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Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Strange Dreams Pt. 1 & 2

Story from Strange Dreams II: Harbingers of Chaos

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Midnight
Boot

Joined: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 44
Location: Leuven, Belgium

Story from Strange Dreams II: Harbingers of Chaos

Courtesy of Alzheimers. Strange Dreams II. The full story:
(If any moderator would be kind enough to turn this into a sticky, I'd be very grateful)

Quote:

"Hey Alyssa, it's me. I just wanted to tell you sorry. Sorry for everything. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Things have just gotten so out of control. Listen, you're going to hear some things about me. Don't believe any of it. But I need to get away for a while, and I won't be able to keep in touch. Take care."iseeyou.ISEEyou.ISEEYOU.ISEEYOU.

Message left on the Alyssa Aster's answering machine
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This message was posted on a hidden link on the new Apple Harbor website, which was redesigned by Alyssa after the original got vandalised by the spirit of her murdered boyfriend, Vic. The title of the file, "Where Is He?," alluded to the search that Alyssa had begun for her friend, Josh Celleri. Josh had disappeared in the company of a strange cult a month earlier, after a failed attempt by the SIC (Special Information Command) to capture him. The message on her machine confirmed that he was still free and on the run.

Alyssa was then contacted by friends of Josh, who had helped him solve the mystery behind Vic's murder. They offered their aid, which Alyssa eagerly accepted. After being convinced to join them in an IRC chat room, she told them of the SIC's attempts to ruin Josh's reputation in Apple Harbor. SIC claimed Josh was wanted for dealing drugs, and that there was a reward for information leading to his capture (which Alyssa promised she was not interested in). She described SIC Director Rebekah Wilson as "A stone cold bitch," and she didn't trust her. She also hinted at a deal she made with Josh's father; she seemed to be living rent-free, but her side of the bargain remained a mystery.

Director Wilson's e-mail address led to the website www.sicommand.us, where it was discovered that something called "the AEGIS protocol" had been brought online. A glitch in the system allowed some people to access corrupt versions of the AEGIS Intramail system. Among the e-mails revealed, were messages from SIC Alex Jacobson who was working to resolve trouble with the network caused by Subject 4354h (known to the players as Cassandra), and Dr. Janice Polito who was having trouble with Subject8370d's (Scott's) resistance to a drug called Twilight.

When Alyssa sends out the Apple Harbor Newsletter for March, one article in particular draws attention. There is a growing problem with vagrants taking residency on the beach, near where Josh has once been found in a coma. No one knows why they're there, but there is one old man who has been standing on street corners, warning people that "The Ender Is Coming!"

4354h has not been idle. Somehow she has managed to connect herself to the outside world, despite SIC's best efforts to confine her to AEGIS. She is sending out communications from Josh, as well as snippets of communications from inside the SIC.

Then Alyssa shares some bad news. On the 9th day of the 3rd month there was another murder in Apple Harbor. All the vagrants who had been living at the beach are gone, except for the old man. He was found hanging from a tree, with one eye cut out. When Alyssa goes to investigate, she discovers an odd charm and a crumpled up note. The note translates in old Norse runes into "We have him!". The charm is a Valknutt, a symbol connected with Norse mythology. The news gets worse, because soon after, Alyssa's mother passes away. She's asked about a medicine containing Atropine, but the official cause of death is reported as heart failure.

Meanwhile, a popular website dedicated to solving riddles receives a card from someone named "VS_Faery". Its strange design leads to Zazzle.com, where there are five cards with similar themes. Hidden within the cards is the link to VagabondsSojourn.net and a mysterious puzzle trail. In total, nine puzzles lead to a message asking for assistance. Linked to the message is a form looking for volunteers to test a drug called Chimerastil that claims to help block nightmares.

The website hosting the form, www.astrostole.com, also seems to be the home of an A-Team fanclub. By answering trivia based on the show, a link to a secret forum is revealed. It's quickly discovered that this page is the new home base for the Societas Solanum, the group that Josh has left with. Now living under the assumed name "Joe Schiller", Josh relates his experiences of his time on the run. He and the rest of the Societas are being hunted by an ex-member who they had thought killed herself, Cassandra (who is being forced by SIC). The only way to avoid detection is to take Chimerastil, but in doing so they are repressing their own abilities.

The other members of Astrostole are RestoralFrieze (Eliza Forrester), HealDarwinism (Sandra Wilheim), MutagenicNorma (Monica Argentum), SophocleanLiar (Charles Poliano), ManacledHead (Eddie DelaMancha), and Icess (Jessica Morley). Jessica is a dangerous little girl, who can cause people to see things and do things against their will. However, since being put on the Chimerastil she has not only stopped that, she has become so withdrawn as to be almost catatonic. She doesn't talk, and all she does is draw with her crayons.

The Societas members have not been idle in their hiding. They are working with the Vagabond's followers to formulate a plan to rescue their allies from the SIC. Josh takes a trip with Roth to stake out the warehouse that hides the SIC Labs. The trip is productive, but the effects of taking the Chimerastil are starting to get to him.

Josh is then contacted by Cassandra, who has come up with a plan of her own. Alex Jacobson, the developer of the AEGIS protocol, might be amenable to changing sides and assisting Astrostole. Josh begins a communication with Alex as Cassandra reveals the sign-on codes to the AEGIS login page. At first, Alex isn't interested in responding to Josh's attempts at getting a date. Then, after going out with friends and going back to the office intoxicated, she snoops around Josh's email and finds the sign-up form for Chimerastil. She asks her friends, Dr. Polito and Dr. George Fernandez, about it. Dr. Polito doesn't seem impressed, but Dr. Fernandez seems genuinely curious.

We find out that Alex has been having nightmares, that there were voices talking to her from the network. Eventually, she catches a piece of 4354h's conversation about Josh, and realizes she's not just having nightmares. She agrees to meet with "Joe" to try and get a sample of the Chimerastil.

The Vagabond posts a new message, hidden behind three puzzles. The message instructs the Societas to give up Jessica to the SIC -- they already have the other half of a dangerous weapon (Jessica's twin, Marcus), but their eagerness to bring the two together might be their undoing. Unfortunately, Josh realizes that they are going to use Jessica as bait, and runs off with her, leaving Astrostole behind. He's not chased -- they know he's walking into a trap, and have decided that losing him is less a liability then trying to bring him back but still hand over Jessica.

Information continues to leak out of AEGIS. In particular, Scott intercepts several messages and passes them to Cassandra in "Pidgin" code, which is then sent to players who had conversations with her via AIM. This code indicates that someone was trying to send a message, but was being ignored. One message indicates a user handle ending in "Ery" and seems related to the death of Alyssa's mother.

When Alex and Josh meet, Josh learns that Alex shares the dreamer's gift. Together, they decide to try and free Cassandra. But their plan fails and Josh is "Interfaced" into AEGIS. He succumbs much easier to the Twilight, unlike Scott who still has not properly interfaced. As a final measure, Wilson administers a lethal dose of the drug to Scott, who quietly dies as Cassandra watches. The next day, Dr. Polito receives an odd email, then suddenly loses her mind and sets herself on fire, committing suicide.

Alyssa finds out that her deal with Oscar has ended, and she has to leave her house. She's evicted, and in the process of moving out, she discovers that the moving company has been involved in the incident on the beach. As she investigates further, she is kidnapped and taken to SIC.

E-mails are then sent out from both Josh and Alyssa's personal accounts, warning players that the SIC is actually their friends and that Astrostole and the Vagabond had teamed up to try and sacrifice Josh as part of some Asatru cult ritual. But the emails sound odd, and further investigation reveals that they are actually being controlled by the SIC via a new force called 13a.

Sandra, who can no longer bear Cassandra's imprisonment, decides to follow Josh's advice and stop taking the Chimerastil. This puts her at risk. Combined with Josh's integration into AEGIS, the rest of Astrostole is convinced that the SIC knows where they are and are coming to get them. They flee, leaving Sandra behind. She is ready to give herself up, when she comes up with a plan that might save them all. She says that she needs a drug called "Enoxolan" when she arrives at SIC. This information is passed on to Alex, who realizes that Sandra's integration into AEGIS will mean the end of her own usefulness. News of Sandra's plan and the use of Jessica in the new SIC program convinces Eliza to contact the Vagabond in order to bring an end to the SIC once and for all.

13b, or Jessica, begins to communicate with the outside world through Cassandra. She has not yet awakened, which would be the first steps to the end of the world as predicted by the Vagabond. But she gives a chilling reason for her motives: after years of abuse from her mother turned alcoholic after the death of her father, Jessica just wants to make the world "Happy." Even if that means stripping out every bad thought from every person's mind and soul.

When Sandra arrives at SIC, she is taken to 13a, a new program started by Dr. Fernandez. Using the combined powers of Jessica and her twin brother Marcus. As she is being interfaced, the Vagabond and the remaining Astrostole members begin a careful assault on the SIC. With the aid of multiple system failures in the AEGIS security system, they arrive just as she is being interfaced. The Vagabond is revealed to be none other than Dr. Samuel Gees. But he is too late, and Sandra falls under the control of Jessica.

Thanks to the protection offered by the Enoxolan (given to her by Alex earlier) Sandra is able to resist Jessica's control. She slips around Jessica's grasp and takes control of her body as Jessica possesses hers. Furious, Jessica instructs Marcus to "Punish" her. But Sandra is able to replicate and broadcast the "punishment" through the other members of the Order, and refocus the amplified force back at Jessica. The result is that Jessica dies, killing both Marcus and Sandra in the process.

Scott, who died but could still influence the AEGIS system through an interfaced Josh, begins a chain reaction which will blow up the 13a complex. But with Marcus's death, Josh wakes up and Scott loses control of the system. Control is seized by Cassandra, who is insane with grief over Sandra's death. She locks all the doors, and continues the process.

Moved by pleas to spare the survivors, Cassandra agrees to let them escape. But one last member of the SIC tries to escape, and in a rage Cassandra slams the doors shut again, causing them to malfunction and lock. Surely trapped this time, the Vagabond reveals their only hope: to reach Apex and transcend into another dimension, as Cassandra had once predicted they would. But only those with the ability to dream can reach Apex -- Alyssa, trapped with them, would be left behind.

As Josh wrestles with the decision to leave Alyssa alone, the complex is engulfed in fire and disintegrated. The only signs that anyone survived appear on the websites of the three factions. Sandra and Cassandra are confirmed dead. Josh and Alyssa did not arrive in Apex, and are assumed lost. The rest of the survivors are to become new apprentices to the Vagabond, for further unknown purposes.

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:09 pm

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