File no. MFA-C-1158-██████████
Description: Anomaly is a noncorporeal entity existing as a series of sentient malware code integrated into what is commonly known as a “chain email.” Despite the innocuously seeming nature of the emails, they are intelligently targeted towards individuals with loved ones belonging to the militaries of either the Allied Nations coalition forces or the so-called Eastern Federation and are declared missing-in-action or killed-in-action. The contents of the letter are changed from recipient to recipient without explanation, often reflecting information about the lost loved one.
The source of these emails is unknown and attempts to trace back to originating IP addresses have invariably failed. The anomaly is suspected to feed off the negative emotional responses to the chain email and in turn using that energy to compel the recipient to follow the instruction to “pass along this message” also invariably to individuals who meet the criteria, even if the recipient does not currently know any individuals who have lost loved ones to military actions. The mechanism by which the recipient acquires the knowledge of email addresses of further targeted individuals is poorly understood. On several occasions, recipients in Allied Nations aligned territories have sent the email along to a recipient in the Eastern Federation, or vice versa, without any seeming shock at crossing that ideological divide.
The anomaly was first recorded by Mortfield personnel in the early days just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when probing military action on either side of the conflict led to small skirmishes. The anomaly’s activities have continued throughout the existence of the Iron Corridor.
Anomalous effects: A recipient experiences panic symptoms and extreme trauma reactions usually coincident with the mourning of a loved one. Intense feelings of nationalism and anger towards the opposing military forces (either Allied Nations or Eastern Federation, depending on the recipient’s allegiances) are also common responses.
When a recipient follows the instruction at the end of the email to pass it along, these feelings invariably fade, resembling a feeling of closure and acceptance. Memories of the email and the forwarding of the email also fade in what is theorized to be an attempt to cover the anomaly’s tracks. Ironically, this has helped stem the knowledge of the anomaly from spilling out into the common public, as most recipients have little memory of the experience after reading the email containing the anomaly.
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Example of Anomaly (screened for cognito-hazardous material):
Subject line: IF YOU’VE LOST A LOVED ONE TO THE HATEFUL EASTERN FEDERATION - DON’T DELETE THIS
Body of email:
Hello friend and fellow patriot,
My name is John Gregors. In May of last year, my brother was lost in action in a skirmish with Eastern Federation forces. His body was never recovered. The State Department passed along their condolences, his ID tags, and a folded flag. I never got to know the details of my beloved brother’s passing.
I know you too have been afflicted with a similar story, Mr. Barber. Your daughter has been missing in action for six weeks and the Allied Nations military have given up hope for her recovery. She is lying in a ditch on the side of a poorly maintained road, face down and riddled with Eastern Federation ammunition. Vermin are eating her liver, maggots are threading through the flesh of her face, her abdomen is bloated with gasses built up from decomposition and someone has stolen her boots.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING TO ANOTHER RIGHTEOUS SOLDIER FOR OUR WESTERN DEMOCRACY, ██████ █████ ██████████:
This program has remained successful because of the ██████████ and ████████ of the participants. Please continue its success by CAREFULLY ADHERING to the instructions. This is a service. **IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL**
████ █████████ ████████ ██████████ PARENT OR SIBLING OR SPOUSE AND SEE YOUR GRIEF FADE AWAY. EVERY █████ THAT IS ██████ █████ IS ██████████████ TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S █████████ █████████ ██████████ █████████ ARE NOT OKAY WITH ███ ██████ OF OUR LOVED ONES ████████ ████ TO ███!
Signed, your brother in mourning,
John Gregors
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Update – Post Nuclear Conflagration
With the internet and communication lines so disrupted with the numerous nuclear explosions and fallout, it was originally assumed that the anomaly would cease functioning or be eradicated outright. This was proved wrong when fliers were dropped on two cities just after fighting broke out between Eastern Federation and Allied Nation forces.
The fliers were single page card stock with the following rhetoric printed on the front:
IF YOU’VE LOST A LOVED ONE IN THIS CONFLICT, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO ██████ ██████ – A NON-PROFIT NON-██████████ ██████████ THAT CARES ABOUT YOU.
DO YOU NEED ADDITIONAL NUTRIONAL AID?
RUNNING LOW ON ANTI-RAD TREATMENTS?
SICK TO DEATH OF THE DREADED ALLIED NATIONS FORCES KILLING OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS?
SO ARE WE. CALL 1-800-███-████ OR GO TO YOUR ████████████ ██████ AND ASK FOR ████████████ ██████.
WE’RE LOOKING OUT FOR YOU!
In both instances of the fliers’ appearance, no discernible source could be found. No aircraft in the vicinity was observed dropping them and none of those who found the fliers witnessed their dropping.
No reference to a ████████████ has been found registered with the international community or within either Allied Nations member countries or the Easter Federation. Further investigations are underway.
Sources:
Grigori Karpin
