Devon's gone. She escaped from the island the other day, looks like, using a cannon. So very like her. A grand exit. She looks like she plans on going back, too, but who knows.
I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm happy. I'm glad she's escaped, like she always wanted. On the other hand, I'm worried. Not so much about her. She's capable of taking care of herself, especially now. Nothing outside the island poses much of a threat to her. And that's what worries me.
Devon's on the loose, and she's more dangerous than ever, and... well. She must have an agenda in mind. And that's even more worrisome.
I'm going to work on getting a team out in the field to start looking for her.
In other news, my daughter met The Stranger the other day. She nearly died. I nearly had a heart attack...
She's recovering, now, according to my camera feeds, and is being taken care of. I owe Sessine a pint, as well as a big, big favor.
There's another issue. Jara's mother was there. I haven't seen Silcatra on camera for months...
She's becoming a Stranger. It's obvious.
I'm sick with worry and dread. I've contacted Jara, and let her know that I'll do what I can to help her, which brings me to my next point:
My Research and Development team has been working on a 'weapon' that neutralizes Improbability. It's only been tested once or twice, but the results have been good. They've seen decreases in improbability fields in objects exposed to improbability. The idea behind it is that the field that is being emitted by an improbable entity can be matched by an opposite field...
Right, layman's terms.
Okay, you know how you can cancel sound waves by playing a harmonically opposite wave? It's like that. By sending out an improbability field that opposes the exact field being emitted by the target entity, it cancels the field.
The effects strengthen the longer the improbable field is exposed to the opposing field generated by the gun, which my boys are calling the PSU (Probability Stabilization Unit). They'd hate it if they knew I was calling their machine a 'gun', though since it looks like a gun and 'shoots' an emitted field, I'll call it a gun until they think up a better way to deliver directed probability fields.
Technically, this gun isn't using anti-improbability, just to clarify. It's using improbability, but it's just neutralizing a improbable field with its opposite field. If we can get this thing to work, it'd be very useful.
In the meantime, the R&D boys are working up a second prototype PSU to send to the Island for... let's call it 'field testing', though, knowing what it's going to be used for, that is a callous way of putting it.
I'm going to go have a drink. I need to unwind and get some more reports written up.
I'll write again when I get the chance.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
- Day Off 1 -
Forgot to write on my day off, but I'll update everyone now that I'm back home. Working again tomorrow, so I'll do this now.
Slept in, for starters, which is something I usually don't do, but I was exhausted. I've been joining the men for their morning P.T. and even though I'm faster and stronger than most of them, it's still an ass-kicking. Got up and made some breakfast, just some eggs and toast, nothing fancy, and some tea. Tea is expensive, but compared to coffee it's not too bad. I get paid pretty well, so I can afford it. I keep chickens, too, since it's important to be able to provide for yourself nowadays. Sometimes the grocery doesn't have eggs. It's all supply issues, mostly. Transportation is kinda tricky for civilians and companies. Not as many cars as there used to be. Most people ride bikes or take the trains and buses. "Local Grown" isn't just a fancy idea anymore, it's a way of life. I've got a neighbor down the road that bakes, so my bread comes from there, and the tea is imported from somewhere.
I enjoyed a pretty leisurely morning, did a little work around the yard. The grass was getting unruly. Oh, I guess I should explain. I've got a small house inside the military base I'm stationed at, so I've got a lawn and a yard with some bushes that I've never bothered to identify. All I'm missing is a white picket fence and... well. The wife and kids are obviously elsewhere.
Popped down to the local store to look for something for dinner. Got a cheap cut of steak (locally bred, of course) and some potatoes and carrots and other vegetables. As I was leaving, I noticed a new store in town that had just opened, which was attracting a lot of attention. I decided to take a look, and I was very surprised to find an Improbable Enterprises Store (run by our dear friends at the Network). I'd heard of these, of course. The Improbable Island Show is extremely popular, being one of the only shows on the television nowadays that was purely for entertainment purposes. I decided to take a peek inside, out of a sense of curiosity.
Let me tell you, it was a strange experience.
First, I knew that I.I. had merchandise and stuff, but this was... overwhelming. There were T-shirts with contestant's faces, or caricatures of contestants. Mugs with phrases associated with contestants. Island Monster plush dolls. Action figures. It was astounding and amazing. Oh, and then there were the episode tapes! They had footage of stuff like 'The Best of (Insert Contestant Name Here)". There were tapes of clan gatherings. Romance, action, comedy, and drama!
Did you know that there's an Island cooking show? No? I didn't either, but apparently whenever somebody cooks something that looks tasty on the show, they add it into this "Improbable Cooking" show. It's even got some professional chef host that explains steps and techniques. Micha is a favorite, and her test kitchen looks pretty amazing in post-production. Not sure how they're getting shots in the kitchen, I was pretty sure Micha was fairly camera-shy. Something to ponder.
Regardless, I looked into the "Classic Island" section and found the strangest thing of all. A section of tapes featuring me! They ranged over a variety of subjects, from sort of Emergency-Room Drama episodes to action and adventure. There was a lot of stuff with TYPES as well, there. I was... tempted to buy one, but I decided against it, for two reasons. First, I didn't want to support the Network. I think the whole show is wrong, and while I'm not the only one, we're a minority out here, mostly because people don't think the show is real. Second, the past is painful, and the last thing I wanted was to dredge up old memories.
Then I found an action figure of me. It had on my lab coat, and it was carrying my kukri and pistol and red medical bag.
God help me, but I bought the damn thing.
I went home and started cooking my steak and veggies, and perused my handy Improbable Network Watcher Device, looking in on old friends. Couldn't find everyone, but that's not too surprising. There aren't quite cameras EVERYWHERE. I spotted a few people, though. Shi and Makiwa were having a chat in the commons. Eben was filing things, I think, though the camera that was watching him was having issues. Z was tearing around with her Goggles on. Kolojang was around as well, being a mushroom. Drizzt was relaxing in his home.Arodang was goofing around in Kittania. NewHome was full of noobs (of course), along with a few old hands. I spotted Svergon in Improbable Central, and Sneaky too. As I write this, I'm peeking around for my family members, but nobody seems to be on camera at the moment.
Scratch that. Remember when I mentioned that Devon was up to something? I was right.
The ducks tipped me off. A whole ring of them. At first, I thought it was just something with QQQ. The angle on the camera is bad, and they're a little ways away, but it looks like they're surrounding Devon... and Devon's not looking to great.
This was a mistake, looking. It's too hard not to want to... DO something. But I can't. I can just sit here and hope for the best...
Is she leaking improbability?
Slept in, for starters, which is something I usually don't do, but I was exhausted. I've been joining the men for their morning P.T. and even though I'm faster and stronger than most of them, it's still an ass-kicking. Got up and made some breakfast, just some eggs and toast, nothing fancy, and some tea. Tea is expensive, but compared to coffee it's not too bad. I get paid pretty well, so I can afford it. I keep chickens, too, since it's important to be able to provide for yourself nowadays. Sometimes the grocery doesn't have eggs. It's all supply issues, mostly. Transportation is kinda tricky for civilians and companies. Not as many cars as there used to be. Most people ride bikes or take the trains and buses. "Local Grown" isn't just a fancy idea anymore, it's a way of life. I've got a neighbor down the road that bakes, so my bread comes from there, and the tea is imported from somewhere.
I enjoyed a pretty leisurely morning, did a little work around the yard. The grass was getting unruly. Oh, I guess I should explain. I've got a small house inside the military base I'm stationed at, so I've got a lawn and a yard with some bushes that I've never bothered to identify. All I'm missing is a white picket fence and... well. The wife and kids are obviously elsewhere.
Popped down to the local store to look for something for dinner. Got a cheap cut of steak (locally bred, of course) and some potatoes and carrots and other vegetables. As I was leaving, I noticed a new store in town that had just opened, which was attracting a lot of attention. I decided to take a look, and I was very surprised to find an Improbable Enterprises Store (run by our dear friends at the Network). I'd heard of these, of course. The Improbable Island Show is extremely popular, being one of the only shows on the television nowadays that was purely for entertainment purposes. I decided to take a peek inside, out of a sense of curiosity.
Let me tell you, it was a strange experience.
First, I knew that I.I. had merchandise and stuff, but this was... overwhelming. There were T-shirts with contestant's faces, or caricatures of contestants. Mugs with phrases associated with contestants. Island Monster plush dolls. Action figures. It was astounding and amazing. Oh, and then there were the episode tapes! They had footage of stuff like 'The Best of (Insert Contestant Name Here)". There were tapes of clan gatherings. Romance, action, comedy, and drama!
Did you know that there's an Island cooking show? No? I didn't either, but apparently whenever somebody cooks something that looks tasty on the show, they add it into this "Improbable Cooking" show. It's even got some professional chef host that explains steps and techniques. Micha is a favorite, and her test kitchen looks pretty amazing in post-production. Not sure how they're getting shots in the kitchen, I was pretty sure Micha was fairly camera-shy. Something to ponder.
Regardless, I looked into the "Classic Island" section and found the strangest thing of all. A section of tapes featuring me! They ranged over a variety of subjects, from sort of Emergency-Room Drama episodes to action and adventure. There was a lot of stuff with TYPES as well, there. I was... tempted to buy one, but I decided against it, for two reasons. First, I didn't want to support the Network. I think the whole show is wrong, and while I'm not the only one, we're a minority out here, mostly because people don't think the show is real. Second, the past is painful, and the last thing I wanted was to dredge up old memories.
Then I found an action figure of me. It had on my lab coat, and it was carrying my kukri and pistol and red medical bag.
God help me, but I bought the damn thing.
I went home and started cooking my steak and veggies, and perused my handy Improbable Network Watcher Device, looking in on old friends. Couldn't find everyone, but that's not too surprising. There aren't quite cameras EVERYWHERE. I spotted a few people, though. Shi and Makiwa were having a chat in the commons. Eben was filing things, I think, though the camera that was watching him was having issues. Z was tearing around with her Goggles on. Kolojang was around as well, being a mushroom. Drizzt was relaxing in his home.Arodang was goofing around in Kittania. NewHome was full of noobs (of course), along with a few old hands. I spotted Svergon in Improbable Central, and Sneaky too. As I write this, I'm peeking around for my family members, but nobody seems to be on camera at the moment.
Scratch that. Remember when I mentioned that Devon was up to something? I was right.
The ducks tipped me off. A whole ring of them. At first, I thought it was just something with QQQ. The angle on the camera is bad, and they're a little ways away, but it looks like they're surrounding Devon... and Devon's not looking to great.
This was a mistake, looking. It's too hard not to want to... DO something. But I can't. I can just sit here and hope for the best...
Is she leaking improbability?
Monday, October 17, 2011
- Focus Classification -
Most of the paperwork for the latest, previously-mentioned fiasco is filed and done. I hate paperwork. I'm looking forward to that day off. Every Focus has a mountain of paperwork attached, of course. The occurrence of Focuses is becoming far too regular of a thing... but I suppose that there's been a lot of people that have left the island, over the years. Luckily, most are Class-0 or Class-1 Focuses. Nothing too crazy.
Oh, right, I never explained that. Here's how the Focus Classification works. There's a lot of stuff that actually goes into classifying a Focus, but I'll try to keep it simple.
Class-0 is the weakest Focus. They were usually a rookie when they were removed from the Island, no Drive Kills under their belt, and usually the Probability Breakdown Manifestations (PBM) around them are minor, something like... well, like 'All Oranges Within Two Feet Of Focus Spontaneously Taste Like Banannas'. Nothing to worry about, usually. There's probably a fair number of Class-0 Focuses walking around now, undetected, because whatever PBM they're doing is so minor it's gone undetected by us, or the focus. Often, Class-0 Focuses bring themselves to our attention. They'll go into a doctor's office and ask "Is it odd that whenever I urinate, theme music starts playing?" "Well, in your head?" "No, audible. My wife is getting annoyed." Usually the physician refers them directly to us, and we can send a man down with a vaccine to set them right.
Class-1 through Class-6 are the middle-of-the-road Focuses. Usually these people were Contestants, with one to twelve Drive Kills. They've got a variety of strengths, and the PBM's around them are equivalent to mid-level Improbable Events. Sometimes these are harmless, and sometimes not. It depends, and it also varies wildly from person to person. A good example of this was a Class-3 Focus that could make an origami ANYTHING. Analysis discovered that while some of it was simply talent, there were many things that were physically impossible to fold with a single piece of paper. We figured it out pretty quick when she managed to fold a small-scale exact replica of the Eiffel tower out of one three by five card. And I mean it when I say 'exact replica'. Down to the bolts on the cross braces. The big, important point is that these people usually didn't display any Joker-like abilities.
Class-7 is the first of what we call Joker-Class Focuses, which include Class-8 and Class-9 Focuses as well. Class-7 Focuses were usually Contestants that reached between thirteen and twenty Drive Kills, and they exhibited weak Joker-like control over probability. Class-7 is usually the most dangerous, because while they have the power, they don't have the control like Class-8 and Class-9.
Class-8 Focuses were usually Contestants that reached twenty to fifty Drive Kills. They exhibit moderate to strong Joker-like control over probability, and a modicum of control over their power, usually. Around Class-8, we've run into what we call 'Jokers Wild' scenarios, where a Focus has no control over their ability. It's usually terrifying for everyone involved, Focus included. It's also around Class-8 Focuses where we have the most Improbable Vaccine-related fatalities, but it is still a very rare occurrence.
Class-9 Focuses were usually Contestants that reached fifty to over one-hundred Drive Kills. They exhibit extremely powerful PBMs, and have a high level of control over their power, equivalent to an extremely powerful, extremely old Joker. The most dangerous Focuses, and also the rarest. We've only had three in the history of IMPCOM's missions, and that's out of some seven-hundred odd Focuses.
Class-10 doesn't exist, as far as we're concerned, because it's patently impossible. The idea here is a Focus that exhibits probability control beyond anything even an on-island Joker can achieve. We're talking equivalent ability and reality-bending power as some kind of demi-god. We've dubbed Class-10 "Drive-Class", because that's basically what a Class-10 Focus would be - a walking manifestation of the Improbability Drive. If something like this ever happened, god help us all, because we have no countermeasure, and we've seen how effective attacks against the Improbability Drive have been. There's people in the Island that have simply stopped counting how many times they've tried killing the damn thing. So, yes, Class-10 is a thing, but the only one that exists is the Improbability Drive on Improbable Island.
...
My assistant just brought me some more paperwork. Damn.
Oh, and it's triplicate forms, too. Eben would be jealous.
Speaking of people on the island, I've been keeping tabs on a certain somebody as of late. Looks like my dear sister, Devon, is up to something. I'll be watching her a bit more carefully, if time allows.
I wonder how everyone is doing. There's so many people to check in on, and usually I barely have time to peek at more than one or two people a week. I think about that a lot. QQQ, DICE, ICEE... TYPES. WATCH, even, and the rest of the clans I knew, like SRS and TW. Are they even all around? Alive? Maybe on my day off I'll try to peek in on them. See how they're all doing. Just for peace of mind...
Also, discovered something interesting. Video archive footage that's being uploaded from the island, via something called a "CLOG unit". Interesting, indeed. A little eye on the ground! Most of the archive footage I've seen from the cameras, but there's some new stuff that's been exciting to look at. It looks like the CLOG belongs to 'Monkey' Rosemoo, too, so there's some footage there of Kolojang, Devon, Rose, and even the rare appearance of my middle daughter, Felidae. Good times.
I miss them.
I'll post again during my day off, or perhaps when I get back.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
- Mission 1 Report: Thoughts -
What a nightmare.
If you've read that mission report, you know what I'm talking about. So many mistakes were made. I made it clear that Class-7 through Class-9 Focuses were to be confronted by IMPCOM Operatives only. The police officer was a terrible casualty, but he made a poor judgement call. Tried to be a hero. Brave man. Poor, brave man.
#776 is still unidentified. I don't recognize him from my time on the Island, either. I'm always afraid of that. It's happened a few times, actually. Getting reports on my desk or arriving on-scene during an operation and seeing that a Focus is somebody I know. That's the worst. You look at a photo and you see the face of some poor kid, and you think, 'I remember that rookie. I patched him up after his first time into the jungle.' It's not so bad when they end up okay. And usually people survive the serum injection. It's rare to have a bad reaction, but it happens.
God, I'm a mess, just thinking about this. This job is stressful, but it's worse when somebody dies. All the what-ifs.
I'm going to go get some coffee.I have a day off coming up, and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I'll explain how we classify Focuses or something. Maybe I'll just go and drive somewhere quiet and try to relax.
If you've read that mission report, you know what I'm talking about. So many mistakes were made. I made it clear that Class-7 through Class-9 Focuses were to be confronted by IMPCOM Operatives only. The police officer was a terrible casualty, but he made a poor judgement call. Tried to be a hero. Brave man. Poor, brave man.
#776 is still unidentified. I don't recognize him from my time on the Island, either. I'm always afraid of that. It's happened a few times, actually. Getting reports on my desk or arriving on-scene during an operation and seeing that a Focus is somebody I know. That's the worst. You look at a photo and you see the face of some poor kid, and you think, 'I remember that rookie. I patched him up after his first time into the jungle.' It's not so bad when they end up okay. And usually people survive the serum injection. It's rare to have a bad reaction, but it happens.
God, I'm a mess, just thinking about this. This job is stressful, but it's worse when somebody dies. All the what-ifs.
I'm going to go get some coffee.I have a day off coming up, and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I'll explain how we classify Focuses or something. Maybe I'll just go and drive somewhere quiet and try to relax.
- Mission Report 1-
USAIMPCOM MISSION REPORT #C766
OPERATION OBJECTIVE: Focus Dispatch/Containment
DATE: [REDACTED]
OPERATION STATUS: Complete
IMPCOM field operatives and commanders in conjunction with local authorities attempted to contain Focus #766 (Unidentified White Caucasian Male [Probably from Britain based on eyewitness accounts. Checking through missing persons reports and/or Network Footage for identification], Ex-Con) in front of a local supermarket parking lot. Focus #776 had been under observation for suspicious activity. Probabiliy Breakdown Manifestation suspected and confirmed as a Class 8 Manifestation (Joker-Level). #776 confirmed mentally unstable on confrontation.
Local authorities surrounded #776 in the parking lot and awaited IMPCOM operatives, as per instructed orders [REF: "Executive Order I-18609-C"]. Operatives were on-route when #776 physically assaulted a police officer who attempted to apprehend the Focus manually, without support. Police officer was killed in the altercation. Local authorities opened fire on #776, to little effect. After-action reports indicate that the expended ammunition appeared to "redirect into the air, swarm into a flock, and migrate south with a overflying group of waterfowl" [REF: "AAR D-776-#22"]. #776 responded to attempted attacks with laughter, derision, taunting.
IMPCOM Operatives arrived, replaced local authorities in cordon, instructed local authorities to initiate evacuation procedures in immediate area. On-hand Police Negotiator (Dr. Richard Mayworth) initiated communication with #776 via a delivered hand-held radio. Conversation recorded as follows:
Mayworth: "Hello, can you hear me fine?"
#776: "Loud and louder. Loud and louder."
Mayworth: "I'll try to speak more softly, if that's what you mean."
#776: "Maybe."
Mayworth: "We're here to help you. Will you comply and stand down? We can help you."
#776: "Help? Help with what?"
Mayworth: "Your... condition."
#776: "Condition? Condition? I don't condition, thanks. I'm bald."
Mayworth: "That's right, you are. What I meant was the fact that you've been transferring mass and energy through the use of improbability fields. You know that you shouldn't be able to do it, don't you?"
#776: "Shouldn't? Can't? What does that mean? I could on the island and look at me now. They said it'd stop, but it didn't, and now it feels right. It's you all that shouldn't."
Mayworth: "Why don't you surrender? We aren't here to hurt you. We only want to help you. We can make this stop."
#776: "Try and stop me. I've seen shit you can't even imagine. I've fought lions. You're nothing. A rookie with an inflated sense of self-importance who's never so much as fought his own tongue."
Mayworth: "Why don't we talk about your time on the island?"
#776: "No."
Mayworth: "Do you have friends there, still? Or family?"
#776: "No. No."
Mayworth: "Is everything all right?"
#776: "No. I want to go home."
Mayworth: "We can help you get home. Just let me come in and help you. We can get you help, son."
#776: "You can?"
Mayworth: "We can, please. Can we get you anything? Some tea?"
At this point, the radio was destroyed as #776 threw it to the ground and proceeded to dismantle it. Reports indicate that the radio "dismantled itself". Clean-up of the area discovered that the radio had been stripped down to it's component parts and laid out in a series of complex shapes [REF: Photos #247-341]. #776 began his assault immediately following this act. Several IMPCOM Operatives were injured as their weapons jammed or failed in other ways. Operatives worked to subdue #776. #776 proved to be extremely agile, and begain Manifesting various Class-8 abilities, including turning IMPCOM Operatives's jumpsuits into angry animals (mostly ferrets) and causing several IMPCOM Operatives to be rendered unconscious/badly injured from medium-range kinetic force attacks. IMPCOM Operatives managed to subdue #776 using a syringe loaded with "Anti-Improbability Serum" [REF: IMPCOM R&D #A44]. #776 perished after injection due to a reaction to Serum [Post-Mortem Autopsy revealed that #776's GI tract had turned into PVC piping]. Operatives and Local Medical personnel removed #776 after injection, attempted recessutation. #776 was pronounced dead at scene. #776's body was airlifted to [REDACTED] Airport and sent to IMPCOM R&D for examination. Area decontamination/cleanup followed, as well as debriefing for all involved parties.
END REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS: Failure to properly brief local authorities on proper containment procedure is to blame for the death of the officer. Negotiator's lack of knowledge about Island likely to blame for #776's sudden turn from passive hostility to direct aggression. Re-issue training manuals to local authorities. Recommend acquiring IMPCOM-trained Negotiators/Psychologists for future missions.
OPERATION OBJECTIVE: Focus Dispatch/Containment
DATE: [REDACTED]
OPERATION STATUS: Complete
IMPCOM field operatives and commanders in conjunction with local authorities attempted to contain Focus #766 (Unidentified White Caucasian Male [Probably from Britain based on eyewitness accounts. Checking through missing persons reports and/or Network Footage for identification], Ex-Con) in front of a local supermarket parking lot. Focus #776 had been under observation for suspicious activity. Probabiliy Breakdown Manifestation suspected and confirmed as a Class 8 Manifestation (Joker-Level). #776 confirmed mentally unstable on confrontation.
Local authorities surrounded #776 in the parking lot and awaited IMPCOM operatives, as per instructed orders [REF: "Executive Order I-18609-C"]. Operatives were on-route when #776 physically assaulted a police officer who attempted to apprehend the Focus manually, without support. Police officer was killed in the altercation. Local authorities opened fire on #776, to little effect. After-action reports indicate that the expended ammunition appeared to "redirect into the air, swarm into a flock, and migrate south with a overflying group of waterfowl" [REF: "AAR D-776-#22"]. #776 responded to attempted attacks with laughter, derision, taunting.
IMPCOM Operatives arrived, replaced local authorities in cordon, instructed local authorities to initiate evacuation procedures in immediate area. On-hand Police Negotiator (Dr. Richard Mayworth) initiated communication with #776 via a delivered hand-held radio. Conversation recorded as follows:
Mayworth: "Hello, can you hear me fine?"
#776: "Loud and louder. Loud and louder."
Mayworth: "I'll try to speak more softly, if that's what you mean."
#776: "Maybe."
Mayworth: "We're here to help you. Will you comply and stand down? We can help you."
#776: "Help? Help with what?"
Mayworth: "Your... condition."
#776: "Condition? Condition? I don't condition, thanks. I'm bald."
Mayworth: "That's right, you are. What I meant was the fact that you've been transferring mass and energy through the use of improbability fields. You know that you shouldn't be able to do it, don't you?"
#776: "Shouldn't? Can't? What does that mean? I could on the island and look at me now. They said it'd stop, but it didn't, and now it feels right. It's you all that shouldn't."
Mayworth: "Why don't you surrender? We aren't here to hurt you. We only want to help you. We can make this stop."
#776: "Try and stop me. I've seen shit you can't even imagine. I've fought lions. You're nothing. A rookie with an inflated sense of self-importance who's never so much as fought his own tongue."
Mayworth: "Why don't we talk about your time on the island?"
#776: "No."
Mayworth: "Do you have friends there, still? Or family?"
#776: "No. No."
Mayworth: "Is everything all right?"
#776: "No. I want to go home."
Mayworth: "We can help you get home. Just let me come in and help you. We can get you help, son."
#776: "You can?"
Mayworth: "We can, please. Can we get you anything? Some tea?"
At this point, the radio was destroyed as #776 threw it to the ground and proceeded to dismantle it. Reports indicate that the radio "dismantled itself". Clean-up of the area discovered that the radio had been stripped down to it's component parts and laid out in a series of complex shapes [REF: Photos #247-341]. #776 began his assault immediately following this act. Several IMPCOM Operatives were injured as their weapons jammed or failed in other ways. Operatives worked to subdue #776. #776 proved to be extremely agile, and begain Manifesting various Class-8 abilities, including turning IMPCOM Operatives's jumpsuits into angry animals (mostly ferrets) and causing several IMPCOM Operatives to be rendered unconscious/badly injured from medium-range kinetic force attacks. IMPCOM Operatives managed to subdue #776 using a syringe loaded with "Anti-Improbability Serum" [REF: IMPCOM R&D #A44]. #776 perished after injection due to a reaction to Serum [Post-Mortem Autopsy revealed that #776's GI tract had turned into PVC piping]. Operatives and Local Medical personnel removed #776 after injection, attempted recessutation. #776 was pronounced dead at scene. #776's body was airlifted to [REDACTED] Airport and sent to IMPCOM R&D for examination. Area decontamination/cleanup followed, as well as debriefing for all involved parties.
END REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS: Failure to properly brief local authorities on proper containment procedure is to blame for the death of the officer. Negotiator's lack of knowledge about Island likely to blame for #776's sudden turn from passive hostility to direct aggression. Re-issue training manuals to local authorities. Recommend acquiring IMPCOM-trained Negotiators/Psychologists for future missions.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
- Example -
Connection interrupted, apologies.
To continue, we look for these people, the Focuses, and try to contain them in areas where they'll do minimal damage while we get treatments for the problem.
Oh, you probably don't know that. The US Military has been working hard to create countermeasures to Improbability. There's no one thing that works 100% of the time, but there are things that do. There's an injection that, if it doesn't kill the patient, removes the Improbability from their body rapidly. It's like an innoculation, or a booster shot, basically. It's harmless to normal people, but there's a lot of danger involved with rapidly removing improbability from an exposed person.
That's how they got me out. They took a gamble with a prototype of the innoculation. It probably should have killed me. Improbably (ironically enough), it didn't, and worked perfectly, with one nasty little side effect that I discovered after a little visit to the old home - Improbability is now lethal to me over prolonged periods of exposure, without repeat innoculations. I've got a cap of about 80 hours of exposure before I need to get another shot or start suffering the effects of Improbability-gone-wrong. There's a spot on my back where my skin is missing, litterally. It won't grow back, won't scab over. I've got to wear a dressing constantly to keep it from getting infected. Doesn't bother me as much as it used to.
I miss sleeping on my back.
Back to the point at hand, though. We have countermeasures to the effects of Improbability on unexposed biological material. Which means normal civilians and unexposed soldiers are regularly getting the improved shot (No need for additional shots, unlike myself), as well as research and development's guys studying Improbability. Non-biological material is still a crapshoot at best. Sometimes, you expose a gun to Improbability, and it stays a gun. Sometimes it starts singing opera. We've got a few protective coating methods, but even then, exposed materials will usually be compromised in some way. Worst thing I ever saw was when A guy's gun didn't change, but his ammo did. When his gun jammed and he opened it up? Snakes. Impossible numbers of snakes. Poisonous ones. That was a bad day for everyone involved, snakes included.
Our current operating procedure is to quarantine a Focus and assess their threat level. We've got all kinds of ratings and so on to determine how dangerous - or not dangerous *- the Focus is. Once we assess, we usually attempt to innoculate. If it's successful, the Focus is brought to debriefing and studied for relapses before we let him/her go. If it's unsuccessful (and the Focus is still alive), we re-assess options and go from there.
There've been occasions when we've had to terminate a dangerous Focus when the innoculation fails. There have also been occasions when we've had to terminate a dangerous Focus that resisted quarantine in a violent manner. This is rare, but certainly does happen. I'm not going to lie and say that this job is all sunshine and lollypops. It isn't. Mostly **. There's hard decisions to be made, sometimes, but... well, when you've got a Focus that can spit acid from his nose in a ten-foot spray and he LIKES watching people melt, you don't have much choice.
So, that's my life, now. We track known Ex-Cons, determine if they are a focus or not, innoculate if possible, and we chase the runners and kill the crazy dangerous ones. There are plenty that resist, usually at first when they don't understand what's happening, but that's excusable. Anybody would panic if a gaggle of guys with guns burst into their apartment at three in the morning and start yelling at you to put down the peanut butter, sir, or it might spontaneously convert to nitroglycerine and kill us all***.
And there's more than a few crazy ones.
Back with more when I can, administrative duties to deal with.
* (We have a Focus (#168) that causes flowers and grass to spontaneously grow and bloom in an area around himself. We've got #168 walking around the saharah desert right now with a conservation project group. We'll see how that goes. Land undamaged by the war is at a premium, after all!)
** (Focus #91 caused drywall to turn into various confectionary treats. Terrible for structural integrity, great for morale.)
*** (Focus #272. I shit you not.)
To continue, we look for these people, the Focuses, and try to contain them in areas where they'll do minimal damage while we get treatments for the problem.
Oh, you probably don't know that. The US Military has been working hard to create countermeasures to Improbability. There's no one thing that works 100% of the time, but there are things that do. There's an injection that, if it doesn't kill the patient, removes the Improbability from their body rapidly. It's like an innoculation, or a booster shot, basically. It's harmless to normal people, but there's a lot of danger involved with rapidly removing improbability from an exposed person.
That's how they got me out. They took a gamble with a prototype of the innoculation. It probably should have killed me. Improbably (ironically enough), it didn't, and worked perfectly, with one nasty little side effect that I discovered after a little visit to the old home - Improbability is now lethal to me over prolonged periods of exposure, without repeat innoculations. I've got a cap of about 80 hours of exposure before I need to get another shot or start suffering the effects of Improbability-gone-wrong. There's a spot on my back where my skin is missing, litterally. It won't grow back, won't scab over. I've got to wear a dressing constantly to keep it from getting infected. Doesn't bother me as much as it used to.
I miss sleeping on my back.
Back to the point at hand, though. We have countermeasures to the effects of Improbability on unexposed biological material. Which means normal civilians and unexposed soldiers are regularly getting the improved shot (No need for additional shots, unlike myself), as well as research and development's guys studying Improbability. Non-biological material is still a crapshoot at best. Sometimes, you expose a gun to Improbability, and it stays a gun. Sometimes it starts singing opera. We've got a few protective coating methods, but even then, exposed materials will usually be compromised in some way. Worst thing I ever saw was when A guy's gun didn't change, but his ammo did. When his gun jammed and he opened it up? Snakes. Impossible numbers of snakes. Poisonous ones. That was a bad day for everyone involved, snakes included.
Our current operating procedure is to quarantine a Focus and assess their threat level. We've got all kinds of ratings and so on to determine how dangerous - or not dangerous *- the Focus is. Once we assess, we usually attempt to innoculate. If it's successful, the Focus is brought to debriefing and studied for relapses before we let him/her go. If it's unsuccessful (and the Focus is still alive), we re-assess options and go from there.
There've been occasions when we've had to terminate a dangerous Focus when the innoculation fails. There have also been occasions when we've had to terminate a dangerous Focus that resisted quarantine in a violent manner. This is rare, but certainly does happen. I'm not going to lie and say that this job is all sunshine and lollypops. It isn't. Mostly **. There's hard decisions to be made, sometimes, but... well, when you've got a Focus that can spit acid from his nose in a ten-foot spray and he LIKES watching people melt, you don't have much choice.
So, that's my life, now. We track known Ex-Cons, determine if they are a focus or not, innoculate if possible, and we chase the runners and kill the crazy dangerous ones. There are plenty that resist, usually at first when they don't understand what's happening, but that's excusable. Anybody would panic if a gaggle of guys with guns burst into their apartment at three in the morning and start yelling at you to put down the peanut butter, sir, or it might spontaneously convert to nitroglycerine and kill us all***.
And there's more than a few crazy ones.
Back with more when I can, administrative duties to deal with.
* (We have a Focus (#168) that causes flowers and grass to spontaneously grow and bloom in an area around himself. We've got #168 walking around the saharah desert right now with a conservation project group. We'll see how that goes. Land undamaged by the war is at a premium, after all!)
** (Focus #91 caused drywall to turn into various confectionary treats. Terrible for structural integrity, great for morale.)
*** (Focus #272. I shit you not.)
- Initiate Connection -
Test.
Is this thing working?
Appears so.
Damn, I feel out of touch. On the Island, we had our own 'technology'. Improbability certainly had it's uses. But that's a thought for another day.
Three and a half years ago, I was recovered in a joint operation and extracted from the Island. Since then, things have been... interesting. I'll do my best to fill you in.
The world is so out of touch, and the island is a unifying feature. Everyone watches the show. Everyone watches the war. They don't know, though, how real it all is. The front line of this war has expanded.
We think it's because of the escapees. The Ex-Cons. The people that were removed from the island by the Network and the vets that made it out. Contestants disappear off the cameras, and then months later we find them off the Island.
Season 1, Season 2, doesn't matter. They get pulled from the show, and everything seems fine, but we've been correlating information on the instances of Probability Breakdown Manifestations. The only thing that is a unifying factor are the people that have come in contact with the Drive for prolonged periods. Sometimes, it kills them. Sometimes, though, they become Focuses.
God, there's so much to tell, and I know I'm doing a terrible job. I'll do my best to organize my thoughts.
Ever since the inception of the Improbable Island Show, the Network has always kept it's 'fingers on the pulse', as the Network techs say. They gauge audience reactions, use focus groups, statistics, whatever, to determine contestant popularity. Every contestant attracts a certain demographic for one reason or another. Perhaps the viewers tune in to the 'Adventures of Ebenezer' because they enjoy the 'everyman' aspect that Eben represents (Or they're accountants with a secret desire for adventure). Other viewers might enjoy the 'Zolotisty Hour', for the sheer insanity that revolves around the life of a improbable Joker. Somebody might watch 'Fun with Bob Zarido' because they used to like monster movies. Regardless, the people watch, and the Network pays attention to what is watched.
Now, oftentimes there are contestants that are simply don't bring in the ratings. There's a minimum amount of viewers that most contestants must maintain after a certain period of time on the island (The so-called Grace Period, usually eight months), and failure to maintain the minimum number of viewers after the grace period means removal from the island. They'll simply disappear off the cameras one day.
These contestants are collected by the Improbable Island Failboat Crewmembers ('Failors'), and returned to the 'Failboat' for debriefing, and after a 'cool-down' period (usually involving psychological treatment or chemical/physical alterations), they're returned to society. At least, that's what the Network tells us. We think there's a fair number of contestants that 'disappear into the jungle forever' due to an inability to reintigrate into society. We don't have proof, of course. But there's a way some of the Network people speak about the Failors that makes me wonder... that and personal experience.
The end result of this is that there are Ex-Contestants ('Ex-Cons') that are returned to the mainland after exposure to the Improbability Drive. Sometimes, this means nothing. Other times, though, it kills them. It's called Probability Exposure Sickness. The contestant's body, for various reasons, has developed a reliance on exposure to Improbability. Maybe there's an important blood vessel in their brain that's decided that it works better if it runs on Improbability. When they lose their connection to Improbability, they might be fine. OR, that blood vessel might rupture unexpectedly, inexplicably, improbably. Brain hemmorage is an ugly way to go, if it does kill you outright and not leave you a drooling vegetable. And that's only one example. There's been all kinds of things. Sometimes it manifests like radiation sickness. Their body's cellular structure can fail to hold together. They'll just drop dead, suddenly. There's been other, more strange reactions as well*.
There were plenty of Ex-Cons that would return, contract Probability Exposure Sickness, and pull through. And there were plenty that would never get it at all. The survivors would, we assumed, lead normal lives. Or as close to normal as they could get. Most Ex-Cons always came away from the Island a bit different.
Here's the big point, though:
Every so often, there would be cases of what we've dubbed 'Probability Breakdown Manifestations'. Moments where, OFF-Island, Improbability would assert itself. Sometimes, it was benign **. Sometimes it wasn't. We've had cases where somebody stepped into a telephone booth and discovered that it was actually a Quantum Suicide Booth. People have seen a Panthzer in South America. There have been more lion-related deaths in the last twenty years than in recorded history, and mind you, this includes areas outside the lion's natural habitat. We recently responded to a call in Georgia where a man discovered, much to his confusion, that a meat-bearing shrub was constantly sneaking up behind him. We determined this to be a Ham-Bush. Yeah, save your groans. I've heard it all.
When I was given command of IMPCOM, we were working to determine the cause. We blamed the Drive, at first. Of course it was the damn thing's fault. It HAD to be. How couldn't it be ol' Horatio?
We've since determined that it's Ex-Cons.
We'd been tracking the Ex-Cons for a while now, and we've started correlating data on their movements and coinciding instances of Probability Breakdown Manifestations. It's pretty conclusive. Where Ex-Cons go, the manifestations assert themselves. Recently, we've discoevered something disturbing. There are Ex-Contestants that these manifestations seem to assert themselves around more than others. We call these individuals 'Focuses', and whether they know it or not, they're probably the most dangerous people on the planet outside the Island.
*(Once, somebody turned into a rubber duck. We're not sure if they were ALWAYS a rubber duck, though, and leaving the Improbability Bubble that's generated by the Drive just caused it to revert to it's natural state. Still makes some of the R&D boys scratch their heads.)
**(J.L. Putnam of Great Britain won the lottery seventeen times in a row. We're pretty sure this is a case of Probability Breakdown. The odds against him are astronomical, and the big point is that he never recalled buying ANY of the winning tickets.)
Is this thing working?
Appears so.
Damn, I feel out of touch. On the Island, we had our own 'technology'. Improbability certainly had it's uses. But that's a thought for another day.
Three and a half years ago, I was recovered in a joint operation and extracted from the Island. Since then, things have been... interesting. I'll do my best to fill you in.
The world is so out of touch, and the island is a unifying feature. Everyone watches the show. Everyone watches the war. They don't know, though, how real it all is. The front line of this war has expanded.
We think it's because of the escapees. The Ex-Cons. The people that were removed from the island by the Network and the vets that made it out. Contestants disappear off the cameras, and then months later we find them off the Island.
Season 1, Season 2, doesn't matter. They get pulled from the show, and everything seems fine, but we've been correlating information on the instances of Probability Breakdown Manifestations. The only thing that is a unifying factor are the people that have come in contact with the Drive for prolonged periods. Sometimes, it kills them. Sometimes, though, they become Focuses.
God, there's so much to tell, and I know I'm doing a terrible job. I'll do my best to organize my thoughts.
Ever since the inception of the Improbable Island Show, the Network has always kept it's 'fingers on the pulse', as the Network techs say. They gauge audience reactions, use focus groups, statistics, whatever, to determine contestant popularity. Every contestant attracts a certain demographic for one reason or another. Perhaps the viewers tune in to the 'Adventures of Ebenezer' because they enjoy the 'everyman' aspect that Eben represents (Or they're accountants with a secret desire for adventure). Other viewers might enjoy the 'Zolotisty Hour', for the sheer insanity that revolves around the life of a improbable Joker. Somebody might watch 'Fun with Bob Zarido' because they used to like monster movies. Regardless, the people watch, and the Network pays attention to what is watched.
Now, oftentimes there are contestants that are simply don't bring in the ratings. There's a minimum amount of viewers that most contestants must maintain after a certain period of time on the island (The so-called Grace Period, usually eight months), and failure to maintain the minimum number of viewers after the grace period means removal from the island. They'll simply disappear off the cameras one day.
These contestants are collected by the Improbable Island Failboat Crewmembers ('Failors'), and returned to the 'Failboat' for debriefing, and after a 'cool-down' period (usually involving psychological treatment or chemical/physical alterations), they're returned to society. At least, that's what the Network tells us. We think there's a fair number of contestants that 'disappear into the jungle forever' due to an inability to reintigrate into society. We don't have proof, of course. But there's a way some of the Network people speak about the Failors that makes me wonder... that and personal experience.
The end result of this is that there are Ex-Contestants ('Ex-Cons') that are returned to the mainland after exposure to the Improbability Drive. Sometimes, this means nothing. Other times, though, it kills them. It's called Probability Exposure Sickness. The contestant's body, for various reasons, has developed a reliance on exposure to Improbability. Maybe there's an important blood vessel in their brain that's decided that it works better if it runs on Improbability. When they lose their connection to Improbability, they might be fine. OR, that blood vessel might rupture unexpectedly, inexplicably, improbably. Brain hemmorage is an ugly way to go, if it does kill you outright and not leave you a drooling vegetable. And that's only one example. There's been all kinds of things. Sometimes it manifests like radiation sickness. Their body's cellular structure can fail to hold together. They'll just drop dead, suddenly. There's been other, more strange reactions as well*.
There were plenty of Ex-Cons that would return, contract Probability Exposure Sickness, and pull through. And there were plenty that would never get it at all. The survivors would, we assumed, lead normal lives. Or as close to normal as they could get. Most Ex-Cons always came away from the Island a bit different.
Here's the big point, though:
Every so often, there would be cases of what we've dubbed 'Probability Breakdown Manifestations'. Moments where, OFF-Island, Improbability would assert itself. Sometimes, it was benign **. Sometimes it wasn't. We've had cases where somebody stepped into a telephone booth and discovered that it was actually a Quantum Suicide Booth. People have seen a Panthzer in South America. There have been more lion-related deaths in the last twenty years than in recorded history, and mind you, this includes areas outside the lion's natural habitat. We recently responded to a call in Georgia where a man discovered, much to his confusion, that a meat-bearing shrub was constantly sneaking up behind him. We determined this to be a Ham-Bush. Yeah, save your groans. I've heard it all.
When I was given command of IMPCOM, we were working to determine the cause. We blamed the Drive, at first. Of course it was the damn thing's fault. It HAD to be. How couldn't it be ol' Horatio?
We've since determined that it's Ex-Cons.
We'd been tracking the Ex-Cons for a while now, and we've started correlating data on their movements and coinciding instances of Probability Breakdown Manifestations. It's pretty conclusive. Where Ex-Cons go, the manifestations assert themselves. Recently, we've discoevered something disturbing. There are Ex-Contestants that these manifestations seem to assert themselves around more than others. We call these individuals 'Focuses', and whether they know it or not, they're probably the most dangerous people on the planet outside the Island.
*(Once, somebody turned into a rubber duck. We're not sure if they were ALWAYS a rubber duck, though, and leaving the Improbability Bubble that's generated by the Drive just caused it to revert to it's natural state. Still makes some of the R&D boys scratch their heads.)
**(J.L. Putnam of Great Britain won the lottery seventeen times in a row. We're pretty sure this is a case of Probability Breakdown. The odds against him are astronomical, and the big point is that he never recalled buying ANY of the winning tickets.)
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