The Winthorpe Institute For Dream Research
Episode One | Episode Two | Episode Three | Episode Four | Episode Five | The Music of the Spheres28/04/2019 Episode Two
Sunday, 16 April 2017
In the morning, John wakes up early and finished his hacking. He has not been able to get into the main Datamaster computer, it is too well locked down. However, there appears to be a sub-system bolted onto the Datamaster that is not so well protected and he is able to break into it.
He finds that the system is set up to receive certain information in file format from the Datamaster computer and pass it on elsewhere, to a third party server. This system is called “Wolf”. John hacks it such that it will now also email that information to him.
Breakfast
That morning they meet up for breakfast. Damien is feeling a little drained and feels odd. He also found out that a number of the other patients in the Dream Web also had peaking vitals during their sleep, within an hour or so of his experience.
During breakfast, Eileen Cody tells them Mr Torrence Dandridge would like to give a presentation to them, one that was scheduled for Friday evening but they did not arrive.
Presentation
They agree and at 10am they go to a conference room, where Dandridge and his assistant, Burton Fielding, the inventor of the Dream Web, give a presentation on the process. They explain they are trying to build a dream visualiser, something that can turn dreams into actual video images. The technology is not complete, but they are close and show them early images that are constructed from signals they are monitoring in their volunteers.
It becomes clear there is some conflict between Dandridge and Fielding, with Fielding scoffing at Dandridge’s technical knowledge and it is clear that Fielding is the expert. They also find out Fielding built and programmed the Datamaster computer.
At the end of the presentation, amongst the audience is Lawrence Winthorpe, who invites the party to come to his lodgings for lunch. They all agree.
Damien works out he has been drained somehow and his Aura visions is not working. He goes to lie down.
Amy has her psychiatric assessment and gets on well with Dr Ivanovna.
John contacts someone on his dark web chat site called Sarah. She is 17 and she does scary dream stuff. She feeds dreams to the “Thing”. He contacts Amanda, his sister, who tells him there is something wrong, something bad at the place he is at. It’s not physical yet but it’s strong and getting stronger.
Gerald asks about the CCTV for the lobby, but the Receptionist tells him he will have to ask the computer technician to come see him. Gerald says don’t worry about it and instead goes to see John and asks him to help.
John starts to hack the internal security system but Gerald encourages him to come to lunch with them.
Lunch with Winthorpe
At 12 they go to where they were told to wait, a section of the house with a door marked “No admittance to staff or guests.” There is a pretty younger, professional woman there who lets them him and takes them through a more elegantly decorated section of the house to a large study and dining room, where Lawrence Winthorpe is awaiting for them with a buffet lunch, wine and whisky.
He welcomes them and tells them that he has owned this land for a long time. He no longer sees much of his family, but is happy to use his money to help out scientific research.
The Indalo
Amy recognises the Indalo symbol on Winthorpe’s desk and asks him about it. She has a small pendant with that symbol. It belonged to a patient who died, her name was Ellen. Ellen felt it was important that she pass the symbol on to her. The others are surprised to hear this.
Winthorpe immediately takes an interest and tells them he used to know some people, a brotherhood if you like, who used that symbol, but he lost touch with them about 20 years ago.
Now, later in his life, he is trying to get back in contact with them.
Amy asks what the brotherhood was called. He tells them it was SAVE, which stood for something in Latin but he forgets what. They were paranormal investigators and they came to look at a problem in the Lake. There are some old ruins from druidic times at the bottom of the Lake and something was happening, but they dealt with it.
Occult
Sebastian notices that Winthorpe has some occult books on his shelves and tells him about his shop, the Third Eye. At one point they talk about Alistair Crowley, one of whose books is on the shelf.
John tries to send a message asking to speak to Ellen, but while he is in Winthorpe’s wing, he gets no messages on his dark web site, though he has internet signal. Once outside messages start to come back. He wonders if it is dead zone. Ellen does not respond though.
Sebastian also notices some magical protection symbols have been woven into the decoration for Winthorpe’s wing of the house.
Back in the Institute side of the house, they head down to the common area to discuss what is going on.
Hacking the CCTV
John gets an email with 5 encrypted files. He sets about unencrypting them.
Gerald asks John for help looking at the CCTV cameras. John needs access to a computer on the network, so he and Gerald go off to distract the girl on reception while John installs a Trojan program to help him hack in.
Then they go to their room and check the CCTV, which shows no one was in hall last night but the door to their room opened of its own accord. They later notice the doors to the other’s rooms had rattled first and early footage suggests that the rooms that are occupied regularly get some sort of rattling visitation, while the rest of the rooms are left alone.
John also sets his pass to have access to every room in the building.
Tarot Readings
Sebastian decides to do some tarot readings with Damien and Amy. He does a few small readings first, getting a few stories, one of betrayal and someone turning to the Devil. Another is an innocent girl trapped and something is arriving.
The overall reading is one of hidden corruption of the present and a future in turmoil, while hidden enemies work against them, with lots of friends. They have some allies too, an old king and a girl who is both ally and enemy. The future is uncertain and they will reap what they sow.
A computer technician, Graham Mains, then comes to see Amy and tells her he has seen some unusual readings in her dream results and he would like to discuss them further. She goes away with him.
Secrets Revealed
Meanwhile, John’s computer has finished hacking the encrypted files that the “Wolf” server sent him. They are the party’s private data plus their dream patterns. Amy’s file has “Accumulator? Possible candidate” as a foot note, while Damien’s says “She says powerful dreams, has a lot of potential and something hidden.”
He tells Gerald, who asks where the data is being sent. John checks and is able to work out the destination is on a government network, possible MOD according to hacker friends. He posts up asking if anyone knows how to hack this network. Most the replies say it can’t be hacked and don’t do it - they will send Special Branch on you.
They go down to tell the others. Gerald asks about the something hidden note for Damien and Damien reveals he has no memory of this childhood and also that he can sometimes see strange colours, auras, in others. However, after his experience with the Dream Web, that appears to have temporarily been drained.
Amy in Danger
John gets a message suddenly on his phone, from Ellen – Amy is in danger! Then she goes.
John tells them and he heads to his room to check the CCTV to find out where she may have gone. Meanwhile, Damien suggests they try the Dream Web building.
John discovers from the CCTV that is exactly where the technician took Amy.
At the Dream Web building, they are unable to get in with their passes. John tries to give Damien unlimited access, but it does not work in the Dream Web building.
Instead they knock loud and vigorously on the door, trying to attract someone’s attention. After a few minutes, Amy suddenly comes bursting out, saying she needs to get away from “him.”
Behind her, computer technician Graham Mains is looking confused and asking what is going on, he was just trying to discuss her readings.
Damien checks out his aura, and sees that it is open and powerful – he has been doing something with it. He also has a second spirit aura, that of a wolf, which matches the House Stark T-shirt he is wearing.