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dispatches 01/12/2020 (Sun) 15:11:23 #34260094

In 1995, Clarence Prometheus sat at his mother's grave for five hours straight. Even when his family was pleading with him to come back inside to the rest of the funeral service, there he sat, lost in thought. And when he finally stood, he walked with purpose.
The next day, Prometheus Labs was founded as a means of researching into the field of paratechnology— using malevolent spirits as a source of energy. They were one of the first of their kind, only successfully preceded by the great Anderson Robotics, which partnered with ghost hunters across the country to generate power for the entire west of America. They didn't see Prometheus Labs as a threat, however. Many paratechnology companies have risen and fallen… and Prometheus Labs was no exception. Their company headquarters exploded in 1997, taking every single employee with it.
Now, a satellite stays in perfect orbit directly above the ruins. Nobody has dared to approach it— mostly due to the rest of the Prometheus family setting up strict security around the perimeter of the area. But for those who have managed to get past the fences, the impending dread is more than enough to scare them away.
Nobody knows what really happened. How that satellite can stay there, what Clarence's goal was… The Prometheus family is trying so hard to keep everything under wraps, and that only means one thing: they're hiding something big.
And I know everything.

dispatches 01/12/2020 (Sun) 15:20:55 #34260430

Clarence never really got over his mother's death. The company's first few months were dedicated to researching into the concept of resurrection. It'd been attempted before, but bringing someone's spirit back from the afterlife was simply impossible. But then Clarence had a thought: what if he created his own afterlife? The following is an excerpt from one of his public Prometheus Labs press releases.

I believe there is a reason some spirits linger after death. They are smart enough to know that otherwise, they are destined to be lost in eternal darkness. For this reason, I fear death. I believe we all do.
I do not want to change this world. It is already broken.
I wish for a world without death. A world without pain, loss, or hatred. A world where we can all live in eternal peace. A world of my own creation.
My fellow citizens, I hope that you join me on my mission to make that world a reality. Thank you.

Suffice to say, Clarence gathered something of a cult following. People started looking up to him, from the lowly homeless to the rich businessmen, and slowly but steadily, investments came pouring in.
With all these newfound riches, Prometheus Labs was able to develop their new world. A large device in which spirits could be inserted to assertedly 'live in peace for eternity.' They had no way of proving the machine did anything but automatically exorcise or store the spirits, of course, but their supporters ate it up.
It helped that a picture of the very first spirit being placed inside was published in the newspaper. Inside of a glass device, a flickering wireframe of a human floated there, curled up in the fetal position. Clarence himself smiled warmly, cradling it in his arms like a baby as he stood next to the machine.
After that photo was released, people lined up by the dozens at Prometheus Labs to toss their lingering loved ones into the device, paying a hefty fee to do so.
Clarence had succeeded in his goal of building an afterlife rather quickly. But to him, it wasn't enough. Outside of his loyal following, newspapers called him a hack, and people ridiculed him on the streets.
Strangely enough, all of this hostility didn't bother him one bit. After being at the center of a cult for so long, he started to see himself in a new way. He was going to be the savior of them all, even if they did not want salvation.

dispatches 01/12/2020 (Sun) 15:26:38 #34260826

The satellite was going to be one of their most ambitious inventions yet, but Clarence could afford it. They built it live in a stadium on the roof of Prometheus Labs, where you could buy a ticket to have a front-row seat to 'the development & launch of the device that will change the world.'
Needless to say, the stands were full every single day with people attentively watching the employees tinker with the machine. As months passed, it went from a hunk of scrap to its true form, a massive satellite. And on the launch day, Clarence finally revealed its purpose:

All that die from here on shall live forever in Heaven!

He'd built a true afterlife.
They watched as it launched into the sky, tears streaming down their faces, cheering… but it didn't last long. Seconds later, Prometheus Labs exploded into a fiery inferno.
And do you know what?
I was one of Clarence's top supporters. I gave everything to him, all in hope of a better afterlife.
I'd been late to the launch, and that saved my life. But even when the shock wave shattered my car windows, I kept driving, and arrived at the ruins. It took a few moments for the dust to clear.
Through the dwindling smoke, I saw it. An amalgamation of spirits stretching into the sky to the satellite, like a haunting chain. I could hear their voices, their screams, their pleading to be free.
My heart began to quiver, and I almost collapsed right there. With what felt like the last of my strength, I dragged myself into my car, turning it around and stomping on the pedal. I think that saved my life, and perhaps even my soul.
And now… I don't know. I don't know if the satellite still collects spirits or not. I can't bring myself to go back and risk being drawn into that endless hell. All I'm certain of is one thing:
I am scared to die.

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