Page 51 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER TWO: ALL IS LOST

Network Zero “Yep. Think about it. It’s the perfect crime.”
Information wants to be free. The Truth is out there. What “And that ties into the MSU student’s death because...”
hunters don’t know can hurt them. “It’s obvious, isn’t it, Trace? Ice monster.”
While most individuals who either deal with the supernat- “Ice. Monster.”
ural have a vested interest in secrecy, others believe that occult “Yup. An ice monster with a taste for killing rapists and wife-
knowledge is power, and they have the responsibility to share beaters. And this isn’t the first time! It’s been happening all across
what they learn with the rest of the world. the country! I’ve got articles about a pedophile in Columbus from last
Amongst the compacts, Network Zero is one such group. year—”
Amongst the Lost, it’s the Radio Free Fae. While the two “And there you have it, folks. Supernatural retribution against
groups may not officially know about one another, they haunt wife-beaters, rapists, and guys who kill women. Misogynists, beware!
the same virtual alleyways, use the same electronic tools, and We’ve been talking with Grey Molly, host of the internet radio show
share information with one another — whether they realize it or “Beyond the Briar.” Next up, we’ll be bringing you more on that
not. When RFF needs to share information about a privateer strange sighting out in Agua Prieta. Is it possible that the local legends
band or a Lost-gone-rogue, they know they can rely on NZ to of chupacabra are actually true?”
boost the signal without tipping them off that the hunters are — Transcription from underground radio station WEC, “We See
being used to amplify their message. All” Radio.
As for the rest of the Changelings? The Lost has been cap-
tured by Network Zero’s cameras and broadcast on their inter- Null Mysteriis
net channels far more often than most freeholds would like to The Lost as a whole are of little interest to the scientifically-
admit. In this digital age, a Changeling can’t open doorways to minded Null Mysteriis. The fae don’t, for the most part, shape-
the Hedge in the middle of a city without getting caught on a shift, drink blood, or feed on humanity in ways that observers
security camera, cell phone, or camera. And once it’s on film, will notice. What’s more, many of the Lost’s abilities can be
that footage is eventually added to the Network Zero’s archives, rationalized and explained in many different ways: changing
and then shared for public viewing. Most of the time, however, the weather, a remarkable ability to heal himself, a penchant
it’s the door — and the Hedge beyond — that draws the hunters’ for understanding animals, or the strength to move a car off an
attention, moreso than the mundane-looking individual open- accident victim. Even if a Changeling has her own explanation,
ing it. the Null Mysteriis may take her words and extrapolate their
Few Network Zero hunters know enough about fae abili- own answer.
ties to link the door-makers with Changelings. What they do Ephemeral abilities, like soul-binding oaths or dream ma-
understand, however, is that whatever lies beyond that door is nipulation, aren’t tangible enough to garner the compact’s at-
of great interest to all hunters. tention. Most fae magical items don’t draw overt interest from
From the Archives: “So, Molly, you’re implying that the mur- the compact, either. When first hand reports surface, Null sci-
der of Fred Hinks, mayor of Greenville, and the deaths of the four entists write off the unexplicable, and claim a Changeling was
football players from Franklin were related?” suffering from a paranoid delusions or the mob was exposed to
“No. I’m not implying it. I’m flat out stating out that Hinks and mass hallucinogenics.
the Franklin four were killed by the same person...for the same reason.” However, as with any branch of academia, almost any as-
“And that reason was...?” pect of the supernatural has drawn the attention of an obsessed
“Hinks had more than a dozen domestic abuse calls logged to his researcher. Folklore historians travel to purportedly powerful
home address in the six month period before his death. Three weeks sacred sites every day, setting up energy meters and kirlian
before the camping trip, Luke Stanley, Ryan Wilkinson, Bo Parsons, cameras, hoping to explain why some locations have been as-
and Tomas Martinez were all part of an investigation by the MSU col- sociated for centuries with the True Fae while others have not.
lege ethics board, under allegations of “sexual misconduct” in regards Literary researchers spend hours — years even — experimenting
to another MSU student.” with alternative pronunciations on spells designed to summon,
“And so you’re saying that someone killed a middle-aged mayor bind, or banish fae creatures.
and four frat boys because they...” Within the Null Mysteriis, perhaps the single greatest topic
“Beat up, raped, and eventually killed a woman.” of conjecture is whether or not Changelings can move from
“Strong allegations. Do you have any evidence to back that up?” one site to another. There is a great deal of speculation amongst
“None the police would accept.” certain researchers about the nature of the Hedge and who can
“And what about the issue of the victim’s deaths? I mean, Mayor affect it. Theories ranging from mass hypnosis and hallucina-
Hinks was stabbed...” tion to the possibility that Hedge gates are actually wormholes
“Stabbed, with a weapon that was never found or even identified—” as originally proposed by German mathematician Hermann
“Right...?” Weyl in 1921.
“—but the judge ruled the death of the boys from MSU was ac- From the Archives: His manifestations of impressive physical
cidental due to exposure.” strength are, while unusual, not out of keeping with those sometimes
“Exactly. The mayor’s murder weapon was never found...because displayed by individuals under the influence of Phencyclidine (PCP), a
it melted.” substance which is also known to cause hallucinations of the same sort
“Melted?” as schizophrenic disorders.

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