Know thyself, and thyself, and thyself, and —
Item #: 9421
Object Class: Archon
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-9421’s existence has been irreversibly publicised. Outreach efforts are to focus on emphasising that sourcing its exports from other locations would only result in increased suffering.
Provisional Site-9421 has been established at the border of SCP-9421 in order to fully exploit its potential. A small annex has been built within SCP-9421 with cooperation from interested private entities to facilitate industrial production of its exports. Individuals approaching the interior annex unescorted are to be shot on sight. The Site is also to be equipped with sonic projectors, tear gas, and at least 1500 riot suppression personnel in order to manage subversive pressure from the mundane world.
Within SCP-9421, Foundation staff are to use a two-pronged “carrot-and-stick” approach to maintain satisfactory output. Compliant leaders within SCP-9421 are to be rewarded with luxuries not available within the area, such as cotton clothing, fruit, sugar, salt, cooking equipment, and durable construction materials. On the other hand, rebellious or violent individuals are to be either assassinated or to have luxury bounties placed on their heads (verifiable through SCP-9421-A). SCP-9421-A is also to be used in surveillance of SCP-9421 more broadly, in order to ensure optimal production and continued export.
Description: SCP-9421 is a region in Zion National Park, in Utah, measuring 10 kilometres either side on its base, and extending a uniform 2 kilometres above the surface vertically. It is noteworthy for hosting the world’s leading anthropoktonic cottage industry, buttressed both by local workshops and a Foundation-sponsored complex at its edge. Its interior is characterised by the almost total desolation of existing flora, due to much of the soil having been covered with scraps of leather or osseous products. A novel ecosystem composed of animals and parasites adapted to its unique conditions has arisen over its decade of existence. Most importantly, no instance of Alex Martin may leave the confines of SCP-9421.
SCP-9421-A is a browser-based free-to-play game with a microtransaction-based payment model, initially launched in 2015, hosted on destroyhesaid.com. Its launch was advertised only once, in a Twitter post by user @fallowfellow, which simply included a link to the site. For the next four years, it remained obscure, picking up a small cult following, until in February of 2019 it was popularised when internet personality Leon Summers, known pseudonymously as SummerEnds, released a comedic video in which he played it. Hereafter, the game achieved considerable and enduring popularity, peaking in 2021, when its nature and connection to SCP-9421 became well-known. Since that date, it has lost mainstream popularity, but has been made into a symbol of transgression among many online communities.
When SCP-9421-A was released, Martin, a 23-year-old graduate student studying biochemistry at Utah State University, was the only person present within SCP-9421. It is believed this is why SCP-9421’s “filtering” effect targeted him exclusively.
SCP-9421-A’s free gameplay consists of navigating the interior of SCP-9421 using a free-moving camera. This camera does not correspond to any physical presence within SCP-9421, but may not pass through solid ground (though it can clip through walls of less than two metres in thickness). Paid gameplay is entirely composed of two labelled menu elements: CONVERSE and CLONE.
CONVERSE allows players to browse a list of Martin instances and send text-based messages to any instance of their choice. Instances are distinguished by 32-digit hexadecimal codes, and the most reliable way to contact a particular instance is to locate him with the free-moving camera first. Each message sent costs 1 cent, and Martins may reply at will once conversation has been initiated. Martins are typically eager conversational partners, and will attempt to reestablish communications for months or years after a conversation ends, even after explicit signals of disinterest by players.
CLONE allows players to pay a fee in order to cause any given Martin to instantly bifurcate. Each produced Martin has identical memories, and the two are not differentiable by any means known to the Foundation. The price of CLONE varies according to what appear to be standard laws of supply and demand: prices increase when the quantity of Martins falls, and vice-versa. It is not known what, if any, agent is responsible for placing “buy orders” on CLONE usage. CLONE has enabled the industrial utilisation of SCP-9421, allowing the Foundation to substitute ritual components in over ███ containment procedures, and is the primary source of sustenance within SCP-9421.