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Transcript

The Puppets in the Signal · InkandNeon | Speculative Fiction Stories

• 0:00
  I bore witness to a massacre today
• 0:03
  and for the first time I witnessed the Rats
• 0:07
  they dragged the still moving bodies of the victims
• 0:10
  down into their subterranean
• 0:12
  halls far beyond the lights of Coral CIty
• 0:16
  huh
• 0:17
  signal came through the grid today
• 0:20
  at first I thought it was live but
• 0:24
  upon inspection found that this could not be the case
• 0:28
  the officer in the audio sadly has already passed away
• 0:34
  they
• 0:35
  alongside many others died in the line of duty
• 0:39
  we may not all respect the law but
• 0:42
  we can all try to respect the man who died
• 0:46
  trying to do the right thing this is transmission
• 0:50
  0 0 2 Mark descent jacking it in now
• 1:36
  Officer Brandon what's your status
• 1:39
  huh
• 1:42
  nominal dispatch what's the matter?
• 1:45
  the audio was coming through fine but the video feed
• 1:50
  seems to have paused
• 1:52
  should I pull back?
• 1:55
  no no it should be fine just update me on what you see
• 2:23
  look for any signs of a camp
• 2:25
  just just ensure they're alive
• 2:29
  don't issue a move along notice?
• 2:34
  no need sector is entirely abandoned
• 2:40
  you you're the one that
• 2:43
  wanted to investigate this sector officer ah
• 2:47
  yeah yeah sure yeah I remember that
• 2:51
  just uh
• 2:53
  keep an eye out officer what do you see now more dust
• 2:57
  but there are a few working lights ahead
• 3:01
  perhaps our vagrant is good with tech
• 3:06
  possible might be a 5 1 2 charity hire if they are
• 3:11
  got it
• 3:15
  officer yeah place is damn near falling apart
• 3:22
  hey did you hear that yeah it was just a pipe no no
• 3:27
  it sounded like laughter
• 3:29
  damn the terminal didn't pick it up in recording
• 3:32
  could have been an audio glitch
• 3:34
  a lot of noise hitting the sensors at once
• 3:40
  well even if so keep your eyes out
• 3:44
  more than enough Jacker is out there for it to be more than just shadows
• 3:49
  hey hey I got something here
• 4:03
  some kind of hallway
• 4:05
  another room yeah yes but yeah it's a hallway
• 4:10
  formed concrete yellow lights uh
• 4:15
  dispatch go ahead Brandon
• 4:18
  um are there are there any floors below
• 4:23
  or above me one moment no
• 4:27
  according to the architecture grid
• 4:29
  should be just the one why
• 4:33
  there's there's an elevator
• 4:35
  the door's just open officer
• 4:38
  stay exactly where you are
• 4:39
  we'll send the tactical unit in no need to get involved
• 4:45
  got it
• 4:48
  you're walking closer aren't you
• 4:50
  that is correct Dispatch Tac has been informed
• 4:56
  don't do anything reckless officer
• 4:59
  me reckless? have faith dispatch
• 5:05
  has a lot of buttons here
• 5:09
  only one of them
• 5:11
  seems to be working
• 5:12
  you're gonna get into shit Officer Brandon
• 5:16
  you can always leave the feed dispatch
• 5:19
  just because you're being foolish
• 5:21
  doesn't mean I'm gonna abandon you mate
• 5:24
  thanks dispatch
• 5:29
  some elevator music
• 5:42
  officer I have a question
• 5:47
  go ahead I'm not going anywhere
• 5:51
  this building what do you remember of it?
• 6:01
  nothing nothing I guess why hmm why
• 6:08
  probably nothing but
• 6:13
  you were attacked a few years ago right
• 6:22
  that's correct well
• 6:27
  it was only a few streets away from this building
• 6:33
  yeah
• 6:36
  it's strange but I mean just a coincidence really
• 6:44
  uh dispatch
• 6:48
  yeah what's up Brandon
• 6:51
  yeah the elevator won't stop
• 6:54
  uh is there is that an uplink?
• 6:56
  no it's a
• 6:59
  it's archaic early era stuff damn it
• 7:06
  Tac his double timing to your position
• 7:08
  when the elevator stops you stay put officer
• 7:11
  you hear me just stay behind the gate
• 7:24
  Officer Brandon! It's like a drill
• 7:35
  is that laughter again fuck can hear it over the feed
• 7:51
  Dispatch I think
• 7:54
  sorry officer I shouldn't have let you go down there
• 7:57
  I should have realized it s-
• 8:17
  dispatch
• 8:21
  dispatch come in
• 8:25
  alright
• 8:26
  fine that was too close ugh
• 8:36
  who's there Brandon
• 8:41
  Officer Brandon are you there? Dispatch?
• 8:46
  I thought I lost you
• 8:49
  sorry I got pulled from the core
• 8:54
  I'm using a backup captain got a call from the U C P A
• 8:58
  to stand down
• 9:02
  what does
• 9:02
  the United Police Association got to do with anything
• 9:07
  don't know but what happened are you alright
• 9:13
  yeah yeah I'm fine it's just a few cuts
• 9:17
  shaft collapsed though
• 9:19
  what are you looking at I might be able to help
• 9:24
  ah it's a facility
• 9:26
  old seems abandoned but but I taste metal in the air
• 9:32
  like there's electricity somewhere
• 9:36
  careful
• 9:38
  I will it, its dark tho- Shit!
• 9:49
  the fuck is that? Brandon
• 9:53
  I'm okay I'm okay I'm fine it was a
• 9:57
  damn it's like some kind of puppet
• 10:02
  it's like someone's whole body
• 10:04
  was augmented and all the skin and muscle was removed
• 10:08
  I don't like this
• 10:10
  I can't find any
• 10:12
  records of any facilities in your area oh I'll be okay
• 10:17
  I mean if it was Jackers I'd be dead already right?
• 10:22
  there's no way they wouldn't have heard all that crashing
• 10:24
  yeah
• 10:27
  hey. theres more of those puppet things and what they just
• 10:34
  they just sitting there what's happening
• 10:37
  um
• 10:40
  I think they're pointing directing me down the hall
• 10:45
  uh maybe don't follow the creepy mannequin things
• 10:51
  hey oh shit
• 10:54
  I'm armed I'm a CCPD officer and I will shoot
• 10:58
  can you comply?
• 11:00
  someone down there with you Brandon?
• 11:03
  one of them
• 11:04
  one of them moved two of them actually are you sure
• 11:09
  yeah yeah they're they're in a different position now
• 11:14
  shouldn't be possible
• 11:16
  didn't detect any kind of power coming from the please
• 11:22
  did you I heard it Brenda
• 11:29
  Oh for once..? Fuck theres more
• 11:50
  are you OK what the hell happened
• 11:56
  I don't know some of them some of the things attack me
• 12:03
  it's nothing bad it shouldn't be possible shit well
• 12:11
  where's that backup
• 12:14
  where's Tac?
• 12:15
  I don't think Tac's coming mate
• 12:18
  captain seems pretty riled up about the U C P A
• 12:20
  interference I think they were called off
• 12:26
  well
• 12:27
  for what its worth I'm glad you're with me then dispatch
• 12:34
  alright
• 12:35
  well what's happened
• 12:38
  what do you see still got no video feed from you
• 12:42
  um
• 12:43
  um it's like a nursery I think there is a bed though
• 12:49
  there's a
• 12:51
  yeah it's a there's a body in a bed
• 12:55
  body murder perhaps
• 12:59
  no well I don't know there's not much left
• 13:03
  blanket was put over it um
• 13:07
  ribs everything's intact
• 13:10
  it's just decayed they look peaceful though at least
• 13:16
  someone killed them and maybe took them away but
• 13:20
  this room
• 13:22
  it's clean there's no dust it's aged definitely but
• 13:27
  barely huh
• 13:30
  huh
• 13:32
  okay alright now which hand um the left left
• 13:43
  that is 8 to 0 ha ha ha
• 13:47
  that's impressive um how are you doing that
• 13:53
  camera
• 13:57
  camera? Brandon, I heard that too
• 14:02
  there's a camera in the room I can see it small but huh
• 14:07
  I think someone's watching us dispatch
• 14:14
  call me impressed it would seem somebody
• 14:16
  was attempting to hijack our signal
• 14:19
  I had to terminate the feed to keep my location secure
• 14:22
  whoever it was is good
• 14:24
  too good I didn't recognize any U C P A signatures
• 14:28
  but they are hardly the only ones
• 14:30
  lurking in the darkness
• 14:32
  give me some time to figure out who this was
• 14:35
  just to ensure our safety and remember listener
• 14:39
  be safe out there
• 14:40
  I would hate for it to be one of your stories
• 14:43
  that I have to tell next
• 14:55
  This has been Ink, signing off.