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visitfortmyers.com. Hey

0:29

everyone, it's totally the real Pacific. I

0:32

hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I

0:35

had a great, short vacation and

0:38

really enjoyed the extra time to rest before diving

0:40

into the craziness of 2024. Around

0:43

this time of year, I really like to reflect

0:45

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0:47

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0:50

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0:53

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0:55

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0:57

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this week's episode. Warning.

1:36

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1:49

Conceal. You're under arrest.

2:09

All right folks, looks like we're all

2:11

here. If everyone will

2:13

please have a seat, we can get started. I

2:17

do have a brief statement to read and

2:19

after that, I'll take some

2:21

questions. Everybody

2:24

ready to go then? Good. Okay,

2:29

as many of you already know, last

2:31

night one of my deputies responded to

2:33

a call at Three Mile and Winchhead

2:35

Road here in Washington County, came

2:38

across the body of an as

2:40

yet unidentified victim of what looks

2:42

to be a death by emulation. At

2:45

this time, the Washington County Medical

2:47

Examiner is still determining the cause of death.

2:50

Please also note the location where the

2:53

body was found is still an act

2:55

of crime scene. While

2:57

we're not able to positively identify the victim due

2:59

to the nature of the cause of death, we

3:03

do have our witnesses that have indicated

3:05

to my investigators that

3:07

the victim was indeed Tammy Lynn Halona, who,

3:11

as we all know, has been missing

3:13

these last few weeks. Naturally,

3:16

we at the department in a close-knit community

3:18

like Magnolia is, are

3:21

as deeply saddened by the loss of life

3:23

as everyone else. We

3:25

don't have a lot of details right now, but

3:28

as they become available, you can be

3:30

sure that we'll be updating you

3:32

folks without delay. More

3:35

importantly, I want

3:37

to ask all of your listeners and

3:39

readers to please contact the Magnolia

3:41

Sheriff's Department with any and

3:43

all information that might aid us in now

3:46

investigating the death of Ms. Halona.

3:50

Now, I'm going to

3:52

take a few questions, but please bear in

3:54

mind that we've only just

3:56

began looking into the matter. Shout out to Kobo.

3:58

Shout out to Kobo. John,

4:01

we'll start with you. Sheriff

4:04

Kubo, given the grisly nature

4:06

of this crime and the

4:08

unusual manner of death, do

4:10

you now have any further

4:12

comments on the possible links

4:14

to alleged satanic cults operating here

4:16

in Magnolia? Well,

4:20

while this is an ongoing investigation and

4:22

nothing is certain at the moment, we

4:24

are now pursuing new leads that may indeed

4:27

point to a possible connection with

4:29

certain individuals that may have alleged

4:31

the ties to satanic cults. Sheriff,

4:33

Sheriff, Sheriff, let me

4:35

further state that the

4:38

links are to a group that operate in

4:40

San Francisco, California, and that is now

4:42

known to reside in or

4:44

near Magnolia or Washington County. There

4:48

are persons of interest only that

4:50

we're keen to talk to, but their

4:52

involvement, if any, in last

4:54

night's terrible tragedy has

4:57

not yet been determined. Sheriff Kubo! Sheriff

5:00

Kubo! Go ahead, Gail. Gail

5:03

Daniels, Arkansas Daily News. Now

5:06

that this is a murder investigation instead of a

5:08

missing persons investigation, will the Magnolia Sheriff's Department be

5:10

bringing in outside help? Well,

5:12

first off, Gail, we don't

5:14

know that it is a murder investigation.

5:17

It is in all likelihood,

5:19

but the medical examiner has

5:21

not yet released his findings and we

5:23

can't- Are you saying that you can't begin chasing

5:25

these lunatics down because you need the ME to tell you

5:28

that Tammy Lynn didn't set fire to herself? No,

5:30

Gail. What I'm telling

5:32

you is that we are already investigating the scene,

5:34

and once we are certain with absolute certainty that

5:36

Ms. Hulone is indeed our victim and that her

5:38

cause of death is indeed our cause of death,

5:41

is indeed a homicide. Then

5:44

we will communicate the same to you folks. Need

5:47

I remind you that this

5:49

is a nation of laws in due

5:51

process and we will abide by that

5:53

and to answer your first question, the

5:55

state's Attorney General has already called and told

5:58

me that we have the full, Support

6:00

of his office. And

6:03

additional resources have been freed up should we

6:05

need them. Including but

6:07

not limited to special investigators. I'd

6:10

again ask that you let our readers know

6:13

to please fully cooperate with any

6:15

law enforcement officers and to

6:18

please not interfere in any way with

6:20

this investigation. Cooperation is

6:22

absolutely key if we hope to quickly

6:24

identify any potential perpetrators.

6:27

Sheriff Kubo. Go

6:29

ahead. In back. Sheriff Kubo. As

6:31

most folks around here know, Whispering Lakes has

6:34

a long history of unusual going ons. Do

6:36

you or any of your investigators think that

6:38

the lake may have something to do

6:40

with Tammy's m... I mean

6:42

death. Well, I

6:45

find it hard to imagine how Whispering Lake could

6:47

have anything to do with this. It

6:49

is true that Tammy Lynn was found

6:52

just outside the lake on 3 Mile Road. But

6:55

currently we have no indication... Is

6:57

it possible that the site was chosen because of

6:59

potential energy vortexes that Satan has used to summon

7:01

dark magic? Oh boy. There's

7:04

no possible way that I could

7:06

know that. And I suspect I

7:09

know where you've heard that, but I'm

7:11

not gonna get into it either. Look,

7:14

I'm born and raised in Washington County. Just

7:17

like a lot of your listeners. I

7:20

know all the stories and all about the

7:22

boogeyman and that have come calling out of

7:24

that lake. But it's 1976

7:26

folks. Not 1876. There

7:32

might be a monster on the loose alright, but

7:34

it ain't no swamp thing and it

7:36

ain't no ghost. The person

7:38

of persons that may be responsible for

7:40

Tammy Lynn's death are all

7:42

too human and we'll find them. And

7:45

they will be brought to justice. You

7:48

have my word. I'm not sure I'm up to

7:50

speed on that John. What

7:57

is the Christian Citizens Brigade?

8:00

The CBB is a group of concerned

8:02

citizens from both right here in Magnolia

8:05

and in Washington County at large that

8:07

have banded together to ensure that no

8:09

further incidents of this kind take place.

8:12

They are being led by Brother Brian

8:14

Elden of the First Witness Church of

8:16

Christ. That sounds a bit ominous

8:18

to me. Let

8:21

me remind you listeners that the Magnolia

8:23

Sheriff's Department is the sole law enforcement

8:25

agency in this jurisdiction and

8:28

we will not allow any vigilante groups

8:30

to operate. Sheriff, with all due

8:32

respect, if your department had been more transparent

8:34

about the rise in satanic and occult incidents

8:36

over these past few years, we may not

8:38

be carrying the murder of a young woman. And

8:41

with all due respect to you and your readers, Gail,

8:43

whoever is spreading these rumors, whether

8:46

they are inside or outside my department,

8:48

is doing this town and this

8:50

investigation a great disservice. We

8:53

will handle this situation and

8:55

if myself or my deputies encounter any

8:58

untoward behavior on the part of folks around

9:00

here, it will be prosecuted

9:02

to the fullest extent of the law. Mark

9:05

my words. Are you saying that you will arrest

9:07

folks that are just trying to keep this town safe? I've

9:09

said what I have to say about it. Now,

9:11

that's all folks. We got work

9:14

to do. We'll update you as we

9:16

go. Sheriff Cooper! Sheriff

9:18

Cooper! Thaddeus

9:23

Cooper. Harper! You old mule!

9:26

It's good to see you. It's good to see you too old buddy. How

9:28

have you been? Things

9:30

are... well, you know how they

9:32

are. We're always busy. It's

9:34

always a busy season at the foundation.

9:36

Yes it is. Seems like every day

9:38

there's some new peter or temporal disruption

9:41

or multiverse kind of thing. I'm

9:44

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

9:47

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm

9:49

not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not

9:51

sure. I'm not sure. I'm not

9:53

sure. Okay. Let's

9:56

see. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm

9:58

not sure. Let's see. Especially in

10:00

containment. Right. Get

10:03

out in here. Have a seat.

10:05

Thanks. Need something to drink? No,

10:07

I'm good to go. All right, then. Let's get to

10:09

it. Tell me what's happening out there. I

10:12

was actually hoping you'd fill me in first, aren't? Yeah.

10:15

Well, we both know that Site-2-136

10:17

is a black box site, and that the

10:19

operative, in this case, me, can know nothing

10:21

about it. Something about

10:24

it being a kinetic class

10:26

cognitohazard. One of those

10:28

they could tell me, but then they'd have to

10:30

kill me situations. Right.

10:33

Don't tell me. What? You've

10:36

been made aware of the site's potential

10:38

for disruption, haven't you? Absolutely. I'm

10:41

actually a little curious about how you know

10:43

so much about it, given the Foundation's prerequisites.

10:45

Some of it's a hunch, and some of it

10:48

I've just put together over the last two years. It's

10:51

a small town, Harper. It was always

10:53

going to happen, me hearing about the

10:55

site. Especially one so closely tied to

10:57

town history. Fair enough. But

10:59

you're going to tell me all the details, right? Yes.

11:03

Here's the file. Have a look. You

11:06

already know it's a Keter-class containment,

11:08

disruption-class kinetic, rated a level four

11:10

dangerous site. And it

11:12

is indeed a cognitohazard. Great.

11:16

Now tell me what we're really up against. So

11:19

we're not entirely sure about what's going on in

11:21

the lake. Same

11:23

old song. That's

11:25

the nature of the beast. When

11:27

the site was first identified, it claimed 38. Who

11:32

does the Uncle Sam's finest? Seven federal

11:34

agents, three civilian journalists embedded with the

11:36

troops, and four of ours. Four

11:40

of ours? Different world back

11:42

then. She must have

11:44

been. Anyways, after the

11:46

site was finally recognized for what it is,

11:48

it was immediately slated for special containment procedures.

11:51

And exactly what is it? Well,

11:53

simply put, we don't

11:55

know. But you

11:58

suspect it's a honey trap. A honey

12:00

trap? And who's running

12:02

it? We don't know that either. Not

12:05

exactly. Problem with the site is

12:07

that it's a bit like the event horizon of a black hole.

12:10

Can't really see what's happening in the lake. You

12:13

combine that with the fact that once the subject

12:15

goes under, they rarely resurface and... Rarely?

12:18

Well, you know how it is. When

12:21

the Foundation was first studying the site, there were...

12:25

Let's say there were some pretty risky

12:27

engagements. Aiming at what? I'm

12:30

sure initially it was purely empirical in nature. Classifying

12:33

a site can be incredibly valuable to

12:35

both containment and inating the identification of

12:37

other potential sites. That's

12:39

the company line. And hell,

12:42

the Cold War was just starting to chill.

12:44

If it was some kind of ultimate honey

12:46

trap we could deploy for our own purposes,

12:48

you can be sure that bigwigs in Washington

12:50

wanted to know. The ultimate

12:52

tar pit. Can

12:54

you imagine? Deploying an aquaticognito

12:56

hazard in the Miskford River? I

13:00

can't imagine. Well, either

13:02

way we ran into a problem. With transport?

13:05

With controlling it. The

13:07

early test concluded with little doubt that each body

13:10

that goes into the lake somehow amplifies the effects

13:12

of its sonic lure. I

13:14

can testify to that firsthand. I

13:17

gotta tell you, we've really screwed up keeping

13:19

you out here this long. Why's that?

13:22

One of our underlying strategies protecting the site's

13:24

integrity is by keeping the monitors completely ignorant

13:26

of the site's triggers. How'd

13:29

that work out for you? And

13:31

for the hindsight, I suppose. The

13:34

thing is, we believe the site has the

13:36

ability to somehow glean from a potential victim

13:38

certain neurological patterns. Certain

13:40

neurological patterns? Like memories? Dreams?

13:44

How's that possible? We're not entirely sure,

13:46

Coop. The site as

13:48

a whole operates or manifests as a sonic entity.

13:51

Entity? Are

13:53

you saying that this lake is some

13:55

kind of sentient being? Ah,

13:58

shit, Cooper. We're getting the

14:00

weeds now. Are you a

14:02

Hegelian or a Kantian? Why

14:05

they're not the sites alive is something for the

14:07

philosophers to ponder. Our job

14:09

is just to lock it down. All

14:11

I'm saying is it seems to manifest its

14:13

intentions, desires and agency by means of sound

14:16

and further, that it

14:18

also seems to know its potential victims intimately.

14:22

Well, I'm hearing agency and

14:25

sentience. That's our work

14:27

in hypothesis anyway. The

14:29

truth is the foundation hasn't studied the lake in some

14:32

time. It's a low priority

14:34

site for research. Is

14:36

there... Could

14:39

someone actually communicate to

14:42

this entity? If they, I

14:45

don't know. If they knew the language,

14:47

if they'd somehow... Funny

14:50

you should mention that. Elme,

15:02

are you seeing this? I

15:04

am, but... What

15:06

am I seeing exactly? You're

15:09

seeing the highest recorded sonic emission

15:11

that we've ever encountered. Is

15:14

this? Yes. This

15:17

is from the Halo, what I was

15:19

telling you about. Readings taken during

15:21

turbulence migration. Lord Firth rather

15:24

attempted migration. And Holly's

15:26

findings? She hasn't reported back yet. But

15:29

there's little question that we're going to see readings

15:31

remarkably higher than we've ever seen before. Tammy

15:34

Lynn truly was a special subject.

15:38

If only we hadn't been so cavalier. We

15:40

pulled too many levers at once. I'm not

15:43

so sure about that. Are you saying this

15:45

additional modulation is what? Different

15:47

from past migration upticks? Let

15:50

me see. I

15:54

don't understand. This is

15:56

impossible. And look at this. What

15:58

is this? What you... seeing here is

16:00

exactly what we've been looking for. Proof

16:04

of intelligence. This

16:06

can't be right. It is. I took

16:09

the Foundation along to disproven this theory. That's what

16:11

they told us when they shut us down. But

16:14

we should have been listening all along. I don't

16:16

know why we doubt it. Listening

16:19

to who? The Foundation? No.

16:23

To the lake, of course. She's

16:26

been guiding our hand all along. You

16:28

see that, don't you? She?

16:30

She is

16:33

the lankest ascension. But

16:35

then why? Why doesn't it

16:37

make itself known to us? Why can't we understand how

16:40

to proceed? We

16:42

should be so lucky to even now

16:44

grasp what we have. This would be

16:46

an intelligence, thousands, no tens of thousands

16:48

of years old. It

16:51

could be extraterrestrial, not one of the

16:53

old gods, or one of the old

16:55

shadows. Whatever it is, it

16:57

has brought us together. And we alone

16:59

have been chosen to bring its message

17:01

into the light. What

17:04

are you saying? For Christ's

17:06

sake, Ash, that was our very effective line of

17:08

bullshit created specifically for controlling

17:10

our subjects. Please tell

17:12

me that you're not starting to believe your own

17:14

fairy tale. This is what I'm telling you. She

17:18

has been guiding us in more ways

17:20

than we've imagined. These may

17:22

not be our clever psychological devices at

17:24

all. They might very

17:26

well be subliminal messages that we

17:28

received as a result of our

17:31

own special migration. You're, you're

17:33

not thinking clearly, Ash. Don't take my

17:36

word for it, Helm. Let

17:38

me show you what the data looks like when it

17:40

is rendered numerically. There's little

17:42

question that we are being called on. There

17:45

is a language here, and last

17:47

night's experiment has finally amplified and

17:49

clarified the voice and its message.

17:52

Her message

17:55

is coming through loud and clear. And

17:58

what do you think it's saying? It's

18:01

asking them to be turned

18:03

loose. That's madness. It's

18:05

not. Let me show

18:07

you why. Okay.

18:22

Make sure to give the stateies down by

18:24

the lake a wide berth. I'm sure they're

18:26

expecting some busybodies, so if we get pinched,

18:29

just claim ignorance. That

18:31

shouldn't be a problem for you, Lee. Ouch.

18:33

Where's Perez when I need him? Do

18:36

you think we should have gone by and picked him up? I

18:38

feel bad for taking off without him. I like

18:41

him as the target for your jabs, that's for sure. But

18:44

you're both so great at taking a punch. I

18:47

left a note with my mom. He'll know

18:49

where we're at when he finally drags his worthless butt out

18:51

of bed. Al's usually all

18:53

over this stuff, especially when there's weed involved.

18:56

I guess he's going to be jealous that we found the bunker without him

18:58

then. And what

19:01

does this bunker look

19:03

like again? Oooie. Well,

19:06

I don't know. And we probably won't

19:08

see the bunker bunker. It's buried underground.

19:10

25 feet underground. Right.

19:15

But we should see the hatch. The hatch? I

19:17

mean, there has to be a hatch,

19:20

right? It might be smaller than

19:22

you think, though, so keep your eyes peeled. You

19:25

might not even fit down the hatch, big boy.

19:27

I'm a lot more flexible than I look, don't

19:29

you worry. And what do we think this

19:31

bunker was supposed to be used for? My

19:34

guess is that it was probably originally used to

19:36

house people that were observing the lake. Maybe

19:39

scientists or, I don't know,

19:41

hydrologists, maybe? That would make

19:43

sense, but it's also underground,

19:45

so it was probably intended to shield

19:47

them from testing. Maybe

19:50

even like testing the effects of the

19:52

lake on human subjects. It wouldn't surprise

19:54

me. That might have been what

19:56

they were doing. And don't

19:58

forget about it being toxic. Maybe they did

20:00

throw a nuke in there just to see what

20:02

would happen. It's not toxic.

20:05

That's the whole point. All

20:07

that nuclear testing stuff is misdirection to

20:09

make everyone think it's toxic so we'd

20:11

all keep our distance. What

20:13

if it's like, I think Lee might

20:15

be right. Maybe that's why Tammy Lynn

20:17

burned up last night. Some kind of toxic

20:20

combustion. Like what Mr. Jagger does in

20:22

chemistry. That's right. Two words.

20:25

Elephant toothpaste. Except

20:27

on fire. Well,

20:30

maybe we'll find the bunker and there will be

20:33

like a treasure trove of documents and we'll uncover

20:35

the whole thing. I've

20:38

been thinking. Yes. What

20:41

if the men that killed Tammy are hiding out in one of

20:43

those bunkers? Maybe

20:45

that's why no one could find her. That's

20:47

a definite possibility. A bunker'd be a perfect

20:49

place to stash someone. I

20:52

just wonder why she was gone for two weeks. Why

20:54

wait to take her into the lake? That's

20:57

a good point, Hilleman. I hadn't even thought

20:59

of that. Why would

21:01

they keep her in a bunker for two weeks?

21:04

That's what we're going to find out, you guys. And

21:06

by the way, if we're looking for the killers now, we

21:08

need to be careful. You're

21:27

under arrest! Not

21:32

a chance, bucko. Come

21:36

and get me, you son of a bitch! God

21:40

dammit! Miss Sealdon!

21:42

That is a restricted

21:44

area! Where are

21:46

you at, villain? Where

21:49

am I? Where the hell are you? I'm

21:52

up on three mile heading east. Which direction are

21:54

you traveling? Shit, I don't

21:56

know. It's trees everywhere you look. She

21:59

just went over the goddamn- fence about

22:01

a quarter mile from the southwest corner there's

22:06

some other fence around here that I don't know about

22:09

yes god damn it the fence around

22:11

the lake what should I do

22:14

should I go over I'm

22:22

not sure if I'm trying to get radiation poison

22:24

just to catch this broad shit

22:27

man you know what everyone says about

22:29

this lake where the god of this

22:39

makes me infertile I'm still in the shit out

22:41

of the department yeah

22:48

hello miss

22:50

still dying you

22:52

need to come with me right

22:54

now this area is off-limits it's

22:58

a toxic site hello

23:04

miss still dying

23:06

what Linda

23:10

Linda me what are you doing

23:13

Linda Mae hold

23:15

on Linda Mae I'm coming I'm

23:20

coming baby hold on

23:22

should have just let

23:25

me go on my own way there

23:29

ain't no helping you

23:32

now hey

23:45

everyone Pacific here with quick ad break

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a quick message from our sponsors. Alright,

24:31

thanks for listening. And now, back

24:34

to the episode. Deputy

24:39

West, come back. Go

24:42

ahead, Connie. The

24:45

counties just called in a 311.

24:47

A possible sighting of your suspect. Yes!

24:51

Wait, the counties? You

24:54

say they spotted her where? Down

24:56

at the crime scene? That's right.

24:58

One of the officers is currently pursuing

25:00

a shooting on site, and the other

25:02

one is at his cruiser looking to

25:04

head her off at Rain Ridge. God

25:08

dang it! Dead Dan and Andrew's heading out there

25:10

right now. Caught him off the

25:12

area and let the sheriff know what's going on. I've

25:15

already dispatched Andrews and Danner. Sheriff Kubo

25:18

is indisposed, but I will let him

25:20

know the situation as soon as I

25:22

talk to him. Copy

25:24

that. Over and out. Got

25:28

you now, you bitch. So,

25:46

what you're holding there is my full preliminary report.

25:49

This is good. But now

25:51

you're gonna tell me about the girl. Right.

25:56

Tammy Lynn Halona. Tammy

25:58

Lynn Halona. seen quite a

26:00

few sights, but I'm assuming you've

26:02

listened to my reports? Of course.

26:05

I look forward to them. Give me a

26:08

break. You know what I mean. I

26:11

always enjoy working with you, Cooper. You're

26:14

a top-notch field agent. And between

26:16

you and me, I might have

26:18

done the same thing down in Brisbane that you did. Tell

26:21

that to the brass. I

26:23

know what you did wasn't easy. Shit.

26:26

Sometimes containment fails and the costs are

26:28

extremely high. Someone always has to

26:30

take the fall, Cooper. Blame

26:32

must be laid, you know that. And

26:35

once it's laid, some poor sap's gotta take

26:37

it up. I'm

26:39

just sayin'. I think you got the wrong end

26:41

of the stick. Did you know

26:43

that that saying comes from the Romans? That's

26:46

it. They put a sponge on a stick

26:48

and wiped their asses with it. Then

26:51

they put it right back into the public shit-stick

26:53

bucket. That's not a pleasant

26:55

thought. It was considered highbrow

26:57

at the time. Better than

26:59

using your hand. But

27:01

the wrong end of that stick? That

27:04

was never good. No doubt. Now

27:08

tell me about what you saw and heard last night. Last

27:11

night? You're not gonna

27:13

like to hear this. What?

27:15

You could be compromised. I'm not. I'll

27:18

be the judge of that. Tell

27:21

me what happened. Right.

27:24

So. It's funny. If

27:28

you'd asked me, I'd have told you

27:30

I almost expected something hinky to go down last

27:32

night. It was homecoming night,

27:34

so there's always that. And I'd

27:37

seen that some of the local kids had decked

27:39

out a structure relatively near the site from what

27:41

I assumed would be a homecoming party. So

27:43

your assumptions were cracked. They were. But

27:47

as you know, Tammy Lynn had been missing for 16 days. So

27:51

there's no direct connection to the group that gathered

27:53

there last night. How common is that? You

27:56

having people that close to the site? I

27:58

don't know. It happens. It's

28:00

rare for townies though. It's usually

28:03

folks from out of town and I only see that there'd

28:05

be an activity at the site. When I stop

28:07

in to do my checks and see the dry bombing,

28:10

the countermeasures that are employed are

28:13

very, very effective. Yes,

28:16

I've been to the site. They

28:19

are indeed quite effective. Many

28:21

lunches have been lost. The

28:25

Foundation scientists really nailed it. The

28:27

downside is that it's hard to monitor. The upside

28:29

is that the frequency of incidents is down to

28:32

an all-time historic low. The wonders

28:34

of modern technology. That's right.

28:37

Truth be told, there's not much more to say if this is

28:39

not in the report. I

28:41

got to the site and the victim was already deceased. She

28:45

was just inside the site perimeter. That was

28:47

a lucky break. And

28:50

how had she entered the site? That's

28:52

a complete unknown for me right now. I

28:55

received the breach alert at exactly 11.08 pm. And

28:59

when I arrived, the gate was wide open

29:01

and the deterrence had been deactivated. Do

29:04

you think she breached the site on her own? I

29:08

find that highly unlikely. Especially

29:10

considering the state of the deterrence. Has

29:13

this happened before? Well, that's

29:15

a million dollar question, ain't it? If

29:18

it has happened before and... ...it's

29:21

whoever it is that is breaching containment somehow

29:23

knows how to bypass our systems. That

29:26

would be bad. Yeah,

29:28

it would be. Then

29:30

there's the other million dollar question. What's

29:32

that? Why is our

29:34

mystery guest breaching? What's going on out of

29:37

Whispering Lake when we're not watching? That's

29:39

exactly what I'm wondering too. Now

29:42

tell me about these witnesses. I'm curious if

29:44

they heard anything. Lee

29:46

Hillerman and Cindy Stevens. They're

29:49

good kids. I know them both by reputation

29:51

only. I've never had any run-ins with

29:53

either one. I'm well

29:55

acquainted with Cindy's father. He operates a local

29:57

business. Music store. instruments

30:00

and eclectic vinyl Music

30:02

store, huh? Yep. If

30:05

you'd asked me a week ago, I'd have nothing but

30:07

good things to say but

30:11

But just last night he and I were having a little

30:13

chat and my hackles were up Why

30:16

is that? He was talking about the

30:18

work he used to do For

30:20

who? He didn't say but

30:23

I got the impression that maybe you think he's

30:25

one of ours Could be

30:27

well, there you go Mystery

30:29

solved We've got to bring him

30:31

in right away Agreed. He was

30:34

his kid at the site though.

30:36

That's right. It does here

30:38

that the kids give conflicting statements. Well Yes,

30:41

and no, how's that? The

30:44

kids claimed to have seen someone there when they

30:46

first reported their discovery to deputy dancer But

30:49

they were singing a different tune in the follow-up

30:51

interview both kids. Yep,

30:54

and they're sticking to it Why is that

30:56

I wonder? Not sure

30:58

They're pretty tight with Ren Kovo That's the

31:01

sheriff's kid and he might have advised

31:03

them of their rights to remain silent in the benefits of the

31:05

same Now why would he do that? My

31:08

first inclination is that maybe they'd had more

31:10

than some cold ones up there and

31:13

Ren was just covering his blood What's

31:15

your second inclination? Ren's a

31:17

hell of a smart kid. I know him

31:19

pretty well. I've been keeping an eye on him.

31:21

I Get

31:23

the feeling that there's something more going on

31:27

Something like what? I'm

31:29

not entirely sure I've seen

31:31

him poking around town though him and

31:34

Hillary Almost like they were

31:36

doing their own little investigation into the lake and

31:39

maybe even Kevin's disappearance My

31:42

investigation into the same has had us crossing paths once

31:44

or twice in the last few weeks Interesting

31:57

You I'm

32:04

telling you afternoon delight is about sex.

32:07

I'm not saying that it isn't. I'm

32:09

just saying that I don't like it. I

32:12

like it. What about your dad? I

32:15

don't think he's heard it. It's all jazz all

32:17

the time for him. It's like he's got a

32:19

radio that only picks up one station. Guys,

32:23

this bush. Oh my

32:25

god, oh my god. Oh my god. We found

32:27

it. We don't believe it. This

32:29

is crazy. We found it. What are the

32:31

odds? Is it that

32:34

we open it? Well we're sure as hell going to find

32:36

out. Here, Ren, I'll

32:38

hold this back. You put those jock muscles

32:40

to work. Shouldn't

32:43

we? We're not going down there, are we? What if

32:45

someone's down there? I know I

32:47

said we should get your dad,

32:49

Ren. This might be important. Hmm.

32:53

Maybe you're right. How about we just open

32:56

the hatch and take a peek? There's probably nothing

32:58

down there at all. If we

33:00

see two inches of dust, we'll know we're good to go.

33:03

That's a good point. Yeah, but what

33:05

if we open it and see someone pointing a

33:07

gun at our heads? Also

33:10

a good point. Shit, I don't

33:12

know. What's your gut say, Lee?

33:15

I think we've come all this way. We

33:17

found a hidden bunker for god's sake. We

33:19

should at least take a look. Okay,

33:23

but just opening the lid. No going

33:25

down. Right. Just pop

33:27

the top and we'll have a quick look. Okay.

33:30

Okay, let's do this. Let

33:33

me hold this hand, boy. Just

33:37

do it already. I will, I will. I'm

33:40

just getting ready. Ready for what?

33:43

I don't know. Just relax. I'm

33:46

going. On three, okay? Okay.

33:48

One, two, three. Oh my god.

34:00

Close it, Rad, close it. No, don't close it, let me

34:03

have a look. I'm not sticking my head

34:05

in there. I will. What

34:12

do you see, Lee? It

34:14

looks like... Is it deserted? I

34:17

don't know, I can only see to the bottom of the ladder.

34:19

All I can see is the floor there. Ugh,

34:21

I don't know how you can stand that

34:23

smell. I'm with you. It smells

34:26

like, I don't know, rotten

34:28

milk maybe? It's something rotten

34:30

alright. We're... dead.

34:36

Hello! What are you doing?

34:39

There's no one down there. How do you

34:41

know? You said it yourself,

34:43

it's too funky down there for anyone to be holed

34:45

up. Fair point. But

34:48

still. Not cool yelling into strange holes,

34:50

Hilleman. I'll let you yell in the next one. Next

34:53

one? Yup.

34:56

Now we know for sure. We know

34:58

what for sure? There's at least three

35:00

bunkers. How do you know that?

35:03

Old man Donovan. I'm really

35:05

starting to not like this guy. He said

35:07

there were three bunkers? He... well

35:10

he might not have been completely lucid,

35:12

but he told us everything is laid

35:15

out in a perfect equilateral triangle. He

35:17

said it helps keep in the evil

35:19

spirits. Of course he did. It

35:21

makes perfect sense. It

35:23

might not make perfect sense, but it

35:26

should make finding the other two bunkers,

35:28

if it's true, a lot easier than

35:30

finding this turd just by wandering around

35:32

and swinging a stick. So

35:34

are we leaving whatever foul thing is

35:36

down there... down there? I'm

35:39

not going down there. I'll go down?

35:41

No, you won't. Fill it

35:43

up, Kubo. Maybe it'll

35:45

reverse the money's curse. Hey,

35:47

not cool. You'll find curse, you're cursed too.

35:50

Hold on a second, let's talk about this. I

35:52

think we need to see what's down there, don't

35:55

you? I don't know. Why do we need to see

35:57

what's down there? This

36:00

is the first solid clue we have!

36:02

You are not Sherlock Holmes, Lee. There

36:04

is no reason for us. There's every

36:06

reason, and I... I think

36:08

we all know what's down there. What?

36:11

Yeah, what? Give me a hand down,

36:13

I'll tell you. Alright. Lee...

36:17

Please don't go down there. I'll

36:19

be right back. Give me your hand, Kubo. But

36:22

be careful. I'm

36:34

gonna go out on a limb here and say that I

36:36

think you're still good to go for monitoring this site. At

36:39

least in the short term. Glad

36:42

to hear it. You're also good

36:44

to go in assisting me in this investigation. And

36:46

site containment, should the need arise. You

36:49

okay then? I'm glad to hear that too. This

36:52

isn't charity. Your skill set

36:54

and experience are the reasons I'm making that decision.

36:57

Understood. The existence

36:59

of the site are both good agents, but their

37:02

focus is ensuring that the site is completely locked

37:04

down and all containment systems are operational. Sometimes

37:07

after a breach. Why isn't this site locked

37:09

down, Harper? And I mean like

37:11

locked down. Why

37:14

isn't this curse hole filled in with concrete? That'd

37:16

be a lot of concrete. You know what I

37:18

mean. It's a fair question, and

37:21

I don't know. But I can

37:23

tell you the company line. Can't wait to

37:25

hear it. The intent of the

37:27

site via direct contact is too dangerous, and it

37:29

carries a higher risk of cascading global phenomena. That

37:32

sounds bad. That's

37:35

the point. That's why that foundation only

37:37

keeps one set of eyes on site. The

37:40

fewer people that interact with the site, the beaver. That's

37:43

God's honest truth. That's why

37:45

there are just three of us coming to your rescue. It's

37:48

like that. I've been told

37:50

that some early studies indicated that the sites

37:52

go nuclear with very few. Additions.

37:57

How few? A hundred. 200

38:00

maybe. Educated guesses at the

38:02

hive put it as low as that. Shit.

38:06

You think they'd have the area surrounding this like

38:08

fully quarantined? That's why the foundation came in and

38:11

shut down the mills. Report

38:13

on the potential for the cascade came out during

38:15

the summer of love. And by the time January

38:17

69 enrolled around both of the

38:19

mills been snatched up and shuttered. Tough

38:22

break for Magnolia. Better than

38:24

the end of life as we know it. It

38:26

is difficult to keep people from settling in

38:28

certain places. Magnolia is one of

38:30

them. It's got a good force

38:32

for lumber. It's close to a major highway and it's

38:35

got fish and wild game running all over the place. We

38:38

just can't keep folks away. I just

38:40

don't see how completely eliminated the site isn't

38:42

an option. Well, it

38:45

just so happens it is. At

38:48

least now it is. That's why we're here. We

38:51

didn't have the means in 44 but

38:53

now it advances in nuclear weapons science.

38:55

The foundation feels confident that if necessary

38:58

we can put a nuclear option on the table

39:00

with acceptable losses. Acceptable losses,

39:02

huh? Estimates put at less

39:04

than 5,000 casualties. Jesus.

39:09

And this is the new containment procedure? No.

39:12

So long as we secure the site, the

39:14

current deterrence will continue to operate as it

39:17

always have. Dude, what's the nuke

39:19

for? Nukes. Plural.

39:23

And they're being installed as a fail safe only.

39:27

God help us. Let's

39:29

do our part first. God

39:31

can chip in if we can't handle it. Rowan,

39:51

Aspen! Get your shit! We gotta skin

39:54

out! Holly?

39:57

What's going on? Fucking cops. That's what's going

39:59

on. I told you. Now ain't the

40:01

time, Ro. We've got to get the

40:03

hell out of here before they find us. God damn

40:06

it. Now just wait a second. Tell us what's

40:08

going on. And what's that smell? It's

40:10

the... What smell? It smells

40:13

like... Smells like a hot plate. I

40:17

don't smell anything and now ain't the time for

40:19

a talk about hygiene. I had

40:21

a little run-in with John Q. Publix down

40:23

at the lake and... Just like I told

40:25

you. Now, you've gone off and kicked

40:28

the hornet's nest. Why don't you... Fine,

40:30

Ro. When we're all

40:32

locked up, you can rest

40:34

easy at night knowing that you were right.

40:36

And I was wrong. I don't want to

40:38

go to jail, man. Nobody's

40:40

going to jail. Holly,

40:42

would you please just sit down and tell

40:44

us what the hell happened? We ain't got

40:47

time for this kindergarten show-and-tell bullshit. Sit.

40:55

Happy? Hardly. Tell

40:58

us what happened. I was

41:00

at the site, just like your buddy the

41:02

doctor told me to do. And the fucking

41:04

pigs caught me snooping around. That was probably

41:06

his plan all along. What pigs? Not

41:10

now, kid. How'd they spot you?

41:13

Jesus, does it even matter? The readings, I'm

41:15

out there taking the readings and let me

41:17

tell you, they were off the fucking charts.

41:20

And? And they kept getting higher

41:23

and higher the closer I

41:25

get. Jesus Christ, Holly. You

41:27

walked right up on them? No,

41:30

Rowan, I'm not a goddamn idiot like

41:32

you two shit for brains. I was

41:34

completely invisible. Clearly not. I

41:37

got caught because one of those pricks happened

41:39

to look over right as I was fixing

41:41

to leave. Started hooting and hollering about no

41:44

press allowed and all that. They

41:46

thought you were with the news or something? Obviously

41:49

all sorts of people are poking around after

41:51

what happened last night. Those dumb

41:53

shit thought I was with one of the papers

41:55

or something until they saw the P.R.A. And

41:58

then I had to make up some cotton bull story. about

42:00

being with some geological surveyor. Who

42:03

are you? So what

42:05

the hell? Shit went sideways

42:08

about two seconds into my bullshit. Goddamn cops

42:10

put out a bolo for me as I'm

42:12

standing right there in front of them, so I let out. Jesus.

42:15

Did they chase you? What do you

42:17

think, Rowan? Of course they did. They're fucking

42:19

cops. So what'd you do? How'd

42:21

you get away? Holly. I

42:26

went over the fence. You did

42:28

what? Into the lake? No, not into

42:30

the lake, dummy. Just over the fence. Why

42:33

would you- I know if that dipshit followed me over, that'd

42:35

be the- Did he go under? Holly.

42:38

Did he go under? What

42:41

do you think? Holy. Jesus,

42:43

Holly. You killed a fucking

42:45

cop. I didn't do nothing to that man.

42:47

He drowned in the lake. That's all that happened. Why

42:50

am I to blame? Because you know. I don't

42:52

know shit, Rowan. And neither do you, and

42:54

neither does Boy Nittwit over there. Hey! Nothing.

42:57

Less than nothing. We ain't been

42:59

told anything. And it ain't our

43:01

fault. The fucking doctor

43:03

has left us down here stewing. And

43:05

hasn't told us a thing this whole time.

43:08

Shit. I've been here almost a

43:10

year and a half and barely seen outside of this pit.

43:13

Except to do hair doctor's bidding. And I'm sick

43:15

and goddamn tired of not having a clue about

43:17

what's going on down here. There it is. And

43:20

it don't matter anyways. The jig is up.

43:22

So you blow the whole thing up. Leave

43:24

the cops right to us? I

43:26

don't hear nobody knocking. Not yet. Which is

43:28

why we got to get moving. Where

43:31

do you expect to go now, Holly?

43:33

It's gonna be cops up and down

43:35

every interstate looking for you. Well,

43:37

I'd rather get caught running than standing here. This

43:40

is really bad, man. We

43:42

need to call the doctor. That's

43:45

the last thing we need to do. Like I said,

43:47

he's probably the one set us up. You're

43:50

talking nonsense. He's the only one that'll know

43:52

what to do. Got

43:56

to be out of your cotton pick in mind if you think I'm

43:58

gonna let you call that son of a bitch. We've got

44:00

no choice. Put

44:02

it down. Whoa, whoa, whoa,

44:05

okay. Now, let's...everyone relax. Where

44:07

do you get that? Where

44:09

do you think? That is here for our

44:12

protection and... There you go. I know you

44:14

got your marching orders, and it ain't no

44:16

skin off my nose. So,

44:18

you did have a gun? What you

44:20

said? I told you, kid. I

44:23

tried telling you. Now, who do you

44:25

believe? Well, I didn't. Like I

44:27

said, I'm the one charged with protecting the bunker.

44:30

No one was ever going to use it. Oh,

44:34

really, Roe? Gosh, I

44:36

sure wish I could believe you. Tell

44:38

me, then, how many of us have you put a

44:41

bullet into since you've been up here? You

44:43

don't know what you're talking about. Did

44:45

Natalie run off, Roe? Like you said,

44:48

how about Heather? Who's

44:50

Natalie? Who's Heather? She

44:52

was the one here right before you, kid. Wasn't you, Roe? Whatever

44:54

did happen to Heather? You

44:57

know as well as I do. You were here

45:00

with me the whole time. So you

45:02

say? Or maybe I was out taking the

45:04

reasons while you were dumping Heather in

45:06

some shallow grave on the mountain. What,

45:08

are you supposed to be Alfred Hitchcock or

45:10

something? Is this Fantastic Tales?

45:12

You know that ain't what happened. See,

45:14

that's too thick. Between the pills and

45:17

the leg and being stuck in this

45:19

sardine can with you, I can't say

45:21

I know anything for certain. We were

45:23

trying to help you. Can you dare

45:25

say it? You ain't trying to help. He

45:27

ain't trying to help. He's some kind of

45:29

mad scientist, and you're his goddamn lapdog.

45:32

That is all there is to know.

45:34

Please, Holly, relax. You shut up.

45:36

That son of a bitch took me out into that goddamn

45:38

lake and put me under with those voices. And

45:40

sure, I'm clean as a whistle, but I'm all out

45:43

of tune. The doctor took us into

45:45

that lake to set us free. You

45:47

know that. The hell he did. He murdered

45:49

us. I'm so sick of hearing about that goddamn lake

45:51

and how it's some kind of... I don't even know

45:53

what. He took us out there and he killed us.

45:55

Plain and simple. We went under and something else came

45:57

up. Something else came out of that lake.

46:00

That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you.

46:02

What? The Doc was the first to come out

46:04

of that lake. Holly, he knows

46:06

all about what comes with you.

46:09

That does us a whole lot of good. Now

46:12

put that goddamn phone down before I put a bullet in you.

46:15

Fine, Holly. Whatever you say. Sheriff

46:24

Kubo! What a surprise! Hey,

46:26

Ian. What brings you in today, Sheriff? Don't

46:29

tell me Renn is taking an interest in music too. I

46:32

hear he really tore up the gridiron last night. No,

46:34

no. Nothing like that. Uh,

46:37

Renn ain't got a musical bone

46:39

in his body. Can't even hand in tune. No,

46:41

uh, I'm just out making rounds

46:44

following up on a few leads. A

46:46

few leads? Then what do you mean? Well,

46:49

not leads, I guess. More of

46:52

just trying to set my mind at ease

46:54

about some inconsistencies. I'm not

46:56

sure I follow, Sheriff. Come in,

46:58

though. Have a seat. Thanks. Appreciate

47:01

it. Ah. So,

47:04

tell me about these leads. Well,

47:07

it's like this. I'm sure you

47:09

heard about what had happened out at Whispering Lake.

47:12

Yes. Yes, I

47:14

did. It's absolutely horrific. I

47:17

can't imagine what Norm is going through right now. Just terrible.

47:21

Right. We want to wrap this

47:23

up for her and for the town as quickly

47:25

as soon as possible. Agreed. Well,

47:29

that's the reason for the visit. Once

47:31

we tie up all the loose ends, we'll

47:33

be able to focus in on finding Tambulance

47:35

Killer. Makes sense. I'm

47:38

not sure I can help, though. We've had some

47:40

witnesses, Al. Putting Tambulance right here

47:42

on Main on the day of her disappearance. Yeah,

47:44

I know. Deputy

47:47

Dannner came by and took a statement from me. I've

47:50

read the statement. You stated that you hadn't seen

47:52

Tambulance Killer on the day in question. That's

47:54

right. We were open for business, but you

47:56

didn't. Well. Yes, Sheriff.

47:59

What would you say? if I told you that

48:01

and I didn't witness that stuff. And so that's

48:03

what you told me that the

48:05

alleged and so-called people in

48:07

the nation may miss them. Dang,

48:10

Sheriff. Yeah. I guess

48:12

I'd have to say that you're mistaken. Yep.

48:15

That's a definite possibility. I also

48:18

wonder about why this alleged eyewitness

48:20

is just now coming forward. Yep.

48:25

Sheriff Kubo, come back. Sorry

48:29

about that. There's somebody there. How

48:33

old? Excuse

48:35

me. The poor guy. Sheriff,

48:41

I can explain. Hey,

48:44

you're under arrest. Quit resisting. It's not what

48:47

you think, Sheriff. Goddammit,

48:49

Al. I'm serious now. Let

48:51

go of that. I can't let you. Oh. Oh.

48:59

Oh my God. Oh, Sheriff. Sheriff.

49:03

Oh, for fuck's sake. Oh, look.

49:08

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh,

49:10

my God. Oh, my God. What am

49:12

I going to do? You.

49:16

You. Why? Why'd

49:18

you have to come in here?

49:21

Sheriff. Sheriff. Sheriff,

49:26

who else knows you're here? You

49:28

get it. You

49:32

get it. Goddammit. Damn

49:34

you. Hello.

49:55

Eldon. I need you to get over here.

49:58

Run away. We've got a situation. I've

50:05

got a situation over here. The

50:08

Sheriff, he came in asking questions. Yes.

50:12

He's been shot. Oh, Lord. That's

50:15

not good. No shit, it's not good. I

50:17

need your help. El? Where's the doctor?

50:19

Just get over here, goddammit. Easy. I'm

50:21

taking the Lord's name in vain. El? I'm

50:24

on my way. But I

50:27

will need to speak

50:29

with the doctor once

50:31

I get there.

50:34

It's fine. I'll take this. I'm

50:36

on my way. El? You got

50:38

to... I'm in a bad way. Quite quiet now, Sheriff. Just...

50:42

Just be quiet. I'm just... I'm just...

50:45

I'm just... I'm just... I'm

50:47

just... I'm just... I'm just... I'm

50:50

just... I'm just... No,

50:53

Sheriff. Just... Just

50:55

be quiet! —Please

51:02

buzz me... Why,

51:04

today I'm free… Never

51:11

fair to be… It's

51:17

just a failure to me…

51:24

Doesn't hurt

51:27

in the lonely… To

51:31

be the waking to the deep…

51:37

The feeling of the

51:39

end that

51:42

fooled me… The hang

51:45

in my bones that

51:48

fooled me… The

51:52

feeling's face between… The

51:55

feeling's face between…

52:30

David Mmm

53:32

I This

54:24

episode was possible thanks to our

54:26

patrons. SCP archives

54:29

was created by Pacific Esopadiah and

54:31

John Brose. Class of 76 was

54:34

written by F. Cole Serrano. This

54:37

episode featured Graham Rowan as Elms

54:39

Stevens, Chris Young as Ash

54:41

C and

55:26

David I'm

55:29

your showrunner, David Mecra. Our executive producers were

55:31

Tom Owens and Bobby and this is

55:34

a bloody FM show. We've

55:37

transformed conflict into positive change. We've united passion with

55:39

purpose and helped turn discovery into learning. We've

55:46

helped make a difference. We've helped make

55:48

a difference. We've helped make a

55:50

difference. We've helped make a

55:53

difference. We've helped turn discovery into

55:55

lifetimes of learning. Kent

55:57

State embraces diversity and welcomes all.

56:00

With respect, kindness, and purpose in

56:03

all we do, these

56:05

values guide us as we serve and

56:07

support our mission and the people we

56:09

value most, our students. Find

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your beginning at Kent State University.