[Note to self: Refer to the Broken Masquerade hub and the job ads made for canon building.]
Moira Hangleton tapped the pen impatiently on the desk. This was the last thing she needed amidst the many looming deadlines and problems piling on her desk.
“You want me to do what?” she grunted. The man sitting in the chair in front of her desk shifted uncomfortably.
“Go on a PR tour,” he mumbled, coughing into his elbow. She stopped tapping and set it down, sighing. “Listen, Mr…Peterson, was it?” He nodded. “I realize that you need someone to go do this, but I don’t know why you’re asking me, of all people. Don’t you have someone over at HR to do this?”
Mr. Peterson reached down into a briefcase at his side and pulled out a sheet of paper. He set it on her table silently. She picked it up and read it, scowling. “So, the council got a number of requests for technical interviews and they’re pawning it off on me and someone of my choosing. Lovely.” She crumpled up the memo and threw it in the trash bin. “And I take it I can’t say ‘no’, right?”
“Well, you could, but…” he pulled up the briefcase again, shuffling the papers inside before handing her another sheet. “…they told me to give you this in case you wanted to say no.” He close the briefcase and set it on his lab.. “It’s a statement saying that if you do this, not only will they…er… give you an extra bonus as a show of their appreciation, but they’ll also approve next year’s budget without any change.” She raised an eyebrow at this. Normally the budget was cut to half. This meant they might be able to accomplish everything they outlined for the term.
She leaned back and closed her eyes with a sigh. “Alright, fine. Tell them I’ll do it.” Mr. Peterson stood up, relieved. “Excellent, Ms. Hangleton . You’ll see, it’s a lot of fun!” He gave her a small smile and left the room. She watched the door close and picked up the phone to call someone. If she was going to do this, she may as well have a friendly face with her.
“Hey, Jonas?” She picked up the pen, tapping it on the desk again. “Pack a suitcase. We’re going on tour.”
—-
Transcript of Press Interview - “Science at the Foundation”
Interviewer: Calvin Heyman, Popular Science magazine
Interviewee: Chief Engineer Moira Hangleton, Site 14 Research and Development
Interviewee: Applications Engineer Jonas Kim, Site 18 Research and Development
[Background for the people and the divisions. Base it off something like this: http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/8.10/boies.html ]
Calvin: I’d like to introduce two very special people today. Moira is the chief engineer at Site 14 for their R&D division, and Jonas is the applications engineer at Site 18. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what it’s like to be at the forefront of technology for the Foundation, and we’ll get into that, but first I’d like to ask you both a little bit about your jobs. What do you do as part of “Research and Development”?
Moira: Ugh, “Research and Development.” I don’t really like that description.
Calvin: Isn’t that your job focus, though?
Moira: Yeah, that’s the name of the game, but it doesn’t really do our job justice. I mean, don’t get me wrong - R&D here in the Foundation has plenty of both, and the records to prove it, but it doesn’t fully encompass everything we do. We find out what the application requires, the sort of conditions it will be used under, and whether or not the components can take the environment. On top of that, we have to factor in the “unknown unknowns”, to borrow a phrase from one Donald Rumsfeld. Those are the things we don’t know about, such as the potential for some sort of anomalous effects or unexpected interactions between SCPs.
[Jonas chuckles.]
Jonas: Well, Moira, I can understand part of why people just say “R&D” to describe what we do. It’s kind of hard to boil down everything we do into something that you can say in a few seconds.
[Moira smiles.]
Moira: True, but I don’t have to like it.
Calvin: Well, Moira, you say that you have to plan for “unknown unknowns.” Could you give an example of something where that was the case?
[Moira and Jonas laugh.]
Moira: A better example would be where that wasn’t the case. I think Jonas has a few good stories about that.
Jonas: Oh, don’t get me started. We say we try to plan for them, but in reality…well, we just try to adapt. One of the more recent times was when we were working with a few visiting engineers from…what was it…well, in any case I don’t know if I can say what their company is. They were visiting our fabrication labs to try and see if we could help them with some material synthesis issues they had.
[Note: The Foundation has several large research and fabrication facilities that can be hired out to corporations or universities for equipment testing or experimental procedures.]
Jonas (con’t): They were combining the Telekill alloy we developed with an experimental alloy of their own to try and produce an end product with better resistance to EM noise. The finished product produced unintelligible results in the traditional spectrometers, all of which told us that this material shouldn’t exist. As a result we had to find out why we couldn’t identify the material.
Moira: Which, in turn, led to the development of the ConMaCS, or “Conny”.
Calvin: “Conny”?
Jonas: The Hilbert-Kensington Condensed Matter Cyclotron Spectrometer. It fires exotic particles at a specimen to identify the manifold topology and anomalous signature, which we then decipher to tell us-
[Moira interrupts.]
Moira: Basically it cuts through the garbage to give us a better picture of what’s going on. As it turns out, the data from the traditional methods needs to be corrected with a filter specific to that material. Which ConMaCS gives us.
Calvin: So does this system only exist in one place, or does the Foundation plan to produce more of them for general use?
Jonas: I’m not exactly sure of where that project is going, but I’m pretty sure that there’s at least two or three more…
Moira: Yeah, there’s one at Site 18 and Site 14, where Jonas and I work respectively, but there’s also one being set up at Site 81 and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I believe that the National Physics Laboratory in the UK is also talking about getting one, as well. There’s some really intriguing work that will be coming out as a result of it.
Calvin: I find it very interesting how many recent innovations came to pass so soon after the Foundation went public with their mission and the research that they had amassed. Do you think that it’s a small boost due to new technologies or a dramatic shift due to a change in the way science is being done in the community?
Moira: It’s hard to say. There definitely is a boost due to the new work being released, as illustrated by the new advances in medical technologies and sensing equipment, but that can’t account for all of the new developments.
Jonas: I definitely agree with that. I don’t see any evidence to suggest that the way scientific research is conducted has significantly changed in recent years, but we’ll have to see how it turns out in a few years.
Calvin: Reasonable way to consider things. Now, I have to ask, how do you feel about the fact that so much of what happens in your labs goes on to affect the rest of the world, for better or worse?
Moira: I guess it could say it helps me sleep better at night.
[Moira laughs]
Moira: Some of the work that we do…take the new lightweight armor systems, for example. We developed that to help combat equipment and personnel losses when we were containing some of the nastier skips. I recently received a copy of the effectiveness report the US military did on our system, and although I can’t give exact numbers, they were high enough that there are talks of bringing them to more widespread use. If more lives will be saved, then it certainly counts as a win in my book.
Jonas: For me, it’s more about the potential that’s there. There are a lot of universities and corporations currently looking at the work for use in advanced robotics, space systems, and even deep-sea exploration. Some of the control systems that we designed for containing light-sensitive SCPs are now being used to improve greenhouses and photovoltaics. I mean, the sheer amount of ideas being worked on around the world is astounding!
Calvin: I guess we have a lot to look forward to, over the next few years. Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you both for coming in and best of luck with your future research!
Jonas: Our pleasure.
Moira: Absolutely.
—-
The sun beat down on the airfield, casting a heavy blanket over the whole area. It was too damn bright, hot, and dry for this, but she had to come down here. Moira put on her sunglasses and slowly disembarked the plane. It had only been a week of travel and interviews, but she was already feeling the strain. After meeting with Jonas at at the central hub in Site 19, they had traveled all over the US - NYC, Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco - before finishing up their week at sunny Phoenix, AZ. She just wanted to take a breather.
She stood under a nearby overhang and watched as a grey car drove towards them, shimmering in the heat. “Hot enough for you?” joked Jonas. She glanced over at him, snorting. “Any hotter and they’ll say we’re in hell.” He stretched and winced as he heard his back pop several times. “Yeah, well, as long as they’ve got a place to do some great massages I’ll deal with it. Damned airplanes are always too cramped.” They fell silent as the car stopped in front of them. A man dressed in an immaculately tailored black suit stepped out of the car. “Ms. Hangleton? Mr. Kim? I’m from Site 17. Mr. Peterson should have mentioned that I would be coming to pick you up from the airport.” Moira nodded. “He mentioned something about that, yeah. Thanks for the ride.” “No problem.” He motioned to the bags. “Would you like me to take those off your hands?” They obliged, handing them over..
As they got into the car, Jonas glanced sideways at Moira. “You know, I’m still not used to being chauffeured everywhere. I’m just so used to either renting a car or getting a taxi ride somewhere.” “Really? It’s been a week, so I’m starting to expect it, at least for this trip.” “True,” he agreed, pausing as the car started to drive, “but it still hasn’t really sunk in yet. This morning I woke up half expecting to be on the lounge couch taking a break from work, but no, I was in a lavish hotel with 800-count linens.”
“Well when you get used to it, don’t let it go to your head.” She said bemusedly. “It’s only for the tour. Afterwards, you’ll be going straight back to work and the lounge couch.” Jonas shook his head and chuckled.
Half an hour later they found themselves walking through a beautiful glass hallway while escorted by a camera crew and several makeup artists, assistants, and staff.. What they had expected from this interview was a simple Q&A session. What they got was a fully-fledged televised discussion as part of a documentary about developing technologies and industries. Apparently, it was a last minute change that the HR liaison - the ever wonderful Mr. Peterson - had eagerly signed off on without updating the two beleaguered engineers. Someone would be getting an earful, but that would have to wait till later.
[still working on it]
—-
Transcript of Press Interview - “Behind Closed Doors: The Minds of the Foundation”
Interviewer: Rebecca Ortega, Time magazine
Interviewee: Chief Engineer Moira Hangleton, Site 14 Research and Development
Interviewee: Applications Engineer Jonas Kim, Site 18 Research and Development
Rebecca: I’d like to introduce two experts from the Foundation here today. Chief engineer Moira Hangleton and applications engineer Jonas Kim. Together they have over 40 years of experience working in the research and development division at the Foundation, making some of the most advanced technologies to contain or combat anomalies known as “SCPs”. Thank you both for taking the time out of your busy schedules for this interview.
Moira: Thank you for having us. We realize that a lot of people must be curious about what the Foundation does, especially given everything that happened over the past few years.
Rebecca: I’d like to start off by asking both of you about some of your past work. In another interview you did, you mentioned some technologies you developed were as a result of the challenges in containing these SCPs. What sort of scenarios led to those advances? What could have necessitated things like the lightweight armor systems you mentioned?
Jonas: Well…
Moira: I’m sure anyone you ask will remember the event that happened a few years ago in North Korea. We developed these technologies to help prevent those types of things from happening. That is why we work hard to make these advancements. Our whole mission is to make these advances not just for the sake of having the best equipment possible. No, we do it because we cannot succeed in protecting humanity without them
Jonas: It sounds melodramatic, but it’s true. For example, we have some of the most advanced robotics facilities in the world. It is the only way we can have a presence in a situation where we cannot risk the lives of Foundation personnel. Some of the things we contain are extremely dangerous to a human, so we keep them safe by making it so they don’t have to be there. The biohazard systems we develop keep them from being exposed to any toxins or anomalous organic hazards. The medical equipment is produced to treat personnel more efficiently and effectively. I could go on about it, but I think you get the point. It’s only in the past few years that the benefits were allowed to be spread to the general public.
Rebecca: Don’t you think that it was a little selfish to hold onto all the technologies without concern to the greater good?
Jonas: It’s not like we didn’t release small patents or the data from our research in the past. We were allowed to occasionally give universities a nudge in the right direction, to help accelerate their work without making it too suspicious. Keep in mind, Ms. Ortega, that the Foundation used to operate in the shadows to keep humanity safe. Revealing all this technology back then would have destroyed the secrecy by making it blatantly obvious that this massive organization was around, working without anyone knowing about it.
Rebecca:
Note: "Swiss: that way there is a potential for someone to become addicted to the memories of another person and get lost in their lives" Maybe incorporate this? Not sure.
 |
SCP-922 in containment. |
Item #: SCP-922
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-922 is to be placed in an opaque container on a clean, sterile surface within a standard 2.5 m x 2.5 m room. A circle with a two-foot radius is to be drawn on the floor around SCP-922. During testing it is recommended that test subjects be monitored for extreme emotional distress to mitigate any possible damage to either 922 or themselves.
Description: SCP-922 is a small blue lunchbox with a thin black handle and two metal latches. Spectroscopic analysis indicates that the metal is standard 18/10 steel. It can be safely handled and transported without any special precautions so long as 922 is within an opaque container. SCP-922 is able to manifest food inside itself through some currently unidentified method. When a person is within two feet of and able to see SCP-922 they are immediately drawn to it and will instinctively open it to reach inside to pull out the food inside. Based on previous testing, there does not seem that there is any correlation between the person's heritage and the type of cuisine produced.
Upon retrieval of the food those affected will immediately begin to consume it. It is during this time that physiological and psychological effects begin to manifest. Regardless of their original mental state, test subjects will immediately begin to show emotions such as extreme happiness, rage, or depression. The aforementioned emotions seem to be the most common, but lethargy and restlessness are also prevalent, particularly after repeated exposures.
These emotions tend to be focused predominantly around strong memories that manifest only after consumption of the food created by 922. In fact, there is a strong correlation between the taste of the food and the memory that is experienced, as described in the following table:
I) Sweet flavors generally resulted in the experiencing of a positive or "happy" moment. Affected persons were noted to be "overly-energetic" and "eerily cheerful" when interviewed afterwards, though it was also noted that these flavors could develop extreme depression or anxiety when the memories associated with the taste were of traumatic events. When further discussed, these traumatic events were generally centered on either a childhood experience or an incident involving a child.
II) Salty or savory foods such as packaged chips or sandwiches tended to precipitate a period of increased stress, pressure, and/or anxiety. Those affected were found to be unable to sit still for extended lengths of time; instead most were noted to be in a state of constant motion. The memories associated with this group of tastes predominantly involved a state of heightened action, such as an intense athletic event or involvement in an armed conflict.
III) Sour flavors were most commonly attributed with decreased activity or paranoia. In fact, based on several sessions where foods with predominantly sour flavors were present, there seems to be a direct correlation between the degree of sourness and the severity of the reaction. [FOOTNOTE HERE ABOUT SOUR CANDY EVENT.]
IV) Bitter flavors elicited the most negative - and often the most aggressive - responses. Subjects who had consumed these foods had to be passivated and removed from the containment room. It is recommended that guards present during testing be equipped with tranquilizer pistols in order to subdue the subjects without placing themselves within the effect range of SCP-922.
-rewrite session left off here-
Following further testing, it seems that the experiences a subject goes through are not always from their past. One subject reported an intense fear from a memory of an artillery barrage, when he had never served in any armed force or lived in a war-torn region. Another subject reported a sense of bliss following a visit to an aunt in the French countryside for tea and madeleines, despite having never visited France or a neighboring region. Whether this suggests that SCP-922 has some sort of "stored memory" is inconclusive as of right now. More testing is required. -Dr. Kensington
The Mann Who Stole Christmas: A Children's Story
All hail Christmas Eve, the most wondrous of times,
Full of roasts and of toasts and the most festive of rhymes.
With some fresh eggnog and toddy,
And cocoa for mommy,
A Christmas like this is not shoddy.
But one Christmas Day almost didn’t come clear
When a Mann of great horrors came to spread fear.
A scalpel and grin,
And a swig of some gin,
Was all that was known of this demon of sin.
Who knew where he’d strike, that merciless fiend,
for naught but fair Chance could help intervene.
The good ole Foundation,
with much radiation,
Did try but found only frustration.
So who was to save Christmas, that season of wonder,
Since those who had tried were all torn asunder?
The famed GoC?
Or maybe MC&D?
The world held its breath at who it could be.
Then the deadliest Moose with their antlers of flame
came charging on in to change up Doc Mann’s game.
With a neigh and a kick,
Right into Mann’s dick,
Moose brought down the surgeon right quick.
And so Christmas was saved, with a kick to the nuts.
The peasants so happy leapt out of their huts.
They crowned the sweet Moose,
with freshly whipped mousse,
and feasted like kings on great goose.
So all hail the great Moose, lest you find their quick ire,
for if they’re not praised, you’ll die in a fire.
Or maybe by crushing,
perhaps even flushing,
but it’s best to just leave them a-blushing.
image
On the first day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Another round of keter duty.
On the second day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Two cups of Joe and another round of keter duty.
On the third day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the fourth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Four lazy guards, three new class-d’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the fifth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Five MTFs!!!!!! Four lazy guards, three new class-d’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the sixth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Six floating eyepods, five MTFs…! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the seventh day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the eighth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Eight pufferkittens, seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the ninth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Nine apple seeds, eight pufferkittens, seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the tenth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Ten clever prankings, nine apple seeds, eight pufferkittens, seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the eleventh day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Eleven cauterpillars, ten clever prankings, nine apple seeds, eight pufferkittens, seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
On the twelfth day of Christmas the O5 gave to me…
Twelve days of headaches, eleven cauterpillars, ten clever prankings, nine apple seeds, eight pufferkittens, seven creepy crawlies, six floating eyepods, five MTFs! Four lazy guards, three new class-D’s, two cups of Joe, and another round of keter duty.
Explained in simple terms.
XRD
XRF
SEM/TEM/STEM
SCP-XXXX: Acoustic Lard
Dr_Kens SCP-XXXX: Acoustic Lard
Dr_Kens Offers lubrication for vocal instruments.
Xiao That seems useful.
Xiao What could possibly go wrong?
Dr_Kens Twist: Subjects who listen to SCP-XXXX begin exhibiting extreme weight loss
Quikngruvn What, from gargling Crisco? Nothing at all.
Dr_Kens *instruments affected with SCP-XXXX
Dr_Kens The fat in their bodies are transferred to a vat of SCP-XXXX to the point where all of the fat is removed from their bodies.
Dr_Kens The longer they listen to it, the faster they lose the fat. (Exponential rate.)
Quikngruvn Wait, all the fat? Including the myelin around their neurons?
Dr_Kens Yep.
Dr_Kens Everything.
Xiao Well… that will suck.
Xiao Big time.
Dr_Kens They'll eventually die.
[Hello, User. Welcome to Psionics International Information Database. Please select a function:]
> Access Message Log #US-SCP_F-2116.
[Processing...]
[Attn: Access Key Required:]
>Login: ********-****
>Pass: **-******-*****
[Access Key Accepted. Welcome back, Doctor. Your last visit was {1925} days ago.]
[Accessing Message Log #US-SCP_F-2116.]
[Warning!!! Classified material. Do not redistribute.]
[Log Origin:] [**Unavailable. Scrambled as per Gen.Direc.7Ad██865.██**]
}[Encryption:******3sj-***]
[Receiver:] PsyAI.████.F.4v3.2███@Meldova.PIID.secure.██d
[03/25/06]
Hey boss, this is Kens, checking in as requested. I've just arrived in Taipei and am waiting to disembark from the plane to meet Jake Brown (the chief engineer, not the one in accounting). I can't wait to check out those new processing units that the labs here have cooked up. IF the engineers have come through with what they promised then the prostheses we're working on should respond much faster to outside stimuli and user commands. Should be fucking amazing. #^@Oh, there's Jake. I'll check i^$n aga&$@in la-
[Error: Message corrupted. Continuing from first readable point.]
%64&the$$^-testing log encryp$^#tion and checking for data corruption. Everything looks good, though I do h#%@ave some reservations about these new drives we installed. They're supposedly more reliable, but we know how hard drives4%r5re. Give them a few ba$&72#@^3.d weeks and shit's going down. Anyway, the engineers have delivered.$^982&# The processors are easily a#% thousand times more responsive than our old Libras. Jake thinks that they can squeeze out a little more performa^%@nce with a little more time and a quick adjustment to the-
[Error: Message corrupted. Continuing from first readable point.]
-elieveable. Simply
unbelievable. Some new investors are coming in on our team here, trying to buy off the new Scorpio processors from them. It's ridiculous! We were here first! If this new group thinks they can force us away, they've got another thing coming.
[03/31/06]
[Unknown command line initialized.]
{Override Authorization Disabled}[Beginning Message Scramble in 5...4...3...2...1...]
[Error - Data Corrupted.]
[Erro#@&* - #$_╞╒ m%ess4g3@! - ]
[Error - Terminal Reboot initiated.]
[Rebooting. . .Hello, User. Welcome to Psionics International Information Database. Please select a function:]
2. Reality Bending pplz what can make the world change with their mindz. and 15. Statues what move when you dun look at dem. We already have one what does that and it's better than what you can write.
Concept? Reality-bending statue that alters the world around it to fit it's purpose?
Concept?
SCP-XXX: Who's Fanboy (?)
Item #: SCP-XXX
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-XXX is to be contained in a furnished
Description:
SCP-721-J: A bee.
Item #: SCP-721-J
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-721-J is to be kept in a 1m x 1m Plexiglas case,
Description:
The Abyssal Tree Image: http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/b/black_and_white_oak_tree-11909.jpg <Will be shopped with a faint starfield inside.
Item #: SCP-XXX
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-XXX is to be kept in Storage Hangar 13B-DC, at Site [][]. Any and all personnel involved in testing or exploration are to sign in and remain in direct visual range. It is recommended that any subjects entering the internal area of SCP-XXX wear five-point harnesses and tethered to the cement foundation.
Under no circumstances should XXX be allowed to cross another shadow. Results are outlined in Addendum XXX-1.
Description:
SCP-XXX, upon cursory examination, appears to be a tangible three-dimensional shadow. Under normal circumstances it manifests as a tree, specifically Quercus alba, but is known to also manifest as various large land animals.
Although SCP-XXX does not emit any abnormal emissions, there appears to be no end
[It's a tree that, upon looking into the trunks/branches, etc, appears to go to infinity. Basically a tree who outlines emptiness. Maybe warps into different shapes, like a tree, an animal, etc…]
As I write this, it is currently…1:52 AM, Monday the 21st of March. I just heard a rustling in the window blinds. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
I just can't sleep. It feels like there's something watching me. Chilling me more than the AC that's softly blowing the air
Euryplatea nanaknihali. The world’s smallest species of fly. It seems to lay its eggs inside an ant; when the larvae hatch, they climb into its head and eat its brain, until a special enzyme causes the head to fall off and the mature flies burst out. The ant stumbles about in a literally mindless stupor until the connection between its head and body is dissolved by a enzyme released from the maggot. The head falls off and the adult flies burst out.
But that process could take a while as it's slowly eaten by things that have climbed through your body to get there.
What a terrifying way to die.
—-
The tropics of any continent are fraught with danger, as any guide worth their salt will tell you. What they don’t tell you about is the danger posed by the seemingly innocuous Pseudacteon spirali.
Pseudacteon spirali is a species of Phorid fly that dwells predominantly in warmer, tropical areas, spreading prolifically among people living around water sources or fruit orchards. Its physiology is much like that of other species in the family, with a few slight differences. The first of differences is it’s large size; The average specimen is easily between two and three centimeters long, with some growing to be as long as four centimeters. The second difference is in its choice of host: Homo sapiens.
It is due to this choice of host that this particular species of Phoridae has gained a type of notoriety among residents of and around tropical plantations or slow-flowing water. No one name has truly lived up to describing the true extent of its infamy yet. Everyone only knows it by what it does and what they have to do to stop it.
If you happen to be infected by Pseudacteon spirali, all guides will tell you to do same thing: Put a loaded gun against your head, say a prayer, and pull the trigger.
There is a reason for this. Those infected by Pseudacteon spirali have six agonizing signposts on the way to an unavoidable death:
1) Severe skin irritation around the bite area.
2) Severe muscle pain around the bite area.
3) Inflammation around the temples and behind the ears.
4) Muscle spasms, uncontrolled twitching, and the decreasing ability to tell the passage of time through sequential motions.
5) Severe memory loss and speech impairment.
6) Complete loss of physical coordination and noticeable degradation of mental faculty.
To be fully aware of the larvae slowly eating their way through your body and feeling their squirming bodies make their way up into your brain and hearing the sound of your brain being eaten away…
What a horrifying way to die.
—-
The text above was an excerpt from an old scientific journal discovered in 1982 by American biologist Steven Hurtell on a vacation to French Guiana. He had stumbled across a dilapidated specimen kit while perusing a street stall and purchased it as a curious souvenir of his trip. Upon opening he found several glass jars filled with preserving fluid, various instruments, and an odd dilapidated journal with a faded circular symbol scrawled in the corner of the cover. The journal itself seemed to be written by one Dr. Gregory Vasilev, an entomologist from Northern Ukraine. It contained information about dozens of previously undiscovered species of insects
Three weeks later Steven Hurtell, having returned from his vacation, was admitted to Hackettstown Regional Hospital in New Jersey with severe muscle spasms and significant inflammation around his temples and neck. He died a few days after being admitted. An autopsy revealed a large amount of living larvae still present in the body. There was a significant amount of larvae in the brain and around the C6 vertebra, eating their way out from the core of the body. There was only about a centimeter of flesh holding on Mr. Hurtell’s head around the C6 vertebra, the rest having been eaten away by the larvae.
Before a more thorough autopsy could be done, Mr. Hurtell’s body was claimed by an anonymous party and taken away in an unmarked ambulance. Similar cases appeared in the following weeks, but were quickly treated by the Society of Citizen Protection.