Collaboration: ashmage, comptech, Kai Wines, Leveritas, Lunadog15, NElderT, Noobly Walker

SCP-914 gets repaired by a bunch of interns, a junior researcher and a maintenance technician. This is going to end well. Maybe.

Credits

Co-Authors:

• Doctor Veritas - Leveritas
• Intern Lunar - Lunadog15
• Intern Snevets - comptech
• Intern Walker - Noobly Walker
• Intern Voltê / Researcher Jay - ashmage
• Junior Researcher Kai - Kai Wines
• Maintenance Technician Johnson - NElderT

Reviewers on Discord:
Jacelyn, Laskenta, MemeMarine, Rasclon, SirStafford

Reviewers on Forum:
AKFrost, AtomicGummyGod

Important

Links

Mainsite Forum Page (hosted by Kai)
http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-12200924/experiment-log-914-hub#post-4301774

Google Doc (hosted by Kai)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nmSkFyethmGZdIEuWj8bjMj3vPORBLB_Ps2VqN2JUoc/edit?usp=sharing

Map of Site-19 Facility 23
http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/experiment-log-914-hub/914enlarged.png

What To Do When Everything Goes To Shit
http://www.scp-wiki.net/lockdown-procedures

Information

Not known to Foundation

914 was originally held within a large wooden shell shaped like a castle and was covered in small wooden automatons and scenery, all of which was controlled mechanically. The current selection dial was placed on 914 at an unknown point. Originally, the setting was selected by first placing a statue in an altar above a ring and then turning the ring which pointed to an illustrated panel. It is unclear how many "settings" there originally were ("frog" appears to be one of them) and what the significance of the altar, which cannot be found on 914 now (possibly a counterweight that was rendered redundant after damage, or if it could have functioned as a mood panel). 914 was originally designed by an illegitimate child of the House of Faberge as the central part of an elaborate clockwork display for an unidentified czar of Russia. 914 was moved into permanent storage after the prince convinced the princess to step into the input booth, leading to her slow, painful demise. While in storage, jewellery, automatons and scenery pieces were stolen off of it, possibly damaging parts of the internal workings. 914 was later moved to the basement of the czar’s vacation home. When the home burned down, the wooden shell of 914 was destroyed and the machine was buried under the rubble (Note: the summer house burned down in the time of the czar’s great-grandchildren, a considerable time later). 914 was later found by an unknown scholar, and was moved overseas, presumably without any further damage. He was eventually driven mad by his inability to understand how it functioned.

Foundation knowledge

The scholar who discovered 914 ended up committing suicide, and his house burned down shortly after police investigators found his body. The house collapsed as it burned, again burying 914 in rubble. 914 does not function properly any more, due to damage from years of testing, fires, and building collapses. 914 previously had the ability to manipulate objects at the subatomic level, but no longer can. The 914 currently in Foundation possession is suspected to be part of a larger entity, but cannot be confirmed. 914 remembers the settings of many dials. 914 is capable of making new parts for itself. Output depends on the user’s intent. The output will still be unpredictable.

Notes

• Try to use Document Online to sift through all the stuff on the Google Doc.
• Leave a line between paragraphs when writing and tab in front of each paragraph.
• Black is for regions of the document that are finalised. Edits in black regions should only be inserted with notes.
• Use a page line to separate time periods between sections in the same chapter.
• SCP-914 IS NOT SENTIENT. IT CANNOT SPEAK, IT CANNOT HEAR, IT CANNOT SEE, IT HAS NO FREE WILL. Anything 914 does to an input is based partially on randomness. For more detailed instructions, check out Veritas' guide here.

For Authors

Don't vote, authors. Thanks.

Chapter I

I - What have you guys done now?

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Maintenance Technician Johnson was getting sick of Site-19. Specifically, Facility 23 of Site-19, where SCP-914 was contained and its dedicated team of researchers were stationed at.

There was nothing wrong with his job. In fact, he loved his job. The problem, he decided, lay with the researchers within the (rebuilt) walls of Site-19. He'd been pulled in after the Kondraki incident¹ and his very first job was to ensure that none of the haphazardly put-together temporary Safe-class containment procedures failed. After Site-19 was finally rebuilt and everything was back to normal, he was stationed at Facility 23 with SCP-914, and that was where he stayed. However, on his first day at Site-19 Facility 23 on the first day of 2011… He didn't want to think about it.

Eight years on, Johnson thinks he's seen it all. At least, he hopes he does. The sight of faint smoke as he walks past Research Cell 109-B ends this hope he still harbours secretly after nine years of experience, dealing with all the shit the researchers at Facility 23 can get into. He sniffs the air and swears, before sprinting into the room.

Researcher Jay stood in front of the Output booth, desperately waving his hands to clear the smoke (quite uselessly, Johnson noted). "What happened?" he growled as he stared in mild surprise at the booth from which smoke was currently wafting out from. Yes, he'd seen smoke coming from within the Output booth before, but from behind the booth? That was new. "I don't bloody know! I came in right after hearing you scream for help inside 914!" Jay yelled.

914 was… mimicking him? He’d never heard of this happening before. Puzzling over it, he noticed an alarm ringing in the background… but 914 didn't have an alarm… and it sounded suspiciously like… like his morning alarm clock.

---

Chapter II

II - Psychiatric Evaluation of Maintenance Technician Johnson

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The following is an excerpt of a psychiatric evaluation performed by Doctor Simon Glass in response to an urgent request for one at Site-19 Facility 23.

Dr. Glass: So you're saying that SCP-914 contacted you?
MT Johnson: Yes. I swear that it was crying for help in my dream.
Dr. Glass: You do realise… aside from the fact that SCP-914 is not sentient, what you're telling me was a dream, right?
MT Johnson: I know, but…
Dr. Glass: Johnson, are you overworked? Hair falling out or any other stress-related symptoms?
MT Johnson: No. But -
Dr. Glass: I can see that you care very much about the SCP-914. However, I strongly advise you to take a break.
MT Johnson: Why won't you listen? I know that -
Dr. Glass: I'm going to approve a week-long break for you. I don't do this often, but I can tell that you're very worked up about this. Just take this chance and have a good, long rest. Come back to work in a fresh state of mind.
MT Johnson: I don't need…
Dr. Glass: I will be seeing you in a week, and I hope you'll be in a better state of mind by then.

After the evaluation was concluded, Maintenance Technician Johnson was granted paid leave for one week on a recommendation from Doctor Glass.

---

Chapter III

III - Misappropriation of Foundation Resources

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"There's something wrong with 914. I know it," Maintenance Technician Johnson muttered, as he drew closer to the new recruits. All four of them were staring wide-eyed, not believing that one of the oldest members of Facility 23 was telling them something so important.

"Why don't you tell Veritas then? Surely he'll believe you!" Intern Snevets questioned. He was the oldest among the interns and was due to be promoted soon. Johnson groaned. "I told you, none of them would believe me. You scientists can tell me all you like that machines aren’t sentient, but I say that every one of them needs some love." Junior Researcher Kai chuckled nervously, but a glare from Johnson shut him up. He looked at all of them.

"You all are smart people, aren't you?" They nodded. "Then help me take a look at 914, won't you?" Hearing this, Intern Voltê grinned. "I've got an idea…"

Johnson nodded in approval.

---

Interns Voltê and Walker dropped a thick manila folder on the desk of one Doctor Lucius E. Veritas. That got his attention.

"What's this?" The bloodshot and stressed eyes of Dr Veritas looked into the almost equally bloodshot and tired eyes of Intern Voltê, who had spent the whole night filling out the relevant forms and writing a short summary of the plan. Dr Veritas skimmed through the folder and gaped at the final page.

"You want to WHAT?" Both Voltê and Walker winced. They didn't want to make a scene at 8 in the morning. No amount of caffeine would pull them through another one of Veritas' marathon lectures on responsibility, common sense and/or natural selection.

“I’m placing a request to remove 914’s output booth to check for damages behind it. The other thing is based on some suggestions from Maintenance Technician Johnson,” Walker said.

Veritas sighed. "Isn't Johnson on paid leave? What does he have to do with this? I could have sworn he claimed to be talking to 914." Voltê winced again. So that's what he thought of Johnson.

Walker nervously shifted around despite having prepared by memorizing a speech for three hours before even getting ready to go to the Head of Experimental Security and Director of Research's office.

"Doctor Veritas, with all due respect, we believe that between the grenades going off, anomalous outputs being shot at and highly caustic chemicals being released in the Output booth, it has certainly taken a beating over the years and some things behind the booth might be coming loose. That said, the booth itself is in great condition, all things considered."

“If you think you're better suited to look after that damn machine and the researchers trying to defy Darwin at every turn, you're welcome to try. In the meantime, I recommend letting me continue to do my job before I let Sedna throw you out. The Output booth is part of the machine, and if removing it breaks it, which it might, I'll have Hackett and Gears to answer to. So to your question: Would I let two glorified maintenance workers pry apart one of the most delicate anomalous artefacts we have? I want you to think about your question very carefully.''

Walker and Voltê nodded and quietly walked away.

---

"So." Everyone looked up. "Who wants to try next?"

Intern Snevets murmured, "We don't have to try Veritas." Everyone else looked at him. Snevets continued, "I mean, we could get a researcher to help us, right? I’d suggest Kai, but he’s not a full researcher yet, and…" Junior Researcher Kai grumbled something inaudible. He had caused an incident with a cognitohazard within his first week at Facility 23, breaking the previous record set by a researcher whom no one would speak of.

"Well? Do any of you know a researcher?" Snevets asked.

"I could try to get Researcher Jay onboard," Voltê remarked. Everyone nodded. It was decided then. They would talk to him once he agreed to get them into 914’s cell.

---

Footnotes

1. You know? That one time Kondraki earned the title of "Lizard Rider"?