In a city that stretches as far as the lands
In a kingdom composed of all things
There's a man who now sits with his head in his hands
Who has reigned as the ruler of kings
He abandoned his grief and abandoned his fears
Now he sees it as sort of an art
After all of the axes and all of the spears
That the first thing to break was his heart
SCP-9924
Special Containment Procedures: Each SCP-9924 location is to be guarded at all times by Foundation agents. Public access to these locations has been restricted through a variety of explanations, including waste spills, nature preserves, and private property. If an individual enters an SCP-9924 location they are to be removed and given Class A amnestics. If the same individual attempts to enter an SCP-9924 location multiple times, especially following an Omen Event, they are to be investigated for potential association with anomalous objects.
For 24 hours following an Omen Event, Foundation agents are to watch for any entities exiting SCP-9924-1. Any entities that leave during this time are to be apprehended and presumed anomalous.
Description: SCP-9924 is a two-meter-wide road made of packed dirt that exists on every continent on Earth. The dimensions and material of SCP-9924 are identical in each instance, regardless of the local soil composition. Changes made to one SCP-9924 instance are not reflected on the others, however any removal or manipulation of the material of SCP-9924 will be reversed if it goes unobserved for more than 30 seconds.
All instances of SCP-9924 enter an active state for 24 hours following an Omen Event. An Omen Event is defined as a major astronomical,1 social,2 or biological3 event at some place on Earth.
If an individual walks along SCP-9924 during an active period, they will be transported to SCP-9924-1. SCP-9924-1 is a city built in a variety of architectural styles. People inside SCP-9924-1 will experience a few non-dangerous mental shifts, including vague hallucinations and the inability to keep track of time. These effects have no lasting impact after leaving. A full list of mental effects that have been documented can be found attached to this file.
During active periods, individuals are freely capable of entering and leaving SCP-9924-1 via SCP-9924. At the end of an active period, any individuals who entered through SCP-9924 will be transported to the location where they entered.
SCP-9924-1 is populated by human-like individuals designated SCP-9924-2. Instances of SCP-9924-2 have no name or consistent appearance. Each individual looking at an instance of SCP-9924-2 will see a different person. Age is the primary way of identifying instances, as it will be consistent across all observers. Instances of SCP-9924-2 removed from SCP-9924-1 will lose their anomalous properties. A few instances of SCP-9924-2 have distinct, inhuman appearances. These appearances are visible from any observer. Whether these instances change when leaving SCP-9924-1 is uncertain.
Exploration Logs:
Exploration Log 9924-1:
Subject: D-58240
Researcher: Researcher Garcia
Omen Event: The Spring Equinox
<Begin Log>
Garcia: Can you hear me?
D-58240: Yeah, loud and clear.
Garcia: Good, your body cam is coming through fine
D-58240: So, what kind of things am I looking for?
Garcia: We’re trying to learn the origin of this SCP. Look for the center, there should be a castle there.
D-58240: That’s where this started?
Garcia: We’re not sure, but it’s the best direction to investigate.
D-58240: Whatever you say. I think I can see the castle from here.
Garcia: Are you sure?
D-58240: If it’s that massive tower, then yes.
Garcia: Interesting. Previous expeditions didn’t mention a tower. How far away is it?
D-58240: Hard to tell, I have to look directly into the sunrise to see it.
Garcia: Okay, then just try to get closer.
D-58240: Sure.
Extraneous material removed.
D-58240: Did you choose this?
Garcia: What?
D-58240: Sorry, just making small talk.
Garcia: I don't think that's entirely necessary.
D-58240: I'm bored, throw me a bone.
Garcia: You need to stay focused.
D-58240: Well how am I going to do that when this question is rattling around in my brain?
Garcia: It's that important to you?
D-58240: A lot of things are. Come on, indulge my curiousity.
Garcia: No, I do not choose my projects.
D-58240: Well do you enjoy it?
Garcia: You can drop this.
D-58240: I'll take that as a no.
Garcia: I am good at it, that’s what matters.
D-58240: Sort of a bleak way of looking at things.
An instance of SCP-9924-2, appearing like a young man, notices D-58240 and approaches.
SCP-9924-2-1: Sorry, have I greeted you yet?
D-58240: What?
SCP-9924-2-1: You look like you haven’t been here in a while.
D-58240: A while? You may be confusing me with someone else.
SCP-9924-2-1: Do you need someone to show you around? It can be jarring.
Garcia: You should go with it, but don’t trust it too much.
D-58240: Don’t know if I need directions, I’m just going to that tower.
SCP-9924-2-1: Well that’s great. I work there actually, so I can help you out.
D-58240: Is saying hi to people your job?
SCP-9924-2-1: No, I’m actually a farmhand. I tend the tower’s garden.
Garcia: Farmhand and gardener are two different jobs.
D-58240: (To Garcia.) I don’t think he cares. (To SCP-9924-2-1.) That’s very interesting, I used to know a farmhand.
SCP-9924-2-1: Really? Me too, that’s why I became one.
D-58240: Then they must have been nothing alike. So, you know a lot about the tower?
SCP-9924-2-1: Of course, who doesn’t? It’s the heart of the city.
D-58240: Do a lot of people go there?
SCP-9924-2-1: Oh no, they’re not allowed.
D-58240: Not allowed?
Garcia: That complicates things a bit.
SCP-9924-2-1: Well the gates won’t open for just anyone.
D-58240: But you tend the garden, can you get in?
SCP-9924-2-1: I only tend the one outside. I’ve never seen what it looks like past the gates.
D-58240: Who do you work for? They’ve gotta be able to get in.
SCP-9924-2-1: Not sure.
Garcia: How could it never have seen its supervisor?
D-58240: Says the voice in my ear telling me what to do.
Garcia: Touche.
SCP-9924-2-1: You should still come up and look at the place. There are some beautiful flowers.
D-58240: Of course.
Extraneous material removed.
When the tower is within sight, the gate is revealed to be open.
D-58240: So much for no one going in.
SCP-9924-2-1: That doesn’t make any sense. The doors are never open.
D-58240: Maybe someone important’s coming through.
SCP-9924-2-1: It has to be you.
D-58240: If I were important, I wouldn’t be here.
Garcia: Play along. Whatever gets you inside.
SCP-9924-2-1: The way I see it, you’re the one thing that’s different.
D-58240: I guess you’re right. Let’s go.
SCP-9924-2-1: Me?
D-58240: You’re showing me around, aren't you?
SCP-9924-2-1: I’ve never seen the inside.
D-58240: Neither have I. Come on.
They start to go inside.
Garcia: While I appreciate keeping a source of information around, keep in mind these are not normal people.
D-58240: Oh I don’t trust a single person in this place. They’ve been looking at me weird since I got here, but I have my own curiosity.
Garcia: You don't trust them? Funny way of showing it. You've been awfully friendly.
D-58240: It's a way of coping with stress. Makes people like you more, which is usually safer.
Garcia: Tend and befriend.
D-58240: What?
Garcia: It's a psychological theory. Alternative to fight or flight based on human tendencies towards sociability.
D-58240: Yeah, I guess. It's kept me alive this long
Garcia: It can get you killed in a place like this.
D-58240: Don’t talk to me like that, I know the risks better than you.
SCP-9924-2-1: There’s so many flowers.
On the inside of the tower is a large spiral staircase lined with flower boxes.
D-58240: And you don’t take care of these ones?
SCP-9924-2-1: I’ve never seen them before now.
D-58240: Well someone must.
SCP-9924-2-1: I’d love to meet them.
D-58240: It’s a long way up.
SCP-9924-2-1: Then let’s start already.
Extraneous material removed.
D-58240: I suppose I haven't asked, what's your name?
SCP-9924-2-1: I’m a farmhand.
D-58240: Not actually what I asked.
SCP-9924-2-1: I’m sorry, what did you want to know?
D-58240: Your name.
SCP-9924-2-1: I don’t think I get the question.
D-58240: How do you not—?
Garcia: I believe it’s saying it does not have a name. More common than you would expect in a place like this.
D-58240: Fine, then I’m calling you Gardener.
SCP-9924-2-1: Not farmhand?
D-58240: No, bad memories with that.
SCP-9924-2-1: What do you mean?
D-58240: I met you today, I’m not about to share my whole life.
The tower shakes suddenly.
D-58240: Did you feel that?
SCP-9924-2-1: Yes.
It shakes again.
D-58240: It started happening when we crossed that floor.
The tower begins shaking in regular intervals. Approximately one time per second.
Garcia: It sounds like a heartbeat.
D-58240: A heartbeat?
SCP-9924-2-1: I did say it was the heart of the city.
D-58240: I do not want to hear you be smugly literal right now.
SCP-9924-2-1: I don’t understand.
D-58240: Whatever, is this dangerous? Are we about to fall?
SCP-9924-2-1: I don’t think it’s going to shake any more than this.
Extraneous material removed.
D-58240: Wind now? Gardener, what is going on here?
SCP-9924-2-1: It’s just a light breeze.
D-58240: We’re still inside.
Garcia: You’re almost at the top. It’s possible there’s a mundane reason, but I would assume this is some other property of the tower.
SCP-9924-2-1: We’re getting closer to the sky, the air has more say here.
D-58240: Sure, why not?
SCP-9924-2-1: We’re getting to the end of the stairs now. Watch your step.
D-58240: Obviously, between the wind and the shaking I’m not about to start running.
The two exit to see a large garden.
The garden at the top of the tower
SCP-9924-2-1: It’s beautiful.
D-58240: Where'd the flowers go?
SCP-9924-2-1: I'm sure they're somewhere around here?
D-58240: Just weird to see the peak of the tower have such a bland garden.
SCP-9924-2-1: Bland? Are we looking at the same thing?
D-58240: Maybe that's the wrong word. Just… compared to the stairs, there's no color.
SCP-9924-2-1: It just has to be born.
D-58240: What, the flowers?
SCP-9924-2-1: Everything.
The wind picks up.
D-58240: What are you talking about?
SCP-9924-2-1: Everything and everyone needs to start somewhere.
D-58240: I guess I can appreciate that.
Garcia: Watch its words. It's not talking about the garden anymore.
D-58240: And?
SCP-9924-2-1: Are you ready to begin?
D-58240: Begin what? I didn't agree to anything.
SCP-9924-2-1: That was never a requirement.
D-58240: Excuse me?
Garcia: No easy escape routes. If this goes wrong, your best bet is to use the flower beds to break your fall. It will hurt, but you will survive.
D-58240: Shut up.
SCP-9924-2-1: Do you hear the envoy?
D-58240: Can't hear anything over this wind.
SCP-9924-2-1: Of course, then I will have to amplify his voice.
It approaches a pillar and puts its hand to it.
D-58240: What are you doing?
SCP-9924-2-1: I’m becoming something more.
Garcia: Brace yourself.
D-58240: Gardener, you’re scaring me.
The wind appears to reach gale-levels as the instance of SCP-9924-2 begins to dissolve into flower petals.
D-58240: You don’t have to do this.
Garcia: I don’t think it’s doing anything.
The instance dissolves almost entirely, leaving its heart floating in the air, still beating. The petals form into a large face.
D-58240: Who are you?
SCP-9924-2-2: I am the beginning and the birth. I am flowers and petals and wind. I am the start of that which you never want to end, and I am what you miss when it is gone. I am Spring.
D-58240: What did you do with him?
SCP-9924-2-2: I am the farmhand as well. He has met his purpose.
D-58240: What, was this his destiny?
SCP-9924-2-2: No. It is yours.
D-58240: I think you’re getting me confused with someone else.
Garcia: You need to get away from there.
D-58240: What?
SCP-9924-2-2: There is no mistaken identity. There is not the premise of a farce. You are meant to be here to begin your tale.
D-58240: Sorry, the voice in my head is telling me no.
The leaves behind SCP-9924-2-2 part to reveal SCP-5824.4
Garcia: Get away. Now!
D-58240: Is that a book?
Garcia: It’s another anomaly. Do not touch it.
SCP-9924-2-2: Do you remember how you got here?
D-58240: I walked.
Garcia: It’s not worth it.
SCP-9924-2-2: Your position, how did you reach it?
Pause.
D-58240: I didn’t kill anyone.
Garcia: What?
D-58240: I’m a D-class. We’re supposed to be death row inmates, aren’t we? I don’t remember committing a crime.
Garcia: I believe you. Maybe there’s a record error. I can try to advocate for you, just get out.
D-58240: You're not a very good liar. Why are you so scared of this thing?
Garcia: It is a highly dangerous anomaly. Touching it may kill you and me both.5
D-58240: Don't swap out your bad lie for a worse one.
Garcia: Fine, it won’t kill you, but it could cause a disaster.
SCP-9924-2-2: Read it. The tome will answer your questions.
D-58240: What’s my name?
Garcia: I don't have the records in front of me.
D-58240: Try again. What's my name?
Pause.
Garcia: Your name is Amanda Brown.
D-58240: And what’s my position?
Garcia: You are a D-class at the SCP Foundation.
Pause.
D-58240: You are the worst liar I've ever known.
D-58240 touches the book.