From the MAIR Archives: Tape #159 – The State of Us: A Discussion with Renton Petrov

Format: Black VHS cassette, lightly damaged, unlabelled save for a faded white sticker reading Tape #159. The title is handwritten in red ink beneath it:
"The State of Us – A Discussion with Renton Petrov, September 4th, 80 AD"


This date does not correspond to any Earth-based calendar system—yet the tape's timecode uses Earth-standard formatting. No known VHS technology existed in "80 AD."

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Initial Playback Notes:

• Tape Condition: Playable, though flickering static and signal degradation frequently interrupt the image. Audio is partially corrupted, with bursts of distortion and low-frequency hums that continue for several seconds after stopping the tape.
• Media Format: Compatible with standard VHS players, though playing it may cause brief electromagnetic disturbances in nearby electronics.

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Footage Description:

Setting: A narrow, institutional lecture hall. The walls are sterile white and lined with what appear to be oxygen vents and sealed utility ports. No windows. Lighting is artificial and flickers at irregular intervals. Everything is too clean.
A black banner with a gray geometric symbol—an angular eye inside an inverted triangle—hangs behind the speakers.


Subjects:

• Christopher: The interviewer. Appears in his mid-30s, gaunt, balding. Skin pallid, with deep shadows beneath his eyes. His left hand trembles intermittently.
• Renton Petrov: Introduced as a "historian and cultural analyst from Quarter 5.6." Late 50s or early 60s. Dressed in a uniform-like garment with no insignia or colour—just plain, synthetic fabric.

Physical Details:
Both men exhibit signs of severe vitamin D deficiency—washed-out complexions, visible bone structure, hair loss. Their movements are deliberate but tired, as if gravity itself were somehow heavier in the room.

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Conversation Highlights (Reconstructed from Partial Transcript):

CHRISTOPHER: "Let's begin. For the record, Renton, this is being archived by Corridor Authority—Vault 9, correct?"

PETROV (nods slowly): "Yes. For the... few who remain."

(Corrupted audio; high-pitched whine)

CHRISTOPHER: "You were there when the Edict fell, during the 'Split Hours'. You saw the aftermath?"

PETROV: "The cities didn't fall. They... closed. One day, the trains stopped running. The ceiling lights dimmed. And the permissions changed."

(Static)

PETROV: "They told us it was temporary. That 'Those Above' were conducting... tests. Evaluations."

CHRISTOPHER: "But that wasn't the truth?"

(Petrov goes still. Looks directly into the camera for several seconds.)

PETROV: "They sealed the surface. We were meant to be forgotten."

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Final Moments on the Tape:

The interview degrades further near the end. The lighting dims. The sound becomes erratic. Petrov suddenly stops speaking mid-sentence and appears to stare off-camera at something unseen. Christopher looks visibly distressed, mouthing words that do not match the audio. A loud, low frequency drone begins and persists until the footage cuts to black.


For exactly 4.3 seconds before the tape ends, the screen displays a still image: a concrete corridor leading into darkness, with the words:

"Quarter 5.6 terminated. Compliant minds endure. The rest are adjusted."