SCP Foundation - Foundation Handbook -

Book excerpt: Mankind in its present state has been around for a quarter of a million years, yet only the last 4,000 have been of any significance. So, what did we do for nearly 250,000 years? We huddled in caves and around small fires, fearful of the things that we didn't understand. It was more than explaining why the sun came up, it was the mystery of enormous birds with heads of men and rocks that came to life. So we called them 'gods' and 'demons', begged them to spare us, and prayed for salvation. In time, their numbers dwindled and ours rose. The world began to make more sense when there were fewer things to fear, yet the unexplained can never truly go away, as if the universe demands the absurd and impossible. Mankind must not go back to hiding in fear. No one else will protect us, and we must stand up for ourselves. While the rest of mankind dwells in the light, we must stand in the darkness to fight it, contain it, and shield it from the eyes of the public, so that others may live in a sane and normal world. We secure. We contain. We protect. -- The Administrator The SCP Foundation - Foundation Handbook - Volume I is a perfect introduction to the world of SCPs. 63 stories, science fiction and horror, unveiling distinct Secure Containment Procedures designed to protect humanity from these anomalous entities. Whether it pertains a mysterious dark staircase which descends to physically impossible depths or a benign figure who offers a last cigarette to the ones who have been left alone on their deathbed, the foundation must document, study, secure, contain these strange phenomenons. But how can such a foundation operate with diligence and yet, integrity? What should be done with a little girl who brings to reality anything her impressionable mind believes to be true? The book is an adaptation and a collection of tales from the collaborative fiction website SCP Foundation, which can be reached at http://www.scp-wiki.net/ . The product is also released under Creative Commons 3.0