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Registered Phenomena Code: 204
Object Class: Omega-Purple Alpha-Purple
Hazard Types: Sapient Hazard, Organic Hazard, Ideological Hazard, Sensory Hazard
Containment Protocols: RPC-204 is to be contained in a 4 meter by 4 meter standard humanoid containment chamber 20 kilometers northwest of Site-002 at all times.
All manifestations of RPC-204-1 in other centers are to be immediately reported and followed with standard disinformation protocol and the immediate removal of RPC-204 should it be present.
Replication of RPC-204-1 Broadcast from the Third test of RPC-204. Note the Emergency Management Queensland logo as opposed to the seal of the government of Australia.
Description: RPC-204 is are male humanoids with mottled grey skin standing at approximately 180 cm in height and weighing approximately 73 kg. RPC-204 wears a CBRN suit roughly equivalent to a Czech military model from 1993 barring some inconsistencies. While otherwise biologically identical to a human male aged 30-34, no amount of damage or lack of sustenance, however severe, is fatal to the anomalies.
When approached, RPC-204 will deliver information regarding nuclear survival in the Czech language, the majority of which are derived from PSA dialogues written in the 1990s. These vocalizations are not obstructed by the suit as they are produced through the M10-M gas mask itself and not RPC-204.
RPC-204 instances manifest in various small cities or villages around the world at random.
RPC-204-1 are a series of emergency broadcasts, identical to the alert system(s) of the regional government they manifest inside of, although with several inconsistencies, such as erroneous locations or misspelled text. These broadcasts claim that nuclear war has broken out among various nations for numerous reasons, such as a border dispute or more commonly, a trade embargo.
RPC-204-2 is an illusion of a nuclear detonation, whose size increases relative to the population of the affected area, with a population in the hundreds experiencing RPC-204-2 instances ranging 10 to 20 meters in height. Despite the discrepancy between the size of the illusion and the lack of any actual damage, subjects within the populated area will perceive the manifestation as a legitimate explosion, suffering from delusions of intense heat, radiation sickness, and nuclear blindness.
Manifestation of RPC-204-2.
RPC-204-1 and RPC-204-2 manifest once RPC-204 enters a populated zone between 25 and 1,000 individuals. When it is within the bounds of the area multiple instances of RPC-204-1 transmit across local radio and television signals followed by the manifestation of an RPC-204-2 event 15 to 20 minutes later. These illusions typically incur epidemic hysteria, often followed by the panicked population searching for shelter from the nonexistent nuclear blast.
The majority of subjects within the affected area appear to suffer from a shared hallucination of a post-apocalyptic scenario, believing that the immediate area has been utterly destroyed. Delusions caused by RPC-204-2 increase in severity until the victim falls unconscious exactly 57 minutes and 33 seconds from the first RPC-204-1 transmission, regardless of location or distance, unless the individual is both completely deaf and near-blind.
Once awake several hours later, the subjects, hereafter referred to as RPC-204-3, believe that society has collapsed and that they now must “scavenge to survive”. The phrases (or translated equivalents) “end of the world”, “scavenge to survive”, “societal collapse”, and “salvageable wasteland” are used consistently between dialogues of RPC-204-3 subjects, regardless of language or culture, to describe the perceived situation. Any entry into the area after this point will cause no psychological change in humans.
The delusions often lead to attempts at finding sources of food, water, tools and weapons. Subjects grow inclined to form groups at random, usually represented by paraphernalia and symbols. Individuals within these groups exhibit psychopathic behavior, assaulting others outside of their circle with sudden hostility followed by mutilation or cannibalism. These tendencies are nigh universal.
RPC-204 wanders along the perimeter of the affected area. While recognized as an outsider of whatever groups form within, RPC-204 is paid no particular attention by RPC-204-3 subjects, and RPC-204 will continue to observe until approximately 75% of the population of the area dies when approximately 75% of the area's population dies or if violence within the area caused by RPC-204-3 ceases, at which point it will depart.
Once the anomaly leaves or if RPC-204 is removed from the area, either by outside intervention or attack from RPC-204-3 instances, all hallucinations cease and any psychological changes immediately revert to their pre-event state, although all memories are retained. The majority of RPC-204-3 cases end in suicide once the anomaly exits the affected zone.
Discovery: The first RPC-204 instance was discovered on 2/3/2008 when social media users in Amodnice, a village in the Czech Republic, claimed en masse that nuclear war was imminent and that they would have to “scavenge this societal world to wasteland.” While all users of Lednice ceased posting 57 minutes after, panic caused by the posts across the country led to Authority intervention. Disinformation teams created a fake tabloid on a notorious Polish news website insisting that there was nuclear war, while several news articles from other publications were posted that decried the notorious site for the false claims. Narrative was redirected in 3 hours.
Afterward, 2 agents were sent to investigate the Amodnice region. When RPC-204-3 instances attempted to assault personnel with spears made of fence posts, the area was barred from civilians and observation began.
Date: 2/5/2008
Procedure: Temporary fencing is established along the perimeter, guarded by ASF Rapid Response Team personnel until more permanent containment can be established. 4 CSD have been selected to enter the zone and to document the environment. Each are equipped with a flare gun,
Documentation: Majority of the town is in disarray. Doors and windows smashed, haphazard boarding along open entrances.
Shortly after entry, CSD were stalked by several former residents of Amodnice, all completely nude. Subjects tracked CSD until CSD had reached what was originally the town center, where a crude wooden statue of an unidentified figure was raised in front of a public fountain.
As this, the former residents approached the exploration team and demanded they “reveal themselves to the man.” When the team objected, the subjects hollered in unison and charged forward towards the CSDs, who fled into a nearby residential building.
As they moved up the stairs, CSD-29001 was impaled in the arm with a spear, igniting a subject with their flare gun in response. The fire spread to other subjects, allowing for the team to reach the top of the building. A second flare was fired into the air by CSD-28484, alerting standby aircraft to evacuate.
As the aircraft approached, the team noticed that other residents were approaching the building, and the nude pursuers had left to confront them instead. This other “faction” was completely covered in winter clothing, including goggles, likely retrieved from the small skiing resort within Amodnice. This prevented further attacks on the team before the V30 Osprey arrived.
Results: CSD-29001 was wounded and removed from testing, along with a commendation for their quick thinking in response to unexpected circumstances. Remaining CSD kept on standby.
Analysis: Initial exploration successful. Strange. No signs of any actual explosion or even anomalous effects, besides the psychological impact on the civilians. And yes, those are the residents of Amodnice. We’ve been reviewing the footage to see and from those we can identify, there’s no outsiders, pardon that man with the suit on. We’re still tracking him now. Doesn’t seem like he’s affected. - Head Researcher Lahtinen
Date: 2/7/2008
Procedure: Hostile environment makes unarmed exploration tenuous. Instead of CSDs, select Rapid Response Team personnel are to send groups of three (Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie respectively) into the exclusion zone to ascertain the extent of the assumed anomaly’s effects. Charlie’s objective is to seize the masked individual.
Documentation: Teams Alpha and Bravo determined from an aerial position that the village was divided between two “factions”. Alpha Team explored the southwest side, while Bravo explored the north.
The southerly faction are nudists, constructing makeshift depictions of a male figure, referred to as “the Man”, regardless of their native language. Any clothing is thrown onto these depictions.
The former residents of the north, as ascertained by Bravo, are not immediately hostile to outsiders, assuming the RRT personnel were ‘fellow believers’, likely due to the team being fully closed by their body armor and mask. They claim that a nuclear bomb detonated their village and the entire world seventy years ago as a result of “exposure”, and so in order to be protected from “the Man”, also referred to exclusively in English, they must clothe themselves extensively.
When questioned on where these beliefs originated, their leader, former Amodnice resident Věroslav Drahomíra, presented several Creedence Clearwater Revival albums in his home. Albums were confiscated with little resistance.
Analysis: The teams seemed somewhat disappointed by albums, but I suppose that the strange psychological effect causes these factions to fixate on certain items or imagery. And whatever it is isn’t coming from these albums, after a few tests. Charlie Team is heading out later today, so a report will be coming tomorrow. - Head Researcher Lahtinen
Date: 2/11/2008
Procedure: Charlie Team deployed to retrieve the masked individual.
Documentation: On approach, team noted the individual appeared to have stopped in place. When confronted, the entity only recited various misquoted nuclear safety precautions, and was apprehended.
Results: Once the entity had been removed from the village and brought to the temporary OL site, all subjects within the city immediately collapsed. Several turned on one another with various weapons or their own hands, while others began to strike themselves. The majority of the population either died or were seriously injured from wounds caused by other residents or self-inflicted. The remainder appear to suffer from severe PTSD to the point of motionlessness.
Analysis: Very eventful. Grisly aftermath, but, as grim as it sounds, I’m not sure what we could have done with the victims of the anomaly otherwise. Now all that’s left is cleanup. Amodnice will likely be stricken from the records. As for the masked individual, though, we’ve got a little box for him over at Site-002. - Head Researcher Lahtinen
The original RPC-204 instance was contained within Site-002 for three years until a second event, similar to the panic surrounding the Amodnice incident, occurred in Youselle, France.
Containment/Disinformation operations were performed in a fashion similar to the last event, and once contained, the community was observed to be in a state similar to Amodnice, albeit with a more complex faction dynamic, with 5 separate groups operating within the bounds of the village. The RPC-204 instance was apprehended and removed.
Further RPC-204 manifestations have occurred at random, with one per year. As of 2/9/2018, 27 RPC-204 instances are contained in Site-002.
I’m not sure how these entities can be contained. The smallest place they’ve appeared at was this little hamlet of 26 people in Italy. They can show up in the most obscure cities, places where we don’t have any sort of presence, and wipe out an entire town before some delivery driver gets attacked by cannibals.
I have been conferring with some of the most brilliant minds Containment and Research has to offer, and we’re not seeing a way to prevent these manifestations. What worries me most is what will happen when there’s no more villas and towns for it to take over- will it move on to bigger places?
Head Researcher Lahtinen
Addendum: Pending Containment Procedure Update
As of 27/1/2023, all RPC-204 instances are to be contained within the abandoned town of [REDACTED], Slovakia, surrounded by electric fencing. RPC-204 must be fitted with a modified tracking device at all times, capable of delivering a disabling electrical charge to RPC-204 in the event of a containment breach.
Currently, RPC-204 instances are to be considered docile. Testing is prohibited.
It was a guy from Protection. I’ve been trying to find her name for months now, but either she’s retired or just doesn’t care that she saved thousands of lives. I can distinctly recall a member of the Protectorate- Meya or Maya or something like that- mumbling over the radio that the Authority should “just stick these fucks in their own city and see how they like it.”
On paper, that sounds ridiculous, but an RPC-204 event had left a city in Slovakia abandoned, and all that fencing was still up, so the Site Director of 002 was only too eager to free up his humanoid containment cells. If it didn’t do anything, it at least would make a more permanent containment for them.
Obviously, there was some hesitation regarding the exposure of one RPC-204 instance to another, but this had already occurred once before, during a containment breach. They simply stared at each other until one was cut in half by some other anomaly.
We ferried over these 204 instances by VTOL, and dropped them off (I believe some personnel with a vendetta shoved them off) into the abandoned city.
They started to pace around the perimeter, staring at each other, until eventually, they started to run. At each other, into houses, against the fence, despite the electric shocks. This goes on for exactly 57 minutes and 33 seconds until they fall unconscious.
When they woke up 57 minutes later, they’re back to wandering around. They seem a little confused. They fall unconscious again in, yes, 57 minutes, and wake up. I think that was the most panicked I’ve ever seen someone look while wearing a gas mask.
We haven’t had a single manifestation since. They’re still running in circles to this day, but most look like they’ve given up.
Head Researcher Lahtinen
