There was no slowing down as they approached. Rather, 
Rook and Bishop swung 180° and barely clipped the 
edge of the huge square as they passed. With a pull on 
the handles, both flopped down onto the opposite side 
and landed with a soft touch right on the precipice. 8-Ball 
was not that far behind, as there was a telltale noise that 
came from under the surface. 


[THOK] 


A disoriented mass of cubes floated up and over from 
the edge. 8-Ball declined to answer as he recalibrated 
himself. Bishop helped Thorn off and disconnected his 
grip on her. He stood on the grid like surface, which 
seemed to glow. Thorn then straightened his hat a little 
and regained some composure while Grape snickered in 
the background. 


Bishop walked past Grape and picked up her glass orb. 
The same orb she fiddled with in the bar before flying 
through space. 


Most people just exit and respawn. For me, a lodestar is 
the only way to travel. 


Bede 20 Attempt to assess resources used by TSTWRLD2 
15.11.20 Attempt to analyze parallel communication of 
16.11.20 Attempt to store communication pattern failec 
21.11.20 Attempt to sample communication succeeded. 

5. 1.20 Attempt to analyze samples complicated by lar 
13:..10:.20 Attempt to use supercomputer resources for e> 
24.11.20 Attempt to prove communication hypothesis fai 
25.11.20 Request permission to intercept and modify ir 
Exp. will try to change the array index where city of [F 
25.11.20 Permission received. Experiment completed. Ar 
26.11.20 Investigation terminated by order or [REDACTE 
Satellites detected a large structure identified as a cu 
containing the city of [REDACTED], leaving orbit. 
28.11.20 Investigation revealed a possible rounding e1 
Update 


Activity logs have recorded the following output: 


TSTWRLD1 simulation complete. 

TSTWRLD2 STEP 1 048 523 /1 048 576 
TSTWRLD3 STEP 1 048 543 /1 048 576 
TSTWRLD4 STEP 1 048 543 /1 048 576 


Further investigation required. Priority [REDACTED]. 


« SCP-865 | SCP-866 | SCP-867 » 


With the diagnostics finished, 8-Ball began to wander 
away from the group and towards the glass-like tower 
filled with solid blue light. Other Maxwellist avatars were 
beginning to trickle down and make their way to the 
base. 8-Ball was having trouble reconciling the tower's 
height, as it seemed to stretch up past the enveloping 
blackness above. However it was no wider than a large 
silo. 


8-Ball was able to confirm that this was the same glass 
tower they saw in the city. Likely all Maxwellist 
landscapes shared a similar view. 8-Ball would be sure 
to include these details and theories in a later report. 


As the group walked through the entrance at the base, it 
was apparent that the tower did not confine itself within 
its own exterior dimensions. The altar, the light source 
itself, was straight ahead with a huge open circular 
space in between. Many Maxwellists huddled in small 
groups, kneeling and praying in the direction of the light. 
Some groups came in with belongings of the deceased, 
sacrificing them to the blue beam by pushing them in and 
watching it dissolve into pixels. 


| wish these deaths would end. 


They will. 
I/O is a place of healing. 


Grape, Thorn, and 8-Ball kept quiet in the rear as they 
walked. Absorbing the sights and the sounds of the 
lamentations. The intense blue light emanating from the 
altar shot up through the hollow tower, filling the entire 
space inside. Hundreds of Maxwellists sat in clear 
concentric pews around the altar, heads bowed in 


prayer. The names of those who died scrolled by, as well 
as their avatar profile pictures. It was a mournful and 
somber sight. 


Bishop, by ritualistic habit, made a circle with her finger 
over her forehead and approached the bottom of the 
altar. She took a knee and bowed her head. Her eyes 
glazed over into a stark blue as she extended her hand 
out and whispered a prayer. 


cin » my faith. 
cout « your will. 


We pray for the deleted. 


May the 0 return as 1. 
WAN infinity. 
endl; 


Rook stood aside and politely let Thorn through next. He 
gulped as he followed suit after Bishop, kneeling before 
the light. His hand extended as he attempted to copy the 
motions. 


There was a blast. 


The shock threw everyone off their feet. The group slid 
back across the smooth floor as they landed. Grape held 
his head as he sat up. The blue light changed from a still 
beam to an unruly stream of flame. The Maxwellists were 
frozen. They were not even knocked over. They sat 
undisturbed from their worship, as still as statues. Bishop 
still with her head bowed, and completely unaware. 


A tall figure stepped out of the wispy light and descended 
the altar. Not quite humanoid, not quite mechanical. 
Almost an emaciated frame with a large head protruding 
from its torso without the assistance of a neck. Its 
surface was devoid of color, yet glitched in iridescent 
colors as if it were struggling to render. 


Three eyes blinked open from the head. Each twitched 


madly as it fought to focus on everything in the I/O 
Temple, especially MTF Kappa-10 laying on the ground. 


Grape looked at Thorn. He shook his head in 
disappointment. Not at Thorn's ignorance, but at his own 
reluctance to utter that name. A name that reminded him 
of so much anger, frustration, and pity. 


« Part | | Part Il | Part Ill | Part IV » 


Hello World (Part IV) 


« Part | | Part Il | Part Ill | Part IV » 


Hatbot clenched his fists in frustration as he turned 
towards Grape. Each eye was struggling to focus 
correctly on his head. 


Hatbot began to shudder erratically. It was difficult to tell 
if there was anger building up or if he was actually 
struggling to process the question. Thorn cautiously 
stepped forward. 


A black hand swiftly struck Thorn across the face, 
sending him flying along the temple floor and slamming 
into the adjacent wall. Thorn's entire body flashed red as 
he made impact with the virtual surfaces. His hat floated 
gently down to the ground as he slouched over in pain. 
Pain? Why was he in pain, he thought to himself. It 


continued to tingle throughout his entire body as he laid 
there trying to comprehend that wholly new sensation. 


Hatbot reached with one outstretched hand towards the 
blue light. A small metal apparatus floated out of the 
beam and attached itself directly to his face. With a small 
adjustment, two arcs of energy sparked between the 
prongs on either side of where a jaw might exist. The 
synthetic voice it emitted was clear yet corrosive as 
Hatbot finally spoke coherently. His eyes were still and 
intently staring. 


Hatbot let out a deafening discordant screech. The walls 


of the entire temple rippled as the floor itself began to 
flicker. In one instant, the entire temple was displaced a 
few centimeters up from its original position. Everything 
was moved except Grape and Thorn, who were now 
clipped into the floor and unable to even budge. 


>/:_YES 


Let them go, Hatbot. 


A head poked out from behind a column. Rook shuffled 
over to the group as he maintained eye contact with the 
three yellow circles following his steps. 


| was waiting for help. 


Hatbot charged Rook immediately, nearly knocking him 
off his feet. The energy from the blue light funneled 
across the room and into Hatbot's device, and exploded 
as a bright nova burst right in front of Rook. A quick 


sidestep and he was able to dodge the full blast, but his 
clothes were singed in the process. Hatbot slowly 
backed up towards the light to siphon another surge of 
energy. 


Hang on, guys. I'll get you out in a second. 


Rook placed a hand on the floor. Slowly they both began 
to phase up and out of the surface itself to unclip 
themselves. Grape quickly grabbed Thorn and pulled 
him away from Hatbot who was nearing a full charge. 


Sorry Grape. No time. 


All three dove over a pew and took cover as another 
blast rocked the I/O Temple. The heat of the arcing 
energies struck Rook in the leg mid air. The frozen 
Maxwellists caught in the explosion were flung in all 
directions. However, Bishop still quietly kneeled at the 
front of the altar undisturbed and thankfully away from 
the fight. 


My leg. He got me in the leg. 


He's in control of the entire I/O Temple array. 


To do that, he got rid of WAN. Their deity. 


It's... a bit more complicated than that. 


Grape grabbed Rook by the collar and dragged him out 
into the open. He struggled to get out of his grip but there 
was nowhere to hide now. Grape looked up at the ceiling 
to see 8-Ball clung to the rafters above. He was tired. He 
was done. They were both out of their league. Way out. 
Grape dropped Rook and took a step back. 


Hatbot clenched his fists and faced the dark haired 
interloper. Then with all the energies he could muster 
from the I/O Temple, he obliterated Rook into a puddle of 
pixels. His remains scattered across the glass smooth 
floor and quickly evaporated into nothingness. 


SCP-867: Blood Spruce 


Item #: SCP-867 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: Specimens of SCP-867 are 
kept in Section E of Bio-Containment Site- . Regular maintenance 
on SCP-867 is only to be performed using remote rovers and 
automated irrigation systems, and personnel entering the 
containment area for any reason must wear full-body NBC 
protection with a Kevlar underlayer. Any personnel exiting 
SCP-867's containment area must undergo a full herbicidal 
treatment and inspection, and any personnel found with possible 
puncture marks must be placed under quarantine for a minimum of 
fifteen (15) days. 


Experimentation with SCP-867 requires the written consent of at 
least two (2) Level 3 personnel. 


Description: SCP-867 is a species of coniferous tree visually 
similar to Picea pungens, or blue spruce, except for its distinctive 
red coloration and a complete lack of seed cones at any stage in its 
life. 


SCP-867's leaves are hollow structures similar to hypodermic 
needles, containing a single long, thin seed and a tiny gas pocket at 
the base of the leaf. When a living animal brushes against the 
leaves, the gas pocket expels and injects the seed into the skin of 
the animal using a mechanism similar to that of an auto-injector. The 
tiny size of the seed, which is coated with a liquid with anesthetic 
and coagulant properties, renders the injection essentially 
undetectable. 


These seeds can lay dormant in the skin of an animal for up to two 
(2) weeks, after which the seeds begin to grow, extending tendrils 
throughout the host animal's circulatory system. This growth causes 


8-ball descended from the ceiling and converged onto 
the group, studying Thorn's hat which lay on the ground 
next to them. Thorn shoved Grape in objection. His 
remaining eye primed for tears as he grunted in futility. 
There was an emotion he was trying to reconcile; 
something between grief, disgust, and disappointment. 
Grape held his ground and let Thorn have his little 
venting. He knew this was the right way to go. 


Hatbot shuffled over towards 8-ball and looked down at 
the hat adjacent to both of them on the ground. 


Hatbot shrugged his pointed shoulders. 8-Ball floated out 
of his way and back towards Grape and Thorn. As 
Hatbot surveyed the trio standing away from him, he 
bent down and picked up Thorn's hat. 


Grape and 8-ball already ran the diagnostics and 
prediction models. They were on his turf in his house. 
Fighting would mean to die with almost 99.89% 
accuracy. Both conceded that this was the only sensible 
option. 


Hatbot nodded, then gently placed Thorn's hat on top of 
his head. 


Hatbot started to walk back towards the altar. Grape 
turned and headed for the exit. Thorn was unconvinced. 
He caught up with Hatbot one last time. 


Hatbot raised a hand into the air ready to end Thorn. 
Before his hand came down, he was struck with a heavy 
blow to the side of the head. His apparatus crunched 
under the force and fell off of his face in broken pieces. 


Hatbot staggered back from both shock and surprise. He 
took a knee to gain focus on who hit him. 


Hatbot reached out for the beam to siphon more 
destructive energy, but nothing happened. He tried 
again. Still nothing. His eyes twitched uncontrollably. 
Bishop walked in between Hatbot and Thorn. 


He can't access the I/O. 


Hatbot didn't hesitate. He immediately attempted to take 
off the hat, but it was already firmly clipped around his 
rendered head. The hat's algorithims disrupting his 
operations was just the right distraction. Bishop charged 
Hatbot and knocked him over. There was a fair amount 
struggling as Bishop tried to subdue him. Hatbot flailed 
trying to break free. Thorn approached but was confused 
about what to even do. 


Look for the fail-safe or something! 


With a swift kick, Hatbot dislodged Bishop and threw her 
to the ground. Thorn came in for a punch, but was 
blocked. Hatbot grabbed Thorn's forearm and lifted him 
off his feet slowly. Grape came up from behind and then 
struck him in the back. 


Hatbot swung Thorn's body into Grape and watched 
them tumble down like bowling pins. Bishop scrambled 
to her feet as she watched Hatbot make a run for the 
blue light. 


Don't let him get to the altar! 


Don't let him escape! 


8-Ball dashed towards the base of the altar, stopping 
Hatbot's advance. The cubic body that made up 8-Ball 
was still and quiet. Slowly, 8-Ball closed the distance on 
Hatbot. 


hatbot.aic has stopped working 


The I/O Temple was silent. Bishop walked over to Grape 
and placed a hand on his shoulder. Thorn shuffled over 
to the frozen mass of cubes, pixels, and empty space 
that once was occupied by two bodies. It pulsed slowly, 
but was otherwise still. 


He... he crashed Hatbot. 


No, | can't. They're in too deep. 


Maybe Alex can? 


That's kind of a long story. 


That's an even longer story. 


It's neither. | was Rook but then | had to borrow Bishop's 
avatar. That's beside the point. 


You two need to leave with your friend to get him fixed. 
Preferably in a controlled setting. 


| have to find out what he did to WAN. There's a lot 
more to this than | can explain. You'll have to just trust 
me on that one. 


I'm asking a lot. But | did just help you apprehend an Al 
that could have deleted the entire net. 


excruciating pain within the host animal, can last for up to twenty- 
four (24) hours, and invariably ends with the host's death. Following 
host death, the new SCP-867 specimen(s) will burst from the host's 
body and grow to full maturity within thirty (80) days, consuming the 
host's body in the process. 


SCP-867 was first discovered in [DATA EXPUNGED], Colorado, 
following a bizarre series of disappearances of hikers and park 
rangers in the area in 199 . A Foundation team was dispatched and 
able to retrieve several young specimens of SCP-867 with 
acceptable losses. All wild specimens of SCP-867 (approximately 
in number) were destroyed. 


« SCP-866 | SCP-867 | SCP-868 » 


I'm a friend, Grape. 


Thorn, can you do me a favor? 


Please deliver this file to Alex. It's for her eyes only. It'll 
help explain some things. 


A small .txt file was tossed to Thorn. Dutifully, he placed 
it into his pocket without so much as glancing it. 


I'll leave now. | can reconfigure the I/O to send you back 


into netspace. From there you can find your way back to 
the Foundation. 


They then shook hands at the base of the altar. There 
was not much to say amidst the worry, shock, confusion, 
and relief. A small winged figure of plasma and light 
fluttered out of Bishop's avatar, allowing the rendered 
body to fall at Thorn's feet. It then flew into the blue light, 
soaring up through the ceiling and into the dark void at 
light speed. Grape watched it disappear from sight, then 
gently nudged the glitched mass into the light as well, 
rocketing them both out of the temple.