SCP-2824

The Once and Future King

Special Containment Procedures

SCP-2824-1 is to be covered evenly by no less than five centimetres of regolith. Observation is to be maintained via remote security camera. At 2 month intervals, crystals at the perimeter are to be examined for growth. If growth from original observation point exceeds 10cm, affected section is to be pruned back to original length. Removed sections are to be collected and packaged for transfer to Site-76 for analysis. Experimentation on and attempts to curtail SCP-2824-1's growth are currently suspended, pending review.

SCP-2824 -2A, -2B, -2C, -2D, and -2E are held in the Archaeological Mortuary Section of Site-76. Examination is permitted with written approval of Site Manager. Access to contained instances of SCP-2824-2 is currently suspended, pending review.

SCP-2824-2F is currently held in a secure holding cell in Lunar Observation Site Iota pending transfer to Earth. To ensure compliance, any staff interacting with SCP-2824-2F is to maintain that he is experiencing a delusional episode and that he is being detained in a psychiatric treatment facility for his own safety. Upon return to Earth, SCP-2824-2F is to be administered Class C Amnestics and provided with standard Schizoid Crisis Cover Story 1B, then returned to society. SCP-2824-2F is currently uncontained. Further action regarding SCP-2824-2F is suspended pending review.

Description

SCP-2824 is composed of seven objects, designated SCP-2824-1 and SCP-2824-2A through SCP-2824-2F.

SCP-2824-1 is a flat, circular structure approximately 3km in diameter, located in the Mare Serenitatis on Earth's moon. SCP-2824-1 is composed of blue, macroscopic ideal crystals, with a uniform length of 50cm. The component crystals connect at nodes to form a regular grid. A crater 6m in diameter is located 230m from the edge of SCP-2824-1, within which the grid and its constituent crystals have been pulverized. The remaining crystals around the crater are black, fading into brown and then returning to blue as distance from the crater increases. In the outer section of the structure, extending from the damaged area to the edge and circumscribing the entire circle, the component crystals are irregular and take on a ragged, irregular pattern, intersecting at fewer points and a wider range of angles. At present, SCP-2824-1 exhibits outward growth at a rate of 4.7cm per year. Assuming a constant rate of growth throughout its existence, SCP-2824-1 is hypothesized to be approximately 32,000 years old.

Objects in contact with SCP-2824-1 are highly resilient to the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation. Instances of SCP-2824-2 therefore do not exhibit degradation expected of long-term exposure to the lunar surface. Genetic analysis of SCP-2824-2 instances revealed instances B, C, D, E, and F to be direct patrilineal descendants of each preceding instance. Each instance of SCP-2824-2, excluding 2F, was found within 1m of an irregular intersection of crystals in SCP-2824-1. Each irregular intersection exhibited a major void, within which were found fragments crystalline material, all less than 1mm thick. After the events detailed in Event Logs 2824-1 and -2, it is hypothesized that these voids were initially internal, and that unstable growth caused the covering material to shatter, precipitating that translocation of each instance of SCP-2824-2 from Earth to the Moon. The mechanism by which translocation occurs is currently unknown.

Event Log 2824-1: On 12/28/2016, containment procedures were initiated on SCP-2824-1. Upon removal of the first section of growth, SCP-2824-2F appeared at the site of damage. Quick intervention by Containment Specialist ██████ ██████, coupled with the proximity to Enclosed Rover Iota-2, resulted in the retrieval of SCP-2824-2F before irreversible damage occurred. SCP-2824-2F was immediately transferred to Lunar Observation Site Iota, sedated, and treated for decompression sickness and moderate radiation burns. SCP-2824-2F was then transferred to a secure holding cell and detained under observation. See attached interview log.

+ Interview Log 2824-2F-1

- Interview Log 2824-2F-1

Interviewer: Dr. Richard Garfield, Senior Researcher

Interviewee: SCP-2824-2F

Once SCP-2824-2F was determined to be immediately non-anomalous, Dr. Garfield entered the containment cell to conduct an exploratory interview. This marked the first conscious contact subject had with Foundation personnel.

<Log Begins: 15:33 GMT, 12/29/2016>

Dr. Garfield: Hello, Mr. Rountree. My name is Dr. Garfield. How are you feeling today?

SCP-2824-2F: Hi. I suppose I'm feeling alright. What's going on? Where am I?

Dr. Garfield: Well, where is it that you think you are?

SCP:-2824-2F I think… I kinda think I'm on the moon?

Dr. Garfield: Interesting. Well, you are obviously not on the moon. You are in a facility operated by the Psychiatric Crisis Intervention Foundation. It appears you have experienced a major delusional episode. What do you remember from last night?

SCP-2824-2F: Last night? I… I don't know. I was outside my flat, having a fag, and then all of a sudden… I'm on the moon. I remember it was cold, and I couldn't breathe. I was all light-headed. There was this big blue lattice or something on the ground. And a guy in a space suit? And then there was this… buggy thing, then a doctor's office, and then… Then I was in here. In this room. And this is kinda freaking me out, cause the gravity in here feels way too light, and I'm thinking that all the facts make sense and that I AM on the moon, but-

Dr. Garfield: Slow down. There's nothing to be afraid of. You're merely experiencing the tail end of your delusion. I assure you, it will pass. You came to us quite distraught, but you seem to be recovering. Just keep repeating to yourself the phrase 'I am not on the moon' when the feeling becomes overwhelming.

SCP-2824-2F: OK…

Dr. Garfield: So, I'm afraid that you came to us without much information. It would be helpful to us if you could give us some information regarding your medical and family history.

SCP-2824-2F: Right. Yeah, sure. I, uh, I don't have any personal history of psychosis, though I have been diagnosed with ███ and ███. I'm on ███████ for the ██████████ and ███████████ for the ███████. Do you think the meds might have triggered this?

Dr. Garfield: Perhaps. Have you been experiencing any unusual thoughts? Compulsions, hallucinations, false memories, and so on?

SCP-2824-2F: Now that you mention it, yeah. I've been having this recurring dream. Very vivid. I'm a sorcerer, mourning a powerful king. I'm crying, and my tears turn into crystal when they hit the ground. I forge a sword out of the crystal, and when I place it on his chest, he comes back to life. That's when I wake up.

Dr. Garfield: Interesting. What about your family? Is there any history of mental illness in your family?

SCP-2824-2F: Nothing that I can think of. Except maybe my great grandfather, Arthur Rountree the First. He went MIA during World War One. No one ever found him or figured out exactly what happened. Everyone assumed he died in the trenches, but Dad said once he thought he might've gone AWOL, changed his name and moved to Paris. Maybe he had a break like mine.

Dr. Garfield: That sounds likely, given your current situation.

SCP-2824-2F: Right…

Dr. Garfield: Tell me more about yourself. Can you explain your tattoos?

SCP-2824-2F: What, these? They're nothing, just… It's silly.

Dr. Garfield: Please. Anything you can tell me will help in your treatment.

SCP-2824-2F: Well… Ok. So this one- [ Subject indicates interior right forearm.]- is the Rountree family crest. We used to be part of the landed gentry, if you can believe it. That was a long time ago, though. Grandad was a dock worker and Dad drives a lorry. Hell, I only went to school myself to learn to be a proper blacksmith and stone carver.

Dr. Garfield: And your other tattoo? Kaledfulk. Can you tell me what that means?

SCP-2824-2F: Caledfwlch. Sorry. It's Welsh. I'm fluent, and it gets under my skin hearing it mispronounced. It's another name for Excalibur. [ Subject is visibly uncomfortable.] It's embarrassing. I told you my family used to be nobility, yeah? There's a family tradition that we… Oh hell, I feel stupid just saying it. There's a family tradition that we're actually descended from King Arthur. I'm ashamed to say, I used to take it pretty seriously. I must have read every book ever written on the man. I never found anything to link my family to it, though, except tangentially.

Dr. Garfield: What would that be?

SCP-2824-2F: It's a stretch. Apples are kind of a family theme. It's on the crest and we've grown orchards of them in the past. And the name Avalon, the island where Arthur went and from which he shall return to save Britain, just so happens to be derived from afal, the Welsh word for apple. But that's it. And, of course, that we can't seem to stop naming ourselves Arthur, but that's hardly evidence for anything except obsession.

Dr. Garfield: So in your dreams, you are-

SCP-2824-2F: I'm Merlin, yes. [ Subject sighs heavily.] My bloody family…

Dr. Garfield: Thank you, Mr. Rountree. That will be all.

SCP-2824-2F: What? But what about my diagnosis? What about treatment? [ Dr. Garfield exits containment cell.] Oh boy. I'm not on the moon. I'm not on the moon. I'm not on the moon…

<Log Ends: 15:52 GMT, 12/29/2016>

On 1/14/2017, SCP-2824-2F was transferred to Site-76 and remained in quarantine for an additional month. No anomalous properties were observed during that time, and SCP-2824-2F was subsequently administered Class C Amnestics, provided false memories, and returned to society.

Event Log 2824-2: On 2/17/2017, containment procedures were again initiated on SCP-2824-1, against recommendations of Dr. Garfield. Upon removal of the first section of growth, SCP-2824-2F again appeared at the site. Containment Specialist ██████ ██████ again retrieved Mr. Rountree and transported him to Lunar Observation Site Iota². Upon recovery from his injuries, Mr. Rountree was transferred to a secure holding cell. See attached interview log.

+ Interview Log 2824-2F-2

On 2/28/2017, SCP-████ underwent containment breach, creating one major and eight minor temporal anomalies within Site-76. After containment of SCP-████ was reestablished, an inventory of anomalous artifacts was unable to account for SCP-2824-2F. Efforts to relocate Mr. Rountree have failed. Request submitted by Dr. Richard Garfield to review containment and research procedures regarding SCP-2824.

+ Translation Record TL-2824-1

- Translation Record TL-2824-1

Description" id="">Addendum 2824-1: On 3/12/2017, Foundation agents embedded at Cardiff University reported a potentially anomalous finding at an archaeological dig site near ██████████, Wales, UK. During excavation, a large, previously unknown cavern was discovered, on the floor of which was found a circular grid design approximately 2.5m in diameter composed of fine white powder, identical to the regular pattern exhibited by the interior of SCP-2824-1. At the center of the pattern was found a series of three rectangular stone tablets, on which was engraved text in Modern Welsh. For full text, see attached Translation Record TL-2824-1. Analysis of the powder revealed a mineralogical composition identical to the component crystals of SCP-2824-1. The dig site has been quarantined as per Foundation Protocol ████ ████.

+ Translation Record TL-2824-1

- Translation Record TL-2824-1

Description On 3/14/2017, Foundation agents took possession of a series of three stone tablets from a potentially anomalous archaeological site near ██████████, Wales, UK. Text engraved onto the tablets was determined to be Modern Welsh. Complete translation is as follows.

These tablets are a testament to my friend and brother, Arthur the Noble, King of the Forest and Lord of the Crystal Blade.

Many long years ago, I came to this land from far away, and I do not know how it is that such came to be. My life had been simple and safe, and I lived in a world of wonders. I remember it vaguely, yet fondly.

This was not to last. My mind was broken, and I was jailed, and sent across a gulf wider than any chasm, and came to find myself in the forest. I did not know what had happened, or where I had been sent, or how to return. I was cold and lost and alone. Such it was that I was found by the People of the Forest.

They were short and stocky, and dressed in furs. Their leader made them take me in. They did not want to. The thinkers, creatures like me, were hunting them. There were very few of the People left. They were a dying race. Many of them wanted to kill me. But their leader kept me alive. He taught me their language. He protected me. He liked my name, and so I gave it to him. I survived because of him. I survived because of Arthur.

I helped them. They knew many things of the woods and nature, they worshiped the apple and the moon, they were gentle and kind, but they were slow. I saw new ways of doing things faster than they did. I gave them better medicine, hotter fire, and sharper blades. They called me magic. I became a figure of power. Arthur understood my abilities better than the rest. They had, in a cave, a stone, blue crystal, that to them was sacred. He brought me to it, and asked me to make the stone into a blade. He believed that with its power, he could save his people from the others of my kind.

The work was difficult. The crystal could not be shaped like stone. To any mind of the time, the task would have been impossible. I was required to use knowledge from my previous life, before my time with Arthur and the people of the forest. But the deed was done, and Arthur had a blade sharper and harder and more holy than any his people had ever known.

In time, a group of thinkers came to occupy a nearby field. They hunted the people of the forest, ate their men and captured their women and children. The humans stole Arthur's son. Then Arthur decided to act. He came to me and asked my help in rescuing his child and killing the invaders. I agreed. I told him to wait until a night when the moon was dark. I told him that the moon, their god, should not see the blood his people spilled. He understood that the darkness would aid them.

The battle was fierce. My kin, armed with tools the people of the forest could not create and that my mind had not conceived, exacted a heavy toll. Dozens of Arthur's people died, and the king himself was wounded. At dawn, I was the only human still breathing in the field, and Arthur's son was free.

Arthur's wound was fatal. He lived for a time, delirious, beyond my ability to aid. Yet he was happy. He had saved his son, and saved his people. I had not the heart to tell him that I knew the future, and that his race was doomed. He asked me one last favour: raise his son to be brave and kind, and teach him my magic as best I could. He died, surrounded by his people, attended by his son and myself.

His people looked to me to lay him to rest. I had been his adviser and his friend, and it was my name he had taken. I had them gather branches of the sacred apple tree, and wove a bed for him. I took a length of thorned branches, and twined them about his head. I took an apple, the first fruit of spring, and placed it in his mouth. With that, he was carried to the site of the crystal stone, from which I had pulled his blade, and laid him down. Through a stream of tears, I held his blade aloft, and consecrated him to the holy moon, and bade him return when the last of his blood was to pass from the Earth and protect them as he protected me. I kissed the blade, and placed it on his chest.

I did not truly believe in the power of the stone, or of my magic, yet at that moment, something truly wonderful occurred. When the crystal blade was lain on his chest, Arthur disappeared. No trace was left, save a handful of dust. His people cried out, and gave praise to the moon, to the apple, to the blade, and to me.

So it is that I come to write these words. I swear now that Arthur shall not be forgotten. I shall ensure that his son, now mine, shall not forget the story of his father, but remembers, and hands it down along the generations so that his line shall remember, that they are of grand blood, and that they too are brave, and kind, and wise. This tale, entrusted to the cavern in which Arthur was lain, shall some day be found and read, and will let those that read know that, in this time and place, there was a King, and that He died, and that He shall come again.

-ARIV³

Footnotes

1. Common Name: European crab apple.

2. In recognition of his quick-thinking and uncommon skill, Containment Specialist ██████ ██████ is to be promoted to Junior Researcher, pending review of containment procedures for SCP-2824.

3. Translator's note: ARIV is untranslatable into or from Modern Welsh. Given the context, it is likely a signature or other identifying mark.

SCP-2823 SCP-2825