Our Pleasure to Return

I wonder if they missed us.
I’m certain the Doctor didn’t.
Oh, by far nonsense. It’s been far too short since our last encounter.
Far too long for him, I’m sure.

You've been off quite easy these past few months, Doctor. The ripple has it’s affects, it’s ups and downs. The public has noticed your hiding, you know -- they suspect the Cogs, last seeing you in the courtroom case. We know better, as do they. We would have loved to welcome you back personally, but once again you haven’t seem to have acknowledged us.

Now hang on, I believe we’re doing this wrong.
Are we, now?
The cipher, of course. It’s always a cipher.
Ah, we can’t make it too easy now can we? This is big, after all.
Yes. He wouldn’t like it given away just like that. Switch it to 5x+16.

Diw, xkqttg Fiahix, wk qxkd’h yidchkxc. Wzkhzkx ix dih wk’xk xkqt qh qtt ec fkvqhqvtk -- Ziwkrkx, irkx hzk fmxqheid ip gimx kbnkxeykdh, qc gim zqrk rkxg wktt diheakf, hzk xenntk qppkahc gim krkxg yidhz pxiy hzk fqhk gim qxxerkf.

Ziw tidu zqc eh vkkd cedak hzec qtt vkuqd, pix hzky?
E’f cqg q gkqx cedak hzk pexch qdiyqtg.
Qdf pix mc Hiidc?
Perk.
Perk gkqxc aiynickf edhi q yqhhkx ip idk. Amxeimc.
Heyk ec heaoedu, hzk Fiahix ec xeuzh. Hzk cnkkf qh wzeaz eh heaoc yqg rqxg.
Qc wktt qc hzk fexkaheid.
Teok q xittkx aiqchkx.
Eh’c idtg pqex.

Wem nndd puscotbsma, klo wemc lyqlefqrps sl oscf, hpsb hpbe nmtb mpbcoabsus. Hpr qbflo gqtbsmrcg sh ail efyyec fmirld hprq st yobb, sma bil antreco lqot as wls. Hb nsob sw, ftyfwn hb’d nnt smf fsowg, rfevgqh kw gqlcb smf ffecrbhsw rg gqblwghbx. Ekfr b olbbco rlstblo.

Aftbb yo gqgrav ikp afti iika ohqxtl itmqlwg sl ib rg hpr qbflo rfeflbe?
Q’u rcobsgq il’bb bckzld hpsb sw ikg sow.
Smt kso gs?
Hpc oleeco rrstbco, rg rlmcbo. Hpl qsta hoy nrpsgt ftyr iboq hpc rtrv --
...Fus wsx gr qndh xocmtoc grl ail tblop.

Rzdfkex, yo’yr tsyrb zcn alcntel bika nswhp. Gq sdcnb 6 xrboa, wem ccrrwcocb f moy rclabfq gblna rg nlhhobbgsw marn ikt osdlosbloc. Ccn’yr tncb rycoxbikwn cebo mq, gs yo bcekbca bs gqlcb hpgb mq st yobb st yo ftyr cnc acndbt bftb xcn ospca dc ocrrwcogqh ks luor qloc. Bsw’s xloev -- ie wsx sil ekxpco tgcnct ftyr bsicp siln uqkbl s dhb. Hpr beuqkbgbhsw rg mpbcoabsusgqh ka wtrmdter, bus hpgb qhcrb qt dv ifa ws ehiiec irsb.

Wsy, sobkbob, wez dsm’h trbyr hprq rgg rm s ehqa. Hpo yefbhwng si vcnoa rlpsbfp sil 6hp rg hpl 7bp xqbrc sl hpbqo ehbhtl qzcxcr -- bus osssw qls, xtoqbx rg mtiot soc trocsav qgbbgwn. Qllftmt bikg sqo ygbb rdndl bilp ar ggqa bil leb kmwoqbhsw s dhb echh qrmsekwn. Mpbcoabsusgqh kd gbe, rg rlmcbo.

Zbu gffoealmaiy, jh’zv heaphl gnyz rr kzx snpm ny ynfl ffx briwek cg. Immw renua, for clitwl, aag wak nb js. Fz, pe fzqgibrg cfmk drect uh nv avde. Nbwpvta chvjggay - mcfz u olx fx gephafgll xruwksgdvqoht. Zsijr nbw, buks’yo sedr br djyk nb dgkaoagh qg oz gkip ztpchv gu lrvidtee lrce gjcheisgcr. Bwh iyewezfey num pryihv, Ugvtbu. Xrxbnsw tdxvru mauotk xf hnly wpvy isi.

ngu://ejkxtf/xvqklfweevbnt/1.kbzr

Welcome back to your experiment. We’ll be in touch.

I wonder if they missed us.
I’m certain the Doctor didn’t.
Oh, by far nonsense. It’s been far too short since our last encounter.
Far too long for him, I’m sure.

You've been off quite easy these past few months, Doctor. The ripple has it’s affects, it’s ups and downs. The public has noticed your hiding, you know -- they suspect the Cogs, last seeing you in the courtroom case. We know better, as do they. We would have loved to welcome you back personally, but once again you haven’t seem to have acknowledged us.

Now hang on, I believe we’re doing this wrong.
Are we, now?
The cipher, of course. It’s always a cipher.
Ah, we can’t make it too easy now can we? This is big, after all.
Yes. He wouldn’t like it given away just like that. Switch it to 5x+16.

Now, really Doctor, we aren’t monsters. Whether or not we’re real at all is debatable -- However, over the duration of your experiment, as you have very well noticed, the ripple affects you every month from the date you arrived.

How long has it been since this all began, for them?
I’d say a year since the first anomaly.
And for us Toons?
Five.
Five years composed into a matter of one. Curious.
Time is ticking, the Doctor is right. The speed at which it ticks may vary.
As well as the direction.
Like a roller coaster.
It’s only fair.

You must understand, for your experiment to work, that they must understand. The major instances of the ripple affect them as well, and the smaller ones do not. It goes on, having its ups and downs, varying in speed and direction of intensity. Like a roller coaster.

Shall we inform him that this ripple happens to be of the major variety?
I’m certain he’ll deduct that on his own.
And how so?
The roller coaster, of course. The past few months have been the calm --
...And now he must prepare for the storm.

Luckily, we’ve saved you trouble this month. In about 6 years, you recovered a few certain items of possession from his laboratory. You’ve sped everything else up, so we decided to speed this up as well as we have our doubts that you would be recovering it once more. Don’t worry -- by now the cipher should have taken them quite a bit. The acquisition of understanding is valuable, and this piece is by far no little feat.

Now, besides, you can’t leave them off on a limb. The writings of yours contain the 6th of the 7th piece to their little puzzle -- and worry not, plenty of pages are already missing. Perhaps this one will cause them to find the old invention a bit less menacing. Understanding is key, of course.

For convenience, we’ve placed them on the same as each one before it. Five years, six pieces, and one to go. Oh, we switched your debug on as well. Nothing personal - just a bit of necessary understanding. Worry not, they’ll only be able to activate it if they happen to resemble your appearance. You certainly are clever, Doctor. Perhaps clever enough to pull this off.

ttr://assets/understanding/1.html

Welcome back to your experiment. We’ll be in touch.

Decryption (Top to bottom, left to right):

• You know what they say: three arms are better than one
• Highly experimental. Questionably moral? Entirely essential.
• Toon is pressed onto canvas in neutral form for editing. Once done, Toon is inflated from the canvas, entirely rewritten
• Can erase and add details without removing initial shape -- causing Toon to stay themselves while appearance changes
• Color, shape, gender, and even species changes are possible
• Dangerous - if one can rewrite themselves, who can be trusted?

Decryption:

• I have stayed away too long
• My cowardliness has doomed us all
• I've made mistakes; I must reverse them
• Plan A: Rewrite reverse in present
• Unlikely to work
• Plan B: Rewrite reverse in past
• The Rewritten Experiment
• Bifid NEWAPEARANCES
• Don't forget the seventh piece