Story so far

Revision as of 18:11, 10 August 2012

Story so far

Below is the outline of events that have happened chronologically since first contact. For the chronology of events as we know it, see the Timeline.

Read the blue paragraphs for the "story" version

Prologue

Felicity Velius joined Twitter and began interacting with members of the ARG community. Her website, felicityvelius.com, had a very...colourful...theme, with images of her cat Virgil, links to cat-themed websites, and cross-links to ARG websites, including ARGN.com and Unfiction, but primarily Wikibruce.com.

Some posts discussed an upcoming "Beatrix Potter" iOS app and its development. But another blog post had an embedded video, a spoof of the Nyan Cat meme, called "East Asian Nyan Cat". Clipped inside however were cryptic screenshots of numbers and text and portions of a QR code. When compiled, the latin phrase "QUIDQUID ERIT, SUPERANDA OMNIS FORTUNA FERENDO EST." resulted (meaning "whatever will be, every (mis-)fortune can be overcome through endurance"), along with a series of numbers, and the complete QR code - which also pointed back to Wikibruce.com.

Much later, on August 10th the Nyan Cat message was decoded, reading: "Must be careful(,) beginning to draw attention(.) keep digging and fighting(,) friends(.) I will continue as long as I can(.) Soon(,) I will send orders for the most important task(,) yet the rest is up to you"

Getting it out there

July 31

Wikibruce receives and reports the first rabbithole package (src)

Mailed from an undisclosed location, the package contained two envelopes: A letter from Felicity dated July 13 (read), and an archival letter for Grace, from E Harrison circa ~1912, sent to Felicity from "D" (read). Felicity included on the envelope GPS coordinates with a key and instructions to collect a lockbox by July 20 (now past deadline). Once Felicity heard of the setback, the deadline was extended.

On July 31st, Wikibruce reported a package in the mail from "Felicity Velius" - it had no return address, only stamps from DC and Georgia. Inside, Felicity included two envelopes, one containing a key and note with directions to open a lockbox in Texas, within a week - the letter was written July 13th, over 2 weeks prior. Clearly, impossible. Having made contact with Felicity on Twitter, she assured that the package could still be retrieved, but quickly, as she didn't have much time left. The key was mailed to Toenolla in Texas for retrieval as soon as possible.

Also included was a letter from 1912, an antique Christmas card addressed to "Grace". The letter included instructions from E Harrison for the "reallocation of commodities" under care of a Baron R - "a gradual sale of any European consumer based assets before the close of 1913".

This letter was originally given to "F" (Felicity?) by "D", per a handwritten post-it note saying that was all "D" could get out of the "Archive".

August 10

Toenolla receives the lockbox key in the mail and retrieves the Waco lockbox from Felicity (src)

Within a few days of mailing the key from Canada, Toenolla receives it and heads to the UPS Store in Waco, TX to retrieve the lockbox

Inside is an envelope with a pen and instructions, a printed letter from Felicity (read) regarding a second package sent to her from "D": a classified set of telephone transcripts, between "Flintlight" and Steven W Howell, transcribed by Hailey M Jones, origin: CENTCOMASPAC; and a photocopy of a handwritten note, from "A" to "AR".

Toenolla received the key by post, and headed to Waco at GPS coordinates provided by Felicity (a UPS Store), to retrieve the lockbox. Inside were two envelopes - a letter from Felicity instructing the retriever to post and share everything there as fast and widely as possible. The letter included instructions to receive the next orders "by freeing the birds and capturing the rabbit", with a cryptic diagram. In the envelope was a simple pen, and instructions to take it to "your final destination", and to "search Jul 27 and find Aug".

The second envelope contained a wealth of information, assets also given to "F" by "D": A transcript of a phone conversation between "Flintlight" and "Steven W Howell" spanning 4 days on May 17-20, throughout which we discover Flintlight maintained a covert relationship with Steve under the name "Stephanie", and while she genuinely started having feelings for him, she had to leave for his own safety. She was a member of a movement called the "Voltaire Group" within an "Organization" she claims is behind or bigger than Wikileaks, above even Julian Assange, and things got too touchy for her in that position. She left the group, with inside intel, and left Steve (also taking his cat) - this was 3 years ago. Here, she tried to contact him from China, desperately seeking help as she evaded any possible surveillance and attempts on her life.

Steve's aid was to retrieve her file from a drop left him by a 'friend' of Flintlight who owed her, and find a way to distribute sensitive documents while Flintlight (Felicity?) returned safely to the west. The documents received by Wikibruce and retrieved by Toenolla were given to "F" by "D", who's not yet been identified. The transcript shows that her conversation with Steve was recorded, and the second item in the package - a handwritten note from "A" to "AR" - warns that Steve's life may now be in danger.

The transcript is labeled CLASSIFIED by CENTCOMASPAC, by a project called Earwig, transcribed by a Hailey M Jones.

Hidden files were discovered embedded in Felicity's July 9 blog post image of Peter Rabbit (src)

On noticing that the meme image of Peter Rabbit was 3.7MB, analysis of the JPG binary showed it had an appended RAR archive file. Opening the file gave access to three more files. Two images, and one PDF:

File:Doc3.pdf

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