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Article: SCP-128-PT — In a flat world

Author: Hinomupi

MTF PT2-Alpha was last seen containing SCP-042-PT

This whole article came from the idea of having a person disappear after colliding head-on with a four-dimensional object. I still think it would have been more interesting if it were an -EX. Shame I couldn't make it make sense

This whole article came from the idea of having a person disappear after colliding head-on with a four-dimensional object. I still think it would have been more interesting if it were an -EX. Shame I couldn't make it make sense

Item #: SCP-128-PT

Object Class: Safe

Threat Level: ● Purple

Special Containment Procedures: A lot surrounding the current location of SCP-128-PT has been fenced off and designated as private property. In the center of the lot, there are two subterranean air chambers that contain the anomaly. The external chamber is maintained at 70,000 Pa (~0.7 atm). In the event of any increase or decrease in pressure in the external chamber, a team is to be sent to repair the damaged chamber. The air chambers, which were originally above-ground, have been covered with soil, hiding them from the sight of nearby observers.

Research into technology capable of rescuing staff trapped in SCP-128-PT-1 is under way. Until then, supplies are to be sent weekly to the staff trapped in SCP-128-PT-1, along side equipment approved by the Area PT2's director. The creation of Stationary Task Force PT4-μ ("Quaternions"), which would operate a containment installation inside SCP-128-PT-1, was proposed. Until evacuation of SCP-128-PT-1 is possible, this proposal has been suspended, and the space has been designated as a green zone1.

Description: SCP-128-PT is an object theorized to be a hyper-dimensional spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin. Its intersection with normal space occupies a volume of 5.3 m by 10.1 m by 2.5 m in height, and is located 1.2 m above the ground. The exterior of the anomaly is uncommonly black, as it reflects practically 0% of the light that falls on it. The interior is illuminated artificially, and the surface of the corridors in its interior are composed of an unknown metal.

Any object that touches the walls of SCP-128-PT disappears instantaneously, and rapidly arrives at SCP-128-PT-1, the space immediately above the anomaly's floor. Staff lost in SCP-128-PT-1 have found themselves in locations with geometries coherent with one another, and many have been able to find each other in this space.

Discovery: SCP-128-PT was discovered by SAMA (Autonomous Atmosphere Monitoring System), which detected an intense air flux converging on ████████-MA, █.█ km away from Area PT2, where the anomaly was found. In a few hours, the air flux was able to be stopped utilizing [REDACTED], and the vacuum chamber that currently surrounds the anomaly was constructed in three days. Since then, it has been designated SCP-128-PT.

Aerial imagery revealed that in the first few hours after its appearance, the object changed form constantly. Mobile Task Force PT2-Alpha ("Homeless") was stationed at Area PT2, and part of it was sent to explore the anomaly 24h after the end of the vacuum chamber's construction.

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Video record transcription 128-1 - 1st exploration of SCP-128-PT

Date: 04/05/2019

Exploration Team: Mobile Task Force PT2-α ("Homeless")

2-α 01 - Team leader

2-α 02 - Tactical support

2-α 03 - Tactical support / Thaumaturgy specialist

2-α 04 - Tactical support / Paratechnology specialist

Each member was equipped with a flashlight with a battery life of 3 hours, emergency rations, an automatic firearm, and 50 rounds of ammunition. They were wearing low pressure suits.

Recording begins when the airlock is closed. At the beginning of the recording, 2-α 04 illuminates the exterior of SCP-128-PT, which remains perfectly black.

Area Command: Okay, 2-Alpha, video and audio transmission perfectly functional. What do you report from the exterior of the anomaly?

2-α 03: Visually it seems the object's shape has stabilized, command. 02 is already setting up the equipment for a more precise measurement. Right there it seems like there's a two by two meter entrance. The interior doesn't absorb all light like the exterior. There's an object that looks like a gate, but it stops halfway through the opening. Doesn't look like it's broken either.

2-α 02: Command, this is 02. Instruments indicate zero ongoing deformation, and that temperature is slightly below room temperature.

AC: Understood, 02. 03, that opening didn't show up in previous records. You have permission to proceed, just be careful.

The team begins to climb towards the opening.

2-α 02: Artificial lighting. This was constructed, by the looks of it.

2-α 04: Whoever made this liked the concept of corridors so much, they didn't even bother thinking if they were useful or not.

2-α 01: At least there's only one path.

2-α 04: Exactly. You can't even say it's supposed to confuse invaders, since you can see the extra corridors go nowhere.

2-α 03: 04, settle down.

2-α 01: Certainly this isn't natural.

In a lateral dead end corridor, the team finds what appears to be a console with a cubic screen, with many symbols on its surface, floating in the center of the corridor. 2-α 02 touches the superior surface2 and drags a symbol to the side. It slides until it is off-screen, while the other symbols remain in place. When it reaches the edge, 2-α 01 records the appearance and disappearance of another symbol on the lateral surface directly below the edge of the superior surface out of which the first symbol exited. It is of the same color as the first, and rapidly changing shape. Researchers suggested that this might be indicative of the symbol being 3-dimensional.

AC: Careful, 02. We don't know what that terminal does, nor what could happen to you.

2-α 02: By dragging something to the side?

2-α 01: Honestly, would it surprise you?

2-α 02: Yeah, you're right.

The team arrives at a sudden choke point in the corridor. Only one person can pass at a time.

2-α 03: We already know what you're gonna say, 04. No need to say it.

2-α 04: Understood.

There are unrecognized objects on the floor ahead. They have random, rounded shapes. The most popular standing theory is that they are the cadavers of the anomaly's old crew. When all members have passed the choke point, they approach the bodies.

2-α 03: If I had to guess, I'd say this is biological.

For a few moments, MTF PT2-α look around in silence.

2-α 01: Command, it looks like there isn't anywhere else for us to go. Requesting permission to return.

Area PT2 Command spends a certain amount of time deliberating, but it is not captured by the microphone, and the recording returns to silence.

AC: Permission granted, 01. You may return.

2-α 04 turns towards the exit, but trips on a bump on the ground and falls. When he collides with the wall, he disappears instantaneously. The color of the video feed of the other team members is altered by an amount imperceptible to the naked eye. 2-α 04's camera continues to record the anomaly's interior. The geometry of the interior changes rapidly for 0.45 s. At the beginning of this event, his suit beeps, indicating null internal pressure. When the geometry stabilizes, the suit beeps again indicating high internal pressure. 2-α 01 to 03 draw their weapons.

2-α 03: OH SHIT.

2-α 02: COMMAND, WHAT HAPPENED?

AC: We're still receiving his video feed. 04, can you hear us?

2-α 04: Ouch. Huh? Command, are you seeing this?

2-α 04 raises his legs, revealing that he is floating.

AC: Affirmative, 04. How are you feeling?

2-α 04: I feel like I hit the ground as a whole. Like, I felt the collision even in my internal organs. Where are the others?

AC: The rest of the team is still in the anomaly. They're all where you were previously. Can you move?

2-α 04: It's like being in zero gravity. I move if I push the walls, but I stop moving fast. Something dissipates my movement. Like drag or something.

AC: The interior is very different for 04. 01, look around so we can compare.

The cameras are moved about randomly. The interior remains unchanged for 2-α 01, but for 2-α 04 there are many more corridors in all directions, some are tens of meters long, and some have similar geometry to those explored by the rest of the team. 2-α 02 and 03 are still visibly stressed due to 2-α 04's disappearance. 2-α 04 turns around, sees the bodies and the camera's movement stops.

2-α 04: What's going on here?

2-α 04 raises his weapon and points it to the bodies. They are larger and in greater quantity. They are surrounded by a translucent liquid with a brown hue3. Some of the bodies are not in contact with any of the anomaly's surfaces.

2-α 04: Command, when did these things move?

AC: Remain calm, 04. 01, show us the objects on the ground.

2-α 01 turns the camera.

2-α 01: Same as earlier.

Area Command relays this information to 2-α 04, who calms down and lowers his weapon after a minute.

2-α 04: Of course. They're probably not even the same objects. (Looking around.) Command, I'm gonna need a few hours to explore all this. I think I'll need more supplies.

Area Command asks for a member of the team to throw some of their rations where 2-α 04 fell. 2-α 01 throws some of his rations to the side, and they disappear as they come into contact with the wall. In less than two seconds, the thrown rations appear in SCP-128-PT-1. The package has a small tear, and some food spills out through the air. In half a second, the package and the overflowing food stops moving and remains still in the air.

2-α 04: Huh.

2-α 04 pushes the package, which shortly ceases movement once more.

2-α 04: Not what I expected to see in zero gravity. (Looks to the screen on his suit) Atmospheric pressure is slightly above 1 atm. It appears my suit reached a peak pressure of 2 atm. Seeing as I'm not dead, I'd say the atmosphere here has a similar composition to our normal atmosphere. Maybe I can take my suit off. Command?

AC: Remain in the suit for as long as possible.

2-α 04: Understood. I'll proceed with the exploration.

<End of Record>

Note: 2-α 04 continued exploring the anomaly until the arrival of the second expedition. Soon after the end of the record, 2-α 01 through 03 spent a few minutes analyzing the panel close to the entrance, and then exited SCP-128-PT and returned to Area PT2. See record 128-2 for the recording of 2-α 04's exploration of SCP-128-PT-1.

On the following day, a second expedition was sent into the anomaly to collect samples. All of those who attempted to retrieve samples of SCP-128-PT's walls became stuck within SCP-128-PT-1. Attempts to retrieve samples from the ceiling or floor did not cause these effects, however they were unable to be removed, even when they appeared completely disconnected from the structure.

In general, there are many more corridors accessible in SCP-128-PT-1 than there are in the intersection of the anomaly with normal space. Additionally, the total volume of corridors explored by staff trapped there exceeds the anomaly's external volume significantly.

The only confirmed casualty of this expedition so far was Agent ███████ ████████, who touched SCP-128-PT near it's entrance. On the outside of the anomaly, there appeared to be only empty space. None of the Solar System's astronomical bodies were visible, including Earth, however a few distant stars were visible. Looking into the interior of the anomaly, it was noted that the entrance was blocked by a wall. The agent stretched his hand towards space. After a certain point his hand disappeared. The agent began to be pulled outwards, and his suit began to depressurize rapidly. When his body passed through the point where his hand had disappeared, the agent's recording showed SCP-128-PT shrinking rapidly and disappearing after approximately 0.1 s. No change to SCP-128-PT was noticed by observers within SCP-128-PT or in normal space after this event.

As he explored SCP-128-PT-1, 2-α 04 found, in a location inaccessible in base space, a source of noise which produced a sound similar to that of an alarm. It was noted that the intensity of the noise was inversely proportional to the distance to the source cubed. Taking this into consideration, the hypothesis that SCP-128-PT might be a non-anomalous four-dimension object arose.

After the second expedition, in order to rescue the staff within SCP-128-PT, two four-dimensional objects were created. Each of these objects was made by the union of two three-dimensional objects (one in normal space and another in SCP-128-PT-1), utilizing a substance with a melting point between the temperature within the vacuum chamber that surrounds the anomaly, and room temperature.

When these objects were moved in SCP-128-PT-1, observers in base space saw a visible section of the object move. When force was applied on the objects, in order to transfer the section in base space into SCP-128-PT-1 and vice-versa, the objects disappeared from SCP-128-PT-1, and the two sections exchanged spaces successfully, however they did not affect the staff member that would be transported into base space.

Using a similar design to the two previous objects, a third object was created. It incorporated a camera in each section. This object was used to map SCP-128-PT in all its dimensions. The result of the mapping is available upon request.

Addendum: Note from the Director of Research on SCP-128-PT.

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A possible explanation for SCP-128-PT

Date: 20/10/2019

After extensive research, what has been observed so far shows that the anomaly behaves according to what is expected from a four-dimensional object. The majority of the laws of physics behave normally, and the ones that are apparently violated have been revealed as specific cases for three dimensions of more general laws that are followed.

As it is practically impossible for a three-dimensional being to naturally comprehend a four-dimensional object, I will explain the most notable oddities with an analogy:

Think on a species of two-dimensional beings. Like a sheet of paper someone could place perfectly upright (a very unstable equilibrium, but still an equilibrium), on which all specimens find themselves on the same plane. Normally these creatures would never suspect they live in a three-dimensional world, since everything they experience would occur on this plane.

Now imagine one of the creatures encounters a three-dimensional object. I'll use a cylindrical tube as an example. If this object doesn't touch the floor on the plane, but is instead supported outside of it, it would appear to be floating to these specimens, just like SCP-128-PT. Depending on how the tube is oriented in relation to the plane, it may appear to have an exit or not, like the anomaly's strange corridors.

If any of those beings touches one of the tube's walls, and the wall is not perfectly perpendicular to the plane, any force that it applied would remove the being from its unstable equilibrium and knock it over. From the other specimen's point of view, it would disappear, and it would fall on the ground. It would now be in a plane equivalent to SCP-128-PT-1, which is perpendicular to gravity and to the floor that is no longer visible, which would give it the impression that it is flying.

Any specimen that tried to retrieve a sample would also fall. However, if they managed to find a perpendicular surface to the plane, it would only be able to damage the structure along the plane. It would create a piece of the structure that appears to be disconnected from the rest of it to whoever lives on the plane, but that is still connected in all other directions. If these beings attempted to collect some liquid produced by the tube, any vessel they created would be two-dimensional, and the fluid would easily escape through the sides. This is why we cannot analyze materials from SCP-128-PT.

If these researchers have never witnessed these effects before, their atmosphere is probably also two-dimensional. When gasses touch the tube, they would fall in the same way as the paper creatures. Since the space they fall in would never be saturated with gas, the mere presence of this tube in this world's plane could, if not contained, eventually empty the atmosphere. And so we contain it. It's not every day that we have to contain a potentially explainable object, that fits in a warehouse, which is capable of causing an XK class scenario, but here we are.

For the time being this is just a hypothesis. With this being the only four-dimensional object known to the Foundation, it's hard to say with certainty if the entire world as we know it always had an extra spatial dimension which the processes that developed this world decided not to use. However, maybe someday we will find out the fourth dimension is as valid a direction as the other three, and that all we know is only an infinitesimal fraction of the Universe.

- Dr. Nathalia Lemos

Footnotes

1. Location focused on research that does not house anomalies

2. Later, 2-α 02 stated he applied considerable force on the screen, in order to see if it would move.

3. Attempts were made to collect this fluid for analysis, however, the substance appeared to simply pass through the flasks in which it was collected.

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From: Dr. Paulo Duarte (pcs.hcraeser-sul|etraudoluap#pcs.hcraeser-sul|etraudoluap)

To: Dra. Nathalia Lemos (pcs.hcraeser-sul|somelailahtan#pcs.hcraeser-sul|somelailahtan)

Subject: RE: A possible explanation for SCP-128-PT

Dr. Lemos,

Since the emergence of the hypothesis that 128 has four dimensions, there's something that I can't get off my mind. Don't worry, I've already understood why in a world of standing pieces of paper, forces that would topple it can never appear, and that what occurs in SCP-128-PT requires an object with an extra dimension.

But this idea of the flat world is still very strange to me. The precision required to make a sheet of paper stand on its edge is infinite. If a single atom were one femtometer off, eventually the sheet of paper would fall, and would be like the people in SCP-128-PT-1. If the Sun in its formation managed to be perfectly flat, of course everything that came from it would also be flat, but how did it manage that? What about the heavy elements that formed much, much earlier than the Sun? Were they always in the same plane, or did some event put them here?

Maybe being three-dimensional is an anomaly. And, even after everything I've seen here at the Foundation, that's a sentence I never thought I'd say.

- Paulo Duarte