Project Story Conclusion 1 - Thomas Carola

I got another download from Marionettes. I think it's a result of the errors caused by Edward and the others. I don't know what the status of those in Station 85 is, but I hope that me receiving this is proof that they're okay. This download is a document that I've transcribed.

Thomas Carola was hired by Upstaged Communications on September 17th, 2003. A friend of a board member, he was sped through the hiring process at the only station with an opening. His former workplace claimed his termination was the result of negligence and carelessness on his part, but never offered any proof to Upstaged when the HR department called.

As the A1 engineer for Station 85, his job was to work the audio for live broadcasts. He did mixing so that people could be heard, prepared sound effects for the appropriate moments, and ensured that nothing sounded out of place. A sub-mixer worked under him, requiring him to manage the individual as well. Perhaps it was the false accusations his former employer made, or perhaps he was simply a naturally talented worker; regardless, he proved himself to be a valuable asset to the company. He always worked above and beyond, willing to stay late to ensure everything was set up for the next day. It was his tendency to overwork himself that led to him making a discovery he should not have.

In 2005, while searching the audio archives of Marionettes for a particular sound effect he had created months prior, he stumbled across something. A recording of an indecipherable chatter, sounding as if it were being broadcast from a poorly tuned radio. The file name was nonsense, a scrambling of letters and numbers that broke the traditionally strict naming standards the company maintained for all files across its system. It should have been an innocuous discovery, but he inexplicably found himself particularly disturbed by it. When he approached Edward Marion with his concern, he was told that it was simply the chatter of an audience, unintentionally and automatically captured by the system. He promised that it would be removed promptly. It was.

Thomas was unnerved, but did his best to focus on his job, continuing to act as a studious employee. As the years passed, he was offered promotions to higher managerial positions multiple times. He turned them all down, despite the insistence of Nashiko Morita that he take these opportunities. He claimed that he knew what he was best at, and that he wished to continue what he was the perfect fit for. To everyone else, he appeared to be content.

This was a lie. He continued his current job to ensure he could maintain access to the entirety of the audio archives, where he went searching. Despite how busy he kept himself, he was unable to forget the chatter of the audience. It was impossible to explain how he knew, but his intuition was screaming at him that something about it was very wrong.

In his search, he found more strange recordings. Multiple others that may have been from this audience, and recordings of something new. Recordings of music that sounded close to peaceful, but were fragmented and broken, all named scrambled variations of the word SIGNAL. Edward, upon being approached about these, was quick to tell him that these were of no concern to him. Curiously, however, he also insisted that Thomas should report them as soon as he noticed them. This would let Marionettes scrub them from the archives. He was unsure as to why Edward was so insistent on this, but knew that he was hiding something.

He could never let go of the voices, or the music. It ate away at him as he slowly grew more isolated in his personal life, drifting away from friends and family as he did extensive external research to try to discover what was happening, desperately attempting to excuse or explain it. It didn't work. There was nothing. He wouldn't get his answers until 2010.

Having accidentally discovered that Upstaged had a secret, he was prepared when catastrophe struck. The Signal began propagating through all stations during another one of his deep dives into the audio archives, but he was able to recognize the now whole music pouring from the speakers. Panicked, he locked himself away in a recording booth. He only opened the door when Edward came knocking, telling him that there was a plan to save them all from the horrible fate the company wrought upon its employees. He was one of the eight to survive the calamity that began midnight of October 17th, 2010.

Three days passed. Upstaged Communications was dead, the Signal was contained, and the survivors were freed on October 20th. His memory had been damaged in the preparation of Penelope, leaving only fragments of history to draw from. The memories of what he had been forced to do had grown hazy, but he remembered just how dangerous the Signal was.

It awoke once again in 2021. Two years later, he was called back. A package was sent on October 1st, 2023, and received October 3rd. He received it the same day as Joshua, Lillian, Nashiko, and Wyatt.

He was the third receiver the Signal was able to capture in 2023. There is no longer a Thomas Carola.

I had the same reaction Thomas did to seeing evidence of the Signal after receiving the remote access key. It wormed its way into my mind, and refused to let go.

It says there's no more Thomas. I want to bring him back. He, Joshua, and Lillian have to be able to be brought back.