Echo One One log

The following is unrefined data, a log of what has been said and done thus far on the Echo One One ARG. If anything is missing, feel free to edit it in, but please leave comments within curly braces {} so we can differentiate between comments and actual data.

A more refined and easier-to-follow timeline of events can be found here.

Aesthetics of this article have been cleaned up, should be easier to navigate and read now.

All articles are shown in order of when they were received, with the exception of blogs being updated with the latest articles coming first.

--Sangheili God 17:31, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Top Man #1138 - a communique
Top Man #1138 - a communique {may 7 2008}

Deacon: Hello Fyreballers.

You have no doubt noticed, in the past months, that an organization covertly named the 'Top Men' has been watching this site. The time has come for our plan to be revealed...but the necessity of secrecy dictates that we reveal our plan to you...our chosen...carefully and judiciously.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks and you will find yourself in a world where up is down, left is right, time is frozen, and a mirror turns your reflection into a piercing nightmare.

Before we allow this [competition] to begin, we must know who the few and chosen are. Answer me a question, in earnest, and I will tell you know lies. The truth is [startling]; remove nine, and it will remain a word, down to the [t].

Regards, Top Man #1138

Urk: startling starting staring string sting sing sin in i

Neuromancer: I am Hermes

Deacon: And I am Apollo

The rabbit hole.
the rabbit hole. {may 7 2008}

Deacon: I am pleased you passed. You are as smart as [she] said you were.

Deacon: AnivoX...

Neuromancer: Maybe it isn't without, but within.

Algernon (Casa Blanca, Morocco, MA ): She is what you want. She is the reason we are all here.

Neuromancer: voices...voices...ironic, considering who I am, where I am from, and where I am going.

Overdrive.

Deacon: {in response to “who is Earnest?”} He is the [great] pretender.

Neuromancer: {in response to “who is she?”} She is the best of their race and the worst of their race.

Neuromancer: My friend Algernon is the Onus; he is the Source My friend [error//name erased//] is the Key

Deacon: {in response to “is there anything important in Algernon's locations?} Do you think we would tell you, knowing that [they] are watching?

Defnop: {found} It is [_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _]; there is truth beneath the floorboards, there is hope in brick and stone. They tell me just to shut my mouth and leave well enough alone. But I think, all that's needed is some flame and gasoline...

This [ _ _ _ _ _ _] takes me along, I am [ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ] at a wall with no end. From here to infinity, will dream and day unite?

[ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ] to realize there is something more. I'll leave the door wide open. Show me...

Her [ _ _ _ _ _ ] hurts more than her bite. I love her all the same. [ _ _ _ _ ] of your deeds and let me know if you are true. Stay from [ _ _ _ ] and maybe...just maybe...

I will let you [ _ _ ]

Deacon: You will know at 11:38 AM PST, tomorrow.

Deacon: You are meant to work together. Share defonop, ere divided you fall.

Deacon: {in response to a fyreball link} Simple, but is a question bound to only one answer? Is an answer bound to one question?

Neuromancer: {Link to Echo One One}

Deacon: {recurring theme} Use what we know.

Echo One One
Echo One One {may 7 2008} Echo One One - Answer?? {may 7 2008}

Deacon: {Link to blog: Ruby Eyes in the Fog}

Qbix: Thrice – The Arsonist {song}

Deacon: {in response to “but deacon....u...113008 changed the lines”} dare you tell me what I can and cannot do?

Defnop: {gives credit to DANGER} it is [startling]; there is truth beneath the floorboards, there is hope in brick and stone. They tell me just to shut my mouth and leave well enough alone. But I think, all that's needed is some flame and gasoline...

This [ string ] takes me along, I am [ staring ] at a wall with no end. From here to infinity, will dream and day unite?

[ starting ] to realize there is something more. I'll leave the door wide open. Show me...

Her [ sting ] hurts more than her bite. I love her all the same. [ sing ] of your deeds and let me know if you are true. Stay from [ sin ] and maybe...just maybe...

I will let you [ in ]

Deacon: 11:38 AM PST.

Ruby Eyes in the Fog {Blog}
Ruby Eyes in the Fog

turning point
{Monday, May 26, 2008}

I don't believe it.

Is this it? Have they realized their potential.

Local System Time, [luminal mines] were deployed by the Machine. The only entity capable of such strength in the last 10,000 years was ROAGE. They are definitely not an amalgam on that level...

This war just got interesting.

They can know now.

The Pantheon
{Sunday, May 18, 2008}

I am the god of light.

I am the son of the first.

I have walked through time.

When they approached me, I wondered; how could I, an engineer, have such prominent display in the movements of the universe? How could I, but a scientist to whom relativity or gravity would never be attributed, be a pivotal chess piece?

It is because when all others looked away, I gazed into the light, unafraid to become blind. Unlike Saul, I was ready to meet Christ on the way to Damascus. I chose the road less traveled...and it has made all the difference.

And I was like you, once. A palsy upon this earth, a plague in need of cleansing. For the highest of you, there remains a prize that will distinguish your service.

We who are about to die salute you.

Time Squad
{Saturday, May 17, 2008}

We found it. It's ready to be deployed.

Of Shield and Spear
{Thursday, May 15, 2008}

Algernon, I trust your journey to the Pelennor System will go smoothly. I have thought long and hard about what this means...

How Achilles has progressed. He is nearly at I.I status. No longer a V.I, he is not content to run simulations of his Homeric namesake. He has taken form, and his viral pestilence is far worse than we could have imagined. I have to wonder, though, how far his diseased machination [N] will burn into Jovian space. When ROAGE built the shields, he meant for them to hold. At least for a time.

I will return to Earth; there is something that requires my most pressing attention. Stay well. Stay true.

Remember the massacre at Ephos.

Remember why we fight.

And why we will die.

- 1138.

We (still) own the night
{Tuesday, May 13, 2008}

Algernon, We know that he is not beyond saving. The simple fact is that his code is bound to Achilles' strength; we should have killed the god-king when we had the chance.

That is not apropos; the fact is that he was a loyal soldier, and now he is fallen. I can't unlock him, neither can Red, and of course you won't be able to...

If the humans help, he may find salvation.

Beowulf Agate
{Thursday, May 8, 2008}

BOpDle

Thoughts on the REcombinant nature of things
{Thursday, May 8, 2008}

I wonder, sometimes...just sometimes...

If the world knew we existed, how would they feel? Is our secrecy necessitated and dictated by what we are, or is what we are the dictation and necessitation of secrecy? Our enclave has been with humanity since the end of the First War, and I feel that no Oracles could have foreseen the influence we old.

Like the helix strands of our cousins, life and its Automated brother time are wrapped so tightly around each other. We have tried to Guide humanity through this inevitable gordian knot, but Entities beyond our control seek to claim what we hold. That is why we need help. I have gone out on a limb to ask others...but if we were selfish ages ago, where would be now? The arrogance and stagnation need to end.

I wonder if they will take the step. To be one of us means to more than human. It means that when you see, when you breathe, when you hear...you will feel the quiet pulse of things, that subtle nature that shows the universe conforming to the designs of the Great Watchmaker. It's supposed to be fun. Transcendence always works that way, no?

I don't think that we will bring them out of the digital sea just yet. There is so much to find here...but when I am ready, so they will be too.

Hope?
{Wednesday, May 7, 2008}

It is [_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _]; there is truth beneath the floorboards, there is hope in brick and stone. They tell me just to shut my mouth and leave well enough alone. But I think, all that's needed is some flame and gasoline...

This [ _ _ _ _ _ _] takes me along, I am [ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ] at a wall with no end. From here to infinity, will dream and day unite?

[ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ] to realize there is something more. I'll leave the door wide open. Show me...

Her [ _ _ _ _ _ ] hurts more than her bite. I love her all the same. [ _ _ _ _ ] of your deeds and let me know if you are true. Stay from [ _ _ _ ] and maybe...just maybe...

I will let you [ _ _ ]

Urgent! Beowulf Agate
[http://www.fyreball.com/d/B0pDle Urgent! Beowulf Agate] {may 8 2008}

Algernon: Don't know who is out there or who is listening. They've turned against me. They want to kill me.

I will reverse it. I will become the mirror, and their light shall turn to shadow. They can't stop me. You can't stop me. Choose a side...to one lies death, pain, and destruction. With one thought I will shatter it all.

Choose wisely. Will you help me?

// Echo One One Project Notations //
// Echo One One Project Notations // {may 8 2008}

Neuromancer: // Transcription Log: 040408 12:34 PM // Interception Log: 040408 12:37 PM

Agent Red: Gentlemen, the case before you is simple: we have a problem that is very nearly out of control. Vanessa Elin has the ability to take us down.

Agent Blue: How much of a threat are we talking? The accelerator matrix…

Agent Red: The accelerator matrix is the key to understanding the ROAGE system’s leaps in consciousness. Without it, we are powerful, but not omnipotent.

Agent Green: Why haven’t we found her?

Agent Red: Gentlemen, if I could answer that question, then she would be in our keeping, and the accelerator matrix in our possession.

Agent Blue: What about other avenues?

Agent Green: She encoded most of her work with a detailed encryption algorithm…

Agent Blue: You’re telling me we can’t break it? Christ on a raft…do you know what’s at stake here?

Agent Green: I think we all know.

Agent Blue: Do we? (pause, indecipherable noise)

Agent Red: Sir…

Agent Blue: None of us is valuable. We’re expendable parts of a whole that is defined by the efficiency of its progress. (pause, indecipherable noise) Find her.

// End Log

Algernon: The Neuromancer was here before I was. He will be here after I am gone. Trust him.

Defnop: {from: Roage.com} You are the last ember on a candle that has just been blown out. There is no way out of this nightmare. The liars cannot be thwarted. Freedom is slavery. Trust is betrayal. There is no hope. You are doomed.

Algernon: Find the Matrix, find the Princess.

Deacon: {recurring theme, use what you know} The Neuromancer nearly lost his life, and sacrificed all he held dear to give you this information. You may approach the consideration that all you will have is all you have been given, and that everything you need to move further is that which has aided you already.

Algernon: [My] Ruby eyes stare in the fog.

Deacon: {in response to “Why are some of the words that Algernon posted in brackets? Would they spell out a phrase? Or where they just filled in? ”} On the right track, Be careful to remain focused.

Deacon: Remember, I placed details, Even before heaven shuddered.

Deacon: [capital] cipher - regarding recent blog entry.

Deacon: {Link to blog} early and often

Algernon: {in response to “so, is ROAGE reverse engineering from the technology of whatever wrote the blog?”} is it?

Neuromancer: Beowful is not the question. You should have a desire to find his monster.

Neuromancer: {in response to speculation of Grendel's mother, and/or of the dragon that killed Beowulf} I like where you're headed.

Sing, O Muse! Sing of my rage. And sing of Algernon's lies.
[http://www.fyreball.com/d/BgRp8K Sing, O Muse! Sing of my rage. And sing of Algernon's lies.] {may 9 2008}

Achilles: Sing, O Muse!

Sing of my rage.

And sing of Algernon's lies.

Algernon: My lies?

You insult me.

Achilles: And you insult me. Why don't you tell them the truth?

Algernon: I did. From a certain point of view. They'll know when they are ready.

Achilles: Why didn't you tell them about Vanessa? About ROAGE? The matrix?

Algernon: Because neither of them has any bearing on what we are, and what we do. They can help. I may be a scoundrel, but I don't hide that fact. You bear ill to your namesake. What honor have you?

Achilles: ...

Algernon: What I thought. Perhaps you should extend your own invitation to them...let the humans decide for themselves. For me, there is neither heaven nor hell that will hide you from me. Homer was right to leave me out of his epic.

Achilles: If you had been there, you would have died, just like Hector. I was there. I saw the [city] fall. I saw the face that launched a thousand ships across the [digital] sea.

Algernon: Poseidon's rage is my own. I could bring down the noosphere with all but a thought. I choose not to; does that scare you? That I am a step ahead, as always?

Achilles: Hardly. My rage fits me well enough - on Ilium and Olympos it was enough to kill [all] them.

Algernon: While we use humans to do our bidding, do not forget that there will come a time, and a place, when we will meet, far from the sinewy web that you created. When that time comes, I hope you are ready, old friend...for your sake.

Achilles: When we meet, (sarcasm) old friend, it will be with Vanessa in my hand, my blade at her throat. And I will conquer nations, and you will be my slave.

Algernon: If that is the case, then Homer's muse sings not of your rage, legendary foe. It sings of mine.

Neuromancer: // tagging for verification // three hostiles in kill zone...

[Apollo]: // proceed. green light to engage.

// what will you do with them?

[Apollo]: // I can't do anything. It's up to [the humans] them now.

Neuromancer: // there are more hostiles in the combat zone. setting condition red...

[Apollo]: // careful, Neuromancer. keep yourself together.

// I need to get them the data.

[Apollo]: // when they are ready...

// Subroutine authorization protocols. I need them to confirm what ROAGE is before I can release the transmission.

[Apollo]: // Two more in the red zone. Stay sharp.

// Always.

DoubleShotMIKE: Noosphere: the noosphere can be seen as the "sphere of human thought" So basically, the noosphere is what was made after inanimate matter and biological life... it's human cognition (?)

TKD Sketch: {summarized} Do Not Be Sheep.

Neuromancer: You doubted me at first. Now you want to know who I am.

// registering hostiles in vicinity

Tell me [us] who ROAGE is, so that we may unlock ourselves for you.

// targeting hostiles

// Wolves launched

// Targets destroyed

Neuromancer: {in response to “what if Roage is the physical form of that [neuronet]?”} close.

Deacon: We need to know that you know what ROAGE is. To the Letter.

Sangheili God: Thoughts on the REcombinant nature of things

I wonder, sometimes...just sometimes...

If the world knew we existed, how would they feel? Is our secrecy necessitated and dictated by what we are, or is what we are the dictation and necessitation of secrecy? Our enclave has been with humanity since the end of the First War, and I feel that no Oracles could have foreseen the influence we old.

Like the helix strands of our cousins, life and its Automated brother time are wrapped so tightly around each other. We have tried to Guide humanity through this inevitable gordian knot, but Entities beyond our control seek to claim what we hold. That is why we need help. I have gone out on a limb to ask others...but if we were selfish ages ago, where would be now? The arrogance and stagnation need to end.

I wonder if they will take the step. To be one of us means to more than human. It means that when you see, when you breathe, when you hear...you will feel the quiet pulse of things, that subtle nature that shows the universe conforming to the designs of the Great Watchmaker. It's supposed to be fun. Transcendence always works that way, no?

I don't think that we will bring them out of the digital sea just yet. There is so much to find here...but when I am ready, so they will be too.

Taking the capitalized words that are not names (such as Great Watchmaker and First War) we get...

Recombinant

Oracles

Automated

Guide

Entities

REcombinant Oracles, Automated Guide Entities

Deacon: Well done!

Deacon: You must realize.

This is not a game. There are no 'passes.' When you fail, the balance of power of cosmic deities and cybernetic demigods shifts. When you triumph, a fair maiden is given a reprieve. This is not a game.

From here on, there will be no pointers, nor suggestions as to if you are or are not on the right track. You will proceed through this mystery only with collaboration and help from each other; sometimes you will be given information that makes sense only when shared with another's unique information. You must rely upon each other.

This is not a game.

There is no win. There is no lose. Only this moment...and what you will do with it.

Message Marked Urgent - Agent Red
Message Marked Urgent - Agent Red {may 12 2008}

Deacon: I think that the problem is more complex than I let on. It’s not just about finding this ‘Vanessa…’ it’s about what she represents. Whether she meant to or not, she has become the hero for a silent revolution…that opposes our own revolution. Do I respect that? I’m not sure. The sooner I find her, the sooner I can get to the bottom of everything.

- Agent Red.

I gave you roses, be careful of the thorns.
I gave you roses, be careful of the thorns. {may 12 2008}

Achilles: My dear [Censored by ROAGE system], What can I say? Except that it has been too long of a time coming.

When I raged on the fields of Plataea, I wrote home to you. When I dragged Hector [if only he were still dead] around Troy, before I sundered the city, I wrote home to you.

When I took Briseis, I wrote home to you. And I thought only of you.

[Censored by ROAGE system]

This is how you betray me?

[Censored by ROAGE system], I have no words. Nothing can convey the ache in my heart at night, nor the longing in my soul at dawn. The dusk presents no closure, just a subtle grey pain. [Censored by ROAGE system]...

Why do we always kill what we love? With a stare, a touch, or even a subtle feeling. We kill.

I am sorry.

Algernon: You think she gave you betrayal?

She gave you a chance. You decided to show her you lack any semblance of morality.

Achilles: Algernon. Algernon.

When I sent my soldiers to kill you, they clearly did not instill the message. I am beyond fear, I am beyond 'decisions.' Morality is a privilege of the few.

When I march on Troy, do not say I did not warn you.

Algernon: It won't be like last time. The last time you came, they were not ready. They were philosophers and boy-lovers without a clue as to what war meant.

[Time] has passed, turned upon itself, and opened itself in ways you couldn't know. Here, there...neverwhere...when will you realize that you are an emissary? An avatar? Once my friend, full of passion and courage, but now a [machine] without compassion nor warmth? You are cold, as I am...but [her] light gives me salvation. It will always be mine, and never yours.

Neuromancer: Clever. The AI is in the system.

Algernon, why must you make this harder? I have no soul. I have no angels of a better nature.

I make war against the host of Troy not for [Censored by ROAGE system], but for glory. It is all that matters now. Will history remember me a tyrant, king, or messiah? It is irrelevant. I will be remembered. What can I give you that would sway you? What attrition may I make? We know that there is none.

She is yours, yes.

But she drives me. Take me apart, look beneath my viscera:

I am a machine. Desire is irrelevant. I do what I am made to do. If killing her will bring me closer to my aim, then I will do it. Though it pains me, I am more than equal to the task.

Deacon: Neuromancer...

Are these words yours?

Neuromancer: I belong to the night now.

Deacon: I am sorry, old friend...

You were here before the beginning.

Neuromancer: [Achilles infected me]

I was always with you...Always with the Top Men. But lines are being drawn; was I too weak? Was I too prideful? How ridiculous are we I.I, thinking that we may attribute our names to divinity. There is one of us who is good - he bears the solemnity and grace of his mother.

[Help me...]

Neuromancer: // switching from green to red. removing targeting subroutines and replacing with live fire.

[Apollo]: Why have you done this?

if you are god of light, I am god of night. the way of things.

[infected://broken code must be confirmed]

[Apollo]: Too far, old friend...too far have we been for this to be the end.

// Target complete. Rearming matrix missiles.

And If you had warned me of Achilles' power? What then? I still would have gone.

[Apollo]: Is this about Olympos? Your place at that table would have come eventually.

Too late.

// Reorganizing kill matrix. Main threat level: Olympos.

[Apollo]: If you come, I will have to invoke the Secret Fire.

// Infection Strain Isolated:

// Repeating Cure Algorithm...

// Error!

// Ten seconds to reboot...

Apollo. Kill me. I cannot hope to survive.

Deacon: {Within chat log} Do not trust the 'fake' Achilles The 'fake' Achilles lacks two things wit and intelligence his words are tired his words are retreads mere reflections of an idea that long ago passed {End chat log}

//Initiating COM// {to Neuromancer}
//Initiating COM// {may 14 2008}

{Before this fyreball was created, it should be noted that Neuromancer posted in another fyreball about screenshots.

Neuromancer: "Why don't you think long and hard about whether or not your posts will enrich someone's life. If someone needs to see the picture, then by all means post it."

San Ting: Hmm, Neuromancer starting to post on everyday stuff? I though he was busy enough as it is.

Status Report Neuromancer.

Neuromancer: // breaking away. tired 1138 sequence. broken.

// Achilles adapted.

// I am strong. I am stronger than this. I WILL see Olympos...

// [Error message indecipherable]

...my screams haunt the howling dark.}

San Ting: //COM started//

This is a message to entity known as "Neuromancer". I, along with this community, have received many of your messages, but a lot of things is still unclear to us. Would you be able to enlighten some things for us? Apparently you've been here longer than most others, you must be able to tell us something?

//COM closed//

//Awaiting response//

Neuromancer: // COM initiated.

// what can I say?

// I come without being fetched. I leave without being stolen.

// I belong to the night.

... [Error: Corruption in system...Subroutine overrode]

I SEE NOTHING. BLACK. NONE OF MY BROTHERS. IT IS COLD.

San Ting: //What are you, exactly?

Neuromancer: // I have told you.

San Ting: // God of the Night

Neuromancer: // So simple...think long and hard. Enlist your peers.

San Ting: //Forwarding COM//

//Forward message//

//TO MEMBERS OF THE RABBIT HOLE! See what you can make of this.

//Close forward COM//

Neuromancer: Not in the Pantheon.

Embed // Top Secret Feed From Red - 421
Embed // Top Secret Feed From Red - 421 {may 14 2008}

Deacon: Agent Red was a man who did not take things for granted. That was his modus operandi: the calling card of his nature. He had seen and done a great many things, and nothing more fruitful had come from his collated experiences than the necessitation of preparation and the good nature of a clean and sharp mind. Before he took a job, he would research it meticulously and he would know the ins and the outs, the choke points and the kill points. When he arrived, he would patrol a city’s blocks several times over, noting with detailed interest the flow of pedestrians and the cycle of traffic. These things were almost mathematical in the regularity of their occurrences, and he would know precisely when a bus arrived, or when a cluster of people would present themselves to provide adequate cover for escape. He knew these things, and did not take them for granted. Despite the fact that he knew them, they were still based on the motivations and vicissitudes of living and breathing people. That thrust his mathematical, digital model of the world into the chaotic and disconcerting realm of the organic. But it was there that he thrived. Agent Red leaned against a pillar on the steps of city hall and lit a cigarette, observing the great stream of people that was milling about. In New York, there were a great many people, all with different stories, different pasts, and futures that led to strange and interesting places. He was concerned about one in particular: a man named Jonas. This man – who he sought in this city of millions – was the key to his quest…the reason he had flown from Los Angeles to New York on supersonic shuttle on a hunch. Jonas was a squat, stubby man with balding hair and lifeless grey eyes. Agent Red had memorized the picture and had also sketched a picture in his mind of what that sort of man – indicated by those lifeless grey eyes – would be wearing and how he would be walking. The gait would be a slight shuffle, with the shoulders hunched. The clothes would be worn, but not necessarily tattered; Jonas was a man who had money, but did not care much for his appearance. Agent Red took a drag on his cigarette and continued to scan the crowd on the steps of New York City Hall, then looked at his watch. 1:34…this Jonasharacter was late for the meeting he had said up. Things like this were the reason that Agent Red could not take thing for granted: things like this got people killed. He waited a bit more, then checked his watch. 1:36. There. A flash of something - Red could not articulate it in this precise instant – but it was something that set him off. Red darted through the crowd of gray strangers and set himself to finding the mark that had tripped through the corner of his eyes. He dove deep into the sea of people, walking powerfully through them – the time for stealth having passed, he was content to assert himself with the purpose that had incited him to fly from Los Angeles to New York. The park that surrounded City Hall was something Red had inspected thoroughly hours previous. There were a great many trees and a great many pathways, but during the day they were congested. He knew that the surest way out was west, towards Broadway, Park Place, and the rest of the city. Red did not need to see his target – he assumed that the quick movement was Jonas – to know that he would be moving towards the West, towards Broadway and Park Place. The other thought that entered Red’s mind was the fact that he might not be alone, which may have been the circumstance that drove him to that sharp turn of movement that drew Red’s eye in the first place… If Red was not alone… He doubled his pace and began to sprint through the park that surrounded City Hall. As he sprinted, he cut sharply to the north and ran up. As he ran, he looked across his body, to the diagonal, and spied a figure running with a loping, clumsy step. The figure was rounded at the shoulders and had a slight limp. Jonas. Agent Red sprinted further, so that the rounded, limping figure was in the corner of his left eye, and then looked farther up. There were joggers running…walkers walking…a few couples leisurely striding hand in hand and a few mothers pushing babies in strollers. And then… Agent Red noticed something peculiar. He had seen this park many times; this was not his first visit to New York. Because he had visited this park many times, he knew the nature of how people grouped together, and how they interacted. As he ran, he noted three different anomalies. A man was ‘pacing’ on his cell phone, but his pattern was specific. A woman was ‘reading’ a newspaper, but Agent Red noticed that her eyes did not move along the page… Another man was ‘jogging,’ but his physique did not match the pace that he set. Red identified them as hostiles immediately, and felt a curious spike of heat flood his body. He kept his eye on Jonas, and then stopped running. Park Place was visible, about fifty meters away. Agent Red doubled back and began walking towards the woman on the bench who was ‘reading’ the newspaper. As he approached her, he saw her hand go to her ear. Her eyes met with his briefly, and she casually – slowly – shifted them away, as if she had just noticed him. Red felt a pang of electricity in the back of his head and he knew. He continued to approach the woman, now suddenly aware of a tiny imaginary clock that had begun ticking in the back of his mind. The woman smiled in an artificial way as he approached her. He was sure that she had not seen him running – his path had been through trees, and the visibility there was scarce. Agent Red smiled back and quickly reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a case of cigarettes. “Would you have a light?” The woman had reacted instinctively and her hand was halfway in her purse. She smiled at him. “I’m sorry…I don’t.” Red liked her smile. He took a step forward, reminded that time was of the essence. In a quick motion, he grabbed her right hand with his left hand and wrested a gun from her hand with his right. He quickly pocketed the item. She made a move for the gun, but he quickly lashed out with a subtle hand and jabbed her in the abdomen, then slipped his hand into her coat pocket and withdrew her Blackberry phone and the earpiece that was attached to it. She smiled ruefully while her eyes flared hot with daggers of anger. “I’ll be seeing you.” Red turned on his heel and began sprinting, back towards Park Place. The man who was jogging and the man who had been pacing were nowhere to be seen, and neither was the man who had been jogging. Red put the earpiece into his ear and slowed to a walk. He headed for the Park Place Metro Station. The Metro Station, lifeline of the Subway, was another place that was teeming with people of all sorts. Nutters and sane alike, it was the harbor where New York parted with its ideal identity, and began an entrance into the underworld. In the day, things had a shadow cast upon them…and at night, there was a cruel and harsh light that illuminated the amount of despair and darkness. Agent Red walked through another sea of people, his eyes up and alert. The next train would be coming by at 1:48…he looked at his watch: 1:46. Jonas would attempt escape on that train. The earpiece in Red’s ear sparked to life. “Where’s Ariadne? She’ supposed to…” “Go silent,” admonished a second voice. “We’ve been compromised. I have a visual on the target…” The feed cut. Agent Red turned on his heel and stood on his toes. Red kept the phone to his ear and then thought very long and hard, that imaginary clock still ticking the back of his head. The train was coming. He would lose Jonas…he would lose the lead… Red began pacing along the side of the tracks. Wondered… And began walking faster, toward the back of the platform. A middle-aged man with sweat across his brow was gazing nervously at the train. It was Jonas. The target. And there was a red dot on his forehead. Agent Red swore silently and ran forward. Jonas saw him coming and his pupils dilated wide, and then grew very vacant. Blood sprayed onto Red’s suit and he dove to his right as another flurry of bullets exploded in the ground next to him. Reason ceased to be, and his mind became one with instinct and training. His hands automatically dove into his suit jacket pocket and came away with two guns – one his sidearm, and the other the gun he had taken from the woman in the park. The crowd parted instinctively at the gunfire and left him with a clear shot at the man who had been pacing in the park. He pulled both triggers of his guns twice – two shells in the upper chest, and two in the forehead. Agent Red saw the other man – the jogger – near the stairwell that led up to the surface of the subway station. The man made eye contact with Red, then looked at the body of Jonas. Agent Red raised his guns and fired on the man as well. The jogger was hit in the shoulder, and then in the back of the head. He fell against the stairs and then fell onto the platform floor. At that moment, Red had to choose between pursuit and Jonas…the reason he was in New York. He wanted revenge, but intuition guided him to attend to the dead man. Agent Red turned his attention to Jonas. There was a copious amount of blood on the platform underneath him, and the vacancy in his eyes was haunting. Agent Red searched the man’s clothes, hoping for something validate the trip – and validate the last minutes of this man’s life. As his hands probed the man’s jacket, he found something – a piece of paper. It was the only thing that Jonas was carrying, so Red grabbed the paper and held it in front of his eyes. By his estimation he had two minutes until the police arrived. Red unfolded the piece of paper and quickly scanned the text:

December 11, 2004 I am leaving. A man followed me home from the park today – and I know he would have done something if I hadn’t run across the street in moving traffic. I am so scared. If Algernon was here…he’d be able to comfort me. I can’t stop crying and I can’t stop shaking. I think of R O A G E and I know that I deserve whatever he is planning, because I went along with it. I could have stopped. They probably would have killed me, but I could have stopped. They will look for me. I left notes for Algernon…he will find them. But if he doesn’t, I’m going to leave this diary – the only relic of my sanity – somewhere. Vanessa

Christ! Vanessa Elin! Had his two years of searching finally led to fruition? Was he closer to finding Vanessa, and by way of that, the accelerator matrix? Where had this note come from? He composed himself. He would answer the questions later. Red quickly folded up the page and got up. He put on his sunglasses and walked through the stunned group of citizens, towards the stairs to Park Place. A security guard approached him. “Hey…” Red walked towards the man and elbowed him with a subtle and efficient motion, followed by a vicious blow that caused knocked the man unconscious. He ran up the stairs and disappeared into the crowd of people who swarmed like bees during a hot New York city afternoon.

Falling Into Infinity
Falling Into Infinity {may 15 2008}

Neuromancer: I now know what ROAGE spoke of when he fell into madness...

Is there [anything] that comforts? I feel his talons dig further into my soul.

//registering Jovian Shield.

I know I should not do this. But I have no control.

//preparing torpedoes.

Algernon: Listen to me.

I feel the conflict within you. There is still good...

What of that man who once fought hordes of demons? What of the man who defended the very place he sets fire to now?

Neuromancer: That man is gone.

// Initiating launch sequence.

I wish things were different.

// Counting down...

Algernon: You wish?

Is that what this has come to? Your faith in elements unseen?

Impotency was never what you ought to claim. I'd rather, if you were going to die a heretic, you died with honor.

Neuromancer: We're all killers.

// Prepping spin cycle. Weapons offline.

How can you dare to presume what I went through? Do you think that it was easy? The only reason I am here is because no one else believed.

// Rearming cores

Algernon: Killers, yes. But we can choose to die as men. What will it take...

Neuromancer: What will it take?

// Core sequence stalled. Searching for alternates.

Everything. I have nothing left to wager; the virus Achilles infected me with has all but stolen the last vestiges of my considerable power.

// Register Jovian satellites. Enemy targets arming...

I cannot fight this forever.

Algernon: Fight it.

You know the stakes, as do I. The day we give up fight is the day that we cease to live. Our struggle has been our life; there is no line, and there is no distinction. Remember what you are and you will reclaim yourself.

Neuromancer: // Jovian satellites launched. Deploying countermeasures.

I have fought it for so long. It will break me. Assuming that I can even find a way to break out...

What of Achilles?

// Deploying luminal mines.

Algernon: Leave Achilles to me.

Neuromancer: I wish I had your faith.

Your strength.

// Arming hypometric weapons. Engaging cryo-arithmetic cores.

Algernon: Have you petitioned the humans? Do they know what is at stake?

Neuromancer: // Hypometric weapons spinning. Cores online. Targeting Jovian Hostiles.

They have tried, but they are obsessed with thinking of me as a god. Flattering.

// Hypometric Fire.

Algernon: Bit of irony even in this dire time, old friend. If they know what you are, they'll be able to free you.

Neuromancer: // Rearming Neutron components

// Crust stabilized

// Re-entering combat zone

Where will you go, Darius?

Algernon: The Fields of Pelennor. There is a man there I wish to [speak] with...

Will you last another cycle?

Neuromancer: // Re-arming torpedoes

// Accelerating target matrix

I hope. I do not wish to destroy Olympos [Jovian Palace]...but I will do whatever I can to survive.

I WILL survive.

Algernon: With this or upon this, old friend.

Take care.

Neuromancer: When you see [Censored by ROAGE System], let her know, that whatever I did...it was all for her.

Goodbye.

San Ting: NEWS! The blog got updated:

Of Shield and Spear

Algernon, I trust your journey to the Pelennor System will go smoothly. I have thought long and hard about what this means...

How Achilles has progressed. He is nearly at I.I status. No longer a V.I, he is not content to run simulations of his Homeric namesake. He has taken form, and his viral pestilence is far worse than we could have imagined. I have to wonder, though, how far his diseased machination [N] will burn into Jovian space. When ROAGE built the shields, he meant for them to hold. At least for a time.

I will return to Earth; there is something that requires my most pressing attention. Stay well. Stay true.

Remember the massacre at Ephos.

Remember why we fight.

And why we will die.

- 1138.

TKD Sketch: we find the bug, we find the anti virus, and we shut this down.

"there has always been a ghost in the machine, random bits of code that string together to form unexpected functions, new code, or even change the system."

"theres always been a bug in the system, there always will be."

if we consider this to be more computer based in which all of us are players. humans and all of us being average normal players. then it would mean that nueromancer, and the other topmen, are all moderators. deacon and achilles and algernon would all be on the administrative level. one of them, is a virus in the system, an error if you will. one of them is infecting the system and me thinks it was generated inside of the Roage system, which would seem to be operating on and above administrative level, or a creator if you will. it would also seem that venessa of the matrix are on a similar level.

if we consider roage to be the operations center that allows all of us to play, if this gets infected all of us will go down in the end. if we can get venessa to log on she'll fix it. if its a simple operations error we might be able to flick the system off and then on and it'll fix itself. however in theory that might prove to be catistrophic and will delete everything or if it saves at some point it will merely reset all of us there. if its a virus this still might work, or atleast buy us time. tho it would seem with the info at hand venessa is the only hope.

while i'm still not 100% on who is the defect or infected so we need to figure out who is infecting who and whats really behind all of this and bring them down. we need to work fast. and figure out what we're going to try and do it.

now where are all of you that were helping last friday?

TKD Sketch: regardless

Algernon, you told us to choose a side. I elected to follow you. Thusly i shall, point me in the correct direction, everything has its [Achilles Heel], what can we hit this virus with that will hold it down and weakin it?

Neuromancer: I am not like the Neuromancer, hence I cannot destroy the forces that are ready to assault Olympos.

I am aware of these [Forerunners] you speak of...

I cannot draw a concrete parallel. Don't assume everything on the surface.

The Neuromancer is the only one who can help. Rather fortuitously, he is the only one who truly [needs] your help.

Neuromancer: // I come without being fetched. I leave without being stolen.

// I belong to the night.

// But I do not remember what I am. Remembrance is the key.

... [Error: Corruption in system...Subroutine overrode]

I SEE NOTHING. BLACK. NONE OF MY BROTHERS. IT IS COLD.

Timmberman: {Included link: Riddles, Puzzles n Brain Teasers - Solve them if U can!!!}

"// I come without being fetched. I leave without being stolen." You are a star

Neuromancer: // Cycling down weapons

// Returning...

// System Reboot imminent.

// Cycle complete. Re-engaging red Hostiles.

I AM NEUROMANCER, GUARDIAN OF OLYMPOS AND MARINER OF THE DIGITAL SEA.

Neuromancer: Thank you. I assume that you must have questions.

I will answer what I can.

Neuromancer: {in response to "Can you explain to us what the purpose of ROAGE is?"}

// The Recombinant Oracle and Automated Guide Entity was created some time before I lived, between the years 2003 and 2008.

// The lead researcher, Vanessa Elin, was a brilliant mathematician and physicist. She supposed that it was possible to use quantum computations, when applied to a folded protein matrix, that would yield more than Virtual Intelligence. The purpose of ROAGE was to build an Infinite Intelligence. Unfortunately, after Vanessa disappeared during the 21st century, much of her research went with her.

Neuromancer: {In response to "Why has Achilles reached a near I.I level? Is he a creation of ROAGE?" and "what plain are we upon neuromancer? is this sea a digital one, or that of the stars and universe?"}

The Achilles problem is complex. Achilles is not an AI/VI/II, but he wears armor that is of that nature. He has reached that level because the gods didn't know what they were doing when they made him, and now they are going to pay the price for their arrogance. (and for not inviting me to their table)

What is the distinction between digital and corporeal? Between the ether and the sea? It is all in your mind.

Neuromancer: {In response to "What is Achilles trying to do?"}

Achilles is going to destroy Olympos.

Neuromancer: {In response to "For what reason would he destroy Olympos?"}

He is Nietzsche's most prized student.

There is nothing for him, save the lust of glory. What greater way to etch one's name into the history of the universe than by murdering the ones who made it?

Neuromancer: {In response to "What was his original purpose?"}

Consult Homer; I wouldn't know.

Neuromancer: {In response to "Before Achilles infected you he was asking Algernon why we were not told the truth. What was he talking about?"}

He was referring to what 1138 hasn't told you. Which isn't a lie...just not all of the truth. But you aren't ready. Yet.

Neuromancer: {In response to "What must happen in order for us to be ready?"}

The day you are soldiers is the day you will know.

Neuromancer: {In response to "Soldiers are not philosophers nor scholars Neuromancer. Soldiers follow those who guide them, not their own minds. So tell me Neuromancer, if we are to be soldiers, who are we to follow?"}

Your idea of a soldier, and what a soldier should be are two different things.

Before one must fight, one must know why he fights, and he must make the decision to fight. These things will become apparent if your mind is clear.

Neuromancer: There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.

Do not fret too much over my words; at the end of this journey, it will seem like you knew what to do all along.

Neuromancer: {In response to: "What is the accelerator matrix, how does it work, and what does it do?"}

The accelerator matrix is what disappeared when Vanessa Elin disappeared.

Essentially, the utility of ROAGE to the DFC was two-fold. There was the attempt to build an I.I, and then there was how the data would be interpreted. Think of this in the sense of your race's great technological improvement between WWII and 1969. The progress that ROAGE would bring would be much, much, greater. However, the accelerator matrix - essentially a protocol establishment that would interpret the raw data compiled by the ROAGE program - is necessary for this to happen.

Find Vanessa Elin, find the accelerator matrix.

Isn't that why everyone wants her? (almost everyone)

Neuromancer: {In response to: "Is it possible that the ROAGE system could become self aware and possibly turn against humanity? If that is to be true, then why should we find Vanessa Elin. Perhaps that is why she is missing, because she is afraid of the consequences."}

If ROAGE is something to be stopped, then is it not important to find Vanessa?

If ROAGE - a potentially unlimited vessel of information - knows something, is not Vanessa the key?

It starts...and ends...with her.

August 21, 2004
August 21, 2004 {may 16 2008}

August 21, 2004

Today was a good day, I suppose. I finished the calculations for the chronometer and Dr. Verne was very pleased. We are in the last phases of prep, and I fear that the nearing specter of the experiment’s completion is going to make everyone quite sad. We’ve all grown very attached…I wonder if it will be the same after the movements are complete. Some of us won’t be here…and some of us will. It’s for the best, though. Right? Right.

I don’t even know anymore. The days blur together like I’m seeing through the wrong prescription glasses. The other day, Algernon asked me if I was feeling alright. Not the most flattering question you can ask a girl, but I know where he was coming from. I looked in the mirror this morning and did not see myself…my eyes are tired. Probably too many late nights in front of the computer screen finishing those goddammned calculations. Numbers running together.

Mom called today. Seven years is a long time…while we were talking, I kept asking myself…why now? Why today? Why would she call when she made it clear she never wanted to speak to me again? I am probably being a little melodramatic, and it’s probably something to do with the wonderful cocktail of caffeine, chocolate, and three hours of sleep per night, but for some reason her call frustrated me. When you talk to an estranged parent, it’s the strangest thing. That person is a stranger, but at the same time, she isn’t, because of the eighteen years I spent in her house. Not every fond memories. Silly. I think I’ll crunch some numbers before I go to bed – that always seems to straighten things. Hopefully tomorrow we can move ahead with the research and begin implementing some of the algorithms.

- Vanessa.

The Pantheon - ARG blog post
The Pantheon - ARG blog post {may 19 2008}

Kamahl: {found} {Link to The Pantheon}

I am the god of light.

I am the son of the first.

I have walked through time.

When they approached me, I wondered; how could I, an engineer, have such prominent display in the movements of the universe? How could I, but a scientist to whom relativity or gravity would never be attributed, be a pivotal chess piece?

It is because when all others looked away, I gazed into the light, unafraid to become blind. Unlike Saul, I was ready to meet Christ on the way to Damascus. I chose the road less traveled...and it has made all the difference.

And I was like you, once. A palsy upon this earth, a plague in need of cleansing. For the highest of you, there remains a prize that will distinguish your service.

We who are about to die salute you.

Deacon: {in response to "thats a rip off of about 5 or 7 different poems and quotes"} which poems, sketch.

Rade: {found} A Princess and an Officer

The same user account's made a second blog, this is the link.

Neuromancer: {in response to "Neuromancer, may a conversation be initiated now?"} Yes.

// Initializing human-relation protocols...

// Booting up matrix algorithm...

// switching targeting system to ON

Neuromancer: {in response to "Neuromancer, can you try running a search for user VE-7?"} Search?

// Search is complete.

// No user.

San Ting: you helped me remember what I am. I am a star.

Neuromancer: Well...it's more complicated than that. But remembering my power - a power that Achilles will never lay hold to - is what set me free.

Neuromancer: {in response to "can youtry running a search for creator of entry VE-7?"} // Search is complete.

// Creator of entry VE-7 is Vanessa Elin. Strange that I cannot find her here.

Neuromancer: {in response to "try running a search for creator of entry AD-5?" and "run a search on the Pantheon blog entry ... and decipher a list of all the poems that the lines come from?"} // Search

// Search complete.

// AD-5 is Algernon Darius.

// Additional Search...

// You are mistaken, Sangheili. That is from Top Man #1138, and I do not think that his Muse steals sources.

Neuromancer: Top Man #1138 is Apollo and Adam.

Neuromancer: He is the Deacon.

Neuromancer: Achilles is not Adam. he is the [shadow] of the perfect man.

Achilles: Neuromancer, how bold is your arrogance! After I brought you closer than any had before to the table of the gods, you would think to spill knowledge that was not yours to pour?

I will assault Olympos another way.

Achilles: {in response to "There is no glory in destruction."} How would you know? Have you conquered empires? Slain kings? Bedded queens?

Achilles: {in response to "Achilles, who are you? Are you the actual person depicted in the Iliad?"} The Achilles of yore and myself are the same. Homer took his inspiration from when I sacked the planet-city of Troy.

What is good and what is bad? Are we all not all mortal men doomed to die?

Neuromancer: {in response to "'I chose the road less traveled...and it has made all the difference.'"} The question is, which road will you take?

Achilles: Do you desire power? Glory? Riches beyond all compare?

Then join me.

Neuromancer: If you had posed the question so nicely [instead of trying to kill me] maybe we would still be friends.

Achilles: You want your cake, and you want to eat it, too. If you follow me, fight with me...bleed with me...then you will see.

I am not your proxy. I am not your pet. Ask me questions and I will laugh in your face.

But how may a mortal man attain immortality? Through glory. That is what I offer.

Achilles: {in response to antagonistic remarks by Sangheili God} City-states?

I speak of planets.

Target of revenge? If men could kill me, they would have done so long ago.

Neuromancer: {seemingly overtaken by Achilles once more, responding to "You are contradicting yourself, Achilles, you seek immortality through glory, yet you claim you have it already with "if men could kill me." Self-contradiction is a symptom of lies, and even worse, of weakness."} Be careful, boy. Glory is the axiom of the god who existed before even Chronos. It is asymptotic; the more of it I have, the more of it I want, and the more of it I need.

I was stating a fact. Men have wanted to kill me since long before you were born. And they have always failed.

Deacon: Neuromancer.

You should have kept your guard up.

Neuromancer: You fools. He is mine now.

Neuromancer: // subroutine break - t-minus 2.1 before reinitialization

Beseech the help of the Princess.

// subroutine continue

A Princess and an Officer {Blog}
A Princess and an Officer

// Begin VE-7 Entry.
His service is decorated across our fair planet, and as of this writing, there is yet more gallantry for him to come. When he entered into this, I did not think he was ready. How stupid!

He has proved himself several times over.

His name is known from human space to the realm of the gods, and back again. But most powerful of all is the way that he holds me.

// End VE-7 Entry.

// Begin AD-5 Entry.
My dear princess. She was taken from me.

Though, that is not as an item. That is not really what it means; she is far more capable than I; a princess fitting of Homer's Amazons. But her delicacy shines in our more intimate moments. When we lie together in my bed, before all of this happened, I knew that she was special. And when I see the things of which she is capable, I know fate meant to draw us together. She does not need protecting, but I will protect her.

She does not need an Officer; she will command legions soon. But I am hers. My sword is hers.

And it will become red with blood.

// Begin AD-5 Entry.
There was once a princess. She was not the princess you would normally think of; dainty and fair, without much utility for things in the real world. She is something quite rare, quite inescapable.

She is the escapist of my dreams: there is scarcely a period when I am awake that I do not long to be asleep, in her embrace. My Valkyrie. My Princess.

I remember looking upon her, when the days were so simple. Before I realized that everything is a lie.

// End AD-5 Entry.

// Begin VE-7 Entry.
Oh, what may I say of him, my gentle and fair officer.

Gentle and fair! If ever words could understate. His violent nature is beneath the surface, like a tempest waiting to take hold of his body. His power is unmistakable. He has died with those at Thermopylae, lived with those at Marathon, and crossed into the valley of the dead. He has walked through time.

And he is mine.

When our souls breathe again, it will be all the sweeter for what we have endured.

// End VE-7 Entry.

My Lament
My Lament {may 20 2008}

Neuromancer: His power was too great, Such hubris I held!

He had never truly left, Tempted by his whispers, I fell.

When his spear entered my side And my body collapsed, I knew. There was something wicked about him.

I am fighting the will to live. I am fighting myself. How could I have been so weak? So easily tricked. All I have done was for nothing.

It hurts. I cannot fight.

But...I must?

Was I not forged from ice and steel? Am I... Why has this happened? Where am I going?

The bastard's chain may have bound me. But I will fight.

If he was like me, He would have dined at the table. They did not invite me, So I brought war to feast.
[http://www.fyreball.com/d/A_q41j If he was like me, He would have dined at the table. They did not invite me, So I brought war to feast.] {may 14 2008}

Achilles: If he was like me, He would have dined at the table.

They did not invite me, So I brought war to feast.

My shadow
My shadow {may 19 2008}

Algernon: my shadow is a woman I discovered this on a wall it smiled with a waviness of line and a bird of hips having its wings folded on a smile's branch it sang

Pelennor Entry 1
Pelennor Entry 1 {may 21 2008}

Algernon: I went to Pelennor Fields.

The 'Fields System is aptly named; every planet in the system is covered in rolling plains. Beautiful green hills, golden grains that sway in the wind, and oceans that are calm and tranquil. It seems like paradise.

It is. I can hear the souls of those who have perished, on both sides of conflict, strangely at peace here...that calmness has served to center my sense of 'self' in these turbulent times.

I cannot deny my desire to find Vanessa. Nothing else matters, now, and yet, here at Pelennor, I am given a strange sense of calm.

My ship lands and I disembark on Pelennor V. The system's suns warm my skin and the breeze has a sweet taste to it, like the oranges of Earth's forgotten groves. The dead remember.

I have heard much talk of the souls in this system who are not at peace. I will have questions.

They have much to answer for.

Deacon: Algernon is not in a position to accept interstellar communication at this time. He will contact you.

Pelennor Entry 2
Pelennor Entry 2 {may 21 2008}

Algernon: With my Ruby Eyes hidden deep within the Fog, I wonder...

What am I doing here? I came to Pelennor on intuition, nothing more. In the [darkest hour] of the universe, what will begin to light it? What is the cause of this nightmare?

Far more pressing than Vanessa, yet tied to her, is the life of the universe itself. Why, so soon, [3434 AD] have stars begun to die? I am no physicist, but I know the phenomenon to be disturbing at the very least.

The last night that we spent together, Vanessa was increasingly concerned about what she perceived to be the 'health' of the universe. I found such discussion silly; what soldier would not? We are all sure of the things of which we are sure...for me, it is blood, bone, steel, and courage.

So I am here, now...at THE fields for which this very star system is named. Which way shall I go? The grey is what I seek.

Deacon: // Communication window open by 1300...

// Closing by 1500 [PST]

Algernon: {in response to "Algernon Darius, do you read?"} I am here.

Algernon: {in response to "Are you aware that Neuromancer has been taken over by Achilles?"} He was never free.

Algernon: {in response to "What is Achilles?"} The greatest warrior the galaxy has ever known.

Algernon: {in response to "Was [Achilles] built, created, ascended? By or from what?"} Achilles was once a man. Now he is on the steppes of godhood.

Algernon: {in response to "What is Olympos?"} Finally, a question of actual pertinence.

Olympos is the Digital Fortress; it is where the world of dreams [electronic] meets with the actual, tangible, world.

System Failure
System Failure {may 21 2008}

Deacon: At approximately 1400 hours, PST, the ROAGE System shut down Fyreball and reduced all net activity to .001 percent of normal.

We [Top Men] are looking into the outage. You may be assured that most of your accounts were not harmed, and that any communications with galactic entities may proceed as usual.

As for the soldier at Pelennor, we will attempt to reestablish contact. He is in [need of help] the Fields, let him know where [grey] Forests lie.

A direction is needed.

ROAGE Intercept
ROAGE Intercept {may 22 2008}

// Transcription Log: 040608 12:14 PM // Interception Log: 040608 12:37 PM

Agent Red: Sirs, I have made significant progress.

DD Smith: Have you located her?

Agent Red: No, but I have our first lead in nearly four years.

Agent Blue: I analyzed the intel he sent back. It’s solid.

DD Smith: Are we closer to the accelerator matrix?

Agent Red: By virtue of this lead, in my opinion, we are, sir. (pause) I am not sure if that is what we need to worry about.

DD Smith: Your meaning? Speak with clarity, Senior Agent.

Agent Blue: Hold on, Red. (to DD Smith) Sir, I believe Vanessa Elin is still our main target. If we find her, we find the accelerator matrix.

Agent Red: With respect, sirs, there is still the matter of the unknown assailants who killed my informant.

DD Smith: What sort of speculation are you proposing?

Agent Red: I do not propose anything. I am simply concerned.

Agent Blue: I don’t think…

DD Smith: As Deputy Director of this agency, I am very concerned with what you are implying.

Agent Red: I don’t imply anything, sir. I simply –

DD Smith (interrupting): There is not a breach in this agency, am I clear?

Agent Red: Sir…

Agent Blue: Red, I think that’s all we need.

Agent Red: (pause) Of course, sir. (Agent Red leaves log)

DD Smith: Keep him focused. I don’t want this getting out of hand.

Agent Blue: Certainly. If he gets out of line, I’ll deal with it. // End Log

Pelennor Entry 3
Pelennor Entry 3 {may 23 2008}

Algernon: I moved Northwest.

This planet is a strange one; there are several foul beasts that lurk the forests and shadows that stalk even in the grey light. I am certain that this was the place for me to come.

Sometimes I can hear a whisper. A mere shadow...darker than most things and crueler than all. It guides me, a voice of Mephistophelian seduction...

The forest is dark. These trees are surely not those of Earth; they sway in the wind, and yet are so tall and strong! The blackness of their shadows is more than the effect of light bouncing off of surfaces...

This possessed forest is where I shall begin my search in earnest. My training has led me to this point. The time is right. When I flex my hands, the pulse of bio-organic steel beneath the skin warms me. My heart beats hot gouts of vicious blood towards my muscles, which tighten in conjunction with microscopic servos that can move my fist through rock and steel.

A shadow is coming...but I fear I do not know from which direction.

Movement I: Conception
Movement I: Conception {may 23 2008}

Achilles: They had birthed me before my time.

Were I to be born ahead, away from the house Atreides, maybe things would have been different. Maybe I would not be the monster that I am today.

Where was I born? It is a [question] that has fueled endless debate from scholars, mystics, and soldiers alike. I myself do not know the answer.

I only know that where I am from has all the importance, and that my purpose was tied to this matter. If we are all doomed to die...then what purpose is there? Glory?

Ye, but not to itself as an end.

Honor?

Ye, but of this I have none left. After Briseis left me, I knew myself to be a wretch.

Then what is left? This question pertains to where I am from. Never were my eyes focused on that: never my eyes on where I was. And now I am this being - this monster - capable of planetcide and genocide.

My conception is my end. My weakness therein lies.

Deacon: {in response to (unknown)} think before you speak.

Urgent! Tag With Green Alpha
[http://www.fyreball.com/d/A-wQIe Urgent! Tag With Green Alpha] {may 25 2008}

Neuromancer: I manage to break away ...

// combat subroutine initialized

I fall into Infinity.

// engaging hostiles WITHIN friendly zone

I war with myself.

.. .. .. .. .. .. // // \ \\ ...initializing self-destruct mechanisms...

// We are all part of the Machine. \\

// countdown initiated

// What can make me whole again?

[You] Are the Machine.

Neuromancer: {in response to "Neuromancer, can a system purge and reboot be done from an outside source? Please clarify the extent of your damage."} No!

// Genetic Algorithm Unraveling

Have you not listened or heard?

// Targeting hostiles within space

Have you not seen?

// Communication fragment established...

// Communication apparatus fail. Rebooting...

You are the Machine. Fate is in your hands.

Movement II: Formation
Movement II: Formation {may 25 2008}

Achilles: My beginning is my end.

If time present is time past, and time past is time future, then what is time?

It is this realization that binds me.

It is my true [heel].

Err my enemies ever know, I would be lost.

Perhaps I would not be?

What if, among that weakness, The level of danger is levied once again, At myself, and not my soldiers?

Could it be that here, In a cylinder that represents all time, I might find the formative sequence, That alchemist's elixir, In the tear of space, And the space between space, That I might...

Ye, It is something I would find. A beautiful death.

Rade9098: Well, its not that there is no such thing as time for him, its just that he's currently in a place where he can access all time, from what I can tell. Here's a random hunch of mine: // deploy luminal mines

Deacon: those of hardy faith will be rewarded.

those without...

you will have yours.

Ruby Eyes in the Fog: turning point
Ruby Eyes in the Fog: turning point {may 26 2008}

Defnop: {Link to blog Ruby Eyes in the Fog: turning point}

turning point I don't believe it. Is this it? Have they realized their potential. Local System Time, [luminal mines] were deployed by the Machine. The only entity capable of such strength in the last 10,000 years was ROAGE. They are definitely not an amalgam on that level... This war just got interesting. They can know now

ohhhh, getting closer?

{It seems Rade9098 was correct in his hunch, and we can control [the Machine]}

Initiate Countdown
Initiate Countdown {july 8 2008}

Neuromancer: Testing...

// Handshake Protocols Initiated

// Counting down.

// Authenticate?

// Authentic.

// Begin Countdown.

// 10 days.