What Happened In Piedmont

Last Words

Andrew Tobler — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:02:38 -0600

Late last night, I finally heard back from Dr. Stone, who sent the following message;

Andrew –

I’ve been reading your blog, and words cannot express my sympathies. There is nothing I can say that will ease your sense of loss. I cannot turn back time or bring your family back to you. All I can say is that Kyle Tobler is as healthy as can be expected for a man of his age, and in his circumstances. He’ll be fine, and he is eager to see you. As soon as things settle down a bit more, we’ll see that you are taken to see him. Despite your losses, you still have a relative. Whatever happens next, you are not alone.

If I could make one request of you, it would be that you leave your story online for the rest of the world to see. It is an invaluable record of what has happened, and a necessary warning for future generations. We must work to make sure that what happened in Piedmont never happens again.

Please accept my condolences. I wish we could have done more.

With Warmest Regards,
Dr. Jeremy Stone

I’ve thought about what he said, and I’ve decided that he is right. Nash may have gotten the facts about Andromeda, but I don’t think he got the whole story.

He never knew my parents, or the Ritters, or any of the other families who lived and worked in Piedmont. I did, and this is their story as much as anyone’s. For what it’s worth, I want this site to remain as a sort of marker, a memorial to honor all of Andromeda’s victims. But for my part, I have nothing left to say.

This is going to be the last time that I write on this site.

If you want to leave your final thoughts in the comments, it would mean a lot to me. And to everyone who has visited since I began writing: thank you.

Nash Gets The Truth

Andrew Tobler — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:22:52 -0600

I don’t know what to say. Too much has been revealed in the last 48 hours for me to even relate all of it, and at any rate, if you’ve been watching the news on NNT then you already know what’s going on.

If you haven’t, Nash was able to get an interview with Stone to discuss what has happened over the past several weeks. Everything we’ve found out here turned out to be right, and most of the pieces make more sense now.

According to Nash, an extraterrestrial virus called “Andromeda” killed everyone in Piedmont with only two exceptions: the Ritter’s new baby, Sylvie, and my Uncle Kyle, both of whom are now being treated in the Wildfire Lab. And if there were any other survivors, they’re gone now… obliterated by the nuclear warhead that was accidentally released over Piedmont after a technical malfunction. The town where I grew up has been wiped clean off the map, as if it were never there.

The military blockade that kept me and others from getting into Piedmont to find more information, it seems, may also have saved our lives. If we had managed to get past them, and andromeda was still present, we would probably have died instantly… or worse.

Maybe it would be better if I had. My parents, Sam, my neighbors… everyone from home is gone now, except for my uncle, who I still haven’t been able to talk to. I sent Stone another email, asking if he’ll be okay, and when I’ll be able to see him. After everything that has happened, Stone probably has a lot to worry about, but Uncle Kyle is all I have left.

I don’t need answers anymore. I just need this to be over.

Andromeda

Andrew Tobler — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:31:47 -0600

Looks like we’re closing in on an answer: new files just turned up on the Wildfire Intranet that give me a clear look at this “superdisease” that Stone’s team is referring to as Andromeda.

An anonymous email that I just received has provided a series of several working access codes that unlock what appear to be diagnostic screens from within the Wildfire lab. I assume each of these contains some sort of important information about Andromeda, or how to keep it from spreading, but it’s all way beyond my comprehension. Maybe they’ll make more sense to one of you.

Try the following access codes:

ANDROMEDA_GENSCAN

ANDROMEDA_DNAATMO

ANDROMEDA_PHYSCON

ANDROMEDA_RADIUV

I can’t tell if these are important or not, but something about them makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Is it really possible that everything happening in Piedmont can be explained by these images…?

New Information & Schematics

Andrew Tobler — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:45:12 -0600

I’m trying to make sense of all of the emails, comments and messages I received this morning, but as far as I can tell, there’s been some major breakthrough in confirming most of the information I’ve received over the past month.

Most significant among the new leads I’ve received are a set of three new access codes for the Wildfire Intranet:

CORRUPTION TORN SECT

HECTIC MASS

and

MALICE CAN HARM

Using these codes provides access to what appear to be a construction report for the Wildfire facilities, a set of schematics for the lab, and a blueprint for some sort of mechanical robot tool. I don’t know where all of this is coming from, or even whether it can be trusted… but since all of these documents are from the Wildfire Intranet, I’m guessing they’re authentic.

Triple Murder/Suicide...

Andrew Tobler — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:11:43 -0600

Another breakthrough at the Wildfire intranet, this time unlocking a file titled “DEATHMATCH,” which seems to have the text of an upsetting recent article from some newswire service. Visit the Wildfire site and check it out; the access code is

MAD HATCHET

The thing is, I don’t know what this article has to do with Wildfire, or whatever is going on. It didn’t take place in Piedmont… and if that police officer had been in Piedmont, it doesn’t seem like he’d have been able to make it as far as Millstown. But he did say he was having a headache…

What interest would Stone’s team have in this article, that makes it important enough to include in the Wildfire database?

Also, a few more of the files Wheezer and Frohz3n passed along turned up in the Wildfire site using additional access codes:

CAPER ONE

and

PROTECT DISSENT

The first loads the video footage of the soldiers who were sent into Piedmont, and the second unlocks Stone’s letter to President Scott with the initial proposal for the Wildfire Project. Still trying other combinations, but I’m running out of ideas…

What the hell?!

Andrew Tobler — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:09:28 -0600

Another file uncovered at the Wildfire Intranet, but this one is even more confusing than the rest. The access code to unlock the document is STAR CRANE.

I think it’s an anagram for “TERRASCAN,” a word included in the document which makes me think these must be satellite photos. I couldn’t begin to tell you where they were taken, though, or what happened in the brown area. If it were a brushfire, there would be smoke, and the fire would most likely have continued spreading.

Even more unsettling, the times indicated on the files suggest that these images were taken about 12 minutes apart… but I have no idea what logical explanation there could be for those huge areas where the fields have turned dark. It’s like everything… birds, grass, humans… everything is dying.

The Odd Man Hypothesis

Andrew Tobler — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:10:14 -0600

Figured out another access code. Since realiTbendr’s comment yesterday - that OMH calculations refer to something called the Odd Man Hypothesis - I’ve been trying to figure out anagrams that might unlock more information about it.

Just got it:

OH DAMP DISHONESTY

Still reading through it, but it looks like several of you were right: the Odd Man Hypothesis is the result of a series of tests conducted to determine which member of the Wildfire team is best prepared to make difficult decisions under pressure. It’s hard to summarize, though… enter the code at the Wildfire Intranet and take a look at the full document for yourselves.

Also, a reader using the name of “Yuvar” sent me an email last night with another access code: DEMON PIT, which is an distressing but valid anagram for Piedmont, and which unlocks the video from the gas station which Wheezer already passed along. Seems like this might be where he was finding a lot of his information.

The End of Days?

Andrew Tobler — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:35:32 -0600

Jesus. Another reader just sent me a new access code, and this one unlocks video footage from the Wildfire Intranet. This is just not normal. I was able to upload this one as well, though, so I’m including it here for those of you who don’t want to risk messing around with passwords and government databases.

(If you want to download the video, the access code is LETHAL FADING.)

I’m not sure what the hell is going on in this footage, but two things are clear: (1) the soldier in the water is dead, and (2) birds are falling from the sky. I’m not religious, but isn’t this the sort of thing that’s supposed to signal that armageddon is coming?

Maybe the more important questions are why this footage was even in the Wildfire system, and how the soldier died in the first place.

Major William Keene

Andrew Tobler — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:15:32 -0600

Well, apparently Stone’s team has one more member than I originally thought. Another reader, who asked to remain anonymous, just sent me the following access code for the Wildfire site:

WE LIE LIKE MAN

It’s a strange development, given the existing conflicts between Stone and Keene. The file makes it clear that Stone didn’t request Keene for inclusion in the Wildfire Project, and that he’s there to keep an eye on Stone.. but why? Stone is the whole reason the project exists. Perhaps someone farther up the ladder felt that Keene would keep Stone in check if he headed in the wrong direction?

And I can’t help but wonder, even though this code is an obvious anagram for WILLIAM KEENE, whether it’s supposed to have some other significance…

Dr. Tsi Chou

Andrew Tobler — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:24:58 -0600

Thanks to everyone who passed along the correct access code for opening Dr. Tsi Chou’s file in the comments on the last post: that didn’t take long at all, and now we have more information on Dr. Tsi Chou. Even better, this time it’s all in English.

See for yourself; go to the Wildfire site and use access code:

HI SCOUT

It looks like our government knew exactly why Dr. Chou defected from his work with the Chinese military, and were able to use that information to convince him to lend his services. It makes me wonder, though: Stone knew Noyce, and Noyce knew Barton, which explains why Stone suggested both of them for inclusion on the Wildfire team. But what connection, if any, did Stone have to Chou?

Not sure what else we should be looking for, but I still feel certain there’s something else Wheezer intended for me to find on the Wildfire intranet. I’m thinking there might be more files related to Major William Keene… anyone got suggestions for that access code?

Dr. Jeremy Stone

Andrew Tobler — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:33:47 -0600

Found another new access code for the Wildfire intranet… and this one unlocks the file on Dr. Stone himself:

JEST OR ENEMY

Most of this information was already available on his website, but it’s interesting all the same. It’s also interesting that the government knew about the ill will between Stone and Keene, though I’m not sure why they’d make a specific note of that in the Wildfire files. Unless, of course, Keene is also involved in this somehow.

Based on this access code, it also seems clear that the personnel files, at least, are protected with anagrams… so the next thing is to figure out possible access codes for the file on Tsi Chou, the only remaining scientist on the team. Suggestions?

Dr. Charlene Barton

Andrew Tobler — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:27:22 -0600

Looks like those of you who said that CANYON EAGLE was chosen as an anagram for Angela Noyce were right. I didn’t know what else to do, so I’ve been trying random rearrangements of the letters in the names of the other scientists on the Wildfire team, and just came across another working access code for the Wildfire:

LEBANON CHARTER

This time it’s for Dr. Barton. She looks about the same as she did in the article announcing her departure from the CDC a few years ago, but it also says that she still has a husband and two children residing in San Francisco.

For their sake and ours, I hope she knows what she’s doing.

Chou's Defection

Andrew Tobler — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:32:00 -0600

Several of you sent in similar translations of the Chinese article from the Wildfire Intranet, and I’m grateful for the help. For anyone who didn’t see it yet, this was the original article:

The most detailed translation I’ve received is this one, from “Dawn P”:

FAMOUS MICROBIOLOGIST FROM CHINA ESCAPES TO AMERICA

An anonymous official in mainland China revealed that there had been a heated discussion amongst the Chinese government lately regarding the betrayal of a brilliant scientist and his escape to America. Doctor Chou Si has resigned his position as the leading engineer of People’s Republic of China’s microbiology committee. Chou Si graduated from Beijing University in 1988, before entering Oxford University and graduating with a Doctorate in 1993. His responsibilities and duties as part of the committee remains unknown to anyone outside, but there has been rumors that his field of research has a large importance on the engineering of biological warfare and defense. Before entering the service of the government, Chou Si has contributed to the nation by making large progresses in the research of prevention of infectious diseases.

According to a high-ranking source in the government, Chou Si’s escape to America is likely to have connections with the case of an outbreak of smallpox in the region around Shanghai that occurred a few years ago. The outbreak claimed the lives of over a hundred people before the government could implement prevention measures and eradicate the disease.

So Chou was doing classified work with the Chinese military on biological weapons, biodefense, or both, until he defected. Not certain how old this article is, but I’m guessing it can’t be older than 1994, if Chou didn’t graduate from Oxford until 2003. And given his credentials, he must have been pretty appealing for inclusion on the Wildfire team.

What did Nash see?

Andrew Tobler — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:27:47 -0600

When I never heard back from Jack Nash, I assumed it was because he was too busy to bother answering me. But I also realized that I haven’t seen or heard anything about him since then, and he’s not the type to just stop in the middle of an investigation, which has had me wondering if he might have seen more than he was supposed to.

I guess Frohz3n has been wondering the same thing, because he just sent me an email explaining that he has been monitoring transmissions from Nash’s cell phone since his first report about the Utah National Guard.

That’s how he ended up hearing this:

According to Frohz3n, that’s the last call that Nash made on his phone… and while I’m not sure exactly when he made it, Frohz3n implied that it was at least a few days ago. It sounds like they took his phone, because the call disconnected just after he addressed someone - General Michaelson, I think? - by name.

Amazingly, there’s more. Nash also used his phone to send a series of digital photos just before he made that call, which Frohz3n was also able to intercept:

(view larger)

Nash was onto something, I’m sure of it. And the photos seem to prove that there was an unexpected attack on one of the military installations outside of Piedmont. But if the military is there to help contain whatever happened - and I’m almost certain they are - then what reason would anyone have to attack them?

This still makes no sense.

Need a translator.

Andrew Tobler — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:57:33 -0600

It seems like every hour that passes brings more questions than answers. Another reader, identifying herself as Isadora, sent me another access code for the Wildfire intranet:

4 8 15 16 23 42

But even though this one unlocks a file, I’m still at a loss… The unlocked document is listed as “WFSD: NEWSFILE TC-4815162342″, but it’s in a foreign language that I can’t read.

I’m guessing TC stands for Tsi Chou, the remaining scientist on the Wildfire team?

I’m assuming that this is Chinese. If necessary, someone in the Foreign Languages department might be willing to help me translate it, but I realized that one of you might know how to read Chinese, or know someone else who does.

This article could be useful, or it could turn out to be nothing… but with this much at stake, it’s important to follow every possible clue, wherever it might lead.

Dr. Angela Noyce

Andrew Tobler — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:22:59 -0600

I’m not sure how, but a reader (who insists on remaining anonymous) found another working access code for the Wildfire intranet:

CANYON EAGLE

Looks like an internal Wildfire personnel file for Dr. Angela Noyce. Not sure what it tells us that we didn’t know before, or why that particular phrase was the access code for her file… It’s interesting, though, that she studied under Dr. Stone when she was a graduate student at Stanford. I guess that’s how he knew her well enough to suggest her for inclusion on the Wildfire team?

Her file also mentions something called “OMH calculations.”

Any ideas what that might refer to?

Andromeda

Andrew Tobler — Sat, 17 May 2008 16:31:33 -0600

So a lot of you have written, commented and sent me messages with the password, and I can’t believe I missed something so obvious. Wheezer’s last message already gave me the first password I needed to access the Wildfire intranet, and he all but told me that it was the password. He said the threat Stone’s team is fighting has a codename:

ANDROMEDA

Sure enough, when you enter that password into the Wildfire site, it lets you download a file. Can’t understand what everything in it means, but it looks like there are more files archived there, and each one has its own unique access code.

Somehow I’m doubting the remaining passwords will be as easy to figure out as “andromeda,” but with enough of us trying, we’ve got to be able to uncover the others. Whatever is going on in the Wildfire facilities, we all have a right to know about it.

If you get other access codes to work, please tell me, and I’ll post them here.

The Wildfire Intranet

Andrew Tobler — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:40:24 -0600

This is f***ing insane. A couple of you were able to convince Lance to check the browser history on his father’s computer, and it turned up a URL that provides access to the Wildfire project intranet.

Take a look for yourself:
www.wildfireprotocol.us

Only problem is, it looks like we need a password before we can access files…

The Kasai Epidemic

Andrew Tobler — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:31:14 -0600

Still no progress on gaining access to the Wildfire intranet, but I do have a little bit more background establishing a connection between two of the scientists on Stone’s team. One of you sent me a PDF of this abstract from an article that Noyce and Barton apparently co-authored last year:

(view as PDF)

I can’t access the rest of the article, and I doubt I’d understand it if I did, but from what it says here, they’ve worked together to contain diseases before. Makes sense that Stone would want them on his top-secret “Wildfire” team: they’re used to working under pressure.

Also, I haven’t mentioned it lately, but I want you all to know that I appreciate your support. And while Kristen is definitely supportive, I think this whole thing — especially the blog — is starting to make her uncomfortable. Since then, I’ve been trying not to talk to her about this as much… which makes me grateful that I’ve got all of you.

Wheezer's Message Decoded

Andrew Tobler — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:03:12 -0600

I’m completely amazed. It took a little while, but a handful of you figured out how to access the information that Wheezer encoded into his last message to me. A reader named MrToasty sent me the following deciphered version, and just as I suspected, the implications of this message are pretty significant:

To be sure that this wasn’t a faked message, I asked MrToasty to explain how he decoded it, and he provided the following explanation:

It’s fairly easy to get rid of the overlying noise using [an open source program called] Audacity.

1. Take the stereo source and do a “Split Stereo Track” (found on the
dropdown menu next to the track title) which gives you two separate tracks.

2. Change each track to Mono (again on the dropdown).

3. Select one of the two tracks and select the menu item Effect->Invert.

4. Select both tracks and choose the menu item Project->Quick Mix.

5. If you play the resulting track, you’ll hear it’s backwards and very quiet. Select the menu item Effect->Reverse to reverse it.

6. Select the menu item Effect->Amplify as many times as needed to hear it.

I tried to do all of that myself, and couldn’t quite figure it out, but at least four other readers sent messages or comments that verified the translation, so I’m confident that it’s what Wheezer intended for me to hear.

So that’s that, then. We’ve got confirmation that Scott approved Stone’s plan, that the team of scientists have gathered in their hidden underground lab to combat a threat called “Andromeda,” and that the entire operation is being referred to as the “Wildfire Protocol.” The next step is to access the “Wildfire intranet,” where Wheezer said I’d find answers.

Now we just have to figure out where and how.