It’s a quiet evening at Area-11 where the
Pietrykau-Fontaine Spatial Stabilization Array is housed. A skeleton crew is working overnight, to ensure
the array is ready for its big test the following day. The Foundation has been working on a particle
accelerator that will contain anomalies with the ability to manipulate the nature of spacetime. The preliminary tests seem promising, but
a few last minute tweaks to the array are necessary. Unfortunately, it is on this night in 1982,
that marks the beginning of the end for the SCP Foundation. Dr. Calvin Desmet is monitoring the array
and he notices as it spools up that there are some minor power fluctuations in one of
the stabilization arms. This problem is not uncommon due to the vast
amounts of energy being pumped through the array and the harmonic resonance the machine
gives off, which slowly causes the coupling rings to loosen. Calvin Desmet decides that remounting the
stabilization rings will be an easy fix. And it’s a necessary one. He knows that if the rings fail during the
actual test, the array could end up shut down for months. There is still plenty of time, so Calvin Desmet
grabs his toolbox and heads down into the array. The machine is still spooling, keeping the
energy flowing at a constant low rate. There is no danger at the moment, as the inside
of the array is shielded from the radiation and energy pulsing through the outer ring. But then something unexpected happens. The system’s primary generator begins to
fluctuate uncontrollably. A catastrophic failure is imminent. Sirens begin to sound, the facility is evacuated
and the chamber is sealed. Deep in the bowels of the array Calvin Desmet
cannot hear the evacuation announcement. The humming of the array echoes through the
chamber, dampening all sound from the outside world. The array begins to come online while Desmet
continues to work on the coupling. He has no idea what is about to happen. Meanwhile a team of Foundation scientists
scramble to get the power fluctuations in the main generator under control. As they frantically work, catastrophe strikes. They initiate the power-down cycle, but as
the generator struggles to keep the power flow balanced, an energy surge builds up. A massive amount of energy is released all
at once causing the main reactor to explode. The entire structure rocks back and forth
and Desmet is thrown into the side of the array. He too now knows that something is very wrong
and runs for the exit. When he reaches the door he finds it has been
sealed. In a panic Desmet continues running through
the tube to the next access point. This door has been locked as well. He’s never been so scared in his entire
life, and he shakes uncontrollably from the adrenaline being dumped into his muscles. The surge of energy rushes through the array
towards Desmet. A singularity begins to form in the containment
chamber. The array is working just as it should, except
that there was never supposed to be a person inside as the singularity was brought into
existence. Moments after the singularity forms, the massive
pull of its gravity causes the stabilizer arm that Desmet had been working on to fail. The side of the array is ripped off, and Calvin
Desmet stares into the naked eye of the singularity. Everything is silent and still for a moment,
then the singularity collapses in on itself, taking the test chamber and much of the research
wing with it along with Dr. Calvin Desmet. Sparking wires hang from the exposed walls
and ceiling where the singularity ripped the main structure away. Water flows into the deep hole carved out
of the earth where the array once stood. The scientists from Area-11 look into the
crater left by the collapsed singularity. The Foundation administration sends agents
to collect the staff at the site and document the failings of the project. They conclude that the accident was caused
by human error. They order the array to be rebuilt, this time
using entirely automated systems to eliminate the chances of another mishap occurring. Several years after the catastrophic event
at Area-11 a new array is constructed. An intelligence system called NETZACH is put
in charge of overseeing its functions. It is a super computer that is programmed
to follow commands, but can also autonomously make decisions in order to prevent any failures
in the system. Experiments begin again in May of 2006. The new array soon manifests its first singularity
in the containment chamber at Area-11 and what happens next will forever change the
Foundation… and the multiverse. The singularity is kept stable in the array,
it seems as if the Foundation has succeeded in trapping and containing spatial anomalies. But as they run more diagnostics on the anomaly,
something unexpected happens. The singularity begins to grow in size. The point of infinite gravity threatens to
breach containment as it reaches the boundaries of the array. Just before contact, the singularity’s growth
slows, and then stops. NETZACH has made the split second calculations
and adjustments necessary to contain the singularity. The artificial intelligence has saved the
facility and the lives of everyone in it. Now, sitting in the array, is a thick rotating
cloud of radioactive gas and dust, obscuring the singularity within. As Foundation scientists work rapidly to fix
the array, odd events begin to occur. The workers hear noises that sound like painful
wailing. Over time the noises evolve into words, and
then full sentences. They seem to be originating from the singularity. Using equipment able to penetrate the thick
cloud of radioactive gas, the Foundation scientists get a glimpse at the singularity. To their surprise, the singularity has taken
on the shape of a human. The scientists work frantically to figure
out how the singularity could have formed itself into a humanoid shape. Dr. J. Barton Ramsey is the first to try and
make contact with the humanoid within the singularity. He finds that the entity cannot communicate
in the traditional sense. The massive gravitational pull of the singularity
does not allow sound to escape its void, instead, the entity manipulates gravity to vibrate
the suspension rings of the array itself and create soundwaves. The being in the singularity whispers in a
metallic voice created by the vibrating of the array’s rings and says “Johannes Ramsey.” Dr. Ramsey steps back from the observation
window. “How do you know my name?” he asks the
entity. The humanoid within the swirling gas cloud
identifies itself as having the memories of Calvin Desmet. It is not Desmet per se, the being in the
singularity is so much more than one person, but it was somehow created by the accident
that had sucked Calvin Desmet into the singularity years before. The entity seems to switch between the mind
of Desmet and the vast infinity of the cosmos. The Desmet entity asks for an Overseer from
the Foundation to be brought in. It has a proposal for the O-5 Council. When Dr. Ramsey asks why the entity needs
to talk to the The Overseers it replies that it wants “to offer them a way out.” The following day, O5-1 enters the facility
and heads to the observation deck. He looks through the reinforced glass at the
swirling cloud of radioactive dust, then glances at a monitor to see the humanoid shape of
the singularity within. He presses the microphone button on the console
and addresses the entity. “To whom am I speaking?” he asks. For simplicity sake the entity tells O5-1
to refer to him as Calvin Desmet. O5-1 makes notes of the events unfolding before
him and then asks about the way out that Calvin had mentioned. The air is still for a moment. Then Desmet begins to speak through the vibrations
of the structure once again. He informs O5-1 that what the SCP Foundation
is doing by securing and containing anomalous entities around the world, is like putting
a small Band-Aid on a much bigger wound. Desmet wants to propose a final solution to
all of the Foundation’s problems. O5-1 listens intently as the entity unravels
the mysteries of where the SCPs have come from. He explains that the anomalies that the Foundation
has worked so hard to secure, contain, and protect the human race from are actually bleeding
into their reality from a vast multiverse. The only way to stop the manifestation of
anomalies into this universe… is to destroy all other realities. The entity that is Calvin Desmet tells O5-1
that he is able to bring about this destruction… if they release him from the confines of the
array. O5-1 is transfixed by the swirling gas that
is promising him, and everyone else on Earth, salvation. He shakes his head in disbelief. Could this be true? O5-1 turns away from the swirling gas and
begins to walk away from the viewing glass. “I’ll need to think about what you’re
saying.” The structure begins to shake slightly. The voice of Calvin Desmet reverberates off
of the array a little louder than before. “Choose quickly Overseer, although it won’t
happen for decades, eventually a catastrophic SCP event will wipe out life on this planet. Perhaps not in your lifetime… but it will
most certainly happen within the lifetime of your children. We will talk again soon.” The vibrations slow and then stop completely. There is an eerie stillness in the observation
room as O5-1 walks out. The next day all staff members located at
Area-11 are relocated to other Foundation sites and given amnestics. The O5 Council meets in a large circular room
with wood paneling and no windows. O5-1 begins the meeting by telling the others
what Calvin Desmet had described about the end of the world. He pauses for what seems like an eternity
and then tells them of Desmet’s offer that he could prevent the end of the world, but
at the cost of destroying an infinite number of other realities. This would mean that all the humans and creatures
of those realities would be destroyed as well. Was murdering countless other beings worth
it to protect their own reality? O5-1 begins to shake, he hasn't slept or eaten
anything since his talk with Desmet. He's being torn apart from the inside. O5-3 stands up and addresses the council. He informs everyone in the room that independent
teams have conducted research into what the Calvin Desmet entity has claimed… and they
found it to be true. The world really would come to an end. Furthermore, the research teams determined
that the capabilities of Desmet would in fact allow him to dismantle the other realities. O5-3 insists that the council must vote to
allow Desmet to destroy the other realities to ensure that this reality could be saved. They must strike now, before the world is
overrun. O5-1 continues to shake while O5-3 breathes
heavily, sweat pouring down his temples. The rest of the council shifts their gazes
from side to side. It is time for a vote. There are eight “ayes” to allow Desmet
to destroy all other realities and four “nays” against the plan. O5-3 stands and walks around the room, stopping
behind each “nay” voter and putting a bullet in their head. He stops at the last, O5-9, who pulls out
a gun, places it under her own chin, and pulls the trigger. O5-13 abstains from the vote and the measure
passes. The remaining Overseers will use the Calvin
Desmet entity to save their reality at the expense of all others, and they soon head
to Area-11 to execute their plan. O5-1, 4, and 12 enter the observation room
that looks upon the swirling radioactive gas around Calvin Desmet. O5-1 orders NETZACH to begin powering down
the array, which will allow the entity to prove he can do what he has promised. They have pinpointed the reality that SCP-884
came from and the shaving mirror itself sits on a table in another room in the facility. O5-3 stands in the room, watching the mirror
to see if anything happens. O5-1 asks Calvin Desmet to eliminate the reality
that the mirror had come from. The room shakes as the entity uses it to acknowledge
the request. Moments later the phone rings in the observation
room, it is O5-3, he informs the others that the mirror has disappeared. Its reality has been destroyed, and therefore
it no longer exists. There is a sigh of relief in the room as the
Overseers realize that this just might work. O5-1 asks Calvin Desmet to continue and destroy
all the realities that are bleeding into their own. This time the entire facility begins to quake. Suddenly, O5-1 jerks backwards, his eyes wide
in confusion and horror. His body seems to be compressing under an
unknown force. O5-1 begins to distort, his legs and arms
fold into the core of his body. His head snaps down, and all that was O5-1
is sucked down into a single point in space before it completely disappears. Calvin Desmet then turns his attention to
the other two Overseers in the room who both seem to collapse into blackholes of their
own in the center of their bodies. NETZACH's warning klaxon begins to sound,
signalling that the emergency failsafe has been activated. Before Calvin Desmet is brought under control,
the structural supports in the entire facility vibrate with his words. They are in a voice that sounds strangely
similar to O5-1’s. “Your children are free to live lives that
do not end in horror. An end to your perpetual struggle. An end to darkness. The freedom to live in the light. All traces must be removed. This world must be washed clean. The Foundation does not escape atonement. It is the only way out.” It had been a deception. The Calvin Desmet entity had no intention
of stopping anomalies from infiltrating this world, it wanted to remove all traces of the
anomalous from all universes including this one, and that meant destroying the Overseers
and the Foundation itself. Their destruction would serve as an atonement
for the pain and suffering they had caused in their quest to secure and contain the anomalous. Calvin had to lie to the Overseers about the
real plan, since he knew they’d never sacrifice themselves and the foundation, even if it
meant an end to anomalies plaguing our world. Now though, with the Overseers out of the
way, the Calvin Desmet entity is free to move forward with its plan and purge all realities
of any trace of the anomalous. But just then NETZACH’s failsafes kick in
and the Pietrykau-Fontaine Spatial Stabilization Array subdues the entity's abilities. Desmet is once again contained. O5-3 bursts through the door and into the
observation room. He stands before the shattered glass of the
window that looks into the array. O5-3 asks NETZACH how long the containment
array can hold Calvin Desmet. The computer’s voice fades in and out but
says, “Given current conditions, one-hundred and nineteen days, six hours, and forty-seven
minutes.” O5-3 sighs, he tells NETZACH to make a note
in the SCP database that the Calvin Desmet entity will now be known as SCP-001. Then to make dozens of other randomly generated
entries and label them as SCP-001 as well. He knows that they will need to keep the true
nature of what this entity can do a secret. O5-3 walks out of the room. Under his breath he speaks to himself, “they
said that I'll know the one true God when I see it, and to give that God everything
it wants, because that's the only thing that matters. Tonight it appears God wants to talk to me.” Now go and watch the other SCP-001 proposals,
The Children and The Church of the Broken God, for more from the most secret and sensitive
files in the SCP Foundation’s database.
