SCP-1917

Description

SCP-1917 is a sapient biomechanical humanoid of abnormal strength and size. It stands 3.5 metres tall, can lift weights upwards of 1,500 kg, and has demonstrated sufficient knowledge to repair, maintain, and make minor improvements to its own structure. The entity possesses (among other augmentations) two additional arms extending from the shoulderblades, continuous track mechanisms in place of the feet and lower legs, and interlocking metal plates replacing all skin below the neck. SCP-1917 is fully powered via a (presumably anomalous) miniature steam engine housed in the chest area, needing abnormally small quantities of fuel to continue functioning. The entity does not require any sustenance beyond fuel and a small quantity of water, and controlled tests have shown it to be capable of surviving in highly toxic, low-oxygen environments.

SCP-1917 resides within a subterranean complex on the outskirts of Manchester, England, designated Area 1917-1. The structure consists of three main sections, listed as follows:

• Eight sets of living quarters, including a bedroom, washroom, and walk-in storage area. SCP-1917 spends the majority of its time within one of these, and the other seven appear to have been left abandoned for many years.
• Two workshops containing machining equipment, welding tools, and large reserves of both coal¹ and iron. At the point of discovery, both rooms were filled with a variety of mechanical components, miscellaneous devices, and artificial body parts in various stages of completion.
• A large chapel, with an immense stained-glass window lit from behind². The stone floor of the area has been worn in places by SCP-1917's passage, but the areas outside of the pulpit and centre aisle are largely untouched.

Extensive interviews have revealed that SCP-1917 purports to be a member of GoI-004F ("The New Ferrous Brotherhood") — an archaic branch of the Church of the Broken God founded during Britain's industrial revolution³. The entity claims it possesses the title of Bishop, and when prompted recited from memory several sacred texts and mantras. As GoI-004F was officially dissolved in 1890 following a coup by the Cogwork Orthodoxy, SCP-1917's claims cannot be verified.

Addendum — Behavioural Analysis: When left to its own devices SCP-1917 will follow a uniform routine, performing ablutions and self-maintenance, delivering a long sermon in the chapel, and returning to its quarters, where it undergoes a brief period of unresponsiveness and near-immobility (termed a Delta state, see below). This cycle repeats approximately every six hours, with occasional minor deviations brought on by external influences (most frequently changes in temperature, weather, human interaction or seismic activity).

Research has shown that, despite appearances of contentedness and satisfaction, SCP-1917 does not display full knowledge of its current situation. It possesses little or no memory of daily events, and has yet to consistently recognise a Foundation researcher, even those who perform weekly check-ups. Questioning has revealed it still believes it to be 1872, and despite being fully in control of its mental faculties, it refuses to acknowledge that its sermons are delivered to an empty room, even when shown direct evidence of this fact. It is currently believed that the aforementioned Delta states are either the cause or effect of this memory lapse, as all attempts to convince SCP-1917 of its cyclical nature have resulted in the state occurring prematurely⁴.

Notably, researchers examining the entity have found that the natures and durations of Delta states conform to only a small number of variations, suggesting an element of design rather than simple mechanical failure. The reason for this is unknown.

Addendum — Interview 1917-05:

Following this, SCP-1917 returned to the chapel and proceeded to deliver a seventy-minute sermon before retreating to its quarters. Similar interviews have yielded near-identical results, and no changes to the entity's routine have yet been observed.