Final report

Primary Objective: Failed.

Secondary Objective: Failed.

Tertiary Objectives: Failed.

Mission Status: Failed.

Survivor Count: One.

Specter was right. Kind of funny in retrospect.

For those curious, I'm not going to bother with an entire transcript or report. We found Specter. We fought our way to him, getting killed off all the way. There were a lot of Indoctrinated between us and him.

We killed them, silenced a few witnesses. Nothing out of the ordinary. When we reached Specter, he was tied to a chair like you see in a lot of movies. We cut the ropes.

Next thing we know, one of us is shot in the back of the head with a gun he was hiding on him. He didn't survive the next few seconds, and then we had to fight our way back out. Almost as many of my men got killed on the way out as the ones that died getting in.

When we got back to the safehouse, those of us who were still alive ran into Twiggy. The damn thing had gotten in, and just killed everyone. Organs are all over the place. Lab equipment was in pieces. They tried to break out the Hammer of Thor to deal with it, and from the looks of the security cameras, it didn't work.

This entire mess with Specter makes me wonder how long he was Indoctrinated. I think that Twiggy had him under his sway for a while. Rigged the situation up so that we'd get strung along for as long as possible with no gains, before just taking us down. The PATCH was corrupted by Twiggy. I'd bet money on it. Specter was probably using it to covertly siphon money out of our accounts to hire mercenaries to attack us and keep us off balance as we worked. That attack on our hideout, back when we got the PATCH online, only happened because the PATCH was brought online. And then it started feeding us false data, just to mess with us even more.

We got played like a fucking fiddle the entire time. We can't fight something that can outsmart us like this.

Central Command, I'm requesting pick-up and immediate reassignment. You know where to find me.

I'm done.

-B2

Stop following me

B2, it's Specter.

Look, what we're dealing with is something I'm not convinced we can handle. I was convinced we could handle it, but, we can't. Over a year of work, and less to show for it than almost anyone else fighting this thing who's lasted this long.

I'm being held captive. You know where I am, and I'm telling you that they know you're coming.

Don't try to give pursuit. Write me off, disband the SMD, and move on.

We can't fight this anymore.

-Specter

Something came up

The transcript for that last mission is completely gone. Seems to have been deleted somehow. None of the science staff did it, but Twiggy was here for a while. It's completely possible it got rid of the file.

Well, we have the main important parts out there already: 50% casualties, Specter was dragged off, and the Indoctrinated are using weapons.

We'll resume searching for the file, but more importantly, we know where Specter is now.

Heading out.

-B2

50%

That was our fatality rate on this last outing. The bastards were waiting for us, and they had weapons. They're getting smarter. Specter was dragged off. I could see him being taken to a van during the shootout. We'll have a transcript for you sometime later tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow's more likely.

As for everyone here back at our nice little hidey-hole, let's just say things were thankfully not so bad. Nobody's hurt, but everyone's scared out of their wits. The nerds get chills when we talk about face-to-lack-of-face encounters with Twiggy, but they hold up worse than we do under that degree of pressure.

Commencing with funerals. Then we take another crack at it. We've had people tracking the van.

-B2

Oscar Mike

B2 and the rest of the Military Department just set out four hours ago. They should be at the location the Friend gave us by now.

Best of luc

Shit. We have other problems.

It's here.

-Goggles

Can't sleep

A certain tall and slender friend has been sighted on the premises. Plans to rescue or capture Specter are in the works as I type this, but we need to get through the night, at the least.

Keeping eyes open.

-B2

And this brings us to...

Why I think we've been duped this whole time.

We're starting to suspect Specter may be Indoctrinated. Might have been for a while. We're not sure, and I honestly hope not, but looking back, there's a lot of things we've noticed that have pointed to this.

He was moved from his bed back in April. That's usually a sign of some kind of influence from the Slender Man. This is topped off by numerous orders given by Specter that saw little to no positive outcome, dating back to just after Nightcrawler was removed from the chain of command, and even before that. I was just chalking it all up to a run of really bad luck and little information to work with, but it's entirely possible Specter was setting us up the whole time, getting us picked off one by one, and sending us on wild goose chases to make sure we never accomplished anything that actually related to our mission.

The financial record discrepancies from the PATCH siphoning money out of our accounts would have been spotted by Specter, and I doubt he'd have let it continue if he knew what was going on. Either he didn't suspect the PATCH but still knew something was up and was running his own investigation without letting anyone know, or he was helping it along. One of the bank accounts that the PATCH was siphoning money into belongs to Specter.

If Specter's been Indoctrinated this entire time, then there's no telling just how bad things really are for us here. How better to keep a hostile organization from ever doing anything to harm you than to have an inside man in a command position giving orders that make it seem like they're accomplishing their goals when they're really not?

I'm on the fence here, but the Friend's given us Specter's location. We need to find Specter and set things straight. One way or the other.

From there, it's back to business as usual.

-B2

I am The Friend - 2/2

This will require a bit of an explanation.

There is reason by my master to believe that there are twenty paths mankind can take. Mankind nears a pivotal point in its history. This pivotal point comes approximately one year from now; You know it as the upcoming, infamous 2012 event. From there, numerous paths will open. More than one path is guaranteed to lead to the non-existence of all that has ever come to be.

This Slender Man's activities are pushing mankind onto one such path, and that is why I've been trying to assist the PTC in their endeavors without being noticed. I have failed.

My master's struggle is beyond the scope of what you are all facing, but this Slender Man has motives, methods, and a purpose that my master cannot discern. Its influence is harming my master's efforts, and yet it is not inherently opposed to us. The Slender Man simply is, and my master is intrigued by this.

My usefulness to the PTC has come to an end, aside from one last thing I can do.

I know where Specter is, but the PTC isn't bound to be happy when they find him. I've given them Specter's location and requested to go on my way. I am done here. They are discussing it in private.

Hopefully, they will be able to turn their little war around. I doubt they will, but they've been full of surprises in the past, haven't they?

-A Friend

I am The Friend - 1/2

They have me in custody, and are holding a weapon to my head. So it's time to come forward and tell you all in plain terms what I know, and why I have played this (now rather pointless) head game thus far.

I am the one the PTC calls 'The Friend.'

I serve Father Paranoia, and I've been trying to help.

My aid has been behind the scenes, and it is becoming irrelevant very quickly. I've been working to mitigate the Slender Man's work, but that has been rendered pointless thus far. The PTC's been a danger to it. Everything that has been going on for the last year has slowed it down, but no matter how much they've been struggling or whatever damage to the Slender Man's agents they've been inflicting, the Slender Man itself is untouchable. The cancer can be treated, resisted and endured, but not cured.

The PTC have been killing what you call proxies. That much is true. It has hindered the Slender Man's efforts for a time. They have been interfering in that which is truly and honestly beyond them. And the Slender Man has foreseen their actions as being a long-term annoyance, if not a danger, to the point of warranting the creature's personal attention. This is why the Slender Man has been acting against them in turn. The PTC has been treating this as a war, and rightfully so.

This does not change the fact that it is a war they cannot win.
Now, I am certain that this begs the question of why I'm telling you this and how I know it.

I'll tell you.

I lack a snappy title for this blog post

The Indoctrinated that's been leaking all of those transcripts has shown us everything he's shown you guys. It doesn't add up. A lot of what he says in the posts he's put up don't point towards him working for the Slender Man, unless it was an intentional misdirection.

In the meantime, we've been talking to the Friend. And if what the Friend is telling us is right, then we've been getting played for fools this entire time, ever since the SMD was formed by Central Command. Central Command was played, we were played, Nightcrawler was played, and if he's telling the truth, Father Paranoia was played. I'm not inclined to believe him at face value, but there's something about him that just seems to make sense.

He can explain it better than I can, but there's a lot we didn't know until just recently.

Everything we've done up until this point has been absolutely useless.

-B2

One raid was a success

We have the Friend in our custody.

We don't have Specter.

Details to follow over the next couple of days. We have a lot to sort out, and we're going to be busy. We've gotten some unsettling information into our hands.

-B2

Busy, busy, busy

Let's just put it this way. We've run across a lot of problems.

Where to begin?

OK, first off, we've done some further digging into the last couple of months. We finally decided to do a line-by-line check of all the code in our computers again. Everything came up clean, no viruses or anything. Then we checked the PATCH, just for good measure.

The PATCH's operating system has been corrupted from the day it was activated. How it happened, we're not sure. It makes sense now. The PATCH was occasionally unresponsive, or didn't listen to certain commands over the last couple of months, and upon closer inspection, everything it was giving us was intentionally falsified in small ways. So, after some close looks at pretty much everything on the PATCH, we made a bit of a breakthrough regarding our stolen finances. The PATCH had access to all of the bank accounts our division uses, so it makes some sense.

All the money's been getting funneled into three different bank accounts. In regards to the first account, we're not absolutely certain who it belongs to, but it hasn't been touched for over half a year. There was a large payment to a private security company from the second account right around the time of the attack on our hideout. We're conducting research on the names involved as I type this.

The third seems untouched recently, but the important part is who it belongs to. It was made right around the time the PATCH came online, and it's been confirmed to belong to Specter's public alias. Our search for Specter's taken on a new aspect. We need him to sort out what's going on with this whole financial issue. We're not sure how Specter is linked to the PATCH's data corruption, but there's a few possibilities. None of them are pleasant.

Regarding our search for Specter, our interrogation of our transcript-leaking buddy has turned up some interesting facts. After a week of on-and-off interrogation/torture, he finally let slip a few details. He's Indoctrinated. Says his name is Kevin Hound, and he's most certainly not a kid. Looks to be in his mid-twenties. After a bit more effort, he eventually gave us his 'friend's' location, as well as Specter's. No name. Says he doesn't know it. From the way he said it, I got the impression he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with the guy. If nothing else, it gave us a few more questions to answer. Like we didn't have enough to answer already, right?

We've already dispatched two teams to the locations he's given us. They should be arriving right about now. It's part of why we didn't want to talk about this publicly until today. Might have tipped some people off we were coming.

If this doesn't answer any of our questions, I'll eat my gas mask. Oh, and our Friend left a little encouragement over on Specter's Blog.

-B2

Fun little offer for you guys.

Hey, gang. Goggles here.

B2 and his Military Department buddies have been having a few interviews with the guy they found. I'm gonna shorten this to the basics as much as I possibly can. We've got more leads to follow up on, thanks to the interrogation. But more importantly, we think this is the guy who's been fucking with us this whole time by leaking transcripts and classified information. The guy you people keep telling us about.

The reason we think this is because he's been making a lot of comments about random details only someone in the PTC would know, and we've checked all employee personnel records. He's not in any of them. Sure, the dimensional bleeding might raise the red flag there, but I've got a gut feeling this guy's the real deal and B2 shares my concerns. I mean it. I honestly think we have our man. For once.

B2 said to put this offer up. Hell if I know why, but if anyone wants us to ask him certain questions, feel free to post in the Comments section. We'll be taking requests for the next two days, and getting some of our own questions answered in the meantime.

In other news, the team we sent to capture Mr. Reed, Collector's good friend, finally caught him. We've already done everything in our power to make him and any mention of him disappear off the face of the Earth, drained all of his assets from his bank account under our 'battlefield salvage' policy, and brought him in for a little chat. As soon as we got any information we deemed necessary out of him, B2 had him lined up against the wall and had him shot. No new information about our other, more relevant concerns, but Reed's dead and we've got a few bills paid thanks to his generous donation.

We're going to be pursuing the leads turned up by the interrogation, but we've noticed a few more things.

B2 and I were looking further back through the financial records, looking for any further discrepancies and the first time it seemed to happen is as far back as two months ago.

Specter knew about this financial record problem and didn't say a word.

-Goggles

That was weird.

Our internet connection cut out for a while. A long while. It's come back on for now. I don't trust it to last long enough for an extended post. With any luck, we'll be getting our findings up by sometime in the late afternoon. That's American Eastern Standard Time.

-Goggles

Financial records aren't adding up

Goggles here.

There's been a few other developments regarding our investigation into Specter's abduction, but I'll be posting about those later today. Right now, me and B2 just noticed something.

We were looking through a couple of the SMD's budget reports. Me and B2 have been splitting the paperwork that the Head Executive would normally handle until we can find Specter, and we're noticing a lot of stuff that's not making sense. A lot of funds have been transferred from our general maintenance fund to the science department, all with Specter's 'consent and permission.' I didn't request any of these financial transfers, we didn't get the money for any of the supplies they say they're for, and we didn't get the supplies themselves. I wasn't even informed of any of this, and it says I made the request, and then Specter gave the green light. Some of these financial transfers have gone through within the last two weeks...which isn't possible, because he hasn't been here the last two weeks. B2's noticed the same problem regarding military supplies. Funding for ammunition, training dummies, spare sets of NVGs and thermal goggles, etc. None of it was requested by him, and Specter apparently said it was alright, despite him not being here.

Someone's stealing our cash, so we've got the PATCH tracing where all the money's going. The transfers all appear to have happened at consistent, regular intervals, so we should be able to figure out who's doing this if we just trace where it goes during the next 'scheduled' transfer.

We'll be posting later tonight with further findings regarding our search for Specter. We think we've got the guy who knows where Specter is.

-Goggles

fraud

i refuse to tolerate this

do you understand me?

i will not be denied

i will not be touched

my attempts to keep them trapped by their own inactions have failed

and now they are after me

i will not be denied

Getting some results.

Relocation's complete. That's one small blessing.

We did as our mysterious informant asked. One guy we have no connection to, dead and buried. We've been looking into his history after we got his name. So far, nothing notable. By all appearances, he was a fairly random, off-the-street kind of guy. Worked as an accountant. In return for killing him, we've been given a lead on the location of a guy who might know where Specter is. A team's been dispatched already, and they've been ordered to take this man alive. As for our informant buddy, we're considering tracking him down, too. There's too many questions and not enough answers. If we can get everyone in the same room, we might be able to get the air cleared a bit, if only to get back to our main job. I don't doubt this whole mess is Slender Man-related. It's just a matter of when we come face to lack-of-face with it again.

Our team tracking Collector's made it to Shreveport. They've been settling in for the last week and are trying to track him down. Overall command of all operations within Shreveport has been handed off to the squad leader. He's officially in charge down there until this whole mess with Collector's done.

I just hope that none of this is some big mistake.

Goggles has taken to a pet project. Nice to see someone on-task, here.

Kind of wondering if I'm going nuts from not being out in the field for so long.

-B2

The Rendezvous, and other developments

The rendezvous was with a guy matching the description of the guy looking for Specter. He doesn't have Specter, but he works for someone who might know where he is. Or, at least, that's what he claims. It was worked out as a very simple agreement. The PTC makes a guy he wants gone disappear, we get Specter back. Internal Affairs wants to kill him, possibly kill Specter if necessary, and keep the SMD out of the equation altogether. We're thinking of agreeing to the terms of his offer. We asked him if he was responsible for killing Specter's bodyguards, and he said that he wasn't personally responsible, but he knows what did it.

Those exact words: What did it, not who. So, of course, we're on our toes now.
No word from the team pursuing Collector, but I doubt he's managed to take them down. Last reported location was Baton Rouge. It's likely they're closing in on Shreveport, by now. Relocation's more or less complete. We finished putting the PATCH back together at the new safehouse. A few more days and we'll be able to write this place off.

Oh, and for those who heard of my Katamari problem, I forced that guy into a shower at gunpoint. And told him to stay the fuck out of my office.

-B2

Finally some progress on all fronts

B2 took a team down to Florida right when he got back from Africa. The hotel manager was coerced to help us out through a combination of bribery and forged FBI badges. Specter was nowhere to be found, and the manager mentioned that there'd been no sign of the guest who rented the room for a couple of days. The manager mentioned there had been a guy looking for Specter, though. Asked for his cover name while in public (the one he rented a hotel room with). Grey shirt, brown hair. Fairly nondescript. The kind of guy you'd expect to miss walking down a street or in a crowd. B2 and his team searched the room top to bottom, didn't find any kind of hidden message or warning. The manager said there were no signs of a struggle in the room. Specter just up and disappeared. If anything like that happened, they would have called the police.

It wasn't long after that we got a call from a cell number one of the dead bodyguards had used. The guy in possession of the phone, whoever he is, wants a rendezvous. He didn't say why, but he rattled off a very interesting list of facts. Whoever it is has a fairly intricate knowledge of PTC operating procedure. We don't exactly pass out fliers with that information. Either it's someone in the PTC, or Specter's been captured and he's getting interrogated. And he's cracked. We've got to find him, and fast.

The rendezvous is to take place tomorrow. He's provided an address. We're not gonna say where or when, as he requested.

As for Mr. Collector, our team's still hot on his trail, regardless of his offer. This Mr. Reed fellow, however, is interesting. As important as finding Specter is, Collector needs to be dealt with, and Mr. Reed's a potential security risk. We've already dispatched two squads to Reed's address. They have orders to take him alive if possible, but if he's difficult, another one for the body count doesn't hurt.

Internal Affairs has been bugging the crap out of us to just get back to work and let them find Specter. They're being unreasonable about this. We haven't given two shits about their authority before, and we're not about to start now. Meanwhile, our relocation is almost finalized. Things are cleared up, and our previous safehouse is now recognized as a potential risk for future PTC Divisions to use until this matter with Collector is resolved.

I've also been getting back on topic, in terms of the science team's workload. We had a theory, relating to the Electric Theorem. Common circulating theory is that the Slender Man is easy to harm with electricity and magnetism. So, assuming dimensional manipulation can be done artificially (if at all), we might be able to dimensionally contain him to keep him from just getting away, get him inside a cage consisting entirely of highly-magnetic and conductive materials, run a massive current through it, and then get it to close in around him. The result should be a bit explosive.

That's assuming any of that works at all, let alone hurts him. We might be able to actually kill the bastard. We'd need to lure him into the cage, though. But again, just some theories we've been kicking around. We've also been debating 'lethal taser' rounds again.

The problem is that solid-projectiles seem to do nothing upon impact (presumably that's just without an electric current), and just don't connect if they do have an electric current. Confirmed video evidence of a blunt object and a car not hurting the Slender Man exist and are currently on the everymanHYBRID channel on Youtube. That was the whole reason we broke out the laser carbines to deal with this. And they were effective. Current theory to explain that here at the SMD involves the stuff that hits the Slender Man simply moving too fast and being something different from your average baseball bat. In the case of the laser carbines, a beam of coherent light. Nothing slower has ever been confirmed to harm it. You don't get faster than the speed of light. And the light's not actually solid, and even the laser carbines never really did anything but make it back off, which could be explained by any number of things.

That might change with the addition of a running current into the mix, but that still leaves the matter of the taser rounds just not connecting. I don't know, I'll keep kicking the idea around.

Anyways, we'll keep you posted.

-Goggles

On my way

Money's been wired, I got a plane ticket.

I'll be back in the States by tomorrow. We can put our heads together and come up with a plan once I'm back. Hold things together, Goggles. Twenty-four hours to go.

-B2