Vigilance | Ep. 2 | The Imaginary Child

Summary

Dark Dice: Vigilance | Ep. 2 | The Imaginary Child

Hosted by Fool and Scholar Productions

Release Date: October 21, 2024

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Overview

In the second episode of Dark Dice's season titled "Vigilance | Ep. 2 | The Imaginary Child," listeners delve deeper into the mysterious and darkly intricate world of Atreus. The episode follows a team of investigators—Marcus Desta, Cassius Sogut, Dr. Sophie Yang, and their assistant, Sylvanas Clairhout—as they navigate the complexities of missing persons cases intertwined with the sinister undercurrents of the city’s history and the elusive Fringe.

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Investigation Begins at Tower 18

[03:21] The team sets their sights on Tower 18, part of a trio of imposing structures near the Central City District. Their journey through the bustling District 4 marketplace is uneventful, taking approximately thirty minutes to reach the tower.

[04:11] Marcus Desta:
"That opened easily enough. All right, let's try this again. Let's see if we can find out the last time he scanned his starving hand. All right, let's just keep going up to electronic devices, guys. Eventually it'll come up good."

Upon entering Tower 18, the investigators gain access to apartment 14B, the residence of the missing citizen, Hadrian Baker.

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Exploring Hadrian Baker’s Apartment

[05:57] The team inspects the apartment, noting the absence of basic amenities like a refrigerator, indicating possible socio-economic struggles or personal neglect.

[06:04] K A Stats:
"The bathroom is dreadfully plain, possessing its own particular brand of stale wasting odor. The bedroom is sparse, with a bulky desk and a single neatly made bed that would accommodate one lone citizen."

Their search reveals a worn-out desk with malfunctioning holographic projectors. A breakthrough occurs when Clarhoud uncovers a hidden compartment containing an ancient paper journal and a graphite pencil.

[07:03] Dr. Sophie Yang:
"What have we here?"

This discovery leads to the examination of Hadrian’s personal effects, including books, data papers, and a mysterious text-based game program labeled "0101-00-1110E."

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Decoding the Hidden Journal and the Mysterious Game

[09:19] Marcus Desta:
"Who?"

Through discussions, the team uncovers historical context about the New Collect Collective Order (NCO) and its downfall, highlighting societal collapse and the emergence of the Fringers.

[11:11] Marcus Desta:
"Archon. Please be a password."

Using their investigative prowess, the team decrypts the computer, accessing Hadrian's digital files. They encounter a suspicious broadcast on "Tales from the Tower," an evening horror entertainment segment, and a peculiar text-based game that mirrors their real environment.

[22:41] Marcus Desta:
"So I'm going to follow the shortcut without actually opening the file."

Marcus activates the game, which eerily reflects their current location. Their interaction within the game prompts a cryptic message from "SN Donovan," leading to the computer formatting itself upon their attempt to respond with "A Child of Melachor."

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Expanding the Investigation: Trudent de Canna’s Disappearance

With limited leads, the team pivots to another missing person case—Trudent de Canna, a 13-year-old student whose disappearance occurred two days prior.

[36:23] K A Stats:
"Missing person number two. Citizen Trudent de Canna. Male student, age 13, healthy, fair complexion, athletic build..."

The investigators visit Trudent’s residence, where they interact with his distraught mother, Mrs. Kenner. Through careful questioning and a persuasion check, they obtain a crude drawing from Trudent revealing a terrifying figure—a woman with a scarred, lethal mark and the Special Defense Force emblem.

[45:55] Marcus Desta:
"I saw her and the others take Trude away while mom was on shift."

This revelation suggests involvement from shadowy government factions, prompting skepticism and confusion when Officer Boont of the Special Defense Force confronts them.

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Confrontation with Officer Boont

[49:36] Officer Boont approaches the team, asserting that there was a data glitch leading to incorrect missing person reports. Despite Marcus’ attempts to verify her credentials, scrutiny reveals inconsistencies, strengthening the team's suspicion of a deeper conspiracy.

[50:21] Dr. Sophie Yang:
"Something is oftentimes better than nothing."

The team uncovers that Officer Boont has third-tier lethality marks, indicating her potential threat level and affiliation with classified divisions.

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Conclusion and Next Steps

Faced with dismissive official interference, Marcus decides to prioritize their current case, setting aside the dubious information about science facilities to focus on locating Trudent de Canna.

[54:02] The episode concludes with the team preparing to investigate their final missing person, Janice Dobson, leaving listeners on a tense cliffhanger that underscores the pervasive fear and uncertainty within Atreus.

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Notable Quotes

• Marcus Desta ([07:25])
  "We haven't found him yet. We asked our neighbors, but none of them have seen him."

• Cassius Sogut ([17:52])
  "I've heard the NCO was an old Fringer gang that was wiped out in the three hundreds."

• Dr. Sophie Yang ([24:26])
  "Are they referencing Natural one again."

• Officer Boont ([50:08])
  "Azad finds no record on file."

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Insights and Themes

This episode masterfully blends investigative drama with supernatural elements, exploring themes of government secrecy, societal decay, and the blurred lines between reality and virtual constructs. The recurring motif of hidden compartments and encrypted messages underscores the pervasive sense of mystery and danger lurking within Atreus. Additionally, the introduction of character backstories and historical context enriches the narrative, providing depth and dimension to the unfolding mystery.

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Conclusions

"Vigilance | Ep. 2 | The Imaginary Child" successfully escalates the stakes from the previous episode, introducing new layers of complexity through multiple missing persons cases and shadowy governmental entities. The investigators' tenacity and the intricate world-building promise an engaging journey for listeners as they uncover the darkest corners of Atreus.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Marcus Desta]

Greetings citizens and welcome to the second episode of Liberty Vigilance. I'm your host Marcus Desta. Before we begin today, we'd like to thank everyone who helped fund our recent Kickstarter for the role playing book Unnatural Horrors. With your support and the help of 1300 other backers, we raised over $77,000 to bring our ideas to life in hardcover. For those of you who are only just now hearing about this, well, you've got a bit to catch up on, but there's still time to join as a late pledge over on Kickstarter by searching up Unnatural Horrors. One more brief update as we continue the releases of Vigilance and the White Vault. We've also launched a new show called that Scares Me two, which is now available for free. However you find podcasts if you enjoy hearing real world urban legends, especially those from Taiwan and Asia, our station's writer K A Stats teams up with Dr. Sophie Yang to discuss exactly that on that Scares Me too. That's that Scares Me T o o as we continue to edit transcripts of Dark Dice's Sleep second and fourth seasons, we hope you stay with us and enjoy this next chapter of the investigation taking place within Atreus. And remember, no matter what takes place, Atreus endures. For many businesses, the holiday season can be both an exciting and stressful time. With so many balls in the air, one thing you definitely want to know you can rely on is how you're selling your products. And with Shopify, you can rest easy knowing it's the home of the number one checkout on the planet. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. And when it comes to successful brands like Aloe, Allbirds or Skims, an often overlooked secret is all the things that go on behind the scenes that make selling and for shoppers buying simple for millions of businesses. If you take a peek behind that curtain, you'll see that Shopify is what makes it all possible. Shop pay boosts conversions up to 50%, so that's more happy customers and way more sales going. It's true all the time, but especially this time of year. Your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between. Businesses that sell more sell on Shopify. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout we use for Realm Merch with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com realm all lowercase go to shopify.com realm to upgrade your selling today. Shop this episode is brought to you by Dutch Bros. Get stoked for all the holly jolly vibes this season at Dutch Bros. Stay cozy with returning winter faves, Hazelnut Truffle Mocha and Candy Cane Mocha. Plus, the new Winter Shimmer Rebel energy drink blends up sweet cream and blue razz flavor with Soft Top and Shimmer Spring Sweet to keep those spirits energized all winter long. Download the Dutch Bros app to find your nearest shop. Order ahead and start earning rewards.

[K A Stats]

Liberty Vigilance Episode 2 the Imaginary Child the journey to Tower 18 was quiet and uneventful. Tower 18 is the first in a cluster of three lofty towers adjacent to the Central City District. Passing through the bustling activities of the District 4 marketplace in front of Victory Causeway, it took roughly half an hour to reach Tower 18 after it first came into sight. From the Tower 18 entrance, the team utilizes their clearance to access the correct elevator to reach the section of floor 25 where apartment 14B can be found. Examining numbers as they go, they find themselves before 14B. Hadrian's apartment.

[Marcus Desta]

That opened easily enough. All right, let's try this again. Let's see if we can find out the last time he scanned his starving hand. All right, let's just keep going up to electronic devices, guys. Eventually it'll come up good.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

One of them will want to talk to you.

[Marcus Desta]

Not this time.

[K A Stats]

Diana Azad temporarily locks herself out of her diagnostics tool by inputting the wrong password too many times. Equal probability Enthusiastic action is not always precise.

[Cassius Sogut]

Is there anything else nearby?

[K A Stats]

Agent Cassius Sogut notes that apartment 14A is the only feature of the sparsely occupied hallway.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Let me try the same. Let me see when the last time he used his mark on the door was.

[K A Stats]

If I may, Using his hacking tools, Investigator Sylvanas Clairhout determines that citizen Hadrian Baker last entered his home a week and a day ago. Through the door is a small one bedroom apartment, rank with a stale electrical odor, the distinct smell of a small enclosed space left without conditioned or flowing air for a lengthy stretch of time. The entrance opens upon a miniscule living room with a budding kitchenette. Inside is a scuffed gray couch and two small blue steel chairs. Shelves are lined with small trinkets, dice cards for Architectural Spectrum, and dozens of data papers that contain everything from books to personal videos, a curated life on.

[Marcus Desta]

Display, and a kitchen. Was there a kitchen in here?

[K A Stats]

The kitchenette is part of the main room, and a short step of a hallway leads to both the bedroom and the bathroom.

[Marcus Desta]

Do they have refrigerators in this world.

[K A Stats]

Because Miele is self preserving, refrigerators are fairly uncommon and this apartment is not fitted with one.

[Marcus Desta]

I'll just go go straight down the hall and investigate the bedroom and bathroom as well.

[K A Stats]

The bathroom is dreadfully plain, possessing its own particular brand of stale wasting odor. The bedroom is sparse, with a bulky desk and a single neatly made bed that would accommodate one lone citizen. Azad notes that the desk, which is oddly thick for its build, is made of the same blue tinted steel as the chairs in the main room. Under a well strewn layer of DCO data paper reports the desk has holographic projectors on its top and side surfaces. However, the side projectors appear to be broken and the general condition of the desk is worn.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Is there anything I can know from just general knowledge of if the desk is thick because of the hollow projectors? Or is there something hidden inside of.

[K A Stats]

It that would require a successful investigation? Check.

[Marcus Desta]

Try to help you.

[K A Stats]

Pushing up along the cold metal underside of the desk, Clarhout discovers a false middle section disguised as a broken holographic projector tucked within the false husk.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

What have we here?

[K A Stats]

He discovers an ancient paper journal with an attached graphite pencil enclosed in preservative wrap.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Can I inspect it before I pick it up, just to be safe?

[K A Stats]

With his unnaturally high investigative skills, Clarhout determines that the book is not trapped.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Perfect. Now I'm comfortable picking it up.

[Cassius Sogut]

I'm going to examine the entryway, then I'll start looking through the data sheets. I'm going to use Investigation to look for signs of a scuffle in the entryway and I roll a 12.

[K A Stats]

Agent Sogart can find no signs of a scuffle or anything suspicious in the entryway or primary living space. Everything appears in its appropriate place.

[Cassius Sogut]

No sign of a scuffle?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Maybe. Check the books.

[Cassius Sogut]

I start looking at the book titles and I roll to investigate for anything anomalous, like a hidden bookshelf.

[K A Stats]

Agent Sogot's fingers, still slow from the lack of caffeine, slowly examine the pages of data paper. Unlikely to make much headway.

[Cassius Sogut]

The book titles are Advanced Mathematics, Our Beloved Leader, Home Audio Videos, Part Two, A Citizen's Guide to Atreus, Various fictional titles, volumes of law and regulations for various departments. One on psychology.

[Marcus Desta]

While she's looking at the sheets and he's looking at the physical book, I'll move to turn on the data desk.

[K A Stats]

Azad discovers that the computer will require a password to be accessed.

[Marcus Desta]

All right. No. I'm so scared to try because my roles have been horrendous.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I would like to scoff loudly to myself in the corner, if I may.

[K A Stats]

Clarhalt scoffs loudly to himself, smug in success.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, I'll try.

[Cassius Sogut]

The settings for some of the books show that all data papers are full of data, but only sparse fragments of that data are visible. Whatever the extra content is appears to be hidden or locked via password encryption. I'll take them to the table and start to examine them further. Maybe I can hack my way into them rolling a 2 for computer use.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

All right, the book. It's. This seems to be a physical journal of Hadrian's Notes, in addition to some translated writings of an almost unpronounceable name, which I will try. Shijo Kawius Gul eon.

[Marcus Desta]

Who?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I don't know if anyone recognizes that name. The general topic of the writing seems to surround an obscure sect of Fringers known as the Children of Melachor. Apparently an offshoot of the nco. No, never heard of him.

[Cassius Sogut]

I've heard the NCO was an old Fringer gang that was wiped out in the three hundreds.

[Marcus Desta]

No, I remember this. The nco, or New Collect Collective Order, was formed and controlled by the Great Front Council in the year 309. A series of coups put it directly under the control of a single individual named Ter. Tero Taro. He attacked Atreus in the great siege of 3, 312. After 10 months, the Archon sent strike teams to destroy Separatist resource manufacturing facilities, and this severe lack of resources led to the rapid loss of political super PACs and alliances, and the degradation of the Separatist ethics. No Ormeal, no more nco. Many cite this as the point in history where the individual greed outweighed the bonds of politics, friendship, and even family. This was the point in history where morality was completely lost and those beyond the wall became known as the Fringers. Fun fact. In an effort to recover the great loss of life, Archon Reeve would lift the three child limit for 50 years after the Great Siege. That was one of my ancestors. It later became the two child limit that we have today. But yeah, guys, that was like in history class. Hey, Claire Howe, does it say what his password is?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I don't see anything interesting looking in the margins that could be a password. I'm sorry, but check this out. Looks like at the very end of the book, once we get past all the ludicrous scribblings of a madman, there seems to be a page torn out. I wonder if I can resurrect what was written? If I scribble on the page beneath it.

[Marcus Desta]

Archon. Please be a password.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yes. Scribbling plus 10.

[K A Stats]

Hmm.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It seems to be a map of the sanitation tunnels where Hadrian apparently discovered and marked an entrance to the old tunnels underneath Atreus, which I guess the map claims can be accessed by means of the still existing sanitation tunnels.

[Cassius Sogut]

Nice find, Sylvanas.

[Marcus Desta]

The old tunnels under Atreus, those would be the original mining tunnels. So those might link into the Fringe. If he found a way into the Fringe, he's compromised the security of the inner city.

[Cassius Sogut]

It's unlikely, but I'm going to do a search and see if I can find a map of the tunnels. Public records maybe has something. It's probably classified.

[K A Stats]

Agent Sogat fails to find anything of use, an unsurprising outcome due to the generally classified nature of Atreus's subterranean maps.

[Cassius Sogut]

No, Nothing.

[Marcus Desta]

Alright. And now I'm rolling to try and get into the freaking computer. One attempt made and it is a.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hey.

[K A Stats]

Following a few minutes of vigorous typing, Azad is able to use a back door to confirm the computer's password. It was altruist one.

[Marcus Desta]

There's like a montage of me like drinking tea and typing furiously, Readjusting glasses. It's like. Okay, I'm in.

[K A Stats]

Now looking at the desktop screen of Hadrian Baker, Azad scrutinizes the files. Files and programs visible include an audio visual communication feature, numerous broadcast channels, some of his art, a poorly hidden pornography folder which is locked, a home security application, and also a mysterious text based game program labeled 0101-00-1110E.

[Marcus Desta]

So if you go to files, sort by most recently edited or most recently opened, go to top five files. What do we have?

[K A Stats]

Azad confirms that the most recently accessed files are two poorly drawn sketches, the dot exe program and two different channels within the broadcast feature.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, what is 6 through 10?

[K A Stats]

The security application, a color correction program, and various media files within the locked pornography folder.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

You know, I'm simultaneously curious, but I also don't want it described to me.

[Marcus Desta]

I don't know how we know it's the porn folder if he says it's locked.

[K A Stats]

Hazad looks at the name of the folder again and there is simply no doubt in her mind.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Is the folder just called tmi?

[Marcus Desta]

Alright, the security one that you said was accessed, Can I pull that up?

[K A Stats]

The security footage from the front door has no timestamp, but every time someone passes by the front door, the motion activated camera records for a brief period until the Motion ceases. Prior to a short video of the team's arrival. Hazard finds separate footage of Hadrian departing the apartment while actively holstering a mini pistol. From a quick glance at the footage, Hazard can see that he was wearing a privacy hood, gloves and a heavy coat. In the footage, there is no time stamp.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Okay, I'm guessing based on the mark of the door, that that was one week and one day ago. Diana.

[Marcus Desta]

Based on the mark on the door, but that is. Do you have to scan the mark to get out?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

No, this type of door locks automatically.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, so we know the last time he came into his apartment, and we know that this video took place sometime after whenever it is that you found his mark to have been accessed. Since he has a privacy hood, I'm going to go out to the hallway and run an IP search on his privacy hood signal.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I intimidate the computer. Scrap. While there's various hacking going on, I'm going to start to draw a copy of this map.

[Marcus Desta]

Sylvanas, if you have a privacy hood, you can just take a picture of the map.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Oh, okay. I will do that. And I will send that picture to my three compatriots.

[K A Stats]

Through the use of privacy hood's technologies, the team now all share a copy of the map.

[Marcus Desta]

So if I look at those two painting files, if I look at how much data it says the painting files are taking up, does it actually seem the appropriate amount for a paint file?

[K A Stats]

After scrutinizing the works, Azad concludes that any amount of data consumed by Hadrian's art is a waste, but determines that the images and files do not contain anything hidden.

[Marcus Desta]

All right then. And the broadcasts? Do you mean like radio broadcasting or visual broadcasts? What are we talking?

[K A Stats]

Azad confirms that Hadrian was listening to audio and audio visual broadcasts at the time of access.

[Marcus Desta]

What are the topics covered?

[K A Stats]

One of the broadcasts was a general news segment. The other was a show called Tales from the Tower, an evening horror entertainment broadcast.

[Marcus Desta]

What news was on? That was really poor sentence. What news was he listening to?

[K A Stats]

Though determined, Azad is unable to discern the exact segments he watched. Only the names of the general shows that were broadcast on the channels at the time Hadrian was watching them.

[Marcus Desta]

But there's like no newscaster sitting in front of a headline.

[K A Stats]

No, it's a streaming application.

[Marcus Desta]

Oh, okay.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

By the way, I got distracted with this map and I'm trying to dodge some rather heretical teachings that are in this journal, but it also seems to claim that the Fringers are the only true free beings and that through a process called the Awakening, freedom will be brought to Atreus, willing or not. It seems it's kind of written without logic.

[Marcus Desta]

It sounds as though Baker's gone mad.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

This is starting to get a little.

[Marcus Desta]

Dark, but that madness doesn't mean he isn't a security risk. It if you really did find a tunnel.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It does, however, look like he's just translating some writings of a. Of an older. That name you looked up. I don't know who the author of the original script was before it was translated from another language. It was clearly written by someone mentally unstable.

[Cassius Sogut]

What was the computer password? I'll try it on the books.

[Marcus Desta]

Altruist one.

[Cassius Sogut]

Ah, it works.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hey. Good.

[Marcus Desta]

What did you find, Cassius?

[Cassius Sogut]

Have a look for yourself. I'll transfer a list of titles to you via the short wave. The real data appears to be banned. Books on Fringe psychology. A citizen's guidebook which is only authorized to those within the rad. Distant Stars and their workings. The Sister A True History, Understanding the Fringer and Turrell's Unauthorized Guide to Advanced Technology and its Many Applications. Some of these are just occult shit, but the rest are all highly illegal. He especially shouldn't have the red one. It's clearance three. While we're here, we might as well look around his bedroom to see what else might be hidden. And I roll a 13 for perception.

[K A Stats]

Agent Saugat's search reveals a canvas.

[Cassius Sogut]

What have we here, huh?

[K A Stats]

Marred by an amateur painting of a naked woman.

[Cassius Sogut]

Oh. Seems he was an artist. A bad one.

[Marcus Desta]

Can I go into which one was it? The advanced technology and its multiple applications. Many applications. I know that there's.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

He.

[Marcus Desta]

He can't dog ear a page or anything, but did he, like, highlight anything that he found interesting? Is there any particular advanced technology he was looking into?

[K A Stats]

Hazad is unable to find anything relevant to her. Query.

[Marcus Desta]

Sylvanas rolls for a Sister wars check and he got a nat 20. You have all the good rolls.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Apparently. I'm stealing all the luck to spare you with an abridged synopsis. The Sister wars started around 173 with the expansion War when Atreus needed to expand, and ended with the hydra war in 175 or 176. The two events are collectively known as the Sister wars because our expansion indirectly caused the counter attack by the Fringers. But the term is only used by Fringers, or at least their ancestors, the Separatists. It's a name that has a fairly negative implication toward Atreus, so it's fairly obvious to me that such A book wouldn't have been written by, well, someone from this side of the wall. Okay. Right.

[Marcus Desta]

I'm going to take the papers and store them in my lab coat along with my data pad, because I know he's not supposed to have the rad edition of the Citizen's Guide. And. Yeah, I'm gonna store those.

[Cassius Sogut]

What a wonderful guy.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah. Alright, back into the other room with the nude painting.

[Cassius Sogut]

The nude painting really stands out to me. It's just drawn so poorly. Did you get to check it yet? Um.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Sylvanas.

[Cassius Sogut]

Sylvanas.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

No, I didn't.

[Cassius Sogut]

Well, I know there was a page in the journal with a name. What was it again? The weird one.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Let me check the journal here. Looks like Shijay. Shijo. Kawius Gulian.

[Cassius Sogut]

Most fucked up name ever. I'm going to.

[K A Stats]

Was that the role?

[Cassius Sogut]

Yeah.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Oh, awesome.

[K A Stats]

Agent Sogot is positive that this name has never occurred in Adrian history.

[Cassius Sogut]

This name has never occurred in Adrian history. Which means it must either be a Fringer or perhaps made up. I say made up because Fringers are scary, crazy and disorganized. I very much doubt they could have acquired this sort of knowledge in the Fringe.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Your confidence is admirable.

[Cassius Sogut]

Thanks.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah. So I'm gonna sit back down at the desk. If the chair is still available. And what were the top five things again? The two broadcasts, the two paintings, and the security tape.

[K A Stats]

0101001110Exe.

[Marcus Desta]

So, binary file. Everybody okay with me opening this? I have no idea what it is. Pretty sure it's not porn because the porn folder is that one.

[Cassius Sogut]

Is it one of his paintings?

[Marcus Desta]

It's not one of his paintings.

[Cassius Sogut]

And you're sure it's not his porn folder?

[Marcus Desta]

I just said that I'm pretty sure it's not porn. You missed the joke. Never mind.

[Cassius Sogut]

There's nothing funny about porn. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go check to see if there's anything hidden in the painting. I'll roll for investigation. And it's a 13 confirming that there.

[K A Stats]

Is nothing suspicious or secretive about the located painting. Agent Saugat suspects that Hadrian might have tried painting to relieve straight stress. It is a disastrously poor painting.

[Cassius Sogut]

Well, I have important news. A painting is safe. Nothing hidden about it whatsoever. He's just a really amateur artist. Maybe it helps him relieve stress.

[Marcus Desta]

All right. And Sylvanas and Horacius, what do you.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Think you know, I'm sorry, I missed some of what you said. What are you asking us?

[Marcus Desta]

Should we go ahead and open the binary file on the computer.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I think that the more leads we can get, the better. Especially with the situation becoming as serious as it is.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Do you think it's safe to steal a copy of that file? Not steal, but create a copy of that file just in case something happens. Would it be safe to.

[Marcus Desta]

How big is the file?

[K A Stats]

Azad determines that the file is very small, merely a shortcut link directing to a program that relies upon a specific Internet connection to store and receive data.

[Marcus Desta]

So I'm going to follow the shortcut without actually opening the file.

[Cassius Sogut]

Smart thinking.

[K A Stats]

The primary application appears otherwise useless when apart from the computer at a mere 22 megabytes.

[Marcus Desta]

In short, the file is somehow tied to the room and transferring it to a different device isn't going to do anything. All right, double click. Or whatever it is that absolutely do. On a touch screen application desk.

[K A Stats]

When activated, the program prompts a text based role playing game set within Atreus. The program flickers to life describing the world of the game as it starts in the hallway just outside Hadrian's apartment. Similarly described as how it appears in actuality. The game text prompts with you are in the empty hallway of Tower 18, Floor 25, just in front of the door to Apartment 14B. What would you like to do?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Type in open door.

[Marcus Desta]

Open door.

[K A Stats]

The door opens. You step into the living room. In front of you is bedroom, behind you is door to the hallway.

[Marcus Desta]

So this doesn't Command not recognized.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I guess I rudely reach across Zodiac whole situation and type in where is Hadrian Baker.

[K A Stats]

Command not recognized.

[Marcus Desta]

So this, this version of the room doesn't actually have the same layout as the room the apartment we're in currently.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Horatius leans over the keyboard and types in look at room.

[K A Stats]

There is chair, table, bedroom, door to the hallway.

[Marcus Desta]

Command flip table.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Aha.

[Marcus Desta]

I'm a scientist. I am not here to play games.

[K A Stats]

The tables have turned.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'm so proud of you guys.

[K A Stats]

You receive a message on your privacy hood. You have one message we should type in. Read message from SN Donovan. Are the preparations complete?

[Marcus Desta]

Hmm.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Should we say yes? We could say yes.

[Cassius Sogut]

Are you able to reply to the message, Diana?

[Marcus Desta]

Yes. How about we reply underway? Because that way it doesn't sound.

[Cassius Sogut]

What's the timestamp on the message? How long ago was it sent?

[Marcus Desta]

It doesn't have a timestamp.

[Cassius Sogut]

Can you do something to find out where it came from?

[Marcus Desta]

It's digital. It's all digital. It's a digital world. It's text based.

[Cassius Sogut]

So.

[K A Stats]

I'll see what I can do command not recognized.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, so while they're playing the game, I'm gonna open up a second instance and I'm actually gonna do to try and trace, I guess what would you.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'm sorry, can you tell me one more time what the message said? I was just looking through the journal here.

[K A Stats]

Are the preparations complete.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I wonder if they're referencing Natural one again.

[K A Stats]

Confused. Within the layers of the game and programming, Azad fails to discover a way to trace where the message came from. Beyond the initial connection to the Network in Tower 18. The signal could spread across the city or beyond.

[Marcus Desta]

So I'm just gonna lean back and let them play the game because I am aggravated at this desk.

[Cassius Sogut]

So what do you want to reply with, McBride?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, I don't know. I was just gonna reply with yes.

[Marcus Desta]

Underway is neither affirmative or so we could see him.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I wonder. But if we say yes, he might tell us what to do next.

[Marcus Desta]

Oh, that's true.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Can we still play the game while we're waiting to respond to this guy? So if we type something into the game, will it still happen?

[K A Stats]

The message is in the game. It's somewhat meta. So Assad is typing on a keyboard in the real world. Typing into a virtual keyboard located inside of Hadrian's virtual privacy hood. Inside of his virtual living room. In the virtual program located on Hadrian's actual computer. Located in Hadrian's actual room.

[Marcus Desta]

But are there two text boxes available? One for messages and one for inputs?

[K A Stats]

No. Azad sees only a single black screen with a prompt of green glowing text. A green block blinks awaiting input.

[Cassius Sogut]

So just type yes.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Or maybe we could put reply yes.

[K A Stats]

That you reply yes. Response from SN Donovan. Who is this?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hmm.

[Cassius Sogut]

So should we reply this is Hadrian?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, it's worth a shot, I guess. If it doesn't work, we can play the game again.

[Marcus Desta]

Wait, he says that his. So our speaker name is Speaker. So should we say we are Speaker? If they are Donovan.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Donovan sounds more like a real name than speaker does.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah, I know. Do I. Do I recognize that name? I have a six. But I have horrendously bad rolls, so you should also roll. What the. What is wrong? What is wrong? Okay, fine. Only thing I can remember Donovan is a pre archon leader of Atreus. That's what I got. That's it.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Maybe this journal is just starting to get to me. But I'm awfully tempted to respond something weird like a Servant of the Awakening based on what I'm reading here.

[Marcus Desta]

What was it? A child of Melachor Let me check.

[K A Stats]

That's correct.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yes. Obscure sect of Fringers known as the Children of Melachor.

[Cassius Sogut]

Alright, well, it's worth a shot.

[K A Stats]

Azad types. A Child of Melachor. I hadn't expected you guys to do this. I'm actually rather excited. So, in a flash of white, the computer turns off. Upon investigation, it is found to have formatted itself.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, shit.

[Cassius Sogut]

Damn. Wait, why'd you quit out of the game?

[Marcus Desta]

Because the computer just formatted.

[Cassius Sogut]

Wait, what happened?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It erased its memory.

[Marcus Desta]

It can. Yeah, just killed itself.

[Cassius Sogut]

When did it do that?

[Marcus Desta]

It just happened as soon as we.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Typed in a Child of Melachor.

[Cassius Sogut]

Unbelievable. We'll never know what was in that porn folder.

[Marcus Desta]

Well, no one will ever have to see those pictures again.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yeah, mission accomplished. Atreus is safe. I don't know if that's.

[Marcus Desta]

But I didn't get to walk into the bedroom, which was the other thing I wanted to do in the game.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, we should probably get going. There's really nothing left to see here. Yeah, let's see. We've been to the workplace, we've been to. That's where we are. We've been to the apartment. We've been to the relative's house. We've been to the food. The diner. Could you call it a diner?

[Cassius Sogut]

Cafe.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Cafe. Thank you. Let me pull out my map to see what the next closest place of interest is. Crucible is in the blue. And then this next pink X, which is pretty close, is the home of our next missing person. Trudent de Canna.

[Marcus Desta]

I feel as though the one we're on right now is a very pressing matter.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yeah. Before we move on, let's review what. What we've already learned. So we know that our charge is into some pretty deep shit involving Fringers. Seems to have a lot of mysterious and illegal literature. Participating in a boring card game. Nobody knows where he is. Wonder who'd force him to do something like that?

[Cassius Sogut]

It seems as though no one was forcing him to do anything. He is likely missing because he's up to something.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

And are we thinking his painting hobby is to relieve stress or. I'm kind of curious. Given the architectural spectrum facet, I'm wondering if maybe he's painting for another reason as well.

[Cassius Sogut]

I very much doubt it. No one would have such an unconvincing fake hobby.

[Marcus Desta]

But he wasn't painting at any recreational center, so it's not as though he could use it as an alibi. You said before that he had a second job. Yes.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Correct. This map is starting to Become like a abstract art masterpiece. I feel like there's got to be something tying all these pieces together, but I don't know what it is.

[Cassius Sogut]

Do you think we can find a list of places he was assigned to on sanitation duty?

[K A Stats]

Sure.

[Marcus Desta]

I think we should go and see his overseer at the sanitation department.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, that's a good idea, except that I'm not sure exactly where that is right now.

[Marcus Desta]

I am also not sure. But I do know, based off of the information searches I pulled earlier, that he has a clean bill of attendance at his sanitation job. So, unlike his work with the dco, it seems as though he did very well at the sanitation job. Never mind. Guys, I can see from the record's history that Hadrian actually stopped showing up for work about a month ago, and his employment was terminated from San Sanitation for attendance issues.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, that's unfortunate.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, so he was terminated about a month ago. And if he hasn't been working very well at dco, he hasn't showed up at dco. He's not showing up for over a month. He doesn't have any known hobbies that take up a long amount of time.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

No known vices beyond painting horribly.

[Marcus Desta]

No known friends or associates.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

He isn't seeing his family, he isn't showing up at his job, and he isn't spending time with anyone. The only time he spends with his family, outside of his family's house, is trying to convince his sister that he's playing a boring card game.

[Marcus Desta]

A time consuming, boring card game.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Sounds to me like he's spending his time doing something else. Last seen armed and might possibly have information on how to get out to the fringe. Well, of all the things we found at his apartment, I don't doubt that.

[Marcus Desta]

I. Look at the map again that we got from that book. Are there any distinguishing numbers on it that would come out as being like. Like entry points near 11, 14, 4, or anything like that?

[K A Stats]

Hazad determines that the map assumes a working knowledge of the intricate sewer systems of Atreus. Someone reading it would require familiarity with the sewers to have any hope of understanding what they were examining.

[Marcus Desta]

Um, I'm gonna call my sister. Um, so Diana Azad has a sister. Her sister actually works in the sanitation department. Her name is Antia. I'm gonna ring up or send a message to Antiya and see if she has time to talk, because she might actually recognize some of the entry points on the sanitation map.

[Cassius Sogut]

This is Azad.

[Marcus Desta]

Hello. I'm not available.

[Cassius Sogut]

Please leave me a message and I.

[Marcus Desta]

Will reply at My earliest convenience. Reeve indoors. Hey, Antia. Do you have time to talk? It's urgent. I'm sending you a map that looks like it might correlate with entry points to sanitations, possibly in District 4. My privacy hood has recognized the voice of my big sister. I made this message just for you, to let you know that I will be able to reply in four hours. Love you. Just for me. Swell. I'll speak with you in four hours then. Tia. Yep, sounds like Tia all right. Alright, so I turned the other. So I was like, I might get some information that might be helpful in maybe four hours. Family. So what is our best step from here? Do we wait until other areas open? Until we get more information and check on someone else?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, speaking. Speaking of. How long has it been since we were at the cafe? Maybe the wait staff started to arrive.

[Marcus Desta]

Maybe the art store is open.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It's only been about an hour and a half. They seem to have gone missing within the same week, so. No, never mind. There are two other cases we could get started on that aren't too far away. At least Truden Tokena isn't too far away.

[Marcus Desta]

We could go start another case. Just gather some preliminary information while we're waiting for the other one to take its time.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I believe our case file for Hadrian did recommend that we go to Truden D'Kenna's house next, after his apartment. Fair enough.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah. Let's go to Trudence.

[K A Stats]

Missing person number two. Citizen Trudent de Cana. Male student, age 13, healthy, fair complexion, athletic build, green eyes and green and black hair. He has a basic mark and is undergoing the later years of basic education. He lives in Apartment 4 on the second floor of Building 122 on Creek Crucible Avenue in District 4.

[Cassius Sogut]

I doubt these cases are related, but just in case, let's examine the timeline on when each of these individuals went missing.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

The next case, Truant, has been missing for just over two days, while the other citizen, Dr. Dobson, has been missing for about a week. Let's see if I can pull up any additional information on truant.

[K A Stats]

Clarehout determines that truant is really young, even with a high roll. There is not much of interest regarding the boy, though available records included his dental records, which are pretty clean.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Apparently our second missing person, Trudent De Kenna, his mother, according to this, works for the public workstation on night shift maintenance. I wonder if she could be connected to sanitation. Possibly.

[Marcus Desta]

Where's the nearest sanitation department that we know of? Like is that public Information.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

A small sanitation station is built into almost every tower as a part of the basic functionality.

[Marcus Desta]

But what about like an actual workstation access station? Like things like that?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Oh, that wouldn't be public knowledge for obvious security reasons.

[Marcus Desta]

Alright, let's go.

[K A Stats]

Minutes later, the team reaches the entrance to Building 122, the home of Trudent Decenna. Located squarely between Buildings 120 and 124 on Crucible Avenue, the shabby six story structure was built under one of the weaving overpasses. Despite slight refurbishment within the past few decades, it's clear that Building 122 suffered heavy damage during the Red War and has never fully recovered. Metal shutters, barred windows, and the reinforced double doors leading to the building give a foreboding impression.

[Cassius Sogut]

No sense in stopping here. Let's keep going.

[K A Stats]

Inside Building 122. The team ascends the east staircase to the second floor. The smells of bleach and vaguely familiar cleaning solutions permeate the stagnant air. The only feature of note is an uncommon added security measure. Each floor now capable of being shut off from the stairwell if the need arises. A short walk through the neglected hallway brings the team before apartment 4.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I would like to knock.

[K A Stats]

A bleary eyed woman in her mid-40s opens the door. Dressed in sleeping clothes and eyes originally glazed by sleep, she fills with enthusiasm upon recognizing your badges by the Archein.

[Marcus Desta]

Are you the enforcer sent to help me find Trude?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yes, we are, ma'am. As a matter of fact, fortune is with me today.

[Marcus Desta]

Come in.

[K A Stats]

Inside the door is a small kitchen, barely accommodating the group. Clairhout notes, only four chairs are present as the woman puts on a fresh pot of pumpkin flavored tea.

[Marcus Desta]

Please sit. You must be tired. Can I offer anyone some pumpkin tea?

[Cassius Sogut]

I would love some, thank you.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Of course.

[Marcus Desta]

Is there anyone else home with you today? Yes, my other children. My other children? Dicia and Marenicus are in their room studying. I'm already into Kenna, Trudon's mother. Okay.

[Cassius Sogut]

Here.

[Marcus Desta]

Would you like some tea, ma'am? Oh, no, thank you.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'm sorry to bring this up, but it is why we're here. When was the last time you saw your son?

[Marcus Desta]

We shared dinner two nights ago, but we haven't seen him since. None of our neighbors or friends have seen him either. Were you the one who reported him missing? Yes. I'm honestly considering hiring a private investigator if you're unable to find him or determine what happened.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Ma'am, I happen to be a Private investigator, if that's any consolation.

[Marcus Desta]

When? Where were you home when he went missing? Was he out with friends? He was home, I believe. Or perhaps he was out. He should have been home, though. I work at night. The night shift.

[Cassius Sogut]

So you live here with your son? Yes, and the other two as well. And what are their names?

[Marcus Desta]

Dia and Marenicus. You have. You have three children, ma'am? Yes, but all with different fathers, so it's still within the legal limit. I wasn't home when he disappeared, and.

[Cassius Sogut]

Miraticus told me that he just wasn't here. He was studying and Troop just disappeared.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

So he actually disappeared when Maranicus was with him, Is that correct?

[Marcus Desta]

Yes. I believe Dacia was out studying with her friends.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Do you mind calling your children in here? Are they busy?

[Marcus Desta]

Certainly. Do you want both of them here at once, or.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yes, please.

[Marcus Desta]

Irenicus. Dc, please come out here. The wonderful enforcers are here to help.

[Cassius Sogut]

Find your brother and they would like.

[Marcus Desta]

To speak with us.

[K A Stats]

A shy young boy with the same light hazel hair as his mother and a visibly tired teenage girl exit their respective rooms. The boy is visibly nervous around Agent Sogat, staring at the ground.

[Marcus Desta]

Dc, you look very tired. Yes, I've been helping look for Trude while trying to study and get through classes. Are you in your final year? You must be very busy. What have you found on your brother? We haven't found him yet. We asked our neighbors, but none of them have seen him. I. I don't always get along with Trude, but I just want him back.

[Cassius Sogut]

When was the last time you saw him?

[Marcus Desta]

Two days ago. I saw him for our breakfast.

[Cassius Sogut]

And you were there when he disappeared?

[K A Stats]

Irenicus nods quietly.

[Marcus Desta]

Irenicus, what was your brother wearing the day that he went missing? Did he bring his school bag, his data pad? Anything that he usually would bring with him? That he didn't bring? It was night. We were wearing clothes that we would normally wear for school, and I went to my room and studied. What were you studying? Um. Maths.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Multiplications.

[Marcus Desta]

The really tough ones.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It must be tough to study your multiplications and look for your brother at the same time. Where have you been searching for him?

[Marcus Desta]

I've been here, hoping he'll come back.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I see.

[Cassius Sogut]

I know the situation can be difficult. You're doing well. You have no reason to be afraid. Did your brother ever try to go into the sewers, perhaps?

[Marcus Desta]

No. Why would he do that?

[Cassius Sogut]

Weird question, I know. Oddly specific, but it's just a hunch. What I meant was, did he perhaps work in sanitation? I didn't see anything on his file that listed which division he was working for.

[Marcus Desta]

He's 13.

[K A Stats]

Mr. Kenner shows agent SOT a picture of Trudent.

[Marcus Desta]

No, no, this is my son.

[Cassius Sogut]

I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me. I got my cases mixed up. It's been a long day at the end of long work week, I'm sure.

[Marcus Desta]

Oh, it's.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

You'll have to forgive my colleague. She's a little tired.

[Cassius Sogut]

Listen, really.

[Marcus Desta]

So it's Cassius is like you just keep making these mistakes, like your employees gone missing. What, your child was working in the mines?

[Cassius Sogut]

Hey, I had a late night.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

You know if your son was involved in any extracurricular activities? Clubs or anything like that?

[Cassius Sogut]

Architectural spectrum, perhaps?

[Marcus Desta]

No, not particularly. You know, Marinicus, I am very, very good at multiplication. Do you need help with anything? And I'm gonna, like, start walking him back into the other room because I feel like he's not being truthful in front of his mother.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'd like to follow, but only to the doorway.

[Marcus Desta]

That's a great idea. Why don't you practice maths while I speak with the other enforcers out here?

[K A Stats]

The boy's room is sparse, but very clean and well kept. Its most noticeable features are a well tacked fading poster for the DRD and a small bunk bed.

[Marcus Desta]

So is. Is Trude's, like, backpack in the room? Data pad? Is there some. Does it look like a. Like, really messy, or did it look like he made his bed before he left or.

[K A Stats]

Both beds are well made, and Azad is able. Able to spot a data pad, a backpack, and an unopened meal canister.

[Marcus Desta]

So I'm gonna ask the. The little kid, is that your brother's backpack? Did he leave it or is that one yours? That's mine. So he took his backpack with him and his data pad?

[Cassius Sogut]

Yeah.

[K A Stats]

The boy avoids eye contact.

[Marcus Desta]

So do you want to tell me what's going on?

[K A Stats]

That would require a persuasion check.

[Marcus Desta]

All right. It's like I work for the betterment of Atreus. I'm here to help. 16.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hey, there we go. That's better.

[Marcus Desta]

16.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

So I start chatting up the mom, but I'm doing it in such a way that she won't realize that this isn't just multiplication that's being discussed.

[Marcus Desta]

Are you with the scary lady? Wait, am. Am I a scary lady? Are you with the scary lady? I. I am with that lady. And I point over to Cassius. Is that the scary lady? No, the scary lady. The one with the medal on her face. Okay. So no, I'm not. Do you want to tell me about her?

[Cassius Sogut]

No.

[Marcus Desta]

She told me not to tell anyone anything. And I won't break my promise. I'm really sorry. But you know what you could do? You could help me find your brother. If you don't want to say it. You know what? You know what my little sister always used to do with me? She wouldn't tell my parents the secrets. She would always just write it down. And she said that didn't count. Do you want to do that?

[K A Stats]

That would require a persuasion check.

[Marcus Desta]

I just did one.

[K A Stats]

Another one.

[Marcus Desta]

Just be happy I'm talking to a child. Okay. Somebody help me.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yeah, I'll assist from the other room. Listen to her. Hey. Nice.

[Marcus Desta]

15. Yes. I pass him my data pad. Okay.

[K A Stats]

The child carefully opens an art application on Azad's data pad. His hands shake as he begins to write in crude blue lines.

[Marcus Desta]

That's okay. I work with scientists and doctors.

[Cassius Sogut]

I can read it.

[K A Stats]

I saw her and the others take Trude away while mom was on shift.

[Marcus Desta]

So someone took him. He didn't run away. It's good to know. What did you said she had metal on her face? Did she have. Did she have a mark?

[K A Stats]

The boy nods nervously.

[Marcus Desta]

Can you draw the mark for me? That looks like third tier lethality.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Yes, it is actually.

[Marcus Desta]

Isn't that pointing the wrong way?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

He's a kid.

[Marcus Desta]

He's a kid.

[Cassius Sogut]

He's drawing it the wrong way.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, so this means that she's a very dangerous woman. And I'm gonna like point to the patch on my shoulder that says that I work for the Meal improvement division or whatever it is that I work for.

[K A Stats]

The drd.

[Marcus Desta]

Drd. And I'm gonna say, did she have anything that looked like this or another patch? Did she have anything that said where she was from?

[K A Stats]

Nodding, he draws the Special Defense Force emblem.

[Marcus Desta]

All right, so I'm just gonna like close the file up and take it away. And I'll be like, all right, so metal face, scary lady with that patch and the three arrows on her hand.

[K A Stats]

With previously unseen confidant. The boy nods.

[Marcus Desta]

Alright. Is there anything else that you think is important for me to know? To find your brother?

[K A Stats]

The boy shakes his head no.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Please find him.

[Marcus Desta]

I won't tell anyone.

[Cassius Sogut]

I didn't tell anyone.

[Marcus Desta]

You didn't say a word. You're a good kid. And I'm gonna get up and walk straight out of the room.

[Cassius Sogut]

This is great tea, by the way.

[Marcus Desta]

Yeah. I'm gonna look up at Cassius and I'll Just like do a little nod sort of thing. Is that it then?

[Cassius Sogut]

Are you all departing Reaven? Duress, ma'am. If we have any more questions, we'll contact you. And should you find any relevant information, here's my information so you can contact us. Thank you again for your hospitality.

[Marcus Desta]

Please bring Trude home. May the Archon watch over you.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

And you as well, ma'am.

[Cassius Sogut]

So what'd you find out?

[Marcus Desta]

I pull up the kid's picture and like the picture that he drew.

[Cassius Sogut]

Is that a picture you drew yourself or is it a Hadrian Baker original?

[Marcus Desta]

No, I'm pulling back up the data pad picture that the little boy drew on the data pad. And based on it, you guys can see that there's a hand that has third tier lethality marks on it. And there's also the special Defense Force logo. And he said that that is what he saw on the metal faced woman who came and took his brother away. Which means that this might be outside of our jurisdiction.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hmm. Well, I suppose we should report that to our superior when we return.

[Marcus Desta]

Quite possibly.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

At the very least, we should try to verify that this is in fact one of the shadow divisions of the government. If at all possible.

[Marcus Desta]

Could we. Could we wait until. Because I have an idea. So you said that this building itself doesn't have like. It's pretty ramshackled, yeah. Okay, but the building surrounding it look like they were in rather okay condition. I want to go and check on the security cameras of nearby buildings to see if we can find when the child was taken.

[Cassius Sogut]

I'll join you.

[Marcus Desta]

Are you coming?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Sure. Absolutely.

[K A Stats]

Outside the building, a dark haired woman with two cheekbone dermal piercings and a deep reddened complexion assertively approaches the team armored in tactical gear. She makes direct eye contact with every member of the team as she addresses them.

[Cassius Sogut]

I was sent to find you.

[Marcus Desta]

I'm Officer Boont, Special Defense Force. There's been a glitch.

[Cassius Sogut]

It seems that some fragmented data accidentally compiled into a missing persons report.

[Marcus Desta]

There was no trudent dikena and there is no missing persons report in this instance.

[Cassius Sogut]

Assistance Enforcer Sergeant Mueller has been notified of your success.

[Marcus Desta]

Pleasant evening, citizens. I check her credentials using my privacy hood.

[K A Stats]

That would require an investigation check.

[Marcus Desta]

I got a 24.

[K A Stats]

Azad finds no record on file.

[Marcus Desta]

I give her an affirmative nod and wait until she walks away.

[K A Stats]

Sorry. You rolled extremely well and I didn't see it was that high.

[Marcus Desta]

Oh, so you thought it Was like the 16 from the beginning?

[K A Stats]

Yes, I saw the 16.

[Marcus Desta]

How is that better?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Something Is oftentimes better than nothing.

[Marcus Desta]

Okay, so at first he said there was no record on file, and she's wearing gloves so you can't see her mark. And then the next one, she's like, oh, this is better. And it's just classified in quotes.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Well, if she's listed as classified, that means she's at least in the system.

[Marcus Desta]

Okay, to make sure that we can confirm this with our sergeant at the dco, I would like to make sure that I have verification of your identification and visual identification of your mark. You can verify my mark, but for.

[Cassius Sogut]

Reasons of security, I cannot allow you.

[Marcus Desta]

To verify who I am or which department I work for.

[K A Stats]

Officer Boont removes her glove, Exposing a calloused scarred hand. And third tier lethality and basic education marks her. Point made. She regloves her hand.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'm sorry, but we're trying to find some people here and do our jobs. Is there anything more you can tell us?

[Cassius Sogut]

We just came from the home of a missing boy. You must understand that his family is extremely distraught. What are we going to tell them?

[Marcus Desta]

Citizen Aurelian Dikena is mentally disturbed and was perhaps responsible for the anomalous data. The matter has been escalated.

[Cassius Sogut]

Your assistance here is no longer required.

[Marcus Desta]

And as you can see from your.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Own reports, there is no missing citizen.

[Marcus Desta]

We've spoken with people who knew him directly. They were mistaken. If there ever was a trudent, he would have had to have been blacked out.

[Cassius Sogut]

After breaking into a nearby science facility.

[Marcus Desta]

And risking the security of highly classified.

[Cassius Sogut]

Information, I suggest that you continue your.

[Marcus Desta]

Walk to the central city district if you're to reach the home of Dr. Dobson before sunset. Is that clear?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Thank you for your time. Reaven doors. Archon Watch over you Pitch, Can I do a search for nearby science facilities?

[K A Stats]

That would require an investigation.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Check with my hood.

[K A Stats]

Clairhout uses his hood's built in technology to scan the nearby buildings. Building 120, a two story building surrounded by a fence, is recorded as a secure restricted access building. Years of experience present Claire Hout with a distinct impression that the private structure houses secrets well protected and perhaps official in nature.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I would like to nod towards it.

[K A Stats]

To indicate that Clairhaud also notices that the fence was recently patched to cover up a previous point of devious entry.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Anybody interested in taking a walk?

[Marcus Desta]

So, do we want to go farther into this? Even though we were told by a suspicious government official that we shouldn't?

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I'm not really out to get into any type of trouble. We have our assignment, and I say we should do it.

[Marcus Desta]

This is my volunteer work, and if the government of the Archon tells me that I should not be doing something, then I probably should not be doing it.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

That seems reasonable to me.

[Cassius Sogut]

Metal Face's story seems consistent, so there's no sense in working against our own shadow organizations. Instead, I think we should focus on the other two missing persons.

[Marcus Desta]

We still have one person we haven't even looked into yet, so I'd say let's go see if we can find Mr. Dobson.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I agree.

[K A Stats]

The team departs the central city district with intent to investigate the final missing citizen. Janice Dobson.

[Marcus Desta]

Liberty Vigilance created and produced by Travis Vengraf with editing and writing assistance from KA Stats. Starring Peter Lewis, Shawn Francis, Kaitlin Buckley, and Kaitlin Stats. With narration by Wayne June. Guest voices include Tanya Malejevic, Shannon Bladow, Zoe Von Embler, and Audioverse award finalist Holly Goulding. The music was Created by Ryan McQuinn, Stephen Malin, and Brandon Strater.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Vigilance was mixed and mastered by Brandon.

[Marcus Desta]

Strader with COVID art by Dan Stanek. The original game master was Travis Bengroff, with assistance by KA Stats. This episode was sponsored by Teepublic, which has some amazing Liberty merch, including meal manufacturing coffee mugs. We're also very thankful for our Patreon team. If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider supporting us on Patreon or by liking and reviewing our show on itunes. This broadcast is a creation of Foolen Scholar Productions. Thank you for listening, and may the.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Archon watch over you. If I play you, something will promise.

[Marcus Desta]

Not to tell anyone about it. What is it? There's a thing in the sky. You've got to get someone down here quick. It's.

[Cassius Sogut]

It's. It's moving.

[Marcus Desta]

It's buzzing. It's getting closer. I think I need to talk to someone.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

S. No, no.

[Marcus Desta]

Poppy. It's getting louder. I can feel it.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

I can feel it inside my head.

[Marcus Desta]

Listen to Hovering, the latest fiction horror show on Rome's premier horror channel, Undertow. Hovering is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

What's up, everyone? It's Noah Daniels.

[Marcus Desta]

Hey, y'all, I'm jj.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Hey, guys, it's Kat, and we're your host of the Real Hauntings podcast, where we bring on guests to share their firsthand encounter, ghost stories and supernatural experiences. Now, on to the trailer. I've been warned to not tell this story, but I think because of the way it ends, it's okay to tell this story. Because some people say that with certain entities to, like, speak of them or talk about them or in any way, like, portray them as powerful will attract them to other people. The creepiest thing about it to me is a lot of times it would wait for me to notice it. Like, it would just lay its arm.

[K A Stats]

Out like this, and then I'd be.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

Like, where is it? Where is it?

[Marcus Desta]

And then I'd see it, and then.

[Dr. Sophie Yang]

It would just slither back. For more information on the Real Hauntings Real Ghost Stories podcast, make sure you check out Real FM to learn more about our podcast and many other amazing podcasts.