Aberrant: Prometheans Unbound - Chapter 1 Material

[Blue Thunder]

Encrypted OpNet message from Count Raoul Orzaiz to Pedro "The Mathematician" Santiago

Dear Pedro,

As we've discussed earlier, this plan is incredibly dangerous. I trust your predictions and suggestions without doubt, but even then, I can't help but feel paranoid. I'm sure you understand my worry; you probably feel it as well.

"Erik" will be a godsend for the movement, but only if he's approached and cultivated properly. And that's assuming he would ever be willing to join the movement, and that isn't a given. I'd hate to think we'd ever have to kill him. But if we must, we must. As long as he doesn't fall into enemy hands...especially Marcel's or Tarik's. If we can hold out (on all fronts) until the point where we expose those two, I feel we should be fine.

With Respect,

Raoul

P.S. - I will never forget Shrapnel and Geryon's expressions when you appeared at their first planning session and gave them your approval to go ahead with thier plan, even before they had voiced them. Pax could have waded through the room at that very moment and Geryon wouldn't have noticed. They're not accustomed to you ever approving of these kinds of things. Your approval has given them a sense of righteousness; they feel that since you approved, they can't be wrong. To be fair though, if you had disapproved, they would have carried on anyway.

Encrypted OpNet message from Pedro "The Mathematician" Santiago to Count Raoul Orzaiz

Dear Count,

My predictions have told me that this young nova will be a benefit to the movement. I can't tell exactly how, since there are so many variables to consider and calculate, but I am sure of his importance. I also predict a great power within him. When I told Mal of this, his interest was piqued. He very much looks forward to meeting this new nova, should your infiltration team manage to rescue him and bring him to the movement.

I have regrettable news. I am quite afraid of how Geryon's assault will affect the future. This "Erik" aside, I sense something truly terrible and I fear this assault may be one of several major variables that line up to create it. I can't pinpoint it yet, and I have only begun to sense it these past weeks. I am devoting most of my time to this dreaded premonition; if it is something that can be predicted, I will put all of my power towards preventing it.

I have never been so fearful of the future since my eruption. This may mean the death of many Terats; this may mean the death of the entire movement. I shall keep you updated, dear friend.

- Pedro

[Blue Thunder]

Orzaiz -

The following are selected journal entries and passages, written by Dr. Micah Piper and stolen from the Piper residence on November 2, 2015. They are chosen based on the relevance of information in regards to "Erik." These aren't all of the mentions of Erik from his journal, but these pretty much paint a picture of what we can expect.

- Speck

August 25, 2013

It is far easier than I first expected to control the aberrant. He may have erupted into one of the freaks, but he's still a kid, and one who was raised by God-fearing parents it seems. He practically bows to authority figures and has a healthy fear of retribution. If I demand something from him, he obeys, even if he doesn't seem to want to do the task I ask of him. Still I must be careful not to overstep myself. He's still an aberrant, so he could turn on me anytime, as Horton is quick to remind me.

He responds to the name Erik, so that is what we shall call him. He only speaks when spoken to, and responds in short one or two word sentences and avoids eye contact. He also likes to have a Bible near him at all times. He never reads it though.

September 19, 2013

I still cringe when I think about using one of the demons like this, but his special abilities have led us to kill two latent aberrants already in just one month. When I think of the possibilities he brings to the church, I feel it will be worth it. Horton still insists we keep him from the other leaders. At present, no more than six church members know of him.

He doesn't seem to posses any special powers beyond detecting latent aberrancy, but he does act strange at all times. I've noticed on several occasions that he'll stare at blank walls as if things are there, and his eyes will move around the room as if following something, yet nothing will be there when I look. It's like he sees things, but is scared of them, from the look in his eyes.

If he becomes restless, we'll kill him.

January 11, 2014

Marcus has become Erik's new caretaker, ever since Blane disappeared. There's no doubt in my mind that Blane became frightened of Erik and fled to escape him. The boy is really no harm, but one can become understandably spooked. Blane would sometimes approach me with wild stories about demons in the corner of his vision, that would whisper things to him every time he entered Erik's chamber. This is what we get for trusting someone that doesn't always take his meds. We've already got Blane's house and favorite bars staked out. We can't risk him leaking Erik's existence to anyone.

Still, could Blane's ramblings have some truth to them? Does Erik possess powers he isn't telling us about? Perhaps some form of sublimal manipulation or telepathy? I'm not convinced. Erik couldn't keep a lie if he tried. Horton, as always, isn't convinced.

March 4, 2014

The demon has revealed itself!

Marcus went into Erik's chamber to give him food and a change of clothes, like he does every day. Ms. Bower went down to check on Marcus several minutes later, but when she arrived, she found Erik curled into a corner of his room and Marcus' body ripped to pieces in the hallway. When I arrived, the boy was still curled in the corner, sobbing uncontrollably. I've never witnessed a sight so disturbing in my life.

Erik suffers from extreme mental trauma, that much is for certain. But from what? This is just more proof that these novas aren't the gods they set themselves up to be. We're holding a vote tomorrow, to decide what to do.

We left Marcus' body in the woods, and his death is going to be blamed on a wild bear attack.

March 6, 2014

It was a close vote, but we've decided to keep Erik. Horton wasn't happy of course.

Erik shows emotional remorse at what he did, but I can't necessarilly blame him for doing it either. He broke down earlier today and revealed to me that Marcus had been sexually molesting him over the past months. He couldn't take it anymore, and lashed out. He doesn't remember what happened though...he just remembers wanting Marcus dead, and then crying in the corner. It seems he does possess abilities he didn't tell us about.

This is the first time Erik has said anything substantial to anyone since we've had him. But I'm going to keep this to myself. There's no need to shame Marcus' family over an aberrant being molested. For now, Ms. Bower will be tending to Erik. She's not happy about it, but Erik seems to fear women less than men, so she's the best choice.

December 26, 2014

I sent Erik a new Bible yesterday for Christmas. I still don't think he ever read his first copy, but the edges were still worn down from him taking it everywhere. I hate to have to send the beast a gift, but it keeps him satisfied, and as long as he thinks we love him, he'll continue to track latents for us. We've killed over two dozen already, and those are just in major cities in the US and Canada. We plan on somehow taking him overseas, or perhaps south to Mexico, to help our crusade.

His personality has been changing, and I didn't notice it until today because it has been so gradual. He no longer avoids eye contact or becomes saddened when not shown attention. In fact, his face has become much more calm over the past year. His expression is somehow knowing. It gives me and everyone else chills. His voice used to be shaky and fearful, but now it is a clear monotone, though he still barely speaks.

July 29, 2015

Well, that does it. I'm getting rid of that demonic freak, no matter what the others say! I've finally come around to Horton's view. He is truly a demon in human form, and we can't play with fire any longer. He is all the proof I need that novas were sent here by Satan himself to seduce the pure and kill the innocent.

Ms. Bower left a letter by my office yesterday explaining that she felt Erik needed to die, and that she was going to kill him in the name of God. She went on about how she and others had been seeing demons, but only around Erik, and that she couldn't take it anymore. As soon as I finished reading the letter I gathered the others and rushed to stop Ms. Bower from making a big mistake.

By the time we arrived, Ms. Bowers was nothing more than a lump of bone and flesh on the floor. There was a handgun lying at Erik's feet, and blood spattered across his clothes. And then he looked at us and smiled as if he had done nothing wrong.

We're holding a rally tomorrow. We must address this aberrant problem with more force, and the sooner the better. After the rally I'm going to have Erik disposed of permanently and then take a more aggressive approach against the aberrant menace.

The aberrants want the death of us all.

Orzaiz -

This is the point where Piper's journal ends. Geryon kills him on July 30th, the day of the rally, so it seems Piper never carried out his plan to kill Erik. I assume the other church members that were aware of Erik decided to keep him around despite Ms. Bower's murder, because our moles can confirm they still speak of him as if he is alive.

- Speck

[Blue Thunder]

From: Geryon

To: Penetrator

Subject: Time to smash some skulls in!!!

Here's the set-up, since you missed the meetings.

Not everyone that we wanted to go could actually go, but oh well. Swarm Queen said she has some shit to do in Russia, otherwise she'd be going. Though to be honest, her and Shrapnel haven't been so close lately, so maybe that has something to do with it. Deloremier won't be heading out either, but that's hardly news. And of course, Leviathan won't be going. The Harvesters will have to work harder to pull their weight this time.

We're going in four teams. Shrapnel, Confederate, Epoch, and yours truly will be heading each of the teams. Each team leader will have a small group of Terats with them, I'd say about 4 or 5 (except my team, which will have much more). And get this: we're getting some voluntary outside help. The Teragen isn't the only group pissed at these wankers. I don't know how the hell it happened, but we got Houston Tornado 2 joining the Austin raid. First Pedro walks in and gives us the go-ahead during our meeting, and now Houston's own municipal defender agreed to join our little war before Synapse was even finished asking her to join. Turns out they've threatened to kill her before, just like they did the first Houston Tornado. Plus an elite friend of Epoch's is helping out. The only way this could get better is if Mal was leading us in.

Shrapnel is taking Couer d'Alene, Idaho. That's where Piper's powerbase was situated before I creamed him, and CoMA still has a strong following there, so she'll be destroying all of their facilities and making a good example out of them for the One Race. This will mostly be a walk in the park for 'em, since it's unlikely any novas will respond in time to stop Alison from going crazy-shit. Gauze, Matador, Clarion, and Jester will be there to accompany the slaughter. This will be Clarion's first time in the big-leagues, so let's hope he doesn't shit his pants and give me something else to mock Deloremier about.

Next, the Confederate and his crew will destroy some buildings in the middle-of-fucking-nowhere Montana. Apparently this is where CoMA keeps a big firearms stockpile (rednecks need guns I suppose), so Barry is bringing Terats who can withstand rifle shots and such. I'm not sure if this one will make the news, but it'll sure as hell show those Mike Angel fucks we mean business. This is the one you'll be heading out on, along with Clusterfuck, The Smiths, Sloppy Joe, and Soot. Have fun. A chick called Doorway will take you guys in and back out; she's an elite Epoch knows, and she's doing this for free, so I guess she has it in for these guys too.

Epoch and his team are going about things differently, they're each splitting up and taking on a series of small towns across rural Texas. They've got a list with the names and addresses of a bunch of loud-mouthed rednecks that spoke out against the One Race, and they don't plan on leaving any of the hicks alive. This team has to be the fastest, since those pissant little towns are so far apart. Orzaiz has Blinker helping out with that, plus a few of them can run or fly faster than the speed of sound. So besides Epoch and Blinker, there'll be Reflex, Vi, Riptide, and Deepak. When any of these guys get done with their targets, they're to run over to join my team if they have the juice; that's where all the real action is happening.

Then there's the Austin raid! Those Mike freaks are holding some kind of public meeting in Austin, Texas. There's going to be hundreds of the fuckers. Since I popped Piper's skull, they'll have security: Team Tomorrow's lapdogs will be there, just like last time. Montoya-Bernal, Makara, and Skew are already confirmed. They probably expect me to come in for a rematch. I don't wanna disappoint them.

I'm gonna pound my way into their meeting hall, smash everything and everybody in sight, rip Montoya-Bernal's arms off (and maybe flog Skew with them) and then tear the whole fuckin' building down. That isn't the whole plan of course. At first it'll just be me, Heavy, and Clarice Hudson plowing through Mike Archangel hicks left and right like they were bowling pins, and holding the T2Mers off as long as we can. We'll eventually take the fight outside, and then the rest of the team comes out from hiding and gives T2M the beating of their lives. Narcosis is even going to give N! an anonymous heads up just before hand so cameras catch it all.

Basically, anyone else that isn't going on one of the other teams is going to be waiting out near the meeting hall. James Winston and Flare will be down the street at a Starbucks (of all the God-forsaken places) and they'll burst out as soon as the fighting enters the streets. William Turner and Blackout will be hiding down the opposite end of the street in a stolen van, and they'll come out to join the battle at the same time, flanking those T2M wankers. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Cord will fly in to attack from the air. That's at least ten novas. Eleven, if Houston Tornado 2 shows up. Plus whoever else stops by. And if Leviathan wasn't in Chrysalis, he would be fighting alongside us too. He'll be pissed when he wakes up and hears about all the fun we had.

This one is going down in the history books.

They won't stand a chance.

[Blue Thunder]

Heavily encrypted OpNet transmission, secure channel

Ozaki:

I've already gone over the major issues of what needs to be done covering the Austin raid. The most aggravating part is that there isn't much else we can do that we haven't already set in motion. But I do need to go over a few additional points right now, and clarify some things.

Flare and William Turner's spectacle must be handled carefully. Flare's speech entranced Montoya-Bernal's team, and they simply stared as the cameras recorded, which does not look good for us at all. The fact that they let her finish speaking needs to be downplayed by the press. We need to emphasize on how she instead entranced Turner, and how he was possibly being mentally dominated and/or controlled by her, thus giving T2M a reason for wanting to hold back. We need to give multiple theories to the media, with whatever evidence we feel is necessary, so people assume the worst. Flare has been a thorn in T2M-Am's side for too long, and I'm labelling her a higher priority for the American theater to take care of. I'll be getting N! to create negative press reports about Flare's activities, and perhaps a documentary or news special. If we whip up popular disgust for her, then we can squeeze a PR boost out of her capture.

As for Turner, or Jack as our mole says he's being called now, there are several paths we can take. There's no possibility of him ever being recovered as a viable Utopian nova, and his former Team Tomorrow friends are furious over his defection. If we paint him as a victim of Flare's coercion, then we can eliminate him and blame it on the Teragen. We'll discuss various options regarding Turner's apprehension later.

I shouldn't have to point out that the N! camera crews were outside and ready to film the Austin battle before it happened. I want the names of every one of those cameramen and drivers, and I want the name of whoever sent them out there, and I want that person watched, questioned, then silenced. We've known about Teragen moles in N! for some time, and now we have the chance to track down whoever is behind them. My money is on Orzaiz, Narcosis, or Swarm Queen, in that order.

Laragione and Miller are working hard on the Firefly issue, and I shouldn't need to stress again how important her retrieval is. This is our top priority right now. Have Proteus novas in Ibiza, Mumbai, and other nova hotspots. Have every confirmed and suspected Terat watched...anything that will get us closer to to finding her. I want you to use proxies to hire nova detectives through DeVries, and then acquire the services of the Weisskopf Investigative Agency. Several DeVries novas are capable investigators, and Della Weisskopf's agency has helped us find novas in the past. Governments around the world are on alert as well. Firefly could be anywhere, dead or alive. I don't want to imagine the PR disaster that would follow if she were found dead. Time is our enemy here.

On a related note, it has become alarming just how coordinated the Teragen are becoming. The anti-Church of Michael Archangel attacks have displayed a unity that is unheard of for the Terats. We need to be more cautious from this point on.

-Thetis

PS: How is our mole in the Teragen? It's been several days since the last report, and times like this are when we need reports the most.

[Blue Thunder]

Encrypted OpNet Email

To: donkeyballs@deeznutz.com

From: penisflytrap@cooterbrigade.net

Synapse-

If my sources in the Harvesters are correct, Leviathan just came out of his second Chrysalis. Can you confirm this? If possible, could you also contact Locust and have him pick me up and bring me to see Leviathan as soon as he can?

I wish to see what kind of beautiful creature he has become...

-Sin-Eater

PS - I heard Zia mention we no longer have to use these immature contact addresses. When were you planning on telling me this? He says it's been a year already!