made a final attempt to dissuade him, but Desmond was unfazed and simply told his allies to flee the Temple. Following the departure of the rest of his team, Desmond touched the pedestal, giving his life to save the planet.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| ==Alternate timeline==
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| [[File:DesmondDadDesert.png|thumb|250px|William with his son in the desert.]]
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| In an alternate timeline, William lived with his family in a desert community, sometimes taking his son on trips through the barren wasteland surrounding their home. During one such trip, when they were watching an eagle in flight, William warned his son to always be careful of the "vultures," who were the Templars.<ref name="FC">''[[Assassin's Creed (French comic)]]''</ref>
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| Desmond escaped the desert community some time later, and settled in [[Paris]].<ref name="FC"/>
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| ==Characteristics and personality==
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| {{Quote|Focus, Desmond, focus! Strength, speed, agility, no excuses!|William motivating his son during training.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}}
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| [[File:ACIII-Templecamp 1.png|thumb|250px|Desmond, after being struck by William.]]
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| William was truly devoted to the Assassin Order, sacrificing social relationships he had with those around him for its sake. While William's wife was able to deal with his emotional distance, his son could not, which became one of the main reasons Desmond elected to flee his parents. To this effect, William would admit to Desmond years later that he did a poor job at raising him.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>
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| William was also a highly proud man, going so far as to punch Desmond when his son compared him to the Templars. Despite this, he had no value for his own life when his death may have been necessary to safeguard the Assassins, scolding Desmond on rescuing him from Abstergo.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| Throughout his life, William appeared to remain focused more on the Order than his own son. However, William constantly cared for his son, as Shaun revealed in an email that William never left Desmond's side while his son was in a coma, sleeping next to him in the Animus.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| [[File:AC III Grand Temple Camp.jpg|thumb|250px|left|William conversing with his team in the Grand Temple.]]
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| Following his rescue from Abstergo, William's feelings towards his son were made clearer, as he admitted to Desmond that though he found it hard to express himself, he did love his son.<ref name="AC3"/>
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| His somewhat cold personality also occasionally disturbed other members of the Order, most notably Shaun and Rebecca. Both were taken aback at how little remorse William showed over Lucy Stillman's death.<ref name="ACR"/>
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| Nonetheless, the driven personality and intelligence William used to serve the Order earned him the loyalty and respect of the Assassins, allowing him to become the ''de facto'' leader in the absence of an official Mentor.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/><ref name="ACR"/>
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| ==Gallery==
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| <gallery widths="180" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="left">
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| AC3 Abstergo Suicide Squad.png|Desmond using the Apple of Eden on William's guards.
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| William miles Encyclopedia.png|Concept art of William.
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| </gallery>
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| {{ACB}}
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| {{ACR}}
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| {{AC3}}
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| {{ACTF}}
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| {{Initiates}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, William}}
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