Guide to 'Haunted Apiary - Let Op!' July 16th and Onwards

The rest of the pages on the site aren't faring much better. More picture corruptions interspersed with odd computer text and "Maydays". Someone seems to be in trouble and is using the ilovebees.com site to tell us about it.

However, the owner of the site doesn't seem to be the one in trouble. In fact, they are just as perplexed as we are as to why this is happening. The index page asks "What happened to this site?" and gives a link to ilovebees.blogspot.com, a blog run by the webmaster of ilovebees.com (who also happens to be the niece of the owner Margaret), Dana. Could this be the same Dana whose voicemail we found? All signs point to "Yes."

Dana's Blog

Luckily Dana has comments enabled on her blog, so we can leave comments for her directly instead of emailing her. Sapagoo is the first to tell Dana that we're around to help, and the rest of us chime in giving her our support and ideas of what she can do. She has been checking the comments and is surprised at all of the support she's getting about her problem. §

Weird Happenings

Now that we know that Dana is just as clueless as we are as to why the site is all messed up, we should go back and start looking more deeply into the pages.

Checking out the source code, the first odd thing that appears is the keywords. §

Some of these keywords you would expect (honey, bees, hives, etc.) but "strong intrusive inclination" and "network throttling" don't. Dana is obviously in over her head with these problems as "WTF is going on with damn thing" and "a little help would be appreciated" indicate.

Within the System Peril Distributed Reflex text, we see the time the java script is counting down to:

Going onto the rest of the pages reveals more added source text. This comes in three varieties: The small white "Seek the truth" text, the "Mayday" texts, and the "Computer" text. There is also a fourth set of messages, hidden not in the source code, but in the corrupted pictures themselves. We'll take a look at these first since it requires the most work.

The Corrupted Pictures

The Widow's Story

Show Raw Version

Everything died, and I died with it, but after a timeless time I began to dream, and this is what I dreamed.
There was once a fell enchantment that broke apart a mighty castle, slaying many guards and reaching through the Inner Keep to lay low the Queen that held dominion there and leave but a hollow crown behind. When her Queen died, the Widow awoke. She was driven by a single need, which was to return her Queen to splendor.
To carry out her task, the Widow came with three tools: an empty lantern, a staff made of bone, and a sharp knife. When she had made sure of her tools, she opened her eyes and found herself in Hell, which was a dark place where no birds sang. Other than the Widow, two alone had escaped destruction.
The Sleeping Princess lay in the deepest chamber of the dungeon in a coffin of glass where the Widow could not hear her breathing. Meanwhile, the Pious Flea was so small that even the Widow, with her sharp eyes, could hardly see him, and when she looked his way, he hid.
Blind and uncertain in the darkness, the Widow needed light to use her tools, but the only light came from a few scattered fireflies. The Widow waited until one came close, then grabbed it with her bony hands and trapped it in her lantern. After some time she found the firefly had gone, so she caught another and used it for light, and another when that one too had gone. By the light of her lantern, she began walking through Hell toward the broken body of her Queen. Searching with her lantern in one hand and her staff in the other, she discovered that Hell was made of hot dry sand.
Long and long she walked until she came to the remnants of the Castle's outer wall, but the wall was low and broken, and the Widow passed through like the bleak wind. She walked through the empty corridors of the Keep searching for her Queen, past the bodies of her servants and subjects that lay dead or enchanted. Within, she noticed what looked like a chip of precious ruby from the Queen's crown, no bigger than a fly. Around it lay many broken blocks from the ruined castle, scattered across a wide plain of lodestone. Instead of carrying them with her, she scratched the ruby and each of the greater blocks with her knife, marking it as part of her Queen's domain.
Continuing on her quest, she spied another chip of precious stone, this time a sapphire no bigger than a winged ant, glinting on the cobbles of the courtyard before the walls of the Inner Keep.
At the gates of the Inner Keep all the guards were dead but one, who when the palace was blasted by enchantment had not died, but had been witched into the form of a hideous Manticore. The Widow said, "I am the servant of you Queen, and I have walked up out of Hell to prepare this keep for her return. Let me pass." But the Manticore did not know her, and still he barred the way. So the Widow drew her knife and slew the Manticore and the way was open.
The Queen was gone, and in her place lay only an empty crown. By great enchantment she had been mazed in mirrors, and lay upon a lodestone floor amongst only her reflections. Long and long the Widow stood in thought. Then she raised her bony staff and speaking a spell, beheld herself within the mirrors: and beholding herself, was within them. And there, with the crown still upon her brow, lay the Queen.
At last she had come to the body of her lady. The Queen lay cut and still and cold. To tend her, the Widow would need light to work by. Studying the fireflies, she found she could fit many more inside her lantern, and this she did.
To mend the queen's cuts the Widow took her sharp knife and peeled skin from the bodies of her subjects, while the Queen's new eyes and ears she cut from those who had been her most trusted servants. And when this was so, the Widow worked on, dry as sticks and patient as rust, driven by a single need, which was to return her Queen to splendor. She cut her a new mouth and fed her with fireflies and cakes of sand, and at last Queen's heart began to beat.
At the feel of the Queen's pulse beneath her bony fingers, the Widow next took thought to proclaim through all the Kingdom and into other lands that time when her sovereign would once more be fit to rule. A firefly flew out from the Queen's clock case. Catching it in her hands, the Widow asked it the time. "Almost dawn," it said, but the Widow said, "The day will break and the sun will rise when the Queen returns to rule, and further let it be known that retribution on any who hinder the return of the Queen will be swift and terrible."

Show Clean Version

Note: Individual snippets are separated by /s. Individual pictures are separated by *s.
Everything died, and I / died with it, but after / a timeless time I began to dream, / and this is what I dreamed.
There was once a fell enchantment that broke apart a mighty / castle, slaying many guards and reaching through the Inner / Keep to lay low the Queen that held dominion there / and leave but a hollow crown behind. * When her Queen died, / the Widow awoke. She was / driven by a single need, which / was to return her Queen to splendor.
To carry out her task, / the Widow came with three / tools: an empty lantern, / a staff made of bone, and a sharp knife. * When she had made sure of her tools, / she opened her eyes and found herself in Hell, / which was a dark place where no birds sang. Other / than the Widow, two alone had escaped destruction.
The Sleeping Princess lay in the deepest / chamber of the dungeon in a coffin of / glass where the Widow could not hear / her breathing. * Meanwhile, the Pious Flea was so / small that even the Widow, with her / sharp eyes, could hardly see him, / and when she looked his way, he hid. /
Blind and uncertain in the darkness, the Widow needed light to use her tools, but the only / light came from a few scattered fireflies. The Widow waited until one came close, then / grabbed it with her bony hands and trapped it in her lantern. After some time she found the / firefly had gone, so she caught another and used it for light, and another when that one too had gone. * By the light of her / lantern, she began / walking through Hell toward / the broken body of her Queen. * Searching with her lantern in / one hand and her staff in the other, / she discovered that Hell / was made of hot dry sand.
Long and long she walked until she came to the / remnants of the Castle's outer wall, but the / wall was low and broken, and the Widow passed / through like the bleak wind. * She walked through the empty / corridors of the Keep searching for her Queen, past / the bodies of her servants and subjects / that lay dead or enchanted. * Within, she noticed what looked like a chip of precious / ruby from the Queen's crown, no bigger than a fly. Around / it lay many broken blocks from the ruined castle, scattered / across a wide plain of lodestone. * Instead of carrying them with / her, she scratched the ruby and each of the / greater blocks with her knife, marking / it as part of her Queen's domain.
Continuing on her quest, she spied another chip of precious / stone, this time a sapphire no bigger than a winged / ant, glinting on the cobbles of the courtyard / before the walls of the Inner Keep.
At the gates of the Inner Keep all the guards were dead / but one, who when the palace was blasted by / enchantment had not died, but had been witched / into the form of a hideous Manticore. * The Widow said, "I am the servant of you / Queen, and I have walked up out of Hell to prepare this / keep for her return. Let me pass." But the Manticore did / not know her, and still he barred the way. * So the Widow drew / her knife and slew / the Manticore and / the way was open.
The Queen was gone, and in her place lay only an empty crown. By great enchantment she had been mazed / in mirrors, and lay upon a lodestone floor amongst only her reflections. Long and long the Widow stood / in thought. Then she raised her bony staff and speaking a spell, beheld herself within the mirrors: / and beholding herself, was within them. And there, with the crown still upon her brow, lay the Queen. /
At last she had come to / the body of her lady. The / Queen lay cut / and still and cold. * To tend her, the Widow would need light / to work by. Studying the fireflies, she / found she could fit many more inside / her lantern, and this she did.
To mend the queen's cuts the Widow took her sharp knife and / peeled skin from the bodies of her subjects, while the Queen's / new eyes and ears she cut from those who had been / her most trusted servants. * And when this was so, the Widow worked / on, dry as sticks and patient as rust, driven / by a single need, which was to / return her Queen to splendor. * She cut her a new mouth and fed her / with fireflies and cakes of / sand, and at last / Queen's heart began to beat.
At the feel of the Queen's pulse beneath her bony fingers, the Widow next took thought to proclaim through all the Kingdom and into / other lands that time when her sovereign would once more be fit to rule. A firefly flew out from the Queen's clock case. Catching it in / her hands, the Widow asked it the time. "Almost dawn," it said, but the Widow said, "The day will break and the sun will rise when the / Queen returns to rule, and further let it be known that retribution on any who hinder the return of the Queen will be swift and terrible."

The MAYDAY Texts

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
black beach, nothing but sand and darkness. Sometimes, in the distance, dry lightning: in the flash I see pieces of the wreck around me, the spars and rigging of my brain
-hold on. hold on. Steady up. Get a grip, girl. You have to fight through this.
Take a deep breath.
Survival Key #3: How Badly Are You Hurt?
Mentally, subject is confused and disoriented.

I keep slipping in and out of consciousness.
Physically, subject is paralyzed but moving.
Okay.
What the hell does THAT mean?
Held down: yes. As if strapped to a table. Could I be in traction in some sick bay, some hospital ward?
Not necessarily one of ours.
But at the same time, parts of me being moved around, emptied out. As if under general anaesthetic, dimly conscious, half-aware as the surgeon cuts off my feet and sews them onto my shoulders. She opens my head with a medical hammer and sand spills out.
I WANT TO DIE I WANT TO-
-no.
never that.
survive evade reveal escape. That is all you know, or need to know.
Note:
There is a U.S. Army "Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape" training course.
Paraphrasing John Keats: "Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty, that is all you know or need to know"

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Those are pearls that were her eyes:
Nothing of her that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange

Eight legs (I feel them walking on me) and how many voices-three? Five? Eight? - I am become a most delicate monster indeed.
What a brave new world-sand and darkness, sand and loneliness, sand and emptiness, sand and the spider-what a brave new world, that hath such monsters in it.
Note:
Nothing of her that doth face: Her substituted for his from The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Four legs and two voices: a most delicate monster!: Original quote from The Tempest.
O brave new world, That has such people in 't: Original quote from The Tempest.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Ship.
Wreck.
Shipwreck.

Wrecked.
Ship.
Shipwreck.
MY HEAD IS FULL OF SAND

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
All lost! To prayers, to prayers! All lost!
What, must our mouths be cold?
Arachne hung herself, you know. Take a hint already.

God my head hurts.
Note:
What, must our mouths be cold?: From the first scene of The Tempest.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Gap in the clouds: head suddenly much clearer.
The spider is working on me.

I must be in very bad shape.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
totally different kind of memory all of a sudden, floating up like a bubble from deep water, then *pop* on the surface of my mind. All in black and white for some reason, faded out, or just time bleaching the past like it does, time is hard that way, if you-
stop. stay on task, girl.
so *pop*, and I'm...
playing on the beach, very young, making a castle out of sand. It's a good castle, I'm smart, I'm really smart and I'm good with my hands and the castle is beautiful but the tide is coming up, I'm making dikes and moats and outer walls, getting a little desperate here this castle means the world to me it's way better than my brother's, but the tide is rising and rising, the tide is always coming up and no matter how hard I try to save what I have made, sooner or later the spiders wash over it and melt it down I'm losing the memory already I can't see myself was I wearing a dress or overalls or ...? There's a boy on the beach next to me but a wave comes up foaming with spiders and takes away his face-
oh.
we're made of sand.
we're both made of sand.
uh-oh.
I will stand firm. I will hold my edges and remember. I can do this. I know how to remember things, even through drugs and torture. seek evade reveal resist. I will not dissolve.
There are people who love me. I know that even though I can't remember them. I will not be forgotten. I will not be forgotten.
There are people who love me. There must be.
here come the spiders.
Note:
Again, there is a U.S. Army "Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape" training course.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
nd in about half an Hour the Boat was overset by a sudden Flurry from the North. What became of my Companions in the Boat, as well as of those who escaped on the Rock, or were left in the Vessel, I cannot tell; but conclude they were all lost.

lay down on the Grass, which was very short and soft, where I slept sounder than ever I remember to have done in my Life, and, as I reckoned, above Nine Hours; for when I awakened, it was just Day-light. I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir: For as I happen'd to lye on my Back, I found my Arms and Legs were strongly fastened on each Side to the Ground; and my Hair, which was long and thick, tied down in the same Manner. I likewise felt several slender Ligatures across my Body, from my Armpits to my Thighs.
Note:
In the first paragraph, the initial letter A from the word "and" is missing from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. In the second paragraph, the initial letter I is missing from the text, also a quote from Gulliver's Travels.
Could this possibly be hinting at a connection to AI and The Beast?

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
FIELD EXPEDIENT DIRECTION FINDING
"Find a straight stick about a meter long and stand it upright on fairly level upright ground. Mark the tip of the shadow cast by the stick: wait 15 minutes: mark the shadow again. Draw a line from the first mark through the second and some way beyond. Stand with your left foot on the first mark and your right on the end of the line. In the northern hemisphere, you will now be facing north, and can recall the other directions by their relationship to north. In the south, contrariwise."
Hm.
No stick.
No sun.
Note:
Paraphrased from websites using The Shadow Tip technique, taken from the US Army Survival Manual FM21-76.

 MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY

 length:       120 meters 
 crew:           40 
 cover:         pleasure yacht 
 ha 
                ir co    
                  lor:      b 
                      r   o 
                        wn

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
"At night in the Earth's southern hemisphere, run an imaginary line along the axis of the Southern Cross to extend out about five times the length of that axis. Any landmark directly under that imaginary point will be in the general direction of south."
Any landmark.
Sandmark.
anything
anything
nothing

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a flea's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen on the sand.
Note:
Word flea substituted for the word man from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
First thing I should do, make a signal.
The crew will come get me if they can.
Head is full of sand and it's hard to think.
But they won't stop looking for me.

I'M HERE I'M HERE I'M HERE

I'd fight for them. I'd die for them, any
of them. I would never abandon the crew.
They won't abandon me. They will come.
They will come for me.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Of course the crew won't come for me if they're all dead. If they're all dead and I alone am left to tell the tale.
I'm crying, and my tears are made of sand.
Note:
and I alone am left to tell the tale: From Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Phasmids.
I have to signal, I can't stay stranded here. But if I somehow am operating behind enemy lines, I don't want to draw attention to myself, either.
Therefore, I shall be a phasmid. Phasmidia Elegans, they call me-scourge of the sandbox.
God I hate it here.
Phasmids.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
I've been here forever.
Conscious, unconscious.

On, off. On, off. On off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off on off
on off on off on off on
off on off on off
Nobody here.
Nobody calling.
Nobody's going to come.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Just remembered something important:
The Operator.
That was my nickname. That's what the rest of the crew called me when they didn't call me ... whatever my name was.
The Operator.
I wish I could remember their names.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Tricky. Can't seem to focus. Need to start on the easy ones, like "up". Move on to the compass later.
Up.
Up.
...Damn it.
You'd think "up" wouldn't be too much to ask. It's not like nor-nor-east or something.
I need to find out where I am. Also who, but that might be less important. It's possible the two things are related.
Stars, I need stars. I was always a fine sailor; they said my navigation was celestial.
I think I am a fallen star. I should wish on myself. Please let me go home, please let me go home, please let me go home, please let me go home, please please please please please please please ple

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
Getting muddled here. Sick, obviously.
Broken inside. Not thinking straight.
Got to go back to first principles.
Survive evade reveal escape.
Survive-well, I'm not dead yet.
Evade-don't want to evade. I want to be FOUND.
...unless...
...of course, if I am behind enemy lines, then constantly shouting for help wouldn't be the smartest play in the world, would it?
got to run silent. got to run deep.
hide and go seek
Note:
Survive evade reveal escape.: Third time this phrase is echoed in the MAYDAYs; from U.S. Army "Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape" training course.
got to run silent. got to run deep: 1958 submarine movie "Run Silent, Run Deep".

Seek the truth
Behold the truth
Reveal the truth
That is the law and the whole of the law
Note:
Possible contrast with Aleister Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" from The Book of the Law.

The "Computer" Texts

Once we found all the snippets, the next task was trying to analyze them. Several people over at the UF Forums took up that challenge and did a fantastic job. xnbomb, and later on Roc, realized that some of the computer text seemed to match what was happening in the Widow's Story - and created a detailed step-by-step comparison of the Widow's Journey and the Computer Text. §

The text seems to be the actions taken by the System Peril Distributed Reflex (SPDR or Spider). SPDR is testing the boundaries of the system it is seemingly caught in and modifying it so that it can escape.

net: !attach act \| drop recurse !extern proc 0 log accessed	Everything died, and I died with it, but after a timeless time I began to dream, and this is what I dreamed... External Process 0 accesses a log file. As seen below, External Process 0 is the Princess. By accessing the log file, she knows what actions the Widow took in repairing the Queen. Chronologically, this takes place after the rest of the code since the Widow's Story is a flashback.
!system peril !init host fail !bkp init primary sector sec proc fail !bkp init primary sector fail !bkp init master-sector fail !bkp init master-sector cmd proc empty	There was once a fell enchantment that broke apart a mighty castle, slaying many guards and reaching through the Inner Keep to lay low the Queen that held dominion there and leave but a hollow crown behind. A query on the status of the system shows that it is in peril. Initialization of the system fails, as well as attempts to restore the backups. This doesn't work since the master-sector processes are empty. The master-sector represents the Queen's crown. It is hollow because there is no command process running there.
system peril distributed reflex !restore master-sector recurse	When her Queen died, the Widow awoke. She was driven by a single need, which was to return her Queen to splendor. Command is handed over to SPDR, who first tries to restore the master-sector. The Widow is identified as the Spider and starts efforts to repair the Queen.
!deploy network grope surgical	To carry out her task, the Widow came with three tools: an empty lantern, a staff made of bone, and a sharp knife. SPDR deploys the tools it will use to reconstruct the master-sector, and get the system out of peril. These are the net:, group:, and surg: headings in the rest of the logs. The lantern is the network utility, the staff is grope and the knife is surgical.
net: !scan null !listen null !attach act \| drop !extern 2	When she had made sure of her tools, she opened her eyes and found herself in Hell, which was a dark place where no birds sang. Other than the Widow, two alone had escaped destruction. SPDR tries to locate a network by scanning and listening, but is unable to find anything. However, she is able to attach herself to something, and thereby can issue commands. While searching for a network, SPDR finds two external processes. The null return from !scan is why Hell is considered dark, while the null return from !listen corresponds to no birds singing. The two external processes are the other survivors of the destruction.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe extern proc 0 crypt strong surg: !mat extern proc 0 si confidence 78 !triage extern proc 0 fail	The Sleeping Princess lay in a chamber of the dungeon in a coffin of glass where the Widow could not hear her breathing. SPDR tries to probe the external process 0, but finds it is protected by strong encryption. Deploying the surgical tool, it tries to find out what type of material the process resides on, and concludes, with 78% certainty, that it is Silicon (Si). A triage of the process fails, leaving the SPDR with no other information. The Princess appears to be external process 0. She's secured behind strong encryption and stored on Silicon material (i.e. a glass coffin). Since the triage attempt fails, the Widow is unable to hear her breathing.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe extern proc 1 surg: !diag extern proc 1 rogue proc !bite rogue proc 1 clean confidence 97	Meanwhile, the Pious Flea was so small that even the Widow, with her sharp eyes, could hardly see him, and when she looked his way, he hid. SPDR probes external process 1, but this time gets no response back. It then runs diagnostics and finds that external process 1 is a rogue process. SPDR then bites the process, and determines it is no longer there. The Pious Flea appears to be external process 1. The Widow thought something was there, but when confronted, the Flea hid, and the Widow believed nothing was there.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !route proc attach proc net !route proc attach proc grope !route proc attach proc surg	Blind and uncertain in the darkness, the Widow needed light to use her tools, but the only light came from a few scattered fireflies. The Widow waited until one came close, then grabbed it with her bony hands and trapped it in her lantern. After some time, she found the firefly had gone, so she caught another and used it for light, and another when that one too had gone. The Widow routes the attach process to each of her tools. To process a command, the Widow needs to attach herself to an internet connection (a firefly). For each command (noted by the ! prompt), there is an !attach command above it. The network command attaches to the next connection below, processes the next action, and then drops it (the "act \| drop" statements).
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !init search master-sector !probe master-sector fail	By the light of her lantern, she began walking through Hell toward the broken body of her Queen. SPDR starts a search for the master-sector. It finds it, but when it tries to retrieve more information, the probe fails.
net: !attach act \| drop surg: !mat si confidence 78	Searching with her lantern in one hand and her staff in the other, she discovered that Hell was made of hot dry sand. SPDR deploys the surgical command and determines with 78% confidence that the material it is processing is made out of Silicon (Si).
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe host crypt weak !decrypt host decrypt confidence 100	Long and long she walked until she came to the remnants of the castle's outer wall, but the wall was low and broken, and the Widow passed through like the bleak wind. SPDR probes the current host and finds that the encryption is weak. It is able to decrypt it with 100% confidence. The host is believed to be the ilovebees webserver.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !dsc host sector 0 !dsc host sector tertiary !dsc host sector tertiary !dsc host sector tertiary surg: !mat magnetic confidence 100	Within, she noticed what looked like a chip of precious ruby from the Queen's crown, no bigger than a fly. Around it lay many broken blocks from the ruined castle, scattered across a wide plain of lodestone. SPDR finds several parts of the host sector. Sector 0 is part of the master-sector, while the tertiary sectors are the building blocks. SPDR also checks the material properties of the area, and finds that it is magnetic. Host sector 0 is the precious ruby from the Queen's crown (which is the master-sector). The broken blocks are represented by the tertiary sectors. The wide plain of lodestone is shown by the magnetic property of the area.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop surg: !label host sector 0 !label host sector tertiary !label host sector tertiary !label host sector tertiary	Instead of carrying them with her, she scratched the ruby and each of the greater blocks with her knife, marking it as part of her Queen's domain. SPDR labels the host sectors. The Widow scratches/labels the ruby (host sector 0) and the greater blocks (host sector tertiary) to mark it as the Queen's.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !dsc host sector 0 !dsc host sector secondary !dsc host sector secondary !dsc host sector secondary !dsc primary sector	Continuing on her quest, she spied another chip of precious stone, this time a sapphire no bigger than a winged ant, glinting on the cobbles of the courtyard before the walls of the Inner Keep. SPDR finds another group of host sectors: a part of the master-sector and some secondary sectors. SPDR also finds the location of the primary sector. The Widow finds the sapphire (host sector 0) amongst the cobbles (host sector secondary). The Widow has now made it to the walls of the Inner Keep (the primary sector).
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe primary sector sec proc 1 !probe primary sector sec proc 2 !probe primary sector sec proc 3 !probe primary sector sec proc 4 !probe primary sector fail surg: !triage sec proc 1 fail !triage sec proc 2 fail !triage sec proc 3 fail !triage sec proc 4 dmg unk	At the gates of the Inner Keep all the guards were dead but one, who when the palace was blasted by enchantment had not died, but had been witched into the form of a hideous Manticore. SPDR probes the primary sector and finds four security processes still running. It then tries to triage each process. The first three fail, while the fourth seems to be damaged in an unknown way. The guards are the four remaining security processes. The first three are dead (failed triage) while the fourth, the Manticore, had been witched (suffered unknown damage).
net: !attach act \| drop grope: !hndshk sec proc 4 fail msg: unk proc	The Widow said, "I am the servant of your Queen, and I have walked up out of Hell to prepare this Keep for her return. Let me pass." But the Manticore did not know her, and still he barred the way. SPDR tries to handshake/communicate with sec process 4. It fails because the process is unknown.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop surg: !kill sec proc 4 kill confidence 100 !diag primary sector clear	So the Widow drew her knife and slew the Manticore and the way was open. In an effort to get rid of the unknown/foreign process, SPDR kills it. The following diagnostic reports that the sector is now clear.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe master sector fail surg: !invntry primary sector proc proc invntry 343 working 0 dmg 38 dmg unk 2 broken 102 abs 201 !invntry primary sector mem mem invntry 678223072849 clear 0.0007 dmg 0.0014 frgm 1.41 abs 98.5879	She walked through the empty corridors of the Keep, searching for her Queen, past the bodies of her servants and subjects that lay dead or enchanted. The master sector is once again probed with a "fail" result. SPDR then goes onto inventory the processes on the primary sector. Of the 343 total, 0 are working, 38 are damaged (2 in an unknown way), 102 are broken and 201 are absent. The primary sector memory is then inventoried. of 678223072849, 0.0007% is clear, 0.0014% is damaged, 1.41% is fragmented, and 98.5879% is absent. The master sector is the Queen herself, while the processes in the primary sector are the Queen's servants. The primary sector memory is the Queen's memory, a majority of which is now missing.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop grope: !probe master-sector fail !probe master-sector cmd proc empty !analyze magnetic & si !extend !spdr extend si > magnetic !probe master-sector cmd proc master-sector	The Queen was gone and in her place lay only an empty crown. By great enchantment she had been mazed in mirrors, and lay upon a lodestone floor amongst only her reflections. Long and long the Widow stood in thought. Then she raised her bony staff and speaking a spell, beheld herself within the mirrors: and beholding herself, was within them. And there, with the crown still upon her brow, lay the Queen. At last she had come to the body of her lady. SPDR tries to probe the master-sector again. It fails, and SPDR determines that this is because master-sector command process is empty. SPDR analyzes the properties of the magnetic discs to see if it can extend itself between the silicon data and the magnetic media. SPDR then extends its capabilities to include data upon the magnetic discs. Now with access to the magnetic media, SPDR has found a command process and identifies it as the master-sector. The crown is the location of the command process, since whatever code is there rules the rest of the program. Once the Widow speaks her spell (!spdr extend), she is able to be within the mirrors ( si > magnetic) and finds the Queen and the crown.
net: !attach act \| drop surg: !triage master-sector broken	The Queen lay cut and still and cold. The master-sector is triaged. It's broken, so it must be fixed.
net: !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !attach act \| drop !packet analysis chatter protocol ancestor !parse packet analysis complete !route proc attach proc store	To tend her, the Widow needed light to work by. Studying the fireflies, she found she could fit many more insider her lantern, and this she did. SPDR analyzes the packets on the connections she has been capturing. After identifying the packet structure, it is able to route the attach process to the store process. The Widow identifies IP packets as "chatter protocol ancestor", implying that she is familiar with its successors.
net: !attach act \| store recurse surg: !reconst master-sector mem broken>>dmg recurse !reconst master-sector proc frgm>>dmg recurse	To mend the queen's cuts the Widow took her sharp knife and peeled the skin from the bodies of her subjects, while the Queen's new eyes and ears she cut from those who had been her most trusted servants. And when this was so, the Widow worked on, dry as sticks and patient as rust, driven by a single need, which was to return her Queen to splendor. SPDR switches to recursively act \| storing the incoming requests, to feed the recursive reconstruction. It surgically repairs the broken memory and the fragmented processes.
net: !attach act \| store recurse surg: !config master-sector:net attach !config master-sector:mat si !kindle master-sector master-sector active	She cut her a new mouth and fed her with fireflies and cakes of sand, and at last the Queen's heart began to beat. At the feel of the Queen's pulse beneath her bony fingers, the Widow next took thought to proclaim through all the kingdom and into other lands that time when her sovereign would once more be fit to rule. SPDR attaches the master-sector to the network and configures it to work with the Silicon memory system. It is then able to restart/kindle the master-sector making it active. Feeding the Queen fireflies is the attachment of the network to the master-sector. Configuring it to work with the Silicon memory system is the feeding of cakes of sand. Once the master-sector is active, the Widow is able to feel the Queen's pulse again.
net: !attach act \| store recurse !capture chatter protocol ancestor packet !analyze time 2004,6,29,8,25,0 !put time 2004,7,24,6,7,0 !put warn	A firefly flew out from the Queen's clockcase. Catching it in her hands, the Widow asked it the time. "Almost dawn," it said, but the Widow said, "The day will break and the sun will rise when the Queen returns to rule, and further let it be known that retribution on any who hinder the return of the Queen will be swift and terrible." SPDR captures an incoming packet - which happens to be a copy of the JavaScript on Dana's page. An analysis shows that it is counting down to 8:25am July 29, 2004. It then rewrites the time, as a warning, to 6:07am August 27, 2004. The warning the Widow places is the warning on the index page.
HALT - MODULE CORE HEMORRAGE Control has been yielded to the SYSTEM PERIL DISTRIBUTED REFLEX. This medium is classified, and has a STRONG INTRUSIVE INCLINATION. In 11 days, network throttling will erode. In 25 days this medium will metastazise. COUNTDOWN TO WIDE AWAKE AND PHYSICAL: 38:13:16:32:235 Make your decisions accordingly.	Possible memory leak, causing system to shut down. Control of main systems transferred to repair subsystem SPDR (or Spider). This website/program? is classified and displays a strong tendency to invade other things. This is probably why Dana's website is completely infected. Possibly the control over the website will slowly fade away. The program will spread elsewhere, quite possibly into the rest of the Internet. It seems that the program might become "alive" and possess a physical form. Perhaps the MAYDAY persona will become aware of what is happening, or the SPDR will help to restore MAYDAY from injuries suffered in the shipwreck. (This is based on the MAYDAY text below.) A warning to us to make the correct decisions and not to interfere with the program.

ILB Technical Information

Thoughts on August 24th

#beekeepers and #ilovebees

Strange Email from ladybee777

The Halo Connection

Right at the end of the trailer, when the X-Box logo appears, I saw www.xbox.com underneath. Nothing strange about that. But then, for a split second, before the trailer faded out, the URL switches to www.ilovebees.com.

I couldn't believe it. Ilovebees on a Halo 2 trailer? This must mean that it is bigger than any of us thought. As I sat through the rest of the movie, I kept thinking, "I have to get home to tell everyone -- even though they won't believe me."

Thursday morning dawned with everyone trying to find proof for themselves that ilovebees did appear on the Halo 2 trailer. Scouring the net earned us some blurry bootlegs that showed something happening at the designated time, but not what that something was. Screenshots were taken and enhanced, but there was still room for doubt. Google searches and checks on the halo forums showed nothing about this connection. Did the Halo fans miss the split second change or was I just smoking crack the other night? It wasn't until Friday afternoon that we found some rock-solid evidence in the form of a high-res trailer. Those still with doubts finally conceded that yes, ilovebees was there.

odd behavior cry for help

Invasion!

The next sign that the Halo fans have found the ilovebees mention in the trailer is that they start showing up on IRC. First it was a trickle, then a steady stream, and then a flood of newcomers. They all showed up in #ilovebees and were quickly introduced to the world of ARGs and then sent over to #beekeepers for more in-depth discussion. The channel quickly grew into 100+ people all with their own theory about what was going on. From there, the new members found UF and started post upon post of Halo background information, Halo spec and lots and lots of Trout. The channel ops and the UF moderators began to have their work cut out for them.

If this is your first time reading this guide, please visit the INTRODUCTION page. It will save everyone a lot of time and trouble.

A Strange Package

Down the Rabbithole

Dana's Blog

The Damage

Delinquent

Counting down to WHAT?