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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Acheron
UPDATE: Meg's blog changed
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scrivener22
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Joined: 29 Dec 2003
Posts: 71
Location: Kahleefohnia

 		UPDATE: Meg's blog changed
Meg changed the December 19th entry on her Geocities page. The changes (insertions in bold, deletions are struck):
Quote:
Jake has been working the most insane hours. It's almost worse than last December, just before he disappeared. He comes home long enough to shower and sleep for a couple of hours, then goes back. And agitated! I did some Christmas shopping last night and when I got home Jake was horribly wound up about something that he refused to talk about. He was actually muttering out loud ("Naive? Ha!" and "Trust!") although I don't think he realized it. Pacing around the living room with quick strides. When I asked him what was wrong and if I could help, he quickly said there was nothing I could do, then headed off to shower and bed finally opened up to me and told me he was going through rougher times emotionally than he is physically, especially with the anger he feels about being stricken with a big double-whammy at such a young age.

I understand, of course, but I'm starting to feel more and more like I'm living with a stranger. The Jake I married was slow to anger, quick to hug. He was patient and understanding. We went out to dinner and laughed like kids and held hands at the movies. Now we haven't even been to the movies in over a year, since well before he was gone sick for so long. I should probably buy stock in my local video store, since I've rented so many movies there.

I wish I had some friends in town. We just moved here not long ago, and instantly Jake was spending so much time at work. There are people from school, of course, but they lead more of the single student life. Kat is unfailingly polite, but she's very slow to warm up to; I think she and I just have so little in common. All I have is Jake, and all he has is - work resentment?

I miss him. He came home, but it doesn't seem like he's here. I have got to figure out some way to bring his heart back home, too. On the plus side, I finally figured out what I'm going to give him for Christmas. No, no hints - that would be telling!

Also, all of the links (except for "E-mail me" and "entries from before Sept. 2003") are gone from the lefthand bar.
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I said, kiss me, you're beautiful, these are truly the last days
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:41 am
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AnthraX101
Entrenched

Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 797

 		Ah, I think I have a crazy theory about the problems lately.

It's a coverup. Look at this post, the stuff removed was the stuff that hinted that he was a time traveler. It was changed to an unknown illness. Perhaps "they" took down the ingame sites too... Twisted Evil

AnthraX101
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:53 am
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scrivener22
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Joined: 29 Dec 2003
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 		Gotcha. And "they" also spoofed an e-mail to Caretaker requesting a chat, which of course no one showed up for. So now CT is pissed at us and won't give out any more clues about time travel.

IT ALL FITS!
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And we fell into it, like a daydream, or a fever

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:59 am
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Rasputin42x69
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Joined: 11 Oct 2003
Posts: 184
Location: Eris' Bar & Grill, Limbo

 		It might be a coverup, but perhaps it might be something more... We ARE dealing with time travel, here...
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The Holy Devil, out. ^_^
(Currently playing: BSeeingU - Watching: Year Zero - Played: Project MU, Acheron, Aware)

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 2:21 am
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Rasputin42x69
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Joined: 11 Oct 2003
Posts: 184
Location: Eris' Bar & Grill, Limbo

 		More wonkyness with her blog... Here's Dec. 9th (or what was the 9th, it's now the 7th)...

Quote:
This is the time of year when we're supposed to be looking at our lives and coming up with reasons to be thankful. I've tried, I really have, but keep coming up short. My mother died a few months ago and my father is sounding more and more vague on the telephone, like he's simply fading away. My husband is out from jail on a million dollar bondenduring a possible years-long recovery period from a rare medical condition and horrible car accident. He's distracted and irritable and even though he's not spending long hours at work anymore, it never seems like he and I spend any quality time together. The only times he ever perks up are when we have his boss over for dinner, and even then the air seems charged with all the things that aren't being said out loud. For Christmas, all I want is for this to be over. I'm exhausted from crying silently into my pillow after Jake falls into restless sleep. He talks in his sleep now. He never used to do that. I can't understand what he's saying, but he sounds so scaredmad. Neither one of us has eaten much lately, but Jake has lost so much weight that I'm starting to worry.

I never thought I would be in this position at this age. I'm supposed to be decorating the house with Christmas scenes, baking gingerbread, dreaming about the day when we will have a pack of children to wake us up on Christmas morning with their excited laughter. I don't mean to whine, really I don't. I'm just... lost right now. I'm pregnant, you see.


Curiouser and curiouser...
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The Holy Devil, out. ^_^
(Currently playing: BSeeingU - Watching: Year Zero - Played: Project MU, Acheron, Aware)

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 2:35 am
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scrivener22
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Joined: 29 Dec 2003
Posts: 71
Location: Kahleefohnia

 		Old October 8th entry:
Quote:
He's home.

As you probably have heard, Jake is home! I can't believe he's finally home safe and sound. It was him sending the postcards and emails. I never got the chance to post here about it but the last one had a 6 letter code on it and a phone number. When I called the number it was Delta Airlines and the code was a reservation for a flight to Salt Lake City from Tucson. It was paid for already I just had to show up at the airport and show ID. I took the leap of faith and found him at the gate. I want to thank anyone that helped in anyway for his safe return. I'm a little worried about him though, he's been having trouble sleeping, almost on edge like he's angry or scared. I'm just overwhelmed that he's finally home. Today is our first day back to classes at NRU. I would have thought he'd be excited but he's still acting a little strange. There have been so many questions….maybe the press conference today will clear everything up. I don't care, I'm just to happy to have my love home.

New October 8th entry:
Quote:
Jake is home! I can't believe he's finally home safe and sound. The operation was a complete success, and it was the last gift to me from my mother. Two weeks ago her lawyer sent me my share of the inheritance from her estate, which covered the cost of his operation and left us a healthy nest egg besides. I never got the chance to post here about it because once I had the money available, they were able to do the operation that afternoon! Later that evening Jake was back, joking, smiling, and telling me he loved me. He has a long road of physical therapy ahead of him now, but they said he could come back home to live. What a miracle surgery, experimental or not. I'm a little worried about him though; he's been having trouble sleeping, almost on edge like he's angry about all he's been through and all he's missed. I'm just overwhelmed that he's finally home.

Old September 26th entry:
Quote:
Back in Catalina, trying to keep busy. I've started taking classes at NRU. Jake's been gone 9 months now... still not a single word, not a single damn word. I want to thank the people who seem concerned about Jake and are offering to help. Some of the other emails I have been getting are quite strange. I wish the people that write me, telling me they know where Jake is would stop. It's not funny, it's sick. On that same note, I've received two strange post cards in the mail. The post cards are bizarre; the first one from Gloversville NY, the second from Washington DC. Both cards had the Shakespeare poem he wrote as an inscription on a book he gave me, a gift for our engagement.

(sonnet)

Only someone very close to Jake and I would know about that poem. The most recent emails are telling me that Jake is coming home. God, I want to believe them.

New September 26th entry:
Quote:
Back in Catalina, trying to keep busy. Jake's been in a coma 9 months now... still not a single word, not a single damn word has he been able to speak. I want to thank the people who seem concerned about Jake and have so generously helped. Some of the other emails I have been getting are quite strange. I wish the people that write me, telling me they think I'm a pathetic beggar, would stop. It's not funny, it's sick. The other day I ran across the Shakespeare poem Jake wrote as an inscription on a book he gave me, a gift for our engagement.

(sonnet)

Seeing that poem made me feel so close to Jake. The most recent bank account tallies are telling me that we are so close to our goal amount for Jake's operation. God, I want to believe them.

Old March 25th entry:
Quote:
I woke up this morning, still clutching his pillow, trying to remember what it was like to wake up next to him, trying to pull every bit of what's left of him out of that lifeless piece of down and cotton... I can't keep doing this - but I can't stop, either. I keep leafing through our pictures too, searching for one that captures Jake as I remember him - handsome, witty, vivacious, my love... - but I can't find any. Not even one silly picture that I like, much less one that Jake would approve of... he's always been so camera shy. He didn't even want a photographer at our wedding - said it would be "too much fluff" and that we should just let our friends capture the highlights for us. He was right, but it didn't leave us with many pictures. I thought that I'd put a picture of him on this site, to help anyone who reads this identify Jake if they ever saw him. Maybe I still will, but I need to find the right picture.

Dad called me earlier - Mom's come down with a case of pneumonia. I've decided to head back home for a while, not only to take care of Mom, but also to get away from here. There are pieces of him everywhere, in this house, bits of his clothing, bits of his school work, pieces of his memory, but knowing that he's not actually here with me makes it so much harder to be. I try to go to class, but I end up sitting here in this empty house, listening to the sound of the clock ticking, imagining that it's the sound of Jake's heart pulsing next to me on the couch... I have to go. I can't keep doing this.

New March 25th entry:
Quote:
I woke up this morning, still clutching his pillow, trying to remember what it was like to wake up next to him, trying to pull every bit of what's left of my memory of him strong and happy out of that lifeless piece of down and cotton... I can't keep doing this - but I can't stop, either. I keep leafing through our pictures too, searching for one that captures Jake as I remember him - handsome, witty, vivacious, my love... - but I can't find any. Not even one silly picture that I like, much less one that Jake would approve of... he's always been so camera shy. He didn't even want a photographer at our wedding - said it would be "too much fluff" and that we should just let our friends capture the highlights for us. He was right, but it didn't leave us with many pictures. Nothing that captures him in the full vivaciousness of his health.

Dad called me earlier - Mom's come down with a case of pneumonia. I've decided to head back home for a while to help take care of her. The doctors say that Jake may lie there for weeks or even months with no change in his condition. I try to go to the hospital and talk to him, but I end up coming back to this empty house, listening to the sound of the clock ticking, imagining that it's the sound of Jake's heart pulsing next to me on the couch... I have to go. I can't keep doing this. They say he can hear me, but I have such a hard time believing that.

Old March 20th entry:
Quote:
I need help. Please, if you know ANYTHING please email me.

Filed

Case Notes (both of these files are now gone}

He's still gone. My husband has now been missing since December 12, 2002, and I can't get anyone to tell me a thing regarding the investigation of his disappearance. My name is Meghan Starkey, and I'm hoping someone out there can help. I know very little about what happened, or might have happened that day.

Jake and I are both students at New River University in (what used to be) a very small town named Catalina, Arizona. He left that morning for work as usual. When NRU was built, the school pretty much took over the local landscape, and the locals have shown they're none too pleased giving up the "manana" attitude they had before all the construction started. Jake is also employed there as a Research Assistant for Prof. Zeladzny in the physics department. I've never been totally sure of what Jake did for Prof. Zeladzny, but whatever it was, he must have really enjoyed it. He'd leave at all hours of the night to go in and stay there for days on end...

Jake left for work the morning of his disappearance, but according to the local sheriff's department, Jake never showed up for work that morning. They do know he stopped in for coffee at our local diner, as he did every morning. Past that point, he's gone. There's no record of Jake's whereabouts. His car is gone, his credit cards haven't been used - it's as if he's just disappeared and doesn't want to be found. He's never done anything like this before and I am close to losing my mind. It's not like him to just disappear. But it's been too long and I can't get anyone to really help me, not even the authorities. They seem to think it's a case of "runaway husband," but I doubt that. Not my Jake...

I was visited today by Craig Becker, NRU's Head of Security. He came in, sat down, tried to exchange some pleasantries, all the while shifting nervously, his eyes flitting about on the objects in the room. He eventually meandered his way to the reason of his visit: To tell me that, despite his continuing cooperation with the local authorities, they haven't been able to find any new information on Jake's whereabouts or what happened on that day. He kept apologizing, but it felt empty. Or maybe I'm empty. I don't know. I just don't know anymore. It still seems like more can be done. That Jake is still right around the corner. When Mr. Becker left, I don't know what came over me, but I grabbed the vase Jake and I received for our wedding and threw it. Shards of crystal everywhere, and I walked right through it all in my socks and went back to bed. Not caring. Numb. I just miss him so much...

New March 20th entry:
Quote:
I need help. Please, if you can help in any way, large or small, please email me.

He's still gone. My husband has now been comatose since December 12, 2002, and I can't afford the life-saving operation that will bring him back to me. My name is Meghan Starkey, and I'm hoping someone out there can help. I know very little about medicine or his condition except that my husband hasn't been able to talk to me in over 3 months.

Jake and I live in a small town called Catalina, Arizona. He left home that morning as usual. An hour later I received a phone call from the Sheriff's department saying that Jake had been in an accident. They wouldn't give me details over the phone. When I got to the hospital, I discovered just how bad it was. Jake was hanging on to life by the flimsiest of strings. The doctors told me to say goodbye, and to call his parents to come in for one last glimpse of him alive. Against all odds, Jake pulled through from his injuries, but still he lies there, unresponsive and limp, to this day.

Jake left for work the morning of his accident, but according to the local sheriff's department, Jake never showed up for work that morning. They do know he stopped in for coffee at our local diner, as he did every morning. Past that point, details are fuzzy. Apparently he got into the car and drove onto the highway, at which point he had a terrible single-car accident, driving off a bridge over a dry arroyo. The doctors kept trying to imply that it was a suicide attempt but I know better. Not my Jake..

I was visited today by the hospital chief of staff. He came in, sat down, tried to exchange some pleasantries, all the while shifting nervously. He eventually meandered his way to the reason of his visit: To tell me that, despite his original reasoning that Jake tried to end his own life, a review of the testing done in December showed that Jake had suffered some sort of medical incident, a blockage that caused a loss of consciousness just as he was approaching the bridge. He kept apologizing, but it felt empty. Or maybe I'm empty. I don't know. I just don't know anymore. It still seems like more can be done. That Jake is still right around the corner from recovery. The doctor said there is an operation that Jake needs, would have needed regardless of the damage from the accident, in order to clear the blockage. When done correctly, patients have an 85% chance of a full recovery. Unfortunately, the operation is still considered highly experimental and is not covered by any sort of insurance or government assistance. I would have to raise the $50,000 by myself if I wanted ever to talk to my husband again. When the doctor left, I don't know what came over me, but I grabbed the vase Jake and I received for our wedding and threw it. Shards of crystal everywhere, and I walked right through it all in my socks and went back to bed. Not caring. Numb. I just miss him so much...

_________________
I said, kiss me, you're beautiful, these are truly the last days
And we fell into it, like a daydream, or a fever

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 2:47 am
Last edited by scrivener22 on Wed Dec 31, 2003 3:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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rose
...and then Magic happens


Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Posts: 4117

 		What is this?
This is very interesting. I didn't know about the chat with Caretaker, I only heard in the chat room that he was there. Was it really him?? I didn't get the email myself. I think with all of the sites being down that I was assuming there was nothing to do. Where are we now?
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 3:11 am
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scrivener22
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 		Details on the Caretaker 'chat' are here. Basically, CT showed up in #caretaker, and claimed that someone sent him an e-mail asking for a chat. When he showed up, no one was there, so he left.

No one has owned up to sending the e-mail, so I among others believe that there wasn't one, and CT did it just to mess with us. No such thing as too much paranoia. Rolling Eyes
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I said, kiss me, you're beautiful, these are truly the last days
And we fell into it, like a daydream, or a fever

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 3:24 am
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395
Rasputin42x69 wrote:
It might be a coverup, but perhaps it might be something more... We ARE dealing with time travel, here...


I suspect we could be dealing with both.

1. Our reality has changed because of time travel. So now NRU, Acheron, Cypher-systems, none of it exists in this timeline, but someone knows it did, and that's who was/is trying to contact CT.

OR

2. NRU, Acheron, and all are still there, but the timeline for Jake, Meg, and Reggie is the only thing that's changed, so they never got involved with NRU in the first place.

Hope this makes sense.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:01 am
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rose
...and then Magic happens


Joined: 26 Nov 2003
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 		Question
So you mean that there are, or may be, at least two different timelines.
One with the NRU time travel reality and one where Jake gets into an accident, etc. That is interesting, I was only thinking of a cover up, not that two different timelines could exist.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:34 am
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mysteryjones
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 		so that's it
I too agree with the two parallel timelines - I see now how they're going to get around the paradox issue. Only those affected are changed - in reality our memories wouldn't know, but since we're not in 'their' sphere of influence - we remember!

Very cool trick indeed. I suppose it means we'll need records of just about everything along the way!

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:42 am
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MageSteff
Pretty talky there aintcha, Talky?


Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 2716
Location: State of Denial
AnthraX101 wrote:
Ah, I think I have a crazy theory about the problems lately.

It's a coverup. Look at this post, the stuff removed was the stuff that hinted that he was a time traveler. It was changed to an unknown illness. Perhaps "they" took down the ingame sites too... Twisted Evil

AnthraX101


Not a coverup in the normal sense of the word, that would mean they were hiding something, but if the history has changed, there is nothing to hide. What we have is a time hopper who got to Jake. Could the hopper have also caused NRU to never be built?
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A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead


PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:53 am
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OnyxW_Hun
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 		What might have happened:
1) Cover up story
2) Jake got back and changed everything
3) Another hopper found them and eliminated them (Most probable)

I guess it's now our time to contact them - Jake to find out how time travelling works, Caretaker to get into contact with Zeladzny - who most probably still works in Russia.
We have the contact of Reggie, Meghan and Caretaker now. Most probably they won't remember us (?). I'll check out Meghan with a short message (Does she still remember me, did time change, etc...)

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 11:02 am
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MageSteff
Pretty talky there aintcha, Talky?


Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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OnyxW_Hun wrote:
What might have happened:
1) Cover up story
2) Jake got back and changed everything
3) Another hopper found them and eliminated them (Most probable)

I guess it's now our time to contact them - Jake to find out how time travelling works, Caretaker to get into contact with Zeladzny - who most probably still works in Russia.


Zeladzney was taken out of Russia quit come time ago. The Espoo conference. But I agree we need to verify his status currently.

Like you I have sent out letters to Caretaker, minesweeperSPLATnru.us (do we even know if the NRU addresses are still valid ones?) I sent a Happy New Year e-mail to Meg, just to try to keep the lines of communication open, but have not heard from anyone since the change occurred.
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A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead


PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 1:30 pm
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scrivener22
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Magesteff wrote:
Could the hopper have also caused NRU to never be built?


I've been pondering this idea a lot, because it'd be 1) a pretty novel twist and b) a real pain in the ass. The idea of a cover-up is well-worn government-conspiracy stuff, but actually changing history so that NRU never existed, and indeed most of the events we've discussed never happened, would just throw everything for a loop.

Issues with the idea of a hopper wiping out NRU:

1. A lot of our contacts--Jake, Dr. Z--are through NRU, and we now have no way to reach them.
2. Badges that addlepated and magesteff got. If we're using 'Back to the Future' rules for changing the course of history, then the NRU badges wouldn't exist anymore. So maybe that's how they'll be used--have to prove to someone that there used to be such thing as NRU.
3. So nru.us is gone (obviously), as is the Coyote Dispatch (no need for a newspaper if the town didn't experience the growth caused by NRU setting up shop). But L-L-L.com and acheron.us will need a different cover story (besides 'I spilled coffee on the server').

All of this chatter, of course, is contingent on the time-hopping theory. A cover-up, although less interesting, does help to explain one thing: the nature of the changes on Meg's blog. The language of the posts was more or less unchanged, with the exception of key words relating to Jake's 'car accident.' This is true even when the language had to be kludged pretty hard to make sense in the new context, as when
Quote:
The most recent emails are telling me that Jake is coming home. God, I want to believe them.

was changed to
Quote:
The most recent bank account tallies are telling me that we are so close to our goal amount for Jake's operation. God, I want to believe them.

'God, I want to believe them' doesn't make sense in this context, but it was kept. Why? Because, if the cover-up hypothesis is true, then the changes should be as inconspicuous as possible.

This makes the weirdness on Reggie's blog, of course, all the more unusual. Why should the change in the time-stream (or the cover-up, whatever) make Meg's blog change so subtlely, and Reggie's so radically? Heck if I know.

Yes, this post is pretty SPEC-ish. But in the absence of any change in anything, there's not a lot else to do.
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I said, kiss me, you're beautiful, these are truly the last days
And we fell into it, like a daydream, or a fever

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 8:21 pm
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