Investigations.

21records

Diary page

Torn diary page This place can change anyone. Climbing up from the very bottom is just the first step towards making a difference... But I lost myself along the way... not completely, but some important, fundamental part of me slipped away like sand through my fingers. My humanity, perhaps? Looking back, I often wonder about the ambitious young man I used to be, the man who came to work at the Ministry with the desire to help people - would he launch Heimdall? Or would he be horrified at the mere thought of doing such a thing to living people? We will all burn in hell for it...

Diary page

Torn diary page The preparations took so many years, so much energy, so many sacrifices... The first trial run is in a month. Our chance to change everything for the better will come to fruition in some 30 days. I can't believe it. And I'll finally get to see my son! Without having to fear for his life or those of his family. But it's too early to daydream and celebrate this victory. There is still much I still have to check. The important thing is to make sure that the signal stability doesn’t violate the alpha rhythms at 9 Hz...

Diary page

Torn diary page I don’t have time to destroy everything. They'll be able to restore it from the backup copies... But I've still done something! I have completely changed the login procedure. Now, it’s not just bound to a specific individual’s biometrics - most functions can only be activated using encryption keys. I’d like to see them try to collect all the Heimdall codes. Hah! Only one person can get them. I try to convince myself that these boxes aren’t just an old man’s desperate attempt to stall them for a while. It’s a small sliver of a shot at making things right. And this has to be done using... my blood, my genes, my heir, my son. Evan will be the one to make the choice. By himself. I'm a damn coward for shifting the responsibility to my child...

Diary page

Torn diary page The Inner Circle. Who came up with such a name for the handful of people running the country, hiding behind the image of the Wise Leader? I often asked this question at first, but then realized that there was as much sense to it as there is in the appeals of citizens coming to the Ministry. Because the Inner Circle doesn’t include a single honest person... I used to think that one of them was trustworthy. But he turned out to be the most cunning and slippery of them all. I sometimes even doubt whether he’s human at all.

Diary page

Diary page That image, created before our birth, was developed down to the finest detail. He wears a military uniform because he is always ready to defend his homeland, but the uniform is always blindingly white, without a single speck. His cap makes him look more courageous, and the ribbon with the coat of arms marks him as the true son of the State - as the Commander-in-Chief should be. But the most insidious part is the mustache. There's something soft and cozy in it. He looks like a father, an uncle, an older brother, a teacher or a best friend. Without the mustache, he doesn't look wise. The mustache makes him trustworthy.

Diary page

James was a good man. He was so reliable and strong that you felt confident in yourself when he was nearby. I'm very sad that we aren't as close friends as before. My distrust probably applies to everyone now. He’s given me no reason for it, but my persecution complex manages to find suspicious details everywhere - in every phrase and look. As they say: just because you’re paranoid doesn't mean they aren’t after you. And it seems to me that his sincere desire to help and to uncover the Inner Circle is hiding something else. Someone else, to be precise. Someone at the top of the I.I.D. is digging around for the Inner Circle. Though I wish to hold all my “colleagues” to account, the presence of one more piece on the chessboard frightens me. That's why I don’t trust James.

Diary page

Torn diary page We've spent so much time studying the immunity of the blind to our signal that we've become blind ourselves. It was so obvious! Heimdall... doesn't make corrections, as we thought it did. It doesn't fix things the way we... the way I... had hoped. It suppresses, entirely replaces the subject with itself, leaving no memory of the signal! It's so hideous that I can't find the proper words. This changes everything! Handing it over to the Inner Circle is the same as allowing a pyromaniac to drive a train with high-octane fuel tanks into a volcano... Today I locked the system to the central terminal and blocked access to everyone except myself. I'll make my last attempt this evening. 5 uV may be less destructive... but there's little hope left...

Diary page

Torn diary page The closer the work gets to completion, the more the situation heats up. I cannot shake the feeling of an approaching thunderstorm: the very air seems to be electrified. Yesterday there was another failed attempt on Weinberg’s life. And Ferguson doesn't even bother to hide his disappointment about it. They're like a pack of dogs fighting over a bone hanging above their heads. All I have to do is to immerse myself in work like Hemnitz and ignore what’s happening. Sometimes I remind myself that an ostrich that tries to bury its head in the sands of the Ministry might end up hitting it against the concrete floor... But I must finish this project. Then I’ll have my chance of redemption...

Diary page

Torn diary page Alpha rhythms are considered to be absent in people with congenital blindness or atrophy of the optic nerve. This issue became crucial when DeSalvo, along with Weinberg, suggested issuing all blind citizens with tickets for the Blissful Sleep. Curse them! This project was developed to ensure that no one else had to die! Thank god that the latest data came in, proving that alpha rhythms aren't the main indicator of a recipient's sensitivity... But I was impressed once again by how easily they can solve any difficulties! No man, no problem! It’s disgusting. Another reason to think about restricting access to the control terminal.

Email: A. DeSalvo

From: A. DeSalvo Subject: Re: Hideous experiments Caleb, I don't quite understand the point of your claims. If I didn't already know that you're devoted to the ideals of our Great Society, I would think that you’re defending the very public enemies whom I'm trying to correct. That can't be the case, can it, Caleb? I’m sure you’re no traitor. Perhaps we should talk in person somewhere without surveillance - so as not to be bound by the official rules of correspondence. I know the perfect place for us to talk openly... Come to my office for a cup of tea and I'll show you. A. DeSalvo -------- From: C. Redgrave Subject: Hideous experiments Albert, I doubt that this letter will make you change your mind. I don’t believe that you can stop yourself anymore. But I have to try... Your activities in your “secret chamber” have long since gone beyond the definition of evil. Words can't begin to describe. I’m begging you in a desperate attempt to save some of these poor victims. Come to your senses! Stop these horrible experiments!

Email: I. Weinberg

Fragment of Wolf and Stein 2.0 workshop transcript Redgrave: Are you sure this is necessary? This man had a family! Weinberg: You know my stance: anything for the greatest common good. It's wise to sacrifice one person so that the species can survive. Redgrave: Survival of the species is no longer your goal. Don't delude yourself, Isaac - you’re after a lot more. Weinberg: I don't see development as a bad thing. This is evolution, albeit artificial, accelerated, and man-made. But nature is too slow, and often gives us the species best adapted to a specific habitat. I want the habitat to adapt to the new species. Redgrave: But we're talking about individuality! Weinberg: You’re for freedom of choice, aren’t you? So, let me remind you: this man made his choice. Thus, it fits in with your value system, Caleb...

Email: P. Ferguson

Bruno, my friend! You have to help me! That son of bitch, that shithead Redgrave! I saw an internal memo he wrote about me! Now I’ve calmed down a bit, so I'm writing to you. I can't call you - I smashed the phone against the wall. That prick has pissed me off! We need to do something about him. Otherwise, he'll pull the plug and we'll have no more music, champagne, caviar or pineapples. No more parties. I don't know about you, Bruno, but I can't live without sweet, easy, slutty girls! So, use your connections - let's find some dirt on this worthless moralist!

Fragment of S. Ike interview transcript

Fragment of S. Ike interview transcript 02.21.1982 Test subject: Stefania Ike, age 32 Rejection signal of 20 uV amplitude is indicated as (N). Researcher (shows a picture of a child): What do you see? Ike: A girl of about five with red ribbons in her hair. She’s sitting in a chair and smiling. It’s a nice photo. Researcher: What do you feel when you look at it? Ike: I feel comfort. I feel that this photo was taken with love. Researcher (N): Take another look. What do you see? Ike (gulps): Is that a different photo? It’s a disgusting... I can't call it a child... a gnome... grinning, lounging in a chair. Researcher: What do you feel? Ike (quite nervous): Is this some kind of joke? Why are you asking such stupid questions?! Take it away... before I throw up on your shoes! Researcher (return -N): Are you sure? Ike (shakes her head, discouraged, eyes unfocused, breathing heavily): What? Did you ask me something? (pause) How did I get here? Why am I...

Letter

Dear son. If you are reading this, I must already be dead. Forgive me for pushing you away, for the fact that we haven’t been as close these last few years as we used to be. You may not believe me, but this was my own unusual way of trying to protect you. Even my death serves this purpose - to protect my son... I don't know who else might read this letter, so I cannot risk telling you everything. Therefore, I have left everything important in special boxes throughout the Ministry. Only you can open them: the locks are coded to your biometrics. I hope you manage to put it all together and make the right decision in the end. You should receive the first box along with this letter. You have to find the rest yourself. And, most importantly, don't trust anyone, Evan. I wish I could bequeath you something more pleasant... Good luck and... I love you, son.

Letter

Hemnitz is exceptional with numbers, and he is truly passionate about this job. When I brought him in on the Heimdall project, I couldn't even imagine what a valuable asset he would become. I told him many times that his talent was wasted on the first floor, and that he should work with statistics. He just smiled in response. Sometimes he seems to be the only one I can trust... If I didn't know who he really was and what he was capable of, I would befriend with him without hesitation.

Letter

I want to apologize to you, Evan. I was a bad father. I wasn't with you when you needed me. I'm not with you now, when you’re caught in the center of this whirlpool of shit, the fight for power in the Inner Circle. And you're here because of me. My ambitions and irrepressible, selfish thirst for justice put your life in danger. Don't indulge in illusions, son. The Ministry is a hole, a black hole that sucks out your soul and pulls it into the heart of the storm, a world of perverted notions of good and evil. But I'm not apologizing for what I've done. No. I just hope that you'll be able to forgive me for what you've done - or still have to do. I'm very sorry.

Letter

This is an appeal to you, my son. I don’t know if you’ll ever read it. Perhaps this confession of mine is in vain... But I have to tell you my most terrible secret. Your mother... I killed her. No, I didn’t pull a trigger or anything like that. But it was me who signed the circular authorizing the use of pesticides in fruit groves. She was killed by my indifference and my willingness to make compromises with my conscience. The day she died, I was supposed to pick her up from work... But I was too busy, had so many important things to do... If I had wanted to turn my back on this career in the Ministry, I could have easily gotten a referral to another good job anywhere in the country. I often tried to make excuses, thinking that without me, those villains at the top would tear our country apart... But that’s all it is - an excuse... I was the unprincipled fool who authorized the poisoning of the population... And your mother only bought those apples from some old woman because she was kind wanted to support a pensioner. Every day I thank heaven that you were at summer camp at the time. ...All the subsequent “prohibitions” on apple sales were my desperate attempts to atone, and they changed nothing...

Letter

I remember the day your mother and I went to the coast. Everything changed when you were born, but back then we still had a coast not poisoned by fuel from sunken military tankers. Without the burned corpses of young soldiers, both ours and Boreans, who died in that senseless war. On that sunny day, your mother and I drank three bottles of wine, swam until it got cold, and then warmed ourselves up in each other’s arms under a large woolen blanket. I remember that day as clearly as if it was yesterday. Because the day we conceived you is the second happiest day of my life. The first one is the day you were born.

Profile: A. DeSalvo

Profile: A. DeSalvo Extremely cruel and cold-blooded. Quick-minded. Highly dangerous both inside and outside the Ministry. His “experiments” and “curiosity” are indicative of his psychotic nature. I recommend an urgent psychiatric evaluation which will unquestionably lead to his removal from office, together with complete social isolation and compulsory treatment. Prior psychiatric evaluations have been hampered by the recurring disappearances of medical specialists sent to DeSalvo. A compulsory psychiatric investigation conducted by I.I.D. agents is recommended. (C. Redgrave)

Profile: Isaac Weinberg

Profile: Isaac Weinberg Talented and very smart. Obsessed with utopian ideas of the perfect world. Incredibly hard-working, but becomes completely impervious to external stimuli when immersed in his work. Thus, he may come across as absent-minded, untidy and unhygienic. But this is misleading. He is soft, yet uncompromising. He exhibits absolute commitment and polite integrity bordering on madness. I recommend... Damn it! To be honest, I don't know why I'm writing these profiles. All this bureaucracy gets so deep into our veins, mixes with our blood, that it becomes part of our metabolism. Each member of the Inner Circle is, in fact, at the very top. All these profiles and recommendations are useless... Simply an acquired reflex! I'm afraid that sooner or later this nonsense will become a set of instinctive reflexes that we pass down to our children and grandchildren...

Profile: P. Ferguson

Profile: P. Ferguson Extremely unreliable, lazy and stupid. Addicted to alcohol and drugs. Constantly takes bribes in huge amounts and holds orgies in the Ministry. A regular client of illegal brothels. Repeatedly accused of abusing minors, but all charges were dropped due to pressure on witnesses. Considering the above and attaching full case details, I recommend limiting P. Ferguson’s authority to Floor 1 of the Ministry. I also recommend awarding him the Order of Merit to the Motherland to reduce his indignation about “permanent unjustified distrust”. (C. Redgrave)