Das Ende der Welt war am 30. April 2004

Wednesday January 14, 2004
Last Words from Antarctica
The crew of the American Antarctic coastal station has vanished shortly after a desperate email was dispatched to Washington, DC. The text of the email was simply, “The blood gods are here.” Communications with Palmer coastal station have been similarly silent.

Tuesday January 13, 2004
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
The Final Battle has arrived. Margrave Yuri Konietzko and Queen Tamara Tvarivich call all warriors of Gaia to join with them to defeat the Wyrm at last. Forces gather at the Sept of the Night Sky. Do not tarry!

Monday January 12, 2004
San Francisco Population Joins Spontaneous Rave
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA—An unprecedented rave took place simultaneously at nearly every location in the city last night, drawing almost every resident into its wild revels. The so-called “Avatar Trance” was sponsored by two groups, the Waydown Viktae and the Bay Area Bacchantes. Police and FBI attempts to shut down the city-wide dance party failed completely, and authorities were baffled by malfunctioning equipment and the “conversion” of officers and agents to the ecstatic vibe.

Friday January 9, 2004
//intercept/source—unknown//:
Honored Bone Ancestor: In these darkest of times, I find the call of the Hundred Clouds has grown so loud I can no longer ignore it. The cycle is over. I move on. —Kuro-sama

Thursday January 8, 2004
Island of Hawaii Destroyed by Volcanoes
HONOLULU, HAWAII—The island of Hawaii was destroyed today in a massive explosion, as the volcanoes Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea erupted with more force than even the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. The eruptions are the latest in a series of freak volcanic eruptions, as active, dormant and even presumed extinct volcanoes across the globe erupt in full force.

Wednesday January 7, 2004
//intercept/source—radio broadcast 23 MHz//:
Help us! The sky has broken open over Ar-Ramadi and the sun is blotted out. It rains blood and fire. Demons walk the streets and speak the name of Vaniel, their master. Most of the population has been enslaved and made to tear down their homes to build a grand citadel to the Dark One. They’re coming for me—

Tuesday January 6, 2004
Italian Cultists Claim Responsibility for Kidnappings
PALERMO, SICILY—Members of the cult calling itself the Society of the Nascent Flood today claimed credit for a mass kidnapping, claiming that those abducted would be used to feed the thirsts of their undead masters.

Monday January 5, 2004
//intercept/source— hunter-net.org//
The time for our new world has begun. -- Witness1

Friday January 2, 2004
//intercept/source— amenti.org//:
My dear lady:
I’m afraid that I, too, am at a loss. As per the council’s request, I bent a considerable portion of my efforts of late to the task of getting a hold of Count Tjeby. As the Avenger knows, Tjeby has always been good about heeding both the will and the call of the council, and I had expected this occasion to be no different. After I had grown sure that conventional means would simply not suffice, I endeavored to discern his location through mystical means (which was, I assume, why you came to me specifically). What I was certainly not prepared for, however, was the utter failure of those means as well.

This turn of events leads me to a single, inexorable conclusion: Our esteemed brother is no longer among the living. This would be no cause for concern, but for the current state of affairs in Duat. If our old friend was indeed forced into a death cycle now—with Neter-khertet the way it is—I fear greatly what may have become of him.

Wednesday December 31, 2003
Bermuda Triangle Glows
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA—Satellite imagery, airplane over-flights and eye witnesses all agree that the Bermuda Triangle has been visibly glowing for the last week. This portion of the North Atlantic, defined by the southern tip of the state of Florida, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles, has long been a region of strange phenomena, and oceanographers are at a loss to explain the yellow light now bathing the area. Reports of ships being pulled under the waves by huge tentacles, and of mythical mermaids swimming through the phosphorescent water, are only adding to the mania surrounding the phenomenon.

Tuesday December 30, 2003
Strange Airship Broadcasts Enigmatic Warning to Paris
PARIS, FRANCE—A massive metal Zeppelin appeared above the city this morning, transmitting messages to every radio, television and computer screen in the region from a man calling himself “Czar Vargo, Master of the World.” In what he claimed was his “final message,” Vargo offered emigration to a new world of technological wonders for those who accepted his terms. “You denied my overtures for peace at the beginning of the last century. Now is your last chance. Accept universal brotherhood and join our hidden Utopia. Reject it, and you reap the ruin of your own unreason.”

Monday December 29, 2003
South Pole Rocked by Earthquake
MCMURDO COASTAL STATION, ANTARCTICA—A powerful earthquake, measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale, yesterday shook the polar plateau of Antarctica, opening a crevasse some 30 miles long and half a mile wide. A Russian scientific team crossing the plateau at the time is reported lost. In related news, stories are trickling in from across the Southern Hemisphere of people experiencing strange dreams the night of the quake, dreams of a shadowy figure emerging from frozen ground.

Wednesday December 24, 2003
‘Vampires’ Attack Parisian Crowd
PARIS, FRANCE—Members of a self-professed vampire gang known as the Sabbat demonstrated the supernatural powers at their command last night. Before an assembled crowd at a political rally, the Sabbat vampires proclaimed their superiority over the “kine,” and chaos ensued as the vampires attempted to feed on human blood. Those present reported manifest “tentacles of darkness,” the vampires moving at superhuman speed and exhibitions of superhuman strength, such as tearing a fire hydrant from its moorings and flipping a police cruiser. Whether this was an elaborate prank or not remains to be seen.

Tuesday December 23, 2003
Egypt Struck by Mysterious SIDS Outbreak
CAIRO, EGYPT—A mysterious and massive outbreak of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, has sparked panic and fears of an epidemic or worse in Egypt and throughout parts of the Middle East. Over the past week, over 600 newborns between the ages of six weeks and less than 24 hours have died of unexplained causes in hospitals throughout Egypt. Physicians and medical experts say that while sudden and unexplained deaths do occur with some infants, the breadth of this outbreak is completely unprecedented and may represent an unknown infection of some kind. “SIDS is not a contagious disease,” says Dr. Mariq Hanoush of Cairo. “This epidemic clearly involves something beyond simply random chance. Frankly, we’re at a loss.” Egyptian authorities have declared a state of emergency and called upon the assistance of the World Health Organization. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also volunteered experts and resources to aid in both isolating and containing the cause of the fatalities.

Monday December 22, 2003
//intercept/source—SchreckNET//:
H: Yes, I’ve put Bell on the matter as a condition of his reinstatement. Beckett is as good as ash. --Pascek

Friday December 19, 2003
//intercept/source—radio broadcast 10.7 MHz//:
I think all of us fought to keep things as they were, to save civilization from the monsters and the darkness. But maybe that wasn’t the point, because civilization was where the monsters and the darkness came from—the things that controlled us and kept us ignorant. What we fought to protect was the same thing the creatures wanted to control.

Now it’s gone. The monsters have been dragged into the light, and they have to play on the same field as the rest of us. This isn’t just our reckoning, it’s theirs as well. We’re going from a corrupt and damaged world into something new, and it doesn’t have to be worse than this. It can’t be worse than this. Not if we’re there, on the ground, helping it take shape.

I drove past a broken-down truck on the way up this hill, a man and a woman walking away from it. I’m going to drive back down right now and find them.

Help them inherit the earth.

Soldier out.

Thursday December 18, 2003
Mexico City Gripped by Chaos and Mass Disappearances
PUEBLA, MEXICO—“The graveyards have given up their dead!” is the cry repeated over and over for the last three days, by a hysterical voice speaking on Mexico City’s Radio Joya, station XEJP. Phone service to the city is out, and over-flights by the Mexican Army report that parts of the city are in flames, but the streets appear deserted.

Wednesday December 17, 2003
Royal Speech Sparks Vigilantism
LONDON, ENGLAND—In a pronouncement made from the Tower of London to address the fears resulting from a series of recent purported “hauntings,” the Prince of Wales last night called on the population to take to the streets to defend their nation. “Britannia will always protect us,” he said, “but she hungers.” In the aftermath, dozens of vigilante gangs built wicker men all over the city. Hundreds of looters and vandals were captured and imprisoned inside the effigies and burned to death. Sources inside Buckingham Palace say that the strange pronouncement was written in consultation with a previously unknown society called the Harbingers of Avalon, who some claim are tied to the Knights Templar.

Tuesday December 16, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
It rode out above Jerusalem in broad daylight. The Maeljin Incarna Hellbringer and none other. It is heading northwest, toward the Margrave. --Exalted-of-Gaia

Monday December 15, 2003
Atlanta Man Burns to Ash Under Dawn Sun
ATLANTA, GEORGIA—Witnesses reported that an unknown man was dumped unceremoniously in a Midtown park a few minutes before sunrise this morning. The man was bound and gagged. When onlookers came closer to help the man, he screamed incoherently. As the sun rose, the man burst into flame. The flames consumed him quickly, reportedly leaving only a pile of ash no more than a minute afterward.

Friday December 12, 2003
New England Town in Grip of Fanatics
According to the few residents who managed to escape, the small town of Temple Corner, Maine has been invaded by a religious extremists. This nameless group reportedly serves a woman named “Zhyzhak, Chosen of Green Dragon” and uses a wild dogs and wolves in its rites. One escapee reported that many villagers had been fed to these apparently rabid animals. He also said he was given a message from the enigmatic Zhyzhak, one destined for a certain “Albrecht.”

Thursday December 11, 2003
Radical Group Appears in Black Forest
FREIBURG, GERMANY—Groups of villagers from parts of the famed Black Forest have banded together to serve in a vigilante group calling itself the “Army of the Wise God.” Claiming to take leadership from a mysterious man named “ General Geoffrey,” this group has ejected all national authorities and held a series of lynchings of those they proclaim enemies. The bloodiest lynching was of the entire population of a neo-pagan commune that had lived peacefully in the Forest since right after the Second World War. The Army of the Wise God branded the commune’s members as “unwitting slaves of Samael and Moloch” and executed them all, sending photographs and other grizzly evidence to national media outlets.

Wednesday December 10, 2003
Population of Fog-Covered Roanoke, VA Disappears
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA—The Lynchburg police station has been inundated by reports from terrified motorists who report that the nearby town of Roanoke has vanished from the face of the earth. Travelers on highway 220 report that a strange, low-lying fog blankets the area. Cell phones will not function in the region, and radios emit an eerie sound that witnesses describe as the “howls of the damned.” Several reports also included sighting vehicles stopped at various points along the highway with their lights on, doors open and engines running, but no sign of their owners.

Tuesday December 9, 2003
//intercept/source—radio broadcast 2.4 MHz//:
We don’t have any electricity, except when Doctor Cole’s generator works. There’s no running water, but we’ve got the river and a good filtration system going. There’s food—we grow vegetables on the rooftops, and we’re never going to run out of Spam and processed cheese. And we keep getting bigger. Bit by bit, block by block.

We keep claiming ground, because of Lupe. She never stops fighting for us. Never stops finding ways to keep out the monsters and the freaks and the killers. And then there are her soldiers. She’s trained them to find the dens and hideouts; taught them to kill the monsters and stop them from invading our homes.

Monday December 8, 2003
Explosion Reveals Hundreds of Bodies in Michigan Factory
IRON RAPIDS, MICHIGAN—Local and national media today descended on the wreckage of the Iron Rapids Manufacturing plant after a series of explosions rocked the depressed steel belt town last night. Rows and rows of bodies, all with wooden stakes driven through their hearts, were found in a variety of windowless rooms, sources say. Law enforcement sealed off the area after one Detroit-area station broadcast footage of several of these corpses coming to life when the stakes were removed. Local resident Douglas Sands, arrested at the scene, screamed, “I got them, Faye!” to the cameras before being dragged away, apparently referring to his wife, abducted from their home last March and never found.

Friday December 5, 2003
Texas ‘Vampire-Hunter’ Sentenced to Life
HOUSTON, TEXAS—Judge Donna Brandenburg sentenced “vampire-hunter” Ernesto Gutierrez to life in prison Monday after a jury unanimously found him guilty. Gutierrez murdered eight individuals between the years of 1997 and 2003, though none of their bodies have been found. Gutierrez was arrested after an attempted murder during which his victim escaped and contacted authorities. The victim testified at night, as she suffered from acute hepatic porphyria (a.k.a. “Schere’s Disease”), an allergy to direct sunlight—likely the source of Gutierrez’s belief that she was a vampire.

Thursday December 4, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//:
The freehold of Queen Karolinda is no more, and the queen herself is dead, victim of a massive ghille dhu, nearly twelve feet in height, which came to our lands sowing death and destruction in its wake. Green Man’s Fever grips the citizenry, and many more have died. Before it left, know that the ghille dhu roared a message: “The last Gold Oath is broken, and the world is theirs at last!”

Wednesday December 3, 2003
Japanese Buildings Are ‘Growing’
TOKYO, JAPAN—Eye witnesses and photography both report that the buildings of Tokyo are apparently growing and changing on their own, through unknown means. Crowds have gathered in awe to watch enormous skyscrapers grow taller and more angular. The phenomenon might also be linked to a sudden tenfold increase in the rate of violent crime throughout Tokyo.

Tuesday December 2, 2003
Hundreds Die From Rat Attacks in Calcutta
CALCUTTA, INDIA—Panic broke out throughout the city of Calcutta last night when the rat population was seemingly driven mad from fear or illness and began attacking humans. Hundreds have already died in the initial chaos, and thousands more are expected to die from infection in the days and weeks to come. Reports of “Rat Kings” are widespread among those who have endured the attacks.

Monday December 1, 2003
//intercept/source—Panopticon intranet//:
Be advised that Tradition-aligned deviants have successfully freed recently Awakened detainees from a penitentiary in Woomera, Australia. Initial reports suggest the prison guards surrendered rather than follow through with orders to execute the prisoners. Panopticon operatives have attempted to retake Woomera only to be repelled by lightning strikes that damaged equipment but left agents unharmed. Communications suggest that 52% of captured operatives chose suicide over surrender to the deviants.

Wednesday November 26, 2003
//intercept/source—hunter-net.org//:
Those who wish to assist me, stay out of the blood camps. There is nothing you can do from inside. Stay on the outside to protect those who remain free. Weaken the power of the blood drinkers. And wait for the fire to start. -- Dictatrix11

Tuesday November 25, 2003
Fire Sweeps Through Barnard College
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—As urban chaos continues to grip Manhattan, a catastrophic fire swept through the campus of Barnard College last night, destroying several buildings, including the library and its rare-books collection. Investigators from the Fire Marshall’s office claim that the fire has exposed a complex set of underground facilities linked to the college grounds. As many as two dozen people might have been living in these hidden catacombs, which included elaborate sleeping quarters and other facilities. Ashy debris is all that remain of the inhabitants of what some recovered documents called the “Chantry of Five Boroughs.”

Monday November 24, 2003
Radio Telescopes Pick up Growls in the Sky
ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO—Scientists at the world-famous Arecibo radio observatory were today unable to explain the strange electromagnetic interference that is causing strange displays in the night sky and blanketing the airwaves with waves of sound that one official describes as “a chorus of bestial growls and moans.” Scientists at a recent conference concurred that, whatever the source of the strange noises is, the strength of the interference is steadily increasing. One official who did not wish to be named insisted that he had been able to discern distinct voices and patterns of speech among the cacophony of noise.

Friday November 21, 2003
//intercept/source— alt.conspiracies//:
It rained frogs last week in Alexandria. No shit. Hundreds of them, pouring from the sky like a rerun of “The Bible’s Greatest Hits.” It began when an unexpected storm came in off the sea, battering the coast and the immortal Pharos harbor with torrential rains and high winds. But after the rains died down, there they were—frogs, covering the streets, smashed into pulp on top of cars. Hell, they even managed to take out a light pole.

And then, three days ago, came the snakes. Thousands of them, slithering up through the sand in North Africa—even through cement and tile flooring, if you can believe that. Already, I’ve gotten wind of reports of over 20 snake and poison-related deaths. And now this. Earlier today, reports of swarms of insects—locusts, I’ll wager—began to drift into the various authorities and news organizations in Egypt. Nobody seems to know where these bugs came from.

So, the question you should all be asking yourselves is, “How come we on this side of the world have to hear about all this from some guy on an informal newsgroup?”

It kind of makes you wonder what else they aren’t telling us.

Thursday November 20, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
The Zmei Goluko has awoken from his slumber on the Taimyr Peninsula. He has consumed the Black Spiral Dancers who awaited him and has emerged from the earth. He heads south.

Wednesday November 19, 2003
Man Appears Simultaneously in LA and Detroit
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—Executives at both Disney/ABC and General Electric/NBC today denied involvement in the strange appearance of an African-American man calling himself Dante in the live broadcasts of the Monday-night football game between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, and of the final episode of the live reality show Who Wants to Marry a Movie Star? The man, appearing simultaneously to witnesses on both the Movie Star set in Los Angeles and at Detroit’s Ford Stadium, issued an enigmatic warning to “everyone who knows the truth.”

Tuesday November 18, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//:
Honored Queens: I was ordered by my father, the Golden Lion Emperor Chan Jianglu, to travel to your courts under flag of truce. I was to request aid against the unknown demon-hunters who have suddenly appeared in our midst. I was to tell you of the siege they have lain on the court in Singapore, of the burning of the Lexicon Club and other worrisome developments. I will not do so, for it is now too late. The Kuei-jin of Singapore have been sent to Yomi by these madmen, so I send only with a warning that you could be next. --Alina Chan

Monday November 17, 2003
CDC Baffled by New York ‘Sea Monster’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—Previous reports of the “monster” seen in the East River might not have been out of line. CDC agents report that biological detritus left in the monster’s wake consisted of a never-before-seen amalgam of necrotic flesh and fungus, in addition to an amount of as-yet-unspecified biomatter.

Friday November 14, 2003
‘Sea Monster’ Seen in New York’s East River
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—Police dispatchers last night responded to over 300 calls reporting a “monster” by the Manhattan side of the East River. Various reports describe the “monster” as having tentacles and being of indiscernible size.

Thursday November 13, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//:
Archbishop: I know very well there’s no point in lying, so I won’t. The attackers were Black Hand, I’m quite sure. The one I cornered called you a traitor. Conrad was wounded in the attack and so was I. I reclaimed my sire’s blood. Judge me as you would. -- Bishop Andrew Emory

Wednesday November 12, 2003
Terrorist Bombing at NASA Hides Kidnappings
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA—23 NASA staff members have vanished in the wake of the firebombing of their offices and laboratories, officials reported today. This is the latest instance of missing aerospace research personnel, joining reports of similar disappearances in Kazakhstan, Ecuador and the offices of 12 aerospace industry corporations.

Tuesday November 11, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
The Walking Thunder Caern in Kenya is gone. I found the bones of all the Ahadi who lived there picked clean, and some of the locals said there had been a swarm of locusts, though locusts who eat Fera flesh is something new. There was a single spirit messenger there, and all it said was, “It is free.” --Mephi

Monday November 10, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//:
I have faced great difficulty in recent times crossing the Wall and have meditated for three lunar cycles on the nature of Yin. Tonight, I enter the Yin World to discover what lies behind these troubles. -- Mandarin Ch’eng Hao

Friday November 7, 2003
‘Three-Eyed Prophet’ Seen in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA—Weekend concert-goers at a music festival reported seeing an itinerant prophet who promised “salvation for the children of Seth and Cain” for those who accepted the “path of Golconda.” According to witnesses, the prophet had a third eye in the center of her forehead, as well as hands that wept blood from stigmata that appeared as she extolled onlookers to “accept the path.”

Thursday November 6, 2003
LA Gang War Takes Occult Turn
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—South Central Los Angeles suffered through a second night of violence and looting last night as several gangs engaged in an all-out battle for territory. Fires raged through many areas, but the governor has yet to declare a state of emergency or call in the National Guard, despite repeated calls from the mayor’s office. Matters took a strange turn when a local “shock-jock” radio host interviewed a supposed member of one of the warring gangs. “We fight for Manishtusu,” said the unidentified man, “and all the fallen will bow before him in a pool of blood!” Occult experts claim that “Manishtusu” is the name of a demon in biblical lore, one that has been linked to no less than eight violent cults in Los Angeles since the early 1930s.

Wednesday November 5, 2003
//intercept/source—SchreckNet//:
Cal: The weakness returned last night, worse than ever before and at the worst possible time. I was forced into a meeting with one of the MacNeils, and he obviously sensed that something had stricken me. Instead of leaving me be, he pressed the advantage he thought he had, trying to get me to agree to his terms. If he hadn’t pushed me…Fuck it, that’s the way these things are. I woke up from the frenzy with his blood down my throat and his corpse falling to ash between my fingers. It’ll be hard to explain, but at least the weakness has passed for now. --Tara

Tuesday November 4, 2003
Atlanta Billboards Warn of Doomsday
ATLANTA, GEORGIA—Atlanta citizens woke this morning to find billboards across their city bearing the message, “The end of the world is nigh.” All these billboards were leased by a man who simply goes by the name “Violin,” but sources say that the checks paying for their rental were signed by a William Hannon.

Monday November 3, 2003
Unexplained Solar Eclipse Baffles Astronomers
CAIRO, EGYPT—International authorities were today baffled by what they could only call an “unexplained phenomenon” involving a total solar eclipse seen in the Middle East. No eclipse was expected, since the moon’s orbit does not bring it directly in front of the sun for another two months, when an eclipse is expected to occur across parts of North America. Nonetheless, the event appeared exactly like a solar eclipse and obscured the face of the sun as visible in Cairo, Alexandria and parts of Palestine, Syria and Saudi Arabia. The “eclipse” lasted for just over 20 minutes, and was filmed by numerous media outlets in the region, as well as by members of the Ashuki Corporation. Though explanations have been offered, ranging from orbiting space debris to a close pass by a “rogue” asteroid, experts have dismissed these theories as “highly unlikely.”

Friday October 31, 2003
UN Authorizes World Advisory Council to Fight Terrorist ‘Nine’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—The United Nations Security Council today granted extraterritorial law-enforcement powers to the World Advisory Council. Staffed by members of the international intelligence, military and scientific communities, the Council’s expertise will be used to dismantle the infrastructure of The Nine, a terrorist organization credited with attacks worldwide. Advisors will assist global military and law enforcement as well as manage member nations’ detention camps. The demand for outside assistance comes in the wake of the deaths of 54 FBI agents who attempted to apprehend members of the so-called “Akashic Brotherhood.” The cult is one of many fringe cells that US State Department officials accuse of using psychotropic chemicals and biological weapons to fulfill The Nine’s anarchist, apocalyptic agenda.

Thursday October 30, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
Do not come to the Wheel of Ptah caern in Morocco. The Garou there have contracted the Red Death, a plague that resists their healing abilities. The Red Death already spreads to your lands—do not seek it out.

Wednesday October 29, 2003
Bloodied Man With No Pulse Escapes Detroit Hospital
DETROIT, MICHIGAN—A man reportedly staggered into an area emergency room last night, covered in blood and claiming to have been attacked in the night. Doctors found no vital signs when they conducted tests. His heart rate was zero, and he did not appear to be breathing. When doctors attempted to place the man in a secured facility for further study, the man grew enraged and fought his way out of the hospital, vanishing into the night.

Tuesday October 28, 2003
Violence and Madness Grip OSU Campus
COLUMBUS, OHIO—The Ohio State University campus became a battleground yesterday afternoon as two groups of assailants engaged in what appears to have been a running gun battle, lasting a full eight hours. Witnesses also report a variety of sights during the chaos, including the appearance of such fanciful beings as dragons and elves. No sign of such beasts were uncovered after the battle ended, but authorities are reportedly at a loss as to the motives or identities of the combatants. Those arrested at the scene are seemingly suffering from acute amnesia and deny any memory of a battle, much less any fairy tale monsters. Sixteen people died during the violence.

Monday October 27, 2003
LA Couple Says Daughter Abducted by Blood Cult
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—Mr. Jonathan Cross and his wife Alexandra appeared last night on local television channels pleading for the return of their daughter Jenna, said to have been abducted by one of the many blood cults now making the news. They describe her abductor as a bearded New Age guru calling himself “Smiling Jack.”

Friday October 24, 2003
//intercept/source—hunter-net.org//:
One minute the LA skyline was normal. Then it was just there. This massive goddamn black shape. Like an old church, a Gothic cathedral, but enormous. More than enormous. I think it was at least a mile wide, more than a hundred stories high. It threw me, but I thought it was a vision or a waking dream, something thrown at me by ‘them.’ Then I heard plates falling to the floor beside me. I looked around, and the waitress at the café was just staring at the building, jaw on the floor. She could see it too.

Thursday October 23, 2003
450 Die in ‘Rain of Fire’ in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM—Local residents and religious leaders were horrified last night by a shower of sulfurous rock that left blazing trails across the cloudy sky and caused untold damage among Jerusalem’s holiest shrines. The rain of fire and brimstone began at midnight and lasted until just before dawn, causing fires and spawning clouds of noxious fumes that left close to 450 people dead and thousands injured.

Wednesday October 22, 2003
//intercept/source—DWeb//:
Twelve of us have come from far, three of us dying on the scarred ground of Bangladesh. We have but one message. Prepare, for Voormas has taken the Realm of Entropy.

Tuesday October 21, 2003
Gases and Night Fires Follow Scottish Quake
ACHNASHEEN, SCOTLAND—The town of Achnasheen was the center of an unexpected burst in seismic activity last night, registering 4.3 on the Richter scale. Residents report sulfurous odors rising from the ground in nearby fields, and several people claim to have seen greenish lights, like flames, on the hilltops at night.

Monday October 20, 2003
Syrians Protest US 'Fanaticism'
DAMASCUS, SYRIA—Massive protests took place in Syria and much of the rest of the Arab World today over US rhetoric that some have called fanatic. Syrian government officials, speaking to the protestors in Damascus, decried the "Christian fanaticism being spouted by America." This comes one day after the newly installed American administrator in Iraq called his agenda in the region "advancing the plan laid out for us in Scripture." Despite a stream of communiqués from Washington arguing that the ambassador was referring to Christian charity, sources inside the interim authority in Baghdad claim that many top officials are now "reading Revelations for policy choices.

Friday October 17, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//
An army, I say. An army of bakemono is on the march through Mongolia with an ancient dead creature at its head. Dorbul the Brave, they call him, and they have already overthrown the Tiger’s Throat dragon nest. Only I escaped. --Three Whispers

Thursday October 16, 2003
Ash Man Cult Murderers Still On the Run
GERLACH, NEVADA—Police have yet to announce arrests of the fugitive religious cult members who attempted to burn victims alive at last weekend’s Ash Man festival. The famed annual counterculture event draws thousands of devotees and tourists to a desert location outside Gerlach, Nevada. The Bright Foundation, a religious organization based in Las Vegas, had been using the event to recruit followers. Several regular attendees of the festival left their homes and jobs to commit themselves to a "Family Compound" in the Nevada desert. Spokespersons for the Bright Foundation deny that their organization was involved in the violent incident, but federal officials have convened an investigation of the group.

Wednesday October 15, 2003
DC Blackout Lifts After Mayor Backs Down on 'Degenerate Cult'
WASHINGTON, DC—The nation's capital returned to calm—and daylight—this morning, shortly after the mayor retracted his earlier comments that an alternative religion calling itself the Church of Abaddon Ascendant was a "degenerate cult," and further promised to protect the organization from "persecution" by law enforcement agencies. The crisis began two days ago when a police raid on the Church of Abaddon Ascendant's newly built temple left 12 churchgoers and four police officers dead. That evening, an anonymous caller reportedly phoned the office of the mayor demanding that he and his officials "bow before the Ebon King who waits." Immediately thereafter the city was plunged into inexplicable darkness, touching off bloody riots that continued despite the declaration of martial law and the deployment of National Guard troops, tanks and helicopters.

Tuesday October 14, 2003
Radio Caller Warns of 'Monsters Among Us'
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA—Before being cut off during a broadcast of the Charlie Krongold Show, broadcast live on NPR stations nationwide, a caller identifying himself only as "Bookworm" launched into the following tirade earlier today: "They say the end is coming—and it is—but what if we can stop it from really being the final, game-over end? We can fortify ourselves. We can be good people. Lead by example. Monsters flourish like germs. If we keep a good, clean environment, the beasts can't get a foothold. We've let them go too long, and now the conspiracy is entrenched. But we can stop it! Society can still heal. These don't need to be our last days. The tunnel is going to be long and dark, but we can make it through to the other side. We can find our virtue to stop the monst—"

Monday October 13, 2003
Riots and Explosion Mar Spontaneous Indian Pilgrimage
CALCUTTA, INDIA—Indian authorities were all but helpless today as mobs of people gathered along the shores of the sacred Ganges River, claiming to be there to witness “the ascension of the demon avatars.” The gathering turned violent when, after attendees had waded out into the river, an explosion of unknown origin rocked the scene. The crowd rioted, resulting in the deaths of well over 100 people and nearly five times that number injured. Witnesses claimed to have seen burning figures walking on the surface of the river and four-armed avatars (described as manifestations of Hindu gods) attacking people and drinking their blood. Indian authorities have declared a state of emergency and imposed martial law in an effort to restore order.

Friday October 10, 2003
Chicago 'Vampire-Hunter' Escapes Federal Custody
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—Federal agents of hush-hush Project: Twilight refused to comment on the escape from their custody of Nathaniel Bordruff, whom they apprehended two days ago. Federal agents refused even to confirm Bordruff’s identity, although local law enforcement officials were more forthcoming. Bordruff himself claimed to be "fighting vampires," though members of the recently exposed "blood cult" insisted that Bordruff himself was a vampire.

Thursday October 9, 2003
Upstate New York Mountain Man Surrenders Drenched in Blood
LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK—A man identified as Eneas Zoetope stumbled into an Upstate New York town today, completely covered in blood and gore. He surrendered to the authorities, saying only "Revenge is done. Now my sister can rest." Police continue to question him as to who the blood belongs to and where the bodies are, but all he has said so far is "Nunnehi."

Wednesday October 8, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
I accept the title Ard Righ in memory of Bron Mac Fionn, who died in battle with the Banes of the Wyrm. Now is the time when all Garou must stand together to face our enemies. I thus intend to pledge myself to the grand alliance Margrave Konietzko has established for this very purpose. This is the time to be counted! --Son-of-Moonlight

Tuesday October 7, 2003
Water Supply Spiked with Hallucinogens in Washington State Town
WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON—Local police and emergency departments were flooded with over a dozen calls last night relating to unexplained sightings in the city of Faro, WA, approximately 50 miles from Walla Walla. Officials have traced the cause to a large quantity of hallucinogenic drug introduced into the town’s drinking water supply. Consultants from the Walla Walla Police Department have not as yet identified the substance. A review of recorded phone calls, however, contained similar testimony relating to "lights" and "disembodied sounds" in the homes of Faro residents. The wide sampling of similar reports suggests the same chemical affected all 15 witnesses. Scientific experts will arrive in town this weekend to conduct further inquiries.

Monday October 6, 2003
//intercept/source—SchreckNET//:
I arrived in Damascus following the traces of that which I will not yet name. They led me to the lair of Bistakh, the Kurdish daughter of Alamut who has lived there since the Crusades. I found only ashes upon her sleeping bier, and the smells of blood and desert sand lingering in the air. I continue my search. --FaF

Friday October 3, 2003
Temple Mount Violence Kills 31
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—One of the holiest sites in the world became a site of religious and political violence today as Jews and Muslims clashed outside the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The Muslim mosque is built on the site of the ancient Hebrew Temple and overlooks the so-called Wailing Wall, the last remains of the Temple and holiest site in Judaism. Riots broke out today after local airwaves were suddenly (and thus far, inexplicably) flooded with a recorded message stating in both Hebrew and Arabic that, "The temple will be rebuilt." Authorities say that Muslims at the Mount tried to eject Jews from the area around the Wall, while Jews tried to enter the Dome of the Rock itself. Thirty-one people were dead before the time authorities arrived to quell the riot.

Thursday October 2, 2003
Underground Collapse in New York
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—Three people were killed, dozens injured and traffic was snarled in Midtown Manhattan when a half-block of 43rd Street near Times Square collapsed early this morning. Several yards of the blacktop fell in, overturning vehicles and releasing foul-smelling gasses. City engineers theorize that the destruction resulted from the collapse of the so-called "dragon's graveyard," the underground facilities for the New York Times' decommissioned printing presses. In a disturbing side note, witnesses report that thousands of sewer rats swarmed out of the fissures caused by the collapse.

Wednesday October 1, 2003
//intercept/source—hunter-net.org//:
The sun is gone. But I have a light. The fire is coming for us all.— God45

Tuesday September 30, 2003
Lightshow in New Mexico Reveals 'Angels'
LOS LUNAS, NEW MEXICO—Residents of Los Lunas reportedly witnessed a fiery light show in the skies over their city shortly after midnight last night. Umberto Reyes, a local resident, claims to have seen three angelic figures fighting "a winged monster" amid the churning clouds, using "swords and spears of pure lightning." Reyes claims the battle raged directly over his small farm, lasting from midnight until nearly 3:00 AM, until one of the angels "split the monster open and pulled out its heart" with a resounding thunderclap that shook local houses to the foundations. Authorities and emergency services as far away as Albuquerque confirm that a sonic boom shattered windows and knocked items from their shelves at three o'clock that morning, but believe the shockwave was generated by a low-flying military supersonic aircraft. Less easily explained are the cataracts that have stolen Reyes' eyesight and the sudden hair loss that local health officials say closely resembles severe radiation poisoning.

Monday September 29, 2003
//intercept/source—unknown//:
To Her Majesty Penangallan Queen Laiami Kai: It is the opinion of this humble soul that the symptom you report has become widespread among the Kuei-jin. Although none would report directly on such matters, several mandarins and ancients are said to have called for the arrival of no small number of mortals from whom they can draw Chi. As with your majesty, these worthies have long been able to draw Chi from the air itself, so their sudden need for living blood bodes ill for the Great Wheel. I remain your dedicated servant.

Friday September 26, 2003
Mass Grave Uncovered in Atlanta
ATLANTA, GEORGIA—Civil engineers recently unearthed what appeared to be a squatter colony in a sewer junction beneath the streets of Atlanta. Upon further inspection, the subterranean structure turned out to be some type of crypt, as bodies were found in extreme stages of decay and disfigurement. Doctors suggest the makeshift tomb might have been a yellow fever (or other epidemic) mass grave not unlike the ones found in nearby Savannah. Others remain dubious, as the bodies seemed too fresh to have been buried at the time of the yellow fever threat.

Thursday September 25, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
I’ve met a Mokolé once before, so I guess you could have called me the resident expert at the Sept of the Green. Even Mother Larissa wasn't too shy to ask my opinion after the messenger had come and gone under flag of truce. Too bad, I wasn't much help at all. I confirmed her impression that the messenger was a young one, fresh from the Change even. But I wasn't much help in deciphering his single message, which was a question: "What must be remembered?" --Amy Hundred-Voices

Wednesday September 24, 2003
Fatal Wounds Spell Out Ancient Text
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND—Visiting Nigerian Bishop Jude Bankole Kuti collapsed today in the middle of a speech to local faith groups. Kuti died minutes after paramedics discovered multiple lacerations on his skin, carvings of Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew phrases. Six members of the audience reportedly suffered similar but non-lethal wounds. Four fled the scene. Linguists summoned by the city's medical examiners have translated the phrases into fragments of Gnostic scripture dating from the 1st to 5th centuries AD. The most common injury reads: "What binds me has been slain/and what turns me about has been overcome/and my desire has been ended/and ignorance has died."

Tuesday September 23, 2003
Terrorists Suspected in Gateway Arch Explosion
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI—The famed 630-foot Gateway Arch was seriously damaged by what some theorize was an act of terrorism. At precisely midnight last night, a thunderous detonation echoed across Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park accompanied by an impressive pyrotechnic display. Bright lights and subsequent explosions continued for several minutes, causing serious structural damage to the national landmark. As of this morning, police had the area cordoned off and were refusing to comment on reports of upward of two dozen bodies found at the site. Clearly visible on the arch itself were scorch marks, strange sigils and the word "Vodantu."

Monday September 22, 2003
Ballard Family Tied to Chicago Blood Cult
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—Police today questioned members of the prominent Ballard family on suspicion of association with the "blood cult," members of which were detained previously. The patriarch of the Ballard family has proven elusive, however, and is still sought for questioning.

Friday September 19, 2003
International Authorities Investigating Mysterious 'Ventrue' Cartel
VENICE, ITALY—A mysterious group of individuals known as "The Ventrue" has been the cause of much consternation in the global finance community recently. Although members of this hidden cabal are unknown, a rival bloc of anonymous financiers believed to be centered in Venice recently issued a communiqué to numerous national trade and securities commissions that outlined a list of actions these "Ventrue" might take. Many of these tips turned out to be true, and projected benefits to the "Ventrue" (using hypothesized numbers) have been significant.

Thursday September 18, 2003
NASA Denies Spy Satellite Rumors
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—Spokespeople for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) today vigorously denied allegations released recently on several fringe websites and other alternative media outlets, which state that many of the satellites recently launched to observe Stellar Object #2001KX76 (the so-called "Red Star") are actually designed to monitor the global population and tied to a massive crowd-control project dubbed "Ragnarok." They deny that William Albacastle, named in several of the reports, has ever worked for NASA or JPL.

Wednesday September 17, 2003
Virginia Museum Linked to Bipolar Disease Outbreak
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA—Doctors at the Medical College of Virginia are reportedly baffled by the dramatic increase in cases of extreme bipolar depression over the last month. Theorizing a heretofore unsuspected epidemiological cause, local authorities called in investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who have uncovered that all patients had visited a common location before first reporting symptoms of the disorder. According to sources, the Poe Museum, near the popular nightlife district of Shockoe Slip, had appeared in the dreams of each patient, prompting them to visit the museum thereafter. The CDC yesterday closed the museum until it can be fully investigated.

Tuesday September 16, 2003
//intercept/source—proj-odyssey.com//:
Be advised that the Fomori Development and Training Facility #87-001 has been destroyed. Review of satellite footage and other sources reveal that the subjects rebelled and seized control of the arms depot, then proceeded to ignite the facility’s chemical banks, releasing a cloud of poisonous fumes. Approximately 50 fomori have escaped to the nearby town of Burnt Gallows, Texas and established blockades to keep the local population from fleeing.

Monday September 15, 2003
Bayview Killer Terrorizes San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA—Seven brutal murders have occurred within a 15-block radius in the Bayview area of the city over the past two months, police sources confirm. The most recent victim was discovered Tuesday. All the victims were killed in what police describe as a "ritual" manner, their bodies drained of a considerable amount of blood, which was not found at the scene of any of the crimes. The San Francisco Police Department informed fearful citizens that it is following "all possible leads" in the case of the so-called "Bayview Killer," but admits that it hasn’t made much progress.

Friday September 12, 2003
Chicago Vampire Cultists Behind Bars
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—More than a dozen members of a Chicago area “blood cult” were arrested last night on suspicion of numerous charges including kidnapping. The “blood cult” maintains that it existed to satisfy the whims of its “dark mistress,” whom its members insist is a vampire.

Thursday September 11, 2003
Self-Immolation of Cardinal Shocks Vatican
VATICAN CITY—Surrounded by crowds of horrified sightseers and papal novitiates, Cardinal Giancarlo Salvatore this morning immolated himself in the center of St. Peter’s Square after an impassioned speech proclaiming that the end of the world was at hand. Declaring that “the gates of Hell are breaking” and that “the Holy Church has fallen into the clutches of demons,” Salvatore handed a document to a British tourist that he claimed would reveal “the truth that [his] fellow Cardinals have been keeping from the world.” The Holy See has made no public comment regarding the Cardinal’s death, though the gates of the city have been closed to sightseers until further notice. The whereabouts of the British tourist who supposedly received Cardinal Salvatore’s testament are unknown.

Wednesday September 10, 2003
Chinese Province Quarantined for SARS
XINJIANG UYGUR AUTONOMOUS REGION, CHINA—Ministry of Health official Ming Xian today reported the unfortunate death, from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), of Li Po Tze, investigator for the People’s Armed Police. Inspector Li, who came to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to investigate reports of sedition among the local bureaucracy, is the first victim of SARS in the region and is thought to have been infected in Beijing before his departure. If that is true, this case will be the first reported since the World Health Organization lifted the travel advisory against the Chinese capital. Dr. Ming has ordered a quarantine to prevent a new outbreak of the disease.

Tuesday September 9, 2003
UFOs in the Beltway
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND—911 switchboard operators today confided that UFO reports have recently skyrocketed in and around the nation’s capital. Over 1,000 people in the Tri-State area claim to have seen lights in the sky or "alien creatures" roaming their neighborhoods.

Monday September 8, 2003
Egyptians Claim to See Bible Passage 'Floating in the Air'
CAIRO, EGYPT—Multiple witnesses reported seeing ethereal text floating through the Khan al-Khalili in Cairo last night. The text, reported by some to be in Arabic, others in Hebrew and still others in Aramaic and Greek, seemed to be a passage from the Book of Exodus: "Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt."

Friday September 5, 2003
Tomb of Jazz-Age Socialite Vandalized
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—In the third case of graveyard vandalism in as many nights, the tomb of Chicago socialite Annabelle Sforza was dug up last night by parties unknown. Ms. Sforza’s skeletal remains are found scattered around the Forest Lawns graveyard and her tombstone smashed by what appear to be hammer blows.

Thursday September 4, 2003
Feng Shui Expert Vanishes After 20-Year Project
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—Doctor Reiki Ozawa, noted expert on the Asian art of feng shui, has disappeared from his $4 million home in the Santa Monica Hills. Friends say that the scholar had spent the past 20 years "aligning" and "adjusting" the furnishings in his home to compensate for "flaws" in the surrounding landscape. He left a recorded phone message in which he declared he had finally finished his 20-year project. Since then, no further evidence of the missing scholar has been found, and police have no further leads.

Wednesday September 3, 2003
Corporate Execs Vanish
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA—Market watchers and certain law-enforcement officials are looking for the missing directors of international conglomerate Pentex Holdings, sources say. Franklin Rubin, subdivision director of finances for Pentex, was reportedly the only person seen leaving a Board of Directors meeting called two days ago at an executive suite in the downtown Marriott. When hotel staff entered the suite later that evening, they found none of the other executives present. Rubin’s office declined to comment.

Tuesday September 2, 2003
Boston Area Firm Paying Dividends to Dead Men
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS—Independent auditors hired to review the accounting ledgers of investment company Moribund & Smirch today reported that they had turned up a rash of acute anomalies. More than 100 of the company’s shareholders, who were issued dividend checks that bank records show as having been paid, are recorded as legally dead, some for as many as 100 years.

Monday September 1, 2003
Twin Tremors in Egyptian Desert
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT—Researchers today reported strange tremors emanating from the Egyptian desert. The quakes, not measuring more than 2.1 on the Richter scale, seem to originate in two spots barely a mile apart, and as the aftershocks from a quake in one location abate, a new one begins in the other.

Friday August 29, 2003
Terrorists Kill 500 in Japan
OSAKA, JAPAN—A previously unknown terrorist group calling itself the Fifth Age today released a nerve agent in a downtown office tower, killing over 500 workers there. The leader of the terrorists, a man known only as Mikaboshi, escaped the police dragnet.

Thursday August 28, 2003
Pope Gives Doomsday Address
VATICAN CITY—His Holiness John Paul II today issued a papal proclamation condemning the growing trend of violence, militarism, atheism and "pagan idolatry" across the world. Although such declarations from the pontiff are not unprecedented, his especially harsh language has worried several observers. One Vatican insider told journalists, "In the past, His Holiness has been a firm but benevolent advisor. This time he’s speaking of Judgment Day."

Wednesday August 27, 2003
Immigrants Killed by Satanic Cult in Germany
BONN, GERMANY—Local police responding to a disturbance in the city’s warehouse district this morning discovered the bodies of 23 immigrant workers slain in what one police spokesperson described as a "violent Satanic ritual." All of the victims were arranged according to a complex pattern laid in chalk across the floor of an abandoned storage facility, and according to forensics reports, all of them were killed within moments of one another. Sources within the police department revealed that a ragged hole approximately three meters across appears to have been burnt through the roof of the structure directly over the ritual site, but refused to speculate on the cause. The perpetrators remain at large.

Tuesday August 26, 2003
//intercept/source—DiWeb//:
Citizens of Sleepytown: Responding to our nation’s time of need, the President and Department of Defense have reinstated compulsory military service, better known as the draft. Every able-bodied male between the ages of 16 and 30 is to report to city hall, where he will be assigned to enhanced military training. Trained draftees will serve with allied forces at NATO bases throughout the Western Hemisphere. God bless America.

Monday August 25, 2003
Terrorists Attack New Egyptian Oil Pipeline
CAIRO, EGYPT—Private security forces last night repelled an attack aimed at sabotaging the completion of the Apophis Pipeline, currently under construction by Endron Oil. Endron officials confirmed that the pipeline will be completed on schedule as planned and that security will be redoubled. The identity of the terror group responsible remains unknown.

Friday August 22, 2003
Hudson River Bargeman Killed by Rabid Wolves
TROY, NEW YORK—State Troopers investigating the derelict garbage scow May Belle, found floating along the Hudson River last week, discovered the mutilated body of elderly mariner Alluscious Henry, along with the remains of three mongrel wolves. Today, the Albany County Medical Examiner declared Henry’s death a result of an attack by rabid wolves and alerted county and state public health and animal control officials. Investigators also uncovered some evidence linking Henry to a fringe animal-rights group called the "Sept of the Green."

Thursday August 21, 2003
Israel Names Cult As Tulkarm Target
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—An Israeli Defense Force spokesman today named a previously unknown religious sect called "the Amkhat" as the target of recent incursions into Tulkarm and other West Bank towns. An IDF dossier released to the press accuses this cult of a wide variety of outrages, from terrorist activities to ritual cannibalism. Palestinian Authority representatives called the Israeli claims inflammatory, but insiders whisper that the Authority has been trying to root out Amkhat for some time. Meanwhile, Egypt announced that it was withdrawing its support from the current round of peace talks, citing the Tulkarm incursions and "Israeli fabrications."

Wednesday August 20, 2003
Sharks Heading South Baffle Scientists
FALKLAND ISLANDS—The marine biology research ship Tethys today recorded the passage of what appears to be a southward migration of sharks of at least five separate species. Scientists aboard the Tethys commented that the migration was unexplainable by current studies of shark behavior, and the ship changed course to follow the migration and observe.

Tuesday August 19, 2003
//intercept/source—rogue//:
The Tenth Seat of Horizon has appeared at a meeting of the so-called reformed Council of Nine. Our emissaries demand the seat so we may defend it against the Technocrats, some of whom attacked the very meeting in which it appeared.

Monday August 18, 2003
LA Mormons’ Angel Statue Stolen
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—A routine police patrol today discovered that the 15-foot golden statue of the angel Moroni was missing from its lofty perch atop the Los Angeles Mormon Temple. The statue, only recently restored to its place following the disastrous Devil’s Night earthquake, apparently vanished at the height of a violent thunderstorm that swept the city last night. Elders at the temple were shocked and visibly upset at the news but have refused to speculate as to the circumstances of the statue’s disappearance.

Friday August 15, 2003
Detroit City Councilman Shot and Killed by Police
DETROIT, MICHIGAN—City Councilman Leonard Dates was shot and killed today, after a stand-off with police at radio station WKNN. Dates had taken captives and hijacked the station’s broadcast, demanding that he be allowed to read the biblical Book of Revelation on the air. Dates insisted that Judgment Day had come and that people’s souls would be claimed by the Devil’s "monsters."

Thursday August 14, 2003
//intercept/source—SchreckNet//:
Beckett: I’ve uncovered the final portion of the ritual we discussed, but I’ll warn you again that this is very dangerous. It will take a skilled thaumaturge to enact it, and I’m not sure you qualify. Nevertheless, if you’re ready to deliver the items I requested, I’ll turn over my notes you can decide for yourself. Contact me through the usual route.—Samir

Wednesday August 13, 2003
Miami Woman Sues ‘Orgy of Blood’ Cult
MIAMI, FLORIDA—Local resident Laetitia Hawkins has retained counsel against alternative-faith ministry the Typhonic Temple of Illumination. According to her lawyer, Hawkins plans to testify that she was being groomed for advancement in the temple’s hierarchy, but once she found that its members indulged in practices of dubious legality (key to the affidavit is an "orgy of blood"), she asked to withdraw from the organization. Shortly thereafter, its members detained her and physically assaulted her.

Tuesday August 12, 2003
Pop Star Has ‘Nothing to Sing’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—A concert headlined by the LA-based band Winter Solstice ended prematurely last night when the lead singer, Tyria Winter, stopped mid-song, mumbled, "I have nothing to sing," and stumbled offstage. A spokesman for the band today cited "nervous exhaustion."

Monday August 11, 2003
//intercept/source—GWNet//:
King Albrecht: It is my sad duty to confirm that the findings of the Grand Concolation hold true in the Sept of the Anvil-Klaiven and all our allied territories. There have been no instances of viable Garou birth for more than a year. All children and pups born to Garou and Kin parents since the winter solstice of last year have been ordinary Kin human babies or wolf pups, and my sources tell me that Garou mothers pregnant with metis have persistently miscarried. I concur that we must petition the Incarna for advice.—Karin Jarlsdottir

Friday August 8, 2003
San Jose Hi-Tech Fire Kills 10
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA—A sudden electrical fire at Virtual Solutions, a Silicon Valley research firm specializing in computer applications, today claimed the lives of 10 of its employees. Local arson investigators were at a loss to explain how multiple electrical fires could spontaneously occur in the same building. According to company records and emails, the CEO was attempting to develop a "virtual chatroom" to link all of the company’s computers with an undisclosed server outside the United States. An electrical fluctuation allegedly caused several fires throughout the building, which then spread throughout the facility in seconds. Special consultants from the National Security Agency are set to arrive later this week to examine "new angles" in the investigation.

Thursday August 7, 2003
Israeli Incursion in West Bank Kills 24
TULKARM, WEST BANK—Violence continued in the Middle East today, as Israeli military forces sought Palestinian resistance fighters in the West Bank town of Tulkarm. Israeli attack helicopters fired rockets at several cars believed to carry senior leaders of the resistance, killing seven and injuring 46, while Israeli troops opened fire on protestors during house-to-house searches, killing 17 and wounding as many as 35. Palestinian authorities decry the attacks as "completely unprovoked," while Israeli military officials insist that the Palestinians are harboring terrorists.

Wednesday August 6, 2003
Chinese Grave Desecrator Feared Zombies
BEIJING, CHINA—A young man is under arrest for violating his father’s grave. According to authorities Deng Xiao-Min exhumed the body of his father three days after burial and severed the corpse’s head using his digging tools. Deng apparently intended to re-bury the corpse but was caught by police responding to a report of a disturbance at the graveyard. During interrogation, Deng admitted that he feared his father would return from the dead, so he took measures to prevent this. According to authorities, a wave of such behavior has swept across much of China in recent weeks, although no clear explanation for this sudden rash of desecrations has been forthcoming.

Tuesday August 5, 2003
Dead Man in Wheat Field Was Pro-Life Extremist
WICHITA, KANSAS—Police are still investigating the murder of Wendell Delburton, whose body was discovered Saturday in a wheat field outside Wichita. Delburton, a traveler with no fixed address, was impaled through the throat with some kind of stabbing implement. Police say that Delburton was a former Marine and pro-life activist, and that the killing may be related to claims that he had been involved in attacks on abortion clinics in 1997. Anyone with more information on Delburton’s activities is urged to contact the FBI.

Monday August 4, 2003
Yale Bible Scholar Murdered
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT—Noted occult scholar Yves Darra was found murdered in his office on the Yale University campus today. Recently Darra was working on a new translation of the Dies Ignis, an apocalyptic text that some believe to be the inspiration behind many of the images found in the Christian Bible’s Book of Revelation.

Friday August 1, 2003
Crescent Birthmarks Common in LA, Doctors Say
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—According to sources at the Los Angeles County Board of Health, doctors at area hospitals have reported an uncommon number of crescent-shaped birthmarks appearing on female infants born within the past two weeks.

Thursday July 31, 2003
NASA Calls New ‘Red Star’ a Comet
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today issued a press release regarding the appearance of Stellar Object #2001KX76, the tabloid-dubbed "Red Star" that recently became visible to the naked eye. The press release stated that details were still "admittedly inconclusive," but that the object is more likely to be a comet than a self-sustained radiant object.

Wednesday July 30, 2003
Boston Mom Says Daughter ‘Taken by Angel’
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS—Six-year-old Valerie Mason has been missing for the last 72 hours, after allegedly being abducted during church services in suburban Boston. "She ran into the vestry during Mass," said 26-year-old single mother Anna Mason, "and I chased after her to stop her." Ms. Mason then related that an "angel" flew in through a stained glass window to "take her little girl to Heaven." Ms. Mason has refused to answer any further questions from police, claiming that Valerie is "with the angels now." Search for the missing child continues. The mother has been admitted to Harborview Psychiatric Facility for psychological evaluation.

Tuesday July 29, 2003
Mt. Etna Erupts Without a Trace
SICILY, ITALY—Europe’s principle active volcano today baffled geologists when Mt. Etna, located near Catania on the east coast of Sicily, erupted without leaving a trace of residue. Several weather satellites and local citizens with video cameras recorded a plume of ash sprouting from the vent of the volcano throughout the day. The expected rain of ash, however, did not materialize, and the Italian National Geological Council reported none of the accompanying tremors typical of an eruption.

Monday July 28, 2003
150-Year-Old Man Seen at London Soiree
LONDON, ENGLAND -- Page two of the Times "Society" section today featured a photograph taken at a recent black-tie dinner held by London’s historic Taurus Club. Identified as present in the photograph was none other than Mr. Eric Baring-Gould -- a man missing and presumed dead since the winter of 1880.