By Mike, ©1999
From: CELL E
To: ALPHONSE
Authenticator: ANONX.YMY.UB, accis.denal.gov.uk
PRORITY: URGENT
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Taken from the notes of Dr. Bernard Greenache:
“…The patients display symptoms of severe trauma (partial catatonia, loss of bodily control and delirium), and remain largely non-responsive to visual or aural stimuli.
The male, Donachie, has taken to chewing on the bed sheets in his room- when these were removed; he switched his behavior to the bars of the door until they were returned. The female, Lawford, is marginally responsive. She continues to repeat the word “Nightfall”, often for hours at a time. At other times, she obsessively draws and then erases patterns upon her room’s wall: sadly, we have been unable to study said patterns, as she becomes violently agitated if prevented from erasing them when interrupted.
The only linking element is both patients’ reactions to the television placed in the hotel restroom. Upon seeing the moving images, both displayed extreme agitation: Lawford ran from the room, whilst Donachie attempted to attack the screen with a hospital chair and had to be physically restrained.
I must confess to bafflement in this case. Whilst in some ways my patients’ behavior is similar to that exhibited in extreme cases of Post-Traumatic Shock, the obsessive-compulsive nature of both parties’ troubles virtually eliminates this as a solution. In any case, such a severe reaction could scarcely be caused by their area of work in the Civil Service, going as it does beyond all but the worst cases of wartime exposure. However, something must have affected them so. Given the severity of their symptoms, one can only hope that whatever caused their disability never finds its way into the population at large.”
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Agents Medley and Matthias were assigned to watch the Edinburgh-based animation group known as “Strange Company” (under observation since the obvious indications of hostile influence spotted in their past work, Eschaton: Darkening Twilight). Their last report links their recent activity (tracked at http://www.gamerush.com/strangecompany) with the theft of the British Museum copy of “La Reine Jaune”, and indicates that they plan to release their new work sometime in the next few days. Please advise all agents that we may soon face a greater threat from this quarter that we had realized: I only hope that we do not pay dearly for our previous laxity.
Whilst we may be partially shielded from the worst effects of the imminent release (5th February) by “Strange Company”‘s reliance on the “Quake II” technology disseminated by iD Software, we understand that they are currently testing workarounds for this problem.
Symptoms identical to Medley and Matthias’ have been observed once before: at an ill-fated London production of “The King In Yellow”. We may have very little time to prepare.
Mike
Cell M
