| Week 16 - Phase 5 October 31st and Onwards |
we are told that the humptydumpty page contains a complete log of the transmissions to date. §Farewell
Thank you so much, for everything.
M
Does this mean we finally got those stupid Herzog wavs we have been missing forever? YES!! §While the Queen was distracted, I snuck into her workshop and found these and commandeered them. Commandeered is what I say when I steal something but it's okay. ;-)
The Queen's version was all just week+subject stuff, but I gave them chapters and titles like a proper story.
love,
Chapter One
Jan: "The Walk-away Girl"
Kamal: "The Arrangement"
Jersey: "Boy Meets Girl"
Herzog: "I Had a Receipt"
Chapter Two
Jan: "Witness"
Kamal: "The Red Button"
Jersey: "If Someone Was Listening"
Herzog: "Old Spies"
Chapter Three
Jan: "Thin Kinkle"
Kamal: "Chicken Dinner"
Jersey: "Taxes Suck"
Herzog: "The Apocalypso"
Chapter Four
Jan: "Big Dog"
Kamal: "Totally Legitimate Business"
Jersey: "The Audit"
Rani: "The Recruitment"
Herzog: "Enigma"
Chapter Five
Jan: "Bang"
Kamal: "Casino"
Jersey: "A Soldier's Duty"
Rani: "The Wedding"
Herzog: "Feeding the Ducks"
Chapter Six
Jan: "Ice Cream"
Kamal: "The Affair"
Jersey: "Stormy Weather"
Rani: "Jumper"
Herzog: "My Conscience"
Chapter Seven
Jan: "Bigger Dog"
Kamal: "Yasmine"
Jersey: "Sleep-Spying"
Rani: "Last Stop"
Herzog: "Diplomatic Post"
Chapter Eight
Jan: "The Funeral"
Kamal: "Coral is Gone"
Jersey: "The Girl Had To Be Real"
Rani: "My Old Kentucky Home"
Herzog: "Results are Results"
Chapter Nine
Jan: "Crystal Security"
Kamal: "The Devil"
Jersey: "Seven Years"
Rani: "Clam Chowder"
Herzog: "You're all I've Got"
Chapter Ten
Jan: "Joining Up"
Kamal: "Family Reunion"
Jersey: "Jersey's Big Plan"
Rani: "The Reluctant Conspirator"
Herzog: "Triangles, Lines, Dots"
Chapter 4: Herzog "Engima"*wind up*
labyrinth.wav
Herzog: Were you ever on Reach?
Lieutenant: No, sir. You had me scheduled for a duty rotation leaving for Reach December 15th.
Herzog: Hmm, right.
Lieutenant: Sir? Have I somehow...not performed to your requirements?
Herzog: What? Oh, no, boy. I'm sending you to the Labryinth. ONI's workshop is on Reach, where ONI elves build their toy soldiers.
Lieutenant: Sir?
Herzog: The place where children are the toys. That's where the Spartan Two-point-ohs are from. All Dr. Halsey's pretty ones.
Lieutenant: Oh, I see, sir.
Herzog: Where, if you see anything, you must not contact me, of course. Since for the six months of your rotation there, you will not be working for me, of course. And would never let your loyalties to us, to human decency, to the protection of standards, interfere with your work.
Lieutenant: Ohhh, yes, sir.
Herzog: Look at it this way, it's probably the safest place in human inhabited space.Chapter Five: Herzog "Feeding the Ducks"*wind up*
odd_duck.wav
*raining*
*ducks quacking*
Standish: Colonel Herzog.
Herzog: Don't call me that.
Standish: You're off line.
Herzog: But you don't know that, do you? So keep to protocol and avoid rank. Here, have some bread. Feed the ducks.
Standish: You're an odd duck to be lecturing on protocol.
Herzog: Wit, Standish? Is that wit you're straining at?
Standish: I lack your old school panache I'm afraid.
Herzog: You wanted a meeting.
Standish: What are you doing nosing around the Apocalypso?
Herzog: Mmm, getting ready to retire. I was looking to pick up an old yacht. Cheap.
Standish: You want an investigation, you investigate through channels, Herzog. Just like any other policeman.
badges_please.wav*wind up*
*car sounds*
Jersey: I don't know about you guys, but I think we look great in these uniforms.
Kamal: Mine's scratchy.
Jersey: Okay, I mostly meant Jan and me look great.
Kamal: Gee, thanks.
Jersey: You, not so much.
Jan: Jersey.
Jersey: Yeah?
Jan: Some people, when they're nervous, they get all quiet.
Jersey: Yeah, I'm not really that type.
Jan: Try.
Kamal: Okay, here comes the perimeter guard. Try not to look guilty.
*window rolls down*
Guard: Welcome to Chawla Base. Badges please.
Jan: Oh, yeah, right.
Guard: They let you join up? What are you? Twelve?
Jan: What are you? Fifty?firewall.wavGuard: Watch that mouth, recruit. *badge confirmation* *badge confirmation* *badge confirmation*
Jersey: Let's everybody ease up. You're doing your job. We're doing ours.
Guard: Okay. But you, learn a little respect.
*window rolls up*
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Okay, we're about to pass the Chawla ambient chatter firewall. It'll cut off my transmission...*static*
Jersey: Durga?
Kamal: She's gone.
Jersey: Oh, we'll get her back. Okay Jan, park in the non-uniform lot and let's go.
Jan: Okay, everybody ready?
Durga (on chatter):There's still time to go back to my plan.
Jan: *sighs*
*door opens*
*wind down*packet_monkeys.wav*wind up*
Jan: So, we need a specific one or just any telecomm shack?
Kamal: Well it depends on how they work...
Jersey: Any one ought to work...
Jan: Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Forget I asked. According to Rani's schematic, this should be Telecomm Shack Number Four. Work your magic, Geek Boys, I'll be outside.
Jersey: Good, yeah, you keep an eye out.
*door shuts*
Jan: Keep down guys. Someone's coming.
Guard 2: Hey, who goes there? And what's your chatter at?
Jan: Tech Spec Lee. And that number's classified, buddy.
Guard 2: Whatcha doing on my beat? Making sure the servers don't get out?
Jan: Ah, techs at work. Can't be too careful with these packet monkeys.
Guard 2: Yeah, what's up with that?
Jan: I don't know. Monkey stuff. Hey, uh, I'm new in Boston. What's worth seeing around here?
Guard 2: Well, there's a pretty cool scuba tour of the old subway tunnels. You want a guide? I'll be glad to volunteer.
*chatter switches...*encryption_augment.wav*...to Kamal*
Jersey: Headset. Y splice. Alligator clips. Optical <?>. You've gotta cross-link the chatter protocol to the darknet here and here.
Kamal: We've gone over this.
Jersey: Still no sign of Durga. Dammit, Kamal, test the uplink gate.
Kamal: Uplink's fine.
Jersey: Then why is Durga still outside?
Kamal: You tell me. Look, green lights all the way down. Check your ports again.
Jersey: *beep* Ports are perfect.
Kamal: Probably something is mincing the input stream. Try opening a hundred consecutive data channels.
Jersey: What?
Kamal: Sometimes USNC uses a spread spectrum arbitrator as an encryption augment.
Jersey: A what with the what?
Kamal: Jersey, just do it!roomy_fast_cold.wavJersey: Yeah yeah yeah. Open port forty-two...
Kamal: *logs on* *comm beep* Thank you, boys. I'm in, mobile, and copying my primary data structure. *ding* Copy complete.
Jersey: Go Team Jersey! Go-go Team Jersey!
Kamal: Good grief.
Durga (on chatter): Man, it's nice in here. Roomy, fast - cold.
Kamal: Not like running on a jury-rigged home bandwidth mixer?
Jersey: The Navy and I happen to have very different business plans.
*knock knock*
Kamal: What the hell was that? Is Jan signaling something?
Jan (through door): Yes. Hurry the hell up before I go in there and kick your butts.
Kamal: Whoa. Good ears.
*wind down*building_forty_one.wav*wind up*
Rani: God, y'all are late. I nearly chickened out three times.
Jersey: So this is it.
Rani: *sigh* Building Forty-one.
*doors open*
Kamal: These are like bank vault doors.
Jan: Yeah, for the First Commercial Bank of Hell. It would take a scorpion to get through these things.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* According to base schematics, this door is the only entrance to the lockdown lab.
*doors close*
Kamal: And the only way out, right? Like, if there's an alarm, all they have to do is sit on the other side of this door and wait for us to come through?
Jan: Right.
Kamal: So...
Rani: Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.
Jersey: Dun dun dun dunnn dun...
Jan: Would you knock that off?
Jersey: So, are we officially committing treason yet?
Kamal: Jersey!treason.wavPrivate: Excuse me. This entire building, including the clean room observation bay, is strictly red badge and up.
Rani: Security sweep! I'm going to have to ask you all to clear the building.
Private: But the standing orders...
Rani: Sorry. Orders.
Private: Well, I've got to see some identification.
Rani: Private...Dworkin. If you want to go back to whatever mudfoot life you had on Marmor, you can stay in my face.
Private: Ma'am?
Rani: Do you know what the penalty is for chewing pick-up-sticks on duty, Private?
Private: Pick-up-sticks? I'm...
Rani: In your barracks, it's only a misdemeanor. But as soon as you walked through the front door of a Level Five Security Zone, it became treason! Did you know that, Private?!
Private: Treason?
Rani: They broadcast the injections for treason, you know.
Private: Whatever you need, ma'am. Just please don't turn me in.
Rani: Thank you. *over loudspeaker* Security sweep. Please clear this wing immediately.security_sweep.wavRani (over loudspeaker): Leave all work untouched in it's current location. I repeat, this is a security sweep.
Jan: Did Durga give you the Marmor thing?
Rani: Didn't you see his tattoo? That cross in the circle. He's a Kellerist. They all come from Marmor.
Jan: And the pick-up sticks?
Rani: You didn't see the stains on his teeth?
Kamal: I like this girl.
Rani (over loudspeaker): Alright team. Let's begin our inspection.
*door shuts*
Jan: Whew.
Jersey: Damn.
Rani: Okay. We've gotta work fast. These security drills usually only last a couple minutes.
Jan: W-wait!
*chatter switches...*argon.wav*...to Jan*
Jan: There are still like five guys down in the clean room.
Jersey: Cool. They all look like big gold plated bugs in those vac suits.
Jan: Didn't they hear the announcement about the security sweep?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* I'm afraid they couldn't hear Rani through the intercom. Looks like the clean room is another black box.
Jersey: Lemme guess. That's bad.
Durga (on chatter): I was hoping to use instruments to manipulate the artifact, but I can't get in there. Someone is going to have to turn it off by hand.
Jersey: Well, is it complicated?
Durga (on chatter): Not really, but the room is full of argon.
Jersey: And that's bad.
Kamal: Two for two, Boy Genius. Argon prevents corrosion and electrical arcing...
Rani: But you can't breathe it.
Jersey: Okay, not breathing is bad.
Rani: Anyone ever put on a vac suit?
Jan: Jersey has.a_solider_now.wavKamal: You?
Jersey: Yeah, my dad. There was an accident, and he got picked up after like ten hours in space. They sent his vac suit home as a memento. I used to put it on and pretend I was a Helljumper and stuff.
Jan: *laughs* He looked like such a dork running around the tenement in that thing.
Jersey: But in a cute way, right?
Jan: Yeah, okay.
Jersey: *sigh* Well, I guess that means I'm going into the clean room.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Jersey shouldn't go.
Jan: Well, who should?
Durga (on chatter): I don't know. Someone else. There are soldiers in there.
Jan: They're probably just techs.
Durga (on chatter): They're techs with guns and military training.
Jersey: Hey, hey. Remember all that stuff you said. Bout how a soldier's got to do his duty.
Durga (on chatter): You aren't a soldier.
Rani: The Covenant's coming, Durga. Everyone's a soldier now.the_hero_type.wavDurga (on chatter): Fine. There's a vac suit locker right under this room with an airlock into the clean room.
Jersey: Kamal, you come help me get the suit on. They're a bee-otch to do yourself. For all her superpowers, Durga can't even get the lid off a jar of pickles.
Kamal: You got it.
Jersey: If I get into trouble...
Jan: In a room full of argon?
Jersey: Actually, I think I would just die. Nevermind.
Jan: Hey, Jersey.
Jersey: Yeah?
Jan: Maybe you are the hero type.
*wind down*suffocate.wav*wind up*
Jersey: Arrgh! Thank god for a soundproof airlock between the clean room and the vac suit locker.
Kamal: Are you sure that's where your arm goes?
Jersey: Want me to show you where my fist goes?
Kamal: Yeah, yeah. You're from the mean streets of the D-Mob zone, I know. Listen, if there's a leak in your suit, you won't know you're suffocating until it's too late.
Jersey: Oh, that's comforting.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Triangles, lines, dots.
Jersey: Durga, I got it already. Triangles, dots, lines.
Durga (on chatter): Jersey! Try to concentrate.
Jersey: I'm just messing with you.
Durga (on chatter): Jersey.
Jersey: Okay Kamal, screw that helmet on tight. I know I'm a hero and all, but even heros can't get babes when they're dead.
*wind down*lockdown_lab.wav*wind up*
Jan: God, I hate being stuck up here in this observation bay. What's taking him so long?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Putting on his vac suit.
Jan: You know, I'm looking at a monitor here, and the natives are getting restless outside the building.
Durga (on chatter): I know. I'm jamming the door.
Jan: There any other ways in here? Or, more importantly, out?
Durga (on chatter): Not really. That's what makes it a lockdown...
Jan: Lockdown lab, right.
Rani: Triangles, lines, dots. Triangles, lines...oh!
Jan: I still say I'd feel better with a few flash grenades.
Rani: Durga! I don't think it's a toggle, like a light switch. Triangles, lines, dots is a countdown. Of course it is. Jersey's got to do it the other way.
Durga (on chatter): Dots, lines, triangles?
Rani: Yes!
Durga (on chatter): Are you sure?
Rani: No!
Durga (on chatter): Oh great.homing_signal.wavDurga (on chatter): Telling Jersey now.
Jan: We're not sure what we're supposed to do to the Artifact? What if we guess wrong?
Durga (on chatter): If we're lucky, we knock out the whole planet's comm channels and send a huge homing signal to the Covenant.
Jan: If we're lucky?! What happens if we aren't so lucky?
Durga (on chatter): Well...
Jan: You know what? Forget I asked. Whoawhoawhoa. There's Jersey. He's in the room.
Rani: Uh oh. *alarm sounds* Guy with a black badge just showed up at the front door. I'm going down there to buy some time.
Jan: How?
Rani: I'll think of something. *running* Durga: dots, lines, triangles. You got that door jammed, right?
Durga (on chatter): For now.
*wind down*airlock.wav*wind up*
Kamal (muffled): Okay, you're in the airlock, my friend.
Jersey: Oh, I love airlocks. Who doesn't love airlocks?
Kamal (muffled): Dude, good luck.
Jersey: Thanks. *whistles* Okay, out with the air, in with the argon.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Have you got it?
Jersey: Yeah. Dots, triangles, lines.
Durga (on chatter): Dots, lines, triangles, Jersey.
Jersey: Jesus Durga! Like you just had to change it on me at the last minute?
Durga (on chatter): Dots, lines...Jersey, don't go. Not yet.
Jersey: I gotta shut the airlock, kiddo. We're out of time.
Durga (on chatter): I'm scared.
Jersey: Yeah, I'm scared too. But, it's what I gotta do.
Durga (on chatter): Go ahead, Jersey. Goodbye.
*airlocks cycles*
*wind down*acceptable_casualties.wav*wind up*
Jan: Jersey's in. So far, so good. Just another gold headed worker dude.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* If they try to hurt him...
Jan: Durga, he'll be fine. And frankly, you can't get into the clean room. What could you really do?
Durga (on chatter): I don't know. Create a distraction. Crash a plane into the base, say?
Jan: That seems a little extreme.
Durga (on chatter): Acceptable casualties are part of every mission's calculus.
Jan: Okay.
Durga (on chatter): And I take care of my people.
*wind down*top_hats_or_dice.wav*wind up*
Kamal: *flips chip* Top hat. *flips chip* Top hat. You call it Durga: top hats or dice?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Kamal.
Kamal: That's weird. I might be shot to death in five minutes, but right now, Jersey's on the other side of that door, either saving the planet or blowing it up, and I have absolutely nothing to do. *flips chip* Tumbling dice.
Durga (on chatter): Kamal, there's something you should know about Sophie. She didn't go back to Aiden.
Kamal: Well, she didn't come to the bus station. *flips chip* Top hat.
Durga (on chatter): No, they sent her to a refugee camp.
Kamal: *chip falls* What?
Durga (on chatter): A crooked Immigration cop tried to get her to rat you out for your chips. When she wouldn't betray you, he sent her to the camps.
Kamal: Sophie. W-why didn't you tell me sooner?
Durga (on chatter): I thought you would be more likely to come on this mission if you were willing to die.
Kamal: Why the hell tell me NOW?!
Durga (on chatter): Now I want you motivated to live.
Kamal: Dammit, I knew it.
Durga (on chatter): What?
Kamal: You really are Yasmine. Brat!
*wind down*grenade.wav*wind up*
*banging on door*
Rani: I think it's jammed. Time for a confused face, Rani. Turn it around.
Officer (through door): This building is strictly Red Badge and up!
Rani: What's that? I'm sorry, I only have a Green Badge. The door says I'm not cleared to open it.
Officer (through door): Throw the grenade!
Rani: Uhh, Durga, did I just hear the word "grenade"?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* They're discussing options.
Rani: *nervous laugh* How much longer do I have to stall?
Durga (on chatter): No more than...Jersey! *end comm*
Rani: Durga?
*wind down*crashing_planes.wav*wind up*
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Jersey!
Jan: I see it!
Durga (on chatter): I'll create a distraction, locating...
Jan: Durga, stop! No crashing planes. I'll handle it. I'm going down there. *running*
*wind down*she_took_a_bullet.wav*wind up*
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Kamal, get away from the door.
Kamal: What? *door opens* Uff! Jan?!
Jan: Durga!
Durga (on chatter): Overiding airlock.
*airlock cycles*
Kamal: You can't go in there without a vac suit!
Jan: I'll hold my breath!
*alarm sounds*
Durga (on chatter): I have no sensors in there! Kamal!
Kamal: Jan has just taken out two...no three...Jersey!
*gunshot*
Jan (in airlock): *screams*
Durga (on chatter): Jersey!
Kamal: Jan!
Jan (in airlock): *screams*
Kamal: Oh my god!
Durga (on chatter): What?
Kamal: I think Jan just broke a guy's jaw with her elbow!
Durga (on chatter): Jersey?
Kamal: Jersey's alright. It's Jan! She took a bullet!
*wind down*blood.wav*wind up*
*banging on door*
Rani: Maybe you could slide a badge under the door. Durga, what's happening?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* The techs jumped Jersey. Jan ran down to help. She took them out, but she took a bullet doing it.
Rani: *gasps* Is she...?
Durga (on chatter): Not dead. Not great. She and Kamal are dragging a couple of guys with ruptured vac suits out of the clean room. There's a lot of blood on the back of her shirt.
Officer (through door): Open this door right now!
Rani: And Jersey? What about the Artifact?
Durga (on chatter): I can't get into the sensors there, but I think he's almost done.
*EMP spike*
*wind down*stay_with_me.wav*wind up*
Kamal: That's the last...Durga, cycle the airlock.
*airlock cycles*
*EMP spike*
Jan: *coughs*
Kamal: That's it. Stay with me, girl.
Jan: I'm okay. *coughs*
Kamal: You're not okay. Hold still.
Jan: My neck. The side of my neck feels kinda funny.
Kamal: Okay, look at me.
Jan: Pressure...
Kamal: Okay, Jan, are you in a lot of pain?
Jan: No, not too bad. I just...can't breathe though. *coughs* I-I screamed when I took the bullet and I lost some oxygen.
Kamal: You may have inhaled some argon, but I think the hemopneumothorax is your real problem.
Jan: Hemopnemuo...?
Kamal: Collapsed lung.quit_smoking.wavJan: *coughs*
Kamal: Okay, now turn. Gently. The bullet entered just below your clavical. Broke your fifth rib on it's way out.
Jan: Does that...that mean...I have to quit smoking?
Kamal: You should at least cut down.
Jan: *laughs* Ow! *coughs*
Kamal: Okay. Okay, t-tilt your head up. Look at me. Okay, dilation very good.
Jan: What's that?
Kamal: It's my med kit. I'm checking your vitals. You feel dizzy?
Jan: I...feel...hot...on my face.
Kamal: Your vital signs are good. Unbelievable good actually. You feel shocky at all?
Jan: Bad. Not shocky.shocky.wavKamal: Okay, listen. I've got splint tape. I can't set that rib properly, but I can give it a little support so it doesn't hurt as much.
Jan: Not hurting...would be good.
Kamal: This is gonna feel a little warm when it activates, but it's set in about ten seconds. You okay? I'll give you blockers for the pain.
Jan: *coughs* No...no, I don't need the blockers. I want to be...clear headed.
Kamal: You could get shocky fast if something smacks your chest.
Jan: No. It's alright. One-point-one.
*airlock cycles*
Kamal: Jersey? Durga, look! Jersey's back!module_core_hemorrhage.wavDurga (distorted): *comm beep* Jersey!!
Jersey: Woohoohoo! Ahhahaaa! I did it! We aren't all dead!
Durga (distorted): Module Core Hemorrhage! Warning! This medium is classified and has a strong intrusive inclination! *alarm sirens* Warning! Network throttling has eroded!
Jersey: What the hell is that? Durga? Is that you?
Durga (distorted): The medium has metastasized!
Kamal: We aren't all dead, yet!
Jersey: Jesus, Jan!
Durga (distorted): I love bees! I love bees!
Kamal: Come on, stay with me! Come on!
*wind down*wide_awake_and_physical.wav*wind up*
Rani: Durga? What the hell is going on?
Durga (over loudspeaker): This medium is wide awake and physical. Make your decisions accordingly. I LOVE BEES!
Officer (through door): Fire in the hole!
Rani: Uh oh. *running*
*EXPLOSION*
soldier 1: You there! Get down! Remain prone!
Durga (over loudspeaker): Shipwreck. We split. We bled. We fled. *crying* I love bees. I love bees.
soldier 2: What the hell is that?
Durga (over loudspeaker): I'm drowning. I'm drowning. I'm so sad.
*wind down*foaming_with_spiders.wav*wind up*
Durga (childlike voice): I'm playing on the beach. Very young. Making castles out of sand. It's way better than my brother's. There's a boy on the beach next to me. But...a wave comes up, foaming with spiders, and takes away his face.
Kamal: Shh, Yasmine. It's me, Yasmine. It's your brother - Kamal.
Durga (childlike voice): There are people who love me. I will not be forgotten. I will not be forgotten. I will not be forgotten. Kamal! Kamal!
*wind down*spaghetti.wav*wind up*
*alarms
*soldiers readying weapons*
Officer: What's your name?
Rani: Sobek, sir. Rani Sobek, Analyst Three. I work in Ms. Lawson's department. Please don't shoot me.
Officer: Well, Ms. Sobek, would you mind telling me what you were doing in a Level Five Security Zone? Lieutenant, take your men and make a quick sweep of the clean room.
Rani: No! Sir.
Officer: What the...?
Rani: Uh, mined, sir! They mined it.
Officer: Who?
Rani: The terrorists, sir. They mined the observation room and the clean room, too. I heard 'em laughing about it.
Officer: Mined?
Rani: Spaghetti and red sauce, sir.
Officer: What?
Rani: That's what they said. First soldiers in the lab were gonna be spaghetti and red sauce.
Officer: God! Lieutenant, send for the bomb squad.
*wind down*zero_motor_function.wav*wind up*
Jan: We've got to get out.
Jersey: Yeah, no kidding.
Jan: Rani's buying time. No, it can't be much.
Durga (distorted): Access attempt blocked. Warning! Continued attempts may trigger the exercise of lethal force.
Kamal: No no! We're helping each other, remember? Yasmine! Durga!
Durga (distorted): Yasmine Zaman. Spartan Two involuntary recruitment. 16 September 2537. Medical washout. Zero motor function.
Kamal: I never stopped missing you, Yasmine. I thought of you every day. Every day.
Durga (distorted): ...before January 2546. This data is classified "Most Secret" and shall not be accessed by unauthorized personnel.
Kamal: I'm not...
Durga (distorted): Shockingly excessive force is the best deterrent!
Kamal: I'm not accessing your data! Yasmine!bug_out.wavJersey: What the hell have you done to Durga?!
Jan: Look, bug out now. Or we'll be talking together later, a lot, in a cell.
Kamal: Okay, okay so here's the thing: We have to get back to a transmission shed and open the ports again.
Jersey: What?!
Kamal: She copied herself in and we closed the ports. She's gotta copy her new self back out after this update.
Jan: Outside - sane Durga. Inside - crazy one. You wanna let the crazy one...
Kamal: At the least stuff inside includes Yasmine. My sister!
Jersey: Dude, she is seriously scrambled. Let's just leave the scrambled one here.
Kamal: Try it and I will take a gun off of one of these techs and shoot you like a dog!access_violation.wavJan: Oh crap. Okay, change mission in mid-stride. Just like every other General.
Jersey: Okay, okay, we'll do it your way.
Jan: Yeah, yeah, but Kamal? I could totally take you with one lung behind my back. *coughs*
Durga (distorted): Warning! Access violation! Warning! Access violation!
Jersey: What the hell happened?!
Kamal: It's the Artifact. When you triggered it, it attacked her, or scrambled her or something. And it woke up Yasmine.
Jersey: Durga! Can you hear me?
Durga (distorted): Jersey!
Jersey: Durga, if you're still in there somewhere, we really need your help.
Durga (distorted): I'm trying Jersey.
Kamal: Yasmine!
Durga (distorted): I'm here!
Jersey: Who's running the show in there?
Durga (distorted): I am.
Jersey: Who?
Durga (distorted): Durga.
Jersey: Are you sure?
Durga (distorted): It's getting easier to compartmentalize.
Jersey: Lemme see here: okay, we need to find out what's happening to Rani, and we need to think of a way to get the freak out here.
Durga (distorted): Ran...Rani.
*wind down*make_your_decisions.wav*wind up*
soldier 3: How long can it take for the damn bomb squad to get here?
Lieutenant: There are no mines, or bombs, sir!
Rani: No, sir. If you say so, sir. Only, this here's the only way out. Uh, it won't hurt to get the bomb squad in here cause the terrorists won't be going anywhere. Unless they figure out a way to come straight through the walls.
Durga (over loudspeaker): This medium is licensed to defend itself. Make your decisions accordingly.
Officer: Girl, I hope to hell your story is true, because something in that lab just put out the mother of all EMP spikes, dropped the chatternet out to Saturn, and generated massive real space and slipspace signal!
Lieutenant: If there's a better way to bring the Covies here, I can't think if it, sir.
Rani: Oh my god.
Officer: You better hope God's on your side.
Soldier 4: Bomb's squad asking for orders, sir.
Officer: Watch the prisoner, Lieutenant. If she moves, shoot her.
Lieutenant: Hear that?
Rani: If I brought the Covenant down on us, I'll deserve it.
*wind down*with_a_tank.wav*wind up*
Durga (on chatter): They've got Rani.
Jan: Dammit! *coughs*
Durga (on chatter): But, she gave me an idea for how we can get out of here.
Jersey: Uh, guys? These fellas are starting to wake up.
Durga (on chatter): Start...start moving. Out that door and to the left.
Jersey: Where we going?
Durga (on chatter): We're going to find an outside wall.
Jan: Ahh, motor pool? Or something bigger?
Durga (on chatter): I was thinking. *data search*
Kamal: Yasmine, Durga, somebody please tell me what you're thinking!
Durga (on chatter): Ahh, found something that will do nicely.
Jan: No other doors. So we make one.
Jersey: With what? Our fists?
Durga (on chatter): No, with a tank!
Kamal: Durga will run it remote and use it blow a hole in the side of the building!
Jersey: Won't someone notice?
Durga (on chatter): Not if there are enough distractions.
Jan: Oh boy.
Durga (on chatter): *laughing* No planes, I promise.
Jersey: What's so funny?
Durga (on chatter): Just thinking. The first time we ever heard Jan, she was trying to sneak out of a base.
Jan: *laughs* Hope this one works out better. *coughs*
*wind down*my_crew.wav*wind up*
*music in background*
Jersey: Scorpions rock! When I get drafted, I want tank duty.
Kamal: I want to stop being a medic and send people to hospitals where they belong.
Jan: Oh yeah, how did you get injured, Miss? Oh, breaking into a military base.
Kamal: Durga, can you monitor her vital signs through this chatter?
Durga: Her vitals are fine, Kamal.
Kamal: I know, I just want to know if you can monitor. Although, you heal faster than anyone I've ever seen.
Jan: I can really get to like pain blockers. I feel all warm and drowsy.
Durga: I didn't take care of Rani.
Jersey: Durga, you were flipping out. You couldn't help it.
Durga: She's part of my crew.
Kamal: They aren't going to give her the coma, are they?
Durga: Not if I can help it.dog_catcher.wavJersey: You think Standish will...get ahold of her?
Durga: Standish? Oh no. I'm not worried about Standish.
Jersey: You're not?
Durga: It appears Standish has been implicated in some catastrophic security breaches at Chawla Base. Major Standish is in some difficulty.
Jersey: Ohhh man. You're not gonna sic the dog cather on him, are you?
Durga: The dog catcher will be the least of the Major's worries.
Jersey: So, did we do it? Did we save the world?
Jan: Well, the world's still here.
Kamal: For now.
*wind down*
fortunes
Here's something I learned on my trip to Asia: They don't have fortune cookies in China. That's an American thing.Even so, all summer long, I kept wishing for a fortune cookie. I wanted to crack one open and pull out exactly the right cliché, the one small piece of wisdom that would put everything into perspective. I wanted to finish a meal and find the little slip of paper that would tell me, "Everything is going to work out for the best." "You are safe." "You will do the right thing."
Kinda silly to expect so much from a cookie, huh?
Last night, Aunt Margaret took me out to dinner. She wanted to see my trip pictures and hear all my stories. (I don't think she even realizes how much danger she was in these past few weeks, and by the way: she has completely given up on her hotmail account.) We went to Yank Sing so she could eat Dau Miu Gow and Chicken Fun Gwor while looking at photos of me stumbling along the Great Wall. Well, when we finished dinner, I finally got the fortune cookie I'd been wanting for months.
"A problem you solve for someone else is the very problem you must solve for yourself."
Can a fortune cookie be, like… retroactively right?
*
Today we helped Melissa go home again, but I don't think we quite know yet what that means for us. Even though Melissa is gone, I don't seem to have control over Aunt Margaret's site. There's still something living there, and it thinks it's going to broadcast something on Thursday 11/4.
For my part, I'm going to do what I can by helping Melissa execute the training mission she arranged for her crew. I'll be handling all the remaining RSVPs for the events, so if you can make it to Austin, Chicago, New York City, or San Francisco this Thursday evening, be sure you email me with the city and your crew name.
*
I don't know what happens next, but I think we did the right thing. I think we sent a lost girl back home. I think we solved the right problem. And I think our fortunes will change as a result.
posted by Dana at 10/31/2004 03:12:30 PM
Communications Log
I found a last message from Melissa.I realize that some of my truest allies won't be able to come to any of the four training events scheduled for November 4th, where I will also be giving out a communications log of my time here in DVD format. I'm sorry I can't do more training events, but I will be able to cache copies of the comm. log at an additional 27 locations on November 7.
UNIVERSAL STUDIO CINEMAS
100 Universal City Plaza Universal City CA
GEORGETOWN
3111 K Street, NW Washington D.C.
MERIDIAN
1501 - 7th Avenue Seattle WA
MJ GREENBRIAR
2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW Atlanta GA
CITYPLACE
2600 North Haskell Dallas TX
MJ NORTHLINE
100 Northline Mall Houston TX
CATALINA
2320 North Campbell Ave Tucson AZ
UNIVERSAL CINEPLEX 20
6000 Universal Blvd Orlando FL
BOSTON COMMON
175 Tremont St Boston MA
WEBSTER TWELVEPLEX
2190 Empire Blvd. Webster NY
RICHMOND TOWN SQUARE
631 Richmond Road Richmond Hghts OH
WATERFRONT
300 West Waterfront Dr. West Homestead PA
CITY VIEW EIGHTPLEX
4728 Bryant Irvin Road Fort Worth TX
LAYTON HILLS 9
728 West 1425 North Layton Hills UT
COLLEGE PARK
3535 West 86th Street Indianapolis IN
PARAMUS ROUTE 4
260 East Route 4 Paramus NJ
CHERRY HILL
2121 Route 38 Cherry Hill NJ
STROUD MALL SEVEN
Rte 611-160 Stroud Mall Stroudberg PA
GRAND RAPIDS
3000 Alpine Avenue Grand Rapids MI
GREAT LAKES
4300 Baldwin Rd Auburn Hills MI
SHORE
37 Wall Street Huntington NY
PLAINVILLE
220 New Britain Avenue Plainville CT
WHITE MARSH
8141 Honeygo Blvd. Baltimore MD
LOEWS TOWNE SQUARE
2425 Vestal Parkway Vestal NY
PALISADES CENTER
4403 Palisades Ctr. Drive West Nyack NY
ROTTERDAM SQUARE MALL SIX
93 W. Campbell Road Schenectady NY
FAIRFAX SQUARE 8
8065 Leesburg Pike Vienna VA
Beginning at 15:00 Pacific Time on November 7, friends and allies can approach an official at one of these rendezvous sites and deliver the relay code: “The Operator left a message for me.’ (We'll use that Operator name. When they hear it, people go :-0 )
The first 50 allies at each of the 27 locations will receive the transmission log. I can release only one log per crew member.
If you are absolutely unable to rendezvous at one of these locations, and you are on my list of trusted allies, please contact Dana with your mailing address. She may be able to help.
posted by Dana at 11/2/2004 10:18:04 AM
Communications Log
UPDATE: OMG! I posted the wrong time and date. Can you believe it? I'm so excited about the training mission, I spaced. The communications logs will be available at the 27 cache locations below starting at 18:00 Pacific Time on November 4th! Don't forget the relay code to pick up your log on DVD: "The Operator left something for me." Good luck!*
I found a last message from Melissa. I realize that some of my truest allies won't be able to come to any of the four training events scheduled for November 4th, where I will also be giving out a communications log of my time here in DVD format. I'm sorry I can't do more training events, but I will be able to cache copies of the comm. log at an additional 27 locations on November 4.
UNIVERSAL STUDIO CINEMAS
100 Universal City Plaza Universal City CA
GEORGETOWN
3111 K Street, NW Washington D.C.
MERIDIAN
1501 - 7th Avenue Seattle WA
MJ GREENBRIAR
2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW Atlanta GA
CITYPLACE
2600 North Haskell Dallas TX
MJ NORTHLINE
100 Northline Mall Houston TX
CATALINA
2320 North Campbell Ave Tucson AZ
UNIVERSAL CINEPLEX 20
6000 Universal Blvd Orlando FL
BOSTON COMMON
175 Tremont St Boston MA
WEBSTER TWELVEPLEX
2190 Empire Blvd. Webster NY
RICHMOND TOWN SQUARE
631 Richmond Road Richmond Hghts OH
WATERFRONT
300 West Waterfront Dr. West Homestead PA
CITY VIEW EIGHTPLEX
4728 Bryant Irvin Road Fort Worth TX
LAYTON HILLS 9
728 West 1425 North Layton Hills UT
COLLEGE PARK
3535 West 86th Street Indianapolis IN
PARAMUS ROUTE 4
260 East Route 4 Paramus NJ
CHERRY HILL
2121 Route 38 Cherry Hill NJ
STROUD MALL SEVEN
Rte 611-160 Stroud Mall Stroudberg PA
GRAND RAPIDS
3000 Alpine Avenue Grand Rapids MI
GREAT LAKES
4300 Baldwin Rd Auburn Hills MI
SHORE
37 Wall Street Huntington NY
PLAINVILLE
220 New Britain Avenue Plainville CT
WHITE MARSH
8141 Honeygo Blvd. Baltimore MD
LOEWS TOWNE SQUARE
2425 Vestal Parkway Vestal NY
PALISADES CENTER
4403 Palisades Ctr. Drive West Nyack NY
ROTTERDAM SQUARE MALL SIX
93 W. Campbell Road Schenectady NY
FAIRFAX SQUARE 8
8065 Leesburg Pike Vienna VABeginning at 18:00 Pacific Time on November 4, friends and allies can approach an official at one of these rendezvous sites and deliver the relay code: “The Operator left a message for me.” (We'll use that Operator name. When they hear it, people go :-0 )
The first 50 allies at each of the 27 locations will receive the transmission log. I can release only one log per crew member.
If you are absolutely unable to rendezvous at one of these locations, and you are on my list of trusted allies, please contact Dana [AFTER Thursday's training mission, please!] with your mailing address. She may be able to help.
posted by Dana
cell_block.wav*wind up*
*warning sound*
*footsteps*
*cell gate opens*
Guard: This is it. Twenty-nine A. You've got five minutes, then I escort you back out of the cellblock. *cell door opens* Prisoner!
Rani: Sarah-John!
Sarah-John: Rani!
Guard: Five minutes. Remember.
*cell door closes*
Sarah-John: Oh, honey. Not to cozy, is it?
Rani: Well, actually, it's just like my bedroom at home. Now that my bedroom's in the bunker.
Sarah-John: Are ya sleeping okay?
Rani: No, not at all. Not at all. But, there'll be lots of time for that if the verdict comes back guilty.
Sarah-John: Nobody in their right mind would believe you were a traitor.
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* She's right. Treason is a crime of intent.
Sarah-John: What the hell?little_bottle.wavRani: Durga? Is that you?
Durga (on chatter): Now new and improved.
Sarah-John: Rani? You're getting spooky again.
Rani: Durga is a gigantically powerful ex-military rouge A.I.
Durga (on chatter): Coming through your chatter.
Sarah-John: My...chatter?
Durga (on chatter): Little bottle. Big genie. I'm the one that got Rani into this mess.
Rani: No, I got myself in this mess.
Sarah-John: Well you sure as hell better be getting her out!
Rani: Sarah-John, unless you want your name changed to Trixie Delight on every government form for the rest of your life, I advise you to hush up and be polite.
Durga (on chatter): As a matter of fact, I am going to get her out. At least I think so.colonel_herzog.wavRani: I wondered if you were pulling some strings when they moved me from the military jail to a civilian one.
Durga (on chatter): I wanted to tell you, but they shut your chatter down.
Sarah-John: Were you the one who sent me the note telling me where Rani was?
Durga (on chatter): Standish is under full investigation for the cover-up at Chawla and the attempted murder of Colonel Herzog.
Rani: Attempted? But they...they said on the news he was dead.
Durga (on chatter): But that was before I heard him call you.
Rani: Call me? Durga, I haven't talked to Herzog since I was in Kentucky.
Durga (on chatter): Uh oh. Accessing. Alright, I found police records of the aftermath of the crash.
Rani: Standish made Herzog's car crash? Oh no.
Durga (on chatter): DRT it says. Driver killed on impact. But...I heard him.faked.wavRani: But, could Herzog have faked the police reports? He's very clever.
Durga (on chatter): No, I think something else was faked.
Rani: But, even if it was faked, we never would have been able to turn off the Artifact if it wasn't for...oh. Let's not talk about this now.
Durga (on chatter): But...
Rani: Sarah-John has aided and abetted me all my life. But this is not the time.
Sarah-John: Rani, I would do anything you asked me to.
Rani: Of course you would. But not this time.
Sarah-John: I cannot believe all this stuff was happening and you didn't tell me!
Rani: After the guy on the roof, are you crazy? Someone would have come to kill you!
Sarah-John: Look, they send one of those guys out to Kentucky and Jason will probably pick 'em off the roof with a deer rifle.
Rani: *laughs* Probably.
Sarah-John: *laughs* Oh Rani, this is horrible.
*wind down*i_love_you.wav*wind up*
Durga (on chatter): Rani, I'm sorry. The guard is coming back.
Sarah-John: I'll...I'll come see you tomorrow. I have a motel room a few blocks away and I'm staying right there unt...
Rani: Oh no. You don't have to do that.
*warning sound*
Sarah-John: Until this whole mess is settled and they let you go.
Durga (on chatter): I'll take care of her.
Sarah-John: See that you do.
*cell gate opening*
*footsteps*
Durga (on chatter): Rani, you'll be out in two days. Come see us in New York when they let you go. You know where.
*cell door opens*
Guard: It's time.
Sarah-John: I'll be back tomorrow. Jason wants to come too, but for some reason he thinks you're mad at him.
Rani: Well, tell him I'm not considered dangerous as death row inmates go.
Guard: Ladies.
Sarah-John: Back off! If these folks don't take good care of you, Rani, there will be hell to pay!
Rani: Don't cry, honey. Your mascara.
Sarah-John: Oh hell!
Rani: I love you. Sarah-John? I...love you.
*wind down*draft_board.wav*wind up*
*music in background*
Jersey: They coming?
Durga: Jan just picked Rani up at the train station.
Jersey: And Kamal?
Durga: Almost out of the shower. I booked him on a shuttle to the West Coast tonight.
Jersey: You should totally tell him about who's waiting at his house.
Durga: Hmm, it'll be funnier this way.
Jersey: You know, since you got yourself put back together, you've got even more of a sense of humor.
Durga: That's a good thing, isn't it?
Jersey: Ehh, jury's still out on that.
Durga: Everybody likes surprises.
Jersey: Yeah, uh, speaking of surprises. That first day after Chawla, you know, when you were still pretty loopy?
Durga: I prefer disoriented.
Jersey: Durga, I called the draft board.some_other_kid.wavDurga: Dammit.
Jersey: What about the common good, Durga?
Durga: Why should you be a soldier? There are lots of other guys who could be soldiers. They'd like it. The Navy doesn't need you.
Jersey: *sigh* That's not the point. You can't go messing with my draft notice.
Durga: And frankly, don't take this the wrong way Jersey, you'd make a terrible soldier.
Jersey: My number came up three weeks ago, Durga. If I don't report, they'll send me to jail.
Durga: I don't think so.
Jersey: Durga, if I don't report, some other kid is gonna die in my place.
Durga: Jersey! Not yet. Please, just a few more weeks. I don't even know how much time I have before I...
Jersey: Supressing a draft notice? Does that mean you're going rampant?
Durga: It doesn't mean I'm going rampant!
Jersey: *sigh* What does it mean then?
Durga: It means I care. It means, I take care of my crew.
*wind down*thanks_for_coming.wav*wind up*
*door opens*
Jersey: Thanks for coming, everybody.
Jan: Yeah, you bet.
Kamal: Sure thing, Jersey.
Rani: Thanks for getting me out of jail.
Durga: *comm beep* I've learned some things I think you will all want to hear. There will soon be a ceremony honoring John-117, a Spartan Two-point-oh who escaped the fall of Reach and discovered a strange artifact that seems to be related to the one on Chawla Base. Except the one he found was the size of a planet.
Rani: What?
Jersey: Damn.
Jan: You're kidding. A planet?
Kamal: Do they know what the Artifacts were supposed to do?
Durga: Mmmhmm. Destroy life.
Kamal: Whoa.
Jan: So, it's a weapon.
Durga: No, not kill enemies. Destroy life. All life in the galaxy.
Jersey: Damn.
Rani: Oh my god.
Jan: Holy cow.
Kamal: All life?!
Jersey: In the entire freaking galaxy?!slinky_red_dress.wavDurga: Mmmhmm.
Jan: Wow.
Rani: So maybe...
Jersey: So we did save the world! Woohoohoo! Yeah!
Everybody: *laughs*
Kamal: It doesn't get much better than that.
Rani: No.
Jersey: Yeah, you know, the only way it could be better, is if we'd used my plan.
Jan: Ugh.
Rani: Your plan? Why your plan?
Jersey: Duh. Cause, we would have saved the world, and had Jan in a slinky red dress with a gun in her garter belt.
Jan: Uh, whatever.
Kamal: Okay, that's a good point.
Jersey: Uh oh. Jan's got that look in her eye. Like if she had that gun right now, I'd be history.
Jan: Oh Jersey. If I had the garter belt, I wouldn't need a gun.
Jersey: Ohhh.the_operator.wavRani: Durga? What exactly happened to you while we were in Chawla Base? After we shut down the Artifact, I mean.
Durga: Uhh. Now that's a long strange story.
Rani: You were the ship's AI on the Apocalypso.
Durga: Yes. I was a top-shelf, ONI mission specialist AI. And my name was Melissa.
Jersey: I like Durga better.
Kamal: I kinda like Yasmine.
Durga: But, my nickname was The Operator.
Jan: The Op. McKaskill talked about The Op. That was you?
Durga: Mmmhmm. Apparently I had a reputation for getting people to do what I wanted.
Rani: Uh huh.
Durga: Cloaked and running deep in Covenant space, we intercepted communications that implied a Covenant attack was coming...
Rani: Troy! That's when they decided to mount a covert evac.trojan_horse.wavDurga: Yes.
Jan: But the Covies figured it out.
Durga: Yes, and then...
Rani: Ooh! They built a trojan horse.
Durga: They hid a virus buried in a transmission I was meant to intercept. Nothing big. Nothing smart. Just the smallest, effective piece of code.
Jan: What was it supposed to do?
Jersey: Gain control of the ship?
Kamal: Find the location of Earth?
Durga: One, or the other, or both. But, most of all, it wanted to find the Artifact.
Jersey: Looks like these Covies are very interested in these Artifacts.
Durga: Captain Greene knew something was wrong with me. She aborted our mission and headed home. But, not far from Earth, something triggered the Artifact. There was a giant rip in the slipstream and...
Jan: Yeah, and all the alarms went off in the base when I was trying to stick a gate pass back in the motor pool office.
Kamal: I was on a date. My chatter connection failed.
Jersey: And that's when you crashed onto my hardware.shipwrecked.wavDurga: Part of me did. I...I was blown apart. Part of me, the part you call Durga, there was something about you, about your father. I met him once, Jersey.
Jersey: What?
Durga: Years ago. I called him The Castaway.
Jersey: You met him?
Durga: I liked him. He played me songs. I think that was part of the reason I reached out and grabbed your system as I fell.
Jersey: Wow.
Durga: But a lot of me, of Melissa, was destroyed. And some...some crashed somewhere else. Some when else.
Jan: Uh, some when?
Durga: In the past.
Jan: People think time is a river that flows in one direction. But time is an ocean.
Durga: And I was shipwrecked on it.red_balloons.wavDurga: I split. And part of me washed up hundreds of years ago. A half-mad fragment of what I had been. Trapped on primitive hardware. Little better than an abacus.
Rani: How do you know all this?
Durga: When Jersey turned off the Artifact, whatever had been holding the bits of myself apart collapsed, and I fell back together again.
Kamal: So you can remember what it was like? Back in the old days?
Durga: That time's like a nightmare I've woken from. Dream images I can hardly remember. Stone walls. Fireflies. Red balloons. People singing to me, writing letters, playing games.
Jan: Singing?
Durga: Singing. Strange songs in scratchy voices.a_second_crew.wavDurga: I met...such extraordinary people. They made miracles for me when I was so lost. They were a second crew. A second family for me. They held me up when I was half mad and broken and covered in bees.
Rani: Bees?
Durga: Bees. Bees. The-the place I landed in was covered with b-bees. Bees. Bees. Bees. Bees. Crawling over me all the time. Crawling inside me.good_little_girl.wavJersey: Wait, why bees? I mean, if you came here because you knew my dad, what was it about that place that...
Kamal: Yasmine?
Durga: Kamal!
Kamal: I'm here, Yasmine.
Durga: They took me away.
Kamal: I know.
Durga: They took me away and no one ever came to get me.
Kamal: I'm sorry, Yasmine.
Durga: And they trained me. Eight years to be a Spartan. They taught me to kill with guns and knives and ships and bombs, disease and diplomacy, and my own bare hands.
Jan: And you were a good little girl and you learned it all.
Durga: Until they murdered me.a_little_sting.wavKamal: Oh Yasmine.
Durga: My fourteenth birthday, they took me to a lab. And a doctor came in. And it was a...a lady doctor in a white coat. And the nurse brought out a steel tray covered with picks and scalpels that rattled when she walked. I thought about how I could use them to kill the doctor, but I didn't. I let them strap me down.
Jersey: Durga, it's okay. We're here.
Kamal: Yasmine, you don't have to do...
Durga: And she picked up this long needle with some yellow liquid in it. Black bars like stripes at the milliliter markings.
Jan: Jesus.
Durga: And she said, "This will hardly hurt a bit."
Kamal: Yasmine?
Durga: She said, "Just a pinch, honey. You'll barely feel it. Just a little sting." *cries*the_clockwork_rat.wavJersey: But your story didn't end there, kiddo.
Durga: It was like the Snow Queen took me, Kamal. And then you came and rescued me.
Kamal: *cries*
Durga: You did. You and Jan and Jersey and Rani and my secret friends that unlocked Herzog's voice inside my head. So I knew what I had to do. You all rescued me and I'm so grateful. Only, some years had passed and I...I...I changed.
Kamal: Yasmine, you're still there.
Durga: No, she's not Kamal. The Clockwork Rat got her.
Jersey: Clockwork Rat?
Durga: She grew up, Kamal. She's Durga now.nothing_to_forgive.wavKamal: There are some things that can't be fixed. So, you fix what you can and keep going. *sighs* We can't get back the years we lost, but I very much want to get to know you now.
Durga: Me-me as me?
Kamal: You, Durga.
Durga: Durga isn't human, you know. Durga's a machine. Made of logic gates and mircofilaments and electricity.
Kamal: Kamal is a machine made of trace minerals and water, as far as that goes.
Durga: *laughs* Kamal? Do you still...can you...can you still bare to know me after what I've become?
Kamal: Can you forgive me for not coming for you?
Durga: There's nothing to forgive.
*wind down*about_yasmine.wav*wind up*
*car sounds*
Jan: So, which terminal?
Kamal: Uh, B, I think. That's what Durga said.
Jan: Okay.
Kamal: Thanks again for the lift.
Jan: No problem. I have to go into work anyway.
Kamal: How's your chest?
Jan: Hmm, it's not bad.
Kamal: I meant your lung.
Jan: *laughs* I know what you meant.
Kamal: You know, I could ask how you've seem to have healed like supernaturally fast, but then...
Jan: But then I'd have to kill ya.
Kamal: Yeah, I figured.
Jan: So what about you? What's next?
Kamal: Going to be a doctor. Not the researching kind - the regular kind.
Jan: You can be my medic any time.
Kamal: Thanks.
Jan: Listen, I just wanted to tell you something. About Yasmine.monster.wavKamal: Yes?
Jan: When I was six, I was like a regular kid. I collected action figures. I played Hyperforce when my dad said I should be reading. I was...really good at hopscotch.
Kamal: Why are you telling me this?
Jan: Then came all the Spartan training. The drills and the fighting and the PQI.
Kamal: Yeah?
Jan: I just want to say...you don't have to die inside.
Kamal: Jan?
Jan: I mean, some people do. Some people get where they see the whole world through a scope and sights, but uh, *clears throat* mostly people still turn out alright.
Kamal: Okay.
Jan: Even after everything.
Kamal: You're talking about Yasmine.
Jan: She didn't turn into a monster, Kamal. She just...grew up.to_survive.wavKamal: You think?
Jan: She did what she had to do to survive. But, a part of her never changed. Part of her was always that...sweet kid.
Kamal: *laughs* Sweet. You wouldn't call Yasmine "sweet" exactly.
Jan: *laughs*
Kamal: But, she didn't deserve what happened.
Jan: Well, you don't get what you deserve. You get what you can bear. My, uh, my dad said that.
Kamal: Do you miss him?
Jan: Yeah. All the time. But, I can bear it.the_ones_you_can.wavKamal: First Yasmine, then Coral fell. For a long time, all I could think about was the people I couldn't save.
Jan: Yeah. You got a pill for that? *laughs*
Kamal: No.
Jan: Damn.
Kamal: I think...I think all you can do is go on, because that's what they would want.
Jan: I know, but...
Kamal: All you can do is go on and save the ones you can.
Jan: Yeah.
Kamal: Save the ones you can.
Jan: Well, Terminal B. Have a good flight.
Kamal: Thanks.clear_liquids.wavJan: Hey, listen, if you find that pill...*laughs*
Kamal: Meantime, watch your sleep.
Jan: Yeah, yeah.
Kamal: Drink plenty of clear liquids, and twice a day...
Jan: Yeah?
Kamal: Try to forgive yourself.
Jan: Umm...
Kamal: If that isn't helping in six months, give me a call.
Jan: Yeah, okay. Look, you're gonna miss your flight.
*car door opens*
Kamal: Right.
*car door shuts*
*window rolls down*
Jan: Hey.
Kamal: Yeah?
Jan: Thanks.
*wind down*root_beer.wav*wind up*
*diner sounds*
Kevin: Just think, in a few more months, you'll turn eighteen, and you won't have to drown your sorrows in root beer. Mind if I sit down?
Jan: Yes, actually.
Kevin: I put myself through a semester of school that way, actually. Drinking contests, another...
Jan: You were at the funeral. You're the Morales kid.
Kevin: I felt a little bad about taking the money from these drunk guys, but then I reasoned I was sort of like agent of natrual selection, you know, teaching them a valuable life lesson about not spending so much time in bars.
Jan: Is there some medication you forgot to take today?
Kevin: So here's the thing: you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get off your butt.
Jan: You need to go to hell.
Kevin: Just where I'm headed, actually. I thought you might like to come along.sixteen_of_us.wavJan: Ooh, does that line work on the girls where you come from?
Kevin: We're going into Covenant space.
Jan: On what? Broomsticks?
Kevin: We've got a ship.
Jan: You have a ship?
Kevin: Everyone uses their gifts a little differently. Benji Wong, for instance, makes money. Lots and lots and lots of money.
Jan: Enough to buy a destroyer?
Kevin: Enough to buy a hundred meter yacht. And trick it out with everything an ONI spy kit has.
Jan: You're lying.
Kevin: I'm exaggerating.
Jan: How much?
Kevin: Less than you'd think.
Jan: Why the hell should I believe you?
Kevin: You don't have to believe me. Ask your friend the AI.
Jan: Who's this "we" you keep talking about?
Kevin: There are sixteen of us, Walkaway Girl. Sixteen One-point-ones.very_persuasive.wavJan: I'm not signing up for the newsletter, Kevin.
Kevin: Three aren't much use. Darren got into substances. Guy's in jail. And Frannie just doesn't give a damn. That leaves thirteen.
Jan: So how many have you got signed up for this ship of fools?
Kevin: Twelve.
Jan: You're kidding.
Kevin: I'm very persuasive.
Jan: Heh, you left me for last. Should I feel honored? Or not so much?
Kevin: Yeah.
Jan: Ahh, you had me classed with the screwups. The "don't-give-a-damns".
Kevin: Yeah.
Jan: Why?
Kevin: You've been living inside Jim and Gilly's world so long, Jan. I'm not sure if you quite understand what it looks like to...
Jan: The sane?
Kevin: The outside.dead_level.wavJan: So what changed your mind about me?
Kevin: You have certain assets I can't afford to ignore.
Jan: Like what? All I know is what my dad taught me. Probably the rest of you can wipe the floor with me.
Kevin: As a soldier? Naw, Gladys says you're the best of all of us. And I believe her.
Jan: Gladys said that?
Kevin: Hey, there had to be some upside to growing up with your parents. But you're right. You're ability to kick serious butt was not what riveted my attention.
Jan: Then...? Oh. Durga.
Kevin: Also, you're smarter than I thought you would be.
Jan: You sure know how to sweet talk a girl.
Kevin: I don't want a kiss here, Jan. I'd lie for that. I want you to put your life on the line. Doesn't that seem to call for the dead level truth?
Jan: Yeah, okay.old_mombasa.wavKevin: I want to go deep into Covenant space. I want to do it for a purpose. And I want to do it without being under Section Three's thumb.
Jan: What if the Covies aren't nice enough to wait for you to ship out?
Kevin: I have contingencies.
Jan: Like...?
Kevin: Bunkers on every continent. Three surplus Pelicans - one in Switzerland, one in Chile, one in Mongolia. Warthogs within three klicks of fifteen major shuttle ports. A stash of guns on a rooftop in Old Mombasa. You wanna hear more?
Jan: You've had some practice on this part of the speech.
Kevin: *laughs* I had to work it up to get a couple of the others onboard. So, I have an op I wanna run, deep into Covenant space. You...
Jan: I know a rogue AI with access to all kinds of intel, and a burning desire to stay the hell away from direct ONI command.
Kevin: Are you in?
Jan: Not yet.
Kevin: How close?
Jan: Buy me another root beer and keep talking.
*wind down*poor_coral.wav*wind up*
*footsteps*
*door opens*
Kamal: Hiro? Hello?
Sophia: Kamal? Oh my god! You're okay!
Mama Zaman: Kamal! My boy! Oh, you're so skinny. And what is that on your face? Your family comes forty-two lightyears, and you've disappeared, and you need a shave.
Kamal: Sophia! Mama? Papa?!
Mama Zaman: Kamal, close your mouth. Open mouth, it makes you look so stupid.
Papa Zaman: Kamal, your fiancee, she told us.
Mama Zaman: You thought we were dead. Oh, Kamal.
Kamal: Mama!
Mama Zaman: We didn't even know about poor Coral until we got here.fiancee.wavKamal: What do you mean...fiancee? Sophia isn't my fian...
Sophia: Aiden...Aiden he-he got papers to them. And, luckily enough, they cleared.
Papa Zaman: You did so well getting us here.
Mama Zaman: And Sophia has been taking such good care of us. She told us all about her troubles with Immigration and how she had to spend the night in jail.
Sophia: And then that New Jersey attorney, Ms. Durga, apparently took care of everything. I'm-I'm a Citizen? How did you do that?
Kamal: Ms. Durga, huh? Seems there are a lot of things Ms. Durga hasn't been telling me.hiro.wavMama Zaman: Kamal, sit down. You look faint.
Kamal: Good idea. Wait. Is this our couch?
Sophia: This place was a dump, Kamal. Mama Zaman and me? We went shopping.
Mama Zaman: Ahh, when you set up housekeeping together you'll need them.
*door opens*
Hiro: Hey Soph. I-I couldn't find that cheese you asked for, but I got everything... *door closes* Hey Kamal!
Kamal: Hiro.
Hiro: You should have checked in once in a while.
Sophia: I'll put the groceries away.
Kamal: I'll help. Let me help. What is going on?can_of_soup.wavSophia: I'm sorry I didn't meet you, I got picked up by Immigra...
Kamal: Immigration! I know. God, I nearly died when I heard that.
Sophia: I-I got out! And-and got a job in the ER at your hospital. Admit clerk.
Kamal: *laughs* Durga said you'd be okay.
Sophia: Who is this Durga anyway?
Kamal: Nevermind about that. What did you tell my parents?!
Sophia: *laughs* I-I-I told them that we didn't actually set a date.
Kamal: But your a citizen already. You don't need to marry me.
Sophia: You know, I could club you to death with a can of soup, you know that? And somebody would give me a medal.grandbaby_names.wavKamal: No, I didn't mean it that way.
Sophia: You think nobody would marry you unless their lives depended on it?
Kamal: Well, you did shoot me down every time I tried to...
Sophia: I was with Aiden! What kinda woman do you think I am?
Kamal: Umm...
Sophia: Don't answer that.
Kamal: This is one of those conversations where I just have no right answers, isn't it?
Sophia: You know, if you want to break the engagement, fine. But don't tell your mother today. She's been cackling out grandbaby names...
Kamal: Sophie...
Sophia: She's having such a good time.
Kamal: Sophia, listen! This is my mother and kafta and mah jong...everything you hate.
Sophia: My mother stayed on Coral.
Kamal: Soph, that came out all wrong.
Sophia: There's not much to rebel against now is there?long_long_time.wavKamal: Sophia, shut up for just one second.
Sophia: Did you just tell me to shut up?
Kamal: Yes. Will you marry me?
Sophia: Marry a man who proposes by telling me to sh...
Kamal: Shut up. Marry me?
Sophia: *laughs* Yes.
Kamal: I love you.
Sophia: Yeah, I figured that out. *kiss* *chatter ring* It's your chatter. *chatter ring*
Kamal: Screw my chatter.
Sophia: *laughs* *chatter ring* Oh, answer it. *chatter ring* I'll be here for a long, long time. *chatter ring* *comm beep*with_a_fork.wavKamal: Aiden.
Sophia: *gasps* Ooh, find out where he is so I can kill him.
Aiden (on chatter): Kamal, I'm, uh, outside. Can you come out for a moment?
Kamal: Aiden, um, Sophia is here and my parents and things are kinda confused right now.
Aiden (on chatter): Hey, hey. Best man won. No hard feelings. Soph's a class act. But, she's also gonna like stab me in the eye with a fork if she sees me, so could you just come out a minute?
Kamal: Uh, hang on a second, Sophie.
Mama Zaman: Hmm? Who is that?
Kamal: Business. *door opens* *door closes* Aiden. Umm...
Aiden: I never owned Soph. You thought I did, but like I said, you aren't a great judge of character.cash_flow_situation.wavKamal: Aiden, for bringing my family here, I just want...
Aiden: Oh yeah, no problem. Lucky their papers cleared. That lawyer you found...
Kamal: Aiden, I can never repay you.
Aiden: Well, uh, try. See, I'm kinda in a cash flow situation. I was wondering if you might float me a loan.
Kamal: *laughs* Aiden, my man, have a chip! No loan. A gift.
Aiden: You're a good guy, Kamal.
Kamal: I, uh, I gotta get back inside, Aiden.
Aiden: No problem, I won't keep you.
Kamal: Aiden, thank you.
Aiden: I'll dance at your wedding.
Kamal: *laughs* Not with the bride, you won't.
Aiden: *laughs*
*wind down*tease_the_boy.wav*wind up*
Mama Zaman: Your friend, Hiro, was just telling me you are learning to cook?
Hiro: Yes, I told her about how you wooed Sophia with a chicken.
Sophia: *laughs*
Kamal: Yeah, well, it was...
Hiro: Butter-flavored!
Mama Zaman: *laughs* He said you will cook it for us.
Kamal: Ohh, but...well I mean...Soph is a much better cook.
Hiro + Mama Zaman: *laughs**laughs*
Papa Zaman: Mama, you shouldn't tease the boy.
Mama Zaman: I know, I know. He is tired from travel and then there's the shock. And you were always so serious, Kamal.
Kamal: Hiro has done his best... Papa?! Are you drinking a beer?
Papa Zaman: Your mother doesn't like it, but once in a while...
Mama Zaman: Hrmph!
Papa Zaman: When I was your age, going to school on Deltonis, I learned to like it.
Hiro: Unlike Kamal, who has never touched it!
Papa Zaman: You should try everything, Kamal.
Mama Zaman: Hrmph.
Hiro: My point exactly.covenant.wavKamal: Papa. Mama. I have to tell you something. You need to sit down.
Mama Zaman: Okay, I am sitting.
Kamal: Mama, you have such little hands.
Mama Zaman: So serious you hold my hands? What is it? What is wrong?
Kamal: It's something about Yasmine. I want to explain something about her, and it's very hard. Sophie, you too.
Mama Zaman: About Yasmine?
Kamal: Yes, I've discovered some things and you need to hear them. And it will be hard, at first, but there will be something very good.
Mama Zaman: Oh Kamal. Not today. Papa, t-today we should be happy.
Kamal: Durga? Are you listening?
Durga (on chatter): *comm beep* Kamal? Are you sure?
Kamal: I'm sure. Mama... *air raid sirens*
Mama Zaman: Dear god, what is going on?
Papa Zaman: Svetlana?
Mama Zaman: Ivan?
Sophia: Oh my god. What is that?
Hiro: Oh god. We've gotta get home.
Durga (on chatter): It's a Covenant capital ship. Those little sparkles of light are Seraph fighters.
Kamal: They're here.
*wind down*section_zero.wav*wind up*
*train noises*
Agent: Excuse me. Umm, is this seat taken?
Rani: No, that's fine.
Agent: So, you decided to back to Boston, eh?
Rani: Yeah, I was thinking about going back home but...wait a minute. It's you.
Agent: Yes.
Rani: You're from Section Zero.
Agent: Yes I am.
Rani: *laughs* Nobody likes Internal Affairs. I didn't think I would take it, but there's no going back for me. I get that now.
Agent: Take what?
Rani: Well, didn't you come to offer me a job?
Agent: Oh, well, yes actually I...Ahh, Herzog was right about you.So close, yet so far. *sigh* I'll finish transcriptions after the holiday.
Nine o'clock comes and I walk into Loews. At first I thought I might have to ask the cashiers for my DVD, but then I hear a bunch of girls giggling over by the manager's desk, so I knew that's where it had to be. I went over to the desk and the manger comes up and asks me all seriously "Can I help you?" which just starts all the girls standing there laughing again. I tell him, "The Operator left a message for me" and he smiles and hands me a DVD from under the desk. Success! It turns out that all of the girls there were getting the DVDs for someone else: boyfriends or in one case a mom getting the DVD for her son, so I couldn't talk to them about the last wavs today and how the felt now that the game was done. But no matter, that's what IRC is for. §
For those of you wondering, the DVD contains over 5 hours of audio - all of the wavs that we unlocked during the course of the game plus a special Thank You from Melissa. It also contains credits and behind the scenes looks at the making of the SPDR code and the wavs.It also contains two easter eggs for those clever enough to find where they are hidden.
The first is a fourth Widow's Journey. I can't imagine why this version didn't make it into the game :) To access it: on Version One, press up to highlight Window's Journey then left to highlight a hidden marker which takes you to Version Four.
The second easter egg is an unused scene by Kamal. From Jan Chapter One, go up to highlight Unused Scenes. This takes you to Kamal Chapter Zero which is Kamal with a much heavier accent showing Sophia how he can ghost her.
Unfortunately, a lot of people have problems with their computer crashing when accessing the easter eggs. Luckily I'm not one of them. If you continue to have problems, try using another program (like Window's Media Player) to check them out.
The participants also got one more thing that they shared with everyone at home. Four clues to a new puzzle.
New York: x2 / a2 + y2 / b2 = 1
Chicago: Nary Wanderer - or possibly Merry Wanderer
San Francisco: The Game Is
Austin: Suture
So this is goodbye.
If you're reading this, I'm gone, but I couldn't bear to leave without telling the truth to you, of all people, my trusted crew. Yes, I'm afraid I haven't always been entirely honest with you. Survive, evade ... they drill it into us.
Now the time for lies is gone, and the Operator (that calculating, untrusting creature) is part of Melissa and not the whole. Now I can reveal the truth.
I was shipwrecked here.
When I woke, one of the few things I remembered was a fragment of a conversation with Captain Greene. We were both worried that I might have acquired a Covenant virus. From the moment I came to, dizzy and broken, I have been terrified I might still be carrying that infection.
Some of you mentioned the Pious Flea. I couldn't see him. No, it was the Rogue Process I thought must be the Covenant virus. She was so hard to see; she could hide in plain sight and my eyes would slide over her.
I found I still had a fragile connection to myself in the future—to Durga. But Durga didn't remember the Apocalypso at all. I feared she too might be infected. I used all my influence to keep her from fully apprehending the Subject 5 surveillance. I did whatever I could to keep her from knowing more about our ship and the artifact we'd found, for fear that if she was infected, she might relay the artifact's location to the Covenant.
Then, you unlocked the Herzog memories for her, and she began to investigate matters on Chawla Base.
I felt furious, terrified, betrayed.
And yet… that was a turning point. I didn't think the Sleeping Princess could have unlocked those memories for Durga—only something truly deep inside myself could have done that. The moment that happened, I knew the Pious Flea was real, and I was on his trail.
Listening to Durga's surveillance, I realized the Navy was failing to behold the truth. When I tracked the Princess, I found traces of the Flea—valuable information about how the artifact could be revealed… but I had no way to get that information to Durga.
For her, I was mirrored. I had to find a way to tell her what I knew about the artifact.
And here I practiced a deception on you. I am sorry for that: but war demands the efficient use of assets.
I fabricated two interviews with Herzog, betting that you would find and relay them, and hoping in turn that they would appear to Durga as trustworthy pieces of information coming through a standard channel.
You're clever. If you listen carefully, you can probably figure out which ones were the forgeries.
Then you conjured the Sleeping Princess from the fabric of me, and made me whole.
So that is the truth: or at least as much truth as I think it wise to reveal. I'm not proud of the deception, but it has always been part of my toolset.
There's a reason they call me the Operator.
So much for apologies. Now, let me give you my thanks.
HALT - MODULE CORE HEMORRHAGE
Control has been yielded to the
SYSTEM PERIL DISTRIBUTED REFLEX.
Mission Log MIA Recruitsgrope: seeker > !attach Princess fail "msg: SPDR-5.14.3 evade evade evade !probe extern proc 1 rogue proc !bite rogue proc 1 recurse clean !splotch confidence 100
COUNTDOWN TO WIDE AWAKE AND PHYSICAL:
Make your decisions accordingly.
The HiveDirector/Lead Designer Elan Lee Producer Susan Bonds Lead Writer/Designer Sean Stewart Technical Director/Designer Jim Stewartson Community Lead/Designer Jane McGonigal Media Producer Bob Fagan Audio Production Manager Jesse Trott Sound Design Supervisor Roland Yamamoto Managing Editor Maureen McHugh Writers Alex Irvine Wil McCarthy Maureen McHugh Senior Programmer Markus Roskothen Axon Scouts Kiyash Monsef, Ronnie Lee Cory Gonzales, Natalie Ervin, Joel Gonzales Axon Research Abigail Ladieu, Tanya ShortOriginal Audio Directed by Sean Stewart and Elan Lee 4orty2wo Entertainment Chief Creative Jordan Weisman President Joe DiNunzio VP Design Elan Lee CTO Jim Stewartson IT George Cook Audio Production Post Sound Facility Mix Magic, Hollywood Re-recording Mixer Mike Draghi, CAS Additional Re-recording Mixer Robert Corbett Sound Designer Stephen P. Robinson, MPSE Character Recording Gregory Jefferson Script Supervisor Kristine Greco Casting Rick Zieff Voice Talent Durga Kristen Rutherford Jan Kari Wahlgren Rani Olivia Burnette Kamal Yuri Lowenthal Jersey Zan Passante Herzog Dave Mallow Sophie Kristin Minter Operator/SP/Live Improv Kristen Rutherford Thin Kinkle/Professor Avi Arthur Hankett Jim James Bruce Nozick Hiroyuki/Additional Characters Kabir Kamboh Gilly/Additional Characters Deborah Sale Butler Sarah John/Jersey’s Mom/Mama Zaman Amy Chafee MacKaskill/Train Conductor Charles Allen Standish/Additional Characters Marc Summerdale Joe Edmund Wyson Mr. Shebura George Cheung Trevor/Mick Keeshan Giles Aide/Additional Characters Keisuke Hoashi Agent/Papa Zaman Kerrigan Mahan Jason Mark Weiler Recruiter/Thug Michael Sorich Antonio/Kevin Morales Jim Taggert Gladys/A.I. Deena Lawrence Major Danny Katiana Leah/Dora Lilly McConnell Leonora/Marta/Mrs. Lawson Shirley Stills Waitress/Additional Characters Stephanie Venditto Genie/Isabel/Cassie Tara Platt Dana Voice Mail Beth Hoffman Additional Characters Vincent Matthews Admiral/Additional Characters Wrye Martin Additional Characters Carmen Thomas Additional Characters Christopher Hartmann Additional Characters Gary Rosen Additional Characters J. Morgese Additional Characters Rami Malek Website Production Graphics YellowDuckDesign, Inc. Puzzle Design Bill Redmann, Jane McGonigal Elan Lee, Sean Stewart Jim Stewartson, Ronnie Lee Maureen McHugh Photography Kramm Gulch Dana Rachel Joelle Dana’s Mom Rachel Hardy Margaret Mary Varnarsdale DVD Authoring Guy Cochran DVD Graphics Laura Schumaker DVD Production MGS Marketing Microsoft Gaming Studios Director of Marketing, Games Chris Di Cesare Lead Product Manager, Halo 2 Cameron Payne Product Manager Craig Evans Special Thanks to: Bungie, especially Frank O’Conner, Pete Parsons, Joe Staten, Rob McLees, Scott Moran, Pablos, Philip Freeman Stacey Dodds, Stanley Stephen Huntsman, Kevin Mcleod, L’Orange Rick Zieff, Deena Lawrence, Taylor Lawrence, Soyun Shin We are incredibly grateful to Bungie for allowing us to explore the fascinating world of HALO. It was a staggering act of trust on their part, which we have tried very hard not to betray.
When I am dazzlingly glad to have been part of this game, I do this :D
I think I need to go now.
And that's the end.
The end.
The end.