The following is an audio recording discovered at 11:34 PM, on the 12th of May, inside a small cardboard box was left at the front gate of Beacon Academy, Vale. The recording is in the form of an audio file titled " " saved on a small USB drive.
It's also noteworthy that 17 other files were on the USB drive, including several more .wav files, two .avi files and several others in unrecognized formats. These files were unreadable due to data corruption.
The speaker in the file is a man likely in his late 20s to early 30s. The clarity in his voice, along with a slight resonant quality, would indicate cybernetic augmentation.
The USB drive also seems to have withstood mild EMP damage due to an unknown source, resulting in most of the data on the drive being corrupted.
Unknown Speaker: Imagine you worked for a special organization, one whose sole purpose was defending the people against anything that could pose as a threat; criminal, supernatural, extraterrestrial or otherwise. There are hundreds of dangers like this; some are almost harmless, simple things like street gangs or wild animals - while others can tear apart entire kingdoms or unleash hordes of inhuman monsters...
4 second pause
Unknown Speaker: Even still, others can cause widespread panic, paranoia, fear and hatred among the masses. Others still can shatter Remnant into a million shards of rock and remake the planet into it's own horrific mirror, or spread across the world and turn anyone it contacts into mindless, shambling undead...
1 second pause
Unknown Speaker: Only one organization fights all these things. They devote their lives to protecting the billions of people - now imagine that you're one of these few hundred tasked with such a job, having to rally and fight anywhere, any time, any opponent...
3 second pause
Unknown Speaker: All without getting yourself, your teammates or innocent bystanders killed. *Scoffs* No pressure, right?
3 second pause
US: Well, that's what I did. Day in and day out, putting myself in danger for the people - that may sound dangerous, and it was. But it was fun, it paid well...really well...and I got to work with some of the most badass people you could ever meet...
5 second pause
US: Emphasis on the past tense...sadly. Now imagine something different. Imagine if these defenders, these Huntsmen and Huntresses, failed. Imagine if these dangers, these monsters, criminals and other threats to the people came together and overwhelmed us...Every. Single. One.
1 second pause
US: In one day, billions would die from the chaos that would ensue. Countless others would be transformed into grotesque monsters the likes of which the world hasn't seen for thousands of years. The few who actually survived the first wave of horrors would find themselves in a world completely distorted, unrecognizable as the bright, beautiful green and blue world they knew just the day before...
7 second pause
US: Now you're starting to realize something, aren't you? This isn't hypothetical. After all...you're living the nightmare. And it's all because of us, because of our failures...
2 second pause
US: You know how it is now...a survivor outpost every few hundred miles...most at secure military sites or other secluded spots across the globe. Others still have taken up residence at old Huntsman Academies and Citadels. They're safer now, since all the contained threats have either escaped or been killed off. I've been sitting here at Area 99, alone...hell, not like it's going to cause any harm revealing where I am. It's not like anyone even knows where Area 99 is, let alone the people who want me dead...
3 second pause
US: It's not surprising...I...may be starting to go a little bit crazy. These logs are the only things that are keeping me sane...sane...sanity...
3 second pause
US: Funny word, that...I know I'm losing my grip on my sanity and coherence after nearly 12 years in self-imposed exile...or quarantine...or maybe containment is a better word...whichever makes more sense. Anyway, if you're listening to this, I'm probably dead...
9 second pause
US: *Sigh* and it only took...134 years to die? 134 years...one hundred and thirty four long, lonely years. I might as well try to elaborate, try to explain what the hell happened 37 years ago...if I can even remember...
12 second pause
US: That's the thing though...I don't remember what happened! I've spent Every. Single. Waking. Moment trying to piece these last few remaining fragments of memory as to how every single Huntsman Order, Military Force and Merc Group managed to fail in saving the world. No one reason makes sense! Was it an inside job? Did some new enemy force arise? War? Catastrophic failure of our tactics and organization? It has to be some combination of these, but...I can't be sure...it doesn't matter anymore...
18 second pause
Faint, supressed crying can be heard
US: Do you know how it feels to watch the world die?
3 second pause
US:...of course you wouldn't...no one alive would...and you'd be lucky...you wouldn't have to see people ripped apart by animalistic monstrosities. You wouldn't have to see entire cities overrun with the walking dead, the people becoming freak zombies or being torn apart by cannibalistic lunatics...that's what happened to Vacuo, and southern Atlas...and god knows where else...I watched as half of Mistral was blown off the map by nuclear missiles...I watched as what was left of the kingdom slowly turn into-
Audio degrades into static for 28 seconds
US: -as everything was stained grey and orange from the ashes and fire. That's all I was able to do in the end...watch and wait...until that one day I-
Audio degrades again for another 13 seconds
US: I tried to find my colleagues and other relevant people and I made a list of those I could locate, who didn't make it...*holding back tears* oh god, there's so many...
13 second pause
Open sobbing can be heard
Unknown speaker regains composure
US: All of the governments are gone...Doctor-
Audio degrades for 4 seconds
US: -General-
Audio degrades again for 3 seconds
US: -Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Pyrrha Nikos, Chief Defenestrator Liam Ball, Professor Peter Port, Profes-
Audio degrades again for 19 seconds
US: -oman Torchwick, Morrigan Fay, Glynda Goodwich, Fox Alistair, Sun Wukon, Edward Breeg, Emerald Sustrai, General James Ironwood, Yat-
Audio degrades for 1 minute, 37 seconds
US: -oraline Stromm, Doctor Henry West, Clair Bathree, Nora Valkyrie, Lucas Kire, Agents John Smith and John Doe, Agent-
Audio degrades for 17 seconds
US: -and Summer Rose...she was the last one I found...I think it's fair to say I'm the last one alive...the last one who remembers what we did...what we tried to do for the world...I don't think this message will be kept safe for nearly long enough, but I might as well try...to anyone who finds this, know that I have done my duty as a Huntsman. I have tried to make things right from here. I will return one day to try and make things right. I will return, with or without my colleagues. I have no illusions ahead of me, I will likely die several times over before I ever make it back...but at least I'll be with the people I worked with...people who I knew...and felt safer with...
4 second pause
US: *Deep sigh* so, this is it. This has been Simon "Killshot" Schnee, Field Commander in the Atlas Paranormal Combat Division and last known Huntsman still alive, signing off for the last time...
3 second pause
US: Goodbye
Audio eventually fades to static, ending 14 seconds later
As a result of the damaged sections of the file's content, we are unable to compile a full list of those allegedly slain, but the public should NOT be informed of this recording, and this information is to be kept on a need to know basis among the Beacon Staff and the Atlesian Military.
General Ironwood has both confirmed that no individual named Simon "Killshot" Schnee exists within the Atlesian Military.
General Ironwood has refused to comment on the existence of an "Atlas Paranormal Combat Division".
The individual's knowledge of the staff and students at Beacon academy would dictate extensive knowledge of the Academy, and is to be considered a high security risk for the time being.
Several individuals mentioned in the audio file, such as Morrigan Fay and Lucas Kire, are unknown. It is to be assumed that the Unknown Speaker believed that said individuals were connected to Beacon somehow. Information and leads on such names is to be uncovered and closely monitored immediately.
On an unusual note, Schnee family records indicate that no living member of the Schnee family has the first name Simon. The only Simon Schnee to have existed died at age seven, 2 years before the Great War started - from pneumonia.
See document #1