[EXTENDED_LORE]
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a collection of lore snippets posted throughout the development
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subject: TR_sec_396
type: personal_log
date: 17.01.2179
location: Sector 19m

The sirens are blaring outside again. I've been living in this damn apartment for the past 4 years and yet I don't recall there ever being this much commotion before. It doesn't seem like it's going to get better any time soon. Folks are getting suspicious and who can blame them? It started with several seemingly random incidents. Some bum got butchered in an alley a while ago and people freaked out. It was on all news because the guy got cut up like a pig, splayed on the pavement as if someone wanted to make damn sure everyone noticed their handiwork. A few days later an office worker got arrested for assaulting their colleagues seemingly for no reason. Stressful working conditions, they said... But the details were pretty disturbing. Witnesses said he acted like a lunatic, blind fury in his eyes. The whole thing snowballed from there. More and more incidents occurred, no visible connection between the cases. The number of missing people skyrocketed in just a few weeks while the random acts of extremely violent crimes spread throughout the city. Some blame the government's lenient response to the stranglehold the megacorporations have over an increasing number of military industries. Some blame the followers of Mira, others blame the Pulse. There's always enough blame to go around but no concrete answers. I don't know what to believe... But I see a pattern. I just cannot tell what it means yet. I've been having this... apprehension that I just can't shake off. The cold vibration in the air. The storm is brewing and I need more time.


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message_intercepted...
contents_pending_examination...
reason: possible encounter with Object #s08v

subject: JM_842
type: personal_log
date: 21.02.2179
location: Sector 19o

I got lost in the wilderness yesterday. I don't know how it happened. I went out for a walk after dinner as I like to do, just to unwind after a long day in the factory. I've been walking right next to the little pond past the old, rusty sewer entrance and continued uphill towards the opening. The sky was overcast and it was getting dark but at that time of the year you can see pretty well even without the flashlight. So here I was strolling through the beaten path and the occasional bushes, enjoying the rustling of the leaves, a gentle breeze and the crackling of insects... and just as I was about to enter the opening I've found myself in an unfamiliar place.

At first I thought I took a wrong turn somewhere but I didn't recognize that area at all. This is very strange. I know this place like the back of my hand. I've walked through those woods many times and I've never seen this before. I decided to go a bit further to see if I can get my bearings but that only made it worse. After a couple of minutes I started midly panicking - I just kept walking and walking, seemingly getting nowhere in the process. The weirdest thing though was that I could constantly see the city lights glistening in the distance through the branches - I couldn't have been completely off the track but still I couldn't find my way out.

Finally I ended up in a small grove and at that point I couldn't believe my eyes. The place was absolutely beautiful, like from a fairy tale: a breathtaking splatter of greens, reds and browns with the eerie light almost dancing around with dozens of glowing fireflies circling around. I didn't notice it at first but after a few moments I've finally been able to pinpoint the source of the strange light: it was a small orb laying on the grass under one of the trees. It was like a star, brighter than the Sun yet it wasn't blinding my eyes at all. I was stunned. The bluish glow was alluring and I had to see it up close. However just as took a few steps forward and reached out for it I've found myself kneeling in the opening that I've been trying to find all this time. I looked around in confusion - it was already dark but I knew where I was now so I got up and made my way towards the road.

This couldn't have been real. I must have fainted from exhaustion or something. I'm positive that there's no such grove in that wilderness. It must have been a dream.

That sounds logical. It's a reasonable explanation. And under different circumstances I wouldn't have any problems accepting that... Except there is a small object wrapped in a piece of cloth laying next to me.


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data_archive_accessed...
searching... event_of_synchronicity
please_wait...

subject: OZ_347
type: news_article
date: 25.01.2179
location: Sector 19m
 
Excerpt from The Pulse Aftermath | January 25th 2179
Three months ago a mysterious phenomenon occurred in the thirty kilometer radius in and around the city, sending a wave of distress amongst the population and causing the near-panic state for a couple of hours. Jeffrey Byron from the the Northern Herald News dubbed it the "Calamity Pulse", the name that was quickly adapted as an unofficial term for the event. It turned out to be quite fitting as professor Morgan Patterson from the National Research Department explained: "The so called Calamity Pulse is assumed to have been caused by a rare glitch in the Mark III Pulse Engines used widely in interstellar shuttles. In itself the glitch goes pretty much unnoticed and results in an extremely minor energy dip during the takeoff but it's been theorized that the particle shockwave it causes might, under very specific circumstances, synergize with the vibration frequency of the Collar Sources. This can result in a large scale discharge capable of affecting both human beings and electronic systems over a short period of time however not in any meaningful way."

Professor Patterson reassures that such event is extremely unlikely to happen again and that we probably won't experience another one in our lifetimes, though the public remains skeptical due to possibility of further unforseen consequences of using the new generation of power sources. Critics of massive corporations took the Calamity Pulse event as an opportunity to voice their concernes regarding the rapid deployment of Collar Sources, calling it "a rash and irresponsible over-reaction to the ongoing exhaustion of natural energy resources."

The way in which the Pulse affected the populace varies from person to person to the point where it's difficult for researchers to determine which of those experiences are directly related to the phenomenon in the first place. The common factor in all of the cases appears to be the remarkably brief timespan which is often described as barely perceivable - some citizens weren't even certain if their experiences were real to begin with. Others however described a very vivid sensation of being pulled away from themselves although the feeling is said to have been dreamlike, as if falling asleep for a second and then immediately waking up. According to the authorities no major incidents have occurred in relation to the Pulse and aside from the understandable concerns that the citizens had immediately after the event the whole situation did not cause any significant problems. The UAC Board of Directors released a statement on the situation, assuring that despite an extensive investigation into the matter no negative effects of the glitch have been discovered. The corporation has been scrutinized in the past for its aggressive expansion into the military industries and the fields of energy production though the undeniable benefits of the Collar Source technology have won a lot of people over. The bad PR related to the Pulse has brought back a number of arguments against the enigmatic Board of Directors whose actions are often seen as overreaching. It remains to be seen if those arguments will lead to any changes in the company in the long term.

Calamity Pulse continues to raise more questions but due to its unique nature, further research proves to be very difficult as recreating the event would require providing conditions that are virtually impossible to achieve in a controlled environment.


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Authorities have taken steps to further prevent access to the remote areas of the sewer system. According to the Security Chief Daniel Tyson, most of the tunnels will be under indefinite lockdown and maintenance teams will be required to abide by much stricter protocols in order to perform tasks in the furthest reaches of the underground compound. A growing number of incidents linked to the dangerous subterranean environment has been cited as one of the main reasons for the changes.

The sewer system is not in itself dangerous though the declining condition of the older structures lead to a number of accidents involving both the citizens and specialized workers. Last year a part of the stone bridge in one of the intersections collapsed, cutting off access to critical areas and creating a gap impossible to cross without proper equipement.

The underground parts of the city have always served as secluded hideouts for the homeless and gathering spots for teenagers as, outside of the key areas, there's no surveillance there and outer tunnels can be easily accessed from a number a points on the streets. Safe from occasional drug deals though there weren't many notable incidents and the public had little interest in the events taking place underground. It wasn't until a tragedy involving a nine year old Steven Pierce in 2178 that authorities have started paying more attention to the potentially lethal conditions in the sewers. "We can't have people just wandering around in the old, unstable parts of the tunnels. The accident rates will only go up if we don't enforce a definite lockdown on those areas", said officer Tyson.

The structural damage of the lower parts of the system has already resulted in a couple of cave-ins. Several areas are no longer accessible due to the deterioration of an aging architecture. Despite the ongoing efforts of rebuilding and modernizing the complex, the majority of the areas remain dangerous to incautious explorers.

The city sewers are notable for their labyrinthine structure with long, winding corridors and intersecting areas. Many sections have been abandoned for years and the collapsed tunnels make it difficult to access older parts of the underground system. Over the years the place has attracted the attention of urban explorers, some of which have dedicated themselves to mapping out the entirety of the complex. "It's a real goldmine, we keep finding new areas. It's like there's no end to this place" - said Trident in her recent video. She's one of such trespassers documenting their endeavours of creating a comprehensive map of the underground. "There are several interesting looking places we haven't been able to get to. Maybe one of them contains the Stash".

The Stash is a colloquial term that some people use to describe the location of the Irritant stockpile that is rumoured to be somewhere beneath the streets. A few years ago a prominent group belonging to a criminal syndicate called Coelacanths has been pinned down in the sewers by the Turmoil special forces unit. The syndicate members have raided a UAC warehouse seizing control of a cache of energy based weapons as well as several cases of the Irritant injections - a powerful military grade combat drug used for enhancing soldier's capabilities in extreme situations. The group was captured after several hours and Turmoil reclaimed the stolen weaponry however the syringes were never found. According to annonymous sources connected to Coelacanths the stockpile was dropped down one of the tunnels during the attempted escape. The syndicate members were supposed to find it later but it appears it might have been lost for good somewhere deep inside the underground labyrinth.


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attention...
UAC_Station_In_Absentia
signal_intercepted...
source_unknown...
unauthorized_transmission...
possible_intrusion... security_notified...

...
Harlan G: Calibrations in Sector G underway. Plasma Inducers operational. Ion Accelerator... online. The signal is really strong. Looking good.
---
Michael S: What about the power fluctuations? Has the engineering team been notified?
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HG: Yes, yes. Norman is handling the energy distribution this time. I just hope we won't have to rely on the auxiliary generators. Security has been picky about the power requirements in Containment.
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MS: That breach wasn't exactly our fault though.
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HG: Well, I can't blame them for wanting to minimize the risk. We did push the systems to the brim.
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MS: Fair enough. So, are we done here? We gotta run.
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HG: Sure thing, just give me a sec... Jason's upstairs?
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MS: Yeah and he's not happy. I think the meeting with the Administrator is inevitable.
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HG: I knew it'd come to this. Why is nothing ever going as planned? Damn it.
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MS: Well, you know how it is, I just wish we had a bit more time. If only Gossip wasn't so urgent...
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HG: We could have made the deadline even without compromising the protocols. Aren't you sick of this goldrush?
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MS: Eh, I don't know anymore. I've heard rumours that some private company... what's their name... Well, the point is they had an undercover investigation going. Don't know if they've found anything but I'd say we've cut it pretty close.
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HG: Wait, what? I haven't heard about this. Which company was that?
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MS: Hm, the name is just on the edge of my mind... Damn... The one with that weird trident in the logo?
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HG: Selenic? That's not even their field. Why would they care?
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MS: Beats me. But honestly nothing surprises me anymore. Ever since the Pulse everyone's been pulling in weird directions. Worst case scenario they're in bed with someone else. Either way that's for the Board to figure out. We've got other problems now. Like why were the dimensional fields collapsing so quickly during the last few tests? We have less and less time with each one and that's the last thing we need.
---
HG: Hm... They're definitely... Oh, hold up the door!
...
...
Station Announcement System: Attention! Doctor McCormick, please report to Central Administration.
...
...
HG: Anyway, the cycles are clearly getting shorter. Maybe the sample is deteriorating...
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MS: Don't even say that. We're pulling the energy from three different generators just to get the preliminary readings. This can't go on forever. And if we lose that sample there's no telling when we can get a hold of another one.
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HG: I think that at this point we have to assume the worst. We've got to get as much out of it as we can. You have to admit the data from the Synchronicity looks promising.
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MS: That whole thing was a bloody gamble. I've never seen UAC running that level of damage control. I'd rather not even think just how much did that cost us.
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HG: Ha! We're gonna be paying the price for that stunt for years to come! That's why we can't let that go to waste. I hope the Administrator understands that.
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MS: ...
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HG: What?
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MS: Nothing. It's just that it didn't even make him flinch. I think he's willing to go way further than that.
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HG: For sure! These are extraordinary times, my friend.
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MS: I don't know if I share your excitement. If Gossip fails...
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HG: Hey, no one ever said stalling the end of the world would be easy.
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MS: I wish the line between stalling and ushering was clearer...

transmission_interrupted...


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The woods on the outskirts of Sector 19m. A sizable forested area that has thankfully remained intact despite the ongoing industrial expansion in surrounding environs. A few dozen square miles of untouched nature just past the countryside, a truly perfect locale for hiking. While there are many windy roads and some of its parts are almost unnaturally thick and dark, there aren't any stories or myths associated with it. No unexplainable sightings, no mysterious creatures lurking in the bushes. The only thing of note is the old, decommissioned railway system, along with a collapsed tunnel that for some reason didn't get sealed off. It's a relic of a bygone era left alone for decades - the contemporary transit system was constructed in a different area so there were no efforts to dismantle the old one. As I said there are no urban legends associated with this forest. Or rather there weren't until recently.

In 2173 the entire area was suddenly cordoned off by the UAC. The official reports mentioned some kind of biological hazard that was tracked down to this location so the whole forest got sealed off with chainlink and guarded by armed UAC security forces. The wounds were still fresh after the global outbreak of the Nova Plague fifteen years earlier so the situation was taken very seriously. The Government essentially let the UAC take care of the whole thing, as they were the ones who managed to create a working vaccine for the Plague in 2159. For almost 5 years no one was allowed into the area except for the specialized UAC personel but in 2178 the woods were finally re-opened to the public.

The UAC were detailing their efforts to deal with the contaminated area through regular progress reports. Apparently large quantities of hazardous substances, including waste from interstellar engines and fuel byproducts were located in the wilderness. This waste could have caused the destruction of the ecosystem and even contaminate the ground water so the situation looked pretty bad. The list of suspects hasn't been released though certain industrial corporations were later blamed by politicians as well as activists as a retaliation for creating a severe health crisis. The UAC never made a comment on the matter.

The majority of the conversation was directly related to pointing the blame for the situation however certain facts have begun to surface since then. Some things didn't quite add up. There were multiple sightings of heavy aircrafts coming in and out of the exclusion zone which were originally thought to have been transport and science vessels. However upon closer investigation many of those looked more like construction vehicles used primarily for building massive off-world stations. The presence of such ships was not entirely surprising as it's understood the UAC must have constructed temporary outposts to deal with the situation. However the number of sightings of such vessels landing in the cordoned area made it seem like the UAC was building something more permanent there.

After its reopening the area looked pretty much intact, the same old woods with almost no signs of recent activity, safe for some minor pieces of equipment left there after being deemed "safe" for the environment. No secret construction site has been found but the number of strange sightings skyrocketed. More and more people started reporting seeing mysterious aircrafts above the forest. Some mentioned hearing bizzare noises deep within the woods, low humming echoening through the trees while others claim to have seen unidentified armed personnel moving stealthily in the distance. As always in situations like this theories have began to spread like wildfire. Rumours about a super secret UAC installation hidden in the forest were running rampant. Since no one has managed to find any concrete evidence of its existence the general public ended up treating the whole thing as a harmless urban legend. I have learned to not dismiss such reports too easily though.

I've heard bits and pieces of information about recent UAC activity in the city. Vague terms such as "in absentia" and "gossip" keep popping up though those seem to be pretty random. The UAC has devoted a substantial amount of resources to expansion in the area though no one is able to pinpoint where are those resources actually going. There really aren't many places where their movement would go unnoticed. I'm fairly certain they're using the forest but for what purpose? There must be something there. We're just not looking hard enough.


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This is the personal audio log of Drake Cygnus, dated February 26th 2179. I'm recording this to document the events of the last couple of weeks in case something happens to me, though the chances they're not gonna find and wipe it out in such circumstances are pretty slim. If you're hearing this then take heed, this is very important.

I used to work for the Turmoil Security though it's more of a special forces unit that cooperates with the Government rather than a security company. High-tier assingments coming from the top, primarily dealing with gang warfare, drug deals and human trafficking. High risk, high reward. While I'd love to claim I've been doing it purely out of duty the truth is the adrenaline rush was arguably a bigger part of it. As was the number of zeros on my paycheck. However that's not what got me into trouble.

A tale as old as time. We were in the middle of a raid on the Vitriol group that's been smuggling the supplies through the border. A stealth operation, we had them surrounded, just waiting for the order to seize them, nice and clean. But I guess someone high up wanted to send a message and we were supposed to wipe them all out instead. It just didn't sit right with me so I ordered the squad to take them alive anyway. The command didn't like that. Technically they didn't kick me out and I could have made it all work but the whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth - so after a lot of bickering about the whole thing I decided to quit. It's not like I had a good idea as to what to do next so I kept bouncing around for a while, trying to figure it out. I guess I have forgotten how dull life can get when you cut out the intensity. It didn't take long for me to start losing my mind because I was bored out of my skull. Then it all changed one evening.

Three weeks ago I found a strange briefcase in my apartment. Whoever left it must have been really good - got through level 5 security systems like it was nothing. They didn't leave any traces whatsoever, I probably wouldn't even have noticed if it wasn't for the briefcase itself that I was obviously supposed to find. At first I thought about getting my buds at Turmoil to check it but the preliminary scan didn't indicate anything dangerous about it. Besides, if somebody wanted me dead I guess they wouldn't have left it out in the open.

As soon as I opened it I noticed a secure military-grade transmitter and a bunch of documents. Underneath there was s sidearm as well as a series-Z Perception Enhancer. We've used those occasionally at Turmoil but only in special cases... I wasn't sure what to make out of it but the situation was clearly very serious. The Enhancer alone was worth a fortune, not to mention other things in the briefcase. I started going through the documents but then the transmitter lit up - someone was calling.

It was no surprise that I didn't get to learn who exactly were the people that left the package - they're big shots no doubt. The conversation was brief and straight to the point. My "benefactors" are conducting a widespread investigation into the Calamity Pulse, the infamous shockwave allegedly caused by the Collar Source energy units developed by the UAC. The official statements claim there were no adverse effects of the Pulse. And yet all of a sudden we're dealing with a massive rise in seemingly random acts of violence and people suffering from schizophrenia. Now I'm no scientist and I won't pretend to know how all this fancy technology works and what it can do. But the timing was so perfect that if it was a coincidence then it's a bloody massive one. Well, the people who left the briefcase certainly think there's some connection.

It was clear to me they made a thorough background check on me. Heh, at the very least they knew I wouldn't refuse the offer. The job involves looking into a number of persons of interest and investigating their potential involvement in the recent events. And what a colorful cast it is - obviously it includes high ranking people from the UAC, but also from Iridescent, Torrential Enterprises, even The Cult of Mira. It was blatantly obvious that I had to get a bit more... involved in the case in order to make some real progress. They knew it, of course, otherwise they wouldn't have chosen someone with special operations experience. They've included an advance payment for undertaking the job and made it clear I'd be rewarded accordingly if the investigation was successful. It was about to get busy.

After the call I went through the documents in the briefcase. While the whole situation was intriguing I have to say just going through those papers gave me a rather ominous vibe. I had the profiles of people I was supposed to investigate, details on various points of interest and sites to check. However what made me curious was a surprising amount of medical reports. Some of them were actually from off-world stations, including that damn ghost UAC facility on Mars. Up until this point I wasn't sure if the Pulse had anything to do with the surge of violence. But after reading those reports... I don't know what to think anymore.

This has been happening before. All over the place, just not on this scale. People going insane, attacking others for no reason - later having no recollection of why they did it. Some with no prior mental problems having sudden breakdowns, self-harming, even killing themselves out of nowhere. Unexplainable cases of schizophrenia and paranoid delusions. And the things those people are saying... This one really resonates for some reason:

"We're but a lone beacon of life in an endless void. I can hear it seeping through, seething, ruining everything... So why? Why do you insist on shattering the only thing that keeps it out?"

The earliest reports of this kind come from isolated stations and increase in numbers with time. Psychological problems have been a real plague on multiple UAC outposts for years but I guess it didn't take long for someone to realize it's not just the result of people working in remote facilities for extended periods of time. Something's been going on. I don't know what the hell is UAC doing but it's not good. And now... now it's happening in the entire city.

I'm in the trenches. The things I've found out so far are troubling. I have this... apprehension. I thought the storm was brewing on the horizon. But I'm afraid the storm is already here. We may not have much more time left.


=====================================================================


There are dreams for which some would burn the world down to the frames. There are wishes for which some would commit the most horrid deeds. There are people who would stop at nothing just to make their deepest desires become reality. Even if it meant plunging us all into darkness.

Some believe there are many different planes of existence. That Heaven and Hell lurk somewhere between dimensions. I don't know anything about Heaven, but here's what I can tell you about Hell, my friend. It's already here. It's always been. We're in the eye of the storm, the shimmering light surrounded by the limitless void. What you think is an endless universe is anything but. Our world is the loneliest star in the blood sea burning with hatred for us - the last bastion of life. And whatever it is that protects us from it is breaking down - because someone is obsessed with widening the cracks. Someone is reaching so hard for things beyond their grasp that they're bending our world and dragging us all down with them. Someone so hollow and lifeless that they're ready to destroy all of existence to make their dream come true.

Can you imagine what utter emptiness must be driving this kind of determination?


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subject: the_glitch_anomaly
location: in_absentia
security_level: 4
status: contained_awaiting_further_analysis

In Absentia houses the experimental Hyper Wave Accelerator deep within the bowels of its Research Sector. Formally designated HW-001-Xar, the HWA went through several iterations over the course of its existence. The device started out as a Hyper Wave Transmitter prototype, the third such unit in the UAC history which was supposed to continue the ongoing research into the faster-than-light communication methods. However after the breakthrough discoveries made by the Mars division in the laboratories of the Phobos station six months ago the HWA was redesigned to facilitate the experiments related to energy manipulation. The results were promising and the device was modified to accommodate different lines of investigation into the matter. However things have taken an unexpected turn after the Synchronicity, aka Calamity Pulse.

The shockwave resulting from the Pulse has affected some of the equipment in the base but in entirely predictable ways. The only exception was the Hyper Wave Accelerator. For reasons currently unknown the HWA came online seemingly on its own during the Synchronicity and its energy yield kept going up until it reached and then exceeded the available scale. All of the attempts to shut it down were unsuccessful. The panic has started spreading throughout the station due to a risk of a meltdown which could have destroyed the entire base. The eye witnesses reported seeing an orb of energy just underneath the main coil of the Accelerator, pulsating with images of ethereal places and unfathomable geometries. The whole chamber was shaking violently for several minutes until a rapid discharge ended the event and everything went back to normal. Or so it appeared at the first glance.

The Accelerator was still online, feeding off of the unknown energy source, though running at what appeared to have been its minimum capacity. All of the subsequent efforts to turn it off have failed. In fact even disconnecting and dismantling of the device had no effect. The scientists have managed to pull apart multiple elements from the HWA and yet they kept operating as if nothing has changed. A number of components were removed to no avail - the Accelerator continued to work without any issues. In the final desperate attempt the engineers decided to crush one of the power rods in a hydraulic press. Unsurprisingly all of its broken pieces continued to function regardless, unaffected by their complete destruction. There was one more thing that has changed in the HWA chamber.

When one of the scientists tried to pass under the main coil he has found himself on the other end of the chamber in an instant. He fell to his knees from disorientation as others watched in bewilderment. It took a few moments before anyone could utter a word. The space underneath the coil seemed perfectly normal yet there was obviously something different about it. The scientist seemed fine and against his better judgement he decided to backtrack. In a blink of an eye he "glitched" under the device again and came back to the original spot.

A number of tests have been conducted in the area including trying to pass various objects under the coil. Everything behaved the same exact way: skipping the space beneath the Accelerator and instantly arriving a few meters further. At first glance the process seemed in some ways to resemble teleportation however the similarities ended on the initial appearance. There were no indications of matter transfer. It seemed more like the time itself was distorted in a bubble around the coil. The subjects entering this bubble were definitely not skipping the space in the middle of the chamber, they must have been passing under it. However the process was not observable at all, neither on a footage nor through any other methods.

Interesting results came from trying to measure the time that passes for the subject when it "moves" beneath the coil. The timespan seems to be different each time with no discernible pattern but on average it varies between 10 seconds and 45 minutes. Regardless it appears instantaneous from outside the bubble.

The entire area of the Hyper Wave Accelerator has been locked down. While there are no indications of any harmful effects of passing through the bubble the prospect of unknown long-term issues led to the decision to cut this section off. Examination of the anomaly has been postponed indefinitely due to the urgency of containing the effects of Synchronicity and continuation of the Gossip Project.


=====================================================================


Yeah I've been here for a long time now. It's kinda like a little society for all the people who don't fit in above. All sorts of folks come here - runaways, drifters - anyone trying to get away from something. Bottom line most of'em don't come here to start trouble so it's relatively safe around these parts. People usually stick to themselves.

After that little boy drowned in the cistern the government suits scrambled like cockroaches thinking the whole place is a deathtrap. Talked about sealing the entire underground up but as always it was mostly just fluff. Sure, some of the bigger entraces were locked up so that folks above would calm down but there are so many tunnels and hatches all over the city that nobody really has any problems getting here anyway.

They keep saying it's dangerous here but you're gonna be just fine as long as you watch where you're going. Just have a bit of common sense, you know? These outer tunnels close to the entrances are safe, folks have been hanging around here for a long time. Some of'em walls are falling apart but the overall construction still holds up. The deeper you go the bigger gamble you're making though.

Most people ain't really used to underground areas. It's easy to lose track of where you are and there are all sorts of weird noises from the pipes, metro and sewers that can freak you out, make you think there's somethin' lurking in the dark. You don't have to worry about that, it's just how these kinds of places are. With that said, however...

There are parts of the tunnels that the locals tend to avoid. You get into one of'em and it hits you right away. The air suddenly feels stale, gets harder to breathe. You start getting those strange thoughts in your head, paranoia and stuff. You don't really want to linger but it's difficult to leave for some reason. I used to think there must be some chemicals leaking from somewhere, trippin' you out. Toxic fumes maybe? But I guess everyone who's been here long enough has different ideas about that.

There are many stories floating around about those areas. Some couldn't get out of the tunnels they knew like the back of their hand. Others claim they kept looping back to the same rooms over and over again. Don't know what to tell you, everyone thinks it's bollocks until they experience it themselves. And it seems like recently some of this stuff has gotten worse.

Weirdest things have started happening after that shockwave, Pulse they call it. Some of those places somehow got way more intense. Seen that winding tunnel to the east? You'd better stay away from that place. An ol' pal of mine, Coffer, and myself went in there a while back looking for things to scavange. It's a long route but very straightforward, can lead you to a lot of interesting areas. At least that's how it used to be. After trudging through the flooded canal we got confused at a fork. Maybe some tunnels have collapsed, we thought. But after that we just couldn't get out. Been wandering in that damn cesspool for hours and eventually came to a big chamber we've never seen before. Felt off, like something was really wrong with it. We kept stumbling around and finally found the exit but it was a close shave - it seemed like it was pure luck on our part because neither of us knew where the hell we were.

Cannot tell you what happened there. We were stuck, like in a nightmare, ya know? No way out. We'd always just end up in another dead end, like the damn walls were shifting or somethin'. Then a few days later these people came down and started poking around the place. No idea who they were. At first glance they looked like government officials but they really weren't giving off that vibe. Some private corporation, perhaps? Anyway, they brought a lot of those fancy gadgets of theirs, kept taking measurements, doing some tests. Then they sealed off a few areas and just left. They didn't bother us and some of those sketchy places are now blocked so that's good for all the newcomers - they ain't gonna wander into an unpleasant situation by accident. Still feels strange, didn't seem like the authorities had anything to do with it.

So they sealed that tunnel but ya know how people are. There's always someone feeling brave, trying to get in. I'm pretty sure there's a way to open it somehow but why would anyone in their right mind want to do that? I just hope that whatever is wrong with these tunnels is not gonna spread any further.


=====================================================================


subject: IH_006
type: personal_log
date: [redacted]
location: Sector 19

transmission_intercepted
automatic_transcription_in_progress
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automatic_transcription_completed

error...
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signal_lost...

My name is Ian. I'm recording this to document the events of the past 24 hours in case that becomes useful to someone. And to retain my sanity. Now that I'm in relative safety I can finally try to collect my thoughts.

I... I'm not exactly sure where to begin. There's so much to go through... Yesterday early in the morning something happened in Sector 19. I heard the commotion outside. Didn't think much of it at first, couldn't see anything through the window so I brushed it off. I thought there must have been an accident of some sort, police cars were passing by over and over. Then... I heard screaming, followed by gunshots. I looked out the window again and I could see people running. Then there was another gunshot, and another. I tried to figure out what was going on but all the communication was down for some reason. Net connection, phones, everything. People started panicking, heard my neighbours running somewhere, maybe they decided to check on the situation. I didn't know what to do so I waited. A few minutes later the whole block began to shake. I knew what it meant. UAC dropships were coming.

Everything erupted into chaos after that. The city turned into a warzone. I could hear gunfire, explosions. Screaming. The smoke was so thick I could barely see what was going on. I was sure it must have been a terrorist attack. I mean - what else could it have been? By that point both the military and UAC special forces were involved. Something big has happened. Really big. I still couldn't get a hold of anyone and nobody in the building knew what was going on. Then there was a huge explosion - one of the dropships crashed nearby. A cold shiver went down my spine. I was hyperventilating. I've never been this scared in my life. Little did I know that things were about to get much worse.

I heard this deep, guttural growl - very powerful, some really big animal I thought. But I've never heard anything quite like this before. I looked out the window again. It was difficult to see anything because of the smoke but I could still make out the shapes. The marines were retreating, firing blindly when this... This thing jumped out and charged in their direction. It leaped onto the nearest soldier and... ripped off his arms. He was screaming, gushing blood as the beast moved on to the others. It... It just tore them apart like paper. Splayed their bodies all over the street in this savage, bloodthirsty rage. I didn't want to look but I couldn't move. I just stood there, frozen. Paralyzed.

I fell onto the floor and vomited. It was insane. I couldn't believe it. What was that thing? What was going on? I panicked. Grabbed my things and decided to get the hell out of there. I could hear people screaming and crying in the hallways. I was so numb after what I saw that I just ignored all of it and kept moving. But once I got onto the street level things went from bad to worse. There were bodies everywhere. Severed limbs and entrails... Blood splattered all over the pavement... The air was so heavy, smoke and gunpowder mixed with the stench of death and burnt flesh... The whole place looked like Hell.

I honestly can't remember much after that. I wanted to get out of the city and head towards the outskirts. There's a town near a forest that seemed like a good escape destination. Got a friend who lives there. I was basically running on an autopilot, like my brain has shut off anything not directly related to what was right in front of me. I didn't want to think, I didn't want to remember that nightmare. When I got to the higher ground I turned around and saw a massive black cloud of smoke in the distance. I think the city was burning. Another reason to keep moving, I thought.

It took me many hours but I made it. I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw lights glowing above the bushes. It didn't seem like the town was under attack - a good sign. Been stumbling around for a while and finally found the gate. The place looked intact but there was something off about it. There were no people. At first I thought that they must have been hiding in their homes or maybe they've already been evacuated. But that wasn't the case. There was simply nobody there. Nobody.

I have wandered around the place for some time. The electricity worked but the communication was down here too. Not a soul in sight, not even animals. I went into this little hotel which had its doors unlocked. I was so tired from everything that has happened that I didn't even think about the potential danger - just dropped like a rock onto the bed and fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later in the middle of the night. Didn't sleep well. With nothing else to do I decided to take a stroll around the area. It's a nice, peaceful town. Like an oasis in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature. It's a bit behind the times but that's not a bad thing at all. Mostly residential buildings though there's also something that looks like a factory of some sort. Been walking alongside this little canal, there's a power station past the bridge. A shanty town near the other city gate, a park. It really does look like it used to be a nice place to live. Wished I could have visited it under different circumstances.

And that brings me to now. I don't know what to do. I'm all alone here and I have nowhere to go. I don't know where it's safe or... if anywhere's safe. But that's not what's on my mind right now. A while ago I started hearing something. A heartbeat. I thought it was my own at first. I couldn't pinpoint it. It was very, very gentle, barely audible at first. But now... it's getting louder. Am I just hearing things? I might be but... I... I hate to admit it... but it's kind of soothing. Serene and calm yet loud and firm. It doesn't seem like it's coming from any specific place. It's everywhere. I can feel it now. In the walls. In the streets. The whole town is reverberating. The sense of belonging...

No. This is not right. Something's wrong. I shouldn't listen. I know I shouldn't. Oh God, my head... It's too loud, it's too damn loud... I have to go. I have to get away from here. Wait... this place is not where I... No, no, that's not it. Did I take the wrong turn somewhere? Where was the gate? I could have sworn it was... in this direc... [recording_interrupted]


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Drake Cygnus here... damn, gotta stop using my Turmoil codename already. This is gonna be my final message. Hopefully it'll give you an idea of what the hell's going on right now and how it ended up like this. If there's anything left after today, that is.

In a world controlled by megacorporations the UAC is definitely in a league of its own. Governed by the enigmatic Board of Directors it's a monolithic entity that's been planting its roots in military and energy production industries for years. You could spend years analyzing their shady activities and borderline illegal ventures and none of it would have mattered because it was basically an open secret. What are you gonna do, sue them? They were effectively untouchable. However while their reputation was questionable it was undeniable that we all have benefitted from their existence.

However everything has clearly crossed the threshold with the introduction of Collar Sources. Humanity - driven into panic due to dwindling supply of natural resources on Earth - was willing to accept any solution that could solve the problem. Then out of nowhere the UAC unveiled their newest invention - an incredible power source that was clean, safe and potent. Too good to be true? The secrecy surrounding the technology has raised a lot of suspicion but it's not like anyone was going to reject an opportunity like this. And so the Collar Sources have been deployed, literally everywhere. Who cares what it's made of if it works this well, right?

A couple of years have passed and we haven't grown extra limbs so even the critics have gradually calmed down. That is until a mysterious shockwave has swept through Sector 19. People called it the Calamity Pulse and officially it was a result of a glitch in the shuttle engines that has somehow interfered with the Sources. Almost everyone felt it and while there were no discernible side effects some people have reported really bizzare experiences. Brief memory lapses, borderline out-of-body sensations... all the way to nightmarish visions and panic attacks. Of course whether those had anything to do with the Pulse was up for a debate. Still, the tensions have started rising again. The fear of further incidents has returned.

While all of that was going on there were different problems on the streets. The authorities have started to take notice of the gradually increasing number of violent outbursts and crimes. Seemingly decent folks would end up going ballistic against their coworkers, loved ones and then reporting having no recollection of what might have caused their anger. Murder rates went up but it was the savagery of the killers that has caught everyone's attention. Cutting off limbs, gutting victims and splaying their bodies in the most horrific and inhumane ways... Stuff you'd expect from a slasher flick. The wealthy have started hiring security companies like Turmoil while those who couldn't afford'em resorted to buying illegal firearms for protection. Things were looking really bad all around.

And yet that's not even scratching the surface.

Shortly after I left Turmoil I got contacted by my mysterious benefactors, a secretive group investigating the potential connection between the UAC and the recent events. They wanted me to look into a number of cases, high-ranking UAC members, abandoned projects... Just about anything that could contain clues as to what's really going on. At first I didn't really think much of it - I was just glad to be able to get the hell away from that mundane existence I was stuck with after quitting Turmoil. But it didn't take long before I realized just how serious things have gotten. You better strap yourself for this one.

We don't know all the details but it's clear that UAC has discovered something. That something was so important that the project related to it - codename Gossip - quickly became the number one priority for them. The accounts are very chaotic and differ depending on whom you ask but it seems that UAC have found some sort of device, a beacon or a transmitter of sorts. The message they've received through it was apparently a warning. Some sort of catastrophic event was going to happen. An inevitable one.

The Board of Directors decided in their hubris that it's up to the UAC to save the world. Actually I'm not even sure it was their call to begin with. The Board is just a public face of the corporation. Someone else is pulling the strings though I don't think anyone really knows who. Either way - whomever it is - I guess he didn't want to take no for an answer.

The problem was that the only lead the UAC had was the transmitter and they've quickly found themselves in the dead end. That was one thing they couldn't solve by throwing bags of money at it. Frustrated by the lack of progress they've refocused their attention on the device. No idea where that message was coming from but it seems they were convinced there was more to it than just a warning. In order to make an attempt at getting more out of it they needed to boost the signal somehow. Long story short they've found a way. A very, very expensive and insidious way.

With the Collar Sources they have really killed two birds with one stone. Giving people hope and a solution in the face of an impending resource deficiency thus vastly improving their reputation, effectively creating a dependency of a vast portion of the world on their technology... and furthering their own goals by tying it all with the Gossip project. Actually that's more like killing three birds with one stone. I know what you're thinking. Were the Sources also the reason for people becoming violent and insane? Actually no. The Sources simply made it worse. That clearly wasn't UAC's intention though. In fact - as surprising as it may seem - I don't think UAC is actually evil. They just don't realize some doors are not supposed to be opened.

According to the informants the plan seemed to have worked and the progress was finally being made. With the Collar Sources literally everywhere they were able to push further in their attempts to crack the secrets behind the gizmo. Bastards had no qualms about turning the world into their own personal test chamber. The Board has calmed down after the first breakthroughs and the eggheads continued to inch forward towards the big prize... But then something happened that forced them to change the trajectory again.

Some kind of bizzare anomaly has been detected in the Arctic. Then another one in the Mediterranean Sea. Then another. They were springing up like mushrooms all over the world. They've dealt with this kind of stuff before but never on that scale. Something was brewing on the horizon. Then a big one has been found here in Sector 19, somewhere deep within the nearby forest. This one was different, I've been told. Massive, fluctuating. Like some kind of an otherwordly tumor. Well, the UAC responded. They've cordoned off the whole area claiming they had to deal with a dangerous biological hazard there... Except in reality they were building an entire giant containment chamber around the anomaly, with a research facility attached to it. I have no idea how the hell they've managed to do it and where they've hidden it but allegedly it's there, somewhere.

That entire situation has put the UAC in a tough spot. While the deployment of Sources has yielded results the whole thing with the anomalies lead them to believe the time is running out. In fact it was worse then initially thought. The tumor must have been there for a long time, undetected. It has slowly started affecting the surrounding areas and eventually - people. All those unexplainable events... Guess it all can be traced back to that. Desperate to find countermeasures the Board have managed to convince their employer to give them a blessing for the biggest gamble yet: Synchronicity. I have no idea what it was exactly but we're talking a high risk, high reward type of a deal. One that could have granted them the answers... Or result in total extinction.

I guess the good news is the it didn't cause total extinction. Though it might have triggered a time bomb by causing the Calamity Pulse. The harder you struggle the worse it gets. The Collar Sources were meant to help find the solution and yet they've intensified the influence of the tumor. Synchronicity allowed the UAC to make progress but cracked the barriers allowing even more of that nightmare to seep through.

So what is all of it? The tumor, the anomalies, the madness bleeding into our world? Where is it coming from? "We're but a lone beacon of life in an endless void", that's what one of the patients said. Beyond the boundries of this world there's nothing but darkness. The infinite abyss of impossible chaos, ruin and the most vile entities seething with hate, wanting to break through. And now thanks to the UAC they were finally able to pierce the veil. 

We're completely cut off, I haven't heard anything about what's been happening outside of Sector 19 but here... living hell has erupted onto the streets. Even inside the air is thick with the stench of death and gunpowder. Those beasts came out of nowhere, flooded the city and slaughtered everyone. The UAC troops and the military tried to hold them off but only lasted a few hours. My... benefactors have stopped me from going outside, telling me to stay put until the situation calms down. I didn't like the idea one bit but I can see it now - there was no stopping this nightmarish horde. If the same thing happened everywhere else then soon there might be nothing left to save.

But in the end it all comes down to a simple question: what are we gonna do about it? Do we lay down and die in despair or do we fight? I'm going to fight. My benefactors left me a gift - it's some sort of a beacon made of strange materials I don't recognize. Lighthouse, they called it. They told me that they might have a way to undo the damage UAC has done but they need this planted on the other side, deep within the hellish realm those monsters came from.

The screams have stopped. I can still hear distant gunfire but it's barely audible now. I think I should move out. Damn, I can't believe it, am I getting nervous? No... No, it's not that. It's not fear... It certainly isn't.

Let's do it.


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EPILOGUE (read after finishing the campaign)
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It's been hours since you've started climbing these stairs. Maybe days. You cannot tell anymore. Brief serenity shimmers somewhere on the horizon as your mind tries to purge itself from the horrors you have witnessed. Up until now you've been driven by what you had to do but you can only go so far pretending not to notice. It's like all the suffering of everyone ever has passed through you, chipping away what little is left of your sanity. You've made it out but it doesn't seem like a victory. Your soul feels tainted, foul and ugly. Broken beyond repair with its pieces mismatched and scattered across the impossible vastness of reality.

As you slowly distance yourself from the cold pit down below you begin to wonder if your efforts meant anything in the long run. The Earth was already pretty far gone the last time you saw it and you can't tell how much time has passed since. In here the logic is broken, timelines are tangled and overlapping. Everything that was, will be or could have been. And where is "here" anyway? The echoes of torment and death slowly grow more and more distant. The air feels different. Almost calming but alien and strange, filling your lungs in unfamiliar ways. There seems to be something up there, glistening.

You take a step outside and examine your surroundings. The sky is black as coal, the grassy field feels eerie, as if it's not supposed to exist. The whole place seems unreal and elusive. It looks like it'll collapse on itself any second, like a pleasant dream you don't want to wake up from. Yet it remains firm. But you know this is no dream. Your mind is simply attempting to cope with something it was never designed to perceive. Wherever you are it's abundantly clear you're very, very far away from home.

Then again what you call home might not even exist anymore. Somewhere deep down you have a feeling that this might be the case. And yet it's almost unsettling how insignificant that seems. Just a faint memory from a past long gone, ready to be completely forgotten. This sense of detachment, is it just a side effect from the recent events or have you always felt this way? This empty disconnection from everyone and everything, as if watching the rest of the world through a thick glass? You entertain those thoughts for a moment while looking up at the starless void above.

After briefly losing your sense of direction you find yourself on the verge. A gentle rush of water serves as a suitable ambience for the sea of lights stretching on the horizon across the chasm. A gap too big to cross yet there's seemingly no way back. The other side is right there - so close, yet just out of reach. You can't help but crack a smile at the irony of making it all this way just to be stopped at the critical moment by something so trivial. It almost feels like you can make it across, just barely if you can put everything you have into the jump. But a single honest look makes it clear that this just isn't gonna happen. It's too far. Just far enough to make it impossible.

You sit down on the edge gazing towards the dark horizon. The shimmering lights taunt you by their proximity. You allow yourself a moment to ponder your next move. Surely there's a way out of here. A way across the chasm, towards the alluring mirage. The more you look at it the more beautiful it seems. It's what you've always been searching for. Everything you've ever wanted, right in front of you. So perfect. It's this close, there's gotta be a way to reach it. You know that now.

After all the world is full of false hope.