begins to slam his face into the side of the 
interview table, presumably in a suicide 
attempt. After repeated orders to stop were 
ignored, Agent administered a sedative 
and took subject back to his observation 
chamber. 


[END LOG] 
« SCP-978 | SCP-979 | SCP-980 » 


blood onto the burning material. The beach was filled in a line with 
sparring partners, watched over by the crossed-armed Commander 
Rothstein and the ever-impenetrable Mr. Nakawa. Samuel, a thick, 
tanned, burly boy without a shirt - as with the rest of them, pulled 
him up. "That's 3-0." He laughed. "You just need to hit a little harder, 
Eli." 


"It's in the legs," he argued. "Besides, how the hell do you hit so 
hard anyway?" You're not that strong." 


The ever-present, Commander Rothstein shouted, "Language, 
Elijah!" He shouted back, "Sir, sorry sir!" He thought a moment to 
reword his statement. "Besides, how the hot fuck do you hit so hard 
anyway, you fat piece of shit?" 


"Better! Remember, hatred is love!" Rothstein yelled, and gave him 
a thumbs up. Samuel chuckled. They took their places again, and 
under his breath, Samuel whispered with each blow. 


"Did you tell Elle?" He slammed his fist into Eli's ear, who took the 
opportunity to knee him in the gut. 


"She's excited," Eli groaned, "No names. Just as you wanted." 


"Good. | just want it to be her and me." He got Eli in a lock. "Thank 
you so much, for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to 
me." He threw him. 


They landed on the ground in a cloud of dust, which promptly 
cleared. Eli coughed. 


"No problem," he said. "I love you, man." 


"Hold! Pair 7!" Mr. Nakawa shouted from his post, and marched over 
with an energy that continuously surprised Eli - perhaps it was the 
whiteness of his hair. Immediately, all the boys took on a respectful 
stance, and the pair struggled to unwind and face him. 


"Sir!" Samuel and Eli shouted in unison. 


Nakawa stopped, his hand fingering the handle of his IJA 
ceremonial katana, reliably at his side. "You are weak this morning, 


Elijah." 
"Sir, I'm trying my best, sir!" 


"Your best is not enough, not today. Take your positions." Samuel 
and Elijah snapped into sparring stances. Nakawa continued. "1 
have viewed your progression with much interest. Your bond is 
strong, but the distribution is weak. Now you will prove me wrong. 
Samuel, you must fight with all your strength. Elijah, you must finish 
Samuel. At the end, | will determine where your future lies. 
Acceptable?" 


"Yes sir!" 
"Then begin." 


Eli didn't expect any mercy from Sam. From day one, they'd made it 
very clear: throw a match, thrown off the Island. Your family, your 
place in intellectual elite - reduced to dust, for compassion. Often an 
empty threat - he'd been doing it all morning, after all - but not at this 
distance. As such, Sam - with sorrow in his eyes, punched and 
kicked with a horrible fury. Eli could barely keep up, let alone attack. 
He needed to win, or they'd never the night together. 


Sam knocked Eli off his feet, and the pair scrabbled in the sand. In 
desperation, his body aching and his arms nearly in lock, he bit him 
with all his might in the leg. Sam recoiled as blood gushed from 
wound, and Eli knocked into his jaw, struggling to keep him ina 
hold. He wildly thrashed as Nakawa watched with great interest. 
Realizing that he no longer needed to keep up the charade, Sam 
stopped. 


Nakawa smiled. "In fighting the Americans, in a place not far from 
here, we were forced to slaughter our own brethren who they forced 
against us. After the war, when others from my unit decided to 
continue their work, | relinquished my command and came here. Do 
you understand the meaning of this story?" 


Eli's muscles burned. "| don't know, sir." 


"| slaughtered my brothers readily, with the same readiness that lost 


me many battles winning me - many more. | am congratulating you, 
Elijah. You may yet become owed to our Corps. Release your battle- 
lover." 


The tension exploded as Eli released him from the hold, plowing 
Sam into the sand. He turned and gave him a grin. 


Nakawa then drew his sword and put it forth to him. Elijah looked at 
the blade with uncertainty. 


"Take it." Despite himself, he slowly took the blade into his hands, 
and contemplated the steel. "Thank you for letting me touch it, sir! It 
is of a very fine quality!" 


"Kill Samuel." 
Elijah paused. "Sir?" 


"If you are to question me once more, Elijah, | will have you 
removed from the program. Kill this man." 


Elijah looked at the sword, and then looked at Samuel. Samuel 
groaned. 


SE lite: 


Elijah looked at Nakawa. "Permission to take a leave of absence for 
heat-stroke, sir!" 


Nakawa stormed forward. He removed the sword and slammed it 
back into its scabbard. He took up Samuel by the head and, with a 
wrenching movement, snapped his neck. The body collapsed into 
the sand. Eli watched it fall. 


"Send him back to the Battalion." Commander Rothstein stepped 

forward, put a hand on Eli's shoulder, and ushered him away from 
the practices, which promptly resumed. He talked into a phone as 
they ran. 


"Two more washouts. Get another bunk ready." 


That night, Eli returned to the cavern, alone. 


Aaron and Elise sat by the pool, as per usual. Once more, they 
looked around in confusion, then further when they saw he was 
unaccompanied. They sat in their circle and they talked. 


"Where is the suitor?" Elise asked. 
"He's dead," Eli said. "Washed out." 
"And you?" 


"Washed out. Maybe I'll make a good cook." His attempt at humor 
fell flat. He turned Aaron. "How about you?" 


"| don't wanna talk about it." They both looked at Elise. 
"Another time." 


The three sat together in silence for some time. After a while, they 
fell asleep - snoring, in a peaceful bundle against the rock wall. They 
each escaped the horror in the quiet of their companionship and of 
their dreams. 


Transcript Found On Storage Level B 8 


“There, it's on.” 


“Alright, settle please, settle. Ladies and gentlemen, | call this 
meeting to order. There are no new faces, so | will forgo 
introductions and proceed directly to business.” 


“All work and no play...” 


“Keeps us all alive. May I? Thank you. The last control theory has 
failed. Again. What's more, it does not appear to be vanishing 
quietly as was hoped, and may pose a serious issue in the 
immediate future. | would remind the group that | stated on the 
outset that Colonel Marshall lacked the self-sacrifice needed for-” 


“Yes, you told us so. And?” 


“Indeed. The direct identity of his backers are still under 
investigation, but it appears he intends to utilize his seized 
resources for simple profit. While unsettling, | think it's agreed that 
this is one of the more low-impact outcomes. In the light of previous 
failures, it-” 


“Sir, with respect, | think newest members may be unaware of our 
past...track record.” 


“...indeed. While a exhaustive history will be counter-productive, | 
think a recap of the currently active issues is in order. Our outside 
control theories break down in to two basic sets, official and 
independent. Lights, please?” 


several seconds of silence, followed by humming 


“Our currently longest-running theory was based on several, older 
theories. It was enacted after a review of the failing modern theories, 
with the hope that a more direct and simple strategy would be more 


effective.” 
click 


“The initial start up was very promising, and the intuitive nature and 
direct involvement of the small team allowed for exceptional mobility 
and response. However, there were rapid...complications. It 
appears the direct involvement with the-” 


“English, for pity's sake.” 


“...We put too much power in to too few hands. What's more, the 
concentration created something of a...ah...cross-pollination issue, 
so to speak.” 


click 
“Mother of christ.” 


“| think not, but who's to say. Yes, this is theorized to be the current 
force behind the team designate ‘Serpent's Hand’. It appears to be 
self-aware, however it is unknown if it exerts a form of mental 
dominance, or simply attracts fanatics. It also appears to be out of 
phase with normal timespace, hence our inability to pin down the 
location.” 


click 


“It also appears that certain documents and items lapsed in to the 
public arena. With this-” 


“What are we looking at here? Is that Lydecker standing-” 


“Yes, it appears he underwent a...'religious awakening’ and 
attempted to seed a cult of worship. It fell through rather rapidly, 
thanks in a large part to our suppression efforts, however seeds of 
this ideology keep cropping up. The greatest of which appears to be 
rooted near Mexico City, however it is still relatively minor and 
centered around a decommissioned clockwork device. However, the 
fallout from the Serpent's Hand splintering lead to the founding of a 
more strict, focused team.” 


click 


“These men and women were selected from various agencies 
worldwide. FBI, KGB, MI5, The Kempeitai, all were tapped for the 
cream of the crop, the top-class talents. This group was installed to 
control and suppress any and all anomalous item activity. They were 
instilled with a 'zero tolerance’ stance to any and all paranormal 
interaction, in the hopes of avoiding the...corruption issues 
presented by the former Serpent's Hand. However, after the first 
year, it became apparent that...mistakes may have been made in 
the choice of recruitment stock. 


click 
“Oh god...that was the august incident, wasn't it?” 


“Yes, that's correct. After a year of operation, on August 19th, the 
Global Occult Coalition engaged in a armed action in south Africa 
that nearly destabilized the entire Veil protocol. No less than eight 
hundred witnesses observed both personnel and anomalous items 
in a prolonged armed action over several days. When probed for the 
reasoning behind this action, the GOC reported that they felt the risk 
to normalcy incurred by their action was less then that of the items. 
The incident was suppressed, with great cost, and the GOC was 
officially ordered to stand down.” 


click 


“However, many of the GOC cells felt that defense of humanity was 
now a Calling above and beyond the conclave command structure. 
They went rogue, leaving this...rather grim parting message. They 
now function much the same as their initial form, but with a 
independent command structure. The new GOC also lend support 
and command to several other, smaller groups with various political 
and anomalous interests.” 


“Well, it could be worse, right? | mean, at least they didn't flip all the 
way over.” 


“That is somewhat true; however, their zero-tolerance stance has 
now led to the basic focus on the eradication of any and all 


anomalous items and activity. They have no review process, no real 
testing or research branch...just detection, and eradication.” 


click 
“That fat son of a-” 


“And here we have our most recent failure. Colonel Marshall, who 
had been a original member of the GOC, was tapped to spearhead 
a new containment theory. This photo was taken shortly before the 
central records building was looted and burned, with Marshall 
vanishing at the same time. We may never know the full damage 
done, but it appears several items, along with the bulk of the 
documentation, have been stolen. It now also appears that he has 
found partners, and plans on utilizing his gains for financial 
advancement. 


click 


“This is Dr. Carter, his first partner. Not much is known of him yet, 
however he's been a major mover in London high society the last 
few years, and appears to have a near-limitless personal fortune.” 


click 
“W...what are we looking at?” 


“This is Mr. Dark. We know next to nothing about this individual, and 
he has eluded any and all investigation. He has no citizenship, no 
birth records, on paper this man does not exist. We assume he is a 
man, however we have been unable to confirm even this. Based on 
some fragmentary records, he may have been in the entertainment 
industry at one point. His role in this venture is still unknown. Lights, 
please.” 


small snapping noise, followed by several moments of silence, then 
rustling paper 


“These dossiers detail our current containment theory. It appears the 
American government has a embryonic containment team formed, 
and is investigating. We propose to fund and aid this group, and 
guide its direction and growth, with a eventual goal of autonomy. 


The major focus is on containment and detachment. Actual 
interaction outside of a containment area will be extremely limited, 
massive bureaucratic structure will keep individuals and separate 
cells well isolated, and enormous resources will limit outside 
interaction and oversight.” 


“This will take ages, you know that, right? Autonomy could take 
years in a best case scenario.” 


“True, however it was determined that this was a minor price to pay. 
The overall detachment, isolation, and limited individual focus, along 
with the greatly subdivided command structure, will limit rogue and 
corruption events to a minimum.” 


“_..seems to be in order, but | have issue with the name.” 
“the...name, sir?” 


“Yes. 'The Special Containment Bureau' sounds too...lofty. Give 
someone a lofty name, they start to have lofty ideals. This is for the 
safety and security of mankind, and reality as a whole. The name 
should reflect a sense of self-sacrifice and dedication.” 


“...well...sir, what would you advise, then?” 
“Something simple, obscure...basic.” 
“...such as?” 


“ ..how about... The Foundation?” 


Transcript of meeting, June 2 1972 


OVAL OFFICE — WHITE HOUSE — WASHINGTON 

JUNE 2, 1972 3:27 TO 3:55 P.M. 

IN ATTENDANCE: 

RICHARD NIXON (POTUS) 

HENRY KISSINGER (ASST. FOR NAT’L SECURITY AFFAIRS) 
GEN. ALEXANDER HAIG (DEPUTY ASST. FOR NAT’L SECURITY 
AFFAIRS) 

AGENT GREGORY SACHS (GOC) 

ADM. THOMAS MOORER (CHAIRMAN, JCS) 

GEN. JOHN C. MEYER (COMMANDER, SAC) 


NIXON — Tom, John, thank you both for coming over. 


MOORER - Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome back and 
congratulations on the summit. 


MEYER — Mr. President, | want to add my congratulations. Frankly, 
sir, the ABM and SALT treaties are going to make my life easier. 


NIXON - It’s kind of funny you would say that, John, because if the 
god-damn peaceniks at the New York Times had had their way, we 
would have told the Russians that we were ready to get rid of all of 
your bombers and all of your missiles, and then there wouldn't be 
anything left for you to do but play golf every day. But, uh, the 
reason | asked you gentlemen to see me here ... uh, Al, where’s the 
binder? 


HAIG — Here, sir. 


NIXON — Gentlemen, based on some information that came to light, 
uh, before and during my trip to Moscow, we have a supplement to 
the targeting priority list for our bombers and ICBMs. 


MOORER -— A minute, if you'll forgive me, Mr. President. Who is that 


SCP-980: An Absence of Detail 


Item #: SCP-980 
Object Class: Safe 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-980 is to be kept ina 3m 
x 3m x5 m lead room suspended in the center of a25 m x 25m x 
25 m containment area at Site- . This room is to have a single glass 
window aligned with the window to the containment area. The inner 
window requires replacement every 8 days. Leaded glass is to be 
used instead—see addendum. The door to this room is to be kept 
locked at all times that SCP-980 is not under study. Personnel 
ranking above D-class are not to enter the surrounding containment 
area due to mental and physical danger. No armed personnel or 
guards are required near the lift to SCP-980's cell, as it has not 
shown any means of escaping. In addition, the fall from its 
containment cell would injure it enough to prevent escape. No 
feeding or nutrition of any sort is necessary.