The 96 Wanted Prayers of Hathor

Dan stopped reading the book with the carmine cover in his hands and looked at Gip who, understanding the puzzled expression in Dan's face, shrunk his shoulders and began relating the discovery:
- I also ain't following what's written in there. As we were speaking a few minutes ago, I happened to see trace of this platinum wire which was sticking below the kitchen carpet. I found it jarring and decided to follow track. It headed into here, the annex, and went on under this rug... and so did I - Gip pointed to a white tapestry containing small topaz stones' drawings that was tossed aside the trap door - as it was stuck when I pushed it, I checked below and saw this little bugger.

Gip pointed again, to the trap door and, somberly, ensued speech:
- We had already gone through this annex, but as we were standing in the kitchen, this time around I found this line unfitting. Seems like my suspicions got confirmed.
Gip's dark blue eyes were glowing of expectation.
Dan took a long look to the annex as he spoke - it was, at best an extension of the kitchen, with tableware, frying pans and a quaint icebox tucked at a corner besides having some equipment akin to the lab, like the shelves with the test tubes containing different types of liquids and powders, graduated cylinders with samples of granulated coloured substances and Erlenmeyers.

The pale white walls gave it a cold, aseptic aspect:
- Yeah, I guess because we were looking for a person... it didn't stand as particularly conspicuous. This hole, though, isn't big enough for a grown up man to fit in there. It's starting to feel like we are inside the Matrix.
- The hole doesn't lead anywhere. There isn't an exit on the other side. This is just a cubic secret vault. An underground vault. Although the trapdoor wasn't difficult to pull. It was unlocked.
- It was probably opened by him. Freaking rascal, I wonder if he took something from the inside of the "reservoir".
- I honestly can't tell. And where did YOU go?

- I went to search the scoundrel's car. What I found left me even more disgruntled - Dan showed the photographs with consternation - I'm more and more certain that....
A sob interrupted him. Gip perceived that he was struggling mightily to prevent himself of crying. Gip was thinking hard in something comforting to say, but nothing useful occurred. His mind was also experiencing a little of breaking. He feeling exhausted and indignant, and afraid. Finally he tried to speak:
- Listen.... We're a bit of strangers to each other. But.... we can't break down now. We have to stay alert, and learn with what has transpired. Whatever has happened, it can't be in vain, right?

Some minutes passed. Dan finally seemed to be in control of himself, again:
-... Ok.... Yes, I'm with you on that one. But if I ever find that man... - he turned away his eyes again to the book - Maybe here we can find some answers.
Dan opened it in the second page, where the print had been replaced by cursive handwriting. Presumably Vincent's.
Leafing through the white pages of the notebook adorned with an odd smell reminiscent of....liqueur? Or some kind of balsam, a forgotten mystery left across the times.

Vincent would call the project: «Shomu -- leveling to the heterotrophic organisms for further harvest.»
« It's been experimented in almost one hundred test subjects, with revolutionary results. The expected Mantis state was fully achieved. Once in the blood stream it increases its own volume, condensing in a gel. The body's self temperature acts as a catalyst, and the electric nervous synapses are used as source of its activation energy. As a preliminary inordinate effect, it has been noted an increase in the concentration of lymphatic liquid.»