INVERSION HANDOUTS
INCLUDED IN THIS PDF ARE THE PHYSICAL HANDOUTS TO BE
GIVEN TO THE PLAYERS AS NOTED IN THE BOOK
THESE MAY BE PRINTED OR DISPLAYED
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY
© COPYRIGHT 2024 I ALEX GUILLOTTE and BUD BAIRD
HANDOUT #1: DEBUNKER BUNKER EMAIL
HANDOUT #2 (AUDIO): DEBUNKER BUNKER VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Ian and Jake: Greetings, Patrons!
Ian: As you know, it has always been the goal of the Debunker Bunker to challenge and test all of the nonsense in the world
today, from internet videos to conspiracy theories, and we’re very proud of what we’ve done so far.
Jake: But something has recently fallen into our lap that promises to be our biggest one yet! It looks, on the face of it, quite
astounding, and we’re going to keep an open mind about it. About two months ago, an anonymous email directed us to something
interesting on the Dark Web. After taking all the proper precautions, we followed a link that led us to a video that showed
something… extraordinary. There was also a link to a PDF with plans for a machine that seemed to do the impossible.
Ian: So naturally, we did what no one in their right mind would do: we decided to build it. And we want YOU to be here when we
turn it on!
Jake: We have selected ten names at random from our most dedicated and generous supporters, and you’re one of them! We’re
going to pay to fly you out to Area 52, house you, and feed you so that you can be there when we switch it on during a special
Patreon-only livestream!
Ian: It’s going to be one hell of a ride, and we’re hoping you can join us!
Jake: Did we mention it’s all expenses paid? First class? Oh yeah! We’re not messing about here!
Ian: No, this is not a fake, so please reply back for full details ASAP!
HANDOUT #3: DEBUNKER BUNKER MERCH
HANDOUT #4 (AUDIO): DR. NOVIKOV’S RECORDINGS
There is a click as the play button is depressed. The voice is that of a Russian woman who sounds scared and
out of breath. In the background, you can hear the alarm klaxon and a recorded voice ordering the personnel
to evacuate, though it’s very muffled. Note that if the Keeper reads the transcript, they should do so in the
artificially pleasant voice of a computer speaking the text.
1 August 1976… My name is Doctor Nadia Novikov, and if you are listening to this, I am so sorry. In our vanity and ignorance,
we have broken reality. I think I am dying, and perhaps I deserve it. There may still be time for you if you act quickly.
[There are several screams in the background and a gunshot from somewhere else in the complex.]
We were told nothing about where it came from, and we barely understood what it was, except that it would make a window.
But it was not a window. It was a door!
[There is a loud bang. Novikov says something unintelligible, and a pair of clicks indicate that the recorder was turned off and
then back on some time later.]
At 16:30 hours, we turned on that cursed machine. There was a Pulse of energy that went through the lower levels like a heat
haze, and there was a terrible whining noise. It was over in seconds, but it left a sweet smell in the air that reminded me of…
[The translator beeps to indicate that it cannot translate the word.]
The reactor alarms started. To our credit, we did not immediately panic. Everyone did their best trying to understand what was going
on. Then came the… big one, and everything went to Hades. We should have known when Popov went mad during the second test.
He tried to warn us, but we did not listen. We could not listen. They would not let us listen. This was not science. It was insanity.
[Two clicks. Novikov is very out of breath.]
At 17:39 hours, there was a second Pulse of energy that went through the entire facility, but this time it was worse. It hit like an
earthquake, breaking walls and cracking pipes. This place was meant to withstand a nuclear blast. Three people near me…
they popped like… like a child’s balloon. I saw one of the security guards turned inside out. It is something that will live with me
until I die, which I suspect is not long now.
[Novikov begins sobbing.]
I could not get him off me… What have we done?
[Two clicks.]
When the message to evacuate began playing on a loop, we headed for the stairwells only to find them blocked by rubble.
The lifts were dead.
[Two clicks.]
So much blood…
[Two clicks.]
There has just been a third Pulse. I note the time as 18:47 hours. They seem to be getting worse, and I think the duration
between them is diminishing. If I can find some paper, maybe I can work out…
[There is a loud bang followed by two clicks.]
Since the recent Pulse, I have noticed some sort of purple or black mold on the walls. How long has it been there? Has it
always been there, and I just never noticed it?
[Two clicks.]
I found my friend Michael in the hall. He was being followed by a dark cloud of vapor or shadow. He turned toward it and…
He is gone now.
[Two clicks. Novikov sounds panicked.]
One of the guards was firing his rifle at nothing. Another was screaming, and he started beating me. A lucky shot killed him, though.
I am hiding in the medical section now, hoping the doctor will show up, but he has not. I cannot walk, and there is so much blood.
[Two clicks.]
I need to work this out. There was a small Pulse when the machine was turned on at 16:30 hours, but the second Pulse didn’t
happen until 17:39. The third big one was at 18:47:11 exactly.
[There is a terrible sound. Novikov sounds very shaken.]
There has just been a fourth Pulse, and there was a boom from somewhere on level one, I think. I am holding a stopwatch,
and it is running, but I have no memory of picking it up or starting it. It has been 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 30 seconds since the
third Pulse. I wrote 19:51:30 on my arm. I think the Pulse wave was purple or violet this time. It’s dark in here, so maybe the
others were purple too, and I just didn’t notice.
[Two clicks.]
After an admittedly crude calculation, I anticipate five more Pulses over the next four hours. The next one should happen at
20:53 hours, followed by a sixth one at 21:49, and a seventh at 22:39. The time between is definitely getting shorter. If I’m
correct, there will be an eighth at 23:12 and a final Pulse just 28 minutes later at 23:49 hours. I say the final Pulse because, at
that point, the time between Pulses will be effectively zero, and the power level… unimaginable. I don’t know what will happen,
but I doubt that anyone will survive.
[Two clicks.]
There is screaming outside. More guns. Shouting.
[Two clicks. Novikov is beginning to sound hysterical.]
We pulled on the threads of the universe, and it is unraveling. I am so sorry. If you find this, tell my mother I love her and miss
her. A soldier just came in and asked if I was his sister. When I shook my head no, he walked out, and there was a gunshot.
God, I envy him.
[Two clicks.]
I think Dr. Popov knows more about this place. We locked him up, but I think he knows what’s happening to us. I need to reach
the commissar’s office and the detention cells before it’s too late.
[Two clicks. Screaming can be heard in the distance, as well as other, more unsettling sounds.]
The screaming stopped for now.
[Two clicks. Worse sounds in the background.]
There is something moving in the mirror. Someone is in the room with me, but I cannot see them. I have to get out of here.
[Two clicks. Novikov sounds a bit more lucid.]
I made it to the commissar’s office, and as I suspected, he has one of the shutdown keys for The Inversion Engine, though not
where they have to be used. I think the other key is probably in either Dr. Leonov’s or Dr. Dubravensk’s offices.
I’m not going to make it to Popov in the detention cells, but if he’s still alive, I think he knows. He knows…
[Novikov pauses. Her breathing is very ragged.]
If you find this recording, you must stop the machine at all costs. This goes beyond politics and borders. I believe that if the
machine is not stopped, our world is in jeopardy. Please help. I have what notes I could collect and one of the two keys. The
other looks just like this one, but with a yellow cord.
The information about using the keys can be found in the Data Analysis room on Level 2. My password is: NOV35681D. That
should give you access to the Inversion Plans. If the computers are dead, then there should be a physical copy somewhere in the
archives. I believe there are also data archives, but you would need an active computer station to access them.
[There are several minutes of breathing and rummaging. Then there is the rattle of a pill bottle being opened and a hard
swallowing sound.]
The screams are starting to die down. I think maybe there are fewer people left to scream now.
[Two clicks. Novikov’s voice is slurred.]
I hear someone speaking English.
[The tape ends.]
The Red The Yellow
Shutdown Key Shutdown Key
HANDOUT #5: RAVINGS OF A MADMAN
24 June 1976
Last night, I had the most chilling nightmare that has
left me with a lingering sense of dread. It felt so vivid
and intense, as if I was trapped in a twisted realm of
darkness and despair. I must put my thoughts onto
paper and attempt to make sense of the haunting ex-
perience that unfolded within my subconscious mind.
In my dream, I found myself in an eerie, decrepit
shack that seemed to be frozen in time. Its dilapidated
walls exuded an unsettling aura, and every creaking
floorboard sent shivers down my spine. I was alone,
consumed by an overwhelming sense of foreboding.
That’s when I saw her — a withered old hag crouched
near a black pot in the rustic fireplace. Her face was
contorted into a grotesque mask of malevolence. Her
eyes, sunken and lifeless, bore into my very soul, instill-
ing a sense of terror that rendered me motionless.
The hag’s crooked, gnarled finger beckoned me
closer, and against my will, I approached her. Her
voice, filled with a malicious undertone, echoed
through the desolate halls; her words pierced my ears
like shards of glass, sending a sickening sensation
coursing through my veins.
She demanded that I commit unspeakable acts, each
one more repugnant than the last. I recoiled in horror,
my mind unable to comprehend the depths of deprav-
ity she craved. Her intentions seemed rooted in pure
evil, as if she derived pleasure from the misery and
suffering she envisioned.
I tried to resist her commands, to break free from her
menacing grasp, but it was as if an invisible force con-
trolled my every movement. The hag’s influence was
overpowering, suffocating my will and transforming
me into a mere puppet in her twisted game.
As the nightmare continued, I became increasingly
tormented by the moral dilemma I faced. The weight
of her demands pressed upon me, threatening to
shatter my sanity. I pleaded for release, praying for an
escape from this wretched nightmare, but my pleas
fell on deaf ears.
When I finally awoke, drenched in a cold sweat, I
found solace in the realization that it must have all
been a figment of my imagination. Yet, the residue of
fear remained, clinging to me like a persistent shadow.
That dream still haunts me.
HANDOUT #6: THE INVERSION PAPERS
HANDOUT #7: POPOV’S NOTES
HANDOUT #8: THE INVERSION PLANS
This abridged version of The Inversion Files (see p.165) fills a thick three-ring binder packed with dot matrix
printouts. They are poorly organized, so finding specific information is challenging, requiring an understanding
of Russian and a Library Use check. The check can be repeated, with each attempt taking 10 minutes. The
degree of success determines how long it takes. A regular success means that it takes 45 minutes, while a
Hard success reduces that to 30 minutes, and an Extreme success allows the file to be found immediately.
HANDOUT #9: DR. LEONOV’S PAPERS
neural structures, displaying an intricate network of
luminescent fibers unlike anything encountered in
terrestrial life forms.
My assembled research team, consisting of
neuroscientists, biologists, and physicists, immediately
initiated a comprehensive examination of the specimen.
We carefully extracted the specimen from the protective
substance and began an array of analyses and
experiments to unravel its enigmatic secrets.
Initial observations revealed a distinct lack of
recognizable anatomical features, rendering our
attempts to compare it with known species futile.
This brain-like organism seems to lack a discernible
cerebrum but instead possesses an elaborate
arrangement of interconnected clusters that might
serve as centers for cognitive processing.
Our first priority was to determine the brain’s state
of preservation and viability. Advanced imaging
techniques revealed a pristine condition, seemingly
unaffected by the passage of time. This finding
heightened our anticipation of the vast knowledge
it might hold and the potential insights into
extraterrestrial cognition.
To gain further insights, we initiated a series of
electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to measure
electrical activity within the brain. Astonishingly, the
recordings displayed intricate patterns and frequencies
that surpassed the complexity of any neural signals
previously recorded from any known life form. We are
attempting to decipher these perplexing waveforms,
hopeful they will unravel the inner workings of this
alien intellect.
The next phase of our research involved integrating
the alien brain with The Inversion Engine’s neural
interfaces, hoping to establish a rudimentary means of
communication and potentially extracting information
stored within the brain’s networks. However, the
procedure caused the neuron-like structures to
depolarize, irreparably damaging several of the nodes.
10 June 1976; Subject: Examination of Specimen AX-316 The little data we’ve collected suggests that this
At first glance, the specimen showed remarkable specimen is probably a hybrid of human and alien brain
similarities to human brain tissue. This alien brain was tissue, though who created it and why is still a mystery.
found suspended in a translucent, gel-like substance, The good news for the project is that we can likely utilize
preserving it with uncanny precision. The tissue’s a human subject, following a few modifications to the
morphology defies our current understanding of hardware and installing several safety regulators.
HANDOUT #10: DR. DUBRAVENSK’S NOTES
reveal a single organic chemical compound that I can
identify. I shall have to use unconventional methods.
15 July 1976;I bombarded the first sample with x-rays
to sterilize it before beginning my chemical
analysis, but rather than killing the sample, it cause
extraordinarily rapid growth. I managed to get the
sample contained in a vacuum cylinder, but I am very
concerned. I have submitted my recommendations that
the project pause for a week to allow us time to better
understand this strange fungi, but Commander Gurin
has insisted that we proceed as scheduled.
17 July 1976; I received permission to expose the spore
samples to high doses of Gamma radiation, which
should have been sufficient to kill anything that might
be even remotely considered alive, but once again,
it had the opposite effect. The spores erupted into a
fungal colony that nearly breached the containment
vessel before I managed to stop the experiment.
I worry what will happen when the machine is turned
to full power next month, but I am assured that all
safety precautions are being observed. I am skeptical.
22 July 1976; After almost a week of analysis and
observation, I am convinced that this fungi is not from
our world. In fact, I begin to suspect that it may not
even be from our universe.
I have been unable to consult with Dr. Popov since
his breakdown, but everything that he has said prior
to that suggest that we may be dealing with a life form
from another dimension bleeding into our own. For the
time being, the “holes” that we have been making are
small, allowing only these spores to pass through, but
what happens when we test at full power?
I intend to recommend additional containment
procedures and preparing a fast shutdown procedure
for the reactor in the event we lose control of the
experiment. I have spoken to Dr. Petrov and he agrees.
Unfortunately Petrov is still determined to hook
himself up to the machine for the full power test,
14 July 1976; Dr. Morozov has asked me to analyze despite my protests. I admire his optimism.
several spore samples after his experiments produced 31 July 1976; I have finished the emergency
a number of anomalous chemical reactions. Although shutdown procedure and have instructed Dr. Igorevich
biology is not my area of expertise, it is obvious that on the precise steps. I also suggested that he hold on to
they are chemically unlike any life form I have seen the spare keys for the Inversion Engine, but I have no
before. In fact, all of my traditional tests have failed to idea if Commander Gurin will allow it.
HANDOUT #11: DISSECTION NOTES
The first step of the autopsy was to perform an
external examination, noting the creature’s overall
morphology and identifying potential openings or
orifices. Surprisingly, no conventional orifices were
observed—no eyes, mouths, or obvious sensory organs.
This realization only deepened the mystery surrounding
the creature’s means of perception and communication.
Microscopic examination of exposed tissue reveals
that the cellular structure is intact despite being frozen
in the Antarctic for thousands of years. Hopefully,
chemical analysis will reveal the mechanism that
prevents cellular damage.
Opening the central cavity revealed an intricate
network of fluid-filled chambers within its exoskeletal
frame. These chambers appeared to serve as a complex
circulatory system, circulating an unknown fluid that
glowed when exposed to ultraviolet light. The purpose
and function of this luminous fluid remain enigmatic
and warrant further investigation.
One organ that stood out was a 38 cm yellow sac
situated near the creature’s center mass. Analysis
of tissue samples extracted from this sac revealed
a unique composition of molecular structures and
unfamiliar cellular arrangements. The purpose of
this organ remains elusive, but we hypothesize that
it may be involved in a form of energy generation or
communication within the creature’s internal systems.
Throughout the dissection, we encountered a
remarkable resilience in the creature’s tissue structure,
seemingly capable of regenerating damaged areas
despite the fact that its life functions ceased millennia
ago. This remarkable regenerative capacity raises
intriguing questions about the creature’s evolution and
its ability to adapt to hostile environments.
As the autopsy progressed, we encountered an
intricate network of intertwined threads (possibly
nerves) that spanned the entirety of the creature’s
15 June 1976; Subject: Examination of Specimen AX-211 body, suggesting a highly complex nervous system.
Upon initial inspection, the creature measured The absence of a centralized brain or any recognizable
approximately 2 meters in length and was composed of neural clusters challenges our understanding of
an exoskeletal structure that exhibited a mesmerizing intelligence and cognition.
iridescence. Its shape was utterly alien, with a We are pausing the autopsy until we have more
twisted, elongated body adorned with an array of thoroughly analyzed the elements, molecules, and
intricate, bony protrusions. Lacking any discernible compounds we sampled. Until then, the specimen
head or limbs, the creature’s anatomy challenged all will be sealed in an argon-filled chamber at a
conventional expectations. temperature of -5° C.