This used to be super meta with no bees. Now it only has a tiny meta and lots of bees.

4/4386 LEVEL 4/4386

CLASSIFIED

Item #: SCP-4386

SCP-4386 on initial discovery after switching to Power Conservation Mode.

Special Containment Procedures: The area located above the enclosure of SCP-4386 is monitored at all times across a radius of 5km. This includes the town of ███████, where undercover Foundation operatives are tasked with identifying local civilians that raise suspicions about Foundation activity in the region. Any civilians suspected of attempting to investigate Foundation activity will be apprehended and administered a Class C amnestic following standard interrogation procedures.

The single entrance to SCP-4386 located at the western extreme of ███████ is surrounded by a chain-link fence and is guarded by at least four security personnel at all times. Any civilians seen approaching the area will be lead off-site by at least two security personnel and exposed to Cover Story #601-A1.

The main power supply for SCP-4386 should be checked for signs of degradation every 2 hours and at least 2 backup power generators will be on standby at all times. Significant fluctuations in the local power grid are to be logged daily and cross-referenced with SCP-4386-01's recorded input readings.

SCP-4386-02 through 05 are to be under constant observation. Any dissociative disorders or suicidal tendencies recognised in SCP-4386-02 through 05 are to be reported immediately, and psychological countermeasures should be employed to ensure none are able to cause any significant self-harm.

The simulation hosted on SCP-4386-01 is to be policed by the assigned CyTF, and all instances of VSCP-01 are to be removed from the simulation on sight, excluding instances directly in the vicinity of SCP-4386-02 through 05.

Description: SCP-4386 consists of six separate but interlinked components contained within a large man-made cavern hidden 500m beneath an abandoned farm on the edge of a rural town known as ███████, UK.

The six components are as follows:

SCP-4386-01: A network of 55 interlinked computer and medical systems consisting of:

1 single cylindrical relay station that dominates the center of the cavern, measuring 15.3m in height, and 7.1m in diameter.

46 interconnected parallel data processing units of custom design, connecting into the relay station. Each provides a terminal to allow interaction with the entire SCP-4386-01 array.

8 sub-stations that resemble standard operating tables, surrounding the relay station. Each is connected to the relay station by numerous cables, tubes and intravenous devices set in place to supply necessary nutrition and nourishment to any humans residing on the sub-station tables. As of 20██-09-01, SCP-4386-02 through 05 currently occupy 4 of the sub-stations. The remaining 4 are unoccupied.

SCP-4386-02: A biologically male human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 1st sub-station of SCP-4386-01.

SCP-4386-03: A biologically male human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 3rd sub-station of SCP-4386-01.

SCP-4386-04: A biologically female human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 4th sub-station of SCP-4386-01.

SCP-4386-05: A biologically female human, estimated to be ██ years old. Currently resides on the 8th sub-station of SCP-4386-01.

SCP-4386-06: A bulbous metallic mass that resides on top of the relay station section of SCP-4386-01. It measures 8m in diameter and 4m in height. Printed on its side is the phrase "BIG-B.A.D." (see SCP-4386-01 Retrieved Documents - bigbadintro.txt). The internal mechanism of SCP-4386-06 is still unknown.

SCP-4386-02 through 05 are currently unconscious relative to the physical world, and instead, have their consciousness manifesting within an accurate simulation of modern Earth hosted by SCP-4386-01. The simulation has shown to follow the exact same event cycles present in the physical world. As events occur in reality, they subsequently occur within the simulation following an average delay of 23 hours. SCP-4386-02 through 05 are unaware that their observed world is a simulation.

Currently, only two known significant differences exist between reality and the simulation. They are as follows:

The complete lack of anomalous entities, including the presence of the SCP Foundation and other known GoIs.

The presence of virtual species VSCP-01, known in-simulation as the "bee"2.

Analysis of non-simulation data located within SCP-4386-01's databanks has revealed that the intended mechanism of SCP-4386-06 poses a substantial threat to humanity and standard reality laws. Gathered data indicates that should SCP-4386-02 through 05 be awoken simultaneously, SCP-4386-06 will begin its activation cycle, leading to a complete CK-Class Reality Restructuring scenario and at worst, a ZK-Class Reality Failure event. However, as long as at least one of SCP-4386-02 through 05 is connected and present within the simulation, SCP-4386-06 will remain inactive.

So far, no means to deactivate SCP-4386-06 safely have been discovered.

SCP-4386-01 Terminal Access: On 2003-11-13, the Foundation Security Penetration team managed to successfully obtain root access to SCP-4386-01's operating system and establish administrator privileges. Accounts have since been distributed to various Foundation researchers holding adequate clearance levels. Terminal access may be permitted to Level 3 and above personnel only. To apply for an account on the system, please contact the project director, Dr. Harsky.

SCP-4386-01 Retrieved Documents: Since establishing access to the SCP-4386-01's database via the terminals, the following public files have been discovered:

+ Open /public/bigbadintro.txt

- Close File

> ##################################

> ##### The BIG-B.A.D. Project #####

> ##################################

> an introduction by BEI Administrator Ronald Hobbs

>

> Hello [$firstname], and congratulations on joining the BIG-B.A.D. project!

> You have been chosen for this opportunity, not only because of your profound expertise in the field of Theoretical Physics, but also due to your undying loyalty to the Better Earth Initiative and its goals.

>

> Undoubtedly you're excited to find out just what the BIG-B.A.D. project entails, and that's great to hear, because it means you're enthusiastic about making the world a better place, but more importantly, it means we are doing a good job keeping this all under wraps!

>

> With that in mind, let us remind you now that the BIG-B.A.D. project should not be spoken of outside of the project team under penalty of death!

>

>

> ##### What is the BIG-B.A.D. Project? #####

>

> Don't let the name fool you, [$firstname], the BIG-B.A.D. project isn't "bad" at all! It's simply a convenient acronym used to refer to its full title: Big-Brane Assimilation Device

>

> As you can tell from the name, there's a good reason we need your Theoretical Physics expertise.

>

> The BIG-B.A.D. is an astounding device invented by the late Professor Samuel Briggs, Monad rest his soul. Through Professor Briggs' ingenuity, the BIG-B.A.D. is capable of artificially inducing Brane collisions and intersections on a supercosmic scale [Briggs, Samuel T., 1996. On branes and artificial mobility through extra-dimensional space. BEI Physics Journal, vol. 9].

>

> Yes, you read that right, after a series of mindboggling breakthroughs, Professor Briggs has found a way to interact with the very fabric that our existence rests on! M-Theorists, eat your hearts out!

>

>

> ##### What does this mean for us? #####

>

> Quite simply, it means we now have the tools of a God at our disposal, the same tools that enacted the genesis of our own reality.

>

> For our goal though, it means something much greater.

>

> Regenesis.

>

> _

+ Open /public/bigbadandyou.txt

- Close File

> ##### BIG-B.A.D. and You #####

>

> So now you know what it's all about, what exactly will you be doing here?

>

> As it turns out… an awful lot! [$firstname], your roles will be assigned progressively, as and when they are needed. One day you could be supervising the Candidates, the next you could be tasked with tailoring the simulation itself.

>

> "Candidates" you ask? "Simulation"? What on Better Earth are these things? Let's take some time to examine these in further detail!

>

>

> ##### Who are the Candidates? #####

>

> The Candidates are eight incredible people who aspire for a better world, just like us! They were chosen for this project due to their matching views of the Better Earth Initiative in creating a peaceful world where no one need fear another being again.

>

> They share our dream of a world without suffering, without cruelty, without hate, fear, or rejection, and without those unspeakable horrors that lurk in the shadows around us.

>

> Their aspirations for a Better Earth are what help mold the simulation into a paradise for humanity. They are the true heroes of this project, and it is our duty to aid them in their quest.

>

>

> ##### What is the Simulation? #####

>

> The Simulation is an exact replica of our own world, accurate down to the finest details, created and formed through countless Brane collision simulations and n-time renderings. Within it are the avatars of the Candidates, living out their daily lives. Their very thoughts and actions allow us to tailor the world around them to form their ideal reality, and through this, an ideal reality for the rest of humanity too!

>

> But why do all this? Why try to make a "simulation" of a perfect world? We want OUR world to be a perfect one, right [$firstname]?

>

> Of course we do, and through a combination of the Simulation and the BIG-B.A.D., we can see that dream achieved. You see, the Simulation isn't just simulating a perfect world. Behind it all, a large series of powerful supercomputers are observing this paradise, and calculating the exact variables needed for the BIG-B.A.D. to initiate a remarkably precise Brane collision that will ultimately form that perfect reality, in reality.

>

> When you break it down to its key components, you could say we are reverse-engineering the universe itself!

>

> And when it's finally ready, the BIG-B.A.D. will help do away with the dark world we reside in, and replace it with a flawless haven! A Better Earth is finally within our grasp.

> _

+ Open /public/bigbadwarning.txt

- Close File

[ [ MANDATORY READING ] ]

You will be barred access to the Candidates, the Simulation and the BIG-B.A.D. until you have read through this file and taken a test to prove your understanding of the information contained within!!

>

>

> ##### The BIG-B.A.D. Warnings #####

>

> Messing with macrocosmic Branes is, of course, a very risky task, [$firstname]. We are involving ourselves in things that could surpass whatever deity you may or may not believe in! To ensure we don't accidentally destroy the planet, or turn all of reality into a giant carton of milk, the following guide will walk you through all the safety procedures required when working on the BIG-B.A.D. project.

>

>

> ##### Candidate Safety #####

>

> YOU MUST NOT WAKE UP THE CANDIDATES!!

>

> The Candidates will wake up naturally when the Simulation is complete. In the event that all eight of the candidates are awake, the BIG-B.A.D. is designed to interpret this as a final and lasting representation of an ideal reality and will activate with the variables currently held at the time the last candidate awakens.

>

> Should all of the Candidates wake up prematurely by any means, the BIG-B.A.D. will form a Brane collision with the incorrect setting and what it creates will most likely be an unstable mass of primordial goop where space and time are less than a memory.

>

> So whatever you do, do not do anything that might wake up the candidates! They will do so themselves when it is time to wake up.

>

> In the event that the candidates do manage to awaken prematurely, we would advise first attempting to come to terms with the consequences of your failure, followed by the remembrance of an old Better Earth mantra: "Better to have No Earth than to have This Earth!"

>

>

> ##### Simulation Safety #####

>

> When tailoring the Simulation, you may feel the urge to make the Candidates as happy as possible. Despite how it may seem, this is the exact opposite of what is required!

>

> In the event a Candidate is happy, they will not seek further happiness and will become ignorant to the plight of their fellow human beings. For this reason, the Simulation should always ensure the Candidate is in a state of longing for happiness at least 60% of the time.

>

> While this may seem cruel, we must keep in mind that the mental suffering of these eight Candidates is what pushes them to dream and long for a perfect world, a dream from which we can then extrapolate the required reality we wish to create!

>

> In the event that a Candidate achieves a height of happiness that causes them to long for nothing, we run risking their mind outright rejecting the simulation, which could potentially lead them to awaken prematurely.

>

> But don't worry too much about it! Such a situation is considered so dangerous that the Simulation actually has a safeguard system in place to ensure this never happens: The Mood Dampener Module. The Mood Dampener Module (MDM) exists to provide a constant downward pull on the Candidate's mood, so we can be sure it will never get out of hand. Simple!

>

> Of course, make sure it doesn't get too low, either.

>

>

> ##### What Next? #####

>

> Hopefully now you understand the risks and hazards of working with project BIG-B.A.D.! To ensure this is the case, you will be given a written test on the content of this document, and afterward, a psychological examination to ensure your loyalty still remains with the Better Earth Initiative.

>

> Thank your for your dedication to a Better Earth, [$firstname], and good luck to you!

> _

Discovery: SCP-4386 was discovered on 2003-11-09 when ███████, UK began experiencing unexplained power shortages, later proven to be a result of SCP-4386-01 resorting to the local power grid as a form of backup power supply, following the failure of its main on-site generator.

Deceased GoI-809 personnel found between two SCP-4386-01 units.

When the cavern housing SCP-4386 was explored, a total of 32 human corpses were discovered, 29 of which were identified as employees of GoI-809 ("Better Earth Initiative"), with subsequent analysis showing causes of death consisted of either blood loss (including self-inflicted), blunt trauma, and starvation. 30 of the bodies have been measured as having varying times of death throughout the first quarter of 2001. The remaining 2 expired between mid-2001 and early-2003.

Upon initial discovery, 5 persons, now designated SCP-4386-02 through 05 and 1 additional (see file Dissociation Event 01) were connected to SCP-4386-01 via 5 of the 8 sub-stations. 3 other bodies amongst the 32 deceased are believed to have previously been connected to the remaining vacant sub-stations, having become disconnected following events that lead to the demise of the cavern's total population. All 3 had died due to severe brain hemorrhages.

GoI-809/4386 Employee Logs: Following the successful gain of administrative privileges on the SCP-4386-01 network, GoI-809 user profile security was overridden, allowing access to various personal logs of former GoI-809 personnel. The following logs have been selected for this document due to their relevance in ongoing investigations (for further logs, please contact Dr. Harsky):

+ Open /user/rthompson/documents/logs/103.txt

- Close File

> 03/12/00

> -----------------

> Oh boy, Jessica is even more robotic than usual today. Some weird glitches have been popping up in the simulation and she can't for the life of her figure out the cause! It's pretty funny to watch, just make sure you don't talk to her when she's doing her thing.

>

> Candidate 2 especially started acting strange, it's hard to explain. It was kind of like she was a child trying to learn the alphabet, but she couldn't remember what came after 'B'. She stopped eventually, so nothing came of it, thankfully. Still, Warren, the project supervisor, said I should try and put her mind elsewhere anyway, so I made her boyfriend break up with her. Not that I have any issue with that, he wasn't good enough for her anyway.

>

> Damn, there I go again. I really need to stop fawning over her, we're not meant to get attached to the Candidates in case we start being "too nice" to them.

>

> Sometimes I like to slip something nice under the radar though. Figured out how to delete actions from the logs, so I can give them little gifts without getting caught! I see no issue with the occasional little gift. I mean, it's hardly fair to just be mean to them all the time. It's not like they volunteered for this.

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1553.txt

- Close File

> 2000-12-06

> ##############

>

> Weird stuff happened in the simulation again today.

>

> Can't quite figure it out, the glitches have been happening more often. Couple of the candidates have started noticing. They know something's wrong. Candidates 5 and 7 replicated the odd alphabet recital behaviour (now referred to as the "Alphabet Glitch") that Candidate 2 showed briefly the other day.

> I looked through the action and error logs but there isn't anything there. Can't explain it.

>

> Something else happened, something big. A file from our own systems appeared on one of their computers. As in, something on our real computers got on to one of their virtual computers. No idea how it got there. I guessed it might have been a copy-paste mistake, but again, no record of it.

>

> When we saw the Candidate reading it, we forced their system to crash before they could read it all.

>

> The Candidate got too excited about the possibility of their involvement in a conspiracy.

>

> Had to distract them from it.

>

> Killed their grandmother.

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1554.txt

- Close File

> 2000-12-14

> ##############

>

> Major issue came up, we think we've been compromised.

>

> I don't know how, our systems have no connection to any external networks. It has to be someone on the inside. A saboteur maybe.

>

> They keep slipping anomalies into the simulation. Probably trying to cause a dissociation event.

>

> They must be insane. They could destroy everything.

>

> Warren has started trying to crack down on it. Keeps taking people off for questioning. He's become extremely paranoid. Trusts no one, suspects everyone. Going to have to fix this quick, before he locks us all up.

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1555.txt

- Close File

> 2000-12-16

> ##############

>

> So Warren caught the culprit, it was Thompson. Looks like the poor bastard got too attached to Candidate 2. Should've known.

>

> This is why they tell us not to get attached to the Candidates. We're dealing with the stability of reality here, there's no room for infatuation to throw us off balance.

>

> Imagine destroying the universe just because you fell in love. Tragic. Probably poetic somehow, I don't know, I don't like poetry much.

>

> Anyway, they took him away. Monad knows what they'll do with him. Leaking info alone has a fatal punishment, I can't imagine what they'll do to someone for nearly destroying reality.

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1557.txt

- Close File

> 2000-12-21

> ##############

>

> Thompson is gone, but he left one hell of a hole in our system. Turns out he re-tuned the MDM. Guess he didn't like it bringing down Candidate 2's mood all the time. Ended up causing havoc for a while.

>

> Something they teach you when you start here, is that you can't just give a person the good without the bad. It resets that good as a new baseline for their emotions. They will become apathetic, disillusioned by their reality. Let it run on for long enough, and eventually, they'll start dissociating. Really throws a wrench in the works we have here.

>

> I don't think Thompson understood that. That's why he kept showering Candidate 2 with affection, unknowingly redefining their emotional baseline to that of unrivaled happiness, and so risking a dissociation scenario. Or maybe he did understand it but just didn't care, love makes people do weird shit. I don't know.

>

> Regardless, he underestimated the Mood Dampener Module. It compensated, and it compensated hard. After we got it back to normal and it detected Candidate 2's excess of "happiness"... well, even I felt bad for her after that.

>

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1558.txt

- Close File

> 2000-12-25

> ##############

>

> Today I was awoken by the pre-recorded voice of BEI Administrator Ronald Hobbs.

> He was announcing a facility lockdown. An automatic precaution that only kicks in when something major occurs. It's supposed to keep out assailants, but more importantly, make sure none of us attempt to flee our posts. No one comes in, no one goes out. So now I'm essentially trapped here with my 28 colleagues until further notice.

>

> When I went to find the cause of the chaos, I discovered the night staff in disarray.

>

> One of the Candidates had woken up. Huge dissociation event, followed by suicide.

>

> Turns out there was still a bug in the system even after the MDM fix.

>

> The Candidate didn't last long in the real world. Less than 20 minutes after waking up, he expired from a brain hemorrhage. His last moments must have been horrifying. One moment he was sitting on his bathroom floor obsessing over the letter B. The next, he was lying on a strange bed surrounded by incredibly confused scientists, probably coming to the haunting realisation that no one he knew ever actually existed.

>

> It's peculiar to me now, how after all of the intense planning that went into this project, we never considered the possibility of a candidate attempting suicide. Maybe we don't know them as well as we thought.

>

> Anyway, the Candidates are now on round-the-clock suicide watch until the lockdown ends.

>

> Merry Christmas.

>

> _

+ Open /user/jhall/documents/logs/1560.txt

- Close File

> 2001-01-09

> ##############

>

> It's been 17 days since the lockdown began. The Candidates are stable, but the cause of the dissociation event seems to still be active. Warren refuses to lift the lockdown until we fix it. We should get on it quick, people are already becoming aggressive and claustrophobic from the whole ordeal. Barclay received a black eye from Warren just last night.

>

> Never was fond of Warren, always seemed a bit too technologically incompetent to be on the project, let alone supervising it. He's always coming up to me and asking which terminal commands do what. Caught him attempting to use Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V to copy some lines once. Blew his mind when I told him he could hit the Tab key to autocomplete file names.

>

> Overall, doesn't look good for us. Our foray into the Alphabet mystery took another turn today. Caught a Candidate experiencing the Alphabet Glitch again, but this time in writing. Turns out it isn't to do with the alphabet at all. Now we have even more questions.

>

> Just what the hell is a "bee" anyway?

>

> _

Following 2001-01-09, further logs show only information regarding the gradual psychological breakdown and consequent increase in violence between GoI-809 staff. GoI-809 staff were unable to find the cause of the "Alphabet Glitch" and unexplained "Candidate" behaviour.

On 2001-02-13, no more personal logs are recorded, following a complete lockout on all terminals enacted by GoI-809 staff member and project supervisor, "Matthew Warren". The last of the GoI-809 staff stationed at SCP-4386 are believed to have died of malnourishment roughly 3 days following this date.

Despite this, the Emergency Log system within SCP-4386-01 continued to update itself.

+ Open /sys/sim/logs/emergencylog_090301.txt

- Close File

!!!! WARNING !!!!

>

> - CANDIDATE 02 EXPERIENCING 80% DISSOCIATION -

> - ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

> ...

> ...

> ...

!!!! WARNING !!!!

> - CANDIDATE 02 APPROACHING 100% DISSOCIATION -

> - CANDIDATE 06 EXPERIENCING 82% DISSOCIATION -

> - ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

- CANDIDATE 02 DISCONNECTING -

> ...

!!!! WARNING !!!!

> - CANDIDATE 06 APPROACHING 100% DISSOCIATION -

> - ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

> ...

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

- CANDIDATE 06 DISCONNECTING -

> ...

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

---------------------------

---------------------------

---------------------------

!!!! ALERT !!!!

APPROACHING 50% UNEXPECTED DISCONNECTION THRESHOLD

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

- ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

> ...

> ...

> ...

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

- ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

> ...

> ...

> ...

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

!!!! CRITICAL !!!!

- ALL STAFF PLEASE REPORT TO STATIONS -

The log repeats these last few lines intermittently every 15 minutes from 2001-03-09 until 2003-11-14 when the Foundation Security Penetration team managed to gain administrator privileges and disable the warning.

Addendum/4386 - Emergency Event 01 Report: On 2018-10-07, SCP-4386-06-EX3 began exhibiting symptoms of the Alphabet Glitch. Following this occurrence, SCP-4386-06-EX experienced a severe mental breakdown, during which a window was broken and SCP-4386-06-EX managed to impale his own neck with a glass shard. This caused a subsequent dissociation event and SCP-4386-06-EX was disconnected from SCP-4386-01. After 4 minutes, SCP-4386-06-EX suffered a violent brain hemorrhage and all vital signs ceased.

Prior to the breakdown, SCP-4386-06-EX contacted a virtual entity (VE) he had befriended in the simulation, by phone. The following conversation was recorded:

Date: 2018-10-07

Time: 23:14

VE-191473218: Hey dude, what's up?

SCP-4386-06-EX: Sam… dude, Sam, I'm not feeling…

VE-191473218: Not feeling what? You okay? I haven't seen you for-

SCP-4386-06-EX: Sam, you ever like… feel something's off? Like shit ain't how it's supposed to be?

VE-191473218: Uh… kinda? I mean like, sometimes I feel there's so much bad in the world and we should be doing something to make it better, y'know what I mean?

SCP-4386-06-EX: Fuck, Sa- no, that's not what I bloody-

[Silence for 8 seconds, monitors show SCP-4386-06-EX is holding his head]

VE-191473218: Dude? You still there? You need to sleep man, it's late, you haven't been sleeping enough lately, it's messing with-

SCP-4386-06-EX: Hey, Sam…

VE-191473218: Yeah?

[Silence for 12 seconds, monitors show SCP-4386-06-EX looking blankly at a wall]

VE-191473218: Dude, y-

SCP-4386-06-EX: Sam, have you ever… watched the bees4?

VE-191473218: …what?

SCP-4386-06-EX: Th- the bees! You know what fucking bees are, right?

VE-191473218: Uh, yeah, sure, what about them?

SCP-4386-06-EX: Have you ever watched them?! Seen what they do, watched them just… I dunno, just do their shit, whatever they do!

VE-191473218: … I guess not? I dunno man, I've never really thought about-

SCP-4386-06-EX: They don't make sense, Sam, they don't make any sense at all, they- Fuck! They just… I've been watching them and they aren't right somehow, I don't understand it! Have you ever actually watched them? It's like they don't belong here! The way they move, how they sound, how they act, how they… god… damn it, I don't get it, something's just wrong about them, I don't know how to explain-

VE-191473218: Okay, okay, listen man, I think you're having a breakdown or something. You should really call a doctor-

SCP-4386-06-EX: I don't need a bloody doctor, just believe me already, you're the only one who ever gets what I'm talking about, you know me, I don't make up shit like this, just… please Sam, I need someone to support me on this.

VE-191473218: Okay. Fine. I believe you. But can you just get some sleep so we can talk about this tomorrow?

[10 seconds of silence. SCP-4386-06-EX has lowered the phone from his head and his arms are hanging at his sides.]

VE-191473218: Dude? …you there?

[A further 13 seconds of silence, SCP-4386-06-EX has not moved.]

VE-191473218: Listen, if you're not gonna talk to me, I'm calling the police or something to come check on you-

[SCP-4386-06-EX lifts the phone to his ear again.]

SCP-4386-06-EX: Hey, Sam?

VE-191473218: Yeah, buddy?

SCP-4386-06-EX: Can you just promise me one thing?

VE-191473218: Sure.

SCP-4386-06-EX: Watch the bees, Sam.

VE-191473218: Okay bu-

[SCP-4386-06-EX ends the call.]

Addendum/4386 - Bug Report #8156: On 2019-06-14, investigation into a potential cause of the "Alphabet Glitch" began. The following bug report thread written by SCP Foundation IT staff has been attached for reference:

+ Open Bug Report #8156

- Close File

B.cof in wrong folder #8156

Closed L. Bolt created this issue on 2019-06-14 | 7 comments

L. Bolt commented on 2019-06-14

So I was just looking through the entity blueprint files and in the */insect folder, I found a copy of B.cof. Is that supposed to be in there? I opened it up and it looks like it's meant to be a Concept file, not an Entity file. Can someone look into this?

J. Palmer (admin) commented on 2019-06-14

Okay, I checked this out, and it seems to be an exact copy of the B.cof file we have stored in */concepts/language/letter directory. How the bloody hell did it get all the way over there? If anyone knows anything, please let me know so we can solve this quickly.

For now, I'm placing the B.cof in */insect on the Pending Removal pile. No one touch it until I get around to it.

H. Jay commented on 2019-06-15

You might not want to delete it just yet, I've just been looking into this myself. I had a hunch this might be related to our favourite Alphabet Glitch mystery, so I decided to check out the Evolutionary Event Log from the last decade.

Turns out our little B.cof file has actually been getting utilised as a part of the Entity Evolution Simulation5. Check it out yourselves, search for "B_letter_english" in the Entity Evolutionary Event Log from 2000. The Entity Evolution Simulation module has written an entire history for an insect species called "B", spanning back 120 million years, including an era where humans simply started spelling the creature's name as "bee". It's insane how much it has written for it, there's a whole load of branching species, superstitions, and everything. The people who wrote this module were really dedicated, that's for sure.

To be honest, these "bee" things seem pretty innocent. They're like slightly less intimidating wasps. So ultimately, they're not really a threat to normalcy in the simulation, but since the file was originally written to be the concept of the letter 'B' and not a bloody insect, I figure it's making them act in some peculiar ways the candidates are picking up on that we haven't noticed yet.

So I don't suppose we can just remove it now, can we? If we do that, the candidates are sure to notice the removal of what is ultimately a 120 million-year-old species.

J. Palmer (admin) commented on 2019-06-16

Bloody hell, I can't believe this has gone unnoticed for so long. You're right @hjay we can't delete this now, it will have to stay. I'll contact base and see what they want us to do about it.

Do we yet have any idea how this even happened? The Alphabet Glitch has been around since the BEI were running the show, so I know it was no one on our team that caused this colossal fuck up (thank god) but we should really find the cause, so we don't end up making the same mistake ourselves. Someone get on the logs and see if you can trace the original cause. I'll be creating a Task for that job and set this thread to watch it.

In the meantime, I'm closing Bug Report #1 since we've essentially identified the cause of the Alphabet Glitch now. This thread will take its place in trying to find a solution.

I'll be sending out an e-mail to the team, instructing everyone to leave the B.cof file alone for now.

J. Palmer has created a new Task: Task #411: Identify cause of B.cof copy

L. Bolt has taken Task: Task #411: Identify cause of B.cof copy

L. Bolt commented on 2019-06-18

I looked into the logs as requested. You are not going to believe this. You guys know who Matthew Warren was, the former BEI supervisor that ran this place right? I found this in his command history, check it out (relevant lines highlighted):

> cpy barklice.ef /insect

> Unrecognised command "cpy"!

> cpy barklice.ef insect

> Unrecognised command "cpy"!

> copy barklice.ef /insect

> Unrecognised command "copy"!

> …

> …

> - You have been inactive for 10 minutes! Security protocols will automatically log out inactive accounts after 15 minutes to avoid potential security breaches -.

> cp barklice.ef /insect

> Directory "insect" does not exist at that location!

> …

> cp barklice.ef */insect

> …

> cp barklice.ef */insect

> File called beetle.ef already exists in that location! Would you like to overwrite? Y/N

> N

> …

> cp beetle.ef */insect

> cp butterfly.ef */insect

> cp blowfly.ef */insect

> …

> ^C

> ^V

> ^C ^C

> ^V ^V ^V

> cp bedbug.ef */insect

> cp backswimmer.ef */insect

> cp bluet.ef */insect

> cp bedbug.ef */insect

> cp B.cof */insect

> …

> undo

> Unrecognised command "undo"!

> ^Z ^Z

> …

> delete */insect/B.cof

> Unrecognised command "delete"!

> del */insect/B.cof

> Unrecognised command "del"!

> …

> …

> - You have been inactive for 10 minutes! Security protocols will automatically log out inactive accounts after 15 minutes to avoid potential security breaches -.

> logout

> Successfully logged out!

Afterwards, I checked his action logs and there's no record of him actually doing any of that. Looks like he took a page out of Thompson's book and started deleting his embarassing action mishaps. He neglected that the commands themselves are still stored in his command history though. Not the brightest BEI member.

H. Jay commented on 2019-06-18

Wow. You can practically hear the cogs grinding in his head as he was doing that. That's incredible. That part where he desperately tries to "undo" had me in stitches.

Didn't one of the BEI guys theorise this was just a copy-paste error? I would have never guessed he was on to something.

J. Palmer (admin) commented on 2019-06-18

Jesus, how many people died just because some tool hadn't memorised the basic terminal commands?

I hope to God there's no one on our team that doesn't understand the basic commands on these systems too. The thought that the universe could have been destroyed because of these little "bee" things kind of terrifies me. Maybe I should run another staff course, just to be sure? It might help me sleep better after dwelling on this whole fiasco at least.

Well anyway, mystery solved, I'll be closing this ticket now.

Also, regarding how we handle the "bee" problem, I've sent out an e-mail to everyone regarding the new onsite CyTF we've been assigned and the new tech we're installing for them. If you don't have this, please contact me immediately, it's important you all read it.

J. Palmer has closed this issue.

Addendum/4386 - CyTF and VSCP-01: Following the discovery of the anomalous entities within the SCP-4386-01 simulation (known in-simulation as "bees"), they have been classified as a virtual anomaly hereon referred to as VSCP-01.

Instance of VSCP-01, known in-simulation as a "bee".

A Cyber Task Force (CyTF) has been assigned to police the simulation via a Neural VR6 mechanism designed to act as a weak interface with the SCP-4386-01 simulation. The assigned CyTF is currently tasked with manually culling the numbers of VSCP-01 over time, due to technical issues arising from the former plan to outright remove all files pertaining to VSCP-01 (see Addendum/4386 - Bug Report #8156).

The CyTF has been ordered to act with the goal of eliminating all VSCP-01 instances at a rate that will not arouse too much suspicion in SCP-4386-02 through 05. Upon the eradication of the species, files related to VSCP-01 will be given the right to permanent deletion.

Should additional non-deletable VSCP entities manifest, the CyTF will remain on standby until assigned removal duties accordingly.

Footnotes

1. See standard issue The Advanced Cover Story Guidebook by T.M. Williams for further information.

2. VSCP-01 is not considered an anomalous entity in-simulation.

3. Prior to this event, the now deceased fifth subject was designated SCP-4386-06 and the current SCP-4386-06 was designated SCP-4386-07. Following the event, the former SCP-4386-06 was reclassified as SCP-4386-06-EX

4. Assumed to be "bees" and not "B's", based on various writings referencing the term found in the simulation.

5. The Entity Evolution Simulation is an SCP-4386-01 module designed to represent historical and future evolution of all species present within the simulation, including evolutionary patterns predicted from interspecies interactions.

6. Carmack, John D., 2018. Breakthroughs in Human Neuron Mapping and their Applications to Modern Virtual Reality. CONFISCATED BY SCP FOUNDATION DUE TO ANOMALOUS CONTENT