SCP-1973

Description

SCP-1973 appears to be a standard, if extremely and perpetually muddy field located in the state of [REDACTED], USA. Persons entering the field will not experience any unusual phenomena, however vehicles (manned or otherwise) will sink entirely within 2-5 hours, verified by the use of numerous test vehicles. There appears to be no correlation between size/mass of vehicle and sinking time. The only vehicle to exit SCP-1973 to date, SCP-1973-1, is a US Army M48A3 Patton Main Battle Tank of Troop A, 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry "Black Knights", point of origin discovered upon interviewing crew. No anomalous activity has been reported in or by SCP-1973-1 or crew since recovery. Both are in the equivalent conditions as similarly aged counterparts.

Transcript of Interview-1973

Interviewed: Lt.(ret.) Keiler

Interviewer: Researcher █████

Foreword: As the commanding officer of SCP-1973-1 or as he calls it, "Jeannie", Lt.(ret.) Keiler was selected as the most appropriate to be interviewed. After undergoing psychiatric evaluation and a subsequent course of anti-depressants, he has been cleared as psychologically healthy despite further, minor symptoms of PTSD.

Begin Log, 1103 12/07/1993

Interviewer: Lt. Keiler…

Keiler: Ray. You can call me Ray, doc.

Interviewer: Ok, Ray, I understand you are aware of your current listing as MIA?

Keiler: Yeah, I've been told.

Interviewer: It has also been explained that you will not be returning to the military or indeed a 'normal' life based on your 'experience'?

Keiler: Shit, yeah, right again.

Interviewer: Ok, thank you. Now, can you describe for me the events of ██/██/████?

Keiler: Well, it was just your regular combat maneuvers, to start. We were providing infantry support for these grunts, round the Ben Het area I think, yeah 'round there, and just as they were calling in the Thunderchiefs [USAF attack aircraft] to mop things up we start reversing out of there through this paddy.

Interviewer: Was there anything unusual about it? Anything out of the ordinary?

Keiler: No. I didn't even register it really, I mean it's not like they're uncommon! [laughs] So yeah, we were getting the hell out of there when we hit the mother of all mud holes, I've seen some nasty shit in my time with tanks up to their cupolas in crap, but man this paddy was freakin' deep! The back end was dug in, I reckoned we had maybe 3 or 4 feet left to sink, max. And well, turns out I was wrong, don't it?

We just kept going down, just straight down, easy as you like. As soon as the mud got above the top of the treads and didn't stop I buttoned up the hatches and told 'em to wait it out, didn't want all the paddy-water inside you see, maybe radio for an M88 [armored recovery vehicle] or something. We're sitting in Jeannie here [pats the side of SCP-1973-1 affectionately] for what, 3 hours? The air was getting real dry in there by that time, I was close to saying 'to hell with the tank' and just running. We didn't even know we'd gone fully under, but I knew we were deep. Next thing, there's a lurch and were totally level again. So I say to the Kid, 'have a look out.' He does. Tells us to look. We do. Man, I still don't believe what I saw. Like a mechanic's wet dream, man it went on for miles.

Interviewer: Can you elaborate?

Keiler: I, I don't know, thousands of vehicles, thousands, like goddamn constellations in this endless blackness. We were drifting around, or they were, probably both. There were no reference points, just us all and this, well space I suppose. Jesus, we spent so long there. I don't know how long we had drifted there, but it more than I care to imagine. We saw a damn sight more than your average tankman, I tell you, it was a museum and a sci-fi flick all in one. I saw a beaten-up Model T, dozens of Chevys and Cadillacs, old panzers and this one thing, it was like no car I'd ever seen, all curves and spoilers, like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Interviewer: How apt.

Keiler: Yeah, I guess. There were people in them, but they were moving like they were in molasses or something, in slow-motion. Then, as suddenly as we'd arrived, we were falling, down away from that great cloud of automobiles. We saw some others falling too, but they just faded into nothingness. We kept on going through the black, then it was white, then just blue [REDACTED] sky, we were like a dolphin out of the ground. It was a beautiful moment, thought I'd never see land again.

I watched them fall asleep or something, my crew I mean, one by one. Then I must have done the same. Next thing, I'm in a warehouse with you guys!
[laughs] Some grand adventure home, huh?

End Log, 1213 12/07/1993

Closing Statement: Recovery site of 'Jeannie' hereby designated SCP-1973, Keiler's account implies the existence of other such 'wormholes', the possibility of a network is being explored. Crew of 'Jeannie' (hereby designated SCP-1973-1) voice concerns at their confinement to site ██, but have agreed to remain. Security risk is deemed minimum.

Addendum: The search for the location of the Vietnamese 'wormhole' is suspended as of 04/09/2001 due to subsequent changes in topography and the associated security risk of a physical sweep of this size. Verification of other suspected sites is proving difficult due to assumed temporal and proven physical displacement. Attempts to follow the movements of test vehicles via the use of tracking devices has proved fruitless and thus they remain unrecovered.

"Christ! you guys still looking for that thing? Finding that damn paddy is like finding a haystack in a stack of haystacks, you know?"
-Lt. Keiler, Commander of SCP-1973-1