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Registered Phenomena Code: 678
Object Class: Alpha Beta-Yellow (see Incident 0678-0808)
Hazard Types: Aggression Hazard, Grouped Hazard, Sapient Hazard
Containment Protocols: RPC-678 is to be occupied by at least two personnel between 07:00 hours and 22:30 hours. No personnel are to be present within RPC-678 between 23:00 hours and 07:00 hours except for approved clandestine activities. Permission from site director is required to enter basement of RPC-678. Windows to RPC-678 are to remain boarded up. RPC-678 is surrounded by a four meter perimeter fence, which is to be checked daily for damage and signs of trespass. All external doors to RPC-678 are to remain locked when not in use. Following Incident 0678-0808, these doors have been internally reinforced.
The Authority has made the decision to leave as much of RPC-678 as it was at the time of its closing as possible. However, personnel may take necessary steps to preserve the structural integrity and habitability of RPC-678 (such as removing mold), provided that no such actions betray Authority presence (such as removing external foliage). A large outbuilding on the school grounds has been converted to the site staging area for the Authority. There is a relay tunnel to transport supplies and personnel to and from the staging area. All personnel are to remain within the staging area when not conducting research or required maintenance and security.
There is a media and command console in the command center. The console is to be used to monitor any electronic communications originating within RPC-678, including but not limited to the school computer and telephone networks, as well as to monitor the surveillance cameras at all times. There is a secondary console which may be used to monitor and intercept communications within the vicinity of RPC-678, particularly in the adjacent housing development. A small middle-class housing development is present on the east side of RPC-678 which currently has three Authority assets living in it, who are to remain vigilant for trespassing and information leaks. The Authority is working to plant assets in the development as houses are put up for sale. The Authority has purchased the rest of the land immediately surrounding RPC-678 through an Authority-owned retailer to prevent further development.
Personnel may not attempt to contact instances of RPC-678-1 or remove them from RPC-678 without written authorization of site director.
A small field team has been deployed in order to locate and interview former school students and staff and to investigate possible historical leads. For the sake of expediency this task force reports directly to the nearest regional Authority echelon rather than to the RPC-678 site director. RPC-678 was closed under the cover story that part of the site was geologically unstable. Coincidentally, an Authority geologic survey found that the earth beneath RPC-678 is indeed vulnerable to catastrophic sinkage; the grounds are to be surveyed regularly for signs of collapse.
Notice From Site Director: All proposals to forcibly remove the entirety of RPC-678-1 from RPC-678 to a secure testing facility have been rejected. While RPC-678-1 itself may be relatively harmless as far as anomalies go, we do not know if the same can be said about whatever is on the other side of the unknown door through which the instances enter our space. To put it plainly, if all the instances failed to return to wherever they come from at their appointed time, it could provoke a response from someone or something. The "disappearance" of RPC-678-A after we orally examined her is a reminder that our interference can have repercussions, even though no causal link has been proven, and Incident 0678-0808 demands special caution. We have constructed an adhoc containment cell and laboratory at our secure staging area for examination of single instances, but pending guidance from our regional echelon they will not be used.
Description: RPC-678 is a closed middle school in ████. RPC-678-1 was first discovered when a CCTV system was installed for the first time in 1990. Four security cameras located in the cafeteria recorded RPC-678-1. RPC-678-1 is an anomalous population of students and faculty that appear inside RPC-678 on weekdays and Saturday mornings between 23:00 hours and 06:30 hours in the months of June, July, and August. Instances of RPC-678-1 enter the building through doors leading to the school basement, which has no doors to the outside.
RPC-678-1 reliably consists of about one hundred students (which is about 18 percent of the school's normal capacity), 20 teachers and faculty, and one or two custodians. The demographics of RPC-678-1 are generally consistent with those of schools in RPC-678's parent school district. Instances of RPC-678-1 use the classrooms and facilities of RPC-678 following the pattern of a normal middle school day, with some exceptions. Instances rarely speak, and when they do their lines are short, vague, largely devoid of context, and never include names. Classroom instruction consists entirely of quiet study, journal writing, or lab work. All instances bring their own meals.
Instances will violently swarm any outsider, using any convenient implement as a weapon. The Authority has chosen to suspend attempts to contact RPC-678-1 and instead simply study the population using video surveillance, which the instances do not react to. Over time, student instances of RPC-678-1 appear to "graduate" and no longer appear, being replaced once a year with a new class. The dress of students changes to reflect current trends, and since 2007, instances may be seen using mobile devices. Faculty composition also changes, albeit at a much slower rate.
Attempts to determine where RPC-678-1 comes from have met with consistent failure. The doors to the basement are locked after RPC-678-1 leaves, and remain so until 0700 hours, after which no instances may be found in the basement. Video and audio surveillance equipment fails in the basement during the access and egress times. Attempts to open or breach the doors to the basement during the "school day" trigger the violent mob response. Experiments using Class-CSD subjects merely resulted in the subjects permanently disappearing during access time. Removal of the doors merely results in them being replaced by custodial staff, and does not provide a sufficient vantage point to observe where instances enter the basement.
Below is a list of interventions the Authority has attempted:
| Stimulus |
Result |
| Staff spill paint in the hallway just before 11PM. |
Custodians clean up the paint. |
| Doors to basement are blocked with a variety of obstructions. |
Instances reliably breach all obstacles. Sometimes RPC-678-1 do not go to school that day. |
| Fire alarm is activated. |
Instances evacuate to basement, appearing to follow normal fire evacuation routine. After a few minutes, two teachers re-enter and deactivate alarm. Rest of RPC-678-1 enter shortly afterward. |
| Fire is started. |
Instances evacuate into basement. Sirens are heard echoing from basement within a few minutes. A crew of instances dressed and equipped as firemen enter, extinguish fire, and deactivate alarm. |
| Power to RPC-678 is cut off. |
Power is restored within a few minutes by unknown means. |
Due to the violent reaction instances have to outsiders, the Authority has made several attempts to contact instances remotely and with minimal disruption. In 1991, an Authority Agent called the school office while RPC-678-1 were present. The following is a transcript of the interaction:
Instance: Hello, this is ████ Middle School.
Agent: Hello, who am I speaking with?
Instance: This is ████ Middle School. How may I help you?
Agent: I was wondering if you could give me the name and contact information for your superintendent. We've just moved to this district and I can't seem to find the information anywhere.
Instance: I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to give that information over the phone.
Agent: Well, do you have a website I could look up?
(The call is abruptly cut off. Video surveillance indicates that the instance did not hang up. All further attempts to contact instances by telephone have prompted an automated message stating that the number is not listed).
The Authority has attempted to establish contact using written messages, but all of these have been ignored by students and removed by custodial staff.
In 2010, the Authority managed to establish tentative contact with a young female instance using a concealed radio receiver-transmitter. The transmitter was concealed within the instance's locker, which was selected in part due to its relative isolation from other instances. An Agent disguising her voice as an adolescent girl served as the point of contact for the instance. . The following is a record of the initial contact:
Agent: Hello there. Don't be afraid. What is your name?
Instance: What? Who are you? Where are you?
Agent: My name is Sarah. I'm talking to you with an invention I made. What's your name?
Instance: Why can't I see you?
Agent: If you'd like to see me, you can come meet me in room 102 during lunch. I'd really like to meet you.
Instance: I don't know. That room is supposed to be off-limits. I'm sorry but I really have to go, I'm running late for class.
The instance then ran away. After repeated contacts, the instance (RPC-678-A) agreed to meet with "Sarah" in a room not normally accessed by members of RPC-678-1 during her lunch period. The instance was given a pill and told it would prevent hunger later in the day due to missing lunch. The pill contained a fast-acting amnesic (due to time constraints it was necessary to administer the amnesic before beginning the interview) and a small dose of ████, a chemical agent designed to diminish sensory alertness and increase suggestibility. The Agent playing Sarah was selected for her ability to pass as an older teenage girl. The following is a transcript of the interaction:
Instance: Are you Sarah?
Agent: Yes, I am. It's so nice to finally meet you. What is your name?
Instance: Who are these other people?
Agent: They're my friends. We like to hang out here sometimes. They would like to meet you too. Why don't you introduce yourself?
Instance: They tell us we shouldn't give my name to strangers.
Agent: That's okay. Maybe you can tell me your name some time after we get to know each other better. You remind me a friend I once knew named Meg. Is it alright if I call you Meg?
Instance: I think so.
Agent: It's nice to meet you, Meg.
Instance: Um, do you go to this school?
Agent: No, but my mom knows the principal and sometimes he lets us hang out here. What grade are you in, Meg?
Instance: Sixth grade. Hey, um, it's really nice talking to you Sarah, but I don't think I'm supposed to be here.
Agent: Don't worry Meg, we talked to your teachers and they are okay with it. I promise we won't make you late for your next class. So tell me Meg, do you like it at this school?
Instance: Um, not really. I don't think anyone here does.
Agent: Why do you think that is?
Instance: It's just weird. No one talks to each other hardly ever. It's like no one has anything to say. And school is just really weird in other ways, but I can't explain.
Agent: Do the other kids think it is weird?
Instance: I don't know. No one really ever talks to me, and I don't talk to anyone. Everyone just seems scared of each other. You're the only one who's really talked to me a lot.
Agent: Do you know why you go to school at night?
Instance: I don't know what you're talking about.
Agent: Do you take the bus to school?
Instance: Yes, we all do, but sometimes I take the train.
Agent: What's in the basement, Meg?
Instance: What do you mean?
Agent: When you get off the bus to go to school, what do you see when you go inside?
Instance: The tunnel, of course.
Agent: The tunnel
Instance: I mean the tunnel where the buses go.
Agent: I see. And that tunnel, it leads to the school basement?
Instance: I guess so.
Agent: Do you look forward to graduating?
Instance: Yeah, but right now I'm just hoping to make it through sixth grade.
Agent: Do you know what happens when you graduate?
Instance: No, they don't tell us.
Agent: Who is your favorite teacher here?
Instance: Um, I don't like many people here. I guess if I had to pick a favorite teacher it would be…..it would be….I'm so tired….my favorite teacher….I'm sorry Sarah, I just…can't remember for some reason…
Agent: That's okay. You've told us enough for now. It was nice to meet you Meg. We'll talk again some other time. Now go back to your lunch table and take a nap.
During the interview, RPC-678-A's mobile phone was picked from her pocket. After it was cloned and bugged, it was placed back in her pocket. Attempts to call the device during or after school were unsuccessful. RPC-678-A did not seem to remember "Sarah" after attempts to reestablish contact through the locker device. RPC-678-A no longer appeared after a month.
The Authority has been unable to discover any tunnel under or near RPC-678 (other than the Authority relay tunnel). A comprehensive review of blueprints, floor plans, schematics, and survey maps has uncovered no leads. The Authority is currently considering building its own tunnel to the school basement.
On July 1, 2009, a male student instance looked directly at a surveillance camera while RPC-678-1 were exiting the school through the basement. This has so far been the only time an instance has shown interest in or even awareness of the cameras. About an hour after RPC-678-1 had completely left the building, an anonymous text message was recorded on the site command console that read "they don't know, but I know". Attempts to contact the instance who looked at the camera, or to trace the message, were unsuccessful.
Appendix A
RPC-678-A's journal was covertly confiscated during the interview with "Sarah", and replaced with a blank journal of the same design.
Many of the journal pages consist of peculiar drawings and sketches. An Authority researcher who specializes in analyzing art by children and young teenagers reports that these are probably meant to represent and map a system of roads or tunnels.
The journal also contains vague sentences and paragraphs, which may be a crude form of poetry. They often reference "light" and a desire to "see light".
Appendix B
Instances of RPC-678-1 seem consistently reluctant to interact with each other for long periods of time. Rarely are groups exceeding five instances observed during lunch and passage times except during access and egress of RPC-678.
Physical confrontations between student instances occur with unusual frequency. Faculty and staff make no attempt to intervene, and the fights typically last no more than a few seconds (but see Addendum I).
Appendix C
The Authority has been able to record some of the curriculum taught among RPC-678-1 through various methods, including remote observation and the recovery of some text books. While much of the curriculum is mundane, there are some notable curiosities:
Mathematics
The one mathematics book that has been recovered is extremely dense for a middle or high school arithmetic text. Some chapters begin to delve into metaphysics and complex theorems that have been academically rejected in our world. Many pages contain very complex and bizarre shapes.
Language and Literature
Members of RPC-678-1 appear to have English as their first language. One grammar book and one pocket dictionary have been recovered; neither show any signs of significant language deviation from American English. One book has been recovered which appears to be a beginner's guide for a language which Authority researchers believe to be in the Celtic family, though a translation has not yet been rendered.
Although most books are brought and taken by individual instances each day, the Authority was able to recover a cardboard box containing seventeen books. The books are all works of fiction of anonymous authorship that do not have known copies in society. Some of the books have bizarre themes and rather abstract plots.
Social Studies
Civics
One civics text has been recovered. It is a book entitled "The Ideal Form of Government". The book does not specifically mention the government of any one country, instead making general references such as "western democracies". The ideal form of government outlined in this text is collectivist and authoritarian in nature, though there is a form of separation of powers and due process.
History
All the history books which have been recovered focus on United States history. The history narrated in these books is roughly consistent with known US history, though there are some details and allegories which are unknown to modern scholarship. For example, one passage details a friendship between George Washington and one of his slaves which has not been discovered in any other documents.
Economics
The one economics book which has been recovered has a strong Marxist or critical orientation, though it is unknown if Karl Marx is known to the members of RPC-678-1. The text accurately defines and describes most economic principles, but seems to regard some practices, such as the stock market, as repugnant, and references to a class system are made much more frequently than in most school texts. The last chapter discusses "revolution", though no explicit calls to violence are made.
Sciences
Physics
One physics book has been recovered. The text includes most of the principles and theories typically found in middle and high school physics books, though some chapters delve into complex and non-empirical metaphysics. One has chapter has a section on "luck vs. magic".
Chemistry
Two chemistry books have been recovered. Both include a periodic table that is missing some elements and includes others that are unknown to modern science. Though the subject matter is generally consistent with known elementary chemistry, the approach and methodologies are unusual,such that chemical reactions and processes are treated as extensions of cosmic-level life forces. One chapter includes a detailed history of alchemy.
Biology and Life Sciences
Two biology books and one ecology book have been recovered. All three describe taxonomic categories of microorganisms that aren't known to exist. The ecology book has a chapter about "chimeras": hybrids between species which are not closely related, which the text describes as an integral process of evolution. The book also references several recently extinct species as if they were extant. The book also describes a previously unknown species of passerine birds; the Authority discovered a population of such birds in the region described in the text. Although the birds are not anomalous as far as the Authority can tell, the Authority has chosen to take steps to conceal their existence from the public until further studies can be conducted.
Astronomy
The one astronomy text that has been recovered is unusual in that all planets of Earth's solar system, with the exception of Earth itself, are named for Celtic deities, and many stars, constellations, systems, etc. have different names. One chapter focuses on astrology. Notably, the text does not make any unusual references to the day and night cycle.
Geology
One geology book has been recovered. It is unremarkable except for two passages. One passage describes the deep ocean at a level of detail that is beyond what is known to modern science but which corresponds with some independent findings by the Authority. The other describes the Earth's mantle as a potentially livable space and refers to some proposals to colonize it.
Arts and Humanities
Music
RPC-678-1 has no choir and no ensemble. There appears to be one music class which focuses on writing music by hand. RPC-678-A was in this class and two pieces of music were found in her journal. The first is highly discordant and bizarre. The second appears to be a Gregorian chant.
Painting and Drawing
No texts focusing on art have been recovered, but based on remote observation of painting and drawing classes it appears that RPC-678-1's version of art theory is almost entirely abstract. Instances never make portraits. Notably, many images created by students appear to be abstract maps. Another common theme concerns rays of light from an unknown source.
Physical Education
None of the sports played by instances of RPC-678-1 are familiar, though some roughly resemble known sports such as rugby. RPC-678-1 does not appear to include a nurse; students who are severely injured are merely escorted by their peers to the school basement.
Though not observed in practice, a recovered sports manual outlines a strange and dangerous team combat sport that includes the use of a ball and martial arts with wooden sticks.
Appendix D
The following is a list of notable anecdotes concerning RPC-678 prior to its closure in 1990:
1. Field team agents have interviewed one former teacher who claimed to have heard construction or drilling noises from somewhere underneath the school for several months in 1978, about ten years after the school was opened. The Authority has not been able to verify this claim.
2. A 1981 issue of the student newspaper contains an article on an alleged haunting, in which two students and one teacher claim to have heard and seen ghosts in the school.
3. In 1989, the school was placed on lockdown when four male adolescents of unknown identity were spotted in the basement. Police were unable to locate this group. According to the then-principal, it was this incident which lead to the installment of four security cameras in the cafeteria, with plans to install more around the building at a later date.
4. In 1990, while workers were setting up the perimeter fence, a man of about 30 years was caught trying to find a way into the building. When the workers asked what he was doing, he said he was "looking for some old friends. I'm not sure if they're still here." The Authority has not been able to identify or locate the man; he has been designated Anonymous POI-0678-1.
Appendix E
Shortly after RPC-678 was first contained, a CSD subject was used to attempt to discover the means by which RPC-678-1 enters the building. The subject was not informed of the nature of RPC-678-1 events. Below is a partial record of the experiment. For the sake of brevity all routine communications checks and other inconsequential communications have been redacted.
CSD-0678, 22:20: I can't put my finger on it, but something has definitely changed here. I can feel it.
Note: In order to maintain the integrity of the experiment, the subject was not provided any timekeeping device and was selected in part for his poor intuitive time perception.
CSD-0678, 22:30: I can hear something that sounds like distant wind, but I can't tell the direction it's coming from.
(From 22:30 to 22:40, the subject continuously reports that the sound is moving closer, but neither his microphone nor the various audio recording devices used in the experiment pick up the sound.)
CSD-0678: The wind just got a lot louder! It sounds like a hurricane now! Are you hearing this?
(Note: The subject is now shouting as if to be heard over the noise, but Control still does not hear the wind.)
Control: Can you see the effects of the wind?
CSD-0678: Say again?
Control (shouting): Use your volume control if you can't hear me. Can you see the effects of the wind?
CSD-0678: It's all the way up, and no, I don't see anything different, and I don't feel the wind. But just now I started hearing what sounds like doors opening and closing.
At about 22:50, the subjects transmissions became garbled. At 22:52, they became static, and past 22:55 all transmissions from the subject were lost. Video feed was lost at 22:58 hours.
The subject was not recovered. Replication experiments produced similar results. No wind was ever recorded using audio, video, or meteorological instruments. However, experiments using animals in conjunction with CSD subjects observed reactions consistent with sheltering behavior during storms.
Addendum I
In 2008, a fight involving multiple instances of RPC-0678-1 broke out. The fight escalated into a riot of sorts, in which groups of instances, including adults, fought each other, vandalized school property, and, at one point in one group, attempted to breach one of the external school doors. The incident lasted until 06:30 hours, at which point the instances began an orderly evacuation of the building through the basement as normal. However, the two custodians stayed an extra six hours to restore the building. One instance is believed to have died during the incident. This was the last day that RPC-678-1 was scheduled to appear in 2008, so the Authority was unable to study any subsequent effects of the incident. See Incident Log 0678-0808.
