This bit down here controls the logo and subtitle changes. Is it cursed? Yes. Is it annoyingly effective? Also yes.
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by Ethagon
NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
This file denotes one possible state of the city Maladh, as originally discovered. Information about Maladh after Incident-8530-G, as well as all other possible states of the city, are filed under Nx-53.
Clearance 4/General - 2/Nexology
Disinformation, Tactical Theology
Site-107
S
E
K
T
N
NA
Unstable
A5
A4
A3
A2
B5
B4
B3
B2
C5
C4
C3
C2
D5
D4
D3
D2
E5
E4
E3
E2
KETER
AAA
EEE
Ȼ
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T
Any_value
Vedist I
Vedist II
Vedist III
Vedist IV
Vedist V
Vedist VI
SCP-8530
SCP-8530 approached during a mild sandstorm. Pictured is the skyscraper the Spiral (right) and the apartment complex the Moon (left).
Special Containment Procedures: All exchange of SCP-8530 with the outside world is to be drastically reduced. Trains and airplanes leading to SCP-8530 are to be delayed or cancelled. References to SCP-8530 in media are to be kept to a minimum. Preparations are in place should the need arise to remove SCP-8530 from the public consciousness.
These measures will be replaced with complete Containment Procedures as soon as investigations are finished.
Description: SCP-8530 is the city Maladh (ملاذ) located in Egypt from the moment of its creation until Incident-8530-G. It was built by SCP-8530-A on top of a small desert village over the course of 10 years. It has transformed into a tourism hotspot famous for skyscrapers like the Spiral and the Moon next to projects like Maladh Center Mall, the largest cinema complex in Egypt and the Greenhouse Towers. The original village and its small population have since been entirely displaced.
SCP-8530-A is Mirza Qadir, the founder and governor of SCP-8530. 90% of all businesses operating in SCP-8530 are directly affiliated with SCP-8530-A.
SCP-8530 first came to the attention of the Foundation during a joint mission with the Global Occult Coalition and the Horizon Initiative in an effort to contain KTE-5503-Bice-Copernicus. In preparation for this containment effort, it was noted that neither the Foundation nor the Global Occult Coalition had any presence in the city at the time.
A city the size of SCP-8530 would at minimum demand increased data surveillance and the localization of either three Level-0 or one Level-1 Informant. As no such action has taken place, malicious interference is suspected, necessitating a full analysis of SCP-8530.
Meeting-8530-A
Attendees:
- Agent Ellen O'Connor, Department of Analytics
- Agent Tess (Codename), Disinformation Bureau
- Director Heba Gomaa, Site-107
- Captain Emmanuel Tirk, MTF-Eta-77 ("Spheres Within Spheres")
Location: Site-107
Topic: Assessment of SCP-8530
Language: English
Tess: Meeting begins. For the record, all information is given out in files as Site-107 currently lacks a functioning projector.
Gomaa: Only because our budget is continuously–
Tess: Don't interrupt me. Additionally, Captain Tirk has joined us to provide useful intel on KTE-5503.
O'Connor: The Angel is in the city?
Tirk: I would bet on it.
Tess: We can move on to that later — first, the assessment of Analytics.
O'Connor: Right. There's a high chance the whole city is anomalous.
Gomaa: Hold on, all of it?
O'Connor: That or something is messing with all the data we got. The logistics of Maladh don't make any sense. The roads can't transport all the water the city consumes, and its electrical bill is enough for a continent.
Tess: Why has this not been noticed before?
O'Connor: Because you can't notice it. The analyst looking at Maladh's power grid ended up with internally consistent numbers to anything she could find. Same for the water transportation. Even if I put two of them together, everything would match up. But the numbers change.
[O'Connor throws files of an analysis repeated three times on the table. The numbers are censored. All files look vastly different.]
O'Connor: Comparing numbers leads to the same effect. But I know my team. The methods change because the data changes.
Tess: Meaning what?
O'Connor: It means the logistics don't add up. It's like a kaleidoscope that is always right no matter where you look at the anomaly.
Gomaa: Wait, is that it? The city is already an anomaly now?
O'Connor: Of course. The fact that it bends logistics alone makes this an Analytics threat.
Gomaa: I don't think that's– it could be a single actor that's causing this.
O'Connor: If it was only the logistics that was wrong, sure. But we're also dealing with the Chaos Insurgency.
Tess: (sighs) Is that why you came personally?
Gomaa: (under her breath) Of course Analytics only shows up when it's their own chaos to deal with.
O'Connor: Fiveteen different cells of the Insurgency have been discovered to operate in Maladh. Do any of you know what that means?
[She throws more files at the table listing a bunch of organizations and what might connect them to the Insurgency: "your Car Insurance", the restaurant "Catering Isolated", or the "Causality Institute".]
O'Connor: It means this will blow up. The Insurgency's precognition thrives best in chaotic situations. This many cells here are our metaphorical vultures circling a soon-to-be-dead animal.
Gomaa: Are these names originally in English?
O'Connor: Only the restaurant name is translated. The acronym doesn't show up in Arabic.
Gomaa: Okay, but that really sounds more like a coincidence.
O'Connor: The Insurgency is not the only GoI active here, as Tirk here can tell you.
Tirk: (nods) KTE-5503 went off the radar for a while, but we managed to track it down to Maladh. It's here. We don't know why it's here, but we have a few guesses. It might be part of a fifthist migration, given that Hector Canvera, and countless sectless also made–
O'Connor: (stands up) Did you say Canvera?
Tirk: Yeah? Fifth-riches man, famous for–
O'Connor: Hector Canvera left the planet in 2017.
Tirk: What? No, we tracked him like all survivors of the fifthist deicide.
[O'Connor shakes her head in thought.]
Gomaa: Survivors?
Tirk: Not in the literal sense. The death of the god, or whatever it was, that held Fifthism together caused a worldwide crisis of faith. Most sects didn't survive. Even the Fifth Church didn't. But you know how some are, just escaped faith, but they can't wait for the next hit of opium.
Gomaa: (narrows eyes) Are you still talking about fifthism here?
Tirk: Canvera and the angel are the opium. I think there was a smaller cult leader a bit ago who tried the same in Maladh.
Gomaa: Did we have any measures in place to maybe help the people who just escaped from a cult?
Tess: That was handled by the Bureau. And the majority of former Fifthists seem to have done fine on their own.
[Gomaa sighs in exasperation.]
O'Connor: Okay, we've got the Insurgency and a fifthist gathering with a soon-to-arrive impossible billionaire. There's a last faction missing from the picture.
Tirk: Do you mean the Soiling Craft? Because of the water–
O'Connor: No. They're not in Africa right now.
Gomaa: The governor.
O'Connor: (nods quickly) I have evidence that Mirza Qadir was connected to the Insurgency shortly before founding this city.
Tirk: Great.
O'Connor: (shakes her head adamantly) No, the Canvera thing still doesn't fit. Unless–
Tirk: We got a bit offtrack, as far as the Fifthists are involved I need to add we're here for the Angel. I don't care about anything else, but that thing doesn't leave this city uncontained.
O'Connor: Personal grudge?
Tirk: That thing is a perversion of individuality. It turns you into a bizarro reflection of yourself. A reality bender wearing your face, everything made a mockery of your former self.
O'Connor: (snaps fingers) Of course, give me the files, I think this could mean–
Tess: You may speculate after this meeting. I believe we have gathered enough information. The activity of the city is far outside our tolerance level.
Gomaa: That sounds like you want to go scorched earth on them.
Tess: Of course. I would prefer to call Nu-7 in, but given the limited time, our currently deployed Task Forces should be sufficient.
Gomaa: You can't. If you condemn the city, you condemn all the civilians with it. And if this is as much of a powder keg as you're making it out to be, then we absolutely cannot counter it with firepower.
Tess: The procedure will be up to my MTF Captain Faez, as this operation falls under the Bureau. I believe that will be all. Meeting–
Gomaa: (hard) And the bureau falls under me as long as we are in Egypt. Did you forget who of us is the Regional Director?
[Tess's expression does not change as she turns to Gomaa.]
Tess: Very well. Will precision strikes be agreeable?
[Gomaa hesitates. She nods.]
Tess: Meeting adjourned.
Supplemental Material
KTE-5503
KTE-5503 is a deviant Empyrean entity that was summoned from the "Fifth World", the domain and part of the deceased Apex Pluripotent Entity Complex "Starfish". It appears as a mirror accompanied by five space-warping axes distributed around it. Its previous angelic duties consisted of the reflection of fifth light from the Starfish to believers of its various cults.
Indestructible as is typical of Empyrean entities.
Current motivations unknown. Deviance is confirmed as the death of its god made its duty impossible. Can be fed with reality anchors tuned to the Fifth World, though this is not recommended as it uses the eaten reality to turn people into reality benders.
Information is shared between the Foundation, the Global Occult Coalition, and to a limited degree the Horizon Initiative to stop the threat posed by KTE-5503. GOC codeword used in all documentation for ease of communication.
Operation Come and See is currently being devised as a temporary containment measure.
Hector Canvera
PoI-11238 (Hector Canvera) is the fifth-richest man in the world and a former member of the now-defunct GoI-005 (Fifth Church). Despite that, it is unknown how aware he is of the larger fifthist phenomenon. He seems only to have a loose awareness of the anomalous and the Veils at large.
Canvera was one of the less affected by the fifthist crisis of faith, leading his techno-cult to survive the crisis. It was still affected by the missing presence of the Starfish. Next to KTE-5503 and PoI-55031 (Pink Lighter) Canvera has become a beacon of hope among ex-fifthists who are not yet ready to give up their faith.
The Moon
The Moon is the flagship project of SCP-8530 and the only apartment complex in the world with no contact with the ground. The entirety of the building hovers more than 100 meters over a supermagnet that is constantly repulsing magnetic material in the building.
Since its inauguration, none of the apartments in the Moon have been sold and it remained unoccupied until its fall.
The Moon served as further indication of anomalous phenomenon in SCP-8530 as no mechanism exists that would protect the Moon from wind. Despite this, the Moon has remained exactly over the centre of the supermagnet. The lack of strong winds near the Moon is assumed to have been prevented by the logistical anomaly in SCP-8530.
The Moon is surrounded by a roughly 300 meter dead zone in all directions. The city issues no warning when entering the zone, but it is indicated by the barren and broken concrete field as well as the increasingly dangerous attraction or repulsion of all magnetic material (including water and therefore humans).
The extreme environmental impact had been well-hidden until the cessation of the logistical anomaly. Including the noticeable effect on all magnetic material in the city, the supermagnet's field disrupted bird flight patterns across the region. Considering the earthquakes experienced by SCP-8530, though more evidence is required, it is possible the magnet might have effected tectonic plates as well.
Under non-anomalous circumstances keeping the Moon hovering would have required 30% of global electricity output.
Audio-Log-8530-B
While SCP-8530-B attributes the success of his city to his talent for planning logistics, most of the city's projects would not have been possible without the cheap workforce hidden away in the city. New workers, mostly from outside Egypt, get lured to the city with the promise of high salaries and stable jobs to be trapped in worker camps off the grid with little food and space provided and a fraction of the promised salary. Their work hours exceed the 8 hours per day allowed per Egyptian labour law.
The difficulty in locating these camps as well as the opaqueness of their exact purpose has raised the possibility of anomalous activity instead of just illegal business practices. MTF Xi-13 "Sequere Nos" supported by Eta-77 "Spheres within Spheres" have been sent to investigate a worker camp after suspicious activity had been identified by a local contact.
As the camp was covered in a minor sandstorm upon arrival, only the audio log has been included. Video Log available upon request.
Command: Agent Tess
Task Force:
- Captain Faez (Xi-13)
- 20 of the task force's 40 total members
- Captain Tirk (Eta-77)
- Apian
- Septimal
Contact: Basem Hafez
Noteworthy Equipment: Authority-Class Cognitohazard ID Badges, Foundation Standard Issue Stun Guns, Foundation Standard Issue Rifle
Language: Arabic
Foreword: To not arouse suspicion in the camp the two MTF teams and the contact have been split off to pass the checkpoint at separate times, posing as an undefined higher authority. Captain Tirk and the two Eta-77 agents are the last ones to arrive.
Note: The contact is tuned in on a different frequency which has been separated from the main frequency and surrounding noises.
<Begin Log>
Command: Eta-77, be advised that GPS registers you all outside the city.
Tirk: Spatial warping already? My Akiva Counter has also been swaying around the 55 mark. You can bet this is a fifthist worship place. Or a saint.
Guard: ID.
[Tirk can be heard getting something out of his pocket.]
Guard: (surprised) Apologies, sir. Right this way.
Tirk: Yeah, yeah. Keep this on the down-low.
Guard: Of course, sir.
[The car drives for a while. After a while it stops.]
Faez: Took you long enough. Command, all agents ready.
Command: Acknowledged. Tirk, how good did the meme take hold?
Tirk: He seemed quite shaken. But we used it too many times for them not to get suspicious when the coghaz leaves their mind's eye.
Hafez: Oh, what's a coghaz?
Faez: That's classified.
Hafez: Just a little bit?
Faez: It's how we got in. Now, be quiet.
Command: Copy that. You have half an hour. The GPS and the Akiva rating are enough confirmation. Extract the civilians and contain all hostiles.
Faez: Copy.
[Quiet footsteps can be heard spreading out.]
Faez: The barracks are locked. Permission to enter?
Command: Granted.
[The team breaks open multiple doors.]
Command: Contact?
Faez: Nine workers, some asleep. I'd have expected no more than three with rooms like that.
Xi-13 member: Are you kept here against your will?
[Pause.]
Xi-13 member: We're getting you out.
Worker: You can't, we– they have our contracts.
Xi-13 member: That won't matter soon enough. Now come.
Command: Tirk, any changes in the rating?
Tirk: None at all. It's been fixed at 55 since we arrived at the rendezvous point.
Hafez: (overeager) Wow, that's a lot! How will you sneak all of them past the guards?
Faez: Our way out will be a lot less quiet. They'll be safe in the cars. Lower your voice a bit, you scared the civilians.
Hafez: Oh, sorry! (lowers voice) Still quite the impressive plan you have there.
Faez: It's just standard silent takeover plus civilian extraction protocol.
Xi-13 member: Captain, two armed guards are on the way here.
Faez: Permission to use Amnestic Gas?
Command: Denied, take them out silently.
Faez: Copy. (to his team) You heard her.
Hafez: You don't seem to like it though.
Faez: Huh?
Hafez: The protocol.
Faez: One second.
Faez: Hostiles dispatched, we'll leave them tied up in a barrack, we're running low on transport space.
Command: Affirmative. Make sure to contain a subject of higher rank on your way out.
[The team continues to evacuate civilians. There is next to no audible protest.]
Xi-13 member: (mutters) It reeks in here.
Worker: (panicked) Get out.
Xi-13 member: What's wrong?
Worker: She will see you.
Xi-13 member: Who?
Worker: (hushed) In the water, now go!
Faez: We're getting closer to the gate. Permission to use Amnestic Gas?
Command: Granted.
Hafez: That was longer than a second.
Faez: Sorry. Nothing against the protocol. It's good.
Tirk: Apian, interrogate the civilian, we need to know what's wrong with the water.
Apian: Copy.
Hafez: I'm sensing a but.
Faez: We're better than it. Just look at this. We could have gassed them out the entire time.
Command: Tirk, have you measured the water?
Tirk: No use. My version trades range for accuracy. The rating will stay the same no matter where I point it.
Hafez: You'll have to elaborate on that.
Faez: There's nothing they could do. Masks? We have versions that are virtually unfilterable.
Hafez: Wouldn't that also become a problem for you?
Faez: The Higher-Ups don't want us to realise this, but I'm not stupid. You can build up a resistance to anything. Task Forces especially. We would be maskless with the enemy and the enemy could do nothing against us. And no one but the Foundation has the resources to give us that resistance.
Hafez: Oh, I like that idea.
Faez: Thanks.
Hafez: I really like that idea.
Tirk: Faez, what are you doing back with the contact?
Hafez: Let me steal that idea.
[The release of gas can be heard. Multiple agents fall to the ground.]
Tirk: Faez has been compromised by the contact, taking command.
[Both Tirk and Faez can be heard taking something out.]
[Command tunes out the secondary frequency.]
Tirk: On the ground, now.
[Faez is tackled by a teammate. Still the release of gas can be heard again. Behind it the rushing of water can barely be heard.]
Hafez: I'll be honest, this sabotage wasn't my idea either. Now–
Tirk: One more word and I'll shoot.
[The rushing of water increases in volume.]
Hafez: (snorts) You can't aim properly with the Moon in this city anyway, but you–
Tirk: Oh, I promise you we're very good at adjusting. Now. stop. talking.
[Hafez is silent.]
Command: Tirk, there is some interference coming–
[Water overtakes every other sound.]
<Connection Lost>
Command was eventually able to re-establish contact with Captain Tirk. An uptick in the traffic of SCP-8530 immediately following the events of Audio-Log-8530-A would go unnoticed until after Incident-8530-G.
After-Action-Report-8530-B
Language: Arabic
Tirk: -might get contact again.
Command: I can hear you. Status Report.
Tirk: Hard to tell. We all made it out, I think. Civilians, we lost a bunch.
Command: Understood. Return to base and give a proper report.
Tirk: I'd advise against that. I can give you a report while we're moving.
Command: Start with the water breakout.
Tirk: The water was the source of the Akiva after all. Or one of them. Had to deal with two false saints in total if you count Mister Idea-stealer. The other one was… she was too far gone. The water stuck to her. It was full of stars. All of it. As were her eyes. Sea and stars. The fifthist signs couldn't be more obvious. So I gave the okay. Septimal shot her.
Command: I will mark it on your record.
Tirk: (snorts) You know the whole "only good mission without a shot" thing isn't official policy, right?
Command: It is still heavily discouraged.
Tirk: Whatever. Didn't think it would kill her anyway, not that I would have complained. Septimal took five shots. Then a sixth. Then a seventh. She blocked the last two.
Command: Why?
Tirk: Theological disalignment. We haven't figured out why yet, but seven was always a disrupting number for the cult. It would have weakened her if she was a proper fifthist saint, like she seemed to believe.
Command: But she still took five hits.
Tirk: She staggered at least. The bullets sank in until they hit blood. Then they just vanished. She seemed to mull something over before she and I quote 'expelled your offering from heaven'. I was already under cover when five of my bullets shot out of the water.
Command: You had full cover from all water?
Tirk: (laughs) It wasn't an attack. She just shot them out at random of her uh, probably a random region of space. No, the actual attack came a moment later. A wall of water that sucked in everything it touched. So we ran.
Command: You fled the scene?
Tirk: Of course not, we wanted to draw her away from the civilians. Only half-worked. One of our cars hit the water. Gone. Probably out there drowning in a wet vacuum of space.
Command: Be specific about the events you're describing.
Tirk: Oh, I meant that literally. Anyway, we did somewhat draw her attention. She stepped into the water and appeared in front of Apian. From what she said she was really confused on why we would run away from her 'blessing.'
Command: What did she say?
Tirk: I think we actually have a recording of that, hold on.
Fifthist: (further away) There's a new light. In the starry sea…
[A splash.]
Fifthist: (directly next to the microphone) …It's everywhere.
Apian: We've killed your god.
Fifthist: Nono, it can't, there's light, why won't you see…
[A crunch followed by a scream.]
Tirk: That last bit was me breaking her left arm.
Command: That stuck?
Tirk: Yeah. I figured it was only the blood that shared the water-vanishing act. I figured right. It had the intended effect. She got more erratic. Throwing water at us without much aim. She even took longer to chase us per teleport.
Command: Did you try again?
Tirk: Not fully. I got a few jabs in, but she had her guard up. Anything further and I would have been in space. With reality bender, and adjacent, enemies you need to keep the element of surprise. Don't stick to what's working. The jabs only got through because she thought I would break her other arm.
Command: What was your next vector of attack?
Tirk: The one we had done the entire time. The chase only partly served to get her away from civilians. We just so happened to bring her through wherever Amnestic Gas had been dropped. Lots of it had faded by then, but those areas were far from safe. Eventually she got the memo that something was working on her. And she left.
Command: Injuries in your team?
Tirk: None. We're trained well. Xi-13 had it harder, going up against one of our own. They subdued Faez at some point. Being immune to Amnestic Gas doesn't make you untouchable. Apparently, Hafez asked for ideas how to get out and one of our agents told him to jump into the water. The false saint followed that instruction.
Command: Clarify the term 'false saint' for me.
Tirk: Fifthism is dead. And of the two I don't think Hafez even believed in any variation of it. Maybe Canvera's techno-cult, I guess. No, both of them have just been corrupted by the angel, turning their individuality inside-out as some grotesque version of self-validation. I don't think the water fifthist was fully there anymore. Just reduced to a desire for a false paradise. Reduced to her faith.
Command: Carry on with your report.
Tirk: Not that much else to say. Sure, the whole camp was aware of us now, but we'd dealt with anything anomalous. We made quick work of what defence remained. Anyone important has been captured, but I doubt you'll get anything out of them. This was just the quote-unquote living space for their workforce. They might have really just been normal builders for all those megaprojects like that stupid moon.
Command: I'll take it the reason you do not want to return to base is the two escaped subjects?
Tirk: Yeah. I managed to attach a tracker to the water teleporter with one of my jabs. She's not going anywhere.
Command: Permission to pursue subject granted.
<End Log>
The tracker first sent a signal in a building belonging to "Crypto Financing Solutions" (حلول تمويل التشفير) before jumping to a hospital. As the tracker gave ample opportunity to easily contain PoI-97867 (Teleporting Fifthist) in her sleep, a higher priority was given to Crypto Financing Solutions. Preliminary investigation revealed a connection to Hector Canvera together with "Architectural Innovation Technologies" (AI Tech for short).
The Greenhouse Towers
"The Greenhouse Towers" was an ecological project to offset the city's carbon footprint. It was planned for the towers to make use of vertical farming in the towers' artificial weather conditions thereby reducing economical and ecological transportation costs of crops into Maladh. It is to be noted that transportation costs were slightly exaggerated in the conception stage.
The Towers were additionally supposed to produce energy through biogas produced as a byproduct and solar panels using any excess light.
While construction was finished, the towers never began to serve their farming purpose. The majority of the Towers stand empty, while a few were filled with exotic plantlife by SCP-8530-A.
Following Incident-8530-G, the Greenhouse Towers are now used for their original purpose.
After-Action-Report-8530-C
Captain Faez was cleared of any remaining compulsions. He recalls neither the events under compulsion nor the idea he had shared with Hafez. All Amnestic Gas was taken away from the team as an additional precaution. The two MTFs were split to deal with both Crypto Financing Solutions and AI Tech simultaneously with 20 Xi-13 members each.
Command: Agent Tess
Task Force:
- Captain Faez (Xi-13)
- All 40 of the task force's members
- Captain Tirk (Eta-77)
- Apian
- Septimal
Noteworthy Equipment: Authority-Class Cognitohazard ID Badges, Foundation Standard Issue Stun Guns, Foundation Standard Issue Rifle
Language: Arabic
Events summarized by Agent Tess
The first anomaly became apparent directly after both teams discreetly entered their respective buildings. The location we picked up was the same for both teams. I ordered them to regroup before any further action was to be taken and they did. The building was swept without much interference.
Only non-combatants were present at this point. We can assume PoI-97867 (Teleporting Fifthist) warned any person of import of our presence before our arrival. An effort was made by a subgroup of the workface to resist containment. This effort consisted of an attempt to weaponize monitors to display fifthists cognitohazards as well as tactics expected of non-cooperative civilians. As expected these efforts proved to be no hindrance to total containment. I expect no negative consequences, but cognitohazardous screening and decontamination will be added to the post-mission operation as is protocol.
The encountered workforce can be divided into two groups. The first can be characterized as subjects under the "idea-stealing" effect of PoI-20417 (Basem Hafez), working to implement their stolen ideas for one of the two investigated businesses. Very few individuals in this group resisted containment efforts. Post-mission these will be reintegrated into society.
The second group consists of followers of PoI-11238 (Hector Canvera) and appears to have voluntarily participated in the business. Given the usage of cognitohazards this group will need to be screened for further anomalies and subjected to full deprogramming before reintegrating into society is possible. The Regional Director wanted me to note that unlike the first group this one consisted entirely of Americans. Recovered data suggests 80% of the fled persons of import were likewise American.
The recovered data was useful. Despite existing in the same space, the first group was oblivious to the spatial anomaly. Both companies were for the most part working contracts for the city, being responsible for some of the planning that went into the city's various megaprojects. I can therefore confirm none of the projects are in themselves anomalous. This becomes a harder distinction to make for future projects which seem to verge into the more esoteric. These plans verge into the nonsensical. Expert Interpreters are required to analyse this data.
The team additionally recovered data regarding a cryptocurrency-related scheme designed for Canvera to use. Unfortunately some data was damaged in the last third of the mission, but I am confident the Department of Analytics will find a usecase for the information.
This damage was incured by the only major complication of the mission. PoI-97867 entered the facility. The arm Captain Tirk broke was in a plaster cast, though Agent Septimal was the only one able to spot her. Instead of the direct confrontation of last time she kept her distance from the team and only engaged our MTF unit via her water-manipulating anomaly. The ensuing fight caused the damage of the recovered data.
Similar to her last appearance, PoI-97867 did not use her anomaly optimally for combat purposes. Captain Faez and Tirk formed a plan. Tirk would distract the PoI while Xi-13 would locate the Fifthist and contain her before she could teleport.
Tirk interrogated her on her beliefs and asked how she could align her work with the crisis of faith felt by all fifthists. PoI-97867 seems to escape this contradiction by believing all 'good fifthists' to have already reached heaven, her job simply being to get all the stragglers in. Tirk accused her of being fooled by KTE-5503 and demanded her to reveal its location. PoI-97867 was delighted by this response and began to enclose Captain Tirk in water.
To stop this effort, Xi-13 revealed itself too early and shot at the PoI. Unfortunately, the PoI was able to escape, together with Tirk.
I will note that Tirk did not resist his enclosure in water. The tracker of the PoI is still active, but we have lost the signal of Captain Tirk. Barring any signs of life I will declare him MIA at the end of the day.
Concurrently with the above mission the Foundation was contacted by the Global Occult Coalition under the mantle of the two organizations shared efforts against KTE-5503. A meeting was started while the Task Forces where still combing through the remaining intact data.
Meeting-8530-D
Attendees:
- Agent Ellen O'Connor, Department of Analytics
- Agent Tess (Codename), Disinformation Bureau
- Director Heba Gomaa, Site-107
Location: Site-107
Topic: GOC Involvement
Language: English
Tess: Meeting begins. Purpose is constructing a response to a request by the Global Occult Coalition to enter the city for their own operation.
Gomaa: (nervous) What do they want in the city?
O'Connor: Just like us they also had no presence in the city prior to the angel incident. Curiosity about that fact alone would be enough justification. Though I bet they found out that Qadir is anomalous and are pissed there's an anomalous-enhanced city not under their control.
Tess: That is correct. I have a relevant segment of our conversation.
GOC Contact: That brings me to KTE-5503.
Tess: We could not yet locate it, but we have encountered some of its followers.
GOC Contact: If it is too much you can still let us do that part. Assess where it's at emotionally and if it can't be talked to, well, we did find a method that might actually destroy this particular angel. Classic Talk or Lead.
Tess: There is no need to discuss this again. We both know killing an angel is impossible. Operation Come and See—
GOC Contact: Won't be ready before you encounter it. So what will you do?
Tess: We agree KTE-5503 needs to be assessed. All evidence suggests that it is comfortable in its current situation. If this proves to be true all we need to do is contain its damage to this area and stall it until Come and See is ready.
GOC Contact: Stalling. (snorts) Best description for containment I've heard yet.
Tess: We have an agreement.
GOC Contact: That we have. You focus on the angel, but we get the governor.
Tess: What do you intend to do with Qadir?
GOC Contact: Make sure this city complies with UN regulations. Just a talk.
Tess: Classic Talk or Lead?
GOC Contact: There's nothing to worry about, we put Demomancers on the job. This isn't our first rodeo. We've eased a lot of government aparatus with a missing head into their new state in the past. The magic helps.
Tess: So there is a lead.
GOC Contact: The process works. Plenty of times it went even unnoticed by you. Do we have a deal?
Tess: This decision is not up to me, I will convene with the Regional Director.
Tess: For reference as this is outside expected Foundation knowledge: Demomancers are Thaumaturges specialized in occult arts targeting Democracy and people on a large scale.
Gomaa: Could you ask them to refrain?
Tess: I could. But I have no authority over Coalition forces and am therefore unable to force them to comply.
[Pause.]
Tess: What would be a good reason for them to refrain?
Gomaa: They'd just make the situation more complicated. We've already seen how much activity we've caused in the city with our two operations. I don't think confronting the governor directly would be a good idea at this stage.
Tess: The Coalition has assured us they would deal with the governor in silence and are prepared for all outcomes of the ultimatum. The city will only feel the repercussions in the coming months.
O'Connor: Honestly might be for the best if we let the GOC deal with the governor while we focus elsewhere. Did they tell you what his anomaly is?
Tess: (nods) It has been agreed to share most information regarding SCP-8530 and KTE-5503 between our two organizations. The Demomancers were able to pinpoint the governor as the source of the logistics anomaly you found.
[O'Connor runs to Tess and looks at the files in front of her.]
Gomaa: A logistics bender? How much of the city does he–
O'Connor: All of it. (staggers back) The electricity, the traffic, the flow of money. It all goes through him. That's how he was able to build his paradise right under our nose.
Tess: Return to your seat.
O'Connor: (pacing around) This fits into the scheme of the angel's other victims. The ability to bend reality geared towards fulfilling your desires. But when would he…
Tess: We are drifting off the topic at hand.
[Tess's phone starts to vibrate.]
Tess: Apologies.
[Tess takes the call.]
[ACCESS GRANTED]
Delta-T Caller: This is the Temporal Anomalies Department. Am I speaking with Agent Tess during a meeting regarding SCP-8530?
Tess: Yes. How can I help you?
Delta-T Caller: Please put me on speaker.
[Tess clicks a button on her phone.]
Delta-T Caller: Can any one of you tell me your current year?
Gomaa: It's–, it's uh…
[Gomaa widens her eyes in shock.]
O'Connor: (mumbles) There's past events that I know of, but no that, it doesn't fit. Why doesn't it fit?
Delta-T Caller: (aside) See Gray? I told you they wouldn't know. (to the phone) Alright, thank you. We won't bother you further.
[ACCESS GRANTED]
[The caller hangs up.]
[The group is stunned.]
Tess: I… don't think I can forward this information to the Coalition.
O'Connor: (shakes herself) But it helps me. It means I can reduce constraints. Here's the timeline of events for this city: First we have the angel incident. There is evidence for both the angel and Qadir to have been with the Insurgency following this incident. I can now conclude the angel corrupted Qadir during that time. Then they both came here to build this city. That was 10 years ago.
Gomaa: But how did the call help you?
O'Connor: The angel incident only started because someone planned the incident in this city.
Gomaa: Oh.
O'Connor: Yeah.
Tess: These are all important revelations, but we still have a response to draft.
O'Connor: I say let them. No way can we let this city run if there is anomalous distortion to this degree.
Gomaa: We need to evacuate the civilians. As many as we can.
Tess: (nods) We'll use the train method.
Gomaa: The one that compels you to join the ride?
Tess: It is the fastest method. Is that all?
O'Connor: (snaps) Oh! We have a new place for our MTF buddies to check out. It could be a faint, you never know with the Insurgency, but given the call, I bet the Causality Institute might be worth a visit.
Tess: I will let them know. Meeting adjourned.
Maladh Center Mall (مول ملاذ سنتر)
Close to the centre of the city, Maladh Center Mall is the only mall in the world where shopping is possible without leaving the car. All shops in the Mall have a pedestrian and a car opening. The car opening functions as an extra lane where employees of the shop give you requested products. The system was modeled after fast food drive-throughs.
Pedestrian entry is possible and easiest to achieve by entering the mall by car and using its underground car park. Without a car and without ignoring traffic laws pedestrian entry is also possible, but there is no point in the city where this takes less time than arriving in the mall via train.
While this went unnoticed at the time, the Maladh Center Mall saw a sharp increase in activity following the events of Audio-Log-8530-B.
Video-Transcript-8530-E
Command: Agent Tess
Task Force:
- Captain Faez (Xi-13)
- All 40 of the task force's members
- 2 members of Eta-77
Noteworthy Equipment: Authority-Class Cognitohazard ID Badges, Foundation Standard Issue Stun Guns, Foundation Standard Issue Rifle
Language: Arabic
Faez: Do we have everything?
Xi-13 member: Yes.
Faez: Alright, let's move on.
Unknown: I would advise against that.
[A man dressed in a suit comes in, his hands resting over each other. His right hand wears a red glove.]
[The team trains their guns on him.]
Faez: Hands where I can see them.
Unknown: I believe you can see my hands. I much prefer this position.
Faez: Hands up. Now!
Unknown: Alright. No talking.
[The man rips off the red glove. In the same moment the projectile of a stun gun hits him. The man goes down. His right hand twitches.]
Faez: Alright. Let's clean this up and we're out.
[Three Xi-13 members draw near the collapsed man. Two keep their guns raised while the third takes out handcuffs. The right hand twitches stronger before it reaches directly into the third member. He's shot in arm and leg, this time with proper bullets, but it does not prevent him from pulling himself up at the agents spine.]
[Faez shoots him in the head. The man turns into a standing corpse.]
Faez: Switch back to stun.
[The corpse gets pulled along as the now halfway-blood covered right hand shoots towards the first and second agent near the corpse with pinpoint accuracy. More stun projectiles hit, but they do little more than make the corpse convulse. Three agents down.]
Faez: Fall back, keep shooting.
[A direct hit on the hand is regenerated away immediately. Life slowly returns to the corpse. With support of the body the hand runs towards its next victim. As it breaches the agent's torso they grab the assailant's arm to keep the hand from pulling out.]
Faez: Do you still want to talk?
Unknown: (chuckles) Sure.
Faez: Did you also cut a deal with the angel?
[Parts of the group disengages to a nearby room. The rest encircles the assailant, but keep their distance.]
Unknown: Oh no. I'm second generation.
Faez: What does that mean?
Unknown: I think it will take a while before you find out.
[The assailant takes out a white handkerchief with his left hand, his right still stuck in the barely conscious agent.]
Faez: Why are you here?
Insurgent: I have orders to stop you from messing with the Causality Institute.
Faez: Yeah, I figured.
Insurgent: (wide-eyed) Oh.
[The impaled agent collapses. The Insurgent leans on him to keep him upright between him and Faez.]
Insurgent: Well, it doesn't matter. I cut off the only exit.
Faez: How confident are you in that theory?
[As the insurgent hesitates three of the agents having previously encircled him suddenly sprint past the door.]
Insurgent: This won't help you.
[The insurgent rips his hand out of the dead agent. He wipes the fully blood-covered hand off with the handkerchief at the same moment that Faez shoots him in the head. Still, he gives chase led by his red right hand.]
Faez: Command, it might take a while before we've successfully left the building.
[Faez runs in the opposite direction.]
Maladh Cinema Stadium (ملعب سينما ملاذ)
Far enough away from the Moon for all electronics to work properly stands the Maladh Cinema Stadium. Originally planned as a normal sport stadium, the field has been replaced by big screens in front of the seats across the building. While it has lowerable walls between segments of the stadium, they are not soundproof. Unless all segments are showing the same movie, audio is brought to the viewer through earphones.
The Maladh Cinema Stadium was an attempt to build up a second focal point of the Arabic film industry next to Cairo. As the city was not able to convince many businesses to settle in Maladh over Cairo, nothing else of this effort remains.
A list of shown movies could not be recovered.
Unlike many of the preceding nights, on the day of Incident-8530-G, the stadium was fully packed.
Video-Transcript-8530-F
The burned video recorder of Captain Tirk was recovered during Incident-8530-G. It contains a video of an event happening shortly before the aforementioned incident. Any attempts to make contact with Captain Tirk during this time have been met by heavy interference. The location was identified as the restaurant "Catering Isolated".
[A vortex of water full of stars builds and throws out Emmanuel Tirk.]
Tirk: Where did you bring me?
[The water vanishes into itself. Tirk looks around. He is in an otherwise empty restaurant, all windows shuttered. There is only one table with one chair. Opposite of that chair is a fivefold mirror.]
Tirk: You.
KTE-5503: No. Me.
[As Tirk draws closer he sees himself reflected in the angel. His reflection looks even more furious than he does. It holds no weapon, but itself. There is a fire in its eyes burning as much if not more than Tirk's eyes do. Nevertheless, it contorts its face into a smile.]
KTE-5503: I wanted to talk with the me, I, so I was brought here.
Tirk: What? I thought you live here now.
KTE-5503: I, I, do. This is where the me-I has helped so many people to find themselves. Like I will be helped.
Tirk: I don't need anyone's help.
KTE-5503: No, I never did. I will just take whatever I need.
Tirk: Stop copying me! I. will. not be one of your false saints.
[KTE-5503 spits forward. Tirk is surprised at the spit being real.]
KTE-5503: There are no false saints. Every one of those is a fool who threw away their one chance at true individuality.
[Tirk sits down.]
Tirk: (snorts) You simply corrupted them.
KTE-5503: This is a mirror, Emmanuel. It can only reflect what was already there.
Tirk: Isn't your divine purpose reflecting the light of the Starfish? How is that working out for you.
KTE-5503: The death of god was a blessing. A true chance for growth. And I, I, am learning. The me-I thinks it has found itself. A new purpose. A terrible purpose.
Tirk: Spit it out.
KTE-5503: I already saw it. Here in my, I's, city. The "gift" shared with everyone in the world. And it will happen unless someone stops the me-I.
Tirk: Oh, you can bet we will.
KTE-5503: (shakes its reflected head) I'm not getting it. This (gestures its reflected hand) has a greater intellect behind it. But the me-I is subservient to the intelligence of who is actually being reflected.
Tirk: (cautious) You don't mean…
KTE-5503: Yes. We can stop the me-I. I can give myself all the tools I need to stop the angel.
[The five axes of the angel begin to rapidly rotate around the reflection.]
KTE-5503: To stop any god.
[Tirk abruptly stands up. He looks his reflection directly in the eyes and sees himself.]
Tirk: Do it.
[The mirror engulfs the room.]
[DATA LOST]
The Spiral
The Spiral is the highest building in Maladh (not counting the Moon). It doubles as both the city's sole government facility and a penthouse for the governor, Marza Qadir. The name refers to the two streets winding the tower and terminating in front of Qadir's penthouse on the highest floor. Every third floor is reachable by car. As these entrances only feature one parking space each, and it is expected to leave spaces frequented by Qadir free, they go largely unused in favour of the security elevator. No elevator or staircase connects to Qadir's penthouse which is only connected to the winding streets.
The Spiral stands in the exact centre of the city. Following Incident-8530-G its name and its position in a roughly circular city have been deemed notable by Agent O'Connor.
The purpose of the Spiral's basement floors remains unidentified.
Incident-8530-G
The GOC delegation consisting of three thaumaturges from the member organization "Electorate of Demomancers" arrived at the Spiral shortly after the events depicted in Video-Transcript-8530-E. Other agents are stationed in the surrounding skyscrapers. The Coalition has been made aware of the magnetic interference caused by the Moon and has warded their equipment and their agents against it.
MTF Xi-13 was at this time still evacuating the office building while chased by the Insurgent. As this chase includes notable elements of the incident, they are depicted concurrently with the video log provided by the GOC.
[Demomancers enter the office. The two floor spanning room is surrounded by glass walls on all sides, only occasionally interrupted by more solid material. Unlike his private apartment, this workspace office sits low enough to not look down on the entirety of Maladh's skyline.]
First Demomancer: Mr. Qadir?
Qadir: What are you doing here?
First Demomancer: I believe we have an appointment.
Qadir: No, we don't. And I don't have time for this, I have a meeting with Canvera in three minutes.
[The Demomancers briefly stand still.]
Second Demomancer: No, you don't. His flight was delayed.
Qadir: (frowns) You're right.
[The third Demomancer closes the door.]
Qadir: But we all know we don't have an appointment either.
[Qadir pushes a button under his table.]
Second Demomancer: Don't bother. Every single one of your workers has called in sick today. Isn't that a coincidence?
First Demomancer: We don't plan on doing anything, just wanted to get any distractions out of the way.
[Qadir concentrates on something. The third Demomancer keeps their eyes closed and murmurs something.]
Qadir: You have five minutes.
First Demomancer: Mr. Qadir, I believe you know what organization we represent?
Qadir: (snorts) Your time is running. Say what you've come to say.
First Demomancer: Very well. Given the amount of paranormal elements in your city, you must have while not read in, at least been aware of the existence of paranormal law.
Qadir: Yeah, I know the law. I have my government contacts and what you're doing is clearly outside it.
First Demomancer: Mr. Qadir, the current state of Maladh goes directly against UN doctrine. You have two options going forward. The first one consists of Maladh becoming a paranormal enclave. This means some UN oversight and the obfuscation of Maladh from the general public, but this would enable you to be more free with the paranormal, within reason. More importantly as an enclave you would be your own state, independent from Egypt. If things go really well you might even make it onto the Council of 108. The Council is in desperate need of more North-African perspectives, if you ask me.
[Faez runs past a TV screen. He stops. It shows the first demomancer outlining two ultimatums to the governor.]
Faez: Oh no. Command, come in!
First Demomancer: The second option is to discontinue any paranormal activities immediately, including your own. Things will otherwise remain the same. Either way, however, your obfuscation of this city's logistics will have to stop. Normally we would give you time to think over our proposals, but…
Second Demomancer: …in light of there being no democratic process here whatsoever, we believe you're able to make your decision now.
First Demomancer: We are willing to wait a bit, but the answer has to come in this meeting.
Qadir: …You're so full of yourself.
Command: What's your status? Have you escaped the building?
Faez: That's not what's important right now. The GOC diplomats are on TV. I think the whole city is watching.
Command: Give me a second, I'm pulling up your video feed.
Qadir: You come into my city, and think you can disrespect me? No. (shakes head) That's not how this goes. I reject all offers by your UN. You have no power here.
First Demomancer: (frowns) I'm not quite sure you're aware of what you're saying. While I doubt this will escalate to military matters, I still have to–
Qadir: (laughs) What, are you going to tell your blue helmets to observe my city?
[The demomancers look surprised.]
Faez: You have to tell them now!
Command: I have forwarded all information to my Coalition contacts. They will contact the diplomats.
Second Demomancer: Blue helmets? You know we're not the veiled part of the UN, right? You're speaking to Global Occult Coalition officials.
Qadir: I don't care what kind of start-up you are, your five minutes are up. Get out of my office if you know what's good for you.
First Demomancer: Are you really sure this is the course you want to take, Mr. Qadir? There is no reversing this.
Qadir: (growls) And now you won't make it to the airport in one piece.
Command: They can't reach them. Any agents in the city. Complete radio silence.
First Demomancer: (sighs) Motion to move to the PHYSICS solution. Aye.
Second and Third Demomancer: Aye.
First Demomancer: Motion passes.
[A bullet hits Qadir in the head. He is dead.]
Faez: It's too late.
[The lights go out.]
The death of SCP-8530-A resulted in the immediate cessation of all logistical anomalies in the city. The underestimated power draw of the Moon caused a region-wide blackout. City-spanning riots started soon after with their epicentre in the Maladh Cinema Stadium and shifting towards the Spiral. Multiple anomalous individuals were seen to rise up throughout the city.
Simultaneously KTE-5503 was seen stretching away from the city, closely followed by a figure wrapped in flame. This figure, SCP-designation pending, is assumed to be the former Captain Tirk. The figure emerged from a burning row of buildings, flying towards its target. KTE-5503 was impacted three times, each resulting in burning mirror shards falling towards the city followed by the angel reforming, before it could flee the scene completely.
The riots were clustering into multiple emerging factions. With the Insurgent stopping his pursuit of Xi-13, all remaining MTF members were able to regroup together with the now reachable GOC agents. The employed demomancy and exit protocols made a full evacuation possible.
Maladh has been reclassified as Nx-53. The city is considered lost to the Chaos Insurgency.