There's Something in the Mines... (Broa)

Archive photograph of SCP-XXXX dated 1905. Photographer unknown.

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The land SCP-XXXX is built upon has been cordoned off by a series of chain-link fences and guard towers standard in most prisons. All roads and railway lines either leading to or passing by SCP-XXXX have been rerouted, but personnel are required to perpetuate a cover-story of ‘unstable ground caused by rotting wood in the mineshafts’ to any civilian who discovers the facility’s containment site. An old railway signal box has been converted into Foundation Outpost-08-13, located within the containment site, and is to monitor all activity regarding SCP-XXXX, reporting any changes to the primary British containment site in Kent. During a SCP-XXXX-B event, all on-site personnel are to equip the gas masks and breathing apparatus which can be found stored in Outpost-08-13's lower level.

In the aftermath of an -B event, confiscation of all images and recordings of said event and the administration of amnestics to all civilian witnesses is to be considered alpha priority.

(Revision 12/12/2015: Under no circumstances should personnel, no matter their clearance level, be allowed inside SCP-XXXX-A-1 through -21! (See Exploration Log XXXX.II))

(Revision 02/02/2016: Any SCP-XXXX-C and/or -D entities seen leaving the entrance to SCP-XXXX-A are to be immediately terminated! (See Incident XXXX.7))

Description: SCP-XXXX (formally property of Gregori & Sons Mining Co.) is an abandoned zinc and lead mine located between the towns of Ramsey and Ballure on the Isle of Man. SCP-XXXX was opened in 1902 and remained in operation for seven (7) years until the mine was closed due to reports of neglectful management. The components that make up SCP-XXXX include:

• SCP-XXXX-B
• A wooden water-tower
• A warehouse
• A small goods marshalling yard
• A single row engine shed
• Foundation Outpost-08-13
• The entrance to SCP-XXXX-A

All of the aforementioned structures have deteriorated extremely with age and entry of most structures has been deemed unsafe by Foundation employed foremen.

SCP-XXXX-A is a group designation for a series of underground mineshafts long thought to have collapsed. There is only one known entrance to SCP-XXXX-A, but it soon diverges into twenty-one separate tunnels (designated SCP-XXXX-A-1 through -21). As of December 2015, SCP-XXXX-A-1, -2 and -3 have been explored by MTF Zeta-9. Logs made by exploration teams state SCP-XXXX-A-1 through -3 seems to continue on longer than 12km, reaching far beyond the boundaries of the land SCP-XXXX was built upon. It has also been reported that all SCP-XXXX-A instances are constructed in directions and angles normally imposable for standard mineshafts.

SCP-XXXX-B is a coal-burning power plant consisting of two main structures:

• A wooden canopy with a chain-driven steel flywheel built atop it
• A brick-built smokestack standing at a height of 10 meters with a steel caged-in ladder running up it’s side

Twice a fortnight, plumes of heavy purple smoke can be observed being rapidly pumped out of SCP-XXXX-B’s smokestack along with the sudden initiation of the plant’s generator indicated by the spinning motion of the flywheel (this event can also be manually triggered if anyone spends an undetermined amount of time within SCP-XXXX-A instances). The smoke SCP-XXXX-B manifests during these events has been known to completely cover SCP-XXXX and surrounding areas in a thick fog-like substance that can cause temporary breathing problems for those who inhale it. Luckily, this side-effect is not fatal and only lasts for a maximum of one-and-a-half months.

The real danger presented by SCP-XXXX-B events is that, according to images taken by the both the International Space Station and the BARRIER Array built around SCP-2399, the smoke can indeed be seen from space but it never moves with weather patterns; staying stagnant around the Isle of Man. Meaning that SCP-XXXX could very likely cause a breach in secrecy if left unchecked. Investigation is further required to understand its non-conformity to usual weather and wind patterns.

+ Open Addendum XXXX.1: Discovery

SCP-XXXX was first brought to the Foundation’s attention on the 05/07/2013, when the National Coal Board reported an influx of unauthorized coal shipments to the long thought abandoned Gregori & Sons Mines. A few weeks after the fact, the first documented SCP-XXXX-B event occurred, dubbed by the media as ‘The Cloud over Man’. Once the smoke cleared, MTF Eta-10 were sent out to investigate the origin of the purple cloud while MTF Gamma-5 began redacting any public information of the -B event while administering amnestics where needed.

The following interview was conducted by Dr. Obab during Gamma-5’s initial investigation of the -B event. Thanks to the information given in this interview, Eta-10 was able to quickly locate SCP-XXXX and establish initial containment procedures.

Interviewer: Dr. Obab

Interviewee: Joe Malone, a civilian witness

Foreword: Mr. Malone approached us and suggested that he might have some information that could prove useful. Mr. Malone had a desk job at the National Coal Board and, as such, was aware of the mysterious shipments of coal and had clearly put two and two together. Mr. Malone was taken to a secure area where the interview can commence uninterrupted.

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[BEGIN LOG]

Dr. Obab: State your name, age and DOB for the record.

Malone: Joe Malone. Uh… forty-nine years old. Thirty-first of October 1964.

Dr. Obab: Why did you decide to come forward, Mr. Malone?

Malone: This smog… It has something to do with that old mine, yes? The one near Ballure, by the old railway line?

Dr. Obab: I can neither confirm nor deny that information. (Aside) Get in contact with Eta-10! Tell them we’ve found something! (Turns back to Malone) Please continue.

Malone: Right, yes, of course… (Pause) I’ve heard stories about that place from when it was being operated and some of its… incidents.

Dr. Obab: What kind of stories?

Malone: Well… let’s just say that some of them are rather unpleasant…

Dr. Obab: Please tell me some of these ‘stories’. I am certain I can stomach them.

Malone: (Sighs) Alright then. (Pause) From what I’ve been told, those mines were operated in the early 20th century. The business only lasted seven years, the reason why… It was known as one of the most dangerous places on the island, maybe in the whole of Britain too.

Dr. Obab: (Brief pause) Please continue… for the record.

Malone: Well, industries like this were usually dangerous around the late 19th century, early 20th, but anyone who worked at that mine got the worse of it. The equipment was rarely well-maintained and most of it was out-of-date, even for the time. That sort of thing led to… accidents. Well… I say accidents, but if the people in charge did their job and make sure the place was in proper working order, it would’ve lasted longer. It was believed that the managers didn’t give a damn about their employees. They were all expendable in their eyes. So I always saw those accidents… as murders!

Malone (Con’t): (Strained breath) Those who were in the mine, however, suffered the most. The wooden shafts holding them up were weak and rotten. No one had ever considered replacing them. That resulted in several collapses that occurred over those seven years, leaving many miners trapped. At least when it came to those with the equipment, their deaths were quick and painless. But for those in the mines… their pain was almost endless. They had no light, no food and sometimes, no air. They could do nothing but call for help, hoping it would come. It rarely did.

Dr. Obab: Jesus… That’s- (Pause) Continue…

Malone: Fortunately, a few dozen of them were rescued with stories they would tell for decades. I knew one of those lucky few, he was only at the mine for a year, but one time being trapped was too much. Once he was freed, he resigned and exposed the careless management. That was in 1909, the same year the mines closed. As for this person, let’s just say that if this man didn’t survive, I wouldn’t be here right now.

Dr. Obab: Could you elaborate what you mean by that?

Malone: That man was my great-grandfather. He got a new job as a shopkeeper over in Douglas and got married two years later. My great-grandmother told me all of this when I turned fifteen and, well, my reaction was the same as yours. (Pause) Around 1956, my grandfather got the job of a railway signalman assigned to the signal box next the mine. He told me he was scared at first. At night, he would hear the sounds of screaming and crying from inside that damned place, the voices of those men who were sadly unlucky. But if you think about it, it’s sorta symbolic for him to be there, to keep those lonely miners some company, as the son of one of their colleagues, even though he couldn’t help them. He had to listen to them suffer, almost every, single, night.”

Dr. Obab: (Pause) Th- thank you for your cooperation Mr. Malone. I think your testimony will help speed up this investigation.
Malone: No worries, my family always knew there was something… off about that place. I hope you people find what you’re looking for… and I’m sorry if I scared you.

Dr. Obab: It’s… It’s fine. It’s fine… (Strained breath)

[END LOG]

Closing Statement: Mr. Malone was administered a dose of amnestics before leaving the room interview was held. As of December 2015, on-site personnel have not yet reported any sightings of these ‘ghosts’ mentioned in Mr. Malone’s story. Whatever the reason for the lack of sightings may be, SCP-XXXX’s history is extremely unsettling.

+ Open Exploration Log XXXX.I

Document: Exploration Log XXXX.I

Subject: SCP-XXXX

Date: 30/11/2015

Foreword: It has taken on-site personnel about two years to dig out the entrance to SCP-XXXX’s underground mineshafts (now designated SCP-XXXX-A-1 onwards). Dr. Obab and Junior Researcher Broa requested that an exploration team be sent into SCP-XXXX-A instances to hopefully find the origin of SCP-XXXX’s anomalous properties. Request was approved by O5-7.

Log:

D-3119 is a 48-year-old Korean male, is slightly overweight and has a damaged bowel caused by substance abuse. Subject was convicted of third-degree murder and imprisoned in Hamhung Re-education Camp (North Korea) and was enlisted into the Foundation’s D-Class program during a routine inspection of the camp. Subject is equipped with a 75-watt flood lamp with battery power capable of lasting 24 hours (a procedure standard with most underground explorations), a portable O2 tank with a 24 hours’ worth supply of oxygen and an audio headset for communication with Dr. Obab at Outpost-08-13. Subject is also wearing a harness hooked to a winch outside SCP-XXXX-A allowing for easy extraction. Audio translators have been engaged due to the language barrier between subject and staff.

---

D-3119 enters SCP-XXXX-A without incident and walks along the railway track leading into the mine. About 8 metres in, subject stops.

Dr. Obab: D-3119, give a reason why you’ve halted progress?

D-3119: Th- There’s a turn-off. Two more tunnels, one to the left and the other right in front of me. I swear, if I get lost in here-

Dr. Obab: We will just extract you from the mines with the winch attached to your harness, simple as that.

D-3119: Are you joking? The ground’s littered with rocks and metal! If that thing drags me across the floor, I’ll be fucking ripped to shreds!

Dr. Obab: The situation is all under control, just focus on the task at hand. Proceed down the centre tunnel.

D-3119 complies with orders and moves into the centre tunnel. About 8 minutes later, subject stops again.

D-3119: Hey, there’s something on the wall.

Dr. Obab: Can you describe it please?

D-3119: Fine… (Pause) There’s something written here, but most of the paint… God I hope it’s paint… It’s peeled away. That and my English isn’t very good.

Dr. Obab: Can you read out what you can understand?

D-3119: Well, says something about “making a great discovery” and “starting a new life” and- Wait. There’s some sort of symbol here too… It… looks like a… four, five, six, yes six-point star.

Dr. Obab: (Pause) Did you say… six-point star? Are you sure you didn’t miscount?

D-3119: Yes, positive… looks a bit Jewish, doesn’t it? Oh now wait a minute… There’s a small circle in its centre… Do any of you nerds know what that’s about?

Dr. Obab: (Brief pause) No, we don’t… (Sighs) God I wish we gave you a camera. Proceed down the tunnel.

D-3119 continues down the tunnel. In the following hour, subject comes across more symbols either drawn or etched into the stone walls. A majority of these symbols are unfamiliar to the us at the current time, while others appear to be related to certain groups of interest with slight deviants from what is to be expected. 1 hour and 48 minutes after entering SCP-XXXX-A, D-3119’s flood lamp suddenly loses power as described in the following conversation.

D-3119: Fuck!

Dr. Obab: What’s wrong?

D-3119: The light you gave me is a complete piece of shit, that’s what’s wrong!

Dr. Obab: The equipment you were provided had an estimated life of 24 hours. You shouldn’t be experiencing any problems with your tools as of-

D-3119: (Yelling) Look lady, I don’t know want to tell you, one moment my light was working and now it isn’t! (Pause) I’m done here! Get me out of this fucking hellhole now!

Dr. Obab: Let it be known that failure to comply with orders will result in your termina-

[DATA EXPUNGED]

D-3119 slowly makes his way through the tunnel, towards the source of [REDACTED].

D-3119: There must have been some sort of… oil leakage here…

Dr. Obab: Why have you pointed that out?

D-3119: Well, for starters, there’s black liquid everywhere. Might slip on it if I’m not careful.

Dr. Obab: Could you identify the nature of this liquid?

D-3119: Maybe if I had some light, I could do exactly that! But if I had to guess… It could be oil like I said… or tar…

Dr. Obab: Tar? Are you sure-

D-3119: (Screaming) Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! What the fuck are you get away from me you-

D-3119’s audio cuts out, but his screams can be faintly heard on Dr. Obab’s side of the mic as they echo out from the mines. Dr. Obab leans back into her chair, pulling her hands down over her face.

Results: We now know that something is living within SCP-XXXX-A and it appears to be hostile. A further course of action is now being devised.

+ Open Exploration Log XXXX.II

Document: Exploration Log XXXX.II

Subject: SCP-XXXX

MTF Involved: Zeta-9, CODENAME: “Mole Rats”

Date: 11/12/2015

Foreword: This expedition was ordered by O5-3 upon the discovery of a hostile entity residing within SCP-XXXX-A-1. MTF Zeta-9 are to be sent into SCP-XXXX-A-1 and the surrounding tunnels with orders to retrieve the entity and establish temporary containment procedures. Each member of Zeta-9 is equipped with firearms and communication devices standard in most of their operations, along with a video recording device atop their helmets. Video footage will be streamed live to observing researchers inside Outpost-08-13.

Log (Initial Entry):

(Please Note: as per protocol, MTF operatives communicate with one another using hand signals and coded messages, meaning that the following transcripts will be lacking in dialogue.)

Mole Rats enter SCP-XXXX-A at 13:30. They soon reach the divergence in tunnels that D-3119 also encountered. They divide into two groups of six, proceeding down one tunnel each.

Log (Left Tunnel) (Group #1):

[ALL DATA EXPUNGED AT REQUEST OF THE OVERSEER COUNCIL]

Log (Centre Tunnel) (Group #2):

The Mole Rats soon find the symbols and text written on the walls of the centre tunnel, found during the previous expedition. The symbols are those attributed to many different religious fates, both anomalous and non-anomalous. There is also writing present, which are either engraved into the walls or written upon them using lead, faeces and/or blood of unknown origin. These messages are directed at family members and loved ones, the identity of the person (or people) who left the messages is currently unknown. The Mole Rats procced deeper into SCP-XXXX-A-Unknown.

Operatives soon reach the tunnel where contact was lost with D-3119. There is no sign of subject’s body or the liquid substance he described before his presumed death. Camera feed begins to be affected by an unknown interference, but a quick change in frequency from Outpost-08-13 seems to cancel it out.

When video contact is restored, we see that the tunnel is now twisted at an unnatural angle, with the ground (indicated by the railway tracks) coiling up and across the walls and roof before returning back to its original position. The Mole Rats, however, report no change in the tunnel’s construction, a statement that contradicts with the feed. It’s now that audio instruments pick up a voice from inside SCP-XXXX-A, the identity and gender of the voice’s owner is unknown.

Unknown: Do. Not. Interfere.

Purple smoke then starts filling up the tunnel at a rapid pace, the pressure created by the vapour cracking the camera lens of the recording devices. All communications with both groups are lost. Moments later, on-site personnel witness the same purple smoke being emitted from the smokestack, indicating the start of a SCP-XXXX-B event. Mole Rats are believed to be terminated.

Results: MTF Zeta-9 are confirmed to have been lost during the expedition. We still don’t know anything about the entity that attacked D-3119, which is also still at large. We at least now know that the smoke created during a SCP-XXXX-B event, while only creating short-term side-effects when inhaled on surface level, is 100% fatal underground. The reason for this change in symptoms is currently the subject of investigation.

The origin of the anomalous [REDACTED] discovered by Group #1 is also being looked into.

Containment procedures have been revised.

+ Open Incident XXXX.7

Document: Incident Report XXXX.7

Subject: SCP-XXXX

Date: 29/01/2016

Causalities: 24 wounded, 6 deaths, 2 unaccounted for

Timeline of events:

10:38 – 28/01/2016: SCP-516 arrives at Outpost-08-13 for temporary containment after a Euclid-level containment breach at object’s original site. On-site personnel describe SCP-516 as being in “deep thought”.

13:06 – 29/01/2016: Listening instruments pick up an audio disturbance inside SCP-XXXX-A, as if there was a large deadly stampede inside the mines. The containment site goes into an Orange Alert.

13:11: A rumbling sound is heard from inside SCP-XXXX-A’s entrance, just as a SCP-XXXX-B event begins to unfold by way of billowing heavy, purple smoke ejecting from the smokestack; slowly wafting to the ground.

13:12: As personnel are retrieving their breathing apparatus (which were supplied in case of a -B event), the upper rockface above SCP-XXXX-A’s entrance explodes and a hump shape appears out of the dust and rubble. The shape soon takes the form of a large bear, thirteen humanoids follow close behind the bear out of the mines; breathing heavily. All fourteen entities are covered in a black liquid akin to tar (The bear is now designated SCP-XXXX-C, while the humanoids are SCP-XXXX-D). An evacuation of Outpost-08-13 is now underway.

13:13: Security teams soon arrive at the scene, but the fog created by SCP-XXXX-B makes it impossible for them to properly engage SCP-XXXX-C and the SCP-XXXX-Ds. SCP-XXXX-C and the -Ds proceed to attack the security teams under the cover of the fog, the resulting attacks causes a victim’s body to become fused with the ground and surrounding surfaces. The victim remains conscious and alive during and after the fusing process. A Red Alert is declared and MTF operatives begin evacuating the nearby population centers.

13:15: Despite several protests from personnel, SCP-516 charges back into SCP-XXXX’s containment site. Survivors claim that SCP-516 engaged with SCP-XXXX-C and -Ds, putting itself between them and the surviving security guards. At that moment, SCP-XXXX-B begins to sink due to a massive mineshaft cave-in; both the canopy and the chimney plunging into the ground.

13:18: SCP-516 is seen “limping” out of the fog, carrying what remained of the security teams to safety. The survivors are given medical attention, but the casualties were heavy. SCP-516 is heavily damaged, SCP-516-1 has been bent out of shape and the tank’s armored-plates have corroded. It’s presumed that SCP-516 has successfully neutralized SCP-XXXX-C and -Ds.

13:21: The fog clears allowing the damage to be accessed and casualties counted.

Aftermath: As stated in the containment procedures for SCP-XXXX, airborne amnestics were released over the Isle of Man and all public information regarding the SCP-XXXX-B event was confiscated. SCP-516 is currently residing at Site-95 (Crewe) receiving repairs and the possibility of SCP-516 being rewarded for it's selfless actions is now the subject of discussion. A possible link between SCP-XXXX and SCP-106 is also being investigated due to the latter's description matching that of SCP-XXXX-D.

SCP-XXXX has been reclassified as Neutralized.

+ Open Addendum XXXX.2

On the morning of the 01/02/2016, personnel discovered that SCP-XXXX seemed to “heal” from all damages dealt during the recent breach overnight. All SCP-XXXX-A instances have become structurally sound, SCP-XXXX-B has returned to its original location, showing no signs of damage, and the massive hole left above the entrance to SCP-XXXX-A has vanished.

When researchers returned to Outpost-08-13 to resume work, they found the audio recordings of the unidentified voice playing on the outpost’s monitoring systems on loop.

Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not interfere.

SCP-XXXX has regained Keter classification and containment procedures have been revised.

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You have reached the end of Special Containment Procedure #XXXX:
Access another Procedure? or Log Off?
(Author’s Sandbox Note: If you select “Log Off,” you are taken to a supplement article titled, “Now Logging Off…” The contents of said article are listed below)

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Searching for error’s source…

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+ Error found.

You’ve read it, haven’t you?

You know what I mean.

The Special Containment Procedure for SCP-XXXX, you’ve just read it?

That was a rhetorical question. This isn’t a chat board.

Don’t lie. You tried to type a response, didn’t you?

So… SCP-XXXX… The “Haunted Mine” as we like to call it…

I wish that nickname didn’t have any merits. I really do.



As you’ve just learned (I presume), SCP-XXXX is split into four sub-designations.

There’s SCP-XXXX-A, the mineshafts themselves that apparently lead right into SCP-3001.

Yeah. You were wondering why all that data was expunged, were you?

And don’t get me started on what the Mole Rats actually found inside that void before they were choked out!

Then there’s SCP-XXXX-B, the quarry’s center piece.

I have nothing to say regarding that, as they have nothing to hide about it.

Then we have that bloody demon bear! Thinking about it now just puts this Grimm taste in my mouth…

I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that thing either.

Finally, there’s SCP-XXXX-D…

At least we now know where the Old Man came from… He now has my pity, the poor bastard.


There are still so many questions that I don’t even know the answer to.

Who is this ‘Gregori’ guy? Where did he go after the mines closed? Why did no one catch on to the neglectful management sooner? If SCP-XXXX has been an anomaly since the fifty’s, why is that smokestack going apeshit only now? How did it rebuild itself?

Don’t interfere? Interfere with what?

WHAT IS THE FUCKING DEAL WITH THIS PLACE?!




There’s something more to this, I just know it…

I guess that’s everything I needed to tell you.




But then there’s the -E.

SCP-XXXX-E.

It isn’t mentioned anywhere on the Procedure. Hell, the “Procedure” straight up contradicts the existence of SCP-XXXX-E!

All of our testimonies regarding -E have fell upon bloody deaf ears!

I don’t know why the O5s are dead set on covering this up… But I can hear them… We all can hear them…

That Jumpsuit and I heard them, during the first expedition. But those miserable bastards made sure that information didn't see the light of day.

We can still hear the voices… The screams…

SCP-XXXX-E… are the miners!


They’re still there…

They’ve always been there…

Calling and crying for help…

Help…

That they will never get.

Error resolved. We shall soon discuses this incident with Dr. Obab personally. -O5-9

Please report to your assigned facility's clinic to receive a dose of amnestics. This is not a request!

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