The O5 Council voted 10 to 3 in support of sending Mobile Task Force Psi-9 ("Abyss Gazers") into SCP-2264-B. The goal of the operation was to locate SCP-2264-4 and SCP-2264-5 and calculate the level of threat they represented to humanity, Earth, and local dimensional space. Twelve agents, trained in hand-to-hand combat and Counter Occult Stratagems (COS), entered SCP-2264-A on ██/██/████ at 0800.

One agent returned alive; the rest are presumed dead or otherwise irretrievable.

Interviewed: Agent Alexander Papadopoulos

Interviewer: Dr. Laxmi Narang

Foreword: Agent Papadopoulos was found to be in critical condition upon their exit of SCP-2264, losing consciousness soon after. A physical examination revealed fractured bones throughout the entirety of their body and extensive internal bleeding. After three weeks of hospitalization, Agent Papadopoulos was deemed healthy enough for interview.

<Begin Log>

Dr. Laxmi Narang: I know it might be difficult but please tell me what you are able to remember.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: The city was remarkable. Command prepped us for it as best they could but words fail to do it justice. We all had the appearance of harlequins or something out of a 17th century masquerade. Wasn't exactly the same but close enough. Couldn't take the masks off, hard as we tried. We had a mission to complete but the details were quite vague.

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Vague?

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: Find SCP-2264-4 and -5; get an estimate on their threat level. We knew they were important to SCP-2264 but we had no idea what they looked like or how to locate them.

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Go on.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: Right. Well. We found the palace. Don't know how long it took. Time was kind of impossible to tell in that place. The city is full of people, especially that palace, but it didn't feel like being in a busy city in our world. There was something different about it but I don't know how else to describe it. Not important I guess.

Things blurred a lot. Everything seemed to follow a sort of dream logic.

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Dream logic?

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: Yeah. I mean. It wasn't a dream, I'm certain of that. And I have the scars to prove it. It was all real but have you ever noticed how dreams rush through the details? You end up one place but don't really recall how? It was like that. I remember the masquerade; the music and the dancing… oh, and the fucking. All with their masks on, of course. Still adorned with their masks. Seeing some of them nude made us aware of just how much was an elaborate costume. Their skin was like porcelain. You could sort of tell those were the natives. You know, SCP-2264-1. But the more you stared, the less human everyone seemed; some had too many limbs, some had too few - like, snake people - was similar to monsters in an old fantasy comic I read as a kid.

Sorry. Rambling. Head hurts trying to remember. [distracted] I can't move my arms or legs. What's wrong with them?

Dr. Laxmi Narang: The numbness is just a side effect of your medication. Please focus on my questions.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: Okay. If you say so. I remember having to pull Agent Maher away from some woman; wasn't attacking him, quite the opposite. Couldn't blame him. She had curves in all the right places - made it easy to ignore the tentacles.

So, the twelve of us stick together. Hard to not look like you're out for trouble with that many. Anyway, we wandered around the palace and it was like a labyrinth; I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if we walked into a minotaur or something. We spent most of the time descending the stairs, I think? I remember feeling like we were traveling deeper and deeper…

And then, somehow, just when we thought we had reached the bottom, we're back outside. It looked like we were in exactly the same spot as when we first entered SCP-2264-B. Hell, we could all see the palace in the distance.

But something was different. Everything was dark, drained of color. Like, we could see and all but it was a hazy gray twilight. The streets were empty and the buildings looked… ruined? Yeah. Was like the whole city was abandoned long ago. Desolate and silent; not a sound but our own footsteps.

We entered this iteration of the palace. Everything was identical, architecturally speaking.

That was when we started to hear the whispers. It spoke in a language I had never heard before. I could feel it slithering into my ear, penetrating my brain…

We… [hesitates, his eyes grow damp with tears]

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Please continue.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: We destroyed ourselves.

Dr. Laxmi Narang: …What?

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: We didn't want to but we had no choice. The Ambassador of Alagadda - it found us. It didn't have a face; no mouth, nose, or eyes. I thought it was wearing a skintight outfit and… high heels? That is what it looked like at first but no… that was its body. Its flesh was black. It stood tall, lithe and androgynous, and so.. so…

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Please, this information is important. Pace yourself. We can stop if…

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: [interrupting] It stood so damn proud. Just radiating arrogance. I couldn't understand a word it said and yet every syllable dripped with narcissistic venom. It brought a hand to where a mouth should have been… and it laughed and laughed… and then we destroyed ourselves for its amusement.

Bones were shattered, flesh and organs ruptured. All for its amusement, we ruined ourselves in body and mind. And the whole time, we screamed and begged yet only silence parted our lips. I'm so sorry, I tried to say, I'm so sorry… their eyes pleaded for mercy and asked for forgiveness.

In the end, I was the only one left alive - surrounded by the corpses of my ravaged friends and comrades. I understand now. The Ambassador needed a witness, one to deliver its message. To tell you this… and… [pauses; begins to hyperventilate]

Dr. Laxmi Narang: Please continue.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: I watched the ceiling move as it dragged my broken body from room to room. Eventually we stopped and it lifted me into the air, held me up before the throne. There I saw the King. It was anchored in place, hallowed bonds around its corpse-like hands and throat - its face hidden beneath a veil.

Impish creatures crawled all over it, caressing its twitching body as if intending comfort while others pulled the tethers even tighter. The King trembled and quivered and I saw pale tendrils slither in and out of its tattered robes. I looked on as the veil was lifted… [a change in tone suggesting lucidity] I want to die. I can't live with what I've done. Please kill me. End this. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my arms. Not like this. Not like this. Please, I'm begging you…

Dr. Laxmi Narang: You know I am not allowed to do anything of the sort. Please tell me what you saw.

Agent Alexander Papadopoulos: [emotionless] A god shaped hole. The barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation. You see the light of long dead stars. Your existence is nothing but an echo of a dying god's screams. The unseen converges. Surrounds you. And it tightens like a noose.

<End Log>