THS's Guide

11/04/2003 22:53
I'm about to get briefed on the project. Extremely top-secret stuff. They wouldn't take no for an answer, so I'm doing this entirely against my will. I can't begin to imagine why they need a particle physicist in the first place, but here I am.

11/09/2003 23:05
I saw the specimens that are the purported cause of the incident. The whole thing sounds like a bad joke: a dragon and a giant appearing over Shinjuku? Who could take any of this seriously? That said, the energy characteristics of the samples are undeniably strange, so I'm going to begin a detailed analysis tomorrow. I now understand why they involved me in this.

12/04/2003 23:05
The food here is awful; I think the cook's only skill is to dump MSG on everything to try to cover up the taste. Sure, it's free, so I probably shouldn't complain. But if they want to keep their research team motivated, they really should put in a little more effort.

02/08/2004 23:17
Another worker in the facility came down with that strange disease, and now I'm hearing disquieting rumors that the particles we're studying may be the cause. There's still a lot we don't know about them, so I'm not surprised people would believe such a thing. I worry this may slow our research.

02/22/2004 23:43
I heard from Watanabe. Just as we feared, there's a high probability the particles we're researching are the cause of the disease. As a result, we've been forbidden from coming into direct contact with them, which is only going to make our work more difficult.

We've almost confirmed the particles that made up the Giant change their energy levels in response to observation, but we have no idea what they're reacting to. Variations in the observer's brain waves? Body temperature? Differences in atmospheric humidity caused by sweat? Some people believe the particles are reacting to the observer's feelings, but that's no longer science at that point.

02/25/2004 23:07
They brought in cadavers so we can study the connection between the particles and the disease. They look more like statues than bodies, and give an impression similar to the videos we've been shown of the Giant. At first, I attributed their white color to protein denaturation, but we soon discovered they were composed entirely out of sodium chloride—in other words, they turned to salt. Considering how little sodium there is in the human body, it's a mystery as to where they absorbed it all from.

One final note: Reports of auditory hallucinations among the infected suggest the damage begins in the brain and spreads from there, but I'll leave that kind of thing to the neuroscientists.

07/04/2004 02:18
Today wore me out. Is there no way to eliminate all these pointless meetings and conferences? Such a waste of time.

02/24/2005 01:15
I heard from Kobayashi. He says they've succeeded in cultivating D tissue using the Sea of Origin, and that as expected the density of G particles is an important factor. This should lead to rapid progress in D tissue research. Apparently the tissue is quite resistant to extremes of temperature and pressure, and they'll be arranging experiments to study its resilience on a much grander scale.

03/08/2005 00:45
No matter how many times we run the tests, the energy level fluctuations accompanying the cultivation of D tissue defy the law of conservation of energy. If it were observed only at the quantum mechanical level, that'd be one thing, but I can't begin to account for such macro-level energy deviation. The source of the excess energy has to be these mysterious G particles.

11/15/2005 02:11
It appears there was some sort of incident with the D tissue resilience tests, and the lack of information makes me suspect it's been classified. It feels like pressure to show results has been leading to a lot of ill-advised experimentation lately. I wonder what happened to light such a fire under the facility directors?

12/24/2005 01:45
It's Christmas Eve, but I can't leave because we've been on permanent red alert ever since the incident. I had to instruct my husband to buy our daughter's Christmas present—I sure hope he doesn't forget. Also, I worry she may be too old for teddy bears now. Statistically, she should be within the target demographic for such things, but matters of personal preference always have high levels of deviation above the norm. Next time I should just ask her directly.

01/08/2006 01:33
Rumors are flying about some sort of black monster, but I suspect it's just group hysteria brought on by our recent stressful circumstances. The ill-conceived experiments are continuing, as is our red-alert status. Whatever's going on, I assume it has something to do with the total blackout on research results related to D tissue.

04/15/2006 02:22
Can't say I've felt very good lately. So tired now. We devised a theoretical revision to the law of conservation of energy based on the now-accepted multi-origin theory. It's holding up mathematically, but it still feels so far-fetched. Factor in the concept that our Dragon and Giant are supposedly otherworldly beings, and it's like I'm living in the pages of a science-fiction novel. As a scientist, it's just so difficult to accept these findings.

Ugh. This buzzing in my ears is driving me dizzy.

10/19/2006 03:11
Physical health deteriorating. Ear buzzing sounds like bells. Can't sleep anymore.

With humanity teetering on the brink of extinction due to the spread of the mysterious white chlorination syndrome, Project Gestalt is launched as a last-ditch effort to ensure humanity's survival. Using the same Maso particles that cause the infection, scientists develop a process that extracts the human soul and turns it into a "Gestalt." The physical body is then preserved as data so that artificial "Replicant" copies can be created and managed while a means of eradicating the disease is pursued.

Supplementary Details

Gestalts: Human souls that have been separated from their bodies in order to protect them from white chlorination syndrome. A vulnerability to sunlight is one defect of the process.
Replicants: Empty shells left behind after the Gestalt process. Though magically implanted with pseudo personalities, they lack free will, as well as the ability to reproduce.
Androids: Artificial humans created to manage Replicants. Their mission is to use Replicants to eradicate both the Legion and white chlorination syndrome, then restore Gestalts to their original bodies once that task is complete.
Legion: Former humans driven to rampant brutality by white chlorination syndrome. Their skin is white due to calcification caused by the disease. While they have reduced intelligence, they also possess increased physical abilities.

Key Concepts

THE DRAGON AND THE GIANT:

After the fall of the red dragon, the mysterious white chlorination syndrome begins to spread. The infected either turn to salt and die, or go berserk and begin attacking others. Out of fear of further proliferation, the Japanese government seals off the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo—the virus's epicenter. As a result, Nier and his sole living relative, Yonah, are left to wander the Shinjuku dead zone.

WHITE CHLORINATION SYNDROME:

A disease transmitted through the inhalation of the red dragon's Maso particles. The skin of most infected individuals calcifies, causing death within weeks. Those who survive, however, turn incredibly violent and begin attacking the uninfected. To ensure humanity's survival and stop the spread of the disease, berserk individuals (known as "Legion") are hunted down and eradicated without mercy.

June 12:
The 6/12 Incident Occurs: A Mysterious Giant and a Red Dragon Appear

•Around 3 p.m. on June 12, a massive white figure (henceforth called the "Giant") suddenly appears in Shinjuku.

•At the same time, a red, dragon-like life-form (henceforth called the "Dragon") appears and battles the Giant. The nature and effects of their various attacks remain unclear.