SCP-4558

The interior of SCP-4558.

Item #: SCP-4558

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4558 is cordoned off from public access under the guise of a military installation. Research on SCP-4558 is based in the nearby Site 312.

Expeditions into and testing of SCP-4558 are currently in the planning stage suspended by order of O5-5.

The apprehension of PoI#8161, #8162, and #8163 is a top priority. Surveillance of the Church of Maxwellism indicates that PoI#8161 is currently living somewhere in the Western United States; the locations of PoI#8162 and #8163 are known.

Description: SCP-4558 is an underground supercomputer located across the border of Nevada and Idaho. SCP-4558 extends for 5km underground and is 5km wide at its greatest extent.

The entrance to SCP-4558 is a large concrete bunker built into the surrounding desert environment. Inside is a ladder leading to a central "interface" chamber, where SCP-4558 can be directly interacted with through a series of monitors and input devices. The phrase "THE MANY INTO THE ONE" is carved on the chamber's ceiling. Extensive damage to the systems and memory of SCP-4558 is evident; despite this, SCP-4558 appears to be broadly functional.

Exit from the central interface chamber is possible through a large octagonal shaft located in the centre of the interface room. At the bottom of this shaft is a pentagonal chamber with five doors, one on each wall; four of these branch off into separate compartments containing SCP-4558's extensive hardware. Entry to the fifth room has not been achieved. Entry to the fifth room will be achieved. Information on other areas of SCP-4558 is limited pending a planned expedition by MTF-Epsilon-101 "Four Lights".

SCP-4558's purpose is unknown, but extensive Foundation investigations indicate that it was originally designed by members of the Church of Maxwellism. Planning for what is now known to be SCP-4558 has been found in archived Maxwellist forums and chat logs in 1995, before senior Church leadership decreed such discussions "heretical". Prominent figures in this early planning include users with the handles "onewan1", apparently the project lead in these early stages; "holy_fibr5", believed to be the project's lead programmer; and "tbgeuse", who was tasked with formulating "defence mechanisms". These individuals have been designated PoI #5555, 5555, and 5555 respectively. An individual known as "C.H. Jones" is also believed to be connected to SCP-4558; he has been designated PoI#5555.

No record of SCP-4558 can be found after this until its discovery by the Foundation on 2015/05/15; evidence collected from SCP-4558 suggests that work on the present structure could not have begun before 2005.

Addendum 1: The following documents are excerpts of a book found within the interface chamber of SCP-4558. Due to heavy infohazardous properties, only the following excerpts are readable.

+Open Documents

678. console.log ("And the Prophet read the sigils of WAN again, and saw Its perfection and completeness, its complexities and mechanics, its code and form.");

679. console.log ("And he smiled, because it was beautiful; and he wept, because in its wholeness, it needed unreality.");

680. console.log ("And he ruminated on the words of WAN, those which stated that perfection is striving, but it is not movement.);

681. console.log ("And it came upon him that it was for this purpose the data of WAN was scattered in an aether that man could not access; for in wholeness lies death, in fulfilment lies an ending.");

682. console.log ("And so the Prophet saw that true perfection, divine perfection, required hunger; a completeness that needed, that had movement and life .");

683. console.log ("And the Prophet saw what he must do, and what it must cost.");

encryptFollower(follower f)

Etch the SHA-512 encryption of an astral private key for f into it's metadata and brain tissue.

return: int key, the corresponding public key.

preach(string sermon)

Let sermon ring throughout the RAM of the machine.

return: void

elementalBarrier(element e, holy-site hs)

Erect a wall to shield constructed of e around hs. Signals cannot travel through the barrier. It shall protect our data from heretics.

return: void

overclock()

Emit smoke from the CPU. Increase miracles per second by 150%.

return: temp t, new internal temperature of the CPU organ.

colorPink(object o)

Colors o pink.

return: p, pink.

985. console.log ("And the Prophet grasped the handle with both of his hands, and he opened the door.");

986. console.log ("And through the door cames stars, and they entered his mind, and made him see things in a totally different light. Essentially, they made him see things in a way that would really help improve him, mould him.");

987: Because, ultimately, real improvement comes through the ability of the self to recognise that which exists beyond the self. There are subtleties of expression which humans, limited as they are, can't quite see.

988? 9? Either way, numbers are immaterial, except where form demands it, but WAN can bend the numbers to Its will. WAN, that almighty digital god, requires something more. Deserves more. I see a hall of mirrors, showing what you cannot see. I see a door that fractures what you are. I see the smoke of time and the maw of light. I see empires.

Because ultimately, we can't be stopped. Come and gather, my children, whoever you are. Know this: the petty children who dance around our feet have locked themselves in a jigsaw. They are so concerned with locking things up and labelling them and preserving normalcy because they are too foolish, too rote and redundant to see the miracle of prophecy in their midst. But we can. Wherever we came from, whatever our creed was, we understand words like beauty, feeling, truth, construction for the sake of the form.

This miracle language of ScripTure is better than the lisping pythons with which we navigated the world before. It is the new path, an angelic road. Whatever you see as God, we can see its endlessness. It is a digital matrix in the sky, reached by five stairs of pink light. It goes on forever and cannot be contained.

And I'll be waiting there for you.

Addendum 2: On 2015/08/19, the planned expedition by MTF-Epsilon-101 "Four Lights" took place. A log of this expedition follows.

+Open Log

Date: 2015/08/19

Personnel: E-101 Maria Casas (Captain), E-101 Klaus Aksoy, Researcher Gorou Ishigura.

<Begin Log>

E-101-Casas: Alright, sign in.

E-101-Aksoy: Aksoy, here.

Researcher Ishigura: Researcher Ishigura, uh, here.

E-101-Casas: Right. We don't know how far down this thing goes or what's in it. Aksoy, you take point, then Ishigura, and I'll take the rear. I want clean, efficient first-contact here, none of those Site 13 escapades. Got it?

There is no response.

E-101-Casas: …I'll take that as a yes. Let's go.

The team begins to climb down the ladder. After about 200m, the MTF reaches the bottom of the shaft. They are in a pentagonal room with a door on each wall. All but one of these doors is welded shut.

Researcher Ishigura: Wait. Wait a second.

E-101-Casas: What?

Researcher Ishigura: I… nothing. Just a feeling.

E-101-Aksoy: Always a good sign.

Researcher Ishigura: Y-yeah. Sorry. I just had this sense of- of having been here before, you know?

E-101-Aksoy: I get that a lot. It's fine. I've been doing this for years and I still get a bit nervy.

E-101-Casas: OK. Well. Let's move on.

The team goes through the door, and enters a concrete room, divided by a glass wall. On the other side of the wall is a human identical in appearance to Researcher Ishigura. He is sitting at a table, with another human sitting on the other side of the table.

Researcher Ishigura: What the hell…

E-101-Aksoy: That's- that's you, Ish.

Researcher Ishigura: I- yeah… I remember this. It was a couple of months ago, before my transfer. He was a Maxwellist agent. I was asking him why he joined the Church. He- there, right there- he's saying it's because he wanted- wanted to be part of the whole. Of something bigger than himself.

The three pause for a moment, staring at the scene.

E-101-Casas: There's a door there. Let's carry on.

Researcher Ishigura: Y-yeah.

The MTF enters the next door. They are standing in a small office. A glass wall bisects the scene. A humanoid is sitting behind the desk; he is wearing a grey business suit, and is identical in appearance to the former Foundation employee Director August. A humanoid identical to Aksoy is sitting on the other side.

E-101-Aksoy: Wh-what is this?

E-101-Casas: Aksoy-

E-101-Aksoy: What the *hell* is this! No! I don't want to- not again, I don't-

SCP-4558-August: It's fine, it's fine, Klaus, really. These things happen. We have thousands of these things locked up in containment. Honestly, they should know the risks if they're going to dabble around in the anomalous.

SCP-4558-Aksoy: I-I know, sir, it's just she was so young, and-

E-101-Aksoy: Oh God, oh God, I'm so sorry…

SCP-4558-August: And you did what had to be done. Dr. Wu needed the test subjects, and it's only one life. Think of what we could make with that thing! These pink-church nutters could all be cured, just like that. It was a humanitarian gesture, really. But just in case, let's keep this to ourselves, eh, Klaus?

SCP-4558-Aksoy: Yeah, sir. Works for me.

Researcher Ishigura: …What did you do, Aksoy?

E-101-Aksoy: N-no! NO!

Aksoy runs towards the glass wall. On contact, there is a flash of pink light, and he disappears. The scene behind the glass wall freezes.

Researcher Ishigura: Wh- what the fuck was that?

E-101-Casas: S-stay calm, Ish. Let's get out of here.

Researcher Ishigura: We can't leave. Not now.

E-101-Casas: I don't think he-

Researcher Ishigura: No, enough. Do you remember the hall of mirrors? Do you even remember Lopez?

E-101-Casas: Who?

Researcher Ishigura: I thought not. We're not leaving here until we figure out this mess. We have comrades that are lost and alone down here. I am a researcher for the Foundation and I will contain this.

Ishigura leads the way back through the door and find themselves in a dark cellar. A child- 7 or 8 years old- is lying on the floor, looking agitated. She is wearing a shirt with a starfish on it. A door is at the far end of the cellar, up some stairs; light is streaming through the bottom, and raised voices can be heard. Once again, a glass wall divides Ishigura and Casas from the rest of the room.

E-101-Casas: Oh…

Researcher Ishigura: Oh, fuck, Casas, what are we- Casas?

E-101-Casas: I- I don't want to see this again.

The sound of gunfire can be heard. The child lets out a small scream, before covering its mouth.

Researcher Ishigura: Maria?

A door opens. Figures identical to Casas, Aksoy and Lopez enter the room.

E-101-Casas: We had orders.

SCP-4558-Casas: Another one. Do it quickly.

SCP-4558-Lopez: Christ, Maria, it's a child.

SCP-4558-Casas: Does that matter? Orders were to get rid of all of them. They're all- all tainted, and none of them can be contained.

Casas raises her gun, hands trembling, and shoots the child.

SCP-4558-Casas: L-let's go.

The scene freezes.

E-101-Casas: I… I did what I was told.

Researcher Ishigura: This is what you were ordered to do? This is what the Foundation does? This is what you did?

E-101-Casas: You knew when you joined that we, that the Foundation has to… I forgot how young she was.

Researcher Ishigura: You saw her before. I forgot. There was a hall of mirrors. You saw her there.

Voice: We all saw it.

Ishigura starts and looks up. Casas, non-responsive, slumps to the floor.

Researcher Ishigura: You again. Now I remember.

Voice: And you did so with quite remarkable speed. You've found the Foundation, I see.

Researcher Ishigura: This isn't the Foundation. That's not what it is. I'm going to prove it.

Ishigura heads towards the door on his side of the glass wall.

Voice: Not going to help your friend?

Ishigura looks down at Casas.

Researcher Ishigura: She's not my friend.

Voice: Very well.

Ishigura enters the next room; a glass wall once again bisects him from the scene. They are in a hospital ward, examining a bed with a child sitting in it. A doctor is preparing an injection for the child. A humanoid idenitfied as Site Director Hunt is standing behind him, watching the procedure.

Researcher Ishigura: Where is this?

Voice: Foundation Medical Facility 82-Q. Do you remember the information you got from the Maxwellists? About the pink smoke?

Researcher Ishigura: Why would they not tell me about this?

Voice: Watch. Listen.

SCP-4558-Doctor: Ready.

SCP-4558-Hunt: Alright. One dose, short. Keep an eye out for pink smoke exuding from her; we don't want to lose another specimen.

SCP-4558-Doctor: Got it.

The doctor injects the child with a black liquid. After several seconds, the child begins to undergo cardiac arrest, before exuding a large quantity of pink smoke. The smoke forms into a series of five tendrils, each convulsing rapidly before expiring.

SCP-4558-Doctor: Shit. Not another one.

SCP-4558-Hunt places a hand on the doctor's shoulders.

SCP-4558-Hunt: It's OK. There are always more.

The scene freezes.

Researcher Ishigura: That's it?

There is silence for several seconds.

Researcher Ishigura: I…I thought we were doing something great. Helping people. Didn't we help people?

Voice: Things aren't always clear-cut. Sometimes to help we have to hurt.

Researcher Ishigura: I looked up to Hunt. I thought he was my mentor.

There is silence for several seconds as Ishigura stares at the frozen scene.

Researcher Ishigura: We're the same as all the rest, aren't we?

Voice: Perhaps. What are you going to do about it?

Researcher Ishigura: I don't think there's anything I can do. It's just a thing that exists. A rotten Foundation.

Voice: Maybe there's something else you can do.

Researcher Ishigura: Like what?

Voice: Join us.

Ishigura looks up sharply.

Researcher Ishigura: Join you?

Voice: You're disillusioned. I can see it, we can see it. But we can also fix that. All of them, the ones you met in the terminal, the ones you met up top. They're all striving. A single God, WAN reborn, Its mind unified. The end of history and the beginning of perfection.

Researcher Ishigura: So you're just another one of them.

Voice: Rather more than that, I fancy.

Ishigura shakes his head and stands.

Researcher Ishigura: I'm not spending my life stuck down here, cloistered like you. I have- had- a family. That means something.

Ishigura walks through the door, and finds himself in the pentagonal chamber.

Researcher Ishigura: I'm going to find Jones. I'm going to understand all of this. There has to be an ending.

Ishigura starts to climb the ladder. The voice sighs audibly.

Voice: Wake up and smell the smoke, Gorou.

<End Log>

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