The Coldest War » SCP-8512
Item #: SCP-8512
Object Class: Euclid
Site Responsible: Site-54
Director: Dir. Imogen Tarrow
Research Head: Dr. Anton Fischer
Assigned Task Force: MTF-Delta-11
Special Containment Procedures:
An SCP-8512 instance prior to containment.
All SCP-8512 instances are to be stored in Hall-16, at Site-54. All SCP-8512 instances are to be mounted on brass rails, and any required positional alteration should be via road vehicle. A Type-A psiophone is to be placed within every SCP-8512 cab. All SCP-8512 and SCP-8512-A instances should be checked daily for any signs of degradation or amelioration. Under no circumstances should any SCP-8512 instance make contact with a rail track or a railway locomotive.
The Foundation are currently investigating former Soviet constituent republics for undiscovered SCP-8512 instances. In the event an SCP-8512 activates, the Foundation are to reroute or stop all incoming traffic so that no individual or railway system is affected by the anomaly, with MTF-Delta-11 ("Start Your Engines") to be deployed to detain and transport said instance to Site-54. If necessary, MTF-Lambda-9 ("Mind over Matter") are to be deployed along side to assist in detainment.
Update: Following Incident 8512-05, SCP-8512 has been selected for partial disassembly. All discovered SCP-8512 instances are to have their SCP-8512-A removed using Procedure-102-B-G. Said SCP-8512-A instance is to be buried in Aqueous Cemetery J in a brass coffin lined with alderwood iron mesh. The remaining SCP-8512 instance is to remain at Hall-16 and be checked daily for any signs of degradation or amelioration.
Description:
Image, taken with a psiophone visualiser, despict an SCP-8512-A instance while contained. Telepathic signals are depicted in blue.
SCP-8512 is the group designation for an unknown number of altered steam locomotives, specifically those located in former Soviet Union republic nations. A majority were located within Russia, though instances have been discovered within Estonia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus. As of the publication of this document, 29 instances have been discovered, all hidden in tunnels, abandoned warehouses, underground facilities, and mines, typically located in remote rural areas or low-population towns.
Externally, SCP-8512 ranges in layout, though their livery and design are similar to steam locomotive manufacture in Eastern and Central Europe during the early to mid-20th century. Internally, however, SCP-8512 has several deviations, both anomalous and mundane. Unlike standard tender locomotives, SCP-8512's tenders do not possess two chambers for water and fuel; instead, they only have a single tank used solely for water. Through an unknown process, any water held within the tender is anomalously softened over time, eventually reaching a softness concentration of 0.2 ppm.
All SCP-8512 cabs are designed as expected within steam locomotives. However, all levers, wheels, valves and whistles are constructed from brass, embossed with alderwood iron. Though all SCP-8512 possess boilers, they do not possess fireboxes, fire grates or ashpan hoppers. Instead, where the firebox should be located, a cylindrical, 2-layered chamber is placed. Numerous pipes and cables, including SCP-8512 boiler tubes, feed in and around the chamber. The inner chamber is on a set of sliders and is accessible via the cab, through a doorway similar to a locomotive fire door. This inner chamber, along with the majority of SCP-8512's internal body, is lined with several electronic and thaumic circuits, with a glass pane near the end, allows the view of SCP-8512-A.
SCP-8512-A are human cadavers, sealed and preserved in the chambers of SCP-8512. Despite being around 30 years old, they show no signs of decay or degradation. All cadavers have undergone mild to moderate mechanical and thaumaturgical modification via scarification, mechanical prosthetics, or the adornment of body armour plated with electronic and thaumic circuits. Testing has found that whilst the cadavers show no signs of biological functionality or conciseness, they do output low frequencies of telepathic signals and steady levels of thaumactivity.
When situated on a railway line, SCP-8512 can redirect radiation away from itself and regenerate its body from any damage or degradation, either from blunt force trauma, chemical corrosion, or fouling. Furthermore, the telepathic signals and thaumactivity outputted by SCP-8512-A will increase and disperse into SCP-8512. Once dispersed, SCP-8512 will be capable of locomotion, seemingly by drawing power from SCP-8512-A. SCP-8512 has also demonstrated moderate psionic capabilities while railbound, allowing them to manipulate various forms of machinery and electronics within proximity to themselves. These capabilities cease once SCP-8512 is derailed. (Update: see Addendum 8512.3: Incident Report-8512-05)
Discovery:
SCP-8512 did not come to the Foundation's attention until after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Around January 1992, reports came from across the former Soviet republics of the sound of whistles coming from the surrounding area. However, no sources could be traced, with the sounds being dismissed as merely unusual weather activity. This changed when, three months later, in April 1992, reports came from the Vologda oblast of an unregistered steam locomotive traversing sections of the Northern Railway. When descriptions added that the engine appeared to be without a driver, the Foundation took over the investigation.
MTF-Delta-11 was deployed on April 15th, eventually locating the instance near Noginsk. In their attempts to detain it, personnel noted that SCP-8512 seemed to have some kind of influence on the surrounding trackworks, including manipulating signals and points, allowing it to evade capture. They also noted that whilst close to the locomotive, they experienced a mild sense of anger and confusion. Thankfully, the locomotive was eventually stopped and taken to Site-54 when personnel managed to derail it via a set of trap points.
By analysing soil and plant samples that were discovered on the front and underneath of the locomotive and tracing reports of its movement before containment, the Foundation were able to trace the instance's original location to an abandoned tunnel on an industrial line outside the village of Depo. Although the site was uninhabited, several pieces of rolling stock, including nine passenger coaches and twelve goods vans, were discovered. Both the coaches and vans appeared to have been heavily modified and reinforced, seemingly to prevent radiation or harmful gases from entering. The vans were also fully stocked with supplies of weaponry, canned food, protective clothing, and various documents, including maps of Russia and neighbouring countries, as well as detailed methods for surviving in harsh or heavily radioactive environments. Although no documentation was found on the site, it was confirmed that many of the products and weaponry provided matched those created and used by GoI-016 ("GRU Division P - Psychotronics") personnel. When questioned, the government of the Russian Federation denied any knowledge of the site, nor GRU's involvement.
Addendum 8512.1: Behaviour Progression
Between 1992 and 1994, a further sixteen instances of SCP-8512 were discovered across areas of Europe and Asia. At first, the instances behaved passively, roaming the surrounding mainlines and train yards. However, as time progressed, their behaviour grew more aggressive and erratic, with some instances of deliberately attempting to intervene with other locomotives, causing derailments or stealing rolling stock. On February 2nd, 1994, after roaming the region, an instance stole a local passenger train at Vyborg railway station, abducting several members of the public in the process. During its movements through Vyborg, SCP-8512 made brief contact via telepathic transmission through the station's public address system. Transcript follows:
SCP-8512: Khrushchev? Stalin?
Station Master: Pardon?
SCP-8512: Brezhnev?
Station Master: Who is this? Are you the one causing this? Are -
SCP-8512: Where - where is mother?
Station Master: What - mother? What are you talking about? Stop this -
SCP-8512: Mother is - lost?
Station Master: Stop this! Remove this engine from the station. You are causing -
SCP-8512: No mother. Khrushchev. Our mother - you - your are threatened. We - we must - we have to - save. We must save - No - no -
(During this transmission, the instance attached itself to the passenger train, its diesel locomotive short-circuiting.)
SCP-8512: Must save. We must save them.
Station Master: No! Please! There are people on that train! Just -
SCP-8512: I must save - must protect. The sickness - it will fall. The enemy. They bring - bring sickness. The fire. It has fallen.
Station Master: No! No, stop!
SCP-8512: We must save. For mother. Must save them for mother.
Foundation personnel were able to detain the instance after 2 hours of pursuit. When recovered, passengers and staff on board the train showed signs of psychic damage. Whilst most merely appeared confused and disoriented, a few became aggressive, attacking any personnel attempting to assist them, claiming they were "enemies of the state" or "a threat to mother". When interviewed, all subjects appeared to have portions of their memories altered, resulting in them believing they existed within the Soviet Union during the 1960s. These alterations corrected themselves within a week, after which all subjects were amnestitized. All witnesses were administered Class A amnestics, and a cover story about a runaway train was provided.
Addendum 8512.2: Recovered Sites and Documents
Pavel Petrovich Melnikov, the Tsar's Transport Minister from 1866 to 1869, and member of The New Ferrous Brotherhood, known as Father Blaze.
With the concerns that SCP-8512's erratic behaviour threatened public safety and the already delicate relationship between Russia and the surrounding nations, the Foundation assigned both Delta-11 and Lambda-9 to conduct a more thorough investigation to determine a possible origin for SCP-8512. By cross-referencing the detained SCP-8512 instances' original sites, maps of the Soviet Railway network, GRU financial history, and study of SCP-8512-A telepathic imprint, the task forces were able to uncover four hidden sites and recover five additional SCP-8512 instances before they became an issue.
In one site, located off the Saint Petersburg–Moscow railway, near the Valdai Hills, agents uncovered an underground facility, believed to be another hidden site. However, unlike other facilities, which were only equipped with rolling stock, this facility was equipped with engineering works, operating theatres, laboratories and accommodations. Also, much of the facility's overall architecture and railway layout was notably older than the equipment, implying that the additional rooms were added much later by GRU.
During deconstruction, a chapel was uncovered near the engineering works, having been blocked off from the rest of the site. Though the interior was devoid of any furniture or items, railway lines remained leading in, and a large mural made of brass was found slotted into the furthest wall. The mural depicted a single male individual holding a flame above himself, whilst several spirals and lines flow from his hands, forehead and chest. Beneath the mural, an inscription in Russian stated, "Divine is our spark, our work, our craft. Through flame and though, we shall ascend", a common mantra for GoI-004F ("The New Ferrous Brotherhood"). This discovery further bolstered theories that SCP-8512 had not initially been of GRU's design, as much of the paratechnology used did not match other known GRU technological anomalies nor their research around the time.
Two instances of SCP-8512 were also uncovered at the site; however, unlike the other cases, these instances' models were notably older in design, similar to those created in the late-19th-century. In addition, the internal paratechnology deviated significantly from more modern instances. In particular, the lack of an SCP-8512-A and its appropriate container. Several cadavers, possibly failed SCP-8512-A attempts, were discovered on-site, some of which had undergone moderate to major physical alteration or abnormal cellular generation, focused around the head, neck and upper back. Analysis confirmed that these cadavers also outputted low frequencies of telepathic signals, though not as notable as the contained SCP-8512-A instances.
During inspection, several files, blueprints, recordings, photographs, film and audio were uncovered, some of which were grouped under the name "Project Express". See recovered, translated documents below:
EXCAVATION SUMMARY DIVISION "P" DEPARTMENT II
10.IX.1957 D.NR: 11-IX-1957@@
ATTACHED TO DOCUMENT 10.IX.1957
DETAIL: In the early weeks of October, as part of the Division's attempts to ascertain known Tsar paranatural goods, Kuragin and his men uncovered several documents and maps, hidden beneath the Tsarskoye Selo Station. They uncovered the following letter, believed to be written by the State Councillor and known Iron Heretic Pavel P. Melnikov. Though the identity of "Smoke" is unknown, an alert has been sent out to agents within the United Kingdom to collect any possible leads to their identity. Letter reads as follows:
Smoke,
My brother, it brings me great sorrow to hear of the passing of Father Bolt. He was a great man and inspired so many of us. Without him, I would not have found my own Spark, nor would I have brought such a gift to my people. I hope you and I can continue his work.
Nicholas is pleased with our progress. He may not understand our vision or our beliefs, but he cannot deny the progress our lines have brought. He has already commissioned three other railways and has plans for two others. My priests are currently searching for the appropriate land, but there is promise in the Valdai.
We have had great success with our drivers, too. The alterations Loom and Flame made significantly improved their movements and drastically reduced their water consumption. The priests find them much easier to move as well, with some even demonstrating control at long distances and with little discomfort. If these alterations are implemented and our network continues to grow accordingly, I have confidence that we will achieve our desired goal. Soon, all of Russia will be connected within one iron web, fed and guided by the collective aether and Spark of man and maybe, one day, all of man's world.
For the Glory of the Brotherhood,
Father Blaze, Engine of the North
Many blueprints and sketches of steam locomotives were found with the letter. In addition, several sites were marked out on the maps, including the location mentioned in the correspondence. Given the possible assets these sites could hold, an expedition performed by DEPARTMENT VI is currently underway.
GSI "VEREBINSKY BYPASS ENGINES"
GSI "VEREBINSKY BYPASS ENGINES" DIVISION "P" DEPARTMENT VI
APPROVED 27.III.1958 PRINTOUT NR: 3
SIGNED .................. S
DEPARTMENT HEAD VI-P-8-GRU D.NR: 09-IV-1958
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL: Rza Yagolnitsky к.б.н.
DETAIL: GSI "VEREBINSKY BYPASS ENGINES" designates three steam locomotives, two Class O and one Class Kh. All three were uncovered by agents of DEPARTMENT VI during their investigation into anomalous Tsar and State Council assets. This led to the discovery of a hidden underground workshop, located along the Msta, accessible via rail. GSI "VEREBINSKY BYPASS ENGINES" were uncovered at the workshop, along with maps, diagrams and even more correspondence. Initial analysis has revealed the vehicles possess several unusual adaptations:
- Metallic regeneration, either from physical or chemical damage. Regeneration speed is dependent on the severity of damage. Testing of the limit has yet to be sanctioned.
- Tenders are capable of non-mechanical atmospheric water generation and softening.
- Thaumic circuits which absorb and redirect local aether streamed by the rails and surrounding aetheric channels. If provided, a suitable candidate is capable of manipulating the locomotive's motion and operation at a distance.
According to the letters and maps, these vehicles were the result of an unknown alliance between the Tsar and an Iron Heretic sect known as the New Ferrous Brotherhood, who seemed to have had a significant impact on Russia's railway system and locomotives. There also appear to be two other hidden locations, one of which is located in Sweden. Uncovering further history is currently ongoing.
Proposed uses:
(i) Military Usage (Defence) - PENDING - Adapting and extending the layout of the circuits with the locomotives to include artillery and munitions.
(ii) Marine & Aviation Replication - APPROVED - By isolating the methods in which the locomotives move and maintain themselves, we might be able to replicate them into other vehicles, such as warships or fighter aircraft.
(iii) Transport Reserve - PENDING - In the event of war, or major natural disaster, electrical and oil supplies will be heavily disrupted, impacting transportation. Due to the locomotive's capabilities and independence from such supplies, we could produce an entire fleet of engines, altered to suit the environment and prepared to help rebuild following destruction.
PROJECT UPDATE DIVISION "P" DEPARTMENT VI
06.IV.1960 D.NR:06-IV-1960
ATTACHED TO DOCUMENT 27.III.1958
SENDER: Sergey Dragonov
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL: Rza Yagolnitsky к.б.н.
DETAIL: As you are aware, tensions between ourselves and our neighbours and enemies have been worsening in recent years, and with France's success with the Gerboise Bleue and America's deployment of nuclear ballistic missiles to Italy, conflict appears to be edging closer. Therefore, to prepare, all nonessential projects have been placed on hold or on the shelf until further notice, and the Psychotronics Division is to focus all its attention on projects that are concerned with the survival of the Soviet Union.
With these changes in mind, we have re-examined and approved the potential of using GSI "VEREBINSKY BYPASS ENGINES" in our Transport Reserve strategy.
PROJECT EXPRESS DIVISION "P" DEPARTMENT VI
18.VIII.1960 D.NR:19-VIII-1960
ATTACHED TO DOCUMENT 27.III.1958
SENDER: Mikhail Petlyar
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL: Rza Yagolnitsky к.б.н.
DETAIL: I have said it before, and I will say it again. This isn't just a question of capability; it's also a question of practicality. Even if one of our agents survives the fallout, they would have to face a harsh environment and hostile forces in order to get within range of control. And if, by some miracle, they did, no way would they be able to keep control for long.
So far, testing has shown that even our most powerful of theurgists and psychics can only input a limited amount of power, and for only so long. Whilst the compounds and rituals devised by Filonov work for a while, the body simply cannot cope with such enhancements in the long term. 2 weeks is the longest a subjects as survived, and that ended with his neural tissue squeezing out from the back of his neck and the brain death of two of our researchers.
I know you are against it, but there is only one solution which solves all our problems. As we learnt from the triples, our bodies hold back our true psionic and aetheric potential. We need to go beyond that if we are to have any hope of creating a suitable means of power and control.
AUDIO LOG
NOTE: The following audio was recovered from degraded magnetic tape discovered on-site. All dialogue is translated from Russian.
- Begin Log -
(The sound of choking and coughing is heard.)
V1: I think that's enough.
(Choking and cough continues, whilst a chair is heard scrapping.)
V1: You are making this very difficult for yourself, you know that?
V2: Go fu - (coughs)
V1: Do you know what we did to the last Serpent who disobeyed? Here body is still out there.
V2: You - bastards.
V1: Why can't you understand? The war is inevitable! We are on the cusp of destruction! Our country - our world - as we have built it, will be gone! These men, these machines, this project, are our only hope of starting again after the fires have died down and the skies block out the sun!
V2: This is not how! What you are doing is barbaric! Those men, do they know what will happen to them? Do they know what it will be like?
V1: They know they're doing it for their fellow men and their motherland! They go with the pride that they'll be saving thousands, if not millions!
V2: Pride! Do you think they'll care about that when they realise what you've cheated them out of?
V1: They'll care! They will care! And you will do this!
V2: I will not! I will not condemn these boys to an existence like that for the sake of your model train set!
(Scuffling, followed by shouting and swearing.)
V1: Send him to the basement. Order command to send us more Serpents. I'm tired of this.
V2: You fucking idiot - (muffles and struggles) - you curse them! You curse them to an iron grave!
- End Log -
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
NOTE: The following is a transcript of a video recovered from the remains of a VTR located in the operating theatre.
- Begin Log -
Video opens with a brief Soviet Union propaganda reel before flashing to a title "Project Express. Item 23, Agent VTX". The film then opened in an operating theatre, where 4 individuals in surgical scrubs attend to a male individual on a gurney. The male patient, who has been held down, appears to be screaming and fighting leather restraints. At the head of the gurney, a man dressed in a mixture of surgical scrubs and Russian Orthodox deacon robes appears to be in mid-prayer.
As the camera switches position, it shows the surgeons embossing the patient via scarification and attaching thin coils of metal. Occasionally, a faint glow is seen around the shapes. As the camera finishes on the patient's face, we see him frozen in a look of focus and tranquillity. The deacon moves forward and gestures before the patient, before the camera cuts.
The camera briefly cuts to black before the video opens again on another reel, which speeds quickly through several shorts of engineers working, maps of Russia and men digging tunnels. The reel then finishes, and the film opens in a warehouse interior. In the background, an instance of SCP-8512 is seen. On the floor of the warehouse, four handcuffed individuals, one of whom appears to have undergone moderate cybernetic alteration, kneel at the edge of a Kabbalah carved into the stone floor. A railway line runs through the carving towards SCP-8512.
Video briefly cut before showing a male individual, dressed in a Soviet military uniform and heavily embossed with metal and scars, lying in the centre of the Kabbalah. As the video continues, the handcuffed individual appears to chant. However, 20 seconds into the chanting, one of the individuals halts and begins to weep, shaking her head. A GRU agent walks into shot and pulls out a pistol, shooting the woman in the ear before holding the pistol barrel against her neck. Though the woman weeps, she continues chanting.
As the chanting continues, the embossed male appears to glow slightly around the edges, before convulsing. As this is filmed, the video occasionally cuts to shots of railway locomotives moving, images of barren muddy fields, burning forests and Soviet soldiers engaging in combat. As the four individuals cease chanting, their handcuffs are seen smoking around their wrists, causing them to scream and convulse in pain. As the finish, the embossed male is seen briefly opening his eyes, screaming and coughing up blood before his eyes roll back in his head, appearing to terminate. The footage then cuts to the SCP-8512 instance, as it begins to glow around the boiler and steam plumes from its funnel.
- End Log -
Addendum 8512.3: Incident Report-8512-05
On October 4th, 1996, reports came across Russia of minor technical issues with their railway's computer network, alongside mechanical issues with switches, rolling stock brakes and signals. These issues rose over the week, increasing steadily in severity, with locomotives showing signs of degradation and passengers showing signs of heightened aggression, nostalgia and paranoia.
These issues escalated when, at 1745 hours on October 12th, 1996, Site-54 experienced a brief power outage, in tandem with a spike in telepathic signal. During a system assessment, it was discovered that all monitoring and security systems within Hall-16 had failed. All attempts to access the area failed, even through invasive means such as controlled explosives, as a result of a telekinetic influence occluding the area. At the same time, thaumactivity around Site-54 increased significantly, resulting in faint formations of Felkin aurora above the site.
At the same time, the technical and mechanical issues experienced by the Russian railway escalated, with the majority of train operators losing full control over their systems. In addition, reports came from across the country of anomalous activity occurring in proximity to the railway, including radios sounding Soviet propaganda and music, sudden drops in temperature, electrostatic, people experiencing sudden feelings of hatred and disgust with Russian society, and brief hallucinations of Soviet militants wondering surrounding area. Locomotives were also reported operating without drivers or power sources.
Over the following 48 hours, the phenomenon continued to expand throughout Russia, concentrating mostly in areas of large population or governmental importance. The behaviour of the locomotives and afflicted individuals also began to show more organised actions, such as inflicting damage to properties, especially those belonging to the government, military, or foreign parties, and attacking civilians. MTF-Delta-11 and MTF-Lambda-9 were deployed to mitigate the situation when Russian intelligence began to grow suspicious of the activity, and embedded agents just managed to prevent a freight locomotive from derailing several gas tankers into a populated area.
During this time, the security cameras and monitoring equipment within Hall-16 briefly reconnected. Cameras were able to capture SCP-8512 whistling and producing large quantities of steam, fire, and smoke, as well as a single transparent entity composed of several heads, arms, and legs, which flickered in and out of observation. In addition, large quantities of ionising radiation were detected within the Hall.
By October 16th, the phenomenon had escalated and had begun to occur in neighbouring nations Finland, Ukraine, Belarus and Estonia. Furthermore, thaumactivity and radioactivity within Hall-16 began to reach hazardous levels, and on-site psychics began to report experiencing headaches, hallucinations and enforced psychometry. Believing that SCP-8512 was now a threat both to the security of Site-54 and an inexorable risk to the Veil, O5 command agreed to decommission all contained SCP-8512 instances.
At 1800 hours on October 16th, Site-54 was put under CODE: GRAY/MAGENTA lockdown and the joint task force was sent back into Hall-16 and engaged with SCP-8512. During their engagement, the following incident occurred:
TIME: APPROX. 18:57 LOCAL, October 16th, 1996
LOCATION: Site-54, Hall-16
- Begin Log -
[00:00]: In Hall-16, all contained SCP-8512 continue to blast high quantities of smoke, fire, and steam. Near the front of all SCP-8512 instances, a transparent entity made up of several hands and heads is seen flickering in and out of existence. In the distance, sounds of explosions and electrical surges can be heard.
[00:56]: The doors of the Hall are blown open, and members of MTF-Delta-11 and MTF-Lambda-9 enter. As they enter, the flickering entities begin to shudder and advance towards the group, and all SCP-8512 instances begin sounding their whistles at ~115 dB.
[01:11]: As the entities advance, Agent Marco and Marshall of Lambda-9, adapted at astral project, disembody and engage with the entities whilst the rest disperse Type-D psiophones and boarded the instances to drain their tenders.
[03:02]: Marco and Marshall continue to engage with the entities, who begin to weaken. As the group continue, thaumactivity and radioactivity in the Hall begin to increase.
[04:55]: The metal of some of the SCP-8512 instances begins to warp. Due to the increase in radiation, the psiophones begin to fail, and members begin to show signs of thaumic shock and acute radiation sickness.
[05:53]: Site-54 experiences a power outage, with the footage occasionally cutting out. Entities manage to corner Macro and appear to absorb him into themselves, causing both Macro and Marshall to dematerialise. Seconds later, a surge of telepathic signals is detected 1 km away from Site-54. As this occurs, diesel-electric locomotives running on the Russian railways malfunction. PA systems at various stations begin sounding screams and profanities.
[07:23]: Two of the SCP-8512 instance boilers burst, fire and smoke pluming out. All members of the group experience headaches and nausea, with some falling unconscious and seizing. The entities grow more opaque and begin to rise into the air. Psychics present 5 km away from Site-54 experience a vision: A young soldier, dressed in a Soviet Ground Force uniform, weeps in a black void, wires and pipes binding him. As he wails, a voice is heard saying, "You are saving us. You shall be heralded for this. We shall not forget you. You are saving the future. You are saving the motherland. Your suffering is not in vain. Your pain is our hope."
[09:43]: Four of the SCP-8512 instances begin to move, derailing from their platforms and attempting to run over members of the group. The entities appear to merge, their hands and legs flailing and clawing the air. Command attempts to contact the team to withdraw, though it is unsuccessful.
[11:05]: Three other SCP-8512 instances begin to move. As the entities rise, the door to the Hall opens once more, with four unknown individuals entering. Two appear to have undergone moderate mechanical enhancement.
[12:12]: The individuals remove members of the task force, with one reviving Marshall and Agent Mott. Speaking quickly, she takes the agents, along with one of the mechanical individuals, to one of the SCP-8512 instances. The entities notice the four and attempt to attack them.
[13:01]: The woman draws a sigil on the firebox of the instance, whilst the mechanical one places his hands on the buffers, streams of wires emerging and encasing the buffer beam. Placing one hand on the sigil, the woman, Marshall and Mott join hands. All three begin to hover in the air whilst the mechanical individual chants something. Thaumactivity and radioactivity in the Hall begin to drop, though the telepathic signal continues to grow in range.
[15:33]: As the three continue to hover, the entities begin to shudder and flicker in and out of view. All SCP-8512 instances began to rust and buckle. For a second, the thaumactivity surges to the point that Felkin aurora is observed 1 km around Site-54. Thaumactivity, radioactivity, and telepathic signals suddenly drop, and the entities appear to unravel, screaming and growing more and more translucent until they vanish completely. An EMP is emitted from Hall-16, knocking out all electronics within a 5 km radius.
- End Log -
Afterword: All members of the task force had recovered 20 minutes following the EMP. Though all survived, many required thaumic and physiotherapy and treatment for radiation burns. All SCP-8512 instances contained at Hall-16 were severely irradiated and rusted, with many of their anomalous properties having dissipated, though all SCP-8512-A instances continued to produce low levels of telepathic signals.
When interviewed, Marshal and Mott were not able to confirm the identity of the mechanical individuals, though they noted that the woman referred to herself as Ulana. Investigation into recovered GRU documentation confirmed the woman to be Ulana Melnyk, a former Soviet political prisoner and member of GoI-004 ("The Church of the Broken God").
Addendum 8512.4: Interview with Ulana Melnyk
Following the Incident, the Department of External Affairs were able to track down Melnyk, who was residing in Berlin, Germany. After confirming her retirement from active Church participation, the Foundation contacted her and secured an interview.
Date: 06/03/1997
Interviewers: Res. Liev Klein, Level 3 Department of External Affairs
Interviewee: Ulana Melnyk
- Begin Log -
Klein: Good afternoon, Mrs Melnyk.
Melnyk: Afternoon - Klein, was it?
Klein: Yes, that's right.
Melnyk: I hope you don't mind, but I've ordered myself a Gin and Lemonade and some nibbles for the table. I expect your executives, or whatever you people call yourselves, won't mind covering the bill.
Klein: Uh - well - Yes, yes, that will be lovely - (gestures to the waiter for a drink)
Melnyk: So - come on then. I'm a busy woman. Ask your questions so I can get on with things.
Klein: (pulls out notes) Yes, so - so up until recently, you were an active member of the Church, correct?
Melnyk: Yes, I was. I left around 1989. Around the time the wall fell.
Klein: But you also served the Soviet government during the Cold War. Specifically, with GRU Division P?
Melnyk: I didn't serve with them! I had no choice. None of us did.
Klein: There were more of you?
Melnyk: Many. In the 1960s, with nuclear disaster on the horizon, GRU got very involved in weapon manufacturing and doomsday preparation. They did what they could, but try as they might, they just didn't have the manpower or the knowledge for many of their projects. So they looked elsewhere. Went to the prisons and the camps, where people, such as myself, were imprisoned for our anti-Soviet agitations and thinking. Many of us were shipped off across the country to work on their projects and research, and forced to do all sorts of things. I lost many friends to their - ideas.
Klein: I'm sorry to hear that.
Melnyk: (huffs) Continue, please. I do not wish to think of such things.
Klein: You worked on something called Project Express at that time. What can you tell us about that?
Melnyk: (snorts) That was quite a mess. Express had come because GRU had this idea that nuclear fallout would hinder, if not halt, all transportation. Something to do with solid state components, disrupted oil reserves and EMPs. A load of nonsense, really, but they didn't know better.
Years before, they'd found these steam trains that a branch of the Church, the Ferrous Brotherhood, had made during the 19th century. They put two and two together and came up with this mad idea. It required all sorts of work. Psychic engraving, reprogrammed paratechnology, aetheric configuration. Oh, they didn't know what they were doing.
Klein: You were brought in to help?
Melnyk: Not just me. They had Sarkics and members of the Serpent's Hand help, too. I was assigned to help with the reprogramming of the Brotherhood's circuitry. It wasn't hard. The mechanisms were similar to the ones the Mekhanite Empire used. I managed to recreate some circuits and make up new ones. Water filtration, radiation redirecting, and radio wave interface. I didn't question what I was doing until they reassigned me to work on the controllers.
Klein: You're referring to the people inside the engines?
Melnyk: None of us could really understand what they were doing. It wasn't until they started researching astral concealment and cross-dimensional haunting that we finally joined the dots. And by then, there wasn't anything we could do to stop them.
Klein: Couldn't you refuse?
Melnyk: The last person who tried that was taken outside into the snow and shot, so yeah, we felt a bit pressured. Still, knowing we were forced does nothing to ease my conscience. Those poor boys thought they'd be honoured, save millions, and help build a brand new world. Poor things.
Klein: What actually did they ask you to do?
Melnyk: (Pause) What do you know about ghosts?
Klein: Nothing outside of fairy tales and stories. Why?
Melnyk: Originally, the locomotives' technology worked via the output of powerful psionic and magical force, directed by priests of the Brotherhood. Basically, a scaled-up train set. That was all well and good for the Victorian era, but times had changed. No human could maintain the necessary output for today's transport needs, even if they worked as a group. Add a nuclear wasteland, and you'd have no chance. So GRU came up with an alternative solution. They'd give the model trains batteries.
Klein: Pardon?
Melnyk: An individual's psionic and magical capability is limited by their body and mind, even with the assistance of drugs and such. However, with the right candidate and proper graphing, this limitation can be surpassed with the individual's death. At death, the very energy of the soul would be released, creating a huge source of power. Plus, the power would have a will behind it.
Klein: A ghost.
Melnyk: I think the better term would be a poltergeist, but yes. With this knowledge, GRU did something abominable. They took some of their most capable and dedicated agents and subjected them to layers upon layers of torturous conditioning. Psychic imprinting. Surgical augmentation. Hours of propaganda and psychological torment. See, they couldn't risk these souls growing restless or 'moving on'. They needed these souls to be devoted to this cause. And, once they'd stripped the agents of any sense of doubt or question, they'd kill them, bind their souls to their bodies, and entrap them with the locomotives.
And there they'd wait. Stuck in their own bodies, their souls growing more and more powerful, waiting for the day the end will come and they'd move out and rebuild the world.
Klein: And that day never came.
Melnyk: After the Vietnam War, GRU pulled funding from projects like Express to focus on space travel and espionage, and we were moved accordingly. We tried to convince those in charge to dismantle the engines and exorcise the spirits, but they weren't interested. Said it was safer to keep them around if they needed them, but that was bullshit. Talk about Soviet efficiency.
By the time I'd got out and on the other side of the wall, it was the 80s, and any trace of those engines had gone. Swept under the rug as a shameful waste of time. Huh! Waste of life, more like.
Klein: And then the Union collapsed.
Melnyk: That was the catalyst for it all. A huge cultural shift that echoed psychically across the country, and eventually into those souls. Can you imagine the confusion and disgust they'd feel? Cheated out of their lives, their dignity, their deaths, their honour. Trapped in machines, abandoned without a care, like a toy a child has grown out of.
(Melnyk swigs the dregs of her drink and gestures at Klein with the glass)
And then you lot came along and put them all in a room together. (sniggers) By Mekhane, they must have gone insane.
Klein: (Pauses and leans back in the chair) So those entities? The visions? The whole breach was the souls - amalgamating? Lashing out?
Melnyk: All that rage and power, squashed into one little place. Their thoughts and memories all mixing. You practically gave them the opportunity for revenge. I'm surprised it took so long before things went wrong. Who knows what would've happened if we hadn't turned up.
Klein: What did you actually do to them? You and those men.
Melnyk: The only thing we could do. Disconnect them from their locomotives. Without that connection, they can't really do much anymore.
Klein: What about the bodies? The agents?
Melnyk: (sighs) Nothing can be done for those boys anymore. At least, nothing I or my contacts could achieve. You lot might, but I don't have much hope. They're stuck like that. Remember, GRU indoctrinated them to be devoted. Devoted to their people and their motherland. Devoted to a goal that can never be achieved. A ghost with unfinishable business.
Klein: What should we do with them?
Melnyk: Bury them. Find a spot far away, dig a deep hole and put them down there. That won't help them but - that should stop them from causing any further harm.
- End Log -
After the interview, Melnyk provided the Foundation with several notes on SCP-8512 paratechnology and how to dismantle them. In light of the incident and the data obtained by Melnyk, the Foundation revisited SCP-8512 containment procedures and approved it for partial dismantling in order to avoid future outbreaks. All contained instances were successfully dismantled by June 1997. Attempts to discover further instances and means of permanently decommissioning SCP-8512-A are ongoing.
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