Chapter 1 – Chap 1

Friday 5/1/2020

I’m sitting in my living room typing this and I still feel like it’s some sort of joke.

Maybe a project that was forgotten? Something silly that actually has a rational explanation.

Frankly, I’m pretty sure if anyone else had found this, they’d probably have blown it away as anything but what it actually claims to be. However, due to some…events in the past, I’m more than inclined to believe in the possibility that it might be true. That this world really is filled with vastly secretive and hidden knowledge and forces far beyond the scope of what we see and believe.

I mean, shit, I haven’t even told my wife yet. The last thing I want is to add onto the pile of crap we’ve been through. She doesn’t need more unexplained phenomena rattling her life.

Maybe one day I’ll share our story, but for now, I want to focus on this. And by this, I mean the metal box I found as the title claims. See, I’ve been doing a lot of reading in this subreddit while stuck inside, but I never really thought I’d actually collaborate until today, after I went to my town’s junkyard and paid my buddy, Arthur, a visit.

Now, I’ve known Arthur for some time. Nice older guy and one hell of a white mustache. He pulls it off quite well. There was nothing that told me this would be different than any other time.

I’d gone to him after he called me to let me know he’d had a few more cars come in. Wanted me to see if there was anything I’d want before letting the vultures go for them. Arthur knew I was working on a few projects, so he always gave me a heads up when he had new stuff come in. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Wife was busy on her computer when I got the call. Working from home had been a dream of hers, but there were some mornings I knew she just wished she’d actually leave the house. I told her where I was going, kissed her beautiful face goodbye, grabbed my mask, and I was off.

The drive was a little out of the way, but I enjoyed the fresh air. Especially now of all times. The road was almost always empty and just far away enough from everything to make me feel some freedom.

Arthur swept the entrance of his small store and waved at me as I pulled in. He smiled underneath his mustache and told me they’d brought in three cars “with most of the parts still in there.” I remember him saying those exact words before opening the gate and letting me into the yard. The three cars were parked right next to each other facing me as if in wait. Arthur said he’d leave me to it and asked me to knock on the gate when I was done. I nodded at him and he locked the gate back up.

I’d been in the yard alone many times before, and this time felt no different. I grabbed a metal crate to put all the things I’d be taking and approached the first car. It was white mustang, real nice too, until you saw the side. It was caved in, windows shattered and even the roof had been bent down.

Sometimes I wondered about the stories behind the cars and how they’d ended up here, but Arthur never knew much himself. He had a middleman that brought him the cars, rarely were the stories behind them ever shared. At least, that’s what he always told me.

Usually, I’d made up the stories myself as I went through them. I always thought about Dexter just being able to recreate the crimes from the blood splatters and I imagined myself that way when looking inside the cars.

For this one, I imagined a younger man, hopefully no side passengers, driving late at night. He might or might not have been under the influence of something. Maybe passed a stop sign and wasn’t looking and had a truck or a large pick-up just ram into the side. He lived, but would be a mess after his car was completely totaled. Poor kid had probably spent all his savings on getting it and fixing it up. That, or he had rich parents who would just get him a better one.

In the end, there were a few things that I took from it, but nothing really valuable. I moved onto the second car. A black SUV with no visible marks or dents.

That’s odd.

Opening the back door, the pungent smell of stagnant water and moisture hit me. I had to let it vent out a bit, opening the other doors so the breeze could coarse through it. I waited a few minutes before I went inside.

Never, in all the time I’d done this, had I seen a car in such a good condition be brought in. The only thing wrong with the car were the seats, which were incredibly wet. I imagined this was where the smell had came from. Apart from that, you could’ve told me the car was brand new and I would’ve believed you.

This told me something wasn’t right about it.

Had Arthur checked the vehicle? Did he suspect anything?

Knowing Arthur, he probably didn’t care honestly, but I did. I opened the trunk, the hood, looked underneath the seats, checked the spare tire compartment, the glove compartment, under the steering wheel. I even took a few parts I needed that were really rare to find in other decommissioned cars. I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary though. I sat in the backseat thinking of where else I could look when my foot hit a dent on the floor.

I moved my foot across the floor again and saw it. Very small, but definitely something underneath the carpeted floor. I took out my pocket knife and cut away until I saw the opening of another compartment on the floor. Curious, and slightly nervous I must admit, I opened the compartment.

Inside was a wide, plain metal box, almost like a briefcase, with two clips across.

At this point, I knew that whatever this box was had been meant to be kept secret. Why go through the trouble of hiding it otherwise?

My heart was racing as I took out the box and placed it on my legs. I pushed up both clips at the same time. I looked around, making sure no one was watching me. It really felt wrong, and yet so right. I lifted open the box and…

Disappointment.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it sure wasn’t a bunch of papers. Literally. A stack of papers, with the top one being entirely blank.

I’d love to say that’s where I closed the box, put it back in the compartment and carried on with my life. Obviously, if I did, there wouldn’t be a story.

My curious self took the blank paper out only to reveal the second piece. Two words written on it in large red bold letters: CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.

Oh shit.

I picked up that piece and then it was the third paper that really did it for me.

This one only had a paragraph in the middle. I’ve typed it up right here:

The following information is property of the ▇▇ Organization and the Department of Specialized Units. Contents are to be disclosed only to the Directors, as well as any person whose rank and duties require access hereto. Contents must not, under any circumstance, be disclosed to any party(s) without specific authorization and clearance from the Organization, the Department, and the Directors. If the file has somehow managed to fall onto an unauthorized party, we strongly advise you to destroy the file immediately and refrain from indulging on its contents.

What. The. Fuck.

I put the papers back, closed the damn thing and threw the box into my crate. I made sure to close up the floor compartment and cover it well with the carpet.

I was ecstatic. I still went onto the third car, a yellow Volkswagen that I imagined a naive girl must have crashed. I honestly barely looked, mostly took a few things to hide the box. I walked to the gate, trying to act as normal as possible as Arthur opened the gate back up.

“Find any good?”

“Not really, just the same old.”

“Man, I thought for sure you’d get some good stuff from that SUV.”

Heart raced, smile faded.

“Why’s that?”

“The weirdest thing, brought it in late last night. Said something about finding it in a lake somewhere. Apparently, they paid my guy extra to have it destroyed as soon as possible. No salvaging. Told him that’s nuts! Car is in great condition. Said they’d told him they’d be swinging by later today to make sure the car had been taken care of.”

“Who’s they, exactly?”

Arthur shrugged, “Who knows? Some suits, maybe coats. Government types, my guy said. You know I don’t like to ask questions.”

“Doesn’t that seem…odd?”

“Yeah, but I don’t like to get involved. Better for everyone.”

“Just be careful, alright? Don’t want you disappearing on me one day.”

That made him laugh and I laughed with him. It was a nice moment honestly, and much needed human interaction beyond cashiers and my wife.

I checked out the whole crate, and waved Arthur goodbye. Everything was fine up to then honestly. I had something new and exciting to dive into, had a good moment with Arthur, temperature was good, the long open road, and my amazing wife waiting for me at home. Things were as perfect, outside of the pandemic crippling our world, as they could be. That was, until I saw the black car on the rear view mirror.

Remember when I said the road I was on was usually empty? Well, it had been. I wasn’t sure when, or even from where, the car came from. It wasn’t close to me or anything, but it was there, and I’ll admit it made me nervous the entire drive home.

Call me paranoid. The car disappeared the same way it appeared, totally unnoticed by me until it had happened. Maybe a few blocks away from my house when I noticed it was gone. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but still, had me on edge.

I got home. Wife was in the shower, but I went in to say hi anyway…whoops.

After that, I went into the garage and started to really read into the contents of the box.

The fourth page on the pile was filed with even more information. The RE Organization and the Department of Specialized Units were in the title, two different emblems at each side. I’ll try to describe them to the best of my ability.

One featured four circles at the ends of a cross, like a compass with a larger, white circle at the center. There was a dotted line around the whole thing with a thicker white line as a border. The other one had some type of smudge in the center. Best guess? It’s supposed to be an animal, but I’m not sure which one. There were more thicker black and white lines around it but nothing that really stood out.

I’d never seen either one before.

Underneath that was a file number and a name, but both were blacked out.

Then there was the word, CONFIDENTIAL, again centerfold on the page and a smaller item which read, “File Summary.”

I’ve typed that one up below:

The following file discloses the transcripts of the audio and video logs from the Units which participated in the search and recovery missions (See file SUS-F/LE05 in the GC archives for full details) that took place within Research Facility IV (RF-4) located in the Sector P jurisdiction of the Amazon Rainforest. Logs display multiple instances of sensory anomalies and time displacement unprecedented within the sector as well entities of classes V and above. It is now suspected that the facility was involved in highly irregular and unethical experimentation as well as abusive “work culture” which led to the initial shutdown and subsequent operations. At this time, it is unknown whether Sector P Central Command was aware of the activities and situation taking place within the facility.

It is highly recommended that the Directors read each log in its entirety and respond accordingly to the developing situation.

Yeah…

And it only gets wilder.

I’m not even going to touch on what that paragraph said right now, I want to finish typing the first log before calling it a night. Don’t want my wife to catch me either.

Let me just say though that I’ve read some of the logs so far and that’s why I’m sharing this with you guys right now. I wasn’t about to just let this be. Whether you believe them or not, you decide for yourself.

The following is the first log of the bunch. I’m typing it as close to the original as I can. I’ll try to get the rest up as soon as I’m able to.

Enjoy?

—————————————-

Video & Audio Log Transcript Record I

Date: July 25, 20▇

Unit: Bloodhound I

Operatives: BH-01 Duke – BH-02 Dutch – BH-03 Cal – BH-04 Tiny

Location: ▇▇▇▇▇, Amazon Rainforest, Peru

Objective: Search and Recovery

—————————————-

[LOG START]

BH-01 Duke: Should be up now, everyone listening?

BH-03 Cal: Hear you loud and clear, boss.

BH-04 Tiny: This humidity is killing me.

BHCommand: Sorry to hear that, Tiny. We’ll be sure to have a nice cold bath waiting for you when you get back.

BH-04 Tiny: You better.

BH-01 Duke: Dutch, you copy?

BH-02 Dutch: Yeah, sorry about that. Stepped on mushy shit, but I copy.

BHCommand: Do you have a visual on the facility?

BH-01 Duke: That’s a negative.

BH-03 Cal: How much farther is this place? Feels like we’ve been walking for hours.

BHCommand: 200 feet and closing.

BH-01 Duke: Alright people, listen up. In case some of you didn’t pay attention to the briefing, the place we’re about to enter dealt with FA-Type entities. If you’re separated inside, use your code words. Look out for anything that might seem off about one another. Maintain active communication through the comms. If you make contact with any foreign body do not engage. Our objective is the recovery of any and all personnel still alive within the facility, nothing more. Another unit has been dispatched to deal with the re-confinement of any foreign bodies and will be joining us shortly. Is that clear?

BH-03 Cal: 10-4, boss.

BH-04 Tiny: Got it.

BH-02 Dutch: Understood. Why wasn’t the other unit sent in before us, though? Command?

BHCommand: That was the initial agreement. It appears they’ve run into some complications. They might catch up after you enter the station.

BH-04 Tiny: Seems like we’re getting screwed. Why don’t we wait for ‘em?

BH-01 Duke: Every minute wasted out here could be another life lost in there.

BHCommand: 100 feet, Unit I.

BH-02 Dutch: Kinda have to agree with Tiny on this one. Command, do we have an ETA for the other unit?

BHCommand: That’s a negative. We’ll try reaching their command again. 75 feet.

BH-03 Cal: I would’ve thought you’d be happy to get out of the jungle, Tiny. You want to stand out here and wait?

BH-04 Tiny: A little humidity never killed anyone.

BH-01 Duke: Suit yourself. Keep in mind, splitting up will increase the risk and put the mission in jeopardy.

BH-02 Dutch: We’ll go in with the other unit. We’ll be right behind you.

BHCommand: 50 feet, Unit I. Do you have a visual?

BH-01 Duke: That’s a negative.

BH-04 Tiny: Wasn’t this place supposed to be huge?

BH-02 Dutch: Yeah, but you can’t have a secret building out here if people can spot it a mile away.

BH-04 Tiny: All I see is a bunch of trees and bushes. You’d think we’d be able to spot something by now.

(Unit continues to walk in silence momentarily. No building can be seen through the thick jungle yet.)

BH-01 Duke: Uh, Command. What is the distance to the target now?

BHCommand: 13 feet and closing.

(Unit halts and begins looking around.)

BH-01 Duke: Command, can you verify coordinates are correct?

BHCommand: One second.

(Pause. Unit exchange looks between themselves.)

BHCommand: We can confirm. Coordinates are correct. Target should be within 13 feet from you.

BH-01 Duke: Copy that. Let’s continue then.

(Unit continues walking through the jungle, which appears to grow thicker, covering the cameras. Static begins to appear on the feeds simultaneously as the operatives push through the grove. Cameras all cut for approximately 6 seconds before coming back on to reveal the thick bushes gone and the operatives standing in a clearing. A small structure can be see in the middle, but the feed distorts around it.)

BH-01 Duke: [Static] the target.

BHCommand: Can you repeat that, Duke?

BH-01 Duke: We have a visual on the target. I repeat, we have a visual on the target.

BHCommand: Copy that. Please describe it. There seems to be something wrong with the feed on our end.

BH-01 Duke: Target is a cabin. Small. Smaller than expected. Seems to be made out of wood.

BH-02 Dutch: No visible windows. One door at the front. Something about it doesn’t seem right.

BH-04 Tiny: Most of the facility is supposed to be underground right? Maybe that’s why?

BH-02 Dutch: Still.

BH-01 Duke: You two really going to stay out?

BH-04 Tiny: We’ll be right behind you, keep guard until the other unit arrives. Save some of the fun for us though.

BH-03 Cal: I wouldn’t call any of this fun.

BH-01 Duke: Just stay vigilant. We don’t know how secure this facility is. Anything could’ve gotten out since it went dark. (Pauses) Let’s move in.

(Unit walks towards the structure, securing positions by what appears to be the door. BH-01 Duke kicks the door in and BH-03 Cal follows as they enter the facility. Flashlights are turned on to show a distorted interior, much like the outside. Operatives don’t seem aware of this as they walk further in.)

BH-01 Duke: Help me with this.

(Operatives grab something off the ground from different ends and appear to roll it up to reveal something on the ground. BH-01 Duke grabs it and opens what now appears to be a trap door. The feed captures the interior much clearer. A dark stairway that descends into the underground. BH-01 Duke and BH-03 Cal exchange a look.)

BH-03 Cal: Damn, that’s cold.

BH-01 Duke: Command, is there a reason why the facility feels like a fridge?

BHCommand: Not from anything the sector gave us, Duke.

BH-01 Duke: At least it beats the humidity out there. You ready?

(BH-03 Cal nods then looks down into the trap door before jumping back visibly alarmed.)

BH-01 Duke: What’s wrong?

(BH-03 Cal recomposes himself and rubs his eyes)

BH-03 Cal: Thought I saw something.

BH-01 Duke: Command, did you spot anything from Cal’s feed?

BHCommand: That’s a negative. Reviewing now. (Pauses) Nothing from the feed, Duke.

BH-01 Duke: Copy.

BH-03 Cal: My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Let’s just get this over with.

BH-01 Duke: (Nods) Agreed.

(Operatives step into trap door and begin their descent.)

[LOG CUT]