Bill took a bit of what little free time he had while researching... well, frakking everything really, and went through some of the vid and photos taken through the incidents even back from the start. He wasn't sure what to call it, mentally, but 'Deep Green' just sounded too much like some orc porn to take seriously. With a bit of help from Janine and Algernon, he scrubbed them as best he could to avoid direct incrimination for him or the others. Voicetracks removed, faces and bodies cut out or garbled if that wasn't an option without screwing up the context. A real pro might be able to crack it, there are never guarantees, but thems the breaks.
News would scoff at it or slap it into some tabloid, anywhere else and it might see daylight but would be just another tin hat piece. But if JackPoint picked it up, it'd get sifted through, torn to pieces, and any grains of truth would sieve into the public. Not the major stuff, but enough little bits to get attention. More eyes would watch for signs, at least. With a sigh acknowledging that it sounded a little short of the mad ramblings from those books, he slapped it all together and shot it off to Zed with a request to get it to someone at or close to JackPoint.
<<ORIGIN UNSPECIFIED>>
<<MESSAGE BEGINS>>
Greetings JackPoint;
Call me Gumshoe.
You don't know me, but you all are aware enough not to trust most people you do know so we're on good footing already. I admit I'd love to join your group and share (and receive) what help and advice I can, but that's normal business and right now my business is anything but. I've got data on Tempo, and it's led into some extra danger. I'm offering up what I've got, scrubbed for personal security, in the hope that one of you folks might have some insight. At worst, to share as a warning in case similar things start showing up elsewhere. I can't guarantee any of this might be verifiable elsewhere, but I'm sure that won't stop anyone. I'll dump all the core data first, you can read on from there if you feel the need.
<<Numerous files attached>>
Starting with Tempo;
You all know it. Whatever you think about it, you're aware of it. Here's the More You Know bits.
It was previously manufactured solely by this woman <<image inserted>>, Graciela Riveros. She supposedly is (or was) the only one to know just how to get the “secret ingredient' processed right. That is <<image inserted>> this plant, [Name here, I forget]. It had been grown in a very secure magical alcara [check name/spelling], which was located at roughly these GPS coordinates outside the tiny town of Santa Isobel Do Rio Negro. Not likely still there; if anyone opts to check I'd be curious to confirm they relocated. Magical checkout doesn't show her as active, but there are strong suspicions that something else is in her head at times. After some things went FUBAR with the Cartels, she hopped to the employ/protection of the David cartel, specifically Ding Ramos. He's the head of Tempo now, as far as my intel goes.
As for the plant itself, it is magical. Perhaps a specific strain, or due to location of origin, not sure, though further evidence leads that the plant originated elsewhere. Concern over the treatment and care of the plant suggest that it is somehow tied to a spirit; given the suspicions around Graciela and outside influence, I personally believe there is some sort of debt or pact involved. That only makes the next bits worse if so, as Tempo plays a huge part.
Spoiler warning: I'm including some books that are best read not at all unless you can mentally picture a collab between MC Escher and HR Giger and think it's perfectly normal city panorama. It made my brain hurt and I can usually write off extra-strange magical drek with the mantra “dot dot dot Dragons.”
<<Numerous files attached>>
These are files relating to a murder investigation. As previous, they have been edited to try and avoid compromising certain individuals, but others can look after their own hoop.
Death cults, dark summonings, drugs, sex and stupid rich folk. Sound like an old David Lynch trid? Were it so simple. You've got a lot of the data right there, but here's the rundown as it seems.
Stupid rich folk (here played by Mr. Roger Carlyle and company) decide to think they're some sort of steampunk world explorers, and hike off to Egypt because why not? One, I repeat ONE of them was an actual Egyptologist, none others showed any more credentials than a wallet and YOLO mentality. Not hard to dig up general info on the Carlyle Expedition. Though it sounds like there was an extra guest never mentioned; still trying to get more data on her, no news makes mention of her or what happened to her. What little I do have is included.
No mention of what if anything they might have found, but from information in one of the books sent back from Roger to his sister, specifically the text 'My Life as a God,' from one real drekked-up SOB, it likely has something to do with the 'Dark Pharaoh' mentioned. Might sound strange, but I didn't edit the image of the black winged serpent-ish thing and those are mentioned, so take it as you will.
Anyways, while I don't have the specific timetable, it looks like they got into Egypt sometime around early May 2067. Whatever they might've found, by July 3rd they stated they'd be heading towards East Africa. They arrived in Mombasa around July 24th, and at least Carlyle, Penhew and Huston were seen as they met with Undersecretary Whittingdon, before heading towards Nairobi the next day. No mention of the rest of the expedition party. Last reported sighting of the expedition was August 3rd leaving Nairobi to the northwest, into the Great Rift Valley. End of their journey here, reportedly. This might all seem like side nonsense, so let's tie things together.
Lots of little bits about death cults and dark entities, all leading towards Egypt and mentions of a “bloody tongued god.” Proof these cults are operating around the world, in some fashion, and got critters unlike anything I heard of in parazoology. Old books with a lot of nonsense, but they all tie in with either some sort of 'Black Man' entity or a furred toad. The Pnakotic calls it Xatogia, the Livre calls it Sathojue, both very phonetically similar with different pronunciations. Both described in terms that make it sound like it was quite a messy eater, neh? It and this 'Black Pharaoh' could be different, seem different but both pretty screwed up. Almost hope they're the same, because otherwise...
Here's the big tie-in. Got good reason to think Tempo's active ingredient is tied to one or both these things. No solid evidence, but the timings match up, the cult/cults use these critters, and they've been raising the dead in the most literal sense. Again, vid. At their meets, they're so hopped up on Tempo that if it were lead you could write with them, and it seems like whatever bigger spirit is behind it gets a free pass into the user. Anyone who remembers UB has heard about the drive some things have for hosts, and anyone who knows shedim understands the dangers of leaving empty meat lying around. None of those are stupid creatures, and I think something, maybe one of them or something else entirely, got Tempo out there to widen the pool. It'd been hiding before, but Carlyle stumbled and kicked over the (pardon the PTSD) anthill, and now it's out. It isn't obvious because it can hunt the uninitiated, those too stupid to realize they're opening an undefended backdoor into their mind and body.
OR I'm totally wrong and the Azzies, via Ramos, are not pushing the biggest death cult designer drug meant to pry open unwitting victim's bodies for spirits to do whatever atrocities they might happily be instructed or requested of in exchange for more victims. I'd love proof I'm wrong. I'm sure you know how to find me.
Do with this what you will, but I hope that it preps someone else for what they might run into out there. If this is going to be a thing, I'd rather folks be ready instead of surprised.
“Fear is inevitable, I have to accept that, but I cannot allow it to paralyze me.' - Isabel Allende
<<MESSAGE ENDS>>