Item#: 6917

Level3

Containment Class:
euclid

Secondary Class:
{$secondary-class}

Disruption Class:
dark

Risk Class:
warning

link to memo

Entry to SCP-6917, hidden as a fireplace through anti-memetic effects.

Special Containment Procedures: No aggressive actions are to be taken inside SCP-6917. Exploration is to be performed primarily by drones with no offensive capabilities; should the presence of personnel inside SCP-6917 be necessary, they are to be unarmed and may only explore up to Sub-Level 5. No personnel may remain more than 2 hours inside SCP-6917.
Research and exploration teams must undergo mnestic treatment and be monitored for adverse psychological effects. Personnel are reminded that hallucinations inside SCP-6917 are not actively harmful. Do not engage any perceived entities inside SCP-6917. Investigation on ways to inoculate personnel against the hallucinatory effects of SCP-6917 is ongoing. Personnel are to be rotated every 3 months, or on advice of lead psychologist assigned to the SCP-6917 Project.
Presence of personnel with mechanical augmentations connected to GoI-004 (“The Church of the Broken God”) is strictly forbidden. Investigation on individuals and locations with suspected connections to SCP-6917 and GoI-004F (“The New Ferrous Brotherhood”) is ongoing.
Description: SCP-6917 is an underground complex in the town of ███████, Britain, constructed during the 19th century by members of the defunct “New Ferrous Brotherhood”1. The complex exhibits heavy damage, suspected to be related to armed conflicts with other Broken God cults near the end of the 19th century. Despite this damage, several systems inside the complex remain fully functional, including gas-based lighting systems, water systems and steam pipe systems, as well as locking and transport systems between each sub-level. The Foundation has thus far discovered 7 different levels of SCP-6917; as both the entry to SCP-6917 and the entry to each level was subject to an anti-memetic phenomenon, the currently known extent cannot be considered as its confirmed full extension.
Mechanical systems within SCP-6917 react negatively to acts of aggression committed inside it, attacking all foreign agents2 present in the complex at the time of activation. These attacks will only cease after the termination or evacuation of every foreign agent inside the complex. The presence of weapons will also trigger this effect. Sensitivity of this defence mechanism increases in deeper levels, with even verbal aggression risking its activation in Sub-Level 6. Systems inside the complex are also hostile towards personnel with augmentations derived from GoI-004B (“The Cogwork Orthodoxy”). The effects of SCP-6917 on people with augmentations from other sects of the Church of the Broken God has not been tested.
SCP-6917 is subject to an anti-memetic phenomenon, making information about it or its contents impossible to recall for any person not undergoing mnestic treatment. This effect extends to individuals who spend a prolonged amount of time inside SCP-6917, who become unable to be recalled or perceived by others. This effect extends for up to 2 weeks after departure from the complex.
Personnel involved in exploration or research on SCP-6917 are affected by sustained auditory and visual hallucinations of a mechanically augmented humanoid. Subject is described as a young man, with varying degrees of augmentations ranging from minor modifications of left hand and eyes to complete body mechanization. Rate of hallucinations increase over time and will only cease after termination of exploration or research on the complex. Long-term victims of this effect experience overwhelming emotions of grief, regret and self-hatred. Whether this is an intentional element of the defence system or an unintentional side-effect of its implementation remains a subject of debate.

Description of Sub-Levels: A summary of the contents of each sub-level is included below:
Sub-Level 1: Entrance. Heavily damaged by ballistics and fire. Blood samples taken at the time of discovery correspond to at least ██ individuals.
Sub-Level 2: Chapel. Seats are in disarray, and 4 of the 12 sculptures and 9 of the 20 stained glass windows in it have been broken. Remaining art depicts:

Sculptures: Three brass sculptures of mechanically augmented people resembling artistic depictions of ancient Greeks, bearing the tags "Forebearers of the Brotherhood". Four steel sculptures of known inventors and industrialists from the early British Industrial Revolution, bearing the tags "Blessings of the Broken One". One heavily vandalized sculpture of unknown alloy of a heavily augmented man, bearing the tag "Our Founder, Father Loom".
Windows: Depictions of the Broken God shedding light on notable scientists and inventors of the 16th to 19th centuries, a group of 18 men walking away from a faceless congregation, led by a figure resembling the "Father Loom" sculpture, and the transition of 4 identical humans to wildly divergent machines reuniting with the Broken God. Images have been vandalized with pigments from unknown provenance, with words and phrases such as "Heretics", "Disassemblers" and "Murderers" written over them.

Sub-Levels 3 and 4: Living quarters, 4 large ones in Sub-Level 3 equipped with individual studies, as well as 9 spartan ones in Sub-Level 4. One of the dormitories in Sub-Level 3 is in heavy disrepair, and contains several destroyed books. It is the only room inside SCP-6917 not warded by an anti-memetic phenomenon. Documentation recovered from within the other rooms includes books on Greece, China and the Arabian Peninsula, heavily marked maps of the Aegean Sea, manuals on industrial manufacture procedures, budgetary drafts, propaganda pamphlets, letters and research on occult innovations, though large portions of each are illegible due to damage or missing pages. While entrance bears marks of violence, most of the Sub-Levels were found intact.
Sub-Level 5: Medical and engineering quarters. Layout includes a waiting room, three studies, a surgery room, a forge and four prisoner cells, seemingly modified from other rooms. Studies are in disarray, with most of the documentation inside gone, though schematics for several highly personalized augmentations have been found, with inscriptions resembling theorized sigils from research documents in Sub-Level 3. Includes storage of iron and coal, as well as supply of liquid water and steam from an unknown source. Surgery room shows signs of recent use. The reason for this is unknown subject to debate.

Corridor in Sub-Level 6.

Sub-Level 6: Labyrinthine system of corridors. Sub-Level is extremely hazardous towards exploration, with drones frequently experiencing inexplicable catastrophic failure. No task forces have been sent to explore the Sub-Level so far. An unknown number of task forces have been sent into the Sub-Level. All personnel involved are considered lost. No further personnel are to enter Sub-Level 6.
The centre of the Sub-Level is occupied by a machine of roughly 2 m x 2 m x 2.5 m, codenamed SCP-6917-1, connected to every system and mechanism inside the complex. Machine is inscribed by several symbols resembling modified ancient Mekhanite glyphs, as per research found in Sub-Level 3. So far, researchers have been unable to decrypt the full purpose of the inscriptions, though the glyphs for "Protection", "Unseen" and "Expansion/Assimilation" have been recognized. Due to the intensity of hallucinations and empathic contamination after witnessing footage of SCP-6917-1, it has been theorized to be the source of this effect.
Levers on SCP-6917-1 appear to change position in recordings through different days. Whether this is an automated process or a manual one is currently unknown.

Still frame from sole recording of Sub-Level 7..

Sub-Level 7: Collapsed entry to a system of caves. Entrance is hidden beneath SCP-6917-1. Due to the difficulties in traversing Sub-Level 6, exploration of this level has thus far been limited to its discovery. Reports of the sound of grinding in the sole recording of it have been determined to be the effect of memetic contamination.

Recovered Documentation: The following documentation has been selected to provide a basic outline for the events of the final days of habitation of SCP-6917. Most of the material comes from a single room in Sub-Level 4, in the form of letters and journals. For a full log of documentation found inside SCP-6917, see Document 6917-A.

To my Brothers and Sisters,
Today we commemorate another year of our Most Glorious Brotherhood. From our humble beginnings to current times, we have experienced much hardship, and ultimately prevailed over those who would see the true faith fade into obscurity, those who would keep the Glorious One broken. It has been a long road, but the foundation established by our Founders, and shepherded today by our Esteemed Leadership, has guaranteed our survival. Indeed, today we stand as the biggest denomination of the faith in Britain, and will continue to grow beyond these boundaries. The reassembly of the Glorious One is, for the first time in human history, within our reach, and none of this would have been possible without the efforts of every believer in the Brotherhood.
Indeed, were it not for the work of our historians, our preachers, our engineers, we would not be where we are today. They have rediscovered the secrets of the past, expanded our reach in the present, and shown the way to the future of not just our congregation, but the human race as a whole. Our Brothers and Sisters have reached into the Divine Spark that resides in their souls, and illuminated the path of victory our Brotherhood is currently walking. It is in this recognition of the hard, fruitful work of our fellow believers that our Esteemed Leadership has decided to summon all interested parties to the "Congress for the Future", to be celebrated next February. We will discuss the direction our faith must take from now on, to ensure our supremacy over the heretics and a glorious future for the human race, as guided by the light of the Harmonious One.
For the Reassembly, of God and of our Hearts,
Elder Atelier

Dear Emma Diaphragm,
I hope Belgium is treating you well. I cannot but find it hard to believe one of us managed to leave this get assigned to another country. It brings to my mind memories of our childhoods, and your claims that you would discover the truth of this world. Your ambitions have always been high, and I am glad to see you gathering so much praise from our Brotherhood - enough to be sent in this mission. No one deserves it more than you.
I hope things are going well with Mills. Elder Atelier vouched for him, though I admit I would rather have known him before your engagement. When I met him, he seemed like a decent man, a good believer, but I could not picture him married to you. Certainly, I cannot picture the two of you alone in a strange country.
I hope we can see each other soon
I hope you continue to find success in your travels.
Your brother,
Loom

Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for your letter. With all the changes my life has gone through lately, your constant letters help me remember some things will always remain the same. As you said, it brings back memories of our childhood, though mine appear different. After all, I remember it was you who spoke of "the truth of this world". I just said I wanted the truth - and then just the truth of England! I must remind you it was not actually me who was assigned to this mission, but Mills. I am only accompanying him in his mission, though I am glad he has seen fit to allow me to keep researching while he is elsewhere.
Please, do not feel anxious about Mills. Elder Atelier made the right choice. I do wish he were more receptive towards my avenues of research, but he remains wary of these new ideas. He still cannot see how the advances of our day have shown the hand of our Most Glorious Lord in even the domain of flesh. In spite of this, I remain thankful he allows me to keep exploring these possibilities.
I hope I can see you soon, Jon. I know your duties keep you busy in England, but surely you have proved yourself to the Leadership enough to be granted this allowance. No one has worked as hard for the Brotherhood as you have. Regarding the Congress, I have heard of it from Mills, who received an invitation. He expects to finish his mission and be back in the old monastery next February, where I hope we can talk again. If not, then maybe you can come to our abode here, and allow me to introduce you to some new acquaintances I have made here. We would have to keep that a secret from Mills, though, since I am sure he disapproves, even if he does not mention it.
Please send the Elders my regards, and give Elder Atelier the research papers I have attached to this letter. I believe I have discovered a magnificent property of our nervous system that will benefit the Brotherhood immensely.
Your dear sister, who you do not need the codename with,
Emma

To my Brothers and Sisters,
Our Glorious Leadership extends its gratitude to all those who have confirmed their assistence to the Congress. From all over Britain have arrived letters commending us for this opportunity, renewing the faith and loyalty of our congregation, and even informing us of new developments to discuss in the Congress. Especially exciting is a recent discovery made by Brother Mills' team, describing sacred properties in our nervous systems that will allow us to massively improve the quality of our brain modifications. With this discovery, we hope to further free our spirits from the constraints of the brain and even perceive the Voice of the Glorious One with a clarity only dreamt of before now.
Sadly, not all is good news. We have heard of a recent attempt at infiltrating our family by members of the Cogwork Orthodoxy. As you know, the Orthodoxy spouses highly perverted views of our God, and their corrupting influence cannot be allowed to taint our faith. Their ideals and ethos are completely anathema to our own, and to any reasonable model of progress, in both their absurd contempt towards industrial production as it exists in the real world, and especially in their outright contempt for individuality. They would lump even the most brilliant of us with the faceless masses, “standardizing” what should be intensely personal journeys of transition out of our limited flesh. It is in the interest of protecting the Brotherhood that I am saddened to inform you that we will be screening all communications from now on. Please understand that this decision was made to protect you. History has shown our forefathers failing due to the warped influence of heretics. Today, where we are now closer than ever to the Day of Apotheosis, we cannot allow ourselves to falter.
For the Reassembly, of God and of our Hearts,
Elder Atelier

Loom,
An emergency has arisen today. One of our historians, Shuttle, has started to frequent the company of Tickers, and we have reason to believe she is providing them with information. You know what to do.
I am sorry,
Richard Atelier

February 15th, 1880
I had a mission today. Though I had never seen her before, she seemed to recognize me - or at least my clothes. That has gotten more commen lately. I do not know how my targets learned of me. I do know they fear me. This was not what I wanted, when I first joined the Unseen Order.
Elder Atelier insists that eventually, I will be allowed to move on from this, serve as a bodyguard for a historian in Greece or a preacher in America. He has rejected all my applications so far, though. I am much needed here.
The Congress was today.

Diaphragm,
I apologize for missing the Congress. Sadly, I had to leave for a mission. I wish I could have spoken with you, but I am sure we will have later opportunities.
I must admit to be troubled by your words in the congress. What were you thinking
[ILLEGIBLE]
I must admit I am somewhat troubled by news of your words in the Congress. I understand your time abroad may have made you more susceptible to the Cogwork propaganda, but Diaphragm, they are lying. Please, believe me, I have seen the effect they have in our Brothers and Sisters. They warp them into seeking to abandon us, or worse, fight against us. They seek to destroy everything we have built, everything our grandfather built, and morph it into their standardized nonsense. I do not know what lies they told you to speak as you did in the congress, but I urge you to reconsider the path they intend to lead us on.
I apologize if this is too forceful, but I am worried about you, sister. The Elders have been talking of cutting funding for your research, wondering if perhaps you are not being seduced away. You cannot be stuck here like me, you are better than Please, Emma Diaphragm, the Brotherhood would lose too much without your guiding Spark.
Love,
Brother Loom

Brother Loom,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know how excited you were for the Congress, so I was saddened when I realized you could not attend it. Please, do not despair. I am sure the Elders will soon realize how much you have to offer to our Brotherhood, how much you have already done for us.
As for my words in the Congress, I do not take back anything I said. Yes, it is true the Cogwork Orthodoxy, and all Mekhanite movements of our time, have different views on worship and progress than our own, but I do not believe that means we cannot cooperate with each other. Ultimately, they are just like us, trying to save the God who loves us as He once did for us, trying to make our lost, broken selves whole again, free from this prison, into the true freedom offered to us by our God. Perhaps some of their ideas about who deserves to transition out of this prison do not agree with our own, but should we reject them because of this, instead of taking it as an opportunity to learn? You wanted to learn the truth of this world, Loom, and if there is anything I have learned in my studies, it is that what we believe without reason is truth often blinds us to the real knowledge just outside our reach.
Please, do not invoke our grandfather at me again. We never knew him, and he never knew us. It is time we moved on from him, into our own lives.
Until next time,
Sister Diaphragm

October 7th, 1880
I had to kill an engineer today. It seems like that is all I do these days, killing.
When I first joined the Unseen Order, I thought it was my chance to be part of my grandfather's legacy. We had been forgotten and thrown aside, but Elder Atelier saw potential in us, saw the strength of our faith and convictions, and he allowed us to serve under him. I have never been happier than when he granted me the same name my grandfather carried, the day he told me I'd protect this Brotherhood as he had protected it. Emma had yet to find success at capturing the Leadership's attention with her work, but with this, maybe I didn't need to. Maybe having been forgotten could be of use to us.
I don't know how I feel about it anymore. I don't know if I'm really protecting anything. The Leadership publicly speaks of our incoming victory, yet all I see in their faces is fear. I do not believe the congregation will keep believing those words. I am afraid of what that may mean.

Diaphragm,
I hope you are feeling better these days. Mills tells me you have expressed concerns over the use of your research. Please, pay no mind to any rumours, and feel joy in the certainty that they are being used for the good of every member of our congregation. Your findings continue to inspire our church, and for the enormous service you have done to our faith, I must thank you.
I must unfortunately reject your request for solitary assignment in Belgium. I know you found much success and inspiration in those lands, but your place is alongside your husband first and foremost, and I am sure a girl of your brilliance will succeed in any place she stays, if she so wills. Mills is worried that the company you kept in Belgium may have affected your views, and after your display in the Congress, I am worried too. We both believe that time closer to home will relieve you of these idealistic but misguided views. Please, do not disgrace the legacy of your grandfather by listening to those who would have it destroyed.
I look forward to your next communication,
Elder Atelier

To my Brothers and Sisters,
It has come to my knowledge that some of you are questioning the necessity and the ethics of incorporating heretic prisoners into our practices. While I am the first to recognize that this would not be acceptable under normal circumstances, I urge you to remember our current situation. Every day we lose ground to the Cogwork Orthodoxy. Every day we risk our faith losing itself in the claws of those who would reject our uniqueness, those who would equate us to the unimaginative masses.
Every human being, even the unbelievers and the disassemblers, carry a unique part of the Divine Spark within them. While it is preferable for people to pursue transcendence on their own, is it not preferable for their Sparks to reunite with the One sooner than for them to be lost until the Day of Apotheosis? Think of this not as harm done to your fellow man, but as allowing them to serve the purpose they were born with, the one only they can do. Through heathen minds, the Brotherhood will seek that which was separated, and lead the rest of humanity into the Unbroken World.
For the reassembly of the Harmonious One,
Elder Atelier

July 9th, 1881
I stood before a mirror today. I know it's a heresy, but I tried to look for my old, flesh self inside it. I could no longer see anything that reminded me of it. Scripture decrees that this is a joyful celebration, the day we finally transcend from our flesh prisons into the glorious machines that enhance our individual spark. I don't feel joyful.
I still hear a lot of complaints about what's happening to the prisoners. From those who believe they aren't worthy to be allowed to perceive the Voice of God, to those who find their circumstances unacceptable. I'm afraid I may be sent after them if this carries on. I have looked into the eyes of the prisoners, and I see nothing. Nothing but the servitude towards God that Elder Atelier insists is the true measure of our faith. I wonder if that's what we have to be, mindless servants of the Broken One, nothing left of ourselves but the desire to serve God and Brotherhood. I wonder if that's not what I already am.
I haven't heard from Emma in months. I hope she's okay. I hope no one else was sent after her.

November 12th, 1881
Another site lost today. It seems that's getting more common. I hear rumours, of people who found Mills. Nothing about Emma, though.
We're losing this war, I know we are. I don't know if it's because of the attacks on our homes, or the people who continue to abandon us, but we're losing. The Unseen Order has started to transform our homes. They speak of ambushes and barricades and escape routes. Most of all, they speak of glory and sacrifice. I saw a machine today, one with glyphs I wish I did not recognize, but I did.
They spoke of what powered them. They spoke of Divine Sparks and loyalty to the Brotherhood. As I stood among my comrades in arms, I could not help but wonder who among us would have the courage, and who would not. I never knew many of my comrades, but I know who bore those glyphs before. I know who was missing in the meeting. I felt a strange fear come over me as I saw the machine, a fear I could not recognize as my own.
Was that how she felt?
I have another mission, soon. A small group of Tickers in Liverpool. I'm just glad it's not one of our own anymore.

Loom,
Diaphragm has gone to the Tickers. We found her inside her room, destroying everything, even burning her research journals. She insulted our Leadership when we tried to stop her, though we managed to protect the other living quarters before she escaped. With her on their side, we must assume every site she knew about is compromised.
I leave to warn our Brothers of her deception, even join the fight if it becomes necessary. I remain confident in our victory. As important as she was, Diaphragm was only another small cog in the Brotherhood. We still hold the advantage over the Tickers if we prepare ourselves for the fight.
I leave the congregation in your capable hands. They may not know, but no one has protected them as much as you. I am confident you will continue to reward their trust in you. This is the opportunity you have always desired, Loom, the opportunity to honour the legacy of your grandfather by protecting his creation. I trust you will do what must be done, without fear or hesitation.
Until the Day of Apotheosis,
Elder Atelier

March 9th, 1882
We had to seal the door to the chapel today. The Cogwork Orthodoxy overcame the defences of the first level, and invaded even our praying grounds. I could not seal it before one of the prisoners fell. The Tickers looked distraught. My charges no longer trust me. I hear them speak of what could happen to them. I see them look at the prisoners with a new kind of fright. Most of all, I hear the same question when they think I am not listening. I see them in their eyes all the time. “Why?”
Why have I not done what the Unseen Order promised yet?
I saw the machine with glyphs in my dreams tonight. I never knew her name, and I never will now. I remember our scripture, the promise of our Conversions into Great Machines to serve our Lord and our Brotherhood. I remember the glorious stories of my grandfather's ascension, and I cannot recognize that glory in the fearful machine in my dreams.
I don't want to do this. I can't.

Jonathan,
Please, do not destroy this letter so soon. Give me the chance to explain, and you can decide to burn this or turn it over to the Elders if that is what you desire. But please, read what I have to say before you do it.
When I was a girl, I idolized our Leadership. They were the ones guiding our world into the salvation promised to us by our grandfather, and they had allowed us to be a part of that dream, that legacy that had been denied from us for so long. I spent my childhood and adolescence serving them, doing whatever was asked of me, and even when I was free, I spent my time studying, not to sate my curiosity but to make myself more useful for them. I did not complain when they separated us, or when they gave me subpar enhancements despite me designing better ones for them, or when they married me to a man older than our father would have been. I did not complain, because I believed they were ultimately right. I believed they were leading us to salvation, and protecting us from the heretics and disassemblers around us, who would wish nothing more than to destroy us.
And then, I actually met these monsters they spoke about. I heard what they had to say about our God, about salvation, about the worth of every person. I saw them lead their lives with the same joy and sadness and hunger for trascendence that defines us, but with none of the fear. More than that, I heard them speak, and I realized they never spoke of us with hate. They did not want to destroy us, Jon. They thought of us as just a strange British take on their worship, perhaps worthy of learning from.
They did not attack us first, Jon. We did. We were so scared of them "stealing the faithful away" that we started this war against them. That was what they sent Mills to do in Belgium. That was why they allowed me to keep frequenting them, and what they tried to hide from me by making me return. And I would have remained ignorant, had I not read one of Mills' letters for Elder Atelier. I do not know if my friends are still alive, if they believe I was a part of the attack on them, and I was, after all.
Last month, I learned of what the Leadership has done with my research. I had heard the rumours, of course, I had asked them if they were true, and I believed them when they said it was not. I would have kept believing them if I had not seen one of their victims in Manchester. They speak so much of the individual worth of every person, of the divine nature of identity, but they think nothing of stripping people of it when it suits them, they think nothing of enslaving a person's will to them and telling others it was not only necessary, but virtuous. They think nothing of using innocents as slaves, but then again, we already knew that, did we not, Jon? Maybe this is all my research has ever amounted to. Maybe I am just another cog in this cursed machine, but I refuse to be one any longer.
I hide this letter in your room, hoping you will find it eventually. I wish I could have spoken with you about this, I wish I could have convinced you to come with me, escape from this place that has only taken from us and made us believe they were doing us a favor by letting bastard children like us work for them, but I could not. I tried, I tried so hard to contact you or see you, but I could not.
I am only left with the hope you read this. I hope you do not hate me for this, Jon.
Your sister, who loves you very much,
Emma

Every human carries a unique part of God's divine spark within them.
Is it not preferable to accept transcendence and reunite with the Broken One sooner rather than later?
Think of it not as death, but as serving the purpose you were born with.
The one only you can do.
I am the shield of this brotherhood. I am its protector. There is nothing else I desire to be.
Nothing else I can be.
For the Glory of the Brotherhood,
Brother Loom, Shield of our Faith

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Footnotes
1. A Broken God cult established during the Industrial Revolution, focusing on personal improvement over the collectivist ideals preached by other denominations.
2. Defined as people or objects not present inside SCP-6917 at the time of discovery.