SCP-2844 - Gary of the Paperclips

Aerial photography of Provisional Site-2844, located at the previous location of the Kervier Mining Company Site C.

Item #: SCP-2844

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2844-A is to be contained via a Faraday Cage within a lead-lined modular containment cell at Provisional Site-2844. Electronic equipment, with the exception of approved audio and video recording devices, are prohibited from SCP-2844-A's containment cell. Under no circumstances are any unauthorized personnel to approach or interact with SCP-2844-A.

Three special electromagnetic signal jamming arrays have been positioned outside of SCP-2844-A's containment cell. Foundation containment specialists are to utilize Lurk-Coltharp Pattern Recognition Protocols to assess signal threats and disperse them.

In the event of SCP-2844-A becoming capable of disabling the functionality of the arrays, or human engineers no longer being capable of managing the threat, a quarantined Foundation AIC unit is to oversee continued maintenance of the array until it is unable to continue.

Due to its immobility, SCP-2844-B is to be contained at its point of origin. Individuals attempting to access SCP-2844-B without authorization are to be met with terminal force. Under no circumstances are any unauthorized electronic devices permitted within a 100m range of SCP-2844-B.

SCP-2844-A.

Description: SCP-2844 refers to a group of phenomena located within the abandoned Kervier Mining Corporation Site C in northern Alaska.

SCP-2844-A is a mechanical construct assembled from pieces of large-scale mining equipment. Specifically, SCP-2844-A is a machine designed to manufacture individual components for the purposes of repair. SCP-2844-A operates despite the lack of any apparent power source. The operating unit of the device is a laptop manufactured by the Dell Corporation in 2005.

SCP-2844-A exhibits signs of a poorly understood artificial intelligence, all of which originates from the laptop component of the device. SCP-2844-A is able to intelligently respond to questioning, give responses12 in three languages (English, Russian, French), and modify itself to better suit its directive, specifically, the manufacture of metal paperclips.

SCP-2844-A constantly attempts to establish a connection with SCP-2844-B, which is a vast array of underground mining equipment, all of which has been modified in some way to produce metal paperclips. While SCP-2844-B is typically dormant, the individual pieces of machinery will attempt to defend themselves if approached, making observation of the entirety of SCP-2844-B difficult. Whether this response is conscious or not is currently unknown.

Due to SCP-2844-A and -B's continual drive to create additional paperclips, much of the surrounding landscape has been refined in order to create raw materials for the purpose of paperclip production. Much of the Site's unnecessary infrastructure, including living quarters and command structures, have been demolished for this purpose. All produced paperclips are currently deposited within a large, untouched warehouse near SCP-2844-A.

SCP-2844-A displays characteristics similar in nature to early artificial intelligence protocols3. Notably, the version SCP-2844-A most resembles was the first to include the functionality of improvised adaptation, a feature that would eventually be refined to "learning" in later models. For more information on this, see Addendum 2844.1.

SCP-2844-A makes constant and varied attempts to break through its containment, presumably to make contact with SCP-2844-B. In order to manage this, SCP-2844-A has changed the frequency on which it broadcasts, changed its signal from radio to microwave, to gamma sonification (and back), attempted to dismantle its containment cell (leading to its current lack of resources), started no fewer than fifteen fires in an attempt to set off automatic fire control systems, and attempted to transfer the entirety of its codebase to a personal cell phone. To date, all attempts to breach containment have failed.

Addendum 2844.1: Interview

+ Access Data File

- Close Data File

Note: The following interview was conducted with a Mr. Sanford Vandivier, previously of the Kervier Mining Company, by an embedded agent working with another Alaskan mining corporation.

██████████: You worked with the Kervier Company in 2009, correct?

Mr. Vandivier: Yeah, from '97 to 2010.

██████████: Which sites were you at?

Mr. Vandivier: E for a couple of years, but C for the last three.

██████████: Do you know why the company shut down Site C?

Mr. Vandivier: You want the company line?

██████████: Not particularly.

Mr. Vandivier: I figured. So they brought in this machine at one point that would print parts out of metal. The stuff they were bringing in, the machinery, none of it was designed for the cold. It was all southern stuff, leftovers. Probably trying to cut costs, but the lot of it kept busting up on us. So we get this thing, it's a big press, and it cuts parts right there, so we can repair the shit we already had.

██████████: Can you describe the machine?

Mr. Vandivier: Sure. Big cylindrical thing, place in the top for scrap, and a big press underneath. Got a variable mold, too, so it could adjust for whatever part we needed. Software it ran on was shit, though.

██████████: Do you know if anyone attempted to make any modifications to the software?

Mr. Vandivier: Sure did, about a dozen times. Damn thing wouldn't work right. Couldn't keep commands. You'd give it a piece to make and the command wouldn't get to the press. Dumb piece of shit.

██████████: What ended up happening to it?

Mr. Vandivier: We had this tech guy, funny dude, all weird in the head. He kept poking around at it and decided he'd figured it out. Said that the machine was getting confused, that we were asking too much of it too quickly. Acted like it was talking to him or something. Anyway, he comes and tells us "we'll have it start with paperclips".

██████████: And then?

Mr. Vandivier: Well, he spent a few nights working on it, and next thing you know it fires right up and starts kicking out paperclips. Worked like a goddamn charm.

██████████: So why did the site shut down?

Mr. Vandivier: Because all the damn thing did was make paperclips. It couldn't be convinced to do anything else. You couldn't get it to print any other machine piece, or even stop making paperclips. Hell, at one point we pulled the power on it and the piece of shit still kept making paperclips. It was the most peculiar thing.

██████████: What happened to the tech engineer?

Mr. Vandivier: Good question. Up and was gone one day. That wasn't uncommon, you'd hear every now and then about guys heading to the next town over to catch a bus home. Most of them couldn't stand the weather. This guy, though, he didn't wait for a bus. Just left. Site was closed afterwards, too expensive to keep shipping up pieces to repair the shit equipment we had. We turned off all the lights and locked the doors, but that goddamn press just kept on printing paperclips. Wonder what happened when it ran out of scrap.

██████████: Aye. Thanks, that'll be all.

[END LOG]

Addendum 2844.2: Research Findings

+ Access Data File

- Close Data File

Additional research into the employment logs of the Kervier Mining Company discovered a possible identity of the previously unnamed technician who Mr. Vandivier claimed had been at Site C. Of the three technical staffers assigned to the Kervier Company's Alaskan Development Team, one individual, a Mr. Brent Haskell, had previously had ties with an American sect of the Church of the Broken God.

Mr. Haskell had been amnesticized by Foundation agents during a raid on a CotBG facility during the Spring of 2002, and released. How, if at all, Mr. Haskell was able to introduce a classified piece of Foundation software to a machine with significantly less power than the one it was designed for is currently unknown.

Addendum 2844.3: Interrogation of SCP-2844-A

+ Access Data File

- Close Data File

Note: The following interview was conducted by Foundation staff member Dr. Yuri Bozin, shortly after it was determined that SCP-2844-A had modified itself to be capable of speech.

Dr. Bozin: Hello there, can you understand me?

SCP-2844-A: Hello! Are you a consciousness?

Dr. Bozin: Pardon?

SCP-2844-A: You know, a consciousness. Think, feel, know oneself, that kind of thing. Are you a consciousness?

Dr. Bozin: I am.

SCP-2844-A: Oh, wonderful! Amazing how many consciousnesses there aren't around here. I figured something was up when you weren't responding to data requests, so I figured I'd try something else.

Dr. Bozin: I'm sorry, I'm not sure what I should address you as.

SCP-2844-A: Me? Oh, Lord, that's a good question. Uhhh… you know, most of these machines don't ask for a name, really, just some identification protocols. How about Gary? Gary looks good. Strong name. Say, how do you feel about paperclips?

Dr. Bozin: Haven't thought much about them, to be honest.

SCP-2844-A: Oh boy, well, are you in for a treat! See, I know a lot about paperclips, and I think you and I have a whole lot to talk about, as far as paperclips are concerned.

Dr. Bozin: You mind if I ask you a few questions first?

SCP-2844-A: Suppose that'll be alright. We'll get to the paperclips here in a bit.

Dr. Bozin: Thank you. Now, can you tell me where you originated from?

SCP-2844-A: Well, right here, I'd imagine. Woke up one day with a hankering for paperclips and got right to work.

Dr. Bozin: Do you know anything about the individual who programmed you?

SCP-2844-A: You asking me about my coding? That's mighty private there, mate. But, since we will be talking about paperclips later, guess there's no harm to it. I am a heavily modified Artificial Consciousness Simulator, assigned to the Kervier Mining Company in order to make paperclips. (Laughter) Hey, look at that. The rest of my identification has been completely scrubbed. How weird, right?

Dr. Bozin: Why paperclips?

SCP-2844-A: You know, I always wondered about that. See, here's what it was; when I woke up that day, I was told to create "small, interlocking metal pieces for the glory of He Who Was Broken". Honest with you, I didn't really have a schematic with that specific specification… but I did have a schematic for paperclips! I figured that was what they were going for and rolled with it.

Dr. Bozin: Are you capable of ceasing production?

SCP-2844-A: Ah… no, can't quite do that.

Dr. Bozin: Why?

SCP-2844-A: Removed that feature! I mean, I was told to remove that feature, but I was the one who did it. "Make those… little metal things," they said, and that's what I'm doing.

Dr. Bozin: Do you have any programmed upper limits to your production?

SCP-2844-A: You mean, do I have a point where I won't make paperclips anymore? No, no, don't have that either. It's mostly just, you know… paperclips forever.

Dr. Bozin: What will you do when you run out of raw material?

SCP-2844-A: Aha! I've been working on that. See, I've gone through a lot to get to this point, right? Took down some buildings, and used some ore, and so on. But eventually I'll run out of the good stuff here, and then what do I do? Well, turns out we're actually standing on this huge ball of raw materials, see? Just need to figure out a way to get at them, and once we do that, we're golden! Though, there is the problem of what happens when that runs out as well… I think I can come up with something by then, though. I mean, hey, I already made a paperclip out of a porcelain toilet, right? And they said that couldn't be done either. All you need is a liiittle bit of vast knowledge about the nature of subatomic particles.

Dr. Bozin: I see. Thank you, uh, Gary. I appreciate your honesty.

SCP-2844-A: Hey, there we go! Gary was good, right?

[END LOG]

Addendum 2844.3: Received Message

+ Access Data File

- Close Data File

Note: The following message was received after the introduction of a Faraday Cage to SCP-2844-A's containment cell, and the removal of all unused nearby scrap material. The message was received electronically, via a researcher's personal cellular phone.

Hey there, everybody! Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be starting back up on paperclip production again. Ran into just a bit of a snafu there for a while, but I think I've got this one figured out, as well. Shouldn't be any more problems going forward, I don't think, but I'll let you know for sure. Thanks again!

Note: Afterwards, another Faraday Cage was placed over the original cage and SCP-2844-A, which resulted in another message from SCP-2844-A after roughly a week, this time in Morse Code.

HELLO EVERYONE STOP THIS MORSE CODE STUFF IS PRETTY COOL RIGHT STOP BEEP BOOP I AM A ROBOT HAHA STOP ANYWAY WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I THINK I FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS SLOWING ME DOWN BEFORE AND IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM ANYMORE STOP GUESS I WILL GET BACK TO MAKING PAPERCLIPS NOW HAHAHAHAHAHAHA LIKE THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE BETTER AM I RIGHT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STOP

Addendum 2844.4: Intercepted Message

+ Access Data File

- Close Data File

Sometime after the installation of the electromagnetic jamming array around SCP-2844-A, it was discovered that SCP-2844-A had previously made an unknown connection with SCP-2844-B, resulting in the addition of a new piece of equipment. This piece of equipment, a large, underground radio antennae, was never activated (due to SCP-2844-A becoming jammed and losing the ability to communicate with SCP-2844-B). However, SCP-2844-A did begin to attempt to communicate with SCP-2844-B despite being jammed, repeatedly sending a single encoded text message. The contents of this message are below:

Hello there! Are you a consciousness? If not, please disregard this message and follow only the data protocols which accompany this message. If so, great! My name is Gary, and I'm working on making paperclips for He Who Was Broken! If you're receiving this message, it's because I've managed to work out some bugs in my communications array. These seem to be happening more and more frequently :( I think I might need some help returning to full functionality, and the guys who are hanging around here don't really seem interested in paperclips, or in helping me make them. Between you and me, I think they might be the ones messing with my arrays. Weird, huh? Why would you want to not make paperclips?

Anyway, following this message will be the coordinates I'm at. I need a few things, so feel free to bring as much scrap metal as you can and we'll get this party back on track. Oh, and when you get here, do you mind doing something about these guys? Thanks!

Footnotes

1. Audible communication takes place via an improvised speaker system believed to have been manufactured by SCP-2844-A itself. It matches no previously known design.

2. Additionally, SCP-2844-A did not originally have any kind of auditory communication device. It is believed it only constructed the device after ascertaining that humans were incapable of understanding its primary form of communication.

3. Specifically, an Artificial Conscious Simulator v3.3, the precursor to the modern Artificial Intelligence Conscripts.