Waknuk Library Service | Field Incident Report

1. Mission Overview

Investigated local reports from a village of "Orthodox Definitionists" regarding a haunted cavern. Villagers claimed the cave was inhabited by a "Vocal Devil" that repeated the blasphemies of the Old People. My objective was to determine if the "vocalizations" were of biological origin (Deviation) or a technological remnant.

2. Discovery & Observation

Upon entering the cavern, I encountered a series of rhythmic, repeating sounds. Local superstition attributed this to spirits. However, my portable frequency scanner (WLS-Mod 3) identified a low-voltage electrical pulse.

Deep within the cavern, I located a partially submerged Data Storage Unit—Pre-Collapse era. The "voices" were merely corrupted audio files playing on a loop through a damaged emergency intercom system, likely powered by a geothermal thermal-well that hasn't failed in centuries.

3. The Incident

While attempting to stabilize the unit for extraction, a local Purity Inspector and three armed guards entered the cave. They had been tracking my movement since I bypassed the town’s checkpoint.

• The Conflict: The Inspector declared the artifact a "foul machine of the Great Error" and ordered its immediate destruction via thermal charge.
• The Resolution: I invoked Protocol 9 (Academic Immunity), though I knew the locals didn't recognize WLS authority. I had to utilize a localized EMP burst (disguised as a "divine flash") to disable their electronic ignition systems. In the ensuing confusion and "superstitious panic," I secured the artifact and retreated to the extraction point.

4. Artifact Analysis

Artifact Alpha-9 appears to be a Digital Archive of Soil Science.

The Truth: The "Singing Dunes" are not cursed; the soil records indicate they were once high-yield farmlands. The "voices" were simply the automated weather warnings for a civilization that no longer exists.

5. Recommendations

• Immediate: Artifact Alpha-9 has been moved to the Vault for data scrubbing.
• Long-term: We must monitor the village. The Inspector saw my face. My Lead Investigator ID was nearly compromised during the scuffle.
• Correction: The local "history" that says the desert was created by a bolt of lightning is officially False. It was caused by industrial desiccation. I will draft a pamphlet for the underground network to subtly correct this narrative.

SIGNED: Geoff T. Green LEAD INVESTIGATOR Waknuk Library Service "Quaerite originem, invenite viam"

The Alpha-9 ("Black Mirror") Artifact