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The Liar And The Truthteller
2007-03-22 13:51:44

Retrieving this week's keyword will be a brief mission, as the field work may take some time. So let's pick back up at the Federal Building in San Francisco where Jimmy Woo's team are examining a most unusual device...







* * * * *









"Brain tissue?" asked Venus, clearly repulsed.



"Yes- a brilliant if crude solution," replied Marvel Boy as he looked at the machine that had been influencing their dreaming minds. "Earth simply doesn't have very sophisticated means of computing yet. Your greatest computer is the size of a small house and can barely calculate a square root.  Data is stored on tape reels and one has to enter commands with a punch card. Seriously, a child with an abacus can do as much."



Gorilla Man leered as he finished bandaging his arm. "Is all this anti-Earth propaganda going somewhere, or are you just cranky from being woke up at 3 AM?"



"I'm getting to it, Ken. So, to transmit specific imagery- as in a scenario where snakes bind you when a skeleton appears, say- you would need something to store those images. Dragging an enormous computer around would be nearly impossible. So what someone did with this device was use organic data storage from the greatest computer the planet has available... the human brain."



"Holy smokes," said Jimmy. "I wonder how they put the dream into the piece of brain in the first place?"



"The former owner of the brain merely observed the scenario. Then where the memory is stored, we extract tissue." Jimmy and the others turned in the direction of the new voice. It was the man Jimmy had knocked unconscious minutes ago. Ken Hale scooped him up and held him tightly by the shirt collar. The man's face looked considerably redder as he did so. 



"All right, you! What's this all about? What are you trying to pull here?"



"I have very little hearing due to... alterations made upon me. So that I would not be susceptible to the young lady's power." The man seemed oddly calm, resigned in fact. "I can only read your lips and the gorilla is too difficult for me. If you have questions, they should come from one of the others."



"You say the brain tissue came from someone who saw the imagery?" asked Marvel Boy.



"Yes. We have many Datamen. They exist to use their senses to record information for us. Early on the process almost always necessitated the tissue donor's death, but now we have it refined. They all have artificial access ways riveted to the backs of their skulls, and special liquids help them regenerate new brain tissue. This works even better. After a few transfers, the Datamen have no memories of their own that could possibly interfere with the intended storage." The little man sat up more now, as if proud of this development. 



Venus looked aghast. "Whoever you people are, you're monsters."



The man seemed puzzled at her judgment. "We only use indigents and drifters. No one who matters to society or the economy."



"Oh, well that's better." said Gorilla Man. "For a moment we were afraid you were up to no good. Okay Jimmy, let's turn him loose."



"Take that act to the Poconos, Ken. Okay pal, now who were these Derskin and Oglethorpe guys that started us on the goose chase?"



"Those are their names, Mister Woo. They just do not work for the Federal Bureau, as you have surmised by now. Their purpose was to lead you away from paths that would have crossed with our own. You cannot combat this organization as you might ordinary criminals. Our planning is very layered and has many fail-safes built in."



"For someone who was willing to kill himself to evade me, you're being pretty helpful now," said Marvel Boy.



"Because it doesn't matter now. Now that you have captured me, my life is forfeit. I may as well tell someone the wonders and horrors I have seen in my time with the Foundation. I don't think I realized until now just how much I wanted to share the arcane knowledge I have acquired." The strange man looked aside a moment, then spoke again. "It must be a similar thing with monks who have taken a similar vow of secrecy."



"Brother!" said the ape. "Now this guy thinks he's practically clergy! Come on, let's go introduce him to Jonas Salk and see if he'll share his Nobel Prize!"



"Salk didn't get the Nobel Prize, remember?" clarified Bob.



"Then he was robbed." grunted Ken. 



"He is indeed a brilliant man, and we are already putting his immunization work to good use." countered the man, who was able to pick up on Hale's last statement thanks to the especially animated delivery. "I do envy him the public acknowledgment of his achievements. I shall die soon with no one knowing the leaps I made in developing the Dream Ray. Likely, the existence of the machine will never be public at all." The man seemed to be unaware of the others around him at this point, having a dialogue with only himself. "Still, I have always been well funded by the Foundation, and have had all the test subjects I needed. Not many scientists can say that."



"So what is this Foundation?" asked Jimmy, kneeling before the man. "What do they not want us to interfere with?" He waited what seemed an interminable period, staring at the man's glassy eyes. Jimmy finally realized that the eyes hadn't blinked in almost a minute. He reached out and touched the scientist' shoulder, and the man slumped over. In the moonlight from the still open window, the feathery plume of a dart could be seen at the middle of the man's neck. 



Jimmy bolted up to look out the window, then stepped aside just as quick with the realization that he could be the next target of a dart. Bob Grayson raised his arm and projected a bright beam of light to the buildings across the street, scanning for movement in any of the windows. Seeing no movement he dived down to street level and began circling the blocks. The bustling city was unusually quiet. Finally he returned to the large open window to see Venus checking at the man's wrist and neck.



"I'm not finding the pulse."



"Well I couldn't find a suspect, so we're even," said Marvel Boy. "It's like a ghost killed him."



"So we're back to where we were, with diddly-squat to go on," said Ken, scratching at his itching forearm.



"No, we're not totally licked," said Jimmy Woo, walking over to shut the windows. "M-11, could you take this body downstairs to the infirmary?" The robot scooped up the corpse, carried it into the private elevator and down to the third floor. Jimmy stared out the window for a minute and then turned around.



"He said these people were worried about our paths crossing. What path were we on? It makes me think he was referring to what Bob was doing when he arrived the other night." Jimmy walked a few steps from the window as if he were retracing Marvel Boy's actions. "You had been to the new Space Administration in Huntsville."



Bob Grayson's headband pulsed quickly as he looked up at Jimmy. "You mean because I was advising on the space program."



"Right. I'm thinking that's what this is all about. Those fake FBI agents showed up, then I called for you to come back because there was suddenly a case to work on. Now, somebody is going to great lengths to pull off this caper, and they're obviously pretty dangerous with magic and science." 



"That's for sure," said Venus. "If these people have the kind of science like this ray gun, they might not want competition like the new space agency will create."



"It's... the Russians..." said Ken, with his head much lower than usual. He wobbled forward as if his feet weren't finding the floor easily. His massive frame began to sway from side to side. "No good... I shoulda known... they got that Sputnik..." Hale then reached out his hand to Jimmy Woo's shoulder to steady himself, and fell anyway- bringing Jimmy to the floor with him. 



"Ken! Are you okay?"



The gorilla's eyes rolled around, not focusing on any one thing. Jimmy looked at the bandage, which was pulled open a bit, enough to show Ken's blood bubbling into a froth around the knife wound.



"The knife!" shouted Venus. "It must have had poison on it!" She grabbed a glass of water from Jimmy's desk and poured it on the wound, trying to flush out the toxic chemical. Ken Hale's chest began to heave up and down in large motions. 



"Bob! Can you do something?" 



"Marvel Boy looked at a loss, kneeling over his teammate. "I... I can't... it seems like I should know how but-"



Grayson was cut off by a loud howl, much higher pitched than any Gorilla Man had made before. The sound then receded as if he were moving into the distance. At the end of it, the team could only hear a small gurgling. The ape's eyes went still and his limbs stopped where they were. Jimmy grabbed one of the massive arms and shook it. "Come on, big guy! Come back! You can fight it!"



A strange sensation played at Jimmy's palm. Where he held the gorilla's arm, he began to feel less fur in his hand. The form he touched also seemed to be moving inward. Looking to Hale's face, Jimmy saw the massive brow begin to recede, along with all the dark hair. His snout sunk in and lips began to form. Ken's whole body shrunk in size, though the form it took was big for a man, with muscular forearms and a square jaw. Ken Hale had once showed Jimmy a picture of himself when he was still human, and that was the face they all now saw.



Venus looked up to Jimmy and Bob, her eyes shimmering with tears that hadn't yet escaped.



"He's dead."



The teammates stood in shock over the human form of Ken Hale, and Jimmy Woo became aware of an impact repeating against the floor. It was M-11, who had walked quickly across the room and now stood at Hale's feet. His arm extended down, the hand halting over Hale's chest. Then two of the robot's fingers extended as well, connecting at symmetrical points on the upper chest. The cyclopic eye began to glow.



"700 VOLTS."



Ken Hale's body lurched where current entered his body. Venus jumped. 



"M-11! What are you doing!?"



Marvel Boy looked up, wide eyed. "Get out of his way! Let him do this!"



"1000 VOLTS."



The body now jerked up even more, causing Hale's arms to swing outward. Jimmy Woo's eyes raced between the figure on the floor and the machine known as the Human Robot.



"1400 VOLTS."



At this discharge, the body arched all the way up off the floor. The robot's eye grew brighter, and then his arm retracted to it's regular position. Ken Hale's eyes began to flutter, and his arm slid to the side. He coughed a large burst of air, then drew in an equal volume of oxygen. His eyes opened to see his four teammates looming over him. Wiping at his face he realized he was using a very naked looking hand. He held it further away to focus better, and then brought his other hand up to his face as well. He looked over his forearms for the dark chestnut fur that usually covered his body to see nothing but the skin of a man.



"You did it, M-11!" shouted Venus, who tried to hug the large robot. Jimmy Woo ran over from his desk with a glass of water and held it to Hale's mouth.



"Here buddy, take a drink."



Ken Hale raised his head and neck and braced himself on one elbow. He drank the whole glass down in seconds and gasped, then wiped at his small brow again. "I'm... I'm..."



Before he could reach his next word, he felt the strange sensation of his neck growing wider. He felt his body raise from the point where his elbow rested on the oak wood planks as his upper arm lengthened. His mouth pushed out and his nose flattened as it did. He had the sensation of sinking into himself from his eyes as his brow protruded. His wide field of vision was again restricted to the point where he'd have to turn his head to easily see an object at his side. His wide nostrils issued a loud sigh and he raised himself up on his knuckles. The ape's head hung low for a moment, and then came back up. He moved a couple of steps forward to where M-11 stood and rested his massive hairy hand on the robot's shoulder. Venus wiped tears from her eyes with big motions of her arm and then buried her cheek in the furry shoulder of her friend. Marvel Boy stood up and smiled at the robot, resting his hands on his belt. Jimmy Woo leaned back from his position on the floor against the nearby chair and exhaled as if he hadn't been breathing for several minutes.

* * * * *

UPDATE: So. BORAX unlocked only enough of the excerpt to leave us with the notion that Jimmy Woo's team had suffered a great setback, but SPUTNIK shows us that they are even more resourceful than we may have imagined. Welcome aboard, Ted Scott and Calvin Marsh. You will all receive more information soon.

Your Humble Servant,

Mr. Lao

----------------------------------------------------------
PREVIOUS CLOSING REMARKS:My apologies for stopping in mid-story like that, but the nature of our exercise this week requires it.

You have now learned about one of The Atlas Foundation's favorite tools, The Dream Ray. Naturally the version we use these days is much more powerful. One would never have to set up the device as close as a nearby building to put suggestions in the mind of the target, but that was the 1950s for you.

You may have reasoned that this is the way we coerce Timely creators to tell the kinds of stories we believe the readers should follow. AGENTS OF ATLAS is being written and drawn by two such unwitting dupes, thanks to this "influential" technology! That brings us to our latest mission. Many of you will be traveling to the lower western United States for the international convention of popular culture (that still quaintly mentions Comics in its title). While there, you can obtain member status by retrieving a keyword. You'll have to present the password to our creative lackeys, wherever they might be. I'm sure you'll soon figure out the password after reading this week's mission excerpt.

The difference is this: one of the creators will lie to you. Only one has the correct keyword. Upon reporting the word you were given, the rest of today' s file will be released. Depending on the word first given, you will either receive the correct story or an alternate version. Even if you find both creators and thus acquire both keywords, you may only guess one. Though should it turn out to be false, you may send the alternate word to another agent.

And now, to work! Some of our lurkers come solely to read the agents' adventures, you know.

Your Humble Servant,

Mr. Lao

Hmmm
Not finding the PULSE?

Posted by kuyu001 on 2006-07-20 14:38:22

wat
did jimmy say

Posted by tarhaun on 2006-07-20 15:20:16

Pulse Article
http://www.comicon.com/pulse/

Interesting Article. "Her... first red ring..."

The search begins

Posted by nhartz on 2006-07-20 15:33:55

Is it what it appears?
Could it be an anagram?

Posted by kuyu001 on 2006-07-20 15:36:44

Trick?
Do you think "Her... first red ring"

could be first red herring?

Posted by nhartz on 2006-07-20 16:02:35

Abrupt ending
The comment about not finding the pulse is likely a clue. Note that she did not say HIS pulse, but THE pulse.

However the abrupt ending is also an obvious clue. So what were they doing before thos fake agents showed up? The agents were there at the begining of the story. So it has to be something 'pre-story'.
However in the first installment, there is a reference to them having just gotten back 'just over a month' previously from a visit to Outer Mongolia. And at the time of the first installment, Marvel Boy was just getting back from a visit w/ Von Braun. And then there is the reference to the time the group saved the President.
Any of these could be good leads.

nhartz:
I'm not following you...where did your see that 'first red ring' comment? I can't find that in today's story at all.

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-20 18:49:23

First clue
nhartz,
I found the 'red ring' reference. Yes, I think you are correct, sir.
A little mouse told me that the red herring has been replaced with something else red. And it should be red closely, also.

I am currently working on leads to the second clue word. I'm sure it has something to do with what the team was working on before the story started...

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-20 19:18:26

I just re-red the mission objective
I was over zealous. There is only one keyword, there are two possible people to give it to.
We need to identify the two individuals so that one of our left coast agents may deliver the keyword to the correct person.

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-20 19:23:07

Okay then...
Okay, so, "The Pulse" is a reference to Comicon.com/Pulse, where we find this article:

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=005357

Featuring the "red ring" line nhartz quotes above. This would appear to be a reference to our first red herring clue from the second installment, which has now been altered to this:

http://www.comicbloc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=363&Itemid=92

Hovering over the image reveals the phrase "tell the dupes this," so presumably, the content of the picture is the phrase that must be delivered. The file itself is called "convertible," so... the key phrase wouldn't be "RED CONVERTIBLE," would it?

The dupes in question are, per the text, the writer and artist of Agents of Atlas, so that would be Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk.

Posted by Chris McFeely on 2006-07-20 20:23:35

Nearly There
Good work from our reliable agents again. The word is not Red Convertible, however. There are many potential agents there who can find our dupes, but they will need the key!

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-20 20:50:29

Just "Convertible?"

"Red car?"

"Red... the make of the car?" I don't know cars! Anyone able to identify the make?

"(make of car) convertible?"

Posted by Chris McFeely on 2006-07-20 20:52:06

Keyword EDSEL
That red Car is an Edsel.

Posted by nhartz on 2006-07-20 20:58:58

Right.
An experimental car that was too far ahead of its time, not unlike Jimmy Woo's team. It is what they drive. And it IS the keyword!

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-20 21:55:01

Yay! Would never have got that on my own. :)

Posted by Chris McFeely on 2006-07-21 07:15:34

Aww, man!
Second week in a row where the keyword was found before I even had a chance to read the story! Some advisor I am.

Posted by eyecolumbus on 2006-07-21 13:16:58

Question for Mr. Lao
About this week's objective...
Is there a way to tell which of the two will tell the truth and which of the two will tell a lie?
Is there something more from this week's installment that we have so far missed?

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-21 14:20:36

You Will Know
I believe you will discern whether you have received the correct installment. You have not been defeated by deceptions yet!

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-21 14:50:25

chris some q and hopefully u will give me som
did u do the disturbed cover cause i've herad that u did the video 2 land of confusion plesae answer me

Posted by tarhaun on 2006-07-21 18:36:54

Big Question?
Is anyone here going to the San Diego Comic-Con? We don't need another mishap like Heroes Con.

Posted by nhartz on 2006-07-21 23:49:20

You talking to me?
Tarhaun, you were asking me that question, right? If so, I'm afraid you've got me mixed up with someone else - I don't even know what those things you mentioned are. :)

Posted by Chris McFeely on 2006-07-22 13:53:37

what?!?!??!??!?!!??!?!?!??!!??!?!??!?!
man, sorry do u even listen to rock

Posted by tarhaun on 2006-07-22 14:15:36

GOT IT
I found Jeff Parker at the Indy Island Booth today and said Edsel to
him it was freaky, he just wrote the word BORAX on a piece of paper
and handed it to me, then acted like nothing happened! So that's the
word I got BORAX.

Posted by tedscott on 2006-07-23 21:03:45

Indeed.
You shall now have the segment of the story unlocked by Borax.

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-24 02:14:35

Um...
Somehow i don't think Borax unlocked the right ending...
At least i HOPE not. "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!"
Anyone get the other key?!

Posted by dp_lombardo on 2006-07-24 04:59:48

what is a Borax anyway?
I'm thinking this is the wrong segment too, but at least we got an ending...

Posted by doop1958 on 2006-07-24 08:21:41

Did anyone...
...talk to Leonard Kirk? Tedscott, you were at SDCC were you able to track him down and provide him the the keyword too?

Anyone?

Posted by kuyu001 on 2006-07-24 14:22:08

BORAX
BORAX (aka: 20-MULE TEAM) was the sponsor of DEATH VALLEY DAYS. This was a TV show that unbelievably ran from 1952 to 1975! It was hosted by RONALD REAGAN. (Yes, the President guy)
Death Valley is situated along the California / Arizona border.
And yes, that places it inside the MOJAVE desert.
So, even in the 'wrong' ending, we are getting tie in to existing clues.
---KRB NRG

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-24 15:53:08

Did anyone...
...talk to Leonard Kirk? Tedscott, you were at SDCC were you able to track him down and provide him the the keyword too?

Anyone?

Posted by kuyu001 on 2006-07-24 17:11:03

No Kirk.
No i tried to talk to kIrk but there was a line and I didnt

Posted by tedscott on 2006-07-24 19:11:37

ummm...
I heard about this story game from Leonard Kirk in artist alley, and he wrote a word down for me.Dont kill be but I dont know where it is????I'm pretty sure its in my suitcase or freebee bag or something i'll try and find it tonight.

Posted by calvin marsh on 2006-07-24 21:04:39

sweet
I've been reading this story by the way.. this is really cool.

Posted by calvin marsh on 2006-07-24 21:07:51

Most Auspicious.
We shall give Mr. Marsh some time to search his belongings before taking further action. Should he turn up nothing, I may provide an alternative. It is possible some experiments we ran at the event had adverse effects on attendees...

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-25 02:42:07

Sputnik?
Ok
I overlooked it like 5 times cause it was written on a backing board,and I was looking for a some little peice of paper. In all caps he had written SPUTNIK... Is that it????

Posted by calvin marsh on 2006-07-26 02:24:12

GREAT JOB!
I'm glad you found it Calvin Marsh. This one was really a team effort!

Posted by kuyu001 on 2006-07-26 14:57:53

Phew!
I was getting worried, there! Would have to guess that Kirk gave the key phrase to what appears to be a random guy because none of our established agents got ahold of him. Well done, that man!

Posted by Chris McFeely on 2006-07-26 16:36:40

Great Job Everyone!
I am just glad we didn't have reoccurence of Heroes Con. Great job Calvin Marsh and Tedscott! We couldn't have done this without you. If Mr. Lao continues on to Wizard World Chicago, I will be in attendance for both Friday and Saturday. Keep up the great work everyone and can't wait to see what new information Mr. Lao brings.

Posted by nhartz on 2006-07-26 18:25:13

The Windy City...
Interesting. The Land of Lincoln may figure into our plans.

Posted by mr. lao on 2006-07-26 19:32:27

Not-so-Gorilla Man
...Talk about the cure-that-kills!

Posted by KRB NRG on 2006-07-28 08:27:27

Array

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The Temple of Atlas is the training ground for all prospective Agents of ATLAS.

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Mr.Lao does not exist. Any myths or fables relating to him should be disregarded as same.


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