Chapter 1: Charlie texts Dev
Chapter Text
Chapter Text
Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
10:22 AM (19 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
If you have a spare moment, would you mind reviewing my article before I send it to Peter? We still know next to nothing about that weird lump that washed up on Sumner, so I wanted to make sure that I'm striking the right tone.
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
CHRISTCHURCH WHALE TRAGEDY
In a tragic turn of events, Christchurch was devastated this morning when eager, early rising beachgoers stumbled across the remnants of a whale. It is believed that the carcass washed ashore some time in the very early morning and it is currently unknown how the poor whale died. Authorities are uncertain as to how best remove the carcass from Sumner, as despite best efforts made using forklifts and other similar equipment, the carcass remains in place. Sumner will be closed down until the carcass is dealt with.
Anyone with further information on the whale's arrival has been urged to phone the non-emergency police number on 105.
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
10:28 AM (5 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
Is whale the current party line? Rumours are flying that it's some unidentified animal. I haven't been down to see it yet myself, they closed down the beach pretty quick. The article itself looks fine however.
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
10:32 AM (2 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
How would you recommend referring to it? I'm concerned that referring to it as an unidentified animal might be viewed as stirring up panic or public opinion. We can't exactly call it a weird lump, even though that's certainly what it looks like in those leaked pictures. Is there official word from Peter or any of the fact checkers on what we're calling it?
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
10:39 AM (1 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
No official word. I've seen some people saying that it could be a giant squid with most of the tentacles ripped off by whatever killed it. Apparently it falls apart if anyone so much as looks at it for too long, so it must have been rolling around in the ocean for a long time. It's only a matter of time before it starts rotting on the beach if those scientists don't cart it off in pieces before then. People on FB are worried it might start contaminating the environment, and no one from any of the Ministries have released any statements, they're just letting those scientists have the run of it even though half of them aren't from here.
I do hope they get rid of it sooner rather than later. My bins stink badly enough when I leave fish in there for too long, I can't even begin to imagine what a whole whale would smell like.
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
10:47 AM (2 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
Hopefully they'll get rid of it soon! I liked Sumner!
So just call it a whale for now?
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
10:56 AM (3 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
I'd go with that. Worst comes to worst we can print a retraction, and angry engagement from people popping off in the comments saying that we're fake news and that it's really 'fill in the blank' is still engagement. I'll run it by Peter next time I see him, he may want to include an additional sentence about there currently being no official word on exactly what type of animal it is just to cover ourselves, but that's all I can think of initially.
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Christchurch Whale article
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
11:11 AM (11 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
Thank you!
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
Notes:
the phone numbers featured through this fic are mostly real (they go to various pizza joints!) so please don't call them
Chapter 3: Charlie texts Dev
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: Excerpt from Charlie's notes
Chapter Text
Need to take as many samples as possible.
Spinal fluid? Blood! :D
Tissue samples :(
See if I can get a bone, maybe?
Too big to be scanned even with the portable equipment we're borrowing.
Get xrays? How?
Lump definitely not a whale, spoke to Lucy and Meghan and Henry and Qavi and they all confirmed.
Also not giant squid, they were disappointed.
Meghan said she doesn't know what it is yet, rest wouldn't admit it.
Theories my ass lol.
Gotta see if they want to go drinking.
In vino veritas :p
When move too roughly with the specimen, it disintegrates under the touch.
Remnants left behind after disintegration appear somewhat like sooty ash.
Smears like it (gross lol).
What hasn't been damaged is really pretty though.
I can't remember the last time I saw such a beautiful blue.
Maybe useful for underwater camouflage?
What would this have to hide from though, it's so big.
Ambush predator?
Chapter 5: Report 0001
Chapter Text
Report 0001:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
Specimen is a yet to be identified mass of unknown weight, approximate length: 8'7", approximate height 3'5", approximate width: 5'5" (all measurements taken at largest remaining intact areas, specimen appears to be missing significant pieces). Specimen is a carcass of an as-yet unidentified creature; due to the heavy damage it has sustained, it is difficult to tell what it was pre-mortem. Specimen appears to have wing-like structures, two sets that are fully formed and a central pair that are either vestigial or have sustained a lot more damage than the other two sets. The wings appear to partially be covered in feather-like structures, with some areas having sustained heavy damage, likely pre-mortem. The remaining feathers are somewhat burned, with some sections being more burned than others, almost entirely burned away, while other areas are merely lightly singed. The skin underneath appears iridescent blue. The main body of the specimen is flat white, and the extremities are the same iridescent blue. The head of the specimen has been heavily damaged, it will need to be x-rayed to compare to existing creatures. The upper limbs of the specimen have multiple pits where it appears something has been removed. It is believed that this occurred pre-mortem, due to the damage sustained to the surrounding tissue which is not consistent with injuries sustained post-mortem.
Timeline:
02/04/2025
04:30 (approx.) NZDT: Specimen initially discovered by Margaret Haverston and Julie Nguyen. They approached Sumner to go surfing; however, as they approached they noticed that the beach appeared to have been impacted by something, as large amounts of sand were displaced. Haverston and Nguyen continued to approach and discovered the specimen. It is currently unknown how long the specimen was there before it was discovered, and there have been no reliable reports of disturbances earlier in the night. Haverston called the police and told them that there was a dead angel on the beach. Nguyen continued to approach the specimen. Nguyen reached the specimen and prodded it with a piece of driftwood, but the specimen did not respond. Nguyen stated later to the police that she saw a trail of grey dust arise from the site where she poked it, a reaction consistent with our own observations of the specimen's reaction to excessive force. Nguyen retreated to wait with Haverston for the police to arrive.
05:20 (approx.) NZDT: Police arrived and cordoned off the area, took Haverston and Nguyen's statements.
08:00 NZDT: A local contractor was contacted to remove the specimen; however, they were unable to remove it due to the specimen's reaction to excessive force.
02/05/2025:
The Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry for the Environment, and the Ministry for Conservation were contacted.
02/06/2025:
08:00 NZDT: Ministry officials arrive. Specimen is declared to not be a whale and to be of unknown origin. Officials declare that it is outside of their purview and contact various entities to invite representatives to remove the specimen.
02/07/2025:
05:00 (approx.) NZDT: Dr Lucinda Hamilton and Dr Henry Mitchell arrive with their interns and establish the Sumner site surrounding the specimen. PPE routine established. Experimentation is completed and a process is devised to remove samples without them disintegrating.
02/08/2025:
12:30 (approx.) NZDT: Dr Devotion Felici and Dr Charlie Whitlaw arrive, join team established by Drs Hamilton and Mitchell.
Initial Findings:
Analysis of the burn damage to the specimen has led to initial belief that heat was applied mainly to the outside of the creature, as inner structures are more intact than the outer structures. Removal of the inner structures is difficult without the structure breaking off and instantly disintegrating under the touch: this process has been dubbed 'ashing' due to the end product's distinct similarly to sooty ash. Dr Lucinda Hamilton and Dr Henry Mitchell have developed a procedure to remove samples without them ashing, but large scale removals generally still ash. See Subsection 1 for further information on the samples currently taken.
X-rays will be required to fully examine the shape of the skull and other limbs; however, it is proving difficult to procure an x-ray machine that can be moved to the current location, and so far we are hesitant to remove the head and transport it due to the high likelihood that the object would sustain too much force at some point of the process and subsequently ash. If x-rays or other deep examination of the bone structure can be completed, then the carcass will likely be markedly easier to identify.
Specimen is not decomposing at the typical rate. Apart from the ashing, the specimen does not appear to be decaying at all. This is possibly due to the high amount of salt in the air acting as a makeshift preserving technique. Flies, maggots, etc have not been attracted to the specimen, despite it sitting on the beach in temperatures exceeding 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It also does not smell of rot.
Key witnesses Haverston and Nguyen confirmed that the specimen was not wet when they initially encountered it, possibly indicating that the specimen had remained on the beach long enough to dry.
Further samples are needed before proper conjecture can be reached as to what animal this specimen belongs to. Examination is difficult but possible, and the process established to prevent premature ashing of samples has resulted in a bottleneck in studies. The bottleneck is unfortunate but necessary; premature action will result in the destruction of this specimen. This may be the first known specimen of its kind and all care to avoid its destruction must be taken. The muscle structure of the upper back of the specamine in particular needs further examination, to ascertain whether or not this specamine was capable of flight as the wings suggest.
Subsection 1:
Tissue from the iridescent skin of the wings and other iridescent areas was removed and when examined under 1000x magnification, appeared to be scaled in a similar fashion to butterfly wings. It is light refracting off the scales which causes the blue colour, not any native pigment to the scales themselves. This was ascertained when the scales were carefully broken down without applying enough force to them to ash them. Once the structure was broken, the resulting dust did not appear blue, instead it appeared a greyish-brown color.
The feathers on the wings only visually resemble feathers. They do not have the structure of feathers, instead they appear to be more similar to a leaf, if a leaf were constructed out of meat. The feathers consist of a central 'spine' of cartilage which is surrounded by a nervous system and veins. It is possible that this would allow the 'feather' to be as reactive as a bird feather is, and allow the creature to fly; however, there would be numerous drawbacks as well, and so it cannot be said with any certainty that the specimen used its wings to fly. It is entirely possible that these are fins and they are used to swimming. All that can currently be stated is that the way the feathers attach to the wing itself means that the feathers are capable of some limited movement, mostly just changing the angle the feather lies at. This would assist with both flying and swimming.
Conclusion
Further examination of the cell structure of the tissue removed from the wings and the extremities (see below, Figure 1.1) has yet to yield any actionable results. The cell structure appears passingly similar to a mammal's cell structure. The blood found within the specimen is proving difficult to study: it does contain veins but the substance within it evaporates near instantly when exposed with ultraviolet light, unlike the rest of the specimen which merely ashes when handled too harshly. Procedures are still being established to safely extract the substance and study it.
Chapter 6: Charlie texts Dev
Chapter Text
Chapter 7: Report 0002
Chapter Text
Report 0002:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for full details of specimen. There are currently no updates.
Timeline:
02/09/2025:
Further examination at the Sumner site by all parties.
02/10/2025:
It is decided that larger samples are required to be transported offsite for studies that the lab is not capable of achieving. After thorough documentation, an extremity of which there are duplicates is removed and transported to Lab A. Extreminity is currently being referred to as a 'hand' due to its distinct resemblance to simian hands. Hand is x-rayed successfully without inducing ashing. Removing the hand required a larger portion of the carcass to be lifted, revealing a layer of vitrified sand underneath the specamine. The layer went down 26.748 inches before reverting back to sand seemingly identical to the sand found on the rest of the beach. A piece of vitrified sand was chiseled out of the layer and removed for study.
Ongoing Findings:
The hand was removed and taken to Lab A, and immediately upon its arrival it was x-rayed. Complete set of x-rays are attached to this report, see Additional Documentation 1-15. The bone structure of the hand appears highly similar to a standard homo sapien hand, (see comparison between the hand removed from the specamine and an x-ray of my own hand, Figure 1). It is an order of magnitude larger than typical for a homo sapien hand, but it is in scale with the size of the specamine. Tendons, ligaments, and muscle structure is all very similar to a homo sapien hand, with the exception of the lack of blood found throughout the specamine. It is possible, if the substance removed from the veins acts in a similar manner to blood, that the hand would be able to perform all the same tasks as a homo sapien.
On the palm of the hand there is a pit, visually similar to the pits on the specamine's other extremities. The tissue surrounding the pit was carefully examined, and the nerve structure revealed six pairs of nerves, laid out similarly to optical nerves. The number of nerves, their placement, and the size and depth of the pit suggest that this was an eye socket. The pit itself has sustained too much fire damage to examine it directly, and the current consensus is that debridement of the tissue would result in ashing. If this is an eye socket, albeit missing its eye, then it is possible that the other pits are also eye sockets. Currently, sixteen pits have been discovered on the specamine. The head is too damaged to visually check if it contains eye sockets; examination of the skull itself is needed. Discussion on removing the head remains ongoing.
After the removal of the hand and the discovery of vitrified sand underneath the specamine, the specamine was carefully lifted and samples of the vitrified sand were taken. If the specamine was exposed to high temperatures, this may be why it is now charred. Careful study was made and vitrified sand was confirmed to be present underneath all parts of the specamine that could be reached, at what appears to be the centre of the area of impact. Conjecture follows that the entirety of the sand underneath the specamine has become vitrified sand, likely an impact melt, but it is currently impossible to confirm this due to the high likelihood that the specamine would ash if all of it was attempted to be moved. Samples of both the non-vitrified sand and the vitrified sand have been taken, see Subsection 1.
In the majority of other impacts that have resulted in impact melts, the vitrified sand is found in a much larger area than just the initial impact site due to the amount of energy released during the process. The fact that the vitrified sand is only found directly underneath the specamine and that no one heard an impact last night would imply that there was no impact, that the specamine was merely extremely hot when it washed up on the shore; however, the initial arrangement of the beach when the specamine was discovered by Haverston and Nguyen implies that there was an impact of some description. It is possible that the sand was rearranged by a second party; however, moving that amount of sand without being seen (I.E. in between when the final people left the beach and Haverston and Nguyen's arrival at 04:30) would likely require the use of specialised equipment, and no tracks were discovered on the beach. It is possible that this second party removed their tracks after they left them.
Subsection 1:
The vitrified sand does not contain a crystal structure (see Figure 2.1) as is typical of an impact melt, wherein the energy that the sand is exposed to is enough to melt it down and not allow the required structure to form. The sample is heavily discoloured and becomes more so the further away from the topmost layer (the centre of the impact) as debris is able to remain impact. Sumner's sand appears to largely be composed of quartz, chert, igneous rock and seashell fragments (see Figure 2.2), all of which can be found in the outermost parts of the sample.
Conclusion:
The x-ray of the hand has provided vital information as to the deeper truths of this specamine. More study is needed, and more x-rays are required, as the specamine is too damaged to visually identify. As of yet it has not been identified as belonging to any known creature. Now that we know that the specamine will not ash when exposed to the radiation used in x-rays, this is an avenue that must be pursued. The specamine is yet to lose any major parts to ashing since the procedure to prevent premature ashing was established.
The presence of the vitrified sand and its location raises further questions. If the vitrified sand is from an impact melt, then someone should have heard the impact or seen the specamine fall. If it is not from an impact melt, the question remains as to how the rest of the sand was moved into its current arrangement.
More study is desperately required.
Chapter 8: Laura emails Mara
Chapter Text
Sumner Whale follow up
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenpot ˂[email protected]˃
11:42 AM (4 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
I'm on a follow up to that strange lump on the beach since it's still there. You wouldn't happen to have the contact information of any of the scientists currently working on it, would you? I've already touched base with the police, and they basically said that there's nothing to say. I'm hoping someone actively working on it might be able to shed a bit more light on the topic.
Thanks,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
RE:Sumner Whale follow up
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
11:55 AM (5 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
I haven't got anyone's contact numbers, but if you go down to the beach I think they're all still there.
Regards,
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Sumner Whale follow up
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenpot ˂[email protected]˃
12:01 PM (4 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
Do you think it'd be worth nabbing one of the camera guys? Would a photo of a giant rotting lump of meat be worth it?
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
RE:Sumner Whale follow up
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
12:11 PM (4 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
Well, it's kind of gross, and kind of weird, but oddities sell newspapers which keeps us paid another day. Better to have the camera and not need it than need it and not have it.
Regards,
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Sumner Whale follow up
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenpot ˂[email protected]˃
12:31 PM (4 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
Very true! I guess I'll see you when I get back in a bit, thanks for the advice!
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
Chapter 9: Charlie texts Dev
Chapter Text
Chapter 10: Henry emails Charlie
Chapter Text
RE:Report 003
Inbox ☓

Henry Mitchell ˂[email protected]˃
16:42 PM (29 mins ago)
to me▼
Charlie,
I've reviewed your latest report.
you can't call the specimen an angel.
Dr Henry Mitchell
He/Him
University of Southern California
Marine Biology Dept. Head
951-680-9090
RE:Report 003
Inbox ☓

Charlie Whitlaw ˂[email protected]˃
16:55 PM (21 mins ago)
to me▼
Hi Dr Mitchell,
At this point, what else are we calling it? We've got to face facts. It's an angel. We're dissecting an angel.
Dr Charlie Whitlaw
Senior Researcher
NYI R&D
(585) 247-7920
RE:Report 003
Inbox ☓

Henry Mitchell ˂[email protected]˃
17:03 PM (2 mins ago)
to me▼
Charlie,
It's not scientific. Call it a specimen. Remove all references to angel or I won't sign off on it.
Do you want to keep getting funding or not? The government's not going to give us funding if we start calling it an angel.
Dr Henry Mitchell
He/Him
University of Southern California
Marine Biology Dept. Head
951-680-9090
RE:Report 003
Inbox ☓

Charlie Whitlaw ˂[email protected]˃
17:19 PM (20 mins ago)
to me▼
Yes Dr Mitchell,
I've attached my report with the requested edits.
Dr Charlie Whitlaw
Senior Researcher
NYI R&D
(585) 247-7920
Chapter 11: Report 0003
Chapter Text
Report 0003:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for full details of specimen. There are currently no updates.
Timeline:
02/11/2025:
PPE requirements redefined. Portable ultrasound equipment sourced from Lab A arrived at the site. A ten inch by 5.75 inch piece of the specimen's top right extremity was removed and ultrasounded. The sample did not ash. Ultrasound was performed on the part of the extremity which remained attached to the specimen, and it continued to not ash. In light of these successes, Dr Hamilton approved ultrasounds of the specamine's head and back. Chemical analysis began on the samples removed from the specimen to attempt to determine what it is constructed of.
Initial Findings:
The ultrasounds on the creature's extremity (both in the ultrasound of the removed tissue, and the tissue still attached to the body of the specamine) have revealed that the internal structure of the extremities is similar to homo sapien arm structure. The radius and ulna are both shaped similarly to a homo sapiens, albeit oversized to keep in scale with the specamine (see Figure 1 and Figure 2 for the comparison to a homo sapian's arm. Both ultrasounds were taken on the same day, the homo sapien arm ultrasound was performed on Dr Charlie Whitlaw).
The ultrasound of the specamine's back revealed muscularity that appeared to be similar to homo sapiens; however, there were additional muscles, bones, tendons present to support the use of the wings. See Figure 3-7 for the ultrasounds taken from the back, and Figure 8 for the comparison between homo sapien anatomy and the specamine's anatomy. The anatomy presumably present to support the wings is not as similar a match for any winged creature on Earth; however, biologists consulted have confirmed that the anatomy makes sense to support a creature of such size in flight. The specamine's bones do not appear to have a similar structure to bird bones, and though it does have comparatively oversized lungs considering the size of its torso (see Figure 4), the specamine would have to exert itself to be able to fly.
Chemical analysis is continuing; however, presently oxygen, hydrogen and carbon have been confirmed present in the specimen, in amounts consistent with their presence in the standardised homo sapien.
Conclusion:
Further ultrasounds are desperately required; unless we are able to remove entire pieces of the specamine and take them to Lab A for complete study with x-rays, MRI, etc, then the ultrasounds remain our best way to examine deeply into the specamine.
The more that we uncover about this specamine, the more it becomes clear that we are not dealing with a creature from the written record. There are fantastical references to such a creature, but these are so dated and the historical record is absent of any concrete examples. This may be the first scientific study of such a creature.
Chapter 12: r/chch and r/Christianity
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Notes:
Both r/chch and r/Christianity are real reddit boards, but afaik none of these reddit usernames relate to real accounts, apologies if they do
Chapter 13: Report 0004
Chapter Text
Report 0004:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for initial details of specimen. Specimen has been determined to consist of large homo sapien adjacent features, with the addition of the musculoskeletal structure required to support its three sets of wings. It also has pits along its extremities which are believed to be heavily damaged eye sockets.
Timeline:
2/12/2025:
07:00 NZDT: Work day begun. As the specimen was examined, it was determined that it had sustained new damage in several areas. In total, five sections (near the head area, the top right extremity, and all three sets of wings) had sustained damage. The damage appeared to be caused by washing. Security cameras were reviewed, and it appears that an unknown individual snuck into the site at approximately 03:17 and attempted to remove these parts, resulting in their ashing. Police presence was requested to expand at the initial site to include more surveillance during the non-work hours, to hopefully prevent this from reoccurring. Security has been heightened at the labs.
08:14 NZDT: Begun taking ultrasounds of the whole specimen. Further chemical analysis was undertaken, this time using samples from the wings.
2/13/2025:
PPE requirements further refined. The remaining areas of the specamine that had not been already covered had ultrasounds taken of them. Chemical analysis completed.
Initial Findings:
The damage caused by the unknown individual is relatively limited, due to the nature of the ashing process. Only the damaged areas ash, it does not spread any further. The individual appears to have ceased their attempts to remove parts of the specimen when the specimen literally crumbled underneath their touch. Now that the full specimen has had ultrasounds taken of it, it theoretically will be less of an issue if this reoccurs; however, the amount of knowledge and potential understanding lost with every premature ashing cannot be overstated. As much of the specimen needs to remain intact as possible.
With the success of removing the hand, removing a wing has come under consideration. The wings, so different to any winged structure previously observed in nature, urgently require more in-depth study than can currently be undertaken at the initial site. The heart needs to be examined.
As ultrasounds were completed on the whole specimen, it has become increasingly clear that this specimen is incredibly similar to a homo sapien. Underneath the additional musculoskeletal structure required to support the multiple sets of wings, and the additional eyes, the specimen is essentially just a standard homo sapien.
It is entirely possible that this specimen followed an alternative evolutionary route to homo sapiens, and simply resembles homo sapiens in much the same way as a fox resembles a cat.
The only element that has not been fully identified is the liquid sampled from the specimen's veins. Otherwise the specimen appears to primarily be constructed of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus, in similar amounts to homo sapiens. It also contains sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium, but these are not in similar amounts to that of a homo sapien (see Figure 1). The only unidentifable element continues to be the fluid removed from the veins, which contains an element henceforth unrecorded by humanity.
Conclusion:
With the specimen's musculoskeletal structure being as it is, it is highly unlikely that its wings would allow it to fly, even with three sets. The central set is perhaps still growing in, still in a junevial state, or perhaps was heavily damaged and shrivelled up by the fire. There does appear to be evidence of tissue contraction pre-mortem. The bone density of the specimen would make flying difficult, even if it did have all three sets of wings. If we look to nature for examples of other large birds, take the Argentavis which has an estimated weight between 54-59 lb and a wingspan of 16 ft 8 in to 21 ft 4 in, then the specimen should have a much large wingspan to account for it's increased mass and bone density compared to birds. Of course, it has multiple sets of wings, which naturally affects its flight capabilities. At present, Dr Mitchell believes that going off the evidence presented in the specimen, it could not fly, and that all three sets of wings are vestigial. It might be a flightless creature, much like an ostrich.
There are multiple theories as to the true nature of the specimen. Due to the wings, it has been suggested that it is an 'angel' as depicted in Christian doctrine, or at least the Earthly creature which gave rise to such tales. It might not be a creature alien to Earth; however, the chemical and musculoskeletal similarity to homo sapiens does imply that it has an Earthly origin. It is simply too similar to Earth creatures to be alien to our biosphere. The unknown element removed from the veins does glow, and although the specimen does contain phosphorus, the phosphorus is not responsible for the glow in the blood.
We need to move quickly before the site is invaded again and the specimen is further damaged. With ashing being a serious risk, it cannot be removed from this location; and so we need to speed up our investigation.
Further study is desperately needed. We need to examine the heart.
Chapter 14: Peter emails Laura
Chapter Text
Sumner Scientists
Inbox ☓

Peter McCoughlan ˂[email protected]˃
08:39 AM (2 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
Did you manage to get anything useful from the scientists? Dana has pitched an op-ed about their presence and how they've refused to just get rid of the mass, if you have any contacts could you please pass them along to her?
Regards,
Peter McCoughlan
Assistant Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0364
RE:Sumner Scientists
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
08:51 (2 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Peter,
Unfortunately, I never managed to actually touch base with anyone actively working on the mass. They had security at the entrance who turned me away and refused to pass along my details, even though I had arranged, via speaking to one of my contacts in the Ministry for the Environment, to speak with Dr Lucinda Hamilton and Dr Henry Mitchell, who they believed were the head of the project. I was able to see past security and saw someone in what appeared to be a face shield and gloves walking around, but they did not respond to me when I called out to them, and security removed myself and my camera person from the premises.
I'm happy to pass along the contact details I received from the Ministry for the Environment; hopefully Dana will have better luck than I did!
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
Chapter 15: r/chch
Chapter Text
Chapter 16: Dev texts Charlie
Chapter Text
Chapter 17: Report 0005
Chapter Text
Report 0005:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for initial details of specimen. See Report 0004 for updated description.
Timeline:
2/14/2025:
PPE requirements further refined. Chemical analysis completed on the liquid removed from the veins in an attempt to further understand the unknown element/s present. Sample taken from the specimen's lower left extremity and removed to Lab A for examination.
Initial Findings:
The substance removed from the specimen's veins is chemically very similar to blood; however, the cells are not shaped like red blood cells, likely due to the inclusion of the unknown element/s (see Figure 1). We have yet to find any trace of white blood cells, despite the damage to the specimen, which is now believed to have occurred pre-mortem. The only thing present in the veins is the blood-like substance. We have yet to find any trace of other biological matter in the veins as would be present in the veins of a homo sapien. We need to examine the heart. Due to the iron content, the substance does appear red; however, it has a slight but unmistakable glow, visible even under fluorescent lights. There are bioluminescent creatures on Earth, many of which are found in the sea, which leads support to the idea that this is some deep sea creature. Neither luciferin or luciferase was found within the bloodstream, nor was the symbiotic algae that other creatures use for bioluminescence. It is currently believed that the unknown element is also responsible for the glow. The element is not radioactive.
The substance evaporates at a constant rate of 0.98706/second when exposed to every spectrum of ultraviolet rays. Exposure to UVC led to the slowest rate of evaporation, while exposure to UVA resulted in the fastest evaporation. The substance has been exposed to ionizing radiation and did not evaporate, nor did it evaporate when exposed to other forms of light (i.e. from the fluorescent lights used to Lab A). It is possible that it will only evaporate when exposed to ultraviolet light, but further experimentation is needed before this can be confirmed.
The outer surfaces of the specimen appear to have dulled since initial contact with the specimen (see Figure 2 for comparison with images taken on 02/07/2025). This is possibly due to the specimen degrading due to exposure to the elements, as it does not yet appear to be decomposing. Skin removed from the specimen's lower left extremity was examined and build up is present on the scales (highlighted in Figure 3); however, the scales also appear to be lying at a flatter angle (Figure 4). The diffusion of light off new angle, along with the build up on the scales, has likely contributed to the overall dulling effect.
Conclusion:
The substance removed from the specimen's veins is unique, unlike any blood product currently understood on Earth due to the unknown element. It is possible that our understanding of the elements that make up our universe will be expanded once this substance has been fully explored. Its properties are unique. We need to examine the heart, as this will likely contain a large amount of the substance. If we are able to fully unlock the mysteries of the substance, we will have discovered another method of bioluminescence, using henceforth unknown processes. It will provide a new approach to lighting. It is also possible that, as this substance gives off light, that it may also give off heat when the system functions as intended, which may be why the specimen was able to heat to such temperatures so as to create vitrified sand. We need to examine the heart.
The lack of decomposing is a concern. It is possible that the specimen is petrifying; however, it does not appear to be displaying any mineral growth which would lead to that conclusion. Given that this specimen is unknown in scientific literature, it is possible that the Earth's biosphere does not contain the microorganisms required to break it down. It does contain microorganisms both within it and on its outer layer; however, these have all been identified. The only unknown element is the substance found within the veins of the specimen, alongside the shape of the specimen itself. If it is descended from a creature which has been mentioned in many religious texts, then why is this the only place it has been referenced? The specimen is large and relatively eye-catching, if there was enough of a population to sustain them through thousands of years why have there not been more references to them?
We must examine more of the specimen. We need to examine the heart.
It is possible that there was some lingering tension in the skin which, having relaxed post mortem, has resulted in the difference in angle of the scales. Tension was not detected in any prior samples; however, as this specimen is henceforth unknown, We need it is difficult to know exactly how to examine it. We lack others to examine extant specimens to compare it to. It is possible that the heart goes through cycles of colour, possibly as communication, possibly as part of a mating or threat display. We must examine it further. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine more of the specimen. These surface level examinations have not been able to provide enough data to properly classify the specimen, let alone learn from it. We need to look at its organs to find out how the substance in its veins is produced. We need to examine the heart.
Chapter 18: Report 0006
Chapter Text
Report 0006:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for initial details of specimen. See Report 0004 for updated description.
Timeline:
2/15/2025:
Further analysis completed on substance removed from specimen's veins. We need to PPE procedure refined examine the heart.
Initial Findings:
We need to examine the heart. The unknown element removed from the specimen's veins does not contain phosphorus or any other known element, an element which would allow the substance to glow or otherwise. Atomic mapping attempted and failed. Nuclear magnetic resonance attempted to divine what the unknown element is; NMR did not return usable results. Mass spectrometry We also attempted, results returned did not match any henceforth known need to element. examine Tissue where the blood would naturally pool the heart, for example the muscles, has sustained a very subtle glow even when drained of blood. It is possible that this is due to long term exposure to the unknown element. Dr Mitchell has begun an experiment by adding 1.786 ounces of the substance to a chicken thigh which had been thoroughly removed of any trace of chicken blood. It is being monitored to see if it takes on the glow, or if it is a process unique to the angel. We need to examine the heart. In order to further examine the chest musculoskeletal structure, the anti-ashing procedure will need to be revisited, as it will be difficult to spread the specimen's ribs without applying too much pressure. Not getting into its chest is not an option. We need to examine the heart. If we must ash the ribs, then we must. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
Conclusion:
NMR possibly failed as the radiowave emitted by the isotope of the unknown element is not strong enough to be detected. Mass spectrometry allowed us to measure the mass to charge ratio and divine the mass. This did not match any known elemental mass; however, we now know where it would be placed amongst the elements.
Although the chest of the angel initially appears to be similar to We must a homo sapien's, due to the additional musculoskeletal structures required to support the wings, within the body it is quite different examine the heart to a homo sapiens. This will lead to greater difficulty when it comes to making more invasive procedures. The specimen has dense bones, another counter argument against its ability to fly; however, it does mean that getting to the heart will be more difficult than it would be if it had a bone structure more similar to a bird's, or even homo sapiens. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the blood. We need to analyse the blood. We need to divine the secrets of the blood. We need to examine the heart.
Chapter 19: Charlie texts Dev
Chapter Text
Chapter 20: Report 0007
Chapter Text
Report 0007:
ID:
Specimen 4517-01-2025
Location:
New Zealand, Christchurch, Sumner
Description:
See Report 0001 for initial details of specimen. See Report 0004 for updated description.
Timeline:
2/16/2025:
PPE procedure deemed unnecessary as ashing has been circumnavigated. Focus shifted to element in blood. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
Initial Findings:
Element in the blood continues to not match any Earthly element. Its glow does not dim even when isolated from the blood. Oldest sample was removed from the blood on 02/11/2025 (although not isolated at this point) and still remains at a steady glow. The angel will show us the way forward. The angel will show us the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
Conclusion:
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart.
Chapter 21: Dev texts Charlie
Chapter Text
Chapter 22: Report 0008
Chapter Text
Report 0008:
ID:
Specimen W3N33D703X4M1N37H3H34R7
Location:
We Need, To, Examinetheheart
Description:
We need to examine the heart.
Initial Findings:
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
Conclusion:
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
We need to examine the heart. We need to examine the heart.
Chapter 23: Laura emails Mara
Chapter Text
Missing Scientists?
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
13:47 PM (3 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
Went down to Sumner for a follow up on the giant squid and everything is still there, like their tent and it's all still cordoned off and everything, but it's deserted. The squid's gone too? I hung around for a while thinking maybe they'd gone for lunch or something but no one came back. Have you heard anything about the squid getting removed?
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0348
RE:Missing Scientists?
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
13:51 PM (3 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
As far as I was aware, they were still examining it. If memory serves, you were never able to get through to any of the actual scientists looking at it, is that correct? I can pass along the number of my guy at the Ministry for the Environment and you can give him a buzz?
Regards,
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376
RE:Missing Scientists?
Inbox ☓

Laura Davenport ˂[email protected]˃
13:55 PM (3 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Mara,
If you're talking about Jason, I've got his number already, don't worry. I'll give him a call and pop down to the site again, I only waited half an hour, they might have been on like an hour lunch break or something so maybe they're back now. Or maybe they went to go back with a contractor after they shoved the squid out to sea? I'll let you know what I end up finding out!
Regards,
Laura Davenport
Junior Reporter
03 343 0348
RE:Missing Scientists?
Inbox ☓

Mara Stelle ˂[email protected]˃
14:00 (3 hours ago)
to me▼
Hi Laura,
Please do, it's spooky that it was completely deserted. Maybe they all got Raptured haha.
Regards,
Mara Stelle
Assistant Copy Editor
Christchurch Bulletin
03 343 0376

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