S: Concentration camp? [laughs] No, no, SFG-von Reiter 
was a research laboratory. 


I: You say that the facility you at which you were 
stationed was not a concentration camp, despite the 
presence of over Soviet POWs? And a mass grave 
meters away, containing the incinerated remains of some 
people? That's pretty hard to believe, Herr Strasser. 


S: SFG-von Reiter was strictly a research laboratory. | 
would never work in a Konzentrationslager, | don't have 
the stomach for it. But to answer your question, Dr. von 
Reiter went through the prisoners very quickly. The 
prisoners were for research. 


I: Medical research? 
S: I'm sure you know all this already, | don't see why- 
I: Please, for the record. 


S: No, SFG-von Reiter was not a medical testing facility. 
It. Was. I'm not sure. | don't. Know. I'm not certain how to 
put it. 


I: Mein Deutsch ist ziemlich gut, Herr Strasser. Bitte, 
fUhlen Sie sich frei auf Deutsch fortzufahren. 


S: [S laughs.] Wunderbar! Ein bayerischer Akzent!! Sehr 
gut, Captain, sehr gut! But no, that's not what | mean. I'm 
unsure exactly what kind of science went on there. There 
were medical tests on prisoners, of course, but that 
wasn't the function of SFG-von Reiter. It was a very odd 
place. 


I: Could you elaborate, please? What was the purpose of 
the Leipzig facility if not extermination of Soviet prisoners 
of war or medical testing of the same? 


S: Let me tell you a story, Captain. It involves a 
Wehrmacht artillery company and a Bolshevik position 
near [DATA EXPUNGED]. 


[Redundant information removed by Foundation censors. 
See [REDACTED] for the full interview, or [REDACTED] 
for a full report on the recovery of SCP-  -c by 
Wehrmacht personnel] 


S: Shortly thereafter, the object was sent back to the 
Fatherland in a sealed train car for further research. 


I: | see. So this "artifact" was then transferred to the 
Leipzig facility for von Reiter to work with? 


S: That's correct. 


I: I'm afraid | don't understand. That's a lot of effort for 
what amounts to an interesting archeological find. A 
curiosity, yes, but did it really warrant its own 
subterranean bunker system? Or a garrison the size of 
an infantry company? 


[S remains silent for some time.] 
S: May | trouble you for a cigarette? 


I: Certainly. 


S: Danke. | don't know what that verdammt thing was, 
Captain. A curiosity? Perhaps. You haven't seen it. Dr. 
von Reiter was convinced it was the most important 
scientific discovery, period. Himmler was convinced it 
would win us the war. 


I: Himmler? You mean Reichsfiihrer-SS Heinrich 
Himmler? 


S: Yes. Within SS formations, even Waffen-SS combat 
units, Himmler was known for his ridiculous mysticism. 
Apparently, he thought die Auge-Stein could be used as 
a Vertraulichwaffe- 


I: For the record, Vertraulichwaffe roughly translates to 
esoteric weapon. Please continue, Herr Strasser. 


S: Ja, an esoteric weapon to smash Bolshevism and the 
decadent Western democracies and win us the war. And 
all future wars. The SS sponsored all sorts of absurdities 
of course, like that Ahnenerbe expedition to Tibet. But 
this was something else completely. He wrote von Reiter 
a- Verdammt! Wie Sie tun Sie zu sagen? Ah, yes! A 
"blank cheque". Himmler handed von Reiter a "blank 
cheque" from the SS. Money, materials, test subjects, 
personnel, whatever von Reiter asked for, the 
Reichsfthrer made sure he got. When | was first 
transferred to SFG-von Reiter, | thought the whole idea 
was Scheisse, but | kept my mouth shut because it was 
certainly better than another tour on the Ostfront. But 
over the years | was there, I'm. Ah. Not so sure now. 


[S is silent for some time. Stenographer notes that he is 
idly playing with his Knight's Cross.] 


I: We'll come back to this subject later, if you'd like. /S 
nods.] Tell me about your duties at the Leipzig site. 


S: Danke, Captain. | was in involved in general security 
under Standartenfuhrer Konrad Boch. And | oversaw the 
disposal of die Leeraugen. The. Ah. The test subjects. 


I: For the record, Standartenfuhrer is an SS rank 
equivalent to the British Army rank of Colonel. Please 
describe your duties in the latter capacity, if you would? 


S: [DATA EXPUNGED}], and after the experiments were 
over, my unit was tasked with killing them. It was very 
disturbing at first, because they are much harder to kill 
than a man. 


I: Were there any special procedures for this "disposal"? 


S: Not really? They would be chained to the wall ina 
sealed room somewhere in the complex, and five or six 
of us would go in and shoot them until they stopped 
moving. In the beginning, it was harder because we kept 
trying to kill them, you know, like Einsatzgruppen? Once 
in the back of the head with a pistol. We wised up after 
we lost Schrier and Lustig, and started using automatics. 
Afterward, von Reiter or Dr. Eisen would collect them for 
dissection or incineration. 


I: Eisen? He's not on our roster. 


S: [laughs] Yes, | would imagine! That's because it's not 
his name. We gave him the nickname Eisen [lit. iron - 
Ed.] because he was such a hard bastard. I'm not sure 
what his name was. He was very high up within the 
research staff and the scientists tended to keep separate 
from us soldiers. So von Reiter and Wilhelm Juhrs, his 
adjutant, were the only ones we really knew. We figured 
Eisen was from Himmler's personal staff. Dr. von Reiter 
absolutely adored him, probably because they were both 
bloodthirsty Arschiécher. Eisen was probably responsible 
for most of the deaths, since he insisted on "fresh 
subjects" after each experiment. 


I: Were there any uncommon occurrences while you 
were there? 


S: Yes, of course! You can't garrison a bunker complex 
studying some rock that no one can figure out without 


some fucking uncommon occurrences. 


I: Are you alright, Herr Strasser? We can stop if you'd 
like. 


[S seems to consider this for some time.] 


S: There was an air raid on Leipzig. A few bombs landed 
right on top of us. No one knew we were there except the 
Reichsfirher and some members of the OKW 
[Oberkommand der Wehrmacht, the German High 
Command -Ed.] and presumably Hitler, so | don't think it 
was intentional. 


[S pauses for some time. He motions for another 
cigarette. ] 


S: The raid did severe structural damage to the complex. 
This was very early, you know, maybe months after we 
found the thing. We didn't know what we were doing at 
all. Our procedures for this were. Lacking. A group of 
Soviet Schweine escaped in the confusion and tried to 
flee the complex, but kept getting cut off by debris or 
locked doors. They ended up. They were funneled into 
the. Ah. Der Auge-Stein Eindammungraum. The 
containment room. 


I: How many? Prisoners, | mean. 


S: | don't know, maybe a dozen. That psychopath, von 
Reiter, the one thing | will say about him is that he was 
always very prepared. Prisoners were always restrained, 
and never more than one at a time. This was ten. At 
least. There were no chains this time, no cages. The 
damage to the bunker had ruined the interior of der 
Auge-Stein Eindammungraum and all the preventative 
measures Dr. von Reiter had spent so long perfecting. 


I: What happened? 


S: | don't know. | want you to know, Captain, that | hate 


Bolsheviks, to the very core of my being. | killed dozens 
of them in combat, | killed dozens of them out of combat, 
and | would continue to kill them now given half a 
chance. They are a plague on this world, and their 
complete eradication can only make things better. That 
said. What happened to those men in der 
Eindammungraum is unspeakable. | would not wish it on 
anyone. 


[S takes Captain [REDACTED]'s pack of cigarettes and 
spends several minutes smoking mechanically, 
apparently lost in thought. He stubs out his fourth 
cigarette and looks up.] 


S: Es war sehr schlecht. |'d. Ah. I'd like to stop now, 
Captain. 


<End Log> 


Closing Statement: Interview continued in [REDACTED]. 
Authorization from clearance level 4 personnel required for access. 


Although no new information was unearthed regarding properties of 

SCP-_, this insight into alternate testing and containment methods 

is invaluable for SCP- researchers. As of 02/28/1996, this series of 

interviews is required reading for all research staff involved in SCP- 
by order of SCP- Project Lead Dr. Feldmann. 


Obersturmfihrer Strasser was recruited by the Foundation on 
08/22/1947 in Argentina, due to his previous experience with SCP- 

-O1 and -02. Herr Strasser served with distinction as a Taskforce 
Leader (operational designation "Adamant") in Mobile Taskforce- 
Team Seven. 


Waldemar Strasser died of lung cancer unrelated to the Foundation 
on 06/19/1979 in his home in Gelsenkirchen, West Germany. 


Document 48116-88 ("Son of the Earth") 


On / /19 amessage in Russian was received by the 
[REDACTED] observatory via a radio telescope operating as part of 
the SETI program. Supposedly, the signal originated from a space 
research station [REDACTED] which was launched in 1 to Titan's 
orbit. Due to the message's obvious connection to SCP- __ this 
document was classified to Level 4. 


On / /19 the following emails were exchanged between 
, an undercover Foundation agent in SETI, and ; 
Area 14 supervisor. 


From: Undercover research group member 


To: Area 14 supervisor 
Subject: Received message 


24 minutes ago, as part of the SETI project, | received 
and decrypted a message sent at the MHz frequency. 
Scrambling method and modulation are similar to those 
we use to communicate with Foundation satellites and 
probes. This is the first time this message was received 
as part of the SETI program. The signal originated from 
an object (a space station) located near Saturn or one of 
its satellites. We were unable to pinpoint the location due 
to their proximity. I'm not sure whether your Area 
equipment has detected this message, but | can tell you 
for sure this facility does not have any equipment 
capable of receiving messages on this specific 
frequency. The event was not witnessed by anyone, as 
there was no research being conducted during that time, 
and | was the only one responsible for monitoring. | have 
attached the decrypted message. Please check your 
equipment and poll other undercover SETI agents - a 
leak in other facilities is possible. Log files were updated 


promptly, I'm carrying on my monitoring. 


From: Area 14 supervisor 
To: Undercover research group member 
Subject: Re: Received message 


We got your message. Neither our Area equipment, nor 
the equipment in other Areas or SETI facilities have 
received this message. Supposedly, yours was the only 
telescope to detect this signal, although several facilities 
with low information availability remain to be checked. 
During the course of an action meeting we decided the 
signal was weak enough (intentionally?) to only be 
detected by highly sensitive specialized gear that was as 
close to the source as possible at the time of reception, 
and only at a specific latitude (a station degrees away 
from you did not detect the signal). Seems like we got 
lucky. Site 7 is already investigating this incident. Rumor 
has it, it's related to days long past, but that's above my 
clearance level so | don't know anything for certain. 
Carry on monitoring, report any new detected messages 
promptly. Although, if we did get lucky, we won't be 
receiving anything else. 


Addendum: Transcript of the received message 
My dear beloved Mashen'ka. 


I'm still on the station. Our time is running differently, so | 
think this message will not reach you in quite some time. 


Below me, lurid blue seas are washing against a brightly 
yellow land. Methane and ethane color them that way. 
The Sun looks like a minuscule dim star and barely gives 
any warmth. I'm trying to remind myself that it has not 
changed in any way, did not shrink or go dark, that it's 
the same fiery luminary for the Earth. Sometimes, when 
Saturn rises above Titan, I'm thinking it looks like a big 
Moon with a ring around it. 


As you can see, my heart is still on Earth: I'm trying to 


find echoes of a familiar life everywhere. That's how 
humans are - their craniums are just too small to 
encompass space in its frighteningly alien fullness. 
Although | do know things on Earth are not like they used 
to be. A month ago | received a message from Mission 
Control (Mission Control no longer exists, but some 
people were kind enough to remember me and let me 
know). They told me something happened on Earth. 
They did not tell me exactly what, but they spoke about a 
secret government (as | understood) and a replicator 
facility they had to utilize. They told me humanity was 
fully extinct but recreated anew. They also hinted that a 
clone of myself was created too and that there's another 
me living on Earth now. 


My dearest Mashen'ka, does it mean that the other one 

is now beside you? | don't know whether to laugh or cry. 
After all, I'm content with being able to hug you through 

hundreds of millions of kilometers. 


They recommended me to take it in stride, with dignity 
and humility, they told me they are sorry, and I'm trying 
to meet their expectations. I'm alone here, but | promised 
myself not to lose my mind just yet, and | think I'll 
manage to remain sane. I'm stranded here, the solar 
panels barely give enough electricity to power the 
station, and | have no fuel to return to Earth. Although, | 
understand now there is no reason to return; you have 
your own life there, and there's no place for me in it. 


| know this message will not reach you. They will not 
allow you to know. And you, my dear, you are no longer 
there. You are dead, just like the rest. I'm sending these 
words into the void you now dwell in, and | hope they will 
get stranded in the blackness that surrounds everything 
here. I'm ready to accept. To accept and let go - of you, 
of the Earth, of myself. It's like an umbilical cord 
breaking. It's like when you're out in space, and your 
tether snaps. 


Now it is only me and Him. | have already looked in His 


SCP-830: Inky Quicksand 


Item #: SCP-830 
Object Class: Safe 


Special Containment Procedures: The location of SCP-830, 
designated Site- , is to be barred from access to the public. At no 
time are non-Foundation personnel permitted on-site without the 
express orders of Level 3 personnel or higher. No personnel are to 
come into physical contact with SCP-830 at any time. To heighten 
Site- morale, anyone communicating with SCP-830 is to have a 
safety line and a designated marksman on hand to terminate the 
communicator in case of incident. No further constructions directly 
above or around SCP-830 are to be attempted, after the collapse of 
a catwalk (Incident 830-13B) resulted in the loss of sixteen site 
personnel, including one Level 3 touring the facility. 


Description: SCP-830 is a shifting pool that initially appears to be 
composed of oil and sand. Attempts to recover samples from the 
pool have revealed only inert samples standard to the earth in that 
area. Researchers hypothesize that an item at the bottom of this 
pool may be responsible for this and the other effects of SCP-830. 


Any humans coming into physical contact with SCP-830 are drawn 
into the pool itself, and presumably killed. The retracting powers of 
the liquid are remarkably strong, although with a sufficiently strong 
subject, severing the point of contact with the liquid of SCP-830 is 
sufficient to prevent the entire individual from being drawn in. 
Inanimate objects do not appear to be affected by this 'quicksand' 
effect.