View topic - Another ARKII Update....

unforum
a.r.g.b.b

Welcome!

New users, PLEASE read these forum guidelines. New posters, SEARCH before posting and read these rules before posting your killer new campaign. New players may also wish to peruse the ARG Player Tutorial.

All users must abide by the Terms of Service.

Website Restoration Project

This archiving project is a collaboration between Unfiction and Sean Stacey (SpaceBass), Brian Enigma (BrianEnigma), and Laura E. Hall (lehall) with
the Center for Immersive Arts.

Announcements

This is a static snapshot of the
Unfiction forums, as of
July 23, 2017.

This site is intended as an archive to chronicle the history of Alternate Reality Games.

Our Esteemed Contributors

The time now is Fri Nov 15, 2024 10:07 pm
All times are UTC - 4 (DST in action)

View posts in this forum since last visit
View unanswered posts in this forum

Calendar

Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors

Another ARKII Update....

Page 1 of 1 [13 Posts]

Author

Message

Dark Side Of The Moon
Decorated

Joined: 25 Sep 2002
Posts: 167
Location: Between the outer edge of inner space and the inner edge of Outer Space...

Another ARKII Update....

A little on the lame side, but an update none the less...

April 7 2003

I don't know how I managed to get out of the airport. I've been keeping low ever since. It all seems like a blur now. The person that was coming towards me was just an airport security guy walking by. I'd already posted the message by the time he was passing me. I suppose I panicked.

The faction somehow discovered which plane I'd be coming in on. Just as I was about to step through the doors from the customs area, I spotted him - the tall blond guy I'd seen some time back when they nearly caught me at the internet cafe. I backed away from the door, without him seeing me. Standing there, I wondered what the hell I was going to do. If I tried to go back, security was sure to jump me. Maybe that's exactly what I should have done.

When I saw a large group of tourists about to go through the doors, I put my head down and huddled between them. As we approached an escalator in the distance, I couldn't help but look behind me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, because he was staring directly in my direction. He smiled with a cold, calculating look when he caught my eye. Glancing across to some of his men, he then nodded in my direction. The chase was on.

I took off up the escalator, desperately pushing my way past the people. When I got to the next level I ran a short distance, then started walking normally, doing my best to blend in with the crowd. I wondered whether they had their people stationed around the place. Maybe airport security had been briefed with my photo. Everywhere I went, every direction I looked, I felt like the security guards were staring at me, as if they'd recognized who I was. That's when I came across the internet facility. After the security guard walked past, I slipped into a fire escape stairwell, found my way out and hailed a cab.

I've finally got some answers. The first thing I did when I arrived in Australia was to get a backpack and sleeping-bag, before heading off to the mountain range where I discovered the camera last year. I was sure the faction wouldn't be expecting me to go there. Besides, they couldn't have known where it was, otherwise they would have found the camera before me� wouldn't they?

It was late afternoon by the time I reached the location. I thought there probably wouldn't be anyone around at that time of the day. I don't know what the hell I was expecting to find, but I had a premonition that I would come across something. I searched the area, looking for� I don't know what.

Within a couple of hours I was pretty disheartened. There was absolutely nothing that related to the camera, a plane crash, or a secret base. But then the plane could easily have crashed beyond the next mountain, and the sub base was probably miles away. The faction would quickly have cleared up any evidence at the crash site. They obviously hadn't even realized that there'd been a camera until I made it public.

It was just on dusk by the time I threw in the towel, yet I still felt something was going to happen. I set up camp and lit a fire. There was no point heading back to town until the next day. I'd make a personal visit to the Department of Civil Aviation and ask some questions in the morning. I got into the sleeping-bag. The crackling of the fire lulled me into a relaxed state, not quite sleeping, my consciousness hovering somewhere. . .

All of a sudden I sat up wide-eyed, startled by a noise, like the cracking of a branch under foot. The fire had died down some. As I stared into the blackness of night there was a loud crack from the fireplace. I breathed a sigh of relief and laid back down. Then crack, there it was again. This time I didn't move. Not because of any heroic gesture, but because I was paralyzed with fear, my heart pounding.

I slowly reached out for a branch poking out of the fire and clasped my hand around it, ready. The hot glowing end of a stick was all the defense I had. How had they known? Why did they think I'd come back here? The same sharp crack sounded behind me again, but much closer. Maybe it was a wild animal. I then heard footsteps. Someone, who was obviously heavy footed, trying in vein to step lightly. They stopped. Just as I swung the stick around I heard a man say, "Excuse me�" then, "Jesus, mate!" as I caught site of a man desperately leaning back away from the glowing end of the stick that was about to swipe him. He fell to the ground as I stood up and pointed the stick at him.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.
"Sorry, mate, I didn't mean to scare you. I've been waiting for you to come."
"What do you mean waiting?"
"You're HM, aren't you? I've been following your postings since October last year."
He must have seen the shocked look on my face. "What makes you think that?"
"I saw you earlier," he said, "looking around where I found a small part of a camera a couple of months back. I guessed it must have been you. Why would anyone else be snooping around in the same area?"
I was speechless.
"I often walk this track," he continued. "I took the part to a camera store and got them to verify the make. It was from the same model as the one on your site, so I made a calculated guess that this was the place where you found yours."
"Oh really!" I exclaimed, in disbelief. "So you've just been waiting around for six months, in case I decided to come back. Why didn't you email me."
The guy stood up. I kept my smoldering stick pointed at him. I felt ridiculous.
"Listen, I'm sorry about all this," he said. "I live around these parts. I didn't want to email you, because you wouldn't have believed me. Besides, you would have thought it was a trap."
I just stared at him, wondering whether he was for real.
"There are lots of weird things going on around here," he continued. "I'd be happy to share what I know with you. Then you can let the world know what they're planning." He reached out his hand. "My name is Robert. My friends call my Bob."
He seemed genuine enough. What was I suppose to do?

I stacked the fire and we sat around talking for hours. He said Australia averages the lowest mountain ranges in the world. I wondered whether that was why the faction had chosen Australia as its base for the sub. Because if the waters rise, it could easily inundate the area where the sub was located. But I was soon to discover that there was something much more sinister going on. Something I couldn't possibly have imagined.

After a while Bob sprung a question. "What does HM stand for?"
"Not open for discussion," I retorted. "Sorry, nothing personal."
"Fair enough," replied Bob. "Well, HM, can you tell me how the faction got a copy of your sub photo?"
"What do you mean?"
"The photo on their mountainsub.com site's exactly the same as yours, but reversed. They're saying that you got your photo from someone on their staff and tampered with it."
"I don't know how they did that. I'm the only one who's got the negatives. I developed them myself back in�"

Then it struck me. Back when the faction had tracked my location and I was rushing to get out of the house, I'd forgotten something that would play right into their hands. I now remember that I'd left one of the photos in the developing tray - the main photo of the sub! They'd found it that night when they came to my house. It had obviously been part of their plan all along. If they couldn't catch me, they'd undermine me with their site, and the fact that the shot they had, was exactly the same angle as mine. I hated to admit it, but it had worked brilliantly. It was just what the faction needed to sew a seed of doubt. They're the ones that had tampered with the photo.

In my next posting, I'll tell you more of what Bob told me. About what the faction is really up to in the mountains. He ought to know. He used to work for them.

April 15 will be my last posting, when I tell you the mountain range where I found the camera. I've then got to put the tattered pieces of my life back together. I can't handle all this running around and hiding much longer. I've got to create a new identity - a new life.

In Peace

HM

Less than a week to go yet again for the supposed answer...let's hope it happens this time around...lol...

John

_________________
Sometimes the hardest thing to see is what is right in front of you....

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2003 6:42 am

Stevoid
Veteran

Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 91
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

SPEC: anything to do with Virtuquest?

Virtuquest is meant to be starting online play on April 15th.

In the latest updates panel on the right of the homepage, it says

Quote:

March 13th 2003:Try to Play @ Virtuquest on April 15th, 2003...

March 6th 2003: Check out 8march2003.com for an interesting Alternative Reality....

Feb 8 2003: VirtuQuest team begins development of new NetVenture project....

I know the 8march2003 page was up earlier than that, it appeared a week after Virtuquest's news page states

Quote:

Oct.5 2002:
Development on new "Atlas Project"--working name--Netventure has begun. Information is limited due to the contracts with our client.

Coincidence? Or not?

BTW, the mountainsub page is down now,but http://www.mountainsub.com/page2sub.htm is still there.

(Edited to make clear that it was the 8march2003 page that was up earlier, not the Virtuquest one)

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2003 8:00 am
Last edited by Stevoid on Wed Apr 09, 2003 4:11 pm; edited 2 times in total

jamesi
Sentient Being

Joined: 25 Sep 2002
Posts: 2195
Location: Canadia

There *are* no coincidences!

Evil or Very Mad

_________________
Digital Trail | Twitter | Retired ARGFest-o-Con 2012 Project Manager

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2003 9:25 am

Stevoid
Veteran

Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 91
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

New stuff

New update: leads to site http://www.ancientmedallion.com/.
Looking like a game may be afoot after all...there's a lot of work gone into that medallion...

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 5:57 am

carlitoxxi
Veteran

Joined: 26 Sep 2002
Posts: 140

http://www.internetnewsbureau.com/archives/2003/apr03/medallion.html
This is the only other reference on internet for the medallion.
I don't know if this is a game, but, anyway, the medallion is beautiful!
Stay tuned for 15 april!

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 8:43 am

carlitoxxi
Veteran

Joined: 26 Sep 2002
Posts: 140

From www.virtuquest.com pop-up:

Quote:

VirtuQuest.Com appreciates all the hard work individuals put into Alternative Reality Gaming. In order to get the most out of your efforts, we would like to inform players that VQC is not associated with 8march2003.com or its related sites. From time to time VQC will post links to other Alternative Realities to promote the development of this industry. In order to alleviate any further speculation VQC will delay its PLAY launch for one week. Please check back on April 22, 2003.

Thank you.

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 3:04 pm

carlitoxxi
Veteran

Joined: 26 Sep 2002
Posts: 140

And more interesting, from mountainsub.com site: http://www.mountainsub.com/urgentmsg.htm

Quote:

MOUNTAIN SUB EXPOSED
Urgent Message
Posting Date: March 30 2003

If you have come across a site called 8march2003.com run by someone who calls himself HM, please do not take his story seriously. We are NOT affiliated. We do not know how he got hold of our publicity photos months before our campaign started, however it is quite obvious that he has manipulated the images to fit in with his fabricated story. We are currently interviewing our staff to find out who leaked the photos. We are also looking into the legalities of this situation, which should allow us to have him shut down soon.

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 4:32 pm

Stevoid
Veteran

Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 91
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Pop up stopper

carlitoxxi wrote:

From www.virtuquest.com pop-up:

Quote:

Pop-up stopper didn't let this one through when I checked back yesterday. Have to remember to press Ctrl when visiting in-game sites in future...thanks carlitoxxi!

(So there ARE coincidences after all...my chances of running into Brad Pitt in my local are looking up.) Wink

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 9:24 pm

vpisteve
Asshatministrator

Joined: 30 Sep 2002
Posts: 2441
Location: 1987

OK, hmmm.....

http://www.14may2003.com/

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2003 2:56 am

Stevoid
Veteran

Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 91
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

How?

Did you get so bored that you just tried every date? Laughing

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2003 7:27 am

Mad Malloy
Guest

Fake Medallion

The last line on this site reads:

Quote:

"The Author had a master jeweller create this exquisite and mysterious medallion for this particular publicity site."

http://www.8march2003.com/thepublicitycampaign.html

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 5:36 pm

Valas
Unfettered

Joined: 04 Apr 2003
Posts: 326

Update on the 14 may page.

Code:

16-04-2003
This update is aimed to the people at "THE FACTION"!
My god, oh my god. I feel safe for the first time in months.
I hope you are reading this, there is no way
you can stop us now, no way you will ever find me.
Australia is a huge country, and it would be impossible to
track me down. I hope you people that are telling the lies,
living the lies and hiding the truth understands that its over.
You cant stop us, we are way to many to hold back. There
are people all over the world that support the cause. People
that will help us no matter what. How do you think we
got this far, how do you think I was able to travel to Australia
with no money whatsoever, and did you really think I would use my own passport. Everyone will see the truth that has been hidden from the people for so long now. Cant you feel it, its over. You will not succed, you will loose.
You CAN NOT stop the future, because the future is NOW!!!

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2003 11:44 pm

Stevoid
Veteran

Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 91
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

I'm not trusting the 14may page because when I first looked at the source code (and the page title if you bookmarked it), it was full of keywords such as nipples, sex etc.

They've since been removed, but I think this is another person messing around rather than a publisher's promotion...

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 12:32 am

Display posts from previous: Sort by:

Page 1 of 1 [13 Posts]

Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors

Jump to:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
You cannot post calendar events in this forum