THE PACT
Kasib, to Max: “I’m game for this, seriously. But I want you to tell us the truth first. And that includes me, asshole. I know you weren’t just in deep thought in the lab today. Something happened to you. And I know you didn’t walk in front of a particle beam because I was right there. You went somewhere else. I witnessed it.”
THE SPOOK
At a speakeasy underneath a speakeasy, Max and Kasib meet ”Chucky,” Chad’s mysterious contact from his RAND days. Chucky tells of reality modification experiments done decades ago by a Black Ops group called THRESHOLD, and reveals a hilarious secret about all US presidents, as well as the origins of an unbelievable JFK-related Mandela Effect.
noaidi
Max and Chad take the trek to Pulmankijärvi in Northern Finland where they explore the meditative effects of Sámi shamanic drumming. Despite an embarrassing sauna experience in Santa Claus village, the trip was a success, as a mutual OBE led to a high RNG reading on their computer 5500 miles away
mother a
An Ayahuasca ceremony in the Peruvian Amazon reveals little toward their quest, but proves to be a stepping stone to the final key. Meanwhile, Chad’s transgressions go severely punished in both the spirit and the physical worlds. Kasib: “Yeah, like you understand the age of consent and mating nuances of the Shipibo culture, white boy.”
breakthrough
Don Miguel was a badass
pi'ara
A knock on the door of Max’s jungle hut leads him to question the entire quest.
rmm
The world’s first Reality Modification Machine instantly vaulted humanity from a Level 0 Civilization to a Level 5
REALITY CONTROL
They start small and inconsequential, like flipping a die, but quickly evolve to enhancing personal skills and professional outcomes, as Taj wins an unwinnable case. Eventually they decide to go bigger by reversing a hate crime, but were completely unprepared for the fallout.
the core
Sort of what The Core is like
getting Barreled
Some half-dressed Haole standing next to his Beemer offered his perspective on the day: “Yo, it’s fuckin’ sick out there brah. It’s DOH time.” Chad smiled politely but internally eye-rolled, and then tucked his board under his arm, crossed the road, and headed down the sand.
encounter
An innocent hike at Joshua Tree results in a warning from another dimension
kidnapped
What Hollywood thriller DOESN’T involve an abduction by a big bad US government black ops group. Despite his newfound parkour skills, Max is snatched right off the Caltech campus, thrown into a cold cell at a military base somewhere, and tortured by an endless loop of “…Baby One More Time”
reset