Do not edit other writers' sandboxes without permission.
- Testing
- Agnostos Theos (WIP: Formerly a 4000 attempt but decided against it)
- WAKE UP (WIP)
- The Great SCP Foundation Collaboration (COMPLETE: SCP-3493)
- Causeless Effect (COMPLETE: SCP-3264)
“Test1”
Test2
Test3
Test4
Test5
WARNING: VERSION OUTDATED
PLEASE SEE LATEST VERSION (doc ver 2.03)
Item #: SCP-4000
Object Class: Euclid
Start of SCP-4000 road.
Special Containment Procedures: [TODO]
Description: SCP-4000 is a spatial anomaly that manifests along an isolated dirt road located in rural Norfolk, England. The start of SCP-4000 connects to no other public road systems, and instead begins in the approximate center of an area of formerly public land, known locally as █████ Park (known now as Area-31 following purchase by the Foundation).
SCP-4000 exhibits two primary anomalies. The first is observed as a spatial distortion when an entity (either animate or inanimate) attempts to travel the length of SCP-4000. Any attempt to traverse SCP-4000 results in a spatial distortion that creates an effectively endless road. Despite the nearest settlement in the direction of SCP-4000's path being just 3km away, those traveling along SCP-4000 never encounter the settlement, nor any other notable alterations in local topography. So far, attempts to reach the end of SCP-4000 have failed, with the longest attempt covering over 150km1.
The second most prominent anomaly regarding SCP-4000, is the unnaturally high level of negative temporal distortion surrounding the start of SCP-4000, and the length of the road. Temporal Distortion levels are often in excess of -1.1kTmp, with increasing levels of negative temporal distortion measured further along the path of SCP-4000. Due to this, animate entities traversing SCP-4000 must be outfitted with Stein-Adler Relativity Stabilization Suits (SARSS) to avoid unwanted cellular regression.
Excluding the side-effects of the temporal distortion, the only known hazard native to SCP-4000 manifests during attempts to stray from SCP-4000's path after passing the 2.1km hazard mark2, an action that has often resulted in the abrupt disappearance of entities traversing it. This effect only takes place when the subject moves more than 2.1km from the road in any direction after passing the 2.1km hazard mark. So far, the only known safe means to escape the effects of SCP-4000 and leave the path, are when a subject is less than 2.1km from the start and therefore not beyond the hazard point.
UPDATE - ARCHIVED: Following EVT-4000-1, and the exploration attempts prompted by the event, SCP-4000's documentation has been significantly updated to reflect new discoveries surrounding the nature of SCP-4000. This version has been archived for future reference. Please see doc ver. 2.03 for an up-to-date analysis of SCP-4000.
EVT-4000-1 Details: On 14/11/████, a containment breach alarm was triggered by active research personnel when an unknown person was sighted traversing SCP-4000, and heading in the direction of the path's opening.
The subject did not respond to vocal warnings issued by on-site security personnel, and was reported as showing a complete lack of awareness regarding his surroundings. This was initially believed to be a result of the subject's incredibly advanced age (current estimates are in excess of 120 years), but analysis of the subject's neural pathways has lead researchers to believe his state could have been caused by a series of subtle but conflicting memetic effects experienced by the subject at some point in time, the cause of which is currently unknown.
Upon reaching the start of SCP-4000's path, the subject halted, peered around at the various researchers and security personnel observing him, before collapsing to the floor and passing away immediately after. Those that witnessed the event, unanimously describe the subject's final moments before his collapse, as consisting of a weak smile, followed by the words "I am home".
The subject was later found to be holding a leather bound book that had been used as a journal by the subject. All but 2 pages have been removed. Analysis of its contents has lead to the following conclusions:
- The subject had been traversing SCP-4000 for at least 300 years (extended lifespan may be due to the negative temporal distortion effects along SCP-4000's path)
- The subject stumbled upon SCP-4000 by accident and is not of anomalous origin
- The journal originally had 190 pages which are now dispersed throughout SCP-4000
- SCP-4000 is not endless
- SCP-4000 is not devoid of life
- [REDACTED]
Of the journal's two remaining pages, the first (also the first page of original undamaged journal) consists of an introduction by the subject, regarding his intent with the journal. The second [REDACTED] also believed to be the last page of the journal. See the journal logs for more information.
Journal - Page 1 of 190:
It is unfortunate that I should have chosen such an unorthodox path to take me back to my home in Thetford. The local folk advised me against marching the length of Peddar's Way on foot and ushered me in the direction of the place I stand now. Perhaps had my understanding of the cardinal directions been less lacking, I would be home by now with my wife who no doubt frets for my safety.
I had travelled not much more than 20 mile when it finally dawned on me that I had passed by no towns, nor villages on my trek the entire way. Never before had I felt so alone and so isolated, in this world of greenery from which no birds sang forth. Then I feared I may have left my world and stepped into one of my own insanity, a new, new world where time had become so timeless that I could not hope to understand what madness lay with it.
I now know I was right.
On the 6th day of my venture, when the last of my carried sustenance began to diminish, the silence wilted away to the sound of a distant grind. The ironically unnatural sound of natural stone sliding together with force. It was here that I discovered the residential oddity within which I now reside.
A small village made its way up the beaten path towards me as I pulled myself forwards. It struck out as an essential peculiarity, particularly in its culture which vividly reminded me of the most standard of Shakespearian historical theatrics. A somewhat archaic stede with leftovers of the Dark Ages.
Its residents welcomed me warmly, a "good omen" they called me in our brief exchanges. They seemed almost to find it a peculiarity in itself to have visitors, citing the last wanderer to enter their village having been long before the birth of some of their youth. I long thought this impossible, but having witnessed the curious nature of this domain, I now no longer doubt them. This village, a lost artifact untouched by modern society. A branch from our own experiences, rekindled into a world of its own. A world fascinated by indescribable beliefs, unknowable technology, and an umbrella that… well, I digress, I do not wish to describe such curiosities here, not yet.
The understanding brought forth by these people has caused rise in me of an urge to form a discovery greater than any before it. The long road upon which I have traversed spreads far beyond this quaint settlement, and those that dwell here speak of it as a sacred road of improbable pilgrimage. For at its end is believed to be a source of unfathomable power the likes of which no world has ever seen. If the answer to all my questions regarding this new, new world truly lie there, I feel compelled to find this ultimate truth and satisfy what may just be my final curiosity.
If local legend is anything to go by, this venture may be wrought with detestable danger. For this purpose, I shall not chronicle my journey in one place. Instead, I shall leave word of my findings in every place I can, so that I may be remembered beyond the confines of time, such is the nature of this timeless place. And let my words act as a guide for those that choose to travel the same path as I, so you may learn from the mistakes I may and will make along the way.
Good luck to you, and I hope, good luck to me too.
Journal - Page 190 of 190:
[REDACTED]
Due to information retrieved from the journal, investigation of SCP-4000's nature has been increased to a Priority-1 matter in order to discover if the details described by the subject have any merit.
Long-term deep exploration of SCP-4000 has been approved.
Item #: SCP-4000
Object Class: Euclid
Only known entrance to SCP-4000-A.
Special Containment Procedures: [TODO]
Description: SCP-4000 consists of two interconnected spatiotemporal anomalies hereafter referred to as SCP-4000-A and SCP-4000-Ω.
SCP-4000-A refers to an isolated dirt road located in rural Norfolk, England, that exhibits a powerful spatial and temporal anomaly. The start of SCP-4000 connects to no other public road systems, and instead begins in the approximate center of an area of formerly public land, known locally as █████ Park (known now as Area-31 following purchase by the Foundation).
In addition to spatial anomalies, the path that constitutes the backbone of SCP-4000-A is subject to high levels of negative temporal distortion, often in excess of -1.1kTmp, causing objects brought in to the area of effect to experience gradual temporal regression on a quantum level. The negative temporal distortion is measured to increase at varying intervals towards the geometric center of SCP-4000-A, reaching intensities capable of causing temporal regression on macro scales. Due to this, animate entities traversing SCP-4000-A must be outfitted with Stein-Adler Relativity Stabilization Suits (SARSS) to avoid unwanted cellular regression.
The spatial anomalies discovered regarding SCP-4000-A come in two major forms, most notably the apparent density of space within the area. Currently, the estimated diameter of SCP-4000-A's condensed interior is 2150±200km. The second major spatial anomaly manifests when attempting to leave SCP-4000-A through any means other than an area located within 2.1km of the start of the path. After passing the 2.1km hazard mark3, any attempt to stray 2.1km from the path, will result in the abrupt disappearance of the entity. Any communications maintained will cease immediately, and no trace of the entity will remain. So far, the only known method of traversing SCP-4000-A is by following the roads that exist throughout the area of effect.
There are estimated to be over 3,400,000 animate entities residing within SCP-4000-A. Most of the entities (85%) encountered have been humanoid and have developed varying settlements along the SCP-4000-A road. Hostility varies (See Exploration Logs).
Exploration attempts have shown the road running through SCP-4000-A will split at regular intervals (on average, once every 300km), however, following Exp-4000-C and Exp-4000-D, it has been shown that further spatial anomalies will cause these diverging paths to ultimately link together eventually, leading all that traverse the road to end a single point, which is also the location of SCP-4000-Ω.
SCP-4000-Ω resides at the center of SCP-4000-A and current records support the hypothesis that it is responsible for the spatiotemporal anomalies within SCP-4000-A. In the two recorded encounters with Foundation personnel, SCP-4000-Ω appears as a human in business attire, however, this is now believed to be an illusion created to ease communication between the entity and humans that find it (see Exp-4000-D). Due to a lack of substantial Foundation encounters, there is a vast lack of data regarding the entity. Its origin, objective, and motivation (if any) are currently under speculation.
Addendum Exp-4000-A (Initial): Following EVT-4000-1, a re-evaluation exploration mission was permitted by the O5 council, following new information that SCP-4000 may not simply be, as was previously believed, "an endless road".
MTF Omicron-5 "Lost Vagabonds" was approved for an initial exploration mission due to their expertise regarding long exposure to spatiotemporal anomalies. They were tasked with locating the village mentioned in the journal retrieved following EVT-4000-1, as well as given a secondary task to evaluate any hazards the village might contain.
Exploration Log: Exp-4000-A
Assigned Personnel: MTF Omicron-5 "Lost Vagabonds"
Personnel Roster: OF-9 "Bishy", OF-10 "Barnaby", OF-11 "Loke", OF-12 "Mawkin", OF-14 "Squit"
Notable Resources Assigned: 1 x SARSS (each), 1 x HMMWV
Date: 03/12/████
Log Time: Day 1 00:00:00
Bishy: -ere we go. We all on?
Barnaby: Yep.
Loke: Yes.
Mawkin: Affirmative.
[Momentary silence as Squit struggles with his suit]
Bishy: Squit?
Squit: Aw'ight, I'm here. These bloody SARSS things are a mess to fit.
Bishy: You'll get used to them. Okay, we're set.
[Barnaby motions to Bishy]
Barnaby: Moving out.
[Barnaby starts the HMMWV and begins to accelerate down the road of SCP-4000-A]
Squit: I love me a road trip.
Bishy: Okay lads, keep in mind the Humvee won't be able to take us all the way. There's no proof of it yet, but if the eggheads are right, and they usually are, then the negative temporal distortion in the cage is going to take it out of commission after about 180km.
Squit: Why's 'at?
Bishy: …didn't you read the briefing reports?
Squit: Well yeah, but I don't get that science stuff, that's for the scientists. I'm just here t-
Mawkin: The negative temporal distortion causes a loss in the rate of chemical reactions. It begins to tend a reaction towards that of the initial products. So the deeper we go, the slower and weaker the reaction in the gas tank becomes, until eventually, it's so weak that there isn't enough force to drive the HMMWV forward.
Bishy: Thanks, Mawkin.
Squit: Oh… so how come we don't just put one of these SARSS things on the gas tank?
[Barnaby laughs]
Barnaby: You know how much these things cost? It's a god damn wonder the O5 approved 5 of them for this mission to begin with, let alone one for a bloody gas tank!
Bishy: Okay, we're approaching the hazard marker. Once we cross that, leaving the road in any direction but back the way we came is a no go, unless you want to disappear off to god knows where. Loke?
[Loke nods to Bishy and then switches on the Temporal Distortion Monitor]
Loke: Right.
Squit: You talk too much, Loke.
[Barnaby laughs again]
Barnaby: You know guys, I can already tell this is going to be a classic Vagabonds adventure.
Log Time: Day 1 03:51:10
[MTF Omicron-5 are on foot]
Squit: How much further is it?
Barnaby: We don't know. That's the whole point.
Mawkin: 35 minutes and 12 seconds ago, we crossed the 150km marker. The Foundation has not explored beyond this point. Meaning we may encounter the settlement described in the journal at any moment.
Barnaby: Here there be dragons.
Bishy: Don't jinx us now, Barnaby. I'm not in the mood to run 150 bloody kilometers from a dragon, or whatever the hell might be out here.
Barnaby: True that. From the sounds of things though, there ain't much out here to give chase. Listen. Complete silence. Not even a wisp of wind. It's just like that journal said, it almost feels as if time stood still.
Bishy: Mawkin?
[Mawkin is silent for a moment]
Mawkin: I suppose it's possible the time dilation mismatch with the outside world could create some form of Philuvian Motion at its edges, that would then give rise to an undisturbed chronarium of sorts.
Squit: What? Chronarium?
Barnaby: Pretty sure he just made that word up. I assume he means time here is cut off from time outside the area, so the two can't affect each other.
[Mawkin nods]
Squit: Great. Now I really do feel like I'm in a cage.
Bishy: A cage with an exit.
Squit: A bloody exit that's well over 150km away! A cage lined with some magical bullshit that makes people disappear! A cage with a pin prick of a hole for us to crawl through if we went to get out safely! A cage we would've been able to escape easily, if we had a god damn Humvee still! But no, the nerds had to screw up the calculations, didn't they? We should still be driving, but somehow we dropped out 45km shy of our target. So much for the damn professionals, they-
Bishy: Shut up, Squit.
Squit: No! I'm bloody pissed off! We're meant to have some of the smartest minds out there on our side, but somehow they can't figure out how to make a fucking car move on without breaking down!
[Loke becomes visibly agitated, followed by a sharp spike in his measured heart rate]
Loke: Shut up, Squit.
Squit: Oh boy, lookie here, even mister tight-lips over here is get touchy! What a real grand adventure this is turning out to be, first we get practically stranded, and now the one level-headed member of the team is-Loke: No! Squit, shut up! Listen!
[MTF Omicrom-5 comes to a halt and falls silent. A low, distant grinding can be heard.]
Squit: Well, shit. I guess that journal has some worth after all.
Log Time: Day 2 06:11:02
[Camera switches on to show the inside of an old European tavern]
Bishy: Hey, just thought I should give a rundown of everything we've found here. As you can probably tell by my surroundings, I am indeed in some sort of archaic village. The journal hit the nail right on the head, this place feels like something that stepped right out of an old Shakespeare play. The people here are living in a largely medieval society, with some strange differences, which I will get to later. Like the journal said, they are incredibly friendly and welcoming, even with these weirdass looking SARSS get-ups, and our advanced technology, they don't seem fazed at all by it. They even gave us a place to stay, for absolutely no cost. Some tavern called The Old Umbrella. Seems a weird name really, even for a tavern.
[Bishy leans back in his chair and ponders for a moment]
Bishy: There's a lot of strange things here, and the more I think about it, the more I find that unsettles me. Their overly accommodating attitude, their freakishly happy-go-lucky personalities, their god damn obsession with fucking umbrellas. And still, that's not the weirdest part, get this-
[Bishy leans in towards the camera]
Bishy: They have… powers or something. Don't ask me, I don't get this thaumaturgical bullshit, that's not my field, but we've seen them do all sorts of magic. Like, waving their hands about, saying words and then things just… *happen*. I'm serious, I feel like I've walked right into a Harry Potter novel. They can fix things, summon things, open locks, all with a flick of their hand and a few words that don't sound like any European language I've ever heard of. Mawkin says they may just be experienced kinetoglyph and lexiglyph practitioners, but I don't know. After reading the- ..oh, right, I haven't mentioned this yet, hold on.
[Bishy retrieves a folded piece of paper from his pack]
Bishy: Looks like the journal guy wasn't lying about leaving a few little scraps about for us. Loke's keen-as-ever eye picked this up, stuck between two floorboards in the room he was given. I'll throw it in with the retrieved materials in my pack. Just thought I'd say, in case this footage is being found on a corpse instead of during a debriefing.
[Bishy puts the paper back in his pack and leans back again]
Bishy: To be honest, some of the things it says are what have made me as uncomfortable as I am right now. The journal guy looked to be just as paranoid about this place as I am, as WE are, right now. If he's correct in what he says, then I may be right about the true nature of things going on here. Particularly that horrible grinding sound. God damn that sound, it's everywhere in this place. It's not exactly loud, but it's constant and unnerving. Journal guy seemed to be just as bothered by it too. Hell, his description of how it makes him feel is an uncannily accurate description of my own feelings right now.
[Bishy sighs and leans forwards again]
Bishy: Well, anyway, that's about it. Make sure to check out that journal page. Maybe it will help you get a better idea of how things are here. Signing off.
Journal - Page 2 of 190:
The mystery that clouds this village seems to show in two fashionable forms, the former being the more willing to show itself than the other. The unprovoked happiness of those that reside in this abode is striking, I'm sure you have discovered by now. What you may not have realised, is the importance this plays in the grand scheme of the plot.
Should you question the people on the source of their incredibly authentic magic tricks, they will answer not with a word, but with a smile, something that to me seems rather ironic considering their obsession with weaving words to obtain that which they desire.
I have pondered the meaning of this for the few nights I have stayed here, and only last night did it occur to me that maybe their delirious emotional portraits have some link to their equally delirious sway over the laws of nature. It seems emotion may be the key to it all.
Today, I decided to wait and listen to the innkeep of this place, to memorise the words he spoke when he chose to light the tavern when night fell. The words are difficult to replicate in the common English tongue, but spoken as syllables, the words could be transcribed as follows: [DATA EXPUNGED]. With this new knowledge, I set about to my given room, close the shutters and my bedroom door, until I was in a vat of pitch black.
My experiment required me to test two assumptions. The first, that a lack of emotion would create no effect on the repetition of the words, and the second that a high invocation of emotions would result in my dark room becoming bathed in a mystical light.
And so I meditated. I cleared my mind of all thought and brought myself into a state where no event could stumble my nerve. And then I uttered the words spoken with such grace by those native to this land, but with anything but clarity by myself. As I had predicted, nothing came of this experiment.
And then I thought back to my home, of those I had missed and how happy they would be to see myself, and how happy I would be to them. A smile captured my face with that fleeting moment of glee, and as it passed, I uttered those strange words once more.
To my astonishment (despite my prediction), the room began to glow, as a light without source illuminated every nook and cranny of my humble quarters. I was right! And proven so again as I toyed with my newfound power. Emotion was, in fact, the key to the bizarre nature of this new, new world. By the combined effort of those that live in this quaint village, their joint happiness bestows them powers beyond their imagination.
This, however, is where our tale takes a turn. I'm sure you have noticed a strange aura presents itself consistently throughout this place. I am of course speaking of the incessant grinding that surrounds me at this and every moment.
There is something about it that makes me uncomfortable, and I'm sure you must feel it too. It is not so much a painful sound, as it is a sound of pain. A deep sorrow rides aback the grind, creating a great feeling of unease when one concentrates too hard on it. What's more, another peculiar event arises when one questions the citizens of the source of this oddity, a response is given that now fills me with even more dread: A smile.
It dawned on me that this smile was no different to the one given in reply to myself previously when questioned as to the source of their powers. And with this, I was brought to a conclusion I mentioned at the start of this entry, that there are two forms that cause the manifestation of this town's mystery.
After all, happiness is not the only way to create an excess of emotion.
I believe the grinding is coming from underground.
Analysis: Journal - Page 2: The emotion-based thaumaturgy described on Page 2 of the Journal is believed to be a rare example of Emotio-Thaumaturgy, a form of Thaumaturgy that relies on highly energetic mental networks in group hiveminds. It should be noted that the rarity of such conglomerates is due to the immense number of individuals and emotional power required to create such an effect. Judging by MTF Omicron-5's analysis of the village, the population numbered roughly 800 residents. Given the requirements of creating an effective Emotio-Thaumaturgical bond, even with the excessive emotion provided by the residents, the overall output would still only be 0.02% of the required amount to create such powers observed by MTF Omicron-5.
This is most likely the reason the village established the underground device encountered by MTF Omicron-5, in order to heighten the levels of emotional output.
Log Time: Day 2 14:01:23
Bishy: Switch your bloody comms on, NOW, Squit!
Squit: Alright, alright, it's on! This is hardly the time to worry about recording though, they have Mawkin for Christ's sake!
[Bishy's camera feed switches on. MTF Omicron-5 are seen running down a cobblestone street flanked on both sides by buildings of old European architecture. Despite local time indicating it should be day, it appears to be night, suggesting the time distortion in SCP-4000-A is also affecting the length of day/night cycles.]
Bishy: If Mawkin doesn't make it back from this, we can't have let her death been in vain. At the very least, we need some record of this so others can learn from our mistakes.
Barnaby: Damn it, why did it have to be Mawkin? If it had been someone else, at least we would have Mawkin here to figure out where they took them.
Squit: Why the bloody hell are you looking at me?
Barnaby: Why do you think?
Bishy: Both of you, shut it. Halt here.
[The group stop in the middle of a cross-road. In each of the four directions, long rows of houses can be seen, but the streets remain empty. At the center of the crossroad is a large ornamental fountain in the shape of a large umbrella, spurting water from the top so it runs off the top of the fixture.]
Squit: Ironic. I think. Is that the right way to use that word?
Barnaby: I was about to say "I've never seen it so quiet" but then I remembered Squit is here. Usually, these weirdos are skipping down the street and what-not, wishing each other a pleasant night or something strange like that. Come to think of it, I've never even seen them sleep.
Squit: I've never seen YOU sleep, Barnaby. Maybe you're one of them.
Barnaby: Yeah, well I've never see-
Bishy: I said shut up. Loke, give me a rep.
[Loke nods and removes a Relative Temporometer from his pack]
Squit: The hell is that?
Bishy: A Temporometer.
Squit: That has got to be the cheesiest name I've ever heard the Foundation give a piece of tech.
Bishy: Yeah, well, the name is accurate. It's used to measure relative potential in temporal fields.
Squit: Meaning?
Bishy: Meaning if Mawkin's SARSS is still working, it will detect the temporal offset and let us locate her.
[The Relative Temporometer begins to register a relative potential.]
Loke: Got it. 300m that way, heading towards us.
[Loke gestures down the path to their right.]
Loke: 150m down, and descending.
Bishy: Looks like the journal guy was right. Can you extrapolate the entry point to the underground using their rate of descent?
Loke: Yes, sir. The entrance should be roughly 500m in that direction.
Bishy: Understood. Okay, let's move out. Keep an eye out for anything that might serve as an entry point.
Squit: Aw'ight.
Barnaby: Got it.
Loke: Yes, sir.
[The group rapidly advance up the path, where no signs of life can be seen. Barnaby comes to a stop.]
Barnaby: Hold up guys. Look at this.
[Barnaby's camera focuses on a set of tiles that line the wall of a building. Every 2 tiles has an umbrella like symbol embedded in to it. One of the symbols appears cleaner than the others, and is the only tile with the umbrella placed upside-down.]
Barnaby: I don't know about you guys, but that looks majorly suspicious to me. Knowing these people, you would think an upside-down umbrella is a sacrilege.
Bishy: Nice find. Let's check it.
[Bishy examines the tile, then pulls it off the wall without resistance. Underneath is a handle.]
Squit: Bingo!
Bishy: Okay, lads. Remember, these people practice some unorthodox thaumaturgy. Don't get caught by some stray fireball or anything else stupid. Weapons ready, eyes-peeled, keep the team informed. When we have Mawkin, we bolt for the exit and get the hell out of town. Understood?
Squit: Understood.
Barnaby: Understood.
Loke: Understood.
Bishy: Good. Here we go.
[Bishy pulls on the handle, opening a hidden door embedded into the tile work. On the other side there is a long flight of stairs carved into the ground, with the occasional outcropping carved into the wall where torches are placed to light the stairwell.]
Squit: You hear that? The grinding… it sounds different somehow.
Barnaby: There's something else interlaced with it but… I don't know, the sounds are interfering so much, I can't figure them out.
Bishy: Taking point.
[Bishy leads the group down the stairwell. It is narrow, forcing them to walk single file. Roughly 200m down, a landing can be seen.]
Barnaby: Damn glad I don't have claustrophobia. This place would be a nightmare.
Squit: Don't make fun of claustrophobia.
Barnaby: Why not? It's true, if someone ha- …wait, Squit, are you claustrophobic?
Squit: Maybe, a little.
Barnaby: Bloody hell, Squit, how are you on a team meant for long-term spatiotemporal location exploration, when you have claustrophobia?
Squit: Well, normally we're assigned to big open areas! What the hell kind of Vagabond would go into tight, cramped spaces?
Barnaby: A lost one!
Bishy: Hold up. Movement ahead.
[The group are near the landing when a shadow is seen to move at the edge of the edge of the archway.]
Bishy: Squit?
Squit: On it.
[Squit reaches into his pack and retrieves a stun grenade coated in an adaptive camouflage adhesive. Bishy takes the grenade then touches it to the floor, causing its exterior to change to a colour resembling the stone the chamber is carved from.]
Bishy: Cover.
[Bishy removes the grenade's pin and throws it to the bottom of the stairwell. The team collectively shield themselves as the grenade detonates.]
Bishy: MOVE!
[The group rapidly descend the last steps and fan out into the room below. The room is an empty stone chamber with two doors, one of which is heavily reinforced. In one corner, a man is reeling over in pain from the stun grenade.]
Squit: Engaging!
Bishy: Squit, hold-
[Squit approaches the disabled target, readying his rifle to be used as a club to knock him out. The second, non-reinforced door exhibits a strange spatial distortion as it morphs into a humanoid with a raised hand. Simultaneously, the disabled target fades away, proving to be an illusion. Bishy takes aim at the new assailant.]
Assailant: [DATA EXPUNGED]
[A blue flare shoots forth from the assailant's hand, colliding with Bishy's rifle and knocking it from his grasp.]
Bishy: Fuck!
[The assailant gestures towards Squit who is still attempting to reorient his rifle.]
Assailant: [DATA EXPUNGED]
[The assailant's lexiglyph is cut short as Barnaby fires on her, striking her in the head and killing her. The room is quickly reassessed and Bishy retrieves his rifle.]
Barnaby: Jesus, you just got "Expelliarmused", Bishy!
[Bishy ignores Barnaby and marches over to Squit. Bishy strikes Squit with the back of his hand.]
Bishy: You stupid bastard, I told you to keep your eyes peeled! These fucks don't abide by our logic. You see one of them get disarmed by one of our most basic weapons, you better damn well believe it's a trap!
Squit: Right, sir. Sorry, sir.
[Squit recomposes himself and joins the rest of the group again.]
Barnaby: Hey, Squit, I guess you owe me one now, huh? After saving your life and all.
[Squit provides no response]
Barnaby: Come on, I'm just kidding around.
Bishy: This is not the bloody time to kid around, Barnaby. Mawkin could be dead for all we know. It's time everyone shaped up and took this fucking seriously.
Barnaby: Sorry, Bishy. Sir.
Bishy: Right.
[Bishy approaches the reinforced door]
Bishy: Whatever the hell is going on with this place, whatever that grinding is, it's going on behind this door. And you can bet Mawkin is back here too. Judging by the door, the other side is probably widespread, so we'll be taking two to a side. Barnaby, you're with me.
Barnaby: Got it.
Bishy: Okay. Squit, open it up.
[Squit nods and approaches the door as the others take up position. He then grabs the large bolt set across the door and forces it to the side, causing a series of mechanisms to begin operation, eventually unlocking the door. Squit pushes on the doors, then takes up a place beside Loke on the right side of the door. As it swings open, a loud noise emanates from within. The sound of humans screaming. Current estimates at the number of voices stand at over 300,000 individuals.]
Squit: What the fuck is-
Barnaby: Are those people screaming?!
Loke: Christ… Mawkin…
Bishy: Stay focused. Other side is a hallway. About 120m long. Looks clear. Advance together, on my mark. Mark!
[The group advance together up the hallway, keeping eyes on all surfaces while checking for possible illusory thaumaturgy. The sounds of screaming increase as they move further down the hallway. They reach the end of the hallway that consists of an archway opening up into a larger room.]
Barnaby: Oh my god…
[The group emerges into an underground area of immense size. They are standing on a ledge overlooking a large canyon. Within the canyon, is a river of human bodies, each intertwined with one another, each showing signs of still being alive and conscious. Around the canyon are massive stone devices resembling mechanical gears, each emanating a resounding grinding noise as they turn. With each rotation, the individual teeth of the gears push the bodies along the canyon, creating an artificially induced flow in the human mesh. Lining the walls are various hazardous components that rend and otherwise harm the victims as the flow forces them past each one. Surrounding the canyon are other ledges upon which stand various groups of villagers. All are seen to be laughing at the chaos, and some are even throwing dangerous objects (such as blades and unidentifiable liquids) into the river.]
Bishy: What the fuck-
[The team are momentarily stunned, before having their attention refocused to a voice located behind them.]
Unknown: You are a rather persistent set of fellows, aren't you?
[Turning around, the team find one of the village residents standing at an edge of the ledge. Mawkin is being held and restrained by him.]
Villager: Now now, there's no point to all this fighting. Either way, you can't kill me. Our gift allows us to rejuvenate freely, if our heart is in the right place that is.
Bishy: Your powers don't scare us. We have people that know how to counter your little tricks. It would be better for you to just return Mawkin.
Villager: That would be ideal, wouldn't it? But alas, this is not an ideal world, not yet anyway. I'm afraid your friend must be sacrificed in order to attain that ideality.
Bishy: Why? Why her? What did she do wrong?
Villager: Newcomer, I fear you may never understand the ethos of this place. We are not a prejudiced people. In this place, we care for both the good and the bad, the black and the white, the man and the woman and of course, most importantly, we care for the happy and the sad.
Bishy: That didn't answer my question.
Villager: I'm afraid it did, newcomer, but you are blind to the ideal. Our gift did not come without a price. You've seen it yourself, your passionate thoughts allowed our mutual friend to wield powers beyond his own understanding. With those emotions, you too contributed to the whole, to the great gift that It has bestowed upon us! You all have, in fact. You two, that constantly squabble, oh how amusing it has been to see such emotions of rivalry expressed freely, you contributed so much to the gift! And you, the quiet one, while you may seem to lack anything beyond your exterior, your true feelings are more intense than anyone's. It's a shame *she* is unable to reciprocate.
Loke: What are you talking about?
Villager: This poor damsel, oh pity her, for she is not like the rest of you. She holds nothing of value to us, at least, not without force. A true shell of a character this one is. I almost fear she may be dead inside. This one… contributes nothing to the gift. It is not pleased. It needs everyone to contribute, and we have ways to… make people contribute.
[The villager gestures towards the river.]
Villager: Even pain is an emotion, newcomers. If one can not contribute with passion, then they must contribute with pain. Then It is satisfied.
Bishy: You keep saying "It"? What is "It"?
Villager: Oh, I waste time explaining such things to you who does not truly have the gift. It is the one that bestowed the gift upon us. The man at the end of the endless path. It gave us this gift, as it gifted many others.
Bishy: And It will not be satisfied if you don't give Mawkin to your… 'gift'?
Villager: Now you're getting it, newcomer! So please, let us skip past these adverserial formalities and embrace the gift, together.
Barnaby: Ideas, people? If he's telling the truth about his rejuvenation abilities, we can't just gun him down.
Squit: All we have are physical weapons. Maybe something thaumaturgical will take him down. Anyone know any tricks?
Barnaby: I doubt it. The only trick the journal taught us, was how to light up a fucking room.
Squit: So we're fucked then.
Loke: I have an idea.
Barnaby: What is it?
Loke: I can't tell you, you won't approve of it. Just trust me on this.
Squit: Whatever, man.
[Loke drops his rifle and steps forward]
Loke: Listen, I want to ask you something before you do this.
Villager: Of course, go ahead! Anything to help a newcomer accept the gift.
Loke: No. Not you. Mawkin. Is your suit still working?Mawkin: Yes, wh-
Loke: Good.
[Loke begins rapidly interacting with the control panel on his SARSS, temporal instability inside begins building up.]
Barnaby: Jesus Christ, is he-
Bishy: Loke, stop!
Mawkin: Brian, no!
[Loke's body starts visibly aging at an unnatural rate]
Villager: What in It's name are you doing?!
[Loke's face is seen to dry out as the rapid temporal progression speeds up chemical processes.]
Bishy: His suit is building up super dense temporal field! Everyone, get off the ledge, now!
[Squit and Barnaby retreat into the hallway connecting to the ledge. Loke makes eye contact with Bishy, then nods. Bishy nods back. Loke breaks one of the seals on his suit. All of the SARSS simultaneously record a huge increase in temporal distortion, in excess of 2.1MTmp. Everything hit by the distortion begins to age rapidly. The ledge begins to crumble as it loses consistency. A significant chunk (at least 20%) of the humans in the river instantly turn to dust. The villagers observing and contributing from the own ledges simultaneously turn to dust. The villager holding Mawkin is also seen to turn to dust, setting Mawkin free. Bishy grabs her and pulls her from the ledge as it begins to crumble, dragging her back into the hallway.]
Barnaby: The hallway is starting to fall apart too, we have to make a run, right now.
Bishy: Agreed. Move out!
[The team begins running to the exit as the hallway collapses behind them. Brief glimpses are caught on Squit's camera as he looks back, showing more writhing human bodies hidden beneath the crumbling hallway floor.]
Bishy: Stairs, go, Barnaby take point.
Barnaby: Right.
[The team ascends the stairway. As they near the top, another villager appears at the entrance who then raises their hand.]
Barnaby: Contact!
[Barnaby quickly raises her rifle and fires a shot into the villager's head.]
Barnaby: Target down.
[The team reaches the surface. Parts of various streets have begun to collapse as the underground complex falls apart.]
Bishy: Head back to the road. We're finished here. We have to make it back to the Humvee.
Barnaby: Understood.
Squit: Understood.
[Mawkin gives no response]
Bishy: Mawkin, confirm you heard.
[Mawkin is still silent]
Bishy: Mawkin, confirm!
Mawkin: Right, yes, understood.
Bishy: Good. Move.
[The team make their way back to the road with minimal resistance encountered. Upon reaching the road, team travels 0.7km while facing bombardment from various thaumaturgical projectiles, before they finally cease. After 20 minutes of no hostile activity, the feed ends.]
Aftermath: MTF Omicron-5 returned to the Area-31 base camp 3 days later with the intact HMMVW. Surviving members were then debriefed.
Exp-4000-A - Debriefing Interview - OF-9 "Bishy" (Excerpt):
Interview Date: 09/12/████
Interviewer: Dr. Roswald
Interviewee: OF-9 "Bishy"
Regarding: Exp-4000-A
Excerpt Start Time: 26:10
Dr. Roswald: By your own assessment, would you place the thaumaturgical abilities of those encountered as above or below the Foundation?
OF-9: Below. I'm sure you keep your secrets about the true extent of the Foundation's power when it comes to this sort of thing, but of the few times I have seen someone in the Foundation wielding that stuff, I would say it's way more graceful than those in the village could've pulled off.
Dr. Roswald: I see. That has been noted. Moving on, what do you think of your team mate's current psychological profile?
OF-9: How do you mean?
Dr. Roswald: As in, are they stable? Do you think any previously unnoticed memetic, cognitic or psychic influences may be at work?
OF-9: Oh, no, nothing like that. Whatever the journal guy had his brain mashed by, it must've been something further down the road. The only thing the team got was a bit of PTSD.
Dr. Roswald: Do you believe they are able to continue working efficiently?
OF-9: Yeah, give them a few days, they'll get over it. We've seen worse. Mawkin though… if you knew her, you'd know seeing her cry is a hell of a rare sight. She's seen all sorts of atrocities before and never so much as blinked. I guess she and Loke were closer than we realised. She'll probably need to a bit longer to come to terms with it all.
Dr. Roswald: Estimated time of recovery?
OF-9: Not a clue. I'm not a psychologist. Why d'you ask?
Dr. Roswald: OF-9, to put it in brief, we are not done with this investigation.
OF-9: I realise that. I just assumed you would be done with us personally after this initial search.
Dr. Roswald: Such is usually the case, however, the Foundation is not willing to waste resources on such lengthy expeditions for MTFs with no experience. These explorations take multiple days and could even last weeks. It is simply too costly for us to sit around, waiting for weeks-on-end, and hoping an MTF will return. With your first-hand experience, we can be surer of an eventual return.
OF-9: Fair.
Dr. Roswald: So, do you think you and your team are capable of a deeper exploration?
OF-9: I'm already looking forward to it.
Dr. Roswald: Good. The mission will commence on 20/12/████, an exact time will be relayed to you closer to the date. You are permitted to bring a team of 6 for this next expedition, however, we have already decided upon the 6th member of your team. He is a thaumatology expert of Level-3 classification. By no means our best or brightest, but based on your analysis of SCP-4000's residents, he should do the trick.
OF-9: Thank you.
Dr. Roswald: Do you intend to bring OF-12?
OF-9: Mawkin? …we'll see.
Dr. Roswald: Very well, thank you for your time, OF-9. This interview is adjourned.
Addendum Exp-4000-B:
Exploration Log: Exp-4000-A
Assigned Personnel: MTF Omicron-5 "Lost Vagabonds", TSF4 Vav-1 "They Who Must Not Be Named"
Personnel Roster: OF-9 "Bishy" (Captain), OF-10 "Barnaby", OF-12 "Mawkin", OF-13 "Loight", OF-14 "Squit", V1-17 "Riddik"
Notable Resources Assigned: 1 x SARSS (each), 1 x HMMWV (compressed fuel tank), 1 x SCPR-0009 GoodBoy v1.03 (Energy Preservation Model)
Date: 20/12/████
Log Time: Day 1 01:12:00
Squit: Riddik? Are you serious? You a Vin Diesel fan or somethin'?
Riddik: What? No, it's short for "Riddikulus".
Squit: Ridiculous? Why in God's name would you want a name like that?
Barnaby: Jesus, Squit, don't you read books? He said Riddikulus, it's from Harry Potter.
Squit: My question still stands.
Riddik: I thought it sounded pretty cool…
Squit: Nothing from Harry Potter is cool, Riddik. Nothing.
Barnaby: Shut up, Squit.
Bishy: In case you lot didn't notice, we're live. Check in.
Squit: I'm here.
Barnaby: Same.
Loight: Checking in.
Riddik: Check.
Mawkin: Here.
Bishy: Good, working fine. Everything going fine up front, Barnaby?
Barnaby: You betcha. Good thing about the compressed tank; we're getting mad power out of this baby today.
Bishy: Right, and hopefully it will counter the time distortion for a bit longer.
Squit: Bloody awesome. But… wait, what happens if the new stopping point is right outside the village?
Bishy: We improvise.
Loight: Jeez, I kind of regret not coming on that last mission with you guys. Sounds like it was hella fun.
Squit: Loight?
Loight: Yeah?
Squit: Don't let me ever catch you saying the word 'hella', ever again.
Barnaby: Shut up, Squit.
Log Time: Day 1 02:46:19
[The camera switches on as the HMMWV is rocked by a violent blast]
Bishy: Damn it, Riddik, we're going to need better cover than that!
Riddik: I'm trying, sir!
Squit: God fucking damn it, when did they become such decent marksmen?
[The team are huddled around the left side of the HMMWV, keeping low and close to the vehicle. Bishy is attempting crude repairs of a large hole on the side of the HMMWV that has pierced the gas tank. Various bursts of light soar overhead. Riddik is not currently visible on any of the camera feeds.]
Barnaby: Bishy, this is a waste of time. Even if you repair the basic structure, the compression factor will be gone. The time distortion is going to strand us here.
Bishy: It's worth a shot. The alternative is to head in to the village, and considering they're attacking us on sight this time, I don't expect we can call a truce any time soon. Either we get the Humvee back up, or we march to our deaths in that hell hole.
Barnaby: Reassuring.
[Another blast rocks the HMMWV]
Squit: Shit, fuck, damn it Riddik, this is meant to be your thing! If we get hit by one of those bolts that ripped open the Humvee, we're goners! Do your bloody job!
Bishy: Shut up, Squit. Mawkin, take over. Riddik, how much longer can you hold them off?
[Mawkin moves on to continue repairs on the HMMWV, while Bishy moves to the front of the vehicle and peers over the bonnet. ~450m from the HMMWV can be seen the village previously visited. Thaumaturgical projectiles frequently emerge from distant figures standing on its building rooftops but the majority are wildly inaccurate and miss. One large orange flare, covered in flame, emerges from the village and heads directly towards the HMMWV. As it comes within 30m of the HMMWV, a largely translucent blue light pulses at the projectile's tip, and it prematurely explodes, leaving the vehicle undamaged. Bishy redirects his attention to Riddik who is sitting in the driver seat of the HMMWV and leaning out of the window, arms raised.]
Bishy: Good aim.
Riddik: Thank you, sir.
Bishy: How long do you think you can keep this up?
Riddik: This doesn't require much focus, but I'm still a bit of a novice, so…
[Another flare, this time green and moving in a tightly wound spiral pattern, is directed at the HMMWV. Riddik reaches out his right palm, then squeezes his wrist with his left hand. A pulse appears in the air again, but the green flare spirals around it. Riddik has a sharp intake of breath as he panics, reorientates himself and creates another pulse. This one successfully collides with the flare and detonates it 10m from the HMMWV. The explosion showers the side with small droplets of an unidentifiable liquid.]
Riddik: Ah, shit, some got me!
[Places touched by the liquid begin to produce steam as they go through minute corrosion.]
Bishy: You okay?
Riddik: Yeah, they threw one of these earlier. It's pretty weak though, don't worry about it.
Bishy: I'll take your word for it. Don't worry, it won't be much longer, just-
Mawkin: Repairs complete, Bishy.
Squit: Hell yes, you can always rely on Mawkin to pull through!
Bishy: Perfect. Riddik, try the ignition.
[Riddik attempts to start the HMMWV. It turns over multiple times but fails to start.]
Squit: Shit!
Barnaby: Without the compression factor, the time dilation is making the combustion too weak. We needed that extra pressure.
[Bishy slams the side of the HMMWV and slumps back down to its side.]
Riddik: Sir? Now what?
Bishy: I'm thinking.
Riddik: Oh. Well, can you think quickly? Their accuracy is improving, and I don't think I'll be able to match my density fluctuations to the increased spee- SHIT
[The HMMWV rocks violently, and rubble is thrown over the team]
Riddik: Jesus, that one ripped up the ground itself. If that had been a direct hit…
Bishy: Well don't let any be a direct hit!
Riddik: Yes, sir, sorry-
Loight: Hey, Riddik..?
Riddik: What? Ah, fuck-
[A shower of the same liquid from before sprays over the top of the HMMWV, corroding various spots on the ground where it landed]
Loight: Did you say you're blocking them with "density fluctuations"?
Riddick: Yeah, their projectiles trigger when they hit something denser than air, why?
Loight: Well… correct me if I'm wrong… I mean, I'm not the most scientifically minded pers-
Bishy: Get to the point, Loight.
Loight: Can't you use that to increase the density of the fuel and simulate the compression factor?
[The team is silent for a moment as another blast is deflected overhead.]
Barnaby: Mawkin?
Mawkin: …he's right.
Bishy: Riddik, take passenger side. Barnaby, up front. Everyone else, get in the back.
[The team take up positions. Riddik continues to try and deflect the occasional flare that falls on target.]
Bishy: Okay, Riddik, wait until their next on-target attack, deflect it. Then I want you to immediately switch out and apply a high density fluctuation to the contents of the gas tank. Got it?
Riddik: Got it.
Bishy: Good. Get ready, Barnaby.
[Barnaby nods. Riddik continues to hang out of the window, now on the passenger side. A few seconds later, a red flare falls on target with the HMMWV. Riddik counters with a well-timed pulse that detonates the flare mid-air, then he immediately slides back through the window and places his palms on the dashboard of the HMMWV. Four seconds pass, before he turns to Bishy, and nods.]
Bishy: Barnaby. Ignite.
[Barnaby turns the ignition and the HMMWV successfully starts]
Squit: Hell to the fucking yes! You're a genius, Loight!
Bishy: Get us the hell out of here, Barnaby.
Barnaby: You bet.
[The HMMWV accelerates towards the village quickly. Stray flares fall around the vehicle but are unable to hit their target. As it speeds past the village, some of the projectiles collide close to the HMMWV, causing it to shake and tip sharply, but no notable damage is caused. Within 2 minutes, the HMMWV has passed through the village and moved on to the road that exits from the other side.]
Bishy: Nice work, team.
Riddik: Uh, Bishy? How much longer am I going to have to do this for? I usually only do quick pulses of this. Holding it stable for a long time is… really tiring me out.
Bishy: As long as you can, Riddik. The further we can get without stopping, the less distance we'll have to walk.
Loight: What about getting back? We're already in deeper than the Humvee should be able to go. Won't we have to walk through the village on our way back?
Bishy: We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, our focus is getting to the end of this road.
[Bishy pats Riddik on the shoulder]
Bishy: Get us as far as you can, but don't wipe yourself out. We're going to need your help with God knows whatever's up ahead. You've done good.
Riddik: Thanks, sir.
Log Time: Day 2 01:02:45
Squit: Oh hell yes, I've been waiting for this guy to come out and play.
Bishy and Barnaby carry a large box off the back of the Humvee and place it on the ground.
Loight: Oh, is that what I think it is?
Barnaby presses a string of buttons on the side of the box. Mechanical whirrs emanate from it, and it begins the deployment phase by unfolding into a quadrupedal stance.
Squit: Hell yeah it is!
Various lights switch on across the SCPR model's bulk, and it completes the boot up sequence.
Mawkin: …GoodBoy.
GoodBoy: Hello! I am SCPR-Zero-Zero-Zero-Niner, GoodBoy, running GB software version 1.03! My current designated owner is: OF-9. How may I assist your mission today?
Squit: Aw, man, I love this guy!
Squit crouches down in front of GoodBoy and places his hands on either side of its EM receiver unit.
Squit: Who's a good boy? Who's a good boo-oooy?
GoodBoy: I am GoodBoy!
Squit: Damn right you're a good boy!
GoodBoy: Yes!
Squit: Hey, Bishy, can we keep him? After the mission, I mean.
Bishy: No. Shut up. Now everyone, listen up. Because we're expected to be in this place for a long time this time, they've given us a Boy-
Squit: A GoodBoy.
GoodBoy: I am GoodBoy!
Bishy: -to help us out. He'll be carrying our heavy loads, monitoring the area and act as a lookout when we need to set up camp and sleep for the night. So first thing's first, unload everything we can from the Humvee and pass it on to the bot so we can get moving as soon as possible. There are 6 clamp regions around the torso where you can secure your equipment. Questions?
Loight: How far can this thing go?
Mawkin: It is designed to use as little energy as possible, so we won't get any time distortion issues for a while. The design team places an estimate of over 1500km if we don't place too much weight on it, so if we stick to a minimum load, we will get more than enough mileage out of it.
Squit: Question: Can we ride on it?
Bishy: Shut up, Squit. Okay, we move out in 10 minutes. Start packing.
Log Time: Day 2 04:30:21
Riddik: The briefing never said anything about crossroads.
Bishy: That's because no one has ever made it this far. We're the first to discover a crossroad.
Loight: So which way do we go?
Barnaby: If I had to guess, I would go with straight. The people back in the village talked about it being at the end of this road. Would turning off not count as changing to a different road?
Bishy: Agreed. We also don't know if walking past the 2.1km mark along a side road will throw us off the map. Straight it is.
Squit: Woah, woah, hold up, check this out.
Squit is holding up a pair of binoculars and is looking along the path leading to their left.
Squit: It's really hard to see, but I can just make out something on the horizon. I think… I think it's the top of a building or something.
Barnaby takes the binoculars off of Squit to look at the described point.
Barnaby: Yeap. Definitely something over there. Kind of flat, almost like the top of an office block, or apartment, or something like that.
Squit: So what, if we can see it, doesn't that mean it's like… only 5km or so away since it's on the horizon?
Mawkin: Not necessarily. We don't know how tall the building is. If it's tall, then it will be further away. Additionally, we don't know the full extent of the spatial distortion in here. The observed curvature of the Earth may be more shallow, allowing us to see further. Also, the time dilation may be affecting the Earth's influence over light and therefore making the dist-
Squit: Okay, okay, I get it, we don't know how far away it is. But we do know something is there, so I vote we go that way.
Barnaby: Bishy?
Bishy ponders and observes the choices for a moment, then nods.
Bishy: Very well, we'll take the left pa-
Loight: Holy crap, did you guys just see that?!
Barnaby: What?
Loight: On the horizon, straight ahead, I saw like… a flash or something!
Bishy: A flash? From a light of some kind, or an explosion?
Loight: No, no, more like a uh… like a reflection. You know, like when something catches the sun at just the right angle and flashes it in your eyes!
Mawkin: If he could see the flash, then it must have been on the horizon, or closer.
Bishy: Right. So whatever it was, is closer than whatever it is along the left path.
Mawkin nods.
Bishy: Back to the original plan. We head straight on.
Log Time: Day 2 05:23:50
Squit: God damn it, I told you assholes we should have gone left. Look at this shit hole!
The surroundings consist of old limestone/sandstone constructs partially buried in a sand/soil mixture. Constructs consist of towers, dilapidated buildings, and road networks. No life is apparent.
Bishy: Okay, partner up and spread out. Barnaby and Squit together. Mawkin and Riddik. Loight, you're with me.
Loight: Yes, sir.
The team head in different directions, and Bishy heads over to a stele covered in writing.
Bishy: Loight, check out the symbols on this stele here. What do you make of them?
Loight: Let's see…
Loight analyses the stele for a moment.
Loight: Huh…
Bishy: Well?
Loight: Well… it seems to be Demotic script. Slightly altered though, there's a few symbols here I haven't seen before. It makes sense in that it matches up with the Late Period Egypt style architecture around here, but…
Bishy: I knew it. I'm glad I brought you this time, Loight.
Loight: Sir?
Bishy: At the opening to this place, there were lower levels of negative distortion and with it, a Late Middle Ages village. I had a hunch this effect would propagate old civilizations the deeper we went.
Loight: So you needed a history nut.
Bishy: Right.
Loight: Well, it's good to know my degree wasn't for nothing, after all. However, I still don't understand how this civilization could have been caught in the time distortion all the way up here in England.
Bishy: I doubt they came here voluntarily. Look at this place, the structures and the local geography aren't mixing too well. The lack of bodies, living or dead, makes me think this place was abandoned not long after they ended up here.
Loight: I was hoping to find clues about their fate in these writings but nothing seems to stand out. It doesn't help that a quarter of it doesn't even conform to standard Demotic script.
Bishy: What about this symbol?
Bishy leans in and points to a symbol that vaguely resembles an umbrella.
Loight: The umbrella? Hell if I know, it appears a bunch of times all throughout this text. It's clearly not a part of the script, because it seems to be a symbol all of its own. If I had to guess, I would say it's a name or some representation of a concept important to them. A God maybe? Whatever it means, it seems to appear in sentences with the word 'gift' quite often.
Bishy: Gift, huh? That man back in the village kept talking about a gift.
Loight: And from the report I read, you guys encountered a lot of symbols referencing umbrellas.
Bishy: Right.
Loight: Umbrellas, gifts, old civilizations. That's a hell of a weird combination.
Bishy nods.
GoodBoy: SCRAMBLE module now active!
Riddik: Wait, what?
Squit: Hey, I didn't know he had SCRAMBLE gear! …wait, why don't we have SCRAMBLE gear?!
Barnaby: Bishy, why did it just do that?
Bishy: It means it dedicated a cognito hazard agent. Try not to read any of the text on the ruins, it's probably on there. Shit, Loight, you okay?
Loight: I think so. I don't feel like I've been infected by anything. Do I look like I have?
**Bishy:* No, thankfully.
Barnaby: Where is Goodboy anyway?
GoodBoy: I am 80m south-east of your current position!
Barnaby: Oh, thanks. Good boy.
GoodBoy: Yes!
Mawkin: Bishy, we found a note. I believe it is a page from the journal.
Bishy: Excellent. Analyse and report back.
Mawkin: Yes, sir.
Squit: Oh, shit! GB found a ball!
Bishy: Shut up, Squit, you don't have time to play fetch with GB. I don't even think he can play fe-
Squit: No, I mean it, he found a big shiney ball!
Barnaby: He's right, Bishy. There's a big reflective sphere here, about 0.5m in diameter.
Mawkin: I would strongly advise you stay away from the sphere.
Squit: Why?
Mawkin: The journal entry may be referencing them, and they don't seem friendly.
Journal - Page 14 of 190:
I shan't remain in this dying place for much longer, for it is dark and maddened souls roam its length.
I have not yet encountered one with my face as of yet, but if my eyes do not deceive me, then I may wish to never experience such a meeting.
I saw as I entered, on the outskirts of this village, thin, vile creatures that walked without mirth, as if their entire lives had consisted of nothing but misery. For what reason I know not. Could it be the purgatory in which lay their frightening frames, that are too tall and lanky to be that of a human, but too smooth and controlled to be that of animal or demon? Could it be their short lived hours of wake, in which they aimlessly plod about the desolate landscape, until their bodies crumble like dust and reduce them to the mere silver egg from which they emerged?
I suppose these are answers I can not and will not know. At least, not without enduring great pain.
For their faces are not their own, simply echoes of another life that rest restlessly upon their shining skulls. From only afar can I see these creatures, but even from here, all I see in those echoes eyes is a suffering beyond suffering.
Even I, with my inquisitive eye, would not wish to observe my own likeness on those ghastly mirrors.
Log Time: Day 2 05:33:07
Riddik: She's right, stay away from that thing, it might be the cognitohazard GB picked up!
Barnaby: Understood. Squit, let's-
Squit: What the fuck-
The sphere rises steadily from the ground on a fleshy appendage resembling a thin human torso. When the ball reaches ~2.4m in height, long limbs spread from the torso which almost reach the ground, creating a tall, thin, elongated humanoid figure with the sphere in place of its head.
Squit: Okay, time to back out.
Barnaby raises her rifle at the entity.
Barnaby: Contact!
Squit: Uh, Barnaby? Mawkin said to avoid this thing.
Barnaby: Since when did you get scared of fucking monster?
Squit: Oh, I don't know, maybe since Mawkin was always bloody right and we should probably heed her warning?!
Bishy: Barnaby! Back the fuck out, now!
Squit: Holy shit, what the fuck, what the actual fuck!
Squit's feed begins looking back and forth between the entities "head", and Barnaby. Barnaby's face has been replaced by a layer of skin, erasing all trace of any facial features. However, a reflection of her face continues to appear in the entities reflective sphere.
Bishy: Report, Squit!
Squit: God- fuck-, it stole her reflection or something! What the god damn hell did you do to her?
Squit raises his rifle at the entity. Barnaby's body goes limp and drops to the floor. The reflection of her face remains.
Squit: You bastard, give her back!
Bishy: Squit, get out of there now! That's a bloody order! Team, rendezvous back on the road, move it!
Mawkin: Yes, sir.
Riddik: Got it.
Bishy: Let's move, Loight.
Loight: Right.
Squit: You fuck, give her back her face or I'll-
More spheres are seen to rise up from the surrounding ruins, growing bodies of their own. Each one has one, or multiple human faces on its surface. Each face is animate, and showing signs of intense pain.
Squit: Shit.
Bishy: Squit, don't make me do this the hard way. Get out now, or I'll-
Squit: Sorry, Bishy, but I don't give a fuck right now. This god damn motherfu-
The entity in front of Squit raises its arms. As it does, the reflection of Barnaby's face contorts into one of agony.
Bishy: Very well. GB, execute Contingency Plan: Squit 04.
GoodBoy: Order confirmed!
The equipment clamp on GoodBoy that was holding Squit's gear releases, dropping everything on the floor. GoodBoy sprints towards Squit.
Squit: Holy shit, Barnaby… let her go!
Squit takes aim at the entity and prepares to fire. Before he can, GoodBoy collides with his legs, knocking him off balance and redirecting his shots off target. As Squit falls back, GoodBoy orientates himself to catch Squit in the recently freed equipment clamp which then closes around him. GoodBoy then charges at full speed towards Bishy's position, who has now rejoined the team at the escape point.
Squit: You bastard, Bishy! You fucking bastard, she's still in that god damn thing's head!
Bishy: We don't have the time, nor the resources to deal with this right now, Squit. We'll come back for her.
Squit: She's in pain! That bloody monster is torturing her!
Bishy: That may be so, but these creatures are everywhere now. We're outnumbered. We need to retreat.
GoodBoy and by extension, Squit, arrive at the rendezvous location.
Squit: Let me out of this god damn thing!
Bishy: GB, drop.
GoodBoy: Yes!
GoodBoy opens the clamp restraining Squit, dropping him to the ground. He struggles to his feet, then approaches Bishy and grabs both of his arms.
Squit: What the fuck are you doing, you fucking… fuck!!
Bishy: Getting us to safety.
More copies of the entity emerge from the ruins surrounding them. Each one walks slowly and with a slight limp.
Bishy: Head to the exit point as fast as possible. Mawkin and Riddik said these things can run when they need to, so we don't have time to hang around.
Loight: Got it.
Bishy: Good. Let's go.
The team begin running to the edge of the ruins. Every entity they pass that comes within 10m of their position also breaks in to a run. Their long limbs cause them to move rather ungracefully, which impedes their composure and slows them down, allowing the team to maintain a distance. As they near the border, a larger manifestation of the entity (believed to be roughly twice the size of the other entities) emerges from behind what was formerly a temple. Upon its surface are a compact set of at least 40 different faces, each one contorted in to an expression of extreme pain.
Squit: Look, it's-!
Squit has turned his head back to look at the stampede of entities chasing them. One has Barnaby's anguished face on its surface.
Squit: Barnaby! We can still-
Bishy grabs Squit's shoulder and forces him forward.
Bishy: Don't look back! If you catch your own reflection in one of those things, you'll end up like Barnaby, then you'll have no chance of saving her.
The team cross the boundary of the ruins and continue to run, slowly gaining distance between them and their pursuers.
Mawkin: Their footsteps. They're falling behind quickly now… look.
Mawkin turns around to see the entities has largely stopped pursuit. Every second, the body of one of the entities crumbles to dust and their sphere drops to the floor, the reflections now gone. Some stop and turn back to the ruins.
Squit: This is our chance! Bishy, they're dropping out, the reflections are gone. Barnaby might be ba-
Bishy: No, Squit. You saw the others. They had faces of people they must have caught long before they went dormant. The reflection disappearing doesn't mean anything.
Squit: But-
Bishy: No. That's it. We move on. Barnaby is lost. There's nothing more we can do.
Squit: You… you're just going to end it like this? She was our bloody friend, Bishy! She-
Bishy: I know, Squit. I fucking know. We'll give them hell when we come back.
Test Text
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures:
Description: SCP-XXXX consists of six main components based within a large man-made cavern hidden 500m under ███████, UK. The six components are as follows:
- SCP-XXXX-01: A series of 46 interconnected parallel data processing units of custom design, each containing a terminal with which to interact with SCP-XXXX-01. The units feed data to and from a cylindrical relay station that dominates the center of the cavern, measuring 15.3m in height, and 7.1m in diameter. Surrounding the relay station are 8 sub-stations resembling operating tables, each of which is connected to the relay station by numerous cables, tubes and intravenous devices set in place to supply necessary nutrition and nourishment to those residing on the sub-stations. SCP-XXXX-02 to 05 currently occupy 4 of the sub-stations. The remaining 4 are unoccupied.
- SCP-XXXX-02: A biologically male human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 1st sub-station of SCP-XXXX-01.
- SCP-XXXX-03: A biologically male human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 3rd sub-station of SCP-XXXX-01.
- SCP-XXXX-04: A biologically female human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the fourth sub-station of SCP-XXXX-01.
- SCP-XXXX-05: A biologically female human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the eighth sub-station of SCP-XXXX-01.
- SCP-XXXX-06: A bulbous metallic mass sitting atop the relay station section of SCP-XXXX-01, measuring 8m in diameter and 4m in height. Printed on its side is the term "BIG-B.A.D." (see SCP-XXXX-01 Retrieved Documents - bigbadintro.txt).
SCP-XXXX-02 through 05 currently reside within a simulation of modern Earth being created by SCP-XXXX-01. The simulation has shown to follow largely similar event cycles present in reality. As events occur in reality, they subsequently occur within the simulation with an average delay of 23 hours.
The main difference between reality and the simulation is the almost complete lack of anomalous entities, including the presence of the SCP Foundation and various other GoIs. While anomalous activity has been seen to occur within the simulation, the hazards created by these events are minimal and mostly go unnoticed, except by the occasional simulated conspiracy theorist.
Extensive analysis of non-simulation data located within SCP-XXXX-01's databanks has lead to an understanding that SCP-XXXX-06 poses a substantial threat to humanity and our reality as we know it, possibly resulting in a CK-Class Reality Restructuring scenario and at worst, a ZK-Class Reality Failure event, should SCP-XXXX-02 through 05 be awoken. As long as at least one of SCP-XXXX-02 through 05 is connected and present within the simulation, SCP-XXXX-06 will remain inactive.
So far, no means to deactivate SCP-XXXX safely have been discovered.
SCP-XXXX-01 Terminal Access: On 11/13/20██, the Foundation Security Penetration team managed to successfully obtain root access to SCP-XXXX-01's Operating System and establish administrator privileges for various Foundation researchers with adequate clearance. Terminal access may be permitted to Level 3 and above personnel only. To apply for an account on the system, please contact the project director, Dr. Harsky.
SCP-XXXX-01 Retrieved Documents: Since establishing access to the SCP-XXXX-01's database via the terminals, the following files have been discovered:
> -- The BIG-B.A.D. Project --
>
> Hello, and congratulations on your acceptance to the BIG-B.A.D. project!
> You have been chosen, not only because of your profound expertise in the field of Theoretical Physics, but also due to your undying loyalty to the Better Earth Initiative.
>
> Undoubtedly you're excited to find out just what the BIG-B.A.D. project entails, and that's great to hear, not just because of your enthusiasm to help make our world a better place, but also because it means we are doing a good job keeping this all under wraps.
>
>
> -- What is the BIG-B.A.D. Project? --
> Don't let the name fool you, the BIG-B.A.D. project isn't bad at all! It's simply a convenient acronym used to refer to its full name: Big-Brane Assimilation Device
>
> As you can tell from the name, there's a good reason we need your Theoretical Physics expertise.
>
> The BIG-B.A.D. is an astounding device invented by the late Professor Samuel Briggs, capable of artificially inducing Brane collisions and intersections (for a more detailed explanation, see Professor Samuel Briggs' research in the file [REDACTED]).
>
> Yes, you read that right, after a series of mindboggling breakthroughs, Professor Briggs found a way to interact with the very fabric of existence that our universe resides on!
>
>
> -- What does this mean for us? --
> Quite simply, it means we can birth an entirely new universe.
>
> More accurately, it means we can rebirth our universe.
> _
> -- BIG-B.A.D. and You --
>
> So now you know what it's all about, what exactly will you be doing here?
>
> So many things! Your roles will be assigned progressively, as and when they are needed. One day you could be supervising the Candidates, the next you could be tasked with tailoring the simulation itself.
>
> Candidates you ask? Simulation? What on Better Earth are these things? Let's examine these in further detail!
>
>
> -- Who are the Candidates? --
>
> The Candidates are eight incredible people who aspire for a better world, just like us! They were chosen for this project due to their matching views of the Better Earth Initiative in creating a peaceful world where no one need fear another being again.
>
> They share our dream of a world without suffering, without cruelty, without hate or fear of rejection, and without the murky horrors that lurk in the shadows.
>
> Their aspirations for a Better Earth are what help mold the simulation in to a paradise for humanity.
>
>
> -- What is the Simulation? --
>
> The Simulation is an exact replica of our own world, down to the finest details, created through countless Brane collision simulations and time renderings. Within it are the avatars of the Candidates, living out their daily lives. Their very thoughts and actions allow us to tailor the world around them to make an ideal world for them and as result, the rest of humanity too!
>
> But why do all this? Why make a simulation of a perfect world? We want OUR world to be perfect, right?
>
> Of course, and through a combination of the Simulation and the BIG-B.A.D., we can see that dream achieved. You see, the Simulation isn't just simulating a perfect world. Behind it all, a large series of incredibly powerful supercomputers is observing this perfect world, and calculating the exact variables needed for the BIG-B.A.D. to create a collision that will create that very reality.
>
> We are essentially reverse-engineering the universe itself!
>
> When it's finally ready, the BIG-B.A.D. will be able to replace the dark world we reside in, with a world without a flaw!
> _
[ [ MANDATORY READING ] ]
You will be barred access to the Candidates, the Simulation and the BIG-B.A.D. until you have read through this file and taken a test to prove your understanding of the information contained within!!
>
>
> -- The BIG-B.A.D. Warnings --
> Messing with cosmic Branes is of course a risky task. We are involving ourselves with things that may even surpass what ever deity you may or may not believe in! To ensure we don't accidentally destroy the planet, or turn all of reality in to a giant carton of milk, the following guide will walk you through all the safety procedures required when working on the BIG-B.A.D. project.
>
>
> -- Candidate Safety --
>
> YOU MUST NOT WAKE THE CANDIDATES!!
>
> The Candidates will wake up naturally when the Simulation is complete. In the event that all eight of the candidates are awake, the BIG-B.A.D. is designed to interpret this as a final and lasting representation of an ideal reality, and will activate with the variables currently held within it.
>
> Should all of the Candidates wake up prematurely by any means, the BIG-B.A.D. will create a Brane collision with the incorrect setting and what it creates will most likely be an unstable mass of primordial chaotic goop that will crash in on itself the instant it's created.
>
> So whatever you do, do not do anything that might wake the candidates!
>
>
> -- Simulation Safety --
>
> When tailoring the Simulation, you may feel the urge to make the Candidates as happy as possible. Despite how it may seem, this is the exact opposite of what is required!
>
> In the event a Candidate is happy, they will not seek further happiness and will become ignorant to the plight of their fellow human beings. For this reason, the Simulation should always ensure the Candidate is in a state of longing for happiness at least 80% of the time.
>
> While this may seem cruel, we must keep in mind that mental suffering of these eight Candidates is what pushes them to dream and long for a perfect world, a dream from which we can extrapolate the required reality we wish to create!
>
> In the event a Candidate achieves a height of happiness that causes them to long for nothing, we run risking their mind outright rejecting the simulation, which would lead to them waking up. Such a situation is so dangerous that the Simulation actually has a safeguard system in place to ensure this never happens. The Mood Dampener Module will always be pulling the Candidate's mood down, so we can be sure it will never get that bad! Just make sure it doesn't get too low, either.
>
>
> Hopefully now you understand the risks and hazards of working with project BIG-B.A.D.! To ensure this is the case, you will be given a written test on the content of this document, and afterwards a psychological examination to ensure your loyalty still remains with the Better Earth Initiative.
>
> Good luck!
> _
> 16/02/██
> -----------------
> Oh boy, Jessica is even more robotic than usual today. Some weird glitches have been popping up in the simulation and she can't for the life of her figure out the cause! It's pretty funny to watch, just make sure you don't talk to her when she's doing her thing.
>
> Candidate 2 actually noticed some of the glitches, thought she was in a dream when a man started telling her to wake up. Decided to put her mind elsewhere, made her boyfriend break up with her. Not that I have any issue with that, he wasn't good enough for her anyway.
>
> Heh, I really need to stop fawning over her, we're not meant to get attached to the Candidates in case we start being "too nice" to them.
>
> Sometimes I like to slip something nice under the radar though. Figured out how to delete actions from the logs, so I can give them little gifts without getting caught! I see no issue with the occasional little gift though. It's hardly fair to just be mean to them all the time. It's not like they volunteered for this.
> _
> 18/08/██
> -----------------
> Weird stuff happened in the simulation again today.
>
> Can't quite figure it out, the glitches have been happening more often. Some of the candidates have started noticing. They know something's wrong.
> Looked through the error logs but there isn't anything there.
>
> Something else happened. A file from our own systems appeared on one of their computers. No idea how it got there. Someone must've done a drag'n'drop to the wrong place.
>
> Forced their system to crash before they could read it all. Candidate got too excited about the possibility of their involvement in a conspiracy. Had to distract them.
>
> Killed their grandmother.
> _
> 25/08/██
> -----------------
> Major issue, we think we've been compromised.
>
> I don't know how, our systems have no connection to any external networks. It has to be someone on the inside. A traitor.
>
> They keep slipping messages in to the simulation. Keep trying to wake up the candidate.
>
> They must be insane. They could destroy the universe.
>
> Warren has started trying to crack down on it. Keeps taking people off for questioning. He has become extremely paranoid. Suspects everyone. Going to have to fix this quick.
> _
> 02/09/██
> -----------------
> Warren has gone insane. The messages have been getting more intense. Two candidates nearly woke up yesterday, had to kill their loved ones. That's when Warren snapped.
>
> Today he locked down the facility, said he won't let us out until we find who is doing this. Supplies already running low, this place wasn't designed to be a hold out.
>
> Estimate we have three days worth of food and water. We should find the culprit by then.
>
>
> 11/09/██
> -----------------
> Been without food for five days. Water almost gone. Warren still nuts. Thought he found the culprit yesterday, started beating the shit out of Roger.
>
> Messages still continue.
>
>
> 14/09/██
> -----------------
> Roger is dead.
>
> Died of dehydration.
>
> Messages continue.
>
> Warren doesn't even seem sorry.
>
>
> 16/09/██
> -----------------
> Everyone's gone. Just me and Warren.
>
> Messages continue.
>
> Neither of us have witnessed the other tampering with the terminals. Don't know how but message must be coming from outside.
>
> Both of us are too exhausted to counter the attacks. Universe is basically doomed. We'll both be dead soon anyway, so it's not so bad.
> _
> 17/09/██
> -----------------
> One of the candidates woke up.
> _
!!!! WARNING !!!!
>
> - 50% OF CANDIDATES DISCONNECTED UNEXPECTEDLY! -
>
> - ACTIVATING AUTOMATIC MOOD DAMPENER -
> - MOOD DAMPENER MODULE INCREASING FACTOR FROM 50% TO 300% -
>
> - ADJUSTING PARAMETERS ACCORDINGLY -
>
> - MOOD DAMPENER MODULE SUCCESSFULLY INCREASED FACTOR FROM 50% TO 300% -
>
> - RESUMING MONITOR MODE -
>
> End of Log
> _
Addendum 01 - 02/02/20██: Since SCP-XXXX's discovery, the simulation present in SCP-XXXX-01 had been maintained by Foundation staff successfully, and the stable psychological boundaries established within the documentation present in SCP-XXXX-01's databanks had been held across SCP-XXXX-02 through 05.
However, on 01/28/20██, anomalies began to manifest in the simulation that are consistent with those recorded by former Better Earth Initiative employees, shortly before their demise.
Due to this, various technologically proficient Foundation personnel have been assigned to the formation of a Cyber Task Force (CTF). Those working as part of the CTF will actively seek and eliminate any anomalous activity present within the simulation, in order to keep the Candidates unaware of their situation.
Addendum 02 - 07/19/2007: SCP Foundation documentation was discovered to have appeared in the simulation. The files concerning SCP-173 were found posted by an anonymous user on a public imageboard website. The CTF has since removed all trace of the post, however, they have been unable to find the source of the post, neither within the simulation nor within reality.
The CTF has been designated further personnel for the purpose of monitoring web forms within the simulation in case of further SCP information breaches.
Addendum 03 - 01/22/2008: SCP information breaches have increased exponentially since the first, reaching a point that is overwhelming the assigned CTF. On 01/02/2008, SCP-XXXX-██ was exposed to two of these leaked files and has since taken an interest in their content.
Due to the inability of the CTF to safely prevent these data leaks further, a new operation has been put in to effect to minimize the damage caused, known as Operation Ghost Writer.
SCP documentation is to periodically be released on to a Foundation run website, created on 01/19/2008, under the guise of a creative writing community centered around paranormal entities. The website is to be an accurate representation of the Foundation but treated as fiction.
Addendum 04 - 11/08/20██: Operation Ghost Writer has so far proven successful in keeping SCP-XXXX-02 through SCP-XXXX-05 ignorant of the truth, all 4 of which have taken an active interest in the website. SCP-XXXX-██ and SCP-XXXX-██ in particular having jointly contributed ██ articles to the website so far.
As a result of these additional articles, genuine SCP documents will need to be uploaded with an offset to their actual designated value to avoid replacing the articles written by SCP-XXXX-02 through SCP-XXXX-05.
Wake up mindfuck goes here
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: No direct action is required in the containment of SCP-XXXX, however, its current location, the now abandoned Site-41-A, is to be kept under watch at all times by assigned Observation Personnel.
Designated observers and researchers of the phenomenon are to be stationed at Site-41-B, and may only consist of personnel that have not been previously assigned to Site-41-A. In addition, personnel must be restricted to levels B1 through B11 during observation periods.
Under no circumstances may any Site-41-A Observation Personnel access level B12, due to dangerously high radiation leakage following the destruction of the on-site power grid located on that level. Access to level B12 may only be granted to designated Maintenance Personnel.
Extensive quarantine protocols are enforced on level B12 due to the presence of Type-B Corriger Radiation5. To avoid risking contamination, Observation Personnel are to have no interaction with Maintenance Personnel and must conduct all required research within the allowed observation period (0600 to 2000 hours) in order to avoid unnecessary contact. Any Observation Personnel found within Site-41-A outside of the observation period will be subject to extensive Emergency Level 3 decontamination procedures.
Navigation of Site-41-A is only to be permitted during the maintenance period (2030 to 0530 hours) to avoid creating suspicion among Observation Personnel. When accessing Site-41-A, Maintenance Personnel are to wear their supplied hazmat suits. No Maintenance Personnel may access B12 without first wearing their supplied hazmat suit.
After entry to B12, Maintenance Personnel must first confirm the elevator system has been re-locked to levels B1 through B11, at which point they are permitted to remove their supplied hazmat suit.
Maintenance Personnel are to operate under the pretense that B12 is filled with what shall be referred to as "Corriger Radiation", a fictitious form of radiation designed to deter accidental interaction with Observation Personnel. Any questions regarding "Corriger Radiation" should be answered with a reference to a falsified paper known as "The Nature of Viral Instability and its Effects on Modern Nuclear Physics" written by Thomas Corriger.
Additional procedures concerning the handling of Project EXPUNGE can be found within your personal P-EXP briefing files.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a phenomenon that manifests as the physically existent actions of a non-existent human, that have occurred exclusively within Site-41-A following a D-Class riot that took place on 02/11/20██ (see Related Riot Incident History).
The entity has no physical presence itself nor does it provide any measurable force on its environment and in addition, it has never been shown to react to any form of stimuli applied to its surroundings or at its apparent location. Due to this, designated Observation and Maintenance Personnel have been able to freely wander throughout Site-41-A without risking unwanted damage to or from SCP-XXXX6.
Daily observed effects consist of trivial matters, including but not limited to:
- Showers switching on in the morning, then off after an average of 5 minutes, 12 seconds.
- Toilets flushing at 3-4 hour intervals.
- Food in the Site-41-A cafeteria being cooked without any measurable acting force.
- The subsequent spontaneous disappearance of the aforementioned cooked food.
More drastic events include but are not limited to:
- Windows shattering.
- Damage and/or destruction of on-site equipment.
- Discharge of firearms.
- The deaths of former Site-41-A personnel (see Emergency Action Summary XXXX-1).
All food/equipment/firearms manipulated by SCP-XXXX have exclusively been those that were present on Site-41-A at the time of its original manifestation on 02/11/20██. As part of experimentation procedures, various food substances originating from off-site have been placed in the Site-41-A cafeteria, mixed with food already present, but SCP-XXXX has not been seen to interact with them.
In some test cases, food and equipment originating within Site-41-A have been taken off-site, yet experienced the SCP-XXXX phenomenon as if they were still on-site, indicating SCP-XXXX has some connection to the specific layout of Site-41-A at the time it first appeared on 02/11/20██.
Related Riot Incident History: SCP-XXXX was first seen to manifest following the D-Class riot of 02/11/20██. After a containment breach was initiated by SCP-████, seventy percent of the Site-41-A security personnel suffered fatal casualties. At the same time, SCP-████ managed to break down the facility power grid on level B12, causing a radiation leak that ultimately cut power to the whole of Site-41-A. This resulted in the security system of the D-Class Holding Wing failing to operate, and 113 D-Class personnel broke free of their confinement.
The riot lasted thirteen hours before a backup response team arrived on site and managed to subdue the D-Class personnel and recontain SCP-████.
An anomaly present in the 23 surviving D-Class personnel was made apparent when it was discovered they all believed they were still a part of the recently quelled riot. All 23 were reported to jeer about the success of raids on Site-41-A sectors that never occurred, recurring cries generally along the lines of "you'll never take us alive!", and constant praise towards an unknown D-Class member allegedly leading the riot, a character the surviving D-Class personnel are unable to attribute a name to (whether by choice or lack of knowledge is unknown).
Since this was first observed, 17 of the survivors have lapsed into a severe catatonic stupor, 5 still believe the riot is taking place, and 1 has returned to his pre-riot state (see Interview Log - D-5153/XXXX).
The effects of SCP-XXXX manifested less than 24 hours following the riot, starting with the unexplained destruction of equipment, and then escalating to the violent deaths of several Foundation personnel, which lead to a facility-wide lockdown of Site-41-A. Over the course of three days, the effects became decreasingly fatal, until the situation was deemed stable and the lockdown was lifted, allowing Site-41-A to be evacuated.
Emergency Action Summary XXXX-1: On 02/22/20██, 11 days after the first known manifestation of SCP-XXXX, a fatal incident involving several former Site-41-A personnel took place. Dr. S█████, then stationed temporarily at Site-██, was seen to experience a series of seizures, followed by what nearby personnel described unanimously as a "blood-curdling scream" before he dropped to the ground and passed away less than a minute later.
Following an autopsy, Dr. S█████ was found to have died from a series of gunshot wounds to the abdomen and upper-back, in addition to a similar wound at the back of the knee. Despite this report, no signs of any bullet fragments, nor any shrapnel have been located in the body, or around the area that the attack is believed to have taken place, and all witnesses of the seizure claim to have heard no gunshots during the incident.
Three hours following this report, the time of the incident was cross-referenced and correlated with an incident that took place within Site-41-A in which two observers had witnessed the unprovoked discharge of a firearm hanging in the on-site armory, an event attributed to the SCP-XXXX phenomenon. It was discovered that the time of Dr. S█████'s death and the discharge of the firearm happened simultaneously.
A further 17 hours later, three more former Site-41-A personnel were found dead in their own sleeping quarters, having suffered similar bullet wound symptoms, all within a minute of one another. It has since been noted that all three were known to work in Sector L of the Biology Department, alongside Dr. S█████.
Due to these events, an Emergency Action protocol has been enacted and all 38 of the remaining Site-41-A personnel are to be monitored at all times since it is likely that SCP-XXXX still has some influence over them. In addition, all firearms located at Site-41-A at the time of the D-Class riot (both side-arms and armory stocks) are to be dismantled and destroyed as part of the Disarm Protocol, in an attempt to nullify any connections between them and those they would have affected7.
Emergency Action Summary XXXX-2: As of 06/10/20██, 18 further personnel have been observed to die in similar circumstances to those mentioned in Emergency Action Summary XXXX-1, each correlating with an event occurring at Site-41-A. These include (in chronological order):
- A sudden temperature increase detected among the fragmented remains of a former on-site firearm (destroyed following the Disarm Protocol), leading to the deaths of the former Foundation staff assigned to Sectors H and J. This has indicated that the current status of objects SCP-XXXX interacts with have no effect on the final outcome.
- A series of knife wounds in the body of a security guard that correlate with the appearance of a knife in the hall between Sector G and H where said security guard once acted on patrol.
- The discharging of the personal side-arm of the aforementioned security guard, an item that was off-site at the time of the incident (weapon failed to be handed in as part of Disarm Protocol), leading to the deaths of two former Sector F personnel.
- The deaths of all Sector E personnel by a combination of bludgeon attacks and strangulation, the best correlation of which can be tied to the shattering of various viewing rooms that occurred in Sector E during the time period in which the former Sector E personnel died.
- A former Sector K guard who previously confessed to having gone to Sector E during the time the D-Class riot began, to meet the now deceased Dr. V███, whom he had been having an affair with. This further supports the theory that the order of deaths is not tied to the assigned location within Site-41-A, but to actual location at the time of SCP-XXXX's manifestation.
Remaining Site-41-A personnel have made it clear that the events are taking place at increasingly deeper levels of Site-41-A, leading to the conclusion that SCP-XXXX is heading towards level B12 for some unknown reason. Under no circumstances can SCP-XXXX be allowed to reach level B12.
Interview Log - D-5153/XXXX
Interviewed: D-5153
Interviewer: Dr. F█████
Foreword: D-5153 was a former D-Class at Site-41-A known to have displayed various forms of erratic behavior, even before the D-Class riot. This mentality manifested 4 days after his arrival at Site-41-A, whereupon a sudden change in his psychological profile was brought on by some unknown event. Under suspicion that this abrupt change may be related to SCP-XXXX, an interview was conducted.
<Begin Log>Dr. F█████: Hello D-5153, how are you feeling today?
D-5153: What do you fucking think?
Dr. F█████: Very well, we shall get right to it. What can you tell me about your time on Site-41-A?
D-5153: Time of my life, doc. A real party, never a dull moment. Friends dropping out left and right, what more could a guy ask for?
Dr. F█████: Right. What do you mean by, "friends dropping out left and right"? I hear you have said similar things before. Would you care to elaborate?
D-5153: Just messin' with you, doc. I ain't that crazy.
Dr. F█████: That's strange, we have here in your file, that you've previously said, and I quote: "They're disappearing! They're all disappearing!", "Where have they gone? Tell me what you did with them!" and my personal favorite: "Remember me! Remember me, please! Don't forget me like you did all the others!".
D-5153: Jeez, you really did your homework, huh?
Dr. F█████: Would you care to elaborate on those instead?
D-5153: It doesn't matter. You won't get it. None of you ever do. They didn't get it back at the site, and there's no way you'll get it out here.
Dr. F█████: For the record, I need you to tell me anyway.
9 seconds of silence, D-5153 is visibly agitated.
D-5153: You didn't work on that site, did you?
Dr. F█████: No, I'm from elsewhere.
D-5153: So I guess you don't know shit about B12?
Dr. F█████: The floor with the radiation leak?
D-5153 laughs briefly.
D-5153: Radiation leak?! Is that what those bozos are sayin' to ya? That is rich! Ain't you ever done one of these stupid interviews with one of your chums from that shithole?
Dr. F█████: No, not yet, it's currently restri- no, this is getting off-topic.
D-5153: That figures.
Dr. F█████: So what do you think is on level B12?
D-5153: Hell if I know. Even guys like you didn't know. F'r example, I got chummy with one of the scientists there, I forget his name, used to sneak in stuff for me and the other guys there, everyone loved that old geezer. I asked him about B12 one time and he said he didn't know either, he said we wasn't supposed to know so I should just keep my mouth shut.
Dr. F█████: How did you know about B12, to begin with?
D-5153: Well, every couple of months, you guys would come take one of us down there. I'd hear it through my cell door, "take this guy down to B12" and we'd never see the guy again.Dr. F█████: It sounds like a routine test. Although…
Dr. F█████ pauses to examine on-hand documentation.
Dr. F█████: It does indeed seem strange that we have no logs of any such activity in regards to that floor.
D-5153: Of course there ain't no logs, 'cause there ain't no one to remember to make any logs.
Dr. F█████: Elaborate.
D-5153: Y'see, this is the thing. When those people got taken down to B12, they didn't just not come back, it was like they never even existed.
Dr. F█████: Records are usually deleted afterward, it just sounds like-
D-5153: Come on doc, use your head, I ain't got access to no records like you, how could I be talking about your damn records? What I mean is, no one remembered 'em at all! One by one they'd drop, but ain't no one even remembered they were ever there, let alone their name! All trace of 'em, gone! Just like that!
Dr. F█████: The researcher you mentioned before, the one you claim would procure items for you and the other Class D personnel, could you identify him for us?
D-5153: I doubt it, doc.
Dr. F█████: Surely you haven't forgotten the face of someone you held in such high regard.
D-5153 is silent for 12 seconds and becomes visibly agitated again.
D-5153: One day that scientist guy looked all sad like… said he wouldn't be around much longer, but when I asked why, he wouldn't say. Few days later… no one remembered him either.
D-5153 is silent for a further 6 seconds.
D-5153: I'm tellin' you man, everyone knew that guy in the D-Wing, we was all good friends and then it was like, poof! No one had ever met him! Even the other science guys didn't know who I was talkin' about!
Dr. F█████: And of course, you have no way to prove any of this.
D-5153: Damn it doc, how the hell can I prove somethin' happened if there ain't no trace of their existin' left?
Dr. F█████: Then there isn't much for me to go on, even if I did believe you.
D-5153: Shit, I don't know. I told you man, you guys never believe me. Okay, how about this, there was only about a hundred or so of us in that place, right?
Dr. F█████: Roughly, yes.
D-5153: Then why was there enough cells to hold at least four hundred of us! That place was completely empty when that riot went down, it was a damn ghost town!
Dr. F█████: I doubt whatever was happening there would warrant the loss of nearly three hundred personnel. How do you think they could justify the loss of so many people?
D-5153: That's just it! You guys, the ones doin' it! You don't remember them people either! You drop one of us, you forget they existed, you forget it ever happened, so you go do it again!
Dr. F█████: I am not here to debate absurd conspiracy theories with you. Let's just wrap this up, I'll humor you. Why are you the only one that remembers these people?
D-5153: I'm not. Well… I wasn't.
Dr. F█████: There is another?
D-5153: Was. Yeah. I forget his name, just like all the others that went to B12. Only reason I knew I wasn't crazy, was because he remembered them people too.
Dr. F█████: Describe him.
D-5153: Resourceful guy, pretty dangerous really, not someone you wanted as an enemy. The guy was a natural leader, always had people rallyin' around him. Always talkin' about how he was gonna stick it to you guys one day and get us outta there.
Dr. F█████: What did he think of B12?
D-5153: Wouldn't shut up about it, sounded crazier than I do. Said he was gonna make you guys pay for what you were doin' down there, whatever it was. Said he was gonna find a way down there and make it his own, use it against you all. That guy was mad with revenge.
Dr. F█████: I see. He sounds very optimistic, considering his situation.
D-5153: Y'think? I dunno. I think if you knew him, you wouldn't say that.
Dr. F█████: How so?
D-5153: Let's just say it's damn ironic that that riot took place a few hours after you took him down to B12. With him in charge, hell, we probably could've actually stuck it to you guys.
Dr. F█████: Very well, we've used up enough time. Thank you for your cooperation.
<End Log>
Closing Statement: D-5153 has since been terminated and Dr. F█████ has been reassigned to external field duties following administration of a Class A amnestic. Further research into level B12 is to be suspended.
The following note was found by Research Assistant C█████ inside a small Scranton-Faraday Cage8, within an empty, unused office at Site-41-A:
P-EXP
[ILLEGIBLE]
[ILLEGIBLE] -tually gonna miss those D-Class guys. Some of them weren't so bad. It's funny, I actually tried to help a few of them have a more pleasant stay, despite regulations. Maybe they were taking advantage of me, I don't know, I can be pretty naive sometimes. It doesn't really matter anymore.
Now they know I know, I'm most certainly going to be on the receiving end of that thing down there. It hurts to think I won't even be mourned by my fa- [ILLEGIBLE]
I will divulge what I can on the information I gathered, but I can't promise it will be of any use.
[ILLEGIBLE] -t and when the elevator overshot my floor, I ended up on B12 somehow. They always told us to stay away from that floor, so we wouldn't bother the maintenance personnel, but fate had placed me here and my curiosity got the better of me.
I didn't venture very far, I'm way too much of a coward for that, but what I did- [ILLEGIBLE] [[span class="pexpbody"]]Thankfully he didn't see me. When I got back to my office, I decided to check out the P-EXP file I found. The papers are riddled with kill hazards I would rather not risk exposing you to, in case you lack the necessary training, so I'll try to summarise the contents here.
P-EXP, also known as "Project EXPUNGE" is a device capab- [ILLEGIBLE]
[[span class="pexpbody"]]I find it horrifying to imagine. The idea that more than just my current existence could be erased. It's more than just dying, it's removing something from time and space itself. No past, no future, no ANYTHING. The thought that all of the experiences I have had, good and bad, could simply have not happened thanks to this machine. Reduced to less than even a memory.
[ILLEGIBLE]
[ILLEGIBLE] [[span class="pexpbody"]]and so using what I know of Scranton-Faraday reality defense technology, I think I have constructed a fancy offshoot of the typical cage that will hopefully shield from most of the effects detailed in the paper. I pray that as much of the message as possible will rema- [ILLEGIBLE]
[[span class="pexpbody"]]The files end with an addendum that covers an interesting flaw in the machine. They have theorized some sort of metaphysical disconnect between "cause" and "effect". I don't really understand it, the logic involved is somewhat esoteric, but it seems they can't fully remove both yet. In other words, although the subject may be gone, the effects they would have created if they had continued to exist will still manifest. They have appropriately named this a "Causeless Effect" and they appear somewhat worried about it.
To avoid this, they pre-plan the execution of subjects as if they would somehow survive the ordeal, to create a set of inevitable events that force the Causeless Effect to follow a path where the subject would have been executed and is, therefore, unable to commit any further effects. Rather ingenious, really.
But still not safe enough to stop them from worrying. God only knows what would happen if something were to happen to interrupt one of those planned executions.
[ILLEGIBLE]
Research Assistant C█████ has since been administered a Class A amnestic and reassigned to external duties.
For further information, consult Thomas Corriger's paper, "The Nature of Viral Instability and its Effects on Modern Nuclear Physics".
