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Pope: Jesse, when you were down in Research, did you run into a Dr. Raya Underhill?
Jesse: I didn’t. Who is she?
Pope: She was… is a colleague of mine. A researcher studying a kind of extra-dimensional Mold growing below Research.
Jesse: I don’t like the sound of that.
Pope: No one does. I haven’t heard from Raya since the Hiss arrived. Would you mind having a look around for her the next time you’re in Research?
Jesse: Of course.
Pope: Thanks, Jesse. Now what’s on your mind?
Jesse: I visited the Quarry. What’s the plan for all that Black Rock?
Pope: The Bureau has used Black Rock almost exclusively for containment purposes. I say branch out! Instead of boxes, helmets! Instead of blast shields, knives!
Jesse: Knives?
Pope: Yes. Knives. So many combat applications! Slicing, stabbing, gouging! Sorry. I’ve been trying to get Darling to explore combat applications for years. Got a little excited.
Jesse: Wow. (I did not expect that from her.) This place is looking good. Arish is making real progress around here.
Pope: Right? This place is a fortress. With him taking care of operations here, I can spend more time analyzing the Hiss. I’ve been attempting to isolate and neutralize the Hiss resonance in blood samples, but no luck so far.
Jesse: So you can’t reverse it?
Pope: Not yet. But perhaps reversing it is too simple. See, if Hiss resonance can rewrite human genetics, then perhaps it’s a question of rewriting the Hiss resonance. In theory, that could pave the way for custom human genetic alteration.
Jesse: (I wonder how often the phrase “mad scientist” is used around here.) How is HRA production coming along?
Pope: Better than expected. We’ve already made enough to get people out of a couple safe rooms. They’re here, alive, thanks to you. We never would’ve lasted this long if you hadn’t walked in those doors.
Jesse: (You deserve thanks too, of course.) We got this place up and running together, Emily. I should get going. Enjoy your data.
Pope: Oh, I will.
Jesse: P6 is what the Bureau calls Dylan. His cell’s been breached. Has the Hiss found him? Are you there with him? Can you protect him?
Jesse: It’s been a long time since Dylan and I knew each other. I’ve wondered about him. What kind of man he’d grow up to be. Were things as hard for him as they were for me? Maybe in here, they were even harder.
Langston: (operatic humming) Oh, hello. Is there something I can help you with?
Jesse: I’m Jesse, the new Director. I need to get inside.
Langston: New Director? Right uh, well okay, hello, I’m Frederick Langston, the Panopticon Supervisor. It’s not the best time for a tour. We have Hiss everywhere, numerous cell breaches, and system failures across the board, but you’re the Director, so here we go. Founded by Zachariah Trench, the Panopticon is our state-of-the-art repository for all Altered Items, Objects of Power, and—
Jesse: (We don’t have time for this.) I was told Dylan Faden was kept here. Can you help me find him?
Langston: Faden? Sure. Darling wanted him somewhere secure and isolated, away from people. He’s in the maximum security cells, upper level. But there’s currently a, uh, a pressing matter, ma’am. We’ve got an Object of Power loose in there, it’s wrecking the place. The Benicoff TV. It’s a, uh, it’s a real doozy. Salvador took a team in to handle it, but no one’s heard from them for hours. This is a category five O.o.P we’re talking about and if we don’t contain it soon, it will tear the Panopticon apart. And we don’t want all those Altered Items getting loose, ma’am. No, trust me.
Jesse: (Dylan’s in there.) Open the door, Langston. I’ll handle it.
Langston: If you say so. I usually tell first timers not to touch anything, so, uh, just do that. Here, I’ll get the door for you. And please, ma’am, call me Fred.
Jesse: Thanks, Langston.
Langston: Is the TV back in its box yet. No rush or anything. It’s just, you know, an ongoing concern.
Jesse: Do you like working at the FBC?
Langston: Sure. I mean, yeah, the drama is a bit much, but I get better benefits here than I would over at the postal service. I checked. Better health care. That’s not to say I don’t like my job, ma’am. Been here over 15 years. No one knows the Panopticon collection better than me. I’m uh… close to them, in a way.
Jesse: (I can’t tell if that’s creepy or normal here.) How do you keep the Altered Items under control?
Langston: It depends on the item. Each one has different needs. Ritualistic touches go a long way. Singing to them.
Jesse: (Did he say singing?)
Langston: Flipping the lights three times. That sort of thing. It’s not superstition if it works.
Jesse: What’s the difference between Objects of Power and Altered Items?
Langston: Think of them like storms. Objects of Power are like tropical cyclones, or hurricanes for the uneducated. They’re big, rare, and scary. Of course, Directors can just bind the O.o.P. and become the eye of the storm. Altered Items are more like weird thunderstorms. Some may rain frogs, some may rain corn, but they all rain something.
Jesse: And how does the Hiss factor into all that?
Langston: It’s changing them, making them aggressive. Now they’re all raining, I don’t know… knives. Knife rain.
Jesse: (Nice metaphor.) Did you work closely with Trench?
Langston: He spent most of his time with Darling and all them. The inner circle. Not that I care.
Jesse: (Trench certainly had his favorites.)
Langston: He did stop in occasionally to scowl and smoke. Did you know the Bureau has a no smoking policy? It does. Just not for Trench. Still, he is the one who put aside funding for the Panopticon. The man did have vision.
Jesse: How’d you get this job?
Langston: Started as a junior agent because my uncle knew a guy. From there I got put on a desk until an accident left the Containment Sector severely understaffed, at which point I got bumped up to management. Put in a steady eight hours a day for another ten years and voilà. Supervisor.
Jesse: (I just picked up a gun… Or a gun picked me.) I’ll see you later, Langston.
Langston: I’ll be here.
Jesse: The Panopticon. Dylan’s close, but that Object of Power might wreck this place before I find him.
Jesse: Something went wrong with the Bureau’s plan to make Dylan the next Director. Marshall made it sound like it was all Dyaln’s fault, but how much of it was what the Bureau did to him? I don’t think she’s telling me everything.
Jesse: That’s the Object of Power. I need to cleanse it.
Jesse: That… thing was Salvador, the Head of Security. His team didn’t stand a chance against the Hiss. No one here does. Okay, the TV. Another Object of Power gone nuts. Here we go again.
The Board: <Use the TV/Baby-Sitter. Levitate/Superhero over the obstacle. Newsflash/APB: the Hiss/Static attempts to reach us. Our board must survive.>
Jesse: Okay. Dealt with the TV. Now I can find Dylan.
Jesse: Dylan. He’s so close.
Pope: Hello? Can you hear me? Jesse. Are you there, Jesse?
Jesse: Emily? He’s gone. Dylan isn’t here. He might be nearby. Or maybe the Hiss got to him? I don’t know.
Pope: Jesse, listen. Dylan’s here. With us. He just walked in. He says he is giving himself up. He’s been affected by the Hiss, but he is different than the others. We must isolate him.
Jesse: I’m on my way.