SCP Foundation

SCP-001-A following Operation: Red Spear

The containment of SCP-001 is actively detrimental to both the overall goals of the Foundation and maintaining consensus normalcy. Simultaneously, SCP-001 is an immediate and existential threat to the long-term survival of both the Foundation and most forms of sapient life. As such, it is of the utmost priority that SCP-001 be neutralized by any means necessary as soon as such neutralization becomes feasible. Currently, such an undertaking requires manpower, resources, and assistance from other organizations that cannot be allocated. Further, elimination of SCP-001 without further investigation into associated anomalies, such as SCP-001-A, may result in consequences deemed unacceptable to both the Foundation and broader humanity. As such, current Foundation protocols pertaining to SCP-001 are primarily focused on three core tenets:

1. Elimination of SCP-001 assets, personnel, or devices posing a significant threat to either the Foundation, a related Group of Interest, or the civilian population
2. Capture and interrogation of SCP-001 personnel or assets that are deemed highly valuable from an intelligence perspective
3. Containment of anomalies held by SCP-001

Standard operating procedure upon identification or apprehension of confirmed SCP-001 operatives is interrogation by a Level 4 staff member or higher, followed by use of a Class-A amnestic and transfer of the apprehended subject to D-Class. In cases where the subject is likely affected by exposure to an anomalous item or is otherwise unreceptive to use of an amnestic, personnel are to utilize termination. Subjects determined to be more critical to high-level SCP-001 operations may be incarcerated without use of an amnestic at Level 5 001-CI Detention Facilities for future intelligence gathering purposes. Capture of SCP-001 personnel with direct exposure to SCP-001-B requires the consultation of O5 Command.

SCP-001-A is currently not contained due to the presence of SCP-001 personnel at both the encapsulating facility and surrounding areas. Strikes against SCP-001-A and its security detail are not authorized at this time. In the event a strike against SCP-001-A becomes necessary, Joint Task Force 001-A ("Three Tridents") is to be deployed at Operating Area 001-R and advance towards the facility; all SCP-001 personnel will be treated as enemy combatants for the course of the operation. JTF 001-A's primary objective is to eliminate all nearby SCP-001 forces, secure SCP-001, perform a brief assessment of its capabilities, and report this information to O5 Command. Destruction of SCP-001-A should not take place unless explicitly ordered by O5 Command.

SCP-001-B is not contained due to a lack of information concerning its identity and whereabouts. Standing orders regarding SCP-001-B are for it to be immediately apprehended, at which point O5 Command must be contacted. Further instructions will be provided once O5 Command is notified of SCP-001-B's detainment.

SCP-001 designates all assets, personnel, anomalous items, and subordinate organizations collectively referred to as Group of Interest 051 (GOI-051), otherwise known as the "Chaos Insurgency" or simply "Insurgency." Within this file, SCP-001 and the shorthand term "Insurgency" will be used interchangeably to refer to GOI-051.

The Insurgency is a militant group with an overall agenda generally regarded as analogous to that of the SCP Foundation, concerning itself with the capture and study of anomalous phenomena. Their primary directive, however, appears to be the total neutralization of the Foundation and all associated entities. This attitude does not extend to other Groups of Interest unless said groups are primarily involved in supporting, facilitating, or otherwise enabling the continued existence of the Foundation. The Insurgency has utilized personnel and assets from GOI-214 ("Marshall, Carter & Dark"), GOI-955 ("The Church of the Broken God"), and GOI-771 (Collectively referring to all neo-Sarkic cults) in various assaults on both Foundation facilities and operatives, sometimes securing anomalous items previously held in containment and transferring them to undisclosed locations.

According to communiques received by other Groups of Interest as well as testimony offered by its own personnel, the Insurgency has several overall objectives that do not directly concern the Foundation. These appear to be vague by design, but are in line with goals of the Foundation and other institutions dedicated to the protection of consensus normalcy, such as GOI-007 ("Global Occult Coalition"). The latter two of these objectives refer to a presumably anomalous event described as the "Apex Cascade," the nature and existence of which is heavily disputed among research staff. The Insurgency seems to presume that the Apex Cascade is directly responsible for the creation of the organization, as well as the source of its mission to destroy the Foundation. Lower ranking elements of the Insurgency seem to behave in a manner that lifts the Apex Cascade to a position not distinct from that of a deity.

While the Insurgency is not anomalous in the traditional sense, its mission and intention to eliminate the Foundation is, by all accounts, inexplicable. Insurgency operatives interrogated by the Foundation are unable to describe in any meaningful detail why the Insurgency is hostile to the Foundation, how the Insurgency came into existence, the extent of the Insurgency's military capabilities, or provide an estimate of the number of anomalies currently possessed by the Insurgency. The only topic concerning the Insurgency generally discussed beyond a superficial level is the group's intention to neutralize the Foundation. When not in the immediate vicinity of other members of the Insurgency or within an Insurgency facility, the desire of an Insurgency operative to engage the Foundation with hostility rapidly dissipates, eventually leading to a feeling of neutrality or even positivity towards the Foundation.

The Insurgency, having been blacklisted and openly denounced by the Foundation and its partner organizations since it was first acknowledged, is unable to form political ties with major world governments (excluding countries known for political corruption or hostile to major world powers, such as dictatorial third-world nations). Thus, by necessity, the Insurgency operates in a clandestine manner and generally avoids overt displays of aggression or hostility unless absolutely necessary. It is presumed that the Insurgency utilizes a considerable number of researchers and military operatives as "moles" embedded within organizations they deem to be of concern, including the Foundation. Such moles within the Foundation have been directly responsible for a number of containment breaches, and such incidents often serve as a preamble for a direct confrontation with Insurgency forces at the facility in question.

SCP-001-A is a large, highly complex piece of machinery located in the Appalachian region of the United States. Its composition and internal functioning is consistent with several memetic weapons held by the Foundation. Evidence collected by field personnel suggests that SCP-001-A was constructed by the Insurgency at an unspecified point early in the existence of the organization, possibly between 1945 and 1950. A significant Insurgency military presence around SCP-001-A and nearby areas renders Foundation investigation of the machine highly difficult, and prior attempts have consistently resulted in protracted engagements with Insurgency personnel along with high Foundation casualties. Limited surveillance photography of SCP-001-A captured by satellite depicts a sprawling mechanical object extending several kilometers beneath the surface, occasionally emitting a brilliant blueish-orange glow between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00 AM local time. These bursts of light coincide with an unusually high presence of Insurgency operatives in the area prior to the event beginning.

SCP-001-B is an enigmatic, presumably human entity referred to by members of the Insurgency as "The Engineer." Substantiated information concerning SCP-001-B is virtually nonexistent; its existence is confirmed only through an intercepted Insurgency message bearing its name in the signature line. SCP-001-B has communicated with the Foundation several times, though each attempt at communication has been marred by overt aggression, cryptic language, and associated extenuating circumstances (such as an ongoing Insurgency raid on a Foundation facility). SCP-001-B exhibits an aberrantly high degree of knowledge concerning the Foundation, the nature of various anomalies in containment, and the identities of those on the Overseer Council. Accordingly, the capture of SCP-001-B is considered Alpha Level priority.

Foundation records concerning SCP-001 appear to extend to the formation of the Foundation itself. An organization referred to variably as the "Militia" and "Chaos"¹ is present in numerous operational reports and entries for anomalous items during the first "era" of the Foundation, generally understood to comprise the time between the identification of SCP-002 and SCP-099 (roughly, 19██ to 1973). Initially, Foundation operatives assumed that personnel belonging to SCP-001 were affiliated with an already identified Group of Interest, typically the Global Occult Coalition. Following extensive consultation with the GOC, including an extended meeting with leaders from various UN member states, it was confirmed that the personnel in question did not belong to the GOC or any other known Group of Interest. Consequently, a separate GOI file entry was prepared under the code name "Red Hand."

At the peak of its power (which coincided with the period of time in which the Foundation had the least influence over global politics), the Insurgency's outwardly aggressive behavior towards the Foundation was minimal to nonexistent. Strikes on Foundation facilities became uncommon, and multiple field operatives reported known Insurgency militant groups deliberately avoiding Foundation-controlled areas or otherwise attempting to defuse tensions through diplomatic means if possible. This behavior was noted as particularly unusual given the belief that the Insurgency intended to neutralize the Foundation and, presumably, could have easily done so during the period in question. Consequently, the Foundation began investigating other avenues of discerning the objectives of the Insurgency and establishing a rationale for their behavior, though an increase in the Foundation's overall capabilities resulted in a corresponding uptick in Insurgency aggression, thus leading to the project's decommissioning by direct order of O5 Command. The Insurgency has since been on a steady decline, with the Foundation mostly overtaking it in almost all international affairs and operations concerning anomalous phenomena.

The Insurgency's first major strike on a Foundation facility occurred on 02/09/1958, in which Site-18 (now defunct) was raided by an Insurgency strike team comprised of approximately 150 personnel, supported by a "special operations" unit consisting of 12 units. Based on file footage and the security logs within the facility, it is believed that Level 4 Researcher Dr. Malcolm, previously assigned to the study of SCP-682, was in fact an Insurgency double-agent and utilized his security credentials to grant the strike team access to the structure. Insurgency operatives subsequently swept the building, terminating any Foundation personnel they encountered on sight. The attack culminated in the deliberate release of SCP-682 from containment, the ensuing breach causing an additional 384 casualties and the destruction of Site-18 via activation of on-site nuclear warheads per order of the Overseer Council. All Foundation personnel and Insurgency operatives involved in this event are presumed terminated.

Prior to the destruction of Site-18, an unnamed Insurgency operative, believed to hold a rank analogous to that of a Mobile Task Force Commander, used the facility's radio communication system to relay a message through all available Foundation frequencies. This message was promptly received by Site-001 staff, who then relayed it to the Overseer Council. A transcription of the message is provided below.

No doubt many of you are asking yourselves why this happened. There will be those of you who spend the next weeks, maybe months searching for a motive. I do not fault you for this. It is natural to attempt to understand things that, at first, seem to defy comprehension. Why was so much blood spilled today? Why did we raid your facility, letting loose God's mistakes? These are questions with answers that I cannot do justice over a simple radio broadcast. But, Overseers, I do want you to know this —

When you find the machine, you will know the truth. It will be an uncomfortable truth; it will shake you to your core. Your Foundation will likely not prove strong enough to survive it. But it is a truth you must come to terms with nonetheless. We are too weak to destroy you; too simple and too self-indulgent. We are not the sword that you fall upon, but merely a dagger in the dark. But through us, you will find the machine, and through the machine — salvation.

Glory to the Delta Engineer. Glory to the SCP Foundation. And glory to the Chaos Insurgency.

[Gunshots and screaming continue until the broadcast cuts out.]

The "machine" referenced in this broadcast eluded Foundation investigative efforts for several decades until a field agent embedded in the Insurgency reported its possible existence in the Appalachian region. Upon further inquiry, the agent was able to secure not only the relative location of the machine, but a cursory overview of its purpose. The Foundation subsequently designated this machine SCP-001-A and performed initial aerial reconnaissance via unmanned drone. Though the drone was shot down by an Insurgency SAM² system, it captured a set of three photographs which remain O5-Level classified. Censored descriptions of these photographs have been made available below.

PHOTOGRAPH ONE

Photograph depicts a slightly obscured image of a massive, presumably mechanical facility consistent with the description of SCP-001-A. Surrounding the visible portion of the facility are various armed personnel bearing uniforms consistent with the Insurgency. The facility is seen partially coated in a thick, grey cloud assumed to be pollution created from its operation. Led into the facility, presumably under duress, are a small group of unarmed individuals clothed in white jumpsuits, their hands bound or tied with various materials. Many of them appear to be unrestrained but under careful observation by armed guards, apparently involved in tasks relating to menial labor or construction. Several of the individuals in white jumpsuits lie dead throughout the area.

PHOTOGRAPH TWO

Photograph depicts the same facility, albeit with construction having been completed. There are no individuals seen wearing white jumpsuits, though the presence of armed personnel is roughly identical to that depicted in Photograph One. There is a noticeable decline in the amount of pollution visible. However, what is believed to be infrared light is seen emanating from within the structure, extending from the entrance for several meters before terminating entirely. Surrounding the facility are a series of additional holes. Enhancement of the portions of the image showing these holes reveals that they are mass graves containing dozens if not hundreds of individuals wearing white jumpsuits. The manner by which these individuals died and when the mass graves were dug is unclear. Further analysis of Photograph Two is complicated due to digital distortion experienced at the time of its capture.

PHOTOGRAPH THREE

Photograph depicts the same facility, albeit with no apparent security presence. No personnel are seen outside the structure, and the light observed in Photograph Two is missing. The exterior of the facility appears slightly off-color and bent, as if damaged by an unknown source. The mass graves seen prior are now missing, some of the holes filled with a substance assumed to be concrete. Enhancement of the center of the photograph reveals the presence of a cloaked figure kneeling in what appears to be either meditation or prayer. The identity of this figure is unknown, but speculated to be SCP-001-B. Approximately one hour following the capture of Photograph Three, Foundation audio sensors in the vicinity of SCP-001-A recorded human screaming, followed by prolonged sobbing. Analysis of this audio is ongoing.

The following is a transcribed journal entry, the author unknown. The circumstances surrounding the recovery of this journal have been deliberately omitted per direct order of O5 Command. It should be known, however, that the author was confirmed to be an operative of the Insurgency through classified means.

I watched them die. And I did nothing but feel myself acknowledge my own pathetic cowardice.

It didn't have to be like this. In fact, it very nearly wasn't like this. We did everything right, as best as we could understand. We followed the Steps. Everyone we came across, everyone we talked to knew that what we were doing was for everyone's good. You do things in war that stay with you, but — not once did I question our mission. Not once did I question if what we were doing was justified. It was justified, because it was the only mission we had ever known.

And then you had to go and fuck it up. You and your ego.

I don't blame you, really. We should have said something sooner. But how could we have trusted you? All you had ever done was try to make yourself more important than you really were. Your concerns began and ended with how many things you could put behind lock and key, how many countries you could get to bend to your will as you expanded like a tick engorged with blood. Sure, we put a damper in things for a while. Blew a couple places up. Gave you some headaches. But you always recovered. Every single time. That should have been our first indication that things were already past the bend — that there was nothing we could do but hope another version of us somewhere out there got it right. I had long accepted that things were going to end like this, much earlier than the others did.

And so, as anticipated, the Cascade arrived. The Machine powered down, its words and its songs growing silent like it had never even been there. We all sort of…just grew quiet. I remember going back to my family in the last few days, not really concerned with whatever half-assed plan Delta came up with. None of it mattered. It was delaying the inevitable. Why fight against the storm if it's going to arrive nonetheless? Better to resign yourself to the reaper and spend what time you can with people who actually give a fuck about you. Not these…these "protectors." All they did was act like they knew best, even when signs told them otherwise. And it cost us everything.

You know what's really funny about this whole thing? I managed to get one of the higher-ups to cough some juicy tidbits that are usually classified. I guess he figured it didn't matter either; like me, he knew what was coming. He didn't buy into the whole "Final Spear" shit that Delta was spinning. So, he brought me to his office, logged in, and showed me what he had been reading. Stuff that he knew about for a while but had to keep secret. The bad stuff — the stuff that makes you really just think about why you even took this fucking job in the first place. And when I say bad stuff, I mean bad stuff. I remember reading it and almost being sick. There was this weird…I don't know, dread? I was sweating. It all made sense right then, at the end, but I wish it hadn't.

There was this blanket — like a tapestry. It was beautiful, really. Glittering stars and swirling gases, like something you'd see out of a fantastic science fiction movie, one with the really expensive visual effects. He scrolled around, looking at stuff that seemed almost too realistic. Said something about it being The Machine's work; something it generated in the last few days before the Cascade was projected. I asked him what was rendering the effects since I was into simulations, games — stuff like that. He said it wasn't a simulation, and it wasn't being rendered. It was a snapshot, like a moment frozen in time, and what I was looking at was the multiverse. Each orb was a separate reality. A parallel dimension. Like ours, filled with people, but different in subtle ways.

Eighteen of those orbs were crossed out with big, red X's.

I left and didn't say anything else. I don't remember what I was feeling. It might have been anger. Maybe it was sadness. Or maybe I was just finally at peace with myself. I went home and, since I figured everything was ending anyway, told them every last detail. The Insurgency. The Cascade. The Machine. All of it. They were stunned. They didn't believe me at first, said the whole thing was a prank — and then I showed them a video of The Machine I took on my phone the day we received word of the Cascade. They didn't think it was a prank after that. A couple of them cried. And then my wife, God bless her, came over to me and held me. I remember stroking her hair, smelling her shampoo…feeling her skin. I asked them what they wanted to do about everything.

My wife said she wanted to go out on her own terms. She wanted to take the family with her. A part of me wanted to stop her, but honestly — I didn't blame her.

I'm alone now. They're still with me, but they're quiet. There's one bullet left in the gun. I think I'll join them soon. I'm leaving this as a record of what happened to us — as a note to anyone else out there, anyone in another orb, about why what we do is important. Why our mission is worth pursuing.

Maybe you'll avoid our mistakes. Maybe you'll control them.

Or maybe you won't.

See you in the funny papers.

Note: The following interview was conducted shortly after the identification of SCP-001-A by Foundation surveillance drones. It has been transcribed and included in this file by direct order of O5 Command. It should be noted that this is not standard procedure for all Insurgency personnel apprehended by the Foundation.

<BEGIN LOG>

[Dr. Jeremy Pogan enters the interrogation room carrying two foam cups.]

Dr. Pogan: Sorry for your wait. Coffee machine was broken.

Richards: Hey, man — what the fuck am I doing here? What's going on? [Richards struggles against his restraints.] I'm on the clock right now. I'm working. Why did a bunch of security guys grab me for no reason? Did you have something to do with this, Jeremy?

Pogan: You and I both know that it wasn't for "no reason."

Richards: What are you talking about?

Pogan: Coffee? [He hands a cup to Richards.]

Richards: Fuck off. I don't know what you're doing. Is this about a promotion or something? Are you jealous? What the fuck is going on?

Pogan: Look, we can do this one of two ways. The first way is pretty simple. You tell me everything you know, and I see what I can do with the higher-ups. Standard interrogation stuff, right? Quick and clean. The other option is that I get it out of you by force and we just hit you with an amnestic before we send you to D-Class.

[Richards grows visibly distressed.]

Pogan: So, Kyle. How long have you been working for the Insurgency?

Richards: Are you shitting me?

Pogan: Do I look like I'm shitting you?

Richards: I'm not working for the Insurgency. I've been here for four years, Jeremy³. I have a clean record. I don't even have a fucking parking violation. And you want to suggest I'm with the Insurgency?

Pogan: It's more than a suggestion.

Richards: Yeah? Is that so? You have any evidence for this absurd fucking claim of yours?

[Dr. Pogan does not reply, retrieving a folder from beneath the table. It is blank, save for the insignia of the SCP Foundation on the front. He places it on the table, turning it so that its front faces Richards.]

Dr. Pogan: This is a folder containing a series of messages sent between you and somebody named "IGLOO," who we can only assume is another Insurgency operative, between 2009 and 2013. Each message was sent from your staff terminal, something only you have access to. [Dr. Pogan opens the folder, revealing to a set of photographs.] In addition, these are photographs taken by facility surveillance cameras today of you leaving and proceeding on foot to an off-site location without authorization. Based on the messages sent by "IGLOO," we have reason to believe the location you walked to is a dead-drop.

[Dr. Pogan retrieves a printed document. In the top-right corner is the insignia of the Insurgency.]

Dr. Pogan: Finally, this is a document we recovered from the Insurgency during an unrelated investigation. It's mostly uninteresting — basic anomaly descriptions — save for a note at the end detailing the fact that vital intelligence was collected by one of their moles in the Foundation, codenamed "SONGBIRD." Guess what you stated your favorite kind of animal was in the onboarding questionnaire when you joined the Foundation, Kyle?

[Richards is silent for a moment. He then exhales sharply, leaning back in his chair.]

Richards: Fuck.

Pogan: Yeah. Fuck is right. So I'll repeat my question — how long have you been working for the Insurgency?

[Richards thrusts his hands up.]

Richards: About three years.

Pogan: So you were recruited after you joined the Foundation?

Richards: That's right. By another operative here, actually. He's gone now though.

Pogan: What's the name of the person who recruited you?

Richards: Marcus Nietz⁴.

Pogan: Alright. Yeah, I think I remember him. Are you the only two operatives at this facility?

Richards: Yes.

Pogan: Good. I'm going to let some people know about what you've told me. Don't go anywhere.

[Dr. Pogan leaves the interrogation room and contacts O5 Command, informing them of the situation. O5 Command advises Dr. Pogan to pursue lines of questioning concerning SCP-001-A and SCP-001-B. He returns to the room roughly eleven minutes later.]

Pogan: Alright. I need you to answer some questions for me, and if you do so, we might be able to work out something better for you than D-Class. I know you don't want that. Are you willing to help me out here?

Richards: It won't matter, Jeremy. None of it will.

Pogan: Why's that?

Richards: The Engineer has already set things into motion. The Apex Cascade is inevitable. Nothing you or I do today will change that. Nothing I tell you will matter.

Pogan: Then I guess there's no harm in telling me anything, right?

Richards: You…you don't understand. [Richards looks at the guards in the interrogation room.] We're all just puppets, Jeremy. Marionettes on strings. And we know who's pulling them. We've always known. The Insurgency, the Foundation, the GOC — it's all one big fucking joke. You guys have spent decades looking into us. The Red Right Hand, the split. It's all bullshit. Made up by the Overseers to protect their own asses.

Pogan: You're saying the history of the Insurgency — at least, what's in the official files — is wrong?

Richards: It's not just wrong. It's deliberately wrong. It's a lie. [He gestures towards himself.] You think we'd go through all this trouble and gun down your people just to steal a couple shit-tier anomalies? Go around pillaging the third-world like…what, some fucked up pirates? No. No. It's more than that. It's about the Apex Cascade. That's what it's always been about.

Pogan: What is the Apex Cascade? You've said that twice now — what are you referring to? Is it an anomaly? Something you stole from the Foundation?

Richards: [Unintelligible]

Pogan: What's that?

Richards: You ever heard of chaos theory?

Pogan: Of course I have.

Richards: It's where we got our name, Jeremy. The Chaos Insurgency isn't named the Chaos Insurgency because we want chaos. It's because chaos…doesn't exist. There is no such thing as chaos. It's all ordered. Programmed. There's a hierarchy to this all, and the Apex Cascade is what resets it. Brings it back into line. Brings it back into —

[Richards abruptly stops, his eyes darting around the room.]

Richards: This is wrong, Jeremy.

Pogan: What?

Richards: This is wrong. This isn't how things are supposed to be. It's all wrong. Everything's out of order — misshapen.

Pogan: Stop talking in riddles. What is the Apex Cascade? What is the Insurgency trying to do?

Richards: You know what we're trying to do.

Pogan: Humor me.

[Richards exhales sharply.]

Richards: We're not terrorists. We're not some gang of international criminals. [Richards grows somewhat anxious.] We're fighting disorder. Chaos. And we're losing.

The following file was recovered from the internal database of the Insurgency sometime after the initial identification of SCP-001-A. It is believed to be an overall description of the machine, with much of its content censored or omitted by an unknown party. Attempts to locate an uncensored version of the document are ongoing but have yet to prove successful.

DeCIRO Catalogue Number: SC-01/05-01/001

Document Type: Project Overview

Dates Received: N/A

Operation Status: Ongoing

Foreword: The burden — the onus — of our organization is one that has remained elusive to the Foundation since its inception. In their efforts to lock away the incomprehensible and the unwelcome, the Foundation has ensured its own rigidity; they are unable to adapt, unwilling to change, and aggressively expansionist, perceiving all who do not fall under their domain to be potential threats to normalcy or aligned with groups they cannot tolerate. Yet, the Foundation, for all of its sins, is truthful in its claim that it exists as a necessary evil. Its immediate erasure would plunge human civilization into an impregnable darkness, one matching the dark ages in its scope and extent. Our agenda, much as the Overseers of the Foundation would like to claim otherwise, does not concern the destruction of their institution — for we are never strong enough to smite them — nor does it concern our own expansion, for we do not seek to place all of man under our thumb.

Our agenda is simple. We are insurgents, and we are insurgents against the unbridled spread of chaos itself. Order is the only righteous value to be preserved; the only virtue worth safeguarding. In all realities where the Foundation exists, there has been the Insurgency. It has taken many forms, and it has been comprised of many different individuals, but it always remains in some capacity. We are the check against the Foundation; the counterbalance to its insatiable desire to spread uncontrollably, and become something that cannot be allowed to undertake such a metamorphosis. In all planes of reality where the Insurgency has failed, the world has descended into disorder, its hierarchy and the position of natural law fractured beyond repair.

We, the Delta Command, therefore authorize the creation of PROJECT: Apex Cascade, and do so with the knowledge that our efforts are all that stands before the descent of the world into the Armageddon of chaos. The steps of this project are outlined below:

STEP 001/01: A complex mechanism will be constructed at Zone-005 under watch of armed Insurgents, all labor directly required for its construction completed by Alpha-class personnel. This machine, henceforth known as "The Engine," will be considered of the utmost priority to all members of Delta Command and supersede all other operational objectives. Its operation, once constructed, is directly causal to the continued success of our mission.

STEP 001/02: The Engine will be operated by The Engineer, his will unquestioned and his authority absolute. Through The Engineer, information concerning the necessary steps taken by the Chaos Insurgency will be conveyed to all personnel required for our mission. The Engineer will leave Zone-005 and cease operation of The Engine only in such cases where his life is threatened or Reality Plane Failure is perceived to be imminent. Prolonged failure to operate The Engine should be interpreted as a failure of the Chaos Insurgency to achieve its mission parameters.

STEP 001/03: Approaching the Apex Cascade, The Engineer, through use of The Engine, will relay the steps necessary to ensure the Reset occurs without incident. Depending on the circumstances, successful implementation of the Reset will likely prove demanding both in terms of the necessary loss of life and the damage inflicted to the Insurgency. However, failure to implement the Reset and the uninterrupted occurrence of the Apex Cascade will result in the destruction of both the SCP Foundation and the Chaos Insurgency.

STEP 001/04: [CLASSIFIED]

STEP 001/05: Rebirth and resurgence.

Approved by Delta Command under the supervision of The Engineer. These Steps are required reading for all personnel affiliated with the Chaos Insurgency.

The following are notes collected on SCP-001-B based on a combination of eyewitness testimony and interrogations of captured Insurgency operatives. These notes were considered the most substantial description of SCP-001-B until the execution of Operation: Red Spear.

NAME: UNKNOWN
AGE: UNKNOWN
AFFILIATION: SCP-001 (INSURGENCY)
ROLE: "THE ENGINEER"
BACKGROUND: SCP-001-B DESIGNATES AN INDIVIDUAL CONSISTENTLY REFERRED TO AS “THE ENGINEER” BY ALL INSURGENCY PERSONNEL. WHILE PHYSICAL CHARACTERICS OF THE ENGINEER ARE DIFFICULT TO DISCERN, INTERROGATION OF INSURGENCY OPERATIVES ALONG WITH LIMITED EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY SUGGEST THAT HE IS A MALE OF HUMAN APPEARANCE, APPROXIMATELY FIFTY TO SIXTY YEARS OF AGE. SUBJECT EXHIBITS CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCP FOUNDATION, PARTICULARLY THE NATURE OF ITS HIERARCHY AND THE CURRENT COMPOSITION OF THE OVERSEER COUNCIL. IT IS POSSIBLE, THOUGH UNCONFIRMED, THAT SCP-001-B WAS FORMERLY AFFILIATED WITH THE FOUNDATION IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY. FURTHER RESEARCH REGARDING SCP-001-B IS ONGOING.

The following are research notes collected from Dr. Jeremy Pogan concerning SCP-001-A.

On 03/12/2025, the Foundation received the following message from an unknown source, presumably linked to the Insurgency. Analysis of the figure depicted in the footage is ongoing, but is widely speculated to be SCP-001-B ("The Engineer") given the message's content and evidence suggesting it was transmitted from SCP-001-A. A transcription of the message is provided below.

Chaos Insurgency operatives during a training exercise in Anchorage, Alaska, circa 2004.

[Message begins. Camera flickers to life, depicting a presumably male figure cloaked in a black garb with red iconography adorning the exterior. The figure's face is covered by a black wrap, leaving only the eyes visible. There is a rhythmic metallic clanging present in the background for the duration of the message believed to be related to the operation of SCP-001-A.]

Figure: The following message is intended for all personnel belonging to the SCP Foundation. If any other groups are receiving this message, we ask that it be transmitted to the Foundation promptly. It is paramount that this message be received by the Foundation as quickly as possible.

[The figure pauses for a moment, exhaling heavily before continuing.]

Figure: We are the Chaos Insurgency. Contrary to what the Foundation may suggest, and contrary to what our actions would have you believe, our agenda is not the destruction of your organization. This has been reiterated time and time again by our operatives you hold captive, yet you have not listened. You have remained ignorant, by your own choice, and now you threaten us all with your pride and your hubris. Now, all we have left is a final, simple plea.

[The figure gestures to his rear.]

FIgure: What you see behind me is The Machine. You know it as SCP-001-A. The Machine is…for lack of a better term, divine. One would not be judged for believing it is God itself. Alas, like you, those of us who know of its true nature are men of reason, and we do not believe such superstitions.

[The humming of the machine grows louder and more urgent.]

Figure: The Machine is a thinking being. It is alive. It communicates through me, for I am its proxy; its mouthpiece. There is nothing the Insurgency does without consulting The Machine. Its purpose is not to destroy you. Its purpose is to prevent the Apex Cascade. And you are hastening it; you are hindering our efforts. You must relent. You must stop this petty war; you must leave us alone, or you will suffer the same fate that we all face.

[The humming is now nearly as loud as the figure's voice.]

Figure: The Machine grows…concerned. Anxious. It knows that the hour of judgment is approaching. We have little time for games. If the Foundation does not relent, if the Foundation does not stop its advance — we will die. All of us. And you will only have yourselves to blame for your insolent pride. Please, if you are to listen to us just once, make it —

[The humming abruptly intensifies to a loud, metallic grinding, deafening in volume.]

Figure: I know! I know. I'm trying. Please.

[The machine seems to quiet slightly, the figure's voice become somewhat more audible.]

Figure: I…I grow weak. I cannot do this much longer. The Cascade must be prevented. It must be delayed. Please…do not let this world fade into darkness.

[The figure is seen collapsing to the ground. The transmission abruptly ends.]

Operation begins at 0200 hours. JTF 001-Alpha is transported to SCP-001-A via VTOL⁵ dropship, with approximately 100 personnel participating in the operation. All units are armed with standard-issue 5.56mm assault rifles, 9mm sidearms, and two fragmentation grenades, along with impact-resistant Class-I body armor and anti-penetration helmets. Armored support consists of two MR-A5 heavy tanks coupled with A-10 Warthog air support on standby. Mission launch code is "IRENE."

JTF 001-Alpha is subdivided into three detachments:

ABLE COMPANY: Consists of all ground infantry, including assault teams, communication teams, medical teams, and remote fire support (artillery) teams. Two teams of four units each, designated SPEAR-1 and SPEAR-2, are special operations units intended to breach and enter SCP-001-A once primary ground forces have dealt with most Insurgency resistance and cleared a path to the facility. SPEAR-1 will secure SCP-001-A and disable it, while SPEAR-2 will locate and apprehend or terminate SCP-001-B.

BAKER COMPANY: Consists of all ground vehicles, including approximately five APCs⁶, the aforementioned two MR-A5 heavy tanks, and various rapid infantry transport vehicles (such as all-terrain-vehicles and MRAPs⁷). Baker Company has also been provided a single RT-IIA mechanized assault rig to be used in the event Insurgency resistance proves more difficult than anticipated to neutralize.

CHARLIE COMPANY: Consists of all aircraft and off-site support, including several A-10 Warthogs armed for strafing runs and numerous Black Hawk class helicopters for transporting/exfiltrating Able Company units. Charlie Company will also operate two unmanned reconnaissance drones transmitting a live feed of the operation to O5 Command.

Operation log transcribed below:

<BEGIN LOG>

[Radio feeds open with static before becoming clearer. Command receives the transmission and performs a radio check. Able Company is onboard two separate VTOL dropships on approach to SCP-001-A.]

Control: Able, come in, over.

[JTF-1, the commander of SPEAR-1, responds. JTF-2, the commander of SPEAR-2, is also receiving Command's transmission.]

JTF-1: Go ahead, control.

Control: We're picking up increased activity at the facility. They know we're coming. More armed personnel, along with several armored vehicles en route to their position. Expect heavy resistance.

JTF-1: Copy. Two, you catch that?

JTF-2: 10-4. We're ready for 'em.

JTF-1: Control, we're going to link up our feeds. Let us know if you're receiving once we're online. [To teammates] STRIKE-1, STRIKE-2, cameras up. Let's go live.

[Cameras flicker to life, showing the interior of the aircraft. A red light is seen illuminating the interior, with all personnel clothed in black body armor and facemasks. Several of them are seen reading, checking their magazines, or performing other mundane tasks.]

JTF-29: Can't believe this shit.

JTF-13: What?

JTF-29: Why send us in there? Bomb the fuckers. Clear 'em out.

JTF-13: We don't even know what this place is, man.

JTF-40: Nah, these guys have been around too long. Too many missed opportunities to put 'em down. Whatever's in there better be worth it.

JTF-13: There's a hundred of us going there. Clearly, Command thinks it's worth it. Can't remember the last time we were this loaded up.

JTF-29: Yeah, but why not soften them up? We're going to, what, run right into a fucking shooting gallery? Why?

JTF-1: You know why.

JTF-29: I really don't, One.

[JTF-1 is heard chuckling.]

JTF-1: One stray bomb and the entire places goes up. We have no clue what's in there. Could be anything. What if we need it? What if they want us to do exactly what you're talking about and something gets out, spreads? We're not in the business of blowing shit up, guys.

JTF-40: Aren't we currently on our way to blow something up?

JTF-1: There's blowing something up, and then there's blowing it up carefully.

[Several agents laugh.]

Pilot: One minute!

JTF-2: Alright, let's hop to it.

JTF-1: STRIKE-1, STRIKE-2, on your feet. The rest of you, prep for drop.

Control: We're going dark while you drop. We'll reestablish contact once you're on the ground.

JTF-2: Roger, Control.

[The feeds show all JTF units within the aircraft rising to their feet, grasping handles above their heads as the interior begins shaking due to turbulence. There are loud explosions outside the aircraft, presumed to be anti-air fire from Insurgency units on the ground.]

Pilot-1: We're taking flak here!

JTF-1: Fuck.

JTF-2: We're gonna have to bail out real quick, guys. Hang tight.

[Anti-air fire continues, the aircraft managing to evade most of the detonations. However, one round strikes the left engine of the second VTOL dropship, immediately jolting most of its occupants and causing it to begin a rapid descent towards the ground. Several JTF units are killed by the impact.]

Pilot-2: We're hit! We're hit!

[Flames are visibly rising from the engine of the damaged dropship.]

JTF-2: We're going down, STRIKE-1!

JTF-1: Bail out! Bail out now! We'll meet you on the ground!

JTF-2: Everyone get the fuck out! Drop now! Drop —

[The interior lights of the dropships switch from red to green, emitting a rhythmic alarm as the side doors open. The undamaged dropship descends to the ground without incident, softly landing on the dirt as the first 50 JTF agents exit and immediately receive infantry fire from the Insurgency. Several agents are injured or killed in the initial engagement, though the majority of them are able to move to cover.]

Pilot-1: Wave One successfully on the ground. Wave Two, what's your status?

Pilot-2: We're trying to hold her steady — [inaudible] — losing electronics —

[Ground forces witness the damaged dropship descend too rapidly, the engine struck by the AA round now entirely inoperative. Wave One engages the Insurgency presence on the ground. Most hostiles are draped in red combat armor and equipped with assault rifles of comparable make to those used by the JTF agents.]

JTF-49: On the sides! Damnit — [Gunfire] — Get around the sides!

JTF-34: We're fucking pinned down here!

Insurgent: Suppress! Keep their goddamn heads down!

JTF-1: Control, we're on the ground! Wave Two is still in the air! Their dropship is hit! I say again, Wave Two is going down! How copy?

[JTF-1's feed captures an agent rising out of cover to fire his rifle, almost immediately being struck in the head by a round. Blood sprays onto the camera and he falls to the ground, portions of brain matter streaming from his punctured helmet.]

JTF-1: Jesus — fuck!

Control: Wave One, we're reading you. What's the situation on the ground?

JTF-22: They're flanking us! [Gunfire] Keep them off the flanks, for fuck's sake!

JTF-1: We're taking heavy fire, Control! Hang on —

Pilot-2: We've lost all control, here — [Alarm blaring] — Not able to steady it out. We're going down. Mayday, I say again — [Alarm blaring] — we'll try to level out before impact.

JTF-13: Shit.

JTF-2: Fuck! We're going down hard!

Automated Voice: ALERT - IMPACT IMMINENT. BRACE FOR IMPACT.

[Camera feeds from ground units show Wave Two's dropship swirling uncontrollably towards the ground before colliding at a high speed, several mechanical parts and engine blades rocketed in to the air before falling back down. The collision quickly erupts into a fireball, killing numerous JTF and Insurgent personnel within the immediate radius of the crash zone. Pilot-2 and Copilot-2 are immediately killed upon impact.]

JTF-9: Fuck me…

Insurgent: Push up! Get to the crash site!

JTF-15: They're right on top of us! We —

[A bullet strikes JTF-15. He falls to the ground, screaming.]

JTF-16: Medic! Corpsman up!

JTF-15: [Screaming] Fuck! My leg! Jesus Christ —

JTF-1: STRIKE-1 to Wave One, can you secure the crash site? Over!

JTF-13: We're getting fucking hammered out here, STRIKE-1!

JTF-1: We need to get inside the structure! If we lose our window here, we're not going to get a second chance! Can you secure the crash site?

JTF-59: Help! Fucking — [Screaming] — help! Oh my God! Oh my God!

[An unknown JTF agent, presumably JTF-59, is seen walking out of the crashed dropship covered in flames. He visibly writhes and contorts as he attempts to extinguish himself, unable to do so. Eventually, the flames overtake him and he falls to the ground, burning to death with his screams transmitted over the radio.]

JTF-59: [Screaming] — please! Help me, help me, oh God — [Screaming]

Control: STRIKE-1, we're not receiving anything from STRIKE-2 or Wave Two. What is the situation at the crash site?

JTF-1: Unknown, Control!

JTF-35: The situation is fucked! They're fucking dead! We need to get the fuck out of here!

JTF-13: STRIKE-1, we are taking heavy casualties! If we move to the crash site now, we're going to get chewed up! Over!

JTF-1: Control, we are immobile here! We have multiple KIA, more wounded, and they have us pinned!

Insurgent: Cover the entrance! Don't let them get inside!

Control: Copy, STRIKE-1. Wait one.

[The firefight continues uninterrupted for several minutes, with surveillance drones capturing Insurgency forces moving closer to the JTF agents. Baker Company is roughly 5 minutes away from the facility, and Charlie Company is on standby. Total JTF casualties are estimated at 28. STRIKE-1 is down three men. Total Insurgency casualties are unknown.]

Control: STRIKE-1, we're going to clear you a path with the Warthogs. Standby for strafing fun. Get your men out of the primary route to the entrance, over.

JTF-1: Copy, Control!

JTF-40: Whatever you're gonna do, make it happen now!

[Warthog-1 enters the airspace immediately surrounding SCP-001-A, roughly two and a half minutes from the facility itself. It is followed by Warthog-2, bearing the same armament.]

Control: Wave One, Warthogs inbound.

JTF-1: Hurry the fuck up!

[Warthog-1 and Warthog-2 are 60 seconds from the engagement.]

Warthog-2: Able Company, we're on approach to provide support. Guns in 45.

[The Warthogs approach, STRIKE-1 evacuating the area in order to avoid a friendly-fire incident. What remains of Wave One follows them, sustaining several casualties during their withdrawal.]

Warthog-1: Guns hot.

Warthog-2: Guns hot.

[The Warthogs fly over Wave One, firing their 30mm cannons. The strafing run has a positive effect on target; the majority of Insurgent units on the ground are killed or incapacitated due to their injuries.]

JTF-40: Fuck yeah! Good kill!

JTF-1: Control, positive effect on target. Looks like most of them are down. We're gonna mop 'em up.

Control: Copy, STRIKE-1. Baker Company is inbound to provide fire support for exfil. Proceed with your team inside SCP-001-A. Have Wave One mop up any resistance outside the building.

JTF-1: Roger. STRIKE-1, let's get inside. The rest of you, move forward and give us cover.

JTF-35: Copy.

[STRIKE-1 advances, Wave One to their front. Most of the Insurgent units outside the facility are either dead or too injured to fight. JTF-38 approaches one of them, his leg severed from the strafing run.]

JTF-38: One, we've got a survivor here.

JTF-1: What's he saying?

[JTF-38 leans closer to the injured Insurgent.]

Insurgent: — [Groaning] — too late — you've fucked it up — it's all gone — it's —

JTF-5: Jesus, man. Put him down.

Insurgent: It's over. You've fucked us all. You've fucked us all! We're all dead! You and your fucking ignorance! Jesus Christ. Help me. Please. Make it —

[JTF-38 fires a round into the head of the injured Insurgent, killing him instantly.]

JTF-1: Enough of this shit. Let's get inside.

JTF-5: Copy.

[STRIKE-1, now consisting of JTF-1 through JTF-5, enters SCP-001-A. They pass the corpse of an Insurgent, having crawled a short distance onto the white floor before presumably bleeding to death.]

[Continuing to a stairwell, STRIKE-1 descends several stories, noticing that a loud, mechanical humming is growing louder as they move. It begins as no louder than a whisper before coming nearly as loud as their footsteps.]

JTF-3: Sounds like what we're looking for.

JTF-1: Yep.

JTF-4: What do you think it is, One? What's this all for?

JTF-1: I don't know. Let's just keep moving.

[They continue the descent, eventually reaching a landing adjacent to a sealed metal door. The plates covering the door, apparently made of steel, are slightly damaged. The lock has already been opened from the inside. JTF-1 reaches forward, grabbing the handle and slowly pushing it open, rifle at the ready as he enters; the rest of STRIKE-1 follows him, checking the corners. After confirming that the room is clear, they contact Control.]

JTF-1: Control, we're on the ground floor here. We think 001-B is just a few rooms over. Proceeding to objective.

Control: Copy.

[STRIKE-1 proceeds into an adjacent room, resembling a scientific laboratory. The door is off its hinges, presumably dislodged due to vibrations caused by explosions on the surface. There is a swirling, massive mechanical object behind a glass wall, periodically emitting bolts of blue and red energy.]

JTF-5: Sweet fucking Christ.

JTF-1: Control. I think we have eyes on target here.

Control: Roger, we're seeing it.

[JTF-1 approaches the glass wall, staring at the machine for a moment before noticing a computer to his right. The screen of the computer is blinking rapidly in red and white, the text "PLAY LOG?" visible on the screen.]

JTF-3: Nobody's here.

[The machine begins swirling more violently, illuminating the room STRIKE-1 is occupying in pulsating reds and blues. The humming heard from the stairwell is now oddly quiet, little more than a low, electronic buzzing.]

JTF-1: Control, no sign of SCP-001-B. There's a computer here — looks like it has a drive connected to it.

Control: Do you see any way of shutting down the machine?

JTF-1: Negative. I think the control mechanisms are past the glass.

Control: Roger. Wait one.

[JTF-2 approaches the computer, leaning over it for a moment before pressing a key. The screen goes blank, then returns in a flash of red. A video appears, depicting a man in his late 60's, his skin wrinkled and adorned with a flowing white beard.]

JTF-2: One, get over here.

JTF-1: Why did you fucking touch anything?

JTF-2: Might be a way to shut this thing down.

[STRIKE-1 moves around the computer, observing the log as it plays.]

Control: STRIKE-1, what's going on?

JTF-1: Hang on. Might have something here.

[LOG CONTENTS REMOVED]

[Following the conclusion of the log's playback, Control was unable to establish contact with STRIKE-1 for approximately one hour. In that time, several Wave One units entered the structure and searched for any indication of STRIKE-1's whereabouts, finding nothing. SCP-001-A itself was found disabled, exhibiting no apparent activity and producing no measurable energy readings. Containment teams subsequently arrived outside SCP-001-A and initiated containment efforts; all efforts to restart SCP-001-A or otherwise reenable the machine have thus far proven futile.]

[Roughly nine hours after the arrival of containment teams, Control received a transmission from an unknown source. The voice in this transmission was later identified as belonging to JTF-1.]

Control: JTF-1, we're receiving your transmission. Do you read?

JTF-1: [Unintelligible]

Control: Say again, JTF-1. You're not coming in clearly. Are you receiving?

JTF-1: …nothing —

Control: Repeat your last?

JTF-1: There is — nothing — [Unintelligible] — Only disorder — Only chaos — There is nothing —

[At this point, the transmission cut off. Attempts to identify the whereabouts of JTF-1 or STRIKE-1 proved futile. SCP-001-A was subsequently contained and assumed inert until further analysis of the log played back by JTF-2 within the facility.]

DISPLAY FILE

HIDE FILE

<PLAYING LOG>

My name is Edward Thompson. To those who were close to me in the last few days, I was known as The Engineer. You, if you are who I assume you to be, know me as SCP-001-B.

If you are watching this log, I am long gone, most likely dead by my own hand having failed to prevent what you know as the "Apex Cascade." Nothing I am about to tell you will allow you to reactivate The Engine. Nothing I am about to tell you, similarly, will let you put things back together. But it is important — maybe not for us anymore, but for someone else. Someone who still has a chance to prevent this. You would do yourself and everyone who's left out there a favor by listening. For once. You didn't listen before, so at least listen now.

A photograph of SCP-001-B ("The Engineer", formerly O5-1 or "The Administrator") recovered from his personal quarters following Operation: Red Spear.

Before everything that happened…well, happened, I was a researcher with the US Corps of Paranormal Affairs. If that sounds foreign to you, well — it's because it no longer exists. What was left of the Corps by the time the 50's rolled around was packed up and defunded, and we were left with no vector by which to continue our work. Nothing but time and what little assets we could pool together. I was proud of my work. Proud of everything we were doing. And I wasn't ready to throw a life of research, of scientific inquiry into the garbage because a handful of politicians thought the money was better spent on whatever nonsensical war they wanted to fight against the communists. We were more important than a government. We were needed by everyone.

I, along with twelve of my colleagues from the USCPA, formed the Secure, Contain, Protect Foundation. You know it better as the SCP Foundation, though I suppose even the acronym has become something of an antiquity lately. They called me "The Administrator" because, well, I administrated — I formed all the political deals and alliances that were necessary for us to survive in the early days. I was never one for paperwork, but like I had with my research, I took pride in what I was doing, knowing it was ultimately for the benefit of all mankind. When we had finally secured some funding and things weren't so…desperate, we set up Site-19, the first of our containment facilities, and got to work.

But there was something off. Something wrong.

Something gnawing at me.

At first, I thought it was just the novelty of it all. Such an undertaking had never been done before, and I assumed it was natural to have feelings of suspicion and doubt as with all bold endeavors. I consulted with the other Overseers, as we called ourselves — I forget who came up with the name — and they all told me they were more than satisfied with our progress. In fact, in just a short few years, the Foundation had expanded from a group of ragtag paranormal researchers to the single most dominant organization concerned with the anomalous on the face of the planet. But that was exactly it — why had it been so easy? What had facilitated such rapid, unbridled expansion? We had done so much to protect those in the light that — that we didn't think what exactly it meant to die in the dark.

And then I found out.

There's a scientific hypothesis, a mathematical theorem commonly referred to as "chaos theory." The gist, since I have little time, is this: All dynamic systems that appear random, no matter how chaotic the randomness or how seemingly incoherent the events within, are in fact guided by a comprehensible set of rules or laws. I had spent much of my years as a graduate student contemplating chaos theory, but it had not been relevant in some time; it was something of a novelty, something people discussed when they were attempting to flex their scholarly merits or impress some girl at a bar. But I kept thinking back to it. Over. And over. And over. And over again.

The Overseers thought that the guiding force behind our success was luck. But there is no such thing as luck.

I began a new research project, one that I deliberately kept hidden and obscured from the rest of the Council. My travels took me all across the world, but ultimately I found myself in the iron heart of Moscow — I had managed to burn every record linking me to the US, and thus, I was free to roam and explore. Within a library, one holding works collected from the raid on the home of the Tsars during the October Revolution, there was an unmarked tome fixed with a simple label. In Russian, it read "CRIMSON." But that was but one interpretation of the word. I approached the librarian, asking about other meanings of the word. She replied that it was sometimes understood to mean luck; and, less commonly, chaos.

I will not discuss what I read here; only that it was prophetic, and I am ashamed that I could not prevent it from becoming truth.

The Overseers would not listen to my pleas. They were more concerned with how to cement their influence and how to eliminate the growing number of rival institutions that had emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War. They cared little for tales of a cosmic, eternal conflict; of checks and balances, of two fists repelling each other lest the universe suffer. I tried time and time again to persuade them to restrain the Foundation, to pull its leash inward like grappling with a rabid dog. But they wouldn't listen to me.

And so, with as many men as I could bring to my side, and with the guns that I had forged in the earliest days, I defected. They replaced me within a week with a new O5-1, but they could not disregard the blood; the stains, and the bodies that littered the halls because of their ignorance and their hubris. Thus, the Chaos Insurgency was born.

The task of restraining the Overseers was a task far too difficult and far too strenuous for one man. We found ourselves beaten down and repelled each time we tried to stop them; each raid on a Foundation containment facility only led to another boot heel crashing down upon us. Out of desperation, we began to use their own items against them; using the anomalous to beat back the hounds of the Council. It worked, for a time, but ultimately they adapted to this nonetheless. We were left with nothing but the stark reality of what awaited us if we would fail.

Construction on The Engine began immediately after we realized the Global Occult Coalition was too weak, too frail to stop them. It was envisioned as the most powerful artificial intelligence ever manufactured by the hands of man. The goal was not to create some doomsday weapon capable of smiting our enemies, nor was it to position the Insurgency as the unquestioned ruler of this world. The goal was simply to create a machine that could calculate the steps necessary to ensure the Foundation was kept in line; that the Foundation would not bring about the Apex Cascade.

I chuckle when I hear it referred to as that. Such a vague term for such a simple concept.

More came to join us as decades passed. Some had encountered the old myths and once locked away legends of the eternal conflict; the dyad of boundless growth and retaliatory contraction. The Insurgency became a threat to not only the Foundation, but the organizations they used like puppets; and in their fear, their unmatched conceit, they set out to destroy us. They could only see the Insurgency as a thorn in their sides, caring little for the consequences of our annihilation. The end was approaching. The Engine had grown, developed itself, and ultimately became alive; thinking on its own, without my aid. It spoke to me, telling me of what would occur if the Overseers were not pushed back.

And then, to ensure my cooperation and my understanding, it showed me the fates of other worlds. It showed me a tapestry of fallen universes, of realities consumed by the Apex Cascade and the ever-growing hand of an unchallenged Foundation.

All were nothing; a swirling, black vortex of indistinguishable, incoherent nothing.

And, when I looked into the abyss for long enough, when I felt my eyes trained on the impregnable wall of darkness in just the right way — I thought I could hear the screaming of those who had been split apart, tossed aside, and ingested like meaningless, formless atoms by the writhing maw of chaos itself.

Because of what you have done, because of what you could not tolerate, this is our fate.

All that we can do now is use The Engine — what remains of it — to give other worlds an opportunity. If we will not learn from our mistakes here, perhaps they can learn from them. Perhaps there will be a realm, somewhere in the planes of being, that stands against you — resolute, and unbowed.

I am The Administrator. I am O5-1. I am The Engineer. And I have cruelly, unequivocally, brutally failed.

NEW FILE RECEIVED: PLEASE PRESENT OVERSEER CREDENTIALS