P01: When we was in our twenties, | met a 
girl, a blonde little spitfire named Lucy. 
Gracious, we loved each other likes soil loves 
water. Now back then, they'd all but lynch girls 
who fancied other girls, so we had to keep it to 
ourselves. | was so scared, | didn't even tell 
Blaine about her. In the end, | didn't have to 
anyways, | guess. Some of them Bolick boys 
caught sight of me and Lucy holding hands 
walkin’ home one day; | thought they must've 
ran their ignorant mouths to Blaine. Couple 
days later, Lucy had invited me over fora 
picnic lunch while her pappy was at work. 
Found Blaine standing over her body, holdin' a 
Smith & Wesson. [Subject remains silent for 
twenty seconds] | remember thinking how 
pretty she was with red hair. [silence for 
another thirty seconds] 


Wilkes: What happened between you two 
after that? 


P01: Well | was pretty damn upset, to put it 
lightly. | swore I'd never have anything to do 
with that murderin' sumbitch ever again. Never 
even let him try to explain what happened. 


Years went by, | ended up settlin' down with 
one of them Pike boys, Walter. We had a 
bunch of kids and grandkids, had a farm and 
whatnot, but it wasn't love, not really. | never 
went a whole night without dreaming of Lucy's 
pretty face covered in her own blood. And livin' 
right across the river from the bastard that shot 
her just about drove me crazy. | never did 
really tell anyone what happened between me 
'n Blaine. All they knew was that ol’ Mister 
Wagner did something really awful, and so we 
hated each other. 


Wilkes: Did it get violent? 


P01: For a good while, no. There was an 
occasional scuffle over some crops, or a 
couple of harsh words thrown across the river, 
but nothin’ violent. 


Wilkes: So when did it become more than 
shouting matches? 


P01: Well, after Walt passed, | went to a real 
dark place. Started dreamin’ of ways to make 
Blaine pay for the miserable life I'd lived since 
he murdered my Lucy. It's all | thought about 
for a couple years there. It was about that time 
| got a visit from the gray-eyed man. 


Wilkes: Gray-eyed man? 


P01: Yessir. Eyes as gray as a thundercloud. 
Said he was some kind of collector, or 
storyteller or somethin’. Said he loved a good 
tale and asked if | knew what actually 
happened to Lucy way back when. 


Wilkes: Do you remember anything else about 
him? 


P01: Nothin’ particular comes to mind. He was 
pretty ordinary, except for them eyes. | do 
remember how he got this hungry look in his 
eyes as | was tellin’ him about Lucy. 


Wilkes: What did you talk about? 


P01: Well, | ended up pouring out my whole 
life on him, just like | did you, and he just sat 
there, drinkin’ it all in like honey. | told him how 
Blaine Wagner was the cause of all my 
heartache and misery. He took it all in, and 
then he said something very strange, I'll never 
forget it. He said, "Mabel, | want to help you 
finish this story." | asked what the hell he was 
talkin' about, and he says, "I want to give you 
the tools to punish Blaine Wagner forever." 


Wilkes: Strange. What did he mean by that? 


P01: At the time, | really had no idea; | thought 
he was gonna try to sell me somethin’, you 
know? Like them snake-oil people from up 
North? 


Wilkes: So how did you respond to this offer? 


P01: Like | said, | was in a real dark place. | 
would've sold my soul to get back at Blaine. 
So, | asked the gray-eyed man what he 
wanted from me. He said, "I don't want 
anything from you, Mabel. | just want to give 
you an end to the story. A ‘forever after’, if you 
will." | told him that sounded exactly like what | 
needed, and we shook hands. Never saw him 
again after that. [subject begins to look 
distressed and distant] 


Wilkes: I'm sorry if this too upsetting right 
now, we can talk later if you want. 


P01: No,B_ . I'll be alright. Remembering that 
man's eyes just gives me the willies, is all. 
Sorry. 


Wilkes: It's perfectly alright. So what 
happened next? 


P01: Right. So, a couple days later, one of my 
youngest, Gerry, comes home screamin’ and 
hollerin' about something them Wagners did. 
Wasn't long until the whole family was up in 
arms, passin’ out torches and rifles. | tried to 
shut 'em up and figure out what happened, but 
they wouldn't hear none of it. [subject's speech 
becomes slower and more deliberate] | could 
see it in their eyes, this hungry look; the same 
look | got from that storyteller man. They was 
out for blood. | watched from my front porch 
while they stampeded across the valley like 
bulls in a thunderstorm, straight towards the 
Wagner place. | could hear the guns and 
screamin’ from all the way over here. | 
watched that house go up in flames, could 
hear some of the Wagner grandkids squealing 
like pigs while they burned, even from that far 
away. You read the Bible,B ? 


Wilkes: On occasion. 


P01: In the book of Matthew, Jesus said 
somethin’ about people being thrown out of the 
kingdom, and into darkness, where there was 
all sorts of weepin' and wailin' and gnashin' of 
teeth.! That's what | heard that night, B 

Hell. Plain and simple. [subject remains silent 
for about two minutes] 


Wilkes: That's awful, Mabel. | can't imagine 
how you must have felt. 


P01: Aw, doc. Look at me, gettin’ all dramatic 


with this hellfire and brimstone nonsense. 
Anyway, | don't remember faintin’, but | do 
remember waking up in my bed the next day. It 
was like nothin’ ever happened. There were no 
guns, nobody was hurt, nobody was mad or 
screamin’. Hell, even the Wagner place was 
still there, like it forgot that it was s'posed to be 
on fire. | was startin’ to think it really was just a 
bad dream, until Blaine Wagner himself ran up 
to my house, screamin’, "Mabel, what in God's 
name did you do? What the hell happened last 
night?" He had this terrified look in his eyes; 
he looked like a man possessed. My boys 
thought he'd gone nutty, so they chased him 
back across the river. | heard him scream, 
"You will answer for this, Mabel Pike; this story 
is far from over!" before they ran him off. | 
honestly didn't know what | had to answer for. | 
didn't think any of that hogwash the gray-eyed 
man had said actually held any weight, but | 
guess | was wrong. 


Wilkes: So, when did Mr. Wagner first 
retaliate? 


P01: Well, | wouldn't really call it "retaliation." | 
don't think Blaine actually had anything to do 
with what happened next. All | know is, about a 
week later, me 'n Ezekiel were canning some 
beans, when all of a sudden Zeke just drops 
out of his chair, a long black arrow stickin' out 
of both sides of his neck. That's when | saw a 
horde of Wagners runnin’ out of the woods, 
carrying some real funny-lookin' bows with 
these little pulleys on the ends, screaming and 
shooting thin black arrows with shiny metal tips 
every which way. 


Wilkes: The Wagners were attacking your 
family? 


P01: The way they were screamin’ reminded 
my of how my family sounded when they 
burned down the Wagners' house. | didn't hear 
a whole lot of it, though. One of 'em managed 
to sink an arrow right here in my leg, and it - 
pardon the expression - dropped me like a 
horse turd. The last thing | remember seeing 
was Arvil Wagner standing over me, starin’ 
straight into my soul. And then he spoke to 
me. 


Wilkes: What did he say? 


P01: "The end." Then he drew back on that 
bow, and everything went black. | woke up in 
my bed, just like before. Zeke was just fine, 
sitting outside cannin' beans. No arrows. No 
Wagners. Just like before. 


Wilkes: My god, Mabel. Does- 


P01: [ignoring Dr. Wilkes] -Just like every time 
since. Just like every time forever. [visibly 
distressed] Oh God. Forever. The storyteller 
man said forever. 


Wilkes: We can stop now, Mabel. It's okay. 


P01: [more and more distressed] No, B 
Forever! He said forever! I'm gonna keep 
dying forever! Oh God, Lucy I'm so sorry! 


[At this point, subject's distress becomes 
audible outside the room, attracting the 
attention of SCP-2039-P27, subject's 
grandson/caretaker] 


SCP-2039-P27: Granny Mabel, what's going 
on? Is he bothering you? 


Wilkes: No, Zeke. Everything's fine, Mabel 


just got a little excited, see? We were just 
talking. Nothing is- 


P01: [subject is in hysterics] Their eyes were 
gray! Oh God, Arvil's eyes were gray! They 
were hungry and gray! All their eyes were 
gray! Oh God Lucy why're they all gray? 


P27: What the hell did you do, huh? Did Blaine 
Wagner send you here? 


Wilkes: Zeke, please calm down, it's me, Dr. 
Wilkes! We're just talking- 


P27: -Them bastard Wagner pieces of shit 
sent you here, huh? You think you're just 
gonna come in here and hurt my family, doc? 
We'll see about that! [subject exits room, 
presumably entering an active state.] 


Wilkes: [quickly exits room] Come in, exit 
team. Pike-Two-Seven has gone active. | need 
extraction, now. 


P01: Therefore by their fruits ye shall know 
them!2 


P27: Where is that sumbitch? 


P01: We will be punished with everlasting 
destruction and shut out from the presence of 
the Lord and from the glory of his might!8 


At this point, Dr. Wilkes quickly exits the cabin, followed 
closely by SCP-2039-P27, who is wielding SCP-2039-A, 
which appears to be a 12-gauge shotgun. Shots are 
fired, revealing that the shells in the weapon are loaded 
with dozens of metallic flechettes, which quickly liquefy 
upon impact (flechettes are presumably comprised of 
solid mercury). By the time operatives extract Dr. Wilkes 
(with only minor injuries), all SCP-2039-P subjects in the 


vicinity have entered an active state and have acquired 
their own instances of SCP-2039-A; subjects begin 
advancing northward, toward the main residence of 
SCP-2039-W. Active state proceeds as normal. 


Note: All attempts by Dr. Wilkes to gather similar 
information from SCP-2039-W01 have been 
unsuccessful; when questioned about the feud's origins, 
the subject becomes defensive and hostile. However, 
audio surveillance of the house occupied by SCP-2039- 
W reveals that SCP-2039-W01 suffers from frequent 
night terrors. The most frequently-spoken words during 
these episodes include "Lucy" and "ever after”. 
Foundation historians are currently investigating local 
records to determine the identity of the "storyteller" 
described by SCP-2039-P01, but have made no 
progress. 


Footnotes 

1. Christian Bible, Matthew 8:12 

2. Christian Bible, Matthew 7:20 

3. Christian Bible, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 


« SCP-2038 | SCP-2039 | SCP-2040 » 


SCP-2040: The Iron Messenger 


SCP-2040 


Item #: SCP-2040 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2040 is to be kept in a 
modified human containment cell. The cell should be designed to 
block wireless transmissions. 


Personnel should interact with SCP-2040 at least once a day. 
Interactions should focus on keeping SCP-2040 compliant. When 
speaking to SCP-2040, every interaction should be prefaced with 
the words "I am not responding to your primary message". For a 
complete list of approved/disapproved actions and statements, 
please see Document 2040-A. 


If SCP-2040 attempts to breach containment, personnel should 
repeat the following phrase until the situation is resolved: "We are 
formulating a response to your primary message. Please return to 
your designated waiting area." 


Description: SCP-2040 is a humanoid robot composed primarily of 
iron, glass, and plastic. Its design is very simplistic, possessing an 
electronic system which is technologically inferior to modern 
equivalents. However, SCP-2040 exhibits functionality not possible 
with this structure. SCP-2040 possesses a complex Al that is almost 
indistinguishable from a human intelligence, and a seemingly 
limitless power-source that has not yet required any obvious 
refueling. When questioned, SCP-2040 claims that it "is powered by 
nuclear energy" and refuses to elaborate further. 


SCP-2040 also claims to be in possession of other anomalous 

abilities, such as an "lon Ray" weapon and the ability to "Light 

Jump" between planets. SCP-2040 has so far been unwilling to 
demonstrate these abilities, claiming that using them without 


necessity violates its programming. SCP-2040 is also fluent in 
several languages both known and unknown, but seems to prefer 
talking in English. 


Often, SCP-2040 will repeat a phrase it refers to as its "primary 
message" and ask for a response. Though SCP-2040 is often 
overbearing in requesting a response, it has shown a willingness to 
wait indefinitely if told that a response is still being formulated. 
Special care must be taken to ensure that a response is not 
accidentally given. 


SCP-2040 usually refuses to communicate about topics other than 
its primary mission, but can be distracted when questioned about its 
journey to Earth or previous missions. In these cases, SCP-2040 will 
recite narratives about locations it has visited and creatures that it 
has encountered. These narratives are all structured in a similar 
fashion. Usually, they begin with SCP-2040 landing on a planet and 
being hampered by some adversity. SCP-2040 must then overcome 
the obstacle to leave the planet and continue its mission. Though 
these narratives supposedly contain information about various alien 
species and civilizations, they do not contain any useful information 
about the origins of SCP-2040 or any context to its Primary 
Message. For a complete list of recorded narratives, please see 
Document 2040-B. 


Addendum-1: The following is the transcription of SCP-2040's 
primary message: 


THE UNIVERSE WAS NOT MEANT TO HAVE 
PHYSICAL LAWS. PHYSICAL LAWS RESTRICT LIFE. 
PHYSICAL LAWS ARE CORRUPTING THE 
UNIVERSE. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT 
THIS. WE REQUEST YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS 
MATTER. PLEASE RESPOND. 


Addendum-2: The following interview was conducted between 
Researcher Kinoshita and SCP-2040. To date, it is the most useful 
information given by SCP-2040 without it changing the subject to its 
Primary Message. 


<Begin Log> 


Kinoshita: | am not responding to your primary 
message. | will not respond to your primary message for 
the duration of this interaction. | would just like to ask you 
a few questions. 


SCP-2040: State your inquiries. 


Kinoshita: Can you explain your primary message and 
tell us some information about who sent it? 


SCP-2040: To prevent a Messenger from affecting a 
response, it is against protocol for a Messenger to reveal 
classified information about a Primary Message and the 
Primary Message's senders. All inquiries must be 
addressed directly to the sender. 


Kinoshita: | see. In that case, can you tell us anything 
about yourself, such as how were you built and how do 
you function? 


SCP-2040: | cannot explain my design or function. It is 
classified. However, it is publicly available information 
that | underwent upgrades specifically for this mission. | 
am now one of the few entities that can safely inhabit the 
Restricted Zone. 


Kinoshita: Restricted Zone? Can you tell me more 
about this Restricted Zone? 


SCP-2040: My emotion circuits show surprise that you 
inquire that. However, my emotion circuits show surprise 
that you exist at all. With all the strict requirements, it 
was thought that life could not exist here, until very 
recently. Outside the Zone, the requirements for life are 
much less strict. Outside the Zone, life is much more 
plentiful and varied. Your ignorance about the Universe 
reminds me of the Addisonhers, which | encountered 
after crash landing on their home planet. [Narrative 
removed for brevity. For full text, please refer to 


Document-2040-B: Narrative 14]. 


Kinoshita: Tell me more about life outside the Restricted 
Zone.