SCP-4010

This is Researcher Madeleine Sailer from Site-91, conducting a secret research for… Someone important? Better not to ask, it's someone with much higher clearance than I am. This is day one of my investigating, or paperwork, actually… A lot of paperwork. But I don't mind, that is why they picked me. Right?

So, the timeline. I should start with the basic events on the timeline, like the beginning of universe and its presumable end. A beginning and an end. Now let's add today. Then I will add the approximate time when Earth was formed and life began. Hm… I hope I won't have to focus on these points that much, my speciality are years with four digits. Fine… And now humans. Let's see, this is already looking good. Then again, it will most definitely get worse.

Great, I have the basic setup. Now let's dig into the database.

I didn't sleep, just restarting this recording so it has the proper day on it. I must have gone through, what, like, over one hundred SCP files? Well, just 50 really, I just quickly seen the rest. Anyway, never knew the Foundation had this many things. I mean, I did, but I never thought about it. Some of it even made me laugh, I know these things are real and dangerous but, no, no buts, the infinite pizza box just made me laugh.

This is bad, I am on day two and I am already seeing that this is impossible. The Foundation database of just SCPs is over four thousands at this point, not even accounting for all the important incidents, events and all the things labeled "Information Exchange - GOC". Good to know the Foundation keeps friendly relations so I can have more paperwork.

But for now, I am doing good, most of these things are just dates. As fascinating, or terrifying as they are, it is just data. I must focus on that, otherwise I will be stuck here forever.

So… I have found a problem. The years do not match up. Not all of them at least, but hey, if one year doesn't fit, how can I be sure about the rest? Maybe it's a mistake, someone meant to write nineteenth century instead of twentieth. Maybe. Or, it could be the first reality shift I encountered. I heard that it could be a thing, of course, I never got an official statement but… I should ask someone about this, because if I rule out that possibility, everything will get easier.

A response finally came. It is a reality shift and apparently just one of many. How do they even expect me to accomplish something like this? It is not possible, not even with the best equipment in the world, which I have. This machine does a better job than I do, why does it even need me, it would surely be easier to make it automated…

Fine, keep it together Mady, this is just paperwork. Difficult, yes, but paperwork. You cannot start falling apart now, it has been a week, not 5 years. Speaking of which, poor Dr. Scranton, I just read what happened. Something tells me this is just the beginning.

Dr. Scranton. Dr. Scranton… Why are you doing this to me? Born on September 19th, 1961, found dead on December 23rd, 2005. So how did you invent your Reality Anchor in 1889? Are there more of you? Your relative, perhaps? Or is it another reality shift? If so, there is some great irony in that. The great creator of reality anchors, he could save others from reality benders but not himself.

Come to think about this, I should have set another date in the beginning. The founding of our Foundation. How did I miss that?

Alright. After some more digging, I found out something that scares me. And… it is the fact that this simple question will be harder to answer than the occult war from, what, two days ago?

So apparently, most of the data regarding the Foundations origins is locked in with slot 001… Which I am not supposed to open until I know what I'm doing. Great. Well, let's review the info I have. The Foundation civil war and the consequent creation of the Chaos Insurgency happened around 1924 or so and continued until 1933, so the Foundation must have already existed for some time at that point, some documents even say that Foundation, or something very similar existed since the Medieval ages, or even before. What am I doing? I should just ask for the permission to see 001 but I don't feel like I used up all I can get for now.

Should I even ask about SCP-1000? SCP-2000? It seems like the deeper I go, the worse this entire thing is. So what, am I to believe now that our dating and years are completely wrong because of that goddamn machine in Yellowstone? Or even better, that we weren't even first here? Can you even imagine what that did to the entire timeline I had? Why am I talking to a recorder?!

It's alright. I can do this, I already went through 9% of the database. I am not going by numbers, because I was told that the SCPs are not organized in any order, so I'm picking one thing by another, how I feel like it, making holes in the giant pile I need to take apart, catalog and put in order. Ironically, the first reality bending thing I came to like is SCP-140. The book rewrites history sure, but at least it writes down how.

Three weeks. I should get a pause. I didn't speak with Chris in a while… Or any other staff really. I just get myself something to eat and drink, which is usually coffee and I go back to this place.

Let's see, what do we have here… SCP-999 appears to be a large, amorphous, gelatinous mass of translucent orange slime… What? How many large, amorphous, gelatinous masses do we have? I swear that this is the fifth one this week. These are almost as bad as statues that move when you are not looking at them…

Ok, fuck it, I am taking a break. My back hurts from sitting at the computer. Still, I have more than one tenth of the thing behind me, that feels like an achievement. Maybe it can be done… If I don't read the entire thing and the extended experiment logs, maybe.

Alright, I am back, I might have angered a certain Overseer by trying to communicate with staff. But hey, nobody came to punish me. I'm not dumb, I didn't say a word, in fact, everything was doing great and no one even asked what I have been doing for the past month. So yeah, better go back to work. Next on the list is… SCP-106

Did you know that there was magic in all of this? Actual magic! They call it thaumatology, sounds like magic to me. Why are we not supposed to know about magic? I mean, it sounds kinda useful and apparently the GOC uses it, why can't we?

I think I might need another break, this is getting very tiring. I have went through enough SCPs to create my own Foundation. No, I am not having any ideas…

I hate myself. Why can't I be more cooperative. Goddamnit, I just want to say it in third person, is it that hard? What a stupid cognitohazard I am.

Mission report: Two months have passed, slowly reaching 20%. I am starting to appreciate the Random SCP button.

Wait the GOC did what? A chair? They put the chair into a woodchipper? Am I getting this right? That is hilarious! Hahaha

I mean… It is horrible that we have to contain this anomaly now…
*quiet laughter*

Just read about SCP-2399. I will never see Jupiter the same way again. Strangely enough though, I think that I have experienced a reality shift myself! Or I think so at least. I will have to check again but I specifically remember setting a date 10,000 years from now for arrival of some angry star and now I can't find it. Might just be overworking.

…And that concludes Omega-7, shame what happened. Actually, shame someone even approved of such thing…

I am slowly starting to realise that all the things that do not match up with the rest are piling up. I need some help with that but I still think that the best call is to wait a little longer before I get to slot number one.

It's nice knowing that we have an alien Deer god contained by castrating people. Gross. And I actually think that is not even the worst thing I read about. Where was it? Wait a second, I will find it… Fuck, this is too much, who is supposed to remember all these numbers? Anyway, the point is I had to put my morality away almost a month ago. You cannot read about Procedure Something-Montauk? Was it? Yeah, you cannot read about it with moral barriers. I am here to do my work, not join the Ethics Committee, which by the way, depending on individual cases, does either a very poor or excellent job. Strange.

Call me an idiot but I feel like now is the time. I have 32.1% of the Foundation's database sorted and established. The timeline is looking kinda decent when you remove all the contradictory bullshit. Problem is, this stuff keeps on coming. At first it was funny but I do not want to see any more time travel Thaumiels in my life. I was honestly thinking about quitting this project but I know that wouldn't be taken well. Besides, something in me is really curious about the thing that deserved the designation of 001.

So today is the day. I just asked for permission and I hope that what I find there fixes the mess instead of going on the pile.

I finally got a response. SCP-001 slot is unlocked. All cognitohazards and memetic agents were removed to ensure I won't die the moment I open the file. And still, when I did… Was there ever a day, when the Foundation personnel could say that nothing happened? Is it just me, or is everything everywhere?

How are there over twenty 001 Proposals?

Alright. Things are not getting easier. I can see now that this will take a while. First I have to determine which 001 is the right one, it shouldn't be that hard. I have the entire database at my disposal, I can just check the data and see which one fits the best.

None of them fit. Every single 001 is contradictory to the others yet neither of them fit the overall narrative. And yes. I am beginning to question my own sanity at this point. How can I even tell what is real? S. Andrew Swann's Proposal was hard to accept but I will admit that the more I am looking at everything around me, the more I start seeing the resemblance and I can now tell from my own experience, that looking on more than a couple of anomalies at once makes one go insane. However, this is not an attempt on explaining these things. I am just trying to see the bigger picture… Just bigger picture.

On the other hand, there is The Broken God, which I can work with. There is plenty of dates and documentation to make it look believable, so for now, I count that one as my 001. And no, I am not questioning how these things could even exist at this point. I will see about the others.

Come to think about it, Kate McTiriss did a good job on Mary Nakayama's story. And it is by far the best one for humanity. I actually hope that one is correct.

Fuck, my work has been stagnating for the past two weeks or so. I just cannot get my head around these things. I could take Clef's Guardian as the real one but that crosses out the existence of Mann's, Bright's, Mackenzie's and Scrantron's versions. Yet if you cross out the possibility, what gives you the right to take that one as true in the first place?

And don't even get me started on the "future" 001s. S.D. Locke's proposal sounds neat but if I count correctly, requires at least two major reality shifts to be possible with our actual timeline, that is if my timeline is correctly built.

I need a break.

Had to clear my head. I didn't make almost any progress in a month at this point. Going back to more friendly parts of the database. I'll report back when I find something.

It has been a month of very hard work on my part. I am almost 50% there. Timeline so far… not so good. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my line here, it's just that… It feels incomplete. I read about so many unbelievable anomalies at this point, that a giant indestructible lizard just doesn't do it for me. The timeline needs to be completed and all I can do is stare at this pile of reality bending anomalies, time travel machines and impossible origin stories.

How can I continue this? Is this how Researcher Talloran suffered? The file was very weird and fuzzy but I was kinda intrigued by it.

I went through most of Foundation's database and just now do I hear about Dr. Kondraki? This man worked for us?! Why doesn't he work for us anymore?

Just found out what happened, I get it now. Still, the entire Site-19? My boss would give that guy a kiss.

It took me a while but I managed to fit SCP-055 into the timeline. Took me a while because I had to put it into a special space on the line and I constantly kept forgetting about it.

I can't find yesterday's log and SCP-055 is in the sorted pile, even though I didn't read it yet. Weird

I had enough of SCP files, now I'm reading about Groups of Interests. Dr. Wondertainment? Reminds me of Willy Wonka. Great, now I can't get that thought out of my head. Still better than the Black Queen. The idea that there are infinite universes of anomalies that I have to go through gave me nightmares.

I am kinda missing my friends. Sure we gossip when I go to the cafeteria, I even talked with Chris, my boss. He asked how was my project doing. He is about the only person who knows that I am doing something in secret and even he has no idea what exactly.

Are We Cool Yet? No, you are not. I hate this anartist group, I have seen far too many of their anomalies in Site-91. You can at least sympathize with regular anartists, those really just make art. There is a difference between anartist and anarchist.

Somehow, I am on 61% now. No idea how, I could swear it showed 58% yesterday.

I have it. I know how to deal with the conflicting shit! The reality bends, I know how to deal with them. I never actually checked if everything in the database actually existed. Now this might sound crazy but hey, I am not the person who said we are living in a universe that obeys the laws of fiction. So if we do take into account the fact that our universe is affected by a bunch of horror writers, or a narrative or anyone who is writing me saying these words right now, then the only result we can get is that the timeline is not finished. No one else has ever tried this, or they did and failed.

Our universe doesn't make sense, because it is not supposed to. In this case we should just embrace the chaos. In other words, I will create multiple timelines and categorize everything so that none of the new timelines contradict themselves but contradict each other.

Now I just need to find the starting and ending points of these timelines, points where reality collapsed, and build a continuing line…

This is weird. I could have sworn that there was more. Is this it? 120 SCPs left? How many did I go through? 2984? No, no, no, no. There were more. There were definitely more! See. My timeline has… My time… line… There it is… But… There is…. There is only one line.

What is happening? I went outside my office and apparently, we no longer have a cafeteria on Site-91. Because this is Site-13. I have read through way too much to ignore this. This is reality reconstruction. CK-Class Scenario. But why? And how do I know? Shouldn't my perception change with the shift?

Ok. So my timeline is almost finished, since around 1500 files just stopped existing, both the sorted and unsorted ones. I haven't worked on it since this started and I am not willing to continue until I find out what caused this. And I am not ruling out the possibility, that my work caused this.

I am not experiencing any sign of memory alteration, which means that I must be somehow immune to this shift, that only supports my theory of me causing this. But how? Is it because I am completing my work? Does the knowledge of timeline somehow affect reality?

It does. I checked the data. The hateful star disappeared first, when I was around 23%, I cannot say if this was a coincidence, or the beginning of a reality shift. Then SCP-231-7, she disappeared around 32% but I didn't notice until I checked the data. After this a couple more must have disappeared because there are inconsistencies in data around the time I reach 50%, which was the time when I was too busy dealing with 001.

Speaking of 001, there are only 8 proposals left.

This is bad. If my calculations are correct, only 43% of the database remains now and 90% of it has already been sorted.

No! Why? I am not doing anything! I left the database alone! Why do they keep on disappearing!

We are no longer Site-13, but Site-3. Reality is slowly shifting to fit in with the current database. There are less SCPs, so the Foundation is smaller, in fact, I believe that we no longer have an O5 Council, there is just this one guy called the Administrator. Yesterday we lost SCP-682 so… that is good news. Looks like the GOC in this reality was disbanded with the fall of Communism and the Foundation is now just as well funded as the UIU in my reality used to be. Perfect.

A month. I am still thinking. Luckily, no one is questioning me. Seems like even with all the reality bending around, I am a researcher working on a secret project. Good, last thing I need is to be classified as an SCP by the very Foundation that made me cause this mess.

Still no clue on what to do. Around 25% of the old Foundation remains and around 80% of that is sorted. The recession is getting faster. Maybe I should unsort it? No. If anything, that might make the reality bends more violent and unpredictable. I need to find a way to fix this.

The Foundation never existed. We are a building now, somewhere on the east coast of USA. This entire place is so sad. As far as I can tell, we are housing maybe 20 SCPs? We do not even call them that anymore. I am trying my best to play the role I was given. Apparently I am a member of a team of 10 researchers that study rare anomalies. I am pretty scared of what I am going to find tomorrow.

Twelve SCPs. Still ten researchers.

Five SCPs. Five researchers, each of us got one SCP to study. I got number 3 or as I know it, SCP-173. It is not so scary anymore, it moves very slowly now, it can still kill you though. Better watch out.

Four SCPs. Three researchers. We are left with SCP-173, some window that shows other places, the book of diseases and… well, me.

The book disappeared. One of us with it. We are no longer an organization, rather a small group of people who apparently got together on the internet.

The window is gone. I am alone now. Alone with the stupid statue. I am afraid.

I woke up and the statue was still there. It stopped moving. I figured that this is it. I am the last anomaly in history and no one will ever know. This world is so much different from mine. No anomalies, nothing paranormal. No fear, no wonder.

I woke up this morning and… The statue was gone. My office, now my apartment, feels empty.

Is there any point in trying anymore? I can't reverse it. The database doesn't even show 0%. It doesn't show anything because it is gone. The entire thing. My notes, the paperwork… It is gone!

I am contemplating my fate now. Many people in my Foundation would give anything to see the world around me. To see a world where everything is in order, where everything makes sense and the things that don't can be explained as science progresses.

I have tried living normally. I can't do it. Madeleine Sailer, a car saleswoman, an entrepreneur, a scientist… an artist… A GODDAMN RESEARCHER FOR A SECRET ORGANIZATION PROTECTING HUMANITY!

I was browsing the internet today. I found a bunch of articles about cryptozoology, myths and legends, UFOs, that kinda stuff… It entertained me for a while, pointing out the flaws about those things, talking to myself about how a real anomaly would behave.

I need help

I found myself a psychiatrist. Told them about the Foundation, the reality shift, the fact that I am the only person who knows… She was kind enough to listen to me but she gave me the same thing as anyone else in this world would. She told me to come again and gave me some pills… If only they could heal anything.

I found it! I can't believe it is still here! I was browsing the internet forums, art conventions, cryptozoology, weird photographs, everything… And there it was. Clear as day. A picture of SCP-173, standing by a concrete wall. I had to have it. I downloaded the picture. I have evidence. I am not crazy!

My psychiatrist called. Demanded that I come again. I agreed, with the picture, she will have to believe me.

I am crazy? How can she say that! I am not the one living in a world that is an illusion…

It's ok 173, they don't believe us but we know. We know that the Foundation was. What is it? Crunch? You always liked that sound didn't you…

Anyway, I know I sound crazy. I just need to vent it out. I'm ok.

Item number, SCP-173, Object Class, Euclid, Special Containment Procedures, Item SCP-173 is to be kept in a locked container at all times. When personnel must enter SCP-173's container, no fewer than 3 may enter at any time and the door is to be relocked behind them. At all times, two persons must maintain direct eye contact with SCP-173 until all personnel have vacated and relocked the container. Description, Moved to Site-19 1993. Origin is as of yet unknown. It is constructed from concrete and rebar with traces of Krylon brand spray paint. SCP-173 is animate and extremely hostile. The object cannot move while within a direct line of sight. Line of sight must not be broken at any time with SCP-173. Personnel assigned to enter container are instructed to alert one another before blinking. Object is reported to attack by snapping the neck at the base of the skull, or by strangulation. In the event of an attack, personnel are to observe Class 4 hazardous object containment procedures. Personnel report sounds of scraping stone originating from within the container when no one is present inside. This is considered normal, and any change in this behaviour should be reported to the acting HMCL supervisor on duty. The reddish brown substance on the floor is a combination of feces and blood. Origin of these materials is unknown. The enclosure must be cleaned on a bi-weekly basis.

I decided to tell people about the Foundation. They must know. If none of it exists anymore, why not just tell people? I am sure those two guys on the cryptozoology forum would love to hear about it.

Just finished my post on forum. I posted the containment procedures for SCP-173 with the picture I got. I might have made the file a little smaller. I just included the shit I remember, hope someone finds it interesting.

Just looked at the forum post. They like it! They are even creating their own SCPs! I love it. i am so excited, this is the first time in a long while that I feel normal. I feel just like in the old days.

They are making a community. This is awesome. I want to join them but I cannot bring myself to it. What if I do something wrong, what if they think I am crazy and reject me and the idea? I better just watch.

I hate myself… I just realised. I… I am an actual idiot. A bunch of horror writers…

I was trying to reach them for five days now. Looks like they are planning something because they are not responding much. Today it is one year since I started making that stupid timeline. This morning a year ago, I came into my office, I logged into my account and I accepted that fucking project…

*sobs*

But maybe… Maybe if I manage to somehow change the narrative. If I get these writers to write… Then maybe… If I'm not getting crazy… Please. This has to work…

Yes! They responded. I'm in. Now if only I could figure out how to use this goddamn site to write.

I made it! My crazy science made it. The only part of the universe that was still chaotic managed to turn the sides back without any logic to it. By writing myself I caused a paradox in which all the anomalous bullshit started existing again. I cannot explain how. I literally can't because that is what holds the universe together now. My tiny illogical paradox in a sea of order. Is this what it feels like to be a reality bender? I'm not one of them but… I imagine this is it.

Alright Mady focus. I am back now. I need to shut it all down. To shut everything down, no database sorting, no timeline creation. The universe needs to be chaotic, otherwise none of the anomalies would exist. It demands to be broken. That's how I'll write it there…

Item #: SCP-4010

Object Class: Keter

Threat Level: Red ●

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4010 is not to be acted out in any circumstances. Any information regarding the results of Project Kronos are to be destroyed by means deemed necessary.

Description: SCP-4010 is an act of establishing the timeline of our universe, while accounting for every shift in reality and every temporal change documented. If enacted, SCP-4010 will cause major changes to global reality. Full extent of such changes is unknown.

SCP-4010 was first discovered during Project Kronos, an attempt to establish a chronological timeline of history. Project lasted one year and possibly resulted in a CK-Class Scenario. Information about Project Kronos was destroyed, lost, or terminated alongside Researcher Madeleine Sailer.

Note: To those this may concern,
Our universe is a very complex place, our history is very chaotic, which often blocks us from understanding the unknown of the present. Yet we still strive to understand, to explain. For all our history, we have been exploring the unknown and researching all that we found.

The universal forces of order and chaos are a concept that you should be familiar with. We are the order, the things we know, we understand. The Chaos is something unknown, something we wish to understand. We fear it and that fear pushes us forward.

SCP-4010 is an act of creating order out of chaos. Our universe runs on chaos just like cars do on gasoline. So try not to burn all of it, try not to fix it, otherwise we can all face the actual end very soon. It demands to be broken.

Please trust me when I say that looking back at history to see what you can make out of it is a bad idea. Constructing a timeline is a bad idea. Understanding, explaining everything that happened… is a bad idea. I tried. And I succeeded.

-Researcher Sailer, Site-91

I dismantled everything. Erased all the data. Burned all the physical evidence of the Project. All that remains… Is this recorder and me.

*sound of crushing metal*