[AUDIO LOG TRANSCRIPT- STRANGERVILLE HIGH OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE]
File Name: Audio Log 2_2403██.wav
Date: 24 March 20██
Location: Site-2, Xenobotanical Containment Lab, Nephentes materanensis Containment Room
Clearance Level: Ω-5 (Restricted Access)
Involved Personnel:
Dr. Erwin Broadsheet
HOC Representatives (HOC-2, HOC-5, HOC-7 present)
[BEGIN LOG]
[Dr. Erwin enters the room abruptly, slamming a file onto the table. His lab coat is burnt along the sleeves, and his hands are still marked with soot and ash. His face is pale, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched]
Dr. Erwin: You planned this.
[Silence from the HOC representatives. HOC-5 calmly flips through the document Erwin threw down]
Dr. Erwin: You locked those people in that lab. You forced the experiment to proceed, knowing exactly what would happen. You all killed my colleagues!
HOC-5: Be careful with your accusations, Doctor.
Dr. Erwin: Accusations? You think I don’t see what’s happening here? The whole thing was a damn weapons test—you didn’t care about the research, only whether or not The Mother plant could be turned into a tool of war.
HOC-2: That is a gross misinterpretation of our directives.
Dr. Erwin: Oh hell yeah it's. What you did is definitely gross. Well, tell me then, why I found classified procurement requests for controlled aerosol dispersal systems, combat-adaptive mutagenic strains, and neurological conditioning compounds—all filed under Project M-9, directly linked to Nepenthes materanensis!
[HOC-7 subtly shifts in their seat]
HOC-7: …That information was not authorized for your clearance level.
Dr. Erwin: Oh, of course... of course it is. You let me play scientist while you filed patents for chemical warfare agents behind my back. You wanted to see if you could turn that thing’s bioelectric signaling into mass psychotropic control—some kind of neurological override to pacify populations, make people more… suggestible.
HOC-5: Doctor, you are emotional. You need to—
Dr. Erwin: SHUT UP, listen to me you piece of shit! That plant’s metabolic response to Compound V-9 wasn’t an accident! It didn’t just mutate—it reacted. It adapted to a threat and it learned. That means it isn’t just some biological curiosity—it’s thinking on some level.
HOC-2: Which is precisely why continued study is necessary.
Dr. Erwin: No. That’s why it needs to be destroyed.
[A brief pause. HOC-5 sighs and sets down the file, folding their hands together]
HOC-5: Doctor, let’s be rational. You and I both know that knowledge like this cannot be undiscovered. Science does not move backward. What we’ve found here is… a breakthrough. The ability to induce neurological compliance could revolutionize global stability. There are people who would pay—
Dr. Erwin: Pay? Pay for what? My friend's life? This town's safety? [Dr. Erwin's demeanor shifted abruptly as he let out a cold laugh, his movements erratic and unsteady] So that’s what this is. It’s not about security. Not about science. It’s about profit.
HOC-7: We live in a world of power struggles, Dr. Erwin. If we don’t develop this, someone else will. The market for biochemical influence is… lucrative. Imagine a non-lethal alternative to warfare—an agent that could subdue entire populations without firing a single shot.
[Dr. Erwin leans forward, voice low, eyes burning with fury]
Dr. Erwin: You’re talking about mass sedation. Forced compliance. Mind control. You don’t want to stop wars—you want to own them.
HOC-5: If we had our way, this conversation would not be necessary. Unfortunately, the loss of Lab Sector-██ has delayed our timetable. We require your expertise to salvage what remains.
[Dr. Erwin lets out a loud bitter laugh, shaking his head]
Dr. Erwin: You still think I’m going to stay?
[Dr. Erwin reaches into his coat and pulls out a signed resignation letter, placing it on the table]
Dr. Erwin: Effective immediately.
[HOC-5 picks up the letter, glances at it, then slides it across the table toward HOC-2]
HOC-2: Your contract does not allow for immediate resignation without direct approval from this committee. You are aware of that.
Dr. Erwin: You damn right, i am. Try and stop me.
[Silence. HOC-7 smirks slightly, as if amused]
HOC-7: You seem convinced you can just… walk away from this, Doctor. But you know as well as we do—once you’ve seen beyond the veil, you don’t get to unsee it.
Dr. Erwin: Watch me.
[Dr. Erwin pushes back his chair and stands. The security personnel at the door exchange glances with the committee. HOC-5 gives a slight nod, and the guards step aside]
HOC-2: Where will you go, Dr. Erwin?
Dr. Erwin: Far away from here.
[Dr. Erwin exits without another word. Silence lingers for several seconds before HOC-7 leans forward, folding their hands]
HOC-7: Trace him.
HOC-5: Of course.
[END OF LOG]
Notes:
Surveillance lost contact with Dr. Erwin at 06:47 UTC. Last known location: ██ miles from Strangerville. Attempts to re-establish tracking have failed.
Encrypted transmission detected from his terminal minutes before departure. The content remains undeciphered but bears similarities to the bioelectrical signals emitted by Nepenthes materanensis prior to the incident.
Recovered HOC internal memo suggests Project M-9 was already in negotiation stages with ████████ Corporation for potential pharmaceutical and military applications.
Recommendation: Elevate Dr. Erwin’s classification to POI-███. If located, retrieval is to be executed under Protocol █████.
[FILE LOCKED - LEVEL 5 ACCESS REQUIRED]