By Chester Seaton, News

8/11/282- As the situation at the old Klankenvroot Factory continues to fester in a stalemate, the Crowndon military took the opportunity to test out its newest toy, the Gladstone Aerial Recon Apparatus, or A.R.A.

“Given the stagnate nature of the situation, we decided it might be a prime opportunity to test the new device,” said Crowndon Major Yuri Valens. “We sent them in during the early morning hours, with the intent of gathering intelligence.”

Five of the A.R.A.s were sent in, according to the major. He says they had no way of predicting what would happen next.

“The whole place went silent,” the Major said. “It’s amazing, how you take certain noises for granted until they’re gone…it was damn, eerie, that silence. The only thing you could hear was the gentle beating of the apparatus’ rotors.”

It was only after the A.R.A.s began taking pictographs that things took a downward turn.

“We could see the flash of the camera through the factory windows from outside,” the Major said. “That’s when all hell broke loose. We could hear screams from in the factory…it was a haunting sound, in the small morning hours, muted by the factory walls and the fog. We thought something had gone wrong.”

After a few minutes, all but two of the A.R.A.s exited the factory. Not long after that, the squatters began pouring out.

“They weren’t making any noise then,” the Major says. “They just came to the fence and started glaring at us. We ignored them while we cracked open the apparatus and removed the plates.”

The plates were taken to an undisclosed location. No word on what was captured by the device, but the Major says that it will no doubt prove invaluable in bringing the situation to a conclusion.

The apparatus was revealed earlier this year at the IIC. The military says the test will hasten its deployment across Crowndon.