Cody back again: Thanks Nick and Martin. And Martin, good point about the stink ant. Dr. Cole’s been on a few runs with the supply teams, and while they go off for food, medicine, and equipment, she hits the libraries. She’s putting together an extensive collection of papers describing how various insects, even animals, can exhibit complex behaviors that are induced by a disease organism. Of course, that’s just one aspect of whatever’s causing this. She’d much rather solve the mysteries of the fungal mounds and that “shared awareness” ability first.
Here’s the latest from the Rock.
MISSING ASTRONAUTS
Nothing new to report right now. We’re all standing by for the new comm window that’ll open up in two days at 22:41
Until then, confidence remains high that the astronauts are making their way on foot toward Twin Falls, Idaho. All survivors in the area, be on the lookout.
ALPHA TEAM
Sergeant DiMarco and his teams are closing in on Colonel Manwary and Alpha team!
They proceeded as scheduled from the site of the collapsed bridge and arrived in the small town of Barry on June 20. Have to admit there was growing concern at the Rock when we didn’t get a radio report that day. Turns out Barry’s in a low point in a hilly region and radio transmission and reception is spotty, especially with the increased solar flare activity.
But, we did get a report back on the 21st, after DiMarco sent a radio team to high ground. Here’s what we know.
Colonel Manwary and his team did arrive in Barry to search for the survivors at the Knight’s grocery store. It’s one of the twenty or so buildings in Barry, which is more of an intersection than a town. There was an Army issue ammunition box tied to the doors of the grocery store. Inside was a handwritten field report from the Colonel.
The report says that Alpha team encountered approximately fifty infected gathered outside the grocery store. Inside, the survivors were out of ammunition and were down to their last three more days’ worth of food and water. (For the past two months, they’d been making regular foraging runs because there were only a handful of local Infected. But in the past two weeks, more of them began arriving every day, converging on the grocery store. Same thing’s happening around the Rock.)
Alpha team eliminated the Infected, and rescued all twelve survivors. Then came the really important news.
Four of the survivors reported seeing a plane land two days before the Colonel arrived! Turns out there’s a private air field about five miles from Barry that hasn’t been used for years. That’s why it’s not on the Colonel’s topo maps. (Once they knew where to look, the techs at the Rock pinpointed it in their bank of satellite images.)
The survivors said they heard a plane approach from the east, and scrambled up to the roof to wave towels at it. No one could say what type of plane it was, but all agreed it was large with four engines. They also said they couldn’t identify any distinctive airline colors or markings. One survivor said that because it seemed to be a single drab color, he thought it was a military aircraft. That same survivor also confirmed he could see the landing wheels deployed and the aircraft descending.
The Colonel split his team at that point. Half of Alpha team stayed behind to repair and fuel an old school bus the survivors had been using for supply runs until too many Infected had gathered. The other half accompanied the Colonel to scout the airfield. Unfortunately, the road was blocked with trucks. The report says they were arranged deliberately, and reminded the Colonel of the roadblock incident of a few months back.
Rather than remain in place for the several days it would take to clear the road, with no guarantee there wouldn’t be additional roadblocks farther along, the Colonel decided to take an alternate route to the airfield. Apparently, the gas station in Barry still had considerable reserves, so the schoolbus of survivors joined the convoy.
The Colonel ended his report by listing a schedule of times he’ll attempt to make contact with the Rock, and the frequencies he’ll use. We’re listening, and as soon as he makes contact, I’ll upload all the details here.
Now the latest updates from the G.R.I.D.
RELAY STATION ALPHA
We’ve heard again from a survivor group about fifty miles north of New York City. Last update, they provided transcripts of radio intercepts that raised more questions than they answered. But the transcripts did suggest there’s an organized military force operating near them. Very encouraging.
Here’s the report:
Falcon Rock, this is Station Alpha, Kragoth Sarkozy operating.Cody here: I’ve run your intel past Captain Gil and she has some more questions for you. Have to say I feel like the middleman relaying messages between two people who seem to know a lot more than I do.
James is off comms duty right now - he and Cryss have headed out on a foraging run, and I expect them back in about two hours. However, before he left, he told me about getting in contact with you folks, and your request for further information on the stuff he saw and heard - particularly the transports and the "Ripley Protocol" transmission.
I saw the helos myself. Thing is, I saw them about five hours after James did, and - at the time - I didn't know that they'd originated elsewhere.
See, there used to be a National Guard base in Kingston. When I saw them, they were headed north, so I thought the base was still operational and they were sending people somewhere - maybe Albany, maybe Coxsackie, maybe Saratoga. I didn't think much of it, except that it meant there were more survivors and they were doing something fairly big.
But now I'm wondering - if they came south first, maybe they were headed for the old NG base in Kingston for supplies, or maybe to one of the shopping plazas nearby. If people had managed to get up on the roofs, they'd be fairly safe. Sure, they'd have to deal with exposure and possibly frostbite, but they wouldn't have to worry too much about the infected.
And about the transmissions - we don't have any equipment to accurately measure the transmissions we picked up. However, the recordings we made of the conversation between Zero Five and Black One were fairly clear and of decent volume - on the classic scale, I'd rank it a three on signal strength and four on signal clarity.
The 2X2L/SFF1 transmission was staticky, and it came in on shortwave band 2 around the old WBCQ frequency (7415-7420 kilohertz), and pretty faint compared to the Zero Five one. I don't know what this whole Sea Base One thing is myself, but judging by the comments about rain and wind and weather, I'd think it's either a large ship anchored somewhere or possibly a facility akin to the old British sea forts - I don't know if you remember the old "Principality of Sealand", but that micronation was based on an old British sea fort, so Sea Base One might be something similar. I'd rate it a two on both strength and clarity.
The final one - Mark 5-9/Delta Bravo - was actually the best of the lot. Very clear and quite loud - I'd rate it four by five. Sounded like they were using high-level gear - either that, or they were pretty close by. Neither James nor Cryss felt or heard anything after the transmission, but I was out near Arkville with Lilith, and we heard a faint rumbling coming from the north about half an hour after that transmission was recorded. It sounded like a rockslide to us - there are some heavily scree-laden slopes in the area - but now that I think about it, it might have been something else.
I don't know how helpful this information is - a lot of it is subjective, I'm afraid - but if it helps you figure out any of the mysteries you've encountered out there, well, I'm glad to have been of assistance. All of us here at Station Alpha are.
And if we pick up anything else unusual, we'll definitely pass it on.
Sincerely yours,
Kragoth Sarkozy
First question from the Captain: Are you – or were you – part of a military unit?
Second, re transcript #2: Was there any other radio chatter at that time which you didn’t include because you didn’t consider it anomalous? Specifically, are you – or were you – in contact with station designate 8X3R?
Third, re the “faint rumbling” that might or might not be associated with the “Ripley Protocol,” were there any concurrent lighting effects? Radio static or other phenomena that might be suggestive of EMP?
Other than that, keep up the fight. And keep us up to date on any new helo sightings or radio chatter about “Sea Base One.” There’s got to be another C.O.G. facility operating somewhere!
BROKEN BOW
Another survivor group heard from! More and more every day.
Here, Shawn comes up with a good idea for another of Dr. Cole’s experiments.
CJ,Cody back: Thanks Shawn. Good idea for a new experiment. The possibility of finding a way to “jam” their shared awareness would give us a much needed edge.
Broken Bow, Nebraska. 29 survivors. Currently we occupy a couple of underground houses in town. We may attempt to travel to USMARC former Naval Munitions Dump and connect up with survivors there. Still some bunkers and secured, or securable, buildings there as well as a replenishable and relatively secure food supply.
If the Infected can use power lines for communication, can they also use them to detect activity in houses? Have any experiments been tried to determine if the "shared awareness" is tied to a specific frequency thus allowing jamming of this awareness? Or is such experimentation just too dangerous at this time? We do not currently have sufficient facilities for such observations.
We have yet to see any of the symbols of the Pastor’s church, nor have we seen helmeted Infected, but this may be due to our relative remoteness, lack of suitable helmets, or we are just lucky.
Shawn
Once all our SAR teams are back at the Rock, we’ll be able to round up some test subjects for Dr. Cole’s powerline tests. Maybe we can try some jamming experiments at the same time. Watch for more reports.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Most of the survivor groups who check in with us here at the Rock have adopted a siege strategy: They’ve found a defensible location, fortified it, and venture out only for supplies.
But one team from D.C. has adopted another approach. Some of the military personnel at the Rock didn’t want me to post this report. They’re worried it might encourage other groups to do what this group’s doing – constantly move from place to place.
So here’s a warning to everyone who’s in a safe and fortified location: The D.C. team have military training, so they can do this. Civilians should not attempt it.
In other words, Kids, don’t try this at home.
This is going to be a bit of a long message, so bear with me.Cody again: We’ve been getting several requests from survivor groups who are thinking of flying to a position close to Falcon Rock. Especially since there are no safe road approaches at this time. It’s become pretty obvious the past month or so that there are groups of Infected that know where we are, and they’re attempting to block all access, in and out.
First, thanks for the mention in your last update on the G.R.I.D. We have been wanting to send a update to you for sometime now, but it has been hard to find a reliable connection to get on the G.R.I.D.
I've been based in Washington DC since this thing began. When I saw what was happening, I started to stockpile supplies and weapons to try and make a last stand. Unfortunately I could only convince a handful of my most trusted friends to join me, though at the time of this message, there's only myself and two others. But we have been smart enough to make it so far. We have decided to forgo building a single strong fortified location, and have been moving from place to place about every week or so and have been able to avoided any large swarm of them for the last several months.
The Code Red reference that you mentioned was my old handle from back when I was in the SEALs. I believe that the reason we have made it this far is because of my training. But we have a dilemma on our hands. We are very confident that we can make it to the Rock. We have enough supplies, weapons and vehicles that would give us a very good chance of making it. We have already scratched going by car or truck. The major highways are far too congested, not to mention that gas and diesel have become harder and harder to find and the grabber from the cars are really bad in this area. We lost quite a few people to them, when people turned inside their cars. They don’t seem to have the brainpower to release the safety belt and open the door, but some have managed to break the glass windows and when you get near the car they will start to grab for people. I have seen many friends get dragged into cars and infected.
Our options are by sea and air. I can command almost any vessel that can float and I'm also a helicopter pilot, and one of my team can pilot small planes, military transports, and helicopters, too, which I know you need pilots for with your stockpile of them at the Rock. We are leaning towards flying close to the Rock, landing and either try to find a helicopter to take us the rest of the way, or try and get a team from the Rock to come and escort us back. Our main concern with that is that it will be a one-way trip. If we get there and find that the runways are blocked we will have to bail out, or ditch in the ocean. Then we’re in deep you-know-what.
The other option is going by water, but this may have more problems then going by air. We will not have to worry about attacks too much if other survivor accounts are correct, but unless we get a very large boat that can sail for over 25 days without having to be refueled, that plan is going to be scrapped because we don't want to risk having to stop and refuel every 4 to 5 days. The other big problem is that we do not know how far from the coast the Rock is.
If you can advise local landing strips that can support a mid-size transport and are close to the Rock, please send coordinates and whether or not you can confirm that they’re secure and if we would be able to get an escort to the Rock.
Something that we have been noticing is an apparent pattern to how they move and where they go. We have seen them moving almost in rank and in a close rhythm like how soldiers would march.
Please send us advice and some more info.
Ray (Code Red), Matt and Brianna. We are Alive!!!
If you can get here by helicopter, we’ve got a landing pad in the compound surrounding the main blast door. And yes, we can definitely use qualified helo pilots.
As for fixed-wing aircraft, as of this date, we have no nearby landing facilities that’ve been cleared. However, that might change when the Colonel gets back from Barry.
For now, the specialists here suggest you don’t attempt to reach Oregon by boat. We can guarantee you that the Panama Canal is no longer functioning, so you’re looking at a months-long voyage around South America. Unless you have a fully fueled and supplied freighter, that’s not recommended.
However, if you do manage to get access to a helo, even if it doesn’t have the range to get you to the Rock, there are a lot of people here who’re eager to draw up mission plans for you to check out the Pentagon, the White House, and – most importantly, they tell me – Site R, aka Raven Rock.
Stand by for the latest from Colonel Manwary.
MISSING SURVIVORS
For the past few months, we’ve been getting encouraging updates from three separate groups of survivors in England. Unfortunately, one of them has gone off the G.R.I.D.
Here’s the latest from the groups still in contact with us.
Sowerby Bridge
Hi Cody,
It's good to hear you're okay and fingers crossed for Colonel Manwary. Thanks for the mention in the onsite report. In times like this it's good to hear that there is somebody else out there and somebody willing to listen to what we have to say.
It's still quiet here, I suppose I should be thankful for that though I have witnessed a group massing under a stretch of powerline that runs down the main street here in the town. Should I consider it ironic that it was opposite a funeral parlour?
Let me know how the experiments go, I'm all ears.
Stay Safe,
Nick
News from the Castle
Hi
It's been getting very hectic over there at the Castle since my last message, so I'm going to have to be quick this time. First of James in London's "Pastor sighting" is probably not the same Pastor that you have been dealing with, but could be more worryingly some one else working to the same goals (a missionary of the Pastor?).
After getting your last transmission about the radio signal you received about the Pastor/Fungal mound it reminded me about a bit I had read in a book titled THE NEW CONFESSIONS, by my fellow countryman William Boyd. The Castle has a remarkably complete library and I found it again. Here’s the passage that came to mind:
“As I go I think about something I read once, about a certain kind of ant - a stink ant that lives on the floor of the West African forest. This ant goes about its ant business on the ground in an unremarkable way. It does not know the curious and bizarre fate nature has in store for it. For in these forests there is a particular type of arboreal fungus that flourishes at the top of the great forest trees. At certain times this fungus releases its millions of spores into the air. They blow here and there, driven by softest breezes, eventually coming to rest somewhere on the ground. Some of these spores fall, by the law of averages, onto animals and reptiles and some on crawling insects. They are quite harmless except for one species: our stink ant. This minute fungus spore falls on the stink ant and is absorbed into its ant system. It drives the ant mad. Remember the stink ant's habitat is the ground, but the lethal poison of the fungus spore engenders in it the sudden desire to climb. So the stink ant, for the first and last time in its life, leaves the ground and begins to ascend. It climbs up and up, higher and higher, until it can climb no more. There, at the very top of the tree. It sinks its mandibles into the ultimate twig and abruptly dies. Inside the dead ant the fungus peacefully grows, nourished by the ant meat, warmed by top of the tree. The ant is consumed and a new fungus is born.”
I don't know if our problems work in a similar way as those ants, but it could be.
As for what's been happening over here, the Infected's attacks are becoming more regular and with more of them each time. From before the first attack when we only saw one lone Infected every few weeks, we now get one attack wave every week. They know we are here! There has been talk by some of the members of our sanctuary about leaving, that the walls off the castle will be the walls of our tomb. But most still feel safe as we have still not lost anyone to them.
Must go, they are back!!!!! Hope to hear from you soon.
Martin Baker
By now it should be obvious that the missing survivor from England is James. He and his team sent us solid reports from London, actually made it into 10 Downing Street, and were going to drive north to what might be a British Continuity of Government facility in Scotland.
But it’s been weeks since we’ve had any contact from James or any member of his team, so we’re growing concerned.
Nick and Martin, if you have radio capability, listen for any transmissions that might be coming from James. Maybe he hasn’t been able to access the G.R.I.D. after leaving London. Heck, maybe he even found a plane and is drinking piña coladas on some tropical island. Whatever’s happened, James, everyone at the Rock is pulling for you. Hope to hear from you soon.
QUICK NOTES
Can’t respond to all the messages that are flooding in each day, but every one of them’s being read and passed around to the command staff. Keep ’em coming!
In the meantime, a few quick answers to a few quick questions:
Konic, Jarod, Matt, Michelle, JR, Stel, Finder, King One, G. Preston, all five Bills, and about a hundred others – Keep checking back. We should have those channel frequencies soon.
Brian in Miami – Hey, I’ve already got a page there. Join my friends!
Dave – Nice ride! An armored guy here says those things can hit about 45 mph on open ground, so what’s your twenty? Any idea how long it would take you to get here? Dr. Cole says it’s just what she needs to go shopping.
That’s all the access time I have this round. Next time, I should have the latest on the astronauts, and more from Colonel Manwary. We’ve also been getting some detailed reports from Kansas that everyone needs to see.
Stay safe. Share what you know.
We’ll talk again.
CJ
