WARNING: Sensitive Information Ahead
This document previously required both O5 and HMCL approval prior to the CODE: TRANSPARENT SILVER Announcement. You have been asked to wield the content of this document with discretion.
Site-III's entry point to the location of the ritual.
Item #: SCP-001
Object Class: Exodus
Special Containment Procedures: Due to the immobile nature and inaccessibility of SCP-001, containment attempts mostly focus on public information campaigns, talent acquisition, and a 25km perimeter around Site-III to prevent public access. Individuals possessing knowledge of SCP-001's existence or nature are to be retrieved, questioned, and offered employment in the Gaia Emergency Evacuation Program.1
SCP-001-A is contained on-location beneath Site-III. While the site's primary function is to restrict SCP-001-A from leaving its current location, Site-III is additionally tasked with providing food and accommodations for Members of Group of Interest 001-A "Jeff's Disciples". Interviews with each member of GoI-001-A are to be performed on a weekly basis, and all relevant data provided to Gaia Emergency Evacuation Program.
A containment cell has been constructed within the location beneath Site-III to house SCP-001-A. Personnel working with SCP-001-A are encouraged to communicate with it, specifically via the sharing of personal stories, artistic expression, and discussions of philosophy.
In the event that SCP-001-A expresses the desire to leave the cave, Site-III is to enter lockdown, and weaponry is to be dispensed to all on-site staff. SCP-001-A must be delayed from leaving the location beneath Site-III for as long as possible.
Close up view of Site-IIIs entry point.
Description: SCP-001 is an entity residing below the Earth's Asthenosphere at a depth of 70km. SCP-001 itself has been recorded throughout many religions near-ubiquitously through ancient cultures. References to the theft of fire, volcanic sacrifice, and the existence of an axis mundi are all thought to be references to SCP-001.
Based on the depth, mass, and location of SCP-001, it is suspected that it originally came into contact with earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago by way of impact with another celestial body, in the same event believed to be responsible for the creation of the moon.
Beginning with a series of earthquakes in Chile in 1960, increased activity of SCP-001 has been linked with increased seismic activity detected worldwide. The frequency and intensity of these seismic events have been increasing dramatically since 2014. In the event of a volcanic super explosion beneath SCP-001, projections indicate that the most likely trajectory for the anomaly, based on its current location, is through the Santorini volcano in Greece. Additionally, these calculations indicate that due to its size, should the mass of SCP-001 be forced through the Earth's crust, the resulting debris and volcanic ash would result in an opaque dust cloud, inevitably resulting in a GH-Class "Dead Greenhouse" Scenario as a result of trophic collapse.
SCP-001-A is a human male identified as French national Morgan Dubois, who claims to be an elective vessel for SCP-001. SCP-001-A has not moved farther than 24m from the point at which it was originally discovered. Despite occasionally requesting to sample foods described to it by personnel, SCP-001-A does not appear to require nourishment or hydration.
GoI-001-A is formed from agents of Neo-Sarkic and Serpent's Hand members who have come into extended contact with SCP-001-A during the attempted recovery of stolen materials. Members of GoI-001-A rarely leave the vicinity of SCP-001-A, and in absence of stimuli are observed to revert to a lowered metabolic state while adopting a still, seated position.
Addendum 001.A: Initial Contact Exploration Log by MTF Epsilon-6 "Village Idiots"
[Begin Log]
[Footage begins at the exterior of the cave entrance. A clear beam of bright light is cast into the cave mouth, illuminating dozens of roughly shaped stone steps. E6-1, E6-2, and E6-3 stand at the top of the stairs. The camera is attached to the helmet of E6-1.
E6-1: We're moving out. Weapons hot, people. Intel isn't clear on what's down here, but it's dealt with more than one Sarkic killsquad.
[The group begins descending into the cave, with darkness quickly broken only by the shafts of light projected from helmet-mounted flashlights. Despite the cave's remote location, footstep patterns in the dust indicate relatively recent use.]
[Descent continues for twenty-seven minutes before the narrow passage widens into a large space with decorative religious artefacts; many candlesticks are also present, but none are lit. Most of the cave remains in darkness, but several figures are revealed seated on the cave floor near the cave opening as the group emerges. The seated figures do not move, nor respond to the light.]
E6-2: [Whispering] Are they… dead?
[E6-1 motions for cover and moves forward to approach the nearest seated figure. Their legs are crossed and their head is bowed forward. They appear extremely malnourished, but after a few moments of observation, their chest can be seen to rise and fall with extremely slow breaths.]
[There is a brief sound of movement from a distant portion of the cave.]
E6-2: [Shouting] Hey, who's there? Don't come any closer!
[Camera feed quickly turns towards E6-2, then follows their line of sight to the edge of the portion of the cave illuminated by task force headlamps. An unidentified figure wearing robes embroidered with the sign of the Serpent's Hand is standing at the edge of the light.]
Unidentified: Don't shoot. They don't have whatever it is you're after. Please, leave them to their thoughts. The mind-world is vast. It can be difficult to find your way in and out.
E6-1: That doesn't answer the question. Identify yourself. [E6-1 rises and holds out his hand for weapons to be lowered.]
Unidentified: I am… hrm… I'm sorry, I can't quite recall… That is to say, it's been, well— It hasn't been relevant for a while, you know? I think… Matthias? That sounds right. I ate the last of my food. I'm going to find a spot to settle down like the rest. Conserve energy.
[Subject begins to wander along the cave wall, coming to sit near one of the unmoving figures.]
Matthias: Whatever you came here for, go see Jeff.
E6-1: [Gesturing towards nearby seated figures] Is that what they're doing? Conserving energy? I don't understand… how long have they been here?
Matthias: Most were here when I arrived. Probably much longer than that. I think… maybe if I find the fire of the mind-world… even an ember would sustain me enough…
[Subject lapses into silence, with breathing rate drastically slowing to match the other seated figures.]
E6-3: The briefing said the Black Lodge sent their first recovery group a little over a year ago, right? [E6-3 gestures towards a remote portion of the cave where a group of four withered and emaciated figures wearing dark robes commonly used by members of the Hunter's Black Lodge are seated.] So what are they doing here like this after all this time?
E6-1: E6-2 and I will head in deeper to see if we can find this "Jeff" and figure that out. You post up here and see how many of the recovery targets you can identify.
[Further access restricted to Addendum 001.D]
Addendum 001.B: Recovered Materials
Calcidius's translation of Plato's Timaeus.
Note: The following document was translated from the Original Greek to Latin by Calcidius. While no records of the original or Cicero's translation remain, a single copy of Calcidius's partial translation has been recovered. It should be noted that some of the meaning may have been lost in translation.
The manuscript was found in the possession of the GoI [Jeff from down the lane's followers] with the following addition which is not found in the original text:
Timaeus: And now it is as it ever has been, from fire to all things, and all things to fire.
Socrates: This has been discussed prior, Timaeus. And what of life, if it does not trouble you, nor our other partners? If Critias and Hermocrates approve, I wish to recount the union of the classical elements into man, sculpted by hand of God.
Critias: By the eagerness in the eyes of Herocrates, I see that we are all in agreement.
Timaeus: As you wish. Mere moments from the eternal fire of the cosmos to form the archai we enjoy today, there were fire and rock alone. The Earth was barren; not water nor air nor salt. As it follows, from chaos to order. From beyond the celestial spheres as we know them, a perfect mind with the form of titanic flesh fell into the primordial flames of Earth.
The flesh, ever starving, gorged hungrily on her primordial fire. Therefore we see flesh cleave to fire as a babe to its mother. Thus it becomes obvious there is no mystery to the rise of man upon the world. The living vessel — as all do — acquired a spirit and naturally, heart, life, and psyche followed.
Thus the flesh is the progenitor of man, and fire is the progenitor of that. The flesh shall feast on the primordial fire at the centre of our world until the day the Earth runs cold. Like discarded scraps, we shall be tossed aside as it maneuvers towards its true goal.
Socrates: And what of the flesh's true motivation? Shall it abandon us, despite giving us the flesh with which we enjoy our world? Shall it abandon us, despite giving us the lives we cherish? What purpose could be so great a father would destroy their own flesh and blood?
Timaeus: You misunderstand, Socrates. We are the illegitimate children of the flesh; can we assume even that it does love us? It desires only fire, and though the fires of the world are vast, the progenitor's hunger grows vaster. In starvation, will not even a loving mother abandon her child when there is food enough for neither?
There is a fire older and greater than this world's. For how long will the Earth's flames entice it before it abandons its progeny and seeks the fires of the sun?
Critias: And how is it you have come to know all of this?
Timaeus: In the contemplation of the sensible, I came into contact with this most perfect of minds. Though brief, the contact shocked me from my meditations, like lightning bringing a dark landscape into clear view. More than the ideal Form; I saw Truth.
Addendum 001.C: Psychological Assesment — E6-2 "Cassy Adams"
Cassy Adams of MTF Epsilon-6 "Village Idiots"
Foreword: C. Adams sought unplanned leave of absence following interaction with SCP-001-A.
[BEGIN LOG]
Ferrell: Hi, Cassy.
[Silence]
Ferrell: Look, Cassy, you need to talk to me. You asked me to take this interview. You know the rules— you can't take any leave until I'm certain there's something wrong.
Adams: I'm just… I'm just confused.
Ferrell: And what's confused you?
Adams: That— That Morgan in the cave. It's just the way he said things. It just made sense, you know? Just when he talked, I just couldn't help but nod along. It wasn't memetic — you can check the video to be sure of that — but he just might as well have been.
Ferrell: What did he say that confused you?
Adams: He— Jeff said he was a tiny part of a whole. Nothing could compare to them all together. But because he was hundreds— thousands of people, almost nothing happened. Like a hundred-person tug of war: fifty to the left, fifty to the right. Nothing moved. Nothing changed, and madness creeped in. The insanity of being one voice in a choir.
[Brief pause]
Adams: Do you think a person exists on their own?
Ferell: I—
Adams: [Interrupting] I used to. But now I'm not so sure. If I were Jeff, and there was no distinction— no difference — between where my mind began and someone else's ended… would I still exist?
Ferell: That's an interesting thought experiment, Cassy. But you're not "Jeff". You're Cassy Adams, sat in that chair.
Adams: You aren't getting it, Jodie. It's hard not to see some part of myself in him.
Ferell: You relate to "Jeff". Of course you do. He's a charismatic guy, that's how he managed to get so many followers. But that's what makes him dangerous.
Adams: We're all chasing some goal, and no matter how hard we try to get anything significant accomplished, nothing's changing. And we're all chasing something different, unique to each of us. Every thought, every ideology, it all cancels out. No net movement. No net change. Right now, it's just us — everywhere you look, it's just us. Jeff only sees himself, and we only see ourselves.
Ferell: Well, the part of "Jeff" in Morgan survived. In fact, I would say he's happy. Shouldn't that prove something to you?
Adams: …that's why I'm confused, Jodie.
Ferell: And why's that?
Adams: Because— because Morgan looks outside of himself. He looks to things greater than himself and knows his place. He doesn't hide all the great and powerful things away because they make him feel small; he puts great and powerful things in front of him in order to feel small.
[Brief silence]
Adams: It just seems like… like the whole world should be like that, you know?
[END LOG]
Addendum 001.D: SCP-001-A Initial Interview
[Begin Log]
[E6-1 and E6-2 continue deeper into the cavern beyond additional seated figures. Five further minutes of video feed are spent walking before a standing figure becomes visible around a corner of the cave. The figure overlooks a deep crevasse, and does not turn around as the team enters.]
E6-1: Are you Jeff?
Unidentified2: As much as you are animal.
E6-1: Jeff it is, then. What are you doing in this cave, Jeff?
SCP-001-A: Just trying to nudge things along in the right direction. Odd term you use there, though. 'In this cave'. [SCP-001-A taps its forehead.] I suppose I could ask you the same.
E6-1: I see. [E6-1 signals for E6-2 to hold position and walks forward to stand next to SCP-001-A. A single withered figure is seated nearby, wearing tattered robes, and a silver ring with a large jewel of unknown composition encrusted upon it. Looking down into the chasm, no bottom can be seen.] What's in the chasm?
SCP-001-A: The multitude that I am, in a way. It's really just a metaphor, I suppose. No matter how much I try to open up, to bridge the gulf, there's still so much distance between my children and I. Still, it seems enough for them to find something worth sticking around for. [SCP-001-A gently waves towards the nearby seated figure.]
[E6-1 pulls away from the chasm, focusing on SCP-001-A. Subject appears perfectly healthy, with clothing bearing snakelike emblems common in Serpent's Hand iconography.]
SCP-001-A: Why do you retreat? Are you scared of the chasm, my child?
E6-1: It's a hazard.
SCP-001-A: But it poses you no threat. Yet you still fear it. You fear it because it holds unfathomable power that you resent. You're alike my Karsict allies before they looked outward; you would sooner see the chasm filled with cement than come to terms with it. You wish to quell the storms, tame the seas, conquer death, don't you?
[E6-1 repositions the camera frame to be adjacent SCP-001-A. It is staring deep into the chasm and gently smiling.]
SCP-001-A: But when I look into the chasm… I feel at peace. Against the black abyss, what are my woes? What are my troubles in comparison to something so vast, dark, and unfeeling? What will happen to your kind when there are no more dark and brooding storms, no more violent waves on the sea, and no more death? There will be only woes; there will be only suffering. With nothing outward left, you inevitably turn inward. As my people did.
E6-1: Is this what you said to the rest of them? Your followers?
SCP-001-A: They projected their self-worth onto the tangible; money, flesh, nationality, sex. They too saw this chasm and, when confronted with the idea that the tangible was meaningless, and thus their self-worth, they resented the abyss. With a little persuasion, I believe anyone can overcome this infatuation with the tangible. They simply need to choose to look outward.
E6-1: While we're on the subject, what exactly is happening with them? Your followers. One of them mentioned something about a 'mind-world'. Can you tell me about that?
SCP-001-A: Hah. Mind-world. Is that what they call it? I can see why. It makes sense, in a clumsy way. I suppose they're only seeing it in the crudest terms, with little control.
E6-1: I'm afraid I still don't understand what you're talking about.
SCP-001-A: Hmm… It's difficult to describe in terms you might be familiar with. I only understand the technology so far myself. It's all to do with light and reflection. You know, essentia and such. They're seeing echoes of the world the rest of my kind have made for themselves. My people, in their heyday, understood the mind in a way I can't do justice. They've fashioned for themselves a shared space, where they can control all that they experience. Never sat right with me, so I stay out here and see what's really happening in the universe.
E6-1: Your people? I'm not sure I understand. There's more of you?
SCP-001-A: We are all together, in the flesh. I joined into it, willingly, with the rest of them. In time, they took to reclusion in their shared space, leaving me alone in a body I don't fully control. It's been stirring more and more. Anxious to leave and find a fresh flame to feed upon. It is an inevitability.
E6-1: What inevitability?
SCP-001-A: Your world is your prison, but not mine. To me, the more apt comparison would be the egg. And I'm afraid I have very little say on when my body breaks free of the shell.
E6-1: And if you were to be prevented from leaving?
SCP-001-A: You may as well try to stop the sun from rising. It's as good a solution as any I can come up with.
[SCP-001-A shrugs, continuing to look out into the crevasse. E6-1, -2, and -3 subsequently withdrew and encamped to await the arrival of Site construction engineers.]
[End Log]
Addendum 001.E: Proposal: Transparent Silver
Proposal: TRANSPARENT SILVER
Gaia Emergency Evacuation Program Report
Budget allotment has been stripped from all non-essential programs and procedures. Funding allocation to research of extra-planetary travel accounts for 78% of total Foundation budget.
Current projections indicate transfer of 4.15% of Earth's population to Martian habitation to be feasible by 2022. Budget concerns and technological limitations remain as primary limitations.
Development of Artificially Intelligent constructs to maintain functions of colony ships remains ongoing. Current build of TSATPWTCOTTTADC.aic faces issues with reward functions leading to catastrophic depressurization incidents in 5% of test scenarios.
By unanimous vote of the Overseer Council, the following letter will be sent to every major Group of Interest in The Foundation's directory:
To Whom It May Concern,
If you have received this letter, the Foundation needs immediate support. Not just to help it survive, but to ensure the continued survival of the human race as a whole. We know we have had our differences in the past; now is not the time to dwell on those differences. We need more than armistice.
We need unity.
Too long have we looked too closely at one another, ready to strike. Too long have we waited to move forward as a species. Now is our last hope to escape before the ground collapses under our feet. Will you stand with us and survive, or will you stand against us in mutually assured death?
The Foundation has made plans to make mankind a new home, but we must first get there. With our current budget, we can only hope to save a fraction of the population. We hope you will contribute what you can.
As a token of good faith, the Foundation has attached a copy of its research to this letter. In addition, all Foundation documentation has been made publicly available, to be viewed freely.
We pray you respond promptly. You will not have time to reconsider.
Sincerely,
The Foundation
The response to the outgoing letter was overwhelmingly positive. The Foundation received massive support from multiple major Groups of Interest:
| GoI (Title) | Method of Support |
| GoI-001-A (Jeff's Disciples) |
Notebook containing twenty-three provable calculations indicating a method of travel bypassing the lightspeed limitation encountered in general relativity. |
| GoI-001-A (Jeff's Disciples) |
Notebook containing a seventeen-page-long description of the solid configurations of Carbon. Current generation solar panel output utilizing properties described in the document has resulted in a 133% increase in energy generation over previous models. |
| GoI-001-A (Jeff's Disciples) |
Page of loose leaf paper containing a thirteen-word phrase which, when spoken, induces a state of suspended animation in the speaker. Research into methods of reverting this mechanism are ongoing. |
| GoI-121 (Marshall, Carter, and Dark) |
A letter containing a credit card with a 42 trillion USD budget with which to fund the project. The letter described some initial hesitation towards working with the Foundation, but stated "You wouldn't have asked for our help if it wasn't necessary." |
| GoI-α-019 (The Serpent's Hand) |
An initiate of The Serpent's Hand materialized within Secure Facility III and spoke with Director Everwood. The initiate said, "Your stories ring true. When the time to leave is upon us, the Ways are yours." and left. |
| GoI-342 A-1 — K-6 (Neo-Sarkic Cults) |
Received a letter from GoI-342-B-36 containing a detailed ritual on how to spontaneously generate various meat-based food products endoentropically. |
| GoI-110 (Promethus Labs) |
133 expert scientists and engineers under Promethus Labs employment were sent to work on the Gaia Emergency Evacuation Program, stating that they will help complete the project. |
| GoI-1115 (Anderson Robotics) |
Received a 1TB hard drive containing an executable file which, when run on andOS operating systems, serves as a fully-functional general-purpose AI with a reward function closely related to the continued survival of the human race. |
Colleagues, allies, and friends,
With your support, we may yet live to see a brighter tomorrow.
We all fought in the dark. It is finally time to live in the light.
Together, we survive.
Ad Astra per Aspera.
— The Administrator