SOC-102
| Stats | |
|---|---|
| Status | Mysterious |
| Researcher | huck |
We discovered a strange machine that we describe as follows:
A person-sized chamber that appears to be made of solid glass, the long side horizontal along the ground, like a coffin. The glass is kind of foggy, but if you look closely, you can see there is some kind of soft texture inside which we theorize to be cushioning. There appears to be a "pillow"-like object inside as well, though it's fixed to the walls of the "pod".
To the side of the pod, there is a screen with a QWERTY keyboard attached, backspace and arrow keys and all. If you type into the keyboard, it shows up on the screen. If you press "Enter", there are lights on the top of the screen that flash either red or blue. The phrase "PAUSE-POD" can be seen underneath the screen in a font that looks like a logo.
At this time, we have no idea if the pod can be opened.
Testing Logs
Initial Test
We could not find a way to open the pod, whether via buttons or switches or anything. There is no maintenance panel and the only visible way to interface with the object was to type phrases into the keyboard. These inputs tended to get an "invalid input" response from the machine, which seems to imply there is a valid input. There is no manual. Only one way to find out.
| Phrase entered | Pod response | Research notes |
|---|---|---|
| purpose | "Invalid Input" | |
| 0123456789 | "Invalid Input" | Seeing if numbers create a different response. |
| abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | "Invalid Input" | |
| status | "Invalid Input" | |
| hi | "Invalid Input" | Trying random phrases between 2-10 characters. |
| help | "Invalid Input" | |
| one | "Invalid Input" | |
| four | "Invalid Input" | |
| three | "Invalid Input" | |
| greets | "Invalid Input" | |
| explode | "Invalid Input" | |
| explodes | "Invalid Input" | |
| labyrinth | "Invalid Input", Blue text instead of red. | Blue? |
At this point, we decided to stop inputting phrases for the time being, in case the blue text had noticeable effects and also to figure out why the hell it was blue this time. Nothing happened and we still don't know.
Testing Phase #1
Senior Object Goon A. P. Citron¹ assigned itself to the as-of-yet unassigned Pause-Pod case at this time and immediately oversaw the creation of two testing groups - GEEKS and GAMERS. Both groups had some familiarity or interest in puzzle-solving, though the kind of puzzles relevant to their expertise is sort of hinted at by the name of the testing group itself. Both groups were to have no direct contact with each other, and initially, the testing groups were to be kept unaware of each other's existence.
¹ While Citron occasionally identifies itself as "Dr. Citron", it is not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination and Citron is the kind of person to cry at the sight of a deceased worm.