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for listening. Chapter eleven, Montana Hastings. Yes, Emily, I've been
wondering, so you mentioned that there are more types of hidden right, like,
besides you, the Chronicler September, the Guide in me, the anomaly.
How many others are there? Including the humans? There are nine fully
sentient species that the chroniclers have identified. Actually, I should clarify the Hunter
has not beneficially confirmed. Our research indicates that it is real based on the
evidence at hand, but no one has confirmed existence through visual means. We
are not certain visual confirmation is possible. Would you be willing to tell me
about them? What would you like to know? Well, what they're called,
what they can do? Like do they shoot different colored lines out of
themselves? Or you know, just whatever you think is the important stuff to
know about them. The chroniclers have more information on some hidden compared to others,
and I am not well studied in the finer details of the sentience,
but I could give a high level overview of each if you wish, Yes,
I would really appreciate that. I will start with the one I know
the most intimately, the chroniclers. Chroniclers log the history of the world and
are able to determine trends in socioeconomical and political climates. Yeah, I know
that you've told me that exact thing before. Actually September said that to you
before, but it is part of our definition. For ease of conversation,
I think it best to assume you know as little as possible about each topic.
Do you not agree? No? I do. Sorry, As I
was saying, much of the knowledge collected by the chroniclers is used for our
own personal path of study. Some of it can be used for the betterment
of humanity, but that does not happen as often as you would think.
Why not? It seems like the chroniclers would be incredibly helpful to the human
race, as like super knowledgeable advisors. In the past, chroniclers worked with
leaders, sultans, kings, queens, emperors, and religious figureheads. The
statistical probability that a ruler will use our knowledge for personal gain or a destructive
agenda is so high that it deters most chroniclers from taking advisory paths. Additionally,
chroniclers cannot lie. This can put us in precarious positions when dealing with
manipulative leaders. About that, Why can't chroniclers lie? That seems like a
choice. You know, free will and all for sentient beings, but you
make it sound like it's an impossibility. It is not impossible. Sometimes we
can give misinformation, but that is only if we believe it to be true.
Why though it is simply the way we are. It is similar to
asking why anomalies can see blue lines or why humans cannot use sonar. It
is our grand design. Hmm, I guess that makes sense. So where
do the chroniclers keep all their research? There are different places around the world,
but the main location that I use is in Libya. Is that where
you're from? What do you mean is that where you were born? No
chroniclers are born of the blood. Miss. I apologize, but this is
one topic that I will not expound on at this time. Oh Okay,
what sentient would you like to hear about next? What can you tell me
about me? Chicago, Illinois, is often referred to as the Windy City,
and for good reason. During the winter months, the freezing winds blown
off of Lake Michigan are known to cut to the bone for those unfortunate enough
to be caught outside. A citizen that has spent their entire life in Chicago
is likely to complain about such weather with practiced disdain. Emily Swanson was not
one such complainer. The weather was what it was, and she didn't see
how grumbling made it any better. With that in mind, she smiled as
Marcus Baker, bundled in a ridiculously puffy coat and snow pants, approached while
grumbling about the weather. The two were no longer in Chicago, the city
where they had both lived since childhood. They were now on a ranch in
the middle of upstate Nowhere, Montana. It had been six months since they
escaped Chicago, and the contra winter had fully set in, and if you
believed Marcus, this was officially the coldest place on Earth. November in Montana
was by no means warm, but Emily didn't feel like it was that much
colder than Chicago. She barely noticed. In fact, while Marcus wore an
entire winter wardrobe all on his own, Emily simply wore blue jeans with a
long sleeved shirt and jacket. Marcus really did look ridiculous. Emily looked over
Marcus's left shoulder and found September and Hastings chatting in the distance. The guide
and chronicler were somewhere between four hundred to five hundred yards away from her.
This property was one of several that September owned. He and Hastings were back
near the house, trying to maintain a cautionary distance. Emily had learned that
while she could not directly push her powers on the two of them, the
chaos around her could definitely impact them. There was no reason to risk harm
on him. She gave the two men a quick wave and then turned her
back to the Excitement filled her stomach with butterflies. Today was finally the day
Emily was tired of lounging around the house doing nothing but waiting. Today she
got to use her powers. How are you feeling fine? Fine? Okay,
more than fine. I'm excited that we finally get to test something big
me too. Although I don't think Hastings in September share our enthusiasm. That's
fine. This isn't about them. They can figure their stuff out on their
own. This is about us figuring out how our powers work. All right,
do you see anything yet? No? Do you no? But I
don't think I'm supposed to. Are you certain it'll happen today? Yeah,
I'm very certain it should happen any minute. Now, just keep an eye
out. Okay, what did you see in your vision? Again? All
right? I saw the suv get all twisted and warped. Then a giant
head that looks a bit like you came up from the ground and ate the
car. Then the car exploded and giant head Emily pulled it back into the
ground to eat it. I know. Harp said that we were fortunate to
have such clear visions from you, but they are so weird, Marcus,
really weird. You're getting better at seeing them too. You had this one
two days ago. Right, Yeah, I'm trying to force myself to have
the visions. It's strange, but meditating helps. Yeah. I uh,
I never thought I would be someone that meditates. Why not, because meditating
is for hippies and weirdos. No, what isn't meditations for everyone? Besides,
you're not fooling anyone. You are definitely a weirdo. All right,
I'm fair. I guess you're right about that. I'm definitely right. How
many other Harbingers do you know? Good point, aren't you cold? It's
freezing out here a little, I guess, just a little. Yeah,
it's not that bad. Okay, you are the weirdow probably. I'm just
glad to be out of the house. Honestly, it was stifling in there.
You do know we could have gone outside at any point. That isn't
what I mean. I'm glad to be doing something. I feel like we've
been sitting around just waiting for the next big disaster and in the middle of
absolutely. I almost said backwater podunk, but even that sounds like it has
more going on then where we are. What is more secluded than a backwater
podunk, because that's where we are. I thought you liked being out in
the country, sure at first, but now I just feel trapped here.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Yeah, yeah, at least when
we figure this out, you can go home. I'm a wanted criminal.
I don't think I can ever go home. Oh, I'm sorry, Marcus.
It's fine, it's really not. None of this is fine. But
we'll figure it out together, I promise. All right. God, I'm
freezing. It's not that bad. It's awful. You're so whiny. It's
practically the Arctic. The Arctic. This isn't even Canada. I think Canada
is a myth. We've actually made it to the Arctic and we are going
to freeze to death. Wait what it's happening? A thin blue line began
to form from the center of Marcus's chest and attach itself to Emily. Unlike
other humans, this blue line did not drain energy away from Marcus, nor
could Emily manipulate the blue line in any way. The line seemed to act
as a marker, showing her Marcus was nearby. Emily attributed this limitation to
the fact that Marcus was indeed a Harbinger, her harbinger. Similarly, a
green line quickly spanned the distance between Hastings and herself, just as an orange
line connected her to September green for chronicler, orange for guides, dim pink
lines sprouted across the landscape, connecting her to the snow covered foliage. With
some effort, Emily was able to manipulate these lines, pushing and pulling the
life force from each one. Finally, a few sharp red points darted toward
her chest, indicating that there were wildlife or animals nearby. Hastings had told
her that there were no records in the ISPET archives that spoke about multicolored ipet
lines. Whether the lack of information regarding the multicolored line was because Emily was
unique, the archives were missing data, or they were simply another symptom of
the chaos was yet to be determined. Nonetheless, it felt good to feel
all the surrounding energy pour into Emily's ispit well. She felt fully alive,
as if she had been sleeping for the last six months, and finally awoke.
She pushed outward with her senses, feeling for the chaos event that was
meant to eat the car. The visions Marcus had were never literal, so
a giant Emily head was not likely to rise out of the earth, but
it was chaos, so maybe it would. In his first vision, Marcus
had seen Emily carrying a comically large gun that she had used to shoot up
a bank Obviously that never happened, but he did leave Emily wondering how a
giant head would translate into the real world. Marcus took an uneasy step toward
Emily because he was her harbinger. Her ISPT would not harm him, but
she could feel his tension and nervousness through their connecting blue line. She couldn't
fault him for his concerns. He couldn't see or feel the ISPT like she
could, and could she. Ever, she was bubbling with energy behind her
passed September and Hastings. Beyond the ranch house on the far side of the
property, the SUV sat waiting to be swallowed. Emily didn't turn around to
face that direction, but instead closed her eyes and grabbed hold of the chaos
that formed there. Like the lines, she could not push in this magnitude.
She could only redirect the chaos, so that's what she did. With
as much control and focus as she could muster. Emily pulled the event from
over five hundred yards away and brought it to her chest, where she attempted
to hold it in place until she could feel it stabilized. She wanted to
dissolve the event or possibly cancel it out. She wanted to shove the event
into herpet well to use at a later time. Honestly, she simply wanted
to do something that was more than chaos and destruction. If she could just
hold on it snapped. The event surged forward in a cone, with the
peak starting on the ground just before her and spanning out for hundreds of yards.
The snow melted, the plants that hid beneath the snow wilted and turned
black, The water in the soil burned away, and the earth beneath the
area of the cone dropped several inches. Emily opened her eyes to see the
destruction that spiraled out before her. Her shoulders slumped as the lines of east
bed began to wink out. She let out a heavy sigh and then looked
to Marcus well Fuck, four hundred and seventy two yards away from Emily and
her destruction. September watched as the earth sank several inches and the snow melted
in front of Emily. She turned and began to make her way back to
the house. September looked to Hastings, who was scrolling furiously into one of
his many journals that did not appear to go well, I disagree. This
is the biggest event we have seen since we have arrived in Emily appears to
have saved the issue. V. Hastings. Look at her. I can
see it in her bosture as she is coming back. She's defeated. She
looks fine to me, but you would know best. You barely looked up
from your journal. She's not okay. None of us are okay. I'm
okay. You're obsessed. September. What is bothering you? Everything is bothering
me. Her is fit is bothering me. Learning about Harbingers is bothering me.
The contra is bothering me. The fact that none of this is bothering
you is bothering me. September. This is what we planned. Find an
ideal anomaly candidate, specifically one that is strong with is fit, then study
her to see if there is any way to save anomalies instead of killing them.
We are successfully implementing our plan. I know I built this plan as
a guide. You were the best equipped to do so. So why is
there concern now? After everything that happened in Chicago? I am no longer
certain that our plan is the best course of action so far, all of
my attempts to guide our group have been disrupted, presumably by her is fit.
I'm not certain that I can function at full capacity when I'm nearer interesting.
Do you feel a difference in a physical sense or in your emotional state?
Not get off, Hastings. I'm not your test subject. I am
hindering this process. I think it's time we move on to the next phase
already, But there is still so much I can learn from this phase.
I could be missing key data sets during these early evolutions of Emily's is fit,
and I could not possibly entrust Marcus to document these events. He's not
the brightest of humans. You have enough information to recognize that the isfant archives
are lacking content. Whether that's by incompetence or design, is what we need
to learn next. But September Hastings, please trust me on this. We
cannot stay here with her. Your suggesting that we leave her here with Marcus
unprotected. Emily is an anomaly. It's not as if she's powerless. I
understand that she is not powerless, but she is being hunted by the contra.
She might be hunted by other guides and chroniclers. Marcus is a wanted
criminal. It's very risky to leave them alone. They are not our responsibility.
We need to move forward. I will do as you suggest. You
are the guide, and I will trust your instincts, but I really do
not want to go go where Emily. I didn't hear you approach. You
two seem pretty caught up in the conversation. How did it go? I
couldn't hold these feat event for very long? I thought I could do better.
Was the event positioned on you or were you able to pull it from
the driveway out to where you stood? I was able to pull it and
place it, but I wasn't able to hold it, if that makes sense.
Fascinating? How do you feel? Frustrated? Tired? Empty? You
did great? The fact that you were able to move it that far means
that you can control where an event happens. That alone could save lives.
Yeah, I guess Marcus. Could you please repeat the vision that you had
to forewarn you about this event, Hastings. I already told you twice.
Giant Emily head eats our only source of transportation. Got it? Yes?
Thank you. You still didn't answer my question. Where are you two going?
We need to check in with the chroniclers. We've been out of touch
for a while now and we need to keep up appearances. So you're leaving
us here only for a month or so. We will leave a credit card
here for you to make purchases with groceries and other necessities can be delivered.
You'll be fine. And what if something bad happens, Marcus, It's fine.
We don't need them here to babysit us. We'll be perfectly fine on
our own. Emily, No, seriously, we're good. Okay, we
will be leaving for Libya first thing tomorrow morning. Detective George Bullard tap the
full on his desk with a heavy metal pen and let out an exasperated sigh.
The folder, labeled Marcus Baker, was worn with creases and coffee stains.
George didn't even have the willpower to open the folder. Instead, he
let it sit in the middle of his desk, separate from a stack of
similar folders. The escaped suspect Marcus Baker had been missing for over six months
now, and George hadn't had one single lead come through. The kid had
been tagged on the FBI watch list and had very likely left the city,
removing him from George's jurisdiction. Either one of those facts would have meant George
was off the case, but his captain had allowed him to keep working the
file, at least until today. He couldn't fault his captain for pulling him
off the Baker case. The other cases that were assigned to him were starting
to pile up. If George were in his captain's shoes, he would have
pulled himself off months ago. That didn't stop the feelings frustration that plagued the
detective. It was not as if this were the first case of his to
go cold. He had been a detective for decades now, Plenty of cases
had gone cold. It wasn't the fact that the kid had escaped. George
had seen plenty of guilty parties walk free over the years. Now. It
was likely the fact that the only reason Marcus had escaped was because George had
led him. The day the fuel truck slammed into the police station, George
had taken a gamble and had pulled Marcus out of the interrogation room. That
gamble did not pay off, and George soon found out that the kid had
escaped, likely with Emily Swanson. Luckily, the explosion had knocked the power
out in the station, so the cameras were offline when George accidentally let Marcus
escape. When George explained to his captain what had happened, the captain swept
it under the rug, saying, no film, no proof, get back
to work. George did just that. He worked his ass off, but
to no avail. The kid was gone, Emily was gone. But something
about this case and this damn folder just irked him. Detective Davis sat at
the desk opposite George. Hey, what's working on Nothing? It's the Baker
folder. Cap told me to file it away. I'm sorry, Bollard,
I know how much he wanted that one. Yeah, well, shit happens.
I guess you got something else you can work on today. Martinez Fulder
needs some follow up and head back over there and see if anyone's home.
Can we do that after lunch. I got a shit ton of paper to
catch up on it. I'm kind of hungover, honestly, big night.
No, I just was watching the game with some friends. I threw back
a few too many. Honestly, I'm just getting too old to be drinking
like that on a work night, and I feel you there. Hey,
it looks like your next appointments in a shit. I forgot they were coming.
You know I can sit in on it if you need me to.
Yeah, I got it. I worked an your paperwork. Maybe if grab
a V eight or something to clear your head. A V eight and here
I thought I was the old one. Shut up. I'll be back in
a bit, Sam Amber. Detective Bullard, how are you good? Good?
How's the coffee shop? It's doing well. Thanks for asking, Detective.
Have there been any updates on Emily's case? Oh? Guys, It's
like I told you before, I'm not a missing person's detective. I'm homicide.
You said you would keep us up to date. I said to keep
an eye on the case. There haven't been any new developments. Is anyone
even working the case? Amber, We talked about this flies and Honey,
Remember, sorry, detective, we are worried about our friend. It's really
not like Emily to do this. We think something bad has happened to her.
Look, I know you both are worried about Emily, and you both
seem like good friends for it, But you have to see things from the
department's perspective. Missing persons is not even certain that she's missing. What that's
ridiculous. Oh listen, Emily as an adult. She came to both of
you in the morning that she disappeared and said she was leaving Hell, Sam,
you have her cat. How does that sound like a missing person to
you? Yes, it does. That's why we're here again, Detective.
We told you even back then that we thought she was in danger. Something
was definitely wrong, and she wouldn't or couldn't tell us. I mean,
Emily is not the disappear off the grid type of person. And what about
these September and Hastin's characters. They disappeared the same day, not to mention
your Marcus Baker fugitive. Four people go missing, all at the same time.
And you want us to believe that she's out for a six month vacation.
Bullshit flies and honey flies and honey amber. He's not going to help
us if we are assholes. No, it's been six months and the police
have done nothing. This whole department is useless. Remember Sam, Please,
I know you're worried and frustrated. I promise you I understand where you're coming
from. Again, I'm a homicide detective, not missing persons, but listen.
I'll follow up with that team and see where we sit and if there's
anything I can help with. Look, I like Emily. She seems like
a sweet kid, and you both seem like great friends. Like I promise
I'll keep looking for her. Okay, thank you, detective. Now,
can you two promise me something? And we're getting close to the holidays Thanksgivings
right around the corner, and people start missing their friends and family around this
time of year. And if, for any reason, whatsoever, Emily reaches
out to you, you will contact me and let me know immediately. She's
a lot more likely to contact you than she is me. And if she
really is in some sort of danger, I want to be able to help
her. Can you do that for me? Yeah, we can do that.
Thank you. Now. Is there anything else I can do for you?
Yeah, a little off topic, but do you know anything about building
code stuff? The apartment above me has had a leak for a couple of
weeks now, and the landlord refuses to take care of it. I think
it's a bathtub or something that's that's not my department. I'm a homicide detective.
Yeah, we got it. Emily Swanson is voiced by Tisha Zeng.
Hastings is voiced by Adam Culbertson. Marcus Baker is voiced by Nico Rodriguez.
September is voiced by Richard Collins. Detective George Bullard is voiced by Anthony Kinney.
Detective Davis is voiced by Glenn Michael Sexton. Sam is voiced by Chris
Barsanti. Amber Lang is voiced by Nari Quack and narrated by Michael Cole.
East Fit Archives was written by Nico Rodriguez in collaboration with Tisha Zang. The
espat Archives is a Creative Typo entertainment production. Find out more about our show
at www dot creative typo dot com. A very special thank you to our
executive producers from Patreon, Nick Mead and Patrick t arsenal