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Item #: SCP-5802

Clearance Level: 4 (Secret)

Containment Class: Uncontained Euclid

Disruption Class: Ekhi

Risk Class: Critical

Image of an SCP-5802-A instance. Note the artificial light from above, and the lack of visible pollution due to its depth below the surface.

Special Containment Procedures:

A 5-kilometre exclusion zone has been established around SCP-5802 and SCP-5802-1, ringed by a circular perimeter. Aside from PTF Rho-17 ("The Cleanup Crew"), no personnel are to enter this exclusion zone for any reason. Personnel found breaking this rule are subject to termination.

All approaching persons are to be detained and amnesticized with necessary force to prevent entry into SCP-5802’s exclusion zone. Approaching SCP-3396-01 instances are to be terminated with extreme prejudice by PTF Rho-18 ("Factory Patrol"). Should PTF Rho-18 be unsuccessful, a localised state of emergency is to be declared. This state of emergency dictates that any available Task Forces are to travel to SCP-5802’s exclusion zone to assist in the termination of the SCP-3396-01 instances. Arriving Task Forces are subject to the same quarantine protocols as PTF Rho-17 and -18.

The members of PTF Rho-17 ("The Cleanup Crew") are to patrol SCP-5802’s surrounds and neutralise any found SCP-5802-2 instances. Before and after entry into SCP-5802 exclusion zone, Rho-17 members are to undergo Class IX1 quarantine protocols and outfitted with Class-5802 Hazardous Material Suits. Contaminated members are to be terminated and the remains incinerated.

+ View Archived Containment Procedures - 19/7/17 +

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SCP-5802 is currently under investigation for its continued and consistent acquisition of large amounts of monetary assets in the form of stocks and physical stockpiles of various fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, natural gas, etc.), chemicals, both artificial and natural, used in the construction of man-made materials, radioactive and corrosive substances, and various toxic and/or otherwise pollutant anomalous items.

Investigations into SCP-5802-1 are currently ongoing.

+ View Archived Containment Procedures - 29/6/18 +

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SCP-5802 is to be shut down by any means necessary, as it is currently uncontained and poses a severe threat to the integrity of the Veil. Containment efforts should primarily focus on:

The suppression of information regarding SCP-5802 to the public

Attempts to prevent or otherwise inhibit the growth of SCP-5802's monetary assets

The capture and containment of SCP-5802-1A and -1B

The capture and interrogation of SCP-5802-2 instances for information regarding SCP-5802, -1A and -1B, and -3 instances

The minimisation of fallout from SCP-5802-3 instances

The movement of civilians out of areas that could potentially be affected by SCP-5802-3 instances presently or in the near future (based on analysis of movement)

SCP-5802 can be considered Neutralised if one of the three following conditions are met: complete liquidation or otherwise destruction of SCP-5802 assets, the complete destruction of all SCP-5802-2 and 3 instances and the prevention of further instances from manifesting, or the successful assassination of SCP-5802-1A and -1B.

Currently, efforts are underway to neutralise SCP-5802 in collaboration with Skitter Marshall and his subordinates, defectors from Marshall, Carter, and Dark, and various other GoIs (including, but not limited to, The Serpent's Hand, Global Occult Coalition (GOC), and Manna Charitable Foundation).

The use of MTF Omega 8 ("Empyrean Warriors"), as well as other anomalous personnel and weaponry, has been authorised in containment/neutralisation efforts of SCP-5802.

+ View Archived Containment Procedures - 15/10/18 +

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Containment or neutralisation of SCP-5802 is currently of highest Foundation priority. If left unchecked, SCP-5802 will inevitably result in an IK-Class "Collapse of Global Civilisation Scenario", followed by an XK-Class "End-of-the-World" Scenario.

SCP-5802-1A and 1B are to be terminated by any means necessary, and consequences up to and including a Lifted Veil Scenario are acceptable.

SCP-5802-2 instances are to be captured and interrogated for information regarding SCP-5802, -1A and -1B, and -3 instances. Upon conclusion of interrogation, they are to be terminated and their bodies incinerated.

SCP-5802-3 instances are to be destroyed if possible. If not, civilians are to be moved out of the potential fallout zones.

Methods of safely penetrating or neutralising SCP-5802-4, minimising its effects on the surrounding environment, luring SCP-5802-1A and -1B out of its area, or otherwise circumventing its anomalous effects for the purposes of -1A and -1B's termination are currently of highest priority.

Description:

Lake Winnipeg, before conversion into SCP-5802-1.

SCP-5802 refers to a circular area with a diameter of 4km containing a collection of inactive factories2 (collectively referred to as SCP-5802-A) in a state of disrepair, once owned by Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd. They are scattered throughout SCP-5802, centred around SCP-5802-1, and increase in numerical density as they approach SCP-5802-1's surrounds. SCP-5802 displays higher than usual readings of Akiva radiation that, like the density of SCP-5802-A instances, increases the closer to SCP-5802-1 it is.

SCP-5802 is heavily polluted by various substances, ranging from non-anomalous smog, oil, and toxic waste, to extremely volatile thaumaturgical substances that significantly affect the local area. Notably, this waste does not spread past the bounds of SCP-5802, but is instead prevented from passing by an intangible barrier surrounding the exact circumference. This barrier only affects the aforementioned waste; all other organisms (including SCP-5802-2 instances) and items simply pass through it.

Organisms that come into direct contact with any of the pollutant substances of SCP-5802 will inevitably die of overexposure to the contacted toxic element, even if the quantity and form of exposure is insufficient to cause death. Upon the cessation of life functions, organisms will undergo a series of anomalous changes to physiological structure, biochemistry, and thought processes, becoming an SCP-5802-2 instance.

SCP-5802-A instances vary in structure, appearance, size, and composition. Several are little more than small concrete warehouses, whilst others are enormous mining complexes with several floors extending hundreds of metres underground. Although instances of SCP-5802-A are functionally inactive, most artificial lighting and other superficial operations are still running.

Within individual instances of SCP-5802-A, large amounts of inert anomalous machinery and piles of various pollutants can found. This machinery appears to have been used for purposes that vary within each instance, but can be split into four categories:

The processing, refining, and packaging of fossil fuels

The processing, refining, and packaging of various chemicals

The processing, refining, and packaging of nuclear materials and other substances with adverse side effects on human health

The processing, refining, and packaging of thaumaturgical materials and other anomalous substances

Anomalous additions to the machinery within SCP-5802-A instances vary wildly, but will consistently increase the machinery's efficiency (lowered power and resource consumption, etc.), increase the quality of produced products, increase the structural integrity of both the machinery and the factory it is housed in, add various extradimensional gateways for faster transportation through the factory or even as connections to other SCP-5802-A instances, and produce the highest possible quantity of waste products (even if this means extracting the necessary components from the type of product being processed) with the most damaging effects on the surrounding environment.

Numerous SCP-5802-A instances have entire sections devoted to the synthesis of waste products, or, in the case of Factories 19B, 120C, and 342F, are entirely devoted to the creation of waste products, using the previously mentioned extradimensional gateways to transport the required materials.

SCP-5802-1 is a circular area with a diameter of 200m, set at the centre of the collection of SCP-5802-A instances. At SCP-5802-1's centre is a single 5802-A instance, referred to as SCP-5802-A1. SCP-5802-1 is extremely densely polluted, even when compared to the rest of SCP-58023, and otherwise differs significantly from SCP-5802 due to a high amount of anomalous waste.

SCP-5802-1 has an inconsistent topography, and appears to be partially intersected with higher spatial dimensions. It is subject to variable anomalous phenomena associated with an unstable reality, such as spatial 'bleeding' and fracturing, extreme unnatural weather (such as rains of ignited oil, tornadoes of various natural gases and nuclear elements, areas of spontaneous total darkness that cause reality within to temporarily cease existing, etc.), and temporal fluctuation.

SCP-5802-A1 is, unlike other 5802-A instances, empty, save for several corpses belonging to various GoIs, members of MTF Omega-8, and Iris Dark and Robert Carter. Due to the poorly understood efforts of Omega-8 member Kieran Trelock, the corpses of these GoIs and the rest of his MTF have not transformed into instances of SCP-5802-2.

The corpse of Iris Dark is a large, fossilised skeleton that is encased in a translucent combination of oils, toxic waste, and anomalous thaumaturgical waste products. Their skeleton differs from baseline humans through the addition of four heads extending from the Axis (C2) Cervical vertebrae that resemble those of a non-anomalous Tyrannosaurus Rex (large teeth, ellipsoid shape, etc.), a long, piked tail, and an unfolded ribcage.

The corpse of Robert Carter is a large pit of rusted machinery over 20m deep, with their enormous, mechanized face (resembling that of someone in the last stages of SCP-217 infection) at the bottom. Attached to this machinery is a diverse, inactive assortment of tools found in SCP-5802-A instances (such as vacuum tubes, buzzsaws, hammers, laser splitters, and tranaculars4), weaponry (guns, rocket launchers, particle cannons, and plasma accelerators), and tubes connected to various SCP-5802-A instances for the discharge of harmful materials and waste products.

SCP-5802-2 instances are the highly mutated, reanimated corpses of organisms directly exposed to SCP-5802 pollutants. Mutations are disparate between instances with no discernible pattern, except for predacious qualities, an increase in intelligence, and a desire to expose as many organisms as possible to the interior of SCP-5802 for the creation of more 5802-2 instances.

+ View Archived Description - 19/7/17 +

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SCP-5802 is C&D Holdings Ltd, a splinter company of Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd. C&D Holdings is a company which processes and sells various fossil fuels, chemicals, nuclear material, and anomalous substances.

Their legal business is currently under investigation for a presumed predictive anomaly (SCP-5802-1), which has so far allowed the enormous and continuous acquisition of high-value stocks in several (previously) relatively obscure oil and chemical companies, which have since merged with SCP-5802. In 100% of cases as of yet, companies that SCP-5802 invests in will find a considerable amount of their respective material (oil, gas, nuclear elements, etc.) within 15 days of being invested in.

Despite being a relatively new company, SCP-5802 is already twentieth-highest valued out of all companies in their field. If allowed to grow further, SCP-5802 could gain a total monopoly over all companies of their branch, giving Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd extreme financial power.

SCP-5802-1 is the presumed predictive anomaly that SCP-5802 is using for stock purposes. Its appearance, method of function, and origin are unknown, yet it has already displayed the strength of its abilities through SCP-5802. Containment of SCP-5802-1 is currently of moderate-to-high priority.

+ View Archived Description - 29/6/18 +

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SCP-5802 is C&D Holdings Ltd. Previously a splinter of Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd, SCP-5802 has since replaced the company entirely while keeping remaining operations intact, though with a greater focus on the SCP-5802 industry branch. SCP-5802 is currently the fifth-highest valued company of its field, and is set to overtake the highest-valued company, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, in the coming weeks.

SCP-5802-1A and -1B are Robert Carter and Iris Dark, respectively. Based on the testimony of PoI-5802-1 (Skitter Marshall) during his distress call, it was ascertained that SCP-5802-1A and -1B were exposed to solution from SCP-3396, becoming 3396-01 instances. The strength of their abilities seems to be directly affected by the value of SCP-5802 stocks, as well as its position in the global market. The higher the value and position of SCP-5802, the stronger SCP-5802-1A and -1B's abilities become.

SCP-5802-1A has the ability to manifest complex machinery for various purposes at will. This machinery has several anomalous properties, such as increased efficiency, increased quality of products, and greatly increased structural integrity. Although the strength of his abilities was previously ~50-60 on the Empyrean Power Scale5 (50-60 denotes a moderately strong ability, and in this case 5802-1A was able to manifest up to 5 tonnes of machinery at a time before losing consciousness), it has since steadily increased to ~150-170 EPS, allowing the manifestation of up to 100 tonnes of machinery before losing consciousness, along with stronger anomalous modifications and more complex designs. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

SCP-5802-1B has the ability to manifest various substances associated with environmental damage, such as fossil fuels, chemicals both natural and artificial, nuclear materials, highly toxic/corrosive materials, and various anomalous materials. The strength of her abilities was previously ~70-80 EPS, allowing the manifestation of up to 10 tonnes of raw material before losing consciousness. Currently, her abilities rank ~200 EPS, allowing the manifestation of up to 400 tonnes of material before losing consciousness, additionally granting her moderate pollutiokinesis. Her appearance and bodily composition have undergone numerous unspecified changes, but have allowed her to survive all assassination attempts and kill her assailants. Her location is currently within the metropolitan area of Toronto.

SCP-5802-2 collectively refers to the employees of SCP-5802, who have undergone numerous changes to their physiology and mental state. Changes include increased endurance and energy, the addition of various extendable mechanical tools from their spines, and a near-fanatical devotion to SCP-5802 success. The method of adding these changes on such a wide scale (as 5802-2 instances currently number approximately 20000) is unknown.

SCP-5802-3 refers to numerous factories under SCP-5802 which have began to manifest in various areas. These factories are responsible for the processing, refining, and packaging of the various materials that SCP-5802-1B produces, and are staffed by SCP-5802-2 instances. They produce large amounts of pollution and waste products, which have detrimental effects on the surrounding area, civilian health, and the environment at large, and resist all civilian assaults.

SCP-5802-3 instances are currently manifesting in the countryside of Ontario, CA. Predictive pattern analysis suggests that they are travelling directly towards Manitoba, but will detour to within all major cities within 5 square kilometres of this path. Civilian evacuation efforts are underway.

+ View Archived Description - 15/10/18 +

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SCP-5802 is C&D Holdings Ltd, a splinter company of Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd which has since overtaken its parent company. Currently, C&D Holdings operates in the fields of production and processing of fossil fuels, various chemicals, nuclear materials, highly toxic/corrosive substances, and anomalous/thaumaturgical substances. It is the highest-valued company in all of these fields, and has since assimilated most lower-valued companies in these fields into itself.

SCP-5802-1A and -1B (Robert Carter and Iris Dark, respectively) are SCP-3396-01 instances that have gained the anomalous abilities to manifest large amounts of anomalous machinery (-1A) and the materials of SCP-5802's fields (-1B). Their abilities, as of writing this document, both rank at ~300 EPS, tying them as the fourth most-powerful 3396-01 instances ever recorded.

SCP-5802-1A can generate up to 1000 tonnes of machinery with extremely strong anomalous properties before fatiguing, while -1B can generate up to 2000 tonnes of raw material before fatiguing. Additionally, both SCP-5802-1A and -1B have undergone significant changes to their physiology.

SCP-5802-1A resembles a large, 20m deep pit of complex machinery, tools, weaponry, and tubes for the discharge of waste products from SCP-5802-3 instances. A gargantuan form of his face (approximating someone in the last stages of SCP-217 infection) lies at the bottom of the pit.

SCP-5802-1B resembles an animate fossilised skeleton with splayed ribs and several reptilian skulls emerging from her spine. Her muscles and skin have been replaced by large quantities of the materials she produces (oils, nuclear material, etc.) which form into simulacrums of her previous appearance.

SCP-5802-2 collectively refers to the employees of SCP-5802; as of time of writing, they number over 100 000. Along with increased durability, energy, and strength, they possess a near-fanatical devotion to SCP-5802. Additionally, their physiology has been changed into various barely humanoid forms, incorporating seemingly random physical elements from both SCP-5802-1A and -1B.

SCP-5802-3 instances are large factories, currently concentrated around SCP-5802-4. They possess anomalously high structural integrity, and are devoted to the processing, refining, and packaging of the materials SCP-5802-1B produces. Significant portions of SCP-5802-3 instances are devoted to the synthesis of harmful waste products, which are subsequently released into the surrounding environment.

SCP-5802-4 was formerly Lake Winnipeg. Due to the use of much of its water in SCP-5802-3 instances as a manufacturing resource, and the addition of massive amounts of anomalous pollution, it has shrunk to a circular area with a diameter of 200m. A single SCP-5802-3 instance has manifested in the exact centre. It is immeasurably highly polluted with various materials, and the addition of anomalous refuse has cause the area to gain non-Euclidean properties and convert exposed organisms to SCP-5802-2 instances. SCP-5802-1A and -1B currently reside within the lone SCP-5802-3 instance.

Associated Documents:

The following documents form a timeline of the events from SCP-5802-1A and -1B's conversion to SCP-3396-01 instances to their deaths. Most of these were recovered after the deaths of SCP-5802-1A and -1B. Analysis is underway in order to prevent future similar events from occurring.

+ Transcript of Internal MC&D Communications - 15/4/17 +

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Incident Report 01

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

We're alive.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 02

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

Dark, where the fuck have you and Carter been? That was an extremely valuable shipment you were handling, worth at very least US$79 million. I assume you've botched it, but that still doesn't explain why you've simply vanished for the past nine days.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 03

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

Thank you kindly for your concern for our wellbeing, Marshall. And yes, the transaction was botched, but through no fault of our own. That organiser you vetted? Maxwell? He was a traitor, that son of a bitch. Our clients tried to assassinate us and take the cargo for themselves. If it weren't for Jacobi, we'd both be dead. As it is, Carter's still unconscious, and I've got eighteen broken bones.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 04

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

I see. Well, at very least, the two of you are still alive, barely. Did the product survive? We might still be able to salvage this.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 05

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

In a way.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 06

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

'In a way'?

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 07

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

The samples were destroyed in the assassination attempt, just shot to pieces in the gunfight. Carter and I simply happened to be in close proximity while the aforementioned shooting to pieces occurred. Both of us were contaminated.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 08

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

[EXPLETIVES REDACTED]

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 09

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

What an eloquent summation of our situation.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 10

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

Just send me your coordinates, I'm coming over. Clearly, neither of you are competent enough to handle this on your own. This may be to our advantage.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 11

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

Coordinates sent. And please. I'd like to see you handle yourself in a shootout.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 12

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

Those coordinates you sent. Why are you in Delaware? The delivery was scheduled in Santiago.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 13

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

It's… a long story.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 14

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

Long story, huh? I look forward to hearing it, which should be in roughly… 15 hours. I can't believe I'm being dragged out of Tokyo because you both almost got yourselves killed.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 15

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

Well, technically, it was you who ordered us to be present at the transaction…

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Incident Report 16

Re: Transportation of 'Thaumaturgic Organs'

Sender
Skitter Marshall
Recipient
Iris Dark

Touchè.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

+ Security Transcript from the Delaware Peculiar Hospital - 16/4/17 +

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VIDEO LOG - DELAWARE PECULIAR HOSPITAL, FLOOR 7, WARD 18-B

DATE: 16/4/17

NOTE: Delaware Peculiar Hospital is a front organisation constructed of various members of the anomalous community for treating those involved in accidents of an anomalous nature. It has an antimemetic effect on civilians who are unaware of the anomalous.

[BEGIN LOG]

(Skitter Marshall enters the ward, briefly turning to communicate with two barely discernible figures just outside the door. As he shuts the door quietly, Iris Dark turns to face him. In the next bed over, Robert Carter lies unconscious.)

Dark: Look at who's arrived…. (she pauses for several seconds to examine her digital watch) 2 minutes and 27 seconds late. So much for being punctual.

Marshall: Do you have any idea how much precaution I had to take to avoid being followed? How much those bodyguards outside charge? Which begs the question, how the hell did you get here without being noticed, let alone killed? Half your body's covered in gauze and plaster. You can't even walk.

Dark: As I said, it's a long story. And again, this is still technically your fault.

Marshall: Are you seriousl-

(Marshall is interrupted by Dark's snickering.)

Dark: Goodness, I almost forgot how fun it is to rile you up. (There is a slight pause.) You didn't honestly think that I was that petty, did you?

(Marshall simply sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, angling his head downwards slightly while squeezing his eyes shut.)

Dark: Really? Wow. I'm almost insulted.

Marshall: Can you just explain how you got here?

Dark: But of course. Starting from just after the assassination attempt in Santiago, our outlook was rather bleak. All of our agents had been killed, barring Jacobi, Carter was seriously wounded, I could barely move, our transport was destroyed, an EMP had disabled our technology, and our money was gone. To make things worse, our would-be assassins were still in hot pursuit; we were, as you would put it, 'fucked'. We managed to evade capture temporarily by hiding in a wheat field, but we were still stranded god-knows-where with no way to contact outside help. We didn't really know what to do until Jacobi noticed that the wheat was watching us.

Marshall: The wheat was… watching you.

Dark: Not literally watching us, of course. There was a kid staring at us from just beyond some stalks. Damn near gave Jacobi a heart attack.

Marshell: Did you really have to phrase that in such a needlessly obscure way?

Dark: Hey. I'm telling the story here. I tell it how I want.

(Marshall seems like he is about to speak, but is silenced by a glare from Dark.)

Dark: Getting back to the topic at hand, Jacobi noticed the kid. He called out in Spanish, saying that we were injured and needed some help, and the kid hesitated, then beckoned us forward from his hiding place. We followed until the villagers just appeared all around us from the shadows of the wheat.

Marshall: I'm assuming that 'suddenly appearing from the shadows' is another figure of speech?

Dark: That? No, they literally appeared from the shadows, just… melting into existence. I was watching. Carter and I were then loaded onto primitive stretchers and Jacobi was led by hand by a gang of old women, heading into the wheat. I came close to panicking when everything went black, but just as suddenly it disappeared and we were emerging from the field into a village. We were certainly not near the village when we started-

Marshall: Are you saying you teleported? How?

Dark: Firstly, don't interrupt me. Secondly, yes, we did teleport. Thirdly, and I was just getting to this, remember the shipment we had that landed us into this whole mess? Remember how it was extremely rare?

Marshall: How is this relevant? (Iris narrows her eyes. Marshall sighs in exasperation.) Yes, I remember. Happy?

Dark: Very. Continuing on, there was a large tree growing in the centre of the village, and from that tree flowed a glowing liquid that was a very particular shade of blue. The same blue as the organs from the shipment. Hell, I think I saw some growing from the branches.

Marshall: A tree that just produces SCP-33966 excretions freely?

Dark: Exactly. And it seems everyone in the town had had contact with it at some point or another, which I realised after I looked around and saw an overwhelming majority of the townsfolk using… magic.

Marshall: Magic.

Dark: If I had a better term for it, I'd use it. But again getting back to the topic at hand, that kid is most likely how we teleported, using their ability. As it turns out, we'd arrived at a time when the 'Healer' was out travelling, and we'd have to wait until they got back before we could be treated properly. I thought we were safe until the man who was explaining the situation was shot.

(Dark sighs.) Better… better him than me. And he at least acted as a shield for a few more bullets before he died, and even more after that. As they died, I got a better view of the shooter, and lo and behold if it weren't one of our clients. Bastard had some kind of maniacal grin on his face. Now, I don't mind killing people for the sake of achieving goals, but shooting that man? Totally unnecessary. If he'd just waited, he would have got a clear shot, but as it was, he not only failed to kill me but gave me a shield as well.

I was, admittedly, pissed at him for needlessly killing someone out of incompetence, but when the rocket from the field obliterated the tree? That did it. I… I believe 'Snapped' is the proper term for it nowadays.

Marshall: 'An awakening or the first proper utilisation of a magical ability, often brought on by extreme emotion or traumatic events.'

Dark: There we go. Seeing all that profit, that power, go down the drain because some grunt couldn't keep from itching his trigger finger? I couldn't take that. So I Snapped. Suddenly, the man shooting at me brought his hands up to his throat and started choking, and last I saw before I passed out was black liquid trickling out of his mouth.

When I came to, Carter and I were in a horse-driven carriage, a villager on the reigns. Jacobi wasn't with us. We made our way up to Delaware from there to get treated, seeing as how the 'Healer' was dead, along with everyone else in the village. I don't know exactly what happened or how we escaped, but from what the driver told us, Jacobi gave those fuckers hell.

(Dark pauses for several seconds.)

Dark: They were an astonishingly useful group, especially the driver. If they'd stayed with us until you'd arrived, I'd probably reimburse them for their efforts. As it is, however, they drove off after we made it to the hospital and before I could get their name. A pity.

(Dark pauses briefly.)

Dark: And that's our story. It's very sad and tragic, what with all the innocent people dying, but at least we're alive. The loss of the tree was… regrettable, however.

Marshall: Much as I'm disappointed at losing that, you're both alive, at least.

Dark: Not only that. We've got (Iris wiggles her eyebrows.) magic.

(Marshall mutters something indistinct about immaturity.)

Dark: What was that?

Marshall: Nothing. So, is your… 'magic' the ability to choke people to death.

Dark: Choking people? Useful as that would be, it's so nauseatingly pedestrian that I don't think I could bear it if that actually was my magic. No, I have a much better ability.

Marshall: And that would be?

(Dark faces her palm towards the ceiling and squints. A large globule of oil forms, falling and splattering on the ground.)

Marshall: You can make… tar.

Dark: Not tar. Oil. High-quality oil. Not only that, but any kind of fossil fuel, several kinds of chemical, nuclear material, and even thaumaturgical products. I can create up to a tonne of any combination of these until I'm rendered unconscious for eight hours. (She taps her temple.) How I know this is beyond me. It just appeared in my head.

Marshall: Interesting.

Dark: And I've already thought of how we could use it. The fossil fuels industry is one of the largest in the world, and new companies are spawned every day, each one hunting for oil reserves. If we buy up the stock of some small company and nudge them towards a deposit of oil I've created…

(Marshall laughs.)

Marshall: Manipulating the stock market? How devious. Why, I-

Marshall is interrupted by Carter's stirring.

Dark: Well, would you look at that. Sleeping Beauty's finally woken up.

Marshall: About damn time.

(Carter slowly regains consciousness, bewildered, before the situation is explained to him regarding how he and Dark escaped from the assassination attempt.)

Dark: You were unconscious for nine days, which I suppose is relatively justified, given how severe your injuries were. (She pauses briefly.) Oh, and your leg had to be amputated as well.

(A look of panic passes across Carter's face briefly before he discovers that he still has both legs. Dark laughs while Marshall raises an eyebrow.)

Carter: Bastard.

Dark: You never learn, do you?

Carter: Oh, just because you're a-

Marshall: Stop your bickering. Carter. You were contaminated by the shipment. What the hell can you do?

Carter: Me? I've been unconscious for nine days straight, in case you haven't noticed. How am I supposed to…

(Carter trails off.)

Dark: It's there, isn't it? Knowledge that isn't yours, but is there nonetheless.

Carter: That's one way of putting it.

(There is a pause.

Marshall: Are you going to elaborate?

Carter: Hey. This feels weird, alright? It's like having a tumour in your memory. Poking it feels… wrong.

Marshall: All it is is what your ability is and how it works. Stop being dramatic.

Carter: Fine, goddammit. It's… (Carter visibly winces.) I can create machinery for any purpose that I want, even if I have no knowledge on how said machinery works. A maximum weight of, let me see, 500 kilograms before I pass out.

(Marshall and Dark look at each other.)

Carter: Why- why are you looking at each other like that? Stop it. You're scheming something, I can tell.

Dark: Oh, we're scheming something all right.

(Marshall claps his hands and rubs them together.)

Marshall: This seems to be a perfect combination.

Dark: Exactly what I was thinking.

Carter: 'Perfect combination?' What the fuck are you talking about?

Marshall: We're taking over the entire fossil fuels industry and everything associated with it. Care to join us?

[END LOG]

+ Proposal for Operation 'Black Gold' +

- Close -

Operation "Black Gold" Proposal

Author
Skitter Marshall
Date
May 10, 2017

To
Robert Carter, Iris Dark
Identifier
N/A

With your newfound abilities, there is ample opportunity for some rather clever manipulation of the stock market (if I do say so myself), spearheaded by a splinter organisation I'll call Carter and Dark Holdings. Even if this somehow fucks up, it won't affect us in the slightest.

The plan is as follows: Dark, you're to manifest all the relevant resources you can into one area. After this process is finished, as many stocks as possible of any small nearby company which works with the gathered resource is to be bought by C&D Holdings. Other companies are to be prevented access to this area, while the company we have stocks in is to be manoeuvred to the appropriate location. They find their resource in massive amounts, their stocks shoot up, C&D sells these and makes absurd amounts of money.

Once the value of C&D Holdings has reached at least the top fifty companies in its field, the assimilation process can begin. Carter, your job is to create the necessary machinery to refine, package, and distribute the materials C&D Holdings has gathered to buyers. From here, the process is rinse and repeat.

One important thing to note is that we have to provide incentive for customers to buy our product in large amounts. To do this, C&D Holdings is to prepare stocks for companies that are parts of opposing countries. Using a combination of political influence, assassinations, and outright lies, these countries will have tensions between them raised significantly, ensuring the buying of our resources in case of war. I have several disinformation campaigns prepared, as well as numerous antimemetic agents to obfuscate the true amounts of resources the opposing countries have from each other, causing confusion and panic. Again, this basically guarantees that the customers will buy up our stock.

There are numerous other finer details here that I have sent through encrypted files to necessary personnel, but I'm sure you two get the gist of it.

- To our success,

~ Skitter Marshall

File Opened Under:
Operation "Black Gold"

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LTD

Response 01

Re: Operation "Black Gold

Sender
Iris Dark
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

I'm in.

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Response 01

Re: Operation "Black Gold

Sender
Robert Carter
Recipient
Skitter Marshall

You crazy, crazy fucker. When do we start?

Marshall, Carter and Dark, LLP

Following this, C&D Holdings increased in value to where it stood as of 10/7/17, attracting Foundation attention. Additionally, Carter and Dark's abilities had increased in power due to constant use to ~50-60 and ~70-80 ESP respectively.

Post-neutralisation sweeps of Carter and Dark's residences revealed a journal belonging to Iris Dark, dated 14/11/17. Significant amounts of entries and large passages are unreadable due to contamination with a combination of oil and various chemicals.

+ Recovered Journal Entries - Iris Dark - 14/11/17 - [UNKNOWN]/2018 +

- Close -

[13 UNINTELLIGBLE ENTRIES]

[UNINTELLIGIBLE]hink I'm going insane. The voice gets louder whenever I'm using my abilities, but I still can't make out what it's saying. And that terrifies me m[UNINTELLIGIBLE].

[4 UNINTELLIGIBLE ENTRIES]

I heard its name today. It called itself Ya[UNINTELLIGLE]at my abilities captured its attention, that I was doing 'good work', whatever that means. It offered a bar[UNINTELLIGIBLE]xchange for blood. My blood. When I asked why I should even consider taking up the offer, let alone trusting it, [UNINTELLIGIBLE]as enough to convince me.

[7 UNINTELLIGIBLE ENTRIES]

Ca[UNINTELLIGIBLE]lood sacrifices as well. It said that it's proud of us. That we can expect regular increases in strength in the futur[UNINTELLIGIBLE]ut if it's helping my plan along, then I'm no[UNINTELLIGIBLE].

[15 UNINTELLIGIBLE ENTRIES]

I'm so much stronger now, and Carter is too. This being, whatever it is, has been incredibly helpful, and the plan is moving along swimmingly. At t[UNINTELLIGIBLE]otal dominance o[UNINTELLIGIBLE].

[12 UNINTELLIGIBLE ENTRIES]

Carter and I both made the last sacrifice, together. [DETAILS OF RITUAL REDACTED] [UNINTELLIGIBLE]an see more clearly now. I can see what Y[UNINTELLIGIBLE]he beauty in what we're doing. Complete monopoly over the oil, fossil fuels, chemical manufacturing, nuclear power, and anomalous products industries isn't enough. We have t[UNINTELLIGIBLE]atched an plan within a plan, a way to make the world beautiful. Y[UNINTELLIGIBLE]derstood. Now I understand.

Maybe this was destiny. A chance meeting with a being who could guide us to our divinely-inspired fate. To make the world beautiful. A world of pollution and industry, a world of purity and diligence. Free fr[UNINTELLIGIBLE]. And we're going to make it happen.

Recovered camera footage suggests that the first dissent between Marshall and Carter & Dark occurred at this date, followed by infrequent and sporadic but increasingly aggressive outbursts from the members of both parties.

Personality changes were first noted by Foundation psychologists in both Carter and Dark during this incident, and only further diverged in the future until their deaths.

+ Security Log Transcript: MC&D Highland Hotel - 13/4/18 +

- Close -

VIDEO LOG - MC&D HOTEL "HIGHLAND", PENTHOUSE OFFICE

DATE: 20/7/17

NOTE: N/A

[BEGIN LOG]

(Carter and Dark open the doors to the office and enter. Their expressions are unreadable. Marshall sits at the head of a large, circular, oak wood table, rubbing his temples with his hands.)

Marshall: Come in. We need to talk.

(Carter and Dark both take seats.)

Carter: There any reason you called us in?

Dark: Well, it definitely wasn't to have a nice, rosy chat about how well we're doing.

(Marshall shoots Dark a glance.)

Marshall: 10 points to Dark. What the fuck have you two been doing?

Carter: I don't follow. Profits are up, t-

Marshall: That's not what I mean. I don't give a shit about the profits right now-

Dark: That's a first.

(Marshall glares at her.)

Marshall: Actually, I'd like to ask you a question, Iris.

Dark: Go on.

Marshall: I gave you free reign over the placement of the oil. So, out of all the places you could've picked, why was in the middle of a rainforest?

(Dark sighs.)

Dark: Look, there wasn't enough space anywhere el-

(Marshall slams the table with his hand.)

Marshall: Don't try to feed me bullshit. There was plenty of space in barren, empty country all across the world, but you decided to but it there. And then, you had the audacity to try not only hide it, but lie about where it was. Why?

Dark: (silence)

Marshall: And you, Robert. I said hire people to work the machines, not start a goddamn sweatshop by tricking poor people in third-world countries.

(Carter smiles very briefly, but quickly covers it with his hand. Marshall doesn't seem to notice.)

Carter: Look, I ca-

Marshall: No. You've both already spouted enough lies over the past months. I just don't understand what's gotten into the both of you. We're businesspeople, not tyrants. We don't destroy the environment or roster people into slavery just because we can, we do it when there's incentive. Where's the incentive here?

Iris, you could easily place your oil into some desert in the middle of nowhere. Carter, you could easily pay the people in your factories double the minimum wage with no net loss. So, why aren't you doing that? What's wrong with you both?

(Dark and Carter are both silent.)

Marshall: Well?

(Dark sighs.)

Dark: We're making money and gaining power, Marshall. That's all that matters. When the fuck has anything other than that concerned you?

Carter: I agree with her. When'd you suddenly go all soft on us, Marshall?

Marshall: Are you seriously trying to turn this onto me? Accusing me of going soft? No. You're both completely out of control, so get a grip. Iris, there's no point in having a monopoly over the world's fossil fuels if there's no world left. Carter, don't you remember where you started? As a kidnapped child forced into slavery in Jakarta?

(Marshall sighs.)

We've all done terrible things in the name of profit, of power, before. I won't deny that. But only because there was reason to do so. This? This isn't reason. This is madness. This is out of line. And if I find out that either of you continue this at any point in the future behind my back, I am cancelling this operation, profits be damned. Now get out of my sight.

(Dark and Carter rise stiffly, then leave. Marshall sighs, before turning around to the large window behind him and staring into the city. He continues this for 5 minutes, then turns to leave.)

(As he passes Iris Dark's seat, he notices something.)

Marshall: Hmm?

(Marshall examines something unseen on the seat, his body obscuring the object from the cameras. As he moves away, fingers covered in a viscous black liquid, a small, vaguely humanoid figure constructed of what appears to be oil can be made out. It is melting into the seat, left behind.

Quickly, Marshall moves to Carter's seat, and another small humanoid figure, this time constructed of cogs and machinery, can barely be seen. Like the previous, it is rapidly degrading, having been abandoned.

Marshall frowns, his lips pursed. He exits the room.)

[END LOG]

On the 20th of June, 2018, the Foundation received a distress call from Skitter Marshall from within a warehouse in the city of Ontario.

+ Transcript of Distress Call from Skitter Marshall - 20/6/18 +

- Close -

AUDIO LOG - MC&D WAREHOUSE 57-A

DATE: 20/6/18

NOTE: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, Marshall is whispering throughout the phone call.

[BEGIN LOG]

Agent Carlson: Hello?

Marshall: Look, I get that our organisations aren't exactly on friendly terms, but-

Agent Carlson: I'm sorry, but who am I speaking to?

Marshall: Skitter Marshall, of Marshall, Carter, Dark. I'm sending you my location now.

(Agent Carlson receives a message detailing Marshall's location.)

Agent Carlson: Why are you calling us? Unless you've got a cure for magic, then there's nothing you can offer us that we'd be interested in.

Marshall: Do you seriously think I'd call you for that? I've got much better cli- goddammit. I'm getting off-topic. It's… it's Carter. Carter and Dark. They've- I don't know. They aren't themselves anymore.

Agent Carlson: We aren't some kind of therapy service, you know. If there's problems in your relationsh-

Marshall: Shut. Up. When I say they aren't themselves any more, I don't mean our fucking friendship. I mean they've gone completely insane.

Agent Carlson: Again, I don't-

Marshall (talking over Agent Carlson): Did I forget to mention? The both of them got exposed to your secret little extradimensional parasite. 3396 is the number, I believe.

Agent Carlson: That's highly classified information! How-

Marshall: Do not interrupt me. It doesn't matter how I know, all that matters is that they're both insane and have highly unstable and extremely powerful magical abilities. Also, they're trying to convert me to their own fucked-up philosophy of, well, here it is now.

(The sound of rustling is heard, presumably Marshall positioning the phone outwards to pick up external sound better. Carter and Dark can be heard rambling in the background.)

Carter: Marshall, Marshall, Marshall. Don't you see? Running won't help. Running won't do anything but delay the inevitable, and a beautiful inevitability it is. The plan? Genius. And with Yawrael's7 help, we'll be able to see it to its fullest extent. An entire world, ruled by industry, sleek machines churning, spotlights reflecting off of freshly polished iron and steel.

Dark: Come on, Marshall, don't live up to your first name so shamefully. Fleeing from the products of the plan you were a part of is a cowardly, pitiful thing to do, don't you agree? Perhaps the goal has shifted slightly from what it began as, but the end result is rather the same: total control. Oceans of oil and chemicals, bubbling in smog-tempered sunlight, a world all to ourselves, to do what we want. A world of purest pollution.

Carter and Dark: Isn't this what you wanted?

(The sound of rustling is heard again as Marshall repositions.)

Marshall: Hear that? Totally insane. And their powers have been spiking recently, massive jumps in strength. Dark's got near-total control over oil, fossil fuels, chemicals, you name it, while Carter can create machines that can do literally anything. It's technology like I've never seen.

The point is, if these two manage to capture me, they'll turn their eyes to the city next, and things will get really, really ugly. That thing with Mount Bachelor8? That was them. Do you really want them loose in this city? Do you have any idea what they'll do?

Agent Carlson: …I see. I've scrambled a Task Force to come collect you, the City Slickers. They're experienced in this kind of thing. ETA five minutes.

Marshall: "Boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of hell."

Agent Carlson: Looks like you know your poetry.

Marshall: Damn right I do. One of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind.

Agent Carlson: Agreed. I-

(Marshall shushes Agent Carlson and goes silent. In the background, Carter and Dark can be heard screaming while the sound of machinery and oil bubbling sounds around them.)

Marshall: Another spike? Now? Shit. Shit. That team of yours better be prepared. They don't take long to recover.

Agent Carlson: They'll be prepared; they're being briefed as we speak.

Marshall: Good. If I get out of this alive, you and I are having a good drink. You can't be all bad if you can at least enjoy some of the finer things in life.

Agent Carlson: (Small chuckle.) The finer things, huh? Such as a bottle of Cognac, perhaps?

(Marshall begins to speak, but is interrupted.)

Carter, from somewhere above: Found you.

(The phone registers several seconds of Marshall shouting indiscriminately over male laughter and the sound of gears and machinery before cutting out.)

[END LOG]

Members of MTF Pi-1 arrived approximately two minutes after the conclusion of the distress call.

+ Camera Log - MTF Pi-1 ("City Slickers") +

- Close -

VIDEO LOG: MTF - MC&D WAREHOUSE 57-A

DATE: 20/6/18

TEAM MEMBERS:

SUNRISE - Team Lead

WHISKEY - Infantry

JESTER - Cover

TRACER - Communications

WOLFHOUND - Thaumaturgist/Fire Support

NOTE:

[BEGIN LOG]

(Video log begins from WOLFHOUND's camera. Members are seen entering MC&D Warehouse 57-A. SUNRISE is in front, and motions for a standard entry for an aggressor with unknown abilities. Upon opening the front door, a large amount of smoke billows outwards, obscuring visibility.)

SUNRISE: Infrared on people. We don't know what we're dealing with, but the aggressors are apparently insane and have unspecified abilities, so be prepared for anything.

(The remaining team members give sounds of affirmation. In front of WOLFHOUND, there is nothing but swirling blue. As Pi-1 moves through the door, the sound of female laughter echoes through the warehouse, followed by Marshall’s screaming. SUNRISE motions for the team members to split up into two groups: JESTER and TRACER move to follow SUNRISE, while WHISKEY joins WOLFHOUND.)

JESTER, via radio: I’m seeing something on the Hume reader. There’s two entities, one in the centre of the warehouse, and one on the ceiling, about 6 metres from the left wall. Infrared tells me that Marshall’s strung up somewhere near the back of the warehouse by… something. I can’t tell what it is. Our group will be heading via the centre towards Marshall. WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY, you go via the right.

SUNRISE, via radio: And remember: our mission is to recover Marshall safely, not to neutralise, or even contain, the anomalies. If you see an opportunity, take it, but if you’re under attack, get out of there. Please, for the love of God, don’t do anything stupid. I’ve got enough paperwork already.

(There is light laughter over the radio from the team members.)

SUNRISE, via radio: Seriously though, stay safe, and good luck.

(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY begin moving slowly through the warehouse’s interior, staying close to the right wall. After walking for a short time, WOLFHOUND notices something on the floor, nearly invisible to the infrared filter. He motions for WHISKEY to stop, and, careful not to make a sound, draws a binding circle around the object.)

WHISKEY, whispering: What the hell’s that thing?

WOLFHOUND, whispering: Don’t know. It’s mechanical though, and it’s got a really nasty aura about it. Whatever it is, it isn’t good.

(As they continue to move towards Marshall, they come across 4 more of the unknown mechanical devices. WOLFHOUND manages to draw a binding circle around each without incident. Suddenly, JESTER contacts the team via radio once more.)

JESTER, via radio: The entities are moving. I repeat, the entities are on the move. WOLFHOUND, WHISKEY, the thing on the ceiling’s moving in your general direction. It’s… dropping things as it’s going along, they’re hard to make out. Some of them are moving as well though, but in random directions. I’ll let you know if it starts getting too close, so be prepared to make an exit on short notice.

WOLFHOUND, WHISKEY, via radio: Affirmative.

WOLFHOUND, via radio: Actually, those things that it’s dropping, I think they might be mechanical. We’ve seen a couple things that look similar while we’ve been walking. I’ve been able to draw binding circles around them. Got no idea about them other than that, but their auras are so nasty that it probably isn’t a good idea to get close.

JESTER, via radio: Good to know. Over and out.

(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY continue forward. There are several large metal storage containers around them, making it difficult for them to identify where they are. As WOLFHOUND is the process of binding another mechanical device, they are interrupted by a slow, rhythmic tapping from the container behind them. WOLFHOUND hastily finishes the binding circle, and motions for WHISKEY to follow him into the space between two containers to their immediate left.

As WOLFHOUND pulls WHISKEY into the gap, an unknown, spiderlike entity, about 1 metre tall and wide, shrouded in shadow, is seen slowly emerging from a gap approximately five metres behind them. WOLFHOUND immediately begins performing the complex kinetoglyph ‘Smokescreen’, which would render him and WHISKEY indistinguishable from the surrounding environment. As the kinetoglyph progresses, the rhythmic tapping gets louder, and a blue light becomes visible from around the corner of the container.

WOLFHOUND finishes performing the glyph as the unknown entity rounds the corner. It proceeds to scan the area with harsh, blue light, before turning away. When it does, the details of its appearance become visible: an exceedingly complex series of gears, levers, and pulleys, formed into a shape resembling a cross between a spider and octopus with pointed legs. The blue light emanates from its ‘head’, presumably to assist it in seeing in the smoke-filled environment.

While WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY stand motionless, the entity turns around to examine the bound unknown device. It tries to touch it, but is repelled with a series of sparks by a white barrier that appears in response to the entity’s appendage. The entity shrieks, before several weapons and tools form from its leg that it uses to attack the barrier. When this is unsuccessful, it pauses, before circling the device, apparently scrutinising it.

It stops when it notices a tiny flaw in the binding circle, and lifts its leg to touch the barrier. While the white force field still appears, its light is significantly weaker than before, and no sparks are produced. Triumphant, the entity forms a tool resembling a pair of glowing red pliers on its leg and jams it into the flaw. Red and white sparks are produced, and cracks begin to appear in the barrier. As the entity applies more force, the cracks widen and spread, before the barrier shatters with the sound of breaking glass.

The entity chitters in satisfaction, before tapping the mechanical device in a series of places and stepping back. A large swarm of glowing yellow nanomachines emerges from the device and approaches the entity, which begins to chitter, shriek, and tap its legs in an apparent form of communication. The swarm flashes a series of colours for varying periods of time, and then resets to its original golden glow before flying away above WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY.

Following this, the entity slowly moves away as WOLFHOUND seems to slump downwards and fall backwards, caught by WHISKEY before they hit the floor. After waiting for a time until the entity’s movement is out of earshot, they begin to breathe heavily, but subduedly.)

WHISKEY, whispering: What the fuck was that thing?

WOLFHOUND, whispering: I’ll be damned if I know, but thank God I managed to hide us in time. If I’d screwed up, we’d probably both be dead.

WHISKEY, whispering: Well, you didn’t, and we’re alive to feel grateful for that. You just collapsed on me though, so just how powerful was that spell? (Pauses.) What was that spell?

WOLFHOUND, whispering: Smokescreen. Sigma-class Kinetoglyph. Surrounds the caster and immediate persons in an obscuring field that blends into the surrounding environment. Blocks just about all forms of detection, and thank God for that, because that thing used… (Pause) about 14 different scan methods simultaneously while looking at us.

WHISKEY, whispering: Jesus.

WOLFHOUND: If that’s just the servant, I’d hate to meet the master. We’d better be even quieter than before, because now we know just how dangerous this can be. Better let SUNRISE know, actually.

(WOLFHOUND keys SUNRISE on his radio.)

WOLFHOUND, via radio: SUNRISE, we got a problem. We just met a subordinate of one of the main entities, and we almost died. Smokescreen protected us. If worst comes to worst, I'd be able to pull off… two more, but I'd be out of commission for a while after that. Advise?

SUNRISE, via radio: Hmm. (There is a long pause.) Continue for now. If you meet another one and have to use Smokescreen again, get out of there.

WOLFHOUND, via radio: Got it.

(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY slowly continue forward. As they get closer to Marshall, the number of mechanical devices increases, but all are bound without a problem. Interestingly, no more anomalous automata are encountered throughout the rest of the journey, until WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY reach the final container. Both cautiously look around the container, and gasp softly.

Marshall is strung up inside an enormous spiderweb, with thin, metal strands in place of silk. Several of the unknown entities patrol the area, climbing upon and tending to the 'silk' to maintain its structural integrity. Marshall himself lies at the centre, tightly bound in wire, appearing unconscious. SCP-5802-1A is nowhere to be seen. The two MTF members quickly duck back behind the container, and curse quietly.)

WOLFHOUND, whispering: Holy shit. Holy shit. How the hell are we supposed to get to Marshall if he's strung up there and surrounded by those spider-things, let alone rescue him!

(WHISKEY shrugs helplessly. WOLFHOUND keys in SUNRISE via radio.)

WOLFHOUND, via radio: SUNRISE, we've found Marshall. There's a bit of a problem.

SUNRISE, via radio: And that problem is..?

WOLFHOUND, via radio: He's strung up in some kind of fucked up metal spiderweb, surrounded by at least five of those things that nearly killed us earlier. The ceiling thing's nowhere to be seen.

SUNRISE, via radio: Hmm. That does seem to be a problem.

WOLFOUND, via radio: Can you get JESTER to tell us where Carter and Dark are? Information would be really important right about know. Don't want to have gotten this far to be assassinated from behind.

SUNRISE, via radio: Sure. First though, where are you? In relation to Marshall, that is. Are you coming from the left or right?

(WOLFHOUND turns to WHISKEY, who has also noticed the problem. They have a stricken look on their face.)

WOLFHOUND, via radio: Being the one that told us which direction to go, you should know. (Pauses.) Where the fuck is the real SUNRISE? Where's the rest of his team?

Dark, via radio: Shit. I was hoping that would work. Carter's voice modulator worked like a charm, but I guess there's no accounting for a lack of information, especially when your members clammed up like they did. (Sighs.) Oh well. Guess we'll have to use the 'subordinates' you mentioned. How many Smokescreens did you say you had left? Two?

WOLFHOUND, via radio: Fuck you.

Dark, via radio: Tsk tsk. You're wasting valuable time insulting me that could be used for running away. Not that you'll escape, of course. See you soon then!

(WOLFHOUND turns off the radio. From behind the container, blue lights can be seen sweeping across the area, and the sounds of chittering and tapping can be heard. She turns to face WHISKEY.)

WOLFHOUND, whispering: You know how I said I could do two more Smokescreens?

(WHISKEY nods.)

WOLFHOUND, whispering: That was technically a lie. (She plucks a small flask full of glowing orange liquid out of (presumably) her pocket, shaking it lightly from side to side.) I've got a little something that's slightly illegal right here, and with it, I'll be able to pull off a hell of a lot more than just two Smokescreens. (She sighs.)

Like everything though, there's a catch. The catch here is that I die. It's really a last resort, and it'll boost me to near-deific levels for about five minutes before I burn out. When… after I drink this I want you to find SUNRISE, JESTER, and TRACER, and get the hell out of here. For your own safety, don't try to follow me.

(WHISKEY looks shocked. As he tries to protest, he is cut off.)

WOLFHOUND, whispering: If I had any other option, I'd take it, but these two are much more powerful than I am, totally insane, and letting them run amok puts the entire city at risk. It's either I die, or thousands; that's not really much of a decision.

(She smirks.)

And besides, I've always wanted to know what being a god feels like, even for just five minutes.

(WHISKEY looks on as WOLFHOUND opens the stopper and raises it to her lips. She pauses.)

WOLFHOUND, whispering: I'm sorry about this, James, but I don't have a choice.

(Camera view switches to WHISKEY. WOLFHOUND walks away, towards the other side of the container, the chittering and tapping getting louder as she does so. She drinks the contents of the flask and shudders, before several ghostly arms appear from her back. When she speaks, her voice has a noticeable echoing quality.)

WOLFHOUND: Go. I'd hate for you to be caught up in the crossfire. (She smiles.) I'll see you on the other side, wherever and whenever that may be.

(As WHISKEY backs away, WOLFHOUND rounds the corner at a run. Immediately, all of the sweeping blue lights focus on her, and a cacophony of chittering starts. Before she disappears from sight, WOLFHOUND is seen performing several Omega-class kinetoglyphs simultaneously while several of the spider like entities fly backwards, consumed by green flames.

The sounds of chittering, Dark's yelling, Carter's laughter, and the crackling of flames or ice, along with several explosions, can be heard as WHISKEY runs. He uses his infrared vision to locate SUNRISE's team, and sprints towards them through a maze of containers, the ground shaking all the while. He finds SUNRISE, JESTER, and TRACER with various severe injuries encased in an unknown hard, white material, attached to the wall of a container.

Quickly, WHISKEY brings out a pulse charge, and lays it against the white substance. There is a fast, heavy thumping sound, and the substance, vibrating rapidly, turns to dust. WHISKEY catches SUNRISE and JESTER, and holds TRACER against the wall with his leg. After carefully laying the aforementioned members onto the ground, WHISKEY grabs TRACER, also laying them on the ground. WHISKEY then turns around to survey their injuries.

TRACER has laceration wounds across his whole body of variable depth. Several are hissing and producing steam due to the insertion of unknown, presumably caustic chemicals. His breathing is even. JESTER has several large lumps resembling tumours across her face, arms, and chest. Her breathing is slightly uneven. SUNRISE is bleeding from both nostrils, and his left arm has been sliced off and cauterised. Several deflated abscesses with large cuts and leaking yellow fluid, presumably the pierced tumours that are present on TRACER, are visible on his right arm Surveying the damage, WHISKEY revives JESTER and TRACER with smelling salts, and their eyes slowly flutter open.)

WHISKEY: Get up. We gotta go.

(TRACER and JESTER groan, sitting up slowly.)

WHISKEY: Let's go, let's go! (He moves to pick up SUNRISE, putting him on his back.) Use me for support! Come on!

(TRACER and JESTER struggle upwards, before putting their arms around WHISKEY's shoulders. Slowly, the four of them walk forward, the ground shaking all the while. They almost collapse several times, but soon, the exit to the warehouse is in sight.)

WHISKEY: Just a- just a little further…

(Five metres from the door, the sound of tearing metal and screaming can be heard, before WOLFHOUND yells something that cannot be made out. Immediately after this, an extremely powerful explosion occurs, and the shockwave is enough to push WHISKEY's group out of the warehouse, which is levelled in the explosion. All camera feeds turn to static.)

[END LOG]

Concluding Notes: After the conclusion of this log, WHISKEY, JESTER, TRACER, and SUNRISE were recovered. SUNRISE was in critical condition, JESTER and TRACER had moderately severe injuries, and WHISKEY emerged mostly unharmed. Carter and Dark (SCP-5802-1A and -1B) were not found at the scene, presumably having fled. Marshall was found at the former centre of the warehouse, still bound in wire. He was recovered in critical condition, and is currently comatose.

WOLFHOUND was also not recovered at the scene, and is presumed dead. She received a formal reprimand for possession of a dangerous illegal substance, and was also awarded a posthumous Foundation Star for her bravery and sacrifice resulting in a successful mission with minimal casualties.

Containment or neutralisation of SCP-5802-1A and -1B is of high priority.

- Close -

From the distress call onwards, several hundred defectors from MC&D Ltd assisted in the SCP-5802 investigation and containment efforts. As investigations continued, the severity of SCP-5802 prompted the assistance of several GoIs into containing and/or destroying SCP-5802. Together with the members of MTF Omega-8 and several other highly skilled MTF personnel, a new MTF was formed for the assassination of SCP-5802-1A and -1B - MTF Tau-7 ("Cease and Desist Ltd.).

On 20/10/18, MTF Tau-7 was successful in breaching SCP-5802-1 (then SCP-5802-4). Due to the casualty of all team members, it is currently unknown what happened within SCP-5802-4, save for a telepathic transmission from a former MTF Omega-8 team member:

+ Transcript of Telepathic Communication - 20/10/18 +

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We won.

They both put up a hell of a fight; we interrupted them in the middle of a summoning ritual for some god of pollution and industry, called… Y-something. We saw and heard it trying to claw its way out of the half-formed gateway they'd managed to create while we were fighting, some massive construction of impossibly complex machinery and screaming humanoid figures made of oil and chemicals.

I can see and hear it now, in my head. It was so… oily, so wrong. The memories are like a stain on my mind.

Carter and Dark, I can see how they couldn't fight against this thing's will. I tried to establish a mental link, and their minds… they were just screaming. Below all the insane ranting, the sounds of machinery and oil and chemicals, they were screaming the same two words over and over: 'Stop us'.

Dark fell first. Several energy lances through her chest, God knows how many blasts of fire and lightning, and a Nova-class bomb directly to the skull, all followed by total purification by Kieran finally managed to kill her.

Carter went next. When Dark died, he just screamed and his machinery went berserk, spewing bullets and explosives everywhere. But he left his control box9 open, and it wasn't long until we destroyed it and suddenly, his machinery froze and powered down.

The gateway started to collapse after he died. That god? It's been forced backwards, back to wherever it came from, screaming and thrashing all the way.

So we succeeded. But that gateway's going to take all of us with it when it finishes collapsing, a lethal dose of Akiva radiation to everything in a 1km radius.

Kieran says he's going to make sure we don't get corrupted along with everyone else that's died, and that he'll stop this pollution from spreading further. I hope he can.

Foundation, we're already dead in the dark. Corpses that'll likely never be recovered. But at least we can die knowing that you'll continue our work in the light. For us that have died. For us that will die. For all of us.

Can you promise me that?

Footnotes

1. Extreme biological/chemical/thaumaturgical hazard with a capacity to spread.

2. Numbering over 10000 in total.

3. For example, the AQI of SCP-5802 is, on average, 482, while SCP-5802-1's AQI is far beyond 500, the most severe measure.

4. A long, tapered tube which creates brief, localised fields of massively increased Humes for the harvesting of unstable anomalous material.

5. An exponential scale measuring the strength of SCP-3396-01 instances through a variety of factors (such as Hume displacement, measured 'output', etc.).

6. It is unknown how Marshall, Carter, and Dark had knowledge of this highly classified SCP object.

7. Believed to be the entity described within Dark's journal.

8. Referring to an incident involving the exceedingly violent eruption of the extinct volcano through unknown means. Ordinary volcanic products were replaced with various pollutants both mundane and anomalous. Fallout caused massive damage to the surrounding environment.

9. This 'control box' was not noted on Carter's corpse, and presumably contained his consciousness.