RPC-219

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Object Class: Alpha-Yellow

Registered Phenomena Code: 219

Hazard Types: Auditory Hazard, Sensory Hazard, Ideological Hazard

Containment Protocols: RPC-219 is to be contained within a standard containment locker in Site-002's low-security containment wing. Due to RPC-219's fidelity loss from repeated use, all experimentation must be cleared by a Level IV administrator.

Description: RPC-219 is a Maxwell brand microcassette with the "Made in" label scratched off. It bears marks of rigorous use, as its labels have worn off and it bears a series of small cracks running across its surface. The microcassette contains a single seven-minute audio track for its entire runtime, consisting of a combination of discordant mechanical noise, staccato drumbeats, and a distorted bass guitar riff. Anomalous effects begin to manifest in several stages after a human subject, now designated RPC-219-1, listens to the audio track in its entirety.

Time Elapsed	Anomalous Effects
10 Minutes	RPC-219-1 will begin to display symptoms of Excoriation Disorder1, as well as a marked increase in appetite. Subjects will often express desire for a meal, and subjects fed during this stage avoid any symptoms of the later stages. Subjects show a clear preference for red meat over alternatives.
1 Hour	RPC-219-1 will begin demanding meat, insisting that they are starving. Subject will refuse any food aside from meat despite any prior dietary restrictions, whether related to illness or ideology. If left unfed, RPC-219-1 will develop symptoms of Autophagia2, and proceed to gnaw at their extremities despite being in obvious pain.
3 Hours	At this point, RPC-219-1 will have removed one or more extremities, usually digits or toes. Subjects display symptoms of shock, yet do not lose consciousness despite grievous injuries. Subject will lie stationary on the ground and attempt to lure any onlookers in the vicinity closer, often by pleading for help or medical aid. 219-1 will lunge at those who approach within 2 meters and attempt to disable them by severing major tendons in the legs. 219-1 will proceed to [DATA EXPUNGED], beginning with non-vital tissues. Within five minutes of the death of the "prey", anomalous effects in 219-1 cease as they fall into shock and lose consciousness. Surviving subjects remember their actions while under 219's effects, but do not understand what motivated them to do so.

The anomalous effects of RPC-219 can be mitigated via amnestic treatment; however, exposed individuals still exhibit stage-one symptoms of RPC-219 exposure.

Attempts to copy RPC-219 into new media formats have been made, with mixed results. Copies made display lower-level anomalous effects than the original, with exposed subjects only suffering the effects of the first stage. This effect is consistent across several media formats, including Compact Disks and Digital Storage.

Addendum: Discovery Logs

The Authority was alerted to RPC-219's presence by agents embedded in the ██████████ Police Department in 19██. During the investigation of a mauling outside of a gym in ██████████, California, a detective assigned to the case was apparently exposed to the contents of RPC-219. The anomalous effects began to manifest during the autopsy, as the detective proceeded to remove his shoes and [DATA EXPUNGED]. An Authority cleanup team took the bodies, along with RPC-219 and amnestics were administered to the non-Authority staff present during the incident.

+ Addendum 219-Alpha [Level 4/02 clearance required.]

As of 2019, The Authority has recovered nine separate instances of RPC-219. Said instances have came on cassettes from several otherwise non-anomalous brands, but all bear significant signs of wear-and-tear. Instances that are still in working order are to be taken to the XIX Anomalous Research Center, to be stored in locker 47 in the low-security wing.

The Research Division has found these cassettes to be pirated recordings of two or more radio broadcasts in the continental United States. While all of the recordings bear distortion inherent to an FM radio broadcast, one was found to contain the call letters for an existing radio station in ███████, Arkansas. An observation post has been established at the insistence of Regional Director ██████████████ to monitor anomalous effects in the local population.

+ Memo from Director ██████████████ [Level 5-K Administrator clearance required.]

I need you to follow my logic. Our analysis shows that all of these cassettes have been copied from a series of broadcasts across the entire continental United States. The copies our techs have made show drastically reduced anomalous effects in comparison to the originals, but you know all of this already. These copies have the power to turn a rational human being into a gibbering cannibal, and the original was pumped directly into the ears of up to tens-of-thousands of Americans. What were the effects of the original broadcast? Who is broadcasting it? The observation post in Arkansas is the only step we have taken, and the radio station there was shut down over thirty years ago. I am petitioning the Global Directors for a comprehensive investigation of these broadcasts, we simply cannot afford to let this continue unabated.

Footnotes

1. Excoriation Disorder is a mental illness related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Affected individuals frequently pick at healthy skin, minor skin irregularities (e.g., pimples or calluses), lesions, or scabs.

2. Autophagia is a tendency to consume portions of oneself.

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