Comic Archive

Alana: While OIB-A271 sifts through the simulation's data to find out where we can find “Ultrax,” maybe we can ask the local population what they know.
Adil: That's an easy one: very little!

Alana asks a person on the street, who is drooling and looks even number and dumber than usual.
Alana: Given how popular the artist is, they must know something. Excuse me, do you know where Ultrax have their studios?
Person: Uuurgghhhhhh…

Other person: There's no hope for him, m'am. He had become one with his old phone, and could not keep up with the new apps. Then his phone broke. Now he's a smombie.
Alana: Jeez, some things in this world have progressed beyond ours… but not in a good way.

Zhang: We should ask that other guy about Ultrax, he seems brighter than most.
Heidi: That won't be necessary, OIB-A has found something. The source of the dodgy entertainment is an office building with a suspicious energy signature.

Zhang: With that, you mean it draws a lot of power from the grid?
OIB-A271 (voice from phone): Not really. It consumes a lot of power, but there is no significant input. It seems to have its own power plant.
Zhang: OK, that scores big time on the suspiciousness scale.

They are in front of a fancy office building with an “Ultrax” billboard on it.
Steve: This is it. Somehow I expected the building to be cowbell-shaped. I feel disappointed.

They are looking inside through the glass entrance doors.
Max: Can we get inside? This seems surprisingly locked down for being a center of creativity.
Alana: Actually I do not notice any human presence…

Max: With the evening approaching, I would expect employees to be leaving, but there just isn't anyone inside to begin with…
Heidi: This should have security at least as poor as the governmental building, right? OIB-A271, is there a literal or figurative backdoor?
OIB-A271 (voice from phone): Try the left side, clockwise.

They are at the side of the building complex, near a wall with barbed wire on top of it and a sealed small door.
OIB-A271 (voice from phone): This is the best I can offer, but still it does seem sealed.
Steve: This is way better secured. It almost looks military…
Max: Is that a cooling tower over there?

Zhang: It does not appear we will be able to get inside… not without blasting something.
Max: As long as it's not Facial Blasting. I have had enough cowbell for a while!
Heidi: Facial blasting? What do you mean?

Max: The number 1 hit single, also from this Ultrax. We heard it in the music store — horrible. Only the album cover with the exploding face exhibited some hint of creativity.
Heidi: Very unusual name for a song. Did you say “exploding face?” I am starting to get a very bad feeling about this Ultrax. If you promise not to call me crazy, I'll explain.

Alana: Crazy is a very relative concept in this predicted future. Your suspicions would need to be totally outlandish to stand out above the average here. Go ahead.
Heidi: All right, I am pretty convinced that Ultrax is actually Quantuple.
Alana: OK, that is rather crazy.