The Magnus Protocol 14 – Pet Project
17:22 Share

Hi folks, Billy Hindle here, the voice of Alice Dyer in The Magnus Protocol. Today I just wanted to take some time to run you through some of the exciting Magnus merchandise, as well as affiliate links, a brand new way to support the show. You can find affiliate links in the description of all new episodes. If you are based in the UK, be sure to check out Phantom Peak, a unique, immersive, open world adventure in London. Use the link in the show notes or code RUSTY to get 15% off tickets.

perfect for fans of escape rooms. Next up, be sure to check out our bespoke merchandise from our partners, including exclusive perfume scents inspired by John and Martin and ex-Altiora. Find out more by going to www.rustyquill.com forward slash S-B-P. Find Magnus and Rusty Quill themed TTRPG accessories, including dice trays, dice towers, and beautiful coasters from Harpscore by going to harpscore.com forward slash rusty dash quill.

See the Magnus Archives polyhedral die set from Dice Dungeon, including an exclusive D16 featuring icons representing the fears. Visit thedicedungeon.co.uk forward slash collections forward slash rusty dash quill to find out more. There are also new designs available on our official merchandise stores for t-shirts,

stickers, posters, and more. Check the links in the description or go to www.rustyquill.com forward slash support. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the show. When you use SAP Concur solutions to automate your business finances, you'll be ready for anything. Except the new office dog running off with your lunch. With SAP Concur, you can be ready for almost anything.

Take control of your business finances today at Concur.com. We all have dreams. Dream home renovations, dream vacations, or sending our kids to their dream colleges. But finding straightforward ways to turn those dreams into realistic goals, that's where things get tricky. Merrill understands that. That's why, with a dedicated Merrill advisor, you get a personalized plan and a clear path forward. And having the bull at your back helps your whole financial life move with you.

So when your plans change, Merrill is with you every step of the way. Go to ml.com slash bullish to learn more. Merrill, a Bank of America company. What would you like the power to do? Investing involves risk. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor, member SIPC.

Forever!

After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. This season, Instacart has your back to school.

As in, they've got your back-to-school lunch favorites like snack packs and fresh fruit. And they've got your back-to-school supplies like backpacks, binders, and pencils. And they've got your back when your kid casually tells you they have a huge school project due tomorrow. Let's face it, we were all that kid.

So first, call your parents to say I'm sorry, and then download the Instacart app to get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes all school year long. Get a $0 delivery fee with your first three orders while supplies last. Minimum $10 in order. Additional terms apply.

At Ashley, you'll find colorful furniture that brings your home to life. Ashley makes it easier than ever to express your personal style with an array of looks in fun trending hues to choose from, from earth tones to vibrant colors to calming blues and greens. Ashley has pieces for every room in the house in the season's most sought after shades. A more colorful life starts at Ashley. Shop in store online today. Ashley, for the love of home.

Hi everyone, it's Kareem, the voice of Simon Fairchild from the Magnus Archives. Today I'm here to advertise Hainai, a podcast recently launched on the RQ Network. Hainai is an atmospheric, analogue-style horror audio drama featuring folk horror, mythology and chilling supernatural terrors in an urban setting. Follow Mari, a Filipino immigrant in Toronto who casually handles supernatural threats like it's just another Tuesday.

Using her lived experience raised by her Babylonian mother to save the city from unimaginable horrors. She's joined by two supernatural detectives, Donna and Murphy. Her strong-armed lesbian neighbor Laura and Ashvin, a conman guru with real magic powers. The title, Hai Nai or Hai Mum, comes from Mari Fonkhananai, or Mother, in the Philippines about her adventures. Season 1 has our protagonist face rich immortal occultists from the early 1900s called...

elders, who feed off ordinary people's deaths. In particular, they must hunt down the elder's leader, the benefactor, who's so powerful nobody remembers his face or name. The story centers mystical immigrants fighting the supernatural to cope with the real-life horrors of fascism and corruption, which characterize Maori's childhood flashbacks in the Philippines. Search for Hainai wherever you listen to your podcasts, or go to HainaiPod, that's H-I-N-A-Y P-O-D dot com, or www.rustyquill.com for more information.

This episode is dedicated to Sariana Ballard. And I just wanted to say I absolutely love this series and everything you've done. You guys are an inspiration to me and I always look forward to seeing more of your content. Keep it up. Rusty Quill presents The Magnus Protocol Episode 14 Pet Project How's the new blend? Oof, vicious. Excellent.

Chocolate lightnits. The good stuff. I'm honoured. Damn right you are. So, how's tricks? Not bad. You? Same old. Been anywhere good recently? Yeah, well, you know. Do I? Oh, the game. Yeah, I was going to ask you about that actually. Oh yeah? So, how was it? It was... No, no, it was good. It's just...

Just? We mostly talked about work. Oh, Sam. You know what he's like. He's a sweet guy, but he can just be a bit... Infuriating? Intense sometimes. Yeah.

What were you actually talking about? He's been worked up about the job ever since you two went out. It's like watching a dog with a toffee. Funny at first, but it's hard not to worry. We were just speculating what the actual deal is. You know, the big why. Sure, I went through the same thing when I started. I mean, it wasn't all work.

Let me guess. Discount roses, two for one sushi and a split cab home before nine? That sort of thing. I'm more of a Lily's gal. A woman after my own heart? Well, don't be too hard on him. He tries his best, he's just a bit... naff sometimes. I'm sure you'll do better next time. Heh, yeah. Cool. Listen, Alice. Here we go. Is this gonna be a problem? Golly gosh, I hope not! I'm serious.

You need to tell me if you're going to have an issue with us. I don't know what the deal was between you, but I'm not interested in getting tangled up in workplace drama. The only drama is the dilemma of how I could possibly get by without you all to myself. Alice, I- I'm too intimidated by your genius intellect and desperately hot-bottomed think we should just stay friends? I couldn't agree more. And on that note, I'm going to head off before I make you any more in love with me.

Just try to restrain yourself, yeah? Sam's masculinity is already hanging by a thread. Sure. Good evening, Sam. How are you getting on? Uh, yeah, good. Great. Thank you. Getting into the groove. I'm glad to hear it. Was there something else? Have you seen Gwen tonight? I've not, I'm afraid. But if I do, I'll send her your way. See that you do. Thank you, Sam. Sure.

Okay. Treatment report: Ilima Pest Limited. Attending technician: Alyssa Beck. 0108 1995. Job number: 8146. Client contact: Anthony Walker. Property type: Commercial. Resounding Reptile Emporium. Hartshill, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Follow-up required? Yes. Report type: Call out.

note follow-up postponed until location of attending technician determined initial assessment fifteen thirty call out received from dispatch at fifteen o five to attend the property client reported that a rat had been spotted in the shop's break room

Upon arrival I met with the proprietor. Shopkeeper was concerned about the potential of fleas or ticks brought in by the rodent. He had clear red slash saw patches around his neck from itching. I assured him that, unless he had come into close contact, it was unlikely that he had been bitten or suffered from parasite transference. Most likely psychosomatic phantom bites, as an effect of the current heat wave.

Worth noting, however, that the strong odor of the shop indicates that the IAQ of the Reptile Emporium is likely below recommendations. Follow-up probably required. I suspect that due to the heat and humidity of the shop, mosquitoes may be present, which might also be the source of the shopkeeper's skin irritation.

The resounding Reptile Emporium backs onto a marshy nature reserve, which increases this risk, although none spotted during initial inspection. Requested shop be cleared of customers for full inspection. Client's agitation increased presumably due to business worries, resulting in a brief altercation. Kept mentioning his burden and grabbing at my sleeve. Received slight scratch by accident, but no escalation or violence, so no need for full incident report.

Although anyone following up should be advised there may be a mental health problem. Inspection, 1541. Break room situated in an annex separated from the main shop by a formerly external door. Adequate barrier between main shop and affected area. Customers vacated from premises by client. Multiple uncovered food sources present in break room. Open bin containing various unfinished food items and empty frozen mice packets. Snake food, presumably.

Discarded crisp and sweet wrappers on countertops. Even with the window open, there is a strong smell of spoiled food. Recommended consideration: sealed waste disposal and food storage. Ants spotted in and around cabinets. Follow-up required for treatment if full infestation identified. Further inspection: 1550. Found cylindrical droppings with sheared ends indicating squirrel. Minimal volume, likely just the one.

Woodland area and trees directly outside break room window. Recommended prevention: mesh grate over window to prevent further ingress. Squirrel discovered on overhead cabinets. Window left fully opened to aid exit. Area sealed. Treatment: 1610. Retrieved live capture trap from van. Customers granted re-entry to shop floor. During room preparation, small hole discovered between wall of break room and adjacent room. Used by squirrel as point of egress.

Adjacent room locked, key requested and signed out with client. Hole sealed. Summary. 16:30. Squirrel found among storage boxes and captured alive with trap. Will seal ingress hole after removal. Captured squirrel appears lethargic, likely injured or poisoned. Remove... Police aren't here yet. They say any minute but I don't think it'll matter. I can hear the operator on the phone but it's just noise. Snakes.

Thousands of them! How could he keep so many in there? This is for you, for everything you taught me, everything you shared. I need you to know what happened and I know you'll believe me. Don't blame yourself for not answering the phone. It's not your fault. It's not your fault.

The other room, the one the squirrel escaped to, the one I'm in now, it's a sort of makeshift CCTV office. Just a storage closet, really. All the cameras show the shop interior. Just after I caught the damn thing, when I was about to head out, something caught my eye on the screen. I wasn't being nosy, I promise, it was just there, I couldn't help but notice.

The client, the guy who owns the shop. He was reaching over the counter, grabbing at a customer while their daughter stood crying nearby. I recognized the girl, or at least the toy gosling she was holding. Remembered how she looked at her dad when I told the two of them to wait outside. It reminded me of us. It's selfish how I wish you were here now, Dad. When I unsealed the shop floor, the shopkeeper seemed obsessed with continuing his sales pitch to the pair. He was adamant that they purchase a snake and pretty much ignored me entirely.

It made me a bit uneasy, so I hung back to watch. Thinking back, I should have noticed he was... off. As I watched the monitor, the shopkeeper suddenly lunged forward, clearing the desk, smashing the glass on his way with a crash I heard even through the closed door, leaving him sprawling among the crickets previously boxed on the shelf behind him. They were jumping, flowing, twitching, thousands of them just juddering pixels on the monitor. But the noise was palpable, punching through the wall like a fist.

I grabbed my phone and called the police. I should have gone out there and helped, but I was scared. I just couldn't. I started to explain over the phone and they said something back, but I wasn't listening. On the screen, I could see the customer had scrambled to his feet and he and his daughter were nearly out of the entrance. The shopkeeper lunged one last time and that's when I noticed he'd started to change. He was bloated, swollen around the neck.

The door slammed in his face and as he stumbled backwards, something fell from his mouth. I couldn't make it out though, the screen was so fuzzy and it was just a blur. Moments passed with no noise except the screaming crickets and my own thudding heartbeat. The shopkeeper lay completely prone. He hadn't moved at all and I wondered if the fall had knocked him out, cracked his skull or something. Then there was movement near his head and he began to twitch and spasm.

I thought it might be a seizure, but then his mouth began to open, wider and wider, impossibly wide, his jawbones snapping with the strain, and then a horde of slender shapes slithered out. Snakes, Dad, thousands of them.

all from inside him, pushing up through his deflating throat. The floor was lost beneath the heaving, writhing mass of them. I could hear the scrape of their scales on the linoleum, but they made no other sound. Then the owner's body began to slide across the floor towards the closed door between us. It took me a moment to realize his body was being pulled over the broken glass and debris, carried on the creature's backs, towards me. I got the door locked just in time,

This room, it's a mess. Printouts, delivery notes, a bunch of rejection letters from some institutie pinned to the wall with a kitchen knife. And it's hot in here, Dad. Too hot. Oh, God. I can feel it. My throat is swelling and it itches. I can still hear all the snakes brushing up against the door and in the walls, I think. Christ, they're in the walls. Oh, God. I forgot about the hole. I love you, Dad. No. No. No.

Could be any institute. The letters have been... Jesus! Don't sneak up on people like that. I didn't sneak up.

It's not my fault if you're distracted. When did you get here? Just now. Seems pretty straightforward to me. Snakes? Not sure what the collective noun is. Horde, maybe? Cross-linked with infection, too, probably. I wouldn't have thought the letters have any bearing on the classification. Right. Yeah. Thanks. You can check the binder yourself, though. I've got other stuff to do. Yeah. Oh, hey, speaking of, Lena was after you. When?

Dunno, few minutes ago. She seemed, uh, not happy. Is she ever? What did you tell her? Hm? Nothing. Just that I hadn't seen you. Something wrong? Nothing you can help with. Listen, Gwen... Just leave it, alright? Focus on your cases. You wouldn't understand. Of course not. That's not... I don't have time for this. No one ever does.

The Magnus Protocol is a podcast distributed by Rusty Quill and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 4.0 international license. The series is created by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell and directed by Alexander J. Newell. This episode was written by Sean Pellington and edited with additional materials by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell.

With additional voices from Jonathan Sims.

The Magnus Protocol is produced by April Sumner, with executive producers Alexander J. Newell, Danny McDonagh, Lynn C., and Samantha F.G. Hamilton, and associate producers Jordan L. Hawke, Taylor Michaels, Nicole Perlman, C.T.S. DeRaven, and Megan Nice.

To subscribe, view associated materials, or join our Patreon, visit RustyQuill.com. Rate and review us online, tweet us at TheRustyQuill, visit us on Facebook, or email us at mail at RustyQuill.com. Thanks for listening.

Hey, Sean Pallington here, the writer of the episode you've just listened to. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. If you did, and you'd like to hear more of my work, be sure to check out my show, Wake of Corrosion, an apocalyptic thriller that follows a story of two brothers who inadvertently find themselves in a world filled with eldritch horrors and bizarre occurrences. You can listen to Wake of Corrosion by following the link in the show notes below, or by visiting RustyQuill.com. Enjoy.

To give you an idea of the show, here's a quick trailer. The recent, and as of yet unnamed events, have completely changed life as we know it. The whole place, it's... it's covered in blood! And where a human chest would be. These bony, finger-like appendages stretched out. There's something at the vent. Oh, Jesus. Grab your stuff! What is that? Does it freaking matter? Grab your stuff! Those people, those monsters I saw the other day, I think they followed me here. Oh, God.

To make switching to the new Boost Mobile risk-free, we're offering a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T-Mobile? Because you have nothing to lose. Boost Mobile is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee. No, I asked why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T-Mobile. Oh. Wouldn't. Uh, because you love wasting money as a way to punish yourself because your mother never showed you enough love as a child? Whoa, easy there. Yeah.

We all have dreams. Dream home renovations. Dream vacations. Or sending our kids to their dream colleges.

But finding straightforward ways to turn those dreams into realistic goals, that's where things get tricky. Merrill understands that. That's why, with a dedicated Merrill advisor, you get a personalized plan and a clear path forward. And having the bull at your back helps your whole financial life move with you.

So when your plans change, Merrill is with you every step of the way. Go to ml.com slash bullish to learn more. Merrill, a Bank of America company. What would you like the power to do? Investing involves risk. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor, member SIPC. At Ashley, you'll find colorful furniture that brings your home to life.

Ashley makes it easier than ever to express your personal style with an array of looks in fun trending hues to choose from. From earth tones to vibrant colors to calming blues and greens. Ashley has pieces for every room in the house in the season's most sought after shades. A more colorful life starts at Ashley. Shop in store online today. Ashley for the love of home. Hi everyone.

It's Kareem, the voice of Simon Fairchild from Magnus Archives. Today, I'm here to advertise Remnants, a podcast just launched on the RQ Network. Remnants is a weekly dark fantasy thriller audio drama with a new mystery each week and is from the brilliant creator behind other great shows that include Spirit Box Radio and Not Quite Dead. When we die, the remnants of us return to the first and last place. Our fate is decided by Sir and his new apprentice, who read our remnants to determine whether they should be reshelved

or discarded. But what are the criteria? What happens to discarded souls? How are new lives for the reshelved determined? And why, after untold stretches of existence, has Sir decided that he needs help to do it? Remnants explores the boundaries between right and wrong, examining humanity from its brightest and best to its darkest and most frightening, and all the grey in between. To listen, search for Remnants, an audio drama, wherever you listen to your podcast.

Or for more information, go to hangingslothstudios.com slash remnants or www.rustyquill.com.