Episode 6: All for One

## Description

Silas recuperates in his quarters and makes a few conclusions about VINCULA’s methods with Greg and J. The Breachers receive a new assignment and plunge deeper into Gaia than ever before.

## Content Warnings

Mentions of: death, ritual burial, sacrifice, apocalypse, uncanny valley, corporate manipulation, anxiety, ecoterrorism, tranced state, war, paranormal entities, firearms, PTSD, grief, skinning, psychoactive effects, hallucinations; Cryptid creatures, Alcohol consumption, Explicit language, Loud noises, Scopophobia, Fainting, Off-putting noises

## Plot Summary

Silas’s Translation Date: April 26th, 2021

The episode begins with Cassius saying, "So much lost in that void… but I’d give it all for one…"

Scene One opens with Silas in his apartment at VINCULA chatting with his cat, Vox. VINCULA has rewarded the Breacher team with something akin to a "weekend" break following their successful retrieval of the acid lake sample. VINCULA has also cleared the document pulled from Specimen One on Gaia for Silas to begin studying. Silas has confirmed that the symbols on the sarcophagus he photographed are closely related to those in the Akkadian dual-language original book. However, the stone-chiseled letters/symbols look far different from those in the book. Despite not yet having the carbon dating for the book, Silas believes that the sarcophagus script is an older form of the same language isolate he's been trying to crack. The script on the sarcophagus, as far as Silas can surmise, contains two parts: "something negative, like a description of crimes leading to the ritual burial of Specimen One – or perhaps, even, a warning not to open the lid at any cost… (anxiety creeping) for fear of unleashing unspeakable evil on the world" and "the proper name of the occupant and things like where they lived, what titles they held, [and] what deeds were done in their name." Specimen One continues to baffle Silas with both its behavior and physiology. Still, Silas and Cassius agree that it was *not* human. Silas explains to Vox (ever the great feline companion to vent to) that translating the text becomes difficult when more proper nouns are used, especially without a proper vocal reference or other texts to use aside from what VINCULA has provided. Silas also mentions that it's a bit unnerving how lackluster the response has been from VINCULA about discovering a brand new humanoid species. He also notes that the only seemingly important reaction has been with some official government-looking agents going in and out of Vaux's office and the VINCULA meeting rooms. So far, the only ones going in and out of the Breach to Gaia are the Breacher Team. Silas also worries that he is not the most qualified person to be the sole one responsible for translating the text, but he is also glad that there isn't a lot of foot traffic or publicity in VINCULA's facility. Silas also mentions that he lost his cool a bit when Cassius boldly and stupidly dashed to grab the water sample while the Titan Plesiosaur was distracted by the drone. He admits it was "one of the coolest things" he's ever seen. Silas recounts what followed shortly after the sample collection regarding the dazed state he was in at the end of Episode 5. The drone camera allowed them to see it a bit closer, but the giant moth ended up taking the drone with it. After both Silas and Alyx were in a trance for a short while, they snapped out of it and were completely fine. The tox screens at VINCULA revealed that nothing entered his system, so the giant moth's mechanism for psychoactivity remains unexplained.

There is a knock at the door and Silas opens it, assuming it is Cassius again, but is surprised to find Greg and Jeremiah there instead. As they enter, Jeremiah asks why Silas thought it would be Cassius, and Silas admits that Cassius has been over to visit a few times already. Greg and Jeremiah immediately tease Silas over it but Silas dispels their thoughts about him and Cassius being an item. Greg offers up the beer he brought and says they came over to hang out. Jeremiah assures Silas that he doesn't have to drink and Greg offers up some beloved cookies provided by June. As Greg talks about how much he appreciates having June to return to base to with her amazing cooking, Jeremiah teases Greg about it, especially since he just gave Silas a hard time about Cassius coming over. Silas adds to the conversation by saying that June speaks often and highly of Greg. Greg assures the other two that he intends on taking things slow and seeing where things go, rather than rushing into things. Silas agrees that rushing into things is bad, especially considering death awaits them around various corners nowadays. However, Greg insists that it's all the more reason to live each day to its fullest and savor every moment they have alive.

Silas decides now is a good time to ask Greg about his own story regarding the paranormal/supernatural, as it has been a common trend amongst the other Breachers to have one of their own. Greg seems to have had his own suspicions about VINCULA asking that question in the interview, so he feels vindicated now that Silas is asking about it. Greg describes his interview process as being more of a bulk hire type of situation with multiple candidates interviewing together to join the security detail team. Silas asks if Greg would be comfortable sharing his story and reminds him that he is recording the conversation on the recording device. Greg and Jeremiah both warn Silas how dangerous it is for him to be doing something under the noses of the higher-ups, but Greg also says that it should be fine if the other Breachers find out, but not to trust anyone else. After this, Greg delves into his story.

Initially, he was ready to accept a PTSD diagnosis from a doctor and be done with it. He recounts back to when he was in Desert Shield fresh out of basic training in the army. The monotony of army life during the war was disrupted by an attack that resulted in Greg's unit losing three members. He says that they all felt the absence of those three, and things were quiet around the platoon for a while. Then, one night, Greg left his tent and wandered about in the desert at their camp while stricken with grief. As he was trying to deal with his emotions, he suddenly heard a small voice behind him. He wondered at first if it was God speaking to him, but he was suddenly inflicted with the worst feeling of loss he'd ever felt. The voice wasn't exactly *speaking* to him, rather it was showing him mental images of people, fathers, wives, sons, daughters. He somehow knew who they were without knowing their names. Each one he saw had a feeling attached to them, but Greg couldn't quite make sense of it. He saw a lady he knew to be his lover who was anguished over never seeing him again. He saw a gruff man he knew to be his father, and when the man frowned at him he felt shame and wrath inside of him. Greg has difficulty putting the experience into proper words. When it did stop, the sun was already coming up and he felt like he could finally breathe. He didn't talk about it with anyone--not even his squadmates--until he got back home and went to visit a shrink. Still, he couldn't get the experience out of his mind and he decided to begin contacting the family members of the three soldiers who were killed. As he met each one, he realized that he knew them all. He realized that his experience in the desert was seeing the family members and loved ones of each fallen soldier through their eyes. However, each visit seemed to ease the suffering Greg was feeling. In between being sent off to another war and other deployments, he continued to visit the loved ones he saw even if they didn't always react positively to his being there as a fellow squad member of the fallen soldier. Greg worries that perhaps he was only helping himself and making things worse for the people he met, but he honestly has no answer or explanation for the entire experience.

Jeremiah backs up Greg's story, explaining that Greg was his First Sergeant during the Iraq War, and Jeremiah attended some of these meetups with Greg. The three men give a toast of honor to the fallen, and then Greg volunteers Jeremiah to be next in sharing his story. His story is from his childhood in the Florida Everglades, and just as he's about to get into it, the recording ends due to the recorder running out of battery.

Scene Two begins in a meeting room at VINCULA where Vaux is talking with the Breacher team. She congratulates the team on their progress and explains that during their brief break, the labs have more information for them and are continuing to learn more. She gives the attention over to Silas to give a report as the linguist of the group. Silas explains that the document(s) they pulled off of Specimen One's arm is a collection of parchment made of animal skins with ink lettering. The symbols closely match that of the unknown language isolate contained in the Akkadian dual language book and have been carbon-dated to be between 6 and 8 thousand years old. Cassius asks if there is any leftover traces of Specimen One on the parchment, but Silas explains that there was none there *unless* the parchment was made from Specimen One's skin. While not confirmed, it is a possibility given that the assumption is that Specimen One's people practiced live burial and sacrifice. Silas also explains that due to the age of the text and it being handwritten, it will be much harder to translate given the amount of variations in the writing. Cassius attempts to look on the bright side of things and suggests that perhaps whoever wrote the book has some knowledge of how the linkstone and breach work, considering the matching sigils. Vaux then turns the attention over to Alyx for her report regarding the drone that got lost. Alyx explains that after the large moth creature took the drone, there was no way to remote control it anymore. However, there is a passive radio emitter on the drone and, after a team went into the Breach entrance with a powerful radio detector, they discovered that there was still a faint signal being emitted from the drone. The only data they can get from the drone thus far has been directional; no images from the camera or local temperature data. Based on the signal, Alyx figures that the drone is pretty far off from the Breach entrance, but it is possible to retrieve it and find the moth's habitat.

Vaux (and VINCULA) agree, and thus the next few trips into the Breach will be for the Breacher Team to work on retrieving the drone. Vaux explains that even though the drone itself is replaceable, the data collected on it would prove valuable to the research teams. Vaux then asks Cassius and Elizabeth if they have anything to add about the creature that took the drone. Cassius explains that it has the appearance of a large moth and has appendages beneath it that it used to grab the drone. It is assumed to have a wingspan between 3 to 5 meters (about 9 to 16 feet) and the coloration is bright green and white, although the patterns were indistinguishable from so far away. Its closest Earth relative/equivalent would be the Lunar Moth. As for the psychoactive effects, it seems to only have affected Silas and Alyx thus far. Cassius asks Elizabeth to share the current theory about it. Elizabeth explains that while the moth may not be toxic, it could be carrying pollen or other material from a hallucinogenic plant. The hawkmoth on Earth is known to pollinate other plants in a similar way. As for why it only seems to affect Alyx and Silas so far is unknown, though, and Elizabeth suggests that Silas simply has bad luck, to which Silas agrees. Cassius explains that while they are apprehensive about the entire team being put under the effects of the moth, there could be value in collecting plant samples from around the moth's habitat. So, the next trip into the Breach will be spent beelining for the drone's signal. Vaux wishes the team the best of luck and safe travels, and the recording ends after Silas sarcastically asks, "What could go wrong?"

Scene Three takes place on Gaia in the woods and there is some clucking from Gaian Chickens. Silas opens with a specimen log for their sixth official trip to Gaia and explains that while they were all following the drone signal, they came across a seemingly docile group of creatures. Cassius takes over to give a description, explaining that they are small bird-like creatures similar to Earth's chickens. However, they are covered head to toe in scales instead of feathers, ranging in color from shades of green and blue to orange and red. Behaviorally, they are acting very similar to Earth chickens. Elizabeth adds that they have four-toed feet and short beaks, and the males appear to have additional spike growths atop their heads. Cassius also adds that the males are somewhat larger, too, and have a brighter coloration. One of the chickens Cassius observes has seven spikes above its eyes in a single row, the size of the spikes growing smaller as it curves around the skull with the largest at the center of the head. Cassius suggests that they could be used for self-defense or sparring, and jokingly offers for Greg to take his chances against one of them. Cassius says that they wanted to stop and make a log for the creature, but they will be continuing on with their journey to find the drone since that is the priority. The work recorder ends and the personal recorder picks up right where it left off.

Silas stops the group, though, and explains that he's finished compiling his recordings from the Breachers and confirms that everyone on the Breacher Team was asked by VINCULA to provide proof of paranormal activity or belief. He suggests that they try to look through them all and see if there are any commonalities between them. Cassius explains that they aren't really bothered by it anymore given the events of the last week, but also that VINCULA is being too secretive for their liking. Cassius even asked Vaux directly about the line of questioning in their interviews but got a canned response about finding open-minded individuals. Jeremiah adds that even if they were to report VINCULA or people working for VINCULA for anything, it would prove difficult to do given the lockdown (referring to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on travel) and whether or not people would actually believe them. Greg agrees and adds that since "the feds" are in on the Breach Project too, there isn't anyone higher up *to* report to. Elizabeth also wonders if the Breach Project can stay a secret for very long, especially if someone (VINCULA, particularly) gets greedy and tries to turn a profit. Alyx adds that there really isn't too much to be upset about yet, despite it all being odd. There just hasn't been much done and they can't do anything about it, for now. Cassius agrees (albeit surprised by doing so at all) and suggests that they exercise patience and try to document everything they can in the meantime and protect what evidence they gather. While Cassius thoroughly distrusts VINCULA, the priority should be to try and protect Gaia as much as they can from being ruined by human interference. The group all agree to look out for one another on the team since they're in it all together and don't have anyone else for the time being.

Scene Four opens with another specimen log from Silas. The team found another clearing in the breachwood forest and came across a fallen tree that landed in a dip in the terrain and partially sat in a small pond of water. While they have yet to experience any rainfall, it's possible that the rain comes overnight. The microphone is handed over to Elizabeth who continues with the report. She explains that there is a fungal growth that has almost entirely overtaken the tree, and the growth seems to thrive given the dead tree and the moist environment, plus the shade from the overhead canopy of the trees. The color of the fungus is a rusty orange, and they are formed in large brain-like pods filled with nooks and crannies. Each pod is a little bigger than a bowling ball (around half a meter in diameter) with some variance. The grooves along the surface are dark in color and the structures within look like gills, which is presumably where the spores are grown. Cassius interrupts and says that the mushrooms look like they're *looking* at them and asks Elizabeth to look closely at them again. When she does, she notes that the grooves look as though there are stenciled eyes lined in them. Cassius explains that when the light comes through the canopy, the eyes are revealed from behind a flap and open up. Elizabeth notes that the eyes are a light blue color, and suggests that because of the color they are used to act as a warning to creatures wanting to graze on them. Cassius pulls the team back to the task at hand: finding the drone. The signal is growing stronger finally, but they're reaching the halfway point where they'll have to turn back for the day. Cassius grabs a specimen collection of the mushrooms, and Elizabeth shuts off the mic.

Scene Five begins with Silas making a biome log for VINCULA. They are all about a half-hour walk from the fallen breachwood tree with the fungus. The Breachwoods are giving way to a smaller set of trees, more akin to weeping willows in size and shape, which now dot the landscape. The lack of tree canopy allows the group to get a better view of what's ahead of them. Silas can see the tops of mountains on the horizon and the terrain is getting hilly. The drone signal seems to be bringing them closer to the mountains, but the drone itself could be between where they are now and the mountains. Since the team is ill-equipped for mountain climbing, they won't be going too far, especially since they've almost reached the point to turn back. Cassius adds that the new trees are like weeping willows but are citrusy colors (orange, yellow, and red) rather than green. When the wind blows, they can see pods taking flight in the breeze from the trees. The cooler breeze is much welcomed by the Breachers compared to the usual humid heat of Gaia under the Breachwoods. Elizabeth attempts to capture a floating seed pod as it gets closer to collect for study. She gets it in the palm of her hand and notes that it looks like a little seed pod connected to a dandelion puff, but then the pod explodes open with a "poof" and Elizabeth collapses. Jeremiah assesses her and determines that she's out cold, but not dead. Greg and Jeremiah get a stretcher put together so they can haul Lizzy back to the Breach and Alyx is tasked with keeping an eye on her in case she comes to. Jeremiah explains that it'll take a few hours to get back to the Breach if they jog, and instructs that someone don a mask and collect the seed pod in case they need to study it back at the lab to treat Elizabeth. Greg and Fred take the first shift of carrying the stretcher and Cassius takes the lead to bring the team back to the Breach and the recording stops, ending the episode.

## Cast and Crew

Cast:

* Ty Von (Silas Caldwell)
* Beth Sage Phung (Cassius Thatcher)
* Cody Burke (Greg Washburn)
* Elgin Smith (Jeremiah Woods)
* Morgie Bee (Elizabeth Bellanger)
* Jules Christine (Alyx Yard)
* Kaila Crockett (Evelyn Vaux)
* Rowan Odom (Elora)
* Gage Odom (Fred)

Crew:

* Ty Von
* Rowan Odom