RPC Authority

Containment Protocols: All known instances have been enclosed around soundproof plastic cages and placed in controlled habitats for experimentation. OL-Site-489 has been built in Hibbing, Minnesota, in the general area of RPC-489 crash sites. Nearby officials are to support the narrative of OL-Site-489 being an environmental research station for the Hibbing Rust Hull mine.

Current research endeavors are under the directive of Dr. Kurt Riese. Testing is focused on the implementation of artificial RPC-489-A replication as a method of subduing for dangerous organic anomalies. Researchers are not allowed inside enclosures during testing or at times when the instance is exposed to air.

Organic RPC-489 instances are to be incinerated and their remains safely disposed of at the end of allotted research time.

RPC-489-4 Habitat / General Flora Enclosure

HABITAT STATUS:

Exposure: 299
Conditions: Light air flow
Material: Spruce trees
Supervising Researcher: Dr. Riese

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[BEGIN AUDIO TAPE]

"Recording, Dr. Kurt Riese, OAS, Department of Biology. It is the 21st of May, and the Engineering Component has finally finished construction of the last manned habitat around OL-Site-489. It is… nice to finally observe the anomaly at high definition. Up until now, the team had to make do with remote drones and binoculars, heh.

…

Habitat -4 is not particularly noteworthy. It serves as a baseline for the research endeavor. Even with constant airflow, the meteorite struggles to whistle every now and then with the right current. Frequency of RPC-489-A as well as proximity to its progenitor instance appears vital for "perforation". Only the closest, smallest saplings and trees have been affected thus far and they, too, fail to make any noise.

While the concerns raised by higher staff are… somewhat reasonable, I believe they are unbased fears spawned from the circumstances of its discovery. Accidents happen. The anomaly isn't malicious in any way - it hasn't shown sapience. Perhaps this could simply be an alien form of reproduction for metallic organisms? I can't say for sure.

Regardless, I believe that the more studies we perform, the better we'll understand this extra-planetary visitor of ours, and hopefully put it to good use. Exposure remains at expected levels. Signing out."

[END AUDIO TAPE]

RPC-489-2 Habitat / Mammal Enclosure

HABITAT STATUS:

Exposure: 928
Conditions: Simple ventilation
Material: Spruce trees, deer, rabbits, squirrels
Supervising Researcher: Dr. Riese

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[BEGIN AUDIO TAPE]

"Recording, Dr. Kurt Riese, OAS, Department of Biology. It's nearing the end of May, and Regional Command finally authorized the use of organic material for testing! The habitat, too, has been expanded to allocate its growing population. Sadly, I was only able to requisition herbivores, as other staff members believed predators would alter the natural function of the habitat.

I tried to argue that there wasn't anything more natural than the food chain, but it didn't seem to land pretty well with the higher ups.

…

After providing the habitat with mild airflow, it didn't take long for "perforation" to take place, and rather quickly at that. The rabbits went first, possibly due to their small size. I had initially believed them to simply become catatonic, much like the affected organisms during discovery. Instead, something incredible happened!

The rabbits began to gather around, wheezing into each other's orifices to create noise! After maintaining their group melody for a few minutes, they began to move towards other instances, spreading it. Then, the deer followed, and the squirrels soon after. When all mammals had become "perforated", they slowly gathered around the meteorite and nearby trees.

Sadly, not much else occurred after. Instances began to pump air into nearby RPC-489 instances, while otherwise catatonic as I had initially expected. It appears movement only occurs when possible vectors of expansion are available. Exposure is close to reaching four digits. Signing off."

[END AUDIO TAPE]

RPC-489-2 Habitat / Mammal Enclosure

HABITAT STATUS:

Exposure: 1422
Conditions: Closed off
Material: Spruce trees, deer, rabbits, squirrels, wolves, snakes
Supervising Researcher: Dr. Riese

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[BEGIN AUDIO TAPE]

"This is Dr. Kurt Riese, Department of Biology, and after much begging… I have finally gained permission to insert predatory animals into the Mammal Enclosure. After just a… a week, yes, of presenting my findings and possible applications for an artificial version of 489-A, still a work in progress, it was a piece of cake to get the higher ups to give in.

…

Or rather, a piece of meat!

…

I had hoped for the wolves to quickly dispatch of the affected prey, given their catatonic state, but I found them to instead be quickly subdued by the organic 489 instances. Even after perforation, the wolves did not attempt to eat the deer. I had previously held the animals in their transport enclosures for a few days without food, to ensure predation would take place shortly after integration, so this came as a surprise to me.

This is not to say the… uh, the wolves and snakes didn't affect the enclosure. The new organisms proceeded to… push their paws and snouts into the orifices of other instances, be they organic or inorganic. Some snakes even crawled inside other instances! The snakes… they shed their skin over and over again, piling up on the trees and necks of larger mammals like wind chimes, tying them together to whistle with the current.

While fascinating for its oddity, I had no idea for its purpose. That is, until I heard it. Somehow, during perforation, the instances had gained some… degree of musicality? For our security, video recording only showed data on the decibels and frequency of sound inside the enclosure. But… after I… sorry, after I saw the data, I couldn't help but venture in and record it.

After properly insulating myself, I entered the habitat, and recorded a melody unlike anything else on Earth. I don't believe words can properly describe it, and neither can the attached file - which I have tested to be safe. I could feel it vibrating on my skin, and all around me leaves and dirt gently swayed left and right in the air.

Somehow, the habitat had achieved a form of melodic harmony, equally spread around the enclosure, forming a vibrating wave for lighter material to rest upon. The animals, prey and predator, were docile, and did not react to my touch. Perhaps they knew I was not a possible vector for expansion, thanks to my protective gear.

Now, more than ever… I feel it is our duty to test the effects 489 has on humans. I can only imagine the benefits such a pacifying anomaly could have on our peacekeeping efforts.

…

And our containment efforts, of course.

…

I'll need to speak with my superiors now. Signing off."

[END AUDIO TAPE]

Attached Audio File - Non-Anomalous:

RPC-489-1 Habitat / Rocky Mineral Enclosure

HABITAT STATUS:

Exposure: 301
Conditions: High air current
Material: Enclose natural landscape
Supervising Researcher: Dr. Riese

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[BEGIN AUDIO TAPE]

"Hello… this is, uh, Kurt. Biologist. Tired. It's been… a difficult couple of, uh, a… weeks. Yes.

…

Despite my breakthrough discoveries, they haven't allowed me to continue research. I haven't… didn't ask for much. Just one sapient test subject. A CSD. I'd only need it for a single test, just one! One!

…

My "colleagues" called it unnecessary, and that the results could simply be inferred from previous tests. I mean, with that mindset, why make any tests at all? Why don't we just "assume" everything? Why even have Research around?

They… are also cutting research funds for OL-Site-489. I've tried so, so hard, but I just… I can't replicate it. Sonar scanning, digital imaging. It doesn't matter how precise the tooling is, we never get it… it's never right. Imperfections. Just from the manufacturing process itself, makes it useless.

They've turned off non-essential systems, too. I can't.. the cameras don't work anymore. Just the observation room. Is what I have. It's only a skeleton crew now. Staff rotation, again. Me and… some nobody from the ASF.

…

Or, uhm… it's technically just me now. The inner plastic casings for 489 need… they can only be closed manually and… the doors only open from the outside.

…

It didn't take long for perforation, after opening the air vents. The subject tried to cover its ears, but… after some time, it just became… turned catatonic, even without external orifices. Some… parts of the melody must've… slipped in, past its fingers.

…

I took my recorder, and went inside. I just… I needed to know. What was I doing wrong. What was I missing? It didn't move, maybe because… there is a sufficient current. Just stood as its body whistled. But, it was wrong. I had to take the synthetic material off its body. Vest and mask.

It… didn't speak. Not in any way the recorder could pick up. But I felt it. A… brushing against my consciousness. I understood none of it.

Every time I tried to pick up a sound, it was gone.

…

I had to dispose of the organic material, as it showed itself useless. It was heavy, but I managed to get it into the incinerator. Carried a little hollowed-out branch. Kept blowing on it. Kept it from turning into dead weight.

But then… heard it again. In my head. On top of it. I felt so, so stupid. Lice. The perforation had affected microscopic organisms. Why didn't I realize? They must've kept the mammals clean, before the habitats. Couldn't have know.

I was so close, last time. The harmony, the leaves. It's density. I just need more insects. There's mutts around the base. The filters, I can take them out. They'll get here, tomorrow… they'll help. All of them.

…

I need to, I… yes. I need to. I… I have to go."

[END AUDIO TAPE]

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INTERNAL RECORDING

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Assisting:

• Agent Erika Garrett
• Officer Ben Tanner

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[BEGIN LOG]

Agent Garret: This is Agent Erika Garret, Site-120's ACI DEP-010. It's… the 25th of July at 0350 hours. Officer Tanner, thank you for your assistance.

Officer Tanner: Of course, ma'am. I'm doing what I can to… to, uh… to help, ma'am.

Agent Garret: It's alright, officer. No need for formalities. Has the new medication been helping?

Officer Tanner: Yes, ma- Yes. I… I'm not the worst one from my squad, but the med's helped a lot. I could barely remember the days after the breach, before.

Agent Garret: That's good to hear, officer. If any new developments arise, remember to report immediately to the medical area. Now, has this affected your recollection of the events from last week? I need you to be honest.

Officer Tanner: No. I… I said it in the file, and I'll repeat it here. I remember that day from start to finish, like all the other guys. That hasn't changed since I got admitted to rehab. You can verify with them.

Agent Garret: I'm happy to hear that. Now, I want you to simply recount the events that lead to your squad's deployment to the Auditory Killzone.

Officer Tanner: "Auditory Killzone"? That's… quite the title.

Agent Garret: I'm not in charge of event or area designation. Now, please, the recounting.

Officer Tanner: Of course, sorry. It… we were first notified of a possible containment breach at OL-Site-489 early in the afternoon. Admin had been thinking of reclassifying 489 to purple, and… well, the news wasn't very well received.

Agent Garret: Were you deployed alongside Echo-8?

Officer Tanner: No… exactly. We didn't meet up before deployment, but we were deployed together in the same area. We had some time to discuss possible neutralization tactics, but little else before we had to go into our respective convoys.

Agent Garret: And you shortly after arrived in the Killzone.

Officer Tanner: Yes, the "Killzone". We heard it, first, rather than saw it. Most of us thought it was just the usual wind noises, until some of the guys began getting dizzy. Having read on the anomaly, we put on protective ear-gear but… [Officer Tanner gestures to his head] it didn't really work out.

Agent Garret: Can you describe the Killzone?

Officer Tanner: White, by the most part. Black wherever the spiders and other critters crawled around. It was like a large sheet spread all over the west of the Rust Hull, filled with holes. Must've been six kilometers long, at minimum. I've been told it was spider web, but at the time, it just looked like it had snowed.

Agent Garret: Your squad has already given the required reports to administration, but I'd like if you could describe the neutralization methods utilized by you and Echo-8.

Officer Tanner: Tried to utilize, at best. A few retcon units tried to get near the area to analyze it properly, but… they just stopped. Must've been 200, maybe 300 meters away from the thing where they all just stalled and kneeled over. We used drones afterwards for reconnaissance.

First tactic for large objects like that was incinerator. Dropped a few incendiary rounds at it from mortars. But… besides the explosion itself, nothing happened. As soon as it appeared, the fire was suffocated. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get the thing to catch on fire.

Then, we moved to normal ammunition and explosives. Even after half an hour of lugging grenades and small missiles, it just… put itself back together. Swarms of insects just crawled out of the ground and put it back together. There must've been millions of them.

We tried shooting at it, tried to disrupt its cohesion until support arrived. The bullets, they just… stopped. None of them hit their target, they just hovered in the air.

[Officer Tanner rubs his face and remains silent for a few seconds]

Echo-8 tried using corrosive liquid and gas. Liquid explosives did as well as the bullets, and the gas… the wind was good, the current was moving towards the thing, but it just… didn't move an inch. The corrosive cloud just accumulated around its dispenser canister.

Eventually, we just… we…

Agent Garret: Are you good to continue, officer?

Officer Tanner: Yes, sorry. It's just… my head hurts.

[Officer Tanner retrieves a pill bottle from his pocket and takes a dosage]

Officer Tanner: The drones, they… didn't work either, they either got stuck in the air or got their insides chewed up by insects. We were just… sitting around, thinking of what to do while NORTHCOM was asking for permission from the local government to raze the whole mine with napalm.

Agent Garret: Did any of the methods utilized show any degree of success?

Officer Tanner: …No. I honestly don't know how much longer we could've continued. A few men had already passed out, or were rendered useless on the ground. It only stopped once the blizzard rolled around.

Agent Garret: Thanks for your cooperation, Officer Tanner. You may return to your quarters.

[END LOG]