Experiment 57:30. Subject: John E. Calloway. Age: 37. Current location: Sector Alpha 34-E.

Week 1: Started experiment designated ‘Arm in arm to a full awakening’. The settings in the weather ray have been double-checked by the boys in the lab and our overcast skies are perfect to test the magnitude of this contraption. 3 short rays fly their way into the sky and clouds become engorged. We are treated to a slightly warm drizzle that turns into a shower. Maybe this configuration will sort out the water problem in Omega 50-D. We will continue to work for the rest of the week, always trying to get Stratus into Stratocumulus (or Cumulus if luck smiles at us).

Note 1: There are some bellowing sounds at night, like a church organ in the distance. We first thought it was an actually un-authorised use of musical instrument infraction, but it seems to be just our minds playing tricks.

Week 2: Experiment designation is ‘Dislocated Harmony’. Who comes up with these names? Marketing monkeys? The weather ray is now perfected, we always get rain, no simple drizzles. Temperature control is not quite spot-on, but duration and volume seems to be within the calculated values. Cadet Jonesy from the Recon group said he took a trek through the nearby forests and spotted an unknown creature, no taller than a tapir, no longer than a greyhound. He said he pointed his rifle towards it, but the creature ignored it and just stared at him. Chief McManus has signed an order for us all to carry weapons. Perish the thought.

Note 1: The sounds at night are increasing in intensity. I’m now sure it’s not a collective imagination; there is a source of music and official regulations point out that all musical sources are to be eliminated with extreme prejudice.

Note 2: It’s late Sunday when I write this, but I’m starting to notice that I sleepwalk to these night sounds. They remind me of the waterfalls near my old village. Will increase dosage of Palax and hope for these inconveniences to get out of my scientific task.

Week 5: We had a long delay in setting up experiment ‘A Hungover Whisper’. Half of Jonesy’s squad literally disappeared overnight a fortnight ago and McManus halted all manual work for 2 weeks while a search party was organised. We found no evidence of them being attacked, but found their weapons and gear left in piles, as if they’ve decided to drop everything. Their footsteps disappeared too. McManus said that we should continue the experiments. “To be occupied means you will not be preocuppied” he keeps repeating. We have managed to turn Altostratus into Cumulunimbus. Rain temperature, duration and volume all worked perfectly. We are near that breakthrough. Maybe the disappearance of our colleagues will be offset by this.

Note 1: I distinctly hear the sounds again. Now I could even sense the forbidden notes of strings, both cello and violin. All string instruments have been banned for 20 years. Why am I hearing this? Have I gone insane? No one speaks about this, but it’s on everyone’s minds.

Note 2: I woke up on Saturday and I swear I could see a pair of glowing green eyes in my room. I pointed my torch towards them and a shadowy figure dissipated. I attribute this to general tiredness.

Week 8: Another delay. The worst part of scientific work is not only the frustration of failed experiments, the lack of funds, the missing equipment (lost three varistors every week – theft?) or seeing it all fail. No, the worst part is the quiet periods where nothing seems to happen. “Nothing” in experiment terms. Believe you me, a lot is happening. The sounds are now during both day and night, they are loud and disconcerting. I no longer feel safe in this base, as all our weapons are out of order. All the grunts we called “soldiers” have disappeared, leaving only Jonesy, McManus and two post-grads to finish this experiment. The government sends a drone to drop supplies and all pleas to get us out of here are met with negativeness. Are we doomed? Why have they forsaken us?

Note 1: I see the glowing eyes every day in my room. Today I spoked to it and we held a conversation. Enjoyable.

Note 2:Ray working. Cirrocumulus turns Cumulonimbus. Rain, good. Success. We win. Contact boss.

Week 9: Jonesy, the last person I see for the last 4 days, disappears in front of me. His tray of processed protein and water falls in front of me, like he never existed. He doesn’t look scared, he actually was smiling before disappearing. His last words were: “can’t you hear it? It’s beautif…”.  I feel every single molecule in my body tremble and I run to the ray. Is this the key? The music is overbearing, I feel like I’m a small insect in a hall saturated, no, drenched in reverberating sounds that overwhelm me. I move the controls and settings, the action of a crazed lunatic, trying to understand what did we do wrong. I shoot at the sky and all clouds become lenticular, with the vortex moving towards me. I see in the event horizon shapes, hard to describe them…they…are humanoid? What are they? They seem to be only three, one looks female, the other two male. They beckon for me to come to them, but how can I? I’m in the ground. I know, I’ll put down this dictaphone and raise my arms, surely this will work.

*******************************************************************************

Report from field commander Lethbridge-Stewart: We have found the band deserted. No signs of violence nor struggle are to be found neither in any building nor the surrounding woods. We have set three beacons, infrarred cameras and motion sensors and waited for 3 days, but to no avail. We will dismantle the ray and take the valuable pieces with us. I found a dictaphone neatly put by the notes of chief scientist Calloway. They sound like the ramblings of a deranged man. Poor devil. We will depart tomorrow back to sector 1-B, the men are worried about an undescribable sound that we all are hearing.

Words: Sam J. Valdés López

A-Sun Missa Website. Twitter. Soundcloud.