Part 4: No More Idleness

Months pass. Or, is it years?
Aside from moving to a larger, cleaner room, Ulrich's time at Plesetsk hasn't changed much.
The long-abandoned oscilloscope has been placed in the new room. It sits next to a lukewarm cup of coffee.
Ulrich: ...
He deftly presses a couple of buttons and twists a few knobs.
Ulrich: What's on your mind today?
Oscilloscope: Beep—beep-beep beep.
Ulrich has now mastered the external controls of the oscilloscope.
He has never once considered opening the casing to examine its internal structure.
Ulrich: There's no new information. All I can do is replay historical data.
Ulrich: I've already compiled all the recurring patterns from the waveforms. All that's left are a few incomprehensible fragments.
Ulrich: I think I'll need a larger sample size if I'm ever to decode them.
He picks up a well-worn transcript from the desk—notes from a lecture on linguistics by Branch Leader Ludwig.
Some parts of the lecture seem to point him in the right direction to deciphering the oscilloscope's signals, or perhaps they point to somewhere else entirely.
Transcript: "Linguistic rules, including grammar and lexical-concept mapping patterns, are largely established through social consensus, commonly known as 'convention' ..."
Transcript: "Chaos and randomness are fundamental characteristics of natural language. Likewise, language is inherently narrow and biased ..."
Transcript: "This means that the utility of language is limited by the cognitive level of its users ..."
Ulrich: Patterns and chaos coexist. The oscilloscope's signal patterns match the linguistic traits Ludwig described.
Ulrich: Past experiments have also proven that the oscilloscope doesn't react to environmental variables.
Memories of his past experiments bubble up in his mind. Memories of carrying the oscilloscope around the facility and enduring the stares of others as if he were an alien.
Ulrich: Which proves it isn't some kind of monitoring device. No, it's definitely actively transmitting information.
Ulrich: But with the current sample variety, I can't verify my hypothesis any further.
*knock-knock*
There is a knock on the door.
Windsong: Hey, old friend, are you in there?
For a scholar often out in the field, her visit is unusual.
Ulrich: Windsong? Come in.
She steps in and places some cheese and caviar on the desk.
Ulrich: Thank you, but I have no use for these.
Windsong: Alright, then I'll give them to someone who does.
She promptly takes the gifts back.
Windsong: Any progress with the oscilloscope?
Ulrich: Nothing substantial.
Ulrich: Are you here to take a break?
A flicker of surprise crosses Windsong's eyes.
Windsong: No. The "Storm" is coming. I'm here to take shelter. You should've received the alert by now, too.
Ulrich seems to take a long moment to process the urgency of this global disaster.
Ulrich: Oh ... Yes ... of course.
He sinks into a somber mood once again.
Windsong: Hey, Ulrich!
Ulrich: ...?!
Windsong: Why are you just sitting there in silence? What are you thinking about?
Windsong: In less than twelve hours, the outside world will be reversed. Is there anything in this era you've left undone?
Ulrich remains silent, unsure of how to respond.
Oscilloscope: Beep-beep—beep ... beep ...
Windsong: And after the "Storm"? Are you planning to end your vacation and return to headquarters?
Oscilloscope: Beep—beep-beep—
Ulrich: This thing is so noisy.
He reaches out to turn off the oscilloscope, but Windsong stops him.
Windsong: Leave it on. It'll be too quiet here without it.
Windsong: I've had to wrap up my expeditions in the Arctic Circle. After this "Storm" passes, I'll head back to headquarters.
Windsong: I need to organize the data I've collected and give a Ley Lines lecture there.
Windsong: If you're planning to leave, we could head there together.
Ulrich: I haven't decided yet.
Ulrich: Perhaps I've grown accustomed to this undisturbed life. The peace and quiet help me reflect on the era and the "Storm."
Windsong: "Peace and quiet"? You didn't even realize the next "Storm" was already on its way.
Windsong lets out a playful whistle.
Windsong: Not looking too good, my friend. Your long vacation has taken its toll on you.
Windsong: You should return to headquarters, do some real work, and get back into shape, and don't forget to bring some reunion gifts for your team members.
Oscilloscope: Beep ... beep ... beep ... beep ...
Windsong: You agree with me, don't you, little guy?
Surprisingly, the oscilloscope responds even more emphatically to her words.
Oscilloscope: Beep! Beep! Beep!
Ulrich: ...!
Windsong: Wha- ... what?
Ulrich buries his head in the display, the little ball of ferrofluid trembling with the frequency of the signals.
Ulrich: This frequency ... It isn't right.
He grabs his notes from the desk and quickly scans his records.
Ulrich: February's records, no, October's. Here it is, but it doesn't match at all.
Windsong reflexively pulls out a pencil and notebook, only to realize she has nothing to write down.
Windsong: Did you find something?
Ulrich: The amplitude of all the signals is increasing. The peaks and troughs of the new waveforms are nearly maxing out the instrument's display.
Windsong: Has the regularity been disrupted?
Ulrich: Indeed. The probability of a familiar pattern appearing has dropped significantly. The randomness of the waveforms is rapidly increasing.
Windsong: Could it really be reacting to what we're saying? No!
Windsong: There's no reason it should respond to what we say, and you know I've never believed this thing is an Awakened.
Ulrich: Even I've almost given up on that hypothesis.
Windsong: That's a relief. Then, what exactly is going on right now?
Windsong: Has something changed?
The ferrofluid shoots upright, forming an exclamation mark.
Ulrich: It's the "Storm." It's directly affecting it!
Ulrich: Our holiday is over.