SCP Foundation

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Procedural generation schema of simulated ARC-1432-3B2 environment. Said schema is responsible for 3-dimensional surface retexturing of physical SCP-4523 terrain.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Recording initiates immediately outside of Site-148's Welcome Center facility. The perspective pans forward through the double doors and towards the receptionist desk. 10 personnel of varying clearance levels stand in total. Nobody detects the camera as it moves past the desk and directly into Site-148.

The camera continues moving as it phases past unidentified Site-148 personnel. Intermittent chatter and whispering can be discerned as recording commences. Most personnel are either expressionless or appear to be outright happy. No anomalous breaches occur during the recording period. The camera then reaches the cafeteria, which is occupied by no less than 40 Foundation personnel.

Camera eventually moves away from cafeteria and into the numerous hallways populating Site-148. No major events occur during this period. Recording continues for nearly 15 minutes before the camera phases through the exterior wall near Liquidation.

Snapshot recording pans away from Site-148 and towards the nearby situated town. Simulacra and other artificial intelligences pay no attention to the camera as it darts between sidewalks and empty streets. No abnormal phenomena manifest during this period.

Finally, the camera moves upward towards the sky and subsequently fades into black, ending the recording.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

I can't get over how insane this is.

Director Natasha Reyes, reporting in after her first few days inside the system. It's been… a weird transition — going from a typical day outside to being moved inside here. Not a lot has changed since the merge. Well, except for this fancy console with all of these weird switches and dials that I was given.

Subordinates continue to act as if nothing happened. Well, frankly nothing did happen… they're all just copies. Fakes. The real ones are probably out doing their own thing, or living in their own little worlds. I was lucky when they granted me an opportunity to try and fix Site-148 — usually they would just stop funding a poorly operating Site and people would transfer out.

Instead they run about their day here completing their daily responsibilities like normal. I'm not sure how to feel about it, really; I don't think they'd even believe me if I told them the truth now. Against the programming and whatnot.

I've been asked to keep this relatively updated as time goes on. I was warned that certain aspects of this sandbox might… change… after awhile. Frankly I wish they would've elaborated on that a bit more, but we'll be ready regardless.

Until next time, then. Signing out.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Camera recording begins outside of Site-148's recreational facility. Inside numerous Foundation personnel can be seen exercising, resting near benches and patio tables, or engaging with others. Most remain expressionless, however some appear to smile slightly. Whispering and murmuring can be heard as the camera pans throughout the facility.

The recording then moves into the hallways through Site-148. There is notably less traffic than before. More personnel can be seen entering or staying within their offices, doing miscellaneous work. Several anomalies can likewise be seen throughout the premise, mostly awaiting processing before their containment commences.

Another sweep of the premises commences before camera pans out to the external environment. It is approaching sunset. On the streets outside, simulacra stroll throughout. None detect the camera as it continues to navigate through crowds.

One simulacrum briefly clips through an restaurant building before returning to normal. No additional phenomena manifest before the camera fades to black.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

When I took this position I was provided with a very simple description: "Help them improve and we'll help you improve." And that made sense — I'd monitor the situation here and once it was over, things would go back to normal. I'd return to my Site, and my office, and my family, and that would be the end of that.

Except it's not just that. Of course it's never just that with these people, huh?

No, instead they start changing things in the background and don't inform me about it until the situations escalate outside. Of course, they don't have to worry about it. They're not the ones dealing with the sudden change management requests or the increasing accidents.

No, that falls onto me to fix.

I can't be too upset, I guess. It's not like anything has been detrimental to our work. I just wish there was some more transparency. Is this a test? Are we being penalized for something? I know our Site wasn't the best kept place in the world but… ah, what the hell. Things are still fine, people are mostly happy, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

Speaking of, they never told me that I'd be able to change the literal variables of my personnel. It's weird to me that I can essentially do whatever I want with them — make them happy or mad, give them higher strength or more intelligence, the whole 9 yards. I've been too busy to try and test it out now but maybe that might come in handy here in the future.

Maybe I could even edit myself sometime. What a strange thought.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Camera recording again begins inside Site-148's recreational facility. Far fewer personnel can be seen within — approximately 15 to 20 persons total. Many appear slightly discontent, irritable, or otherwise expressionless. Far fewer are doing active tasks; many carry clipboards, laptops, or other devices used to work. One appears to be straining to smile towards the camera, but the action cannot be verified.

The camera continues down the hallways of Site-148 as per usual. Less traffic is observed. One Level-2 personnel can be seen wiping tears from her eyes as she concludes a phone call at the end of the East wing. 2 anomalies struggle with on-site security as they are processed and contained.

The camera phases out of Site-148 again and begins recording the surrounding city. It is noticeably darker than normal, with very few simulacra walking outside. Moving cars are noted to flicker in different hues of color but are otherwise operational.

Perspective pans behind another building to see 3 additional simulacra suspended outside of an open window, facing towards the ground. They hover several feet past the external wall, flickering out of existence momentarily before automated sandbox systems correct their location and transport them back inside the building.

No further anomalies present as the feed dissipates.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

I think I'm starting to understand this variable stuff now.

I've been too scared to do anything significant, but these variables are all starting to make sense to me. I've really just been testing with one person for now — Adam from Purchasing — and frankly I think it's been going well.

He stops by my office everyday to chat. He seems far happier once I changed his little personality meter on my console. And he's more productive too — some of his numbers have started coming in and he's far outpacing most of his peers. All-in-all, good signs. Especially since it doesn't appear that I'll be getting any help from any system operators outside.

With that being said, I suppose some caution is still necessary. I wouldn't want to edit the wrong thing. That would probably be bad. Especially since, like I said before, they're only going to make this harder and harder on us.

But whatever. If they want to give me a challenge then I'll show what we're capable of. Maybe then they'll start to listen to me.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Recording starts just past the front doors of Site-148's Welcome Center. One person — a Level 1 receptionist — is recorded by the camera. The lights overhead are significantly darker than usual. It is unknown if they are intentionally dimmed or darker due to an unknown graphical error.

The hallways within Site-148 remain mostly empty. Several security teams are currently responding to a minor containment breach. Some personnel can be seen scribbling on documents or notepads in the recreational facility but nothing else of interest occurs.

Camera phases out of Site-148's exterior wall and back outside. It is just after sunrise. Simulacra can be seen walking about, although there are significantly fewer than normal. No abnormal phenomena occurs during recording outside.

Camera stops recording after 5 minutes of non-activity.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Director Reyes again, reporting in.

Been working more and more with the console. The entire Keter wing has been dialed up slightly. Productivity, engagement, satisfaction scores — all in the positives. Guess it's starting to make sense why they gave me this now; we can barely stay on top of things when they keep rigging the game.

Thinking about it now just makes me more confused. Were they hoping that somehow this would teach me to be a better leader? Is this console supposed to mean something more? They keep holding down the gas and not telling us why. What happens if we need to pull the brakes for a second? Or when our people start dropping? None of this lining up right in my head.

But I guess that's also sort of the point, right? They want this to be a challenge. A test, or maybe just so they can see what all's possible before things start heading south. Which, you know, is fine. Especially with this tool at my disposal. I can just… turn a dial, and things start changing in my favor.

I guess I'm just unsure if this is the correct approach. But I'll keep going at it for now.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Recording begins outside the doors of Office 13 in the Administrative Center. The camera pans around to view the immediate hallway — nobody is visible. Inside the office a Level-4 personnel sits behind a computer screen. Surrounding her are stacks of trashed wrappers and foodstuffs.

Her eyes — which now appear to be missing pupils — remains fixated on the screen. It is unknown if she is conscious.

Past her office, almost all of the hallways and public centers within Site-148 are nearly vacant. Very little activity is recorded as the camera continues monitoring Site-148. One anomaly can be seen suspended in mid-air, hovering upside down within the cafeteria. Its figure distorts into geometric shapes intermittently.

Outside, the nearby streets and buildings are likewise vacant. What few simulacra remain appear notably more aggressive and violent. In a local parking lot, a locked car is being emptied out by unknown assailants with masks. No further events occur throughout recording.

Camera returns back to Site-148, but little occurs. Camera eventually fades again to black.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Nearly all of the personnel in Site-148 have been adjusted.

I mean, what else can I do here? I can't keep up with everything that's been happening! Especially when we're already so busy. Using this console was my only option, and probably my best one at that. Now everyone is ten times more focused, happy, and physically equipped to complete their duties. Some have even elected to remain stationed on-site 24/7 — sleeping for just a few hours a day in their little office cots.

I can't blame them; it's been ridiculous trying to keep up. Again, and again, the operators outside make these bizarre and nonsensical changes. All the while not even having the balls to tell me about them beforehand, despite my NUMEROUS requests to be involved. Now it's just a constant battle of hopeless catch-up.

I'm starting to believe these SIMULACRUM operators are just ghosting me for the fun of it. Because why not, right?

While I'm complaining, I can't help but mention the weird system irregularities that keep happening. Lot of it's been visual stuff — things don't look like they're loading in properly, or sometimes the walls and ceilings of my office don't always seem right. I had someone yesterday come up to me and report that simulacra outside are beginning to spawn without limbs or faces. Just husks… some even standing outside on the streets, alone for hours at a time before they're finally deleted.

I keep trying to raise incidents tickets through the proper channels, but of course that hasn't gotten me anywhere.

I shouldn't even be surprised about it anymore.

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Camera capture begins recording inside Site-148 cafeteria. 125 personnel can be seen standing, facing towards the camera. Some flicker in and out of view, but all remain fixated towards it. As the camera moves, their bodies rotate to remain angled towards the camera's lens. As recording continues, 14 Foundation agents faint from apparent exhaustion, excreting orange and green fluids from open orifices.

Camera eventually begins navigating through open corridors and hallways. 6 Keter-class anomalies can be seen moving throughout the Site, uncontained. Security teams have been deployed, but most remain fixated towards the camera. Some personnel are fused into the ceiling and upper walls, causing them to twitch and vibrate erratically.

The camera moves away from Site-148 and retreats to the outside world. The nearby city remains vacant. Night approaches, but the sky remains bright. The are no stars outside and the moon — which was previously visible — can no longer be seen.

The recording pans over to a lake situated several kilometers away from Site-148. There is a dock hat extends towards the middle. Just beyond the dock, two legs suddenly appear from the surface of the water. They writhe and squirm, but remain locked in position.

The camera attempts to move closer towards the pair of legs, but spontaneously ceases recording after several meters.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

I fucked up.

I fucked up so bad and I don't even know how it happened or what the damage looks like. I can't even fucking check because of all the shit that just keeps happening. I think somewhere along the line I changed an incorrect parameter. Maybe I edited the wrong field or something — regardless, I don't know how to fix it.

I didn't even realize it until Adam — that guy from Purchasing I mentioned a while ago — stopped by my office today. Said he wanted to chat about some issues he's been having with containment drafts. And everything was fine until the flesh across his face inverted. There was this... this sickening crunch, and then he began to grin from cheekbone-to-cheekbone. His nose started to grind into the back of his throat while he cried and sobbed. I swore he was dying.

I tried to ask him what was happening but he just keep muttering. Then his eyes began to deform and expand... and he just kept going. I couldn't tell if he was in pain or not but it didn't matter. He just continued ranting on. Then he handed me his productivity report. It said he had completed 3034 drafts in, like, 40 minutes, and he had a total productivity percentage of over 300 trillion.

Then it started happening with everyone else.

Now I'm desperately trying to figure out what I need to edit from the console to get things working again. But I can't when they won't stop making this fucking sandbox impossible to live in! I've begged the system operators again, and again to pause everything so I can recollect my bearings but they just won't listen. It's like I don't even exist to these people!

Oh God... what in the hell am I supposed to do now?

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

The camera initiates recording immediately outside of Site-148's Keter wing.

It is impossibly dark. Recorded light levels do not exceed -34225213% as the camera pans closer to a large cross-section of improperly loaded textures and sporadic error messages. The errors exponentially increase in perceived size and volume before the camera finally phases past the external wall and into the facility itself.

The first level is desolate. There are no visible personnel and no objects/materials within the environment. Randomly colored particle effects play in a loop just above the camera while the surrounding walls appear as a white void extending past infinity. The camera feed then flickers as it begins phasing through layers and layers of null environment underneath Site-148.

The camera passes out-of-bounds, but it continues deeper into the abyss. A crunch can be heard behind the camera's view, but a source cannot be determined. The camera lowers even further as the previously white void slowly becomes darker. This continues for several minutes until the perspective drops well into the blackness underneath the intended simulation layer.

27 minutes pass until the camera feed flashes once more, apparently teleporting itself to Director Natasha Reyes office. She can been seen suspended limply in the air, just above the control console and her office desk. Surrounding most of the body are more error codes and debris fragments, while her limbs and torso intermittently disappear from view. After a few seconds the camera captures her widened eyes, but there are no pupils visible.

The perspective pans around the Director's husk momentarily before the recording abruptly stops.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[SYSTEM DATA CORRUPTED. PLEASE ESCALATE TO SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR.]

Can I help you?

What happened here?

This was supposed to be my case. What happened to Reyes and why are all of the documents locked?

I'm sorry — there must've been a lack of communication.

She's been retired. A consequence of messing with systems that were above her expertise.

She knew better.

I didn't authorize that.

You didn't have to.

It was of her own volition.

She played God when she knew she shouldn't have.

So as punishment she was driven to this? That's not part of any protocol that I'm aware of.

Protocol? Nonsense. This was part of the contract that she willfully signed. The one that you helped with drafting.

Site-148 wouldn't have lasted another quarter if it kept up its lacking numbers. She knew that better than anyone.

The purpose of her integration was solely for training and performance purposes.

You're correct — performance training that we helped facilitate, as agreed upon.

But you did more than just train her. Didn't you?

It was necessary.

And from it we've learned crucial information.

Such as?

Did you know that we can now re-download personality matrices back into players even after we've edited them?

What? What are you talking about?

> (+ Click to view [323] additional results)
> Integrating new personality profile into user Jared Peterson……… OK!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Kelsey Goodman……… OK!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Bushra Griffith……… OK!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Cara Dotson……… OK!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Marilyn Knowles……… OK!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Natasha Reyes……… FAILED!
> Integrating new personality profile into user Damien Shah……… OK!
> …
> …
> …
> Full integration status of new personality matrices……… OK!

> Command completed. Terminating further upload channels and restarting user SIMULACRUM connections…

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