📂 POST 2: THE FOUNDING FOUR (Personnel Dossiers)

GCCA-ARCHIVE-REF: 00-FOUNDERS
DATE: MARCH 1885

The Gilded Pact

"Not a department of law, but a conspiracy of silence."

SUBJECT: THE ANCHOR (Grover Cleveland)
Role: 22nd POTUS / Executive Authority.
The Burden: He signed the orders to make men like Kelsey "legally dead." His legacy of honesty is the perfect cover for the ultimate lie.

SUBJECT: THE WATCHMAN (John Wesley Powell)
Role: Director of USGS / Scientific Architect.
The Burden: The man who mapped the West had to un-map the truth. He discovered that the geology of Yellowstone is reactive to human presence.

SUBJECT: THE PAYMASTER (Thomas Durant)
Role: Railroad Tycoon / Logistics & Finance.
The Burden: Funded the "Nomad" train through laundered Union Pacific bonds. Durant provides the "invisible" infrastructure.

SUBJECT: THE SPEAKER (Laughing Crow)
Role: Shoshone Guide / Liaison to the Earth.
The Burden: The only founder who doesn't use a machine. He views the others' "tuning forks" as a dangerous crutch.

These four men met in the Red Room at midnight. They didn't shake hands; they pressed their palms to a vibrating Venture Crystal until the scars formed. They traded their reputations for a secret that will outlive their names.

[SHU ANALYST NOTE: PROJECT ANVIL]

The "Gilded Pact" signature is missing from the National Archives. We believe the physical document is kept aboard the Nomad.

WARNING: The signatures on this pact were made in blood and geothermal plasma. They are still radiating 140 years later.