ARCHIVE 00
September 7, 2037
Audio Recording — Dr. John Green
My name is Dr. John Green. I have been assigned the task of editing, organizing, and cataloguing the audio files related to the incidents that took place on what has come to be known as Fog Island.
Access to these archives requires Level A clearance or higher. Their contents are highly classified, and under no circumstances are these files to be made available to the public.
The files collected here consist primarily of accounts provided by the six head scientists sent to the island:
Dr. Elara Voss, head of biological research and the study of specimens discovered on the island.
Dr. Silas Thorn, head of mechanics and engineering.
Dr. Nadir Khalid, head of geological studies.
Dr. Maëlle Rousseau, head of chemistry and toxicology.
Dr. Cassian Vale, chief medical officer of the expedition.
And finally, Dr. Lumen Ishi, head of data systems and communications.
These audio files also contain accounts provided by Subject Abel, the only native specimen on the island known to have demonstrated the ability to communicate with the expedition team.
I should also clarify that, due to the nature of these archives, you will encounter accounts presented without context, gaps in information, and events whose explanations are absent from the original recordings.
For that reason, you will occasionally hear my voice throughout these recordings. Whenever I consider it necessary, I will intervene to provide additional context or clarify information that might otherwise be difficult to understand.
I have also attempted, wherever possible, to arrange the files in chronological order. However, many of these accounts were recorded only after the events they describe. As a result, some recordings may mention people, places, or events with which the listener is not yet familiar.
Unfortunately, given the condition in which these archives were delivered to me, establishing a perfect chronological order has proven impossible.
Before proceeding to the original recordings, I should provide some context as to why the Foundation of Explorer Scientists, or F.E.S., as most of us know it, decided to invest in this expedition.
Island 137, better known as Fog Island, lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and, prior to the F.E.S expedition, had never been properly explored.
There are several reasons for this.
The first, as the name suggests, is the fog. The island is permanently covered by an extremely dense layer of mist, making it virtually impossible to see inland from the sea.
The second is more difficult to explain.
For reasons we did not yet understand at the time, the island produces severe magnetic interference. Navigation systems, compasses, and various other electronic devices become increasingly unreliable as they approach it. This phenomenon gave Island 137 a reputation comparable to that of the Bermuda Triangle, or even the old legends surrounding Atlantis.
Before the F.E.S launched its own expedition, several countries and other organizations had already attempted to reach the island.
None of those expeditions succeeded.
In the best cases, the ships entered the fog and emerged again sometime later, having never managed to find the island.
In the worst...
They never came back out.
The fate of those crews remains unknown.
Until then, almost everything we knew about Island 137 came from satellite imagery. Curiously, when observed from the atmosphere, the fog appears considerably less dense, allowing us to obtain a limited number of images of the island’s interior.
And it was one of those satellite images that ultimately led to the expedition.
To be more precise, we received an ultimatum from the United States.
Somehow, the U.S. government had gained access to the images and demanded that the F.E.S organize an expedition to Island 137.
Our organization was not chosen at random. First, no one had studied the island for as long as we had. The F.E.S. possessed decades of records, observations, and attempts to understand the phenomena surrounding it.
The second reason was our technology.
Several of our colleagues had developed a new navigation system specifically designed to remain operational in the presence of severe magnetic interference. At least, that was what the tests and calculations indicated.
In practice, it had never been used under conditions comparable to those surrounding Island 137.
The expedition would be its first real test.
There was, however, another demand from the United States that struck us as particularly unusual.
They insisted that the expedition be accompanied by a military escort.
As you can imagine, the F.E.S. had never required anything of the sort since its founding in 1812. Our members had crossed war zones, explored hostile regions, and taken part in expeditions considered extremely dangerous, but we had never sent a scientific team accompanied by a military force of that size.
Even so, the United States insisted.
And continued to insist.
The scale of the project grew rapidly. What was initially intended to be a relatively discreet scientific expedition became an international operation that was impossible to conceal. Millions were being invested, equipment was being transported from all over the world, and inevitably, the press found out.
The expedition to Fog Island became news across the globe.
At the time, few understood the reason for such extreme precautions.
Today, knowing what we know, we agree that the United States made the right decision.
Perhaps they should have done even more.
At the time, however...
Well.
The prevailing opinion around the world was that the President of the United States had finally lost his mind.
With that context established, I will now proceed to the first audio recording belonging to Subject Abel.
