Ron Gambi's New Year Special - SCP Foundation

Ron Gambi's New Year Special

MaxiJim 11/07/14 (Fri) 12:37:14 #3247142

Alright people, this is it. You've all regaled on the tales of my investigation, the talks with local witnesses and rummaging through old archives.

Now, I must face the truth myself. I have located the epicenter of all the sightings, and am about to head there decked in exporation gear.

I'll keep you updated on what I find down there!

TheName'sWinner 28/12/2023 (Thu) 18:41:46 #7001253

Jeez, and no one ever thought to check up on the guy? I might be too late for you buddy, but I'll try and get some closure.

"Are you sure you've plugged it in properly?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Maybe it just needs some time to wind up."

"Well, I'm not sensing any power circulating in it."

"None at all?"

"Nada."

"Crap."

Getting the strange machine to work had been the Gambi brothers' sole focus for the last half hour, but they had made precious little progress.

Ron was hosting the family holidays this year, and given that they were the first since reuniting with Marcel, he was trying to make them extra special.

He had asked his colleagues for party tips and tricks, and if any of them had special equipment he could borrow. This particular machine had been provided by his boss in PR, who had assured him it would help with the lighting and music. And he was sure it would, if only they could make it work.

"Kids, are you done yet?" Their mother called from the table. "Your father's getting hungry."

"Almost done, mum! Just wait a bit longer!"

Marcel peered at a symbol on the side of the machine. "Hey Ron, do you recognise this one?"

Ron scuttled over to take a look. "Yeah it looks like uh… oh yeah, WAN's symbol. But it's upside down."

"Then what if I do this?" Marcel pressed down on the symbol and rotated it until it clicked.

The machine hummed and unfolded, revealing a series of LED lights, measuring instruments and speakers. It spoke in a deep voice.

"PARTY-O-MATIC ONLINE. PLEASE CONNECT TO BLUETOOTH AND SLASH OR WI-FI AND SLASH OR THE SIGNAL."

The brothers high-fived.

For the food, Ron had initially decided to splurge and take a risk by ordering from Ambrose Restaurant's catering service. It had arrived yesterday but while it had looked, sounded and smelled sublime, it had apparently been unsuited for storage in a regular fridge. This morning, he had found all the food to be completely spoiled and unedible. Or worse.

The meal and toasts spread accross the table were the results of a frantic afternoon spent making last-minute calls, rushing to shops and struggling in the kitchen. He was presently amusing his family with the story.

"And believe it or not, the third try actually worked and the eggs were good. Now I just had to prepare Dad's favourite."

"A good roast beef."

"Exactly. Problem was, I couldn't find any good beef in time, Tesco was all out."

"Then what's this I'm eating?" His father stopped his fork mid-air.

"Well, I still had the one I ordered from Ambrose. It was too far gone, but maybe not unsalvageable. I called Alyx, we chatted a bit, and I held the phone over the meat while they chanted a revivifying spell. The meat came back totally raw so I had to prepare it myself."

Ron's father was now staring at his meal with a worried look on his face.

"Oh come on dad, I swear I did it just like Grandma's recipe."

"Just like Joanna made them? Look at this, there's not nearly enough garlic or— ouch!"

His wife had just elbowed him in the ribs.

"You know, this Alyx sounds really nice every time you talk about them. Are you going to introduce us someday?"

Ron blushed. "Oh it's uh, I dunno mum, we're close but I mean, maybe not "bring to family gatherings" type of close."

Marcel looked at him quizzically. "You sure? Because I've talked with them and—"

It was then that Ron was saved by the bell, or rather his ringtone. He made a mental note to ask his brother about what he had said, before excusing himself.

"Oh look at this, I'm getting a call from work. Marcel, why don't you tell them how you decorated the walls while I answer it."

He stepped away from the table while Marcel launched into his own long-winded story, and answered the call.

"Hello, oh, it's you Laura. Happy New Year!"

He paused.

"To the Lighthouse? Is it that urgent, I'm with my family right now and I'd like to—"

He sighed.

"Well I guess if the guy asked for me directly, I do have to show up. Who is it, anyway?"

He cringed.

The Lighthouse Ron worked at was mainly a place for informative and administrative work. There was a small department of action-ready personel, and an even smaller holding sector. It was only meant to be used for emergencies, or if some of the people who came to them for help needed to be isolated while they waited.

It was rarely used to hold people for interrogation, but that was the case tonight.

Through the glass, Ron looked at the man sitting at the table, answering questions while someone from Medical changed his bandages.

He turned back towards the other two people in the room: Laura Moshwinter, his friend in Active Operations, and Amélie Cordier his boss in PR.

"So, do you really know him?" asked Amélie.

"Yeah, that's Victor. We used to talk a lot back in my Parawatch days, and we hung out a few times when we found out we lived in the same county. How did he end up here?"

Amélie played a recording of Victor's voice. "And I agree that we didn't know anything back in the Veiled days, but we still tried! We were out there looking for the truth! And sometimes… well sometimes those of us who went looking didn't come back."

There was truth to these words. Ron remembered old acquaintances, forum users who just stopped coming online one day. Some had been lucky enough to get a life, but he knew it hadn't been the case for all of them.

The recording continued. "Now, you people at Vanguard have released a bunch of files so I know that the Foundation got some of them, mindwiped them to make them forget all about it and the forums. But not all of our disappeared users were caught by the Foundation. Some of them disappeared somewhere for unknown reasons. I didn't want them to stay that way."

Laura picked up the explanation. "He wandered into the same hive that my squad was ordered to quarantine, we found him bleeding in a small alcove where he was hiding. When he woke up here, he said he knew someone working with us and asked to speak with you."

"But why?"

"I believe he may have thought he would be in trouble. In truth, all we want is to take his testimony and make sure his wounds are treated, he will be free to go afterwards."

"With an invitation to come back, of course." Amélie interjected.

"To come back?" Knowing his boss, she had a project in mind. "What do you want with him?"

"Well, you have to admit he's right. It is a shame about your missing friends."

"Ex-friends."

"Sure. He is justified in seeking closure, and maybe we have something to gain by helping him. That's where you come in."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. Data shows that ghost hunting and other shows based on investigating the paranormal have gained a lot of popularity, even more so after the Veil was lifted. I think it's high time Vanguard produced our own. And one thing that makes this formula really work is a dynamic duo."

"Please tell me you're joking."

Laura was laughing quietly in her corner of the room.

"You have to admit that you two would have a very interesting dynamic. Plus you have some popularity we could exploit after footage of the Gambit operation went viral."

"You mean those unflaterring edits of the footage." He grumbled. From Laura's muffled laughter, he could tell she had seen the videos. There were some downsides to transparency.

"Picture it: the two of you going on missions to find what happened to your old forum acquaintances, maybe other unexplained anomalous cases if we get renewed. We can balance his conspiracy theatrics against your informed skepticism. I'll give you a script."

Ron wasn't sure if she had given this a lot of thought or if they were witnessing the development of the idea. Either way, he had to admit: it could work.

"Push a message about the dangers of ignorance yeah? We use the examples of past accidents to explain how learning and adapting our attitudes can prevent future ones."

"Exactly. And getting closure about people you were personally involved with is sure to resonate emotionally with audiences. And that makes the message stick."

"Okay I'm in, this is actually a good idea. There's just two problems though."

"I'm all ears."

"First: how can you be sure Victor will agree to this?"

"We help him do what he already set out to do, and he gets a paycheck."

"That works. Secondly: we're bound to run into actual danger. You know I can't really handle myself in a fight, and I doubt Victor is any better. How do we deal with the risks?"

"Good point, but easily solved."

She turned towards the third person in the room.

"Miss Moshwinter, how good are you and your squad with filming equipment?"

This time, it was Ron's turn to laugh.

Vanguard's "Inexplicable events and intrepid explorers", episode 2: "The Lich of Leeds"

01:03:46

Victor: Oh bloody hell, Ron, that's a lot of bones.

Ron: I know. Quick, let's check them for any identifying items.

The pair begins searching through the bodies in the crypt. In the background, Laura can be seen engaging in battle against a massive skeletal entity, which the pair does not notice.

Victor: These ones look like they've been down here for a good century. We must be dealing with something very old here.

Ron: Yeah, but these are only old skeletons, and there's not that many. If that creature has been down here so long, it must have made a lot more victims.

Victor: But where could it be hiding the rest? This was the last room we found.

Ron: Unless…

They turn to look at each other.

Both: SECRET PASSAGES!

The pair begins to pat down the walls of the crypt, looking for hidden mechanisms. Camera operator 2, worried for their superior, turns away and heads for Laura's location.

The battle is fierce, mighty spells clash against one another. Laura is using her boom mic as a staff to fire sharp gales at the entity. She notices the camera operator and shouts at them. Although the raging winds make her words inaudible, it is clear from her hand motions that she is instructing them to leave. While she is unfocused, the entity lobs a bolt of dark miasma at her. The camera operator turns away as an explosion shakes the room.

The camera operator comes back to the crypt in time to catch Ron pushing a brick into the wall. A small cache slides open, revealing a cylindrical container filled with a purple glowing fluid.

Ron: Bingo! But… what is it?

Victor: Have you not played any games? That thing is clearly a key, we only have to find where to fit it.

Victor grabs the "key."

Victor: There's this weird hole in the left wall. Now, it might look too big but I'm sure if I angle it properly…

The camera operator turns towards Laura again. She has retreated into a barrier and is trying to form a new spell, but the entity's repeated blows against the barrier make her concentration waver. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass is heard.

Victor (out of frame): Oops.

The entity rears back and bellows. In a flash of light, its body demanifests, replaced by dozens of unconscious civilians. Laura manages to make them all float down before they impact the ground.

Ron (out of frame): Oh shit, it's crawling away! We need something to scoop it up with!

Victor (out of frame): I got it!

Ron (out of frame): Not with your- hey, camera! Get over here, you're missing all the action!

Marcel was having a great time watching his brother's antics on TV. The experience was only enhanced by witnessing said brother rant about the script he had been given in the family group chat.

When the episode ended, he paused the recording process and began to switch between channels. There was a nature documentary sponsored by Wilson's and narrated by David Attenborough. Switch. There were Simpsons reruns. Switch. He finally settled on the BBC, which was covering the ongoing legal dispute over some weird building in London.

Having decided that it was good enough background noise, he fetched his drawing tablet, a bag of snacks, and made himself comfortable in the couch.

It took him a good few minutes to choose which of his numerous WIPs he was going to work on today, after which he got distracted and picked up his phone. He sent a quick message to Alyx asking how they were doing with their plans for Ron's birthday, and was about to go through his various social media inboxes when something on TV caught his attention.

He paused the screen and moved closer. The BBC's reporter was standing in the hall of the Law Courts, in the middle of answering the anchor's question about whether the pyramid was registered as a residential building or a business. Behind him, exiting one of the side rooms, was a man dragging a large suitcase.

The man looked plain and unassuming, he blended in perfectly with the other people going about their day in the building. He didn't have the type of face that you would remember easily.

Unless of course, like Marcel, you had seen it every day for a year from inside your cell.