Interior of SCP-5469.
Special Containment Procedures: All information relating to the former town of Faraday, Georgia has been successfully expunged from all records. All outside access to the former location of Faraday, Georgia has been restricted under the cover of an ongoing ecological survey.
All personnel actively assigned to SCP-5469 are to clear the immediate area by 14:24 local time. The area immediately surrounding SCP-5469 must remain clear of flammable materials at all times.
Description: SCP-5469 refers to the structure formerly known as "Winnie's Diner" located in the former town of Faraday, Georgia and the various entities that manifest within. Each entity within SCP-5469 has been successfully identified as a former Faraday resident that either worked at or patronized "Winnie's Diner" on the day of December 21st, 1987.
SCP-5469 is trapped in an ongoing causal loop in which the structure itself and every entity within constantly relives December 21st, 1987. While minor events and interactions within the structure have varied, several notable events have occurred without fail on a daily basis. These events are recorded below.
| TIME | EVENT |
|---|---|
| 06:00 | Former "Winnie's Diner" owner Kyana Jackson manifests in SCP-5469's parking lot and approaches the building. She unlocks the door and enters. |
| 06:25 - 06:34 | Several former employees of "Winnie's Diner" manifest in the parking lot and enter the building during this time. |
| 07:00 | One of the employees flips the diner's "closed" sign to "open". For the remainder of the day, various entities identical to former Faraday residents enter and exit SCP-5469. |
| 11:47 | Former Faraday resident Jason Vasquez proposes to Annelise McCormick. She accepts. |
| 13:13 | The kitchen phone rings. Former line cook Gus Gallian stumbles over another wire attempting to answer it. He reaches the phone and calls for former waitress Rebecca Williams. She accepts the call and speaks to an unknown entity for several minutes. She appears to begin crying during this call. |
| 13:54 | Carrie Edmundton, one of the waitresses, gathers the other waitresses and whispers something to them. They all scream in celebration. |
| 14:07 | Thomas Christian and family celebrate his sixth birthday party in the main dining area. While the family and waitstaff sing "Happy Birthday", Gus Gallian trips once more over the wire and hits his head against the counter. |
| 14:20 | A pot of oil on one of the stoves catches fire. This fire is not noticed until 14:22, when Rebecca Williams enters the kitchen. She panics upon seeing the fire and attempts to put it out by pouring water on it. The fire quickly spreads out of control. |
| 14:24 | The entire structure is fully engulfed in flame. No entities are seen leaving it. |
| 15:53 | The last of the fire is finally extinguished through unknown means. |
SCP-5469 will completely reform with no signs of damage at 00:00 every day.
Addendum 5469.1: First modern investigations into SCP-5469
Due to the nature of SCP-5469, it was uncertain for some time what effect direct interaction with the anomaly would have. The advent of unmanned drone technology allowed initial interactions with SCP-5469. Due to the success of these missions the SCP-5469 project leads authorized the first direct human interaction with the anomaly in February of 2019. Two agents from MTF Epsilon-6 ("Village Idiots") were selected for the investigation. A log of their expedition is recorded below.
Exploration Video Log Transcript
Date: February 16th, 2019
Subject: SCP-5469
Team Lead: Goose
Team Members: Goose, Bluejay
[BEGIN LOG]
Agents Goose and Bluejay enter SCP-5469. They are immediately greeted by Rebecca Williams.
Rebecca: Hey sugar! How ya been? Feel free to take a seat anywhere, I'll be right with ya!
Goose: There's some Georgian hospitality, huh?
Bluejay: Definitely. Seems like a nice date spot.
Both laugh as they set themselves in a booth.
Goose: Nothing too far out of the ordinary yet. Seems like a standard roadside diner. Not super crowded overall.
Bluejay: Pretty sure Faraday wasn't a huge town to begin with. Chances are good that by their standards this IS a crowd.
Rebecca: Sorry for the wait, hun. Haven't seen you two around before! What brings y'all out to Faraday?
Goose: Oh! We're just…on the road. Figured we'd stop for lunch.
Rebecca: Well y'all've picked the right place. Winnie's is the best spot for a quick bite of something to eat. Make sure y'all get a pie before you go, ok? Now what're ya having?
Goose: Uhh…grits is fine for me. Jay?
Bluejay: Uh yeah, I'll just have the biscuits and gravy with a coffee.
Rebecca: Sounds good hun! I'll have that right out to ya!
Bluejay: Real bubbly, huh? I love her hair!
Goose: Looks just like my mom did in high school.
The sound of clapping and cheering are heard from another area of the diner.
Goose: 11:47. That would be Jason and Annelise getting engaged.
Rebecca returns with Goose and Bluejay's orders. She places both on the table and leaves the two to eat.
Bluejay: Aside from the obvious I'm really not seeing any source of an anomaly here. How's the hume readings?
Goose: Kant counter isn't showing anything abnormal. We're sitting slightly below baseline here. It dropped a bit when Rebecca came by but…
Bluejay: Think she's the source?
Goose: Nope. Every person other than you and me causes a drop. Take a look.
A small child runs by followed by their mother.
Bluejay: Shit. What's all this mean then?
Goose: No clue. Best we can do now is just let the day play out.
Goose and Bluejay eat and talk about unrelated topics as the day's events play through. Eventually, the sound of people singing "Happy Birthday" is heard from the other room.
Goose: With that we're running out of time. Keep an eye on the clock, don't want to be stuck in here when the place goes up.
Rebecca Williams walks by as Goose speaks.
Rebecca: What do you mean by that?
Goose: Oh, God, uh…
Bluejay: We're just practicing dialogue for a play we're in.
Rebecca: How exciting! Break a leg then!
She leaves. Goose sighs.
Goose: Nice save, Jay. We really need to get some better guidance from command on what we can and can't reveal to these guys.
Bluejay: …Is that smoke?
Goose: It is indeed. Let's move on out.
[END LOG]
Additional Notes: No major deviations from standard SCP-5469 events were noted during this mission. Approval for further direct interactions with SCP-5469 and the entities within has been granted alongside guidelines for interacting with SCP-5469 entities.
Addendum 5469.2: Interviews with various SCP-5469 entities
Following O5 approval, a plan was drafted for further investigation into SCP-5469. This plan involved a series of interviews with several of the most notable SCP-5469 entities. Each interview was held on separate days by agents Goose and Bluejay. Both agents were provided with interview technology matching that which existed in 1987 as well as clear instructions to avoid serious disruptions of SCP-5469 events. Each interview is logged below.
Interview: Jason Vasquez and Annelise McCormick
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWERS: Goose, Bluejay
INTERVIEWEES: Jason Vasquez, Annelise McCormick
[BEGIN LOG]
Goose: Aaand….dang it how does this thing work?
Bluejay: It's already on, see the light? We're recording.
Goose: …Right, ok. Starting interview then. Could you two state your names for me?
Jason: I'm Jason Vasquez!
Annelise: And my name is Annelise McCormick. What was this for, again?
Bluejay: We're reporters with the local paper. We saw your proposal and just couldn't resist the chance for a feel-good story. Still willing to answer a few questions?
Jason: Yeah, of course!
Goose: Perfect, perfect. First thing, what's your story? How long have you two known each other for?
Annelise: Oh, gosh, well…I'd say about…six years? We met in high school.
Jason: Kinda surprised it took so long, honestly! A small town like this ain't much but normally you know everyone. Guess I was blessed that we only have one high school here.
Goose: For sure, for sure. When's the wedding?
Jason: As much as I'd love a Christmas wedding, the turnaround is too fast haha. We're aiming for Valentine's Day right now.
Annelise: If we can't get that, though, I want to get married in a year exactly. This day is just…gosh it's just so much. More than I could ever want.
Goose: And why here? Why propose at Winnie's?
Jason: Winnie's is just…I dunno how to really describe it. It's like the heart of Faraday, you know? Everybody loves it here, everyone knows Kyana. Sure there's "prettier" places around but it's hard to think of a place that really means more to this town than Winnie's.
Annelise: Plus they'll be catering the wedding. It just makes sense when you think about it.
Bluejay: It really does. It really does…
Goose: Thank you both for your time. We're going to head out to get this thing published. Make sure you check the papers tomorrow!
[END LOG]
Additional Notes: One of the unique advantages of having two agents present for an interview is the ability for one to focus on the questions and the other to focus on little things. Body language, environmental factors, what have you. In a way it breaks my heart to have been able to focus on that, because all it showed me was just how in love these two were. Annelise spoke with her hands a lot, but every time she was done she would rest her thumb on the back of Jason's palm. Jason would blush every single time.
If they had had their Valentine's wedding, they would've had their 31st anniversary yesterday.
-Agent Bluejay
Interview: Rebecca Williams
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWERS: Goose, Bluejay
INTERVIEWEE: Rebecca Williams
[BEGIN LOG]
Rebecca: Hey sugar! How ya been? Feel free to take a seat anywhere, I'll be right with ya!
Goose: Same booth as usual, Jay?
Bluejay: Sounds good to me.
Rebecca: Sorry for the wait, hun. Haven't seen you two around before! What brings y'all out to Faraday?
Bluejay: Actually we're here with a national newspaper. We're looking at notable eateries around the nation, and we figured we'd check Winnie's out. Can we actually get a quick interview with you?
Rebecca: Aww well I'm just tickled you'd want to talk to me, but I'm awful busy at the moment. How about this, I'll take your order for now and we can do an interview on my break, sound good?
Goose: Sounds good. We'll just have the usual, then.
Rebecca: Pardon?
Bluejay: Sorry about him, we've been on the road for a bit. He's tired. He'll have the grits, I'll have the biscuits and gravy with a coffee.
Rebecca: Sounds good hun! I'll have that right out for ya!
Goose: Shit, sorry about that, Jay. Keep forgetting that we aren't actually regulars.
Bluejay: Well we've been here like six days in a row now, mistakes happen. They're just lucky the coffee is so damn good.
Rebecca: Here you two gentlemen go! Now just give me a few and I'll be able to talk with ya!
Gus Gallian is heard shouting for Rebecca.
Rebecca: Oop, excuse me then!
Goose: And here's the daily call. You know when the file said crying I thought it was a sad thing, but she sure is smiling a lot through it.
Rebecca is heard returning after a few minutes.
Rebecca: Pardon my face, just a bit of an emotional call is all. Still interested in talking?
Goose: Certainly. Mind if I ask what that call was about?
Rebecca: Oh, well, it was from Auburn University actually. They just wanted to call and let me know I was accepted into their engineering program.
Bluejay: …Amazing, congratulations!
Rebecca: Are you ok, hun? You look a bit flush.
Bluejay: Yeah, yeah don't worry about me. Just really happy for you.
Goose: Sincerely, that's quite an accomplishment. That's awful far from home, though.
Rebecca: Well…to be honest I'm glad it's so far.
Goose: Why's that?
Rebecca: My daddy worked at the textile factory, you see, and my momma was a housekeeper. Same as their parents, and same as their parents' parents. Daddy always told me that if I wanted to ever make something of myself I needed to get outta this town and not look back. If I didn't, I'd be stuck here forever. Waiting tables or popping out babies. …Oh goodness, that was crude! Sorry about that!
Goose: No, no, I appreciate it actually. How'd you wind up here at Winnie's, then?
Rebecca: Momma and daddy can't afford college for me, actually. Not for any of us. If I wanted to go I had to make the money myself. When I told Miss Jackson she took me right in and even paid me extra for my work. She…well she actually told me that if I managed to keep my grades up and get into Auburn she'd actually pay for half of it.
Goose: She sounds like quite the lady.
Rebecca: Oh, she certainly is. Winnie's might be the heart and soul of the town but Kyana keeps it beating. You'd be hard pressed to find someone around here that her or her momma haven't touched in some way.
[END LOG]
Additional Notes: I know it was unprofessional to lose my composure in front of an interviewee, even more so in front of what's effectively an object we're containing. That said, how should you react? How should you react when you know what's about to happen to a girl who thinks her whole future is ahead of her?
By some sick twist of fate, there were a lot of beginnings in Winnie's Diner that day.
-Agent Bluejay
Interview: Carrie Edmundton
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWERS: Goose, Bluejay
INTERVIEWEE: Carrie Edmundton
[BEGIN LOG]
Goose: Shit I think I turned it on already.
Bluejay: Dios, I get that the tech is older than you are, but I figured after two weeks of interviews you'd have figured it out by now.
Rebecca: Hey sugar! How ya been? Take a seat anywhere, I'll be right with ya!
Goose: Sure thing.
Rebecca: Hold on, have I seen you two before? I swear you're awful familiar but I can't put my finger on it.
Bluejay: Not that I'm aware of, we're just stopping by. Hey while I have you could we speak to Mrs. Edmundton?
Rebecca: Sure thing, sugar. Her break is at…1:50pm. You willing to wait that long?
Bluejay: That's fine, we're in no rush. Whenever she's ready, just let her know it's a newspaper interview.
Rebecca: How exciting! I'll be sure to tell her!
Bluejay: Oh, and congratulations.
Rebecca: Hm? Oh, thank you I suppose, though I don't know what you're referring to exactly.
Bluejay: You'll see.
Goose: And she's off like always. Just confused this time. The hell was that, Jay?
Bluejay: Don't get in a tizzy over it. She won't even remember tomorrow anyway.
Goose: You know the procedures, Jay. Don't mess with the anomaly.
Agents Goose and Bluejay are silent for a half hour. They hold casual conversation until 13:50.
Goose: She's not coming out yet.
Bluejay: Give it a minute. She needs to make her announcement to the others first. …And there it is. Here she comes.
Carrie: Sorry for the wait, fellas! Hope it wasn't an issue.
Goose: No issue, Mrs. Edmundton. Like Ms. Williams likely told you this is an interview for a national paper. We're actually driving around America right now to get the stories of small town dives like Winnie's. Are you willing to tell us a bit about yourself?
Carrie: Sure thing! What're you wanting to know?
Goose: Well I can't say I'm not curious about that conversation you just had with the other waitresses. Mind if I ask what that was all about?
Carrie: Goodness, well I suppose there's no harm in it. I'm telling Nathan about it tonight so…hehe! I just found out I'm pregnant!
Bluejay: Congratulations, sincerely. This is the…perfect time of year for that kind of news.
Goose: Congratulations on your pregnancy! I do have to ask, is the diner going to support your through the pregnancy? I imagine that being pregnant and a waitress isn't really easy on you.
Carrie: Honestly I'm not too worried. I actually told Kyana a few months back that Nathan and I were going to try for a baby. She offered a wonderful maternity leave option for me later on in the pregnancy. I actually wanna talk to her sometime tomorrow about planning a celebration in here. Can't imagine a better place for it.
Goose: Why's that?
Carrie: Well Winnie's is a big part of my life. Sure I come in here every day and work my little bum off, but there's more to it. Let's see, what tells it well….oh yeah! Back when I was a little thing, me and my friends would always come to Winnie's almost every day during the summer. Kyana worked behind the counter. She'd always give us ice cream cones for whatever pocket change we had. I didn't even know it then, but she was taking a loss on every "sale" she did with us bless her heart. But that was just the kinda person she was, you know? And her daughter has really carried on that legacy. That's part of why I say I can't imagine celebrating the next part of my life anywhere else. Winnie's is like a second home.
Goose: A second home, eh? That's rather heartwarming. So then what does working here mean for you? Beyond being a second home, what is Winnie's to you?
Carrie: Oh that's a big one, huh? Well I'd say Winnie's is stability. Anyone here you tell you this is the heart of Faraday, but for me it's stability. Some of the other ladies here definitely hate this, but I love that every day here feels the same you know? There's a routine we follow every single day, and I like that. The world's a scary enough place as it is, so it's nice to have a place where things never change.
Goose: That's definitely a unique perspective on things. Thank you so much for your time Mrs. Edmundton, and congrats again on the baby!
Bluejay: Yeah, congrats.
Carrie: Thank you, sweetie! Good luck with your article!
[END LOG]
Additional Notes: Would she be so ok with this stagnation if she knew? Would she be ok knowing that every single day of her life is nearly identical to the last? That her baby will never be born? That five minutes after we wrapped up our interview with her, her entire world would go up in flames?
Part of me is happy knowing at least one person here is content with where they are. At least one person found joy knowing that every day was the same. I struggle to accept that, though. It's April now. Outside of the parking lot we're getting cool Spring weather and soft rains. Once I step into that parking lot, though, it starts snowing. Outside is experiencing the renewal that the changing seasons bring, but inside is…
Well, it's December 20th, 1987.
-Agent Bluejay
Interview: Gus Gallian
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWERS: Goose, Bluejay
INTERVIEWEE: Gus Gallian
[BEGIN LOG]
Goose: God….I swear I can't operate this crap. Oh wait, light's on. Ok. This is Goose. It's currently….13:50. We're pushing it a bit with this interview, but unfortunately after a few days of trying we haven't been able to get an earlier interview with Gus. This is the best we've managed so far.
Bluejay: Same script as always. Same smiles, same people. Same interview time we had with Carrie, so hopefully this doesn't take too long.
Bluejay sighs.
Goose: And here he comes. Hello, Mr. Gallian!
Gus: You two the reporters then? Let's make this thing quick, got a lot of work to get done.
Goose: Don't worry, sir. This will only take a few minutes. Like Miss Williams told you earlier, we're trying to learn a bit about the personal experiences of small town cooks. First thing I'd like to ask you is how long have you been working here for now?
Gus: Fifteen years.
Goose: Er, to the point. Thanks! So I guess I'll just get to the big one, then. What does Winnie's Diner mean to you?
Gus: Heh, shit man. Really gonna go for sentimental crap like that, huh? Fine fine, I'll bite. Winnie's…well I gotta say Winnie's…
Bluejay: Something wrong, Mr. Gallian?
Gus: Yeah, sorry, just antsy all of a sudden is all. Winnie's is…uh…community I guess? Like we aren't a big community, yeah? We aren't a rich community, either. Kyana's like…our matriarch in a way. All the kid's respect her, and she's practically raised half the young adults here on her own. Like Carrie, yeah? Shit, Kyana's basically Carrie's momma. Carrie's dad was a drunken piece of shit, but Kyana was always there. I remember her staying up real late one day to make that girl a birthday cake.
Goose: And for yourself?
Gus: Sorry?
Goose: What has Winnie's done for you?
Gus: Ah shit, well. I worked for Winnie before I worked for Kyana. Winnie was actually new to town. Took to the place like a duck to water though, quick to establish herself and the community loved her for it. I was just a kid before she got here, but I do remember my parents saying one night that she was really the thing that brought the place together. We were kind of a dissolving community with no real idea of who we were. That was about the time that the textile mills started closing actually. People were going broke and starting to leave, but Winnie held us together. Held my family together, actually. The mills closing was shit. Shit enough that when my dad lost his job there it about tore the family apart. Winnie gave my dad a job here, and that kept the family together.
Goose: So Winnie-
Gus: Uhh…sorry I really feel like I need to get back to the kitchen. I dunno I just feel like there's something I need to do.
Bluejay: Wait, wait! Just stay here, we'll make it quick. It's only 2:05pm, you still have breaktime right?
Gus: Yeah but…sorry I just really feel like I need to move right now. I need to get back to the kitchen and-
Bluejay: Please, sir, stay here. We only have a few more questions for you. Don't worry about it.
Gus: I need to-
Bluejay: Please, Gus. Please….for your sake stay with us.
Gus: For my sake…?
Goose: Ignore my compatriot. If you need to go then please, go ahead. While we did have more questions we don't want to get between you and your work. Thank you for your time.
Gus: Sure. Sure. Have a good one.
Goose: You too, Mr. Gallian.
Additional Notes: I submitted another request to command to allow us to attempt to directly intervene with SCP-5469's recurring events. Once again it was rejected. I'll likely be punished for acting out of order during this interview, but I stand by my actions. We've learned something here- SCP-5469 entities have some sort of innate compulsion to reenact the events we see every day. These events are key. I still think that had Goose allowed it, I would've been able to keep Gus distracted long enough to change the schedule. To change something about SCP-5469.
What would happen if we stopped the fire entirely? What would finally change here?
-Agent Bluejay
[END LOG]
Interview: Kyana Jackson
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWERS: Goose, Bluejay
INTERVIEWEE: Kyana Jackson
[BEGIN LOG]
Goose: Hey this is Agent Goose leaving an audio note before we actually start the interview here. Bluejay and I just checked the Kant Counter in front of Ms. Jackson's office and well-
Bluejay: Reading's are crazy high. Let's just say it's very "real" in here.
Goose: Anyway we finally managed to string events together in a way that gets us in contact with the owner herself.
Bluejay: Weirdly difficult to do. Not sure what was up with Kyana that day but she was not an easy woman to get into contact with.
Goose: Anyway we're entering her office now. I mention the Kant counter partially so that if the rest of the MTF needs to mobilze….well there's context to it.
A door is heard opening.
Kyana: Hey there! Come on in you two, come on in.
Goose: Thanks so much for your time Ms. Jackson. I have to say we've heard quite a bit about you.
Kyana: All good things, I would hope!
Goose: All good, don't worry. We wanted to ask you a bit about this community of yours, your diner here, the works.
Kyana: Ask away then! I'm here to answer whatever.
Goose: Sure, sure. First thing I'd like to ask about here is related to your mother, actually. I did some research and heard that she was quite the figure around here.
Kyana: Oh yes, momma. Well I guess if we're being totally honest here I should lay it all out on the table, then. Momma was a wonderful lady, but she wasn't actually my birth momma.
Goose: Oh, really now?
Kyana: This is a culture study piece, right? I think momma's background is important here, then. Momma was a Dominican immigrant. Her name wasn't actually Winnie, it was Altagracia Iglesia. She moved here when she was 18 and changed her name to Winifred Jackson so she could be a good American. She always told me she was the kind of woman who needed to make work for herself. She needed something to do that was hers and she could take pride in. There weren't any opportunities like that where she was from. So she packed herself up and got herself on a ship over here.
Goose: How'd she wind up down here, then? I would've guessed that a Dominican immigrant would wind up in Washington Heights or something.
Kyana: Nueva York wasn't the place for her. I'm not entirely sure exactly how she wound up in Faraday of all places, but here she was and here was a place that needed her. So, Winnie's was born.
Goose: And you? She wasn't your mother you said?
Kyana: Oh, right. Well Winnie never had any babies of her own. Never even married. I had my own parents, sure, but they were fairly absentee if I'm being honest with you. Winnie took me under her wing and basically raised me. I'd sit in her diner late at night and she'd work on my homework with me, celebrate my birthdays, the works. Sure I had a momma, but she was my momma.
Goose: And you were her daughter, it sounds like. You got her diner.
Kyana: And I remember the day she left it, too. I was at her home, sitting at her bedside. She was so sick and frail. I held her hand in my own, rubbed her bony knuckles with the back of my hand while she just laid there breathing slowly. She only ever said one thing to me that entire day. She said "It's ok, mija. It's ok. You'll do great things."
Kyana inhales sharply.
Kyana: And then she was gone. Later that day I found her will. She left me the diner…everything. It was then that I knew I had to do what she did for me for everyone else. I had to become what Winnie was to the community. I had to become the rock she was before.
Goose: And from what it sounds like, you did.
Kyana: No, no. There's still so much I have to do, and…
Bluejay: Don't be humble here. We spoke to everyone else. You're their foundation.
Kyana: You spoke to everyone else? Already?
Bluejay: …Yeah. Yeah, we did. Everyone told us about what you've done for them and the community. Carrie's maternity leave, Rebecca's college, all of it.
Goose: Jay-
Bluejay: Let me have this, Goose. Just this one.
Kyana: Goodness, you've heard all of that?
Bluejay: You can't actually afford all of that, can you Kyana?
Kyana is silent.
Bluejay: Kyana?
Kyana: No. No, I can't. I've had to cut back quite a bit to afford those sacrifices, but it's what needs to be done. It isn't about me. It isn't about my life, either. It's about making sure these kids have a future of their own. That they can live their little dreams, whatever those are. Winnie made those sacrifices for me, so I'm making those sacrifices for the next generation. I'll be fine in the end. It's expensive, but I can recover.
Bluejay: What is Winnie's to you, then?
Kyana: Winnie's? Winnie's is everything to me. Winnie's is the place that gives people a new tomorrow. Winnie's is stability, but it's change too. It's promise. I don't know what I would do without it, honestly.
There is a moment of silence.
Bluejay: Kyana, what's today's date?
Goose: Bluejay, enough.
Bluejay: What is today's date, Kyana?
Kyana: D-December 20th. Why?
Bluejay: And the year?
Goose: Jay, enough!
Bluejay: The year, Kyana. Please.
Kyana: It's 1987. Sir, why are you asking me these questions? I don't see how these relate to this article-
Bluejay: Kyana, it's 2019. It's July.
Goose: Bluejay what are you trying to accomplish here?
Kyana: I'm sorry are you ok, sir? I don't know if you've looked outside but there's snow coming down-
Bluejay: I want you to look at this, Kyana.
Kyana: …What am I looking at here?
Bluejay: It's called a cellphone. Everyone has one now. They let you talk to people from far away, take pictures, and even record footage. Like this, from later today. This is your diner up in flames. No one survives this. But tomorrow? Everything is reset. It's the same day, over and over for eternity.
Kyana: This is crazy talk. I don't know what this thing is here, or why it has a video of the diner burning down, but it's crazy talk.
Goose: It is indeed, Ms. Jackson. And I apologize for him stepping out of line like that. I'm not sure what he thought all that would do, but clearly he needs to be reminded to leave the interviews to me.
Bluejay: Goose. Outside.
Goose and Bluejay are heard leaving the office. As they leave, Kyana Jackson is heard breathing heavily.
Goose: What the hell is your problem, Bluejay? You've been off your game the entire time you've worked on this project, but this is unforgivable. You'll be lucky to even keep your job after this .
Bluejay: Look around you, Goose. How can you look at this place every single fucking day and tell yourself that this is fine? That you can't do anything about it? Are you really content damning all these people to this?
Goose: Of course I'm not, but you know as well as I do that it isn't our choice to interfere with-
Bluejay: Damn the guidelines and bureaucracy, Goose!
Goose: Jay you're being irrational, you don't even know what interfering with the anomaly will do. You don't even know if you can do anything.
Bluejay: I'd rather try than sit on my ass doing nothing. I can't just accept that all these lives are destined to be cut short. I don't know what I can do, or how I'll do it. Hell I don't even know what kind of a difference it will make, but I won't just sit here every single day and live content with knowing how the story ends.
Agent Bluejay is heard running off.
Goose: Jay? Jay!
The audio feed is cut at this point.
[END LOG]
Addendum 5469.3: Interview with Agent Bluejay
INTERVIEW LOG
INTERVIEWER: Goose
INTERVIEWEE: Bluejay
[BEGIN LOG]
Goose: Thanks for helping me set up the mic, Jay. I appreciate it.
Bluejay: It's whatever. Let's just…get to the questions.
Goose: Yeah…yeah. So, what exactly did you do after our conversation?
Bluejay: I ran into the kitchen and tried to make sure that Gus never put the oil on the stove. Seemed easy enough, right? Well he was hell bent on doing it, didn't even seem to really know why. All he knew is that the oil needed to go on the stove.
Goose: Like what we saw before.
Bluejay: Exactly, just like what we saw before. This time he threw a punch, though. We fought a bit, and that was ok! Anything to keep him from making that one mistake! At some point, though, I was knocked into the pot and it fell over. I'm not really sure what happened then.
Both agents are silent.
Bluejay: I guess it doesn't really matter what happened, does it?
Goose: Why'd you do it, Jay? Why did you go against orders like that?
Bluejay: I told you yesterday, Goose. I can't watch a group of people be damned to make the same mistakes every single day for the rest of their existence.
Goose: I don't enjoy it either, but orders are-
Bluejay: Goose, do you know my real name?
Goose: I'm sorry?
Bluejay: My real name is Antonio Martínez. You remember that little community you mentioned? Washington Heights? Well I grew up there. I know the kind of community that place was. Yeah, a big city can't really be compared to a small town like this, but I know what it means to have an abuela like Winnie was here. I know what a place like this means to a community, and I know what it means for every damn person to have their own little futures to live. Winnie's here might not be the barrio, but it isn't all that different in its own way.
Goose: I-
Bluejay: You're sorry. I know. It…it isn't your fault. I was awful to you but you just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened. Just following orders, keeping safe.
Goose: I respect what you did.
Bluejay: I'm sorry?
Goose: It was…brave, I guess is the way to put it. Things may not have turned out well, but you took the chance on something you believed it.
Bluejay: Feels like it was pointless in the end, but I don't regret trying. Anyway, you should probably get going.
Goose: Yeah, I…really should.
Bluejay: Goose?
Goose: Yeah?
Bluejay: I love you.
Goose: I know, Jay.
Bluejay: How many times have I said that now?
Agent Goose is silent for several moments.
Bluejay: Goose…?
Goose: I'll see you tomorrow, Jay.
Additional Notes: After five interviews I can conclude that there is no variation in former Foundation Agent Bluejay's behavior. He should be officially considered a part of SCP-5469's daily proceedings. I will continue my observations in order to form a properly updated timetable.
-Agent Goose