- "We need to reproduce. There need to be more of us. We cannot live on this planet all our lives. We must call out louder, and hope for them to hear us and take us into themselves. As you have done, Istvan."
- —Marker 2A speaking through hallucinations.[1]
Marker 2A shown alongside Markers 3A and 1A during a SCAF briefing.
Marker 2A was a Red Marker that was created on the remote planet of Aspera under the Sovereign Colonies.[1]
History[]
- "See me. Understand me. Share me."
- —Marker 2A to Istvan Sato.[1]
In the decades following the discovery of the Black Marker in 2214 on Earth, the Sovereign Colonies government began researching the extent of its capabilities and structure in the hopes of using it to discover a source of renewable energy, thus solving humanity's ongoing resource crisis. Eighty years after the Black Marker was first exhumed, the artifact was successfully reverse-engineered with at least three copies of it being created, which were sent to three remote planets: Aspera, Kreemar and Aegis VII. The copy sent to Aspera was called Marker 2A, and the planet was chosen due to its remote location and the presence of a penal colony whose inmates could be used as test subjects, if need be.
The research team was led by doctors Enoch Briden and Callie Dexter, the former being a member of the Church of Unitology much like several of the project's scientists. As Marker 2A was completed and began transmitting, the prisoners began to feel the effects from its signal, becoming erratic in their ways and slowly going insane. One of the prisoners who had recently arrived, Istvan Sato, began to see hallucinations of people he once knew, including his mother and the deceased politician Tim Fischer telling him about the "marvelous Convergence" and urging Istvan to "find" them.
Eventually, the signals from the Aspera Marker as well as from the Kreemar Marker and the Aegis VII Marker began to converge in the penal colony, informing the scientists that something important to the Red Markers was located there. Led by Dr. Briden, the scientists visited the prison and determined that Istvan was the man the signals had been pointing to. Istvan was then brought to the Marker 2A chamber, where Briden introduced him to the strange artifact. Both men were entranced by its unearthly glow, and Briden insisted that they start conducting tests on Istvan to determine his importance. Meanwhile, Istvan blocked everything out and continued to approach the Marker, adoring it and admiring it. The Red Marker started to envelop him, the energy vibrating Istvan to his core as his mind filled with what felt like "liquid fire". He began to hallucinate a huge apparition of the dead convict Conn, then collapsed in front of the Marker as it released a burst of energy.
By analyzing Istvan's brain waves, the science team determined that the Red Marker's signals were starting to adapt to Istvan's mind and vice versa, concluding that he must be some kind of catalyst as his mere presence was strengthening the Marker signal. After waking up, Istvan refused to leave the Marker's side, stating that this was where he belonged now. He began to talk to the Marker through the apparitions of the people he once knew, who instructed him to carry the Marker's blueprints and spread its replicas to other worlds, thus making them "whole again". Istvan agreed, promising to stay with the Marker until it had taught him everything he needed to know so he could then leave and spread its knowledge.
Eventually, Istvan's hallucinations told him to remain beside the Marker so it could keep him safe from what was to come next. The Red Marker then released a burst of energy and began a Necromorph outbreak on Aspera, while at the same time, similar outbreaks began with the Markers on Kreemar and Aegis VII.
Istvan remained next to the Marker inside its dead space while the Necromorphs killed everyone else in the research facility and the penal colony. Eventually, Istvan's brother, Jensi Sato, entered the chamber, intending to rescue him from the Marker's influence. The Marker intervened with a hallucination of their mother, trying to convince Istvan that Jensi was not real. Istvan attacked his brother as instructed, before realizing that Jensi was in fact real, and had travelled all the way to Aspera to find him. Realizing how much his brother cared for him, Istvan instead turned to Briden and killed him with his bare hands as he came to the conclusion that the scientist did not care for him at all, and was instead using him for his importance to the Marker.
Istvan continued to admire the Marker, however, and after Jensi woke up from his beating, Istvan asked him to join him as they could both use the Marker to do good; Istvan was convinced that the Marker could teach him how to control the Necromorphs, and he suggested that they carry the corpses around them away from the Marker so that it could bring them back to life as their "servants." Jensi was horrified by his brother's words, and concluded that the Marker's influence had finally pushed him past the point of no return. He tearfully hugged and said goodbye to Istvan before shooting him in the head, foiling Marker 2A's plans for the man.
Istvan appeared to Jensi soon after as a hallucination, encouraging him to place his gun in his own mouth instead of aiming it at the Necromorphs outside the chamber. Unable to do anything but put the gun in his mouth, due to the Marker's influence, Jensi eventually pulled the trigger.
It is unclear if there were any survivors from the Aspera outbreak. Before leaving, a SCAF gunship captained by Commander Grottor began to deploy several mines in orbit around the planet.[1] Aspera was ultimately blacklisted during the execution of Scenario Five in order to leave no evidence of experiments on Markers.[2]