“Ten… Nine… Eight…” a mysterious, happy sounding voice
is counting down as a young man runs across a rotating beam. He’s cut and bruised, leaving a trail of
blood behind him as he struggles to reach the finish line. “Seven… Six… Five…” He hops onto the final platform as a spinning
saw blade comes buzzing out of the wall. He drops to the floor, moments before it takes
off his head. “Four… Three… Two…” He stands up and sprints towards the end of
this nightmare competition.The man leaps through the air, his arm outstretched towards the
buzzer. “One… Zero! Time’s up!” the announcer cries a split
second before the man slaps the final buzzer. The lights go out and the announcer’s voice
suddenly changes, it loses its clown-like quality and takes on a much more sinister
tone. “Looks like no winners this time. Now it’s time for your punishment!” Hi! I’m Dr. Bob, and this is SCP-024, also known
as... the Game Show of Death. SCP-024 is an abandoned soundstage, which
is a hangar-like structure that’s normally used for the production of film and television
projects. This specific soundstage has been abandoned
for a number of years, though it’s not known at this time if the anomalous properties it
demonstrates had manifested before or after its abandonment. The anomalous location was first discovered
by a group of teenagers who had illegally broken into the compound on which the soundstage
is located. Only one of the teenagers who entered the
soundstage returned and the report she made to local police detailing her experience was
more than enough to tip off the SCP Foundation that something was amiss. The Foundation immediately began mobilizing
agents, and once the site was secured, a number of test groups were sent into SCP-024 to learn
more about what was happening inside. From those groups we now know that upon entering
SCP-024, visitors are greeted by an announcer who is so far yet to be seen or otherwise
identified. The announcer communicates with the visitors
via an intercom system and will listen and respond back to visitors as well. The announcer refers to those who enter SCP-024
as “contestants” and informs them that they will be participating in a game show
with the opportunity to win fabulous prizes. The contestants are given fair warning though,
that the game will be extremely dangerous and that only winners will be allowed to leave. At this point, the contestants are presented
with the choice of whether to participate or not. Those who decline the offered terms are immediately
expelled from SCP-024 and their re-entry is blocked by an invisible barrier. Those who choose to stay are then led further
into the soundstage to where they will participate in the actual game. The specific aesthetics and composition of
the game changes with each new group of contestants but the essence always remains the same - a
long and elaborate obstacle course that must be navigated through. The precise rules also vary, with some games
only allowing for a single winner while others encourage the players to work together and
form teams. The obstacles can range from relatively easy
and safe challenges, to life threatening tests of skill. As the contestants make their way through
the unusual obstacle course, the announcer will continually talk to them, giving them
updates on other contestants, advice on how to progress, adjusting rules on the fly, or
even conversing with the contestant directly. As the game goes on, the obstacles become
more and more deadly and difficult to overcome. This has led to the not so rare occurrence
of there being no winners, with the entire pool of contestants having been killed or
otherwise incapacitated by the various challenges. In these instances, the announcer will express
his disappointment at there not being a winner and SCP-024 appears to shut down, going dark
until another new group of contestants enter. Before beginning the game, the contestants
are briefed on a number of rules, such as no assaulting the other contestants and no
deliberate bypassing of obstacles. In the event that a rule is broken, the announcer
will call out the offending contestant, and they are forcefully removed from the game
by the studio guardians who act as the physical enforcers of SCP-024’s rules. The studio guardian’s can suddenly appear
and disappear from anywhere inside SCP-024. Their exact look varies based on the theme
of the obstacle course, but they always maintain a humanoid appearance, exhibit superhuman
strength, and wear a mask or headgear that fully hides their face. Strangely, winners of the game have later
reported that while inside the game, the studio guardians appear only as gigantic, shadowy
figures that would engulf offending contestants and then disappear. Should one or more persons complete the obstacle
course and abide by the rules that were set out by the announcer, they are declared to
be the winner and the recipient of a grand prize. Prizes have included cash, electronics, cars,
collectibles, and even fully paid vacations to a variety of cities and countries. The type of prize awarded seems to be completely
random and examination of the prizes collected has shown them all to be genuine, with no
unusual characteristics or anomalous properties. Those who did not complete the obstacle course
are announced to be losers and the lights within SCP-024 are then switched off. The winners will find themselves outside the
soundstage with their prize, while the losers are never seen or heard from again. Attempts to track where the losers go or what
happens to them have all failed. GPS locator beacons placed on test groups
lost their signals as soon as the game ended, and it is unknown whether this is because
they were destroyed or because they were taken somewhere that blocked the signals. Perhaps the strangest aspect of SCP-024 is
what happens after the game show has ended. Outside of the soundstage is a mailbox, and
following the completion of a game, whether a winner was crowned or not, a VHS tape or
DVD containing a recording of the entire game will appear. This is despite winners claiming to not see
any cameras present while inside. Even more bizarre is the studio audience that
can be seen on the recording watching the game and cheering on the contestants. Just like the cameras, winners have reported
that there was no one present but the other contestants while they were inside SCP-024. The announcer also remains a mystery. During a test group which consisted solely
of a Foundation researcher who conversed with the announcer, it became clear that it is
both sentient and aware of events that take place in the outside world. As the researcher was the only contestant
present, the announcer did not start the game and instead engaged in a conversation with
the researcher. Most of the topics were centered around pop
culture, and it’s hypothesized that SCP-024’s only means of learning about the outside world
may be through television sources, though attempts to test this theory by cutting lines
and removing satellite dishes from the sound stage roof have not shown to have an impact
on what the announcer knows. When it became clear that the Foundation researcher
would be the only contestant at that time, the announcer politely asked them to leave
and recommended that they return with additional contestants at a later date. SCP-024’s nature means that it can’t be
moved to a secure location and it has been classified as Euclid. It has been determined that the best way to
safely secure SCP-024 is to conceal its location. Five identical looking sound stages have been
built around it and a security perimeter around the complex is maintained at all times. None of the security team members are told
which is the real SCP-024, and to further prevent accidental entry, its entrance has
been sealed by reinforced blast doors. Only D-Class personnel are now allowed to
enter SCP-024 as test groups participating in the competition, and Foundation researchers
may only observe remotely. Any attempts by Foundation personnel to enter
SCP-024 without prior approval from a Level 4 researcher will lead to immediate apprehension
and termination of the offender has been authorized. In the event that containment is breached,
or if the true nature of SCP-024 is compromised, the entire complex is to be immediately destroyed
by the specialized demolition charges that are placed throughout the containment area. Now go and watch another entry from the files
of Dr. Bob, and be sure to subscribe as we delve further and further into the SCP Foundation’s
classified archives.
