miscellaneous files

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You Can Check Out Any Time You Like

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: As of 19/06/1964, SCP-XXXX and the surrounding lot have been purchased by the Foundation. Regular external surveillance is to be performed by MTF Epsilon-6 ("Village Idiots") Theta-90 ("Angle Grinders"). Civilians attempting to enter SCP-XXXX are to be informed the building is condemned and turned away. Due to low priority and the nonviability of rescue attempts, exploration of SCP-XXXX has been discontinued indefinitely.

Description:

Due to a lack of visual data, all provided information regarding the interior of SCP-XXXX is based on transcribed audio descriptions of the object by members of MTF Epsilon-6 subunit τ.¹ As such, the following analysis of SCP-XXXX is primarily conjecture.

SCP-XXXX is a shuttered Motel 6 in Allen, South Dakota. The object was brought to the Foundation's attention shortly after its closure; a local newspaper circulated an interview with a witness claiming to have seen a fellow college student "vanish into thin air" while exploring SCP-XXXX, coinciding with a sudden growth in missing persons reports in the area. SCP-XXXX's anomalous effects are limited solely to its interior spaces and manifest in a form comparable to an imperfect linear-feedback shift register.²

Upon entry, pre-existing guest rooms are theorized to function akin to “seeds”, a form of base data using which subsequent locations within SCP-XXXX, designated SCP-XXXX-A, are generated. Although these areas closely resemble the architecture present within a standard Motel 6, they do not adhere to the original floorplan of SCP-XXXX and, according to reports, possess a total surface area far exceeding that indicated by the object’s external dimensions. Due to an apparent algorithmic imperfection, SCP-XXXX-A instances become proportionally more degraded as the amount of instances traversed increases, affecting architectural layout and composition. Certain heavily deteriorated areas and objects present within SCP-XXXX have been found to constitute Beta-Class cognitohazards; their descriptions have been expunged for the safety of personnel accessing this file.

SCP-XXXX was registered under various names as a privately-owned hotel between the years of 1951 and 1963, before being foreclosed due to concerns regarding structural integrity. During its time in operation, despite an increase of business and tourism-related travel in the area, the object was never reported to have been booked to full capacity.

Addendum XXXX-1

The content of the attached logs is presented in an unaltered form, with no changes made from the original transcript beyond the removal of extraneous sections for the sake of brevity. As such, certain fragments may not reflect the Foundation’s current policy regarding impartial tone, as well as contain minor logographic errors. All 76 recorded long-play tape reels, as well as the full physical documentation transcribed by MTF E6-τ Agent Fiałkowski, can be accessed by Foundation personnel with clearance of Level 2 or above by contacting archival staff responsible for storage of analog field data for the years 1960-1969.

+ Exploration Log XXXX-1

- Exploration Log XXXX-1

Exploration Log XXXX-1

Date: 27/06/1964

The following log is a transcript of audio recorded during the first incursion into SCP-XXXX. Exploration conducted by Agent Paz, designated call sign E6-τ-4 and subsequently referred to as such. Remote radio assistance provided by Agent Fitzwilliam, designated E6-τ-R. Due to unplanned participation in the operation, Agent Fiałkowski was not issued a call sign. Apart from standard Mobile Task Force equipment, Agent E6-τ-4 was also issued an experimental Global Navigation Satellite System transponder.³

<BEGIN LOG>

E6-τ-R: -and we're on. Radio check?

E6-τ-4: Read you five-by-five. You sure we need to be doing this, Fitz?

E6-τ-R: Call signs, Tau-Four. I don't want to be getting shit over conduct when we get back.

E6-τ-4: Alright, candyass. You know no one’s gonna listen to these tapes, right?

E6-τ-R: Tau-

E6-τ-4: Sorry, sorry. I’m just saying- when’s the last time they sent us in for something important, huh? I bet it’s, like, those anomalous geese or something again.

E6-τ-R: You mean the geese.

E6-τ-4: You said they were-

E6-τ-R: Christ, it’s been months- Tau-Four, requesting you get a goddamn move on.

E6-τ-4: Ha. Yeah, yeah. Alright, I’m going in.

E6-τ-R: I’ll need verbal from now on. Can’t see past the main entrance from here.

E6-τ-4: Roger that.

[Brief pause, Agent E6-τ-4 can be heard opening the front door to SCP-XXXX.]

E6-τ-4: Entering the lobby now, looks about what you’d expect for a place that’s been shut down for a year. Not much weather damage, nothing out of the ordinary so far. I’ve still got a foot in the door, you said this part was safe?

E6-τ-R: Correct.

E6-τ-4: Alright, I’m letting the door close. …And it’s closed. Going to open it again just in case. Yep, this part’s fine.

E6-τ-R: Are you able to proceed deeper into the object?

E6-τ-4: I- heh, uh, yeah, no problem. Like I said, no debris or anything. We’ve got a, uh, straight corridor out of the lobby, doors on both sides, pretty sure there’s a stairwell at the end. You want me to check any of the rooms?

E6-τ-R: I’m looking at the floorplan now. First room on your left should be a single-person guest room.

E6-τ-4: Let’s see… yeah, yeah, that seems right. I’m looking in through the doorway right now, got one bed, bedside table, armchair, coffee table. No spooky portals or anything.

E6-τ-R: Is that your professional assessment, Agent?

E6-τ-4: Sure is. Room one-hundred percent spooky portal-free.

[Pause. Agent E6-τ-R sighs.]

E6-τ-R: …Roger that. Proceed at your own discretion.

E6-τ-4: Wilco. In that case, I’m gonna run my tests now.

E6-τ-R: Say again?

E6-τ-4: You heard me. Test log number, uh, one, I guess, Agent Paz recording, today we will be, uh, investigating this creepy hotel room by throwing things at it. Right here I have a-

[A metallic rattling can be heard.]

E6-τ-4: -real beat-up canteen I may or may not have just taken from the control tent. I’m going to toss it in and see wh-

E6-τ-R: Hey, isn’t that m-

E6-τ-4: Come and get it!

[There is a loud clatter, followed by a short pause.]

E6-τ-4: …Huh.

E6-τ-R: Christ. …Agent, report.

E6-τ-4: It’s… Still there. Nothing. Damn. Guess this was a false alarm after all.

E6-τ-R: That’s it?

E6-τ-4: Unless it only works on people, I guess, yeah. Couldn’t have actually given us some proper work to do- or, uh, actually- you remember what that tabloid interview said? Specifically, I mean.

E6-τ-R: “Closed the door and disappeared into thin air,” if I recall. I don’t have it on hand.

E6-τ-4: Huh. Give me a moment, I’m going to try something again.

E6-τ-R: Go on.

[The creak of hinges can be heard, followed by a pause.]

E6-τ-4: Here goes, I guess.

[The same creak repeats, followed by another, longer pause.]

E6-τ-4: Oh, shit.

E6-τ-R: Agent?

E6-τ-4: It’s gone. Hell, I didn’t think it would actually… Well. Sorry about your canteen, man.

E6-τ-R: I- …Noted. Agent Tau-Four, considering the situation, I believe we should minimize unnecessary chatter from now on. Stick to protocol.

E6-τ-4: Don’t want to give Fiałkowski too much work, huh? …Sorry, sorry. Wilco, Tau-Radio. Am I clear to proceed into the object?

E6-τ-R: You may continue when ready.

E6-τ-4: Roger that. Entering the room now.

E6-τ-R: Noted. Door still open?

E6-τ-4: Closing the door now.

E6-τ-4: Door closed. Radio check?

E6-τ-R: Clear and readable. Positioning system says you’re still in the room.

E6-τ-4: Correct, as far as I can tell. No visual changes. Can I get a time check?

E6-τ-R: Time check eleven forty-nine AM.

E6-τ-4: Roger that, same over here. I’m starting to think this may not have worked.

E6-τ-R: How’s the exterior view?

E6-τ-4: It’s, uh- huh. I don’t know, actually. This room doesn’t have a window.

E6-τ-R: Are you certain? There are windows on the floor plan I have.

E6-τ-4: Of course I’m- Yes, confirming there are no windows. Look, I’m sorry about earlier, but that really isn’t funny. There’s nothing here, I’m getting back out.

E6-τ-R: I wasn’t- fine. Proceed.

[There is a pause. The sound of footsteps can be heard, then the opening of a door, followed by a period of extended silence.]

E6-τ-R: Agent, report.

E6-τ-4: Fuck.

E6-τ-4: There’s, uh- Shit, sorry. There’s another room. I, uh. Hm.

[Agent E6-τ-4 clears his throat.]

E6-τ-4: The door back to the hallway opens up to another guest room. Pretty much identical to this one, maybe got some of the furniture in different places. Guess the, uh, ha. Guess we finally got ourselves a real one. Shit.

E6-τ-R: Noted. I’ll be passing all this on to Control in a moment. Can you see any other possible exits?

E6-τ-4: Not from here. I’ll do another round of the room. Wait- out.

[There is an approximately thirty-second pause.]

E6-τ-4: Yep, that’s the only door. Kind of hard to miss anything in a room this small. How do I proceed?

E6-τ-R: Cautiously, but forward. All I have is your approximate location, so if the floor plan’s no use then you’re going in blind.

E6-τ-4: Roger that. Entering the second room, then.

E6-τ-4: Alright, well, I don’t really know what to say here. Looks about the same as the first one, I think the carpet might be a different color? Didn’t think to check. The, uh, the door closed behind me when I came in and it, uh-

E6-τ-4: It leads into a bathroom now. Still no windows, there’s another door in the wall across from the bed though. I’m guessing it’s gonna- Yup. Another guest room.

E6-τ-R: Noted.

E6-τ-4: Is that all you’re g- actually, fine. Let’s leave it at “noted”. I’m going further in. You still have my coordinates?

E6-τ-R: Can confirm. I only have accuracy up to, mm, three meters, but you’re still within the building.

E6-τ-4: Roger that.

E6-τ-R: I’m going to flag control now, make certain we’re clear to keep going. Keep your radio channel open. Wait- out.

[Seven minutes of extraneous audio redacted.]

E6-τ-R: Tau-Four, you read me?

E6-τ-4: Loud and clear. What’s the news?

E6-τ-R: You’re clear to continue. As long as there's no obvious threat, the priority here is to gather as much information as possible. Our primary concern is a visual report for now, we'll wait with measurements until you're further in. Make a note of how many rooms you've passed through, if possible, too. Hm. Oh, yes. You'll be transmitting nonstop for now, so everything you say goes on record.

E6-τ-4: Wilco. Anything else?

E6-τ-R: Keep an eye out for any windows. Good luck, Tau-Four.

[Forty-six minutes of extraneous audio redacted. Agent E6-τ-4's verbal description of SCP-XXXX-A instances -3 through -34 contain no notable deviations from the standard layout and furnishing of non-anomalous Motel 6 interiors.]

E6-τ-4: Huh, that's… Weird. Tau-Radio, you still hear me?

E6-τ-R: Loud and readable. Continue.

E6-τ-R: I’m going to need you to carefully follow my directions now, do you read?

E6-τ-4: Yeah, I- Yes. Copy.

E6-τ-R: That’s good. Now, please turn off your radio, then turn it on again.

E6-τ-4: C- Wait, what? I’m not- I’m not doing that. You can’t just-

E6-τ-R: -Agent, please refrain from excessive chatter and comply with your instructions. It’s crucial that we test the viability of re-establishing terminated contact. You may need to temporarily disable your radio to preserve battery power soon, and you will need to disconnect briefly to communicate with the field radio. Your positioning transponder is separately powered, so even if you are unable to reconnect we will be able to find you.

E6-τ-4: Okay. I… Okay. Yeah.

[Agent E6-τ-4 inhales audibly.]

E6-τ-4: Here goes, I guess. This is Agent Paz, signing off.

[Connection with Radio-τ-Control terminated.]

[Connection with Radio-τ-Control re-established.]

E6-τ-R: This is Epsilon Six Tau-Radio to Epsilon Six Tau-Four, do you copy?

E6-τ-4: Loud and clear. Oh, thank God. It works. Can you get me out of here now?

[Pause.]

E6-τ-R: I can- Look, I shouldn't be doing this without a fallback order, okay? But… I don't think anyone's going to care if I have one of the guys swing by the coordinates we're getting back. Just in case.

E6-τ-4: Thank you, Fitz.

E6-τ-R: I… Copy that. We'll send the truck over, shouldn't be more than a couple minutes. Give me a moment to reroute the audio and I'll- Here goes. Switching you over to onboard field now.

[Following audio recorded from the onboard radio of MTF vehicle 14771.]

E6-τ-4: -copy?

Agent Fiałkowski: There we are. 'Bout as loud and clear as we're going to get. Good to hear you, Paz.

E6-τ-4: God, yeah, you too. Thanks for, uh. Thanks for doing this.

Agent Fiałkowski: Yeah, 'course. Don't mention it. Won't catch me complaining about a chance to stretch my legs, anyway.

Agent Fiałkowski: So, uh. Off the record. How are you holding up? Fitz giving you any trouble?

E6-τ-4: Ha. I, uh, I don't know if we should-

Agent Fiałkowski: Kid, it's fine. This thing's too old to work as a relay, he isn't gonna hear you. It's just us and the tape for now.

E6-τ-4: Oh. Right. I… No, it's- He's fine. Agent Fitzwilliam can be a little… uptight, I guess. But he's trying. It's fine.

Agent Fiałkowski: Heh. You know, I do admire how nicely you always phrase things.

E6-τ-4: Yeah? And how would you put it?

Fiałkowski: Well, first off, guy's got [ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT OBSCURED.]

Agent Fiałkowski: Anyway, you haven't told me how you're doing.

E6-τ-4: How do you think? Sorry, I, uh, I mean- I'm just trying not to think about it too hard. I just…

E6-τ-4: I feel like a fucking idiot. I just want to go home.

[ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT ANNOTATION ILLEGIBLE.]

[Should have said Silence.]

E6-τ-4: Anyway, I, uh. You got those coordinates working?

Agent Fiałkowski: Sure thing. Be another minute or so, I don't trust this rustbucket on dirt roads.

E6-τ-4: How's it looking?

Agent Fiałkowski: Uh… Flat, dry. No buildings unless you count the hippie bus setup we passed on the way down here, and somehow I'm pretty sure that's not what we're looking for.

E6-τ-4: You never know. Don't know about you, but I think I could use some esoteric life advice right about now.

Agent Fiałkowski: Ha, Fair. Or some- Oh, there we go. That's the spot. You haven't moved since the last check, right?

E6-τ-4: Negative. You want the seconds again just in case?

Agent Fiałkowski: Go ahead.

E6-τ-4: Alright. Figures zero-nine-three North by nine-nine-two West. Confirm?

Agent Fiałkowski: Copy that, it's a match on my side. Looks like this is it.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: So, uh…

E6-τ-4: How's it look?

Agent Fiałkowski: I don't know what to tell you, man. It's just… more empty field.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: That… That can't be right.

Agent Fiałkowski: I'm sorry.

E6-τ-4: Fuck. Can you, uh. There must be something wrong with the positioning system. Can you check the coordinates again?

Agent Fiałkowski: Paz, look, there's- it's fuckin' satellites, man, there isn't anything to be wrong. I'm sorry.

E6-τ-4: Please, just- just check, okay?

Agent Fiałkowski: Yeah, alright. One more try. Coordinate check?

E6-τ-4: Coordinate check figures North forty-three degrees, decimal, thirty-six minutes zero-nine-three seconds by West one-hundred-and-one degrees, decimal, ninety-seven minutes nine-nine-two seconds. Coordinate check?

Agent Fiałkowski: Coordinate check figures North forty-three degrees, decimal, thirty-six minutes zero-nine-three seconds by West one-hundred-and-one degrees, decimal, uhh… ninety-seven minutes nine-nine-two seconds. I'm sorry, kid. I really am.

E6-τ-4: That can't be r- goddamn it, look, you have my numbers, you're fucking talking to me, you can hear me, I'm- I'm right here! Just- just do something. Please.

Agent Fiałkowski: I'm sorry, Paz. There's- it's just dirt and dead grass. There's nothing for me to work with here.

[Silence.]

E6-τ-4: Just… talk to me a while longer, okay? Before I get going again.

Agent Fiałkowski: 'Course.

E6-τ-4: I keep opening the goddamn door, just hoping there'll be… something else on the other side. Just this once. Not more fucking rooms and hallways and-

E6-τ-4: I can't even fucking sit down. Last chair I found, when I touched it, it- I don't know. Folded into itself. Collapsed into angles. Something. Half of it disappeared, they've all been just legs and wooden shards since then. Well, the- the ones that are still made out of wood and not glass or carpet or fucking- It… It felt like skin, okay? Like warm fucking human skin. I hate this place.

Agent Fiałkowski: I'm sorry.

E6-τ-4: Yeah.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: I mean… Not all of the rooms are bad. Some of them- I passed through a bathroom where the faucet was broken, all the water coming out was going… up, somehow. Gathering into this huge pool filling up the ceiling, I had to duck to keep from getting my head wet. It was… Kind of cool, honestly.

Agent Fiałkowski: Wow.

[Agent E6-τ-4 laughs. Not a happy sound.]

E6-τ-4: I guess that doesn't sound like much to you, does it? With all the work you do.

Agent Fiałkowski: I didn't- I just transcribe the tapes, Paz. Put notes on the photos if I'm lucky. I haven't actually seen shit. I think it's cool.

E6-τ-4: Ha. Well, guess I've got one up on you, then, huh?

Agent Fiałkowski: Sure do.

E6-τ-4: I… I think I'm ready to get back to work now.

Agent Fiałkowski: You sure?

E6-τ-4: I might as well. Least I can do is actually get us all something useful out of all this.

Agent Fiałkowski: Alright. You switching over to control frequency now?

E6-τ-4: I think so, yeah. Thanks for… thanks for trying.

Agent Fiałkowski: Don't mention it. Alright, if you're ready- good luck, kid. Out to you.

[Connection with onboard radio of MTF vehicle 14771 terminated.]

[Connection with Radio-τ-Control re-established.]

[Thirteen hours of extraneous audio redacted.]

E6-τ-R: Woah, woah, slow down there a second, Four. Think I’m getting a headache. You alright over there?

E6-τ-4: Christ. If you count not having anything left to throw up, sure. Sorry. Sorry. I think it’s just the, uh, the-

E6-τ-4: [DESCRIPTION OF BETA-CLASS COGNITOHAZARD REMOVED.]

E6-τ-4: -fucking with my head a little.

[Radio-τ-Control registers a muffled groan followed by a series of metallic clatters.]

E6-τ-R: Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have left the tapes out on top of the- ow, fuck,-

E6-τ-4: Tau-Radio?

[Brief pause.]

E6-τ-R: Sorry, Four. It’s- I don’t- it’s nothing. Seized up a little for a second there. Just getting a migraine, I think. Sorry. Keep going.

E6-τ-4: Copy that. I- It’s getting kind of hard to talk in here. Makes my mouth taste like burning feels. Like- shit- like a short-circuit at the base of my skull. Am I still making sense?

E6-τ-R: Four, is- goddamn it. Gah. Paz, are you okay?

[Brief interference on Radio-τ-4 side.]

E6-τ-4: -pushing through. I can- I’m still going. Disappointed you enough. Just need a… Just a second. Just need to make the words work.

E6-τ-4: This isn’t like the other rooms, Fitz. It’s…

E6-τ-4: I’m not fucking scared. I just need to stop for a second, is all.

E6-τ-R: I-

E6-τ-4: You ever see a skinned rabbit? Imagine a… imagine a room. Skinned-rabbit room with all the outsides on the inside. I didn’t know the- didn’t know you could even build off of-

E6-τ-4: [DESCRIPTION OF BETA-CLASS COGNITOHAZARD REMOVED.]

E6-τ-R: Agh, don’t- Paz, stop-

E6-τ-4: [DESCRIPTION OF BETA-CLASS COGNITOHAZARD REMOVED.]

E6-τ-R: Paz, please, that hurts- I know I told you to describe it, but please, stop, that fucking-

E6-τ-4: [DESCRIPTION OF BETA-CLASS COGNITOHAZARD REMOVED.]

E6-τ-R: I- fuck, I’m sorry, I-

E6-τ-4: [DESCRIPTION OF BETA-CLASS COGNITOHAZARD REMOVED.]

[ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT ANNOTATION ILLEGIBLE.]

E6-τ-R: I can’t listen to this. I’m sorry.

[Radio-τ-Control transceiver manually disabled. Connection terminated for a duration of approximately seven minutes.]

[Radio-τ-Control transceiver re-enabled. Connection with Radio-τ-4 re-established.]

E6-τ-4: -e? Fitz? Oh, thank God. Fitz, I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you disconnect, I thought you-

E6-τ-R: What the fuck was that?

E6-τ-4: I'm sorry. I didn't know it would- I didn't want to hurt you.

[ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT ANNOTATION ILLEGIBLE.]

[Extended pause.]

E6-τ-R: Yeah, well. I'm sure the nosebleed will stop eventually.

E6-τ-4: Fitz, I-

E6-τ-R: Just get moving, okay?

E6-τ-4: …Yeah. Yeah.

[Thirty-two minutes of extraneous audio redacted.]

E6-τ-4: Fitzwilliam?

E6-τ-R: What is it, Four?

E6-τ-4: Do you have to- look, I just wanted to- I'm sorry about earlier.

E6-τ-R: I told you it was fine.

E6-τ-4: No, it's- you have to understand. When you get up close there… It hurts at first, but after that there's just- it's just quiet. Well, not really quiet, but- like the moment before your ears pop when the pressure changes. The only sounds are-

[A soft tapping sound can be heard.]

E6-τ-4: -inside. I couldn't hear you. Couldn't hear anything at all, just this burning at the back of my skull, behind the eyes- I think you'd have to see it to understand. The way it moves without moving, tr twisting-

E6-τ-R: Please just- just stop.

E6-τ-4: Oh. Right.

E6-τ-4: [ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT ILLEGIBLE.]⁴

E6-τ-R: Look, I- I shouldn't have turned the radio off. I know. But I'm not trained for this, I- I'll get someone off the coghaz team to talk to you, figure out whatever the hell's in there. Just not me.

E6-τ-4: …Yeah. Right. Yeah.

E6-τ-R: Now, please, let's- let's get back to work.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: Copy that, Tau-Radio. Entering room… five-hundred-something. I think.

E6-τ-4: This one's… All glass.

[A metallic shattering can be heard, followed by repeated loud crunches.]

E6-τ-4: I'd say it's mirrors, but they don't… reflect like that. Don't reflect anything at all. I don't remember when I last saw my own face in here. Everything's the same material, even the-

[More shattering. Agent E6-τ-4 coughs for an extended period of time.]

E6-τ-4: Complete with the dust on the damn shiny bedlinens. Feels like inhaling sandpaper. Shit. The, uh, the floor cracked when I stepped out on it, there's some sort of mold underneath, I think. Wet and black and I think it might be m-

[Pause. Agent E6-τ-4 inhales audibly.]

E6-τ-4: …I'm just gonna keep moving.

Four hours of extraneous audio redacted.

E6-τ-4: Shit- if you could just- shut up for a second-

[More loud cracks and the sound of scrabbling can be heard, then an extended period of heavy breathing.]

E6-τ-4: Son of a bitch.

E6-τ-T: Four?

E6-τ-4: I'm- I'm okay now. Jesus. Goddamn- room is fucking sideways. Four-meter drop right off the bat, would've kept falling if I hadn't caught the doorframe in the floor- or, er, other wall. Whichever. I'm fine.

E6-τ-R: Are you sure? You sound a little-

E6-τ-4: Don't fucking tell me I sound shaken.

E6-τ-R: Alright. Okay.

[Long pause.]

E6-τ-4: I think this is… I think this is as far as I'm going to get.

E6-τ-R: Wait, what? Why?

[Agent E6-τ-4 laughs.]

E6-τ-4: I lost the door I came through, not that I could even reach it from down here. Only way out is down, and I-

[Brief pause.]

E6-τ-4: I got a good look at what's below before I pulled myself back up, Fitz. I'm not going down there. Not in the name of curiosity, or, or, fucking science-

[Another pause.]

E6-τ-R: I… I see.

E6-τ-4: Do you want me to describe it for you? Is that what you want?

E6-τ-R: It would be- I- Well. If you're willing.

E6-τ-4: If I'm- ha, that's rich. Forgive me if I sound a little bitter here.

E6-τ-R: I'm sorry. Look, I don't know what else I'm supposed to-

E6-τ-4: Yeah, well. Not like I have anything better to do. Might as well.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: You know, I'm- I'm sorry too. Not like you're the one who sent me down here. And- and it's-

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: Don't worry, this one won't hurt you.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-4: I can't understand it enough to describe it well enough for that. Though I suppose you can just imagine the migraine instead if you want.

E6-τ-R: I'd rather not.

E6-τ-4: Ha. Fair enough. It's just… A hallway, you know?

E6-τ-4: Or, well, an idea of a hallway, anyway, just down instead of sideways, things that almost look like things twisting and turning all the way into the endless dark. If you close your eyes and imagine a hallway, that's what it looks like. Blurry at the edges. Full of close-but-not-quite. Am I making sense, Fitz?

E6-τ-R: I… Not really, no. Four, are you sure you're-

E6-τ-4: -That's alright. All that matters for you is that it's so far down that I can't see the other end. And that's not the way I want to die.

[ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT ANNOTATION ILLEGIBLE.]

E6-τ-4: I think I'm just going to sit here for a while.

E6-τ-R: Alright.

Seven hours of extraneous audio redacted.

[A repeated electronic beeping becomes clearly audible.]

E6-τ-R: Paz, what the hell is that?

[Beeping continues, increasing in pitch.]

E6-τ-4: That's the- fuck, the radio, those are my last b-

<END LOG>

+ Exploration Log XXXX-2

- Exploration Log XXXX-2

Exploration Log XXXX-2

Date: 12/07/1964

The following logs contain the transcribed exploration records of Agents Torres and Austin, designated call signs E6-τ-3 and E6-τ-5 respectively and subsequently referred to as such. External radio assistance is once again designated E6-τ-R, with Agent Khamsai replacing Agent Fitzwilliam as chief operator due to the former’s negative psychological reaction to loss of contact with Agent E6-τ-4 being deemed temporarily incapacitating by operation oversight. In addition to standard Mobile Task Force equipment, Agents E6-τ-3 and E6-τ-5 were equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System transponders and approximately one month’s worth of standard field rations.

<BEGIN LOG>

E6-τ-R: Alright boys, let's get this show on the road. You two ready?

E6-τ-3: Yes ma'am.

E6-τ-R: Good to hear. Tau-Three, radio check.

E6-τ-3: Loud and clear.

E6-τ-R: Tau-Five?

E6-τ-5: I read you.

[LIKE TWO WEEKS PASS HERE THIS IS A WIP LOL]

E6-τ-5: Hey, uh, I- Torres? Can you, uh, can you- can you come here for a second?

E6-τ-3: Austin? What is it? Just a second, let me-

E6-τ-5: Please tell me that's not what I look like.

[Agent E6-τ-3 inhales audibly.]

E6-τ-3: Oh. Jesus. No, it's- you look good, uh- Fine. Normal. Shit. It's just the mirror. You're fine.

E6-τ-5: It's- fuck, you do see it, right?

E6-τ-3: Yeah. Yeah, I- Like a human kaleidoscope, or- or something, I don't know. Like it's trying to turn itself inside out. It's making my head hurt. We should go.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-3: Austin? Hey? You okay?

E6-τ-5: … Are you sure? It's just that?

E6-τ-3: Yeah, I- I promise. Look- I'm just going to- You can feel my hand, right? Nothing moving underneath, yeah?

E6-τ-5: I, uh- yeah. Yeah.

E6-τ-3: Yeah. That's good. Don't- don't look at the mirror, Austin- Look at me. There we go. That's better. Deep breath.

E6-τ-5: Christ. Yeah, I- Yeah. Thanks.

E6-τ-3: Yeah. 'Course, man.

[Another pause.]

E6-τ-3: Come on, let's get moving.

[WROW MORE WIPS DON'T SUE ME]

[Contact with Radio-τ-5 resumes around 7:45 AM. During this time recording and communication channels with Radio-τ-Control are active but established to have been unmanned on both sides; as such, initial audio volume is lacking. Agent E6-τ-3’s radio remains disabled.]

E6-τ-5: [Inaudible.]

[A series of rhythmic, repeating thuds can be heard, increasing in volume.]

E6-τ-5: Torres, what the hell are you doing?

E6-τ-3: I’m fucking done, that’s what. I'm just gonna-

E6-τ-3: Just gonna break through the fucking wall. Fucking drywall.

[A loud crack, followed by the sound of tearing.]

E6-τ-3: I'll fucking crawl if I have to, I don't care, I'm sick of this-

E6-τ-5: Torres, wait, don't-

E6-τ-3: Son of a bitch. Gonna walk right out of this fucking place-

E6-τ-5: At least let me get up first- Jesus Christ, get back here-

E6-τ-3: I bet it's the- bet it's just the goddamn doors. Bet if you took out the walls you could just- [Inaudible.]

E6-τ-5: God damn it, if I’m not over there I can’t stop it from-

E6-τ-5: Fuck.

E6-τ-5: Torres, please, the- the fucking wall, you goddamn idiot, come back-

E6-τ-5: Please.

[Silence. Four minutes and forty-seven seconds exactly. To Agent E6-τ-3 re-enables his radio.]

E6-τ-3: Austin. God, I- Austin, can you still-

E6-τ-5: Yeah, I- I hear you. I hear you.

E6-τ-3: I didn’t think it would- God.

[Pause.]

E6-τ-3: Fuck. I'm so sorry.

[LOL]

E6-τ-3: Oh, wow. Would you look at that.

E6-τ-R: Tau-Three? What've we got?

E6-τ-3: Pipes. Lots of 'em, actually, ceiling and walls, all white. Looks like they run a couple layers deep.

[A hollow, metallic ring can be heard.]

E6-τ-3: Seems like glazed ceramic. They're making a kind of…

[Pause.]

E6-τ-3: Humming sound. Don't know if you can hear it over the waves.

E6-τ-R: Negative. Anything else?

E6-τ-3: Yeah, actually. Whole room- well, the parts I can see past the pipes- is tiled. Pretty standard kind of… you know, like in a shower or something. There's a recess in the floor, too, didn't notice it at first. Some sort of basin running all the way down the center of the room, I'd put it at about… one by nine, depth…

[A quiet splash.]

E6-τ-3: …deeper than it looks. Water's warm, pretty clear. Kind of a blue-green tinge, smells of chlorine a little. It's actually kind of… nice. You got anything on the plumbing here?

E6-τ-R: Uh, let me see… Well, the water's been shut off since they stopped paying the bills in March 1963, if that's anything.

[Another splash.]

E6-τ-3: …Huh. Guess that's a no on the bath, then.

E6-τ-R: Torres, I-

E6-τ-3: It’s not your fault, Khamsai. You did your best. I… Heh. Well. Don’t suppose there’s much point in asking how that request form is doing, is there?

E6-τ-R: It’s… It’s being processed.

E6-τ-3: Any day now, eh?

E6-τ-R: I… yeah. Yeah. Any day now.

E6-τ-3: That’s alright, then.

E6-τ-3: You know, I really do think this hallway goes on forever. Not the way- no, that isn’t quite right. Into forever. Doesn’t even look much like walls anymore, you know? I think if you kept going, you could walk right through the end of the world.

E6-τ-R: Torres-

E6-τ-3: I’m running out of batteries, Khamsai. I think… I’m going to go soon. You keep waiting on that form, yeah?

E6-τ-R: …Yeah. Yeah, I will. I will. Just hold out a little longer, alright?

E6-τ-3: Ha. Yes ma’am.

E6-τ-3: Khamsai…

E6-τ-R: Yeah?

E6-τ-3: When you find him, tell Austin I-

E6-τ-3: Nevermind.

E6-τ-3: I’ll tell him myself.

E6-τ-3: It’s…

E6-τ-3: Just a little further now.

<END LOG>

Upon request of Epsilon-6 subunit τ leader Agent Khamsai, the set-frequency communication channels between Epsilon-6 τ Control Radio and radios τ-3, τ-4 and τ-5 remained open for an additional fourteen days following the final transmission from agent E6-τ-3. No further transmissions were recorded.

Addendum XXXX-2

+ Resource Request Form Submission 26/07/1964-004

- Resource Request Form Submission 26/07/1964-004

STANDARD FOUNDATION RESOURCE REQUEST FORM

Submission Date: 26/07/1964

PERSONNEL INFORMATION:

Name: Agent June Khamsai

Designation: MTF-E6-τ-JK

Clearance Level: 3

REQUEST: permission and equipment required for the controlled demolition of fragments of SCP-XXXX with the goal of rescue of Foundation personnel TIME SENSITIVE

Reason for Requested Resources: It is my belief that the safety of Foundation personnel in my charge takes precedence over the continued exploration of the object in question. Seeing as there are currently three members of MTF Epsilon-6 subunit τ trapped within SCP-XXXX with no possibility of exit bar external aid, one of whom no longer possesses a means of outside communication, I consider it in the Foundation’s best interest to immediately abort exploration and begin a rescue attempt. Subunit τ has not received any training regarding the traversal of potentially non-euclidean terrain and lacks both the preparation and resources to safely navigate the object. Considering the relative lack of strategic importance presented by SCP-XXXX, I trust this will be a swift and simple decision.

Reply Date: 09/08/1964

THIS REQUEST HAS BEEN: ACCEPTED DENIED

Reasoning: Agent Khamsai,
I will allow myself to refer you to your own previously-submitted report. Considering the object in question has naturally suffered enough structural damage to warrant both foreclosure and the personal concern of Foundation personnel tasked with its management, any actions potentially resulting in its further destabilization without an official decommission order should be considered irresponsible at best. SCP-XXXX is of neither high priority nor threat level; as such, the Foundation’s responsibility here ends at the observation and, if necessary, cursory maintenance of the object.
As an- as your file tells me- MTF Agent slated for promotion to a more active subunit this quarter, I trust you will be able to use this to draw the necessary conclusions regarding your own responsibility as an employee of the Foundation.

Signed,
O5-█

Addendum XXXX-3

+ Surveillance Log XXXX-06/07/1982

[writing here]
"I don't know." Jones shrugs non-committally. "Most of the time I catch myself in the mirror I don't even know what the hell I'm looking at. It happens." He ducks forwards in his seat, trying to look up through the grimy windshield. "You see the lights?"

"Still red." Caldwell half-leans out of the open passenger-seat window to check. "You think it's gonna rain?"

"Probably." Jones shrugs again, mostly out of habit, drums his fingers restlessly against the leather of the battered steering wheel. "Unless the stormfront suddenly decides to pass around us, which I doubt. We could use some rain, anyway." His eyes flicker from the car idling across from them at the intersection to the clouds overhead, steel-dark and thick and blocking the sunlight but not the relentless summer heat. Without the gleam of his ever-present smile he looks tired and slightly strained, the humidity making his prematurely graying hair curl and frizz. "You still haven't answered my question," he says. Caldwell can feel his gaze on him, reflecting in the rearview mirror, inquisitive but revealing absolutely nothing. He pretends not to notice.

"You'll have to repeat it," he says, measuredly. "I don't remember."

Jones nods, mostly to himself, like he's making some sort of mental note. "About five minutes ago, I think," he informs Caldwell, like knowing when he asked might help with anything. "I said you seemed like you had a problem with the-"

"Oh. Jesus, no." Caldwell cuts the man off before he can finish, partially because he does remember but mostly because he doesn't want to hear it said out loud. Jones lets him interrupt, the way he always does.

"I don't have a problem." Great.

"You sound like you have a problem."

"Christ, you're on my ass about this one." Caldwell brushes a strand of sweat-slicked hair back out of his eyes irritably, tone sharp.

"Can't possibly imagine why." Jones leans forwards again, still trying to see the traffic lights overhead, the car stopped too close to get a good view.

"Still red." Caldwell pauses, mouth drawn into a fine, tight line. "It just makes me uncomfortable, okay?"

"It makes you uncomfortable?" Jones repeats the words as if he might have misheard. He doesn't turn his head, but Caldwell can still feel him watching out of the corner of his eye, the way he often does. He sighs.

"Not like that, I don't care what-" Caldwell breaks off, half-hoping something will save him from the need to keep talking. Nothing does. These must be the longest fucking traffic lights in the world, he thinks. The heat is starting to get to him. "I just- Jesus, okay, look- I just don't like thinking about shit I've convinced myself only applies to other people," he finally says, with the inflection of someone who is quoting someone else and isn't particularly happy about it. "Just in case it turns out it applies to me as well." He spits the words out like he has them memorized and Jones wonders, briefly, if the man's been seeing a therapist. He files the thought away for later.

"Oh," he says, instead, and then nothing else. The first heavy drops of rain splatter onto the the windshield, cutting clear lines through the layer of dust.

Caldwell shifts uncomfortably in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. "Jones, why am I here?" he asks. "So you can chew me out for being mean to the JRs?"

"Of course not." Whoever's driving the Jeep behind them manages to start honking before the light finishes turning green, and Jones sighs as he shifts gears. "As far as ulterior motives go, that would be rather a sad one, don't you think?" He makes a turn, following the road signs out of the town center. "If I had wanted to, ah, chew you out, I certainly wouldn't have felt the need to invite you here," he says. He looks vaguely uncomfortable, though Caldwell has no idea why. "Not that I have the disciplinary power for it to mean anything if I did, anyway, that'd have to be oversight or the site director, maybe, or-" Jones realizes he's starting to ramble and the sentence cuts off mid-word. "This wasn't intended in any professional capacity," he says, instead, and if he were anyone else Caldwell would say his tone sounds almost pleading. "I hope that was clear when I asked you here. I'm sorry if it wasn't." Here again, like he doesn't want to talk about where they're going.
[etc]

Footnotes

SCP Sandbox III

Sandbox III: Revenge of the Sandbox

You Can Check Out Any Time You Like