Theory: Volume 3

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called
String Theory

Hello, Theorists. Hudson here, and welcome to Volume 3: Theory With a Vengeance. I’ll update this as new ish comes along. Any questions? You can hit me up on the Discord server or in PM (Electrochemistry#4474).

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside, come inside.

Need a refresher on how this all works? Click here!

Show Previous Updates

Update: December 11, 2022
Individual theory pages have been created for:
Inheritance
Cindy

Update: January 7, 2023
Theory page created for:
Whisper Your Own Special Song

Please feel free to delve into these and add your own thoughts and information, as with all other pages. Also, if you're feeling so inclined and want to do like we did in Volume 1 and create your own section for your personal musings, you can do so directly on this page, without having to create sub page. Unless you want to. I'm not a hall monitor or Santa Claus. See Miscellany section on the aforementioned page for examples.

As with the previous theory page, append "theory:" to the beginning of the page you want to create. (i.e. theory:broadcasts-radio-vol-3, theory:locations-vol-3) Not sure if something's on this page, or has its own page? Click edit and scroll to the section you're looking for. You'll see right away if it's here, or if it has an [[include]] tag. If you need assistance, hit Hudson up on Discord or ask around on the Chalk channel.

Show Colour Key for Text/Player

Hudson: 34925E
Cardinal: DD3500
Monica: 54CA48
Elisabeth: FF1493
Luther: 0099FF
Robyn: 808080
Kaylee: FFFF80
Eve: 00FFCC
Delia: 0000FF
Jug: D38000
Rawnie: A96AD9
Elliot: 9F184E
Silas: AA0000
Kendall: 5ABDEE
Color Codes + Names

Broadcasts

Radio

+ Show Radio Broadcasts OOC Date 8/20 - 1/23

OOC Date: August 1, 2020
IC Date: April 17, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – opic of our show today is a black ops arm of the CIA that operated within the United States for over fifty years.
RADIO: The American People first heard about the group known as the "Royals" during the Albany Trials in relation to several famous figures, among which were Desmond Harper; a CIA agent that swore loyalty to the Commonwealth Institute, Sarisa Kershner; a special-activities director with the CIA who is responsible for the serial killer Gabriel Gray also known as Sylar entering the White House, Avi Epstein; a CIA operative-come-freedom-fighter who now co-heads the most notorious American PMC, Wolfhound, and Jensen Raith; a CIA operative who turned to the Vanguard.
RADIO: But there were other, lesser-known figures among the Royals. Adrianne Lancaster all but vanished during the Civil War, and replacements to the Royals were appointed right up until the collapse of the United States government at the height of the Civil War.
RADIO: Few people, however, know about the origin of the Royals and the clandestine operations they performed regarding SLC-Expressive people – then known as Specials – for the US intelligence community. A history that dates back all the way to the Office of Strategic Services (the OSS), and their long-forgotten ties to SLC-Expressive experimentation.
RADIO: I'm Ramtin Arablouei, and this is Throughline, on NPR.
RADIO: {There's a man who leads a life of danger}
RADIO: Ramtin: Today on Throughline, we're investigating the history of the Royals.
RADIO: {To everyone he meets he stays a stranger}
RADIO: Ramtin: To understand the complex history of this spying organization, we have to go back to the Royals beginnings as a branch of the OSS in 1943.
RADIO: {With every move he makes another chance he takes}
RADIO: Ramtin: We know, thanks to voluminous evidence presented in the Albany Trials, that the United States Government knew about "Specials" as far back as the late 1930s, though it is suspected that the overall global population was less than 1/10th of a percent at that time, making comprehensive study challenging if not outright impossible.
RADIO: {Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow}
RADIO: Ramtin: The US Government began early experimentation into hallucinogenic drugs and remote viewing around this time, and the OSS was keyed in to each and every project delving into "psychic phenomenon."
RADIO: {Secret agent man, secret agent man}
RADIO: Ramtin: By the mid 1940s, the United States had come to determine that the Nazi party was performing advanced research on Specials under the auspices of a secret project codenamed Icarus.
RADIO: {music fades}
RADIO: Ramtin: One member of the OSS was charged with leading a Special Investigation Task Force to assess the Nazi Party's understanding of Specials and retrieve that information at any and all costs.
RADIO: Ramtin: That man's name might even sound familiar to keen-earned listeners.
RADIO: Ramtin: Marcus Raith.
RADIO: Ramtin: You didn't hear wrong, and it isn't a coincidence. Marcus Raith was the great-grandfather of Jensen Raith, a member of what would become the Royals who betrayed the United States to the Vanguard and later turned on Kazimir Volken and participated in the liberation of civilians from the Commonwealth Arcology.
RADIO: Ramtin: But Jensen's grandfather was not nearly as famous of a man. In fact, most historic evidence of Marcus Raith's actions were either suppressed by the US Government, or outright eradicated by the Company after their redaction of knowledge regarding people with powers in the 1960s.
RADIO: Ramtin: Marcus Raith faded from the pages of history, but if you squint hard enough, you can still find him in the throughline.
RADIO: Ramtin: In 1943, Marcus Raith began a covert operation to infiltrate the Nazi Party under the pretenses of being an American spy-come-turncoat. Raith was supplied with actionable intelligence he was able to deliver to the Nazis about the United States' rocket program and their own research into Specials. A gamble that few might have made given the historic importance.
RADIO: Ramtin: Officially, the only remaining records of Marcus is famous a photograph found in the Vanguard expose, Wolves of Valhalla. The photograph depicts the primary minds behind the Nazi Specials program: Otto Brum, Adam Monroe, Kazimir Volken, Rudolph Zimmerman, Adolf Meier, Heinrich Wagner, and one unknown figure bearing an eyepatch.

RADIO: Ramtin: That man is Marcus Raith.
RADIO: Ramtin: According to OSS records held by the Company and released during the Albany Trials, Marcus Raith returned to the United States after subverting Project Icarus and delivered scientists responsible for the research into US hands, which ultimately led to our own nation's version of Project Icarus and the development of Coyote Sands and the forced relocation of SLC-Expressives – Specials – that led to the very formation of the Company.
RADIO: Ramtin: But what happened to Marcus Raith after 1945? Up until now, few people had an answer.
RADIO: Ramtin: Our only clue laid in heavily-redacted military discharge papers from 1956, indicating a title below Marcus' rank:
RADIO: Ramtin: King of Swords
RADIO: Ramtin: This was where our investigation truly began. We interviewed over 200 former intelligence community members, survivors of the Second American Civil War, about our piece and the information they had on the Royals was as disparate as our own.
RADIO: Ramtin: According to first-hand accounts and publicly available documentation on the CIA's operations from 1975 to 1989, the Royals were an arm of the Special Activities Division of the CIA and operated without oversight or – as many suggested – consequences throughout the world. Their membership consisted of four primary agents operating under code names themed off of the Tarot:
RADIO: Ramtin: Swords, Cups, Pentacles, and Wands
RADIO: Ramtin: Prior to Sarisa Kershner and Adrianne Lancaster these roles were all known as "Kings" with Kershner and Lancaster being the first two female CIA agents. It is unclear whether they chose to change the title for themselves or whether it was done by someone else within the agency.
RADIO: Ramtin: An exhaustive search of military records from the 1950s revealed several other Royal codenames in discharge papers, though the identities of these agents were redacted. It wasn't until one of our staff writers brought up an old cult radio show, that we made a breakthrough.
RADIO: Ramtin: If we played a radio clip, how many of you today could recognize this voice?
RADIO: "I bid you all good evening, good morning, good afternoon, wherever you may be in the world's time zones. Each and every one, covered like a blanket. By this program, Coast to Coast AM."
RADIO: Ramtin: That's Art Bell, the late host of the talk radio Coast to Coast AM which ran for decades discussing topics of the paranormal and the unusual.
RADIO: Ramtin: In 2009 Art invited a guest onto his show to discuss a mystery of his father's dating back to World War II. That guest was Terrence Frady, father of reporter and publisher Phoebe Frady, the editor-in-chief of the Safe Zone Siren published in the New York City Safe Zone.
RADIO: Ramtin: Let's listen to some of that program.
RADIO: {audio pop}
RADIO: Terrence: Right. So, most of my father's things… they're in the attic. His old radio equipment, recordings he made in his studio. It took me a long time to want to go through it. He died really suddenly and I… I blamed a lot of stuff that happened to our family on him.
RADIO: Art: My condolences, Terrence.
RADIO: Terrence: Thanks, Art.
RADIO: Terrence: So, I found a recording in my father's things, reel-to-reel. It was in an ammo box.
RADIO: Art: Fascinating. Go on.
RADIO: Terrence: Would it be alright if I played it for you?
RADIO: Art: Is there any profanity? {laughing}
RADIO: Terrence: No, no. It's clean.
RADIO: Art: Then by all means, Terrence. Wow us!
RADIO: Terrence: Okay, let me…
RADIO: {audio pop}
RADIO: Ramtin: Terrence played a recording belonging to his father, a signals intelligence specialist, who intercepted a morse code signal that was at the time believed to be of German origin.
RADIO: Ramtin: But it wasn't morse code, it was a radio broadcast on ultra-high frequency encoding binary.
RADIO: Ramtin: But this throughline takes a turn for the strange. Take a listen.
RADIO: {audio pop}
RADIO: Terrence: It was an audio expression of binary code.
RADIO: Terrence: A radio broadcast on an ultra-high frequency. They barely had the technology to pick that out of the air back then, let alone broadcast on that frequency. They thought it was a secret, encoded German transmission.
RADIO: Art: You have my attention, and the world's attention, Terrence. What did it say?
RADIO: Terrence: It begins:
RADIO: Terrence: "this is a message from the year 2011 stop"
RADIO: Art: Well now, two years down our road.
RADIO: Terrence: "message intended for adam monroe stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "you must stop project icarus at all costs stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "you must destroy all evidence of its research stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "proof in three days there will be an earthquake in new zeland stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "aftershocks ten days after stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "i know about the dragon stop"
RADIO: Terrence: "destroy project icarus stop"
RADIO: {audio pop}
RADIO: Ramtin: Terrence Frady believed that broadcast was proof of communication from the future to the past. Which seems, in many ways, to be implausible. But implausible doesn't mean impossible, and the United States Government didn't think so either.
RADIO: Ramtin: We got in touch with Terrence's daughter Phoebe while researching this program and he was willing to share with us her father's notes, records, and journals detailing her own research on the topic. Phoebe agreed to join us today in the studio as well.
RADIO: Ramtin: Thank you for joining us, Phoebe, welcome to Throughline.
RADIO: Phoebe: Thank you. It's– thank you. I'm happy to be on the show.
RADIO: Ramtin: So Phoebe. Walk us through what you shared with us, your father's research.
RADIO: Phoebe: Well, as you said earlier, my grandfather was a signals intelligence officer in World War II. He intercepted Axis broadcasts, decoded them, and delivered them to the OSS.
RADIO: Phoebe: He was a journaler. It's not something that he was supposed to keep notes on, and he didn't always journal his work, but sometimes he'd work through his anger by writing about it.
RADIO: Phoebe: I didn't know my father had anything from my grandfather. He died when my dad was really young, it… it was hard.
RADIO: Phoebe: My father died in the civil war, and I assumed I'd lost everything of his. Everything–
RADIO: Ramtin: But you found something.
RADIO: Phoebe: Yeah, yeah I did. He had a safety deposit box at the Carver Federal Savings Bank in Brooklyn. It took me a few years, but when the bank moved back in they found some of the safety deposit boxes hadn't been broken into.
RADIO: Phoebe: Eventually I got my father's things and… and most of them were my grandpa's journals.
RADIO: Ramtin: Why don't you tell us about the signal, and how that relates to the Royals.
RADIO: Phoebe: Right.
RADIO: Phoebe: So… after my grandfather returned from the war in 46, I guess he was pulled into a meeting with people way over even his CO's heads.
RADIO: Phoebe: He wrote this in his journal. "Four men, none of them gave me their names, just codenames. One of them, short guy with an eyepatch, led the show. They wanted to know about the broadcast. The encoded message."
RADIO: Phoebe: "They wanted to know if I'd decoded it, and I told them I didn't know how, and that I forwarded the transcription along. Bastards kept me holed up in that room for a full day before dumping me out on the street, asking the same questions over and over again."
RADIO: Phoebe: My grandfather eventually got pulled in to work with them, which left a lot of holes in his diary entries. But in 1947 something happened.
RADIO: Phoebe: He was stationed in Nevada. Roswell. I— I know. I know. Something happened at a military base he was stationed on and he was demoted and basically thrown into a dead-end assignment in New York listening for Communist radio chatter.
RADIO: Phoebe: I… won't read what he wrote about that.
RADIO: Ramtin: And what did your grandfather do after he was demoted?
RADIO: Phoebe: He worked that desk for years, but in his journals he talked about someone… prisoners he helped escape? I— I dunno, it's all really vague. Some of the pages are missing. It felt like he was having a crisis of faith about the anti-Soviet stuff that was going on at the time. Cold war shit.
RADIO: Phoebe: None of it seemed all that significant to me, I mean there's enough stuff that used to be available with a FOIA that'd knock your socks clear off your feet. It was nice but it didn't feel–
RADIO: Ramtin: It didn't feel extraordinary.
RADIO: Phoebe: No, not really. But then when you reached out to me…
RADIO: Ramtin: Why don't you talk to us about the German soldier your grandfather met.
RADIO: Phoebe: Oh yeah, yeah. So… in 1968, my grandfather met a former German soldier who had served in Berlin through the Allied invasion, Michel Hesser. Mr. Hesser and my father had put the war long behind them at that point, and Hesser was only 19 when the Allies came through. They kept in touch for a few years and my grandfather asked him once about his experiences in the war.
RADIO: Phoebe: He mentioned once, that he was the driver for a Nazi officer named Raith. That one day he overheard Raith talking about a group of Specials that had the ability to travel time.
RADIO: Phoebe: Now, Hesser didn't have all the details. But he heard Raith speaking with an SS officer about it, about how these "voyagers" had come back to 1945 from a point in the future and… well, my grandfather wrote it all off. They fell out of touch and…
RADIO: Ramtin: I wouldn't blame your grandfather for being a little suspicious of a story like that, especially in the 60's.
RADIO: Phoebe: But that's where it gets weirder, right? Like, my grandfather's journals mention there was a man named Raith who worked at the agency that questioned him. The same one that picked him up and had him stationed in Roswell in '47.
RADIO: Phoebe: My grandfather believed with all his heart about time travel. He— he died on Thanksgiving day in 1970. The way my dad told it, my grandfather left in the morning, saying he had to meet some friends but he'd be home for dinner. But he never made it home.
RADIO: Phoebe: He was found in an abandoned apartment in Queens, shot dead in a drug deal gone wrong. But my dad swears up and down that grandpa was clean. Howard's death it… it fucked my family up.
RADIO: Phoebe: I tried to pull FOIA requests on his death certificates before the Civil War started and was denied. Someone was trying to hide something.
RADIO: Phoebe: My grandfather died in a cover-up, and I'll never know for what.
RADIO: Ramtin: Thanks to Phoebe's documents from her grandfather's research, we were able to confirm that Marcus Raith formed an organization after 1945 dedicated to the continued investigation of Specials, codenamed Royals. Now, after the Company's redaction of the US Government's knowledge about people with abilities in the 1960s the Royals' purpose was likely lost.
RADIO: Ramtin: But the pieces start to line up in shapes that seem familiar to us, all these years down the line.
RADIO: Ramtin: Did Marcus Raith receive a message he believed was from the future? Did he found a clandestine branch of the CIA to investigate these claims? Was Howard Frady a part of the organization that researched these communications, and was he silenced to keep those secrets?
RADIO: Ramtin: The answers to this remain unclear, but one fascinating piece of information might leave those of you on the fence questioning what you know about the world.
RADIO: Ramtin: In 2016 a wealth of Department of Homeland Security documentation was released to the public through the Albany Trials. One of which in particular was particularly salient to this story.
RADIO: Ramtin: It is a transcript from 2011 of a DHS investigation between the Secretary of Homeland Security Matthew Parkman and an unknown detainee.
RADIO: Ramtin: In it, Parkman interrogates a suspected "terrorist" with the abilities of teleportation and time-freezing, by his own words. Through the interview, the detainee shows a lack of clarity and understanding of current events and Parkman becomes increasingly frustrated by the evasions.
RADIO: Ramtin: There is a break during the investigation where another party enters the room, name also redacted, who describes a series of events that may be relevant.
RADIO: Ramtin: The unknown individual says, "The events in this comic. History didn't happen like this. You didn't kill Sylar. You're trying to change the past. Trying to stop Sylar, is that it?"
RADIO: Ramtin: To which the detainee replies: "If you could save millions of lives, wouldn't you?"
RADIO: Ramtin: We have no context of who the speakers were or a broader context of what they were discussing, but someone at the DHS seemed to believe that time travel might have been possible.
RADIO: Ramtin: In a world of superhuman powers and strange phenomenon, is that so hard to imagine?
RADIO: Ramtin: And here is where our story ends, where it began.
RADIO: Ramtin: The year of that transcript was 2011.
RADIO: Ramtin: The same year of the purported message through time.
RADIO: Ramtin: My name is Ramtin Arablouei, my guest tonight has been Phoebe Frady, editor-in-chief of the Safe Zone Siren.
RADIO: Ramtin: And this has been Throughline.
RADIO: {They've given you a number and taken away your name}
RADIO: {Beware of pretty faces that you find}
RADIO: {A pretty face can hide an evil mind}
RADIO: {Ah, be careful what you say}
RADIO: {Or you'll give yourself away}
RADIO: {Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow}
RADIO: {Secret agent man, secret agent man}
RADIO: {They've given you a}} –
RADIO:
RADIO:
RADIO:
RADIO: "Now what?"
RADIO: «Well.»
RADIO: «Now we wait.»
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: August 29, 2020
IC Date: September 4, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – low price of just £15,999 you could drive home a new McLaren Horizon.
RADIO: Drive away in luxury and security. McLaren Horizon, available now for Sign and Drive.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – llo, I'm Joe Witt.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: And I'm Eloise Cosgrove.
RADIO: Man & Woman Together: And this is the Graham Norton Show!
RADIO: {fanfare}
RADIO: {theme song plays}
RADIO: Graham Norton: Oh! Hello, hello!
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: {applause}
RADIO: Graham: Hello everybody, good evening!
RADIO: {applause}
RADIO: Graham: Yes, hello! You're too kind!
RADIO: {applause}
RADIO: Graham: It's a special night tonight, we have TWO stars from the upcoming Series 5 of River Styx with us! Joe Witt and Eloise Cosgrove!
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: Graham: Yes it's–
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: Graham: Yes they're both very lovely!
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: Graham: If any of you have little ones at home, put them to bed or cover their ears. If Elosie's last showing was any indication tonight will have very strong language.
RADIO: {audience laughing}
RADIO: Graham: Yes, Joe and Eloise will be out here shortly.
RADIO: {applause dying down}
RADIO: Graham: Obviously Joe you all know as Jackie Dumont from Fletcher's Fall. Very charming.
RADIO: Graham: But we got a little taste of his smoldering good looks in Series 4 of River Styx. Just a taste!
RADIO: Graham: Eloise of course is a theater and stage actress as well as a musician. She's currently on a tour of Europe with her band Faith in Proxy, but we got her here tonight! We're so very lucky.
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: Graham: We wanted to get Naomi Kim on the program but the BBC's lawyers won't let her out of their dungeon!
RADIO: {audience laughing}
RADIO: Graham: But seriously we have a wonderful show for you tonight, so why don't we get on with it!
RADIO: {audience cheering, band playing}
RADIO: Graham: Please welcome Joe Witt!
RADIO: {cheering, whistling}
RADIO: {band playing}
RADIO: Graham: Joe, as always, such a pleasure to have you on the program.
RADIO: Joe Witt: Wonderful as always, Graham. Absolute peach.
RADIO: Audience Member: I love you Joe!
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Joe: I'll tell my wife you send your regards!
RADIO: {Joe and Graham laughing}
RADIO: Graham: But this episode wouldn't be complete without the Siren of River Styx. Here she comes, Eloise Cosgrove!
RADIO: {music playing}
RADIO: {audience cheering}
RADIO: Graham: Eloise, you look absolutely elegant tonight. Did you steal those from the Queen Mum's bedchambers?
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Eloise: Go fuck yourself, Graham.
RADIO: {audience laughing}
RADIO: Graham: Wow, right out of the gate! That's a first for this show.
RADIO: Joe: {awkward laughter}
RADIO: Joe: Eloise is very excited to be here, we were talking backstage –
RADIO: Eloise: Very excited.
RADIO: Graham: Well that's good, I'd hate for either of you to dread it!
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Graham: So Eloise, you're on tour with your band–
RADIO: Eloise: Faith in Proxy.
RADIO: Graham: Yes.
RADIO: Joe: They absolutely rip. Have you seen them live? Complete bloody murder.
RADIO: Graham: How hard has it been, juggling recording your new album and filming Series 5 of River Styx?
RADIO: Eloise: I'm a fucking professional. It's my job. It was fine.
RADIO: {awkward laughter}
RADIO: Graham: So tell me, Joe, what's it like working with Eloise. I hear you two have some scenes together in Series 5?
RADIO: Joe: Well, it's been– it's very exciting. I'm not sure how much I can talk about?
RADIO: Graham: I feel the BBC snipers getting into position. Talk, quick!
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Joe: It's been very energetic. Eloise has this power to her performance, because– you know she's got that theatrical background. So she just comes at you. Yelling, spitting, very real.
RADIO: Eloise: Authentic.
RADIO: Joe: Highly authentic.
RADIO: Joe: Anyway– our scenes together are a little– it's hard to describe without getting into spoilers.
RADIO: Eloise: You see my bum, so there's that.
RADIO: {audience cheering, whistling, laughing}
RADIO: Graham: Oh my word, a whole bum? One cheek or two?
RADIO: Eloise: That would be spoilers.
RADIO: Joe: Plot-relevant cheek.
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Graham: So Eloise, how have you felt with Series 5? You were very vocal in the break about wanting more for Eloise to do. She was barely in Series 2, and I know you spent most of Series 4 alongside Marie Teller for that whole Russia story–
RADIO: Eloise: It was significantly expanded.
RADIO: Eloise: There's a challenge with Eve Mas, as a character, because there's so little written about her. We know she existed– exists– but almost nothing in official records. We have that one Albany Trials account of hers–
RADIO: Audience Screaming: The horse is a metaphor!
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Graham: Very memorable, that.
RADIO: Eloise: Yes. But– she's very much a person, but we don't know much about who that person is. So the writers have had to really develop who she is, because the BBC has a very strict mandate about not reaching out to the people our characters are based on.
RADIO: Eloise: So we've had to invent some things. Color within the lines.
RADIO: Eloise: You know just, really tell the story we think best fits the person as they're presented.
RADIO: Graham: That sounds very challenging. Do you feel like you understand Eve Mas?
RADIO: Eloise: I feel like I understand the character. Not the person.
RADIO: Graham: Tell me, Eloise, has it become harder to play the character in light of what happened back in February in the States? Will the show take Ms. Mas' violent side and death into account?
RADIO: Eloise: I mean, she's always had a dark streak. I think, I mean– it's hard. Eve is a complex character, but the character I play is fictional. What happened in the States a few months back, that was– I mean that's 2020. We're back in 2010 in Series 5. I don't know if we'll do that many seasons.
RADIO: Joe: I mean I hope we do.
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Graham: Job security, right?
RADIO: {laughter}
RADIO: Graham: So, Joe. Speaking of job security, how do you feel stepping into the role of a complex character – ripped out of the pages of history – like Leon Heller?
RADIO: Joe: Oh blessed. Absolutely blessed.
RADIO: Joe: When I was approached about taking on the role of Leon before Series 4 started filming, I was already a fan of the show.
RADIO: Joe: But to be given such a meaty, historically important role. I mean, that's… that's just wonderful.
RADIO: Graham: Have you had any bad reactions from fans? Given Colonel Heller's contentious history? He's a very polarizing figure.
RADIO: Joe: I mean, sure. But I think what's important to focus on is that this is a show. It's entertainment, right?
RADIO: Joe: At the end of the day, Leon Heller is just a character. People have to separate art from the inspiration.
RADIO: Graham: Now I know there's been petitions. From the US? From families of people that were killed by the real Leon Heller, asking the BBC not portray his character.
RADIO: Joe: Yes, yeah. I'd heard that. I think people like to get very worked up about these things.
RADIO: Joe: Very concerned with emotions. Very emotional. It's understandable. It's an emotional topic. But it's also just a show.
RADIO: Joe: Actually, I do have something.
RADIO: Graham: Oh?
RADIO: {crinkling paper}
RADIO: Joe: My agent received a letter from Christine Heller, Leon's mother. When she heard we were going to portray her son, she wrote me this very heartfelt letter. I'd like to read it if that's ok?
RADIO: Eloise: {awkward noises}
RADIO: Graham: Absolutely. Certainly. Yes. Please!
RADIO: Joe: It's not very long, so– please everyone bear with me.
RADIO: Joe: {clears throat}
RADIO: Joe: Dear Mister Witt.
RADIO: Graham: Mr. Witt. Oh that's sweet.
RADIO: Joe: I read that you have taken on a role to portray my late son Leon on television.
RADIO: Joe: I don't know if you'll ever read this, but I had to write to you.
RADIO: Joe: My son was a lovely man. He loved his family, loved his children. And he loved his country.
RADIO: Graham: Oh, how sweet.
RADIO: Joe: I know he did things that people say were monstrous. But they don't know his side of the story.
RADIO: Joe: They don't know how hard it was. They weren't there. They want to jump to judgment without knowing him. He loved his family, he was a loyal husband, and he loved his children. He wasn't a monster. He was just my boy.
RADIO: Eloise: {uncomfortable noises}
RADIO: Joe: I just want you to consider the man the world didn't see. The man the Evos didn't let the world know. Please respect Leon, he was a good man making hard choices in a war.
RADIO: Eloise: {mumbling}
RADIO: Joe: God be with you,
RADIO: Joe: Christine Heller.
RADIO: {audience applauds}
RADIO: Graham: That's so lovely. Touching. Very touching.
RADIO: Graham: What a mum, right? Stands by her boy–
RADIO: Eloise: {quietly} It's bullshit.
RADIO: Joe: {louder} I felt very fortunate to receive it.
RADIO: Graham: Have you written her back yet?
RADIO: Eloise: Well that would be pretty fucking easy.
RADIO: Joe: {awkward noise} I haven't. You know I was thinking–
RADIO: Eloise: Since one of the staff writers wrote that fucking letter.
RADIO: {audience noises}
RADIO: Joe: I was thinking maybe we could talk about–
RADIO: Eloise: Matt wrote the fucking letter.
RADIO: Eloise: Blevins.
RADIO: Graham: I'm sorry, excuse me?
RADIO: Joe: {loudly} Maybe we should change the topic?
RADIO: Eloise: Matt fucking Blevins wrote that fucking letter and you workshopped it with him, Joe. Jesus Christ I thought it was a fucking joke.
RADIO: Graham: Oh there's that spicy Eloise Cosgrove mouth, I think–
RADIO: Eloise: Is that even his mother's name? Did Matt even research it or did he just make it the fuck up like everything else?
RADIO: Joe: I– I don't–
RADIO: Eloise: Show's gone to shit since Davies left.
RADIO: Graham: Hey, I have an idea, why don't we–
RADIO: Eloise: Fuck off, Graham.
RADIO: Joe: Eloise I think you're misunderstanding? Matt and I read the letter– and we– we were–
RADIO: Eloise: No, you know what, fuck this. You all don't pay me enough to {inaudible, mic muffling noises}
RADIO: Graham: Eloise! Ell!
RADIO: Graham: {nervous laughter}
RADIO: Graham: Live television, right?
RADIO: Graham: {nervous laughter}
RADIO: Joe: Sure is.
RADIO: Graham: We're gonna take a quick break. When we get back, we'll continue talking with Joe Witt about–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
IC Date: September 16, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – he show everyone is talking about.
RADIO: Nominated for 10 British Academy Television Awards.
RADIO: The most talked about show on the BBC.
RADIO: Ripped from the pages of history.
RADIO: See how it all went wrong.
RADIO: River Styx, Series 4, available now on DVD and Blu Ray.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – headlines for the third straight night in a row.
RADIO: This is TalkTV with your host Neville Smith.
RADIO: {television clip plays}
RADIO: {sirens blaring} Peter Petrelli: Go. This is on me.
RADIO: {sirens blaring} Richard Cardinal: It's a fucking nuclear bomb, Petrelli.
RADIO: {sirens blaring} Peter Petrelli: I'm familiar.
RADIO: {sirens blaring} Richard Cardinal: This is fucking different, there's no walking away from this!
RADIO: {sirens blaring} Peter Petrelli: Maybe that's for the best.
RADIO: {television clip ends}
RADIO: Neville: Unless you've been living under a rock for the last four years, you likely have heard everything there is to say about River Styx.
RADIO: Neville: Especially after it's explosive Series 4 finale.
RADIO: Neville: But the Tsar Bomba has nothing on the fireworks started by River Styx star Eloise Cosgrove on the Graham Norton Show last night.
RADIO: Neville: Here's a clip.
RADIO: {television clip begins}
RADIO: Eloise: No, you know what, fuck this. You all don't pay me enough to {inaudible, mic muffling noises}
RADIO: Graham: Eloise! Ell!
RADIO: {television clip ends}
RADIO: Neville: That was Eloise Cosgrove storming off of the set of the Graham Norton Show after accusing her co-star Joe Witt of lying about a letter he received from the mother of controversial historic figure Leon Heller after he accepted the role.
RADIO: Neville: We've learned that after Cosgrove's departure from the Graham Norton show, she was asked by the BBC to apologize to both Witt and the family of Leon Heller.
RADIO: Neville: Eloise refused, and the BBC has decided not invite Cosgrove back for Series 6 of River Styx when it begins filming in 2021.
RADIO: Neville: Now Cosgrove has fired back, saying the BBC is in breach of contract and has filed a lawsuit against the show's producers, claiming unlawful termination of contract.
RADIO: Neville: Cosgrove released a statement on her band, Faith in Proxy's website, criticizing the showrunners and their handling of both her character and historic content.
RADIO: Neville: Quote, "I find it hard to believe this is just artistic expression. Every time the actors have pushed back about their portrayal of real, living people we've been told 'it's just a show.' That's unacceptable. These are real people."
RADIO: Neville: The BBC issued a blanket statement regarding Cosgrove's firing on September 10th citing, "Due to creative differences we have released Eloise Cosgrove from her contract with the BBC and wish her all the luck in future endeavors."
RADIO: Neville: Cosgrove's co-star Joe Witt, who was with her on the Graham Norton show, has declined to comment on the incident.
RADIO: Neville: What does this mean for the character of Eve Mas in Series 6? We're not precognitives, but if you are, we'd love to hear your gossip.
RADIO: Neville: Up next, what does the lawsuit from the Kjelstrom Estate mean for Cherry Red Reco–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: September 20, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – ather 'round, people
RADIO: Wherever you roam
RADIO: And admit that the waters
RADIO: Around you have grown
RADIO: And accept it that soon
RADIO: You'll be drenched to the bone
RADIO: If your time to you is worth savin'
RADIO: And you better start swimmin'
RADIO: Or you'll sink like a stone
RADIO: For the times they are a-changin'
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Hesser.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Sorry to bother you so late, I was wondering if you had time to discuss the Yamagato angle?
RADIO: Hesser: Yeah, sure. Sure. I just put Leah to bed.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: How's she doing?
RADIO: Hesser: Excited that her pops is going to be President soon.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: {laughing} That's a little premature, isn't it?
RADIO: Hesser: I'm polling very well.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Are… you?
RADIO: Hesser: You'd be surprised.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: You're four points down from Praeger right now in the gallup–
RADIO: Hesser: You're not listening.
RADIO: Hesser: Gallup tracks places with fucking electricity. Phones. Reliable mail.
RADIO: Hesser: Every single state in the Dead Zone still gets to vote.
RADIO: Hesser: They aren't looking there. They aren't talking to those people. They've straight up fucking given up on them.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Gallup has?
RADIO: Hesser: No the– {exasperated sigh} fucking government.
RADIO: Hesser: There's a lot of very disenfranchised people out there who feel very strongly that Raymond Praeger gave them the big middle finger and went off to tidy up the rest of the country.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: How're you… polling any of that?
RADIO: Hesser: Grassroots.
RADIO: Hesser: Where the fuck do you think most of my campaign money went to? It sure as hell wasn't my ties.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: {awkward laughter}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Your ties are unequivocally bad.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Sir.
RADIO: Hesser: Anyway. Yamagato?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Yes!
RADIO: Hesser: What'd they say to the proposal?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: They're interested, but until they see drafted legislation about the autonomous defense ban being lifted, they're going to drag their heels.
RADIO: Hesser: Alright. Ok. We can work with this. Let's talk strategy.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Come writers and critics
RADIO: Who prophesize with your pen
RADIO: And keep your eyes wide
RADIO: The chance won't come again
RADIO: And don't speak too soon
RADIO: For the wheel's still in spin
RADIO: And there's no tellin' who
RADIO: That it's namin'
RADIO: For the loser now
RADIO: Will be later to win
RADIO: For the times they are a-changin'
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Exasperated Man's Voice: Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Did I call at an inopportune time, Congressman?
RADIO: Medina: What– I– I thought you were–
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Someone else?
RADIO: Medina: {clearing his throat} You said you wouldn't call here.
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: You're not inspiring, Frederick.
RADIO: Medina: I'm– sorry. I'm– it's been a long week, I– I've got the debates coming up.
RADIO: Medina: I've been trying to–
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Is Heather sleeping?
RADIO: Medina: {dry cough}
RADIO: Medina: She's– {weakly} upstairs.
RADIO: Medina: I don't– what fucking more do you– I'm doing everything I–
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: You made a promise to us, Frederick.
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: My father asked you for one thing, and you have yet to deliver on it.
RADIO: Medina: {pleading} Jesus Christ I'm trying. It's– the country isn't like it used to be. It's not so easy to– to–
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Frederick. Calm down.
RADIO: Medina: {labored breathing}
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Now, I've just sent you a photograph. Please review it.
RADIO: Medina: {shuffling}
RADIO: Medina: {gagging sobs}
RADIO: Medina: {whisper-screaming} Get out of my fucking house!
RADIO: Medina: {whisper-screaming} Don't– Don't! Please.
RADIO: Medina: {weakly} I'm doing everything. I'm fucking– I'm doing everything you asked.
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: I expect this to be a lively debate, Frederick, if you have hitched your horse to that particular cart.
RADIO: Medina: {verge of tears} I'm doing everything you asked.
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Do it better, Frederick.
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Or next time our people won't be taking a photograph of your wife peacefully sleeping.
RADIO: Medina: {non-verbal acknowledgement}
RADIO: Cold Man's Voice: Deliver, or we will take what we need.
RADIO: Medina: {weak noise}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Come senators, congressmen
RADIO: Please heed the call
RADIO: Don't stand in the doorway
RADIO: Don't block up the hall
RADIO: For he that gets hurt
RADIO: Will be he who has stalled
RADIO: The battle outside ragin'
RADIO: Will soon shake your windows
RADIO: And rattle your walls…
RADIO: For the times they are a changin'
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Harding.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Joshua, I'm so glad I caught you.
RADIO: Harding: Raymond, what a pleasant surprise. You're up late!
RADIO: Praeger: Carol and I were watching a movie, she had a long day. How's Elisabeth?
RADIO: Harding: Sensibly asleep! {laughing{
RADIO: Praeger: Well, I knew you'd be up. {quiet laughter}
RADIO: Harding: Are you nervous about the 29th?
RADIO: Praeger: Not really, no. You?
RADIO: Harding: {slyly} I've been staying up all night worrying about it.
RADIO: Praeger: {laughing}
RADIO: Praeger: Somehow that joke never gets old.
RADIO: Harding: Yeah, just us.
RADIO: Praeger: {more laughter}
RADIO: Praeger: Joshua, I was wondering…
RADIO: Harding: Hmm?
RADIO: Praeger: You're sure you want to do this?
RADIO: Harding: The debate?
RADIO: Praeger: The campaign.
RADIO: Harding: Raymond, if this is about hurt feelings I–
RADIO: Praeger: It isn't.
RADIO: Praeger: I just… I wanted to hear it from you, outside of a press circuit. I just want to know you're in this for the long haul.
RADIO: Harding: You know I don't do half-measures.
RADIO: Harding: What's this all about?
RADIO: Praeger: I'm just worried about you. About Elisabeth. I want to make sure you're–
RADIO: Harding: Raymond.
RADIO: Praeger: –you're ok. I just want to make sure you both know what you're getting into.
RADIO: Harding: My opinion hasn't changed since we had lunch in June, Raymond.
RADIO: Harding: And I don't want you taking this personally.
RADIO: Harding: God knows Elisabeth is worried I upset you and Carol by–
RADIO: Praeger: We're fine. It's fine.
RADIO: Praeger: I just… this isn't an easy job. I know– I know you know. But you don't. Not really.
RADIO: Harding: Ray. Christ. Do you remember when Elisabeth's father died?
RADIO: Praeger: Yeah.
RADIO: Harding: You remember what you said to her?
RADIO: Praeger: I do.
RADIO: Harding: Take some of your own medicine, Ray. I know.
RADIO: Harding: I know better than most.
RADIO: Praeger: {slow sigh} I know, I'm sorry.
RADIO: Praeger: I'm just–
RADIO: Harding: You're a good friend.
RADIO: Harding: And a good friend wouldn't let someone go walking into the firing squad of the highest office in this country without trying to talk them out of it.
RADIO: Praeger: {laughing}
RADIO: Harding: I'm going to be okay, Ray.
RADIO: Harding: I'm worried about you and Carol. You've been at this longer than me,
RADIO: Praeger: {softly} Yeah.
RADIO: Praeger: We'll be fine. We're survivors.
RADIO: Harding: That you are.
RADIO: Harding: Now, unless you wanted to lecture me some more…
RADIO: Praeger: {tiredly laughing} No, no.
RADIO: Harding: How about we make plans for dinner, maybe next week?
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Come mothers and fathers
RADIO: Throughout the land
RADIO: And don't criticize
RADIO: What you can't understand
RADIO: Your sons and your daughters
RADIO: Are beyond your command
RADIO: Your old road is rapidly agin'
RADIO: Please get out of the new one
RADIO: If you can't lend your hand
RADIO: For the times they are a-changin'
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Gates here.
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Are you available for a quick case review?
RADIO: Gates: Yes, I'm in my office. What do you have for me?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Agent Harris has secured the VHS cassette.
RADIO: Gates: Has it been reviewed?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: No. We were able to bypass SESA, however.
RADIO: Gates: Where was it?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Gillian Childs' home in the Safe Zone.
RADIO: Gates: Any evidence of psychoactive feedback from the tape?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: None on premises.
RADIO: Gates: Where are we quarantining it?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Tristan Da Cunha.
RADIO: Gates: I'll get a link set up.
RADIO: Gates: Do we want a formal review of the tape, or is it being sequestered?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: We'll need a review. The hardware is already on site.
RADIO: Gates: I'll take care of it then.
RADIO: Gates: I did… have another matter. If I may?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Go on.
RADIO: Gates: Will we be making a public announcement about…
RADIO: Distorted Voice: No.
RADIO: Gates: Has… my report made it out to a wider audience within the classified circle?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: No.
RADIO: Gates: {deep sigh}
RADIO: Gates: How… long did the analysis suggest we have?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Fourteen months.
RADIO: Gates: {silence}
RADIO: Distorted Voice: This obviously takes highest priority.
RADIO: Gates: Obviously.
RADIO: Gates: Do… do we have anything yet?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: We're working on a plan. The data from the interviews is being analyzed. We may have found a correlation, but… we're waiting to make a judgment.
RADIO: Gates: Thank you for the update.
RADIO: Gates: Do we have an asset list?
RADIO: Distorted Voice: We're still compiling one.
RADIO: Gates: {softly} Ah.
RADIO: Distorted Voice: For now, focus on the quarantine review of the VHS tape.
RADIO: Gates: I'll get right on it, sir.
RADIO: Distorted Voice: Thank you.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: The line it is drawn
RADIO: The curse it is cast
RADIO: The slow one now
RADIO: Will later be fast
RADIO: As the present now
RADIO: Will later be past
RADIO: The order is rapidly fadin'
RADIO: And the first one now
RADIO: Will later be last
RADIO: For the times they are a-changin'
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Sage Abernathy's office.
RADIO: Man's Voice: It's Jones, can you put Sage on?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Of course, one moment.
RADIO: {beep}
RADIO: Sage: Abernathy.
RADIO: Jones: Hey, uh… sorry to bother you are– have you tried calling me today?
RADIO: Sage: Uh. No, Sir. No, I haven't.
RADIO: Jones: {muffled} Christ. Ok.
RADIO: Jones: So – sorry, I'm doing like six things at once. Trying to reset my email password. This– fucking site is absolute garbage.
RADIO: Sage: Case reviews is down for at least another two weeks.
RADIO: Jones: What?!
RADIO: Sage: Sir it's– scheduled maintenance.
RADIO: Sage: They're trying to fix the bug in the system.
RADIO: Jones: Ok, can you– just call the directory and see what happens?
RADIO: Sage: O… kay
RADIO: Sage: {muffled} One second.
RADIO: {beep}
RADIO:
RADIO:
RADIO:
RADIO:
RADIO: {beep}
RADIO: Sage: What… was that?
RADIO: Jones: It was a voicemail from– Christ, I don't know, two years ago? It was Dobs down in Quantum Research, one of his 3 am calls.

• If you call the phone number from the DOE website (516-261-2342), there's a recording that can be heard.
  • Transcript of the voicemail by Hudson is as follows: —is just – they just – they just don't know how to get into them. But we have evidence of tens of thousands of years of human experience. Of contact with intelligent entities that I would say appear to come to us from other dimensions, rather than form this physical universe. Although, I do think this universe is filled with life, uhm, and – and I do think that we will eventually prove that. I mean, beings existing on the same physical plane as we do. I think there's far more powerful evidence for the existence of beings and intelligences on different planes. Vibrating at a different frequency, if you like, than we are, perhaps even penetrating into the same space as we occupy. Ah, but at the level of another dimension. I think there's just huge evidence for that. And I have to say, I think it's been documented, ah, going right back to the painted caves in upper paleolithic Europe more than thirty-five thousand years ago, that we have these – these contact experiences with beings and entities and that it's a, uh, folly of our science, to be so rooted and grounded in the material realm, that's just unwilling, ah, to consider all of these possibilities.

RADIO: Sage: Why is it on the outgoing voicemail?
RADIO: Jones: I don
RADIO: Jones: I don't know!
RADIO: Jones: Look I know this network is held together with duct tape and strings, but I really need someone from IT to take a look at this.
RADIO: Jones: It's just– sitting there for anyone who tries to call to report– I don't know a weird looking shooting star. How– many calls do we get on that line anyway?
RADIO: Sage: Very few.
RADIO: Sage: So… I guess it's not a critical issue.
RADIO: Sage: We've been getting some weird voicemails anyway, I think the whole mailbox might be haunted?
RADIO: Jones: {laughing}
RADIO: Jones: Great, now you sound like Dobs.
RADIO: Sage: I'll put in a ticket.
RADIO: Jones: Thanks and… sorry for calling so late.
RADIO: Sage: It's fine.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: October 9, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – the polls indicate that after an abysmal performance Frederick Medina is down more than 20 points in the polls and it isn't clear how he is going to pull his campaign back. Medina has been markedly reclusive even for the notoriously cagey candidate, following his appearance there.
RADIO: Sources within the Medina campaign are uncertain as to whether the politician will –
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – f you ask me, though, it sounds like it's gonna be a lot of kids getting high and pretending they're super heroes. Which, if you ask me, doesn't sound all that bad. It's unclear to me, listeners, if someone with Eve Mas' celebrity can pull off an event like this without attracting the attention of national media.
RADIO: But maybe that's the point? Some of the best activism is done on a soap box, and with Mas' celebrity she is almost guaranteed to have the largest soap box in New Jersey, for whatever that's worth.
RADIO: But let's get back to the music. I don't know what kind of grooves Eve Mas is into, but she seems like she might enjoy a little psychedelic 70's funk-rock, doesn't she?
RADIO: Here's Uriah Heep with Traveler in Time. You're listening to 99.5 FM, the River, Albany NY.
RADIO: {dirty 70's guitar}
RADIO: Every day I have to look to the sun
RADIO: To see where it was that
RADIO: I have come from
RADIO: I have a feeling that
RADIO: There must be a time
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Sage: Abernathy.
RADIO: Jones: Sage, hi. Hello.
RADIO: Sage: Director Jones?
RADIO: Sage: Director Jones?
RADIO: Jones: Yeah, so… wasn't– weren't they going to fix that problem?
RADIO: Sage: You're… going to have to be more specific, sir?
RADIO: Jones: The voicemail.

• The voicemail now has a new recording. This one is of a broadcast where Art Bell speaks with Dr. Mallett about time travel. Transcript currently pending can be found in the next broadcast, OOC dated October 10, 2020.

RADIO: Sage: Oh! Ok, so, I talked to Philippe about that actually.
RADIO: Sage: There's apparently a switch for the phone lines in the old headquarters that is, uh, misrouting? He thinks there might be some kind of glitch in the equipment we left behind.
RADIO: Jones: It's been weeks!
RADIO: Sage: There's been a lot going on, and any telecom work out there is– fraught?
RADIO: Jones: Can we at least get my direct line changed? Would that solve it?
RADIO: Sage: I'll get on it, Sir. I promise.
RADIO: Jones: Please?
RADIO: Sage: I promise.
RADIO: Jones: {whining sigh}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: When I'll get a chance to go home
RADIO: 'Cause I'm so tired
RADIO: Of being here alone
RADIO: But I'm just a traveler in time
RADIO: Trying so hard to pay for my crime
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Man's Voice: After all, what's a life, anyway?
RADIO: Sage: Uhh… {papers rustling}
RADIO: Sage: We're born, we live a little while, we die.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Sage.
RADIO: Sage: Sir.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Why are you making a direct call?
RADIO: Sage: Jones is becoming suspicious of the phone line.
RADIO: Man's Voice: What's he threatening to do?
RADIO: Sage: Nothing… yet? But I feel like he's going to implode if we don't make it go away.
RADIO: Man's Voice: We can't do that.
RADIO: Sage: Right. But, maybe we can change his direct number? Put an alternative number on the website?
RADIO: Man's Voice: It stays the way it is.
RADIO: Sage: {breathy sigh} Okay, but–
RADIO: Man's Voice: Do not. Ever. Call me again about this. Am I understood?
RADIO: Sage: {quietly} Yes. Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, I'll–
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: If I could go back
RADIO: The same way I got here
RADIO: And see the people that
RADIO: I once held so near
RADIO: I'd do my best to
RADIO: Find an answer for you
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Ruby: Isn't it a little late?
RADIO: Man's Voice: I need a status update.
RADIO: Ruby: Nothing yet, not even so much as a booked flight.
RADIO: Man's Voice: You're sure?
RADIO: Ruby: I'd know before anyone else. You really need to stop micromanaging.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I'm just antsy.
RADIO: Ruby: I know.
RADIO: Ruby: I would be too, but you know we can't rush these things.
RADIO: Ruby: What would Simon say?
RADIO: Man's Voice: You'd know better than anyone else.
RADIO: Ruby: Just sit quiet.
RADIO: Ruby: And trust me.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Mnhmm.
RADIO: Man's Voice: You let me know the minute he clears a flight plan.
RADIO: Ruby: You have my word.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: But first I must wait till I'm set free
RADIO: And I don't know
RADIO: How long that's gonna be
RADIO: 'Cause I'm a man with
RADIO: A whole lot on his mind
RADIO: Just out there somewhere
RADIO: Traveling in time
RADIO: Traveling in time
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: {{{}}}
RADIO: {???: The exchange is open.}
RADIO: {Ruby: Ms. Ayers.}
RADIO: {Ms. Ayers: Karin, it's lovely to hear from you.}
RADIO: {Ruby: I need to set up a call with Edward.}
RADIO: {Ms. Ayers: Mr. Ray's schedule is… pretty book. He has a national security council meeting on Monday. Is this a Black Card incident?}
RADIO: {Ruby: No, it's about the Droplet project. We're behind his schedule.}
RADIO: {Ms. Ayers: Ah! I'll let him know. Let's synchronize the exchange for 0:100 hours New York time.}
RADIO: {Ruby: Thank you. And Hokuto? Give Corbin my regards.}
RADIO: {Hokuto: He says thank you.}

• This is Bright. Theoretically.

RADIO: {{{}}}
RADIO: I've tried for so long to find
RADIO: Some way of helping mankind
RADIO: Just out there somewhere
RADIO: Traveling in time
RADIO: Traveling in time
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: October 10, 2020
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – is what we're going to talk about tonight with Professor Ronald Mallett.

• This is the transcript of the program that was on the DOE's voicemail.

RADIO: Art Bell: Welcome to Midnight in the Desert, Professor.
RADIO: Mallett: Well, thank you very much, Art.
RADIO: Art Bell: Great to have you, and I understand you're back in Connecticut?
RADIO: Mallett: That's correct.
RADIO: Art Bell: …and three hours, uh, ahead in time.
RADIO: Mallet: {laughing} That's exactly right. It's… 12:15 for me right now.
RADIO: Art Bell: {laughing} Actually, 12:13 and 13 seconds, Professor. You said you had a lot of clocks around you.
RADIO: Mallet: {laughing} Yes, that– that is correct.
RADIO: {both laughing}
RADIO: Art Bell: {laughing} Alright, so, uh– it has been so long… when did we talk last?
RADIO: Ronald Mallett: It was quite a while ago.
RADIO: Art Bell: You were still a teenager, right?
RADIO: Mallett: {laughing} Not quite. I had done my research, but it was quite a while ago.
RADIO: Mallett: I mean, my breakthrough happened at the turn of the century and it was not long after that that you'd interviewed me.
RADIO: Art Bell: Right. Alright, well, let's begin at the beginning because so many who are listening now will not have heard you.
RADIO: Art Bell: I mean it's important to ask why you even – I mean here you are, a theoretical physicist, um, beginning to actually toy with the mechanics of time travel. Um, why did you decide to become involved in time travel research?
RADIO: Mallett: Well, it has to do with my father.
RADIO: Mallett: Um, he was the center of my life and… and he was bigger than life. He was a television repairman in the Bronx. I was the oldest of four children and my father, he had uh, he served in the Second World War. He was a battlefield medic.
RADIO: Mallett: And he used a G.I. Bill to go to a 2-year technical school after he got out of the service. And he was uh, he was very good at his job. So good that he repaired television sets for people in the city who were big celebrities at the time, like Walter Matthau.
RADIO: Mallett: I actually have an autographed photo of Walter Matthau from my father, thanking him for fixing his television set. And the thing is though, even though he worked very hard – sometimes two jobs – he had a lot of time for his family, and that was something that made him endearing to all of us.
RADIO: Mallett: And he gave me a lot of scientific toys, like gyroscopes and crystal radio sets. And he loved to read so, of course, I loved to read. And the thing is he… he looked like he was very robust and healthy…
RADIO: Mallett: And we really didn't know – or maybe my mother might have known, but the children didn't – that he had a weak heart. And he died of a massive heart attack, and he was only 33 years old.
RADIO: Art Bell: Oh– oh my. Thirty-three. And– and at that point, how old were you?
RADIO: Mallett: I was ten years old.
RADIO: Art Bell: Oh god.
RADIO: Mallett: Yeah, and the thing is that uh, that prior to that I had been a rather happy kid. A pretty gregarious kid. But after that, it was like the world was destroyed for me.
RADIO: Mallett: For me it was uh, it was like the death of Superman.
RADIO: Mallett: And I went from uh… a pretty happy kid to actually a pretty upset, depressed, and lonely kid.
RADIO: Mallett: And I was just in a fog. And this… this went on for about a year. So I buried myself in my books, science fiction books in specific. That's when I came across a classic – a classic illustrated copy of H.G. Welles' the Time Machine. It was my father's.
RADIO: Mallett: And when I opened it up, there was a note written on the inside cover. It said, "Scientific people know that time is just a kind of space."
RADIO: Mallett: And we can move forward and backward in space, so I thought to myself… "This is… this is just amazing."
RADIO: Mallett: Inside that book my father had a bookmark, a piece of paper. It was some kind of code, and he had written on it, "A message from the future?"
RADIO: Art Bell: From the future?
RADIO: Mallett: Yeah.
RADIO: Art Bell: And what did this message say?
RADIO: Mallett: Well, I don't know.
RADIO: Art Bell: You've never been able to crack the code?
RADIO: Mallett: I haven't tried. Because– because this really gets to the heart of why I wanted to do what I do. I wanted to find a way for that message – I want to believe with all my heart and soul – that it was a message from me.
RADIO: Art Bell: From you?
RADIO: Mallett: I wanted to believe that I found a way to send a message back to my father, to tell him how much he meant to me, and that I loved him. That's why – that's how I started going down this path of research.
RADIO: Art Bell: Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. Ronald, will –
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}

• Now we're in new territory.

RADIO: {soft piano plays}
RADIO: {lilting whistling}
RADIO: {tapping on cymbals}
RADIO: {funky electric guitar}
RADIO: Well we all have a face
RADIO: That we hide away forever
RADIO: And we take them out and show ourselves
RADIO: When everyone has gone
RADIO: Some are satin some are steel
RADIO: Some are silk and some are leather
RADIO: They're the faces of the stranger
RADIO: {Did you deliver the message?}
RADIO: {I left it right on his bed. He can't miss it.}
RADIO: {And you think this is the best way?}
RADIO: {Trust me.}
RADIO: But we love to try them on
RADIO: Well, we all fall in love
RADIO: But we disregard the danger
RADIO: Though we share so many secrets
RADIO: There are some we never tell
RADIO: Why were you so surprised
RADIO: That you never saw the stranger
RADIO: {This is Voss.}
RADIO: {Kris, it's Bluthner.}
RADIO: {You sound out of breath.}
RADIO: {Someone was in my apartment.}
RADIO: Did you ever let your lover see
RADIO: The stranger in yourself?
RADIO: Don't be afraid to try again
RADIO: Everone goes south
RADIO: Every now and then
RADIO: You've done it, why can't someone else?
RADIO: You should know by now
RADIO: You've been there yourself
RADIO: {Deputy Director? What are you doing out here?}
RADIO: {We need you to open the gates.}
RADIO: {It's almost sundown, Sir. That's not a good idea.}
RADIO: {I wasn't asking you, I was telling you. Open the fucking gates.}
RADIO: {Do– you need an escort?}
RADIO: {No.}
RADIO: Once I used to believe
RADIO: I was such a great romancer
RADIO: Then I came home to a woman
RADIO: That I could not recognize
RADIO: When I pressed her for a reason
RADIO: She refused to even answer
RADIO: It was then I felt the stranger
RADIO: Kick me right between the eyes
RADIO: {Have you ever been in here before, Kris?}
RADIO: {I'm not a fan of cemeteries.}
RADIO: {It… is a lot like that, isn't it?}
RADIO: {Why didn't you want to take a helicopter in?}
RADIO: {I don't want anyone to know about this.}
RADIO: Well, we all fall in love
RADIO: But we disregard the danger
RADIO: Though we share so many secrets
RADIO: There are some we never tell
RADIO: Why were you so surprised
RADIO: That you never saw the stranger
RADIO: Did you ever let your lover see
RADIO: The stranger in yourself?
RADIO: {Crazy to think this building is still standing.}
RADIO: {Yeah. Lower Manhattan got hit pretty hard.}
RADIO: {Lot of history here.}
RADIO: {Yeah…}
RADIO: {You know, they used to operate out of here. Before the Deveaux Building.}
RADIO: {…What?}
RADIO: {Back in 63. Charles bought it, sold it to Carlos in 77.}
RADIO: {I… never heard that.}
RADIO: {There's a lot of things you've probably never heard, Bluthner.}
RADIO: Don't be afraid to try again
RADIO: Everyone goes south
RADIO: Every now and then
RADIO: You've done it why can't someone else?
RADIO: You should know by now
RADIO: You've been there yourself
RADIO: {I'm going in myself.}
RADIO: {No you're not.}
RADIO: {There's only one person in the world who left messages like this. I… I need to do this by myself.}
RADIO: {Then why'd you ask me to come along?}
RADIO: {In case I'm wrong.}
RADIO: You may never understand
RADIO: But he isn't always evil
RADIO: And he isn't always wrong
RADIO: Though you drown in good intentions
RADIO: You will never quench the fire
RADIO: You'll give in to your desire
RADIO: http://string-theory.wikidot.com/the-stranger
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: April 11, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {soft piano}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {soft piano}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} — ve you seen the paper
RADIO: Have you read the news
RADIO: Two hundred million disappear
RADIO: And the whole world is confused
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Cipher.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Codex.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: East.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Star.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Rocket.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Grave.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Card.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Cups.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: The churches are empty now
RADIO: No one goes there any more
RADIO: The remains of the bibles
RADIO: Lay scattered on the floor
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Authenticated. This line is secure.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Allende popped up again.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Claims he saw one of the crew members in a bar.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Who?
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: No idea. Says he just… vanished without a trace. He went to the press.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Fucking hell.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: We have to get ahead of this.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Remember Mr. Tomlinson
RADIO: Who everybody knew
RADIO: He vanished from his home last week
RADIO: He was one of the chosen few
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Yeah. It's going to raise questions we really don't want asked.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Can we get Jessup to discredit him?
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Yeah, probably. You thinking we tie this into the UFO book?
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Yeah. If people see a whackjob say Allende's out of his mind nobody'll believe him.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Makes sense.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: A crash on the highway
RADIO: Seven people dead
RADIO: Twelve are unaccounted for at least
RADIO: That's what the radio said
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: We need to get a handle on the disappearances, too. There has to be a pattern on the missing crew members flickering back into existence. We're just missing the obvious answer.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Yeah, look, that's… not my speed.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: We've got, what, twelve Naval officers just bouncing around in the fucking universe like ping-pong balls.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: We knew this was going to be a fucking disaster.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Focus on Allende. Silence him. But make sure he stays alive. If he winds up dead it'll look way too suspicious at this stage. Focus on the UFO angle, get people whipped up about that.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Right. Ok.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: A tragedy in my life
RADIO: And I know what it's all about
RADIO: I heard it explained to me last week and
RADIO: I just laughed out loud
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: So, what about the kids?
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: We're looking for them still. No leads yet.
RADIO: Stern Man's Voice: Head count is at least three. No IDs.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Jesus Christ, Marc. The fuck did we do?
RADIO: Marcus: We did our jobs.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Yeah, but… the civilian casualties.
RADIO: Marcus: We don't use that word right now.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Excuse me?
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: The chances of it happening
RADIO: Seemed a million years away
RADIO: But I never expected it happenin'
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Marcus: It's only a casualty if we can confirm they're dead.
RADIO: Marcus: Get to work, Agent.
RADIO: Tired Man's Voice: Yeah… ok boss.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Like it happened the other day
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {energetic saxophone}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {electric guitar}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static) –l me, doctor, where are we going this time
RADIO: Is this the 50's, or 1999
RADIO: All I wanted to do, was play my guitar and sing
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: KatanaChill07: Hey! You up for a couple rounds?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: It's like four in the morning
RADIO: KatanaChill07: C'mon I just made a Wind Dancer, we can hit up the Pyramid of Ages
RADIO: XSirTigerX: …fiiiine
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: So take me away, I don't mind
RADIO: But you better promise me, I'll be back in time
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: XSirTigerX: what're you running these days anyway?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: or are you sticking to the Wind Dancer? Their DPS isn't great
RADIO: KatanaChill07: What??? They're great at add removal!!
RADIO: KatanaChill07: Are you still playing your dumb mace guy?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: eXcUsE mE?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: I'm not going to have you disparage my Iron Marshall
RADIO: KatanaChill07: i have no idea what that word means
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Don't bet your future, on one roll of the dice
RADIO: Better remember, lightning never strikes twice
RADIO: Please don't drive at eighty eight, don't want to be late again
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: KatanaChill07: logging in
RADIO: KatanaChill07: servers are so fucking slow
RADIO: KatanaChill07: LANGUAGE
RADIO: KatanaChill07: i know
RADIO: KatanaChill07: i know
RADIO: XSirTigerX: I wasn't going to say anything
RADIO: XSirTigerX: hey where's FireFox anyway?
RADIO: KatanaChill07: I think he's grounded.
RADIO: XSirTigerX: …grounded?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: how old are you two???
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: So take me away, I don't mind
RADIO: But you better promise me, I'll be back in time
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Get me back in time
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: KatanaChill07: never you MIND THAT SIR TIGER
RADIO: KatanaChill07: are you in the lobby yet?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: yeah I'm just checking my gear
RADIO: XSirTigerX: hey is the new Temple of the Sun Dragon xpac out yet?
RADIO: KatanaChill07: next MOOOOONTH
RADIO: KatanaChill07: Firefox's mom is gonna get it for him I think once he's uhhhhhhh able to play again
RADIO: XSirTigerX: i'm surrounded by children
RADIO: KatanaChill07: LESS COMPLAIN MORE RAID
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Get back, get back
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: XSirTigerX: I can do ONE RUN
RADIO: KatanaChill07: l a m e
RADIO: KatanaChill07: why?
RADIO: XSirTigerX: I've got a lunch shift at the diner
RADIO: XSirTigerX: because i'm
RADIO: XSirTigerX: you know
RADIO: KatanaChill07: d o n t
RADIO: XSirTigerX: AN ADULT
RADIO: KatanaChill07: fffffffffff
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Get back Marty
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Gotta get back in time
RADIO: Get back, get ba–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: July 21, 2021
IC Date: June, 1984
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} –umbia Pictures has a runaway hit on its hands. For the second week in a row, director Ivan Reitman's "Ghostbusters" has been the talk of the town.
RADIO: This weekend alone, Ghostbusters took in a remarkable fifteen million dollars, topping its opening week gross of thirteen million and smashing the previous best weekend of all-time record once held by Tootsie by a whopping five million dollars.
RADIO: Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as disgraced parapsychology professors in New York City who turn to "paranormal investigat– {static}
RADIO: {static} –I walk along the avenue
RADIO: I never thought I'd meet a girl like you

• "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls

RADIO: Meet a girl like you
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: With auburn hair and tawny eyes
RADIO: The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through
RADIO: You hypnotize me through
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Three thirty-three. I need help. I fucked up.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Wow that's surprising.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Fuck you, V. This is serious.
RADIO: V: {deep sigh} Where are you?
RADIO: Man's Voice: The diner on 34th and 9th. Can you come?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Alone?
RADIO: V: {muffled cursing} Yeah–yeah. Just stay put. Jesus Christ, Aaron this better be fucking worth it.
RADIO: Aaron: Thanks, V. I owe you one.

• Aaron Smith.

RADIO: V: You owe me a lot more than that.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: And I ran, I ran so far away
RADIO: I just ran, I ran all night and day
RADIO: I couldn't get away
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {whirr}
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): I couldn't risk talking about it over the phone. I need the higher-ups to think I just got into some shit with Eric.
RADIO: RECORDING (V): What the fuck is going on? First you bail on me at the diner and then you pick me up in this fucking– this van smells like cat piss!
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): Will you shut the fuck up and listen! Something fucking insane happened tonight. I just got back from Kansas–
RADIO: RECORDING (V): {snort} Ok Dorothy–
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): V SHUT THE FUCK UP.
RADIO: RECORDING (V): {silence}
RADIO: RECORDING (V): The fuck's gotten into you?
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): Something is fucking going on is what's wrong. Leadership is spooked, something happened at the University, when we got there Thompson– and she ran and– and she's fucking dead. She ran right into a fucking truck trying to– she just–
RADIO: RECORDING (V): Whoa, whoa, slow down. Who? What were you and Thompson doing in Kansas? Is that where you've been?
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): We were cycled in to keep tabs on a presumed Special. A scientist working on some kind of project she– V– she fucking made the sky change colors. Whatever it was she made it– the whole fucking leadership team is down there now. She– I got her fucking killed, V. I spooked her and she fucking ran. She's dead!
RADIO: RECORDING (V): Okay, okay slow down. Who knows you're the one who tipped her off?
RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): Thompson, maybe? He was right behind me. I fucked up. I fucked up real bad.
RADIO: RECORDING (V): Hey, it's alright. We'll figure it out. Just chill. It sounds like you might be the only one who knows, and if Thompson hasn't said anything then… maybe he thinks he spooked her? Made her rabbit?

• I mean, have you seen Thompson?

RADIO: RECORDING (Aaron): {taking slow breaths} Yeah, yeah maybe. I just– V. When that thing clicked on I… I saw them looking through some kind of– of–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: A cloud appears above your head
RADIO: A beam of light comes shining down on you
RADIO: Shining down on you
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Hello, V.
RADIO: V: Mr. Petrelli.
RADIO: Arthur: I've gone over the recording you made. Troubling stuff. Who else has a copy?
RADIO: V: Just me.
RADIO: Arthur: And uh, Smith. Does he know you were wired?
RADIO: V: {long pause} No.
RADIO: Arthur: Okay. Well, it sounds like this is a pretty easy issue to resolve. Obviously I'm no fan of Smith trying to hide something from us, especially involving a fatality like the one we had to clean up. I–
RADIO: V: I want a favor.
RADIO: Arthur: {soft laugh} Okay.
RADIO: V: I want her back.
RADIO: Arthur: I'm not sure that's a good idea, V.
RADIO: V: Arthur, I want her back. I did my goddamn dirty work, I–
RADIO: Arthur: Let's say we do this. Let's say you get her back. Then what?
RADIO: V: I…
RADIO: Arthur: MmHmm. No, it's fine. Take your time. What's your next step? How do you care for her?
RADIO: V: I… I mean I'd want to– I know she has issues with–
RADIO: Arthur: Do you think you might need help?
RADIO: V: Arthur…
RADIO: Arthur: Do you think you might need us?
RADIO: V: {frustrated sigh}
RADIO: Arthur: Because I can turn her over to you, sign right on the dotted line. But what kind of quality of life do you think she's going to have out of our care?
RADIO: V: {silence}
RADIO: Arthur: {silence}

• You're not wrong, Arthur, you're just an asshole.

RADIO: Arthur: Now, I'm not heartless. We have a lot going on right now, but I want to make this right for you because… you're right. You did work for me.
RADIO: Arthur: What would you say to controlled visitations with Eve?
RADIO: V: {deep breaths}
RADIO: V: Controlled?
RADIO: Arthur: Sure. With Angela.
RADIO: V: Oh.
RADIO: V: Oh, I…
RADIO: Arthur: Would that be okay?
RADIO: V: Yeah I… I guess.
RADIO: Arthur: Because I trust you, V. You've cleaned up your act, and I think it's only right that little Evie be with her mother.
RADIO: V: {tight voice} Yeah. Thank you. Okay.
RADIO: Arthur: Now, we do have one unresolved issue we need to take care of.
RADIO: V: {muffled noise} Um, what's that?
RADIO: Arthur: I have a small problem I need taken care of, discreetly. Now, I have an agent on it, but he can be something of a wild card and I was hoping you two might be willing to partner up on this.
RADIO: V: S-Sure. Yeah, of course. Anything. Who?
RADIO: Arthur: His name is Agent Black.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: The cloud is moving nearer still
RADIO: Aurora Borealis comes in view
RADIO: Aurora comes in view

• I see what you did there.

RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: And I ran, I ran so far away
RADIO: I just ran, I ran all night and day
RADIO: I couldn't get away
RADIO: {sputter}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-C FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): What the fuck was that!?
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-C FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): Huh. That's new.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-C FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): Go around back, meet me out front. If you see him, pin him down this time!
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-C FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): R-Right.
RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: Reached out a hand to touch your face
RADIO: You're slowly disappearing from my view
RADIO: 'Appearing from my view
RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): –op! Stop god fucking damnit!
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY]: {audio distorted}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY]: {audio distorted}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY]: {audio distorted}

• V's magnetokinetic ability messing with the audio tape, most likely.

RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): –'s enough. I've got him.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): You have fucking telekinesis?!

• Yeah, because he's fucking bastard.

RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): {grunt} Where is it?
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): Fuck you.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY]: {screaming}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): Where. Is. It?
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): Fuck. You.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): Hey– hey wait. Hold on. He's got–
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): He has shrapnel or something in him. Old. In his chest.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {wet cough}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): I've got this.

• Jesus Christ, V.

RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {louder coughing}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): That's really gotta hurt, doesn't it?
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {screaming}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): Where's the file?
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {coughing} Fuck. {coughing} You.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): Fuck this.
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {screaming}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (Agent Black): You want to wear two eye-patches? Tell me where it is!

• Hi, Marcus.

RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {screaming}
RADIO: DCOM CAMERA-A EXT. FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (REDACTED): {screa–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: And I ran, I ran so far away
RADIO: I just ran, I ran all night and day
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: PTECH BRX L3 FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): She puzzled over this for some time.
RADIO: PTECH BRX L3 FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): But at last a bright thought struck her.
RADIO: PTECH BRX L3 FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): "Why, it’s a Looking-glass book, of course!"
RADIO: PTECH BRX L3 FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): "And if I hold it up to a glass…"
RADIO: PTECH BRX L3 FEED [AUDIO ONLY] (V): "…the words will all go the right way again."
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: And I ran, I ran so far away
RADIO: I just ran
RADIO: I couldn't get away
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: July 22, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: {please proceed to your designated shelter}
RADIO: {please proceed to your designated shelter}
RADIO: {please proceed to your designated shelter}
RADIO: {please proceed to – }
RADIO: Here comes the sun do, do, do
RADIO: Here comes the sun

• Strongly suspect this is Erica Kravid's future as uncovered in the video tape Kara, Yi-Min, and Nicole retrieved from the Manhattan Exclusion Zone. (TD-037-H)

RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {screaming}
RADIO: Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
RADIO: Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
RADIO: {crying, praying}
RADIO: Here comes the sun do, do, do
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
RADIO: Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
RADIO: {please proceed to your designated shelter }
RADIO: Here comes the sun do, do, do
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {screaming}
RADIO: Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
RADIO: Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: Here comes the sun do, do, do
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {Over here baby! Over here, with me! Hurry!}
RADIO: Here comes the sun do, do, do
RADIO: {Hold your brother!}
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: {Close your eyes and hold your brother!}
RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {sequential beeping}
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Ops reporting in, we have outbound's report.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: What the hell took so long?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Hesser had to come back on foot, the rover broke down.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Alone?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Yeah. Return protocol didn't complete, we're looking at a mission failure.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Fuck!
RADIO: Woman's Voice: What happened?
RADIO: Man's Voice: We don't know. They hit the variance point and nothing came through the horizon, it was just dead air.

• Referencing the helmeted pair setting up some kind of portable Looking Glass? (Stinger of This Twilight Reprise II)

RADIO: Man's Voice: Conroy is waiting at the variance point and sent Hesser back to deliver.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: What about Oliver?
RADIO: Man's Voice: She uh.
RADIO: Man's Voice: {awkward silence}
RADIO: Man's Voice: She executed another traversal, following Gene's trajectory.

• Gene Crowley, Martin Crowley's father?
• Teddy Hesser, Cedric Hesser's father?
• Janice Oliver, Kimberly Oliver's mother?
• Conroy Hart, Sarah Hart's father?

RADIO: Woman's Voice: Jesus Christ.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Do they even know if Crowley is alive?
RADIO: Man's Voice: No. While the horizon was open Conroy picked up some readings, but didn't get anything from Crowley's SYNC-5, which means he's either dead or was out of range.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Ok. I'm… I have to sit on this. For a bit.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: This will be demoralizing.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I know.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Are we sending Hesser back?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Yeah, we need two people to stay in observation of the variance point. She's only staying long enough to resupply before going back out.

• Elena Hesser, Cedric Hesser's mother?
• Leah Hesser, Cedric Hesser's daughter?
  • This would break the pattern I've otherwise established, suggesting Oliver could be Kimberly.

RADIO: Woman's Voice: Alright. Quarantine her while she's in-site, I don't want her talking to anyone.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Will do.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: {sigh} We can't keep this up.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I know, Ah-Min.
RADIO: Yi-Shan: I know.

• If Yi-Shan is referring to someone as Ah-Min, that means the woman speaker is Yi-Min. (Sibling Riflery)
  • This also means I have fucking nothing on the ages of the participants in this scene so I'm just gonna stare into the middle distance. Jia you.

RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {blast doors are closing}
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: {sirens}
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: {please proceed to your designated shelter}
RADIO: Here comes the sun
RADIO: And I say it's all right
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: July 24, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – ack with former Secretary of State Catherine Chesterfield, who joins us in the studio today alongside InVerse Technologies CEO Morgan Atkins, and Renautas-Weiss Evolved Nanotech CEO Cecilia Weiss to discuss the future of SLC-Expressive mitigation technology in law enforcement.
RADIO: Host: So, before we went away to commercial break Mr. Atkins you were talking about the partnership InVerse is building with the UK Government in non-lethal negation technology?
RADIO: Atkins: That's right. InVerse is proud to be on the cutting edge of biotechology and cybertechnology designed to mitigate and minimize the need for chemical negation which – as we've seen in the United States – can be more dangerous than the problem it is attempting to solve.
RADIO: Atkins: We're facing an unprecedented surge in SLC-Expressive manifestations over the last year and with that has come a host of questions about how we resolve Expressive violence. InVerse believes the solution can be as simple as a surgical option, and we've begun rolling out human clinical trials that we've been performing in cooperation with the United Nations' council for Genocide Prevention.
RADIO: Cat: {muffled noise}
RADIO: Atkins: Biotech and Cybertech solutions to Expressive abilities is the future we're moving toward. Especially for individuals who do not want to be Expressive or cannot control their ability. An entirely volunteer-driven system in most cases.
RADIO: Host: That's a fascina–
RADIO: Cat: Most cases, meaning there would be ones where it is used on the unwilling.
RADIO: Atkins: Well–
RADIO: Cat: I mean yes or no, Morgan.
RADIO: Atkins: It's not as simple as–
RADIO: Cat: It is.
RADIO: Atkins: I'm sorry but you can't boil complicated security issues down to a binar–
RADIO: Cat: You can.
RADIO: Atkins: I–
RADIO: Cat: You are either evil or you are not.
RADIO: Host: Okay now, let's not go throwing around accusations like–
RADIO: Cat: You are talking about the non-consensual surgical modification of a human being to permanently–
RADIO: Atkins: It's not permanent. This can be rev–
RADIO: Cat: To permanently cauterize an Expressive's natural ability to–
RADIO: Weiss: If I might–
RADIO: Atkins: We are cooperating fully with the UN's–
RADIO: Cat: This is Baby's First Eugenics–
RADIO: Weiss: If I might–
RADIO: Atkins: I take offense to being called a eugenicist, Madame Chesterfield, I–
RADIO: {incomprehensible cross-talk}
RADIO: Host: If we could just–
RADIO: Cat: –atched my friend strapped down to tables with hoses in their throats while they were pumped full of cancer-causing –
RADIO: Weiss: If. I Might–
RADIO: Host: Please! Can we– {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: What we've got here is failure to communicate.
RADIO: Some men you just can't reach.
RADIO: So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it…
RADIO: Well, he gets it.
RADIO: don't like it any more than you men.
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: Look at your young men fighting
RADIO: Look at your women crying
RADIO: Look at your young men dying
RADIO: The way they've always done before
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: {rhythmic beeping}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: How far that little candle throws its beams.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: It's good to hear from you. How did it go?
RADIO: Man's Voice: As planned, no deviations. We're leaving Bright Falls tomorrow to rendezvous.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Are you moving soon?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Yes. We're tracking movement on an armed force through Payette National Forest.
RADIO: Man's Voice: How many?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: 500+, but they're not provisioned for a long haul.
RADIO: Man's Voice: You think they're planning to meet with another group?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Possibly. I need to go. Reconnect tomorrow?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Yes. Be safe, Sofia.
RADIO: Sofia: You too, brother.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Look at the hate we're breeding
RADIO: Look at the fear we're feeding
RADIO: Look at the lives we're leading
RADIO: The way we've always done before
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: My hands are tied
RADIO: The billions shift from side to side
RADIO: And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
RADIO: For the love of God and our human rights
RADIO: And all these things are swept aside
RADIO: By bloody hands time can't deny
RADIO: And are washed away by your genocide
RADIO: And history hides the lies of our civil wars
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Marcus: Raith.
RADIO: Man's Voice: We think we've found Medina.
RADIO: Marcus: Excellent, where is he?
RADIO: Man's Voice: The Sentinel have him, somewhere in the Dead Zone now. The lead we squeezed confirmed they were the ones who picked him up when he went dark.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Should I tap our resources to pull him out?
RADIO: Marcus: What? God, no.
RADIO: Marcus: I can't imagine a better place for a little shit like him to be.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Pardon?
RADIO: Marcus: If they grabbed him it's not to protect him. Dimes to dollars they're going to make an example of Medina and blame it on Mazdak or someone else.
RADIO: Marcus: This couldn't work out any better if we planned it ourselves.
RADIO: Marcus: Keep an eye on the situation but let Medina swing in the wind, he made his own bed, just like Moritz.
RADIO: Man's Voice: You're certain?
RADIO: Marcus: Oh come on, Nik. Don't get cold feet now.
RADIO: Niklaus: It's not cold feet, Sir.
RADIO: Niklaus: It's just…
RADIO: Niklaus: …if that happens there's going to be a not-insignificant consequence.
RADIO: Marcus: Omelettes and eggs, Nik.
RADIO: Marcus: You can't achieve peace without spending a few lives.
RADIO: Marcus: You didn't flinch when we let the launch happened.
RADIO: Niklaus: We had a mitigation plan.
RADIO: Marcus: And it was only fifty percent effective. I think about the people in Oregon all the time. I'll live with those choices.
RADIO: Niklaus: {short sigh}
RADIO: Niklaus: I'll keep an eye on him. I trust you.
RADIO: Marcus: I know.
RADIO: Marcus: Don't ever forget that.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: D'you wear a black armband
RADIO: When they shot the man
RADIO: Who said "peace could last forever"
RADIO: And in my first memories
RADIO: They shot Kennedy
RADIO: I went numb when I learned to see
RADIO: So I never fell for Vietnam
RADIO: We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
RADIO: That you can't trust freedom
RADIO: When it's not in your hands
RADIO: When everybody's fightin'
RADIO: For their promised land
RADIO: And
RADIO: {crackle}
RADIO: Man's Voice: …and we have the satellite uplink. Can you read me, Sir?
RADIO: Deep Man's Voice: Loud and clear, Mr. Kellar.
RADIO: Kellar: Wonderful.
RADIO: Kellar: Are you ready for your briefing, Mr. Naidu?
RADIO: Baruti: Proceed.
RADIO: Kellar: We received confirmation from the Weavers that we are continuing apace. We're looking at a 97% adherence rate to COGITO's predictions. Which means we're rapidly reaching the point of no return.
RADIO: Baruti: How is GALATEA progressing?
RADIO: Kellar: Steady on. We nudged everything into place and we just sort of have to wait for temporal inertia to have everything fall into place. It should be finished before the eclipse.
RADIO: Baruti: What about Azadi?
RADIO: Kellar: She's still on the Inheritance situation, we've run into a few hurdles. COGITO isn't returning anything we can make heads or tails of, something's obfuscating my ability to problem-solve his predictions. Increased variables? I don't know. We're working on it day and night.
RADIO: Baruti: What's our Old Friend up to?
RADIO: Kellar: Beats the fuck out of me. He hasn't been around. He's a blind spot to COGITO so for all I know he's right behind me and I'm straight-up about to die. (manic laughter} Wouldn't that be a fucking trip?
RADIO: Baruti: {patient sigh}
RADIO: Baruti: Mas?
RADIO: Kellar: Off playing Alice in Wonderland.
RADIO: Baruti: {thoughtful noise}
RADIO: Baruti: Alright. We're close.
RADIO: Baruti: Watch your back, Claudius.
RADIO: Baruti: If we screw up even one step of this…
RADIO: Kellar: Yes, yes.
RADIO: Kellar: Cats and dogs living together, I've seen Ghostbusters II.
RADIO: Baruti: …what?
RADIO: Kellar: Nothing.
RADIO: Kellar: Oh!
RADIO: Kellar: Your daughter?
RADIO: Baruti: What… about her?
RADIO: Kellar: Do you want me to leave her in the Safe Zone? I mean, that's… going to be very ironically-named soon.
RADIO: Baruti: Don't worry about her.
RADIO: Baruti: I'm going to pay her a visit.
RADIO: Baruti: Personally.
RADIO: Kellar: Family reunions!
RADIO: Kellar: {wistful sigh}
RADIO: Baruti: Keep me informed. Naidu out.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
RADIO: Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
RADIO: In a human grocery store
RADIO: Ain't that fresh
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: Oh, oh no, no, no, no, no
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Look at the shoes you're filling
RADIO: Look at the blood we're spilling
RADIO: Look at the world we're killing
RADIO: The way we've always done before
RADIO: Look in the doubt we've wallowed
RADIO: Look at the leaders we've followed
RADIO: Look at the lies we've swallowed
RADIO: And I don't want to hear no more
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: {irritated} Hello?
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: I'm sorry to call you at such a late hour Minister Nowell, but I have the update you requested.
RADIO: Nowell: {grumbling} Out with it.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: SIS confirmed that the men we captured last weekend are members of Mazdak. We performed a full telepathic assessment and confirmed direct contact with mid-level leadership in Turkey/
RADIO: Nowell: Son of a bitch. Who else knows?
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: Inner-circle only, we still have them in a black site in Pakistan.
RADIO: Nowell: Well put them in the fucking ground immediately and pin their deaths on an insurgent attack. We cannot let this go wide.
RADIO: Nowell: If the fucking public gets one musty whiff that SIS has been compromised by Pro-Expressive extremists we'll all be out on the fucking street.
RADIO: Nowell: At best.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: Absolutely. Consider it done.
RADIO: Nowell: Do you have any other news, or just this one runny shit you've left on my doorstep?
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: Ah, well, the telepathic excavation also picked up some details about the situation in the States.
RADIO: Nowell: {thoughtful noise}
RADIO: Nowell: Go on.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: We have a few leads that implicate executives in Yamagato Industries as being infiltrated by Mazdak. We also believe that the confrontation in Detroit was just a precursor to a larger military intervention.
RADIO: Nowell: Jesus Christ.
RADIO: Nowell: How concrete is any of this?
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: Not enough to act.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: But.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: It does give us leverage in negotiations with the current administration on extradition. If we can make a case that the US' asylum system is a trafficking point for extremists…
RADIO: Nowell: Yes, yes. I understand.
RADIO: Nowell: Good. We have enough of a disaster on our hand with Archer.
RADIO: Nowell: Let's pursue this. Squeeze the US and slip our hand a little.
RADIO: Nowell: We'll see how they react.
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: Very good.
RADIO: Nowell: Now unless there was anything else–
RADIO: Other Man's Voice: No, Sir. I'll get on all of this.
RADIO: Nowell: –I'm going the fuck back to sleep.
RADIO: Nowell: Good.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: My hands are tied
RADIO: For all I've seen has changed my mind
RADIO: But still the wars go on as the years go by
RADIO: With no love of God or human rights
RADIO: 'Cause all these dreams are swept aside
RADIO: By bloody hands of the hypnotized
RADIO: Who carry the cross of homicide
RADIO: And history bears the scars of our civil wars
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
RADIO: Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
RADIO: In a human grocery store
RADIO: Ain't that fresh
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
RADIO: In a human grocery store
RADIO: Ain't that fresh
RADIO: I don't need your civil war
RADIO: N, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
RADIO: I don't need one more war
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: Bravo Fortress Oscar X-Ray
RADIO: Man's Voice: Lima Foxtrot Echo Echo
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: Hey there kiddo, you hickory-smoked yet? {wheezy laughter}
RADIO: Man's Voice: We're fine.
RADIO: Man's Voice: We're almost at the SZ.
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: That's some sweet news. Now, y'all got any of them toys left or did you burn through 'em all?
RADIO: Man's Voice: A few. Where are you?
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: Kickin' back with a cold one on a sunny beach! {laughing} Where the fuck d'you think I am kid?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Well, you're in a good mood for a dead man.
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: Ain't no grave that keeps Granny Arrowood's boys down, nah.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Are you going to be sober when we get there?
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: {laughing} Hell na.
RADIO: Southern Man's Voice: But when's that ever stopped me?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Eugene.
RADIO: Eugene: Yeah, yeah. We'll be ready. Fire n'fury full'f shock an' awe.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Good.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Keep your head down this time.
RADIO: Man's Voice: We'll be in touch.
RADIO: Eugene: Awh, y'do care 'bout me. You keep that pretty lil' face of yours safe, Z-Boy.
RADIO: Eugene: Wouldn't want it gettin' messed up none.
RADIO: Zachary: Don't worry about me.
RADIO: Zachary: This isn't my first war.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: I don't need one more war
RADIO: No, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
RADIO: What's so civil 'bout war, anyway?
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: August 4, 2021
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {welcome home}
RADIO: {i've been missing you}
RADIO: {we're inseperable}
RADIO: Welcome home, it said to me, the fires far as eyes can see
RADIO: I need so much to see along side you
RADIO: I do
RADIO: I do
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Man's Voice: He'll kill us if he finds out.
RADIO: Older Man's Voice: He won't.
RADIO: Older Man's Voice: The whole project has been shelved, all the money redirected to his latest obsession. We're just cleaning up the dregs.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Is that what you call this?
RADIO: Older Man's Voice: I did not give up everything in my life to not see this through to the end.
RADIO: Older Man's Voice: Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings of wax melt. He tumbles into the sea, and drowns. My father knew what we were playing with when he started this project.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I would much prefer not to be the ones who drown in this scenario, Jonas.
RADIO: Jonas: Do you know how the parable ends?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Daedalus mourns his son and names the nearest island after him.
RADIO: Jonas: And Daedalus lives.
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Come with me, she took my hand, please try to help me understand
RADIO: So pointless, but my heart is ash and coal.
RADIO: I know
RADIO: I know
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Jonas: Good morning.
RADIO: Jonas: Today we are going to take a walk
RADIO: Jonas: Down the avenues of memory.
RADIO: Jonas: Would you like that?
RADIO: Boy's Voice: I…
RADIO: Boy's Voice: I want to go home.
RADIO: Jonas: I know. Soon.
RADIO: Jonas: We have just a few tests. Your ability is very important. You know you are special, yes? Childhood manifestations are very rare.
RADIO: Man's Voice: It won't hurt, Sebastian. You can trust me.
RADIO: Sebastian: Bastian.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Of course. Bastian.
RADIO: Bastian: Promise?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Of course.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I promise.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Jonas?
RADIO: Jonas: I'm opening the partition now. Bastian, we're going to take this walk with a friend today.
RADIO: Bastian: {muffled noise}
RADIO: Jonas: Bastian, meet Nathalie.
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters}
RADIO: {a tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient}
RADIO: {there is nothing impossible to those who will try}
RADIO: I wish we could, she whispered near, go someplace far away from here
RADIO: While hoping, a small voice would disappear
RADIO: That said, welcome to the end
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Jesus Christ, drop the partition! Drop the partition!
RADIO: Man's Voice: Jonas!
RADIO: Jonas: Engaging– The– It's down. It's down.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Oh my God, get in there. Get in there!
RADIO: Jonas: He's hemorrhaging. Darren I need you in here.
RADIO: Darren: One second, I need to– Ok. Ok.
RADIO: Jonas: Bastian? Bastian can you hear me?
RADIO: Jonas: Sebastian?
RADIO: Darren: Get out of the way, I can–
RADIO: Jonas: Wait.
RADIO: Jonas: There's no encephalopathy. The hemorrhaging is–I can handle this myself.
RADIO: Darren: For God's sake he's catatonic, he needs to be rewound.
RADIO: Jonas: No. No. This… may have been a blessing in disguise.
RADIO: Darren: Are you out of your god damned mind?!
RADIO: Darren: This kid needs help!
RADIO: Jonas: No.
RADIO: Darren: Doctor Zimmerman, I insist.
RADIO: Jonas: Who will you report me to? Hmm? Luis? Broome? And what shall we say your role in all this was, a casual observer?
RADIO: Darren: {uncomfortable noises}
RADIO: Jonas: Be useful and fetch me an ACTS.
RADIO: Jonas: We can take him down to Zero.
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {There is a scientific rationale, although you'll have to forgive me that I'm still working it out.}
RADIO: {i'm not sure how much we're aware, in this time, about the abilities some people have that seem beyond human.}
RADIO: {however, in my time, those are understood as genetic and biological.}
RADIO: {they're found in the body.}
RADIO: It's been so long, since we broke free, it's hard to feel that memory
RADIO: Dirty mirrors, our reflections entwined, always
RADIO: Suffering, we understand, put forth on us through time's deep sands
RADIO: Unending chain, one broken link, between us two
RADIO: And I say
RADIO: Welcome to the end
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Darren: He's going to notice we moved him.
RADIO: Jonas: No, he will not.
RADIO: Jonas: Do you actually think he's coming back from Alaska?
RADIO: Jonas: The maniac intends to die on that hill, and I say let him.
RADIO: Jonas: Besides, he hasn't visited since he made him like this.
RADIO: Jonas: Now finish the connections.
RADIO: Darren: We need support staff to do this.
RADIO: Darren: I can't–I don't even know how this hardware works.
RADIO: Jonas: Red connectors to red connectors, blue to blue. It's color-coded.
RADIO: Darren: There.
RADIO: Darren: {whispering} Please work.
RADIO: Unknown: {gasping}
RADIO: Darren: Jesus, is he–
RADIO: Jonas: Just a startle. Neurons are firing, synaptic connections are being made.
RADIO: Jonas: He's dreaming.
RADIO: Unknown: {heavy breathing}
RADIO: Jonas: and…
RADIO: Unknown: {soft breathing}
RADIO: Jonas: We have connection.
RADIO: Jonas: Good morning, Mr. Ray. Can you hear me?
RADIO: Edward: Where am I?
RADIO: Jonas: You are unconscious, we are interfacing with your subconsciousness through a–
RADIO: Edward: SEER.
RADIO: Darren: {uncomfortable noise}
RADIO: Jonas: Yes, exactly.
RADIO: Jonas: The remainder of your consciousness load is being handled by our organic computational system.
RADIO: Jonas: We were hoping you might be able to help us.
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin.
RADIO: Darren: Pardon?
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: Jonas: I– don't… understand.
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: Jonas: Edward?
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: Darren: EEG readings are spiking, he's seizing.
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: Darren: We have to disconnect him.
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: Darren: We have to disconnect him!
RADIO: Edward: Pull the pin, Jonas.
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {Go chase your ghosts}
RADIO: {i suppose everyone is haunted by their own demons}
RADIO: {what are you doing here?}
RADIO: Just memories, passed down instead, washed with images of the dead
RADIO: Who held our hands with pride?
RADIO: Inseparable sides, of that same coin, yet shades of gray
RADIO: Fails to define, the certainty of when we say
RADIO: Welcome to the end
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: Darren: I'm done.
RADIO: Darren: This is… it's too much, Jonas. There's nothing here. This has nothing to do with Project Icarus, you're an obsessed old fucking man who can't see that it's over.
RADIO: Jonas: Nothing?
RADIO: Jonas: Nothing?
RADIO: Jonas: This is all connected, Doctor Stevens.
RADIO: Jonas: Volken, Fort Daedalus, Coyote Sands, the Catalyst, Ishi Nakamura, the French test subject in Daedalus' records, that girl Nathalie. It's all connected.
RADIO: Jonas: And Zero knows the answer. I know he does.
RADIO: Darren: Prisoner Zero is a fucking vegetable with no brain wave patterns! He doesn't have a god damned thing except a pulse!
RADIO: Darren: He's a fucking delivery truck driver from Baton Rouge we keep locked in a fucking ACTS because our company is run by a man who used to be a fucking brain in a jar!
RADIO: Darren: I'm done.
RADIO: Darren: I'm going to talk to Luis.
RADIO: Jonas: Darren.
RADIO: Jonas: Please, think of the–
RADIO: Young Man's Voice: Doctor Zimmerman? Doctor Stevens? We need to move you to B-Ring.
RADIO: Darren: Uh, I'm sorry. Is there–
RADIO: Young Man's Voice: {urgently} Please, if you'd follow me.
RADIO: Jonas: Is this a security concern?
RADIO: Young Man's Voice: {anxious} I can't disclose that, Sir.
RADIO: Jonas: I need to secure a patient, take Doctor Stevens and come back for me.
RADIO: Young Man's Voice: {anxious} Sir–
RADIO: Jonas: I'm not going to repeat myself.
RADIO: Young Man's Voice: Fine. Doctor Stevens, please come with me.
RADIO: Darren: Gladly.
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: {door opening}
RADIO: Jonas: Good afternoon, Zero.
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: Jonas: I will not go quietly into the night…
RADIO: {clicking}
RADIO: Jonas: …with you holding the answers over my head.
RADIO: Jonas: They do not know what you are.
RADIO: Jonas: What you've seen.
RADIO: {hydraulic hissing}
RADIO: Jonas: But I do.
RADIO: Jonas: And I–
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: {whispering}
RADIO: {klaxons}
RADIO: {Security Alert. Intrusion Detected. Arcology Environmental Containment Breached.}
RADIO: {Please forgive me for my sins.}
RADIO: I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you now
RADIO: And I wish I didn't need you then
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: I need you now
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: August 5, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – evening this is the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather reporting.
RADIO: The Faulklands capital of Port Stanley, tonight, reportedly is within sight and almost within grasp of British troops.
RADIO: Those troops are now in position for what is regarded as the final assault in the battle for the islands.
RADIO: We have reports from Tom Fenton in London, and Morton Dean in Buenos Aires:
RADIO: Officials say British troops now control Mt. Kent and all other important heights overlooking Port Stanley. They can direct artillery fire on the beleaguered Argentine garrison as well as–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – two a.m. (It's two a.m.)
RADIO: The fear has gone (The fear has gone)
RADIO: I'm sittin' here waitin' (I'm sittin' here waitin')
RADIO: The gun still warm (The gun still warm)
RADIO: Maybe my connection is tired of takin' chances
RADIO: {Hey, can you turn that down?}
RADIO: Yeah there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
RADIO: I'm wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
RADIO: I cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy
RADIO: {What?}
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: Help The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: {I SAID CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN?}
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: {WHAT?}
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {Hey why'd you turn that down?! C'mon man!}
RADIO: {Hey why'd you turn that down?! C'mon man!}
RADIO: I'm falling down a spiral,
RADIO: Destination unknown
RADIO: A double-crossed messenger,
RADIO: All alone
RADIO: I can't get no connection,
RADIO: I can't get through,
RADIO: Where are you?
RADIO: {Where the fuck is Michelle?}
RADIO: Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
RADIO: This far from the borderline
RADIO: And when the hit man comes
RADIO: He knows damn well he has been cheated
RADIO: And he says
RADIO: {At… the hospital? With you?}
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: {If she– No. No, she's not. She fucking checked herself out and took Ricky with her. She didn't come here?}
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {She did? I– no I haven't seen her. Maybe she stopped by Richard's first?}
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: {Goddamnit. If she comes here, call me?}
RADIO: Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
RADIO: The place is a madhouse,
RADIO: Feels like being cloned
RADIO: My beacon's been moved under moon and star
RADIO: Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {Yeah, of course. I'm sure she's fine.}
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone.
RADIO: {muffled grumbling, door slam}
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone.
RADIO: {He's gone.}
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone.
RADIO: {I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to do that.}
RADIO: Soon you will come to know,
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone.
RADIO: {He's going to be rightfully upset with you. I told you, we have this covered. You don't have to be here for the test.}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {This is my life's work, Ed. Yes, I do.}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {And him?}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {Ricky?}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {Baby's first history-making test sounds pretty great.}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {Michelle.}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {He'll be fine.}
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: When the bullet hits the bone
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Raith.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Good morning, Sir. I just wanted to check in.
RADIO: Raith: I appreciate it. What've you got for me?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: The Special we're tracking just checked herself out of the hospital last night with her newborn son.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: She immediately went back to the university. Looks like we won't have to worry about the delay.
RADIO: Raith: That's good. How's our man doing?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Good. He says everything is progressing apace, they've figured out the power draw issue and are going to move on to the second test firing tonight.
RADIO: Raith: So soon? She just popped out a kid.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Well, she is very determined.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: And, for the record, we're not invalids after giving birth.
RADIO: Raith: Sure, sure.
RADIO: Raith: What about the other guy? The skittish one? Is he still trying to delay things? I'd really like to know one way or another if this is worth our time.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Ray? No, our contact's convinced him that we should move ahead. Everything should go down tonight.
RADIO: Raith: Alright. I'll have some boys ready to confiscate the device should it work and we'll figure out what to do with the Special.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Alright.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: I'll let you know if anything changes.
RADIO: Raith: Sounds good. Keep your head down out there, Agent.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Hello?
RADIO: Raith: Just got a call from our field agent on the super-intellect Special.
RADIO: Raith: Looks like their test is on-schedule. She checked herself out of the goddamn hospital. {laughter}
RADIO: Man's Voice: That's great news. What're we looking at for a timeline?
RADIO: Raith: Tonight. She's hell-bent.
RADIO: Man's Voice: That's soon. Alright. We have agents ready to move on her?
RADIO: Raith: Yeah, yeah. All that's covered. We're good.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Alright. Keep me updated, and if any of this goes tits-up you know what to do.
RADIO: Raith: Yessir.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Oh, and Roy?
RADIO: Roy Raith: Sir?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Don't fuck this up.
RADIO: Roy Raith: Of course, Director Petrelli.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – see you, you see me
RADIO: Watch you blowin' the lines
RADIO: When you're making a scene
RADIO: Oh girl, you've got to know
RADIO: What my head overlooks
RADIO: The senses will show to my heart
RADIO: When it's watching for lies
RADIO: You can't escape my
RADIO: {What the fuck happened?}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: {Someone tipped him off! I don't know. I– I don't know.}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you watching
RADIO: You watching you watching you
RADIO: {Do you have any idea how much of a shitstorm is going to land on your head if Ray goes to the press?}
RADIO: You play with words you play with love
RADIO: You can twist it around baby that ain't enough
RADIO: 'Cause girl I'm gonna know
RADIO: If you're letting me in or letting me go
RADIO: Don't lie when you're hurting inside
RADIO: 'Cause you can't escape my
RADIO: {H-he wouldn't do that. He left with the uh, that– the girl– Olivia!}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you watching
RADIO: You watching you watching you
RADIO: {Fucking– who? Who the fuck is Olivia? She wasn't in any of your reports!}
RADIO: Why you try to put up a front for me
RADIO: I'm a spy but on your side you see
RADIO: Slip on, into any disguise
RADIO: I'll still know you
RADIO: Look into my
RADIO: {It– it's just some girl! At the university! A student! She's nobody!}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: {Schwenkman you fucking idiot! She could've been cointel! She could've been reporting on all of this!}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: {W-what? I– n-no she– she's normal. She seems– oh my god. Oh god. Oh my god I didn't– I didn't think– }
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: {Of course you didn't. God damnit.}
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: They see your every move
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: Private eyes
RADIO: They're watching you
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Roy: Raith.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: We have a situation.
RADIO: Roy: You don't say.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Schwenkman left someone out of his report, a woman that Edward was romantically involved with at the university.
RADIO: Roy: {grumbling}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: I know.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: He says her name was Olivia Leda.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: I've got analytics digging up whatever they can on her but it's a dead end so far, probably an alias.
RADIO: Roy: She Japanese?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: No, but we can't rule out that she's a Japanese spy or otherwise working for their government.
RADIO: Roy: Jesus Christ. But the device is–
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Secure, yes.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: We're going to interrogate everyone and see what we can shake out. The Cardinals are being extremely cooperative in light of everything that happened.
RADIO: Roy: Pin the blame for the accident on Ray. They just lost a child, see if we can use that.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: I will.
RADIO: Roy: Anything else?
RADIO: Woman's Voice: The woman, Leda, her father was allegedly at the university with her. An adjunct professor named Albert Leda, the university has some paperwork on him, but it's flimsy. Someone on the inside at the university might have helped him fudge the records and work there. We have a photo. I sent it to your office this morning, might be on your desk.
RADIO: Roy: {papers shuffling}
RADIO: Roy: Yeah.
RADIO: Roy: {envelope opening}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: If we can–
RADIO: Roy: Son of a bitch.
RADIO: Roy: Son of a bitch.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: …Sir?
RADIO: Roy: Press the Cardinals, get everything you can on the Ledas. This whole investigation is going on lockdown, effective immediately.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Ah, yes. Sir.
RADIO: Roy: Report back the second you have anything.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Absolutely. Yes, Sir.
RADIO: Roy: And Agent Gray?
RADIO: Agent Gray: Sir?
RADIO: Roy: Keep this Leda business between us.
RADIO: Agent Gray: Yes, Sir.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Arthur: Petrelli.
RADIO: Roy: Gray just checked in.
RADIO: Roy: I think I know who tipped off Ray.
RADIO: Roy: Jean-Martin Luis and his daughter.
RADIO: Arthur: Well now, isn't that something?
RADIO: Roy: This is an absolute fuck-fest if Ray goes to the press with them. I'm talking our heads on the goddamn chopping block.
RADIO: Arthur: Calm down, Roy. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack. We'll handle this. What about the special, Michelle?
RADIO: Roy: Detained. We have her husband and Schwenkman, too.
RADIO: Arthur: Alright, I think we can handle this. What we have to do is damage control on the aftershocks of what happened at the university. That and Ray are our priorities.
RADIO: Roy: Aftershocks?
RADIO: Arthur: Agent Duvall seems to think there was some sort of uh, quake in time caused by the device.
RADIO: Roy: Seriously?
RADIO: Arthur: I trust his judgment.
RADIO: Arthur: He pinpointed a few epicenters and we've got missing person's cases in each one.
RADIO: Arthur: This might be bigger than we realize.
RADIO: Roy: Do you want my office on it?
RADIO: Arthur: Just in administrative. Support the field agents. You focus your effort on finding Ray and the Luis' and shutting them up permanently.
RADIO: Roy: Alright.
RADIO: Arthur: Don't disappoint me again, Roy.
RADIO: Roy: I won't, Sir.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: October 8, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} –eturn tonight with author Ilsa Larange to talk about her upcoming book, "The History We Forgot." Ilsa, thank you for joining us on the program again tonight.
RADIO: Ilsa: Thank you, Craig. It's wonderful to be back.
RADIO: Craig: So, last time you were on the program we were discussing your previous book, "Living in a Mythic Age." Now in the years since its publication, there's been a wealth of interest around what you call the "Lost History" of Earth. A history of ordinary people with… extraordinary powers, living right along side us since… well, for how long, really?
RADIO: Ilsa: The answer for that might not be one we discover for a long time. When I set out to write Mythic Age, I was coming from the perspective of speculative non-fiction, looking to overlay the myths of our past with the fantastical present we live in. But since then I've been reached out to by numerous individuals who have a wealth of anecdotal and, in some cases, very hard evidence to indicate the suppositions I made in that book are quite real.
RADIO: Craig: Fascinating. Now, at the end of Living in a Mythic Age you left us with this thought: If our shared history across the world has always had people with extraordinary abilities in it, why did they stop taking center stage? Why did the gods abandon us? Or did we abandon them? Did you ever find the answer to that?
RADIO: Ilsa: {laughing} No, no. Not as such. But I spent the last two years living in a part of the world that looks at our historic record with a skeptical eye. A place where history books are challenged and our understanding of the past is re-examined.
RADIO: Craig: You're talking about Iraq.
RADIO: Ilsa: Syria, too. But yes, under the umbrella of Mazdak. Things are significantly different there, not just in the ways Expressives are viewed, but the way colonial history is recontextualized.
RADIO: Craig: So, what inspired you to write The History We Forgot?
RADIO: Ilsa: It started with a story I heard while I was traveling in Hungary in the winter of 2018. I met a paleontologist – let's call him Michael – who was a part of a research group in the United States into the origins of Expressives. We agreed to meet after he emailed me several months prior about his work and how Mythic Age felt like it spoke to his experiences.
RADIO: Ilsa: Michael was – is – a fugitive from the US Government, simply because of the organization he worked for–
RADIO: Craig: And who was this?
RADIO: Ilsa: The Commonwealth Institute.
RADIO: Craig: I see. And what did Michael tell you?
RADIO: Ilsa: That the research team he was a part of before the war – that they had found a genetic precursor to all Expressives, one who by the very nature of Expressive abilities has passed down their very own genetic information to us. The first of their kind.
RADIO: Craig: But, that can't be possible, right? I mean, there can't be a single progenitor of all Expressives. The number of descendants alone would put Genghis Khan to shame. {laughing}
RADIO: Ilsa: Michael had the same feeling, and yet the evidence he showed me? It made me a believer.
RADIO: Ilsa: Michael showed me records he retained from before the war, records on his research into the historic DNA of over four thousand sampled Expressives and their mitochondrial DNA.
RADIO: Ilsa: He found a pattern in them. Fragmented genetic code inside the mitochondria of SLC-Expressives that interlock like… like pieces of a puzzle with other people's mitochrondrial DNA. Like someone took a newspaper article, tore it up into a eight billion pieces, and gave every person on Earth one scrap.
RADIO: Craig: That's fascinating. How did he come to that conclusion with a sample size so small?
RADIO: Craig: Respectively to the population of Earth, I mean.
RADIO: Ilsa: Michael spoke of a predictive model that he had input a significant portion of the data through in the weeks before the war in America began. That was where he started to see the pattern emerging among the DNA fragments. Pieces of a whole. Not enough to see the whole tapestry, but enough to see spots. But the real missing link was a skeleton the team unearthed in–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} –ear it is true
RADIO: The past isn't dead
RADIO: It's alive, it is happening
RADIO: In the back of my head
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Good morning, Sunshine.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Kellar.
RADIO: Kellar: Sorry, sorry. You know how it goes. I just have a song in my step today.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: What's our situation?
RADIO: Kellar: Open and shut case. We've mailed our problems, postage due, into the abyss.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Lucien destroyed it?
RADIO: Kellar: Like a house of cards. The Looking Glass and most of their research facility is in ruins.
RADIO: Kellar: We don't know the full casualty report yet but, it's a doozy.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: And the Door?
RADIO: Kellar: Puckered like a bu–
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Is it gone?
RADIO: Kellar: Completely. It collapsed in on itself and took half the rig with it.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Thank you, Kellar.
RADIO: Kellar: Anytime, Mr. Naidu.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: No future, no past
RADIO: No laws of time
RADIO: Can undo what is happening
RADIO: When I close my eyes
RADIO: And with the stars and the moon
RADIO: I woke up in the night
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Recording: You know what to do. Or don't.
RADIO: {BEEP}
RADIO: Baruti: Tibby.
RADIO: Baruti: It's jou pa.
RADIO: Baruti: We… should talk. Person to person.
RADIO: Baruti: You can reach me at this number for the next three days.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: In the same place
RADIO: To save me for my eyes
RADIO: It's happening, it's happening, it's happening again
RADIO: It's happening, it's happening, it's happening again
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Marcus: {weary sigh} This is Raith.
RADIO: Sage: Sir, I've finished going over the data we recovered from the Ziggurat with your specifications.
RADIO: Marcus: What did we find?
RADIO: Sage: Well, I forwarded the most interesting data to you. But there's one piece of information that I thought needed to be discussed… directly? In light of everything else going on right now.
RADIO: Marcus: Go on.
RADIO: Sage: So, Monroe– the Institute archives that he absconded with? We don't have a complete record of them, but there was an active investigation going on within Adam's inner circle. Something we believe Alice Shaw was using the Deveaux Society's resources to push. Something he didn't share with, as far as we can tell, anyone but Ms. Shaw.
RADIO: Marcus: Mmhmm.
RADIO: Sage: According to what we've pieced together… Richard Cardinal – the – one from the future.
RADIO: Sage: He may have…
RADIO: Sage: I'm not even sure how to explain this but–
RADIO: Marcus: Take your time.
RADIO: Sage: Alice was looking for someone Richard put into protective custody.
RADIO: Marcus: Someone?
RADIO: Sage: Yes. And – if this is real it– Sir, I cannot overstate the significance.
RADIO: Sage: Alice Shaw was – Adam had her looking for–
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: I took a day or two
RADIO: To exile from the light
RADIO: To unfold that prisoner
RADIO: They call a mind
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Tired Man: {unintelligible groan} Mnhllo?
RADIO: Marcus: Gates. We need to talk.
RADIO: Gates: Nnnh… sir?
RADIO: Gates: It's three in the morning? I have to be at Raytech in–
RADIO: Marcus: He's alive.
RADIO: Gates: …I'm sorry what?
RADIO: Gates: Who?
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: And for a brief moment
RADIO: We could stop the time
RADIO: But with the stars and the moon
RADIO: I woke up in the night
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: Yes?
RADIO: Gates: Did Marcus call you?
RADIO: Man's Voice: …no.
RADIO: Man's Voice: What's going on?
RADIO: Gates: I need you to meet me at the little cafe we first met at.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Why? What's wrong?
RADIO: Gates: Hiro, he's alive.
RADIO: Hiro: Who?
RADIO: Gates: Charles.
RADIO: Gates: Charles Deveaux is alive.
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: In the same place, it was sailing before my eyes
RADIO: It's happening
RADIO: It's happening
RADIO: It's happening again.
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: October 11, 2021
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static} – e's got a smile that it seems to me
RADIO: Reminds me of childhood memories
RADIO: Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Hello?
RADIO: Man's Voice: It's me.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Are you okay? I was worried when you hadn't got back to me.
RADIO: Man's Voice: It– It's not going to work. They cut us out.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Can they do that? What about–
RADIO: Man's Voice: It came directly from the top. They cut both of us out. Security clearance, everything.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: {tense silence} Is there nothing we can do?
RADIO: Man's Voice: I don't– I don't know. I don't know. It– they're leaving them with Doctor Wenyi.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: That is– but we were taking care of them! I– they should have never brought them into this in the first place! They should be with someone who will care for them. {upset sounds} I'm going to call them. Doctor Wenyi can not give them what they need. They're just babies.
RADIO: Man's Voice: No, you don't understand. They cut us out of everything. They don't want us back in the lab at all. For the twins, or Nova.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: She is our daughter, Gerrit! They can't just take her!
RADIO: Gerrit: I know. I– I know. I'm– I'm– I don't know. I'm on my way back to the house now. Just– be there when I get home, Jacoba. Please.
RADIO: Jacoba: {tense silence} …I'll be here. But we have to stop this. Our Nova would never have wanted this.
RADIO: Gerrit: I know. I know. I love y– {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: Now and then when I see her face
RADIO: She takes me away to that special place
RADIO: And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Yeh.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Good, I was hoping you would be available.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I was wondering if we could discuss your next assignment.
RADIO: "Yeh": Of course.
RADIO: Man's Voice: The US Government has made several attempts to reach out to us about the Lhasa incident.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Until now I had hope that we would be able to resolve the issue ourselves, but with the anomaly's continued expansion… I believe it may be in our best interests to further investigate the matter and test a partnership with the Americans.
RADIO: "Yeh": Is that wise?
RADIO: Man's Voice: Shu-Fen.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: Sir.
RADIO: Man's Voice: I would like you to begin preparations for travel to the US in the Winter.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: As you wish.
RADIO: Man's Voice: There is… one other piece of this, however.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: {silence}
RADIO: Man's Voice: I thought you might like to know that… we believe your sister may be in the country. Alive.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: {silence}
RADIO: Man's Voice: There's a chance she may be involved. We simply don't have all the information.
RADIO: Man's Voice: This won't be a problem, will it?
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: No, Sir.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: No it will not.
RADIO: Man's Voice: Good. Maybe a family reunion will do you a little good, anyway.
RADIO: Shu-Fen Yeh: {tensely} Yes, Sir.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Whoa, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet child o' mine
RADIO: Whoa, oh, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet love of mine
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Man's Voice: COLIN.
RADIO: Colin: Jesus Christ. Why are you– you could just walk down the fucking HALL.
RADIO: Colin: What is it?
RADIO: Verse: When's the last time you checked Sprout's feed?
RADIO: Colin: …Bwuh?
RADIO: Verse: Because uh, I'm not saying there's some funky data coming in from OPTICA, but…
RADIO: Colin: What is it?
RADIO: Verse: Well, it looks like uh, she's sending back a lot of data. I mean like, just petabytes of status updates. I think something's going down in there.
RADIO: Colin: {cackling laughter}
RADIO: Colin: That's my girl.
RADIO: Verse: Do you… have any idea what's going on in there?
RADIO: Colin: Fuck no. But I bet it's about to get fucking nuts.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: She's got eyes of the bluest skies
RADIO: As if they thought of rain
RADIO: I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {beep}
RADIO: Recording: This is Miller, you know what to do.
RADIO: Woman's Voice: Hiiii, Ms. Miller? This is Debra Norris over at Pippa's school? We tried reaching out to you this morning and I just wanted to uh, see if I could get in touch with you again.
RADIO: Ms. Norris: Pippa had a bit of an incident today with another girl at school and we just, we wanted to talk to you first? We were hoping you could come down and, you know, yeah.
RADIO: Ms. Norris: She scared a lot of us today, what with some of the things she was saying, and we just want to check and make sure everything is ok at home. Your sister is already here.
RADIO: Ms. Norris: So… just get back to us as soon as you can. Thanks!
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
RADIO: Where as a child I'd hide
RADIO: And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: {ringing}
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Mr. Kellar, to what do I owe this unexpected call?
RADIO: Kellar: Got a little gossip hot off the presses from the seers.
RADIO: Kellar: Thought you might want a first-look.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Go on.
RADIO: Kellar: They think they've narrowed down The Divine Host's goals a little. Good news for us: It isn't grinding us under his heel.
RADIO: Kellar: Bad news: It's nothing we predicted.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: …How so?
RADIO: Kellar: Welp. Do you remember back a few years ago? The whole Sunspot thing?
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Kellar, get to the point.
RADIO: Kellar: Well, we might've been wrong about our interpretation of "the child is the key."
RADIO: Kellar: The uh, current spin on the– you know the yarn isn't pointing at Price.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: …then who?
RADIO: Kellar: Would you believe me if I told you it said, "the daughter of five worlds?" Because that's super helpful.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: That is… exactly the opposite of helpful, Mr. Kellar.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: You're certain that isn't Price?
RADIO: Kellar: They're looking into it, running some data through Math Man.
RADIO: Kellar: I uh, don't have much else.
RADIO: Raspy Man's Voice: Then get back to me when you do.
RADIO: Kellar: Uh, yes. Sir.
RADIO: {click}
RADIO: Whoa, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet child o' mine
RADIO: Whoa whoa, oh, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet love of mine
RADIO: {Nanaja}
RADIO: Whoa, yeah
RADIO: Whoa, oh, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet child o' mine
RADIO: Whoa, oh, whoa, oh
RADIO: Sweet love of mine
RADIO: Whoa, oh, oh, oh
RADIO: Sweet child o' mine
RADIO: Ooh, yeah
RADIO: Ooh, sweet love of mine
RADIO: {Inanna}
RADIO: Where do we go?
RADIO: Where do we go now?
RADIO: Where do we go?
RADIO: Ooh, oh, where do we go?
RADIO: Where do we go now?
RADIO: Oh, where do we go now?
RADIO: Where do we go? (Sweet child)
RADIO: Where do we go now?
RADIO: Where do we go now?
RADIO: Ah, ah
RADIO: {Shara}
RADIO: Where do we go?
RADIO: Oh, where do we go now?
RADIO: Oh, where do we go?
RADIO: Oh, where do we go now?
RADIO: Where do we go?
RADIO: Oh, where do we go now?
RADIO: {We will be together soon.}
RADIO: Now, now, now, now, now, now, now
RADIO: {When all is one again.}
RADIO: Sweet child
RADIO: {and the world is healed.}
RADIO: Sweet child of mine
RADIO: {*pop*}

OOC Date: August 22, 2022

{static}
{static}
{crackle}
{static}
{click}
{static} —ember hallways, you're waiting always

• "She's Still A Mystery" by The Lovin' Spoonful

To see behind the door
You never seen her, you're gonna meet her
The first time's so unsure

A chime emits from the elevator, and as the doors slide open two gray-clad orderlies with face masks on wheel out a gurney with a black vinyl bodybag atop it, stamped with biohazard symbols.

• From Neither Chicken, Nor Egg

She smiles your way through a window
You smile right back, she runs away
You wish little girls'd sit still just a little bit longer
Longer

“I started this evening out with Barney. In a sedan. Then suddenly, I’m with you instead and it’s a station wagon. Your coat was red when we walked in the door, now it’s blue.”

• From Starlight Midnight Goodnight

And she's still a mystery to me
I thought I'd grow up gracefully
I'd understand my woman thoroughly
But the more I see (but the more I see)
The more I see there is to see
There is to see
And she's still a mystery to me (she's still a mystery to me)
And she's still a mystery to me (she's still a mystery to me)

“I did it here. Sera Lang died in the war, so I took her possibilities. She could've been the secretary here if she hadn't died. So now she is, except it's me?” Sera’s eyes narrow. “Ssssort of?”

I used to wonder when in thunder understandin's done
But now I'm graspin' that understandin' is only part of love

“Surrogate mother,” Sera explains, squinting. “I wouldn't use the term timeline, either. That's— that doesn't match the science of what I know we were researching. But, I'm the mother of my world’s Odessa Price. She was an in vitro fertilization as a part of a project to create synthetic Evolved abilities.”

She'll smile your way through a window
You'll smile right back, she'll run away
You wish little girls'd sit still just a little bit longer
Longer

“Dad!” A woman’s voice, cheerful and young. As Luis slowly turns, he squints against the sun to see the blonde young woman jogging down the stairs from the hotel toward the courtyard. She carries a bundle of folders against her chest in one arm, the other waving excitedly. Magnes turns and looks at her, his brows raising slowly. She's maybe eight years old, just a little older than Magnes. Eight and studying genetics.

• I actually can't recall the title of this one and search is broken, so if someone can remember… Manhattan threw me a bone. This one is I'm Not You.

And she's still a mystery to me
I thought I'd grow up gracefully
I'd understand her thoroughly
But she's a mystery to me

“Colin saved me. He pulled me out from the wreckage with his ability,” there's a fondness to Sera’s voice there, a smiling certainty and admiration. Perhaps also a child’s first crush. “Colin carried me out of the fire, saved my life. I… I lost track of him after that. I looked him up years later, when I was an adult. Saw he'd been married,” blue eyes look off into the distance, “heard he'd died.”

• From 34 Candles

But she's a mystery to me
(But she's a mystery to me)
(But she's a mystery to me)

“I— remember hallucinating once I got into the hall. A man in a black parka and snow pants. There one minute and then not. Then… we started getting a power surge in the reactor, but all of the equipment said it was turned off.” Sera threads a lock of hair behind her ear again. “Then… I heard an alert, about a core meltdown, but we didn't have a reactor there. Then, I…”

And she's still a mystery to me (she's a mystery to me)
(She's a mystery to me)

“So,” Colin smiles and looks at the candles burning on the cake. “You and Michelle going to blow those out or what?” Rianna raises her brows at that, slowly shaking her head.

• Frooom… One of the penny scenes. Sec. This is seen in both Closing the Loop, Part II and The Last Road.

She's still a mystery to me (she's a mystery to me)

“Her name,” Rianna raises one finger, “is Kara, and that's final.” The smile that flits across her lips is a challenging one. “I'm giving birth to Supergirl and there's nothing you can say about that otherwise.”

(She's a mystery to me)

Laughing, Colin reaches out into the air with one hand and draws a chef’s knife from across the room to his waiting hand. “I'm going to have competition?” He asks with a broad grin.

She is still a mystery to me, mm-hmm (she's a mystery to me)

Rianna rolls her eyes, pressing a finger to his nose. “Superman doesn't have telekinesis. You're like…” her nose wrinkles, “Not Superman?” Both laugh together, and with flushed cheeks and a bright smile Rianna leans down and blows out her candles.

(She's a mystery to me)

Rianna pauses as the candles go out, a light dancing across her eyes, a rainbow hue of colors and possibilities. Colin doesn’t notice the change, can’t, and as she looks down to the cake she slowly turns her attention back to him. Reaching up and pressing a hand to his cheek. “Or maybe… Odessa?”

• God, I worry when I see scintillating rainbows. Inanna vibes.

(She's a mystery to me)
{static}
{pop}

OOC Date: August 29, 2022

{static}
{static}
{hissing}
{distorted crackle}
{static} — s is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Debbie Elliott.

Listeners across the Eastern half of the country will have the chance to see a lunar eclipse tonight. From 6:00 to 7:15 Eastern, the Earth's shadow will creep across the moon. People have studied lunar eclipses since ancient times. Predicting them was a science in China as far back as 2300 B.C., and the first people to start to get those predictions right were the Babylonians.
But few celestial events draw as much fascination and awe as a Solar Eclipse. These moments of cosmic alignment that throw portions of the Earth into total darkness have fascinated and astounded civilizations for as far back as history is recorded.
Scientific fact makes the prediction of eclipses a mathematical certainty, which makes a recent report out of the European Astronomical Society so concerning. While the May 25th Lunar Eclipse coming tonight is sure to be a point of fascination for many across the world, scientists at the EAS are trying to make heads or tails of a larger mystery: Why is the June 10th Solar Eclipse coming late?
For this, we're going to talk to—

{static}
{static}
{static} —shing through the market square
So many mothers crying
We have 5 years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us
Earth was really dying

• ”Five Years” by David Bowie

{click}

Man's Voice: 2-12 this is Central. Anybody up?
Tired Woman's Voice: No one here but us chickens.
Man's Voice: Are you alone in the booth?
Tired Woman's Voice: Why?
Man's Voice: Field-1 reported in casualties.
Tired Woman's Voice: …Christ. Yeah, yeah I'm alone.
Man's Voice: Six dead, bodies unrecoverable. Too—

{click}
Cried so much his face was wet
Then I knew he was not lying (lying)
I heard telephones, opera house, favorite melodies
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and TV's
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat, skinny people
And all the tall, short people
And all the nobody people
And all the somebody people
I never thought I'd need so many people
{click}

Tired Woman's Voice: —I know. Trust me, I know. I'm sorry.
Young Woman's Voice: How far out were they?
Tired Woman's Voice: One hundred and fifteen kilometers.
Young Woman's Voice: When's the recovery? Who's leading it?
Tired Woman's Voice: I…
Tired Woman's Voice: There won't be a recovery. Leadership can't risk any more casualties.
Young Woman's Voice: No, fuck that. I'm not leaving him out there!
Young Woman's Voice: I'll walk out that door myself!
Tired Woman's Voice: And you'll die and then who will raise your kids?
Tired Woman's Voice: Be mad at me all you want, but you know I'm right.
Young Woman's Voice: Fuck you, fuck them, fuck everyone.
Tired Woman's Voice: I'm sorry.

{click}
A girl my age went off her head
Hit some tiny children
If the black hadn't have pulled her off
I think she would have killed them
A soldier with a broken arm
Fixed his stare to the wheels of a Cadillac
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest
And a queer threw up at the sight of that
I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlor
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained, so I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk
{click}

Young Man's Voice: Did—did she feel any pain?
Tired Woman's Voice: I don't think so. She never woke up from the coma.
Tired Woman's Voice: She's with your father now. I like to think. You know, somewhere out there, somebody was right about some afterlife.
Young Man's Voice: I'm sorry about what Lina said. She—I'm sorry.
Tired Woman's Voice: Grief is hard.
Tired Woman's Voice: Your mother was a hero. From the minute she was your age, until—so many people looked up to her.
Young Man's Voice: I didn't want her to be a hero.
Young Man's Voice: {softly} I just wanted her to be my mom.

{click}
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
{click}

Old Man's Voice: How're they doing?
Tired Woman's Voice: They're kids. They're hurting. I don't know how we're going to go public about any of this. What happened to her… people are already seeing the decline. But for people with abilities to just lose them?
Old Man's Voice: And it wasn't a Recovery?
Tired Woman's Voice: No. No she'd never undergone that. This was slow, it was… it was awful.
Old Man's Voice: Guess it's all our time.
Tired Woman's Voice: Eventually. Yeah.

{click}
We've got five years, what a surprise
Five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
{click}

Old Man's Voice: —which means it isn't external. The hemorrhaging you're experiencing is likely ability-related.
Tired Woman's Voice: My ability isn't something I can turn off. Are you—telling me—
Old Man's Voice: You could do a Recovery, that might delay the effects. But by my estimate we're looking at maybe five years, tops. Your brain's tearing itself apart.
Tired Woman's Voice: I can't. I can't—Recovery isn't an option. You know that.
Old Man's Voice: They would find another way if you walked. This is your life we're talking about here. Do you have any idea what living with this will—
Tired Woman's Voice: We are talking about all our lives. I am not walking.
Old Man's Voice: Leah. Think about this.

• Leah Hesser, given that something is wrong with her.

{click}
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
{click}

Old Woman's Voice: No, I didn't know him well. I mean, other than the nickname, but he hated that.
Young Man's Voice: What… was my dad like? Mom never wanted to talk about him.
Old Woman's Voice: He was a complete doorstop. But in a kind, well-meaning way. Never stopped working, never gave up… you mom liked that kind of guy, for sure.
Young Man's Voice: What was his nickname? I… Mom never…
Old Woman's Voice: {with laughter} Hammer. And I swear, I'll take why to my grave so, don't you even think of trying to pry it out of me.
Young Man's Voice: {laughing through tears} Hammer? Oh my god that's so dumb.
Old Woman's Voice: Yes it was. Yes it absolutely was.

{click}
We've got five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
{click}

Young Woman's Voice: I miss her.
Young Man's Voice: I know. Me too.
Young Woman's Voice: What're we going to do?
Young Man's Voice: I don't know. Just… do what she always did.
Young Man's Voice: Keep moving forward.
Young Man's Voice: You're with me to the end, right Lina?
Lina: Brother and sister to the end of time.
Young Man's Voice: To the end of time.
Lina: Thanks. For listening.

Five years

Young Man's Voice: It's what we do.

Five years

Young Man's Voice: We're Bennets.

Five years

Nathan: We listen, and we move forward.

Five years
{pop}

• Uh, holy shit? What year is it?

OOC Date: December 11, 2022
IC Date: July 13, 2021

{static}
{static}
{static}

The footage you're seeing is from the town of Sirnak, some forty-four kilometers from the border of Iraq, a hundred and thirty kilometers north of Mosul. That sight, the orange glow on the horizon, has not changed day or night since what many are calling a nuclear strike within the Iraqi border.
Good evening, I'm Gerry Lisbon and this is a Channel 4 News Special Report.
In response to the event, the Iranian government has begun evacuations of towns close to the Iraqi border out of safety concerns for radioactive fallout, though no evidence of this lethal aftermath of a nuclear attack has been seen.
We're joined tonight by George Nowell, Minister of Evolved Affairs and chief of the TORCHLIGHT program. George, what do you make of the Iraq crisis?
Nowell: I think that calling it a crisis is a bit overly dramatic.
Lisbon: What would you call it?
Nowell: Well, I'd call it comuppance, for one. Though that might make the Americans wag their fingers at me.
(Both men laughing)

• Please go fuck yourselves.

Lisbon: But there is a kernel of truth to that, isn't there? Do you think what we're seeing in Iraq really is a nuclear strike carried out by a forgien government—Turkey, India, Russia?—or is this a home-grown problem?
Nowell: I think you've hit the nail on the head at the end there. This is nothing short of a situation where the people of Iraq laid down with dogs and are surprised they woke up with fleas. And frankly, I'm tired of everyone in this country being too afraid to say it.
Lisbon: Could you elaborate on that?
Nowell: Just look at what happened in America in the last decade? The nuclear devastation in New York City? Look at what happened in Detroit, Michigan last year?
Nowell: We've reached a saturation threshold with the Evolved. A point where we're either going to accept that one out of a hundred people could be a walking bomb… or that we're going to do something about that. That we're not going to lie down and wait for the end to come.
Lisbon: Do something? Like what?
Nowell: Sectioning, for one. But that's a stop-gap, if I can be frank.
Lisbon: I think we can be open and honest here. I think the people of the UK deserve that.
Nowell: Unlike the other politicians in this country, I'm not afraid to speak my mind about this. I'm tired of being silenced by people who would buckle at the first sign of protest. Career politicians who are more concerned with cashing a check than they are the defense of the people they are intended to serve.
Nowell: But I am afraid of one thing, Gerry. I'm afraid for my wife, for my son and grandson. I'm afraid every day that what happened in Iraq could happen here on the streets of London. And I fear the world is willing to walk into that armageddon with open arms.
Lisbon: A fear the whole world is, no doubt, grappling with at this very moment. But what is the solution? Is it more policing? An expanded TORCHLIGHT?
Nowell: I think we all know what it is.
Nowell: I just think no one is willing to say it out loud.

• Please go fuck yourselves as hard as you possibly can.

{static}
{static}
{static}—got a cupboard with cans of food
Filtered water and pictures of you
And I'm not coming out until this is all over

{ringing}

And I'm looking through the glass
Where the light bends at the cracks
And I'm screaming at the top of my lungs
Pretending the echoes belong to someone
Someone I used to know

• “We Will Become Silhouettes” by The Postal Service

{ringing}
{ringing}
{ringing}
Voicemail: This is the Director. I'm unavailable right now, leave a brief message.
Dowe: This is Dowe. I'm not going to leave any more messages. I've been unable to reach you for days. You need to come in to the office immediately.
Dowe: Don't make us come looking for you.
Dowe: The President is getting impatient.
{click}

And we become
Silhouettes when our bodies finally go

{ringing}

I wanted to walk through the empty streets
And feel something constant under my feet
But all the news reports recommended that I stay indoors

{ringing}

Because the air outside will make
Our cells divide at an alarming rate
Until our shells simply cannot hold
All our inside's in and that's when we'll explode
And it won't be a pretty sight

{ringing}
{ringing}
The President: Harding. What's our situation?
Dowe: Raith's still MIA. We have a few heads missing from the KC office.
The President: What's the assistant he has, the tracker. Abernathy?
Dowe: Missing.
The President: Christ. Is he in the field?
Dowe: I don't know. Voss is heading back to KC right now but we still have the New York attack to manage.
The President: Where are we with that?
Dowe: Unclear. Estimates are fifty to sixty insurgents, mix of home-grown garden variety terrorists and former US Military.
The President: What about their hardware? Do we have an ID on where their armor came from?
Dowe: Mixed. There were some refurbished DoEA models, probably salvaged from the Dead Zone, some looked like models from Fort Irwin so we're possibly dealing with survivors from Georgia Mayes' detachment.
Dowe: The rest was repurposed Praxis Heavy hardware stolen from the California Safe Zone. Some of the bodies have been ID'd as members of the Dead Zone Liberation Front.
The President: Catch me up to speed on them.
Dowe: Huge PMC formed of Ex-Military stranded in the Dead Zone during the war who stayed behind to protect civilians. After Praxia fell they liberated a large amount of the hardware for civil defense. We'd let them run the roost since they knew the terrain and we were stretched too thin.
The President: And now?
Dowe: They disappeared into the woods.
The President: Jesus Christ.

{static}
And we'll become
Silhouettes when our bodies finally go
And we'll become (and we'll become, we'll become)
Silhouettes when our bodies finally go
And we'll become (and we'll become, we'll become)
Silhouettes when our bodies finally go
And we'll become (and we'll become, we'll become)
Silhouettes when our bodies finally go

{But if time can be revisited then it's never really passed, has it?}

• Okay, Mohinder.
  • (This is a joke.)

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea

• “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas

All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

{If love is a collision between time and space… can love exist beyond the moment?}

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

{Can the space not exist?}

Now don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy

{Forever?}

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
(All we are is dust in the wind)
Dust in the wind
(Everything is dust in the wind)
Everything is dust in the wind
(In the wind)

{pop}

• Well… That bodes ill, doesn't it? Anyway, the trailer version of "Dust in the Wind" is by Think Up Anger. Yikes.

OOC Date: December 24, 2022
Merry Christmas to us, I guess.
{Traveler this is Horizon Control, Confirm SRT}
{SRT Confirmed.}
{Lorentz scalar received, registering.}
{Horizon ignition sequence initiated.}

{static}—re's something in the air
Burning ions in the oxygen are all aglow
A feeling everywhere
Premonitions of the storm that comes
But I won't go

• "Waiting on the Sky to Change" by STARSET
  • Watch the music video. No, really.

{Horizon Control this is Traveler 1.}
{Horizon Control do you copy.}
{Okay.}
{Okay. Stay calm.}

I'm done running towards
The eyes of tornadoes
Pretending this is home

{T-Traveler log: real time since arrival, one minute, sixteen seconds and counting.}
{Time until Pull, three minutes, forty-four seconds.}
{Terrain is… stable. Oxygen breathable. Radiation levels… acceptable. Negligible.}

I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it wash over my fear
Of these heights as I transcend
And become whole again
I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it take me out of here
I won't live life in the rain
Waiting on the sky to change

{I'm… I'm standing in a forest. Imager is completely fried.}
{MJ was right, all the hardware needs insulation before incision.}
{I ah, I can't confirm geoposition. It's daytime. Temperate, clear skies.}
{Some… some rain rolling in from the west. Mountains but I can't confirm range.}

Been frozen since that day
I saw my clear blue skies
As they turned to gray in front of me
It's hard to find my way
Can I rise above
When giving up is all I know?

{No recognizable structures present. There's birds, unidentified.}
{Water. Tidal. Probably a coastline.}
{Suspecting I'm geopositionally relative to Incision point.}

I'm done running towards
The eyes of tornadoes
Pretending this is hope

{Uh, uh. Time until Pull, one minute, twenty-nine seconds.}
{Taking a soil sample.}
{God, the sky is so blue. I should—}
{I just want to breathe it a little.}

I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it wash over my fear
Of these heights as I transcend
And become whole again
I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it take me out of here
I won't live life in the rain
Waiting on the sky to change

{Removing helmet.}
{Oh my God.}
{The air. It smells sweet.}
{Wet. But not foul.}
{Oh my God.}

And the water's rising
Going deaf from the sound of rain
And the water's rising
I won't drown in the flood you made
And the water's rising
Going deaf from the sound of rain
And the water's rising
I won't drown in the flood you made

{God I wish you could see this.}
{Everything is so green.}
{It makes the vivariums look like weeds.}

I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it wash over my fear
Of these heights as I transcend
And become whole again

{MJ's not going to—}
{Oh shit, oh fuck Pull in six seconds!}
{Ah! No! No, no, no! Horizon Control, delay Pull! Do you copy Delay Pull!}
{My helmet! Delay Pull!}

I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it wash over my fear
Of these heights as I transcend
And become whole again
I breathe in the atmosphere
Let it take me out of here
I won't live life in the rain
Waiting on the sky to change

{Horizon Control: Pull successful.}

Waiting on the sky to change

{Traveler DOA, suspected unmitigated shear exposure.}

Waiting on the sky to change

{Sending report to Command.}

Waiting on the sky to change

{Closing log.}

Waiting on the sky to change

OOC Date: December 29, 2022

{static}
This is the end
beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend
The end of our elaborate plans
The end of everything that stands
The end
{crackle}
{static}

• ”The End” by The Doors

Stoic Man's Voice: Still nothing?
Tired Man's Voice: Nothing. Timer is still at 4 majors, so… there's no telling.
Stoic Man's Voice: Is the equipment still set up at the Pull site?
Tired Man's Voice: Yeah. We're uh, there's a rotating team out there waiting. They've got a temporary > shelter set up to mitigate the worst of the radiation.
Tired Man's Voice: I'm gonna go get some—
Stoic Man's Voice: Sit down, Conroy.
Conroy: Sir?
Stoic Man's Voice: We need to talk about something.

{crackle}
{static}
No safety or surprise
The end
I'll never look into your eyes again
Can you picture what will be?
So limitless and free
Desperately in need of some stranger's hand
In a desperate land
{static}
{crackle}

Anxious Person's Voice: Transfer protocols from Horizon Command is cut. Effie do you have access?
Effie: I'm locked out too. What's a Terminus error?

• Fun fact. Effie was on Nicole’s list of baby names (Four Names)

Anxious Person's Voice: Uh. Let me… {pages turning} see {pages turning}. Hnnn.
Effie: What?
Anxious Person's Voice: Manual override.
Effie: What?
Anxious Person's Voice: Someone in Horizon Command issued a manual override, we're not getting any additional geoloc backfeed.
Effie: That's gotta be an error. I'll head over to 1-1 and ask. You gonna stay here?
{long silence}
Effie: Phillipa?

• Well, fuck. Speaking of Nicole’s list of baby names…

Phillipa: Yeah. Yeah no I—I'll come with you. Sorry. Internal conversation.
Effie: What's he think?
Phillipa: Howard's a skeptic so. Nothing good.

{static}
{crackle}
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the king's highway
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway West, baby
{static}
{crackle}

Smirking Man's Voice: You look like you just got fed a shit sandwich.
Conroy: Not in the mood.
Smirking Man's Voice: Hey, whoa, I'm just fucking around. What's up?
Smirking Man's Voice: Did—
Conroy: I can't talk about it.
Smirking Man's Voice: Hey. {shuffling} C'mon don't walk away from me, you look like you just saw a ghost, what's up?
Conroy: I can't talk about it. You wanna know so bad go fucking ask him yourself. {shuffling}
Smirking Man's Voice: Hey! I'm just—Conroy c'mon!
Smirking Man's Voice: The fuck is going on today?

{static}
{crackle}
Ride the snake
Ride the snake
To the lake
The ancient lake, baby
The snake is long
Seven miles
Ride the snake
He's old
And his skin is cold
{static}
{crackle}

Phillipa: Hey, you got a moment?
Stoic Man's Voice: I… really don't right now. But if you can make it quick.
Phillipa: We're getting a Terminus error down at the HEAR Initiative.
Effie: Every system is locked out.
Stoic Man's Voice: Ah, yes that's… going to be the state of things for the foreseeable future. {rueful laugh} We have a small situation on our hands here we need to resolve and outbound connections might exacerbate it.
Phillipa: What… kind of situation?
Stoic Man's Voice: I really can't share anything about that right now, I'm sorry.
Effie: Hey. Don't—fucking talk to us like we're colleagues.
Stoic Man's Voice: Effie…
Effie: No, don't Effie me I'm not a kid anymore Matthew. Tell me what's going on or I'll go ask Nova.
Matthew: {deep sigh}
Phillipa: {apologetic} She will.
Matthew: Close—Close the door and take a seat.

{static}
{crackle}
The West is the best
The West is the best
Get here and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is calling us
The blue bus is calling us
Driver, where are you taking us?
The killer awoke before dawn
He put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
{static}
{crackle}

Timid Woman's Voice: We shouldn't be here.
Frustrated Man's Voice: No, you shouldn't be here. I work here, Lina.
Lina: You know what I mean. {muffled shuffling}
Lina: Just get the binder and let's get out of here.
Frustrated Man's Voice: Shh, someone's here.
{muffled clunking}
{drawer opening and closing}
Frustrated Man's Voice: Here.
Lina: Th—let go of it Nathan.
Nathan: Not until you tell me why you need it.
Lina: I need you to trust me. Just give me the maps.
Nathan: {muffled cursing}
Lina: Please.
Nathan: Fine.
Lina: I promise I'll get it back to you before anyone notices.
Nathan: Let's get out of here.

{static}
{crackle}
He went into the room where his sister lived
And then he paid a visit to his brother
And then he, he walked on down the hallway
And he came to a door
And he looked inside
"Father?"
"Yes, son?"
"I want to kill you"
"Mother, I want to…"
Come on, yeah
{static}
{crackle}

Effie: {door slamming} AMES!
{shuffling, scrambling}
Ames: I'm awake! I'm up! I'm totally awake!
{glass clunking}
Ames: {absolutely half awake} Nhhey uh, you seem. Not Good.
{long, awkward silence}
Ames: Eff? You okay?
Effie: {strangled noise}
Ames: Eff?
Effie: {muffled sob, shuffling}
Ames: Woah, hey. Uh, hey don't—cry all over my shirt, okay. Yeah go ahead.
Ames: Eff, what's wrong? What's going on you're a mess.
Effie: {hiccupped sob} We're so fucked.
Effie: We're—so absolutely fucked.
Ames: Talk to me, c'mon. Hey. Hey.
Ames: I'm right here, what's going on?
Effie: Matthew. The—whole fucking—
Effie: We're so fucked.

{static}
{crackle}
Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Come on, baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock on a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock, c'mon yeah!
{crackle}
{static}

Smirking Man's Voice: HEY!
Smirking Man's Voice: Ghostferatu! Wake the fuck up I know you're here!
{metal banging}
Smirking Man's Voice: Hey! Helloooo!
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂¹: The Fox is in the Henhouse again.
Smirking Man's Voice: Not cool.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Why are we sulking?
Smirking Man's Voice: I need you to tell me what the fuck your deal is right now or—
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Or what, Walter? Will you tell Matthew about me? Will you tell Nova? Will you tell Valerie?
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: And what will they think?
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Oh no, Walter's had another meltdown.
Walter: Not. Cool.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Come, come, Poulette. Turn that frown downtown.

• Mom, I swear to god, if you’re bothering Eve…

Walter: That's—not even how that saying—You knew something was up today. Everybody's acting fucking weird and nobody'll tell me what's going on.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Haven't you already figured it out?
Walter: I WOULDN'T BE ASKING YOU IF I DID YOU CRAZY GHOST BITCH!
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Language.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: It's like I warned you.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: It'll all come back around.
Walter: You—never fucking told me that.
n̴̰͝o̶͕͐ ̴̺͛o̶͇͋ň̴̪e̷͈͝'̸̧̐s̶͎̉ ̸̪͠v̸͕̓o̴̟̚i̵̎͜c̷̳̔e̸͙͂: Didn't I?

{static}
{crackle}
{H̴͛͜ȧ̶̘v̴̞͆e̵̱̾n̴͔͆'̶̣͒t̴͍̽ ̸̹̒Ǐ̸͚ ̸̻̇b̴͕͠ē̴̪e̷͚͐n̴̒͜ ̴̗͐t̵̥͠r̵͈͝y̵̢̔į̶͐n̶͓͑g̷̘͆}²
{T̴͎̐o̴̞͘ ̴̝͠w̷̼̒a̸̻̓r̶͚͘ṅ̴̩ ̵̱̈y̷͔͝ơ̵͓ú̴͜}³
{T̷̬͆h̶̬̅i̴͈̋s̷͜͝ ̸͈̆ẉ̵̿h̴̪̾o̸̞̊l̶͔̂è̶̙ ̵̗̄t̶̫̅i̷͍̎m̸͇̔ȩ̵̏}⁴
{B̶͙͊u̸̹̿ẗ̷͎́ ̸̭͝y̵͆ͅo̷̘̾ù̸̡ ̵̠͝r̵͖͘è̵̮f̶̘̓ū̶̧š̸͍e̸̹̓ ̴̛͕ť̶̺ŏ̶̼ ̸̱͑ṣ̷̽e̵͉̒è̵͖}⁵
{T̸̪̆h̸̠̓i̸̙̊s̸͍͝ ̸͓͑t̷̗̓ï̵ͅm̷̗̌e̵̯̊}⁶
{T̵̩̽h̶̙͛e̵̓ͅ ̷̦̽ẇ̴͎a̸̪͋y̸̦̆ ̸͖̅b̸̯͝ą̷̇c̸̬͑k̶̤̔}⁷
{I̵͇̍s̴̫̑ ̵͇̔g̸̩̑ó̷͜n̵̖̾e̵̥̓.̸͓̈́}⁸
{"̷͔̃P̸͖͆o̴̙͌p̴̲̉"̴̩̈́}⁹

OOC Date: December 30, 2022

{static}
{analogue noise}
{static} —t's the bottom of the ninth. Last chance for the Pilgrims, down one-nothing, to the former World Series champion Randy Womack—strike three, out!
Currently in the middle of a no-hitter. The Pilgrims were favored to—{static}
{crackle}
{buzzing}
{static} —used to wonder what the future would hold. Now, you’re living in it. The Highliner is an all-electric automobile that makes driving cleaner, safer, and faster. Equipped with cutting-edge sensors that detect nearby objects, and a lustrous new shape that cuts through the air, the Highliner truly represents a breakthrough in modern driving.
Embrace the future with the 2021 DeLorean Highliner, and see where the—{static}
{beeping}
{clicks}
{static} —all estimates the missile did make contact with the Asclepius asteroid. What we're hearing now and—this will be difficult for many of you listeners to hear—Asclepius has broken up into eight large pieces of debris which are still on a collision course for Earth within the next thirty-six hours. We're being told that the President is ready to deliver a statement about the—{crackle}
{buzzing}
{static}
{crackle} —rom the High Desert and the great American Southwest, I bid you all good evening, good afternoon, good morning, whatever the case may be in whatever time zone you're in.
This is Coast to Coast A.M., and I'm Art Bell.
Art: It's a mild, windy night out in the American Southwest. Clear skies, full of stars, sparkling lights and—you never know—maybe someone looking back.
Art: Folks, tonight on Coast to Coast A.M. I have a guest that promises to provide extraordinary proof for extraordinary claims.
Art: His name is Doctor Chandra Suresh, a geneticist from Madras, India. And Doctor Suresh claims to have evidence of the existence of superhumans living among us.
Art: Doctor Suresh, welcome to Coast to Coast A.M.
Chandra: Thank you, Art.
Art: So, Doctor Suresh, for our listeners at home and beyond, can you give a little background on who you are and what it is you do?
Chandra: Well, I'm a biological anthropologist. I received my doctorate at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1960. After which I was invited to participate in a research program in the United States under the oversight of the Office of Special Investigations.
Art: Isn't that the Air Force?
Chandra: I believe that's what it was publicly identified as, yes.
Art: And you said this was in 1960?
Chandra: Yes, from April of 1960 to May of 1961.
Art: And what did you do for the OSI? Where did you work?
Chandra: Well, at the time I was brought on board I was told I was to be taking part in an anthropological study of a group of geographically isolated individuals who had resided on a remote Polynesian island. This was, however, a cover story. The truth was I was brought to—best as I can say because I lack better words for it—a concentration camp full of American citizens.
Art: And where was this?
Chandra: C—{dead air}
That broadcast from September 17th, 1997 would never be completed. The entire clip of the Art Bell show from that night would be relegated to ghost stories across the airwaves and in the collective memory of Coast to Coast A.M.'s small but dedicated audience. The tapes of that broadcast were allegedly destroyed by an electromagnetic surge from a nearby power transfer station, and it would fall out of the American consciousness for a generation.
Earlier this year, we spoke with Phoebe Frady, granddaughter of a World War II signals specialist Howard Frady. In this broadcast we referenced a clip from Art Bell's Coast to Coast A.M. in which Terrence Frady, Phoebe's Father, recounted the story of a signal sent through time. Since that broadcast, we received a copy of this truncated, lost Coast to Coast A.M. broadcast you just head.
I'm Ramtin Arablouei, and this is Throughline, on NPR.
Ramtin: Today on Throughline, we're examining the sordid history of one of the darkest secrets in American history: the Coyote Sands Massacre.
Ramtin: On May 16th, 2015, in Albany New York, one of the highest-ranking executors of the shadow government organization known only as the Company took the stand.
Ramtin: In his opening statement before the tribunal, after charges were read, Robert Bishop walked the world through the history of Coyote Sands. How he and his parents were pulled from their homes in early 1961 by armed federal agents and brought to a relocation camp located off highway 10, just north of Aguila, Arizona.
Ramtin: Robert explained the experimentation, dehumanization, and torture that he and other adults and children—American citizens, all—underwent at the hands of the United States government and how, just before a violent riot broke out, he and a handful of prisoners escaped into the Arizona desert. This was the defining moment of our era, for it would be the survivors of this massacre—Angela Shaw, Charles Deveaux, Daniel Linderman, and Robert Bishop—who would later form the Company.
Ramtin: Bishop's story cracked open a secret national shame and brought it before the world's eyes. At the end of his trial, Robert Bishop was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the crimes against humanity he committed while overseeing operations of the Company. Effectively, he had become the thing that he himself had rebelled against as a young man.
Ramtin: But who was responsible for Coyote Sands?
Ramtin: The answer to that question brings us back to the subject of the Throughline episode from earlier this year, where we discussed an organization also named in the Coast to Coast A.M. clip at the start of this program. The OSI, or Office of Special Investigations.
Ramtin: Since the late—{crackle}

// Shit, we're losing it.

{static}—he OSI operated under the cover of the United States Air Force, alleging to be a—{static}

// It's got to be the sunspot activity.
// Can you try boosting the signal?

{static}—oyals, operating without overs—{static}

// I couldn't make that out. Did we lose it?
// Damn.
// What was—ah—did you make sense of any of that?
// I don't think it was a radio drama, Henry.
// It was too dry.
// Well, I don't know what it was, but you do not need to take that tone with me, I am not a child.
// {muttering} Seigneur, donne-moi la force.¹⁰
// I will end the recording. I want to listen to it again, maybe we can look up t


// [ End of Recording ]

{static}—etter! Wetter! Colder! MORE! SLUSH-O: BET YOU CAN'T DRINK JUST SIX!
{click}

Conroy: …I—I should…
Conroy: Probably call Doctor Gatter again.
Conroy: Because the, uh, haunted radio is fucking with me again.
Conroy: Awesome.
Conroy: Great.
Conroy: Love this for me.
{pop}

OOC Date: January 12, 2023

{static}
{crackle}
Each step I left behind
Each road you know is mine
Walking on a line ten stories high
Say you'll still be by my side
If I could take your hand, oh
If you could understand
That I can barely breathe, the air is thin
I fear the fall and where we'll land

• "Beautiful Crime" by Tamer

{static}
{crackle}

Whispering Woman’s Voice: You awake?
Soft Woman’s Voice: (laughing) No.
Whispering Woman’s Voice: Do you believe in ghosts?
Soft Woman’s Voice: The last time we asked that, we ended up with Hugo, Cole.
Colette: Okay but I’m serious.
Tasha: (yawning) What are you talking about?
Colette: I was down in the Nevers and thought I saw

{crackle}

Colette: …looked right at me and walked by.
Tasha: Trick of the light, probably, or-
Colette: (laughing) Uh huh.
Tasha: (laughing) Or just your mind playing tricks on you. Mine does, sometimes.
Colette: Maybe.
Tasha: That’s not to say there aren’t ghosts. Just that that doesn’t sound like one.
Colette: (sighing) Yeah.
Tasha: Yeah.

{static}
{crackle}
We fight every night for something
When the sun sets, we're both the same
Half in the shadows
Half burned in flames
We can't look back for nothin'
Take what you need, say your goodbyes
I gave you everything
And it's a beautiful crime
{crackle}
{static}

Concerned Man’s Voice: ..anonymous since it was an illegal Trace, so not a lot to go on.
Bored Man’s Voice: (sarcastically) Well, that sounds promising.
Concerned Man’s Voice: It’s just another to add to the pile. Something tells me it’s connected to our other problem.
Bored Man’s Voice: But there are so fucking many other problems. You’ll have to enlighten me, Whit.
Whit: Well, I’m not fucking talking about your lack of moisturizer.
Bored Man: Listen, don’t be jealous because you have to age gracefully and I, on the other hand, don’t.
Whit: I could ReCog.
Bored Man: You would never.
Whit: I could. Come back and haunt you just when you think you’re free of me.
Bored Man: You could come to your own funeral, see what we have to say about you. Phil and I’ll be making cracks in the corner like those two old Muppets.
Whit: Statler and Waldorf.
Bored Man: How the fuck do you remember these things?
Whit: Because I had an actual childhood. Anyway. Back to the case.
Bored Man: Oh, that. All right. So this guy bought a perverted Trace and it was his own, but he didn’t sell it? And we’re 100 percent sure it was his and not just some other sucker who happened to bump the same ugly?
Whit: Jesus, Jones.
Jones: You are so cute when you blush. How the hell are you in this job with your sensitive sensibilities?
Whit: He’s sure. Says you can see his tattoo in the Trace. Says he never sold it, wouldn’t have sold it. Always buys, never sells.
Jones: Let me guess. He’s missing some time somewhere along the way.
Whit: Yeah. Matches our other cases. Probably drugged but didn’t come to us.
Jones: How recent was this memory?
Whit: Last couple of months. So it…
Jones: …sounds like it might be connected.
Whit: Yeah. At least with a Trace, it’s just the memory as opposed to…
Jones: … everything else.

{static}
{crackle}
Each breath I left behind
Each breath you take is mine
Walking on a line ten stories high
Fear a fall, you’re asking why
Leaving the things we lost, oh
Leaving the ones we’ve crossed
I have to make an end so we begin
To save my soul at any cost
{crackle}
{static}

Quiet Man’s Voice: Penny for your thoughts.
Tired Woman’s Voice: You don’t want to know.
Quiet Man’s Voice: Since when don’t I want to know what’s going on with you?
Tired Woman’s Voice: I was just thinking about that old joke – how many whatevers it takes to change a lightbulb.
Quiet Man’s Voice: Let me guess. The whatevers are Novas, and Horizon’s the lightbulb?
Tired Woman’s Voice: Something like that.
Quiet Man’s Voice: I know there’s more than one of you in there, but you still only have one set of shoulders, Nova.
Nova: Your point?
Quiet Man’s Voice: You don’t have to carry this alone.
Nova: I know that. I’m not trying to. You’re here, ja?
Quiet Man’s Voice: What I’m saying is… maybe more people should know. More minds, more solutions. Many hands…
Nova: …make a bigger mess?
Quiet Man’s Voice: (chuckling) I don’t think that’s how that saying goes.
Nova: No, but whoever said that first didn’t know the things that we know.
Quiet Man’s Voice: Point.
Nova: Or hid what we’ve hidden from them already.
Quiet Man’s Voice: Also a valid point.
Nova: Stop agreeing with me. I need someone who thinks differently than me to change the fucking lightbulb.

Quiet Man’s Voice: (laughing). All right. Devil’s Advocate, coming right up.
{static}
{crackle}
We fight every night for something
When the sun sets, we're both the same
Half in the shadows
Half burned in flames
We can't go back for nothin'
Take what you need, say your goodbyes
I gave you everything
This darkness is the light
This darkness is the light
{crackle}
{static}

Gruff Man’s Voice: …got another repo for you.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: Again? Already?
Gruff Man’s Voice: Most people want work.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: I just don’t want people getting suspicious.
Gruff Man’s Voice: Tomorrow. Midnight. Same place.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: It better be the same place. I’m not lugging that shit to a different location every time you get a gig.
Gruff Man’s Voice: If we say to move it, you move it. I don’t think you get who’s calling the shots here, girl.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: If I walk, you don’t have a business.
Gruff Man’s Voice: If you walk, you don’t got an oxygen supply.
Hushed Woman: …
Hushed Woman’s Voice: Fuck you.
Gruff Man’s Voice: Such language.

{static}

Gruff Man’s Voice: Look. I agree. It’s too soon after the last one. But it’s a special case, and we’ll make it worth your while.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: Fine.

{crackle}
{static}
We fight every night for something
When the sun sets, we're both the same
Half in the shadows
Half burned in flames
We can't go back for nothin'
Take what you need, say your goodbyes
{static}
{crackle}

Hushed Woman’s Voice: Question.
Gruff Man’s Voice: Yeah.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: …Never mind.
Gruff Man’s Voice: (chuckling) You wonder why we don’t just do you like we do these other saps.
Hushed Woman’s Voice: Well, yeah.
Gruff Man’s Voice: That’s an excellent question.

{static}
{static}
And it's a beautiful crime
{static}
{crackle}
{pop}

• Oh, snap! It's Greenwich! IDK about you, but I am stupid excited about this Traces plot. More radio, please!

OOC Date: January 12, 2023

{static}
{crackle}
{hiss}
{static}

—his is a CBN News Update, I'm Mark Martin.
Mark Martin: Overseas, world powers are urging Russia to accept a ceasefire with the country of Georgia.
Mark Martin: Just today Russian jets launched new attacks into the Georgian territory.

• Is this 2008 calling?

Mark Martin: Georgia's president has already signed a ceasefire pledge, but Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is insisting that Georgia retreat from the separatist territory of South Ossetia first.
Mark Martin: Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice along with other foreign leaders are calling for an end to the conflict. They want Russia to agree to international mediation and respect Georgia's borders.
Mark Martin: President Bush is headed home after a whirlwind visit to Beijing. He said the Olympics were the highlight of his trip and his favorite moment was getting his picture taken with the entire US Olympic team.

• Yes, it was definitely 2008. That's when the Beijing Olympics were held.

Mark Martin: President Bush took time out during the trip to press for diplomacy with China and once again encouraged the nation to adopt the recently drafted Linderman Act as a sign of international trust and cooperation in the face of unprecedented times.
Mark Martin: Now the president looks to address the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia. While in Beijing he criticized the violence, calling it unacceptable.
Mark Martin: Back in the US, Presidential Candidates Allen Rickham and Nathan Petrelli are set to appear next weekend at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California. Warren says he will ask the candidates questions on various issues, some of which he says are "liberal issues" like war, poverty, and climate change. Though the topic on everyone's mind is the expansion of the Department of Homeland Security and stricter enforcement of the Linderman Act.
Mark Martin: Presidential candidate Andrew Mitchell will not be attending this event as he is campaigning in Florida over the weekend, hoping to gain support of the state's staunch proponents of stricter registration laws for the Evolved.
Mark Martin: This has been the CBN News Update for August 11th, 2008. We now move to our ongoing coverage of—

{static}
{crackle}
{buzzing}
{static}

—his is Talk of the Nation Science Friday on NPR. I'm Ira Flatow.
Ira: A bit later in the hour, a look at biofuels research. But first, sometime later this year a massive particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, is scheduled to start operations deep underground of the borders between France and Switzerland.

• Hi, yes, hello. I just discovered something unsettling:
  • A run with lead ions started on 8 November 2010 — Wikipedia
• [ nervousness intensifies ]

Ira: Over 2,000 physicists from 34 countries have been involved in the construction of the LHC, which, the theory goes, could provide a glimpse of sub-atomic particles such as the Higgs boson, thought to be responsible for giving matter mass.
Ira: Experiments might also shed some light about the validity of string theory. But the powerful collisions created in the particle accelerator also have the potential, in theory at least, to create other exotic particles.
Ira: One called the "strangelet" and perhaps even a black hole. Both which would be deadly, if created, for all living beings on Eart—

{crackle}
{static}
Just a reflection
Just a glimpse
Just a little reminder
Of all the what abouts
And all the might have
Could have beens
Another day
Some other way
But not another reason to continue
And now you're one of us
The wretched

• "The Wretched" by NIN
  • Doctor Gatter called. He'd like his theme song back.

{ringing}
{ringing}
{ringing}
Marcus: Status update?
Steely Man's Voice: Everything seems smooth here, nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Marcus: How is the operations schedule for the collider?
Steely Man's Voice: Hard to say. There's been a few setbacks, mostly just red tape. CERN's pretty insistent on getting this up and running, I don't think there'll be any more delays.
Marcus: Did the usual suspects show up?
Steely Man's Voice: Absolutely. Bishop and a few goons I don't recognize. Just in the champagne-popping box, nothing too hands on. I think they're just talent scouting.
Marcus: Good. Keep a low profile and follow-up if anything changes.
Steely Man's Voice: Of course. And uh, Sir?
Marcus: Mm?
Steely Man's Voice: How's she doing?
Marcus: Ah. It doesn't look good. She's stable and not in any pain, but I think it's just time. She doesn't find that very funny, but you know… you know how she is.
Marcus: Your parents are with her.
Steely Man's Voice: That's… that's good. Thank you for the update.
Marcus: For what it's worth, I know you two are estranged, but she did ask about you.
Steely Man's Voice: {awkward silence}
Marcus: I've known Kara a long time. Even if she doesn't show it… she cares about family.
Steely Man's Voice: Thank you, Sir.
Steely Man's Voice: I'll let you know if anything else comes up.
{click}

The hopes and prays
The better days
The far aways
Forget it

{ringing}
{ringing}
Marcus: Yes?
Solemn Man's Voice: I'm just calling to let you know she's passed.
Marcus: …I see. Thank you.
Solemn Man's Voice: Her family wanted to pass on their best to you.
Solemn Man's Voice: They appreciate all that you've done for them over the years.
Marcus: Of course. Tell them they have my condolences. And thank you, Doctor Wright.

{static}
{crackle}
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?
{crackle}
{crackle}
{Let. Me. Out.}
{static}
{static}
NO
Now you know
This is what it feels like
Now you know
This is what it feels like
{Let. Me. Out.}

{Charge at 100%, firing sequence initiated.}

The clouds will part and the sky cracks open
And god himself will reach his fucking arm through

{Accelerator firing.}

Just to push you down
Just to hold you down
Stuck in this hole with the shit and the piss
And it's hard to believe it could come down to this
{Let. Me. Out.}
Back at the beginning
{Let. Me. Out.}
Sinking
{Let. Me. Out.}
Spinning
{static}
{crackle}

Ira: Joining me now to talk about the Large Hadron Collider, why physicists are excited about it, what is the status of it coming online and the safety concerns being raised, is Dr. Frank Wilczek.
Ira: He's the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at M.I.T. in Cambridge. He's also the 2004 Nobel Laureate in Physics, and one of a group of physicists that, in 1999, looked at a similar safety concern being raised at that time about a particle accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island.
Ira: He joins us by phone in Oxford. Welcome, Dr. Wilczek.
Wilczek: Hello.
Ira: What is the status, though - some of us thought it would already be online by—

{static}
And in the end
We still pretend
The time we spend
Not knowing when
You're finally free
And you could be
{static}
{crackle}

Ira: And that brings me to this unusual lawsuit I talked about earlier.
Ira: Trying to stop these experiments, thinking that some sort of - one of these crashes of particles might create some interesting but deadly particles, one of them being called a "strangelet," which would eventually convert all of Earth into a large strangelet particle.
Wilczek: Right. Or a black hole.
Ira: Or a black hole. You investigated the possibilities of this almost 10 years—

{static}
But it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out quite the way that you wanted it
{static}

Wilczek: Yes. Some of the same people raised the same kinds of issues, and of course, in the scientific literature, the underlying phenomena of strangelets or black holes have been discussed.
Wilczek: But I think there are three independent arguments, each of which is decisive, that should reassure everyone about—

{static}
Now you know
{Let. Me. Out.}
This is what it feels like
{Let. Me. Out.}
Now you know
{Let. Me. Out.}
This is what it feels like
{Let. Me. Out.}
You can try to stop it but it keeps on coming
{Let. Me. Out.}
You can try to stop it but
{pop}

+ Show Radio Broadcasts OOC Date 7/23 - present

OOC Date: July 5, 2023

{static}
{crackle}
{hiss}
{static}

— From the High Desert and the great American Southwest, I bid you all good evening, good afternoon, good morning, whatever the case may be in whatever time zone you're in.
This is Coast to Coast A.M., and I'm Art Bell.
Art: The winds are howling and the thunderstorms are out here in the American Southwest. We've got a rager going on outside, so please bear with us tonight if we lose broadcasting ability for any amount of time. We promise — unless someone's switched on the HAARP — this isn't a conspiracy.
Art: This time. [laughs]
Art: Tonight we have with us a special guest calling in from an anonymous location somewhere in the world, for concerns of his own personal security.
Art: Our guest's name, too, is anonymous. So we're going to call him John Doe, in order to protect his identity. Now, John here has some amazing things to share with us tonight.
Art: Some fantastic things.
Art: But why don't we let John introduce himself first, and then we can get to the meat of the mystery.
Art: John, welcome to Coast to Coast AM. The whole world is listening.
"John": Thank you, Art.
Art: Why don't you introduce yourself?
"John": I'm… "John." I'm a retired member of US military, though I'd prefer not to disclose which branch. And… and for many years I oversaw classified military research projects for the United States government.
Art: Now, some of you listeners may have your skeptic hats on right now. Trust me I had mine on as well.
Art: But it's back on the hat rack right now. And I'll tell you why.
Art: John here gave me some—you see he gave me some very compelling information. Evidence? To support his claims as to who he is.
Art: The rest, well, I'll let him explain.
Art: John, why don't you tell us about the project you worked on.
Art: For our listeners out there who don't know what it is, what is the Montauk Project?
"John": That uh, it was a project that appeared between 1975 and 1983. It collapsed and was resurrected in 87. The uh, the German scientists who came over under Operation Paperclip, they ran it. They worked for twenty years at the Brookhaven National Laboratories and they were kicked out of there around 67. While they were looking for a new home, they heard about Montauk and the projects there. That's where they went. At the time it was still under Air Force supervision.
Art: We're talking about Nazis here. Let's not mince words. Former Nazi scientists?
"John": We are.
Art: Continue.
"John": So, the Air Force—they were doing—there was a project called SAGE. A radar research program, designed to create an over-the-horizon radar system.
Art: Over the horizon?
"John": Radar stops at the curvature of the Earth. It's waves. They can't bend around corners.
Art: Aha, I see. I see. So the Air Force was trying to do just that? And how do the Nazis play in to this?
"John": So, the scientists—the Nazis—they came in saying things like "We can show you how this is done. Help you win the next war with a push of a button." They had all these ideas on how to improve the SAGE system, and the top brass was very interested. Let them have the run of the roost because up until then there weren't results.
"John": So all this was happening at Montauk Park. On the surface it's a civillian park, one big block building, right? The SAGE dish on top. Underground it was—still is—a military base. But the things that started as military research there it got… I mean it got strange.
Art: The Montauk Project had to do with time travel, wasn't it?
"John": It did. But that's later when—
Art: And I have to ask because I know our listeners are asking. As much as you can answer, how do you know all this?
"John": Because I was there. Because I worked on the Montauk Prokect, the Philadelphia Experiment, it all goes back to that. 1943.
"John": See-see the Montauk Project—the radar dish—they had 28 towers set up for SAGE. By the end they could pick up a missile launching all the way in Russia. The tower on Long Island remained fully operational until the military pulled out and gave run of the roost to the Germans.
Art: What year was this?
"John": Montauk became operational under German control in 1970. Was effective from 76 to 83, then reopened in 87 when the aliens got involved.
Art: …
Art: Aliens?
"John": The aliens.
Art: Please, explain that a little more?
"John": Montauk Point was called that because of the Montauk Indians they used to live there. The government kicked them out in the 1900s.
Art: Okay but the aliens, please. Our listeners are salivating.
"John": They're real.
Art: Have you seen them?
"John": Yes, at Montauk. We got their attention with the Philadelphia Experiment it—
Art: And what do they look like? Little green men?
"John": No—no. They look just like us.
Art: And are you saying these aliens were involved in building time travel technology? Or was that the Nazis? I'm having trouble keeping this all together in my head.
"John": They appeared on the Eldridge deck in '43, when we ripped a hole in the fabric of space and time. They wanted to collaborate with us. "We can show you how to build this wormhole." You know they showed us what to build and how.
Art: …and the Nazis?
"John": I'm getting to that I— I'm getting to that.
Art: Ok but what would the aliens benefit out of teaching us time travel? Surely they already have it. What do they get out of it? Isn't that a bit like giving a toddler a gun?
"John": Because they had an agenda. They were stranded, trapped because of our experiment. We pulled them from somewhere else so in exchange for this technology we were building them a way home.
Art: Okay. So, I have to point this out because I know I'm skeptical now after having seen your evidence. You don't sound like you're old enough to have been alive in 1943. Can you elaborate on that?
"John": Because I was on the Eldridge. I was there. For the second test on November 8th 1943. Because of the cycles. The rhythmic cycles.
Art: Wait, back up, a second test?
"John": At the aliens insistence. The first time was an anomaly, it screwed up, it killed people. But the second test in November, we moved. We moved, Art. That's how I wound up in 1983.
"John": [agitated] That's how I wound up in 83.
Art: So you're—am I getting this right—you're saying you're also a time traveler?
"John": I'm saying that—

{static}
{crackle}
{static}
{static} — ase allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long years
Stole million man's soul and faith

• "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones

{ringing}
{ringing}
{ringing}
Man's Voice: This is Jones.
Woman's Voice: I found it.
Jones: It?
Woman's Voice: The audio files. Agent Harris was able to extract them from a storage unit in Rochester.
Jones: Sage, don't leave me on the edge of my seat here, what'd you find?
Sage: Crackpot nonsense, mostly. The episode had a man who claimed to be a time traveler from 1943 who would up in 1983, right? We did some digging into the old Coast to Coast AM business records and found out the caller's identity. Christian Karlson, a sanitation worker from Provo, Utah. Absolutely not a time traveler as far as we can tell, all his documents check out, no military records. We cross-referenced him with what we have of the Deveaux archive and there's no signs of redaction.
Jones: So it was, what, a wild goose chase?
Sage: Not… entirely.
Sage: See, Karlson got enough right that it made me wonder. He had some unusual specifics in his story, once you peeled away the aliens and a lot of the other nonsense. He called out November 8th and mentioned a second test of the USS Eldridge. Which, as far as we can tell, may have actually happened.
Sage: There's no records of aliens or anything of the like, but… it lines up with some documentation we have about our person of interest.
Jones: Okay, so how'd a janitor from Utah figure all this out?
Sage: That's where things get weirder.
Jones: Weirder than aliens?
Sage: So I said Karlson's records all checked out. Well, they do, except for one.
Jones: He lie about his height? [chuckle]
Sage: His birth certificate. The paper copy we were able to obtain from the Kansas City archive says he was born in Cedar City, Utah. But there was a redacted document in our incomplete Deveaux files that matched a lot of his details: height, weight, time and date of birth, etc. Except it wasn't in Cedar City.
Jones: …Okay. So, where? Russia?
Sage: Have you ever heard of Raffill Township, Utah?
Jones: No?
Sage: Nobody has.

{click}
{static}
{crackle}
{pop}

• Well, fuck.

OOC Date: July 12, 2023

Split
Split into
Something else

• “In Two” by NIN

{crackle}

Shed
Your precious skin
Save yourself

{static}

Bleed
Have to purge
What you were

{hissing}

Yes
Yes of course
This is going to hurt

{static}

Nature is violent
The very nature of this is violence
No, no, no, no, no, that was someone else
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that wasn't me

{screaming}

It's getting harder to tell the two of you apart
It's getting harder to tell the two of you apart
I don't believe you can even remember which one you are
It's getting harder to tell the two of you apart

{screa—
{}
{}
{}
{ }
{ }
{ }
{ help me }

Thrive
Just become
Your disease

{static}

Leave
Them behind
You are free

{hissing}

Take
What you want
What you deserve

{crackle}

Yes
Yes, of course
This is going to hurt

{screaming}

It's getting harder to tell the two of you apart
It's getting harder to tell the two of you apart
I don't believe you can even remember which one you are

{This is KTVX 30, Utah, with a breaking news update.}

I just don't know anymore

{"What you're seeing behind me is not a trick of the light, it is real."}

I just don't know anymore

{"Scientists are calling it the Utah Blot, and since it first appeared in 1947 it has baffled all attempts at study."}

I just don't know anymore

{"Measuring a striking seventy-eight meters in circumference, the Blot can only safely be recorded from the distance we're at—roughly one mile."}

I just don't know anymore

{"For the last 44 years the Blot has captivated the world, attracting scientists, theologians, and curious tourists the world over."}

I just don't know anymore

{"But today, for the first time since its appearance, the Utah Blot did something unexpected."}

I just don't know anymore

{"It shrank."}

I just don't know anymore

{"People from all around Raffil Township have come to take a look, at a safe distance, at the diminished spatial anomaly that has put their town on the map."}

I just don't know anymore

{"Professor Norman Kryger from the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories indicates the Blot shrank by one meter at approximately 11:08am local time."}

I just don't know anymore

{"But this little loss of size came with a big surprise for locals of Raffil Township."}

I just don't know anymore

{"A big surprise in the form of a loud bang reportedly like 'a sound of thunder' but with no lightning."}

I just don't know anymore

{"Today we have Physicist Juliette Luis with us to discuss her research into the Utah Blot and what the collapse of America's mystery spot means for—

I just don't know anymore

{static}
{crackle}
{static}
{static}
{ s t a t i c }
{ s t a t —

That there
That's not me
I go
Where I please

• “How to Disappear Completely” by Radiohead

{The report indicates the ship disappeared for eleven minutes and eight seconds.}

I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here

{The soldiers that survived the trip claimed that they were able to see a coastline off the port bow, but were unable to identify their location.}

In a little while
I'll be gone
The moment's already passed

{All eight men that survived died of their injuries within a week's time. Two are still unaccounted for, having not returned when the ship reappeared in the harbor.}

Yeah, it's gone
And I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here

{It is my official assessment that these men experienced a period of spatial displacement, being relocated from one spot on Earth to another instantaneously.}

Strobe lights and blown speakers
Fireworks and hurricanes

{And that we must initiate a second test of this unexpected result immediately, before the Axis powers can get ahead of us.}

I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here

{Captain Marcus Raith, October 28, 1943}

I'm not here

{static}
{static}
{static}
{please}
{static}
{save us}
{static}
{static}
{screaming}
{static}
{s—

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

• “No Future/No Past” by Cloud Nothings

{It doesn't make any sense.}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{What doesn't?}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{All of my research. I've spent years trying to break the code my father failed to.}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{What code?}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{The code. Who you are, where you come from, why you can do what you do. Every time I think I have an answer it… it falls apart.}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{I don't understand. It's the Suresh Linkage-Complex, you literally named it, Mohinder. What more is there to solve?}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{But that's just it. That doesn't answer anything. It's a piece of the puzzle but—how does a protein chain allow you to fly?}

Give up
Come to
No hope
We're through

{What're you saying? I—I don't understand.}

No future
No past

{That's what I'm saying. I don't understand either. Eclipses giving and taking away abilities, people who can fly, telekinesis…}

No future
No past

{Mohinder—}

No future
No past

{You defy all laws of physics, and I can't define how.}
{static}
{crackle}
{hissing}
{hiss}
{hiss}
{hiss}
{hiss}
{hiss}
{hiss}

{So familiar and overwhelmingly warm}

• “Parabol” by Tool

Nathan draws in a sharp breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. "Goddamnit, Mohinder, you're talking in a god-damned circle. I've got millions of scared people out there pointing guns at us, and I need you to be my rock of stability. I need to know the science is sound or this house of cards we've built falls apart."

{This one, this form I hold now}

"I wish it were so simple." Mohinder exhales, leaning back in his chair, lifting his glasses off his face so he can rub his eyes. "I can't develop a cure if I don't understand the… the origin. The function of it all. I can shut down the SLC receptors, but—for God's sake Nathan they were using compasses in the 1960s to track your kind. Just, compasses. How does that make any sense?"

{Embracing you, this reality here}

Nathan doesn't answer immediately. He takes a few paces away from Mohinder's desk, circling the room. Then rounds about with, "It doesn't." The certainty in his tone is alarming. "It doesn't need to. I don't care if you can't figure out how to win a god-damned Nobel Prize, I need you to be certain you can shut it down, so I can stand in front of a nation and tell them they're going to be safe. That the nightmare is over."

{This one, this form I hold now, so}

"We can let the scientists that come in the generations after we've achieved peace crack your father's code." Nathan adds, lowering his voice. "Obsession drove your father to the brink, Mohinder. It led him right into Sylar's hands, and it killed him." He looms over Mohinder, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Don't make the same mistakes."

{Wide eyed and hopeful}

Mohinder looks at the hand on his shoulder, then up to Nathan. He is silent in his uncertainty, as Nathan is silent in his. But then he nods, swallowing down the fear churning in his stomach, the fight-or-flight instinct that kicks in for reasons his forebrain can't comprehend because it's been blinded to the truth. "I won't let that happen."

{Wide eyed and hopefully wild}

Nathan lets his hand slip off of Mohinder's shoulder. "We have six months until the anniversary," he says, gesturing to a calendar on the wall. "I need something to tell the people. Whether it's the truth or a comforting lie. I don't care which. But I need you to stand there beside me, because they trust you. Because they trust the science. But this?" He gestures to Mohinder's computer running a gene sequencing for the dozenth time. "This is a distraction."

{We barely remember what came before this precious moment}

Mohinder looks at the data scrolling down the screen, reflected bright in his glasses. Solar activity patterns, eclipse schedules, birth rates for Evolved. Archives of the Human Genome Project. Dead ends, all. He closes his eyes, he lowers his head, and he nods. "A distraction," he adds, feeling the weight of weariness sink over him.

{Choosing to be here right now}

Nathan steps to the lab door, hand lingering on the doorknob, attention lingering on Mohinder. "We're doing the right thing," he reassures, and his words slither like a snake through Mohinder's mind, wearing pathways of psychic abuse like wagon ruts in an old road. Deep, indelible. "We're saving the world."

{Hold on, stay inside}

"We're saving the world." Mohinder parrots back, eyes halfway lidded, staring unfocused at the monitor's lambent glow.

{This body, holding me}

Nathan watches Mohinder for a moment longer, then shows himself out of the office. When the door shuts behind him, Mohinder slouches forward and rests his head in his hands. His shoulders rise and fall, tears roll down his palms, wrists, stain the sleeves of his powder blue button-down.

{Reminding me that I am not alone in}

The monitor glows softly, silently, and without judgment.

{This body, makes me feel eternal}

"Nothing makes any sense."

{All this pain is an illusion}

{static}
{crackle}
{hiss}
{pop}

[ ]
[ ]
[ parallaxis ]

• Gotta admit, you had me in the first half.

[ From Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παρα- (para-, “para-”) + ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”). ]
[ parallax (apparent shift in the position of two objects due to a change in observer position) ]
[ Parallax arises due to a change in viewpoint occurring due to the motion of the observer, of the observed, or both. ]
[ What is essential is relative motion. ]
[ By observing parallax, measuring angles, and using geometry, one can determine distance. ]
[ In a philosophic/geometric sense: an apparent change in the direction of an object, caused by a change in observational position that provides a new line of sight. ]
[ The apparent displacement, or difference of position, of an object, as seen from two different stations, or points of view. ]
[ In contemporary writing, parallax can also be the same story, or a similar story from approximately the same timeline, from one book, told from a different perspective in another book. ]
[ The philosophical twist to be added (to parallax), of course, is that the observed distance is not simply "subjective", since the same object that exists "out there" is seen from two different stances or points of view. ]
[ It is rather that, as Hegel would have put it, subject and object are inherently "mediated" so that an "epistemological" shift in the subject's point of view always reflects an "ontological" shift in the object itself. ]
[ Or—to put it in Lacanese—the subject's gaze is always already inscribed into the perceived object itself, in the guise of its "blind spot," that which is "in the object more than the object itself," the point from which the object itself returns the gaze. ]
[ ]
[ Sure the picture is in my eye, but I am also in the picture. ]
[ ]

"There's no way you could predict something like that," Gabriel says, gently, to Elisabeth.
Gently because sometimes his voice just does that — it could be reassuring, but only by accident. Subdued is a better description. "There's no way Nakamura could predict something like that. But he talked about windows of opportunity— "

• From Parallaxis

But standing here, staring at the little short-form portal exits hovering in the air, it's impossible to say what that might mean.
Probability. Prediction. The subtle arrangement of conditions.
Slowly, the subtle glow of radioactive energy from his fingers flicker in and out. At the same time, one of the portals becomes rimmed with that same queasy light.
"What went sideways last time?" Gabriel asks, concentrating again wholly on the depthless black, light vanished within.
Something in the air seems to shift.
A low level vibration that keens low against Elisabeth's attuned ears, his own more sensitive hearing, and only felt by Eileen and Ruiz.
In the trees around them, birds take flight.
The sound seems to emanate from the two black keyholes, and Gabriel barely hears any verbalised response to his question before he raises his other hand. Ruiz may feel it like a dull pressure in his head when the radioactive-lined portal starts expanding, incrementally.
A second later, it's the size of a disc. A few more, it's the size of a record.
The edges seem corroded, as if the portal were burning through reality,

bleeding from beyond

like a projection from melting film,

like the nightmare dimming from your waking mind

a cigarette burn against paper,

a sun swallowing the sky

The size of a mirror on the wall.
The size of a door.

My world is not safe

are words that ring with better clarity in their minds, ordering their thoughts into something they can hear like a whisper.

If you assume a black hole goes somewhere, own the moment you set foot sideways.

Predictions can also be wrong, as Ruiz would remind them.
After all, Edward Ray thought one woman would come through, not two, not to mention someone extremely different than those who had.
“We were testing it with a radio…” he says, before his voice trails off due to the sudden sharp pain in his head.
That the size of his portal changes alone would surprise him— he’s only seen that happen once before. On the rooftop right before they left. When a handful of survivors who had made it to the roof with them were ripped apart by his ability rather than finding safety on the other side.
Relative safety. Safety that may no longer be safe for some.
The words whispered in the mind are punctuated by a tightening of his chest, something that Liz can hear, a quickening of his pulse. Not skipping beats, yet, but definitely a fluctuation. He doesn’t outright assume that anyone else can hear the voice, as it drowns out the usual sound that’s always present in his head, except for when he’s negating himself. That sound has never had a voice. Except when something spoke once, through a radio. The void, Magnes had called it.
“I can’t…” he whispers, looking toward the one that didn’t change.
It’s no longer a sleek black oil-textured portal surrounded by a small ring of electricity. It shifts and moves and sparks. He can barely feel the other one, it’s changed so much. He’s not sure he could close it if he tried. The smaller one looks as if it might collapse into itself, the lines of lightning throbbing like one might imagine veins do as a heart pulses. In fact it throbs to the beat of his heart, whether he realizes it or not.
Liz might.
The edge shudders. The sickly surface flickers and moves, like pictures projected onto a distorted surface of water that’s begun to ripple. With a sudden flash of light, it falls apart, leaving behind just the one door sized one that had grown and shifted.
Ruiz falls to his knees as the smaller one fails.
A single brow quirks toward Eileen and her demand that Elisabeth "own it" brings only the simple retort, "Of course I've been looking, wouldn't you?"
But her attention is pulled immediately to the men as the power starts really shifting the look of the portal. She jerks slightly at the hum that starts vibrating her head, her arms coming uncrossed as she moves a step closer to Mateo. Her brows pull together in a deep frown, and her attention sharpens on the man who is the source of the portals. His heart condition is of paramount concern to her here, and she's been monitoring the sound of his heartbeats peripherally. Now she has a singular focus on them. The words in her head seem like so much static at first, but they're not — and it's not the first time strange things have happened.
As Mateo's heart begins to stutter, Liz looks toward Gabriel. "Stop! Don't feed it more!"
She is already in motion as Ruiz drops to his knees, her hands seeking his shoulders and worry darkening her features. "Breathe slowly," she murmurs to Ruiz, hoping that because he let it go, his heart will settle. And her eyes turn toward Gabriel with clear worry. "Are you okay??"
is the first question she fires at him — she's not even sure if he'll be able to answer or whether he actually has control of the portal that still exists. "Gabriel, what's happening? Shut it!" Because they will only be able to determine if it's hurting him by either his words or his reactions.
"Did you hear that?"
Eileen’s training as a nurse practitioner compels her to join Elisabeth at Mateo’s side, but the concern she feels for her husband when reaches out to test the psychic connection strung tenuously between them has her doing something very different.
Her steps are slow, deliberate, and carry her in a tight and cautious arc around where Elisabeth already has guiding hands on his shoulders and whispered words of reassurance for his ears. She holds out a hand, palm turned up, as she positions herself between the two dimensional interlopers and Gabriel’s silhouette with its broad shoulders and strong neck, lean hips and waist. His shape is a familiar comfort; she’s spent the past several years taking shelter in the shadow it casts.
Right now, however, it’s also posing an immediate threat to the people crouched behind her.
She can sense his excitement.
She can sense his Hunger.
“Gabriel,” she reiterates, struggling to wrangle her own emotions.
Fear is high among them.
“Listen to Harrison. To me. You have to close it.”
Standing upright and steady, Gabriel Gray is perfectly fine.
His hands remain open and directed towards the portal, and when that smaller one finally collapses, that bass reverberation is quick to rise to a dull roar, air churning restlessly, a wind drawn into the black mirror stretching in front of them, tilted and looming. His pupils are large in his eyes, subtly bracing against the growing vacuum that threatens to pull them in.
Elisabeth's words are lost in the drone — the kind within his own head, that is — but Eileen's cuts through like a knife, and he says, "No," throwing an urgent, if highly distracted look towards her.
Wildness contained with solid flesh and bone.
"It's broken."

I can fix it.

[ ]
[ parallaxis ]
[ From Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παρα- (para-, “para-”) + ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”). ]
[ parallax (apparent shift in the position of two objects due to a change in observer position) ]
[ Parallax arises due to a change in viewpoint occurring due to the motion of the observer, of the observed, or both. ]
[ What is essential
is relative motion. ]
[ * ]

OOC Date: July 19, 2023
{static}
{crackle}
{static}
{buzzing}
{static}

{static}—er blue moon, I saw you

• “The Killing Moon” by Echo & the Bunnymen

So soon you'll take me
Up in your arms, too late to beg you
Or cancel it, though I know it must be
The killing time
Unwillingly mine

{How many came back like this from the last round?}
{Every single one of them.}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself
to him

{Four candidates, each given a different variation of the compound, produced identical results.}
{And what was it? What did we learn?}

In starlit nights, I saw you
So cruelly, you kissed me
Your lips, a magic world
Your sky, all hung with jewels
The killing moon
Will come too soon

{Nothing. Every canvas was just… black.}
{What?}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him

{You mean blank?}
{No, black. They painted the canvas fully black, top to bottom. Nothing. That's what they saw.}

Under blue moon, I saw you
So soon you'll take me
Up in your arms, too late to beg you
Or cancel it, though I know it must be
The killing time
Unwillingly mine

{But what about you? What did you see?}
{I didn't see anything. For the first night in forty-five years… I didn't dream.}

• This is referenced in Drop Dead.

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him

{What the hell does it mean?}
{That's the part that scares me, Charles.}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
You give yourself
to him

{I don't know.}
{static}
{buzzing}
{static}
{crackling}
{snap}
{snap}
{buzzing}
{snapping}
{buzzing}
{droning}
{static}
{screech}
{static}
{static}

{static}—een two lungs it was released

• “Between Two Lungs” by Florence + The Machine

The breath that carried me
The sigh that blew me forward

{buzzing}

'Cause it was trapped
Trapped between two lungs
It was
trapped between two lungs
It was
trapped between two lungs

{static}

And my running feet could fly
Each breath screaming
"We are all too young to die."

{screech}
Dim shafts of morning light spill through tall windows dressed in sheer curtains.

There is a stuffiness to the air, February cold radiates through the glass. Outside, the city is dressed in snow as white as the curtains.

Company business is running out of the Petrelli home today; granted, it looks less like a home and more like a house that happens to have furniture in it.

"How have you been, Kitty?" The small-talk is idle, polite, but clearly filling the time it takes to walk from the front door of the residence to the office rather than born out of deep-set concern. Black heels click studiously upon the spotless tile of the floor, joined by the rustle of a black skirt and suit jacket, just as spotless. "It's certainly been a little while. Right this way— " Halls — a door — a swing inward; and Angela Petrelli leads the way into a handsome, sunlit office-space.

"Busy." Comes the light reply from Kitty, darting a furtive look around the office. It's the same as she last saw it. It always feels so empty here. Swinging her messenger bag on her shoulder, she follows Angela into the office.

• Wait. That’s— Kitty Hanner. This is HeroesMUSH.

"You've been busy." A statement, rather then a question. When isn't Angela busy?

"The devil finds work for idle hands," Angela replies, so breezy as to be merry over the matter.

She whisks around the heavy, dark wooden desk with an expediency that would suggest she is, in fact, busy right this moment. Around the other side of the desk, she sets her hands upon the edge, regarding the young woman at a slight lean — truly looking at her for the first time today, dark eyes briefly studying — before she sits down.

"Forgive me if I don't offer you tea, as empty as this house is and, as scattered as the Company may seem, there is always work to be done." Her stately chair is tucked in. "But have a seat. I assume this isn't a social call anyway."

Without a word, Kitty sinks into the seat and reaches into her bag. Withdrawing two things, pieces of paper with sketches on them. The first on is slid across the table towards the older woman. "What do… we know?" A tilt of her head as she studies Angela.

The sketch is a light one of a man in his forties, blonde hair and immaculately dressed. Kitty's dark brown eyes grow wide for a moment before she tightens her grip on the other sketch.

The sketch is taken in with a glance; nothing more. That's as long as it takes for Angela to recognize the face and seem to dismiss it. "Roman Carter? He's with us. To borrow a phrase of his, he's doing good work. To be frank, the Company could use more agents with his gusto." She spends a moment setting a small stack of files to the side of her clean desk before folding her hands with renewed interest on Kitty. No, not interest. Impatience — and yet there's a watchfulness behind her dark, sharply focused eyes. "But I'm sure you know that, Kitty. Come on," a motherly wave of her hand, "what are you really here for."

Taking the sketch back, Kitty looks down, wounded. She knew. But maybe if she acted like she was only here about Roman then she wouldn't have to talk about the more important matter. "It's all shattering." She says in a near whisper before tossing the other sketch on the desk, the world being broken into two and destruction reigning can be seen on the piece of paper.

The young woman, hides behind the veil of her hair, but she does after a moment look up at the sketch and frowns. "Breaking at the cracks."

Now this— this gets Angela's attention more visibly. What flashes as surprise is quickly overtaken by scrutiny as, in an instant, she's concentrating on the split earth laid out in front of her. Abruptly, she looks away; the reason becomes evident when she opens a small desk drawer, retrieves a pair of reading glasses, and quickly settles the rectangular frames regally upon the bridge of her nose. Kitty's sketch is then held up as Angela studies its finer details anew, as if grading its authenticity.

It passes the test. The likeness to what Angela saw in her own vision is unmistakable. The earth is rending in two.

Angela calmly whips her glasses off and puts the paper down. An arm of her glasses gently gestures at the seer while she asks straightforwardly: "How did you come about this?"

"A touch," Kitty says softly as she looks over her shoulder at people that aren't there. "From him." She shoves the sketch of Roman Carter into her messenger bag and holds it on her lap. Legs crossing at the ankles, she regards Angela with a curious stare. "How did you?" To Kitty, it speaks volumes that the two seers had the same vision. That they have both seen the same thing, but the question is, can they do anything about it? Or is it just a gentle reminder that their time to end is coming, that everyone's time is.

Angela's face is a mask. "I never said that I did." The thin line of the woman's mouth, marred by strains of age, is unmoving after her words; she sends a long stare straight across the desk at Kitty. She gets to her feet, taking the sketch with her, and at a much slower pace than moments prior, moves to the front corner, diagonal Kitty.

"It's hard to reconcile, isn't it. Seeing something so terrible and feeling like it's your burden alone to carry." Angela turns slightly, setting the paper against the desk's corner to fold it.

One crease.

"You and I both know the future can be changed, and there's just no saying what this could mean."

Two creases.

"If it crops up again, tell me immediately. Until then, just don't get lost in what you see."

Three creases.

"And Kitty?" Angela tucks Kitty's sketch, neatly folded, out of sight under the lapel of her tailored jacket. It belongs to her now. "I'd like you to catch up with Roman."

"Easy to get lost in what you see.. when it haunts it all." Kitty replies but then she's standing and closing her eyes a bit as she looks at Angela fold the sketch up.

Kitty nods and readjusts her messenger bag. "Already planning." She states and searches Angela's eyes, stepping in to lay a hand on the older woman's arm. "Breathe." Kitty says gently, then turns on her heel and looks over her shoulder.

"See you soon, Angela."

The sound of humming and snapping fingers can be heard in Kitty's wake as she moves to show herself out.

• Shit. Kitty is humming and snapping that goddamn Mama Cass song.

Angela is motionless in Kitty's absence until she can hear the footfalls getting farther away in the empty spaces.

She moves toward the exit, then; step by step, the folded paper is removed. A tiredness not present throughout the younger seer's visit weighs her features down, her eyes two dark points of intensity as she stands in the doorway, looking darkly out. Slowly, the sketch is smoothed with her hand and opened as Kitty's snaps and hums dissipate into nothing.

Leaving Angela alone with a world torn apart.

• This scene is Paper Prophecies on HeroesMUSH.

{static}
{buzzing}
{screech}
{static}

La
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

• Back to “The Killing Moon”

{Of course.}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
You give yourself to him

{Did we ever have a ward in our care named Kitty? She may have also gone by the name Melanie Harthorn. Looks a little bit like Daniel's assistant, Christina.}
{I… That doesn't ring a bell. Why?}

La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la

{No… no reason. I must be misremembering something.}
{You've been pushing yourself too hard. Worrying too much. You need to rest, Angela.}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him

{Maybe you're right. I'm just… worried. About the election, about Nathan. Peter.}
{I know. But you know why we have to do this. Don't let it eat you up inside.}

Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him

{For the future.}
{For the future.}

La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la

{static}
{crackling}
{static}
{pop}

OOC Date: August 2, 2023

{static}
{static}
{buzzing}
{static}
{static}

{static} — and that's what really has us all worried.
Good evening, this is the BBC Nightly News with Maggie Parker and Jonathan Holt.

• And then there’s these assholes…

Maggie: Just before dawn this morning an unusually powerful X-class solar flare erupted from the sun's surface, causing radio blackouts across the western United States and the Pacific Ocean.
Holt: The solar flare was spat out at 5:03 UT from sunspot AR2112, a large sunspot that had developed a "beta-gamma-delta" magnetic field primed with enough energy to produce this kind of powerful solar flare.
Maggie: Experts describe the solar flare's X-rays as ionized the upper atmosphere, leading to a radio blackout across the midwestern United States, with all communication lost signal for around half an hour after the flare hit.
Holt: Solar flares are powerful bursts of X-ray electromagnetic radiation, usually emitted from sunspots with intense magnetic energy. These flares are often—

{static}
{static}
{static}—the year 2525

• “In the Year 2525” by Zager and Evans
  • This is such a deep cut, y’all. What the what.

If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find

{Blast Doors Closing}

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today

{Blast Doors Closing}

In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

{Move! Move! Get those civilians inside! Grab as many as you can!}

In the year 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your sides
Your legs got nothing to do
Some machine is doing that for you

{We can't take any more! Please move back! I'm sorry! Please!}

In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube, whoa

{gunfire}

In the year 7510
If God's a-comin', he ought to make it by then
Maybe he'll look around himself and say
Guess it's time for the Judgment day

{panicked noises}

In the year 8510
God is gonna shake his mighty head then
He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been
Or tear it down and start again, whoa, whoa

{I'm a doctor! I'm—I'm a doctor, please! Let me in! Look at my ID! I'm a doctor!}

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wondering if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing, whoa, whoa

{No—no, no! Put down the gun! I'm a doctor! You have injured I can—yes, please! Just let me through!}

Now it's been 10,000 years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what he never knew
Now man's reign is through

{Go! Get inside right the fuck now! That's it! Step back past the yellow line! Doors are coming down!}

But through eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away
Maybe it's only yesterday

{Blast Doors Closing}

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may thrive

{Blast Doors Closing}

In the year 3535…
{static}
{static}
{static}

{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft ch—
Mohinder: (half-awake) Suresh.
Man's Voice: You missed your security debrief.
Mohinder: Mmnh. Is it—I'm sorry, I didn't have an alarm set. I… I must've overslept.
Man's Voice: We reviewed the security footage from the break-in. Someone doctored it.
Mohinder: …What?
Man's Voice: It's inelegant, but the video feed was directly manipulated. Whoever did it was talented, but lacked a fundamental understanding of the recording metadata.
Mohinder: (more awake now) Do we know who did it?
Man's Voice: …No. Not yet, anyway. The way in which it was done narrows the suspect pool considerably.
Mohinder: What does that mean?
Man's Voice: The security system was accessed remotely, from outside the HEAR archive.
Mohinder: Not during the break-in?
Man's Voice: No, it was done after the suspect left the premises. They remotely accessed the network from a fiber-optic cable in a maintenance corridor a thousand feet down the ring.
Mohinder: I'm sorry, I'm not sure what that means.
Man's Voice: It means they didn't have terminal access. We don't have any portable computer hardware capable of interfacing with a raw data feed from HEAR.
Mohinder: I'm still not—
Man's Voice: We believe it was a technopath.
Mohinder: What?
Man's Voice: I was as incredulous as you are. But the security team put together a convincing report. They've made a believer out of me, Doctor Suresh.
Mohinder: But we don't have—
Man's Voice: I know. Which is you can see why we needed you at the briefing.
Mohinder: Send me whatever data you have. I'll see if I can build a profile based on the behavioral criteria of—
Man's Voice: Oh, we did that already.
Man's Voice: We identified a data pattern of a deceased Gateway resident. One Taylor Reed.
Mohinder: Taylor Reed? He's been dead since—
Man's Voice: Since the coup attempt. We suspect he may have gone bodiless, either whole or in part. But we're still trying to piece it together.
Mohinder: Wait. But there was a physical break-in at my lab.
Man's Voice: And that's why this is a high priority security issue. We don't know what this means. But we suspect it could be connected to Poachers from the Fleshmarket.
Mohinder: Jesus Christ. That's… bold. Whatever you need, you have my support.
Man's Voice: I need you to show up to briefings on time so I don't have to call you at three in the afternoon.
Mohinder: That's—that's a reasonable ask.
Man's Voice: I'll reach out to you if there's any more updates.
Mohinder: Feel free to stop by next time, Mr. Kalla. I find phone calls deeply impersonal.
Kalla: I know.
{"Call Terminated"}

{static}
{static}
{static}
{static}—[slow drums and guitar]
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

• “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane

{Describe the oeufs brouillés.}

• Hello Evette.

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small

{It's like… every nerve in my body was reversed. I tried to walk right and I raised my left arm. It was like vertigo and… I don't know. I don't know.}

• And Glory.

When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know

{They listened. But they didn't listen.}

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said

{What do you mean?}

Feed your head

{The knife, won't let itself be stolen so easily.}

• Obligatory “the time knife?!” goes here.

Feed your head

{I don't understand, I wasn't there for the knife.}

Feed your head

{Waves.}
{The river has waves.}

• And Time is a Thief.

{static}
{static}
{static}
{static}

{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft chime}
{"Incoming Call"}
{soft chim—
RECORDING: This is Walter. Fuck off.
{BEEP}
Woman's Voice: H-hey Wally… Walla-Walla Washington. Willy Wonk—no.
Woman's Voice: It's Aunt Eve.
Eve: I uhhh…
Eve: I think I fucked up.
Eve: [wet coughing]
Eve: and—I finally got that dance I wanted.
Eve: And I… thought it would be nice if I sang to you.
Eve: You know.
Eve: Before I take another trip?
Eve: [wet coughing]
Eve: This one might… not stick. Running out of juice. Old Eve, dry and crusty.
Eve: No, no. That's—I wish I didn't say that.
Eve: [louder coughing]
Eve: You're safe, little fox friend.
Eve: But Odessa wasn't.
Eve: And…
Eve: And I was wrong.
Eve: [coughing]
Eve: Wally-gator.
Eve: It wasn't an accident.
Eve: She didn't fall on a knife.
Eve: Nine times.
Eve: And she didn't have it coming.
Eve: It was—
RECORDING: Voicemail Full.
{"Call Terminated"}

{static}
{static}
{crackle}
{static}

• No {pop!} this time, folks.

Storylines

The Severed Garden

+ They Are Waiting to Take Us Into the Severed Garden

That's it. That's the theory.

The Exchange

+ The Exchange is Open

Beginning with Exchange I.

The Players

Home Office

The Facilitator

• Initially thought this might be Hokuto or Ruby, however neither is identified as the speaker who initiates the Exchange in broadcast OOCly dated for October 7, 2020.
  • I have inferred this person is in the Home Office, so it should be someone from the Prime timeline.
    • They call in so are we totally and completely sure?
  • And, obviously, I missed a pronoun reference. I believe we've determined this person is Marcus.
• Unless there is more then one voice on the line… does towards the end is mentioned 'he sighs'.

The Praxia Investigator

• May be Harris?

The Homebrew

• Believed to be Bright.
• Clearly Prime Bright. This is the one that mentions the Ikea trip. It was Castle and Bright there.
• You know… There is a mention of Sacrifice for the greater good of the cause… might be identical twin to The Bright Eyes.
  • And that sacrifice is enduring a hell of a headache from chasing down interdimensional anomalies all the time.

The Observer

• Probably Toussaint, as the speaker's accent matches his from the deep south.

The Encouraging

• Suspecting this one to be Reeves.
  • I totally picture the PB when I read the lines

The Voice of Experience

• Might be Emmie.
  • Referenced being at Eve's #xpress rally, and later speaks about conflict overseas as though she has some personal experience with that.
  • Mentions a civilian IDing Zachary. Only Emmie was around when Roxie mentioned it.

The Joker

• This one is almost certainly Castle.
  • Totally agree

The Thief

• I think this one is Also Castle, just with a fun filter on. Like a Snapchat or TikTok!
  • They also reference the conversation with Odessa regarding the leak about the nanites in the PHAROs' blood.
    • This is also done with a complete shift in tone, which is very Castle indeed.

The Returner

• Judging from the description of the voice, the fact that she's from the home office, and the timing, I'm going to say this is Agent Tower, being recalled to the Safe Zone.
  • She makes her first appearance to assess the state of the hospitalized PHAROs in mid-January.

---

Remote Office

The Natazhat Investigator

• Appears to be investigating the Natazhat site in Bright, which is still apparently majorly fucked from the events of November 8, 2011.
• Thought at first this might be Sarisa, since she refers to the Company as if she was never a part of it, and Parkman wants to put her "right back in prison."
  • However, she refers to the CIA like that's not her scene either, so that blows that theory. Never mind. Being recruited to OEI would mean that she's no longer CIA (but may be liaising).

The Optimist

• Initially believed to be Ruby, but would almost certainly have to be her Bright counterpart. I'm not personally convinced on this one anymore, but it's still a possibility.
• I still think this is Ruby. Just cause there is a radio about doesn't mean it is all on one side and there isn't cross communication. I mean.. Hokuto for all we know is part of this communication between Bright and Prime. We know from Forking paths it is possile.
• On a re-read, I'm more willing to believe this could be Hokuto Ayers. Whoever the speaker is, they're former Company, as when the organization was mentioned, her response was "We were doing the best we could."

The Rationalist

• Voice noted to be younger than The Optimist.
• If The Optimist is Hokuto, then this could well be Kathleen Brooks. She was in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences program at MIT under Dr. Luis, and this speaker references "the psychometrics and cognitive phenomenon department" as authorized by the President. Kathleen works with the Department of the Exterior at the Remote Office.

The Statistician

• Is that you, Edward?
  • Of course it's Edward! His hands are in everything. XD Middle-aged. Talks nasally, and makes mention of "Statistically speaking".
    • Yep. That's Edward alright.

The Deputy-Director

• Just what it says on the tin. Not sure who this one is just yet.
  • As called out in Exchange II, this one is Matt Parkman.

The Counter-Terrorist

• Reports directly to the Deputy-Director, partnered with The Incomparable.
• Hello, Amanvir.

The Incomparable

• Reports directly to the Deputy-Director, partnered with The Counter-Terrorist.
• Mentions a stable infrastructure, lending to belief they are in Bright. Since Prime struggles.
• What's good, Emily?

The Bright Eyes

• If "Homebrew" is Davis Bright, then this is certainly his Bright counterpart. And that isn't confusing at all. Do they call him Davis Prime?
• Speaks to The Networker like they are in the same room.
• You know… There is a mention of Sacrifice for the greater good of the cause… might be identical twin to The Homebrew.

The Networker

• Whoever this is, they're able to reach out to the "Post-Flood" world.
• Mentions a lack of resources that others have. Also mentions other worlds not being theoretical.. BUT in the same room as the Bright above."
  • Given Bright's ability, Nova tapping into her power would definitely give him a headache.
• She seems sleepy/like she's "just waking up" after making contact? Is this some kind of cross-dimensional astral projection, maybe? Or maybe she communicates while asleep or something? Not sure.
  • Maybe this is Hokuto then? Bright that is.
• Hello, Nova.

The Botanist

• I currently have nothing on this one.
• Interesting note presented by this one regarding the Antarctic Forest. It happened both in Bright and Prime. And apparently whatever the fuck they did to the Midtown gardens let the Antediluvian lily survive there when transplanted?
• Wait. I didn't think of this one before, because I figured it had to be a staff NPC, but… Could this be Aislinn Graves? Given she's an agrokinetic, this would be right up her alley.

The Bearer of Bad News

• Appears only in the second Exchange.
  • Described as an older woman — older than The Optimist — we only see her discussing the state of the magnetosphere.
  • If this part of the conversation hadn't been handed over to the Remote Office, I'd have thought they could have dragged Kravid into this, but that witch left Oz a long time ago and is referenced later in conversation as if she isn't present.
• Ah, I got it figured out now. This one has gotta be none other than the Company's favorite magnetokinetic, Valerie Mas.

---

The Topics

Anomaly 200908-B

• Almost certainly referring to the temporal bubble present in the Pine Barrens, initially seen in Förrgar, Part I.
• If this was "B", I wonder wtf was A?

Cross-Dimensional Entity Fuckery

• Several events were noted as occurring in both timelines, and a number dealt with Entity activity. Most notable:
  • Detroit Rift in the center of the summoned aurora
  • Antarctic Forest
  • Weakening magnetosphere??? (suspected)
  • October 2020 anomaly at Natazhat

---

Other Things of Note

• What we call "Flood," they call "Root."
• Wasteland is most likely "Branch 3," as it is said to still have a Mateo Ruiz capable of using portals.

What's the Story, Mourning Glory?

+ Tomorrow Never Knows

Glory

• Girl is either a Lang herself or someone she lost/left behind in coming here is named Lang, according to helmet and nameplate. (I Close My Eyes)
• Potentially: Child of Chess? Just look at her.
• Potentially: Future Odette? Also a Lang because of her adoptive father. Previous time-travel experience. You send someone who already knows how to do the thing, right? However: Hair color difference?
  • Also ethnicity difference. It's hard to tell in the limited exposure on our wiki, but the PB is New Zealand Samoan.
• The child refers "kōkā," which is Maori for "mother." (I Close My Eyes)
• WHAT YEAR IS IT? Is Glory from the future? Is she from the past? From which timeline does she originate?

The Woman in Black

• Appears in Time is a Thief. Who the fuck is she?
• Has an ability that is frighteningly similar to Clara, tbh.
• Potentially: Juliette-in-Rianna. That would put her at physically-taller-than-Glory. Also explains the weird splicing of moments that happened there, and the confusion of the woman in the driver's seat?
• Potentially: Odessa? Time fuckery + speckled French? Height isn't a match though.
  • Unless Juliette's in the driver's seat. Every time she's taken a host, they've shown with her appearance/proportions. That might depend on whether Glory's clued in on the secret or not.
• Potentially: oh god what if it's a grown-up Ames :concern:
  • :grimacing:
• Potentially: Odette? Small child now who grew up in a weird setting, dabbles in other languages.
• Potentially: Eve? Granted, my citations are "the Mas Girls are a bit like Mounds and Almond Joy, except it appears we're all out of Mounds" and "Eve's PB did that thing with the heavy black veil, so." But I'd say this would be Eve+Juliette. IDK why I'm so sold on Juliette, but I can't help myself. Here we are.
• Whoever it is, Glory mentioning Odessa specifically was meant to grab attention or rile in some fashion. Whether that's because she's talking to the woman herself, her mother, her cousin, some amalgam… That's still a mystery.
  • I was told, and I quote, "if you think it has something to do with Odessa, you aren't wrong", so there's that.
    • This said, Odessa's ability does not work as shown in this scene. Or it has not historically worked that way. I could rationalize the disappearing when Glory blinks or turns her head, because that's classic Odessa "now you see me, now you don't" bullshit, but to have it be as though she was never there? Sure, she's done it before, but I really feel like my girl draws the line at mopping the floor to imply an anomaly. …Most days.
• Does this mysterious woman even come from the same timeline as Glory? It's probable that she does, while not being unlikely that she does not.

Project Umbra

+ Every Now and Then I Get a Little Bit Restless

Key Scenes:

• Nohari Window
• Biological
• Exogenous, Part I
• A Raft of Secrets
• A Glimpse of the Web, Part I
• Chain of Eyes
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Blood Ties
• Forever in Infamy
• Old Blood
• superhero
• Differently Arranged

What is the Inheritance?

+ She Thrusts Her Fists Against the Posts

Key Scenes:

I'm tired. I'll get to this later. Probably.

What is it?

• Something to do with Isaac.
• Probably something to do with Umbra.
• Shit's buried under the Corinthian, in a super wild vault.

The Curious Case of Cindy Morrison

+ A Meter Apart, You Blankly Stare

Cindy Morrison, If That Is Her Real Name

Here's what we know…

• Biological child of Richard Cardinal and Gillian Childs from the first Wasteland V1, I guess??? (Sing Your Own Special Song)
  • That said, it wouldn't be the first time we've had a fake out with a name. It was teased that Odessa's name was originally meant to be Michelle or Kara, so the name Cindy (implied to be Cindy Cardinal?) could be a red herring. (The Last Road)
• Adopted child of Colin and Rianna Price. (The Last Road)
• Sister of Odessa Callahan.
• Surrogate mother of Jacelyn Childs.
• Ironically this all means that Gillian Prime is sort of her biological mother?
  • Also simultaneously the biological and adopted sister of Odessa?
    • Thanks for making shit complicated, Juliette.
• Jesus. How much memory alteration did it take to get her settled with the Morrisons?
• Likely the source of the memory we keep seeing of a little girl being dragged into the basement by her mother (or other maternal guardian-ish figure). (Que Sera Sera, The Answer Is...)
  • When Caspar Abraham takes her memories, Cindy slurs something about "I don't want to go to the basement." (The Last Road)
    • She also mentions being saved from a fire. I suspect her rescuer was Colin Price, who would later adopt her. (The Last Road)
      • "Kara Price," whose memory seems a little swiss cheese, claims she made up her own name, taking the surname of Price, honoring the man who saved her from a fire when she was young. (Starlight Midnight Goodnight)

Coordinates

The below are from when Delia took Jac into dreamland. One of the scenes they were treated to was Cindy sitting in her cell at Rikers, reciting numbers. If I didn't typo, those should be accurate. Let's see what we have… (Do the Dead Dream?)

34.946020, 136.387367

• Asakayamacho, Kameyama, Mie, Japan
  • Cindy appears to be attempting to recite this set when Odessa comes to see her. (Hand Me Downs)
  • Jug came up with so many amazing resources. See list below:
    • Seven Mountains
      • Sazuka Gozen
      • Ōtakemaru
      • Suzuka Mountains
      • Mt. Shaka: "The mountain summit has a large flat top and the Emperor Keikō Monument"
      • Mt. Ryozen
      • Tsuchiyama: View of Suzuka Mountains
      • Satsuma Rebellion
      • More on the Satsuma Rebellion
      • Suzuka Quasi-National Park: "Then during the Satsuma rebellion in 1877, the place welcomed wounded warriors who came to recover their health. Word of mouth then worked very quickly to make the reputation of the source and its magnificent natural setting particularly appreciated.”

46.179841, 103.115629

• Zuunbayan-Ulaan, Mongolia

61.520654, -141.101369

• Mount Natazhat, Alaska
  • This one was the Free Space on the bingo card, let's be real.

30.005578, 119.190199

• Lin'An, Hangzhou, Zhejian, China

ARG

֍ CONTAINMENT ֎

+ You Cannot Stop Me

Current discoveries regarding the doe.ooo site posted earlier today (August 14, 2020):

• The linked page for OEI is currently unavailable due to "technical issues", but will likely have more info soon™
• The photos listed under Priorities are all links with informational pages attached if you click
• The phone number in the Contact Us section actually fucking works and leads to an automated system that's currently "down" … (though feel free to leave a noir-and-tuba voicemail to torture/entertain Manhattan)
• There's a "Contact Us" Section at the bottom of the main page - enter in junk (but properly email-formatted) information into the field, and on hitting submit you'll be directed to a Remote Agent Portal login that asks for a password. Password TBA.
  • Per deus ex Manhattan, we do not as yet have the means to uncover the password.

ARG Broadcasts

+ Show ARG Broadcasts

OOC Date: August 14, 2020
CONTAINMENT
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: {static}
RADIO: init[ansi(f,_)]
RADIO: init_
RADIO: external connection not found _
RADIO: exec etc/profile/v.iris/htp.exe
RADIO: external connection established _
RADIO: init _
RADIO: enter username and password
RADIO: v.iris ***********
RADIO: welcome colin
RADIO: cd UEME/OEI _
RADIO: sudo rm research.tar _
RADIO: file deleted _
RADIO: cd UEME/OEI/Webcopy _
RADIO: sudo rm doe.ooo _
RADIO: file deleted _
RADIO: ping doe.ooo _
RADIO: Pinging doe.ooo 23.236.62.147 with 32 bytes of data:
RADIO: Reply from 23.236.62.147: bytes=32 time=71ms TTL=96
RADIO: Reply from 23.236.62.147: bytes=32 time=70ms TTL=96
RADIO: Reply from 23.236.62.147: bytes=32 time=80ms TTL=96
RADIO: Reply from 23.236.62.147: bytes=32 time=71ms TTL=96
RADIO: Ping statistics for 23.236.62.147:
RADIO: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0 loss),
RADIO: Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
RADIO: Minimum = 70ms, Maximum = 80ms, Average = 75ms
RADIO: ssh ooo.eod|senoj.d#ooo.eod|senoj.d 23.236.62.147
RADIO: access granted
RADIO: mv battalion.tar doe.ooo/~admin/root
RADIO: file moved
RADIO: chmod battalion.tar
RADIO: admin privileges updated
RADIO: tar -xvf battalion.tar
RADIO: battalion.tar untarred
RADIO: logout
RADIO: <connection terminated>
RADIO: *pop*

• This has led us to the Department of the Exterior website.
  • Which is, frankly, really fucking impressive.

OOC Date: November 14, 2020

> "Did you hear back from IT yet?"

> "Yes?"
>
> "…Didn't you?"

> "Well it's not fixed. It's absolutely not fixed."

> "Yeah I actually can't see either of our login names over messenger either."

> "Great! Just great. Do you have any idea how long this voicemail has been broken for? Have you heard what it's playing now?"

> "Sounds new-agey. Is this… classified? Should I be worried?"

> "Yes and no. I mean, the conversation was off the record, but it's not like we can prove anything that was said. It's all supposition? You know how he gets."

> "I suppose it's also not the point, is it?"

> "Not really."

> "Can you PLEASE get someone from IT to fix this?"

S.Abernathy> "Yeah. Yeah. I'll get on it."
S.Abernathy> "Oh! I got the IDs to show up!"

D.Jones> "Wonderful."
D.Jones> "My voicemail? PLEASE?"

S.Abernathy> "Right. Yeah. Yep. Yes. I'll get right on that."
S.Abernathy> "On… Monday."

D.Jones> "Jesus christ."
>>> D.Jones has signed off.

• New format! Fresh from the #radio channel. Really dig it. There's also a new voicemail on the DOE line. I'll get that transcribed on added to this space as soon as I can.
  • Transcript from the voicemail box is as follows: Well, uhm, looking at it through the eyes of Novelty Theory, I think nature is very reluctant to give up a – a complex ordered form once it's been achieved. I've noticed that the difference between living organisms and things like chairs and tables, it's… the chairs and tables don't metabolize. Ah… In a sense, the – the soul is something which is manifest in time. It's almost as though organisms have a – a hyperdimension. They're – They're objects with time folded inside of them. And, ah, and yeah, what seems to happen is this complex, ah, morphogenetic field, if you will, simply withdraws back into whatever higher dimension it came from in the first place. It's not that it falls apart or dissolves, it's that it retracts from matter. It's clothed itself with matter for some decades and now it's simply releasing its organizational power over matter, but it isn't being destroyed.

OOC Date: December 30, 2022

+D.JONES: Can you explain this email you just sent me?

+S.ABERNATHY: Did you read it? :)

+D.JONES: Yes I read it I asked you to explain it to me

+S.ABERNATHY: okay

+S.ABERNATHY: Give me one minute, I'm on a call with Deputy-Director Nelson at the FBI.

+D.JONES: Because the way I'm looking at this it looks like we let classified footage slip through our fingers?

+D.JONES: Which seems like an incredibly irresponsible thing for an intelligence agency to do.

+D.JONES: If we're taking an objective look at it.

+D.JONES: Do you know how this footage got out?

+D.JONES: Sage?

+D.JONES: Sage are you there?

+S.ABERNATHY: Sorry I was on a call with the Deputy-Director of the FBI :)

+D.JONES: Oh right

+D.JONES: You're here now?

+S.ABERNATHY: YUP :)

+S.ABERNATHY: The file that leaked to the public was a part of a data recovery from a DOE computer. It appears to be several incomplete operational footage records stitched together.

+D.JONES: Do we know what computer it came from?

+S.ABERNATHY: That's in the email sir :)

+S.ABERNATHY: Third paragraph :)

+D.JONES: Summarize please

+S.ABERNATHY: Do you remember back in September when we had the power surge that took out the KC office for a few hours?

+D.JONES: Yeah

+S.ABERNATHY: Remember when your desktop wouldn't boot up afterward?

+D.JONES: It had a virus, right? Malware?

+S.ABERNATHY: Nope :)

+S.ABERNATHY: The hard drive was damaged by the power surge and we had to do a data recovery of the drive.

+D.JONES: Oh

+D.JONES: Oh.

+S.ABERNATHY: :)

+D.JONES: Do you know what Voss thinks about all of this?

+S.ABERNATHY: No, sir :) I emailed you about the leak with the subject line URGENT and, per my email, suggested that we not forward it on until we understood the full scope of the damage sir :)

+D.JONES: Oh right

+D.JONES: Right

+S.ABERNATHY: Did you forward it to Deputy-Director Voss? :)

+D.JONES: I did.

+D.JONES: I was very upset.

+S.ABERNATHY: :)

+D.JONES: Which cases are on the video?

+S.ABERNATHY: The same ones in the email I sent, sir :)

+D.JONES: But you said it was leaked

+S.ABERNATHY: I don't follow

+D.JONES: Where was it leaked to? The press? How much damage control do we have to do here?

+S.ABERNATHY: One second, sir

+S.ABERNATHY: Back, had to step outside for a moment :)

+S.ABERNATHY: The case files are the electrical anomaly from Kansas in 2019 and the open vehicular anomaly cases from 2020 and 2021.

+D.JONES: How bad is it?

+S.ABERNATHY: We're already on the process of scrubbing the video from the internet, sir.

+S.ABERNATHY: As I said, per my last email :)

+D.JONES: Good, good. How long will that take?

+S.ABERNATHY: About :) a :) week :)

+S.ABERNATHY: From start to finish. We don't have a robust system to perform this kind of work outside of the US.

+D.JONES: Ok. We should start a ground-level campaign discrediting the video on social media. Special effects, movie magic, etc.

+S.ABERNATHY: that's

+S.ABERNATHY: a great idea

+S.ABERNATHY: sir :)

+S.ABERNATHY: I suggested something very similar in my last email. Agent Harris is already on it.

+D.JONES: Sounds like you were really on top of this. Do we know how the leaker got the files?

+S.ABERNATHY: Not as of yet. (also in the email~)

+S.ABERNATHY: We think it may have been a contractor working for a data recovery service for our civilian computers and was assigned the wrong piece of hardware. We'll still looking into it.

+D.JONES: Unrelated, did we ever get any clarity on those accidents? That was New Mexico, right?

+S.ABERNATHY: We're still investigating. As of the start of July they were still happening. We're reported a total of 12. We're closing off roads every time there's a new anomaly. Agent Gates has confirmed that the affected space is only spontaneously overlapping, but we don't yet know what's causing the anomalies to occur or why they stop.

+D.JONES: Oh, do you have the link?

+S.ABERNATHY: The what?

+D.JONES: To the leak

+S.ABERNATHY: It's

+S.ABERNATHY: One second

+S.ABERNATHY: https://youtu.be/iiBxYLXi03w

+D.JONES: Thanks, Sage. That clears everything up. You're doing a great job!

+S.ABERNATHY: Thank you, Sir :)

+S.ABERNATHY: Is that all?

+D.JONES is offline.

+// logout

OOC Date: January 16, 2023

+D.JONES: Sage are you up? I tried calling and you didn't answer.

+S.ABERNATHY: I was asleep, I just listened to your voicemail. I'm fairly sure I sent you the login information in my last email.

+D.JONES: Yeah I need to review the electronic copy case files that Voss asked for. Budget review is ongoing and I want to make sure I don't look like an idiot when I have my call with the DOD brass.

+S.ABERNATHY: It's in the email. Dated 7/17/21. From me.

+D.JONES: What is?

+S.ABERNATHY: the login information

+S.ABERNATHY: that you just asked for sir

+D.JONES: Oh right yeah. I need to access the videos.

+S.ABERNATHY: :)

+D.JONES: Are you still there?

+S.ABERNATHY: Sorry had to step away for a second, back now :) :)

+D.JONES: So the videos are important for budget review, it's easier to show what we're working on when it isn't in whitepaper form. I don't want the whole bloated mess of case files, just the briefs we discussed. Can you get them to me?

+S.ABERNATHY: Sir.

+S.ABERNATHY: It's in your email.

+D.JONES: Yeah but it doesn't work.

+S.ABERNATHY: what

+D.JONES: I got the password from the email but it doesn't work it locked me out.

+S.ABERNATHY: It locked you out

+D.JONES: Yeah I tried six times and then it locked me out.

+S.ABERNATHY: Can you tell me what password you tried?

+D.JONES: ARV14C@!GZN

+S.ABERNATHY: So that's case sensitive and some of those letters should be lower case Sir :)

+D.JONES: Oh. Which ones?

+S.ABERNATHY: I'M GOING TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD.

+D.JONES: Oh thank you. Also you don't need to yell.

+S.ABERNATHY: Sorry :) I had my CAPS LOCK on :)

+S.ABERNATHY: Your new password is Pl3as3R3ad3mail

+D.JONES: Are you sure? I'm getting an error.

+S.ABERNATHY: Refresh :) The :) Page :) Please :)

+D.JONES: OH! Look at that! Oh god is that still my badge picture? :(

+S.ABERNATHY: Was that all Sir it's 11:30 at night on a Sunday :)

+D.JONES: Yep, thanks, Sage! I don't know what I'd do without you!

+S.ABERNATHY: I do :)

+// logoff

Whisper Your Own Special Song

+ Make Your Own Kind of Music

Hey friends! Have you been whispered at by our dear old friend Corona? Are they threatening your life? Your family? Promising you power? Come on by and tell us what you heard!

Check out: ƃuoS lɐᴉɔǝdS uʍO ɹno⅄ ƃuᴉS
Make sure you're logged in and scroll to the bottom of the page. If you're hearing the voice of Our Lady of Ways, Our Lady of Means you should have something written in italics under the last line of inverted song lyric text. If ɐʎ llǝʇ uɐɔ ʎpoqoN is the last thing you see, you may not have heard anything.

Yet.

Either add your whisper to the list below, or drop a line in the #arg channel on the Discord! Feel free to discuss over on #chalk or right here. If you have the citation for the scene in which the whisper finally made its appearance, please add it! Or ping Hudson, and she'll do it for you.

What We've Heard

Elisabeth

• "Sympathy and antipathy, remember that."
  • Remember to always be kind. Except when you aren't.

Elaine

• "Listen to the sounds." — Elaine's second whisper
  • Do they echo like the sound of silence?

Silas

• "There is more than one way."
  • There better be, since the way back is gone, yeah?
  • I think this probably applies to Silas, but that's just a gut feeling that I don't have evidence to support.

Zachery

• "Love is always the answer." — Finch, most like
  • Bahahahaha. But what if Zachery tho'? "Have you been watching one of Bug's horse girl movies?"

Jug

• "Queens deserve to rule." — Huruma's first whisper
  • All hail.

Robyn

• "When he offers you tea, you will already be dead." — Robyn's third whisper
  • I really thought Robyn was gonna be suuuuuper dead in Antarctica, not gonna lie to you.

Kaylee

• "You have never fought for yourself. Only for the needs of other. Find your own desires. Find your true self." — Kaylee's first whisper
  • Surely that's not true, right? Right??

Elliot

• "It begins and ends with a serpent." — Elliot, probably
  • Knowing your luck, it's probably one of those mega deadly venomous water snakes.
    • Or a serpent with a head at each end?
      • Amphisbaena is one possibility, but I'd be more prone to bet on Ouroboros.
        • It would be like him to throw us a curveball like that. It'll be interesting to see if it is something beyond the imagery we've decided is ubiquitous.

Eve

• "Sink your teeth into their weak flesh and suck their pathetic marrow from their bones." — Tibby's first whisper
  • You best keep those teeth away from Rue, Tibbers.

Rawnie

• "You're the only one who can try."
  • Asi with her technopathy? Seren with their POWER OF IMAGINATION? Emily with her ability to convince people to do things? Kara Kara Prince with her pure badassery? …Sahara trying to talk reason into some angry boys?

Hudson

• "Open the way. Complete the circle. Open the door. Let me in." — Odessa's fourth whisper
  • No.

Luther

• "Yours is a chariot that can carry the sun on its back. All the heavens bow to you, if only you would raise your head high enough for them to see." — Luther's first whisper
  • At least you don't let that kind of talk overinflate your ego.

Greenwich

• "You can't save him, no matter how hard you try. But perhaps you could save yourself." — Chess' first whisper
  • brb crying forever about chess and miles

Monica

• "When you have your chance. Kill him." — Lynette's second whisper
  • Seen in Let. Me. Out.
    • Right, but who are you supposed to kill? This makes me nervous.

Cardinal

• "It's ok. You're home." — Doyle's whisper
  • I'm sorry, what? This was the one and only whisper received on the Doyle bit when the MUX was still up, and it was after the Prime version of the character had died. Sure looks like it applies to Richard a lot more these days, yeah?

Kendall

• "When you open the door, be careful it does not shut behind you."
  • After all, the way back likes to close up around here.
  • If it applies to his astral projection, he better make sure he can get back afterwards.

Queens

• "Open the box."
  • I'm reluctant to see what's inside, tbh.

Sqks

• "It was your idea, if they told you."
  • Prrrrobably Jac? My question is which?

Isis

• "Do it."
  • Don't let your dreams be dreams.

Erin

• "It's simple, if you consider the relation between gravity and mass." — Erin probably
  • The question is which one, right? It almost certainly relates to her ability. But as I think, it is very possible it's Flood Erin.

General Feelings

• I'm starting to think that a lot of these are directed at our Flood characters, and they may be instructions for opening the way out.

Footnotes

1. no one’s voice

2. Haven’t I been trying

3. To warn you

4. This whole time

5. But you refuse to see

6. This time

7. The way back

8. Is gone

9. ”Pop”

10. Lord, give me strength.