SCP-███ — We Were Merely Next In Line

SCP- No (TOP SECRET)

[Discussion of this anomaly is strictly prohibited]

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Humanity does not discover certain things.

Some things...

are only found again.

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According to a deleted report from the SCP Foundation archives, the first contact occurred during an excavation.

Location: [DATA EXPUNGED]

Depth: Far below sea level

What was discovered was neither a machine...

nor a living organism.

And yet...

it emitted energy.

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During the first test, no connection was established.

There were no cables.

No circuits.

Yet a device placed inside the chamber...

suddenly activated.

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The phenomenon repeated.

Again.

And again.

Eventually, researchers reached a disturbing conclusion:

It was not generating energy.

The energy was simply... coming from it.

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After the discovery, ancient texts were reexamined.

Fragments believed to originate from Atlantis were recovered.

Incomplete.

Broken.

Burned.

As if someone had deliberately destroyed them.

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When the surviving pieces were assembled, the same phrases appeared repeatedly:

«"...light..."

"...remain above..."

"...balance..."»

And hidden between the lines was a single recurring word:

«"...energe..."

"...geia..."»

Its full name was never written.

As if...

someone had intentionally left it unfinished.

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The tablets spoke of a city.

But not as a city.

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Atlantis:

It stood above the sea.

It generated its own light.

There was no difference between day and night.

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But the most intriguing detail was this:

At the center of the city stood a place that led downward.

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The texts never described what was below.

They only offered a warning:

«"Those who descend... no longer belong above."»

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Another fragment read:

«"The light does not belong to us."

"We belong to it."»

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As the records progressed, their tone changed.

The earliest tablets spoke of hope.

Of salvation.

Of ascension.

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The later ones spoke only of fear.

Missing names.

Erased histories.

Vanishing people.

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One of the final fragments stated:

«"The balance is failing."

"It demands more."»

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And then came the last recorded warning:

«"Extinguish the light."»

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But they never did.

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Because another fragment carried a different message:

«"If it goes out... we fall."»

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And eventually...

they did.

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The fall of Atlantis was no longer a mystery.

It was a consequence.

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The Foundation brought it back to the surface.

And repeated the same mistake.

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New facilities were constructed.

Deep underground.

Without windows.

Without sunlight.

Every one of them...

connected to it.

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At first, everything seemed perfect.

Unlimited energy.

Stable systems.

SCP containment operating at peak efficiency.

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Then the first disappearance occurred.

A technician.

No death record.

No departure record.

Entered the facility...

never emerged.

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Then a security officer vanished.

Then two researchers.

Then more.

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The pattern became impossible to ignore:

As energy output increased...

personnel losses increased as well.

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A data analyst eventually attached a note to the report:

«"This may not be production."

"It may be conversion."»

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Attempts were made to halt the experiments.

For the first time...

the system was shut down.

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Only for a few seconds.

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In those few seconds:

The entire facility was consumed by darkness.

Contained SCPs became active.

Security systems collapsed.

Emergency protocols failed.

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And the recording devices captured only a single word:

«"...cold..."»

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The system was immediately reactivated.

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After that day, a decision was made:

The system would never be shut down again.

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But that was not a solution.

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Because now they understood the truth:

If the system remained active... people disappeared.

If the system stopped... everyone died.

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A council was assembled.

Every alternative was considered.

Conventional power sources — insufficient.

SCP-based energy generation — even more dangerous.

Evacuation — impossible.

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Every path led to the same conclusion:

A dead end.

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The final surviving transcript from the meeting, recovered before deletion, contained a single statement:

«"This is not a choice."

"It is merely deciding how we die."»

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After that day:

The SCP designation was removed.

Its name was erased.

Discussion of it was forbidden.

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But the system is still running.

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And sometimes...

when the lights flicker...

certain personnel report hearing the same words:

«"It is calling me."»

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ADDENDUM — UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

The final line recovered from the Atlantis records reads:

«"We did not use it."

"We were merely next in line."»

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END OF FILE

It is not a power source.

It is not salvation.

It is not a weapon.

It is not a machine.

It is...

a balance.