Project Aphid

The Nowhere Incident

Project Aphid and The Nowhere Incident are directly intertwined, hence the reason they appear in the same article. This article will go into extensive detail on both the events of the incident and the major details of the project that led to the event's conclusion. While The Helheim Incident is the most famous operation, The Nowhere Incident is the most important. First and foremost, it was the last operation conducted by organizations before The Web was officially created in 1985 and the incident was the catalyst leading to The Web's creation. Another reason for its importance comes in how it is remembered. The impact of the incident is two fold:

First, it is regarded as the prime example for what can be accomplished through unity and cooperation.

Second, it is regarded as the prime example of failure due to disunity, secrecy, and isolationism.

Incident Origin

The Nowhere Incident began on July 4th, 1983 in the southern U.S. The small town of Nowhere, Georgia, population 390, served as ground zero. During the independence day celebration held in town square, three young girls made themselves known: Anna Lee (Age 12), Dani Lee (Age 16), and Georgie Lee (Age 5). The girls spoke in unison, commanding the townsfolk to submit without resistance. Most did, and those who didn't were forced to endure pain beyond measure before having what little autonomy the girls promised taken away. The girls, referring to themselves as The Three Soldiers, or Attendees, then oversaw the construction of a massive structure at the heart of the town. The incident continued for nearly a week before anyone could react. With most of the townsfolk under control, only those outside of town could alert authorities. A Troubleshooters living nearby went to town for supplies. Noticing the empty streets, they phoned for help immediately. Siegfried was the first to arrive, an operation center created on the west side of town. The Alexandrian University answered then, setting up their own facility in the south.

Fun Fact: And In this Corner…

The The university found the incident fascinating. Due to the lack of any threat, so long as peace was maintained, The Queen seemed inclined to allow this study. Agents were allowed to directly interact with the aphids and attendees if they were unarmed and allowed to study the structure they were building. The structure didn't seem to have a purpose. Its design was nonsensical, talking to pieces many times before modifications allowed it to stand upright. The Aphids were mindless, not directly controlled but seemingly following orders they could never refuse. Soon after these discoveries were made, Siegfried attacked. Further study became impossible. A breakthrough was denied, one that could have changed the tragic outcome of the event. Siegfried is known for its shoot first policy. A branch of the U.S. military, Siegfried killed 10 aphids, an act that led to extreme hostility.

The Queen

After many hostile interactions with the townsfolk and the three girls, the university managed to have a conversation. Through deduction and study, they determined the source of the incursion was not the three girls, but a hive minded entity, the first ever encounter. They named the entity "The Queen" due to how it approached control, and the names it gave to those it assimilated. The Queen referred to the three girls as attendees, and operated through them. The conversations were vague, The Queen expressing great difficulty understanding such limited forms of communication. When asked, The Queen insisted that three girls were in danger, and seemed insulted at the question. The Queen referred to the townsfolk as Aphids, and strangely, were rejected from the hive-mind. Aphids are controlled but separate. Their behavior changed entirely by the attendees.

Project Aphid

A joint effort between The Oxford Cabal and Task Force: Moreau of the university, Project Aphid aimed to understand, prevent, and hopfully contain (or terminate) hive minded entities, and other incursions that included hive mentality. Moreau was established at the beginning of The Nowhere Incident, and began work on Project Aphid minutes after their inception. Due to insufficient hive minded entities available to study, the idea being purely theoretical before The Nowhere incident occurred, the project's goal was to successfully create a hive minded entity that could be studied. The task force encountered many problems. First and foremost, there was no way of controlling the hive mind should they successfully create one. Secondly, they lacked the ability to create forms of life. Even if they understood how a hive mind works, creating one and ensuring that that hive mind would be friendly seemed impossible. Finally, they struggled to understand exactly what a hive-mind was. The many options theorized couldn't be tested due to Siegfried's actions.

Polyanimia

The problem with creating a Hive Mind was not the limits of the human mind, but that one mind in many bodies fails to properly define a hive-mind. Harris believed a hive mind required polyanimia, or many minds. Harris discovered that hive mind assimilation is a product of loneliness, opening up many avenues of research for the task force, also offering a humane solution to The Nowhere Incident. Joseph's wife, Missy, died several years before the incident, along with his son Isaac. This left Joseph alone. Harris petitioned the Cabal to bring them back, and offered them each a set of shared vessels as well. The results led to an artificial hive mind that not only remained friendly, but had a direct and intimate interest in furthering the goals of organizations in The Web. After successfully integrating 270 vessels into The Griggs Hivemind, each member of the family controlled 90 vessels, and was capable of sharing the strain. Project Aphid was complete, and a resounding success.

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Comments

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Kendallonian

Apr 9, 2020 01:26

What's Siegfried? Have I read about that yet? "...so many simultaneous experiences, took its role." Did you mean "toll"? I love your take on hive minds. It's true! You can't really call it a hive mind unless there are multiple minds! otherwise it's just a normal mind with a really weird, disconnected body.

Dylonishere123

Apr 9, 2020 01:36 by R. Dylon Elder

Siegfried is the spooky branch of the US military. They are among the few organizations who are bad at cooperating. I haven't written them yet, but its planned. Thanks! It is a little obvious, but i felt the autonomy of each member in the hivemind was the focus, but i didnt execute it well in the writing. something for revisions!

Apr 9, 2020 02:04

You know, in a way humanity is already a hive mind. MatPat did a game theory episode on YouTube about it, but basically the internet is our interface with every other human on the planet where we ask for solutions to our problems and get back what has been deemed as the most efficient solution, Which is what a hive mind does!

Apr 9, 2020 14:27 by R. Dylon Elder

I must now dive and find this video. That's a lovely concept. Were slower, but definitely fall into the definition. Ooooo thanks for that!

Incaseofgrace

Apr 13, 2020 17:50 by Grace Gittel Lewis

I really like the concept here! Small town succumbs to a hive mind, building a strange object, always a fun time for the family! The twist on it being a "tower to heaven" brought on by kid logic is great, too! Some weird formatting— you mention a lot of things before you define them, first the aphids, then the Queen, and the golems, vessels, and Griggs— which are all explained after the sidebar piece that requires this as prior knowledge.

Apr 13, 2020 20:26 by R. Dylon Elder

Ahhh yes, nice catch there. Weirdness that pccured during the copy paste from docs to world anvil. That section is a bit out of place. I'll fix that for sure. Glad you enjoyed it, as well as the little twist! Thanks very much good sir.