SCP-9900 - SCP Foundation

SCP-9900

You're never lonely in the line.

Item #: SCP-9900

Object Class: Exspectate

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-9900 does not require containment. The Foundation's current objective focuses on increasing and maintaining an active presence within SCP-9900 in an effort to reach the front.

Description: SCP-9900 is a single-file line that exists outside of baseline reality, currently containing an estimated
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humanoid individuals. SCP-9900 has never been successfully measured in full due to regulations enforced by SCP-9900-1 instances.

SCP-9900 weaves through both anomalous dimensions and baseline reality in no identifiable pattern. The environments that surround SCP-9900 are both recognizable biomes and non-endemic environs. The majority of environments that SCP-9900 passes through are anomalous in origin. Whenever the end of SCP-9900 appears within baseline reality, new individuals are able to join SCP-9900.

An individual who joins the line is hereafter referred to as a 'candidate'. The only way to join the line is to locate the end and join there; any other attempts to join the line will fail. Whenever a candidate joins the line, they will understand the following facts about themselves and SCP-9900:

They are waiting;
They will not be waiting forever;
There is a reward, or something desirable that they are waiting for;
If they leave the line, they can never rejoin;
Only a limited number of people will get to access the reward.

Upon joining SCP-9900, candidates will undergo the following physiological changes:

Time Since Entering SCP-9900	Physiological Changes
00h 00m 01s	Candidates immediately cease all cellular respiration, metabolic processes and organic senescence. Candidates failing to respire for durations longer than five minutes will experience diaphragm contractions and pleuritic pains.
0d 06h 00m	Candidates will no longer be able to undergo urinary or digestive excretion. Candidates report a constant sensation of related discomfort that appears to abate over time.
3d 2h 22m	Candidates will begin to experience symptoms consistent with minor dehydration. Oral rehydration has no effect; discomfort is ameliorated over time via correlated euphoria.
20d 18h 15m	Candidates will begin to experience symptoms consistent with moderate sleep deprivation. Candidates may sleep while adhering to the rules of SCP-9900, however, candidates no longer undergo REM.
62d 5h 00m	Candidates will begin to experience symptoms consistent with minor inanition. Symptoms are psychological only, such as expressing a desire for their favorite foods. Consumption of any organic material by individuals will result in emesis of a grey, viscous fluid within fifteen minutes.
1826d 0h 00m (Estimated)	Candidates will no longer experience any discomfort listed above. The cause of this change is unknown.

SCP-9900 was first rediscovered by the Foundation in 1957, during routine patrols of extra-planar regions; at that time, the line was approximately 78% of its current length. Since discovery, the Foundation's prime directive focuses on supporting the effort to be first in line.

Addendum 1: Rules of SCP-9900

In addition to the physiological changes undergone by SCP-9900 candidates, they appear to be governed by a set of common rules. The method of enforcement is currently unknown.

The following document was recovered from the remains of a candidate alongside SCP-9900:

If you leave the line, you can't rejoin. There are no exceptions and this restriction is eternal.
No cutting.
You cannot force another individual to leave the line.
No saving a spot for somebody else.
Rule 3 doesn't apply to corpses, in either role.
You can trade or barter with others, but the payment cannot include changes in position within the line.
If you try to kill another person in line, and are caught by "them", you will be executed.
You don't need to be alive to stay in the line.
Do not attack "them".
No sleeping for longer than 1 hour 30 minutes 10 minutes.
You must yearn to be closer to the front.

Addendum 2: SCP-9900 History

Initial Discovery: SCP-9900 was first discovered by Foundation employees in February, 1953, when Agent Eleana Red joined the end of SCP-9900 during routine off-hours activities. At the time, she was accompanied by Researcher Thea Chambers.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log A
The following log, discovered in 1974, captures what we believe to be the initial discussion between Agent Red and Researcher Chambers. Current evidence suggests that this took place outside a dive bar, in an adjacent alleyway.

<Muffled brass instruments and percussion can be heard in the background.>

Agent Red: You really think that this is an opportunity?

Researcher Chambers: I do. You've discovered a new anomaly, one that seems to reveal more to people who are waiting in the line. This is… this could be huge. Don't you get that, Eleana?

Agent Red: In that case, are you going to join the line too?

Researcher Chambers: I… I don't think that's a good idea.

Agent Red: What about the 'opportunity'?

Researcher Chambers: I… now that we know this is anomalous, I can't justify the risk. We don't know what it's done to you, let alone if you can even leave the line. Agent Red, I'm—

Agent Red: What happened to 'Eleana'? And if that wasn't enough, now you're talking about abandoning me? Here? Again?

Researcher Chambers: I'm not going to leave you waiting. I'll… I'll walk beside you, documenting the anomaly. I won't abandon you, I promise. We'll be in this, together.

Agent Red: I'm stuck in it now, aren't I? <A pause.> I'll follow standard protocol. Make recordings, try and figure out how this works from the inside. Wait for my next order.

Researcher Chambers: Exactly. Once we have it all figured out, I'll get in touch with Command, and we'll be able to leave. But we have to stay until we do. This could make our careers. You understand that, right?

<Agent Red sighs.>

Agent Red: Of course I do. I'm good at my job. <A pause.> Thanks for staying with me, Thea. Between the two of us, we'll have this figured out in no time. Right?

While Agent Red prioritized integration into SCP-9900, and capturing personal accounts of SCP-9900 candidates through her personal magnetic tape recorder, Researcher Chambers began to write initial documentation, reports and surveys of SCP-9900. The information gathered is presented throughout the remaining document, having been collected during the past decades of containment.

Initial Research Findings

Walking alongside Agent Red has been a challenge in survival, and I am one of a limited few who chose to walk alongside somebody. Having spanned access tunnels, native swamps, anomalous deserts and industrial wastelands, the only consistency has been SCP-9900.

The core issue at the present time is that I cannot trust anything said by a 'candidate' within SCP-9900. My current hypothesis is that SCP-9900 has cognitohazardous, compulsive effects. There are far too many unknowns still, and as much as we have a professional history, I do not believe that Agent Red can be trusted entirely at this time.

I will maintain friendly relations, and help Agent Red continue her 'mission', but will begin to test the boundaries of SCP-9900's rules. The supply of test subjects is endless, and I believe my research should rapidly accelerate accordingly.

— Researcher Chambers

Researcher Chambers would not spend her entire time studying SCP-9900 with Agent Red, as Chambers retained normal physiological needs. During Researcher Chambers' scavenging expeditions, Agent Red would attempt to further integrate herself within SCP-9900.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log B
This recording was retrieved in spring 1961, and is believed to have been recorded within the initial weeks of Agent Red's candidacy.

The following note was found attached to the recovered magnetic tape canister:

All we remember are broad strokes. We cling to memories, surviving as echoes of tropes as we distract each other from who we once were.

Our nostalgia becomes our existence.

Agent Red: Are you okay, ma'am?

Unknown Older Female: I'll be alright, dearie.

Agent Red: He shouldn't have done that. <A beat.> Are you going to apologize? 'Marcos'?

Marcos: Who, me?

Agent Red: Unless those aren't your coveralls, yes, you. Apologize to her.

Unknown Older Female: It doesn't really matt—

Marcos: Why would I do that?

Agent Red: You tripped her? You know, generally, that's considered poor manners. We might be all waiting here, but—

Marcos: Exactly. We're all waiting, and I'm not missing out on the prize. It's survival of the fittest.

Unknown Older Female: Dearie, don't bother. He won't under—

Agent Red: What about compassion for your fellow man? Or, is empathy too difficult for you?

Marcos: You don't get it, yet. You will. <He laughs.> You haven't fucked up like I have, constantly punished by everybody. No matter where I am, the world seems to hate me for being myself. I'm arbitrarily punished for arbitrary rules I couldn't possibly predict. 'They' sent me backwards in the line because I took a nap. I'm making my own justice.

Agent Red: They? We're all waiting in a line together, who—

Marcos: We're not. <He snickers.> We're competing with each other, literally vying for position. The line is just a way of measuring how much you deserve the reward. I belong at the front.

Agent Red: I'm sure you think so. But the reality is that we all deserve the same chance at the reward. That's what keeps us hopeful, keeps us human. <She pauses.> If you hurt her again, I'll make sure you pay for it.

Marcos: Scary. We both know fighting is against the rules, so what are you going to do? Lock me up? Been there, done that.

Agent Red: Why would I do that? You're already trapped here. <Quietly.> You're already contained.

History: The earliest recorded mention of SCP-9900 was recovered from a Trappist Monastery in Belgium. The document, written in continental protogothic book script, is estimated to have been composed c. 1130 CE. The following excerpt has been translated:

Show Original Text

…await the command of the Lord; we maintain our watch along the spine of the Morningstar, thirty strong. We need not for sustenance, nor rest: truly, this is a blessing. We no longer see the end, nor could we ever see the beginning; we attend to His Holy Word, and participate within His Holy Order.… et ut expectamus mandatum dei, in vigiliam tenemus montium saxeorum Luciferi - triginta viri paratus, neque victus nec requiem postulamus; vere prodigium! neque posse videre ad finem neque posse videre initium numquam. ubi illa dies, in sequentiis expectamus in umbraculo Domini.

Additional artifacts are presented below, each recovered in and around SCP-9900. They present multiple interpretations of the 'reward' at the end of SCP-9900:

Artifact	Description
Carved Effigy, ~700 BCE	Effigy represents a previously unknown pagan deity, potentially associated with harvests, due to visual similarity between the limbs and tools use for harvest. The bloodstains indicate that this object may have been used in rituals by primitive SCP-9900 candidates, to appease a perceived force that created the line.
Collection of Greek 'obolós', ~450 BCE	An assorted collection of obolós, commonly associated with Charon. Historically used by candidates as a bargaining item, due to perceived requirements of SCP-9900.
Star Chart, ~120 CE	This celestial map does not match any other known charts of astronomical objects. A number of star clusters have been indicated as important; this star chart is believed to have connections to a movement within SCP-9900 purporting extraterrestrial origins.
Journal, ~1650 CE	This journal contains the personal notes of Arnaud Dupont, a French nobleman who disappeared in 1641. Within it, Dupont details his analysis of SCP-9900 through Cartesianism, concluding that SCP-9900 is a product of collective belief. It is unknown whether Dupont remains an SCP-9900 candidate.
Inscribed Leather, ~1960 CE	Scrap of leather, most likely human in origin. Inscribed with the following text: "i miss your touch. will you be there when i arrive?"

Attempts by the Foundation to reach the origin of SCP-9900 have failed. It remains unknown what waits at the terminus of SCP-9900.

Observational Reports of Agent Red's Behaviors

Agent Red's behavior has diverged significantly from her typically professional demeanor. The following report documents the hypothesized gradual influence of cognitohazards on Agent Red, as a result of SCP-9900, over the course of an estimated nine months.

Redwood Forest, likely California
Agent Red was observed sitting down on a log beside an older male individual. The older male began to cry, and Agent Red did not react. After a moment, however, she began to console the candidate.

Crystalline Cavern, Non-Endemic
Agent Red has ceased writing standard status reports on her mental state. Agent Red claims this is because 'there is no point'. Insubordination?

Bay Lower Subway Station, Defunct
Agent Red disclosed her awareness of the paranormal to a fellow candidate. The candidate died before the information could be spread.

Disneyworld Utilidors, Condemned
Agent Red was consoling the child of a candidate who had just been executed by the force governing SCP-9900. Rather than continuing the recording, Agent Red turned off her tape recorder.

Suspecting that Agent Red had been compromised, Researcher Chambers continued her observation and analysis of Agent Red's behavior. Over the next months, Researcher Chambers followed from a distance, to remove any potential influence on Agent Red's actions. After twelve weeks of analysis, she approached Agent Red for the final time, in an attempt to mitigate the cognitohazard.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log E
The following recording was captured at the request of Researcher Chambers.

Agent Red: Fine, I'm recording. <She pauses.> Where the hell have you been?

Researcher Chambers: I've been scavenging for food while trying to contact Command.

Agent Red: Sure, because that worked the first hundred times. What were you really doing?

Researcher Chambers: I was evaluating other candidates. To further my rese— our research.

Agent Red: Evaluating? Thea, what does that mean?

Researcher Chambers: I am simply following procedure, for your benefit. After all, our mission is important, isn't it?

Agent Red: I have the same basic training as you, I see what you're trying. <She pauses.> I thought you said we were in this together. What changed?

Researcher Chambers: I am still the person you once knew, I can assure you of that. But while you have been waiting, I have been continuing our mission, so that I can properly understand the anomaly. I think I could save the world with it. I just have to make sure that I am analyzing every avenue, regardless of…

Agent Red: Regardless of what? What have you been doing, Thea?

<Researcher Chambers clears her throat.>

Researcher Chambers: I have been… I have been analyzing the rules and how they impact SCP-9900 candidates. Attempting to understand why some candidates are sent back while others are killed; let alone how the consequences come to be.

Agent Red: I'm sure that you're getting some great insights watching us. From a safe distance, right? You've never been one for taking risks.

Researcher Chambers: You will be happy to know that I have begun speaking to other candidates directly, as part of this research. The dialogue has been immensely helpful in understanding the desires and impulses of SCP-9900 candidates—

Agent Red: Thea, you can't bullshit me. You're doing exactly what you are supposed to, presenting just enough information so that I give you what you want without compromising the integrity of your 'project', aren't you? You would normally run tests with D-Class by now, but…

<Researcher Chambers does not respond.>

Agent Red: Have you… have you been running tests?

Researcher Chambers: I can assure you, that anything I've done has been within standard testing protocols. I'm doing it for your sake, El—.

Agent Red: You can't justify that. You know that, right? Thea, these are people, you can't just play with our fates like we are—

Researcher Chambers: Like you are what? Anomalies?

<Agent Red does not respond. The faint noise of a journal clasp opening and pencil on paper is heard.>

Agent Red: Thea, stop. You're really taking notes on me, right now?

Researcher Chambers: Agent Red, I am simply fulfilling the Foundation's mission. We are aligned on that, no?

Agent Red: You don't even see me as a person. You don't see anybody as more than just… part of the line.

Researcher Chambers: Please refer to it as SCP-9900.

Agent Red: That's what you take issue with? What happened to the woman I could trust with anything?

Researcher Chambers: Agent Red, I'm worried about you. You're not acting like yourself, you know that we are still on the same side, just—

Agent Red: I… I don't think we are. <A pause.> Please don't talk to me again. Go home, go back to your family. Go to the Foundation with your research. Take credit for everything. I don't care anymore. And take this with you. That way you'll have proof that I 'rebelled'.

Updated Mission Objectives

My suspicions have been confirmed that SCP-9900 influences candidates to turn against their own beliefs, through cognitohazardous means. Therefore, any future agents embedded within SCP-9900 should undergo cognitohazard resistance training, and require a minimum Milgram score of 95% or higher. This is to ensure that embedded agents remain loyal to the SCP Foundation's objectives.

As I can no longer rely on Agent Red, I plan to redouble my efforts in understanding SCP-9900 candidates and the rules governing them. Early tests have shown promising results, and I am certain they hold the key to controlling SCP-9900.

While the way things were left between myself and Agent Red is regrettable, I will not allow it to impact my objectivity. Once I have a full understanding of SCP-9900 and how we can use it, I will contact Command and then extraction can be discussed.

— Researcher Chambers

Researcher Chambers' initial test results are included below:

Test Parameters	Results
Researcher attempted to push candidate out of SCP-9900.	Candidate was pushed a few feet, but remained within the line. Subject reacted marginally.
Subject-D was influenced to attempt 'cutting' in SCP-9900.	Subject-D was bisected vertically by an unseen force.
Subject-H was provided with a knife.	Subject-H successfully eliminated three candidates without drawing attention. On attacking the fourth, an unseen force dragged the individual out of SCP-9900, where they were drawn and quartered.
Subject-J attempted to push Subject-L out of SCP-9900.	Subject-L was held in place by an unknown force. Subject-J was anomalously dragged backwards beside the line, until they had lost approximately two hundred positions.
Subject-M was provided with masonry equipment, and instructed to weaken the cliff SCP-9900 ran along.	Six candidates later, the cliff collapsed, killing approximately thirty candidates. SCP-9900 was immediately rerouted to avoid the new obstacle, via a tunnel which appeared through the rockface. Subject-M remained unharmed.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log F
This recording was recovered in June, 2006. It is believed to have been captured after Researcher Chambers' departure.

The following note was found attached to the recovered magnetic tape canister:

You're never lonely in the line. A time capsule, stuck, surrounded by everything you once knew. Something that should never change, right?

Before you understand the consequences for breaking the rules. Before you see the punishments every time you close your eyes. Before you can see "them".

<A crackling sound can be heard in the background, as wind audibly blows. Unknown birds call in the background.>

Agent Red: Is this a campfire? Dubois? Do you know where they got the—

Dubois: Not a campfire. A funeral pyre.

<The fire burns, audibly. Multiple voices can be heard murmuring.>

Isobel: Does… does anybody remember the last time they were at a funeral? Mine… I think it was before the line.

Agent Red: Why burn the body instead of burying them?

<Silence, as the fire continues to burn. Coughs are heard amidst the crackles, as unidentified birdsong is captured.>

Isobel: Once an Adjudicator is done with you, there are too many pieces to bury.

Nathan: We shouldn't be talking about them. So please, just… take a moment with me, and think about the things that we've all lost. Remember them.

<There is a brief moment of silence.>

Dubois: I miss seeing my daughter, with her hair tied up, as she's waist deep in a bog, a huge grin across her face. I swear, I see her face somewhere off in the line at least once a month.

Jeanne: I… I miss movie theatres. I loved just putting the rest of my life on pause, for an hour or two. Escaping into a story that would have a beginning, middle, and ending. I miss endings.

Nathan: I guess we're sharing now? <He laughs.> It might sound weird, but I miss my job. I miss the routine, the smell of the shop, the smoke breaks…

Isobel: Same. It's not the big things that I miss, it's the little things. <She begins to choke up.> I miss having choices.

<A log shifts, as the fire snaps.>

Agent Red: My turn then. I… I miss having a purpose. I miss feeling like I had some meaning in life, you know? I used to have a goal, aspirations, an objective beyond just survival. Here? Here I'm just… waiting. I feel like I lost everything the moment I joined the line.

<A bird call is heard, much louder than before. It sounds like it originates from behind Agent Red.>

Dubois: You still have your life, and you can still get your reward.

Isobel: Surviving in the line is a struggle, a fight for your life, just like it was before the line. Every day, you have to choose to persist. At least here, your neighbors understand. Here, you're never alone.

Nathan: You have all of us, the entire line. We understand exactly what you're feeling. You know that, right?

<Agent Red can be heard crying.>

Addendum 3: SCP-9900-1 Instances

Enforcement of Rules

After nearly a decade of research, I have finally found a drawing that I believe addresses how the rules of SCP-9900 are enforced. This is the proof I needed, the evidence that there are entities enforcing the rules of SCP-9900.

I believe we may be able to take advantage of the SCP-9900-1 entities. If I can understand how the rules are determined, I should be able to change them. And if I can do that, maybe I can make Agent Red see the truth.

— Researcher Chambers

SCP-9900-1 instances, referred to by candidates as 'Adjudicators', are entities that enforce the rules of SCP-9900. They are imperceptible to all but SCP-9900 candidates, and have an unknown origin. Due to the inability to capture photographic evidence of SCP-9900-1 instances, the following verbal and written descriptions are presented.

Recovered sketch of SCP-9900-1

Anatomy:

Head: Avian, with a nearly-translucent skin covering the bone. No eyes. Beak does not open.
Torso: Mammalian, composed of limestone, or a similar compound.
Legs: Four legs, covered in jagged points. Composed of the same material as the torso.
Arms: Three segments, the third replacing the autopodium. Each is composed of the same stone material, the final segment being long, narrow, and regularly kept in a vertical orientation.
Hands: Attached to the third arm segment is a sharp protrusion, between three to five feet long, tapering to a point. A membrane connects the end point to the pseudo-wrist, sharpened to a cutting edge. The membrane has been noted as carving through both stone, metal and bone with ease.

Biology:

SCP-9900-1 instances do not appear to have a circadian rhythm, nor have they been observed to sleep.
SCP-9900-1 instances appear to be constantly shedding and regenerating the material that constitutes the majority of their body.
SCP-9900-1 instances appear to draw sustenance from SCP-9900 itself, through unknown methods.
SCP-9900-1 instances are capable of vocalization with modulation of tone, despite no visible syrinx.

Psychology:

SCP-9900-1 instances appear to exhibit signs of sadism, hatred, and spite.

Additional recovered depiction of SCP-9900-1

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log G
The following log was captured sometime between 1955 and 1965, later recovered in May 1994.

Agent Red: Recording now. I'm in what appears to be a forest, and the line is much more isolated here. I think this is what others have called a 'slow segment'. I can't see the next person ahead of me, but I know the path forward, and that the next candidate is just a few steps ahead. It's almost like the line is stretched—

<A bird song is heard, loudly. A branch cracks, as a sound of metal gouging into stone can be heard.>

Agent Red: I'm not alone.

<Bird calls echo through the surrounding environment. These calls do not match any recorded birds within Foundation databases, both anomalous and mundane.>

Agent Red: Is that an Adjudicator?

<A gurgling chirp is heard, amidst an atonal birdsong sounding like a scratched record. It gets louder, until labored breathing can be heard on the recording.>

Agent Red: I still don't see it…

<Labored breathing continues, as the other sounds within the anomalous forest fade to silence. Within a minute, the only sounds are Agent Red's breathing, and the unknown entity's breathing.>

Agent Red: <Whispering.> Are you waiting too?

Once contact was established with the Foundation, based on her current understanding of SCP-9900-1 instances, the following proposal was drafted by Researcher Chambers, and presented remotely to the O5 Council:

Proposal for Utilization of SCP-9900-1 Instances as Humanoid Anomaly Containment

SCP-9900-1 instances present a unique opportunity to the SCP Foundation. Not only are they physically strong, but they adhere to a predictable set of rules and regulations. In that way, they are no different than Telekill, or alternative anomalies that are utilized in containment.

Therefore, once the Foundation has established control over SCP-9900, I propose that the queue be used as containment for humanoid anomalies, regardless of object class. This would reduce the space used for containment, and would allow the Foundation to establish a stronger presence in SCP-9900 through proxies.

I believe that we may be able to either manipulate, directly change, or influence the rules that are enforced within SCP-9900 once a Foundation presence within it gains critical mass. By utilizing SCP-9900 for containment, we would not only save billions per year, but we would be saving lives.

— Researcher Chambers

Chambers' proposal was rejected 9-4, based on her outdated perception of containment. However, based on her independent research of SCP-9900 and her prolonged loyalty to the Foundation, she received a field promotion to Senior Researcher. Senior Researcher Chambers was instructed to continue identifying methods of control, while the Foundation renewed efforts to embed Foundation agents within SCP-9900.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log I
This log is presented as an example of the cultural groups endemic to SCP-9900, especially the ways candidates maintain a connection to baseline reality.

The following note was attached:

I still think a lot about what you said. When you accused me of betrayal, it hurt. More than your betrayals, because this time I knew you meant it.

You're just as helpless as I am, aren't you? Stuck.

When did you decide my fate for me? When I first joined? What gave you that right?

Ernest, 68. Kara, 28. Unidentified Parking Lot.

Agent Red: Excuse me, sir? You can move ahead, there's a gap. We're in a fast segment and we need to stay together.

Ernest: There's a— oh, yes. Quite, thank you my dear.

Agent Red: Always happy to be of use.

Ernest: I appreciate it. You know, I haven't been in this line for very long, but I have truly come to appreciate the people who surround me. It's been less than a week, and already I feel like I can consider all of you family.

Agent Red: A… a week? How is that…

Kara: Ernie, it's been longer than a week. Remember?

Ernest: Longer than a… oh. Right. Longer than a week, but not much longer. Thank you, Kara, it's nice to have a friend in the line who can help me keep track of everything. There's just… it's so much to remember.

Kara: Yeah, of course. Happy to.

<A pause in conversation. Footsteps can be heard, a din of leather on stone, echoing in the vast space. Birds cry in the distance.>

Ernest: I think… I think I'll just sit down and close my eyes for a short time. Wake me in thirty—

Kara: It's ten minutes now. <She pauses.> I guess they weren't happy about the gaps.

Ernest: Right. <Ernest groans.> Wake me in nine minutes then, would you, Kara?

Kara: <Quietly.> Of course. Get some rest.

Agent Red: Hey, it's Kara, right? <She pauses.> I've seen you two ahead of me for a while now. It seems like he's almost… detached from reality? Is everything okay with him?

Kara: He… it's complicated. Physically, he's as healthy as a sixty-eight year old in the line can be. His health is almost frozen in time, you know? He's had the same cough for years. It doesn't get any worse, and it doesn't get better. It just stays the same.

Agent Red: If you can move, you can stay here forever. <She pauses.> But why does he seem to think he's only been waiting for a week?

Kara: Early stages of dementia. He got his diagnosis right before he joined the line, you know? It wasn't much at first, at least, he didn't say anything about it. He was still working when he found the line.

Agent Red: Were you co-workers?

Kara: I'm his daughter.

<A rock can be heard falling to the ground nearby.>

Agent Red: Oh my god, I am… I'm so sorry.

Kara: It's… yeah, don't worry about it. You didn't know. <She sighs.> Neither does he.

Agent Red: It was that bad, and he was still going to work?

Kara: Every day, five days a week. The same job he had worked for thirty years, doing the same thing, in the same office, in the very town he grew up in. My dad loved routine, you know? He lived his life the same way for decades, with the only change being the rest of the world.

Agent Red: That sounds… like a nightmare.

Kara: Yeah, I couldn't live like that. I moved away when I was twenty-one, to the 'city', leaving him and my mom behind. I had dreams, aspirations that were bigger than our little community.

Agent Red: How did you two end up in the line?

Kara: I got a letter from him, I guess the line had gone past a mailbox and he managed to slip it in during a moment of lucidity? It asked for me to come and help… so, I did everything I could to find him.

Agent Red: And you found him?

Kara: I found the line, or at least, the end. Somehow, maybe it was fate, maybe it's some fucked up genetics, but I found it. I joined it. I waited, hoping that my dad was waiting too.

Agent Red: How long were you waiting to find him?

Kara: Months. I think. I was almost ready to leave, when, right around the corner: there he was. Same suspenders, same slacks, same glasses and the same optimistic look on his face. He explained the line to me, like we were both new. I… I didn't tell him that I was his daughter for a week, at least.

Agent Red: But he forgot?

Kara: I stopped trying after the thirtieth time. It just hurt too much.

<A pause.>

Agent Red: How long have you wanted to leave the line?

Kara: Since I joined it. But, I can't leave him. He needs me, even if he doesn't know that it's me.

Agent Red: And he doesn't feel the same way about the line?

Kara: Are you kidding me? <She laughs dryly.> It's like work, but better. He just stands around, all day, every day. And the shit we see is always new to him. I'm jealous, truthfully.

Agent Red: At least you get to spend time with him?

Kara: Sure. <She snorts.> We get to spend an eternity waiting in a fucking line, how wonderful.

Agent Red: It's just… you never know the last time that you're going to see your family.

Kara: I just wish that I could spend the eternity with the dad I remembered, not the dad who forgets who I am every single day. But I know that if we left, he would only get worse. At least… at least we get to stand side-by-side.

Kara: How long have you been in the line?

Agent Red: Since… god, since nineteen fifty-three. A long time.

Kara: Do you have a family waiting for you, out there?

Agent Red: I hope they're not waiting for me. <Her breath hitches.> I don't deserve that, and neither do they.

Understanding Candidate Migration Patterns

The previous understanding of SCP-9900 was that candidates can only move either forwards, when another candidate leaves or is removed, or backwards when breaking a minor rule. Recently, I have discovered that there are methods of moving ahead in the line, without breaking rule two.

It appears that, by assisting SCP-9900-1 instances in identifying rulebreakers, or otherwise ensuring the rules are enforced, candidates will be rewarded and moved ahead within SCP-9900. The severity of the rule broken by the other party appears to dictate how far you are moved ahead, from a marginal adjustment to significant shifts. This contributes to the seemingly chaotic migration of candidates within SCP-9900.

In my attempts to fully survey candidate migration, I have uncovered an additional difficulty in tracking SCP-9900: as candidates cross the midway point of SCP-9900, they begin to abstract from tangible reality, appearing to 'fade'. This fading also impacts the environs surrounding SCP-9900, and is hypothesized to be a form of anomalous camouflage, similar to that of SCP-9900-1 instances. As a result, I have been unable to observe SCP-9900 beyond the mid-point.

Therefore, I recommend that any embedded Foundation agents assist SCP-9900-1 entities in enforcing the rules, to accelerate our forward movement. It is critical that we gain direct insights into SCP-9900 beyond the fading point. While other candidates may object to this kind of intervention, the majority do not appear to care. Foundation training in enforcing normalcy will be directly applicable in this context, and initial tests have been promising.

— Senior Researcher Chambers

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log M
The following log was found within Senior Researcher Chambers' personal effects, following her passing in 2019.

Megan, 30. Arid High-Mountain Desert. Exo-planar, Silicon-Based.

Agent Red: <Quietly.> I think I just saw somebody in line use magic. Not sleight-of-hand, I'm talking low level thaumaturgy. I'm going to talk to them.

<A shuffling noise is heard, as Agent Red moves her tape recorder.>

Agent Red: Hi! Can I ask you a weird question?

Megan: Weirder than the rest of our lives?

Agent Red: Fair. <She pauses.> This question is a bit more… touchy?

Megan: Well, now I'm curious. Go ahead and ask, I'm an open book.

Agent Red: Are you a member of the Serpent's Hand?

<For a moment, only Agent Red's breathing can be heard.>

Megan: I'll show you mine if you show me yours. You're Foundation, then?

Agent Red: I… yeah, I used to be. My name's Eleana.

Megan: Megan. <She pauses.> You know, normally? I'd spit at you, try and fuck with your mission, but what's the point? We're all friends here, aren't we?

Agent Red: I mean, for whatever it's worth? I don't really have a mission anymore.

Megan: You're not here to dominate the line under the Foundation's 'cold, not cruel' heel?

Agent Red: Yeah, right. <She snorts.> I don't think they know I exist. And… honestly? I'm glad. I wish they didn't exist either.

Megan: Oh? Did you finally break through the indoctrination? Good for you.

Agent Red: Something like that. <She pauses.> Do you miss it?

Megan: Miss what? Indoctrination?

Agent Red: Ha, no. Do you miss the Hand?

Megan: Not really. I haven't done anything for the Hand in a long time, they're more like my vestigial tail that I cut off years ago. What about you?

Agent Red: Do I miss the Foundation? <She pauses.> I think I miss being a part of something bigger, you know?

Megan: You… you miss being part of a colonialist, authoritarian regime that enforces 'normalcy'?

Agent Red: God, no. I just miss having somebody I could rely on, somebody who I could trust with my life, someone who I knew would always have my back…

Megan: When was the last time you talked with somebody from back then?

<A bird call can be heard. Agent Red hums along to the tones.>

Agent Red: There was a researcher who was walking the line with me, back when I discovered it. Thea.

Megan: What happened to her? Did she…

Agent Red: She didn't die. <She sighs.> She just decided that containing anomalies was more important than her promise to me.

<A loud bird cry is heard distantly, followed by a short scream. It echoes.>

Megan: I'm… I'm sorry. That sounds like a shitty friend. Where are they now, sitting comfy at some Foundation thinktank?

Agent Red: She's still watching the line. She still studies me, to this day. She thinks I don't notice her, keeping her distance, but… I just wish she would talk to me again.

Megan: Well, I don't know about her, but, you can talk to me at any time. Anything that used to matter, friends, lovers, obligations? They don't mean anything here. We don't need it though, you know? We're all bound together by one invisible ribbon, each and every one of us that stands here, waiting. Like I said, we're all friends here—

<An unknown male laughs loudly, interrupting the conversation.>

Unknown Male Voice: 'We're all friends here'? Do you really think that this life is any different, just because we're all in a line?

Agent Red: Excuse me? <She pauses.> Wait… Marcos?

Marcos: That's what the nametag says.

Megan: You know this asshole?

Agent Red: Unfortunately. <She sighs.> He's not worth it, just ignore him.

Marcos: Seriously, do you think this is just some hippie commune? That we all want the same things, so we must understand each other on some deeper level? That's rich.

<Agent Red can be heard intentionally regulating her breathing.>

Marcos: There's still winners, and there's certainly still losers. We are surrounded by losers, corpses that couldn't handle waiting, cowards who gave up. It's still a competition, just like the real world.

Megan: In the real world, we have poverty. Hunger, wars, capitalism, homopho—

Marcos: Of course you would be one of those. <He chuckles.> Nothing was ever your fault, was it?

Agent Red: What do you want?

Marcos: I'm trying to do you both a favor. We might be surrounded by towers of stone and pillars of salt, but you can't change human nature. There will always be those who are superior, and there will always be competition. Do you really want to get left behind?

Agent Red: You need that, don't you?

<Silence.>

Agent Red: You need to pretend like you mattered, right? I bet you used to brag about your job, your money, your cars, right? You're so arrogant you couldn't even realize you're still lying to yourself. The fact is, Marcos, you're broken, and you can't even admit it. You've been standing in a line for, what, over twenty years? And you still think that the 'real world' matters more?

Marcos: Clearly, you don't know what you're talkin—

Agent Red: No, I know exactly what you're talking about. You felt powerful, but no matter who you were, I can guarantee that I was more important. I could have erased you from the world, with a smile on my face, and gotten a reward for it. I played the game better than you ever did.

<Agent Red laughs lightly.>

Agent Red: None of that matters. It's all made up. Things we create to help us get through the day. One more promotion, one more house, a new car, all of these stupid goals we cling to because we think they make our lives mean something.

Megan: We are what gives life meaning. People. Not ideas, not things, other human beings.

Agent Red: Right. <She pauses, whispering to herself.> Right?

Marcos: You two can pretend as much as you like, dream that nothing really matters. It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to get to the front of the line and you won't. It's a simple fact.

<A figure can be heard moving away. There is a moment of silence.>

Megan: Wow, what a piece of shit. <She pauses.> Are… are you okay?

Agent Red: M— Me? Yeah, sorry. <She pauses.> Sorry, I was just thinking about something.

Megan: Don't let him get to you, you're better than that. You know that systems are just somebody else's ideal. He's too stupid to ever see through it, he'll never realize that wealth and power are meaningless..

Agent Red: <Emotionless.> It's all meaningless.

Megan: Exactly! But the line? That's pure reality. Just people, in a place, talking to each other. We're part of something bigger than ourselves, all equal in the line. We get to mean something here.

Agent Red: Do we?

Addendum 4: The Purpose of SCP-9900

The origins of SCP-9900 remain unknown, and as a result, the original purpose behind its creation is not understood. This has the additional effect of there not being clues towards the nature of the 'reward' at the end of SCP-9900. While candidates speculate, there has been no confirmed contact with a candidate who reached the end of SCP-9900.

It is currently believed that the further along SCP-9900 a candidate progresses, the more information they understand about the anomaly. This has been shown through candidates further along SCP-9900 having better understandings of the rules, and more specific beliefs regarding the reward.

While no intentionally embedded Foundation agents have crossed the midpoint, Agent Red is believed to be the closest Foundation asset to the threshold. While direct contact has been delayed, by request of Senior Researcher Chambers, it is critical that Agent Red's loyalty is ensured prior to losing contact.

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log P
The following log was found placed on a makeshift grave beside SCP-9900, and is believed to have been recorded in approximately 1982, based on the decomposition of the buried SCP-9900 candidate.

<The recording begins midway through a bird call. The tune is unbalanced, as a harmony begins. Multiple entities are recorded.>

Agent Red: Do you understand me when I talk to you?

<The chorus of birdsong continues, interspersed with gurgling chirping.>

Agent Red: Why do you follow the rules? Why do you make us follow the rules? Do you even know what the rules are, or is this just an instinct?

<The chorus accelerates the tune, as additional entities join the song. It surrounds the recording.>

Agent Red: I don't know why I'm asking. I… I guess I just hoped that, somehow, you might have been like me.

<The chorus lowers their volume, a softer atonal melody continuing. A single SCP-9900-1 entity begins to vocalize a pattern of chirps, coughs and screams. The melody is strained.>

Agent Red: I wish you would answer me.

<A moment later, Agent Red attempts to sing along with the melody. The birdsong cuts out abruptly. Wind blows in the background, as no other sounds are heard.>

Agent Red: I shed my shackles to join a chain-gang. <She laughs.> I haven't learned anything. Maybe… maybe the end of the line will teach me what it all means.

Notice of Resignation

'Complacent' is the best way to describe SCP-9900 candidates. Despite the discomfort experienced, and the constant, unending labor involved in waiting within SCP-9900, candidates persist.

After nearly four decades of research, I am convinced that SCP-9900 candidates are cognitohazardously influenced to prioritize advancement within SCP-9900. Compare the nebulous and unattainable 'reward' to common motivations within baseline reality, such as a promotion or monetary compensation. Logic dictates that the tangible rewards should be more appealing.

However, despite this, when offered monetary compensation for their departure for the line, SCP-9900 candidates have unanimously rejected my offers, noting that they will soon be closer to the end. This does not make sense.

Even with my prolonged research and extensive notes, I do not feel as though I understand why candidates act the way that they do any better than when Agent Red and I first found the anomaly. I wonder if she has insights that could help us understand how the cognitohazard works, tell us why candidates seem to no longer care about anything but forward progress.

But I know I can't approach her. Not after this long, not after the way I left things. And even if I did, would she talk to me? Is she still loyal, after all these years?

I don't know. Maybe I'm just jaded, tired, and ready to come home. Whatever discoveries lie further along SCP-9900, those are no longer mine to unveil. I hope to one day see our containment goals fully realized, so that we can change the fate of the world — but I leave that in the capable hands of the SCP-9900 research team.

— Senior Researcher Chambers

Agent Red Voice Recorder — SCP-9900 Log X
This is the most recently recovered log to date. Based on the lack of environmental damage to the canister, we believe that this recording was made between three to six months prior to recovery.
The following note was found attached:

I give up.

Agent Red: I'm making a recording, but I don't know why anymore. It's a habit, like the people who tap their feet while we wait, or keep track of their footsteps. It's pointless, but somehow, it provides some small comforts. Or, rather, it did.

<Agent Red coughs, as the sounds of rubble being disturbed can be heard.>

Agent Red: There was a minor tunnel collapse along the line's path, just ahead of me, but I haven't been rerouted yet. This wasn't an accident. I don't think so, at least? Their song told me that they were coming to collect on something long overdue.

<She pauses, and can be heard panting.>

Agent Red: I've found a body. I'm going to try and pull it out so that they can at least have a proper bur—

<There is a minute of silence on the recording.>

Agent Red: I know him. His head is crushed, but… that's the same pair of coveralls. I guess you weren't any better than us, were you?

<Agent Red sighs heavily.>

Agent Red: I should feel something. I know that. Even at my worst, when I was on a mission, a small part of me would feel remorseful when killing. The innocence that didn't die, crying out each time, wishing that circumstances could have been different. They tried to numb me, but it never took. I just got better at hiding it.

<Agent Red chuckles. A distant birdcall echoes.>

Agent Red: Here, I had to leave all of that behind. I thought that people were my reason now, that the community was what mattered. I would mourn each person who didn't make it to the end, bury whatever remained of the candidates that couldn't cut it. I… I had friends. A found family.

<Agent Red forces air out of her nose. Her teeth can be heard chattering.>

Agent Red: I… I needed to matter to them. I couldn't live, standing around, waiting just for myself; I needed people who could count on me. Rely on me to be there for them. I… I needed other people to give my life meaning. I held onto that for the first half of my wait, like a safety blanket.

<Agent Red begins to cry, before stopping abruptly. There is a moment of silence on the recording. A second later, Agent Red takes a few slow breaths.>

Agent Red: I never needed any of this. I just thought I did. I'm not hungry anymore because I just don't want to eat. I don't need to sleep because it's pointless. I've abandoned so many things that are imaginary, the last few tethers that kept me to reality, and now? Now I'm adrift. Staring at the corpse of somebody who I once hated, feeling absolutely nothing.

<Agent Red can be heard walking.>

Agent Red: I should catch up. The line is waiting for me.

Addendum 5: First Contact

Following the recovery of Log X in September 2024, Foundation attempts to locate Agent Red were redoubled, in hopes that direct contact could be established prior to her impending disappearance. MTF teams were dispatched to the dead-drop location, and began to follow SCP-9900.

Within three weeks, Agent Eleana Red was identified based on an exact visual match to her Foundation ID. MTF Captain Quinn Chambers received authorization from command, with instructions to attempt to confirm Agent Red's loyalty to the Foundation, and encourage her to remain within SCP-9900. Failing that, Captain Chambers was instructed to compel Agent Red to exit SCP-9900, returning to Foundation control, such that her experiences could be extracted.

On September 19th, 2024, Agent Red was approached by MTF Captain Quinn Chambers.

First Contact
The following footage was captured by Captain Chambers' body-cam.

Captain Chambers: Excuse me, are you Agent Eleana Red?

<Agent Red does not turn.>

Agent Red: I guess so.

Captain Chambers: Thank god. My name is Captain Quinn Chambers, and I'm here to make good on an old promise. The Foundation has been looking for you for a long time now. Are you okay? Any injuries?

<Agent Red finally turns, and glances at Captain Chambers.>

Agent Red: Now that you mention it, I just started to feel this pain in my ass. <She snorts.> You can drop the act, just get to your point.

Captain Chambers: I know that you've been by yourself for a long time, and I can't imagine what you've gone through. I've been sent to check on you, and report back to the Foundation about your mission. Before we do that, may I check your vitals?

Agent Red: Don't bother, I haven't had a pulse in years, let alone a mission. <She pauses, tilting her head.> Why did they send you? Why try, after this long?

Captain Chambers: We found your logs, you have been serving the Foundation consistently for—

Agent Red: The Foundation doesn't matter anymore. I don't know if it ever did.

<Captain Chambers activates the radio in their helmet.>

Captain Chambers: <Quietly.> Rescue Team Omicron-8, please be advised that Agent Red appears to be under a compulsion of some kind. Get a doctor and psychiatrist ready, please.

Agent Red: I'm fine. I don't need a doctor, I don't need therapy, and I didn't need another bullshit attempt at forcing my loyalty. You can go.

Captain Chambers: Agent Red, listen to me. You are unwell, and you have been for a long time. Command told me to keep you in SCP-9900, no matter what. <He shakes his head.> But that's not what you need. You need to escape this. Let me take you home. I know that it can be hard to just let go of something that you've been clinging onto as a lifeline for so long. You know, sometimes our missions become a crutch, whether or not we call it that. They become an obsession, the only way we make it through the day. I know what you're going through, and I want to help you.

Agent Red: Do you? Do you really want to help me?

<Agent Red turns away, taking a step forward as the line shifts. Captain Chambers follows suit alongside.>

Captain Chambers: I do. You survived. You succeeded. Agent Red, you went above and beyond what anybody at the Foundation could have ever expected. But your fight is over now, and you can relax. You can finally let go. You're going to come in from the cold, and be celebrated as a hero.

<Captain Chambers removes his helmet, holding it in one hand. He places the other on Agent Red's shoulder.>

Captain Chambers: I know it can be terrifying, I've been in deep cover before. Sometimes, you do the same thing for so long that you can't imagine a world without your mission. You start to exist exclusively for a purpose. It gets you through the worst moments, telling yourself that what you are doing will be worth it in the end. But now? You are at the end. You aren't alone, I'm here with you. Come on, let's take you home.

<There is a moment of silence before Agent Red breathes a dry chuckle.>

Agent Red: You're still telling the same lies, all these years later. I don't think you understand, do you?

Captain Chambers: Understand what?

Agent Red: There is nothing to go back to.

Captain Chambers: You have a place at the Foundation, I promise you that. Your expertise will—

Agent Red: I don't care. What's the point?

<Captain Chambers sighs, removing a folded photograph from his pocket. He unfolds it, and shows it to Agent Red.>

Captain Chambers: This is a picture of me and my parents. Sometimes, when I'm in the middle of nothingness, I look at it and remember what I do this for. My mom taught me to persist, no matter what. <He pauses, putting the photo away.> What about your family? Do you still think about them?

Agent Red: No, I don't.

Captain Chambers: Agent Re—

Agent Red: Stop calling me 'agent'. That's not who I am.

Captain Chambers: My apologies. <He pauses.> Eleana, please, listen to me. Thea told me about what you used to be like, I've heard the stories for years. But this isn't you! You're being brainwashed into believing that waiting in this line is all that matters. Part of this obsession that everybody who encounters SCP-9900 shares… You need to wake up, this isn't—

Agent Red: Why bother? Nothing is out there for me.

Captain Chambers: Not even the slightest part of you misses the real world?

Agent Red: No. <She turns, and stares at Captain Chambers with an empty glare.> I don't care about the line. I don't care about waiting, I don't care about you, me, or anybody else in this godforsaken queue. I don't care anymore. Do you get it now?

Captain Chambers: You've been gone for seventy years. It's understandable that you are feeling conflict—

Agent Red: Chambers, don't patronize me. It's never worked.

Captain Chambers: What am I supposed to do?

Agent Red: You can leave. Please, don't talk to me again. Go home, go back to your family. Go to the Foundation. Tell them whatever you want. It won't change anything.

Captain Chambers: I'm not going to abandon you. I'll be back, every day, until you remember how much the world matters.

Agent Red: Don't bother. <Her eyes show a moment of lucidity.> The only thing that I want is to know what is at the end of the line. It's the only certain thing, the only thing I care about. The only thing that matters.

Captain Chambers: Eleana, you matte—

Agent Red: Nothing else matters.

<Agent Red reaches into her pocket, removing the tape recorder, and a folded piece of paper. She throws them to Captain Chambers, who picks them both off the ground.>

Agent Red: Bring these back to your commanders. I don't need them. And say hello to your mother.

Captain Chambers: I can't. She's dead.

<Agent Red does not react. Captain Chambers hesitates, turning away. He turns off the recording.>

This footage was the last sighting of Agent Eleana Red. Embedded Foundation agents within SCP-9900 have been instructed to make contact if possible, so that she might resume employment.