the water's rising, but i know the course

[buildstherobots]

[phone, completely public]

[Dist has spent the past hour trying to find the proper pronunciation for "ubezhishche," but he'd be damned if he screwed up such an important call by stumbling over a foreign word. A little editing would have to do.]

I'm only going to read this once. Get a pencil and pay attention.

GRIGORI SADYKOV

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT

In the type of event that Project U. is created for -- God forbid such a thing should happen -- there would be no power source capable of sustaining it indefinitely. Project U requires, by design, a greater source of energy than we have access to.

It would be, therefore, inherently unstable. It could not be maintained at the level specified in the original directive. I predict that over time, it shall become more voracious in its consumption of energy as external conditions become less forgiving.

I advise that we bring the project to a pause to reanalyze our design, if not a complete stop. Conditions within it CANNOT LAST according to the original directive. Eventually, disrepair, malfunctions, and ultimately ruin are, I fear, the inevitable consequences of Project U.

I cannot stress further the risk presented here. Attached are my findings and calculations. The math does not add up: the entire project is in danger as it stands.

Grigori Sadykov
Scientific Architect of Project U.

The emblem at the top of the document reads CCCP, if that means anything to anyone. Project U has a longer name that I can't define or pronounce; someone proficient in Earth languages might do better there.

[Dist pauses, thinking for a few moments. It was a shame he'd misplaced the order calling for the man's execution; that would have been nice to read too.]

The date of this document is beyond recognition, but it's clear that Mayfield is what the project eventually became. Those of you who fell into the little town inside the carnival witnessed it falling apart. I've gotten dubious confirmation that the same is starting to happen to the town we all inhabit.

They knew about it from the start. I can't find my copy of the official document but Grigori Sadykov's execution was called for soon after he sent this letter, for crimes against the state and their "Glorious Leader." I don't know what's going to happen to us, but I know that if any of you have any brilliant plans, and I'm sure plenty of you do, now is the time to start pursuing them.

Their hold is breaking. Whoever it was I spoke to, the one who confirmed it, spoke through one of the residents here, overriding the body's holder; this is someone who is outside the system, or who can move inside it more freely than we can. I'm inclined to believe them.

Get on it.

Comments

[spitefulvitae]

[Natalie has jumped right on scribbling this stuff down. She might not have normally. But it was Dist, and Dist likely knew what he was going on about.

It's not long after he demands that everyone "get on it" that she sends her own commentary back along the line.]

...we are so fucked, aren't we?

[buildstherobots]

Most likely. The only thing we've managed to do is blow up a couple of things, and neither amounted to much actual progress.

[phone]

[allwehad]

[Scrambling to write all of that down!]

They can take over our bodies..? Great.

Yeah. Now would be the time to do something before this place becomes another Westport.

Re: [phone]

[buildstherobots]

It may be the only time we have an opportunity. Their defenses have been impenetrable; if we fail, I don't really know what will happen to us, but this is the only chance we have.

phone

[splitthebaby]

If you wish to know, CCCP is how the Russians would say "USSR" or "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics".

The great enemy, as it were.

Re: phone

[buildstherobots]

The one Mayfield has been trying to make us hate?

[balzams]

[Unfortunately he couldn't find a paper and pen in time to write it all down but his hand would have been shaking too much anyway]

CCCP... are you sure?

W-where did you get that?

[buildstherobots]

I'm sure. What is it?

It was a couple years ago, but Mayfield turned into another town for about a week. One of the other prisoners found this document somewhere and let us copy it.

[birthmarked]

[Esther scribbled down as much of it as she could. Yeah they're pretty screwed.]

... Thank you for the information.

[buildstherobots]

It needed to be shared, now that I know it's happening.

[captainofthe10th]

Well, that is it, then.

[buildstherobots]

I suppose so.

What are you going to do?

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade has no real plans, but he is eager to help.]

"I'm not really the 'brilliant plan' type, but I'm eager to help. Is this the infamous Dist I am speaking to?

Also, I don't know if can possibly help, but I recently regained an item of supposedly infinite power but that is likewise almost completely uncontrollable. I haven't been using it since it can do more harm than good, but..."

[buildstherobots]

If by infamous you mean brilliant, gorgeous, and generous, then indeed you are.

Is it an item you could, say... drop into the Smith house to wreak havoc? Because if Mayfield crumbles and we don't get out, I'm not sure we'll be able to when it's over.

[little_thief]

Whoa, whoa, wait, slow down!

[FURIOUSLY JOTTING NOTES]

Where'd you find all this out?

[buildstherobots]

I'm just reading a letter that was found a couple of years ago and confirming that the theory proposed is actually coming to pass. Now.

[demonhunting]

[He's written all of it down by the time the phone call finishes, and reads it again once more before answering.]

So let me get this straight. Something's happening, and whatever it is, if it keeps going, this town's going to collapse.

[buildstherobots]

Specifically, Mayfield is running out of power like an old vehicle, with us in it.

[selematpagi]

So...

basically once this place runs out of power, it's going to crumble?

[ THAT'S WHAT THE LETTER SAID RIGHT? ]

[buildstherobots]

To my understanding, yes.

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger hastily tries to copy what he can to the best of his abilities. The words as he writes them seem familiar and he's sure he's copied other letters with a similar message. What captures his attention is what Dist says at the end of his call.]

You talked to someone?

[buildstherobots]

I don't know who it was, but they spoke through the librarian.

[Hey, she freaked him out, all bets are off on promises.]

[myblimpisbigger]

This confirms what we already knew, unofficially. I myself have no concrete plans. Everything I have tried has not worked.

What do you plan to do?

[buildstherobots]

...I don't know yet. I can wait for an opening and strike somehow, maybe. I just want to get out of this alive.

Perhaps you can help me.

[Phone]

[tsarcasm]

Wait a second. You mean we've been in Russia all along?

Re: [Phone]

[buildstherobots]

Maybe. Or maybe the technology was stolen and used by someone else; it's impossible to say. It's safe to assume that the infrastructure was designed there, though.

phone;

[cursedtolive]

"The type of event that Project U. is created for"...?

... Do you know what type of event that would be?

Re: phone;

[buildstherobots]

Something devastating, presumably an attack by another country. I only just learned a few things about Earth history, so I can't predict with complete accuracy.

phone;

[encored]

[adding this all to his notebook, yep.]

You have my thanks for taking your time out to do this. Was this information obtained in Maipole or from Sergei? And do you mind explaining the body that was overridden in a little more detail?

Re: phone;

[buildstherobots]

...

[Dist had been working under the assumption that it was found just after Maipole, but when he thinks about it that whole time period is kind of a blur.]

You know, I don't exactly recall. I want to say just after Maipole reverted back into Mayfield.

It was the Librarian. I showed this to her and then someone confirmed it through her body. She couldn't stop it; she had to cover her mouth instead.

[noluckduck]

[... Well. That's a lot to take in.]

So... what now? What can we do? Is there anythin' we can do?

[buildstherobots]

I don't know, but now would be the time to find out. Start trying everything, see what sticks.

[phone]

[justdumbluck]

Hey, hold on-!

[There's no way he's going to be able to write all that down, and after a short moment of trying to remember each detail he gives up and drops the pencil.]

Wait, wait, does it say anything about what's gonna happen to us after the whole thing goes to hell?

[He doubts they'd just get sent back home.]

Re: [phone]

[buildstherobots]

Well, the people in the beta town, which is what I assume the town in the carnival was, were killed off and eventually wound up back here. Mayfield, however, isn't inside anything. I'm not the one who knows what will happen to us; we might have to secure that on our own.

[perfectsymmetry]

...It's going to happen here someday. Th-that crumbling, inside Mayfield. Then what do we do?

"CCCP" translats to "USSR". The Soviets. That's a Russian name, too. D-Do you remember when we were taken to the Soviet town...?

[buildstherobots]

I don't know what we do. Get out first, if we can.

Of course I do. I got a broken jaw and a horrid burn from the whole ordeal.

[hasacondition]

I'm sorry, what exactly is this from?

[buildstherobots]

This is a document that was found over a year ago. It wasn't considered that relevant then, but it's become very much so now.

[vytis]

CCCP as in the Soviet Union...? When did you find this?

/late forever/

[vedaandme]

[Good thing Tieria was good at taking notes.]

CCCP is the acronym for Союз Советских Социалистических Республик, [And he pronounced that properly. Tieria was excellent with major Earth languages.] which is the Russian name for the former Soviet Union.

What is the spelling of the name of the project? I might be able to tell you what it means.