Chapter 42-3 Chasing Ghosts

[TacticalJHP]

Another bit of frustration is that are we actually given first and last name of the prisoners held in solitaire with the exception of one -- Cohen. I have to relisten to this. Who the hell is trying to protect Cohen by omitting his proper name from the journal entry that we are now hearing...

Clarance Cohen. Carl says his name about 14:18 in the episode.

[Red Shirt]

Now we get to some of the more complicated ones. That three ring chemical is not in the testosterone family. Testosterone has five rings. Unless it is supposed to be??? Are the symbols correct? There has been some liberty taken with previous artwork. The tricyclics are a class of drugs that can be old school anti-depresents and anti-psychotics. Also, anti-histamine. The photo is not awesome, so it is hard to go after the excruciating detail. Worse, we also have to get into the "handedness" of the molecule. Like scissors. A right hand drug might do great things and the left handed version sucks...

Despite the fading and overlapping of some of the tattoos (mentioned below) the three rings seem to be cohesive enough to stand alone. My initial suspicions are that it is a (Hydrogenated Isomer of) Anthracene, a coal tar derivative. When I first looked into it, it seemed to be a stub, but it is worth mentioning again as Jannit suggests a possible meaning for the four line "x" or "star" as being Salammoniac, a mineral that is known to grow around volcanic vents via volcanic sublimation. Now, it has also been suggested that the star could be of Voodoo origin, but with Anthracene and the likely possibility for alchemical sulfur being represented in the tattoos, (Native sulfur can also form at vents via volcanic sublimation) not to mention the Inglewood cracks and haze, it seems there's a lot of subterranean petrochemistry going on here.

One of several trails of my "research" started to go down the path of psychoactive pharmaceuticals ... I haven't gotten into it much yet, but because it is all hormonally related; body and brain chemistry, many of the hormones and the drugs that affect them look diagrammatically and chemically similar and are in some ways linked in some cases. Weather they are linked in our context remains to be seen. With this in mind, I am led to the possibility that the symbol for salt might actually be theta, in relation to theta brain waves and altered brain states.

As for the photo, the one thing that stymies me is the seeming overlapping and fading of the chemical diagrams... it is connected? Are the molecules represented as we see them or are they folded back on themselves and are more complicated than we can see?

(I tried to find the Periodic Table of Videos mention of handiness, but couldn't find it.)

[Th3_T3ch]

Had to do a bit of re-listening... like many episodes from past seasons, but I've come to a conclusion. I don't believe anyone has said it, Ink has been doing this for nearly a YEAR! All the testing and planning. The little ones have been around since mid-july (that we know of at least), the behemoths since July 2nd. Runners have been around since the first gas mission with Burt, Saul, and Lizzy (Also the first time we see Roberts).
Conclusion- Ink has been planning this for a while. The Arena was entertainment, Radon was his supply closet for chemicals (Follistatin, Somatropin, etc.), Cain General was where he made the little ones, The Jail was where he did research and experimenting. Ink tested chemicals on the inmates before capturing survivors (children most likely) to make into his soliders. The behemouths that the survivors find first are the experiments that worked out. Ink brought them out of the Jail to aid him, same with any other types. Randy was a happy find for Roberts.
Since Randy was in more control of himself, Roberts uses him to get specific things from Radon, while having the building guarded by some little ones.

I missed it the first listen, but caught it the second, Robins tries one of the doors in the jail that isn't locked but he can't open, He is about to say something, but doesn't get a chance. I'm guessing that Roberts was in that room. My evidence is Roberts having closed the exit gates TWICE! Even if Roberts wasn't in that room he was still watching the Jail, meaning that the Jail isn't a place of failed experiments, but a proving ground for the strongest zombies. Fuzzy (the hairy bastard who killed Karl) was promising for Roberts, but Puck ended that.

Finally, Puck lived because Roberts didn't intend on any of the Soliders getting out. When Puck did and took out one of the strongest, Roberts saw it as a way to quicken the process of thining out the group.

[EpiEpee]

Had to do a bit of re-listening... like many episodes from past seasons, but I've come to a conclusion. I don't believe anyone has said it, Ink has been doing this for nearly a YEAR! All the testing and planning. The little ones have been around since mid-july (that we know of at least), the behemoths since July 2nd. Runners have been around since the first gas mission with Burt, Saul, and Lizzy (Also the first time we see Roberts).
Conclusion- Ink has been planning this for a while. The Arena was entertainment, Radon was his supply closet for chemicals (Follistatin, Somatropin, etc.), Cain General was where he made the little ones, The Jail was where he did research and experimenting. Ink tested chemicals on the inmates before capturing survivors (children most likely) to make into his soliders. The behemouths that the survivors find first are the experiments that worked out. Ink brought them out of the Jail to aid him, same with any other types. Randy was a happy find for Roberts.
Since Randy was in more control of himself, Roberts uses him to get specific things from Radon, while having the building guarded by some little ones.

I missed it the first listen, but caught it the second, Robins tries one of the doors in the jail that isn't locked but he can't open, He is about to say something, but doesn't get a chance. I'm guessing that Roberts was in that room. My evidence is Roberts having closed the exit gates TWICE! Even if Roberts wasn't in that room he was still watching the Jail, meaning that the Jail isn't a place of failed experiments, but a proving ground for the strongest zombies. Fuzzy (the hairy bastard who killed Karl) was promising for Roberts, but Puck ended that.

Finally, Puck lived because Roberts didn't intend on any of the Soliders getting out. When Puck did and took out one of the strongest, Roberts saw it as a way to quicken the process of thining out the group.

This just made me think back to something that was said back at Irwin, about how people were having a hard time killing people they knew who had turned. I think that was probably some serious foreshadowing, and we're seeing part of that play out with Michael and Datu, and Michael and Randy.

I'm glad we don't have anyone missing kids that we know of (stateside at least) If we did still have unaccounted for kids, the discovery of how exactly the little ones were made could get extra awful extra fast.

[7oddisdead]

Robbins couldn't open the door because of all the stuff stacked against it. The inmates built a barricade at that door. When they entered the room another way they said this.

[Grognaurd]

Clarance Cohen. Carl says his name about 14:18 in the episode.

Thanks...

Does anyone remember if Carl was a transfer from Denver? Robbins and Muldoon were not from Ft Irwin, Puck was. The Beheomoth was more interested in raging against the gun truck than killing him and Ink left him alone, too. So, is that just random chance or is there something differentiates Puck from those three?

Already infected ( slow turner, non-turner, etc ) not infected, family, cult, political party, lol, etc.

It does nag at me that the biters are known for enhanced sense of smell and the gun truck is new. It was a replacement for the soldiers truck which had the tires melted. That truck may have even been from Dunbar and used by Saul and Victor for the last nine months. Lots of time to sweat in it...

[Witch_Doctor]

Just thought of something. Seems to be a small bit a parallel between how Puck thinks Ink is and how dangerous Durai thinks Ink is. Puck returns from the jail and tells Michael that Ink must be stopped or he'll wipe out all of them

According to Scratch (Mark of the Beast), while looking at #5's arm, she says that Durai knows what's to come. Did he know Ink or someone familiar to Ink, pr-outbreak. Someone transitioning from jail to prison?

[Litmaster]

Yeah witch doctor, I agree with your assessment. Certainly, based on their bombing of the arena, the mallers clearly saw Ink and company as being a significant threat, and had far more Intel on what the zeds were up to then our heroes did. I wonder what Scratch knows about Ink that Michael and CJ do not at this point?

[tonyhind86]

Remember Burt when the Mallers were attacking the tower? He said "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". How ironic would it be if the Tower survivors had to form a partnership with Scratch to destroy Ink and co.

[Grognaurd]

Remember Burt when the Mallers were attacking the tower? He said "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". How ironic would it be if the Tower survivors had to form a partnership with Scratch to destroy Ink and co.

Yeah witch doctor, I agree with your assessment. Certainly, based on their bombing of the arena, the mallers clearly saw Ink and company as being a significant threat, and had far more Intel on what the zeds were up to then our heroes did. I wonder what Scratch knows about Ink that Michael and CJ do not at this point?

Just thought of something. Seems to be a small bit a parallel between how Puck thinks Ink is and how dangerous Durai thinks Ink is. Puck returns from the jail and tells Michael that Ink must be stopped or he'll wipe out all of them

According to Scratch (Mark of the Beast), while looking at #5's arm, she says that Durai knows what's to come. Did he know Ink or someone familiar to Ink, pr-outbreak. Someone transitioning from jail to prison?

I have been entertaining those thoughts. Dont Latch and Scratch discuss that Durai has plans for those tankers while he is spying on them? That is only 7 to 10 days into the outbreak. I know there is a prejudice to put that event closer to the party, but those things are designed for a week, not months. Since they pick up Lady, it is still close to the initial outbreak. Later, Lizzy even remarks that the sweat jars were three weeks worth of work when Kelly is looking for stolen items in Lizzy's room. So, it seems like a week into the outbreak Durai is looking to fire bomb someone...