Ancient Five

Sentience Evolution Initiative

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Thaumiel

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is located in Basement Level 1 at Site-89. This facility currently houses over 150 security staff, as well as the entirety of Provisional Task Force Sigma-Nu-9 "Keepers". Staff stationed at this site are tasked with preventing entry of any and all civilians and personnel into the machine's housing, regardless of security clearance. Anyone observed to be interacting with SCP-XXXX is to be terminated on sight.

Due to the unstable nature of SCP-XXXX's parts, Mann Instability Suppressors are to be attached to the machine and active at all times excluding testing periods. In the event that either SCP-XXXX or its MIS units should malfunction, SCP-XXXX is to be disabled by any means necessary. Detonation of onsite nuclear warheads is allowed with prior approval by Overwatch Command.

Entry into SCP-XXXX's housing and experimentation with the machine requires the approval of at least seven members of Overwatch Command. Clearance to operate the machine is granted only to the group of personnel trained under Technician General Langley¹ and thereby deemed eligible to maintain the machine. Operation of SCP-XXXX may only occur during approved testing sessions.

If SCP-XXXX is destroyed, reconstruction is to begin immediately. There are currently ██ sites that have been repurposed to fit the needs of SCP-XXXX. If reconstruction is impossible, Directive 10-B is to be issued to all Foundation staff and put into motion as soon as possible.

Description: SCP-XXXX is a machine dedicated to the inception of controlled Reality Restructuring Events². The machine was built as per the guidelines of Contingency Plan 10³ and has been in operation for two years, having been rebuilt once. As of this year, the machine has been successful in the neutralization of several anomalous objects and entities that would have been otherwise impossible to contain or destroy.

SCP-XXXX operates by "collecting" distortions in reality, reprogramming them, and subsequently redirecting them towards the desired object. The machine will then "fire" the distortion at the target, generating a Reality Restructuring event with the desired effects⁴. SCP-XXXX is currently in its nascent stage of operation and is often imprecise, leading to high levels of collateral damage when it is used. Due to this, the machine may only be used when it is deemed absolutely necessary to do so.

SCP-XXXX is self-powered by a Boshqaruv-12 core. The construction of this core causes it to be highly unstable, and it will often fluctuate in reality for short periods of time. This core contains a processing unit with an integrated A.I., designed to study these fluctuations in reality and recreate them in the Foundation's coding language. The A.I. then infers how a specified set of physical laws would appear in code, basing its inference on gathered data. This code is registered as the command for the core itself, which then applies the desired Reality Restructuring Event upon a target, forcing it to follow the laws defined in the given code.

The A.I. used for this function is still undergoing development; this is the primary cause of SCP-XXXX's imprecision. Advancement of its learning process is ongoing.

S.E.I. LEVEL 3+ CLEARANCE REQUIRED

Notice to All Incoming Personnel

Welcome to your new assignment as a researcher at Site-89. Details regarding SCP-XXXX will be provided in a separate document upon your arrival. Before you begin working with SCP-XXXX, it is required that you read the following document.

Your number one priority as a member of Site-89 is to preserve the integrity of the Sentience Evolution Initiative (alternatively designated as the SEI) at all costs. The Initiative is the failsafe of Contingency Plan 10; if all other options become invalid, the Initiative will begin. Currently, the ethical issues and practical applications of the Initiative are under debate by the O5 Council and Ethics Committee. Until a conclusion is reached, the Initiative remains a potential course of action for the Foundation and its integrity must be ensured.

The steps of the Sentience Evolution Initiative are as follows:

1. SCP-XXXX is activated.
2. SCP-XXXX is programmed as per the guidelines listed in Part One of Document-SEI-1, which has been provided to Technician General Langley. In the event that this document cannot be accessed, the current Site Administrator is to acquire its digital copy directly from Overwatch Command.
3. SCP-XXXX is to be fired at all humans except Technician General Langley or the current Technician General.
4. Movement of humanity's collective consciousness into the Safe Zone is to be confirmed.
5. SCP-XXXX is to be reprogrammed as per the guidelines listed in Part Two of Document-SEI-1.
6. SCP-XXXX is to be fired at the entirety of the known universe.

Thus concludes the Sentience Evolution Initiative. Please keep in mind that the Initiative is an absolute last resort and may not be activated unless criteria for Contingency Plans 1-9 cannot be met. If Contingency Plan 10 cannot be fulfilled, [DATA EXPUNGED].

Good luck in your new position at Site-██.

Regards,
Administrator ██████

Ethics Committee Log #XXXX-1

[[div class="blockquote"]]

Johannsen: Begin log of Ethics Committee meeting XXXX-1. Topic of debate: the ethical implications of the Sentience Evolution Initiative. Present are Crow, Mallory, Williams, Tamaki, and Johannsen leading. All members consenting to participation in and recording of this meeting, say Aye.

All Members: Aye.

Johannsen: Now that that's over with, let's begin. Everyone read the proposal, correct?

Crow: Yeah, but I could use some clarification.

Johannsen: Go ahead.

Crow: What exactly are they going to do to us? They say we're being moved… to another planet? Another universe, maybe?

Johannsen: Apparently, that particular part of the Initiative was above my pay grade. Based on the little information I have, though, I'd say that the labcoats found a way to move our consciousness somewhere else, like moving programs from a computer to a hard drive. Now, what the hard drive is, I'm not sure. All I know regarding that facet of the Initiative is that we're going somewhere safe- some kind of controlled environment.

Crow: So… okay, that doesn't help me too much.

Johannsen: You and I can talk about it later. For now, we need to focus on the topic at hand; specifically, whether or not deleting the universe is morally acceptable.

Williams: How exactly does one decide that kind of thing?

Mallory: Apparently, by consulting the Ethics Committee.

Johannsen: You make a valid point, Williams; frankly, we're just going to have to figure that out ourselves.

Mallory: Leave it to us to debate about debating.

Johannsen: Mallory, the next time you interject, it had better be really important. Now, does anyone have anything important to say?

Tamaki: I do. Can you imagine the psychological impact of deleting one's universe? The thought that everything- everything you ever knew is gone? If we're going somewhere where our existence is our mind, we can't have something that traumatizing going through people's… heads?

Crow: Tamaki, if there's one thing I've learned in my [REDACTED] years at the Foundation, it's that they find a way. I believe that it is entirely possible that they'll use that big machine down there to make everyone believe that things were always like this.

Tamaki: I disagree. That machine isn't precise enough to change the color of your clothes, much less your neural pathways. Say that the Initiative is put into place sometime soon. How are we going to explain to the entire population of Earth that their home is gone? That they now exist as something entirely intangible and nearly impossible to understand?

Crow: As much as we all love Earth, the idea of moving on has existed for decades. People will be glad that they still exist once we tell them why this happened. Of course, there'll be the patriot here and there that disagrees with us and would rather have died with Earth, but that shouldn't be a serious issue. As for your second question, well…

Johannsen: I'll take this one if you don't mind, Crow.

Crow: Go right ahead.

Johannsen: There are a lot of ways we could go about covering up the truth in this one. For instance, we could tell everyone that they had been preserved as programs using chips in their brains or something like that. We've been engineering cover stories for years; this is no different than any other time.

Tamaki: And the Veil Protocol? What if that's already been blown out of the water for some reason or another?

Johannsen: The Veil Protocol would no longer be a priority of the Foundation. Our universe would be gone, and its anomalies with it; nothing would be coming after us. However, if we did decide to give everything away for some reason… well, if the Foundation understood what makes up human consciousness, other people can as well. It'll work its way down into layman's terms and then no one will think anything of it. It is unlikely that we would give this away, however; the risk would be worthless.

Tamaki: …fine. I find your explanation to be… acceptable.

Johannsen: Thank you, Tamaki. Does anyone else have any concerns about the Initiative? We don't seem to be making any progress here.

Williams: What if the machine malfunctions?

Mallory: I don't see that happening. If this whole thing gets approved, they're going to expedite development on the machine. They're going to experiment with that thing day and night until they're 100 percent sure that it's going to work. Plus, the fail-safes in place for this thing would shut it down then and there if it went haywire. The probability of things going wrong is… a very large number to one.

Williams: Anything that can go wrong, will, and in the worst way possible.

Tamaki: Not like it would matter if it did go wrong.

Johannsen: Tamaki?

Tamaki: We're only doing this if there's no better option, right? I figure that means we're going to be dead if we don't use it and maybe something worse if it malfunctions. Obviously, we're going to at least try to use it; as I said, there would be no better option.

Mallory: That's a bit of an unexpected change in tone.

Tamaki: This isn't the kind of thing where the Committee says no and everyone follows suit. Do you really think the Council would just let this opportunity slip through their fingers? I'm still against doing this. I don't want to leave behind my grandmother… my home. But regardless of my opinion, the people up top are going to do what they have to do. I don't see a point in discussing this any further.

Johannsen: Alright, alright, that's enough, Tamaki. This isn't getting anywhere anytime soon, and I need coffee. All in favor of a short break?

All Members: Aye.

Audio playback ends.

---

Ideas to include:

• Further debates on the moral/ethical/whatever else kinds of issues associated with the S.E.I.
• Ideas about what makes a person a person (i.e., is it the mind, the body, or both)
• Also need to find a good way to conclude the EthCom debate.

After Hours

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Due to its immobile nature, SCP-XXXX is to remain as is. A shell company by the name of Collins & Wright Attorneys is to occupy the building directly above SCP-XXXX. A plainclothes security team will remain on-site to prevent any civilian access to the anomaly.

SCP-XXXX may be used by personnel as a relaxation area while it is active. Personnel using SCP-XXXX must report any information pertaining to the status or history of PoIs 5949-2768/2769⁵ to Site Command whenever possible.

Personnel found to be abusing SCP-XXXX's alcohol supply will be suspended from usage of the area for one month⁶.

Description: SCP-XXXX is a temporal phenomenon occurring in a large, subterranean complex on a weekly basis. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 8 P.M. to 12 A.M., the interior of the complex will spontaneously become that of a nightclub. A large crowd will appear, as well as a fully stocked bar, light fixtures, a turntable, a large video screen, and a full set of staff. It is possible to interact directly with the environment, as well as all of its inhabitants, during the active phase of SCP-XXXX.

The series of events that occur during SCP-XXXX's active phase are predetermined; if the anomaly is not significantly interfered with during its cycle, the timeline will remain the same throughout the three-night event.

Footnotes

1. Personnel seeking training in the usage of this interface must first obtain written permission from the Site Administrator, as well as a full background check and psychological screening. Qualified personnel may then report to Technician General Langley for training.

2. Events in which portions of reality are "restructured" to fit new laws.

3. A fallback plan for the Foundation in the event that an anomaly cannot plausibly be contained or destroyed by conventional means.

4. As an example, the machine fired a distortion at SCP-████ and was programmed to force all objects in the desired area to follow accepted scientific law. SCP-████'s reality-bending effects were nullified and the object was disposed of.

5. Known informally as Kat and Yui, respectively.

6. Sgt. Polo is permanently banned from entering SCP-XXXX. If I see you touching a bottle again, solitary confinement will be the least of your worries. -Dr. Collins