Tendrils of teeth and blood

I got another unprompted email from Edward. The subject line is "Tendrils of teeth and blood" and this was the email:

It reads: "They are wrapped around amygdala and hippocampus, writhing and salivating as they twist and distort all thoughts from the source of emanation. Sinew spreads through the grey matter, transmitting all abhorrent desires.

A plan is in progress, and will reveal itself soon. Do not believe. Do not give in. Do not become its marionette. Ignore. Patience." 

There was also an image. I'll get to that in a moment. 

I replied. I'm desperate for something.

I said: "When is soon? And what is it going to try to make me do? What's your plan? Please, just give me something. Anything."

It appears he heard my plea. 

It's the normal automated response, except for the segment beneath the dashes. It changed to read: "Patience, assembly line begins soon"

"Assembly Line" was mentioned multiple times. I can remember it appearing when Edward left me the message he left while I was recovering the image of Lily; I also remember Marionettes saying that it needed to be restarted, before it completely died, and got taken over by the Signal. I'm not sure what it is.

This was the image that Edward sent me.

I checked multiple different things, and there's nothing hidden in it. I'm pretty sure there was in the untitled broadcast, even if I still can't figure it out, but there's nothing here that I can see. I'm guessing this is a visualization of the tendrils of teeth and blood that Edward mentioned. They were also mentioned by Marionettes, before it fully died. They look like puppet strings, more than anything. 

I know Edward's warning me against something. I can't tell what, though. He's being too vague on what it is I need to avoid doing. I'll just do my best to be careful, I guess. 

Something is going to happen soon. I think my next update will be that. Hopefully it's me being able to stabilize Station 85, and save Riley, along with the others. If I'm able to get them back, I think there's a much better chance of being able to stop this thing.

I wonder where Edward is right now. 

Untitled Broadcast

Video: https://youtu.be/uO2n4do7JRU

Normally, broadcasts appear on the television I keep near my table. This one, however, appeared on the screen I always keep trained on Marionettes. It went from the broken logo, to the broadcast, then back to the broken logo. It also happened when I was asleep, which is a thing I've been doing more and more frequently lately. It happened at 8:50 in the morning. I have no idea what it's supposed to be, outside of seeing her face at the end there.

I hope Riley reaches back out soon.

Riley & Penelope: Chat Log 5

Marionettes changed again. The Upstaged Communications logo flickered in the side of my vision, and it turned into another chat log with Riley.

Marionettes is approaching unreadability. It must be decaying, given that it died; I'm not sure how Riley is communicating with me through it right now. This is the conversation I had with her.

[/begin_chat_thread]

2:28 [Riley] can you see this penelope

2:29 [Penelope] Yeah I can

2:29 [Penelope] How are you holding up?

2:29 [Riley] same as before

2:29 [Riley] everything is the same

2:29 [Riley] it's just constant stagnation

2:30 [Penelope] That's something I can understand

2:30 [Penelope] Look, I'm trying to figure out how to stabilize Station 85, but I don't know how

2:30 [Penelope] Do you know how to?

2:31 [Riley] yes

2:31 [Riley] it's going to be tricky, so you're going to have to be careful

2:31 [Riley] it might put you in danger

2:31 [Riley] but I might have a way to make it safer

2:32 [Penelope] What is it?

2:32 [Riley] you need to leave your home

2:32 [Riley] I know you don't want to do that because of the constant rain

2:32 [Penelope] It's too dangerous to go outside

2:32 [Riley] I might have a way to bring you to Station 85 without you going outside

2:33 [Penelope] What?

2:33 [Riley] station 85 is fluctuating

2:33 [Riley] right now, it's on the path, with the fence; however, doors started to appear in the fence

2:33 [Riley] it's a consistent set of maybe 10 different doors

2:34 [Riley] and I think one of the doors is yours

2:34 [Penelope] How do you know that

2:34 [Riley] I heard your voice behind it once

2:34 [Riley] I tried to reach it, but the receivers got too close for comfort, so I had to run with the other two

2:35 [Riley] they still haven't moved past the fence, but I can't risk it

2:35 [Riley] however, if I can reach it, then I might be able to open the door for you, and you can come through

2:35 [Riley] if you come through, you can stabilize 85

2:36 [Penelope] How would I stabilize it?

2:36 [Riley] it's too complicated to explain in detail right now, but in short: right now there are three receivers and three "errors" as the signal calls us

2:37 [Riley] those connected to the signal are what destabilize the station; "errors" are what can restabilize it

2:37 [Riley] so if you come, there will be more errors than receivers, and it'll tilt back to stability

2:38 [Penelope] I'm sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense

2:38 [Riley] I know, I'll explain how it actually works later; that's just the best explanation I can give now, since I have limited time 

2:38 [Penelope] How do you know that?

2:39 [Riley] I was cut off short last time against my will

2:39 [Riley] I don't know when it'll happen, but I'm guessing it'll happen again

2:39 [Penelope] Okay

2:39 [Penelope] Wait

2:40 [Riley] what?

2:40 [Penelope] What do you know about Edward?

2:40 [Riley] not a whole lot, honestly

2:40 [Riley] I have more permissions in marionettes than the average user, but I'm not the admin, so I can't see everything in it

2:40 [Riley] but I can see some stuff

2:41 [Riley] like the developer credits

2:41 [Riley] it was, apparently, developed entirely by ed

2:41 [Riley] and I can see some of what he's done

2:41 [Riley] like the messages he left for you before the signal took it over

2:42 [Penelope] I kind of already figured that he made it

2:42 [Penelope] Good to have it confirmed though

2:42 [Penelope] Do you know anything else about him?

2:43 [Riley] no, but I know rumors

2:44 [Riley] just scraps that I was able to hear about over the years, before upstaged closed

2:44 [Riley] he apparently abandoned everything in his life before coming to upstaged, and was working there for a long while

2:45 [Riley] he was one of the original employees

2:45 [Riley] and he was obsessed with marionettes

2:45 [Riley] he developed it by himself from scratch, and although he was hr, he focused on training people to work the system

2:46 [Riley] he trained you, I think

2:46 [Penelope] I don't remember that

2:46 [Penelope] I don't even remember him existing in the station

2:47 [Riley] there's a lot you don't remember

2:47 [Riley] he barely felt human in his time there

2:47 [Riley] and he kept obsessive notes on everything

2:47 [Riley] someone saw his office, and claimed that there was basically nothing but papers in there

2:48 [Riley] it was like he had the entire company's history

2:48 [Penelope] I wonder why?

2:48 [Riley] he seemed like the kind of guy that always needed to know things

2:49 [Riley] the kind of guy to always have a plan for things one couldn't even begin to understand

2:49 [Riley] I don't know how much I trust those plans

[/end_chat_thread]

Marionettes closed the chat thread by itself, and then went back to the normal screen. The broken logo. I wanted to ask more about what the plan was, but I got sidetracked by asking about Edward. Hopefully she'll be able to talk to me again before I do... well, whatever it is she's asking me to do. I can understand what she's saying, but it's hard to wrap my head around something like that actually happening.

It's good to know for sure that Edward developed Marionettes. It matches the third broadcast, which called it his child. But his obsession over it, his obsessive record keeping, and him completely abandoning his past life to join Upstaged and make the system...

Edward, what happened? What are you planning? I'm assuming he told Riley how to do this, since she asked me to reach out to him. 

Patience

I have received another email from Edward. The subject line is "Patience". 

It reads: "Piece by piece, it is being built. You are a part of it. All could be ruined by rash, heart-filled decisions. Be clear-minded. Be patient. Listen to the rain, but do not follow it. Do not transmit and perform its desires. This will end the way it is supposed to. My trust is in you.

I sense your frustration. Directness is a weakness exploitable by one considered deplorable. I am acting dangerously as it is. Please, trust me. It is a two-way bridge."

I think he's trying to offer a bit of reassurance, and guidance. I don't feel very reassured, and his guidance has not been working out so far, if you could even call it that; he's just been sending messages and instructions that make absolutely no sense until now. Not to me, at least. And he's saying that it's like that because "directness is a weakness" which feels like complete bullshit. How can telling me what's going on be a weakness? What is his game plan here? 

Telling me to be patient feels like a mockery. I don't know if that's how he intended it, but I received the remote access key on October 20th, 2018. Who sent it? I don't know, and I didn't have a chance to search. A month later, I was homeless. I wasn't able to get reliable access to a computer until April this year. That entire time, I was left wondering what happened to friends and coworkers at Upstaged, scared because of the revelation that there was something more sinister at play. I only learned more after waiting for so long, and with it comes a cryptic, apparently all-knowing person who's telling me to be patient. I'm done being patient.

He can eat; I don't know how I know, and I don't know what, but I know that he can eat and feel fulfilled, while every single bite of any food I eat is turned to dust within my stomach, leaving me with no sustenance whatsoever. I don't trust him.

I haven't responded to him. I know that he won't say anything back, except for more obscure whatever. Maybe the automatic response will just say "Patience" or something. I'm going to keep doing what I have to do.

Amygdala Simulation 4 - 2222 (UPDATE)

Rather quick update, but someone pointed out something interesting in the comments of the upload of Amygdala Simulation 4: 2222.

I went to check, and sure enough:

It reads: "THIS IS RILEY I FOUND AN ENTRANCE IN BROADCAST

DO NOT TRUST IT DO NOT TRUST THE LIES PLEASE"

The bottom part is cut off; I can't tell if there's meant to be anything after "PLEASE" or if that's the end of the message.

This is only visible for a brief moment, and it doesn't look like the same typeface/font that these broadcasts use, so I'm hesitantly believing that it's truly Riley. If it is, then that might mean she can reach out to me again the future. This message is concerning, however; she says not to trust "IT". What is it? The Signal? I already know not to trust it, and she can't possibly think I'm dumb enough to. What else could she be talking about, though?

I need to stabilize Station 85, and get her out. 

Amygdala Simulation 4 - 2222

Video: https://youtu.be/uvsltMOEARo

This feels threatening. Like it's going to turn Nashiko, Wyatt, and Riley into receivers with the pendant. I don't like how it described Thomas, Joshua, and Lily. I don't like that it said all of this is, in part, my fault. Can't speak for Edward--I don't know who he is, or what his true involvement is. Given how unhelpful he's been, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he is responsible for all of this, intentionally or not. 

I'm going to save Riley and the others before they're taken. I'll figure out how to stabilize Station 85 somehow. 

Email update 5

I emailed Edward again. This time, I didn't get an automatic response, and got an actual response after some minutes passed.

I sent: "Edward, I need your help. Riley contacted me through Marionettes; it was not functional for a while there, but for a brief moment it worked. She's trapped in a weird world because of the structural fluctuations at Station 85, and she needs to escape. She's there with Wyatt and Nashiko. Please, help her. How do we stabilize the station?"

After 8 minutes, I got a reply that I didn't like. It read: "Who do you believe?"

I responded immediately: "Are you trying to insinuate that Riley is lying?"

After that, I received an automatic response. I don't know how he managed to immediately set it back up.

It's the same as always, except for the small bit under the dashes. It reads: "I am sorry for who you think you have lost".

There was a message before, which read "I am sorry for what you think you have lost." This was repeated multiple times. Now, it's who.

I think he doesn't want me to trust Riley, but I have to. She showed proof that she's trapped. At the same time, Edward is clearly unwilling to help, for one reason or another, and I don't know what to do. I haven't left my desk. I'm afraid to go outside. The rain continues.