The second chapter! I'm not really separating these into chapters by any specific metric yet, just when I feel like I've reached a good amount to read. Here are some longer ones featuring some very weird events. Thank you for reading, and as usual please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it!


[TEMPORAL WARP ANOMALY 00525 REPORT]

Data Log 01a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 6O
Creation Date: September 28, 12,422, 9:23 PM UST

Junior paranormal investigator 6O reporting in! I am sending this data about the anomaly I took it upon myself to investigate! I saw it on the list at the camp and I just couldn't help myself. So I was snooping around in places I'm not authorized to be in, so what? Who's gonna persecute me when I have results like this? It's like fate or destiny or something!

Starting from the beginning: It was turning out to be a pretty boring day. I sent a message to the YoNAh council asking if they needed me to do anything and they never got back to me so I just assumed I was being given a day off! I now know that actually I didn't send the email and fatfingered the draft button instead, but mistakes are made by everybody sometimes! In any case, I downloaded a copy of the anomaly investigation list and left the base to look for something nearby. And I found one that I think is probably super important.

Get this: It's a tree that talks!

A tree! That talks!

It says it's a 'memory tree' or something, and it's part of a huge hive mind of trees that are actually sentient machines. Apparently they've been around since before the first machine war, since before the aliens invaded. They're really old!

Unfortunately a lot of the data was corrupted because, I mean, wouldn't you be a little corrupted if you sat in one spot constantly recording for like five thousand years? I did record the conversation we had though, and I remembered to mark down the location where I found it! I honestly think this is probably one of the most important discoveries YoNAh has ever made, and it's not just because that'd conveniently get me out of trouble for accidentally playing hooky!

I salvaged like 800 exabytes of data from its disks, but from a quick little peek it seems like almost 75% of it is corrupted. That's kind of a bummer until you consider that that still leaves like a thousand years of solid data totally untouched! Hopefully it's the thousand years before the whole machine war thing, because we sorta already know how that whole thing went down. But also, it seemed kinda lonely, so you should send someone out there to talk to it sometime! The stuff it was saying went way over my head, something about the 'destabilization of time'. Really weird. Maybe have 2B talk to it, she's good with that stuff.

Also, don't tell her that I found it or else she'll get mad at me for leaving my post.

. . .

Data Log 02a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 6O
Creation Date: September 29, 12,422, 11:13 AM UST

YOU TOLD HER I LEFT MY POST! THAT'S SO MEAN! ALL I EVER AM IS SO NICE AND KIND AND SWEET AND JUPITER'S FORTUNE JUST CRAPS RIGHT ON ME. IT'S NOT FAIR! I GOT BLOWN UP BACK ON THE BUNKER AND REBUILT FROM SCRATCH, I'M A WAR VETERAN! YOU CAN'T TREAT AN OLD LADY LIKE ME LIKE THIS! I DEMAND RESPECT

... [The log continues for several paragraphs in this manner] ...


[TEMPORAL WARP ANOMALY 00526 REPORT]

Data Log 01a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 2B
Creation Date: October 02, 12,422, 6:36 AM UST

Located unit 47S as per the council's request. Very shaken and dissheveled, clothes torn. Mumbled something borderline incoherent about a cult, refused to head back to base on his own. Left leg circuits are non-functional but he refuses to specify the reason. Currently escorting him back while unit 9S investigates the area.

. . .

Data Log 02a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 9S
Creation Date: October 02, 12,422, 8:25 AM UST

This is my scheduled check-in with 2B, also being forwarded to the council for preservation purposes. I've been at the site where we came across 47S for a couple hours but there's no sign of what he described. I recorded our conversation but good luck making anything out, poor guy was traumatized by whatever he saw out here.

Current location is in the far southeast corner of Izuya's Gorge, at the edge of the desert region- but I don't think there's anything to see out here. It's very hot, he might have lost contact with his superior unit and succumbed to weariness and fried circuits and stuff. Guessing he twisted his leg falling down one of these cliffs, since we found him way down at the bottom of the gorge.

So strange. From what little I could make out from the recording, playing it back now, he was mumbling something about a cult. But not an android cult or machines, actual live humans. We all know that the humans are long gone, but he described them wearing traditional clothing found in ancient Egyptian civilizations. Adorned with gold trimmings and elegant headwear and all that stuff. There's no explanation for that, it's simply impossible. I wish we could've made out more of what he said.

. . .

Data Log 03a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 9S
Creation Date: October 02, 12,422, 9:18 AM UST

Found 47S' superior unit. Or, rather, her exoskeleton. None of her identifying features are present but it's definitely 39B, checked the UID on her OS chip and it's the exact same to the Nth digit. But what I'm seeing here is just an android skeleton, there's nothing outside OR inside it. Aside from the skull, which can't be penetrated even by our own tools, there's nothing within this body- all of its organs, bones, scrap metal. It's all just gone, seemingly harvested with sharp tools. It's making me a little nervous, to be honest.

I found her body in a small crevice near the bottom of the gorge, it seems my hypothesis was correct- she and 47S took a spill over the edge and landed on separate levels, and from there... whatever happened to her, didn't happen to him. But at least now I understand why he was so traumatized- whatever did this was not kind.

There are a few loose scraps of dark green and red cloth and some rosewood splinters around the body, presumably she put up a fight but with nowhere to go she was easily picked off. It's a real shame. Scanned a few of the scraps with my pod, gonna send them to R&D now for forensic analysis. I recommend not telling 47S the specifics but that's up to the council.

Gonna stick around a while longer and continue investigating for signs of life. Humans... There's just no way. It's gotta be something else.

. . .

Data Log 04a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 9S
Creation Date: October 02, 12,422, 10:25 AM UST

I think I've figured out what happened here and it's not pretty. Scaled the gorge after finding nothing but sand and some animal bones at the bottom; upon scaling the nearby dunes in the direction the missing units had come from, I came across an oasis tucked between cliffs. When 47S and 39B lost contact, they must have sought out water and shade so as to not burn out their OS chips and ended up here. My guess is they drank the water, and... well, the sample analysis will tell you as much, but they really shouldn't have done that.

Wherever this water's source is, probably some groundwater well deep under the gorge, it's incredibly toxic. If there were any humans out here for whatever reason, it'd kill them in an hour if they took so much as a sip. It's clear, which is probably why they thought it was water, but that's because it's been diluted from its original content of 95% sulfur, iron, and silver mercury. They probably drank it to refresh their cooling system and then immediately shorted out.

What happened next is the strangest thing. There are signs of a struggle here, one of the palm trees is missing a large rectangular chunk. It seems like 39B used her blade to hollow out a section of the tree, using the cloth to tie it around her face. The two of them must have been hallucinating, and the resulting fight brought them to the edge of the cliff where they then spilled over.

It's grisly, but I'm guessing 39B drank more water since B-class units generate much more heat and thus need further cooling, and either 47S was forced to kill her in the ensuing struggle or she simply expired from internal corrosion. After that he probably stripped her for parts to ensure his own survival, and to his credit, it worked. The non-functional leg is likely a result of the struggle. I'd recommend he be taken to medical for detoxification and psychological assessment as soon as 2B gets back to base.

The only question remains, why the mask? Some desire to hide from her true self once she lost her marbles? Maybe some childlike Facade to try and fool 47S into thinking she was a different person. I can only guess, but I found the remnants of the mask further down the cliff so I collected it for later study. It's strange, definitely feels like I've seen it before. Couldn't tell you where, though.

Either way, no anomaly here, just the desert playing its tricks on a couple of lost androids. What a rotten way to go.


[TEMPORAL WARP ANOMALY 00527 REPORT]

Data Log 01a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 2B
Creation Date: October 08, 12,422, 2:19 PM UST

Encountered a frog from another dimension. Or at least, it purported to be from such a place- spoke of being the Great King Of All Amphibians and demanded respect from us, its fellow land-dwellers. Unsure of the veracity of its claims but given the nature of the creature, I would say we are right to be skeptical. It's a talking frog.

Normal size, fits in about the palm of one's hand, green and spotted with yellow eyes as usual. Wears an ornate crown adorned with precious metal jewels- not sure of their makeup, it didn't let us touch its headwear despite our insistence. Refer to 9S' report for an audio log detailing our questioning of the creature.

. . .

Data Log 02a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 9S
Creation Date: October 08, 12,422, 2:20 PM UST

The Great King of All Amphibians, as it constantly reminds us to refer to it as, is a frog that comes from a dimension I'll hereby refer to as D-033-A. Throughout this assessment our universe will be referred to as D-033, or the 'prime' dimension. According to the king, there's practically no difference between the two, but it bears mentioning anyway. This little guy is definitely not of our world.

Under normal circumstances, I'd take issue with the logical impossibility of multiple universes existing. There's only one timeline that we've ever seen evidence of in twelve thousand years, so it's hard to take at face value that more very well might exist. The council may recall that the temporal investigation team's head researchers, Devola and Popola, claim to come from a universe referred to internally as D-001-A. They are no different than the Devola and Popola that once inhabited our world during the machine war, but they became unstuck from their time period in the early 12,300s and joined the YoNAh coalition voluntarily.

Well, the reason I mention them is that allegedly the king is cut from the same cloth. He has demonstrated some amount of self-awareness that leads me to believe there is a counterpart in our world that's just a normal everyday frog. The king knows he is a frog, knows he's not from our world, and insists that we treat him like the royalty he was in his own because he has earned it.

As insane as this may sound, the king is very adamant about once being a great leader of an amphibian revolution against the purely land-dwelling creatures of its homeworld. After conquering mankind, the aliens invaded as they did in our timeline and they were defeated by the frog-conscripted armies of the planet.

Much with 2B, I really doubt much of this is true, personally I think it's just a sentient frog that had a crown made for him. But the moment you start to express doubt in his claims, he gets very loud and upset and refuses to cooperate, so it's easier for everybody if you just hear him out, believe me. We managed to convince him to come back with us, he's currently riding on my pod's head because "royalty such as himself should not walk the same ground as we lowly bipedal creatures". Will file a report when we've returned to base.

. . .

Data Log 03a
Log Author: YoNAh Unit 60
Creation Date: October 08, 12,422, 8:13 PM UST

Junior paranormal investigator 6O reporting in! What's in a name? That's a real question that's worth answering, I think! Our new hoppy friend wants us to call him the Great King of All Amphibians, but what is a king without a throne or subjects? I feel a little bad for him, being trapped in our stuffy old world when he had all these adoring fans back in his own. I wish we could help him get back somehow, but I don't think dimension-hopping is in YoNAh's repetoire juuust yet.

He says that he helped fight off the aliens back in his own world. There are a lot of frogs out there, like billions of them, so I believe it! I bet the frogs beat the aliens with sheer numbers and pure croaky vengeance! We held a candlelight vigil this evening for all of the fallen froggies in his world. Or, I guess, I held the candle, he just sat there. But to be fair he doesn't have opposable thumbs!

2B dumped him off on me, says he can be my pet, which made the king pretty angry. He says being referred to as a pet is far beneath him and that we should treat him with respect before he organizes a coup. But I don't think anybody will listen to the poor little guy, he's very hard to get along with. I don't mind, though, I like having someone to talk to and I'm doing important research by being his friend!

For example, 2B and 9S made him mad so he didn't tell them about HOW he came to our world! I was able to coax (croaks) it out of him, though. Apparently an inter-dimensional portal opened up in his throne cave one day and it sucked him right up with a gravitational pull far exceeding what we know is physically possible. This coincides perfectly with the other reports we've had of anomalies coming through space-time portals. My conclusion is that in all these different worlds, at the same relative time, something weird happened that tore portal holes in all of them and brought them here! Why? I dunno! But it's a neat hypothesis, huh?

I sent in a request to acquisitions for a glass aquarium tank, some rock fixtures, a spare water filtration unit, and a heat lamp. None of those are requests from me. The king has decided that my room on the base is comfy enough to stay in even if there's no throne, but maybe I'll make him one! I've always wanted to learn how to do arts and crafts! Plus it'll be nice to have some company. Usually the council sends anomalies back where they came from but there's no portal to send the king back through so he's just gonna have to stay with me until we find a better place for him to live! Maybe a pond or a marsh or something. Somewhere with lots of lillypads and fruit flies.