Transformers: Truth in Disguise

Imagine:

Little Timmy’s at home on a warm Saturday afternoon, playing away the time with his brand new Optimus Prime transformer and a few of his partners in crime, like Ironhide, Ratchet, and Bumblebee. Timmy’s got some Decepticons, too — Megatron, Barricade, and Starscream — and he has buckets of fun imitating the sepulchral voice of the villains while his toys battle it out for the fate of the galaxy! Hardly an uncommon scene, Unfiction member b_dann_b relates: “I am a loyal fan of the transformers – watched them since I was born and will always remember the day my dad brought me an optimus prime toy as my first transformer.”

But little does Timmy know how close to the truth he is. Those toys Timmy’s playing with, those cartoons he loves to watch, even that lunch pail he carries around daily with the lunch his mother prepared for him…all of it is a cover-up. Far from being mere fictional entertainment, it’s counter-information, with the sole purpose of distracting us from the truth by hiding it in front of our very eyes. And that live-action Transformers movie that you’ve certainly heard about, slated for a July release? That’s part of it too.

Or at least, that’s the word from Agent X, an inside source within the organization known as Sector Seven. S7 partnered with Takara, Inc. back in 1983 to help develop a product line of toys and media to attempt to cover up an information leak about the discovery and capture of a single NBE (non-biological entity) dubbed “Megaman,” over a hundred years ago. The study of this NBE has given the US unrivaled technology and power.

The conspiracy is widespread: Agent X revealed that those working on the Transformers movie and trailers may also be in the know. An S7 email suggests that H[ugo] Weaving will be overseeing the recording of the “Megaman” issue and monitoring the disinformation campaign (movie production) from the inside. Agent X also referred in a recent podcast to ‘the mountain’ (Paramount) and the ‘man of the ocean’ (Michael Bay) joining forces with S7.

Agent X has been feeding the public backdoors into some of the S7 staff’s secure desktops, which contain top-secret videos, surveillance footage, technology and R&D documentation, even classified video and email communications. Also on the inside is Dr. Rebecca Howard – a scientist researching a captured NBE for high tech military assimilation. She believes S7 needs to go public, and wants to contact Agent X, despite the opposition of her superiors.

Agent X releases voice-masked messages via iTunes and downloadable podcasts. The latest in his campaign against S7 asks players to join ‘Stop Sector Seven‘ on buzznet, where members are gathering UFO evidence, various unexplained photos, and hacked S7 footage in an attempt to prove the NBE’s existence.

S7 has discovered Agent X’s hacking, however, and is prepared to take extreme measures. While Agent X is trying to expose S7 and save Earth by uniting it, Lt. Col. Alexander Powers is attempting to recruit other hackers who “possess cunning, technical proficiency, and chutzpah”, to find Agent X.

One thing is for certain, after seeing NBE evidence for a giant creature, a tiny insect, and even a transforming video camera, it’s clear there’s more to this conspiracy than meets the eye. Both Sector Seven and Agent X believe they are protecting Earth. Unfiction player Alsray thinks differently about S7: “They aren’t protecting. They are hiding a super-weapon from the world, and aren’t doing anything but ‘studying’ it. I think we should expose them for the criminals they are, and see what unfolds.” Brotherhalo agrees, “How can you trust an organization that hides the truth from us, thereby endangering us when a threat they CAN’T cover up comes down from the sky…Their protection is our endangerment. ”

Which side will you choose?

The Sector Seven campaign, while it contains some interaction and a fairly linear storyline, lacks the puzzles and depth of which ARGers are so fond, and will probably appeal to people who liked the structure of the Lost Experience more than those looking for a full-blown ARG. However, there’s room for expansion within the 3 months leading up to the Transformers movie release, giving Sector Seven the potential to build a memorable ARG, if the puppetmasters play their cards right.

UPDATE
This just in: Intelligence outside of Sector Seven report widespread hacking in the commercial sector, most specifically in key automotive agencies. Leaks from investigations report a surge of activity on and around April 15th, spearheaded by an unknown group. Reports on the black hat/white hat status of said group are still vague.

Links:
www.SectorSeven.org
Agent X’s podcast feed
Stop Sector Seven @ Buzznet
Unfiction discussion
sector7.wikibruce.com
Event timeline