#intotheradius

The next funny thing was I ran directly into a group of enemies (with a slider) and killed them all and came out unscathed

Boy how far I've come!

A new book by Natalie Caves, a famous — or rather infamous — so-called ‘investigative journalist’ accomplishes an unlikely feat of encompassing everything that is wrong with contemporary media — sensationalism, unapologetic profiteering, and poor journalistic procedure. The book, which is supposed to ‘shed light’ on the secrets of Pechorsk Radius zone, is riddled with factual errors, unsubstantiated claims, and leading assumptions. Natalie Caves is well known for her casual approach to facts, but with ‘Legends of the Radius’ she hits a new low, serving up a preposterous, unseemly and borderline insane collection of stories which, supposedly, had taken her years of legwork and interviews to compile. 

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but in this case, you can --- ‘Legends of the Radius’ is as vague and without substance as one would assume from its looks.

We all know the story of Pechorsk — a small Eastern European town that was tragically hit by an asteroid, resulting in the near-total decimation of its population and the creation of Pechorsk exclusion zone, which is maintained by a special UN committee to this day. Natalie Caves, however, tries very hard to paint a different picture, which is not only vulgar but also disrespectful to the memory of those who perished, not to mention completely laughable. She gives voice to those crazy conspiracy theorists who made Pechorsk into a deranged obsession, complete with insinuations of alien involvement, paranormal activity, and ghostly apparitions appearing from thin air.

Let’s take a closer look at these insinuations. One of the most popular — and most frequently debunked — legends surrounding Pechorsk is the existence of so-called Artifacts. These objects are supposed to be infused with miraculous powers like healing, turning lead to gold and even granting wishes. Natalie Caves insists that she interviewed a former UNPSC official — conveniently without naming them in an unconvincing attempt to “protect the source” — who used one of these Artifacts to cure their son’s terminal cancer. In another chapter, she describes the process of gaining attendance to the black market specializing in items smuggled from the Pechorsk Radius — the whole thing reads more like a spy thriller than a journalistic report. Nowhere does she provide a shred of tangible evidence that these Artifacts exist outside the realm of urban legends, nor can she — because they quite obviously don’t. 

An artistic representation of one of the so-called Changed, as drawn by an ‘actual witness’.

Another prime example of the bizarre myths this book tries to provide with credibility — ineffectively — is the widely circulated ‘theory’ that some of Pechorsk citizens had survived and still live inside the Radius. These people were supposedly changed by the Radius, hence the pretentious moniker ‘the Changed’. Natalie Caves provides several accounts of their sightings in the areas surrounding Pechorsk, all of them strangely unverifiable, and even a few grainy pictures taken by the locals. The Changed are, if we were to believe her, unable to leave the Radius, or rather leave it and survive for more than a few hours. Still, it appears that several of them chose to spend these last hours telling horror-esque stories of their lives inside the Pechorsk exclusion zone, where they are forced to scavenge for Artifacts while avoiding ridiculous ‘anomalies’ and fighting similarly ridiculous monsters. She even provides some sketches of what these monsters supposed to look like! The gall! I can’t imagine an editor allowing these to be published, and yet someone did.   

One of the preposterous monster sketches created by Natalie Caves from oral descriptions. Maybe she should stick to writing... on second thought, maybe not.

I’m going to give Natalie Caves the benefit of the doubt and assume that she has some integrity, if very little, and that this disgraceful book is the result of naiveté, not indecency. Perhaps she put too much trust in her interviewees when instead she should have questioned their mental states more thoroughly. It’s not unknown for a journalist to become intoxicated by the personality of their subject, although not one as experienced as Natalie Caves claims to be. In any case, her book should be branded as what it truly is — a harmful piece of sensational, opportunistic rubbish. 

Shocking new reports surfaced today with the release of a previously undiscovered cache of cassette tapes smuggled out of the Pechorsk Exclusion Zone.

While the information and persons on the tapes cannot be verified, the scandal ridden UNPSC has swiftly denied any validity to the latest tapes scandal.

A disturbing recording of a Changed survivor.

A  leaked Explorer's log will shed some light on what it's like to become the Changed.

The Explorer shares his thoughts on the fate of the Changed through the leaked log tapes.

In his final tape, Explorer Mikhail reflects on repercussions of an endless reincarnation.

Shocking new reports surfaced today with the release of a previously undiscovered cache of cassette tapes smuggled out of the Pechorsk Exclusion Zone.

While the information and persons on the tapes cannot be verified, the scandal ridden UNPSC has swiftly denied any validity to the latest tapes scandal.

A rare tape of a young girl revealing how the Pechorsk Incident didn't just change lives, but took all the chances to have one.

A leaked log tapes tells the story of the fame-seeking scientist peaking behind the curtain of the UNPSC's campaign.

A treasure hunter’s last words, revealing how he snuck into the Pechorsk Radius during the rush to discover Californium-252.

One of the survivors describes the UNPSC's Explorer recruitment amidst the aftermath of the Pechorsk incident.

By Nikolay Yang

United Nations Pechorsk Special Committee is an unassuming name, but the organization that carries it is much more intimidating than it wishes to appear. UNPSC or S-Com, as it is sometimes called, was formed shortly after the establishment of the Pechorsk Exclusion Zone as an independent intermediary agency to resolve adversarial ownership claims made by several global powers. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Pechorsk disaster and the keen interest said powers had demonstrated, the identities of UNPSC staff and operatives were kept secret. This secrecy, as well as the general strangeness of everything connected to the Radius, laid a ripe foundation for countless myths and conspiracy theories surrounding UNPSC’s long and enigmatic history. 

The initial goal of the committee was to perform search and rescue operations on behalf of the United Nations member states. However, when it became clear that there were no survivors inside the Radius, its focus was shifted toward scientific research and potential development. 

After a short period of initial studies, UNPSC representatives published a summary report of their findings, including an answer to the question the whole world was asking: what happened to Pechorsk? According to their report, it was obliterated by an M-type asteroid consisting of highly radioactive material — hence the need for an exclusion zone around the area contaminated by irradiated debris. 

The global scientific community, however, was not entirely convinced by this explanation. While some scientists were in agreement with UNPSC’s conclusions, others insisted they were insufficient to account for strange phenomena of the Radius. The situation was further complicated by the fact that UNPSC held a monopoly on all information concerning these anomalies, access to which was hidden behind a wall of a long and arduous bureaucratic process.      

A popular, but fake ‘leaked’ photo of UNPSC staff wonderfully represents the initial paranoia surrounding the committee

The growing animosity between UNPSC and some of the more outspoken scientists soon reached the general public. Imaginations ran wild. If the committee was not entirely honest in its reports, then what were they hiding? What if there was no asteroid at all? Conspiracy theories started to pop up like mushrooms, ranging from outrageous to nonsensical. More pragmatic skeptics, however, came to believe that there was, in fact, an asteroid, but it was not only radioactive but also extremely valuable, consisting of Californium 252 — a rare metal worth millions of dollars per gram. That theory quickly gained popularity and led to a misguided craze, with dozens of amateur treasure hunters illegally crossing into the Pechorsk exclusion zone. Their tragic deaths led to the creation of UNPSC Security Division, which was tasked with preventing any further loss of life by maintaining the integrity of the Radius.

UNPSC Security Division Seal

And although no one pays that particular moment a lot of attention, dear readers, I am utmostly certain that it was the single most important event in the history of the Pechorsk Special Committee. Because in that moment UNPSC went from being a somewhat independent political body with a specific, narrow function to being a powerful self-sufficient organization equipped with its own private military, broadly defined purpose and close to none governmental oversight. 

What’s worse, in the coming years they’ve managed to successfully turn their study of the Radius into a steady stream of technological advancements, mostly in the highly strategic fields of communication and signal suppression, which gave them influence over the powers they are supposed to be beholden to. 

Today UNPSC is rarely mentioned in the public discourse. Their actions are never exciting or noticeable enough to gain the attention of the 24/7 news cycle. Behind the closed doors of political establishments, however, the committee is a force to be reckoned with. Their dealings are mysterious and perhaps even a little worrisome, if not outright nefarious. And lastly, everyone seems to have forgotten that UNPSC has failed to definitively answer that one most important question…

The following article was copied with the author’s permission, in its entirety, from his personal blog at marcapollo.blogspot.con (UPDATE: the blog is now either deleted or closed to the public).

Marcapollo: Heeeeeeeeelo my fellow Radiusaurs! Its ya boy Marcogniac comin to you w/ hot scoops. And this one is HOT  like daaayum! Get this. I got myself a few pages from the real top-secret classified unpsc (fuckers) report! Life’s too short to explain how I got my hands on it, but lets just say that it was initially published by the respectable brother Nikolay Yang, who then immediately got ceased and desisted by s-com (fuckers). I don’t doubt that theyre gonna go nuclear on me as soon as I publish too, but I aint afraid of no s-com (fuckers!) cronie, as you all know. No one has even accused ME of being respectable, lol. You know what to do people! Copy and paste this shit EVERYWHERE, they cant delete the whole internet ;D

Or can they?  D:

Image #1 as published by the author

Editor’s note: the following transcription was added by the Pechorsk Radius News editorial team for your comfort.

A Short Summary of IIA report #15/1IV, UNPSC Scientific Division Subsection 6

From: Chief ECO Officer Dr. [redacted]

To: UNPSC Chairman [redacted]

CE protocol: CIPHER algorithm Xi

TOP SECRET

For your eyes only

Report Subjects: 

Soil Physico-Chemical Analysis, P-Tr Remnant Quantification, Incubation Ratio Assessment, Microbial Biomass Assessment.

Soil samples provided by [redacted], harvest time and date [redacted], harvest sectors A17, Q3, L20 (confirmed), and C9.

Note: Due to the decreased number of IR assets sample pool is currently limited to ThL Ochre sectors.

Results Summary:

Soil chemical composition presents without change. The high concentration of P-Tr remnant epigenetic formations confirmed in sector L20, harvest depth [redacted]. Theory of artificial dissemination is now effectively debunked; remnant deposits are most likely the result of P-Tr event natural fallout. [redacted], as determined by gravitational and magnetic manipulation, continue to rise, however with an insufficient increment to regard it as something more than statistical error. 

Microbial biomass presents as usual, with [redacted]. The prognostic algorithm remains ineffective, suggesting the absence of a logical pattern. As previously, samples degraded quickly. While decomposition coefficient remains unchanged, distance/degradation correlation is growing. It is safe to assume that we are on the brink of another expansion, most likely on the same magnitude as [redacted], i.e. ~227mm per activation period.

Incubation attempt using [redacted] showed [redacted], but eventually failed as all the previous attempts. Lastly, reported anomaly with the sample from sector Q3 was determined to be simple contamination, contaminant being the asset’s blood. The corresponding complaint has been filed to UNPSC Personnel Division. 

UNPSC Chief ECO Officer Dr. [redacted]

Date: [redacted] 

Image #2 as published by the author

Marcapollo: Glory hallelujah! Some of you are crying like babies right now, because your wet dreams have come true. “Contaminant being the assets blood”! Live assets in the field, people! We have a real confirmation that the Changed DO exist. And yeah of course s-com gonna claim that they’re using animals, like trained monkeys or some shit, and scraping dirt from their feet, but we all know the truth dont we? THEY EXIST. Now, uh, I would like to stay with you longer and really analyze that bitch (like what is all that P-Tr stuff, anyone knows what it means?) but time’s a-waistin! It’s been an honor bringing hot scoops for you fellas, Marcogniac signing off for the last time (under this nickname anyway lol). Chiao!

Yesterday popular author Natalie Caves stopped by Jon Barbie’s studio to promote her new book, Legends of the Radius: An Exploration of Myths Surrounding the World’s Best-Kept Secret. Here’s an excerpt from the transcript of their conversation:

Jon: Have you seen this stuff? Joe, google “beluga whale bomb harness”. Yeah, pull the picture on the screen. That’s crazy! Were they training whales to sink boats?

Natalie: Yeah, sure. But it’s not really that crazy. I mean, our own government uses dolphins and sea lions in military operations. 

Jon: No way... Really?

Natalie: Oh yes. I think they spent fourteen million this year on sea mammals. Now, if you want to learn about really crazy stuff… well, read my new book. [laughs]

Jon: I’m planning to! “Legends of the Radius”, right? I’ve actually been interested in the Radius for a long, long time. The whole story is fascinating!

Natalie Caves is a British investigative journalist, author, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She was a contributing editor to The Guardian and New York Times for more than a decade. Caves writes about war, politics, technology, and secrets.

Natalie: It certainly is. 

Jon: So, tell me… are there aliens inside the Radius? [laughs]

Natalie: You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Jon: Come on! Give us something.

Natalie: Well… of course there’s a lot of theories about the origins of the Radius. Alien spacecraft is not even the most bizarre of them.

Jon: But is it true?

Natalie: In the book, I investigate some of the more credible theories on Pechorsk, and then some that are really out there…

Jon: Like, what is one of those?

Natalie: My favorite is that Santa’s sled crashed on Pechorsk. Apparently, some people seriously believe it because Pechorsk is geographically close to Lapland.

Jon: Oh my. I hope Rudolph is okay! [laughs] 

Natalie: Nobody really knows what happened, so any one of the theories might be true.  But probability? I’d say that while an alien attack is not very probable, it is certainly much, much more probable than Santa’s demise. 

Jon: But I always hear alien this and alien that when people discuss the Radius. Why is that?

Natalie: Personally I think it’s arrogance. We’ve become too used to having an explanation for everything. Science has pampered us, in a sense. So what happens when it fails to explain the Radius? Well, it must have been aliens! People always forget how much we still don’t know about the world. 

Jon: Yeah. I, for example, didn’t know that we train killer dolphins like five minutes ago.

Natalie: Before Chernobyl, the scientific community didn’t even know that nuclear reactors can explode. But we’ve been to the moon! The other reason behind the popularity of alien theory is the wording of official reports by the UNSPC, which state the cause as extraterrestrial in origin. People mostly know this word from popular culture, where it’s almost always referring to an alien of some sort, so they jump to conclusions. However, extraterrestrial just means not from Earth, in this case referring to a meteor or an asteroid.

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant shortly after the explosion of Reactor no. 4 on April 26, 1986   

Jon: So the official version of the disaster is that Pechorsk was hit by an asteroid?

Natalie: Yes, but this explanation has more holes than Swiss cheese. Even UNSPC liaisons don’t take it seriously. I think they even accidentally used a stock photo of Chelyabinsk meteor in one of their reports.

Jon: So you think they’re lying? Why?

Natalie: I’m simplifying, but an asteroid of this size would have been detected long before entering the atmosphere. And even if it wasn’t, an asteroid impact still doesn’t provide an explanation for the great anomaly that is the Radius.

February 15th, 2013: a large meteor explodes in the sky above Chelyabinsk

Jon: Interesting. So what are some of the more credible versions then?

Natalie: Once again… you’ll have to read the book! [laughs]

Jon: Come on, just give us a taste! What do you personally think has happened there?