RPC-581 - RPC Authority

RPC-581

The Cardiac Cycle

Registered Phenomena Code: 581

Containment Rating: Omega

Lethality Rating: Red

Teleportation

Emotional

Organic

Containment Protocols: Testimonies are to be analyzed to identify legitimate subjects who may be recovered from RPC-581 by Heartbreaker Task Force (HTF) agents under the command of Cormac Marshal Alexander Marshal, in coordination with USOC efforts. The Task Force Head has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in distinguishing legitimate accounts from fabricated reports; whose recommendations are to be followed whenever applicable.

The implementation of cover stories and the rapid suppression of related snuff films are considered essential in cases where a subject cannot be recovered prior to abduction by RPC-581. As of 2005, specialized web crawlers configured to detect the title cards associated with RPC-581-TAPE have been deployed. Most importantly, the following quote:

Before us is the passive soldier of the Apathetic War. He will be broken, suffocated, and opened, for you to remember the blood that must be shed, and the skin that must be shred. Pray hear the Drums of Salvation.

If a legitimate target is identified prior to their appearance in a snuff film, the responding officer is authorized to physically or cognitively incapacitate the individual, as such measures have been demonstrated to prevent manifestations of RPC-581. When circumstances permit, the victim may be consulted regarding their preferred method of incapacitation. If unable to reach a preference, amnestic-induced retardation is the standard.

Ever since we cut ties with USOC¹, quickly reaching RPC-581 targets has grown substantially more difficult. But hold steadfast; we are currently expanding our transportation network to compensate. Remember, these people have no one else to help them. We are their only saving grace.

-GD-NORTH “Lady Liberty” (Previous, 1980-1992)

Description: RPC-581 is a dismembered human heart manifesting in the vicinity of individuals within the North American continent. RPC-581 steadily produces blood, and displays a normal cardiac rhythm, despite the lack of a complete hematopoietic system. It targets a single person at a time.

Due to the anomaly's unpredictable behavior and inability to be reliably contained, direct experimentation has been limited. Historical records suggest that RPC-581 has been active throughout the continent since at least the pre-Columbian era. Numerous theories have been proposed to explain RPC-581's behavior, the most widely accepted of which originate from the Nihilite belief framework.²

Scholars of the Savage Redness believe RPC-581 to be an aspect of the archetype. Prophecies of such cults, mainly those active in North America, often attribute it a messianic role, mainly through its secondary anomalous property.

The War of Joy wages from the Pyramid Tomb by the selection of God Hearts

Nihil-aligned prophecy. God Hearts is believed to be RPC-581, and the War of Joy a fabled, new age. The Pyramid Tomb is less determined, but likely a Mesoamerican Temple.

Most knowledge on RPC-581 is gathered through scattered online testimony by individuals being actively targeted by the anomaly. Informational suppression of RPC-581 have largely proven ineffective, as RPC-581 has achieved widespread status as an urban legend within occult and media-focused communities, resulting in a substantial volume of unreliable commentary. However, as all targets expire shortly after confronting the heart, it is by posthumous verification that real witnesses to RPC-581 can be determined.

RPC-581 related disappearances are followed by the release of a motion picture depicting the subject in a gladiatorial snuff film, designated RPC-581-TAPE. Since the year 2000, this has manifested as a digital video posted on unregulated, dark web websites. The content of these videos is formulaic, and follows the pattern described below:

The subject is chained by the ankle to the center of what appears to be an Aztec temalacatl.³ They will attempt to defend themselves against multiple waves of aggressors in bare-handed combat. Despite the accumulation of numerous fatal injuries, the subject will remain alive. The attackers, meanwhile, don't share the subject's anomalous property. Their corpses often begin amassing on the platform as the subject defends themself. RPC-581-TAPE ends with the subject accepting defeat and surrendering, and soon after being overrun.

Currently, the Heartbreaker Task Force is responsible for the management of all RPC-581 related affairs. Its former head, Decagon Office⁴ researcher Cormac Marshal, discovered the only known method of preventing an RPC-581 abduction: the induction of a permanent disability. RPC-581 has never targeted physically or mentally disabled persons.

After Cormac’s death, leadership of the Task Force was transferred over to Alexander Marshal on the 4th of July 1985. Alexander has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in distinguishing legitimate accounts from fabricated reports and has partially mitigated the operational difficulties created by the loss of USOC support following the conclusion of the Newark Convention.

Addendum .1 Discovery & History

RPC-581 does not have a traditional discovery, as it has been prevalent throughout recorded North American history. The Auctoritas Imperatus first encountered it together with the Spanish conquistadors during the colonization of the New World, in the form of archaic media.

RPC-581-TAPE is extremely prolific throughout the history of North American civilization. While we today know it in the form of digital videos, it has existed in VHS, cinema reels, kinetoscopes, celluloids, and even phenakistoscopes. During such times, it often spread by mail.

It has made its mark on motion picture; influencing various filmmakers and the industry as a whole. Due to the anomaly serving as inspiration, savagery and brutalism have long been staples of American media.

'The Execution of Mary Stuart' — One of the first films recorded with a kinetoscope. The director, Alfred Clark, wrote extensively on RPC-581.

The following text is composed by previous HTF head Cormac Marshal, and describes the pre-Columbian history of RPC-581.

Codex Tudela. The heart is an object of focus.

Looking even farther back, one can observe RPC-581 among the various cultures of Mesoamerica. Even here, we see infiltration of RPC-581 material into visual media, in the form of scriptural drawings in Aztec codices collected and preserved by Spanish colonials. Admittedly, it is unknown whether this is recorded history or a static variant of RPC-581-TAPE, as they lack animation.

These manifestations have long been of interest to nihilite faiths, most notably scholars of the Savage Redness. To understand this correlation, one must familiarize oneself with the Aztec creation myth of the Five Brother Suns.

The original four brothers were born from a single parent, who was both male and female. They were raised to compete with one another, to lust for victory over kin, and to remain forever in conflict. Their greatest battle, however, was for dominion over the sun, and the light that formed the earth.

First, the Northern Brother wore the sun. His world was dark and fearful, with no distinction between safety and danger. All men lived in confused battle, killing indiscriminately. This age is known as the War of Ignorance.

The Eastern Brother killed the first by removing his heart, and took control of the sun. He illuminated the world with knowledge. Men began to exploit nature instead of fearing it, forming tribes and villages. Yet they became divided and unequal, fighting for resources. This age is known as the War of Greed.

The Southern Brother murdered the second in the same manner. His sun shone the brightest, uniting people under religion and military power. Great empires rose and conquered their neighbors. The world became a cesspit of oppression. This age is known as the War of Glory.

The final brother, West, was the weakest. He saw this as a virtue. The reigns of his siblings were marked by futile conflict and suffering. He usurped the South nonviolently—with a joke:

A leader of gentle peace will birth a country of loving nature.

South found this so humorous he laughed out his heart. West took the sun and ushered in the current age: one of unseen peace. Yet, looking upon the corpses of his brothers, he said:

Stand witness to my victory, familiar foes. As I rule high and undisputed, I cry low and alone.

Without his brothers, West became a lonely, sorrowful king. His sobbing makes thunder; his tears, the rain. This age is known as the War of Apathy.

But there is hope. Legends speak of a fifth, long-lost brother:

When the battlefield is most desolate, when the sun is most dim, when peace is most empty: he will come. The Drums of Salvation will echo life from the dead, as the Fifth Sun wages the War of Joy.

Addendum .2 The Pursuit of Alexander Marshal

Starting on the 5th of May, 1985, the Northlake Police Department received multiple letters from one Alexander Marshal. The NPD largely ignored these letters, dismissing them as the product of insanity or mischief. However, an embedded agent recognized a possible RPC-581 manifestation, and sent copies to a Protectorate contact.

Letter One, 05-05

My name is Alexander, and I need help. You have to listen. I know it may sound idiotic, but I am not a fake—this is a real call for help. The Devil’s Heart is upon me. I know you have heard this before, and I would prove it to you if I could, but I need help now.

Letter Two, 07-05

This is not a lie. I am not doing this for attention. I’m not a fraud—I fought for this nation. I fought against threats you know nothing of.

Letter Three, 09-05
(The following letter was reportedly stained by blood.)

It bleeds so much. I don’t have enough wipes. I’m out of Clorox. It even bled into my studio. Everything is red now. It beats louder.

Letter Four, 12-05

I can’t do this. It doesn’t stop. It beats, it beats, it beats all the time. It beats me awake from sleep. I wake in a pool of blood. It beats into my head. Every time I crush it, it comes back to beat like thunder. It beats faster. I can’t feel my own pulse. It has hijacked my pulse. Help me. Please. Help me.

A large shipment of RPC-581-TAPE followed General Pollock’s letter. The HTF had to operate above budget in both handling these and managing the tripled amount of de novo manifestations.

Among the tapes retrieved from the USOC, one featured Alexander Marshal. A transcript has been attached below.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Before us is the passive soldier of the Apathetic War. He will be broken, suffocated, and opened, for you to remember the blood that must be shed, and the skin that must be shred. Pray hear the Drums of Salvation.

00:00 Alexander is present in a dark room. A stagelight is set on him, illuminating the temalacatl and its chain. He becomes agitated, and shouts a mixture of threats, demands, and questions.

00:05 A man, only covered by a loincloth, approaches him. Alexander attempts to ask about the situation, but receives two fingers in his left eye. He retaliates. The two fight, until Alexander manages to lock a choke-hold, and crushes the windpipe. Alexander wipes off the blood in his orbit using his sleeve, before shouting at the corpse.

00:08 Another two men approach the temalacatl. Alexander pleads with them to stop, but they begin clawing and kicking him. In the following brawl, Marshal’s ear is bitten off. Alexander manages to knock one attacker unconscious, and smash the second’s face on the stone.

00:11 More enter. They scratch, bite, and hit him, all seemingly targeting Alexander’s right arm. Eventually, he is brought to the ground, and the men begin peeling the skin of the forearm, then rip out the arteries, pull the nerves, and consume the muscle. As the bone is exposed, Alexander stops screaming and retaliates by targeting the men’s scrotums.

00:17 He looks at his exposed bone, then feels the bloody eye cavity and temple. He wails, before biting the ligaments of the carpal joint, dislodging the hand and tearing apart the interosseous membrane, then grinding the ulna on the temalacatl, sharpening it.

00:25 As the attack continues, Alexander uses his bone as a weapon, mainly targeting the carotid artery for swift elimination. As more men are cut, Alexander begins slipping on the accumulated blood. 25 minutes is usually when most RPC-581 victims surrender.

00:27 Alexander squeals, yelps, and cries, as he flings his limbs in a mania. He slips on the stone, stands up to throw himself again, and repeats.

01:33 The corpses amass into a layer. Alexander and the attackers must stand on top of them.

00:33-07:21 Thus far, Alexander has had: all clothing torn, the mandible extracted, 6 costa snapped, the right lung crushed, the liver torn, multiple meters of small intestine disconnected, the penis removed, the left parietal bone crushed and corresponding cerebral hemisphere eaten. A mound of bodies has aggregated, upon which Marshal rests. Assaultors climb up, but are kicked down.

08:00 The attacks stop. A voice can be heard:

Survivor, soldier, saviour; climber of rotting mountains, champion of enameled trophy, stand true, stand high, stand commanding over the axioms of conflict and competition, stand as overseer to the wounded present that will shape the scarred future.

Go, commit beloved fratricide.

Alexander’s chain disconnects. The flesh from the corpses detaches from the bone, and reforms around him, healing his injuries. He looks at himself, descends the mound, and runs out the scene.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Using the information within this tape, the HTF began tracing the reports of a “naked American” wandering the Mexican countryside, some 20 miles northeast of Mexico City. He had reportedly assaulted a good samaritan, and was at this point believed to be Alexander Marshal. The Authority eventually found Alexander vandalizing a broken-down bus stop.

After being returned to the US mainland, Authority physicians diagnosed him with post traumatic stress disorder, hyperaggression, and severe, audible heart palpitations. He has been prescribed a therapeutic care program.

After a couple weeks of treatment, Alexander’s violent outbursts were alleviated. He was deemed fit for interviewing.

Interviewer: Cormac Marshal, Decagon Office Department of Nihilite Studies

Interviewee: Alexander Marshal

Foreword: Dr. Cormac Marshal stresses that after reviewing all available material on the RPC-581 amplification crisis, it was concluded that Alexander is a vital investigative target.

[Alexander’s arms are restrained to the table. Cormac enters the room, and quickly sits on the opposing chair. He keeps his eyes on a couple of documents.]

Cormac: I’m sorry to disturb you. We’ll keep this short, and professional.

[Silence.]

Alexander: You’re Cormac?

[Silence.]

Cormac: …fuck it.

[Cormac stands up from the chair, and quickly rounds the table with open arms.]

Cormac: Long time! I can barely recognize you!

[As Cormac bends to embrace Alexander, he is headbutted.]

[Cormac stumbles backwards. The observing ASF guards approach, but Cormac signals them to halt. A loud tremor can be heard.]

Alexander: Shit… ap-apologies… y’ ya’ just remind me-

[Alexander slouches his head, and strains his face.]

Cormac: It’s -shit- alright, I know, I know… damn that hurts.

[Cormac briefly exits, and returns holding a paper napkin to the forehead.]

Cormac: Do you… remember me?

Alexander: Barely. No, not really. Y'all stayed with Wilson, I got out.

Cormac: Oh. It’s not like I didn’t want to leave. But his eyes were like a hawk’s.

Alexander: Right.

[Cormac shuffles in the chair. He removes the now red napkin, and places it on the table. He points to the injured skin.]

Cormac: This brings me back. Back to the fights Wilso- dad… put us in. Damn… I really miss them… our brothers, I mean! I’m so happy to see you again. Maybe we can duke one out later, for old times sake?

Alexander: Can’t… say.

[Cormac glances towards the observation window. He puts his hand on the documents.]

Cormac: We have more pressing matters.

[Cormac slides a document over to Alexander’s side.]

Cormac: That’s a report from the Community, with whom you are familiar. The heart, you’d probably know it as item AGH, has gone wild ever since you were taken.

[Alexander does not look at the document. He scoffs.]

Cormac: And I personally believe that there might be a connection.

Alexander: I don’t know anythin’ bout’ that.

Cormac: Really?

[The thudding can be heard again.]

Cormac: Your heart palpations speak against you.

Alexander: What does ya’ know?

Cormac: I'm of a particular faith. I believe in certain stories. They lend me suspicion.

Alexander: You’re a fucking nihilist?

Cormac: That’s one way to put it.

Alexander: The Authority employs open nihilists?

Cormac: The Authority employs all kinds of people. As long as they're useful.

[Alexander shakes his head.]

Cormac: I’m reminded of your letters. [Cormac slides over another document.] More specifically, the last one. “It has hijacked my pulse.” Can you comment on that?

Alexander: Seriously? Heh. You try being haunted by a heart, and see what nonsense gets out of you.

Cormac: Well, I believe it was a bit more than nonsense. Okay, given the heart palpations, and the hyperaggression… ah… let me put it like this:

[Cormac leans over the table:]

Cormac: Do you want to kill me, brother?

[Silence.]

Alexander: What… is wrong with you?

Cormac: You don’t deny it?

Alexander: No I don’t want to fucking kill ya! Why are all nihilists like this? Just what do y’all want?!

Cormac: Alright, alright, calm down. I have people breathing down my neck and you’re quite frankly the only lead. To put it simply: I've seen your tape, I know what was said to you. I suspect that heart tells you things, makes you do things-

Alexander: Ha! Makes me? Me! Do things? No, no, never. My liberty is no one else’s. Y’all stayed in Wilson’s ring, fighting by his whims, I got out to fight for the nation, of my own accord! You’re doing the dirty work of the Authority, despite it probably being blasphemy, if your kind even have that. I don’t kneel to nothing. Understand this, [Marshal places his hand on his chest.] I act on my own agency; My heart remains mine, and mine alone.

Cormac: Hm. Really? You seem adamant to drive home the point. Whatever, I-I'll let the insults slide. But, if I’m not mistaken, weren't you part of a “loyalty conditioning” program?

[Silence, only filled by Alexander's heartbeat.]

Alexander: Don't talk about things ya’don understand.

Cormac: Listen, Alexander, there may be forces acting upon you. Do not believe yourself immune to the coercion of fate.

Alexander: Fuck off. Nothing controls me.

Cormac: Okay.

[Cormac collects the papers and stands up.]

Cormac: Alright, listen: You disappeared. Can you believe what I felt when I saw those letters? Actually - you don't have to. Just know I cashed in quite a few favors, and hung myself out to dry, made myself the fool, just to try and get to you before it. From brother to brother: I’m here to help.

[Cormac approaches the door. Alexander taps his foot.]

Alexander: Okay, wait.

Cormac: Hm?

Alexander: What happened to the others?

Cormac: The others? Oh- yes. Quentin, Sawyer and Larry. Hm… I guess you should know.

[Cormac clears his throat.]

Cormac: Dad had, he had reprogrammed them. Even in the orphanage, they couldn’t stop fighting. I was never particularly strong, so I couldn’t really participate. I thought of it as stupid. Busied myself with literature and school, instead. I thought with knowledge, I may actually become more than a brute.

[Cormac pauses. He stares blankly and slowly grinds his teeth.]

Cormac: Anyway, one day, when I came back from my studies, the janitor’s closet where they usually played, called it "the arena”, was oddly quiet. I went in and- hm.

[Cormac wipes a tear.]

Cormac: That doesn’t. I don’t usually [He gestures to his face.] … you do remind me of them.

[He shakes his head.]

Cormac: And they had, they had finally gotten tall enough to - reach the scrapers.

[Cormac raises his hand, and then slides his fingers over the neck.]

Cormac: They were fucking idiots but- I really want them back.

Alexander: We’re… the only ones left?

Cormac: That’s- the savage truth.

[Silence. Cormac turns to exit.]

Alexander: There's a pyramid in Mexico. That’s where I was held. Go check it out.

Cormac: A… pyramid? Oh. I see. Th-thank you. Let me know if-if you need anything.

[END VIDEO LOG]

Addendum .3 Exploration of Teotihuacan

2020-02-11_Teotihuacan_la_Avenida_de_los_Muertos_y_la_Pir%C3%A1mide_del_Sol.jpg

Pyramid of the Sun, largest structure of the Teotihuacan compound.

Instigated by Alexander’s testimony, various Mesoamerican pyramids in Mexico were investigated. Filtering for the areas with sightings of Alexander, the Teotihuacan Archeological Site with the Pyramid of the Sun was deemed the most likely candidate. MST Hotel -1 “Highlanders” were sent to investigate, together with HTF head Cormac Marshal.

Referencing an archeological atlas, the team found a previously undocumented chamber within the Pyramid of the Sun’s underground cave system. Hotel-1 began preliminary mapping of the enclosure to aid a future research initiative. However, due to a cave in, this remains the only available documentation of the space.

Operation Date: 30th of June, 1985

Location: Pyramid of the Sun underground cave system, Teotihuacan, State of Mexico, United States of Mexico - Newly uncovered chamber.

Party: MST Hotel-1 Central American First Response Team under Captain Alberto Martinez, Cormac Marshal of the Department of Nihilite Studies.

Auxiliary: The chamber experienced a cave in, and all contents have been lost.

[+] Exploration Log

[-] Exploration Log

OBJECT: Arch entrance gate inscribed with decor. The proximal section is destroyed, seemingly by hand. The distal inscriptions feature numerous minuscule humanoids resting in a fetal position near the bottom. At the top are three larger humanoids laying in the same way, but depicted with extravagant accessories.

COMMENTARY: Hunched people is a typical motif for the mass graves used to bury corpses after sacrifices. The larger figures are interesting though. One has a mirror, the second a bulbous body, probably the fat deposits under the skin, the third a shield in his left hand. No doubt, those are supposed to be Tezcatlipōca the Ignorant, Xīpe Tōtec the Greedy, and Huītzilopōchtli the Glorious; the cardinals of north, east, and south, the generals of the previous Wars.

This mausoleum is placed right under their original home. How poetic.

OBJECT: A pit of unknown depth, diameter of 20 meters. It is almost full with human remains. Most are skeletal, but some have soft tissue.

COMMENTARY: The mass burial pit, obviously. Yeah I-I don’t know why that's also here. I don't know why they're still fleshy.

OBJECT: 4 humanoid statues kneeling in line. Each has its hands raised to form a cup. On 3 of the statues, there is blood residue tracing from the cusp, along the arm, over the chin, and around the oral area. The fourth statue lacks this motif. There are inscriptions on the statues’ legs.

COMMENTARY: These are, the four brothers? That doesn’t make any sense, the arch inscription only showed the first three. I can translate these.

The first says: “Here the stupid heart bleeds. Its blood tastes bitter with paranoid ignorance.”

The second says: “Here the giving heart bleeds. Its blood tastes sour with envious greed.”

The third says: “Here the imperial heart bleeds. Its blood tastes salty with hard glory.”

This last one doesn’t have the residue: “Here the fake heart bleeds. Its blood tastes not.”

Oh, I see. It’s an intentional asymmetry. They’re recognizing West’s absence, but keep a grave open.

Wait, do you see that? The first two statues’ blood is fresher. Their hearts must have left more recently… Of course! The factor of three!

OBJECT: A temalacatl. There is a mound of fresh cadavers on top of it.

COMMENTARY: It’s… it’s here. This is the scene… by the Crimson Paint…

OBJECT: A chiseled stone wall with ancient text.

COMMENTARY: That’s a ritual engraving in Nahuatl script. It’s like scrolls and grimories: Literature which utterance or understanding was thought of carrying innate power. Oftentimes used as a proof of spirituality, as only select, and in some cases lone, individuals can let the influence manifest. I can attempt to translate it, but the Nahuatl script lacks a distinction between paintings and words. It’ll take some context clues and interpretation:

Dear Brother,

Whence you read our final consolation:
Then the sepulcher has been opened.
Then the fifth of our kin has returned.
Then your doom has been fated.

The Fifth,
Who was hidden and forgotten,
Who has now been discovered,
Whose heart beats the Drums of Salvation,

Let him give you your right to fratricide,
Command him to peel your skin.
Order him to open your stomach.
Make him take your heart.

Soon, you will lie with us,
As you pass the torch of battle to the final, eternal sibling,
So he may wage the endless, aimless, factionless War of Joy.

With the fifth brother awake,
And this place of searching’s purpose finished,
We will rise from this tomb,
And watch as you’re victim to beloved fratricide.

Outcome: Marshal .C began calling for a retreat shortly after finishing translating the inscription. His suggestion was supported by Captain Martinez, as geological disturbances could be audibly discerned.

The team managed to exit without casualties. However, the chamber is now sealed.

Addendum .4 USOC Strategy Meeting

After returning from Teoithuacan, Cormac called a meeting between NORTHCOM and the USOC to discuss handling the RPC-581 amplification using new insights. The meeting was set on the earliest possible date, 4th of July.

Attendees

GD-NORTH “Lady Liberty”
General George Pollock - member of the Executive Council of Mistress Colombia
Cormac Marshal - Department of Nihilite Studies
Alexander Marshal

Agenda
- Management of the RPC-581 amplification
- Future of the Heartbreaker Task Force

Auxilliary
MST Alpha-1-NORTH “Devil’s Hand” and a JTOC guard unit were stationed outside Site-015 reinforced and insulated Conference Room 001.

[+] Meeting Video Log

[-] Meeting Video Log

[PLAY VIDEO LOG]

[The attendants are coalesced around a round table, save for Cormac, who stands beside a display at the western end of the room.]

Cormac: First item on the agenda: The amplification. To understand how to manage it, we need to know what caused it-

Gen. Pollock: [Pollock raises his arm.] Excuse me!

Cormac: Hm?

Gen. Pollock: Why is he here? [The general points towards Alexander, who is restrained by the arms to his chair.] And why is he chained?

Cormac: You’ll see. He's vital-

Alexander: Fuck do you care?

Gen. Pollock: What did you just say to me?

Alexander: Did I stutter? Think I care what you want?

Gen. Pollock: Oh, really?

Alexander: Yes, really. All you do is sit on your fucking asses, booting anyone that threatens to take over.

Gen. Pollock: Take over? You were just a dog that had to be put dow-

GD-NORTH: Gentlemen! We have important matters to attend to. Let’s act like it.

[Silence.]

Alexander: Bet he wouldn’t talk if I had my hands.

GD-NORTH: For goodness- Marshal, does he have to be here?

Cormac: You’ll come to appreciate that spirit soon enough.

GD-NORTH: What?

Cormac: Let’s begin.

[Cormac presses the remote control. The presentation shows an image of Teotihuacan.]

Cormac: The key is the tomb. This all started after it opened, and two more instances of RPC-581 became active. Why? Simple: it migrated.

It is evident that the chamber under the Pyramid of the Sun was the arena. Not anymore. Seemingly, there are multiple undiscovered temalacatls, now used for abductions. The Pyramid of the Sun welcomed the original four brothers, and the same with the fifth. As that goal has been fulfilled, the phenomenon now runs on full capacity at other locations.

Gen. Pollock: Wait, wait, “that goal has been fulfilled”? What do you mean by that?

Cormac: Have patience, you’ll see. Now, why? Why are the hearts still around? This is where we’ve been looking at it wrong.

We’ve been trying to find the solution. We see this as a disease. A blight that must be cured. That’s horrendously incorrect. No, no no no, a mutation causes sickness, unless natural selection makes it the norm.

Gen. Pollock: What the fuck are you on about? [Pollock turns towards GD-NORTH. He waves dismissively at Cormac.] I’ve been meaning to discuss his replacement.

Cormac: Yes! Yes! Now you’re with me! Look: How did mankind get where it is today? Blood and bone, I tell you!

The brutality of the elements gave us the brains to usurp them. The threat of animals made us defend ourselves with tools. Soon enough, we dominated nature, and banished ignorance. We cultivated crops and farms, but still demanded slaughter. We began to fight one another for red-stained fields, and for traumatized women. Greed propelled us to form police and vanguard. Safety began to trickle in again, but we said nay! Giant armies with trails of blood raised great empires! For the glory of the nation we enslaved natives and conquered lands.

[Cormac discards the remote.]

Just recall the innovation of the world wars! Flights unprecedented. Discipline sharper than steel, and production quicker than silver. Wounds so deep, our healthcare dove yet deeper in understanding medicine! Nuclear weapons that paved the way to nuclear reactors! Bombs that spread brilliant gore, shrapnel that shred with amazement, the throwers of crazed flame! Hitler may be the devil, but nothing makes dogma like that feeble mustache unites!

[Cormac slaps the stand thrice.]

Some may worship peace, some may preach tranquility… foolish nonsense! Take even the most self-repressed of pacifists: throw him in foreign lands, present him with wealth untold, threaten the honor of his peace, or force on him chronic, desolate apathy: and he will retaliate. He will call on greater power, he will demand a coup, he will even pierce himself, he will praise violence as if it were his savior.

If human nature is to adapt, then humans demand everlasting conflict to actualize said nature! Even when all is good, even when earth is heaven, even in heaven, we will find combat! This is the so-called: “cycle of violence”!

Indeed! This worship of peace! This repression of the primal desire to bleed and grow! Apathy is the ultimate torment! That is the true savagery!

[The room is silent. Cormac grips the stand, and breathes frantically.]

Gen. Pollock: Okay. Lady, as per clause #9⁶ of the Newark Convention, I demand he be replaced immediately by someone of my approval.

[GD-NORTH stares shocked.]

GD-NORTH: I- wait a second. Marshal, get to the point.

Cormac: Oh, we are well on our way. Understand: The amplification is not a disease. It is a declaration. It beckons, it beckons us to improve by means of battle.

Gen. Pollock: You're a retard, an idiot, and a total nincompoop. You are unfit for any task.

Cormac: You’re correct! I am outdated! I need to be killed! Murdered! Replaced by a new leader, to take the HTF to fresh horizons!

Can’t you see? There are three factions right here in this room! Three parties, fit for total combat! Lady, do not pretend you tolerate the convention. What other region lets an outsider control its ranks? Northern Command is an utter embarrassment!

GD-NORTH: You-… The convention is mutually- mutually beneficial.

Cormac: Oh, you won't keep appearances up for long. I say we accept the hearts' challenge! I say we adapt, and rise to the task! I say we battle, and produce the most formidable of strength!

Pollock of the Community, Lady of Northern Command, and me of the HTF!

[Silence. Pollock has begun collecting his documents. A deep, rhythmic thudding can be heard. Cormac turns to look at Alexander.]

Alexander: What about me?

Cormac: Yes, you, you indeed. You want your own faction, correct? You get none. You are not the north, or the east, south, or west. You are directionless.

Alexander: Really? Really!?

[Cormac approaches Alexander.]

Cormac: Alexander, my kin, revel! It is your fate! You are not the soldier, you are his rage! You are not the warrior, you are the war! You have no will! You are no person! You are slaughter itself!

GD-NORTH: Cormac! What are you doing? Stop, this instant!

[Alexander shakes his head, and shouts. The tremors grow louder, yet louder.]

Alexander: How dare you! How fucking dare you!

Cormac: It is a good thing! You will set our stage! Our glorious battlefield!

[Pollock has approached the exit. He tugs at the handle, however it doesn't open.]

Cormac: Ha! Only one faction may leave! [He puts his hand on Alexander's chest. It pulsates in rhythm with the thudding.] We are only gladiators now, for the enjoyment of these hearts.

Gen. Pollock: Is this a joke?! Open the door! [Pollock begins banging on the door.] Hey! Open the door!

GD-NORTH: Cormac! Don't push me!

[Cormac rounds the chair. He takes a hold of the restraints.]

Cormac: It has started. Come on now, man whoose heart has been replaced, chose a master! Direct the savagery!

[Cormac points at Pollock.]

Cormac: Will you fight for your country, that has taken you, beaten you, and molested you into submission?

[Now at GD-NORTH.]

Cormac: Or will you fight for Lady Liberty?

[GD-NORTH runs towards the recorder and shuts it off.]

[END VIDEO LOG]

As of July 4th 1985, the JTOC team that was to protect General Pollock is held under arrest at Site-015. This is awaiting diplomatic talks with the USOC, who have rendered all Authority rights within United States territories granted by the Newark Convention void, following the death of the General.

To all NORTHCOM personnel:

I urge you to look at the bright side. The United States Occult Community has long pushed us under their thumb, no longer. Today is our day of independence.

The Newark Convention is an artifact of a more docile, obtuse period of Northern Command. With it out of the way, we are given liberty to research, protect and contain without needlessly reporting to a higher power.

Seize the moment, my friends: Our sites may be targeted, but we can build more wherever we choose. Our funding may be cut, but little stops us from engaging in the market as any other citizen. We may have more posts to fill, but can reach the most talented minds of American ingenuity.

I understand you will ask of our joint containment efforts with the Community. Do not worry, these opportunities will present themselves as we grow. Our biggest collaboration, RPC-581, has already been reassigned to Alexander Marshal, who has shown great proficiency in predicting manifestations.

Do not fear, go and settle these lands, go and manifest our destiny; aggression is the key.

- GD-NORTH, Lady Liberty

THE REST OF THIS FILE IS RESERVED FOR THE HEARTBREAKER TASK FORCE. ACCESS CAN BE REQUESTED EXCLUSIVELY FROM TASK FORCE HEAD.

ACCESS GRANTED.

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Cormac Marshal

Found: [VHS tape log: Cormac Marshal]

Date of retrieval: July 8th, 1985.

Acquisition: VHS was mailed to HTF Head’s personal mailbox.

Acquired by: HTF Head.

CLEARANCE NOTICE: The following log is restricted under: [Heartbreaker Task Force Head] clearance. Close this file and report to the HTF Head if not privileged.

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[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Before us is the passive soldier of the Apathetic War. He will be broken, suffocated, and opened, for you to remember the blood that must be shed, and the skin that must be shred. Pray hear the Drums of Salvation.
[The door burst open. Cormac is clutching on to the handle, preventing him from collapsing. He stumbles forward a few meters, before falling to the ground. GD-NORTH can be seen holding her face in the other room. George Pollock’s mutilated corpse lay on the table in front of her. Lady Liberty and Pollock vanish from view, as Alexander follows Cormac and shuts the door.]

Alexander: Why!? Why!?

Cormac: It is… it is your destiny… and it is my right…

[The drumming is deep, and slow.]

Alexander: How many years? And this… this is what is left of my family?

Cormac: Yes, yes… you left us… you have been alone. You need no compatriot, you can fight without an opponent, you can kill forever… you are the fifth, you are the eternal.

Alexander: No! I am- I am-

Cormac: There is no you. Your heart is not your property any longer. You are only the wellspring of violence. You are the fountain of blood. You are the red sun. To the Community, you were a dog. To the War, you will remain a savage dog.

Alexander: Fuck you!

[With the available hand, Alexander uses a nearby pen to puncture the skin and muscle of his own abdomen. He begins excavating the contents, releasing the intestines, ventricle, pancreas, spleen, and left kidney. His hand goes deeper, and reaches up. It latches on to something, and he begins pulling, eventually shedding the diaphragm. The thudding becomes overwhelmung as Alexander extracts his heart through the midriff, and the accompanying blood vessels. They do not rip, despite being exceedingly stretched.]

Does this look like the heart of a puppet? Does it beat, like the heart of a subject?! No! They can not take me!

[Alexander raises his fist, and delivers blow after blow to Cormac’s sternum. Both the rib cage and the hand’s bones can be heard cracking. He removes the bone, and grasps Cormac’s heart. He pulls it out, but takes care to keep the major arteries and veins connected. Its beat is drowned out by Alexander’s.]

This! This weak, pathetic thing is yours! Mine is better! Mine takes space! You are the worm! You are the dog!

Cormac: Of course, you are right. My heart is fat- it has descended into apathy. I was molested. Victimized in every possible manner. My right was robbed. Let me- let me join my brothers.

Alexander: You… Why? Why?

Cormac: Do not woe, brother. Revel, revel! I- no; we, will always be in your heart.

[Cormac closes his eyes.]

Cormac: I… surrender.

[Cormac goes limp. His heart disappears.]

[All the free flesh in the room malforms, reshapes, and attaches to Alexander, healing him.]

[He breathes rapidly, and holds his chest. His heartbeat can still be heard, as well as a collection of disembodied voices.]

This, will indeed suffice.

[Alexander grabs a hold of his head, and shouts denials.]

Your will is indomitable, your endurance unbreakable, and your rhythm unstoppable.

No! Stop! M-my heart is mine alone! My heart is mine alone! You hear me?! My heart is mine alone… it's mine, only mine…

[Alexander begins to breathe deeply.]

Guard them from estrangement, guide them to engagement. Award then what they have for so long craved.

I fight- I fight to give the freedom to earn liberty! I fight for the truth!

No, you fight for Joy. You fight to recompose loss. You fight to win. You fight, for that is who you are. Do not worry, the path has been set.

[He slaps his cheek, and composes himself. Alexander stands in place and controls his breath. The rhythm quiets ever so slightly.]

You will stand at the War's frontier, you will tower over the nations, you will banish apathy, and all will bleed under your Drums of Salvation.

[Alexander exits the scene.]

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Footnotes

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