SOCIETY OF THE RECORD KEEPERS

The following document contains transcriptions of various videos and tapes involving the events of the Liberty Bell disaster that occurred in the city of Novissimus Flos.

All of the information contained within this package is classified in perpetuity. Anybody caught transporting the information will be persecuted.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of security recording #3 — St. Martinsland Plaza, 2 hours before Liberty Bell

“Eight clips of French armour-piercers.” crackled the voice of a monochrome figure in front of the camera. “No, damn it, make it nine!”

The vending machine, red paint chipping, sang a tune signifying the start of its production of each individual cartridge. The small glass display on the front that once advertised all of the ammunition choices blast-cracked beyond recognition. The man knew his order from experience. He leaned against the machine as he waited, eyeing the whirling speakers above the machine as the metallic, squeaking song came to an end. A drawer burst open from the bottom of the machine and he calmly stepped back, narrowly avoiding broken shins.

“Congratulations,” started the modulated, childish voice, “your order has been—”

“Quiet!” hushed the man as he quickly grabbed his bounty and kicked the drawer back into place.

“—completed. Please take your order and the stub we’ve printed for you and head to the front desk. A nearby associate will gladly accept any form of payment. At this time, however, we can not accept: SnowBits, Shards, NoSecCoin, Quicklight, Tozai Record, Coriander, Value, MINIMUM, Satellite Flowers,” The man loaded his weapon, cocked it, and aimed at the bright machine, “Itoh, Dollars, Capitol Cu—”

“Fuck. Shut up!” He fired into the speakers and the voice trailed until it cut out completely after a few seconds. It had been a while since he’d had to waste a shot, but enemies surrounded the area. The constant rattling of the machine would only bring them closer to him. His eyes locked on to an open vent above him, and he hurriedly scrambled over piles of trash and boxes. He gripped the top edge of the wall and pulled himself up, crawling carefully on the leaking pipes above him that channeled water throughout the city.

Once in the vent, he pressed his stomach against the rusting floor and lowered his high-frequency visor to his eyes, clicking it into place in one swift motion.

“Battery level critical. Battery level critical. Battery level critical.” Blared the headset directly into his skull. He lifted his hand and dismissed the warning. Quickly, he scanned the area. Red dots surrounded him and, satisfied with the information, he brought the visor back up to his forehead and shut the power off. He made his way through the vent, crawling silently so as to avoid alerting his pursuers. His NoSec patch fell silently through a grate back into the room below.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of The Shard Corporation advertisement #23

SCorp_REC#23:

Here at The Shard Corporation, our mission statement is simple: We serve you. Walk on over to any one of our easily accessible Preparation Centres today and ask about how you can receive one free sample of our easy-to-make, easy-to-love, all-in-one dinner solution for you and your family. Remember, we serve you.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of mission objective — Ambergris Team

Objective: Ambergris Team is to lower themselves, by the use of cable, into the western section of the Fallen Caverns. Once they’ve hit the ground, they are to follow the lighted trail laid down by the Myrrh Team before them and acquire the equipment left behind. Lance Corporal Cam Polsky, Sapper Kasavin Rigel, and Signaller Anna Andrej will then guard the gate in unison, keeping an eye out for the source of the unknown signal that has recently been emanating from the area. From here, they will either exit the cave in three weeks, or receive further instruction if they have reported anything out of the ordinary. Please keep in mind that this mission is of the utmost secrecy.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of tape recording #7 — Ambergris Team, discovery of the body

“Andrej,” Lance Corporal Cam Polsky, mission leader. “turn around.”

“The hell I will.” Signaller, Anna Andrej.

“Watch your tone with me. This mission’s serious. I can’t keep you safe from the higher-ups if they were to hear you.”

“Keep quiet and guard the damn gate, Cam. Then they won’t hear anything.”

“Andrej, just turn around.”

“God,” footsteps are heard in the recording, thought to be Andrej’s turning, “what do you wan—”

“You see it?”

“What is that?” her tone is one of disbelief.

“The mission was classified. I guess this is why.”

“Rigel!” Andrej is shouting now, “get over here!”

A muffled shouting clouds the recording. Anything beyond this is speculation as the tape isn’t clear enough to be completely certain of what was said. It’s as if somebody is tightly clutching the recorder.

“Fuck, it’s got Kas!”

“Andrej,” Polsky is shouting over the screaming, “on my signal.”

“Run and fi—”

The tape cuts off here. The recorder was retrieved by forensics, along with the remains of Lance Corporal Cam Polsky, Sapper Kasavin Rigel, and Signaller Anna Andrej. The circumstances surrounding their deaths are classified.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of Satelite Flower Agency advertisement #47

SaFloAnnounce0047:

Up here, we know how tough finding that one perfect present for that one perfect someone can be. Don’t worry about feeling disheartened at the sight of our thousands of rows of hand-crafted flowers. All you need to do is bring a lock of his or her hair and we’ve got you covered. We know how to impress, so you don’t have to. That’s the Satelite Flower Agency’s guarantee.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of tape recording #18 — Interrogation of Victor Damascus, survivor of Liberty Bell

“All at once, the lights in the safe-zone failed. At first, there was an uneasy silence between us. Nobody dared make a move in fear of gettin’ gunned down by one of the opposing Corporation hitmen. We knew that if anyone made a wrong move, we’d all be mowed down. E’ry last one of us.

“But then, it weren’t just the lights that went dark. No, our equipment crapped out too. Anything powered. Those new Laser-Dampeners to good old, tried and true, manual rifles. Eun-ha, her damned contacts even went black. Couldn’t see for shit. I think she was one of the first to go. Couldn’t have done nothin’ about it.

“See, one asshole’s heart was bein’ kept beating by a machine. When the lights died, they brought him along for the ride. He was moanin’ and cryin’ and prayin’ to live. And it gave us all the excuse we needed. Next thing you know, and we’ve got a bloodbath on our hands. We all thought someone else had sabotaged us, cut the lights in the safe-zone to get the upper hand. Either way, we were at it. Flower fucker took my finger with him. Must’ve been a small knife. All I know is he let his presence be known, ‘cause he ain’t alive no longer.

“Even those who weren’t ready to fight weren’t safe. Couldn’t see a thing, so there was no way out. No way to distinguish between ourselves. When we got a glimpse of the damage later on, the plaza was littered with kids. Goddamn kids. They weren’t involved in our mess. They weren’t even a part of the Corporate system yet. Had no patches on their sleeves.

“Is that enough yet? I been replayin’ that scene in my head ever since, and now you assholes want to dig in there and see it too. Ain’t nothin’ new you don’t already know. And I seen you drag Olson over here too. He don’t know nothin’ either. He hasn’t known nothin’ for twenty years. Leave the man alone. He ain’t gonna talk about the Liberty Bell. Hell, I’m done talkin’ too. I suppose we got what was comin’ to us.”

The subject, Victor Damascus, also drew a representation of the body he observed, which we have scanned and is displayed below:

Victor Damascus

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of The Merensky/Cobalt Security Company advertisement #0451

NoSecRecording0451:

Looking for work? The Merensky/Cobalt Security Company is looking for anybody willing to put up a fight. Want to tour the world? The Merensky/Cobalt Security Company offers thousands of work destinations. Are you, or do you want to be, in the best shape of your life? The Merensky/Cobalt Security Company offers free, on-site training grounds so that you can lift any weight off of your shoulders. What are you waiting for?

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of data mined from the Body’s conscious after the events of Liberty Bell

“Why are all of the bodies bleeding? Why don’t they move?” the body questions. “Did they do this to themselves?”

He lumbers forward, careful to avoid landing on any of the pointed buildings jutting out from the ground. Below him, those who had managed to survive whatever had occurred before he arrived organise and hide themselves under anything they can find. They scramble in the darkness under the cover of unlit neon signs, into walls, and into each other. Only through constant communication do they manage to get away from the shadow that looms over them. The shapeless body topples walls and crushes everything that finds itself the misfortune of falling beneath.

“What is all of this? Why does it hurt when I land on them? Why do they stop crying after I’ve passed?”

His body continues slowly forward until the lights, without warning, switch themselves back on. Below, everyone looks at one another and then stares up at him. Nobody blinks.

“Whatever had happened here, it seems like they’ve gotten over it.”

The people around him wave each other over, shaking hands, ripping the patches from their clothes. Each of them holds at least one small, shiny object in their hands. All of them point at him. One figure on a tower above everybody else lets out a cry, signals his hand forward, and instantly bombards the enemy with pain. Blood pours from him. From wounds so small he can’t make them out.

“What is this?” wonders the body. “What is this feeling?”

Overwhelmed by pain, the body topples forward, crushing everything ahead. Can’t see anything but the black dust that’s kicked up into his vision. His back stings from the continuing bombardment behind. Mind wandering. Can’t focus. Can’t scream.

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of Quicklight Incorporated advertisement #8

QL8A:

Those MINIMUM Company scum got you feeling down? They gun down the neighbours dog you loved so much? Don’t worry, Quicklight Incorporated’s got you covered! Stroll on down to any one of our fine offices downtown today and find something that’ll really pack a punch. Show them who’s really the boss around here with our new Quick-Firing XA1 Portable Laser-Launcher. Kill those fuckers for us, alright?

\\\ \\\ \|/ /// ///

Transcript of Anderson Cole’s tri-diary — 32 years prior to Liberty Bell

According to the Oracle, after the defeat of the monstrous invader hellbent on destroying humanity, they would all be free. The invader that destroyed their precious city would lie there for years as a reminder of the threat that had once loomed over them. Of the time they’d all pulled together to kill a common threat. According to the Oracle, the start of a new age.

Anderson kicked his way out of her tent, heading off into a nearby alley. He stood under a pulsating blue neon sign advertising Coriander, the new spice that had recently hit the streets and managed to get everybody hooked. If he still bore the Enforcer badge, he might care to raid the establishment and put the vendors under lock and key. They didn’t need his aim anymore. Still, potential buyers that knew of his past often turned heel if they caught him looking at them for too long. Soon, the area would clear completely.

He dug into his left pocket, fishing around until he hooked what he’d wanted. Lifting his fingers up to his mouth, his inhalation followed shortly after by an exhale of glowing pink smoke. He sighed and threw it back into his pocket when Gleeson appeared next to him. As always, Gleeson had managed to stay clean. Not a trace of anything on her. A wonder how she could walk through the inner ring of the city without getting hit by a trace of something.

“What’d you find, Anderson?” Gruff.

“Nothing. Just some apocalypse crap.”

“Can’t even rely on the goddamned Oracles to tell us what’s going on anymore. What’s this world coming to.”

“I did my job, I’m paid either way.” Anderson sneered.

Gleeson pulled open her coat revealing rows of stuffed pockets and took out the first card she felt. “Two passes should do.”

“What am I supposed to do with two passes? Even here, a cheap lunch costs ten.”

“Then next time you’ll get me the information I need.” she finished coldly.

Anderson grabbed the passes from Gleeson’s gloved hand and trudged off back toward the lighted streets of the inner ring of the city. He quietly stuffed the passes into his back pocket along with the other one’s he’d brought with him. About fifty now. He eyed a black market liquor store and set his course straight towards it.

“I’ll take a number two, and a number three.” He announced to the register as the doors slid open.

“Great choices, sir. That’ll come to 32 passes,” cheerfully rang the machine.

He laid the passes on the counter in front of him, counted them out, and scanned them in. The shelf behind him pushed the bottles he’d ordered forward, and they tumbled onto a padded landing on the floor. Anderson bent down and took his prizes back outside, hiding them under his coat as he passed under a Capitol Currency sign. One of the last black markets left in business anymore. Soon, it would be gone too. He’d be stuck buying that white SnowBrand shit soon enough. The citizens of the city would need to start stocking up on the good stuff before the Enforcers got hold of it.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse