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The Storage Papers is a fiction horror podcast.
Discretion is advised.
Transcript
WRITTEN BY JEREMY ENFINGER
Hi everyone. Thanks for joining me again this week on The Storage Papers. First things first, I suppose. I’m still waiting to find out when I can see neurology. COVID is a persistent bitch. Every time I have a doctor’s appointment, or try to schedule one, they tend to be a few months out supposedly due to staffing levels and/or delays in available resources for the medical teams.
I can’t begin to describe how frustrating it is… knowing there’s an uncontrolled growth inside my skull that could potentially threaten my life. A lot of my time, as well as my wife’s, have been spent since the last episode trying to get literally any neurologist in our own county and any neighboring county to see me soon. But so far I haven’t had any luck. Perhaps that’s just not in the cards for me… might as well keep the podcast going in the meantime.
Interestingly enough, the news about my tumor on the last episode also got the attention of Brianne. She baked some cookies and brought them over. This seemed like an incredibly kind gesture, and given the fact that I’d seen all of the instant-meal options inside her pantry and refrigerator, and had also never seen her cook, let alone bake anything, it meant a great deal to me. I can see how her career choice of becoming a nurse really suits her. She’s kind, and right now, the world needs more of that. Needless to say I think I got one of the cookies she made while my kids devoured the rest of them. Kids will be kids I suppose.
Brianne wasn’t the only person who’s attention was grabbed by that last episode though. I received a text from an unlisted number with an address, a date and a time. The text was followed by the initials, “JF.” Joseph Foye wanted to meet with me. Thankfully, he was willing to let me record our discussion when we met:
Joseph: Thank you for being willing to meet with me on such short notice.
Jeremy: Honestly, I was surprised to see your text. But also, you tend to shed a lot of light on things involving the papers… and it’s great material for the podcast. Do I have your permission to record our conversation?
Joseph: Of course.
Jeremy: Great, thank you! So what’s new? Since El Campo, I mean.
Joseph: Well, first I just wanted to say I was sorry to hear the news about your brain tumor.
Jeremy: Well, I don’t know much yet, so I’m trying to stay in good spirits. I just hate all the medical delays we’re experiencing right now. It’s probably harder on my wife than it is on me at this point.
Joseph: I understand. But there’s something you should know. About your tumor, that is.
Jeremy: What’s that?
Joseph: Well, we’ve seen this before in the Hydra kids. There was enough of them in the Pyramidion experiments to be considered… “statistically significant” to presume that your tumor may have been caused by one of two things: Prolonged exposure to the Pyramidion or…
Jeremy: Or?
Joseph: Or what they did to you after you were discarded from the program.
Jeremy: So it’s true?
Joseph: Jeremy, I think you’ve known for a while that you were once a test subject of Hydra.
Jeremy: Suspected, yes. Known? I mean, I don’t have any memory of it. I know I have medical files with the other Makers and Shepherds, but are you saying that you’ve known this whole time?
Joseph: Yes.
Jeremy: Why haven’t you said anything then?
Joseph: It’s not my story to tell.
Jeremy: You say that a lot.
Joseph: Only once before if we’re counting.
Jeremy: So why tell me now if it’s not your story to tell?
Joseph: I was asked to tell you, in light of your news.
Jeremy: Before it’s too late, you mean. My prognosis is really that bad?
Joseph: No, I don’t mean to assume that what’s happening with you is the same thing that happened with the other Hydra kids. And I’m not here to relay any sort of “doom and gloom” messages. I’m here to offer you some information, and a little hope.
Jeremy: Lucky me.
Joseph: Look, I’m risking a lot every time I communicate with you. If you’re not interested, I’ve got other things I can be doing.
Jeremy: No, sorry. It’s just that I’m taking in a lot of information right now; some very personal, and I’m just not sure where my priorities should lie. I’m kind of thinking, if I don’t have much time left, I really shouldn’t be wasting what little bit of it I may have on this podcast. I should be with my family.
Joseph: Or, I have another potential solution for you.
Jeremy: One that can remove a tumor?
Joseph: Well, yes… and no.
Jeremy: Oh this is great. I can’t wait to hear this!
Joseph: You’re upset. I understand that. But let me share some information with you first, and why it’s so important to consider what I have to offer.
Jeremy: I’m all ears.
Joseph Foye sat there with me for a couple of hours telling me some of the history of what Hydra was doing with children. Aside from the experimentation on those kids with documented abilities, the manner in which they became part of those test groups was inhumane.
They had learned early-on how to identify some of these people with varying levels of abilities. They knew there was a higher concentration of people with abilities, or with the aptitude to develop them based on blood type. They had access to physical medical records in the early days under privileges created and funded by federal medical research grants.
Eventually, with advancing technology in genetics, Hydra formed their own genetics research department and solicited help from several government-contracted companies including SCIC here in San Diego. This was before Hydra’s main place of operation was here, but it’s also what helped bring it here. SCIC and Hydra are often synonymous with their growth rate in the region, but rest assured they are not the same.
San Diego is unique for several reasons. There’s the high cost of living compared to other regions in the country. It’s a military town, which would offer quick aid to Hydra or its subsidiaries if and when needed. It’s also a port town, filled with people widely varying in economic status, and it contains a relatively small number of people who are native to the area. Ask any of the former San Diego Chargers’ fans – they can vouch for that.
But the area also seems to have some other elements to it with reasons that have yet to be discovered. There’s a high population of citizens with abilities here. It’s been suspected that the high concentration of local appearances of the Pyramidion may have something to do with that, but it’s also never around long enough for Hydra to study it very much. It just vanishes at seemingly random times after appearing. And there’s really no way to know if it’s related or not, but it would follow suit that the high concentration of paranormal events reported in the area could be a result of the Pyramidion’s presence as well.
Hydra has been studying these phenomena for years now. Partially to try to determine if these paranormal experiences can be linked to Maker/Shepherd abilities, and if so, what percentage of them are. Needless to say, they have been able to link a portion of them to paranormal occurrences, but certainly not all of them. Still, the region has a higher rate of phenomena prior to the Pyramidion’s first-ever recorded appearance here. That’s very significant to Hydra.
Another such location in the country, with high concentrations of unexplainable events, is what people refer to as “Skinwalker Ranch,” a farm and homestead on the Uintah Basin in Utah. The ranch itself is but a fraction of the size of the area Hydra has been studying in Southern California, but I think you get the idea. One might be tempted to say these locations, without any current scientific explanation, perhaps contain a thinner veil than others. They are somehow geographically aligned to be paranormal port towns in a sense. Travelers to and from our plane of existence have high traffic through here.
Jeremy: So why tell me this now, when I’m most tempted to dump this podcast project and walk away?
Joseph: It’s an important piece of background information necessary for you to understand what I’m proposing next.
Jeremy: What is it you’re proposing?
Joseph: My grandson, Malcolm, has been looking for me. He knows I have an understanding of when and where the Pyramidion is going to turn up next, and he believes that by finding it, he’ll be able to amplify his abilities enough to bring his sister, Tabitha back from… wherever it is that he sent her so many years ago.
Jeremy: Is that possible? Why not help him? He’s your grandon. And why do you need me?
Joseph: True, he’s my grandson, but we’ve had somewhat of a falling out and quite frankly, he poses danger to me. But you, however; I really wish you knew what you were capable of before your accident.
Jeremy: Wait… did you know me before my accident?
Joseph: Of course. I had hoped that, after meeting with me; After meeting with Gerald, that you would remember.
Jeremy: I hate to disappoint, but I don’t remember you… or Gerald. Who is he?
Joseph: The point is, you were extremely gifted in your abilities at one time. Hydra found a way to remove abilities and I know you received treatment to have yours removed long ago, but the things you’re saying in your podcast, about experimenting with your abilities… you’re regaining them years later. It was my hope that you would also regain your memories as well.
Jeremy: Do you really think that’s possible?
Joseph: I don’t know, but I think it’s worth trying.
Jeremy: How do I try?
Joseph: It’s just a theory of course, and I don’t want to prematurely get your hopes up, but I want to get you near the Pyramidion.
Jeremy: Is it nearby now?
Joseph: No, but it will be soon.
Jeremy: How can you tell?
Joseph: It’s hard to explain. I get these visions. I’ll just be going about my day and all of a sudden I’m feeling like I’m in a daydreaming kind of state. My peripheral vision goes dark, but I see it in front of me as if I’m standing right next to it. I can always see a little bit of its surroundings. Each time it appears, it’s like a countdown.
Jeremy: What do you mean?
Joseph: Well, the first vision I receive is usually 3-4 weeks out. Then the second vision is usually a week or so later. Then the visions happen more frequently as it gets closer to the time it appears. Within a day of its appearance, I’m usually in full vision-mode and not really aware of my surroundings very much. I’m like a walking zombie, leading the way to the Pyramidion.
Jeremy: How do you function like that?
Joseph: With help. Gerald Hubert is one of my closest personal friends, and has been since my earlier days with Hydra. Ever since he first witnessed me in this state, he’s been there to help me out, and he’s never divulged any of it to Hydra. He’s a man of integrity, and one of the few I can count on a single hand that I completely trust.
Jeremy: So, when do you think it will appear?
Joseph: I believe it will be within the next week. Perhaps before your podcast airs with the recording you’re making right now, but definitely before the episode after that.
Jeremy: And… what is it you think will happen by getting me near it?
Joseph: I hope that you’ll benefit from one, if not multiple, positive effects by being near it. In a small percentage of the Maker and Shepherd test subjects, there were children with known illnesses that, after close-proximity exposure to the Pyramidion, were completely cured.
Jeremy: Forgive me if I seem skeptical, but that’s something I’ll need to see to believe. What else?
Joseph: Well, we’ve never put any test subjects who have had their memories wiped by Hydra near the Pyramidion again. It’s possible that, with its restorative properties, you may regain your memory since your “accident”.
Jeremy: Do you remember my accident?
Joseph: I wasn’t there, but I was aware that they were staging it. Jeremy, it’s important for you to understand, you posed a threat to their research. It’s actually kind of funny that you still do with this podcast of yours.
Jeremy: Funny isn’t the word I’d use.
Joseph: Right. Sorry. But Jeremy, I’m also hopeful that your abilities might be restored.
Jeremy: I’m actually not so sure I want that for myself. The more involved I get in this, the more risk of danger I place myself and my family in. What makes you think I want that to happen? What makes you think that’s even possible?
Joseph: I can’t speak to what you want for yourself or your family, but think about it. You’ve seen Brianne experience an increase in abilities as a result of being close to the Pyramidion. She actually touched it in your podcast episode, “A House on the Corner”.
Jeremy: You mean Brianne didn’t have abilities before that?
Joseph: She did, but Hydra had taken them away from her. But since then, she has begun to develop abilities that I would suspect are greater than she had prior to Hydra’s intervention.
Jeremy: So let me get this straight. You’re saying that I was once experimented on by Hydra because of some abilities I had.
Joseph (interrupts): Maker abilities, yes. You were classified as a Maker, as you’ve seen in the medical files that Brianne opened.
Jeremy: Okay, so I had Maker abilities that somehow threatened Hydra’s research, so they took those abilities away, wiped my memory, and let me live my life.
Joseph: Yes, after they were convinced your memory wipe had been successful.
Jeremy: And why didn’t they just kill me? They don’t seem too bothered by ethics.
Joseph: They had incentive to keep you alive. Again, not my story to tell.
Jeremy: Okay… and now you want to take me to the Pyramidion because you believe there will be a chance it can cure my brain tumor, restore my memory, and return my Maker abilities while possibly even enhancing them to a greater degree than ever before, which (at the time) was a threat to Hydra’s research?
Joseph: Erm, yeah.
Jeremy: And what’s in it for you?
Joseph: Believe it or not, I actually care about what happens to you. And I have mutually-aligned interests in the potential outcome of all of this.
Jeremy: Mutually-aligned interests? Forgive me for being a little bit apprehensive. My kids would say, “This is totally sus”.
Joseph: I only want what’s best for you.
Jeremy: I have to be honest with you. I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s best for me lately. And not just me… what’s best for my family. Maybe it’s the news of the growing lump inside my skull, or perhaps it’s just the shitty train of events that continue to occur as a result of this podcast, but I’ve seriously considered just giving all of this up. Ron can have his fucking papers back. Why he collected all that and would just let his rental payment lapse is beyond me considering how “important” it all is, but that’s not the point. The papers have brought me nothing but trouble.
Joseph: And that’s your choice, but consider the potential benefits you could experience.
Jeremy: I’ve learned to live without a memory of my childhood, and from the sound of it, my mental health is probably best served without revisiting that. I also don’t give a shit about gaining any kind of psychic abilities. The only reason I would consider going with you is if there’s a chance I could get rid of this growth on my brain, and I’m still not convinced it’s worth the trip given all that other stuff, which all sounds more like a curse than a blessing.
Joseph: I understand. It’s your choice. But consider this: How long will it take you to get your neurologist appointment? How many tests will they need to run before determining whether it’s operable or not? And how long before your surgery can be scheduled, if it’s even possible? They might try chemotherapy, perhaps with a combination of radiation therapy, and you might have a chance at success. But at the rate your tumor is growing, I’m concerned you’re about to begin a losing race.
Jeremy: Wow, you should write greeting cards.
Joseph: I’m just trying to be realistic. As I said, it’s your choice. You have a chance at a cure within the next week, which you’ll likely know whether or not it worked well before you can schedule your first neurologist appointment. Or you can wait. Put all your chips on the table, betting on a medical system that has been stressed to the breaking point with a pandemic, in hopes that it will respond before your clock runs out. It costs you nothing to consider my proposal.
Jeremy: Well, when you put it that way.
Joseph: So, you’ll come?
Jeremy: I was kind of being sarcastic. I’m just not sure. I need some time to think about it.
Joseph: Okay. Take some time. Again, I’m not here to pressure you one way or another, but I hope you’ll consider it. Talk to your wife. Go sit at the beach by yourself and meditate. Do whatever you need to do to make a choice, but don’t take too long. I don’t have any way of knowing when the Pyramidion will appear next. Sometimes it’s months, and sometimes it’s years between these visions I have. There is one other potential benefit for you going, but there’s no use discussing it if you decide not to. But please, make a decision.
Joseph handed me an envelope before leaving our meeting containing a plastic room key to a hotel nearby where he was staying, along with a brochure for the hotel with its address and the room number written in sharpie on the bottom of it. He told me that I should be there no later than 3 days from now as a conservative estimate, just in case the Pyramidion appeared a bit earlier than he anticipated.
I went home and took some time that evening to go over the options with my wife. I admit that during the conversation with Joseph, I was kind of emotional. Deep down, I agreed with everything he said about the lack of faith I can have in the medical system to work efficiently and effectively right now. My wife and I also agreed that the benefits of going to the Pyramidion outweighed the little risk involved… that is, if Joseph was being honest and including all of the information needed to make an informed decision.
I think I would have come to the same conclusion if I hadn’t discussed it with my wife. I mean, people generally want to live. I decided to go. Three days after our meeting, I drove to the hotel on the brochure and met Joseph Foye.
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