File #: ADF-X
Danger Class: Ira
Obscurity Class: Hexa
Current Whereabouts: Contained with minimal security measures at ADR Collection Facility #███. Any individual wishing to interact with ADF-X must have a Security Clearance of Level — or higher. Identification or proof of clearance must be shown immediately upon entry to the containment block. If an individual wishes to remove ADF-X from it's holding cell for the purposes of research or similar, express permission must be obtained from the current Site Manager.
ADF-X
Description: ADF-X is a children's stuffed toy in the shape of a reindeer, wearing a miniature Christmas hat and scarf. When a small button on ADF-X's front right leg is pressed, it begins to play a distorted version of the first 65 seconds of the song I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by English rock band Wizzard.
As soon as the music begins to play, the ground within an area of approximately 7500 metres surrounding the plush will begin to experience earthquake-like tremors between the magnitudes of 4.0 and 6.0 on the Richter scale. This often causes events such as (but not limited to); furniture moving across the room, plaster or paint chipping away from walls and objects falling from shelves. In a majority of instances, no major property damage will occur.
Trials have determined that removal of the interior music box from it's exterior (fabric and stuffing layer) of ADF-X leads to an increased magnitude of earthquakes when it is played, with some spiking as high as 6.5 to 8 on the Richter scale. For this reason, express clearance must be granted in order for the music box to be removed from ADF-X.
It has been discovered that the reason for the seismic events is intermittent electromagnetic pulses emitted straight from the music box itself, which trigger a release of tectonic energy in the surrounding area. These pulses are substantially larger than what would feasibly be released from a device of such small size, and therefore research is still being done into the scientific reasoning behind this occurrence.
The following is a recording of the song ADF-X produces once the music box is activated. In the background, mild and irregular disturbances due to the shifting of objects can be heard, caused by the tremors that take place.
Origin: The first interaction with ADF-X by ADR team members was recorded on the small coastal island of Ameland in the Netherlands, during the annual festival of "Sunneklaas". On the evening of December 5th, 20██, a moderately large and reportedly fatal earthquake occured, followed by numerous others that were smaller in magnitude. This event shouldn't have been possible due to Ameland's location, far from any tectonic plate boundaries.
When a small team was dispatched to investigate, they were met with distaste and mild aggression from a majority of the locals, presumably because the festival is quite a small, local event and they do not often welcome tourists during this time.
There was, however, a local individual1 who directed the team towards their house, which had been completely destroyed during one of the earthquakes. They believed the tremors originated from the location and was triggered by an object they had found, and after a short while of searching through the rubble, ADF-X was discovered, the very object the individual had spoken of. Not immediately believing the item they possessed had caused such destruction, a member of the team activated the music box, and consequently another small earthquake happened.
Luckily nobody was severely injured, but the event confirmed - to the team, at least - that the toy was irrefutably the cause of the destruction. ADF-X was transported shortly after to the nearest ADR Collection Facility, whereupon it was given it's designation and testing commenced.
Interview Logs:
Log 1:
Interviewer: Dr. Todd Chadward
Interviewee: John Doe2
[BEGIN LOG]
Todd Chadward: It's a pleasure to have you here. Before we start, would you confirm that you wish to keep your face and name out of our records?
John Doe: Yes, thank you.
Todd Chadward: Of course, I'm glad you've agreed to talk to me nevertheless.
John Doe: Yes… I understand you wish to discuss the earthquakes, and the… Object?
Todd Chadward: Of course, if that's alright with you. Let's start with the earthquakes- when did the first one happen? And did you realise immediately that the toy was causing them?
John Doe: The first earthquake happened on the evening of the third of December. I remember I had found the toy in my grandfather's house earlier that very day. He had recently passed, and I was clearing out the house.
Todd Chadward: Oh, dear. I'm so sorry for your loss. Please, continue.
John Doe: Ah, well… I realised that the toy reindeer was a Christmas decoration, and seeing as it was getting to that time of year, I took it home with me. That's when I pressed the button for the first time.
Todd Chadward: Yes? And what happened?
John Doe: The ground started shaking, and there was this song… It sounded awful. I think the batteries were running low, in the music box. I was terrified, of course. And when the song stopped, the shaking stopped… I suppose that was the first time it occured to me that they may have been linked.
Todd Chadward: An astute observation. You know, if you find yourself interested in these sorts of events, we are always looking to recruit-
John Doe: No… No, but thank you for the invitation.
Todd Chadward: Hm… A shame. Oh well, on with the inquiries, I suppose. Now, you were with our team when they retrieved the anomaly, correct?
John Doe: Yes, I was. I tried to warn them against turning it on, but… Well, I'm sure you know what happened to the reconnaissance van. That tree must have been hard to move.
Todd Chadward: Ah, nothing we couldn't handle, I'm sure.
John Doe: Precisely. As I was saying, I told your colleagues that I wasn't sure where the thing had come from. I'd had it for a couple of days by the time they arrived, and I had attempted to deconstruct it, to try and figure out how it functioned. Unfortunately it was to no avail, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
Todd Chadward: I see. And is there anything else you can think of to mention?
John Doe: Just- one thing.
Todd Chadward: Which would be…?
John Doe: You might be interested to know that my grandmother passed a few years before, on the first evening of Sunneklaas. Allegedly, the house was broken into while my grandfather was out, and she experienced a terrible fall. She was dead before he returned home.
Todd Chadward: … Once again I'm sorry for your loss, but forgive me for asking; what does this have to do with the investigation?
John Doe: The toy was found near my grandmother's body, and the only visible signs that a break in has occurred were a few cracked windows, misplaced and shattered objects, etcetera. All of which, I'm sure you realise, are also signs of an earthquake having recently occured.
Todd Chadward: So, you're suggesting that…?
John Doe: That the toy had something to do with her death, yes.
Todd Chadward: Fascinating… And tell me, had there been any recorded earthquakes prior to the year of her death?
John Doe: None that could cause such destruction, no.
Todd Chadward: Well… Thank you for your information, sir. You've been most helpful.
John Doe: Thank you, sir. And good day to you.
[END LOG]
Post Interview notes:
07/12/██ - Begin testing on the plush toy immediately. Pre-designate a holding cell and file number as soon as possible, this case is my utmost priority at the time of writing.
Addendum - 08/12/██ - Case officially designed as ADF-X.
Research Logs:
Log 1:
Test: Source of Seismic Trigger
Observations: After activation of the music box (in a controlled environment) under close observation, and with practically the entire collection facility's inventory of specialised equipment trained on it, I deduced that the reason for the events was an EMP released directly into the ground,3 and a ridiculously strong one at that.
Conclusions: The EMP is clearly what starts the seismic activity, allowing for a substantial release of built up tectonic energy even in places far from plate boundaries. It is released directly from the music box, which I deconstructed to investigate whether it had the hardware to release such a thing (spoiler alert: it didn't), but when does anything that finds it way into our hands actually make logical sense?
Log 2:
Test: Removal of Music Box from Exterior
Observations: When the music box was taken out of the plush and activated an enormous spike in magnitude was observed, reaching an explosive 7.8 on the Richter scale.
Conclusions: After repeating the experiment (recorded at mag 8) and apologising profoundly for multiple spilt cups of coffee and shattered family photos from the movement of desks,4 I was able to confidently deduce that exposure of the music box leads to a substantial increase in earthquake intensity. Now another question presents itself… How? Must investigate the fabric and stuffing for any any anomalous qualities.
Log 3:
Test: Fabric Investigation
Observations: After conducting various investigations upon the fabric, it was determined to be made of a polyester and acrylic blend, and polyester fiberfill as the stuffing. Neither of these materials seem to have any anomalous properties upon microscopic observation, so perhaps the reason it insulates the electromagnetic pulse goes beyond the sub-atomic arrangement of particles.
Conclusions: The true reason for the materials insulating properties may be outside of our current ability to discover. Oh well- maybe a decade or so in the future when the technology exists we can re-open experimentation.
Log 4:
Test: Battery Replacement
Observations: I changed the thing's batteries. Just two standard AAs, nothing special at all, and all of a sudden it worked normally. It played the first minute or so of the same old song, this time without the distortion, and at first without the earthquakes. However, as I continued to replay the song, I noticed that the tremors started to return, although not nearly as strong as they originally were. After about half an hour of repeating (I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the original the same again), the music became distorted once again, and the tremors returned to their previous magnitudes.
Conclusions: It appears that the scale of the EMP relies on the battery level of the music box. There isn't much more to say about this, other than the fact that the battery levels seemed to drain at an alarmingly fast rate.
