Just one more Threshold.
Arclund
Item#: SCP-9242
Level3
Containment Class:
euclid
Secondary Class:
simpatico
Disruption Class:
vlam
Risk Class:
warning
Special Containment Procedures: Provisional Site-9242 has been established in proximity to SCP-9242’s starting point, assigned to house SCP-9242’s Research Team and enforce normalcy in the area surrounding it. Personnel assigned to SCP-9242 must possess a CRI Value of 5.5 or higher and may not enter SCP-9242 for any reason.
Under no circumstances may individuals possessing known connections to Sarkic/Nälkän traditions and associated organizations obtain knowledge of or enter SCP-9242. Observation of all such individuals, whether confirmed or suspected, in a 5 square kilometer vicinity of SCP-9242 must be undertaken by its research team, and lethal force is authorized against any such individuals attempting to breach SCP-9242’s containment. See Addendum 9242.2 for more information.
SCP-9242's starting point.
Description: SCP-9242 is a spatiotemporal anomaly that manifests as a hiking trail extending approximately 7,769 kilometers, beginning within the Priazovsky State Nature Preserve in Russia, and presumed to end at a point in north-central Mongolia, approximately 3 kilometers south-southwest of Erdenet. While SCP-9242 exists outside consensus reality, its geography corresponds to that of the baseline regions it traverses, allowing SCP-9242 to be mapped using data collected during testing. Furthermore, GPS trackers prove functional within the anomaly. All forms of modern communication and audiovisual technology, including drones and personal cameras, are rendered inoperable after crossing the threshold to SCP-9242. Analog photography was discovered to function without anomalous interference during initial testing.
The interior of SCP-9242 is visually comparable to other natural and hiking trails in the region. However, it begins to display several overtly anomalous traits as the trail continues, such as ossified foliage, various species of fauna and megafauna not native to the region, and a distinct red coloration in the sky and on the trail itself. Signage is present throughout SCP-9242, comparable to distance markers on baseline hiking trails, and is written in Old Adytite, referring to the space as "Ion's Walk".
SCP-9242 is only accessible to individuals adhering to the following criteria:
- A subject must be accompanied by at least one other subject.
- All subjects must enter barefoot, and are compelled upon approaching to remove any foot coverings.
- Subjects must enter SCP-9242 without provisions. Exceptions discovered: Wooden torch, stone/metal knife, flint, empty canteen/wineskin, and disposable film camera.
- Subjects must enter SCP-9242 from a westerly direction.
- Subjects must enter SCP-9242 after sundown.
Individuals traversing SCP-9242 are subject to three simultaneous anomalous effects, each of which begins after a certain percentage threshold of SCP-9242's total distance has been passed. After 5% of the total distance, subjects no longer require sustenance or rest, with current studies concluding that SCP-9242 itself sustains them.
After 25% of the total distance, subjects will experience a minor cognitive alteration, displaying increased determination and a competitive drive against other subjects. This typically manifests as a desire to reach SCP-9242's endpoint before the others, with emotional reactions to this drive varying between subjects. Empathic individuals strive to ensure the path is clear for others so they may continue forward unhindered. Self-serving individuals display increased aggression, willingly harming and sabotaging their competitors.
After 40% of SCP-9242's total distance, subjects will begin to experience a progressive degradation of their bodily functions, such as decreased muscle mass, increased risk of disease, and greater severity of injury, often in a manner that inhibits motion. This degradation has never been observed to kill a subject, though it does severely impair their ability to traverse SCP-9242. If a subject attempts to leave SCP-9242 or becomes incapable of continuing, they will be ejected from the anomaly at a random point along the corresponding area.
It is currently unknown what occurs if a subject successfully reaches the end of SCP-9242.
Addenda:
Addendum 9242.1: Exploration Transcripts
Following initial investigations, a team consisting of six members of MTF Gamma-4 "Green Stags" was sent into SCP-9242 in an attempt to reach the end point of the trail. Despite video/audio logs being unusable, flash photography proved operable. The following transcripts were collected from the MTF members following their ejection from SCP-9242.
Recovery Transcript 9242-1
Date: 2/16/25. One week after initial entrance into SCP-9242.
Team Members: Devlin Yarikova(Lead), Amber Nichols, Ethan Williamson, Hana Iramai, Marin Liaos, Richard “Rick” Barncroft
Recovery Point: Tsimlyansk Reservoir, North Shore, south of Aksenov, Rostov Oblast, Russia.
Agent Recovered: Hana Iramai, found kneeling.
Agent Status: Acute Dehydration, Structural Trauma to Hands and Feet, Stress Injury in Left Knee, Raised striations on palms, noted redness of ocular tissue. Initial Mutism. Salvageability: High Likelihood.
Interviewer: Doctor Magda Ilerez, Head Researcher for SCP-9242.
[BEGIN LOG]
The camera captures Hana Iramai staring directly into it. Her gaze shifts as Dr. Ilerez enters the room.
Dr. Ilerez Agent Iramai, I have been informed you are willing to speak about the events within SCP-9242?
Agent Iramai nods
Dr. Ilerez Then please, begin.
Agent Iramai opens her mouth to begin, pauses, and then lets out a wracking cough.
Agent Iramai: We went in right as the sun vanished beneath the horizon. Nearly pitch black, except for the guttering torches you’d provided us, the shadows given off shifted and morphed in odd ways.
She pauses, picking at one of the striations on her palm.
Agent Iramai: By the third day, my lips were cracked and my head was swimming; the others weren’t much better, but I couldn’t stop my feet. They were eager, dragging the rest of me along. The torches hadn’t gone out, or burned down to our fingers, just… static, guttering and sputtering, the only sound except Williamson’s intermittent comedy routine. I had thought I was hallucinating when I saw it.
Dr. Ilerez: What?
Agent Iramai: The sky was changing color, like the sun was setting, but I could still see it burning over the trees. They were changing color too, red leaves against white bark, and the wind smelt… like a fresh wound. Could taste the blood on my tongue, and for some reason, my vision just cleared. The others seemed to rally, too. Marin darted to the head of the pack, ignoring Yarikova, and that made me angry. Just a moment, but it burned so severely to have their back in my sight. They snipped a twig off with their knife and fell back in line, and the rage just vanished.
Dr.Ilerez: What was your relationship to Agent Laois, prior to this expedition?
Agent Iramai: Professional, neutral. They did fine work, as far as I had seen. I had no reason to feel that way. The others were looking at them a bit vaguely as well, but it passed. Williamson started up again, and we just went back to focusing on the road, despite the exhaustion. Marin showed the twig to me, and I figured we’d stepped past some other threshold.
Dr. Ilerez: Why?
Agent Iramai: Cause it was bleeding. Bright, crimson ichor coated their palm, and there at the break, I could see tendon and marrow. They started chewing on it not long after… shoulda bothered me, but it didn’t. If it kept them walking, that was good.
Dr. Ilerez: It was good?
Agent Iramai: To walk that road is to accept the hungers and failings of the flesh.
Her eyes are vacant as she stares at Dr. Ilerez.
Dr. Ilerez: If that is the case… why did you stop?
Agent Iramai lets out a shaky breath
Agent Iramai: The road had revealed its truth to us at that point, bone and flesh, writhing and lively, urging us forward with each step it-
Dr. Ilerez: Urging you forward?
Agent Iramai: Yes. The road is not an enemy; it is a teacher and a student, and it wants you to succeed. The hunger in my gut still burned, but it kept it mellow; the iron-touched air wet my lips and kept drawing me onward, each bony bit of false-cobble pressing ever so slightly into my heel to aid the next forward step.
Dr. Ilerez: So then what happened?
Agent Iramai: We reached the next threshold. Your folks called it a sign, but that isn’t close to right. It reminded me of the tori gates my grandmother loved so much, from when she was a little girl in Kanazawa. But instead of wood, it was bone, slathered in fresh blood that left the delicate and beautiful scrimshaw that covered them bare. At the top was a statue, a carving of a thing that was both a killer, and a girl, and a snake, and beyond stretched a river vast and thick with the ruddy mud that licked out feet. I, staring at it for the first time, truly felt as if my soul and my body were one. A warmth spread from my core and traced every bone and blood vessel, my teeth ached, and my eyes burned. The others seemed to feel it too, smiles crossing their faces, hunger burning in their eyes, reaching out to trace the artful lines…
She stops talking, staring at the table, and the doctor signals to the staff as she notices that Agent Iramai is bleeding, having fully peeled open part of her palm.
Agent Iramai: I had never felt more alive, could never, and that marked me as a failure. I had nothing left to learn—a poor student.
She falls silent, staring at Dr. Ilerez as she continues to work on the wound in her hand until the on-site medical officer enters the room.
[END LOG]
Note: Amnestic Regiment may return Agent Iramai to fighting form. Commission Paused. Request Pending.
The Journey Lost
Recovery Transcript 9242-2
Date: 4/9/25, two months after initial entrance.
- Recovery Point: Bashkir Urals, within the South Ural Nature Preserve in Russia.
Agent Recovered: Richard Barncroft was found lying on his back, unmoving—required resuscitation.
Agent Status: Bifurcation of tongue, numerous hematomas along the posterior section of all four limbs, partial partitioning of left femur, stress fractures to ankles and lower spinal cord, ridged markings along the neck, extended webbing between fingers, onset of dehydration & starvation necessitating immediate intervention. Red patina is permanent within the ocular cavity. Acute pneumonia. Emergent schizophrenic tendencies. Salvageability: Uncertain.
Interviewer: Doctor Magda Ilerez, Head Researcher for SCP-9242.
[BEGIN LOG]
Agent Barncroft is in a medical bed, affixed to numerous machines, and appears to be asleep when Dr. Ilerez enters the room.
Dr. Ilerez: Agent Barncroft?
He opens his eyes and turns to look at her.
Agent Barncroft: Hello, Doctor. Before we start, what happened to Iramai?
Dr. Ilerez: She is still in recovery.
He nods and leans back, reaching up to scratch at the striations on his neck.
Dr. Ilerez: So, can you tell me what happened after her departure?
Agent Barncroft: We didn't even notice she was missing until we hit the other bank. We stepped through the gate and knew in that instant that the river was the first of many true challenges that awaited us. It was sort of like the trail, how it urged us forward, but in this case, it felt like a dog that wanted to play but didn't realize how big it actually was—eagerly lapping at our feet, trying to draw us in. Not sure whether it was baiting us, but Yarikova dove in without a word. I was wading in a moment later, didn't even realize I had started walking, but seeing him pull ahead had galvanized something in me.
Dr. Ilerez: Agent Iramai mentioned this feeling, a need to be at the head of the pack, yes?
Agent Barncroft: Sort of, yeah, but respectfully to Iramai, she didn't even get a quarter of a taste of how that place makes you feel.
Dr. Ilerez: Oh?
Agent Barncroft: Not there yet. So we're in the river, right, and it's not just letting us brute force it, dragging all of us downstream, even as we try and fight for purchase, hands, feet, just trying to tread water, the whole way it is fighting us. Out to drown us with rushing waves that tasted of rust and bile, and then I saw something click for Nichols. She stops fighting it and starts shifting with it, and as she does, it starts shifting her back.
Dr. Ilerez: I imagine you mean-
Agent Barncroft lifts his webbed hands, revealing that the alteration ends just beneath the top knuckle. Red patterns are noticeable against the stretched flesh.
Agent Barncroft: Not the prettiest things, but they got the job done. We had to be cunning, adapt to the challenge, and through it find the right path forward. The river was the path, the teacher was the purpose. His Walk, His quest, and many more thresholds were awaiting us.
Dr. Ilerez: I see.
Agent Barncroft: Eventually, we all got to the other bank, and despite the shock and the strain and the dozens of new bruises from being battered about the rocks, we just… kept going. I'll admit I was a bit weirded out by the others' new looks. Yarikova was breathing out of a hole in his head, and his nose was fully sealed shut, and Nichols was about a foot taller with feet somewhere between an octopus's and a monkey's. I looked pretty dang normal in comparison, I thought. Then Liaos pointed out the-.
He pauses and sticks out his reptilian bifurcated tongue.
Agent Barncroft: Not even fully sure why that happened, but after a few laughs and deriding comments, we just fell into silence. Not sure how we'd all kept hold of our gear, but in the end, we stopped needing most of it.
Dr. Ilerez: Additional adaptations?
Agent Barncroft: Yes, all except for the camera, but I wonder if-
He pauses, flinching and looking around as if hunting for something.
Dr. Ilerez: Agent?
Agent Barncroft: Did you… No, where was I, oh, right, after the river we started going up this incline, and as we went, things started getting wilder. The trees became behemoths, hundreds of feet tall, quivering and shifting with the wind, and these things started cropping up. Animals, I think, but they didn't look right, never got a good look at them, but they were never far, like they were following us. Liaos seemed particularly drawn to them, not sure why, but Nichols had to pull them back on the path more than once.
Dr. Ilerez: Did you feel as if they were a threat?
Agent Barncroft: No. They couldn't interfere, so said the winds. Now, I know that look, no, I have no idea what that means, but after we hit the incline, it was like something was speaking to us with every breeze. Not words, but intentions, I came to understand things, but now it's all a muddled mess, my price for failing, I guess.
Dr. Ilerez: What happened?
Agent Barnroft: Right, like I said earlier, this place can get to you, and by the time we were cresting the incline, the trees had become truly monstrous; things were just different. We had left the torches behind, as our eyes could pierce the darkness fine on their own; the searing touch of the sun and the bitter cold of the night no longer bothered us. Hell, it had been months since we'd eaten, drunk anything, or slept, but we were still going stronger. We should have been dead, at least hallucinating, and maybe I was, what with the wind, but the thing that really got to me was how cold we had all gotten towards each other. Not entirely, of course, Liaos was practically velcroed to Nichols' side, but we weren't talking. It was like a switch had flipped, and we had gone from all being in it together to them just being our competitors. I'm saying we, but maybe it was just me. I needed to be at the front, and the fact that Yarikova and Williamson were always just a step ahead created an ugly knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away. I swear I saw something similar in the others' eyes—a fear.
Dr. Ilerez: Of each other?
Agent Barncroft: Of not being strong enough.
Dr. Ilerez: So then why did you stop?
Agent Barncroft stares down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. The camera catches faint ripples in the flesh of his arms. A guard is alerted to be prepared to enter the room. Dr. Ilerez is notified through personal comms, but keeps her expression coached.
Agent Barncroft: The trees suddenly opened up, and there before us was another of the gates. It was massive, at least a hundred feet tall, but outside of that, it looked nearly exactly like the last one. White striations and carving stood out against the slick, fresh gore that covered it. At the pinnacle was a carving of a hunter, and a mammoth, and a war. One singular eye stared down upon us all. Beyond the gate rose this immense cliff, towering at least a thousand feet into the air—our next challenge.
Dr. Ilerez: But you found that you couldn't pass through the gate?
Agent Barncroft turns to her with a puzzled expression.
Agent Barncroft: No. I walked through, as did the others, and in this moment, I felt stronger than I ever had before. The first gate had shown me how to embrace the warmth within, but this, do you know what I mean, Doc, that weird feeling in the center of your chest right beneath the sternum? Where some folks like to act like the soul is hiding? Well, I felt that expand, seeping into every corner of my body, and I knew that cliff would be nothing. A straightforward lesson. Overcome it, grow to new heights, grab hold, and never let go. We surged for the wall, and as I hit it, I felt my hands begin to shift yet again, my feet as well.
He pauses, looking around the room once more before locking his eyes on the corner of the door where the guard can be seen standing outside.
Agent Barncroft: Yarikova wasn't at the front of the pack this time; Liaos was making sure of that, boosting Nichols as they went. I hated them in that moment, and I couldn't even see why. Williamson was behind me, and I could see Yarikova out of the corner of my eye, gaining on me as we went. He smiled at me, and that knot in my stomach split open. He passed me, hands splayed like that of a gecko, feet disforming as he went, and as his ankle came within reach, I felt my entire body preparing to latch onto him and tear him free of the cliff. I felt my fingers lengthen and muscles strengthen, but I hesitated. This wasn't right. I had known him for years; we'd been good friends, fought and nearly died side by side a dozen times, so why would I ever even contemplate this? The wind was howling in my ears, betrayal and loyalty fighting to be heard amidst the chorus of half-formed voices, and I-.
Dr. Ilerez: You let go?
Agent Barncroft looks up at her, his red eyes brimming with angry tears.
Agent Barncroft: I did. But only because someone forced me to. I never got to choose Yarikova's fate, but someone certainly chose mine. I suppose my lesson from the Walk is simple. Never hesitate.
[END LOG]
Note: Agent Barncroft’s Commission is currently suspended; further mental diagnostics are required.
The Fall Before
Recovery Transcript 9242-3
Date: 8/26/25, approximately six and a half months after initial entrance.
Recovery Point: Belukha Mountain, within the Altai Mountains in Russia.
Agent Recovered: Marin Liaos, found curled in a ball, rocking back and forth, crying and pleading in the Sarkic tongue.
Agent Status: Muscle mass tripled, epidermal discoloration & strain evident, ligament & muscle tears throughout torso and limbs, fingers broken and reset incorrectly. 14 improperly healed fractured bones. Formally functionary prehensile tail. Osssified carapace on shoulders, back, and lower torso. Eyes are permanently patinaed, and there is constant ocular discharge(blood); the left eye's functionality is zero. Onset of dehydration & starvation necessitating immediate intervention. Emotional distress when presented with a mirror, onset of language attrition/aphasia regarding former native tongues, necessitating translation. High Emotional Distress, Evident PTSD Symptoms. Salvageability: Uncertain.
Interviewer: Doctor Magda Ilerez, Head Researcher for SCP-9242,
Translator: Researcher Dimitri Mendevian, Adytite-Diaspora Linguist. (For simplicity, the latter’s translations are attributed to Agent Liaos.)
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Ilerez enters the room and looks at Researcher Mendevian, who is listening to Agent Liaos, who is lying in their medical bed, their back to them.
Dr. Ilerez: Are we ready?
Researcher Mendevian: Their mood appears stable.
Dr. Ilerez approaches the bed with the researcher a step behind.
Dr. Ilerez: Agent Liaos, can you understand me?
Researcher Mendevian begins translating.
Agent Liaos: Yes, Doctor.
Dr. Ilerez: Very good, would you like to speak about your time within 9242?
Agent Liaos: No. But I will. Iramai and Barncroft made it out, right? I saw him fall. I-
Dr. Ilerez: They are both in recovery.
Agent Liaos: What about Amber’s body?
Dr. Ilerez and Researcher Mendevian glance at each other with surprise. Agent Liaos sits up, rubbing at their weeping eyes.
Agent Liaos: Please, I need to know, I-
Dr. Ilerez: Her body? Agent Nichols tracker is still in motion, Liaos. What-
Agent Liaos: No-no, I saw him, he, she was, I couldn’t, you need to let me go back. I have to go back!
They try to get out of bed, tearing at their IVs.
Dr. Ilerez: Marin, please! Your skin is barely holding together, you’re at risk for organ failure, and you need to stop.
Agent Liaos: I can’t fail her again.
Despite their efforts to stand, even with the additional muscle mass, they are too weak from lack of hydration and fall back into bed.
Agent Liaos: She’s still in there with him.
Dr. Ilerez: You need to tell me what happened. After Barncroft fell, please.
Agent Liaos: We climbed the cliff and saw that the elevation just kept increasing—a massive mountain. We’d changed more, Amber had gained another set of hands, bifurcated upper arms at the elbow, Yarikova had claws, thick and orange, and Williamson….
Agent Liaos trails off and clenches their crooked fingers.
Agent Liaos: Looked like shit. If an Octopus had legs and could flash a smile. Didn’t even notice I had a tail until Amber grabbed hold of it. But those changes had become normal. We had stopped feeling hungry by that point, sure the others mentioned it, but there was this wanness to their rest of their faces. Like they could feel the starvation setting in anyway, that worried me.
Dr. Ilerez: You did not feel the same way?
Agent Liaos: I might have, but something was overriding that. I had to keep Amber going, had to make sure she kept up. Which is odd because, well, Barncroft had fallen, but none of us even looked back to see if he was still coming, or if he was alright. We just started the march up the mountain, Amber and I still at the head of the pack, Yarikova and Williamson attempting to move past us, but the mountain was slick and the wind unforgiving.
Dr. Ilerez: You and Amber were romantically entangled?
Agent Liaos scowls at the doctor, wipes their eyes, and sighs.
Agent Liaos: We have been partners for three years. But I never-we never-it was complicated. MTF work isn’t something you build a life on. We’d always been equals, looking out for one another, but something about that place shifted something. I had to keep going, to get ahead, but at the same time, I couldn’t even conceive of letting her fall behind me. Thinking about it now, it’s disconcerting and somehow makes what happened worse.
Dr. Ilerez: Was this reciprocal, this ‘shift’?
Agent Liaos sits for a moment and then nods hesitantly.
Agent Liaos: There were things that would appear along the route, animals, sort of. I think they might have been people once, those that had made it onto the trail and somehow found a way to never leave it again, I don’t know. I was drawn to them, but not the others. I could hear them speaking to me, comforting, encouraging, congenial, but I could never quite make out the words, just the feeling they conveyed. I would listen, and then the next thing I knew, Amber would be drawing me back onto the path, chiding me not with words, but with a gaze. None of us were talking to each other by then, maybe I just missed the sound of another voice. Walking for months in silence, it-.
They trail off.
Dr. Ilerez: If you can stay calm, I would ask you to tell us what happened to Agent Nichols. Does it correlate to your departure from 9242?
Agent Liaos: Yes. We’d found the next gate, and beyond it, for the first time, the trail diverged into multiple paths. Same as before, all bone and blood, but at the top, another statue, this of a philosopher, a centipede, and a mage. Snow covered the ground, and the wind was carving swirling patterns that mimicked what was scrawled across the gate. I looked back, and the world stretched out behind me; it was beautiful, a red-tinted wonder. Think I snapped a picture, but then Amber pulled me over the threshold, and I was struck with a need to not just continue on, but explore, to delve, to find the path least traveled. Yarikova and Williamson were already gone; it was just the two of us on the hunt. She was finally smiling again. I’d missed it. In that moment, I felt like I was in one of my Nan’s fairy tales, despite it all.
Dr. Ilerez: What happened next?
Agent Liaos: We found a cave. She headed in immediately and I followed, the walls were covered in carvings and ridges. She was running all four of her hands along them, and for the first time since we started the Walk, she slowed her pace. It was so dark, even with my new eyes, though-.
They point to their blind eye.
Agent Liaos: This one had failed me at that point. She was slowing, and I just wanted to press on, and I felt the bond I had with her being pulled tight. The desire to follow Him competed with the need to be with her it-.
Dr. Ilerez: Him?
Agent Liaos: The one who blazed the trail. He was waiting; I’d felt that since we entered, though the others seemed numb to it, at least initially. Regardless, in that moment, I could feel myself being torn apart, and I felt this… resentment begin to bubble up. She’d been holding me back, always a step ahead, and I’d let her. I wanted to leave her there, lost in whatever strange fugue state she was in, but then the whole cave shook. My hand brushed the wall, and there were all these faces snapping and chanting and babbling at me. I think I saw Iramai and Barncroft, but not as themselves but as what they could have been-
Dr. Ilerez: What did they look like?
Agent Liaos stares ahead for several moments unblinking, blood flowing freely from both eyes.
Agent Liaos: Haunting but alluring, and then I see Amber, and behind her faces so terrifying and magnificent that I thought I would go fully blind from their beauty alone. Then a rock clocked me on the head, and I was back to reality. The cave was crumbling; I didn’t know why, but we had lingered too long, so I scooped Amber up in my arms and ran. I felt my muscles surging, my body expanding, skin thickening to withstand the cascading stones. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I lunged towards it with all my might, and just then it all comes down around me.
Agent Liaos’s pulse can be seen accelerating on the monitors, and their expression is vacant. One of the gashes on their neck tears further open, and Dr. Ilerez discreetly pages the guards.
Agent Liaos: We’d stopped feeling pain months ago, but I know I’m shattered. My body is knitting itself back, but it’s not healing right. There is a rock in my stomach, and I can feel blood seeping out. But none of that mattered. I had to get out, to find Amber, to keep moving. I shift, and some of the rocks tumble, and I can see the light again. She’s there, dazed, worried, looking for me, and when she spots the cave, she takes a step toward it.
Tears are freely falling, and parts of the Agent’s body seem to be expanding.
Dr. Ilerez: Liaos, we can st-
Agent Liaos: No! You need to hear this part. She took a step, and then froze, and what’s left of my stomach bottoms out because I realize she’s thinking about leaving me. I try to reach for her, but my arms are pinned. I call out, but all that leaves my mouth is frothing blood. I honestly don’t know how I’m alive, Doc. His grace. Has to be. But while I’m getting ready for her to abandon me, she takes another step, and I see her body beginning to shift, to make her more able in digging me out.
Dr. Ilerez: But she never got the chance?
Agent Liaos snarls.
Agent Liaos: No! Williamson was suddenly right behind her. I didn’t even hear him, and neither did she. He wraps one of his awfully jellylike arms around her neck like a noose and then….
Dr. Ilerez stands following a loud cracking sound as one of the Agent’s teeth fractures into a jagged tusk. Guard personnel enter the room and shift to defensive positions before the doctor, but Agent Liaos doesn’t react.
Agent Liaos: And then he threw her off. She clawed and grabbed at him, but his skin was too slick, too loose. It came away in her hands, and the last thing I saw of her was the terror and betrayal in her eyes. I had saved her, and he had thrown her away like it was nothing. He looked at me, pined, and just left me there. I fought to get out, urged my body to push past this, I had to keep going, I had to get down to her, fuck all else. I felt my skin tear and bones stretch, I grew and I grew, but I couldn't get out. A mountain had me in its grasp, and I wasn't dead, but I wished I was. I didn't have enough in me. I failed. I failed her! I failed Him! I couldn't-
They begin sobbing as their body contorts further. Dr. Ilerez backs out of the room, with Researcher Mendevian in tow. Agent Liaos looks up at her and almost lunges from their bed, but stops as the guards raise their weapons.
Agent Liaos: I failed Doctor, but if she’s still in there, she might succeed. Is it bad that I want her to fail, so she can come back to me? She could do Him proud, but I need her Doctor. I need her to be okay. I learned how much she meant to me, and I never got the chance to tell her! I need to know, okay, please!
Doctor Ilerez leaves.
[END LOG]
Note: Agent degradation is increasing exponentially; in-person interviews may need further precautions. Additionally, upon the recovery of Agent Williamson, depending on status, Demotion to D-Class Authorized.
The Beauty Behind
Recovery Transcript 9242-4
Date: 11/03/25, nearly nine months after initial entrance.
Recovery Point: The Mongolian Sands, in North-Eastern Mongolia.
Agent Recovered: Amber Nichols, found locomoting in circles and digging at the ground, humming an unknown tune. Recovery Agents professed feelings of vertigo and nausea in her presence.
Agent Status: Complete degradation of lower mobility, both legs are broken and atrophied beyond hope of recovery, locomoted using heavily altered arms and hands. Signs of catastrophic head trauma. Chest and torso lacking protective epidermis, believed to have been scraped off when forced to drag themself immediately post-fall. Digits have been transformed into additional hands, causing them to 'walk' with a crooked spider-like gate, permanent organ damage tied to dehydration and starvation, requiring immediate intervention—ocular cavities filled with blood, with near constant dispersal from the eyes. Mental degradation was severe; however, understanding regarding Sarkic rituals was attained far beyond previous levels of comprehension. Mental State: Fractious. Salvageability: Unlikely.
Interviewer: Doctor Magda Ilerez, Head Researcher for SCP-9242.
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Ilerez enters the interrogation chamber and sits before the reinforced glass window, looking in on Agent Nichols, who is “seated,” creating swirling patterns on the floor of her cell with the blood dripping from her eyes.
Dr. Ilerez: Agent Nichols?
Agent Nichols does not respond.
Dr. Ilerez: Amber?
Agent Nichols looks up, spattering blood on the floor, and grins as she spots the Doctor.
Agent Nichols: I am she, as you can see. Do you seek to hear more of the journey?
Dr. Ilerez: I do. Are you able to tell me what happened after you were separated from Agent Liaos?
Agent Nichols: My Marin, are they well?
Dr. Ilerez: As they can be.
Agent Nichols: Mm, separated, what a flat word for being murdered.
Dr. Ilerez: You died? The trail brought you back?
Agent Nichols: Death is the enemy, so no, no, it didn’t, it stitched me closed and led me on, but the traitor had already escaped my sight. Yarikova faltered, what beautiful wings he had grown, how majestic he would have been. But he had no time. There was only the Walk, only the beckoning.
Dr. Ilerez: You saw it healed you, but… it forced you to ruin yourself, Nichols, you-
Agent Nichols: No, no, Doctor, it changed me. Change is good. The Walk is the truth of this world, constant change, adaptation, alteration, but writing that colossal scale down to a minute lesson: His lesson, His steps, His guidance. I had to follow. It would have been foolish not to. I had to see the end.
Dr. Ilerez: But you didn’t.
Agent Nichols: No, I suppose I have not. My path there will be longer, but if that is how it must play out, then I understand. I learned enough to be content.
Dr. Ilerez: What was the path trying to teach you, Nichols, what is it meant to teach all of us.
Agent Nichols: I can’t say what it will be for you, Doctor. That lesson is your own. The journey is for all.
Dr. Ilerez: The journey where?
Agent Nichols: From Adytum to Adytum till homeward bound we be.
Her grin widens, splitting her cheeks, but she gives no sign of notice or pain. Dr. Ilerez flinches.
Dr. Ilerez: What caused you to stop?
Agent Nichols: I crawled from the mountains, the forests, and the hills until I found the desert. I felt Yarikova and Williamson, the leader and the traitor, their blood dripping and swirling amongst the dunes. They had turned from each other, so consumed with the race. I could not keep up. But perhaps I could gain, yes. But then I saw her.
Dr. Ilerez: Her?
Agent Nichols: She who is mother and insect and betrayer and lover and boundless more. She gazed down upon me from atop the gate, her arms held wide for a welcome embrace. Fourth of four, closest to the heart, yet so much more to go, but…
Dr. Ilerez: But.
Agent Nichols: I had thought I had learned enough—more than either of the sprinters in their rabid scramble for the end. I gazed out across the sands as I crossed the threshold, and it struck me how utterly alone I had become. To be left behind, unable to reach for what had once held you so close. I missed my Marin.
Dr. Ilerez: And so you just left.
Agent Nichols: I did. It is far easier to do than I thought. Can I see them now? I have been patient, pointedly and politely.
Dr. Ilerez: I will see what I can do.
[END LOG]
Note: SCP Classification on Standby. Motion to reintroduce Agents Liaos and Nichols presented to the Ethics Committee for approval by Dr. Magda Ilerez.
So Far to Go
Recovery Transcript 9242-5
Date: 01/09/26, one year after initial entrance.
Recovery Point: Outskirts of the Amarbayasgalant Monastery in Erdenet, Mongolia.
Agent Recovered: Ethan Williamson, attacked SCP personnel on sight, screaming threats and pleas in a pidgin of Old Mongolian and Adytite Dialects. The camera was found shattered nearby, yet the film was recoverable.
Agent Status: Full Sarkic Transformation Completed. Skin pigmentation faded to near albinism, with areas of crimson discoloration resembling tattoos, three additional appendages with varying levels of articulation/mobility, and a pentapodal stance born of legs unable to bear the increased weight and breadth of the torso. Numerous contusions, abrasions, and lacerations cover their body; some appear self-inflicted. A knife is embedded between the second and third rib in the left hemisphere of the torso. Limited cognition, heightened aggression towards any individual not wearing Sarkic regalia, and speech capacity was negatively impacted by the transformation—compulsion towards Self-Harm noted. Lack of Dehydration/Starvation Symptoms, Noted. Agent Status Terminated.
Interviewer: Doctor Magda Ilerez, Head Researcher for SCP-9242.
Translator: Researcher Dimitri Mendevian, Adytite-Diaspora Linguist.
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Ilerez & Researcher Mendevian approach the reinforced glass at the front of Ethan’s cell. He throws his dinner tray at the glass and bellows.
Dr. Ilerez: Good evening to you, too, Ethan.
Ethan: Let. Out.
He thumps one of his limbs against the reinforced door to his cell.
Ethan: Need. Go. Back.
Dr. Ilerez: To the trail? That can be discussed, but first you must answer my questions.
Ethan: Want. Out. Now. I. Best. I. Closest.
Dr. Ilerez: Not Agent Yarikova?
Ethan slams two limbs against the glass and howls.
Ethan: No. No. No! Me. I. His. Best. Devlin. Trickster. Traitor. Wrong.
Dr. Ilerez: Yarikova betrayed you?
Ethan paws at the dagger embedded in his torso.
Ethan: Yes. Hurt. Was. Better. Than. Him. Angry.
Dr. Ilerez: You were close to the end then?
Ethan: Yes. Gate. Face. Of. Savior. King. Miracle. So. Close. He. Chose. Me!
Dr. Ilerez: That was your lesson, Ethan?
Ethan grumbles animistically and claws at himself.
Ethan: Why. First. Name?
Dr. Ilerez: Ah, that can wait. I’d like to hear your answer.
Ethan: Lesson. Clever. Strong. Fast. No. Mercy.
Dr. Ilerez: That is the lesson of 9242?
Ethan nods.
Dr. Ilerez: Truly. Curious then, that you were the only Agent who attacked any of his fellows.
Ethan stops moving and stares at her. He raises an appendage to the dagger.
Ethan: Yarikova.
Dr. Ilerez: Did you attack him first?
Ethan snarls and rushes the glass; he rebounds off of it, but a crack can be seen. Guard personnel immediately shift to engage him, but Dr. Ilerez holds up a hand.
Dr. Ilerez: You left Agent Liaos buried, you threw both Agents Barncroft and Nichols to their deaths, success notwithstanding, I truly believe that all that kept you from harming Agent Iramai was that she was pulled from 9242 so early!
Ethan: Walk. Made. Me. What. He. Wanted. I. Am. Best!
Dr. Ilerez: I have spoken with the others, they have felt rage, been urged to commit violence, but each time, hesitance or their own nature won out. It is my conclusion that 9242 reveals nothing more than what already lay beneath the surface, and as such, you have always been willing to betray the Foundation. You just needed the push.
Ethan: No! No! No!
Dr. Ilerez: Thank you for your time, Ethan.
Dr. Ilerez & Researcher Mendevian take their leave as Ethan begins thrashing about and screeching, attempting to free himself.
[END LOG]
Note: Ethan Williamson is no longer an employee of the Foundation. SCP Classification Pending.
Betrayer's Last Look
Recovery Transcript 9242-VI
Date: 01/09/28, 3 years after initial entrance.
Recovery Point: AREA/ANOMALY - OPTIONAL
Agent Recovered: None
Agent Status: Devlin Yarikova has been classified MIA. Their GPS tag and camera were discovered approximately a kilometer from the theorized endpoint of SCP-9242. A single picture was found with this note written on the back in what was revealed to be Agent Yarikova’s blood.
I’ve made it.
I don’t think I’ll be back.
Seen too much, heard far more.
Magda, their words are never gonna do it justice.
The journey, the surge, the joy, and the shock of it all.
You should come. I know you would make it.
You’re driven.
To Hana, I wish I had coaxed you on.
To Rick, I wish I had caught you.
To Marin, I wish I had seen you.
To Amber, I wish I had carried you.
To Ethan, I hope it hurts, you bastard.
What I did, what I didn’t, all a lesson, but…
Oh, I think I see it.
Yes.
Just one more Threshold.
[END LOG]
The Last Threshold
Addendum 9242.2: 5/27/28 Incident Report
VIDEO LOG
DATE: 5/27/28
NOTE: This incident involved Researcher Dimitri Mendevian’s first actual visit to SCP-9242 proper. He was invited due to an emergent alteration to the signage outside 9242 proper. His CRI score was well within acceptable limits to resist the SCP’s memetic effects, leading to slightly lax security standards.
[BEGIN LOG]
06:42 AM: Researcher Mendevian arrives at the outskirts of SCP-9242.
06:45 AM: On-site security personnel let Researcher Mendevian into the site.
7:00 AM: Researcher Mendevian finishes studying the on-hand notes and moves to investigate the trail head. He is accompanied by one guard.
7:10 AM: Researcher Mendevian begins work on translating the new signage.
7:22 AM: Researcher Mendevian notes an odd ringing in his ears, but states that he has finished the translation. When prompted by the guard, he states, “It reads like an advertisement. ‘A New Adytum’ awaits.”
7:30 AM Researcher Mendevian packs up his things and prepares to leave. As he turns from the trail head, his head pivots as if hearing something. He stares down the path and freezes in place.
7:31 AM: The guard accompanying Researcher Mendevian notices his sudden paralysis. All attempts to rouse the researcher from his stupor fail.
7:33 AM: The guard radios his companions, ordering them to bring a medical team to the trailhead and contact Dr. Ilerez.
7:35 AM: Researcher Mendevian begins speaking in Old Adytite but stays rooted in place.
7:40 AM: Medical arrives with more guards and Dr. Ilerez. Movement is noted on the trail. Researcher Mendevian's chanting becomes more frantic.
7:42 AM: Researcher Mendevian screams, “I see the way home.” And undergoes an immediate, full-body Sarkic transformation, spraying gore and viscera across the clearing. A mixture of lupine and hircine features is evident. Animalistic cries and voices begin echoing from the path, and what was once Researcher Mendevian leaps down the trail before guard personnel can intervene.
[END LOG]
NOTE: Researcher Mendevian is a Three Portlands native, and in his youth was involved in a minor Sarkic Cult that emerged within the Free Port before it fell apart following internal strife. Immediate Screening of all Site-9242’s personnel for additional connections, no matter how minute, to the Nälkän Cultural Group/Neo-Sarkic Movement, ongoing.