Shepherd's House

This article contains unmarked spoilers for Book 6.

System Message. Posting Book 8 spoilers will result in "acceleration" per our rules.

Just an FYI, I told your teammates that you’re out on a short quest and nobody really knows what it’s about, which is the truth, and to not bother you. I said you’re safe and that there are no mobs or hazards near you, which also appears to be true. The AI is particularly insistent that we do not interfere with whatever this is and not to interfere with the feed, either. This last part is causing some dispute, but then the AI leaked our internal debates out into the main feed, which as you can imagine is making everybody even more curious, but it’s also caused the Syndicate Council—the real council—to go into a tizzy. A few members are here, on planet, and they’ve been locked out of the discussions. Everything is a mess. This obviously has something to do with the Residuals, which means it’s probably going to be a stupid non-event. But it’s still curious. -- Zev^[1]

The Shepherd's House was a men's homeless shelter located in Homestead, Florida, before the transformation. Its residents included Paulie and Sanders.

Description

The Shepherd's House was located in the industrial part of town, surrounded by fruit-packing plants. The building was covered in graffiti, including multiple penises, Piglet, swear words, "Sniff Vagina," and the "The staff here sux cox," as well as old red spraypaint saying in Syndicate Standard:

“Look for me at breakfast every morning. I wear the red hat with the flaps. Coffee then speech.”^[2]

The building's main entrance was a glass door next to an outdoor light; on Christmas morning, a flyer was taped to the door and a Christmas wreath hung from the light. The door opened to a receiving area with a staffed counter, which lead to the Main Room. The Main Room reeked of Lysol, and had access to the bathrooms and double doors leading to the kitchen.^[3]

At night, the Main Room was full of row after row of cots. At 6AM, a loudspeaker announcement prompted the residents to get up and slide their plastic tubs against the wall. The men worked together to store the cots away and carry out the tables for breakfast and coffee, which was served in the kitchen in Styrofoam cups.^[3]

Intake was open 24 hours for new residents, who each received a plastic storage bin sealed with duct-tape and their name on the seal, and a gray blanket. Many of the residents did not look homeless; several of the residents appeared to be in their late teens, and one man wore and slept in a suit.^[3]

Story

As the second phase of the Eighth Floor draws to a close, the Open Intellect Pacifist Action Network (OIPAN) sends Carl an Emergency Benefactor Box containing a paper flyer featuring ClipArt of a Christmas present and and a steaming cup of coffee. The flyer reads:

The Shepherd’s House. Don’t spend Christmas alone. Come and find comfort. Food, a warm bed, and fellowship. Intake open 24 hours. Christmas Breakfast at 7 AM. All are welcome.

The flyer includes an address and a long list of rules. Someone has circled "7 AM" in red marker multiple times, and circled one of the rules: No pets allowed. Sorry.^[4]

References