Automated Passive Amnestization System Ver. 17.09

Tale: Automated Passive Amnestization System Ver. 17.09

Summary: APAS tells a story through a unique terminal-style layout, allowing the reader to navigate the database of the Automated Passive Amnestization System, a behavioral-modification network used by Site-17 to keep employees from discovering an entity known as DRO-0001. However, this motive is disguised under the pretense of protecting employees from dangerous memetic, anti-memetic, cognitohazardous, and infohazardous entities (although APAS does achieve this end as well). The system works by amnesticizing employees via the on-site ventilation, placing memetic agents in distributed reading materials, and having electromagnetic fields around the site that subtly affect the thoughts of people who pass through them.

None of the personnel at Site-17 are aware of APAS except for the Site Director, and not even they are made aware of DRO-0001. This entity is a massive, anti-memetic entity who embodies the anomalous, essentially acting as a manifestation of everything which violates natural law. The entity claims its name is Apollyon, and seems intent on breaching the surface of the earth to cause unknown harm to humanity. It is constantly turned back by bombing runs of a mobile task force, although the seismic activity caused by bombing and DRO-0001’s attempts to breach the surface place Site-17 at significant risk. It is revealed at the end of the tale that DRO-0001 has breached containment.

+ Supplemental Laconic Description

The two primary characters present throughout the tale are Dr. Tonya Skyler and Dr. Natalie Reems, both of whom were romantically involved before DRO-0001’s containment breach. Skyler was originally a member of a task force assigned to investigate Site-17’s destruction after DRO-0001’s first appearance, and her task force was entirely destroyed by it because they were unaware of it (due to DRO-0001’s anti-memetic properties). Skyler survived because of her partial resistance to this anti-meme, and managed to subdue DRO-0001 by unknown and anomalous means. She was amnesticized, and false memories were implanted of being a Site-17 researcher, becoming a sleeper agent until DRO-0001 becomes uncontainable. During this time, she and Reems became lovers, although she struggles with memories of her past career surfacing and being resubmerged by APAS. When DRO-0001 breached containment, her memories were returned and she attempted to stop it, but failed. As a result of them, she became anti-memetic herself and wanders the site as a veritable ghost. Reems is haunted by memories of Skyler, which are also suppressed by APAS.

Additional Context: In-universe, the reader of the terminal is the character of Dr. Weathers, who is revealed to have been promoted from Site Director to an Overseer. Dr. Weathers was previously featured in the tale He Who Screws With Reality. The author, Nagiros, is planning on using the characters in this tale in a story appearing throughout her articles. More appearances are planned.