Coming Clean

[NosnevetsParticipant]

After going through some of the threads today about phone calls I came upon some information that I thought I shouldn’t share. After spending time thinking it brought me back to an interaction I had when I first joined this community that I had the same feeling of needing to hide. I felt in both situations that I may have gotten a peek behind the curtain more than I should have gotten, but after mulling it over I’ve decided that with it being out in the open we as a community can decide what this may truly be.

I may or may not have a mysterious friend in the OOA.

Now before you grab your pitch forks and burn me at the stake hear me out. I was contacted shortly after filling out my questionnaire in April. I received an email that asked me to clarify why I was looking to join the OOA while also stating the ever so interesting line we all hear on the phone, or a version of it, “You don’t know me but I know you.” (Now it seems to be “you know who we are don’t you?” before it starts speaking but close enough) It also stipulated that I had to answer back within 48 hours. Others in the forums mentioned having had similar emails to clarify answers they had given and what have you, so I didn’t think this anything but normal. In fact the way it was written seemed very much like a copy/paste email with no personality or personalization to it. So in line at In n Out I wrote an answer back pretty immediately (mind you I try to be pretty formal with these people based on the types of messages I usually receive from them. Even going as far as to send thank you emails in return to things like confirmation times that don’t necessarily always seem like a response is necessary… may be a work thing I’m used to but yeah). There was a moment where I thought to delete my email signature being that it wasn’t work related, but thought “I already gave them my phone in the questionnaire who cares if they see that I work in the film industry.” So I sent it. Within the space of 5 or so minutes I got another email, this time with things misspelled, uncapitalized, very much how a buddy would speak to me. The message read something along the lines of “You may know me, but you probably don’t remember. Fire City” Fire City was a film I worked on, I could’ve taken it as hey they checked out my IMDb to try and freak me out. Cool.

But it just struck me for some reason because it wasn’t really that recent at all… yet I remember everyone from that set. Years had passed since I worked on that film, but admittedly more recently they did do a premiere at the Egyptian for it… So I could have totally seen or spoken with this person and they could have been taunting that. So I responded back playfully “try me, give me a hint, I bet I can remember” essentially. It never responded to that ever again. That is the part that has stuck with me. If it was a clue and I failed to get it I’d think they’d be teasing it over my head. Why haven’t you figured it out? Too hard for you? We’re so disappointed. If it was a misstep in thinking I’d think that they would guide me more over to the right train of thought… but they abandoned the conversation all together which made me think I had accidentally gotten info out of them that wasn’t supposed to happen. After that I compiled a list of people in my head that it could have been and it’s been a fun side game analyzing speech patterns and trying to figure out who it could’ve been. I’ve told a few people this little happenstance over the various event I’ve been to. People I thought could keep their mouths shut and could tell the difference between actual game knowledge and behind the scenes info we’re not supposed to know. Some who also work in the industry and themselves admitted they also, may know so some of the string pullers are based on mutual friends they know. I was slightly relieved actually to learn that similar things have happened previously.

@monkeymuffin333 and Thomas (sorry I am unsure of your screen name here) told me of an address they found in one of the emails and how it lead them to a Lawyers office that seemed like a front. Someone they could find little about online but was highly rated for some reason. I mentioned that this was in the email I had received (above) and wondered about that too. I guess they had visited the spot and nothing came of it and another had sent mail with the same result. But later a “user” came forward and explained it away so it was a non issue and everyone knew it wasn’t a clue or anything to be looked into at more than a glance. So applying that knowledge to my issue, at this point I thought if I brought it up at all they’d just have to find a way to explain it away and it just wasn’t worth it. Everyone who did know was doing a pretty good job at keeping it quiet, perhaps even forgetting that I had told them anything.

Now, present day. Many posts pop up about phone calls. After @whodat09 posted that he got an unblocked number call I was anxious to find out from who, only to find another post not long later from @alexisjoy stating the number which called.

(424) 345-0716

So I decided to dig. I didn’t really need to. This information came up immediately on Google. I was mainly looking to see what the area code designated and whether it was an anonymous Google number or something of that nature. It wasn’t. This number belongs to an office within Sony Pictures Studios. Now I think you may understand why I was sitting on this information… It could totally have been a slip up. Many calls went out today and that is only more opportunity to misdial a phone code. But at the same time I thought, it’s easily found on Google and to play Devil’s advocate what if we were supposed to find this? Many of you that I have met including myself work in the film industry. It’s not always that hard to get an office on a lot. Looking at you Universal, but it’s also not anything like the days of old either… Spielberg if you know the story…

So I’ve been sitting on this information for a while today mulling it over, but I decided what the heck it’s public information. The community should know! Whether it’s something or whether it’s nothing. These calls and this number only served to remind me once again of my mysterious friend and some of the other strange things that have happened to some. Since the beginning they have told us that we only get out what we put in and to share our truth. The disclaimer telling us how to quit if we want mentions that this is a personalized experience based on how we react and interact, and more and more it seems to me that they are relying on our own personal expertise. People are having things pulled from their experiences and dangled in front of them, people from their past suddenly coming back into their lives at moments close to when things happen, and other coincidences and synchronicities. @kasch and @reaton Have had things happen on their podcast twice(?) now, the most recent being this round of phone calls with an old short film being aired over the phone right? We were all in shock when a certain someone received a phone from a certain someone at the mixer then that happened to be even more convoluted then we thought (not sure if we’re talking about that or not).

My very long point here is that it seems this may be more a personal journey than a lot of us have thought. Dealing with our own personal experiences and past knowledge. What may seem like nothing to one may mean a great deal to another or perhaps, can only be accessed by a select few. So I think I am going to investigate this number. It could be nothing, a “user” could answer and say its a front or something, an automated machine could say the number is out of service, It could be something… either way to find out we have to find out. I also encourage @whodat09 and @alexisjoy to call. It is possible it was revealed to them for a reason.

TL;DR through a series of unfort- significant events perhaps only significant to me, I may have gone crazy over analyzing small details I have found and am going to investigate until I get a “No Derek shut up” from somebody. More eloquently put of course…hopefully…

Also on an unrelated note I don’t know if any of you have checked out the “strawberry moon” tonight, but wow from where I live I was just distracted outside to look. It is huge and golden orange at the moment, perhaps a bit pink but that may just be the smoke and fire in the distance coloring it. It’s beautiful. ~~Edit: I was writing this and editing to make sure I was careful with what I was saying. I realize now as I finally think that there may still be mistakes but it’s good enough, that none of you are awake to pop out and see the moon, nor is it golden or pink anymore.

[geauxsaintsParticipant]

Thank you for this post. Very informative. I will be calling the number back today. I will let you know what happens.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Yeah! Totally @whodat09! Keep us informed let’s coordinate this effort. If it’s nothing then let’s find out. That includes you @timsmyname and @alexisjoy if you’re listening

[RustyParticipant]

Thank you for this detailed post @nosnevets. One thing that sticks out to me is your point,
“it seems this may be more a personal journey than a lot of us have thought. Dealing with our own personal experiences and past knowledge. What may seem like nothing to one may mean a great deal to another or perhaps, can only be accessed by a select few.”

I have stated before that their earliest communication with me used a “nickname” or “tag” that identified me specifically as a member of the “haunt” community and is a reference to my affiliation with one specific event in my past. Not many people would label me in that manner… so, someone close to me gave them that information to use or is “in on it” to some level.

Do I have suspicions? Yes. To be honest, though, I don’t want to know. They have specifically told me that my past will come into play at some point, but I have no clue what that means. I revealed some stuff in my questionnaire that I never believed would actually be used in any way… and now I realize that was naive of me. Still, that does not worry me, it excites me. I agree that each of us are having a unique experience and this whole thing seems to be aimed at being a reflection of who we are as individuals and the things in our lives that help make each of us unique. That’s pretty damn cool.

Isn’t it exciting that this odd connection from your past is now playing some role in all this? It’s like one of their puzzles or riddles… specifically for you alone!!! 😉

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Rusty.

[RustyParticipant]

DOH. And, I totally forgot to mention this… I have received a call from that number, as well. It was the call that informed me that my OOA meeting on May 28th was being moved. BUT, cannot guarantee it is an OOA number since that meeting was “compromised.” When I researched the number, it simply came up as being from the Culver City area.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

*responding to both your messages here @reaton *

Exactly Russ, this story you’ve relayed (I didn’t mention because at the bowling alley you mentioned that it was a secret and I thought you definitely should keep the name to yourself and do a bit of a Tyrion Lannister and disseminate different bits of information to try and find the leak… NOT SPOILERS GUYS IT HAPPENED SEASONS AGO AND WAS LIKE NOT AN IMPORTANT PLOT POINT AT ALL) was actually one of the really poignant points that pushed me over the edge into writing this post. It seems Too personal almost, unworldly that they would be able to find that level of information out about you and use it in such a subtle way that it wasn’t a threat yet you know what’s up immediately.

So you’re telling me that you received a call from this number before yesterday? Intriguing! Perhaps us closer to the film industry really are supposed to catch this small detail then? But yeah I searched the number in a simple google search because you can usually tell what the area code signifies and whether its through a calling service or an actual location. and the result was this:

Which is in Culver. And the website was just the first one that popped up in Google. okcaller.com

[DaelaParticipant]

It looks like this is a different number, @nosnevets. The number you were searching was (424) 345-0716 but the result you found was for (424) 345-0796.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

AGH That’s embarrassing. Thanks for that catch @daela. Let me see if I can screenshot again. It’s within a list of extensions that fall under the same umbrella according to okcaller.com

[Anonymous]

I’m excited to hear more developments of this sort from others in the (hopefully near) future – how peoples’ pasts come into play. It’s something I’ve been wondering about, given my own circumstances and those of a few others here, being outside of California and not part of the haunt community. I can see where it might be easier for them to get info on you, Rusty, but will they even bother with those of us who are less connected? I’m sure it would be an interesting challenge if they’re willing/able to take it on. Otherwise we might have to live vicariously through you.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Oh @coryphella, this is my first haunt. I’ve done plenty of ARGs but that usually requires me sitting at a computer figuring out codes and telling people coordinates and such since most seem to originate on the East coast or in the Midwest. Most I’ve participated in anyway. Other than that it consists of walking down a street and stopping at an art instillation changing its online color from green to blue, or spotting a Pokemon to catch in the middle of Hollywood blvd #StillMadIWasntOnTheFieldTestForPokemonGo

Anyway, rest assured They’ve started calling people outside California. A ton of the posts yesterday seemed to mention “I’m not even there but I’m stopping here in the middle of the street to chat in forum because they said be active!” So I’m guessing they will begin to dig as their map of influence spreads out.

[Anonymous]

Oh no, they have definitely been involving me, it’s not that at all. I just don’t have any idea how they will go about “researching” my past, or if they will even bother. If you’re in LA I can see where it would be easier. If you’re connected to the haunt or film industry, as many here are, it’s easier still. There are probably a good 3 or 4 degrees separating me from the LA film industry. I think a lot of people here are closer than that. So, if one lives far far away (I’m in Minnesota) and doesn’t have ties that could easily be exploited, what exactly are they going to do? Hire a PI for each and every one of us? I remain skeptical.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Ah I see what you mean @coryphella, but you never know right? In fact I know a couple buddies from Minnesota that go back and shoot stuff all the time. And hey if you ever want a small part on a film I’m sure I could utilize some Minnesota scenery haha. Then you could brag to your friends that you’re a 3 on the Bacon scale!

[Anonymous]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….no. Thank you though. I do not want to be in a film. At all.
I’m a theatre designer. I know plenty of actors, many of whom have transitioned into film/TV/commercials, so it’s pretty likely I’m already a 3 on the Bacon scale for many. I never transitioned into film as a designer because it never interested me. Video art & new media art, yes. Film, no.

But back on topic…WTF is Nardwuar?

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Aw @coryphella are you sure? You don’t have to be in it! You just have to work with me in some capacity in order for it to count. Video and new media are starting to be the future of film it seems… I mean you and I already chatted previously of having ARg backgrounds…so I don’t think I need to say much further.

Nardwuar…look him up. He is a very very detailed interviewer in Canada. He interviews Musicians and truly is a monster at it. He actually listens to what they say rather than having talking points and sticking to them, But furhtermore he researches the people he interviews on an inhuman level. He usually offers them gifts of free records and apparel based on their music interests… things that no normal person…even the artists best friends sometimes even know that person likes… Here let me find you an example.

That one right there sort of started it all… He was up to this business before that but after impressing Pharrell that opened a door to all of his contacts to interview and caused some huge names in music and entertainment to actually say yes to his requests.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the last half hour of my life!

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Ha hopefully that means you liked it @jeromy?

[Anonymous]

oh yes! So good. I’ve never seen him, and I was blown away.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Glad I could share the awesome @jeromy. He and Theneedledrop are like my music info… but I also think I have awful taste in music soooo take that with a grain of salt?

[Anonymous]

Everything’s good with salt!

[Mustafa SaidParticipant]

Guessing you’re familiar with Ingress then. Nice, so an I! Nice to meet you.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Yeah @mumumusings I’ve played. I don’t much anymore. I didn’t enjoy hearing rumors of people getting beat up for attacking nodes in Santa Cruz and such. But I’m really looking forward to PokemonGo which is by the same company, So very nice to meet you haha.

[Mustafa SaidParticipant]

I’ve spent years dabbling with Ingress, mostly knee deep in the backstory to this very day.

But onto Tension, the current topic at hand. So if I’m reading correctly, you may have found a connection between the OOA and the film industry?

[NosnevetsParticipant]

I don’t want to say it’s definite it can totally be a mistake or out of game @mumumusings. What I am willing to say is that after googling the number I found that it may belong to a location in a studio lot. But it isn’t exactly hard to rent a space on certain studio lots. In addition to this I received an email from someone hinting that they may have known me and possibly have worked with me on a film previously. That one person (out of who knows how many in the OOA) would certainly be in the film industry.

[Neil KingParticipant]

Thank you, intriguing as it is – the answers still remained unknown. I think we all have our suspicions but you may be the closest. All of my suspicions have been debunked so I am back to the not knowing who is behind this at all and I am okay with that.

I did have an email refer to me as a nickname that maybe one or two people know. It may just have been a word choice coincidence but even so, it was weird. I know those people who know that nickname for me is not involved with this at all so that is why I write it off to coincidence but really who knows?!

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Any coincidence is a possibility @nking I actually was mentioning you within but wasn’t sure everything was in the open? But I had no clue about the nickname thing! I know @reaton and @thebuz mentioned to me (perhaps not to me… maybe I more… walked through their conversation…) that they had received multiple misspellings of their names, intentionally addressing them right above then wrong in the body of an email or vice versa. To which I told them I’m glad I didn’t mention not liking that in my questionnaire then because I despise when people get my name wrong. (It’s Derek guys… I’m a person… I’m not an oil Derrick… it’s my middle name that received the weird black spelling from my dad.) Although I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that because I may have jinxed it. Oh well.

[Neil KingParticipant]

What do you mean you mentioned me @nosnevets, and yeah a few people here know about that nickname thing because honestly I think it was a word choice. When I approached the two people who know me by this name and not even a name I go by… more of an inside joke kind of thing… they had no idea what I was talking about so I wrote it off as word choice coincidence but they do know a lot. I am surprised a few things haven’t popped up yet but I am sure within time a few things from my past will appear one way or the other be it an old short film or a friend’s name from the past but something will come up. I have it seen it with too many of you here that I am just waiting for it. Regardless of expecting it I know the moment it pops up I will be surprised and freaked out and if they grab the right source of information I will be incredibly impressed.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

I meant that above in the…novel of a post that some how came from my fingers, I mentioned a few of the things you’ve told me in person that I wasn’t sure were open to everyone so I kept it vague and didn’t call you out by name @nking.

But yeah that’s crazy! Perhaps it was a coincidence, like you said, after a bit more digging more may come into play.

[Neil KingParticipant]

Oh yeah that is crazy! I didn’t even catch the subtle hint ahaha. Sometimes I am oblivious but I know I have to be close attention to everything here. They watch the forums which has me intrigued about what they watch for.

[TimParticipant]

I too have received a call from this number. A very friendly voice.

[EziParticipant]

@timsmyname please tell us what they said?

[TimParticipant]

I was simply asked to post in the forums. Without doing so I could not begin my “journey”.

[111_errorParticipant]

This was an awesome post, thank you for sharing it. I understand why you were hesitant to say anything, and ultimately why you then did.
Not everyone here has an easily scourable online presence.. *cough* .. but I also found that something of my past had been researched at one point. Sooner than later, we may find out that Tension has been a lot busier than any of us realized.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean researched at one point? Recently?

[111_errorParticipant]

I’ll tell you more privately, but it was a previous job I’d never mentioned here.
– and no, this must have happened before I went to LA last.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

I may be not hiding on the internet @111error but the initial clue was just to pointed for me personally. But yeah could easily be coincidence and I admit that. But you have to admit some of these stories people are coming out with almost seem to be personally charged at an inhuman rate. The only person that matches in doing this amount of research is Nardwuar the Human Serviette… hmmmmm

Nardwuar is OOA confirmed.

[AmieParticipant]

My fiance tried to call the number back yesterday just to see, but as we suspected it went to the voicemail hasn’t been set up message. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the number could come from a studio given some of the info that has been given to us. Especially that actors etc have been involved (are involved?).

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Out of game yeah. Haha In game THEY’RE REAL PEOPLE @amieexists SHHH

[AmieParticipant]

@nosnevets I’m speaking all in game here! I’m forgetting where it came from at the moment but it was brought to light that several actors had previously been involved with the OOA.

[Addison BornParticipant]

@amieexists @nosnevets I spoke to an actor a couple weeks ago who was previously involved with the OOA. And he said that the OOA was leveraging actors, directors, producers, industry insiders as a smokescreen to appear as though it’s a game/haunt/theater piece and spread their word through legitimate channels.

[AmieParticipant]

Thank you @addisonborn! Was this the same person that was getting paid to do video work for them etc (see my post on your post about GK4 Video!?) but got uncomfortable with what was being asked of them, or was that something else?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Amie.

[Addison BornParticipant]

Yep @amieexists, same person!

[NosnevetsParticipant]

So what you’re saying @addisonborn / @amieexists is that we’re supposed to know that some of these people are actors or just people that work in the industry in general? To egitimize some of their work as being false to lure more people into the fold? And therefore we really were supposed to find this Sony connection even if no one ever answers the phone just to further this smokescreen?

And/or that from the beginning I should have been on this connection since the very first email????
I’ve seen behind the curtain.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Nosnevets. Reason: gifs are different than pictures

[AmieParticipant]

@nosnevets I’m not saying any of that, those are just things that have come up recently. Again though it wouldn’t surprise me with the number going off of this information we’ve gotten. Tension loves to remind us that nothing is Random!

[NosnevetsParticipant]

Gotcha @amieexists 😉

[CodyParticipant]

OMFG. Bringing the Tension to a new level. Oh my. Things just got wild!

[Andrew KaschParticipant]

Fascinating post.

I do believe that many different people in the entertainment industry are involved…and considering I found out about Tension from a random OOA e-mail, I’ve always suspected that someone I know in the biz is part of this. But I haven’t poked around because I really don’t wanna know. I’m not eager to pull back the curtain cause I’m having too much fun.

This Sony thing sounds like a simple mistake. Much like how the location of their first Periscope videos were shown ( @thebuz and I were later told that this was out of bounds when we attempted to head out there). I’m sure on some level it’s maddening to the Gamemakers because we’re all so obsessive and immediately pounce on everything we see.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Andrew Kasch.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

@kasch I have no problem with being told it’s out of bounds, but with it all just adding up I couldn’t sit by anymore wondering one way or the other. I’d love to have an answering machine say the number is out of service, or a person just to straight up say Derek… delete the post it was an accident. But I’m loving @addisonborn‘s theory of it being a front to make it seem like a “game” but a real organization is behind it pulling the strings. The Meta is not lost on me.

In the same vein as what you’ve said though of periscope locations, I think that is what happened with the address @monkeymuffin333 and @prufrock5150 investigated if I recall the story correctly.

[Jake OParticipant]

i think you’re okay bringing almost anything to the table at this point. everything they haven’t wanted us to find, they have let us know about it pretty quickly. Or they have course corrected to incorporate the element into tension itself.

They haven’t made any effort to hide that they use the entertainment industry and have people placed inside it. So a phone number coming from the Sony lot doesn’t really compromise them, in my opinion.

I think you are right, if they wanted the number hidden, they would have used the unlisted number when they called. So I think you are probably right that they wanted you to see it/find its location.

I also agree with @kasch and @russell though, i don’t want to know too much about who’s creating the experience as a lot of the fun comes from not knowing.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Jake O.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

I can agree with that =) It’s more of a curiosity for me, I’m not hoping to like find out the whole team or creative force behind everything. But if it turned out a friend of mine was someone on the lower levels that doesn’t know everything either… I’d be stoked. If not then I hope its directed away just like you so beautifully clarified @endlesspictures.

[prufrock5150Participant]

We just wanted to leave a gift for them, the who(m)ever was behind this new magic. Naturally, with the only tie to the physical world being an address in Beverly Hills, and a temperate Sunday afternoon (I think; days blend together so often in retrospect) laying ahead of us, @monkeymuffin333 and I began our discussion of what to leave.

The prior evening had been another sort of strange attractor: the Hyaena Gallery in Burbank had just celebrated its decaversary (that’s a word now), and an ad-hoc meetup with a few people had come about as an attempt to hijack the synchronicity at the CIA (for those outside the LA area, that’s the California Institute of Abnormalarts, not the Central Intelligence Agency… unless… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-mdoClMVA]. But no, it’s actually a bizarro-world assortment of carnivalia and Orientalist iconography which has played host to many a gathering of the oddest of fellows). The night had passed with an unfulfilled promise of an OOA observation and possible intervention. In retrospect, it is impossible to know whether it was fulfilled or not.

My intention was to donate to the OOA a painting from artist Nic Caesar, given by Lou Rosconi, whose love of random malkavian mischief is well-known in the outro-art scene surrounding the gallery, as he had just willed to us (well, @monkeymuffin333, to be precise) all of his winnings from the raffle the night before. Of course, the question of appropriateness and taste was brought up, and the sentimental value thereof being determined as too high to part with, we decided to forego leaving gifts until we had further information.

The building is fairly nondescript. It is exactly as you would imagine a large complex of business suites with a beauty spa in one corner and a postal annex in the back. The suite mentioned on the OOA flyer was on the second floor. Naturally, very few people were around, and now I’m pretty sure it was a Sunday. Maybe mid-afternoon, three-ish.

Entering the foyer, we are immediately greeted by the void of human contact endemic to a system of replacements by screens and algorithms. There was an unfinished lunch next to the bevy of controls behind the desk, however, and a monitor attached to the side which featured a touch-screen directory. We took advantage of what appeared to be a momentary oversight on security and approached the elevators. We pressed the second floor. The door closed, and we eagerly awaited ascension.

Nothing happened. I fought a brief, panicked fever-dream of “Oh no, we’ve gotten too close. They’re trapping us in the elevator and we’re going to be taken…” which immediately resolved itself as a momentary thrill at the exact same thought. Then I pressed the “Open Door” button, and we walked sheepishly back out into the lobby. I started playing with the self-service directory, which showed an error message superimposed over Windows Explorer. I was able to open folders, and launch files, and I actually did my best to try and locate an elevator-override.exe file (because that’s totally what they’d name it, right?), but to no avail. I did find my way into the actual, legitimate directory, however, and found a name associated with the suite number.

Of course, as with all things contemporary, being physically present is redundant in hindsight: this is public record. We could have googled the address and come up with exactly as much information as we were able to obtain by actually visiting. But we didn’t know that then.

We did know that we had to pee, though. A helpful map directed us to the restrooms, past the postal annex, and afforded @monkeymuffin333 with an odd conversation with a stranger, the details of which I was only able to overhear in part, and the details of which I do not recall. Perhaps she can fill in the details.

Upon our return, just as we had resigned ourselves to enduring the mystery behind that suite number, we noticed that a human was now present behind the counter, and smiled toward us invitingly. Without breaking stride, I approached her and calmly stated “We need to get to the second floor.” She nodded, and simply asked “Would you like me to unlock the elevator?”

Was this a successful Jedi mind trick? Had I just rolled a critical on charisma in the floating dimensional tabletop of existence? “Yes, please.” I replied, and she led us back to the lift, sliding a magnetic card into the slot on the side and pressing the second-floor button. Our ascension, this time, was undaunted, and we exited into a bright hallway of completely unremarkable design, beset upon all sides by brown doors and placards. Literally no one was detectable anywhere.

Following the numbers, we found the suite at the end of a hallway. Double doors. Locked. Adjacent, as an end-cap, was another suite ominously labeled “Control Room” (also locked). An odd hum emanated from behind the doors, and we just stood there, listening to the low pitch and existential miasma which accompanies standing in an office building with nobody around in the middle of the day.

We’d hit, quite literally, a dead end.

As we returned to the car, we were left with more questions than answers: was it really just some accountant’s office? Were we being watched? Would they review the footage of the security cameras and cry foul at my amateurish attempts at hacking? Did they even know who we were? There had to be answers…

And the way answers seem to come is through another’s perspective. This is why we must keep sharing our information, and listening to each other. @nosnevets, thank you for coming clean, and being a model of honesty that we all can follow.

[prufrock5150Participant]

I hate replying to my own posts, but I just had to mention that mere moments after posting, I checked my email and saw that registration@ooainstitute.com had send me something. It was a recruitment flyer, with testimonials and everything, and at the bottom was, in bold: “Our mailing address is: 8383 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 225, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.”

Granted, I’m crappy at checking my email, and it had been sent at 11:25 in the morning, but the timing… like, it *is* weird, right?

Also, that YouTube link didn’t work above, maybe because of the brackets. Maybe this time it will work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40

[Susie JParticipant]

So, to amend … It was a Saturday (4/9/16). The upper floors were closed to the public on the weekends with access to only security and facilities staff, which made it weird that the security person was cool with just letting us up there, and the hallway was dark. We also heard voices of people in other suites and we knocked on the door of the address hoping someone was in, but there was no answer.

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[NosnevetsParticipant]

(Responding as it comes @prufrock5150 you know me.)
Jealous! I’ve been checking out the CIA for a while now, and haven’t been yet!
“and eagerly waited ascension” Oh you wordsmith.
It was an accountant? I thought It was insurance? I thought perhaps it was a subtle nod to @thebuz (or vice versa) who was told “Don’t sign any life insurance as that is how it all starts.”

It is a little on the nose that we got the email this morning now that you mention. Being that I posted this late last night, the very last thing on the forum for quite a few hours until morning. Specifically since I mentioned your address thing I think above… As if they were reminding us (me?) of the address since I pointed directly at the phone number? HA but really more likely, it was probably predetermined and scheduled to go out ahead of time.

But hey COINCIDENCES AND SYNCHRONICITIES!

Thanks @monkeymuffin333 for the addendum. Do you think it would have been much different on a weekday?

[Susie JParticipant]

I’m thinking so. At least it would be easier to get up there and the office might be open. I think we even called the number with our ears to the door to see if we could hear ringing. Nothing.

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[NosnevetsParticipant]

Relevant.

[Anonymous]

I think mary tried sending mail there too, and it was returned. Which is why I was hesitant to mail a tile from the painting there and why I was so insistent on getting a mailing address from Aleister. :/

[NosnevetsParticipant]

I can see why @coryphella. Shipping that and having it be a waste of time would’ve sucked… unless you wanted a new add to your stamp collection.

[geauxsaintsParticipant]

So i called the number back today, and the number has been shut down with the voicemail also disabled. I want to know why they were warning me. Cause I feel like this person was warning some people and telling other people to post. Or maybe the number was hijacked. Who knows. Hoping to get a face to face sometime soon. Love these posts and that you are all diving deep.
Glory be.

[NosnevetsParticipant]

@whodat09 Ahh I tried too same thing! But at least we’re digging and hey it’s just pieces of knowledge that might tip bits off for future clues.

[Author]

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