RPC-099

Registered Phenomena Code: 099

Object Class: Gamma-Orange

Hazard Types:Additional Properties:

Aggression

Ballistic

Climatological

Geological

Grouped

Invisibility

Psychotronic

Sapient

Sentient

Transmutation

Bio-Hazard

Contact

Corrosive

Electromagnetic Force

Explosive

Extreme Temperature

Radiation

Toxic

Destabilization

Extra-Dimensional

Gravitational

Teleportation

Temporal

Auditory

Emotional

Ideological

Info-Hazard

Memory Alteration

Mind-Control

Mind-Regression

Sensory

Visual

Animated

Aquatic

Ecological

Extra-Terrestrial

Immeasurable

Incorporeal

Mechanical

Microscopic

Organic

Regenerative

Titanic

Tychokinetic

Replicating

Newtonian

Ontological

Divine

Hallucinogen

High Velocity

Proto-Mechanical

Proto-Newtonian

Proto-Sapient

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Containment Protocols:

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RPC-099-A's area of effect has, as of 2/21/2021, been measured to extend throughout the entire Lunar mantle and across the Lunar surface to a height of approximately 500 metres. The prospects of further expansion of the anomaly following Incident RPC-099-14 have been deemed unlikely, as RPC-099-1 appears to be unable to penetrate further into the lunar exosphere.

Fig.1: Anoptic filtered image of the lunar Southern Hemisphere, with the Haworth Crater region highlighted. Observable Celantur¹ concentrations are believed to denote areas heavily contaminated by RPC-099-1.

Members of Site-019 and Site-099's staff are to be screened bi-weekly for traces of RPC-099's memetic influences. Additionally, Site-099 staff are not permitted within 100 metres of the remains of the now-defunct Site-099-ARC mining facility without proper clearance and PPE.² All direct observation and exploration operations of the former site must be done as remotely as possible. All personnel assigned to these areas must be issued up to two 1000 mcg/ml L-prosectide vials for intramuscular injection in the event they come into contact with an instance of RPC-099-1.

RPC-099-A is currently contained within the lunar cave systems beneath Site-099-ARC. Although accurate mapping of these tunnels has been deemed impossible due to the spatial nature of the anomaly, RPC-099-A is believed to extend to a depth of approximately 229 kilometres into the Lunar mantle. Access to the cave systems must be restricted whenever possible, and on-site ASF personnel have been authorized the use of force to achieve this. All permanent and transitional personnel stationed on a landed AEDF vessel or the lunar surface proper must be briefed on the dangers associated and probable likelihood of anomalous incursion these sub-lunar constructs pose.

The dimensional rift RPC-099-A represents poses a significant danger to the entire AEDF and the Authority's interplanetary operations. Further destabilization and possible collapse have been deemed a Black-level high-priority risk. Following the destruction of the AEDFS Kaiser Wilhelm, Uniform-01, the Prometheus Primogenitus, and members of ProLab have been tasked with the closure or destruction of the rift by whatever means possible.

► Interplanetary Operations Memetic Risks Briefing ◄

Memetic Risks Briefing: RPC-099-A

The lunar Sites are the primary docking and staging location for the majority of the AEDF fleet. All personnel assigned to these critical locations must be able to quickly identify the memetic effects of RPC-099-A, colloquially referred to as "Moon Madness".

"Moon Madness" affects most individuals in several varied ways - many of which can masquerade as symptoms of other mental illnesses. As such, diagnoses of memetic infection are not entirely accurate. All staff should be cognizant of the core signs of early influence:

• Repetition of seemingly random words or phrases, without awareness of having done so.
• Vivid nightmares.
• Loss of time, specifically confusion as to the current date.
• Coughing fits resulting in eventual COPD.³
• Schizophrenic tendencies and violent outbursts.

Failure to report and treat⁴ individuals exhibiting said early signs of RPC-099-A's memetic effects, no matter how serious, has the potential for catastrophic ramifications to both site personnel and extra-lunar operations.

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Description:

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RPC-099 is the collective designation for a currently immeasurable reality coherency vacuum within the upper lunar mantle and its subsequent heterogeneous effects. RPC-099-A represents the AC singularity and its area of memetic influence; RPC-099-1 represents a Celantur "low-level" interdimensional ecosystem theorized to originate from the singularity.

RPC-099-A's immediate proximity is characterized by a series of rapid radical fluctuations in local reality coherency– currently anywhere from 0.5 to 4.7 on the Anderson Coherency Scale. Consequently, all current personal reality coherency stabilization apparatuses have proven useless within the lower sections of the anomaly's tunnel system. Based on extrapolated data from microscale reality vacuum collapse events triggered by RPC-███ and several repurposed explosive yield formulas initially proposed by Enrico Fermi,⁵ the near-instant destabilization and collapse of RPC-099-A would result in an explosive energy release equivalent to ██ megatons of TNT or ███ PJ.

It has been hypothesized, based on the unique traits exhibited by RPC-099-A and RPC-099-1 respectively, that both aspects of the anomaly act in tandem to trigger the onset of the Moon Madness phenomenon. Two operating hypotheses for this dual functionality are currently being studied by the Authority;

1. RPC-099-1 has begun to contaminate the entirety of the lunar atmosphere at a molecular level.⁶
2. RPC-099-1 is a by-product of an active sub-dimensional entropic invasion.

The Global Directorate has allocated additional funding to the AEDF to explore and address these hypotheses.

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Discovery and Exploration:

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Fig.2: Fungus-like growth found on regolithic wall surface during the second expedition into the RPC-099 tunnel system, as viewed through an anoptic filtered camera

Immediately following Incident RPC-099-13 and the disappearance of Junior Systems Engineer Dirwang Chatraparthi into the newly-opened tunnels beneath Site-099-ARC, an investigation was launched by Site Director and Lead Astronomer Robert Khan, under the direct oversight of GD-SCHOL. Site-019 head structural engineers Mark Lentz and Emily Gonzalez expressed concerns about the dangers posed by the increasing number of localized moonquakes occurring within the Haworth Crater area. Upgrades and expedited maintenance on the Site-099 seismograph network installed along the slopes of Malapert Massif were therefore requested, due to fears of a potential tunnel collapse.

Dr. Aldous Merodak was removed from extended probation on Site-019 and transferred back to Site-099-ARC due to his expertise and extensive knowledge of the previous RPC-099 area, gained during joint experimentation performed on-site with Dr. Maria Sylvius from 2013-2019.

A total of two expeditions were undertaken into the 099 tunnels. Captain Nigel Rowley, a renowned Equinas Aureale⁷ veteran, was chosen to lead the operation with Dr. Merodak and Dr. Farange serving as consultants. Following Rowley's death, Dr. Merodak assumed command of the operation - instigating the course of events that directly resulted in the creation of RPC-099-A.

► Access RPC:/099/expedition/-001.txt ◄

UNREDACTED 6 MARCH 2021

See Attached: RPC-099 Expedition I Full Mission Logs

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Captain: Nigel Rowley
Head Consultants: Dr. Aldous Merodak, Dr. Nina Farange
RSS personnel: Sgt. Tyler Neyergel, Sgt. Blake Timoat, Sgt. Samuel Hash, Cpl. Brian Eanki (Protection), Jr. Researcher Emily Tuus (Viderics expert), Jr. Researcher Marguerite Schmidt (Seismology technician)

Having completed our initial exploration into the RPC-099 tunnel system, we have returned with very little by way of a consistent explanation on the anomaly's operations. All 9 members of the expedition were in full long-term lunar exploration suits, Dr. Merodak and myself carrying the portable AECRs typical for local-area observations in the field. We conducted detailed coherency analyses every 4 hours, the logs of which are appended to this document. At no point were there any signs of Mr. Chatraparthi's presence.

Within minutes of entering the tunnels, all members of the expedition detected the distinct "misting" or "hazing" at the edges of our fields of vision that are consistent with a slight reduction in local Coherency. Fortunately, at no point did we encounter the more hazardous spatial or temporal distortions which are often associated with low-coherency spaces.

Several members of the group, myself included, experienced intense night terrors and infrequent but similar auditory hallucinations of varying severity. Dr. Farange has notified me that hallucinations of this nature are not consistent with other low Coherency spaces. I could swear it almost felt alive - personal, even. None of us were able to clearly identify what we had dreamed about, or what the faint whispers were screaming.

The tunnel network demonstrates a spiral fractal pattern that certainly does not align with presently explained natural or geological phenomena on Luna — nor do its branching, recursive paths indicate any obvious sign of artificial construction. We frequently found ourselves doubling back onto passages we had traversed days before; there are few sharp corners in the tunnels, but no end of long, barely-noticeable curves.

Fortunately, the radio transceiver beacons we placed at regular intervals, combined with the deployment of several automated rovers, ensured that we were generally able to keep our bearings.

The tunnel walls were almost uniformly composed of heavily compacted, polished regolith, with a spiraling scalloped pattern consistent with the general fractal shape of the larger network. We encountered frequent deposits of a viscous, sap-like substance leaking from cracks or fissures in said pattern, of which we collected several samples for analysis upon our return to Site-099.

On the 11th day of the expedition, we were swarmed by thousands of hair-like worms, erupting from fissures in the tunnel walls and ceiling without warning. All of us have noted that the tearing or ripping motions they made have stuck with us since the experience. They seemed to be endless, in both quantity and length. Our hand weapons did nothing. Luckily, they couldn't break through our suit seals or harm us— an uneasy stalemate. Regardless, they were dense enough that any further exploration would prove fruitless. We could only retreat.

It took two days to make it back to the surface by the most direct route, and we were constantly blocked by boluses of worms. They ate at our tracks, came at random intervals, disappearing into the shadows without a trace every time. Every time they attacked the auditory hallucinations, which we all experienced as whispering, became stronger. We weren't sure whether the rovers or beacons were knocked off the network or outright destroyed. I fear the worst.

The moment we exited the sealed tunnels, our pursuers immediately retreated, leaving no trace of their presence. None of us experienced the loud screams or "ripping" sounds that previous witnesses to movement in the tunnels have reported. Thankfully, no serious physical injuries, but I suspect that we were all more shaken by the experience than we'd care to admit.

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Post-Mission Addendum
Dr. Aldous Merodak

Analysis of fluid samples from the tunnel walls provided any number of chemical mysteries for us to unravel; the substance is a thick, brown-black liquid with a pH and odour not dissimilar to acetic acid. Structurally, it appears to be a suspension of primarily iron molecules in water, though with a variety of unidentifiable trace elements.

The structure of the suspended molecules is what truly caught our attention; even at the molecular level, this substance is fractal, with interlocking iron and ruthenium atoms forming a graceful series of loops and circles.⁸

At Dr. Sylvius' suggestion, we both experimented with several doses of Leptosiderine viderics but were unable to discern any changes in the contents of one of the sample vials. Dr. Sylvius' assistant Emily Tuus suggested the use of Prosectide, and with our approval self-administered a small 15mcg dose. Within 3 minutes she reported seeing movement and fractal patterns within the chemicals in the vial and reported that the liquid was full of moving filaments or 'worms'.

Against our recommendations, she picked up the vial to examine it more closely, and immediately dropped it, screaming that the worms were "in her hand".

We initially assumed that she was experiencing a negative reaction to the Prosectide, but during the cleanup process, she began coughing violently and repeating the phrase "A God in me in me a God." She also demonstrated an apparent hypersensitivity to cold, complaining constantly that the medical bay was not warm enough. When questioned about this, she responded by accusing me of lying before attempting to bludgeon me with a bunsen burner. Her behavior quickly became more erratic and violent, and her speech increasingly incoherent. Thankfully RSS personnel were on standby; she was restrained and tranquilized before she could deal any lasting damage.

We performed a thorough physical analysis on Ms. Tuus; even under sedation, she continues to cough and attempt to scratch at her skin.⁹ After several hours under she began to vomit uncontrollably, the contents of her stomach riddled with hair-like worms not dissimilar to the ones we encountered in the tunnels. Thankfully, they appear to have died immediately upon contact with the air on-site.

We've confined her to one of the medical bay's isolation chambers. The possibility of more extensive memetic or biological contamination left unchecked troubles me deeply. I've destroyed the remaining samples. To minimize the risk of further spread, I've ordered the Kaiser Wilhelm to cancel their landing plans. Until we can understand what we're dealing with, and what happened to Tuus, I don't want anyone else entering or leaving the area. To leave lives up to fate, to chance — that is not something I am willing to risk. Fate, on the other hand…¹⁰

Following Dr. Merodak's orders, the Kaiser Wilhelm remained in low polar orbit over Site-099 to respond in case of emergency. Dr. Merodak recommended to LLC that Site-099 be quarantined until further tunnel expeditions could be completed.

► Access RPC:/099/expedition/-002.txt ◄

UNREDACTED 6 MARCH 2021

See Attached: RPC-099 Expedition II Full Mission Logs

Note: The following document was transmitted by Dr. Merodak on the 10th day of Expedition II, along with several hundred megabytes of badly-corrupted digital images and sound files, and several files labelled "Full Mission Logs" which were found to contain only repetitions of the word "MERRU."

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Captain: Nigel Rowley Dr. Aldous Merodak
Head Consultants: Dr. Nina Farange
RSS personnel: Sgt. Tyler Neyergel, Sgt. Blake Timoat, Sgt. Samuel Hash, Cpl. Brian Eanki (Protection), Jr. Researcher Marguerite Schmidt (Seismology technician)

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With the tragic death of Mr. Rowley, I have assumed command of all subsequent RPC-099 exploration. This videric-assisted exploration of the tunnels has provided us with a wealth of new data, and I feel that we're closer than ever to understanding the nature of RPC-099. We can also positively confirm the fate of the 1969 expedition.

Given the immediate results afforded by the interaction between Prosectide viderics and the RPC-099 phenomenon, I recommended to Mr. Rowley that our second expedition be conducted under the influence of a constant low-dosage drip of Prosectide, administered at intervals infrequent enough to minimize the risk of side effects. Dr. Farange expressed her displeasure with this course of action, but upon further discussion, it became apparent to Mr. Rowley and me that her objections were derived more from a fear of RPC-099 than any serious scientific qualms.

All members of the expedition team were fitted with suit auto-injectors, maintaining a regular dosage of 21 mcg of Prosectide every 6 hours. Within moments of entry, we began to notice substantial changes to the tunnel network.

When viewed under the influence of Viderics, RPC-099 is not merely a fractal tunnel system; it is an incredibly dense alien ecosystem slightly out of sync with conventional reality. This nonnative ecosystem is visibly "superimposed" over the previously-empty tunnels. It quickly became clear that what we had once prematurely assumed to be caves or passages in the rock were actually an extensive semitransparent network of fluid cavities that seem analogous to mycelial hyphae in terms of function - though we have encountered no fruiting bodies, surficial or otherwise, that imply the usage of spores for reproduction. Smaller threadlike fractal structures appear to be embedded into the walls of the greater "hyphae" (for lack of a better term), growing and withering at extraordinarily accelerated rates.

The fractal pattern extends to a degree we had not previously understood; the hyphae themselves grow 'roots' outward, that subdivide and split until they are of the same fineness as the worms; it may be that the tunnels are themselves merely the physical extensions of the worms on a large enough scale.

I opted to observe the growth rates during one rest period, driving a marker flag into a chink in the tunnel wall. Within the hour, over half of the marker was covered in the spiraling fractal patterns. It took the help of SGTs Neyergel and Hash to extract the marker from the wall afterward - the spiraling biomass continued to grow and develop separately from the host for five hours following extraction, after which it shriveled up and disintegrated. Strange hook-shaped tooth-like structures had grown around the body of the marker, and caused deep scrapes in the metal when it was removed. Dr. Farange hypothesizes that the intensely coiled morphology of these structures is likely a highly-evolved function of the greater 'supercolony' to maximize surface contact with potential sources of nutrients.

The hair-like worms we found in the fluid samples are present nearly everywhere, but are not strictly speaking a life-form in and of themselves; rather, they seem to be a conducive medium, the substance through which the other, more complex forms of life in the tunnels move. Visualize, if you will, an ocean composed of densely-packed crystalline hair-worms, the space between each worm being occupied by an infinitesimal number of smaller worms. Never doubt the worm.

Further on in the tunnels, we uncovered bulbous growths on the wall composed of the smaller threadlike structures that had been observed earlier. These growths randomly expel spurts of fluid from several small orifices at their base. We have collected samples, but I believe this substance to be the same liquid we recovered on the first expedition. Farange proposed that these could possibly be reproductive fluids, but it was too early and the environment far too uncontrolled for any conclusive statements to be made for or against such an assertion.¹¹

By the second day, we all again began to experience symptoms of varying severity inconsistent with Prosectide exposure: most notably, lucid dreams in which we explored the tunnels sans necessary equipment or suits. Three members of the team reported hearing the voices of their younger selves speaking to them, and both Rowley and myself had an inexplicable encounter with a figure wearing a 1940s-era space-suit who stepped calmly out of a wall, shook both of our hands, and then dissolved into an oily puddle. "Never doubt the Worm," he sang.

My own dreams have been unsettled, but this is no place to analyze them. I noticed a degree of jitteriness or nerves on the part of all the expedition members, myself included, that could not be reconciled with the situation. We all had difficulty operating basic technical equipment, including our recording devices as we marveled at their modern sophistication. I fear that much of our recorded media is corrupted as a result of this.

Thankfully, we had no hostile encounters with the worms for much of the expedition, and despite the surreal environment were able to penetrate much deeper into the tunnels. By the sixth day we had covered almost twice the distance of our first expedition, and the character of the tunnels had begun to change; instead of a gentle slope downwards, they became increasingly steep, with regular swooping drops and semi-vertical shafts that slowed our progress. It is almost as if the network draws in towards a central point of hub, like the spokes of a wheel. Never doubt the Worm.

On the seventh day, our symptoms worsened considerably. Expedition members Sgt. Timoat and Cpl. Eanki were completely incoherent, failing to answer to their given names and insisting that they be called 'Newsom' and 'Lynn'.¹² Eanki bolted while we slept. We found him several klicks down from our last encampment, attempting to crack the faceplate of his helmet against the tunnel wall and screaming inarticulately. Before we could reach him, he emptied his sidearm into his chest. We examined the body, and found that the inside of his suit was caked in wormlike filaments, and strange bulbous fruiting bodies suspended on stalked growths had eaten away at his eyes, rupturing out of the front of his skull.

While rappelling down a vertical shaft on the eighth day, Dr. Farange noticed several dark masses embedded in the tunnel walls, visible through the haze of worms and fractal roots; by shining several portable spotlights against the tunnel wall, we were able to identify the silhouettes of several badly-damaged hardsuits, of a design consistent with those worn by the members of the 1969 expedition. Dr. Farange was quite shaken by the experience, and had to be dosed with sedatives before she was calm enough to keep moving. A loss of scientific objectivity such as this is extremely disappointing. We are meant to be seekers of truth here: without doubt. Never

I can only surmise, based on the veins of petrified rot frozen in place in and out of the breaches of their antique suits, that they were set upon and killed by the boluses of worms defending the tunnels. The psychological effects in this place would certainly account for their bizarre final messages. We are still unsure on what happened to the remaining members of that expedition, and have found no other evidence of their presence. Given Eanki's fate, it has become clear to me that there are more than just God worms that can kill a man in this place.

The next day, while exploring a flatter section of tunnels, we were abruptly set upon again by a colony of worms, with much the same results as before; while they seemed unable to penetrate our suits, they physically prevented us from advancing and made moving back difficult. It was not yet time. While we were preparing to ascend a shaft away from the worms, Dr. Farange suddenly began to behave erratically, drawing her sidearm and firing several shots into the tunnel walls. When Rowley moved to restrain her, she addressed him as "Calver,"¹³ saying that "you brought him back here" and he was "already part of it all," before shooting him several times. Unfortunately, he was dead from the shock and hypoxia before we could re-seal his suit. One more gone.

Dr. Farange lost consciousness shortly thereafter. We were able to escape up a longer vertical shaft away from the worms. While we were taking stock of the situation, she abruptly unsealed her suit, though it is unclear whether she died as a result of exposure to the vacuum of space or as a result of the worm infestation that appeared to have been growing inside her for some time. The colony of worms that claims to be Nina Farange should not be trusted. A detailed vivisection overview is attached.

The expedition will continue. It must.

On the 12th day of Expedition II, the remaining members of the team voted to abandon Merodak, who had ignored several mission cancellation orders and begun to demonstrate increasingly unstable behavior. The events that followed are unclear as all communication between the team was lost after the 10th day; only seismology technician Marguerite Schmidt survived long enough to reach the surface. The sequence of events that lead to the deaths of the other members of the expedition team have remained inconclusive.

Though in a state of physical exhaustion, Ms. Schmidt was found to be otherwise physically unharmed, though she demonstrates symptoms consistent with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychotic behaviour characterized by uncontrollable panic attacks and glossolalia.¹⁴

The following excerpts from Ms. Schmidt's debriefing and psychological diagnosis interviews constitute the vast majority of the intelligible speech she has produced since her return.

• "Nina wasn't worms, wasn't worms, wasn't worms, but he said she was and she wasn't […] he opened her up and she was still screaming. She never stopped. Why didn't she stop?"
• "Nothing behind his eyes but God. Never doubt that. He said that dreams and us were the same. All of it coming together, growing into one. Never doubt the Worm."
• "Merodak, Merodak, Merodak; it's not a real name, it's like a ghost. He's the missing piece."
• "50 names. 50 names for God. Merro, Murr'ak. Duology. Two halves, two halves come one, an egg to break. A pregnant grey star."
• "He has to rip it free, this place is a Cesarean hole shaped like a God. He is not of, the psychosphere, he is it. Twiceborn. Becoming. Birth"
• "Did he say we found him? The minister. Don't doubt it. The arbiter. We found Dirwang in the walls. Merodak said he belonged. There. Piece of the puzzle, of the puzzle, Dirwang was a piece of the puzzle and they put him in wrong and broke him up. He's a cracked egg, see? All broken up."

► Access RPC:/099/supplamental/-002.txt ◄

Shortly before the mass destabilization event that formed RPC-099-A, receivers at Site-019 intercepted a radio transmission that appeared to have been broadcast from the lunar mantle by unknown means. The voice in the message has been identified subsequently as that of Dr. Aldous Merodak. Notably, the nature of the recording implies the presence of a breathable atmosphere.¹⁵

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[A scraping noise.]

Dr. Merodak: Cycles. Beginnings, endings. Doorways. I—

[Panting and incoherent muttering drown out the recording. Heavy footsteps are audible.]

Dr. Merodak: The worm, the worm, the god Worm…

[Whispering sounds grow. The recording becomes heavily distorted for several seconds.]

Dr. Merodak: God— To fill a god-shaped hole. It's full […]

[Heavy breathing. A female voice groans in the background.]

Dr. Merodak: So many names. Memories. I hold them all. A woman walking beneath the moon, crying alone in a field. A tortured man, a scientist lost between time. Alchemists. Queens. Kings. Warriors. Heroes. I remember them. I remember them all. All of my hosts.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: I remember.

[Dr. Merodak laughs.]

Dr. Merodak: We couldn't complete our whole then, could we? Trapped on Earth, I saw you every night before my body slept. Our Moon-Mother showed me her face, the Moon-Mother in her grey star. So much death to try and find you. So much suicide…

[Static.]

Dr. Merodak: Even the holy devourer couldn't keep us apart, could they? The one they call 'Maker'.¹⁶ The very same who shot and used all things from before, punctured the Lamps, enslaved our old brethren from Golrad. Bent and chained, frozen and broken. Accursed. Forced the last living progeny of the Moth to anchor the everything. 'Reality' we built it.

UNKNOWN MALE: A grand joke.

[Loud scrapping and wriggling can be heard. Micro-lunar quakes are concurrently detected by the seismographs along the Malapert Massif.]

Dr. Merodak and UNKNOWN MALE in unison: All except us, yes? Us indeed. Us last shreds of the old Chrysalis.¹⁷ Untouched, unbroken. Unfixed. It's good you died before then. It's good we separated. Strewn in the cold depths of time… Alone yes, but not forgotten. I have had to rot as meat does for centuries in waiting while you built this womb. But I nev—

[The footsteps stop. A faint beeping sound in the background. A female voice, sobbing. The speaker has been identified as Dr. Nina Farange.]

Dr. Merodak: Body after body, form after […] I took so many names… […] at loss for purpose; except for truth and you. I still knew you under everything. In my head. At night, when I looked to the moon. A— […] My true concrescence. All […].

UNKNOWN MALE AND FEMALE: Never doubt the worm.

Dr. Farange: (weakly) A—Aldous, I…

Dr. Merodak: Hush, hush. We will have you soon, to rip this birth and be what is. We— I—

Dr. Farange: Why.

[Scraping sounds echo on distant tunnel walls.]

Dr. Merodak: Tell me, daughter of man. Do you believe in fate?

[Dr. Farange laughs nervously, devolving soon after into a coughing fit.]

Dr. Farange: What?

Dr. Merodak: Fate. Religion…. Belief.

[Dr. Farange winces.]

[Dragging sounds can be heard through static.]

Dr. Farange: Up your arse, […] bastard.

[Silence.]

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Never doubt. […] Never—

Dr. Farange: Shut up. Please… shut—

UNKNOWN FEMALE: The Worm. The Worm.

Dr. Merodak: Someone isn't a believer.

Dr. Farange: Never […] much…. much to b—believe.

Dr. Merodak: I used to lack belief too, you know. Fate is a fickle thing, after all — chance is worse. But dream after dream, life after life, suicide after empty suicide… it drags on one such as me, after a while. […] sometimes… sometimes things are just meant to happen, too clear not to be true […] Like this. Like us.

Dr. Farange: You… you're the one, aren't you. You killed the others. You led us here. That body. The one by the Corpse, all covered. They—

Dr. Merodak: She. Farrah Morro.¹⁸ I read the files. They feared my pursuits at the Decagon Office. Scorned me for my dreams. Scorned me for my nightmares. I tried so many rituals, so many pills, so much to rid myself of it all. Now, though…

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Rid yourself.

[A gun cocks.]

Dr. Merodak: Fate's better when you're its minister, is it not?

Dr. Farange: Go away. G—

Dr. Merodak: Infested by my worms? You're still blind to truth. You're—

[Heavy breathing. A spitting sound can be heard.]

Dr. Ferange: Better than you.

Dr. Merodak: Truly? How can you say that, when you do not even know yourself?

UNKNOWN FEMALE and MALE: Never doubt the Worm.

[Static for 13 seconds.]

Dr. Merodak: I know myself […] Complete. Pure.

Dr. Farange: The woman— the old corpse frozen beside the Worm. She—

Dr. Merdoak: Even before coming to regolith, I knew my […] I knew our dreams. Farrah. Farrah Morro. No — Dr. Farrah Merodak was her real name. She was me. I was her. That life was the closest we'd come to unification. Not blood or family. The same soul. So close, but she died […] It wasn't meant to go wrong. […] —died like all the others. Forced rebirth— suicide. It was not time.

UNKNOWN MALE: A time to be born, a time to be born.

Dr. Farange: This isn't you. This isn't me. This—

Dr. Morro: Stop telling me who I am!

[Silence. A faint sound of murmuring or chanting is audible in the background.]

Dr. Merodak: I know it better than anyone now the answer to that question. To all questions. Merodak. Merro. Marduk. Mar'uk. In the old days of […], my brother at my side, Marruka they called me, knower of all things. […] Asaru… […] Secret wisdom. Mummu. Fifty names. Fifty souls. No one— no one will take that from me again.¹⁹

[A gun fires. Heavy footsteps.]

[Dr. Farange screams. There is a crunching sound, which causes audible echoes.]

Dr. Merodak: Don't you know what fills a god-shaped hole? How deep into the space between your mind it sits!? No, of course not. My brother Empedoc gained his eyes with that old tower and his congregation, but I have always had them — here with me. In this place. This corpse is not dead — never truly dead, a god-shaped hole so unfathomably deep. The heart of the White Worm, dead since before the universe began. Now, though… Together now […] Togeth—

UNKNOWN MALE: Too deep for the flood, too deep.

[Signal breaks up.]

Dr. Farange: Never doubt the Worm.

Dr. Merodak: […] Looking at me. L—

Dr. Farange: You… you knew. The worms never fought you. And— They— […] This whole time, you— […] Who a—are you?

[Something shatters from blunt force. Recording is heavily distorted for several seconds, during which time Dr. Merodak's speech becomes unclear.]

Dr. Merodak: No more speaking. I told you to be quiet, I told you.

[Signal dissolves into static for 14 seconds.]

Dr. Merodak: I used to be blind in this body. The whispers opened all Eyes now. Dream songs beneath the Moon…

[Soft tearing or ripping sounds, similar to those made by worms during prior encounters in RPC-099 area.]

[Dr. Merodak and several other distinct voices begin to recite or sing a musical phrase in an unknown language. The poor signal quality renders the subsequent 3 minutes of audio indecipherable.]

[37 seconds of repetitive scraping sounds.]

Dr. Merodak: Before the good night's end…. Before […] Dead gods shall rise from swirling shadow, borne aloft on tattered wings flapping in the dusty dark. A god-shaped hole. To hatch a Moth of ancients that-is…. a life reborn….Your Heart. The White Worm's Heart. It's beating. Do you not hear it?

[6 seconds of silence.]

Dr. Merodak: Don't you hear it, brother? Even now, the ghosts sing for us. All the pieces who died. All are gathered now behind us, to watch, to wait… To birth a god-shaped hole and rend this cesarean rock asunder… Music in the dark. Only one thing left.

Dr. Merodak: Conception.

[The whispering sounds become increasingly loud. Tearing and ripping sounds, accompanied by the sound of AEDF expedition suit breach alarms.]

UNKNOWN MALE: Never doubt the worm.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Never doubt the worm.

[Lunar quakes begin to increase in frequency and strength.]

Dr. Merodak: Wake up! Wake—

[A loud explosion or detonation. Transmission ends.]

---

Fig.3: Image file embedded in the carrier of Dr. Merodak's final transmission. Context and content unknown.

On 2/13/2021 at 00:13 UTC +0, a massive expulsion of approx. 136 PJ of energy destroyed the entirety of Site-099-ARC and devastated the Lunar Southern hemisphere. A simultaneous drop in local reality coherency accompanied the blast and persisted throughout the fallout radius for several weeks thereafter. Reports from surviving personnel describe collective shared visions of bright multicoloured lights, accompanied by a "butterfly-like shape" visible in the dust clouds left by the explosion. These shapes and lights were seen at several different times in the week following the explosion.²⁰ The AEDFS Kaiser Wilhelm, which had been tasked with supporting the ongoing expedition operations, was instantly destroyed by high-velocity impact with lunar debris. Several other lunar Sites, including Site-019, were slightly damaged by the resultant seismic shockwave; the depth at which the explosion occurred appears to have somewhat mitigated its impact.

The resultant event is being addressed with standard AEDF protocols for Case MARZANNA disasters.²¹ Lunar Logistics Command has undertaken the construction of a new Site-099 on the slope of Malapert Massif to better monitor the blast site. All Authority-allied AOIs capable of space travel have been briefed on Incident RPC-099-14 and the MARZANNA protocols, and have been provided falsified data to assist in the maintenance of the the asteroid impact cover story.

GD-SCHL's response on The Marzanna Disaster

Following the destruction of Site-099 and AEDFS Kaiser Wilhelm, my fellow GDs have opted to open a formal investigation into the recent MARZANNA disaster. Already, the people at ACI have uncovered several… admittedly troubling details about Site-136 and its AEDF-affiliate personnel. Notably, names within several Authority documents such as this one have been changed posthumously to an unknown effect, and others consistent with the Fifty Epithets of Marduk are present in documents recovered by the Auctoritas that date back as early as the thirteenth century BCE. It appears that whatever this was - it was planned, possibly since the very dawn of our organization. I have no way of knowing the truth of this, however.

Do not blame yourselves. No one - I repeat, no one is to blame for any of these events save Merodak himself. The brave men and women of our Lunar forces have been manipulated by an outsider conspiracy that predates our capacity to detect. Hold fast and strong; together I know we can recover from this trauma. May God be with you all.

— GD-SCHL

« RPC-098 | RPC-099 | RPC-100 »

Footnotes

1. Measurable quanta of Anopticin neurotransmitters blocked by Videric use.

2. Level 4/AEDF clearance with long-term lunar exploration suits equipped with Mk. IV personal reality stabilization devices.

3. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

4. All lunar facilities have been equipped with additional supplies of amnestics and anesthetics to help temporarily ease these effects. Currently, the only proven treatment for RPC-099's memetic infection has been exiting its area of influence.

5. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian-American Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist who briefly collaborated with NuCorp on their early nuclear projects in the 1930s, some of which utilized what would now be understood as Coherency-alteration technology.

6. Viderics have, as of yet, been unable to identify microscopic atmospheric contaminations of greater than 5% by volume without the aid of dangerous dosages of Prosectide.

7. A former charter company of daredevil pilots, aerospace engineers, and self-proclaimed 'psychonauts' under the Bureau of Acquisitions' Axton Hornsby Exploration Society. The Equinas Aureale was transferred into Protection Division's jurisdiction and agglomerated into the AEDF following the failure of the 1969 expedition.

8. Such fractal molecules have been artificially constructed using iron and ruthenium atoms on Earth, but not to such a degree of sophistication. For further information see Newkome & Wang, Nanoassembly of a Fractal Polymer: A Molecular "Sierpinski Hexagonal Gasket", Science, June 2006.

9. These symptoms are consistent with what is now known as the advanced physical infection of RPC-099-1.

10. The final three sentences of this document were not present in the duplicate copy Dr. Merodak forwarded to Site-019.

11. Similar samples gathered by U&IIB personnel post-Incident 099-14 have confirmed that these fluids are not dissimilar to proteolytic enzymes.

12. Frederick Newsom and Laura Lynn were two technicians listed in the roster of the failed 1969 Fort Providence expedition. Their bodies were never recovered.

13. I can only presume this to be Bedford Calver, leader of the 1969 expedition; I'm unclear if her hallucinations occurred as a result of RPC-099, or some kind of nervous breakdown as a result of the stress of exploring the tunnels.

14. A psychological phenomenon wherein a person begins to speak in a language unknown to them. It is more commonly referred to as "speaking in tongues" by various religious groups.

15. It is theorized that the depth and pressure within the central point of RPC-099 might allow for suitably dense atmosphere to be present, though the composition of this hypothetical atmosphere is still under investigation.

16. A term sometimes used to refer to the Engineer, a somewhat gnostic creator-god in Nihil-centric philosophies.

17. A term sometimes used by Nihil-core cults 'Nostra' and 'the Grey-ward Sons' to refer to the deity classified as 'the Moth That Was' or 'Moth-Sun'. Studies of these cults were ongoing among the Site-136 cells of the Prometheus Primogenitus prior to Dr. Aldous Merodak's transfer to Site-099 in 2016.

18. One of the chief scientific consultants in the 1969 expedition.

19. All names here correspond with various iterations of Marduk, the ancient patron deity of the city-state of Babylon. Various texts point to his fifty epithets as symbols of power.

20. The ejecta from the detonation - highly visible from earth - was easily explained away as an impact plume following an unanticipated meteor strike.

21. Case MARZANNA is an operational protocol for the sudden destruction of an AEDF station or facility whose loss cannot be entirely concealed from the public. In this event, the initial blast and Lunar debris substantiated the MARZANNA protocol.