Old Bones

> "DONT LEAVE ME YOU BASTARDS"
>
>

**Old Bones** is the nineteenth episode of Gemini Home Entertainment.

## Transcript

"--unnatural."

"What's happening to the tissue is not only entirely unlike what's typical for the disease, it's completely counter to it."

"Instead of attacking foreign tissue. it welcomes it."

"The bones don't decay."

"Organs blindly fuse."

"Bulbs fester and (*UNKNOWN*)"

"Tissue refuses to die."

"It is hyper-metastatic."

"It is, at this point, most analogous to a tumour.

"I would not speculate on the states of the minds within."

"Selected excerpts from the journal of Glenn A. Arthur."

"MAY 13, 1935 - I have seen a vision."

"Heavenly Visitors?"

"MAY 15, 1935 - Angels visited me while I slept."

"Who am I that the hosts of heaven would commune with me?"

"The unconscious mind is a door, and I hold the key, o dream speakers, name yourselves!"

"MAY 23, 1935 - Vision from my angels: A half-living thing grows outside camp."

"A statue carved in their likeness. Arms reaching out. Like a child's."

"JUNE 4, 1935 - I have been offered a new covenant."

"MAY 1941 - Deal is sealed."

...

...

"MAY 1946 - Deal is broken."

ITERATION 381

* **WRETCHED HANDS TAP MY WINDOW**
* **A STRANGER'S FANGS SCRAPE THE WALLS**
* SLEEP BENEATH THE FEEDING GROUNDS
* CANCER SHARES A DREAM

ITERATION 4

* JACK HEARD IT AGAIN
* THERE IS A VOICE FROM SPACE
* **JACK DO YOU SEE ME**
* **I HAVE BECAME SOMETHING ELSE**

ITERATION 671

* **I AM STILL IN HERE**
* RELIC OF THE FAITHLESS DAY
* **DON'T LEAVE ME YOU BASTARDS**
* OLD BONE GROWS

## Lore

The first scene depicts what appears to be a debrief on the effects of Deep Root Disease pertaining to the Wretch, which differ significantly from the normal effects on humans. Those who come into contact with the Wretch are “welcomed” into it rather than attacked by the root growths and afflicted by DRD; the organic matter of the body blindly fuses into the Wretch's form as it is assimilated. The assimilated tissue is extremely difficult to kill, and is compared to a tumor, It is implied that the minds of the Wretch’s victims may still be aware and sentient. There is also a comparison diagram between a normal bear skull and that of the Wretch; the latter having dramatically increased in size and mutated into something only vaguely resembling that of a bear.

The second set of scenes depict Glenn Arthur’s journal entries which like describing his first contact with the Iris and its messengers. He sees a vision of Neptune with an energy beam (like the one in Our Solar System) coming from it, as well as an object from space landing at or near Moonlight Acres. He wonders if they are heavenly visitors. He then is visited by “angels” in his dreams, humanoid figures in suits with distorted faces and wide-set eyes. These sketches seem to match up with depictions of humans in the later stages of Deep Root Disease. A “half living thing” begins to grow outside the camp, possibly the first specimen of Nature’s Mockery on Earth. This is described as a statue carved in their likeness, with “arms reaching out, like a child’s.” Finally, on June 4, 1935, the covenant is offered; likely the sacrificial deal Glenn made with the Iris’ messengers. The deal is sealed in May, 1941.

We then see an old video taken of the camp, notably of the sacrificial statue which appears to be a large Nature's Mockery which vaguely resembles a dead tree.

May, 1946: Covenant is broken. We see a hunter loading a rifle and a bear (likely the one that became the Wretch) splashing in the river.

We then see a diagram of the progression of Deep Root Disease much like that in Shifting Tendons. However, this one differs; rather than being taken over by the roots and becoming a Nature’s Mockery, the body shrivels up and mutates into forms resembling those we see assimilated into the Wretch, with the brain’s amygdala being highlighted indicating that it is still active.

“Sleep beneath the feeding grounds. Cancer shares a dream” appears to reference how those affected by Deep Root Disease either stop dreaming or dream the visions showed to them by the Iris, comparing the disease to a cancer (which is also implied by the first scene depicting the disease as “hyper metastatic” and “more akin to a tumor”. The first two lines also reference those written by Glenn in his journal, implying that Glenn is attempting to communicate with humanity through the AI’s iterations. This is further implied in iteration 671. “I am still in here. Relic of the faithless day” heavily implies that Glenn is still alive within the body of the Wretch; the ‘relic of the faithless day’ having been created as the result of the covenant being broken. He is still sentient, his body still active and ‘growing’ from the line ‘old bone grows’ and pleading with those around to not leave him.

At the end of the video, the Wretch is standing near a cabin and being filmed through the window. Within, a face is shown moving, attempting to communicate with the person filming within. Not only is this person still alive, it appears they can still see or otherwise perceive their environment from within the Wretch, although no voice is heard. The Wretch then moves out of sight.

## Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rSU54CyE4s