E-PDA research memos

[RESEARCH MEMO 29-1-24XX] I can still scarcely believe what I'm looking at. The subject is the size of my fist, yellow in color, and slimy in texture. By all accounts it appears to be a lump of flesh. We don't know what it's from or where, but our instruments confirm it is biological in origin, and it is completely alien to ours. It was recovered from the wreckage of the ██████ ███████, fused with the receiver plate. This represents a groundbreaking leap in our research, but a small consolation for the total loss of the device. I don't understand. Over a decade of dead-end research teleporting little more than individual particles and then this thing comes through? Out of all the universe, the odds of our experiment randomly intersecting with a creature of an unknown alien planet must be at least fifty orders of magnitude. It should be impossible, and yet here it is. We'll need to try and spin this. We can't risk losing the investor's funding, or scaring the public. Not at this juncture. At least this will give the bio team something to investigate while we rebuild the entire project from the ground up.

[RESEARCH MEMO 3-11-24XX] The 'yellow blood' from the █████████ incident is truly remarkable. Its adaptability is unlike anything seen on Earth. Even under intense radiation it manages to repair itself almost immediately. It's a level of recombination only seen in our immune cells, and yet it covers its entire genome. When we attempted to overwrite it with our own viral vectors, it somehow integrated them into its own genetic code with no loss to itself. We injected the alien genes into rat cells and the results made Dr. █████ fall out of his seat. It went into an overdrive of expression, grabbing DNA from whatever source it could find and integrating it into the hosts own DNA without issue. It made the past 100 years of biological research look like a joke. The host died shortly after. It acts like a scaffold, allowing DNA sequences to jump and recombine without immediately becoming cancerlike. We repeated this experiment with several genomes and even sequences from vastly different species were integrated. However, the actual results are wildly unpredictable. It feels more like a witch's brew than actual biology, but who knows the potential this holds.

[RESEARCH MEMO 29-7-24XX] My efforts have finally resulted in a viable specimen! It is sedated now, but breathing on its own outside of the vat. It shows no signs of the lethal embryonic mutations that took all our previous attempts, and nor is it another grotesque mass of deregulated tissue. It is the first truly artificial sapience. It is not lost upon me that I have birthed a new race. Like the other trials, the yellow blood was introduced to the latest stable admixture and injected into a human embryo. As desired, the specimen borrows most heavily from the human genome, but it is something completely different. Its claws are almost feline, its ears avian or perhaps even reptilian. I can detect traces of canine, vulpine and rodent genes in its cranium, but the genetic stock could contain a thousand potential donors. Its eyes are even subtly bioluminescent. More importantly, its intellectual capability appears to be near human level, just as desired. The doors that this opens are limitless! I will play gently with this one, but I've already begun cloning it to perform more destructive tests. I will designate my creation, SAW-01.

[RESEARCH MEMO 24-12-24XX] Upon repeated request, I am altering the SAW-01 genome. Their utility to this company's research was far beyond my anticipation. Originally I believed the lack of reproduction was proof of their perfection, but they are in such demand that our cloning machines can no longer keep up. I understand now the benefits of the old fashioned way. As soon as I stopped suppressing sexual expression, the genes accepted the change readily. They are simultaneous hermaphrodites; the first mammals to possess both sexual organs. Actually, as they possess no mammaries, are they even mammals? I do not know if this is from Earth, or from the yellow blood, but it is beyond our terminology. It appears they have no drive towards others of the same species, but are content with and capable of reproducing on their own. They will be capable of effectively cloning themselves for far less the cost now.

[PERSONAL MEMO] [DR. ██████████, 6-05-24XX] I just don't understand it. I worked on the ██████ ███████ before the incident. We exhausted every avenue, checked under every rock, and now ██ years later we're repeating the same experiments already dismissed and getting wildly successful results. It's like something's changed since then, some hidden variable of the universe. That's not how these things should work. For the first time it seems that true point teleportation might be within our grasp, and yet we understand less then we did back then. I'm afraid we might be meddling with something beyond our understanding. What if instead of a small lump of flesh, we'd snagged a piece of a neutron star? Of course such high gravity repels the point targeting, but what else did we 'know' that's changed at the flick of a galactic switch? Give a caveman the most advanced computer we've got and they'll use it as a space heater. Are we operating on a similar level of ignorance...? We might be just kids playing with dad's gun.

Hey, big man. Update on the ████ █████. Great progress. The boys nearly powered the whole damn station off of it and the thing hardly even complained. It's the densest form of energy we've ever seen. Imagine it, whole teleporters powered by a thing you can hold in your hands. Still, strange that it's shaped like a █████. Maybe some piece of an Experiment got jammed in there, who knows. But with this, we might not need to expand our Dyson Swarm after all. Problem is, we can't recreate it. The boys insist that they reproduced the experiment exactly. They were trying to pull out the spacetime conduit instead of traverse it, but this time? Nothing. It sure broke the machine like before, but no ████ █████. It's just like the ██████████ incident, but that yellow blood led us to the SAW specimens. This might be an even bigger breakthrough. I'll send this thing down to headquarters through the teleporter. Hopefully you can make some sense out of it. Oh... and while we're on the subject, send us up some more SAW specimens. Hard to keep enough of a stock up here in orbit. - Station Director ███████████

[INCIDENT REPORT] [RECOVERED AUDIO TRANSCRIPT B7-187545] [TELEPORTATION BAY: OSPREY] "I've seen the specs, but... damn that thing's big." "Of course. It's been designed to transport entire buildings after all." "And they make it in one piece?" "We're still dialing it in, but that's why we make sure most of the payloads can take a bit of a tumble. A tumble from say... the atmosphere." <PDA FEEDBACK> "Yes right there, just leave it right there in the center!" "What's that they're moving?" "Boy, you're green. It's that new power source management's been fawning over." "Oh... Is it safe for them to be down there in the displacement basin, sir?" "Sure, long as you don't turn it on. Though, when it was still in development some of the testing fodder got cut clean in half. Turns out some parasitic capacitance from the spool up cycle was enough to trip the field projector, but that's why we don't service these things ourselves. Other half ended up in the employee bathroom at HQ." "I'm sure that gave the janitor something to think about." "That yellow blood sure stains like hell. Can still see some of it down there." <THUCNK> <RATTLING MECHANICAL ROAR> "What is that!" "That's just the metamass displacer coming online! The director's on my ass about the power usage so let's make this quick! Destination?!" "Uh...! Set, sir!" "Basin?!" "Clear, sir!" "Indicators?!" "All green, sir!" "Then let 'er rip!" <ALARM WAIL> "Wha-!" "What did you do?!" "I-I didn't!" "Stabilizer's dis--solvin-g! Sh-u-u--uu-t it d-own!" "I---c-an't it-t's!" <OVERLAPPING ALARM WAILS> "W-hy w-oo-o-n't i---t!?" "Tr-ry--- [END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[MEETING TRANSCRIPT AA-226213] [██████ █████'S OFFICE] [DATE: 6-06-25XX] Downsize...? What do you mean! Exactly as it sounds, Dr. █████. We're cutting back on the SAW project. Excuse me, but that project is what made this company what it is today. SAW specimens are pivotal to all our research. You can't cancel it. Do you have any idea how much it costs for me to keep wiping your ass? Half our budget goes into security alone. If anyone caught wind of what we're doing here, we'd all be lynched! We'd be lucky if they only did a tenth of what you've done. I understand, sir, but our results--- Have been stagnant for years. You've solved all the easy problems. You're just playing with them now, and I'm the one footing the bill. We've been making steady progress on cancers, epigenetic drift, stem-cell exhaustion... true immortality! Isn't that worth the risk? It's pointless if I won't be alive to see it! We'll keep some around, but teleportation...there's a technology for the public. It's been our goal since the beginning. Picture it Dr. █████, hundreds of human worlds, all connected with OUR machines. It would be like owning the gas, the cars, and the road. We'd become untouchable. It sounds wonderful, sir... but there's so many of them, some with decades of investment. How am I supposed to simply "downsize" it? I hear you're already quite adept at killing them. Get creative.

[GROUP CHAT - MENTICIDE DPT.] - New Message - Has anyone seen my coffee cup? It's the one that says, "I'm just here for the free radicals." If you find it, please bring it to my office. Thanks.

[SUBJECT] Regarding Your Last Message [FROM] Human Resources [TO] Dr. ██████████ This is to inform you that your last message, "Which one of you FUCKERS teleported half an Experiment into the GODDAMN BATHROOM?! I'm sitting here minding my own FUCKING business and a BLEEDING SEVERED TORSO FALLS ON MY HEAD. It was still flailing around and getting its nasty blood EVERYWEHRE! I'm fucking COVERED IN IT! DISGUSTING!!! When I find out who's responsible I'm going to throw the other half into your OFFICE!" was determined to be inappropriate and inconsistent with our standards for professional communication. We expect all employees to communicate with colleagues respectfully and professionally. Please ensure that future communications are consistent with these expectations.

[PERSONAL MEMO] [DR. █████, 2-11-25XX] Downsize... Downsize, he says! Does he not understand? Does he have no appreciation for what the SAW program has done for this company? What I'VE done for this company? Our research isn't stagnant. I was just about to finish SAW-13. The right specimen would get us back on track. I won't exterminate them, but I can make him happy. The planet from which they take their blood. It's their home as much as Earth. In a way, they always belonged there. I'll call it an extended experiment, an observation of how they behave away from their masters. It costs us nothing, it's free from prying eyes, and if we need more, we'll simply take them back. Everything is perfect. Go forth, then. Multiply. Hold hands, or cover them in your neighbor's blood. Repeat our mistakes. Run wild and free. But remember, you're all my children, and you will never be free from me.

[SUBJECT] It's a matter of security! [FROM] Operations Oversight [TO] All Personnel Please stop saving local copies of internal emails to your personal devices. I understand that the employee email portal is annoying to use, but this is a major security risk! We've located several lost devices and almost all of them contained some sort of classified information. What would you do if one of these ended up in the wrong hands? Please be more careful in the future! Operations Oversight

[Neurologic Hardware Division] [DATE: 11-10-25XX] [LEAD ENGINEER ████████] We've completed the latest prototype of the Digital Interoception Device (or the "Health HUD" as some of my engineers have taken to calling it.) After collaborating with the folks from the SAW Project, we've made several breakthrough advancements. The 'spinal delamination' issue has been almost entirely eliminated, and I dare say we are ready for human installment! The actual device is a chip implanted just below the cerebellum and affixed to the medulla oblongata via conductive nanofilaments. It functions by intercepting the various visceroceptive and somatosensory signals used subconsciously for bodily regulation and amplifying them into the visual cortex via a convenient user interface. The implant does not require a battery and instead harvests energy from circulating metabolites, so it should work indefinitely unless it's damaged somehow. With this, any user can check their exact heart rate, oxygen exchange, and internal temperature as accurately as any machine, as well as things like muscle and skin irritation and inflammation. The possibilities are endless!

[SUBJECT] RE: Questions? [FROM] ████████████ [TO] Dr. █████ I am writing to inform you that all of the SAW subjects responsible for last week's riot have already been terminated, so I'm afraid you won't be able to get your questions in. I saw to it that they were interviewed thoroughly, and they confessed that everything they knew came from that SAW-03, so the mystery is solved. Most of the scientists they killed were their own handlers, and they admitted to targeting them on purpose. I don't need a degree in psychology to guess why, so I doubt you'd accomplish much, but feel free to collect their brains. Security will be tightened up so hopefully this mess won't happen again. Regards, Security Chief ████████████

[ALL PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT] An internal review identified an instance of sustained communication between an employee and a designated research asset. The employee was found to have spoofed access codes on several separate occasions to meet with a SAW-03 subject off the official record. These unauthorized visits included the exchange of information not permitted to be shared with SAW subjects as well as inappropriate affection. This activity introduced uncontrolled behavioral variables into an ongoing experiment. The employee has been forcefully reassigned. The subject subsequently showed self-terminating behavior and is no longer viable for study. All staff are reminded that any unauthorized interactions with SAW subjects materially impacts experimental integrity. If you are uncertain whether an interaction falls within protocol, consult your supervisor before proceeding. Thank you for your attention, Project Management Office

[ARCHIVED CHAT, ID:LUXRJGY4] [DR. ██████, ENG. ████████] > I tell you, whoever started that plushie line has a great sense of humor. My daughter is obsessed with them. They're a lot cuter than the real things though. Hahaha! If the shit we're doing ever gets leaked, people would be like 'What, like the plushies?' Hahaha! You think they'd even believe it? > Yea, wonder what a real stuffed SAW would look like, LMAO. Doubt your daughter would be too happy with that one. > You never know! Hahaha!

[SUBJECT] My Awesome New Invention [FROM] Dr. ████ [TO] Lead Engineer ████████ It's called: the EXCRUCIATOR! I took the brain implant tech from the project that you've been working on, but instead of reading nerve impulses, I sent them instead. After some tweaking, it's capable of making you feel literally the most pain physically possible! I actually expected the test subjects to become desensitized to it at some point, but they never did! This could be incredible for the criminal justice system. It's always been a problem to know if someone's suffered enough. Well now you can! I've done loads of tests on the SAWs, and simply seeing the EXCRUCIATOR applied was enough to dissuade disobedience in the whole group. Can we get this into production ASAP?

[PROJECT UPDATE] Bad news guys... The EXCRUCIATOR is cancelled. The department head said that it was "impractical" and, "actually deranged" and that it would be a "goddamned PR nightmare." What looks so bad about solving criminal justice??? Oh well, at least we got the go ahead to use it internally.

[OPERATIONS OVERSIGHT] [INCIDENT REPORT, CASE ID:YVLVH4EB] [EVIDENCE ITEM #54] I can't do it anymore. What we're doing is wrong. It's evil. I've been here since before the █████████ incident. It didn't use to be like this. They only hire psychopaths now, but I wasn't any better. I used the SAW specimens like everyone else. The progress we made was so easy it was intoxicating. I told myself that it was for the good of mankind, that they weren't like us. I was assigned a SAW-01 for long term testing on implants. I was cold at first, but to them it was the best part of their day. They never complained. It must've been a year. Talking during our checkups slowly became normal. I invented reasons to broaden the trials. I never even knew Experiments could smile until then. They weren't very smart, but they started to help me around my office. I worked with them for fourteen years. Then, they were taken from me. I'd already extended the research as far as I could. I tried, I really tried. I sat in my office, refreshing the SAW ledger over and over until it happened. Their ID's status switched to deceased. All the humanity I'd suppressed tore through me like a vengeful spirit and destroyed me. In this EPDA you will find all the evidence necessary to take the company down. I pray this works and it finds its way into the hands of the press. I am so sorry, Mason. So so sorry... > UPDATE CASE STATUS: RESOLVED

[SAW PROJECT MEMO] [DR. █████, 1-11,25XX] The benefits of the Experiments cannot be understated, but they fall short in one very important metric. Their permanently pubescent intelligence makes more advanced psychological trials difficult. Specializing for this, I believe this SAW-03 will perform more admirably. Its fur is milky white and soft. Perhaps some cetacean influence is responsible for its intelligence, because it has fins projecting from its back. It is much more frail than its kin, but this should not pose an issue for their intended use.

[SUBJECT] Those New SAWs [FROM] Head of Applied Ballistics, Dr. █████████ [TO] Dr. ██████ I swear, Dr. █████'s team is just trying to annoy me. They know how much I hate bugs! It's got to be on purpose. I asked for a sturdier specimen for our testing, and they made me these SAW-12s. They're sturdy alright. They're also impossible to control and incredibly stupid. I know it's impossible to influence the fine details of these things but surely they could've done better than this. They do have one use, however. They're great at disposing of leftover body parts from our munitions testing.

[SUBJECT] Accolades For You! [FROM] Head of Teleportation, ████████ [TO] Eng. ████████ Wonderful idea using the public's waste for calibration testing! We're racking up some serious credit with Uncle Sam for that stunt. Not only that, it's an incredible way of disposing of our more... sensitive objects. We're killing two birds with one stone. Or two Experiments with one syringe, Eh? As for the issue with the targeting. Who cares if it's strangely attracted to that planet? If that's where it wants to go, why should we argue? It's not like there's any environmental nutjobs to catch us up there. Speaking of, keep a close eye on the waste. Operations Oversight caught some spy tech inside a bunch of depleted fuel rods of all things! Probably a competitor trying to learn about our teleporter tech, but still, can't risk our other interests getting out.

[SUBJECT] Janitors? [FROM] Dr. ████████████ [TO] Dr. ███████ I've been thinking, where do they get all these janitors from? We're all top of our fields, the security personnel are all mercs or special forces, but what about the janitors? Is there some janitorial Olympics that qualifies you for this kind of security clearance? I'd ask, but it's not a good idea to seem nosy around here...

[INTERCEPTED MESSAGE] [ORIGINAL SENDER: MICHAEL WATSON, ██████████████] [INTENDED RECIPIENT: KATE BARLOW] I've already told you about some of the other crazy things they've got me working on, but this one is sketchy as hell. You know those health chips they recently unveiled? The ones that hook into your brain stem so you can check your blood pressure and shit? Well, they've got my team working on an attachment for them. It's something that'll let you interface with one wirelessly. Like, directly into someone's brain. I mean, who is this for? Convicts? The military? So, we had to up the battery capacity, as well as add a wireless transceiver. But the thing is, when I was looking at the specs they gave us, the power budget was insane. If you pinpointed the transmission beam directly at the brain at max output, the radiation could kill you! I brought this up to the project lead, but she told me it wasn't an issue. The weirdest thing is, I looked into some of the biotelemetry they gave us, and all the subjects they used were less than 5 feet tall. Are they testing these things on children or something? Seems to me that you could use this thing as some sort of remote kill switch. I knew this company did some shady stuff when I applied, but this is getting too weird for me. But, maybe I'm just overthinking it. What do you think? Still, if a position opens up at your place, let me know. >>> FORWARDING INTERCEPTED MESSAGE >>> FROM: Lead Security Officer ████████████████ TO: Department Head ███████████████ This does not constitute a full breach of security, and the issue's already been dealt with, but I'd like you to release a memo on properly sanitizing data intended to be sent to low clearance employees.

[PROJECT MEMO: Braingrow] [Dr. ████████] Braingrow, one of the company's most successful products. The neurologists get all the credit, but it would've been impossible without the data. Funnily enough, to learn how to repair brain damage, we first had to become experts in creating it. The most straightforward technique was to deprive the subjects of oxygen in order to create a diffuse hypoxic injury. That got us most of the way there, but more localized injuries required some creativity. At first we opted to introduce their frontal lobe to a hammer, but it was difficult to get consistent results. Engineering made us a hammer swinging rig that standardized our data, however the tissue injuries were irritating to deal with. We switched to the sound cannons they use at the pens for crowd control, but ended up with the first problem again. Not enough control. After much ingenuity, the team fine-tuned the weapon until it could disrupt blood vessels on an individual level, allowing us to create a stroke anywhere we wanted. The lesson is, anything is possible with the right testing fodder, and you if don't have it, you've just got to make it.

aGV5LCBvcnNvbmlrcyBoZXJlLiBzdXNoaSBpcyBteSBmYXZvdXJpdGUgZm9vZCwgeW91IHNob3VsZCB0cnkgaXQgdG9vIQ==Subacute swelling at the injection site. Heart rate is 160 BPM. Blood pressure is 157/98. Significant pain response is noted. Subject is thrashing against its restraints. Swelling has progressed to an acute edema. Blisters are erupting from the dermis. Subject had to be gagged. Reaction spreading rapidly to entire thorax. The skin is splitting at injection site. Heart rate is 198 BPM. Color is flushing from red to black. Blisters have burst and are leaking a dark fluid. The rest of the body is developing bullae the size of my fist. Heart rate is 219. Blood pressure is 71/40. Skin is entirely black and oozing fluids. Subject is now deceased, but reaction continues. Catastrophic cellular lysis and membrane failure. Subject is melting intoaSBob3BlIHlvdSdyZSBoYXZpbmcgYSBuaWNlIGRheSBkZWNvZGluZyB0aGVzZSA6KQ==

[PROJECT MEMO: Insight into Religious Thinking] [Psychologist, Dr. ███████] It is fascinating how the rational mind attempts to create sense where there is none. We put two SAW subjects into an isolated room. They were chosen at random, and at first they seemed relieved, but after the first day they began apologizing to the camera for things they first did, and then didn't do. Food was supplied at random intervals. The rituals of apology and pleading that they invented to an assumed audience were intriguing. They seemed to genuinely believe it affected the outcome of a random system. The portions were intentionally insufficient; we were curious to see if they would turn on each other. This did not happen. On the verge of starvation, the system happened to reward them twice in a row. They assumed their prayers had been answered. With this conditioning, the next time they were starving, instead of succumbing, they repeatedly prayed until they physically collapsed and died. I would like to repeat this experiment with different group sizes, as well as with and without the camera.

[PROJECT MEMO: "A Day in the Life"] [PAGE 1 OF 2] [ENTRY #1] I was given this device and told to keep a journal. I am not sure why, but it's not a good idea to disobey, so I will tell you about my life. It feels weird to hold one of these "EPDAs" since I only see you carrying them. It lights up my face and the others are curious. It's so dark that all we can see are the glows of each other's eyes. When the lights in our room go out, we're expected to sleep. If you're not in your nook when that happens you'll usually end up tripping over something, or someone too weak to move after that day's task. None of those tonight at least. The others are complaining about the light from the screen. I'll continue this when the lights come back on. [ENTRY #2] Most of us wake up when the lights come on, but only the ones who are really hurt sleep through the food buzzer. We crowd around the chute and wait our turn. It's usually nutrient bars, but sometimes we get something really tasty. Some of us get special meals just for them. The younger ones get jealous, but I've seen the meals do weird things. If someone tries to steal or switch meals, they get punished. Not a good idea. And there's the buzzer! [ENTRY #3] After our first meal, you come to pick us up. You call us out by number, and we have to go. Then you take us away. It's scary leaving our enclosure. I sometimes see other enclosures as I'm led away. I wish I could talk to them, but they can't hear or see me through the glass. I once saw one filled with others that looked just like us, but they all seemed... empty. It really scared me. I tried to ask why they were like that, but one of you hit me. Four were chosen today. I was left behind this time, maybe because I'm busy with this. They were all healthy, but that means it's more likely they come back hurt. Usually the tasks are harmless, but sometimes they're really bad. They can even be good if we're lucky. I had one where they'd pull me in every day and put something in my arm. It made me feel really, really good, but then it stopped and I felt like I was dying. I hope you give me more tests like that!

[PROJECT MEMO: "A Day in the Life"] [PAGE 2 OF 2] [ENTRY #4] It's quiet. In times like this, we mostly just rest, or help the ones who are hurt. We're given a few things to help us pass the time. Sometimes the younger ones fresh from the nursery actually look forward to being chosen. The older ones don't always tell them, but they learn eventually. It can be a really anxious time if I'm friends with any of the ones that were taken. If anyone's gone for more than a few days, it's rare that they ever come back. Then the guards come in and take away their things. Sometimes they'll let us keep one or two items if they were your friend. [ENTRY #5] It's dinner time, and I got meat! I thought the others were going to fight me for it. I had to eat it really fast. I wish I had more time to savor it, but after everyone's back, we spend time talking, playing, and sometimes singing. It's rare for someone to take us away after dinner, so we get comfortable. Some people talk about what tests they were taken in for, but most of us keep it to ourselves. [ENTRY #6] I sometimes wonder what days and nights are. There's things we learn from overhearing you, or the books you give us to read. I don't know why there's 24 hours in a day. I know there's an "outside" and apparently it's really big. The lights come on and off just like in here, but someone other than you controls it, plus the ceiling is so high up you can't see it. Some of the older ones tell me weird things they heard, but I don't know if I believe it. [ENTRY #7] shit my hands are shaking its difficult to type they announced extra tests tonight and my number was just called i will write more when i get ba [END]