EVIDENCE RELATING TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ********
words by Scarlet M., art by Claire Wei
SENIOR STAFF ENGINEER FERRUMO’S DAILY NOTES #121
Finally received approval from the higher-ups on the Griseo Railway Improvement Project. Prototypes of combined vacuum tunnels and magnet rails have been shown to work, although some of the technology has gone missing. Nothing that my team cannot replicate. I am fortunate to have some of the best heads in engineering under my watch, but I am concerned that no one has seen !@#$% in quite some time. Thankfully, he is just an intern, and a somewhat naive one at that. Nothing of value will be missing.
I must admit that this railway was not my first choice. I had wished to discover like the greats did instead of combining two things proven to work. What will be my law of gravity, or my theory of relativity? I do not know. May the Griseo be over quickly, so I can focus on that instead.
SENIOR STAFF ENGINEER FERRUMO’S DAILY NOTES #162
Barely any progress has been made on the Griseo project before funding was temporarily halted. At least, it should be temporary.
I received word that !@#$% has returned, but his mental state seems to have worsened. I spoke with him, only to be met with inane mumblings of a madman. His talk of “worlds that looked like how apples taste” and a “serene cacophony of lights” are barely befitting of the fairy tales from my childhood, much less the intern that I thought I was hiring. I am referring him to a personal friend to get the help he needs.
SENIOR STAFF ENGINEER FERRUMO’S DAILY NOTES #203
!@#$% left me no choice but to fire him. Despite their intelligence, about half of my team has fallen victim to his erratic behavior. They have begun joining !@#$% in his quest to return to his nonexistent other world. I anticipate they will realize that they have been deceived eventually.
While I would like to continue working on the Griseo Railway with the remaining members despite their sympathy for !@#$%, the project has been put on hold indefinitely and funding was pulled entirely due to “long-term concerns.” It is not entirely clear what officials meant by this, but it does not matter. I wish this could be an opportunity for independent research. However, I do not think I would be taken seriously with my current reputation. There is no choice other than to work on these projects until my standing has increased. That is how Newton and Einstein did it, and that is what I will do as well.
REMNANT OF A NOTE FOUND AT BRAUM LAB
from !@#$%
i’m sorry we have to leave it like this ferrumo, but it will make sense eventually. if you are reading this, your team and i have gone off to the new world. if it’s any consolation, some of the technology we took from your project was instrumental in returning to that world. i hope you can take solace in that you helped with this, but i know you probably won’t.
if you want to follow us there, please go to )(*&^%$$#@! and follow the instructions below. i know you can do it. we’ll be
SENIOR STAFF ENGINEER FERRUMO’S DAILY NOTES #206
I went to the building to pick up my items only to find a strange note with !@#$%’s signature. No one else was present, so I have to believe this is genuine and not some form of demented prank. I can only hope they are okay, wherever they are.
That being said, I supposedly can find out where they are. The note left instructions and coordinates on where to find the method to go to the new world !@#$% writes about. I obviously will not be going on this fool’s errand anytime soon, even if I admit that I am a little curious.
