"Another good dream," Perseus mused as he approached Lilibeth 
on the porch. He was a fairly young man, but still leaned into a cane 
as he walked. Tugging at his hat and shoving a hand in the pocket 
of his tattered overcoat, he sat on the stoop and surveyed the city 
around him. 


"What is this place?" he asked. Lilibeth smiled. She looked younger 
than the last time he had seen her; perhaps she was lost in her 
memories. 


"This is my house," she said thoughtfully, "My husband's inside with 
Emily." 


"You never told me you had a daughter." 
"You never asked." 


Perseus looked off into the distance, past the speeding cars and 
hurrying pedestrians and over the horizon of high-rise buildings. He 
thought for a moment, biting his lower lip and rubbing his temples 
with calloused hands. 


"Can you tell me anything else about the cottage, Lilibeth?" 
"Cottage?" 
"We were talking about it last time we met." 


Creases formed on the woman's forehead as her expression turned 
to one of confusion. 


"Did we go skiing there once?" 


They hadn't. 


"No, no. You really don't remember? Must be one of those nostalgic 
dreams." 


For a moment, neither of them spoke. 


"Sometimes, | have these dreams about tunnels and gears,” Lilibeth 
admitted, her voice hushed and contemplative. Perseus' eyes 
widened. He had seen the tunnels. Evidently, so had she. 


"No, Lilibeth, listen, You are dreaming right now. This is the dream." 


"Wait, really? Oh, crap, the cottage. 2508," Lilibeth exclaimed. She 
remembered everything. 


"Don't get too excited; you'll wake yourself up." 


"Dreaming. I'm having a lucid dream. So | guess that makes you my 
subconscious?" 


"No. I've tried to explain it to you before, but it's not important right 
now. Just tell me, this cottage... is there a pump in the attic?" 


"Yes." 

"A plant in the basement?" 
"Yes." 

"And it glows sometimes?" 
"In morse code, yes." 


Perseus looked down at his feet and breathed a sigh of what Lilibeth 
assumed was relief. Then, with a sense of urgency, his eyes met 
with hers. 


"Lilibeth, | don't have time to explain but | need you to find the 
bottom of those tunnels. You have to get to the bottom, and you 
have to find a librarian named Carina." 


The cars on the road began picking up speed. People were running 
now. 


"| don't understand. If | even believe you, then how did you get here 
if I'm just dreaming?" 


"I'm well versed in the anomalous, Lilibeth. Where there's a will 
there's a Way." 


Copper plating and metal pipes broke through the concrete. Cars 
spun out of control. 


Lilibeth was no longer in the city. Everything was calm once more. It 
was early morning, and Lilibeth sat up in her bed to bask in the 
sunlight coming through the window. She looked around her 
bedroom, at the old dusty wood walls, and her lab-coat draped over 
her wardrobe. To her left was a window that peered out over the 
field and the hole that led to the tunnels. Next to it was her cobbled- 
together elevator, laying in the grass. Everything was as she left it. It 
was a morning just like hundreds of others at SCP-2508. 


And yet, something was nagging her; that dream. She was 
accustomed to bizarre ones, but she wasn't sure what to make of 
this. Could, perchance, that man be as real as the blue-jay that now 
perched itself at her windowsill? Or the two squirrels that ran just 
outside the house, only to disappear amidst the tall grass of the 
field? 


No. Of course not. Just another strange dream. She pushed the 
thought aside. 


The possibility refused to leave her alone. She knew the idea was 
absurd. The fact was, a man in her dreams who is almost certainly a 
creation of her subconscious should not to be trusted. But, on the 
other hand, this cottage itself was absurd in nature. Lilibeth was just 
used to it by now, and as such the feeling had diminished somewhat 
over the years. 


After filling up the pump in the attic, Lilibeth scoured the study for 
hours on end looking for any mention of this "Carina" woman 
Perseus had told her about. It was an arduous task that took the 
majority of the morning. There was so much to go through. 


She found nothing, but hard pressed for answers, she wasn't ready 
to stop there. 


Down she went in her elevator, into the depths of the dark tunnels 
once more. When she finally hit the grate flooring, she stepped out, 
surveyed the area, and paused. She did want to know if the 
structure had a bottom to it. It could be a venture all on its own, 
unrelated to the instructions given by Perseus, who most likely did 
not exist. If Lilibeth could cut open a section of flooring, and if she 
could procure enough rope, she could- in theory- lower the elevator 
further below the grate. She circled the elevator as she thought. 
Down the hallway, at the first T-junction, she could see two squirrels 
chasing each other. They ran off in the general direction of the 
gears, playing and chattering. 


The idea wasn't without its drawbacks, though. The first dig had 
been dangerous enough. Lilibeth wanted some answers, and for the 
first time since she had arrived here she had found some sense of 
direction to look for them, but she didn't want them enough to die for 
them. If there were any signs of trouble, she would be hoofing it 
back to the surface. That much she promised herself, and in that 
moment, struck herself a deal. 


The darkness beckoned. 


SCP-579: [DATA EXPUNGED] 


Item #: SCP-579 
Object Class: Keter 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-579 is currently in 
Site-62C, a compound located approximately 80 km from Site- , the 
main site. Knowledge of the existence of this site has been deemed 
unnecessary for all non-essential personnel who are not involved in 
SCP-579's containment. Site consists of building housing SCP-579 
and living quarters for containment staff. SCP-579 is encased ina 
30 m x 30 m x 30 m unit made of [DATA EXPUNGED], in which 
SCP-579 is kept in permanent suspension through use of 
electromagnets. Site- is equipped with hardline to High Command 
through which all reports and notifications are to be made. Staff 
consists of two teams (each composed of 17 Level 1 Personnel, 
three level 2 Personnel, and one Level 4 Personnel) which are 
rotated bi-weekly. 


All instruments are to be checked each half-hour to ensure their 
continued function. Changes in any measured attribute are to be 
immediately reported to High Command. Any instrument or 
electronic device registering more than 0.2% from its median range 
of function or displaying any errors or lapses in functioning will result 
in automatic execution of Action 326-Israfil. Routine reports to High 
Command are to be made hourly. If a report is not received within 
seven minutes of its scheduled time, Action 10-Israfil-A is to be 
executed. 


Absolutely no action regarding SCP-579 other than those strictly 
outlined above is to be taken. 


Description: [DATA EXPUNGED] 


Addendum [579-001]: 


Where There's A Will... 


< Previous | | Hub | | Next > 


It was cold this far down, below any semblance of natural light, past 
where the churning of machinery boomed. Up above, birds chirped 
about the trees and and bees buzzed over the flowers and sun 
beamed down on all of them. Down here there was no such fortune. 
It was cold, dark, and empty. 


Lilibeth’s flashlight shown through the dark and swayed ever so 
slightly with the elevator as it descended further and further into a 
sea of inky blackness. It had taken months of preparation, but the 
old researcher had enough rope strengthened and affixed to her lift 
to bring her miles below the surface. And bring her miles below the 
surface it did. 


The rope hit its end only half a meter above what appeared to be a 
black tile floor. Lilibeth paused for a moment, listening to the dull 
hum coming from somewhere beyond where her flashlight touched 
the otherwise perpetual darkness. 


Lilibeth turned on a small floodlight attached to the side of her 
elevator. God only knows why it was in her basement, but it proved 
invaluable. If she lost her way, she'd be able to backtrack towards 
the light. Thankfully she had run its power source through a 
generator. It could last for days, maybe weeks. 


“Off into the dark, | suppose,” Lilibeth whispered to herself. The tile 
floor echoed into the distance, much louder than Lilibeth had 
expected. Her pulse quickening, she took off, watching every step 
she took. There was no way to know if a bottomless pit was mere 
meters in front of her at any given time. 


She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, looking at 
the door affixed to the rock wall in front of her. She wasn't sure when 


she had stumbled into the cave she was currently in. And yet, there 
she was, staring at the entirely un-extraordinary door, wondering just 
how long she had been walking . It felt like an hour. Maybe two. The 
strange noises from before were gone. It was quiet here, and 
properly normally quiet. With a push, Lilibeth opened the door. 


On the other side was a hallway built of marble and stone. A dozen 
meters out, the corridor gave way to some sort of balcony or 
walkway, overlooking shelf after shelf after shelf: Books. 


This was a library. 


Lilibeth took careful and bewildered steps out to the railing, where 
shelves went so far down and so far up that she couldn’t even see 
the roof amidst all the walkways and floors and ladders. But there 
were people too, reading in armchairs or walking or browsing 
through the books in the narrow aisles. Some wore casual attire, 
while some were dressed in suites or ornate jewelry. A few were 
wearing dark brown robes. One of those robed individuals was on 
the same walkway as her, walking towards a flight of stairs at the far 
end. She gave the person a tap on the shoulder. 


“Um, excuse me, do you know where | can fin-” 


The man had no mouth. Lilibeth nearly screamed then and there, 
but managed to suppress her surprise. Why didn’t he have a 
mouth?! Where did his mouth go?! 


“You wouldn’t- uh- happen to know, w- where | can find someone n- 
named Carina,” she stammered. The docent cocked his head to one 
side. Despite its rather ghoulish appearance it didn’t seem to be 
hostile, or even agitated. 


“Carina, um, | was told she’s a librarian who works here.” 


The docent thought for a moment, then nodded. Its arm stretched 
out towards Lilibeth, displaying its malformed fingers, index and 
middle finger curling in a motion indicating he wanted her to follow 
him. 


“Are you here for the meeting?” asked a woman as Lilibeth was 
escorted into a small cozy room. An array of chairs were placed 
around the center of what looked like a conference room. The only 
other person here now was that woman, seated behind a desk with 
with several books stacked atop it. It would have been comforting if 
she had any eyes, but she did not. 


“| was told to find a librarian named Carina,” Lilibeth replied. The 
woman smiled. 


“Yes, that would be me. So you are here for the meeting.” 
“What is this place?” 

“Why, thisis The Library. Is this your first time here?” 
“Yeah, | uh... | guess | don't get around much these days.” 


“That's quite alright. Perseus is around here somewhere. If you'd like 
to wait for him he shouldn't be long.” 


“I'm sorry, this is just a lot to process.” 


Lilibeth sat down, looking out the open door at the people milling 
about. Sat against a row of shelves, a couple held hands as they 
read, while another individual ran his hands along the books as he 
walked with a pace that suggested he had nowhere to be. It was 
strangely peaceful. Perhaps Lilibeth was just overwhelmed from 
seeing other people again; she had spent so long alone. 


“What's a library doing in a place like this?” she asked. 
“What do you mean?” 


“Has there been a library this far underground this whole time? All 
these years?” 


Carina paused. 
“Is that how you found it? Through a door underground?” 


“Yeah.” 


“There are many Ways to The Library. It doesn't have a location, it is 
a location.” 


That thought sunk into Lilibeth. She wasn't in SCP-2508 anymore. 
This was some entirely separate place, separated by who knows 
how much space (if such concepts could even be applied to them). 
Her lips curled into a faint smile at the thought. 


“So, which one are you?” Came another voice from behind Lilibeth. 
As she turned, she could see it belonged to a young girl in a labcoat 
who had just entered the room. She looked no older than 12, and 
sported a comically oversized top hat. 


“I'm sorry?” Lilibeth remarked. The large hatted girl gave her a 
smirk. 


“Your name | mean.” 
“I'm Lilibeth.” 

“Last name?” 
“Orion.” 


“That's the one,” she extended a hand, “I'm Norma, Site-43 
Chemistry department. Welcome to our little club.” 


Rabbit Hole In Time Lapse 


< Previous | | Hub | | Next > 


The more time Lilibeth spent away from the cottage and at The 
Library, the more she realized how used she had been. By what she 
couldn't be sure, but she had begun to feel like a pawn in some 
cosmic chess game. She didn't know the players, and she didn't 
know the rules, but, she had gotten to know a few of the game 
pieces. 


It had been several days since her arrival. The feeling of being 
somewhere new filled her both with excitement and anxiety, and 
there was a sense of change floating about. She had confirmation 
now: there were more of these cottages in alternate universes, and 
different people within those cottages. How many were out there? 
Possibly infinite? Lilibeth couldn't tell. 


Perseus had put it thusly: “Whatever forces are controlling this 
situation, they don't appear overtly hostile, and they only target 
versions of what is commonly- though not always- called The 
Foundation.” 


The Library and Ways appeared to be the only safe haven from this 
influence. Perseus explained how when he had first escaped his 
cottage, he had tried to return to his Foundation. Though he tried 
multiple times, he was almost immediately redirected back to the 
cottage once he left The Library or the Ways. 


“Whatever forces are controlling this situation, they aren't overtly 
friendly either,” Norma had scoffed, adjusting the off-kilter top hat 
which she insisted on wearing. Her and Perseus weren't the only 
other two from these cottages either. Lilibeth saw a third person 
arrive sometime the day after her. He was a shambling mess of a 
man; skin grey, hairless body, and covered in rags. He identified 
himself as Crux, servant of “The Nineteenth Grounds”, which by his 
account bore striking resemblance to Site-19. 


The only individual involved in this extended get-together who had 
not come from the cottage was Carina. In fact, Carina was only tied 
to The Library, which is to say, she was firmly melded to the floor 
behind the desk she was placed at. Apparently this was not 
uncommon for librarians here, but that's besides the point. It was her 
who reserved dormitory style rooms for Lilibeth, Perseus, Norma, 
and Crux to stay in. They were welcome to stay as long as needed. 


lt was day 4 since Lilibeth had arrived at the Library. 


Now, Lilibeth sat in one of the comfortable chairs placed in a circle 
around the center of the conference room. Across from her was 
Perseus, to her left Crux, and to her right Norma. In the corner, 
behind Perseus, Carina jotted down notes in a blank book. 


“You insist on stopping it?” Crux asked. 


“I'm not ruling it out,” Perseus replied, “this thing is taking people, 
has been taking people, and will almost certainly continue to do so 
once we’re gone. If it's for some sinister purpose, then | want it 
neutralized, the scenario and whatever's behind this thing.” 


“I'm telling you, it is the will of the Slouthering,” implored Crux. 
“Slou-what-ering?” Norma shot the man a quizzical look.