0:02

Among the Stars and Bones features characters in

0:04

a hostile environment and is intended for a

0:06

mature audience. As such,

0:08

it contains material that may be upsetting or triggering

0:10

for some people. In

0:13

particular, this episode contains scenes involving

0:15

discussions of involuntary murder and cannibalism.

0:19

Specific content warnings with timestamps can be found in

0:21

the show notes. Please make

0:24

use of them if you need to. Connolly

1:31

UDoXS Initiative Heroditus

1:34

Task Force Status Report

1:37

Mission Planet Angi-Tia

1:40

Status Report Five

1:43

Six Entries Included

1:47

Entry One Comptroller's

1:49

Report Commence

1:51

Report Comptroller Adrian

1:53

Barnes Nabernidas Relief Mission

1:55

Day 12 March

1:58

27th, 2018 A

2:02

kind of uneasy peace has descended

2:04

over the place since the last

2:06

report. It's built

2:08

on a foundation of having

2:10

at least some answers amid

2:12

frightening and potentially grisly events

2:14

and revelations as we keep

2:16

on digging into what happened here. But

2:19

at least one shoe has dropped. We

2:23

now believe we have accounted

2:25

for all living members of

2:27

Nabonidus and thus have scaled

2:29

back all searching, which means

2:31

most of us, those not actively

2:34

trying to find out what we're dealing

2:36

with here, have been able to take

2:38

comfort in the familiarity of more regular

2:40

work. Most have

2:42

returned to post-Tefan analysis. And

2:46

yes, that includes delegating a couple

2:48

of people to do follow-up on

2:50

the Stephanie Somerset artifact. Don't

2:54

worry. Members are still working on

2:57

documenting this site, though we

2:59

can't be entirely sure what of

3:01

that is redundant. We still

3:03

don't have the previously recorded data

3:05

from the Nabonidus task force work

3:07

sorted out, and with no

3:09

pressing need to mount any more rescues, I've

3:12

placed the depths of the site off

3:15

limits. When

3:17

I am certain things are settled and

3:19

normal, I am thinking

3:21

of handing out an expedition in

3:23

search of answers as to where

3:25

the Nabonidus crew was all this

3:27

time. They were gone too

3:29

long to survive out there on the ice, and

3:32

the containers Francis took from

3:35

them have different markings. They

3:37

have to have come from somewhere. A

3:40

second site, perhaps? Something

3:43

that was missed? At

3:45

the moment it feels like we only

3:47

have half the puzzle. Cecilia

3:51

and Dr Chang are still working

3:53

on understanding both Johan Muller and

3:55

the other 56

3:58

survivors of Nefan. Nabonidus, continuing

4:02

to run tests and form

4:04

hypotheses. Nabonidus,

4:06

are being kept well isolated,

4:09

as the disconnect between what they say

4:11

and what they do is

4:13

still very pronounced and unsettling,

4:17

though there is no evidence of a

4:19

biological agent at play. And

4:22

thank you for your work to get

4:24

us the complete personnel file on Muller.

4:27

I don't know the particulars, because I

4:29

understand there are quite a few questions

4:32

around clearance, but my

4:34

understanding is that Chang found

4:36

the information very useful, and

4:38

is hopeful it might help

4:40

improve Muller's situation. We

4:43

have moved a couple of members

4:45

of Nabonidus into separate cells.

4:49

Well not cells, but we've

4:51

separated them into other isolation

4:53

chambers, in order to be

4:55

able to ask some questions

4:57

of them directly, without interruption.

5:00

They were compliant about being moved,

5:03

which was surprising to me, but

5:05

I'll take any good news at this point.

5:10

Despite the desire to find out what is wrong

5:12

with the Nabonidus team, we

5:14

are proceeding slowly and

5:16

cautiously. Whatever

5:18

this is, some sort

5:20

of behavioural reconditioning, possession,

5:23

mind control, it's

5:25

not something we're going to crack by

5:27

rushing and opening ourselves up to the

5:29

risk of ending up the same way.

5:33

That said, time could well be

5:35

a factor. So

5:38

I am making a request to

5:40

enlist additional resources and personnel on

5:42

your end. We

5:44

are gathering data, for this is

5:46

a problem which may test the limits of

5:48

our expertise and the capacity of our field

5:51

labs and their equipment. I

5:53

would argue that no one knows more

5:55

about proximum biology than Celia, and Chang

5:58

is extremely talented as a human being. a

6:00

medical doctor, but this

6:02

is as complex a situation as

6:04

anyone has faced before, and is

6:07

likely to need an integrated approach

6:09

to solve. While I

6:11

know there are a number of people available

6:13

at Central to throw at the problem, before

6:16

this is done we may need to read

6:18

in some outside experts in

6:21

human neurology at the very

6:23

least. Celia

6:25

is not the type to ask for

6:27

help directly, so I am

6:29

asking for them. Please

6:32

begin the process of putting aside a

6:34

budget for bringing in extra

6:36

consultants. I am

6:38

certain we are going to need

6:40

it. End report.

6:51

Commence report. Kathy Winters

6:53

reporting. Day 12, Nabonidus

6:56

relief mission. Department,

7:00

it's complicated. I've

7:03

been trying to piece together everything I

7:05

can on Johan Mueller and his activities

7:07

since he was left here. The

7:09

ongoing theme seems to be paranoia,

7:12

and I've been hoping that

7:14

might help us work out whether there

7:16

was a particular clue, something

7:18

he saw or knew or intuited

7:20

that might help us. We

7:23

know he did his best to hide his files

7:26

from the server, then went on

7:28

to scramble the Nabonidus files on

7:30

that server, as well as sabotage

7:32

the lifters, preemptively ran from the

7:34

rest of his crew just before

7:36

they marched off, scrambled the

7:38

access logs on the main door, and took

7:41

to hiding it in the walls. I

7:44

assume some of that was because he was

7:47

afraid of being found by his colleagues, but

7:51

apart from him picking up on a few

7:53

of the same clues we've found in the

7:55

Nabonidus data, What information was

7:57

he acting on? Anyway,

8:00

and so going through the last

8:02

of his personal files and I

8:05

think I found something significant. There's

8:08

a video in the sub folder

8:10

for Mueller that I'm sending along

8:12

designated M U E L Zero,

8:14

Three, Zero, Five. Is.

8:17

Near as I can tell when it comes from

8:19

the middle of the night of day nine. The.

8:22

One before the nab. A night us

8:24

crude disappeared. It. Seems

8:26

he got up and followed three

8:28

people down. Into the site. Don't

8:31

know what would have prompted him to go looking.

8:34

Maybe he just got lucky, but it's

8:37

quite clear when they pass on to

8:39

relate that it's a Zune Meissner. And

8:42

Hollister. House

8:45

or doesn't say anything the whole

8:47

time. Just walks

8:49

in. Front of the others. Mueller

8:53

followed them all the way down. Past.

8:56

Or number one, then to door

8:58

number two. Hollister

9:00

touches the door controls and operates

9:02

them like he already knows what

9:04

to do. And they

9:06

walk on through. Mueller.

9:09

Doesn't hang around on. Maybe

9:13

he was worried about being cause there's

9:15

not a lot of places to hide

9:17

on the way out. Maybe

9:20

he was spooked by what he heard. It.

9:23

Say but as boosted the audio from

9:25

the last month. Or

9:37

more. or

9:56

not We

10:06

don't need more footage to

10:08

know what the net result of that was. Three

10:11

walked in, but only

10:14

one came out. And

10:16

the thing is, so

10:19

far we seem to be clear

10:21

that while the Nabonites people have

10:23

no control of their bodies, per

10:25

se, they seem to be

10:28

able to speak for themselves. So

10:31

why did Hollister go about his morning

10:33

like normal the next day? Why

10:36

wasn't he yelling to everyone who could hear

10:38

him that they should get away? What

10:41

was the purpose of going beyond that door in

10:43

the middle of the night? To

10:45

bring something back? As

10:48

far as we know, that room was

10:50

empty, and the lift to descend to

10:52

the storage chamber below isn't functional. Given

10:58

they seem to be walking in perfect step

11:00

like we've seen the rest doing, this

11:03

wasn't an unscheduled midnight

11:05

Xeno-Archaeology party. This

11:08

was intentional. But

11:10

whose intention? I

11:14

guess the point is that I

11:17

feel like maybe Hollister knows more than

11:19

the others. And maybe he's

11:23

complicit in some way? That's

11:26

a lot to accuse someone of, I know,

11:28

but I'm thinking we might need to test

11:30

that somehow. I

11:34

tried to have another conversation with Johan

11:36

to see if he could help me

11:39

understand what I was seeing. I

11:41

couldn't get anywhere with him. He's

11:44

withdrawn into himself a lot since the

11:46

last time we spoke. And

11:49

bringing up the night he followed Hollister made him

11:51

shut down more. Having

11:54

said that, I am hopeful he may

11:56

improve soon. Dr. Chang

11:58

said he'd been given some more. more detailed medical

12:01

history on Johann, and

12:03

that he was going to start him on

12:05

something called Nordacil, which he

12:07

hopes might improve me. I'm

12:10

not sure how, exactly, but then

12:12

I'm not that kind of doctor.

12:16

But with luck, by next time,

12:19

I'll have something more concrete from Johann to

12:21

go on. Kathy

12:23

Winters, signing off. So,

12:28

entry three, the Johann

12:31

Mueller's report. So,

12:37

following on from Kathy's most recent discovery

12:39

among Johann Mueller's files, I

12:42

went to see Hollister. Hated

12:44

doing it, but... Since

12:47

there's reason to believe Hollister either knows more about

12:49

all this than the others, or... maybe

12:52

there's more to this whole being puppeted thing than just

12:55

having something else pulling the strings. That

12:58

maybe the impression that the person's conscious mind

13:00

is still in there and able to speak

13:02

is a sham, meant to deceive us further.

13:06

Look, I don't claim to understand it, but the

13:08

point is that there's some concern over whether or

13:11

not it really is Victor in there, and... despite

13:14

our differences... I

13:18

know him best. So,

13:21

even though I swore if I saw him again

13:24

I'd kill him, to his face, I might add.

13:27

Well... Anyway,

13:32

here is the conversation I had with him.

13:35

I'm including it in full, because not

13:38

only is some of the speculating we do

13:40

relevant to the ongoing investigation into this whole

13:42

shit show, but... it

13:45

touches on some stuff that's personal to both you and I. You

13:49

know what I mean. I

13:52

think you deserve to hear it, Even

13:55

if it's going to be upsetting. I

14:15

figured he had to be around here somewhere,

14:17

Idol to relatives were still on assignment that

14:19

least a half a dozen sector the. That

14:22

side the as he was so excited about

14:24

it some planet called Teflon. There

14:28

were complications. they will. We.

14:32

Had to be pulled out. And

14:34

the Olympic. Movement He

14:36

didn't believe that. How did you

14:38

get that one? press? So

14:42

the off how finally snapped and. White.

14:46

That the reason the mission it. Sounds

14:50

like a hell of a story. I

14:53

can give you some of the details, but right

14:55

now we also seem to be in the middle

14:57

of a hell of a story. Yeah, Did

15:01

you ever get survey data from beyond? Go

15:03

To! I see

15:05

me already been through all our stuff,

15:07

yes, but there's been a bit of

15:09

a problem with file storage, so whistle

15:11

piecing together all the logs and data.

15:15

Well. Then. we got

15:17

as far as the second or but no one of the on

15:19

that for this. right?

15:22

Well, We've gotten

15:24

as far as sending drone through. Here.

15:31

We. Think. Is

15:34

this the great fan killer? Asking my

15:36

opinion on a matter of sight interpretation?

15:40

At this point given everything it's happening I

15:42

think the more heads we have a nice

15:44

the more chance we have a getting you

15:46

out of it. You think I'm getting off.

15:50

And on a. Of those

15:52

more of the same kind of cylinders

15:54

the ones above. as near as we

15:56

can tell, we have no chance to

15:59

analyze Mit. Well, I assume

16:01

you seen at least some of my speculation.

16:04

Before we were having this conversation through Plexiglass

16:06

when my sister idly importantly pounds on the

16:08

wall I would have said the site like

16:10

some sort of must. Grow

16:13

made the national vote rent. The

16:16

rooms about telling people stay away the

16:18

say desecrate the dead The rooms between

16:21

semblance boss and austere because that somebody

16:23

the place. And

16:26

now. And. Well

16:29

what you want me to say, it looks

16:31

like a dip. The military start. But

16:36

then you must have come to the same

16:38

conflict. so I have no idea why you're

16:40

wasting your time asking me about it. Surely

16:42

you're more interested in what we found while

16:44

we were out there on the ice. Will

16:47

get to that. Oh.

16:51

This isn't the conversation, is it? You

16:55

trying to work. If

16:57

it's really mean here. Possibly.

17:01

Thing is, I hear you talk.

17:03

It looks like you sounds like

17:06

you. But then he

17:08

said. No standing there trying

17:10

to punch a way out and. Isn't

17:12

it has. No. Not

17:16

even a it. It's

17:18

like an anesthetic. The sensation is

17:20

at the feeling of blessed compressing

17:22

at a bone, than the strain

17:24

of him. But.

17:26

I don't feel the pain. So.

17:33

What's the plan? Test me.

17:35

Ask me something only the real

17:38

victim know. It's

17:43

really me. I

17:45

want to believe that. But then.

17:48

He just like. About

17:51

what. About door to.

17:54

What Do you mean? Genevieve,

17:56

my is and Vince when. I.

18:01

Don't know what you're talking about. Where he

18:03

the went down. that. Only

18:05

you came back. I

18:08

thought. I

18:12

thought that was a dream. I

18:19

remember other things better, but what happened to

18:22

them? It's a blur. Like

18:25

I said, I wanna believe

18:27

that. But. It was going

18:30

on that you'll have to forgive me. Don't

18:36

you want me to ask you for

18:38

forgiveness? I think you've been

18:40

internally ceiling from the know is

18:42

that didn't hear. Much

18:44

in some part is happy to see

18:47

me in this predicament. If you think

18:49

I'd take any joy is the real

18:51

reason you came though. Isn't it to

18:53

see if I feel any remorse? Any

18:55

guilt over the last time we. Worked

18:58

together. He mean when you killed

19:00

my daughter an almost my wife

19:02

into the bargain x What? Ex

19:04

Wife: Jennifer Connelly the person on

19:06

the other end of that record

19:08

it. When all this is over,

19:10

I imagine prison Now how would

19:12

take Alien? The simulated. Six Something

19:15

like that. Maybe.

19:21

Something control your limbs than one or two

19:24

memories. You believe that?

19:27

And you're wasting your time coming here with you're

19:29

right or wrong. Least

19:32

to sound the same, that smugness when

19:34

you think you're right. Classic.

19:37

Holsters, So.

19:42

What do you have to say? About

19:44

what. Whole

19:46

to. Ah, You

19:49

want Me to take responsibility? take blame.

19:53

like the he you say something we

19:55

never heard from you he didn't come

19:57

to the memorial service you bailey said

19:59

anything requiring Then you

20:01

disappeared off planet on another expedition.

20:04

Did it occur to you that maybe I

20:06

just wanted to lose myself in the work?

20:10

Forget about it all like you did. And

20:14

if you want the truth, yes I

20:16

did feel bad. Of course I did.

20:20

Bad about not double checking Randall's geological data.

20:23

Bad about pushing for a result. Bad

20:25

about agreeing to take Jennifer on a four month dig

20:27

when, much to my surprise, it turned out she was

20:30

three months pregnant when we arrived. The

20:32

invoking of the extension clause, pushing her closer to

20:34

her due date. But

20:37

did I feel guilty? No.

20:41

Mistakes were made. Some

20:43

of them were even mine. But

20:47

not all of them. If

20:49

you're saying the only way she kept you was

20:51

by keeping up with you, didn't

20:53

you know that? I'm

20:59

sorry. Sorry that

21:01

you lost your child, but do I feel responsible? There

21:05

was plenty of blame to go around on that dig,

21:07

wasn't there? You bastard.

21:10

I'm saved your breath Ben. It's

21:13

not worth your time. I'm

21:16

not worth your time. I'm

21:19

a dead man walking. Don't join

21:21

me. There's

21:24

always been a fixation for you, bordering

21:26

on devotion or religious obsession. Don't

21:30

let all of this consume you. You

21:34

let it eat your marriage. If

21:37

you keep this up, one

21:39

day you'll walk into something like I did.

21:42

And it'll eat you alive.

21:46

The proximons aren't worth it.

21:50

I'm still with you. Nice

21:55

seeing you Ben. So-

22:00

There you have it. On as strict a

22:02

professional level as I can manage, my

22:04

gut tells me that's really him talking. The

22:07

arrogance, the antagonism, the way

22:10

he pushes my buttons. It's

22:13

hard to imagine someone else sitting in the driver's seat

22:15

and getting that attitude so spot on.

22:19

On a personal level, that sack of shit deserves everything

22:21

that's happening to him right now. It

22:24

deserves it for his arrogance and his self

22:26

righteous buck dodging bullshit. I'm

22:30

sorry Jen that you had to hear all that, but

22:33

I think you'll agree that it's him. And

22:39

I'm sorry to... if

22:41

he was right. But

22:43

I don't think you saw yourself as following

22:47

in my shadow or whatever holster

22:49

was insinuating or that you felt

22:51

you needed to... heap up. I

22:55

don't think he knows you as well as he thinks. If

23:01

any of that was part of the

23:03

decision that led to you coming to Voltua then... I'm

23:06

sorry. I never made

23:08

you feel that way. I

23:12

never needed you to be anything

23:14

other than you. You

23:22

know what? Someone else can go get his story. I'm

23:24

done. You. Entry.

23:27

All. Neurobiology and

23:30

zero anthropology. Report.

23:34

Commence report. Dr

23:36

Celia Penella, Day 12, Nabonidus

23:39

Relief Mission. The

23:42

Nabonidus members are more settled today. A

23:44

lot of the destructive behavior, the punching

23:47

of walls and so on, has slowed

23:49

or ceased. Now

23:51

they simply mill around. See

23:54

whatever is driving them is consciously trying to

23:56

conserve energy, but whatever the reason,

23:58

it's allowed us to deal with it. with some of the physical

24:01

injuries they've sustained. We're

24:03

still being careful, of course, detaching

24:05

people from the mass and keeping members of

24:07

France's squad close at hand, and

24:10

above all, avoiding touch and

24:12

remaining sterile. It is

24:14

hardly an ideal situation, but

24:16

it has allowed bones to be set and

24:18

frostbite to be treated, even

24:20

cleaning some of the accumulated filth and

24:23

excrement. Further

24:25

testing has not helped us understand what has happened

24:27

to any greater degree. We

24:30

have come across one or two anomalies, including

24:32

most notably that some of our initial

24:35

findings were wrong. The

24:37

original results suggested their immune systems had

24:39

not engaged, and so this wasn't

24:41

due to a pathogen. However,

24:44

continued analysis suggests that some people's

24:47

immune responses may actually have been

24:49

suppressed. We were

24:51

about to consider full-body scans to get a

24:53

read on brainwave activity when this came up,

24:56

and so now we're also hoping the same scans

24:58

will finally show us what's within the rest of

25:01

the body that is not showing up within the

25:03

blood. It's

25:07

taken a while to work out the

25:09

logistics of moving someone currently under whatever

25:11

influence is involved to somewhere they can

25:13

safely be scanned while conscious, but

25:16

we are currently setting up a portable unit within

25:18

Hangar 8, and so

25:20

that test will occur later tonight. There

25:22

are also some tissue samples, as opposed to the

25:25

blood that we took, which I

25:27

am here waiting on processing for now. I've

25:30

continued to observe them and have seen a number of

25:33

things that lend weight to the notion that there is

25:35

something of a hive mind involved. This

25:37

speculation started due to the way they move

25:40

as one, so I decided

25:42

to check it, albeit somewhat crudely, with

25:44

an experiment involving a parcel of food in

25:46

a key-coded case. It was

25:49

given to a group in one room, and they were told the

25:51

code. Then the same case was

25:53

given to others in a different section without telling

25:55

them the code. Both groups

25:57

accessed the food. How

26:00

complete a hive mind it is requires

26:02

further testing, and the brain

26:04

scans may shed light. Of

26:10

course, there is also the

26:12

rather upsetting phenomenon of how they talk.

26:15

Their bodies appear to be machines, in

26:18

sync, with the intent of killing us

26:20

all or making us like them, perhaps, but

26:23

their conscious minds seem, at least on the

26:25

surface, to be untethered from that

26:27

idea. Some cry and

26:29

wail. Some ask to

26:31

be killed. Some ask for

26:33

us to let them half their bodies back. Still

26:36

others call out, wanting us

26:38

to send messages to loved ones. All

26:41

of this has got a thinking about how much

26:43

of the real person is in there, as

26:46

did the video Kathy found earlier. I

26:52

had Victor Hollister separated out from the rest,

26:55

and Ben spoke to him. Ben

26:57

swears he was speaking to the real Victor,

27:00

but the conversation wound down quickly, because

27:03

there are, of course, many old wounds

27:05

there. For you too,

27:07

I know. I don't

27:09

know him anywhere near as well, but

27:11

I thought it worth having a conversation to see

27:13

if I could learn more about what happened to

27:15

the members of Nabonidus from the point where they

27:17

left to their return. I'll

27:21

warn you before I begin. The story he

27:23

told me is...Grizzly. Ah!

27:29

Dr. Penella, please, come

27:31

in. I would

27:33

have tidied up the place, but I was busy

27:35

being completely immobile, except for this arm of mine,

27:38

punching the wall. Victor,

27:42

I was wondering if you might

27:44

have a moment to talk. I

27:48

have nothing but the time. I

27:51

take it Ben did not get all the answers you wanted? Well,

27:56

since you put it like that, no. Why

28:00

am I in this cell, separate from the others? Does

28:05

it matter? Is there a reason you

28:07

don't want to be away from them? I...

28:12

try to stay positive for them. I

28:15

know some are not coping with this. Is

28:18

that all? In

28:21

truth, being alone

28:23

gives me too

28:25

much time to think. It's

28:28

easier to be positive for others than for

28:30

myself. Well then,

28:32

if you'd like to get back to them, why

28:34

don't you tell me what happened between all of

28:37

you leaving and returning? I've

28:40

been dreading that question since I was moved here.

28:44

Is that why you pushed Ben's buttons so much? Perhaps.

28:48

Ben is just one big button mark. Do

28:50

not touch anyway, though. What

28:53

happened, Victor? Alright.

29:00

Celia... Please

29:03

don't rush me. This

29:07

is hard. Not

29:12

just because my perspective is skewed from not being the

29:14

one in charge of the ship the whole time. Fair

29:19

enough. Take your

29:21

time. But tell me, 36 days

29:24

ago you were addressing the assembled team in

29:26

Chamber A, and then

29:28

suddenly you all just stopped and

29:31

left. Yes.

29:36

I... There

29:39

was more to it than that, Pat. Things

29:42

I'm only half remembering. Something

29:45

Ben brought up before that caught me off guard.

29:50

You mean Vincent and Genevieve Meisner? Yes.

29:55

And other things that are a blur. After

29:58

or before that? A month, I

30:01

think. But that moment

30:03

down in Chamber A, that

30:05

was the first time I felt conscious whilst it

30:07

was happening. Like

30:09

I was actually present but couldn't do anything. Like

30:13

someone else had taken the wheel. Or

30:16

like surrendering control to the AI when

30:18

docking a shuttle. I

30:20

couldn't move a hand, wiggle a finger, or

30:23

move a foot of my own volition. But

30:26

I was walking just the same.

30:29

We were walking. All

30:32

of you? As far as

30:34

I could tell. I

30:36

couldn't look around, couldn't take a head count.

30:39

I can control my mouth, at least a sneak.

30:43

Not my eyes. Whatever

30:45

is in charge of us, it

30:48

determines where I look. What

30:50

are you focused on right now? The

30:55

door? The guard? You?

31:00

If I had to guess, I'd say that something

31:02

is evaluating the chance of escape. Assuming

31:05

that breaking through this plexiglass is even possible.

31:09

I see. What happened

31:11

next? We

31:14

made our way up to the surface. And

31:17

then, we packed ourselves into a

31:19

crawler. Wouldn't

31:21

think that you could fit so many people into so

31:23

crap to space, but in we

31:25

went like sardines. We

31:28

stood like that for hours, days.

31:31

No idea what direction we drove. Time

31:34

lost all meaning because there was no way out

31:36

and no light. We

31:38

were just trapped in the dark and in our own heads. No

31:42

one talked after the first day or so. We

31:45

were just held in place by the press, shitting

31:48

and pissing where we stood. Eventually,

31:51

we stopped and get out, most of us falling.

31:54

While I could tell my muscles were cramped all to hell,

31:58

I Couldn't feel any pain. Most

32:02

of us were wearing thermal give the he didn't

32:04

mind or that called on the surface. But.

32:07

Those who read the pods would shed

32:09

the extra layer. there. They was, shivering.

32:13

We were in a valley, perhaps a depression

32:15

the from so. It

32:17

got the wind at least make it slightly less lethal

32:20

for those who work of. Once

32:23

we were all out we start to

32:26

move as one falling into step. We

32:29

walked to a cave with a arrow opening. It's

32:32

a little warmer inside. I'm middle of

32:34

a pack of this point. There's

32:37

not much light, but I can make

32:39

out some sort of rock formations. Looks

32:41

a little unnatural. We

32:45

begin to pound on it and a

32:47

little bit at the time it gives.

32:50

Rooks twice Liza has. it's like

32:52

we take shifts, rotated people to

32:54

the back of the like the

32:56

rest of it so often that

32:59

replacing with a new front line

33:01

attacking the door. That

33:04

in the end, just like old

33:06

urology. Pressure. And

33:08

time when. The

33:11

rocks crack. And

33:13

we see beyond. That

33:18

a tongue. Covered in that

33:21

black oil slicks. Don't you find the on the boat

33:23

door hit. There's

33:26

also an ambient go from what is clearly

33:28

approximate door on the other side. There

33:31

appears to be controls for the door, probably

33:33

security. But. Apparently something

33:35

already knows how to access it is

33:38

the door opens. Go

33:40

inside. The

33:47

black coating continues with the new

33:49

places. very different from the site.

33:52

before equipment more live however evidence

33:54

of occupation were at least from

33:56

what i can see with my

33:58

eyes big directed by a mother force.

34:01

A force that seems to have a searching for

34:03

something. If

34:06

you had to hazard a guess, what do you

34:08

think the site was for? Some

34:11

sort of lab or scientific facility. Most

34:14

of the technology is completely new to me and looks

34:16

more advanced than what I've seen. Some

34:18

things look like they had a scanning function

34:21

and the layout of the room suggests the

34:23

compartmentalization of labs. It's

34:25

a more complex site too. I

34:28

was taking down at least eight floors. Probably

34:31

more. I'm so weak at this point

34:33

that I've drifted in and out a lot. Doesn't

34:36

seem to matter. When

34:38

I come back to myself I'm somewhere else. We

34:41

haven't eaten for days by now. There

34:45

seems to be a goal though because eventually we

34:47

end up fanned out at a bunch of doors

34:50

and we're all punching random combinations of their consoles.

34:53

They're long combinations too but I

34:55

guess like the proverbial thousand monkeys with

34:57

a thousand typewriters, someone

34:59

gets it right because one of them opens and a bunch

35:01

of people go in. Grab something and we're off again to

35:04

one of the surface. Storage

35:06

cylinders? Something like the ones that

35:09

were in jambisie? If

35:12

you say so. I never actually

35:14

got to look. We

35:20

head back to the surface and

35:22

on the way I catch a glimpse of someone face

35:24

down on the floor not breathing. I

35:27

think it was Colin Burney. Like

35:30

he'd collapsed? I

35:33

think so. Eighty-four.

35:36

What? Nothing. I'm

35:39

sorry. For the loss. Please

35:43

continue. We

35:45

get back into the crawlers but I

35:48

don't know. Maybe it didn't have

35:50

a full chance. Maybe it just broke down because

35:52

after a day it

35:54

stops and we get out. And

35:59

I think we're just going to to walk back, but we

36:01

don't. People

36:03

are grouping into threes, moving off in different

36:05

directions. I

36:07

can see the others out of the corner of my eye, but the

36:10

actual focus of my vision is the woman in front of me.

36:14

Serena is her name. Was

36:17

her name. Myself

36:21

and the other person with me, I

36:23

don't even know who it was. Well

36:26

we move towards Serena. She

36:30

yells, begging us

36:32

to stop. Other voices

36:34

are crying out the same, but we don't stop,

36:36

and she stops shouting because she's got two sets

36:38

of hands wrapped around her throat and one of

36:40

them... One

36:43

of them is mine. Victor.

36:46

Don't stop me. Please

36:48

don't stop me. I

36:52

might not be able to go on if you stop me. Because

36:57

eventually she crumpled, and having

37:00

been unable to raise a hand in her own defence... And

37:08

we fall on her. And

37:12

we... I...

37:16

And we... Eat.

37:24

You knew. Suspected.

37:28

You've been gone a long time. You

37:31

hadn't taken supplies that we knew of. And

37:34

if you'd walked, even

37:36

with the right gear, a body

37:39

still needs a lot of calories for

37:41

a trick like that. I

37:51

don't know how long we were there for, but

37:53

we ate, and ate. And

37:57

I might not be able to feel pain, but I'm still in

37:59

it. And

38:02

I have no time. Like

38:05

a red hot not at all that

38:07

magic fan. even though

38:09

I what they put the others. That

38:13

are they would feel the gag sensation. It's

38:15

like it's pigs oppressed. Doc

38:25

by the time with it is. Gonna

38:28

go see what's left to read or anymore. So.

38:33

Releasing the i can't. Then

38:45

we whoop! Crying.

38:48

Screaming. Eventually

38:51

I blacked out. When I came to

38:53

we were still walking and people were

38:55

still screaming. Have

38:59

no idea how low we vote

39:02

weeks. But

39:04

eventually we made it his. Arrest.

39:10

Suppose you know. I'm

39:15

sorry. What's

39:18

happening To Us? Why

39:20

are we in control while we

39:23

did? We

39:25

working on it will find out. He

39:29

will tell me what you said it would you

39:31

fight? If is still a

39:33

chance for any them I need to know. Of

39:36

course it is. I'll

39:38

keep you updated, I promise. That

39:46

was not an easy conversation to

39:48

have. That one that yielded useful

39:50

information is no real answers. that

39:53

makes it sound trivial but

39:56

it was some from it

39:58

is seeking listening to it again

40:00

just now. I

40:07

hope to have something more when we can scan

40:09

the affected people more completely, because

40:12

despite my reassurances to Victor, I am

40:15

not sure we know anything yet about what is

40:17

making this happen or why. And

40:22

Jennifer, I know I said

40:24

some things several days ago to you that

40:27

were deeply personal, and that

40:29

that conversation is not over, but

40:31

I cannot right now. I

40:34

am sorry. There

40:37

is too much to wait through, and

40:39

there have been too many deaths, some

40:42

of them of people I cared about. I

40:46

have to try to save the rest. This

40:58

report, Captain Francis, 23rd Alliance

41:00

Marines, Day 12, Navinitis

41:02

Relief Mission. There

41:05

isn't much to report at this point. If

41:08

what I am hearing from the science types is anything to

41:10

go by, it would seem we have now

41:12

accounted for all members of the Navinitis Task Force, and

41:15

thus there is no search or investigation on

41:17

that score for me to actively pursue. I

41:22

am aware that, given the, shall

41:25

we say, possessed state of those we

41:27

have found, that there is much

41:29

work to be done trying to undo whatever this is,

41:32

but that falls well outside of my

41:34

skill set. Much

41:38

in all, I would hope that having completed

41:40

my task, it might be possible to request

41:42

pick up and transfer back to HG or

41:45

out on assignment. I know

41:47

that's unlikely to occur while things are

41:49

somewhat in flux here. At

41:51

the moment, my role has become that of

41:53

support, given the seemingly hostile

41:55

intent of whatever is driving these people

41:57

to behave as they are. To

42:00

that end I've arranged guard details and rotating

42:03

shifts on the several locations within Hangar 8

42:05

where the 56 crew have been

42:07

placed. That includes Hollister,

42:09

who has been separated from the group in

42:11

order to be spoken with uninterrupted. Johan

42:15

Uller, who, while seemingly not part of

42:17

this situation, and most likely not actively

42:20

involved in bringing this situation to pass,

42:23

is not someone I am ready to trust just yet.

42:26

I'll be having him move to a separate location within

42:28

the Hangars as soon as Dr Chan is convinced he

42:30

is well enough. I

42:33

want all these eggs in one basket,

42:35

for convenience if nothing else. I

42:39

have a few additional concerns. Firstly

42:42

the storage cylinders the Navinitis crew went to all

42:44

the trouble of crossing a ton of frozen miles

42:46

for. They seem similar

42:48

to the ones found here, but

42:50

it was pointed out to me by one

42:52

of the military science teams that they have

42:54

different markets, indicating a

42:57

possible secondary function. My

43:00

understanding is that scans have not revealed anything

43:02

inside them, just like the other cylinders here

43:04

in the mindset. But you

43:06

can't tell me that whole death march was for

43:08

empty barrels. There

43:10

is talk of sending a group out to find this

43:12

other site in the hopes that it may provide additional

43:14

answers. I will be sending

43:16

some of my soldiers along to keep the Herodotus people

43:19

out of trouble. A new

43:21

site means potential new dangers, and

43:23

given the compromised nature of any intel we

43:25

get from these returned Navinitis people, we

43:28

need to be prepared for anything. And

43:32

since I'm stuck in this situation until some

43:34

part of it starts making scientific sense, all

43:37

I and my squad can contribute is grunt

43:39

work and making sure everyone stays safe long

43:41

enough to get that answer. It

43:44

should be easy enough. We have

43:47

a rough baron thanks to the direction from

43:49

which our returned zombies came, and

43:51

the crawler they abandoned on their return journey

43:53

should lie along the path. That

43:56

should be enough for us to track it down. the

44:00

not a moment to so holding

44:02

people prisoner is seem to be

44:04

themselves already prisoners and their own/is

44:06

not exactly my idea of a

44:09

good times. Reported.

44:41

In them doctor been in a. We. Were

44:43

looking in their own cease. it's not in

44:45

the blood. I. Got that some tissue

44:48

samples? the tude and or the blend

44:50

of compounds, trace amounts of plastics and

44:52

unusual Anneliese chemical to sign that read

44:54

as alien, not human. So when we

44:56

got someone into a full body scan,

44:58

I knew what to look for. It

45:00

runs through the tissues of the body

45:02

in a network like an additional biological

45:04

system. We. Might have

45:06

missed it if we haven't had the tissue

45:08

samples to work from and known what to

45:10

detect. I think it's some sort of netting

45:12

technology wrexham and then I. It's working together

45:15

to create a network. the taps into all

45:17

bodily systems. It seems to be

45:19

bypassing the brain, barely touching it except perhaps to

45:21

tap into and access. Alpha Durant's

45:23

That's it. Sorry I've only had the results

45:25

to hand for minutes and I am still

45:27

putting this together as I speak, but I

45:29

think I have an answer. It's.

45:32

Like carpenter ants in the Amazon. There's.

45:34

A fungus i forget the name the gets into

45:36

their system since I'm almost into zombies, makes a

45:38

move out of the natural habitat and climb higher

45:40

and then be ant. Thoughts on a nice and

45:42

doesn't like though it dies They're usually above and

45:45

at trails who the sports hall down and get

45:47

into the next dance and so on. Research.

45:50

Originally thought it was getting into the

45:52

and sprains, but it wasn't just that,

45:55

it was also bypassing the brain, setting

45:57

itself directly into the muscles and nerves

45:59

and manipulating. then. I think that's what's

46:01

happening here. the structures, the networks being

46:03

created. They are bypassing the brain, at

46:06

least for the most part. That's why

46:08

these people are still themselves. It must

46:10

be moving things like speech centers alone,

46:12

because it only needs the eyes, arms

46:15

and legs for the most part. Some

46:19

of that doesn't entirely what, but I'm uploading

46:21

daughter to the still a cast as we

46:23

speak because we're very close to the deadline.

46:25

And then I think I should go and keep

46:28

my promise to Hollister. There's a lot still to

46:30

figure out that this feels like the essence of

46:32

it. And then I must have. Been. This.

46:41

Is Adrian Boult. Oh

46:44

Roger Personnel please see.

46:47

The. Members of Number Night At All.

46:50

The. Marine Squad or Compromise.

46:54

I repeat number neither.

46:58

The. Marines or compromised and

47:00

a thing. Is the same way

47:02

as another night. It. If

47:05

you are trying of hate evacuated

47:07

me if they make for the

47:09

mind. If. You are

47:12

in a secure boot pot

47:14

and have command access to

47:16

override Parker Play Secure your

47:18

location, Stay plate. If

47:20

you are in open or

47:22

common areas or any area

47:24

where you cannot institute your

47:26

own security, Evacuate To The

47:29

Mind. Immediately Avoid any number

47:31

nine members or marines you

47:33

encounter at all. Costs. Do.

47:35

Not let them touch you.

47:38

Make. Mine. Either.

47:55

Or both. of

48:14

Sally Wermer, the Lisa

48:19

WGAN. soldiers, Professor Tr ethics, Executive

48:21

Assistant Letina, Intergovernmental Services, Mhappyiren

48:24

Farbahan, Public undergone KumWel squared

48:26

U append ItemHere the The

48:50

The second of our season two themes was

48:53

composed and performed by Oliver Morris.

48:55

The episode also included Adagio

48:57

to Fantasy in C Major by

49:00

Shubare, performed by Bruno Freitas,

49:03

and Nocturna in C Sharp

49:05

Minor by Chopin, performed

49:08

by Chris Studio. Both

49:10

of those pieces were licensed from Motion Array. and

50:00

free dot com. We

50:03

can also be found

50:05

on Twitter, Facebook,

50:08

and Nothing Guys is

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available in the public.

50:13

In creating T-shirts, gloves,

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hoodies, and

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stickers. Thank you

50:20

for listening.