(first series - not all of them have a "day X" marker)

Investigation - Day 3

The purpose of this voice log is to serve as a record of my activities here separate from my official reports to Wardenclyffe Section HQ.

I find this place to be much like our own world, except everything is in ruins.

It's known as Dite, a name borrowed from a city in Hell that appeared in Dante's "The Divine Comedy."

Personally, I don't believe in Hell, but if it did exist, I imagine it'd look a lot like this.

I'm Chloe Dubois, a researcher assigned to Wardenclyffe Section and member of the Charon Corps, which was formed to investigate this world.

For those of you that slept through your college lit class, Charon is also taken from Dante's seminal work. He's the ferryman who carries departed souls across the river to the afterlife.

It was Goodluck who came up with both names.

Goodluck was always a fan of Dante's works, but I never cared for such flights of fancy. Although I respect him immensely, I don't understand his interest in such unscientific pursuits.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand... My role in the Corps is focused on research, but I have also been given authority over this particular investigation. I guess you could say I'm something of the squad leader.

My father invested heavily in this project, which played no small part in my assignment for sure, but we need not get into that.

Even though I'm technically the leader, the base camp facility is actually managed by Virgil AT9, an artificial intelligence developed by Goodluck himself.

Apparently, she is responsible for communications, data analysis, and facility operations.

She uses the instruments we carry on us to manage the data we gather in regards to our experiments, as well as the collection of the Kuban energy necessary for controlling the wormhole.

To be honest, Goodluck's programming is nothing short of revolutionary, and that's putting it mildly.

It's almost as if his mind alone is centuries ahead of us.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is that Virgil's responses to our queries are strangely humanlike.

She speaks in a solemn tone and has a tendency to be rather rigid at times, but she also possesses a keen sense of humor that I never had.

It boggles the mind to think how many people were used as reference points to develop her personality and character.

At any rate, I should be able to work towards my objective starting tomorrow.

I am here to research wormhole-related technology as well as investigate the wanderers' ecology.

One of the main objectives of my research is to find a way for us to manually control these wormholes.

There is a material in this world known as Kuban energy, which we believe is essential to controlling wormholes.

As such, we must harvest as much of it as possible. If we can eventually perfect this technology, we will be able to instantly transport objects anywhere on the planet.

Indeed, we may finally be able to realize the World System that Nikola Tesla proposed so long ago.

However, the technology is incomplete, and opinions as to its viability vary widely within our section.

I understand Goodluck's belief that we should proceed with caution, but as a scientist, it's impossible for me to ignore the new possibilities that will be opened to us.

I managed to overcome Goodluck's personal objections and be assigned to the team in order to continue my wormhole research on the cutting edge of the field.

I figured that if I didn't, I would never be able to catch up with him.

It is my desire to be the one to finally find that which has managed to elude Goodluck for so long.

I am recording this while observing the wanderers from a distance.

They are strange creatures, seemingly able to continue communicating even after losing their heads. I will never get used to it, no matter how many times I see it.

Since we launched our investigation, the cameras in our drones have spotted numerous human-like metallic crystalline lifeforms.

Basically, they are the organisms referred to as wanderers by Wardencyliff Section.

Although we know that wanderers are strange and unique organisms that take human hosts, we are yet to find any humans not already infested.

Wanderers apparently got their name from their tendency to wander aimlessly about Dite...

...until they come into contact with us.

At present, the only thing we know about them is they are extremely sensitive to sound.

Most wanderers have poorly developed eyesight but have offset that with hypersensitive hearing.

Still, there is much that we do not know about their ecology.

Naturally, we plan to continue our research until all of these questions are answered.

Investigation - Day 31

Our communications with headquarters have been unstable lately.

It appears to be due to excessive wear on our communications equipment.

We're consulting with the tech team as to the feasibility of procuring replacement parts. Failing that, we're likely to lose communications completely at some point.

On the other hand, our research into the wanderers' ecology is proceeding quite well.

One thing we learned is that they seem to possess a shared consciousness.

That would definitely explain everything we observed so far.

This was one of our most recent discoveries.

We captured one and tried to take it back with us, but other nearby wanderers immediately began to converge on us--almost as if our prisoner had given off some kind of distress signal.

As a result, we were able to come up with a hypothesis regarding this shared consciousness.

The crystalline structures within the wanderers' bodies appear to be made of Kuban energy.

We've theorized that they use such energy to communicate with each other in a manner similar to the wormhole technology.

With this hypothesis in mind, I would like to continue our investigation.

There is one more thing I must mention.

We have determined that the crystalline structures on the wanderers' backs envelop the human brain at the point of contact and then solidify there.

It may be that by destroying these crystals, we can stop the wanderers from functioning.

According to the research team, the most effective way of dealing with the wanderers is to sneak up behind them and destroy the crystalline structure with a knife.

I suppose like any other living organism, they cannot function without a brain.

It has been ten days since we lost pretty much all communications with headquarters.

We have no timetable for the necessary repairs, so on my authority, the Charon Corps is continuing its research.

Unfortunately, there is data we need from headquarters, which means our research has basically come to a standstill.

At any rate, I suppose I should record the latest developments in our investigation.

First, we detected a response to Kuban energy from the dust around the base camp.

If we can continue our research, we may be able to harvest Kuban energy from it.

We have also found areas rich in Kuban crystals, so our efforts to harvest Kuban energy...

...as well as increase production of devices that utilize it look promising. We should be able obtain all we need that way.

As for the wanderers, our current concern is their relationship with the dust.

Since we've detected Kuban energy within both of them, there definitely seems to be some sort of connection.

When humans who have become wanderers absorb the dust, perhaps the Kuban energy therein crystalizes within their bodies.

We'll need to study this possibility in more detail.

At any rate, we've finally found a much more effective way of obtaining Kuban energy than directly harvesting it from the wanderers.

This is a major advance.

While the proposed devices that utilize Kuban energy have their uses, the wormhole transporter is the one that fascinates me the most.

A functioning transporter would greatly expand the scope and reach of our research team.

We also need to accelerate our deployment of the Skill Trainer, which has been stuck in the inspection phase.

But I still do not understand how Goodluck ever conceived such devices?

The ability to instantly transport matter or physically enhance the human body... That sounds like science fiction.

The ability to instantly transport matter or physically enhance the human body... That sounds like science fiction.

The ability to instantly transport matter or physically enhance the human body... That sounds like science fiction.

Furthermore, they were both developed in such a short time despite the fact that they use Kuban energy, an energy source we know almost nothing about.

I am beginning to wonder... Will I ever be able to match his talent?

It has been five days since we lost all communications with headquarters.

Furthermore, we've lost a considerable number of people to the wanderers.

And the wanderers are not our only problem. We're beginning to run low on food as well.

Fortunately, some of our members have had some luck hunting sheep and goats, so we do have enough food to last at least a little longer.

However, it's unlikely that we will be able to secure enough food on a daily basis for all of the Charon Corps.

This has forced me to make an important decision: continue our research or abandon it and pull out.

Yet, I know that if we go back now, it will be some time again before we are ever able to return...

No, it is more likely that we would never make it back here again.

Our research data is still lacking.

If we give up now without anything substantial to show for it, all of our work here will have been for nothing.

I know I should make a prompt decision, but it is not an easy one.

Now that the wormhole digger has commenced operation, we are able to obtain an extremely pure form of Kuban energy known as Iris energy.

Finally, one piece of good news to go along with all of the disappointments.

We've managed to make progress with our investigation.

We sent out a unit on a scouting mission and they reported finding a rather large creature during their patrol.

I checked the logs, and they seem to match the exact time the anomalies were detected by the crew's instruments.

According to Virgil's report, there was a large amount of Kuban energy detected as well.

It might just turn out to be a new species of wanderer.

The combat team referred to the creature as the Lord of Dust.

It appeared out of nowhere and then vanished just as fast. It must be moving via a wormhole. That would explain the abnormal readings from our instruments.

It makes me wonder just how much Kuban energy it would take to instantly transport such a massive being.

We need to find out more about this Lord of Dust. That means considerably expanding the area we explore.

Additionally, our research into the dust has progressed well, enabling us to form a new hypothesis on its link to the wanderers.

However, if our hypothesis is correct... No, never mind.

Investigation - Day 134

We were able to use the wormhole digger to move to a location far removed from our original base camp.

Since relocating to this new region, we have spotted a number of new lifeforms.

They vary in appearance, but we have detected the presence of Kuban energy, so it is likely that they are a new, unknown species of wanderers.

We have given them provisional names based on the special characteristics of their morphology and ecology.

Compared to our previous location, this area is far more dangerous. These new wanderers have launched a variety of attacks against us.

Our research is still at a standstill, leaving us unsure about how to deal with this new threat.

As a result, we have lost members not only from the combat team, but the tech team as well.

According to the latest report, approximately 20% of our members are incapacitated or otherwise unable to carry out their duties.

I should probably think about withdrawing, but given that we've found new species of wanderers, there must be data here that not even Goodluck has found himself.

I cannot waste this golden opportunity.

As such, we must not halt our investigation just yet.

Investigation - Day-- No, it does not matter what day it is anymore.

Our forward operating base was attacked by the Lord of Dust.

It proved to be a far greater threat than we imagined. I do not see how any normal human being could ever defeat such a monster.

Many lives were lost trying to defend our base.

Even worse, just as we were picking up the pieces, tragedy struck once more.

We suffered a large number of infections.

There had been cases of team members left behind in the dust becoming wanderers, but...

There is no dust or wanderers within the FOB, and yet a large number of infections occurred nearly simultaneously. I found it hard to believe.

And as if that was not enough, it seems the infections were caused deliberately.

I have no idea how it was done or by whom. However, the incident compromised our security, allowing someone to smuggle our research data and the Kuban energy out of the FOB.

I have no idea why we were betrayed...or for what purpose.

Even if I did, it's too late now.

Our team members are turning into wanderers. Those who remain are turning against one another, each suspecting the other is infected.

This world has truly lived up to its namesake, becoming our own personal hell.

Our ranks have been scattered.

I am currently working together with a number of researchers and other team members who were separated from the FOB.

If there are any infected among us...

I do not want to think about it, but I must not let my guard down.

I wonder how the others are faring.

We received a report that some team members managed to escape the base camp, taking Virgil with them.

They were somehow able to contact headquarters and request help.

I am a bit concerned about how they said Virgil was acting strangely. I am sure it's nothing, though. At least I hope.

Unfortunately, we have yet to hear from them again.

Everyone...

I should have stopped this madness sooner!

How many lives have been lost because of my pride and sense of rivalry?

Nevertheless, I vow to do everything I can to survive.

It has nothing to do with my work. I must warn the world of the danger posed by the wanderers. I cannot die until I have done at least that much.

I am a researcher with Wardenclyffe Section HQ, which came to investigate this world in 1975.

My name is Chloe Dubois.

I have been separated from my colleagues.

I am all alone.

We were developing a system to defend ourselves against the wanderers when one of our team members got sick.

Although we had some of our project engineers and researchers evacuate with our development data, there was too few of them to complete the work.

No one can survive in this world.

And that includes me.

Goodluck... Did you disagree because you knew the destruction that awaited?

And if you knew, then how? Who exactly are you, anyway, and what is your objective?

It seems I will die without knowing anything more about you than I already do.

I find that to be almost as painful as death itself.

But I suppose I am simply reaping what I sowed when I chose to follow in your footsteps. I have only myself to blame for forcing this research project forward for the tiniest scraps of new information.

My choice has doomed me to die without accomplishing anything--with no legacy to leave behind and no recognition.

However, I do have one last theory I wish to share with whomever might be listening to this.

May it be a testament to my life.

Whether you are here to continue our research or have simply arrived via the wormhole, it does not matter. I just need somebody to have this information.

It is about the so-called dust that pervades the world of Dite.

We originally thought the wanderers absorbed it, causing the Kuban energy within it to crystallize.

However, we now know we were wrong.

If my ideas are sound, it is the dust particles themselves that spawn the wanderers.

All the people of this world became wanderers after they become hosts for the parasite.

When you look at it that way, all of our research make sense.

A fitting name for these strange particles would be Dread Dust, due to the sheer havoc it wreaks.

That also means that the act of creating Kuban energy and creating Dread Dust are one and the same.

Clearly, this form of energy is not meant to be used by mankind.

I was afraid to mention this theory to anybody, but now I am left with no other choice.

It is clear now that this world met its ruin after some scientist here developed this Dread Dust in a bid to obtain a new form of energy.

If we continue our research into Kuban energy, our own world will surely meet the same fate.

This research was supposed to usher in a new age for mankind. I wanted to be the one to do that, but instead...

What...what have I done?

Please... Whoever's listening to this...

You must halt all research into Kuban energy back on our home world!

You must not let our planet suffer the same fate as Dite!

No matter what...

(second series)

Okay, preparations are complete! My name is Enrique. I'm a communications officer for the Charon Corps, which has been tasked with investigating the world known as Dite.

It's my duty to keep a log of our unit's activities and report back to headquarters on a regular basis.

I'll start by introducing our team.

The Charon Corps is made up of 121 members.

There are a number of researchers and engineers involved with the wormholes, as well as various other specialists here to investigate this world. And of course, there are a few corporate suits from our illustrious sponsor.

Along with them, we have a medical team in case of emergencies and an active unit to carry out the research and exploration on the frontlines.

Basically, the active unit is filled with military types, and they're also assigned to protect the numerous civilians on our team.

Us communications officers are also members of this special unit. Finally, I guess you could consider the final member of the group to be our highly-advanced support AI.

I was also a radio operator back in Vietnam, but the survival skills I showed there helped earn me a spot on this mission.

I was told that I'd be serving my country, and would be rewarded beyond my wildest dreams. Who could turn down an offer like that huh?

Anyway, enough talk about money.

Back to our squad members... No two are alike, which at least makes things interesting 'round here.

And you'd be surprised at how many cute little honeys there are on the engineering team.

There's this one girl named Chloe. She's a little older than I like 'em, but out here, I'll take what I can get, if you know what I mean.

I thought I was gonna be surrounded by a bunch of dudes on this trip, but now it looks like I've got a paid vacation to explore the great unknown with a fine-looking woman.

Anyway, moving on... I suppose I should give my impressions about this world.

The first thing we came across here were the ruined buildings.

There were various vehicles strewn about here and there. Basically, it all looked like the kind of stuff you'd see back home.

I heard this was some kind of parallel world to our own, but it pretty much looked and felt like Earth.

If I had to state a difference, I suppose it'd have to be the fog. It's like the thickest I've ever seen.

We've found an area untouched by the fog and are building a base camp here in order to conduct our mission on this world.

Thankfully, the materials we need for the various facilities are already here, and construction is proceeding smoothly.

So, I guess it's only a matter of time before we can start exploring this world and reporting our findings back to HQ.

That's it for now!

I'd like to go over the mission that has been assigned to the Charon Corps.

Basically, our squad received the mission at the request of a certain organization.

The aim of this organization is to establish viable wormhole technology.

So, the purpose of this mission is to recover Kuban energy and carry out research on the world of Dite and its inhabitants, which are known as wanderers.

In addition to that, my unit's also been tasked with eliminating any threats posed by said wanderers.

However, there's no doubt there's more to this mission than what most of us have been told.

The space race has lost considerable steam lately, leading many to believe that the US and the Soviet Union will engage in joint experiments in the near future.

Naturally, the US is hoping to take the leading role in any such developments.

If America can perfect the wormhole technology first, it'll be in prime position to take the lead.

That has caused some people to get rather worked up, and the usual conspiracy theories abound. Then again, where there's smoke...

Plus, I've got my own theory as to what's going on. Hear me out...

With the ink on the Biological Weapons Convention barely dry, this serves as a sort of loophole that could allow a nation to do an end-run around the treaty in order to obtain a new type of biological weapon.

If a country could somehow manage to control the wanderers that inhabit this world...

I wouldn't put it past some of those SOBs among the top brass.

Under the veil of total secrecy, I've been given a special assignment.

I was ordered to capture a wanderer alive and take it back to our world. See? I told you something was going on here.

What we originally thought was fog upon arriving on this world is actually made up of minute particles and is apparently better referred to as dust.

It's difficult to see through this dust, and it also makes it difficult to breathe properly. It goes without saying that you don't wanna be exposed to it for too long.

You need an air tank if you're going to be out there working in it, but... Well, that's enough about this particular topic, I think.

There's something much more important to discuss.

To put it frankly, our unit is rapidly falling apart.

It's like there is absolutely no leadership at the top.

I'm not exactly sure what the top brass were thinking when they put this crew together.

It's clear this has all come about because we were never given a clear definition of our mission priorities.

Some people focus on eliminating the wanderers, while others think it is more important to protect the survivors and secure materials for our research.

To make matters even worse, we're essentially forced to serve two different masters.

There's Section HQ, and then there's the group responsible for actually funding the expedition.

It seems there is always some kind of struggle going on between the people in charge.

Me and some others constantly try to intervene, but it's just like adding fuel to the fire.

It's as if we're all kids back in high school. I don't know what's gonna become of us.

That being said, there is one man here that we can depend on.

As far as I can tell, he's the only one who looks at the situation with a level head and can decide on a rational course of action to take.

He joined the squad as an engineer, but he really knows what he's doing out there in the field.

It might be good to work alongside him for a while and see what we can accomplish together.

Maybe I can get him to help me restore order to the team as well.

There's just one problem. He's not exactly the chatty type.

In fact, he barely says a word.

Tragedy struck our team.

There was nothing that could be done.

A man was badly injured after being attacked by wanderers out in the dust. However, the air tanks of the other members were depleted and they had no choice but to return to base.

Even worse, we're unable to contact HQ at this time, so there's even more confusion than usual around here.

This won't be the last of the casualties if we continue with our mission.

The mission... And that secret task that I was assigned...

Capture a wanderer and return it to our world.

Is that really something we should even consider? Taking one of those things back with us?

There's so many of them. Probably more than we can even count.

We've got no idea how they reproduce either. If left unchecked, they could just keep on spawning for eternity.

Aside from that, there's something else that keeps me up at night.

I really don't know how to say it, so here it is... I saw some kind of giant creature.

It happened when I was out on patrol. I came across it completely by chance.

This thing was so big and terrifying that it made all of these other creatures look harmless in comparison.

The wormhole has brought all kinds of things to Dite. I imagine this thing is no different.

Whatever the case, if it ever decides to attack us, there's not much we can do.

I quickly returned to base camp and reported the matter to my captain. Then I took a group of men and led them to where I saw the creature.

However, it was nowhere to be found.

My captain said that my visibility was reduced by the dust, and it must've been a rock or mountain or something. But I know what I saw.

It's out there somewhere.

And I know it's only a matter of time before it attacks.

At any rate, we need Chloe to get that device up and running ASAP.

If what they say is true, it will at least make things somewhat easier for the squad.

It came for us at last.

It happened during a field test of the transporter that Chloe and the rest of her team had set up.

If it worked, we'd be able to expand our search grid, making all of our jobs that much easier. At least, that's what we thought as we all went about our work.

However, when the time came, that giant creature appeared right before our eyes.

It had multiple legs, each striking the ground with fury as the beast slowly approached.

It was just like what I had seen before. I knew it was no hill or mountain.

The creature attacked us without mercy.

It wasn't something you could just take down with a rifle or two. We had no choice but to flee. I simply kept running, all the while ignoring my comrades' screams.

For those of us that managed to escape, we eventually came across some ruins.

Although they were covered with a thick layer of dust, we needed to find a place to rest, so we went inside.

You could've cut the tension with a knife, but for whatever reason, the creature refused to follow us inside.

I can still feel my heart pounding just thinking about it.

I can't shake that sense of fear and dread. If I never see that horrible creature again, it'll be too soon. That thing is like the Grim Reaper incarnate.

We call it the Lord of Dust because it seems to rule over all that stands before it.

Somebody gave it that name at some point and it just kinda stuck.

I guess the way its massive body majestically strides through the dust is kind of lordly in its own way.

Pretty much everybody on the team has called it that ever since.

There is one other thing I must include in my report.

After we escaped from the Lord of Dust, I found a strange journal amid the ruins.

It must've been left behind by some castaway.

One passage in particular caught my eye.

"It's all my fault. I wish I could take back that decision. If only we could go back to the beginning."

Does that make any sense to you? 'Cause I can't make heads or tails of it.

Maybe it was the last thought that person ever had on this world...

Since we arrived on this world, we have come across numerous castaways.

Unlike us, they seem to have come here after getting caught up in a naturally occurring wormhole.

After hearing their stories, there is one thing we know with certainty. Although they are from different eras, we all came from the same Earth.

Their history and the dates of major incidents all correlated perfectly with ours.

Which means, these wormholes can extend through time itself.

If that's true, maybe it means we can return to our own time as well.

Did top brass know about this? And if they did, does that mean that they sent us here anyway?

What about Chloe? Did she know? Were we sent out on this recovery mission despite them knowing the dangers posed by the wanderers?

Unfortunately, I have no answers...only more questions.

At least we have a bit of good news.

I met somebody interesting among the castaways we've come across.

A solider with considerable knowledge and experience. He served in a mercenary group back home.

He came from the year 1975. That's right, the same year that we were sent on our mission.

He said the facility they were using--he referred to it as Mother Base--came under attack, and he was sucked into a wormhole that suddenly appeared.

He couldn't stop worrying about his friends and his partner that tried to save him. He really is one of the good guys.

He's quite older than I am, but we think a lot alike, making it easy to talk to him.

When I'm with him, I just feel my thoughts fall into place more easily, and before I know it, we're in the middle of a deep conversation.

I'm not a fan of the missions they assign us, but I feel like his presence will help me get through them.

We used a wormhole to move to a new location a great distance from our base camp.

According to Chloe, this place is filled with new information just waiting to be discovered.

It is far more dangerous than the previous area, making it hard to conduct the necessary research.

The visibility here is the pits, and it's not just due to the dust. The place is overrun with vegetation.

Unfortunately, duty calls, and we've got no choice but to answer... We've built a forward operating base in this area.

It's nothing special, but at this point, we'll take any source of refuge we can get.

Up until now, I haven't had too many serious problems health-wise, but lately, I have not been feeling so well.

I don't see much need to visit the doctor though. I'm sure it's just fatigue from working too hard.

However, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up.

Honestly, I just wanna go home.

I want to take some time off and visit the mountains, the ocean... You know, take my special lady with me and enjoy a tasty meal together.

And then...

I guess I should start today's entry.

Lately, I've been feeling great. I don't get tired like I used to, and I'm able to ignore the everyday stress of this place.

If this keeps up, our investigation should make good progress.

We have discovered a singularity in this area as well.

Clearly, it means there is more information waiting to be discovered.

However, just as our investigation appears to be picking up steam, we do not have enough people to carry it out.

It's not because they're out on some other mission either.

They just got up and left.

I can't believe them. We have all this dust here, yet they won't come.

They really are a strange bunch.

Well, I suppose complaining about it won't do any good.

I've always been a glass-half-full kind of guy.

If we lose some of our old friends, then we just need to make new ones.

Now then, I need to see about sending the data collected by our AI.

I also wanna learn more about this wormhole technology.

Chloe... Where is she?

I've got a million things to ask her.

Eventually, we can share this information with our comrades.

This is my latest update.

There are no longer any humans here among us.

There is no prosperity to be had.

We will travel back in time... Seek out further information...

We're spreading out... Spreading out like the darkness itself...

Ahhh... The information shared with us has ended. There is nobody left to stand in our way.

It is time to go home... Time to go on a journey.