Five Easy Steps Wednesday May 16, 5:14pm
Wow, that was fast work. Thanks to you it looks like we might be able to get just a bit ahead of Cyrus on this one.
So let's take a look at what we've got. Apolyton have developed technology to "transmit commands" to human beings. They call it "neural override", but a better phrase is "mind control". And let's just pause for a moment to allow the shuddering to subside after thinking about that. Apolyton wanted to shelve the technology, but it's fallen into the wrong hands, as such things are wont to do, and Cyrus and the Third Power are planning to use it.
Fortunately, the implementation of the technology is quite complex: 1) increasing suggestibility via coded white noise signals, then 2) introducing the trigger words (Frozen Indigo Angel), then 3) sending a primer signal. The final stage is 4) activation, by a 24-36 hour signal broadcast only to people who are near the specially configured speakers. Of course then there's stage 5) issuing orders. But we don't want to get anywhere near there.
So, the bad news is that stages 1) and 2) have been completed. Taking Apolyton's work forward, Cyrus has figured out how to use a normal radio broadcast as a carrier for stage 1. This took much longer to transmit, but meant he could do it unobtrusively. He's also inserted the words Frozen Indigo Angel enough times to develop the override in hundreds of thousands of listeners.
The good news is that his first attempt to broadcast the primer signal didn't work. This means we've still got a chance to stop it. The signal's due to air sometime tomorrow, and I think Paul Denchfield has a plan to stop that happening - we need to do whatever we can to help him.
The other good news is that, despite the ominous words "the NOAS is highly redundant", it's still a pretty fragile system. If we don't manage to stop the primer, we can still stop the signal by disrupting just three of the five transmitters.
Also, Kurt and Helena Frye, the police detective who's helped us in the past, have picked up cross-world chatter suggesting that Cyrus will need help to set up the hardware at the Big Weekend. He's going to give instructions to his agents using a series of symbols at the festival; the symbols will be recognisable because they'll have the trigger words on them. By finding those symbols, we can find the transmitters. But, let's hope it doesn't get to that stage. If we stop the primer now, we can all rest a lot easier.