Potent cannabis increases risk of serious mental illness, says study.
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Yes a new study, published in the British journal The Lancet Psychiatry apparently states : "Smoking potent 'skunk-like' cannabis increases your risk of serious mental illness." They also say that as many as 1 in 10 new cases of psychosis may be associated with strong cannabis. Well the voices in my head disagree. They also tell me to go out and kill, so I always listen to them. Where would we be if we didn't listen to the voices inside our heads? Mine are currently arguing about who's responsible for the severed head in my salad drawer. I know it wasn't me. I had a blackout before, during and after that happened. I was busy. Doing what I have no idea. Anyway enough of the nonsense. What makes me laugh about the article, and the study it was a result of, is this. It states in the article and the study that : This is not definitive proof of harm. Meaning they still don't know one way or the other. It might be harmful to mental health and it might not. It's anybody's guess at this point. Just be careful. Be aware that there might be a risk. Just like there's a risk that if you drink alcohol regularly you might become an alcoholic. You need to be aware of that to. It's also a reminder that you should dig a bit deeper than the clickbait headline MSM puts on every piece of meaningless shit they pump out every hour on the hour.
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Jake thought it was up to him to ask the question he hoped was everyone's lips. They were all excited about entering this mysterious thing, whatever it was. He on the other hand was more cautious. Despite Scarlet vibrating with excitement. He believed there was a need for clarification here. Especially because he wasn't that sure he wanted to find out his origin. He'd done some pretty awful things in his time. Leaving the strong possibility he'd now discover he was a worse asshole than he thought. Dealing with his present level of dickheadery, was already stretching sparse resources. 

"I'm going to need some clarification here Daisy, I'm afraid. Are you saying you know what's on the other side of this barrier?"
Her serenity remained. Her body language was as subdued as always. No outward sign of anything.
"I know that you will find the story of the origin of The Wanderer. Beyond that I know nothing."
Another stir of excitement percolated throughout the party. An excitement he was immune to. Due in no small part to a dawning realization. More a suspicion on his part. One he hoped was inaccurate and baseless. One he somehow knew was correct.
"Okay. You aren't the most straightforward of people. Not a lot of filler where you're concerned. Just the barest of enigmatic outlines. That's kind of your thing. I could be wrong here, but what I think you're saying is that beyond this being a repository of extremely ancient history, you don't have any other information."
"That is correct."
Being correct wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
"Do you think there will be any danger?"
"Undoubtedly."
There they all were, looking at him as though he were a party pooping killjoy.
"All I wanted to do was get this straight. We are stepping into the unknown yet again. Knowing that I will tread in every dog turd of a situation along the way. Why don't you all hate me?"
Scarlet responded for all of them.
"We do." She advised. "Me more than all of them put together. Thing is life is a lot more interesting when you have to keep an eye out for dog turds. Life is never boring when you're around, yet being around you is. It's a paradox. Now shut up so we can get in there." Her eyes moved on to Daisy. "How do we get out once we're inside?"
Now that was a really good question. One he hadn't thought of.
"Once we've passed through, the entrance will recognize us. You won't need to come out as a group. You'll be able to do so individually. Oh one other thing." She casually added. "Time is a lot slower on the other side."
"That would explain the weird readings." Poppy exclaimed. "Not fully. There must be other factors involved. Does anybody else feel all tingly wingly?"
Oh right. So her silly childish question was considered much better than his perfectly logical concerns. She got enthusiastic nods. Only Fetu remained unmoved and that was just him being Fetu.
"So we'd better get that nerd delivered pronto then. Sorry kids, there'll be a delay while we wait for him to be crated up and dispatched. No point taking too many risks with slow time. There's a danger you can meet yourself coming out if you're not careful. And that is not pleasant."
"When you say not pleasant." The Wanderer interjected. "Does that mean it's fatal or extremely painful."
"Neither. It's far worse than that."

That made his confidence soar. Hearing that your worst expectations were on the optimistic side, wasn't what he'd wanted. He tried to make a break for it when Poppy was instructed to go fetch Norbert. That glint in her eye as she held up her stunner, surprised him. The female nerd was going to enjoy this. He'd better go along to make sure she didn't go over the top. It was his responsibility to tend the geniuses after all. The captain wasn't having any of that. The city was full of potential dog eggs he might tread in. Things were ebbing and flowing as the new balance of power adjusted itself. Fetu and Pengelly would go with her. With instructions that if anybody so much as looked at their charge they were to be fucked up so bad their clothes would shit themselves. All they could do now was wait. From what Daisy said they'd be able to take as much equipment with them as they needed. They had already loaded up the trolleys that would be dragged along with them. Morag and Sade checking everything twice before Norbert's detail departed.

In spite of all his misgivings, it was good to see Scarlet buzzing. Moving among her crew with a permanent grin on her face. becoming affectionate with him. A few razor sharp insults and a cuddle, what more could he ask for? Some respect and consideration sure, he wouldn't get it though. It was all good. In the end he gave in. Being the voice of reason didn't pay well. He checked his own weapons carefully. Finding that small squat cylinder he'd had with him since the jail break back on earth. That felt like years ago now. Not a single mark on it. He stared at it. Considered leaving it or disposing of it, as he'd done at least a dozen times before. Stuck it back in his pocket. Norbert or Poppy might know what it was. Part of a coffee machine perhaps. He cracked a smile at last. Fetu nodded at him. He approved then. Scarlet approached, put her arm around his waist. 

"Have you ever thought?" There was a long pause.
He wasn't falling for that.
"Ha, ha. I say about what and you say, no have you ever thought."
She giggled.
"No I mean about how it started. How did this all come about? There must have been a beginning. Some point where we came into existence among the time streams. All of us really, but you and me in particular. We were linked somehow. Then we linked up all the others to a greater or lesser extent. And we're still doing it."
"It's crossed my mind a few times. I've asked Daisy about it. She fended me off."
"Me to." Scarlet mused.
"I mean she was the one that found me. Pretending to be something I'm not. The muscular hero. The facade I was wearing when I first really met you."
"You're not so bad, in homeopathic doses. Tell anyone I said that and I will deny all knowledge."
"We heard." Morag cat called.
Scarlet took it on the chin.
"Just so you know. If there's a big statue of you in there, I'm going to blow that fucker up big style. I don't care if this is an ancient ruin."

It took another hour before the box with Norbert inside arrived. Along with a hastily constructed shed for him to hide in. nervous excitement filled the atmosphere as they all prepared. They'd stand in a line. On the mark they'd step through. There was a brief discussion whether they should do so weapons at the ready. In the end there was a consensus against that. They'd be alert and prepared. The odds of there still being anyone or anything inside were low. Although Poppy did point out that given the other side was slower in time, some of those things they'd detected might not be structures. They could be living things moving extremely slowly. They put Daisy bang in the middle over ruling her protests. She'd be the one to give the signal. All their head lamps blazing, the group lined up. All twelve of them in a row plus Norbert in his box. At the mark they stepped through as a group. 

No sensation other than a tugging on their backs. Their lights lit up a broad roadway ahead. In the distance there were hints of large buildings. A lot further away than Jake had expected. No details. It sure was dark in here. The trolleys were pulled through. Their motors checked. They worked. The ladies checked their instruments. As far as they could determine the physical constants were suitable for their technology. Once they'd organized themselves again, the group set off. After about five minutes of walking, Jake looked back. They'd come quite a way. It hadn't been evident up close but there was a dull silvery sheen in the arch.

"I thought you said there were buildings a couple of hundred meters inside." He said uncertainly.
"We did." Morag admitted. "Only we didn't know about the slow time."
"Oh sorry.... hold on. Surely they'd have seemed further away. Not closer than they actually are."
Poppy came up beside him.
"That sounds logical, but it's entirely wrong. The transition between the different time boundaries has unusual effects. Our systems work out averages as well. Some of our pings will have mostly been reflected right back at the crossover point which was a few centimeters. That's it broadly. Although there are a few other complications. Those impulses were going at light speed. They'll have interfered with themselves."
Jake corpsed.
"Sorry. I've got such dirty mind recently."
"I've noticed. I think it might be down to having a sex life." A tiny smidgen of bitterness in Poppy's theory. 
The captain couldn't miss that opportunity.
"Has he? First time I've heard about it. Why didn't somebody tell me? What readings are you getting now people?"
The three women conferred. Sade announced their conclusion.
"Another four hundred and fifty meters to go. Should be able to see more as we get closer."
Out to the sides there was nothing. It was completely flat and colored like the rock it had been made from.
"I was expecting a lot more dust, if I'm honest. Anybody else find that odd?" The Wanderer asked.
"It seems like a closed space. Though from our perspective it's been her at least twenty millennia, I'm thinking only a few hundred years have passed here. That said it should be dustier than this. This pace looks like a stasis time capsule. Only about a million times bigger than any I've encountered. Daisy, have you had any stirrings?"
"None so far. We haven't seen much though. It should get a lot more interesting as we get deeper in."
Their pace hardly varying they carried on along the highway. A few minutes later they saw the first signs of the buildings. As they drew closer, more and more details were revealed by their combined flashlights. Odd scraps lit up depending on where they were each looking.

It was almost like magic. A few gasps as they viewed the first structure. Purple and gold. As in actual gold. Untarnished by time. They were looking at the corner of a pyramidal shape. Undercut up to about ten meters off the ground. The corners rounded. It had a beauty about it. Even this small part. All the more impressive because you knew without any need need for measurement, that this was a substantial structure. Windows along the sides flickered in and out of sight. Finally they stood at it's base. There had to be a doorway surely. Curiosity pulled at them. Daring them to enter. Tantalizing to say the least. It would take days to do a decent search at what mysteries were within. Jake could see that Scarlet was holding in her inner need to see exactly what lay inside. The spell was broken by Daisy.

"I think we need to move on. In fact I'm sure."
Scarlet agreed, reluctantly he thought.
"You're getting some feels from the place now aren't you?" 
"Memories of another time. Another place. A different world. A very long time ago."
Was that sadness in her voice? It was hard to tell. Jake had never heard this tone before. Her expression revealed nothing.
"Let's keep moving." Scarlet decided. "Judging by the size of this marvel, we've got a long way to go. I'm pretty sure we'll need to camp for the night. maybe for quite a few."