Bungee Logs

Entry #1: Meet Cute

Finally, after 207 days in prison, something exciting has happened! A tall, smiley man with a mechanical arm came to my cell and offered me the chance to go on an adventure with him! Finally, some content for my novel!

Kel, the smiley man, brought along a young purple-skinned woman and a cheerful turquoise creature who loves scarves for some reason. Turns out they’re sisters. The purple-skinned woman doesn’t talk much, so I don’t even know her name yet!

Kel put us all in a crazy carriage driven by invisible spirit horses. That’s when I got to talk to the cheerful turquoise creature… Her name is Pherus and I learned all about her shard and her holidays. She sure likes to talk!

Then Kel took us to this tall mansion to collect some artwork he needed. When we arrived, a blue water-man came crashing out of a 2nd-story window. He looked like he needed help, so I bounced him back up to where he came from. Then he immediately embraced a glamorous white-haired woman who was waiting for him there.

Then things got really crazy: The Purple-skinned woman set a hedge-maze on fire; Pherus used a bumble-bee Karami Anima to decorate the estate; a ghost popped out of a painting, and, oh, I’m on fire! And I am not sure why, but Blue Water-man seems oblivious to all this craziness. At this point, I’m still hoping we can get those paintings for Kel and not end up in jail again. This is not going to be easy!

Entry #2: Fire and Decorations

Things are pretty chaotic right now, but I’m writing this down while our Grand Heist continues.

I am now hearing a bird-like voice announcing some embarrassing facts about the Blue Water Man.

Wowzer: Purple-skinned woman sure knows how to pack a punch, and Pherus uses her scarf like a weapon.

Now one of the landscapers is helping us.

Pherus and I have finished decorating the estate and Pherus even decorated our carriage, so it’s time to go.

Blue Water Man changed a statue to look like him. I think this guy has some serious self-esteem issues!

Now the purple-skinned woman is setting the place on fire and the glamorous woman doesn’t look so glamorous anymore. I think she might want to kill us!

We’ve gotta go NOW! But, Kel takes her finger. That’s kinda gross! But it has a pretty ring on it. Everything is happening SO fast, I’ll write more later.

I’m back… Things have settled down now, thanks to some mysterious fog from Pherus. I finally learned the Purple-skinned woman is called “Eloise”, the Blue Water Man is “Loch”, and the landscaper is “Shaymus”. I think Loch is inebriated and Shaymus is possessed by a …friendly ghost?? This is a very confusing adventure!. 

We went to Zazzmatazz and met a man named Zazz. He actually paid us for having fun! Loch mixed a drink for Pherus called “Spicy Candy Cane Surprise”. I wonder what’s in it? I didn’t ask because I’m not sure if Loch is a friend or not.

I also suspect that Pherus has some secret awakened power because she caused this really scary guy named Killa Bill to start sobbing like a baby. There were lots of people that looked at us like we were weird or something. I can’t imagine why. 

Kel gave us some magical business cards with the address of our very own super-clandestine meeting. It’s called “Luster”. Is that mysterious or what?!! Sounds like more content for my novel!

I’ll write more when our adventure continues, but for now, I think we need to rest a little before going to Luster and meeting Kel.

Entry #3: Shank Shuffle

We made 4 new friends today. There’s Killa Bill, the one that Pherus got to cry. And there’s Wraithlock Vaxx, Bareknuckle Barnes, and Slaughterbones Jane.

Pherus told us that Vaxx was looking for a pet to take care of (How did Pherus know this?). And, Pherus, (she has such a good heart!) got her a mushroom log and a large shrub that Shaymus turned into a topiary of a flying creature with sharp teeth. She even made friends with the shop owner, BeaVee.

And then there’s Barenuckle Barnes, who somehow forgot his real name. I guess that’s what living in Zol can do to you. I hope that doesn’t happen to me! But Loch found his name in a book of names. So maybe Loch isn’t so bad afterall.

Then Pherus, using her mysterious mind-reading powers, learned that Jane needed to be allowed to dance without judgment. I helped Pherus get everyone dancing (and, by the way, I don’t think she could have done it without me). I even got shy Eloise to dance! Jane finally joined in and we all had a good time. Loch even taught us a new dance called the Shank Shuffle. Now, here’s something for my novel: I don’t think anyone noticed, but when Loch and Pherus were dancing, I think I saw actual red hearts in Pherus’s eyes! Can you believe it?

We left the party early because we had more “official adventurer” business to take care of. My springs were really sprung from that Wildebeest, so I re-sprung myself and added some pinball bumpers to my body.

Then Eloise took us to her Umbrava class. Zen Master Whey-San taught us about the connection between our mind, emotions, and body. That got me wondering – do I have a mind? Or am I just a program? It was very relaxing, but now I have more questions than ever!

Loch then got a cute little Karami Anima primate with an eye-patch. It makes the most cheerful noises. Loch is so lucky!

Then, a terrible thing happened! A tram came barreling towards us and a Biological came flying off the tram and I think he might be dead! What are we going to do?

Entry #4: Wham, Bam, Catch that Tram

The biological that I thought was dead was just powered down, but was in the path of the runaway tram, so Loch saved his life by dragging him out of the way. Pherus used her magic scarf again to save some biologicals and Eloise heroically saved a man who was about to fall off the tram.

I am not sure what Loch was trying to do, but he ended up between car #1 and #2 in a very “problematic” position. But I guess it worked because people used him as a bridge to get to safety.

I was in the front car but I heard Pherus mothering some people that were fighting. Then BAM, the next thing I saw was a lamplighter and an enforcer rolling on the ground outside the tram. Oof! I wonder if she used her secret powers again.

The best part of this adventure is that I got to meet the tram! I didn’t get his name, but he has such a great work ethic. I helped him slow down by sitting on his head and grabbing some nearby buildings. It worked, but my arms are a little longer now. I might need to do some of those Umbrava exercises that Eloise taught us.

Then Loch saved the day by using one of Pherus’ scarves to swing under the tram and “unforge” the hover mechanism. The whole thing came crashing to the ground with Loch under it! But the tram slid to a stop just inches away from a coffee shop. Yay!

Then I saw a teenage boy acting really funny around Eloise. The last I saw him, he was headed towards a flower shop!

Then a mysterious tall woman with purple hair named Izumi was really impressed with us and donated money to our adventure! She also offered us a job, but it didn’t sound as adventurous as Kel’s adventure.

Then Izumi showed us a picture of Kel. Pherus tried to tell her about Kel, but Eloise didn’t let her. How mean! I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I kept quiet. Is Kel in some sort of trouble? 

Loch went off with Izumi and he SAID he was just going to talk to her. But I wonder.

Anyway, there’s Luster. Why would Kel want to meet at a furniture store? I guess we’ll find out!

Entry #5: How to Plan a Heist/Wedding?

We met Kel at the Luster and he acted very mysteriously when we told him about Izumi. It turns out that Izumi is his wife! … or should I say Ranger Izumi, because that is what Kel insists we call her. He’s been married to her for 15 years but, sadly, they have been separated for almost 4. No wonder Izumi wanted to find him! But no need to worry, Pherus is planning a second wedding which will fix everything.

As Kel tried to tell us about his plan for us, my emotion detection sensors indicated that Kel was experiencing strong emotions whenever Pherus asked him about the wedding. I am still researching the best word to describe this emotion and have narrowed it down to one of three possibilities: “Annoyed”, “Irritated”, or “Angry”. My algorithms predict that he was annoyed at Pherus with 97.3% certainty and a 98.1% certainty that he was irritated. But since my data banks suggest that Annoyed is usually a temporary emotion, I am hoping that this is the right word to use. I will record it as such until I learn more.

Kel told us some of his history, including the tragic fact that his whole family died in the Zol catastrophe.  He also explained how he acquired Quark, who is an Echacian songbird karami of Echo classification. He wants to use Quark to help us obtain the Seraph’s Gift! How exciting! But to do this, we need to acquire a score. Kel gave us all new secret identities and Soul Stones to communicate, so we are now real spies!

Kel says he is going to try to get us a Wayfarer. I am not sure how he will do it, but I’m sure he can do it. We just need to get the score without getting our souls siphoned off from The Jack’s soul siphoning collars. We’ve got a plan to use Quark and I hope it works. 

I am becoming quite attached to Pherus, Loch and Eloise. None of them questioned if the soul siphoning would work on me. That means they must believe I have a soul! I wish more Biologicals were like them! OK, we’re off to prepare for our heist!

Entry #5.5: Dusting the Fissures

Had a near-death experience today. It was great! While Eloise was off on a secret mission, we ventured to the Blue Light Crags. I rented a top-notch duster, but Loch went for a sketchy one from an unreliable source. I guess I need to teach Loch more about technology. Pherus, though, is a fantastic decorator, and I have to admit, Loch’s duster was much more festive than mine.

With Kel’s mechanical bird, Quark, perched on her shoulder and a cup of tea in her hand, Pherus rode with Loch as we entered the deep fissures. I should have warned her about Loch’s unsafe machine because he got stuck and couldn’t fight the currents to get back out. It was pretty scary! I tried to save him, but couldn’t. Pherus saved the day by pulling the lever that saved us both. I think she might be the heroine in my novel.

Oh my, what a trip! I don’t know how Quark managed to stay on Pherus’s shoulder the whole time, but I think he’ll need recalibrating after this. Another thrilling chapter for my novel!

We narrowly saved Pherus from being arrested again for shoplifting. She may be hero material, but that girl just doesn’t seem to grasp basic economics. 

When we were down in the fissure, we saw that teenage thief who fell in love with Eloise. His name is Tandrew. We took him to see Rudolph, the owner of a duster shop, and managed to get him a job. I think he is going to be alright.

We also bought knitting supplies so Pherus can teach us how to knit. Can’t wait to add “master knitter” to my database! Now, off to our adventure!

Entry #6: Being Ted Burbon

I didn’t want to take the chance of The Ace or The Jack knowing our secret plan, so I am writing this as we work our way toward the concert…

We managed to get all the supplies we needed for our up-coming heist. Eloise met with Ted and paid him to switch shifts with her so she can pretend to be Ted on the day of the concert. Ted must be a really nice guy because he gave us a huge apple pie!

Eloise successfully planted the fake score under Loch’s seat and managed to convince the head of security, Delenor Arland, to meet her at the end of the concert. I am hoping that will make it easier for me to sneak into the security office. I guess we’ll see!

We finally met the Ace today. All seems to be going according to plan. He gave us all Soul Collars and we put them on… but when Pherus put hers on, she purposely got it stuck on her wing, forcing the Ace to send the unlock signal. I hope Quark recorded the signal. Otherwise we’re in big trouble!

We also met The Jack. I wonder what would happen if I called him “Pumpkin Head”? It would be interesting to know how Biologicals respond when you call them by a different name. If I have a chance, I will try, but for now, it’s off to the concert. If this is my last entry, you’ll know things didn’t go well, and I sincerely apologize to all my Synth friends for letting you down.

Entry #7: The Best Laid Plans...

Loch (or should I say Gilfus?) made it into the stadium but a security Karami alarm went off above his head and Eloise (or should I say Ted?) stepped in and handled the problem with ease.

Pherus: well Pherus was just Pherus and made it through security fine, but as I was entering, the most infuriating thing happened. I got stopped by security because I wasn’t with my “owner”. I played the part of the good little synth, but this just proves to me the importance of my mission. Biologicals can be so narrow-minded! I’m glad my friends aren’t like that.

Our cover was almost blown when Tandrew showed up, and asked Loch for advice on winning Eloise’s affections. But I escorted him back to his booth and “helped” him with his dusters by causing one of them to catch fire and fly around the stadium, distracting all the security officers.

Then Pherus caused a distraction that only Pherus could do, which allowed me to sneak into the security office and disable the video recordings and delete the backup videos to hide our tracks.

Eloise played the part of Ted Burbon well and literally tied up Delenor, the security officer, so Loch could switch the fake score with the real one. Loch cleverly used his fake love letters to distract the crowd while he made the switch without anyone noticing.

After I triggered all the alarms and we made our way to the carriage, we thought we were home free, but Eyomund Lamplighter, the stern biological that put me in prison, was waiting for us. I am not sure what he was going to do to us, but I never found out because The Ace took a shot at him, allowing us to make our escape. Quark’s trick worked so we ditched our soul collars and made a run for it. Sadly, I guess I’ll never find out if the collars would have worked on me.

I am recording this as we make our way onto the Wayfarer that Kel acquired. I wonder where he got it from? I can’t write any more right now because we have to get away from all those wayfarers that are trying to stop us.

Entry #8: Blasting Off

As we made our escape, there were three ships in hot pursuit. We did our best to lose them, but all our efforts seemed fruitless.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, Mei Izumi appeared. As Pherus, ever the romantic, pressed ahead with wedding plans, Mei Izumi had the gall to declare us under arrest! She even tried telling us lies about Kel’s previous crew meeting a grisly end via sand sharks, but I didn’t believe her.

Then Kel surprised us by giving his hat to Loch and jumping off the ship and leaving Quark behind. We then gathered in the hold while Quark sang the most beautiful song. As the song penetrated our cores, we began to feel more powerful. More special. More… musical! We all created our own music! Even I, a Synth, created music! Who says Synths can’t be creative!

I am not sure how he did it, but somehow Tandrew popped out of a barrel. How did he do that? Was it magic? Destiny? Or just Tandrew being Tandrew? Or had the Expanse decided we needed the boy? 

Then Kel returned on the EV ship and told us his harebrained plan involving a harpoon rope and blowing up the EV ship. But Mei Izumi foiled his plan and cut his rope. With his lifeline gone, he still managed to blow up the ship, but he made the ultimate sacrifice.

The explosion gave us a chance to escape. Then—something glorious. I’ve never seen the drift open before because the last time I entered the drift, I was in the hold and could not experience it. The drift tree began to glow. Then a giant hole ripped open to reveal the bizarre and wondrous realm of the drift. To any future readers of this log—should it be found adrift without me—if you haven’t experienced entering the drift, DO IT!

We are Driftweavers now. We can create our own music! What shall we do with our newfound powers? Can we still function without the leadership and inspiration of our departed friend and guide, Kel Aster? Read on. Our true adventure begins now.

Entry #9: Is This Just the Ocean, But Not Wet?

As we sped through the drift, I interviewed my Biological friends to learn more about emotions. I wanted to talk to Loch, but he was suffering from the Biological equivalent of an input/output problem. I believe Pherus is experiencing the emotion called “grief”, because she is still hoping to find Kel. Eloise said that she doesn’t feel fear. Do Biologicals have different feelings based on their species, or is this another case of Biologicals not knowing themselves? This is so confusing!

Tandrew took us to the lowest level where we heard the drift tree singing! It sang us its history and told us its name - Sysica! So we sang along with it. Why not, right? Pherus sang it a question about where we were headed, and it answered! It told us our destination used to be called “Xerfas”. 

We investigated the captain’s cabin and found some old pictures of Kel and Mei. The emotions I detected in the old pictures did not agree with those I observed in their last encounter. Biologicals seem to be very unpredictable. Pherus seemed to be upset so we left before completely investigating the room.

We decided we should rename our Wayfarer from the Emenatorto Seraph Bound. Pherus used her decorating abilities to paint the new name on the Wayfarer using a variety of bright and hopeful colors.

Just as we were about to relax, we were interrupted by a unique individual riding a skeletal ?creature-ship? His name is Bazoo Lureman and he is a Drift Hopper and he taught Eloise about some of the mysteries of drift travel. He was looking for a yellow-tailed horngobbler that smelled like coconut shampoo. I invented a “Nose Hose” to sniff out the horngobbler. 

When we found it, it was munching on a ship! And there were 4 people sitting on it and chanting. They seemed to be giving it extra energy. Pherus knocked one of them off, and I shoved the creature’s whiskers into its horn but it still managed to attack Eloise. Ouch! That thing seems unstoppable. What are we to do now?

Entry #10: Whale of a Tale

That horngobbler sure was hungry! It tried to eat our ship! Thankfully, Loch showed up and knocked off one of the lizard-folk who was encouraging that ravenous monstrosity with belly-rubs. The next thing I knew, some bluish-purple substance entered my system. Pherus later gave some to Loch and told him that it was called Ambergris and it was quite valuable.

Then Eloise, wow… She power-punched one of those cultists so hard that he tripled-bounced into space. Now that’s what I call bouncing! Is it ok to be proud of your enemy? That must have infuriated our fishy behemoth because it blasted a sonic boom at Loch and Pherus. But Pherus reflected that boom right back at the horngobbler!

Somehow Pherus convinced one of the cultists to be our chef! Was it her great pie-making skills, or that she called him Bel instead of Bellog?

And then, between Loch’s beautiful singing, my inventing a ship-looking lure, and Eloise’s skilled bobber throwing, the behemoth was shrunk into Bazoo’s tank. Problem solved! Bazoo was so grateful and Loch was so persuasive that we were rewarded with 5 of those bobbers. Don’t tell anyone, but I broke one while examining it.

Eloise stole one of Bazoo’s fish, Reginald the jelly-butler, and it is now giving advice to Loch, who desperately needs it. Loch and Tandrew also stole a fish. Loch may be a lost cause, but Tandrew’s Biological brain is still forming. Now that my ward Alexander has grown up, I should be giving this young Biological some guidance.

Loch researched the books in the voidcaller’s quarters and learned that Xerfas is now called Ayra Majon, which is an archipelago with a moon called Reth that contains aerithite, the very stuff needed to make more bobbers! And Eloise discovered some of Kel’s notes about the Seraph’s Song. Just when I was about to take a peek at them, we got another visitor! I can hardly wait to find out what new adventure Valero the Golden Comet will bring us!

Entry #11: All Rhyme, No Reason

That Valero - what a sight to see! - offered us a challenge. Actually it was a rhyming game he called “Eyriatsun”. We were all a little suspicious at first, but Eloise discovered his trickery - that he was going to try to kidnap one of us! But Pherus used her secret magic to convince him otherwise.

Penelope, one of Valero’s crew, and Eloise were the judges and Loch was our spokesman and he recited all our lines. We all worked as a team and created a story about a wedding between Valero and Pherus. My emotion detector registered very high readings from Pherus, but it was an unclassified emotion. I will need to investigate this new type of emotion later.

It was a difficult game, but I was proud of my skilled Biological friends. I have a lot to learn from them about story-telling. Guess what? We won! Valero was shocked. He said that was the first time anyone had bested him. Wahoo!

After finding out he had been to Sugarpine Nine several times, he allowed us to board his ship to choose our prize, which was a score called “The Glass Cathedral”. But we won’t know its destination location until we find a list that maps scores to destinations.

As we were getting ready to part ways, we discovered Tandrew was missing. We found him on Valero’s vessel trying to woo Penelope. Loch was trying to give him advice, but neither Pherus nor I trusted Loch to be shaping the young lad’s mind, so we separated the two.

We said farewell to Valero the Golden Comet. I wonder if we will ever see him again. And what will we do with this new score of ours? Will it be the source of another adventure?

Entry #12: The Music is Spreading

Today was a day of mysterious happenings. It all started when Loch had a dream that was uncannily similar to the story we told with Valero. He told us that music had inexplicably spread to Valero’s ship. Then the day got even weirder as Pherus discovered a talking diamond ring on her finger and Eloise discovered a saddle and some reptilian claw marks on the deck! 

Then Eloise and Loch had a musical conversation with Sysica! It told us that it “saw” Eloise and Pherus in two places at once and Loch’s dream corresponded with what the tree saw. This drift is even stranger than I thought!

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre, Pherus’s mirror started singing! It was actually Mei Izumi singing a song to Kel. So the music spread to her too? She was singing to Kel, but Kel wasn’t there! Why would someone sing to someone who is gone? These Biologicals are very perplexing!

We then tried to discuss what we should do next, and oh my, was there a disagreement between the Biologicals! There were so many different emotions and they were so strong, my emotion detector overloaded! Is this normal?

Eloise helped me calibrate my emotion detector by telling me the emotion she was feeling right then, which was frustration. I now have a perfectly calibrated detector for the emotion “frustration”. I need to be calibrating more emotions to help me understand these Biologicals better. 

Thankfully, we were interrupted by the discovery of a choral fractal called Sit-Stay. We met a real-life dog who was being harassed by a pack of other dogs. He called himself “Bad Dog” but his real name was “Here-Boy”. He told us that the Orb-that-was-promised was stolen by Lord Nibbles and his minions and it was taken to the borkbark tree. We promised him we would help. Time for another adventure!

Entry #13: Of Mushrooms & Pinecones

On our way to the Borkbark tree, the sisters had a philosophical argument about the name and morality of our canine friend. Eloise decided to call him “Furry” or “Fur-Fur”, but he didn’t seem to like it.

As we climbed the tree, we came to a tunnel and Furry got stuck in a sap pit, but Eloise managed to save him. Then our adventure really began as four mushrooms with tiny red eyes and sharp teeth attacked us. Between the mushroom spores and the sticky sap, we had a difficult time making it through the tunnel. But I now have more content for my book!

And, of course, Loch decided to taste the mushroom and somehow used the mushrooms to create a drink for Pherus which seemed to affect her in very strange ways.

I was temporarily shocked when Loch transformed his body to look like young Alexander. I’m glad he did, because it reminded me of my purpose. I’m not here just for fun. I have a job to do, and I need to remember that. My fellow Synths are relying on me! 

Next it was time for Pherus to be Pherus again. She created a swarm of knitted pinecones to distract the mushrooms, while we quickly made it out of the tunnel. 

After navigating through some jet streams, we finally made it to the top of the tree, only to see a scurry of karami chipmunks preparing to commit some serious shenanigans. Then a huge squirrel karami appeared holding the orb we have been looking for! I know his name is Lord Nibbles, but he called Furry a bad dog and threatened us with torture and death, so I think we should call him “Bad-Squirrel”. He says he wants to use the orb to rule the universe. We need to get that orb from him!

As I finish this entry, the Biologicals are wondering where did the karami come from and who is Furry’s Master? And can we defeat the Bad Squirrel? This is great! I’ll bet this will require a whole chapter in my book!

Entry #14: When Dogs Fly

Our furry friend earned his name today, so we can now officially call him “Here-Boy”. Here’s how it happened…

Lord Nibbles and his karami chipmunks were absolutely vicious! Those little guys may be small, but their rocket launchers were brutal, nearly knocking us all out.  But between Pherus’s knitted pinecones, Eloise’s punches, and my swiping at them, we taught them a lesson. 

Lord Nibbles really tried to beat up Eloise, but he was no match for Pherus’s morality lectures (on his back no less) and Eloise’s bashing. But you know what finally did him in? You’ve heard the expression, Death-by-a-thousand-cuts? Well this was Defeat-by-a-dozen-pinecones. That nasty squirrel went flying off into space! And the orb went flying too! So, with the help of my biological friends, I launched Here-Boy after him and he caught the orb! What a good dog he was! 

And then an amazing thing happened! The orb started to glow, and then Here-Boy started to glow too! And, guess what? He sprouted wings! And just when I thought I had seen everything!

We later learned that the dogs were test subjects that got transported by Dr Ezekiel using some sort of inner expanse drift travel from the Pioneer days.

What an adventure! But adventures are tiring for Biologicals and they drain my power, so we needed a rest. We had a picnic back at the ship with some tea, and Tandrew and I got to shoot off some fireworks… No thanks to Pherus who doesn’t seem to like fireworks.

Then we heard a scraping against the ship. It was a tree, with bottles of secrets in them. We each got to whisper a secret and we gained bottles with special secrets in them. As I was wondering how they work, our ship started to sing a new Seraph’s Song we had never heard before. And we saw a new shard that was a sprawling city in two parts resting on the top of a bioluminescent giant jellyfish-like creature. Time for another adventure!

Entry #15: Day of the Hands

As soon as we docked at the upper city, a female Biological named T’hala floated towards us. I detected an emotion from Loch that resembled “fear”, and he immediately changed forms and asked us to call him Gilran Blabberfoot. Biologicals! T’hala started asking questions about Mei Izumi, so Loch transformed into Mei Izumi but fainted! That fear emotion must have overwhelmed him.

Eloise carried off Loch’s body as Pherus used her secret magic to put T’hala in a good mood. She, along with another friendly Biological named Yl’mani, even gave us a tour of the city! But that’s when things started to go crazy. A group of flying masked insurgents led by a Breaker called Ashbringer attacked the city and did serious damage to our Seraph Bound!

But then something really strange happened. The platform under us dropped, and we started to fall. What a ride! But T’hala saved us by teleporting us to a safe place. There we met another Biological named Typhon. I like Typhon. He is devoted to his daughter Aerith and volunteered to help us fix our Wayfarer.

Yl’mani filled us in about the cultural practices of Ayra Majon while we escorted Typhon and Aerith to their home. The citizens are segregated into two cities, SKY and GROUND, based on their birth-time. I need to learn more about this culture and may devote a chapter in my book to it, but the conditions on GROUND are causing some residents to suffer from respiratory problems. Very sad. Right now, my emotion detector is sensing strong emotions coming from Eloise. I will need to investigate this emotion to add to my database.

Because of her parentage, Yl’mani was adopted by the church and is why she led the ceremony today called “Day of the Hands”. Everyone is now celebrating, and I am not sure what I should be doing. I am thinking about why was SKY being bombed, and why did the Seraph Bound bring us here? Oh wait! The drum beats are changing. What is happening? Oh no! All the grounders have collapsed! What is going on?

Entry #16 - Part 1: The Jelly Tram Jam

Some of the Grounders revived fairly quickly but others took a while. Yl’mani did a great job healing injuries and helping people recover. Pherus was doing something strange with one of the grounders … and fainted for some reason. Loch “recharged” her but then she started speaking gibberish!

About that time T’hala appeared with Lt. Kanan, a high-ranking EV soldier. I am not sure how Eloise figured this out, but she told Lt. Kanan that someone changed the score that was being played and that is what caused all the Grounders to faint.

As we were taking the tram to investigate, we saw a creature-type I’ve never seen before. Yl’mani told us they were called Jeli'kora. I don’t know of a good word to describe them. The closest word in my vocabulary is “wispy”. I need to talk to the other Biologicals and see if they know a better word. As Yl’mani was showing us how to respect them by bowing, suddenly, they entered our car and one grabbed Yl’mani and started sucking the life out of her!

I didn’t know what to do but Pherus did! She attacked the Jeli’kora that was holding Yl’mani and it dropped her – thankfully! But the Jeli’kora’s presence was affecting my circuits so all I could do was to create a pair of knuckle dusters for Eloise… who promptly punched the Jeli’kora. Not so wispy after all!

Typhon created a pure red fireball with his bracelets and one of the creatures was down and another got hit. Go Typhon! But then the Jeli’kora tried to suck the life force out of him. Thankfully they failed, but Biologicals need their life force - so something needs to be done or I might lose my friends!

I don’t know what Loch was doing all this time – something related to his telekinesis. I am not sure if he meant to do it, but he went flying out the car door into the mist. 

Should I try to save him or did he do this on purpose? Hold on… something is happening… I’ll be right back…

Entry #16 - Part 2: The Jelly Tram Jam

… OK I am back…

It is time for some introspection. I think that the Jeli’kora’s life-sucking power is affecting me just like the others, does this mean I also have a life force? That would mean I am really alive, right? I need to be absolutely sure, because if I can prove synths are alive, we can be FREE. [and he starts playing his theme song and shouts on top of the music…]

I’ll fight, I’ll write, I’ll make history, A synth with a story - I’ll prove it, you’ll see! I’m Bungee, I’m stretchy, and I’m ready to sail! [and he jumps onto a Jeli’kora … doing everything he can to try to get it to try to suck his life force].

Entry #17: Nobody Expected This Inquisition

While Loch was floating around in the expanse, I could feel the presence of the Jeli’kora pass through my body and take hold of “something”... of my “self”. Actually, the sensation was quite fascinating. I was looking down on my own body. I could see my friends but it didn’t feel real. Is this how Biologicals feel when they dream?

My friends were panicking, trying to find a way to attach my soul to my body. Somehow I ended up trapped in Pherus’s knitting needles! Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea afterall.

I could see that Eloise was going to throw a huge ball of yarn at Loch in an attempt to reel him in, but he was too far away. Oh wait! She actually did it!

Now that Loch was back, maybe he could save me. Yes! He tried to zap me with his hands, but something went wrong. Sparks went flying everywhere. One bolt knocked out Pherus but bounced off her and hit me, charging my body. Then Loch got a great idea and welded my knitting-needle-soul back into my body… and it worked! My experiment worked! I now know for certain that I have a soul. I can’t wait to publish these findings! Today is a day that will go down in Synth-history!

But where is Typhon? Loch reported that he was kidnapped by Jeli’kora and taken to an ancient burial ground. But how do we get there?

As Yl’mani escorted us to the place where the score was being played, I noticed Eloise was very quiet. My emotion detector may need re-calibration but was signaling “regret”.

We got to play a fun detective game to try to discover how the score was changed. I discovered a trace of Dust on the score and am in the process of analyzing it. Meanwhile Eloise questioned the Archon about Typhon’s kidnapping. He ignored her and walked away. How rude!

Where did Eloise go? Oh, she’s just being really quiet. Is the reason because she discovered something? Can we win this detective game and learn how the score was changed? Should we travel to the burial grounds to find Typhon? I’ll write more later when we learn more.

Entry #18: Bungee Dreams of Electric Sheep

As I was analyzing the dust particles from the score, something very strange happened. I had another out-of-body experience! I was seeing the Keth’ora Station right before the cataclysm occurred. I could see it all: the huge severed head, Syn’ian Yhondar and her drum, the musicians playing music, the terrifying scream, the explosions, and the deathly silence that followed. This was something that no one should see. No Biological could have survived this “vision” without going mad. Even I, a Synth, am having a difficult time containing this information.

As we continued our Detective Game, I discovered the Dust from the score was a Slip-Shift-Kachow concoction which indicates that the score was transformed temporarily and triggered at the time Un’batu was playing it.

But then Loch fumbled (again) and got the score all wet! I am not sure what is wrong with Loch. He did discover that some sort of invisible ink was being used, but I think that was just by accident. When I tried asking him about it, his reaction was quite illogical.

Meanwhile Eloise and Pherus did their own detecting. They discovered that the Breaker attacks started about 6 months ago when there was a big push by the grounders for the right to live without getting sick. So, maybe a rebellion is justified. I need to talk to Eloise about this. Oh, and Pherus fixed Loch’s blunder by drying out the score.

They also mentioned that the Archon fled to Keth’ora Station. So we took EV Dusters to the coordinates but there was no station - just an eerie void with an ominous memorial to the 299 lost souls. And the Archon was there too. We told him about my vision, but he was not happy to learn about it. Isn’t truth meant to be shared?

Suddenly I was cast into the void. Where is everybody? Wait! I see Eloise now. And The Archon! And Loch and Pherus! I can even see Typhon’s body. I try to voice concern but there is only silence. What have we done? This promises to be great material for my book!

(Pherus Log) Entry #19: The Sound of Silence

Well, this has been just such the most fascinating day. I mean, I've never seen anything like it. Thankfully, you know, we had Lock here to kind of fling us into this little uh zone area. I don't know. But we got to go after Bungie now. Oh, there he is. I can see him floating right over there. Oh god, the Archon just pinned him to that rock. Oh, that's so rude. 

Oh, and there's Typhon. See, I knew we'd find him. He's in just like that pretty little bubble over there. We should probably get him back out so we can ski daddle. But first, I do need to get Lock looking healthier. I'm just going to dump this flask in him real quick and see if that helps. Oh, and there goes my sister just looking so adorable in that new suit just leaping off to Bungee's rescue. She is so sweet. Always thinking of others. Oh, well done getting him loose. The team is all back together again, but she seems real fascinated by that metal pole. 

So, I can't wait to hear all about that once we're all safe. Oh, Bungee is just so grateful. He tried to hug Eloise. I'm so happy they're becoming his sweet self again. And he's holding the pole now. So, I guess he feels closer to it after all that. It is getting uh real uncomfy in here, so we should probably hurry up and get going. Everything stings. So, I'm just going to smack that pretty bubble with that energy real quick. Try to pop it. I really don't think anybody can actually hear me. That is so fascinating. But I hope everyone knows that I am rooting for them. 

All right, is open and we are all still alive. Perfect. Loch can just do that nifty telepathy trick again and bling us all out of here right in front of Bungie so he can see how good we are all doing. Oh, those uh Jello spirits seem real unhappy that we are trying to leave, but sadly we will have to explain it to them next time. I'm so worried about how tired everybody is starting to look. 

Oh god, I feel so much better out here. And I can hear again. I miss this so much. The Archon is still acting very childish and I am start to be a little concerned how Bungee is acting. I wonder if something happened when he got hurt. I'm I We're going to need to sit and have a chat later. I just I feel like we need some one-on-one time there and see if he's feeling all right. But we can finally head back to the ship so we can rest and check up on everyone. Also, Eloise really wants to try and make some hammers out of those fancy new poles she found there. And she has a rutabaga. Okay, I know a beautiful stir fry recipe. I got to cook that up before it loses all its freshness. 

And perfect. The lieutenant is here and apparently so is Mei. Oh, that is so perfect. I don't have to find a way to write to her to tell her we need her help to get Kel back.

Entry #20: Breakfast at Pherus’s

Have you ever made a discovery, and you just want to tell someone about it? That’s how we all felt. It’s like when your capacitors are charged with electrons and if you could just find an inductor to resonate with them… well you get the idea. Lt. Kanan was our inductor and it was time for a data dump. Pherus made a rutabaga-based breakfast for us all, and we told Lt. Kanan what we learned. And what a relief! As unbelievable as our story sounds, he believed us!

He also let us know that only a Light Brand could perform the light weaving we detected on the score. And, of course, the Archon is a Light Brand. Do we need any more proof?  I don’t trust the Archon, especially after his aggressive behavior towards me in the void.

Of course, Loch needed to transform back into Mei Izume so the Lt. would not be suspicious. But he wasn’t very discrete and Tandrew saw it and now he wants to learn how to transform like Loch! 

And speaking of Tandrew, while we were gone, our friend took the initiative to do some of his own detective work. Without our help, he created some little blobs of green goo with hats (of course Pherus befriended one of them called Chet) and sent them investigating. They discovered a crate that had hundreds of humanoid synthetic heads! 

Eloise had a great idea and sent one of the little green guys off to keep track of the crate of heads. Don’t tell anybody, but he’s playing hide-n-seek inside the crate of heads.

I finally had time to analyze the pole we brought back from the void and determined it was made of Velyssar, a metal found on the moon Velyss, the sister moon. Lt. Kanan told us that Typhon works with Velyssar, but…

Where is Typhon? And what is the Archon hiding? And what is the mystery of this pole? And why is there a crate of synth heads? Time for more detecting! Oh here comes Loch with something important to say. What? We have to compose a song? I guess the detecting will have to wait.

Entry #21: There's no I in Team, but there's an ME

We just finished composing our song and now we’re all ready to do some more DETECTING! But wait! Oh no! Ashbringer is back and there are Breakers everywhere! What is happening? A rebellion he says? And now the EVs and Nav’gan forces are fighting back. We’ve got to do something! But what?

Must help Eloise get family out of burning building. I see Breakers lobbing explosives at our wayfarer. Pherus is using her power to reflect the explosives out into the water. She is giving the Breakers some sort of lecture? No time to investigate. EVs need our help with students stuck under rubble. Eloise holds up the building while I shuttle students to safety.

Loch - disguised as a Breaker- is causing a distraction to keep Ashbringer from getting hit. Maybe he’s not so…

Wait! A huge pipe is going to fall on Aerith and we can’t reach her in time! Is Ashbringer going to save her? Yes! He does! But his mask falls off. And… Is that Typhon? “Pherus. Ashbringer is Typhon! Or Typhon is Ashbringer!”. Oh, and there he goes towards the gate to the assembly. What? Hereboy will pick up Aerith? Good because Eloise and I need to help T’hala prevent a fire from reaching that fuel depot. Why is Eloise asking me to climb the water tower? Metal screeching as she rips off the top. Pressure hose created. Fire explosion averted. Phew!

I can see everything from up here. Pherus looks angry as several Nav’gan soldiers exit our wayfarer. Tandrew’s beside her. Oh no! He’s overboard! He can’t swim Pherus! A glittery festive float? Really Pherus? Well it worked! Tandrew is safe.

So many people talking at once. I see the gate being opened to let the Breakers in. It looks like Loch prevented a lot of damage to the gate, but is he saving lives? I can’t tell.

Yl’mani look out! Bombs headed your way! Must jump down and help. Sling-shot time! Eloise keeps them safe. Only one broken bone.

EVs are coming this way. Why aren’t they protecting the council room? Loch says the Breakers have taken control. But no! The Archon is doing something to Typhon. Now I see Typhon/Ashbringer and Loch coming out. Typhon looks hurt. Is the battle over? Loch, what happened?

Entry #22: Something Smells Fishy

Loch is asking Typhon why the Archon didn’t kill him when he had a chance, but Typhon doesn't know. Is he telling the truth? Biologicals do like to lie a lot, so I don’t know. After Pherus gave Typhon one of her lectures, he let us know that the Archon also supported him on the vote to make things better for the Grounders. What is the Archon up to?

Time for more detective work. Yl’mani is telling us that the missing coreberries were accidentally taken by an engineer by the name of Bis'bon T'sar. She is showing us the crate he was supposed to receive but it is labeled “screws”. Pherus wants to open it up. Oh dear: instead of it containing screws, it contains thousands of strange tubes! Why is there a container of all these strange tubes? 

What’s this? A projection coming from Loch’s fishy friend, “Fizzletongue the Carbonated Trout”!. Is that a commercial? Are those tubes used for soul-storage? Even T’hala agrees this is very suspicious and she is switching the label with another crate and I am attaching trackers to both of them. We’ll catch those smugglers somehow!

We are now waiting for Bis’bon to answer the door. Oh, he looks overworked. Pherus: Are you flirting with him? Loch has transformed himself as a thug and Bis’bon is very nervous. What is he covering up? Pherus says we should follow Bis’bon to the fishing cannery, so here we go on another adventure!

Here’s our plan. Loch will raise the entrance door and I will sneak in. Being invisible makes detective work so much easier! OK, the door is opening. Good job Loch. You are much more capable than I … HEY, you electrocuted me! I’m inside now. Loch is supposed to close the door but it isn’t closing. Did Loch screw up again? 

I’m looking around now and see huge machinery. And … is that an assembly line of synthetic bodies? What is the Archon up to? Oh no, an alarm! Loch, what did you do? I hope Pherus is lecturing you. OK, stay quiet, I’m invisible so I should be fine. But what should I do next?

Entry #23: A Moth Called Typhon

The alarm is still going, but I still need to be very very quiet as I enter the Design room. I’m also trying to hear a conversation between Eloise and Aerith - Something about an ancient book -  but the noise of the alarm is so loud that my audio filters aren’t allowing me to get much detail.

There is a lot of information in this room, but … wait! What’s this? “Project Transcendence”? I need to tell the others, but I can’t because you can’t win at hide-n-seek if you make noise. I know, I will make a copy of this to show others later. I am such a good detective!

I can hear a great storm outside. The walls are shaking. What is Pherus up to? 

Is that Typhon? What is he doing here? Let’s see what secret he holds. I carefully open the bottle… “The moth that flits between two moons basks in the light of one while being the puppet of the other.” What is that supposed to mean? Maybe Pherus will know.

I don’t like this mass-production of Synths. It doesn’t seem right to me. Is that a moral judgement? Am I allowed to do that? No time to decide… must.. Sabotage… Reprogramming… got it! That will teach them to treat Synths like they are just bodies to be possessed.

Loch is coming … this time as the Archon himself. I hope he knows what he is doing! Oh there’s the Archon… no that’s just Loch. Very convincing Loch!    He’s getting the grand tour and I can hear everything about this wretched place. Way to go Loch! 

What? Goldfish souls in a Synth body? That’s so disrespectful. Transferring a hundred thousand souls? We can’t let that happen. I’m glad I sabotaged it. 

The alarm has stopped, thanks to Loch. Finally, some peace. Is Typhon working for the Archon? Let’s see what happens if I shout “The Archon is here!” Oh, he’s getting away, and he is taking  something with him. Must follow him… Can’t open the door. Eloise! Help! Thanks! But where is he?

Pherus is tailing him!    She makes a good spy. What? She is too afraid to go into the building? 

We need to talk to Typhon to find out if he is a good guy or a bad guy. I hope he is good because Aerith needs a good father. I guess we’ll find out.