Episode 206

"Phyreses and Aries" aired on June 29, 2016.

## Summary

### Updates from MK

MK still hasn't been able to find out who is now living in Raywood, but she did discover that Nathaniel Carter went underground (literally; he was hiding in the basement of the Parzavala compound between 2009 and 2015). She also found a complaint filed by a maintenance worker who was hired by TeslaNova to tend the grounds of the mysterious cabin being investigated by Tara Reynolds; Alex Reagan reads his report, where he describes feeling a dark and powerful charge within him before seeing a large, ominous figure that eventually charges at him and kills him.

MK later calls Nic with information on a study done in 1985 outlining how two people were always assigned to monitor Pacifica Station--a man and a woman--but she couldn't track down any names.

### Meeting with Paul

Nic meets with Paul, whom he identifies as the leader of the "Cult of Tanis". He tells Nic about the importance of trees in religion, that they hold both light and dark properties. Paul invites Nic to investigate their "operations center", so Nic recruits Geoff to come along. They encounter their guides to the location who appear to be military operatives, and they blindfold Nic and Geoff and lead them to the ranger station where they were to meet Paul. Upon arrival, Paul says the blindfolds were only to prevent confusion during the walk to their meeting. Paul says he wants Nic to lead him to the Navigator and asks him to drink an unidentified substance, but Geoff intervenes and leads Nic away. On their way back through the woods they come upon the Grackles compound, and eventually also the wall surrounding the mysterious cabin. To his surprise, Geoff discovers the nearly-indestructable grey pancake material used to construct the wall is disintegrating.

### Veronika Calls Nic

For the first time since she disappeared after their journey to the cabin, Veronika calls Nic and tells him she's in Seattle. She asks if he remembers their trek and if he remembers seeing or feeling something in the darkness. She warns Nic to stay away from Cameron Ellis, that the Grackles have gone and she can't get a hold of them, and she warns Nic to be careful.

### Ellis' Job Offer

Ellis calls Nic with further details about his offer to employ Nic to work in the breach; he tells Nic it wouldn't be any more dangerous than Nic's current investigation into Tanis, but that he wouldn't be working in Pacifica station just yet.

### Eld Fen, Part IV

Nic reads more from the Eld Fen document allegedly written by John Corroman and compiled by an unnamed narrator. Corroman details his assistant, Marjorie's, photographic memory and attention to detail, but worries that her personality is becoming darker and almost frightening. Alex reads a document attached to Corroman's notes, possibly part of a short story about a house in the trees where experiments are conducted and into which children disappear, and she then reads a segment of what appears to be a play, "Phyreses and Aries", where two lovers talk to each other about sleeping, dreaming, and a mysterious presence beneath the world.

### Message from Mike the Geologist

Nic listens to a voicemail message he received from Mike, saying he's going to meet "it", and he thanks Nic for opening the door and showing him what's possible. Nic later learns that Mike had scooped his right eye out with a grapefruit spoon, and in its place, he’d inserted the rock filled with rare earth minerals that Nic found attached to the wooden keychain.

## Characters

### Recurring Characters

Nic Silver, host and producer

Meerkatnip, information specialist

Geoff van Sant, Karl van Sant's brother

Cameron Ellis , CEO of TeslaNova Corp.

### Guest Characters

Alex Reagan, producer

Paul, Cult of Tanis leader

Veronika Pilman, researcher

Mike Gershon , geologist