SCP-7542

Link to article: SCP-7542.

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**Item #:** SCP-7542

**Object Class:** Neutralized
[[collapsible show="Archived Containment Procedures" hide="Archived Containment Procedures"]]

**Special Containment Procedures:** Samples of SCP-7542 must be kept in an airtight container and only removed for the purposes of testing. Any documentation pertaining to SCP-7542, including photographs, video recordings, and research notes, should be kept in the archives. Photographs and documents containing general information may be accessed with level 2 clearance. Access to documents containing more detailed research requires level 4 authorization. Direct access to SCP-7542 may only be granted with authorization from Level 5 or higher.

[[/collapsible]]

**Updated: Special Containment Procedures:** SCP-7542 is no longer in the Foundation's possession. However, any information recovered that could be used to replicate an instance of SCP-7542 such as engineering logs, blueprints, and research notes must be seized and stored in the archives. Access to anything other than general information is restricted without Level 4 security clearance. Photographs and documents containing only general information may be accessed with Level 2 clearance. Class B amnestics are to be given to any unauthorized individual found to be in possession of material related to SCP-7542. 

**Description:** SCP-7542 was an experimental supersoldier designed by the Valravn Corporation in 1964. According to GRU-P intelligence, the intent behind SCP-7542's creation was to produce an elite soldier that could both inflict and withstand heavy damage, even in the face of technological or numerical superiority. Their secondary objective was to produce an unquestionably loyal soldier, capable of obeying any order without question, and only answered to Valravn.

The identity of the subject used to create SCP-7542 remains unknown. Before augmentation, it was most likely a muscular caucasian male that was originally 1.82 meters in height. Valravn records suggest the subject was originally a decorated member of Spetsnaz, possibly having served in World War II, but this remains unconfirmed.

SCP-7542 was originally identified by the codename "Ymir" after the mythical father of giants in Norse Mythology.

Based on the available information, SCP-7542 would have been approximately 2.13 meters tall, easily dwarfing most unmodified soldiers. 

This body was encased in heavy metal armor made of two layers of steel lined with kevlar, as well as another unknown material [[footnote]]All data about this third material appears to have been expunged from GRU-P records.[[/footnote]]. This effectively made SCP-7542 resistant to most conventional bullets. This armor was permanently sealed around the user, and equipped with a self-contained air filtration system. A small port at the back of the neck permitted access to a feeding tube.

[[=]]
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+ WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FILE IS LEVEL 2/7542 CLASSIFIED
----
+++ ANY ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THIS FILE WITHOUT LEVEL 2/7542 AUTHORIZATION WILL BE LOGGED AND WILL LEAD TO IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION.
[[/div]]
[[/=]]

**Addendum:** **Operation Brickwall**

When the Tet Offensive began on January 31, 1968, America was ready to deploy every military resource it had into repelling the North Vietnamese Army. Soviet intelligence uncovered evidence of a transaction made between U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Valravn corporation to deploy a then-unknown weapon into the city of Huế, which had been successfully occupied by the NVA. 

An undercover GRU-P operative embedded in Valravn discovered the "weapon" was a mechanically augmented supersoldier nicknamed "Ymir." Soon pictures and videos of the soldier started to emerge. Reports of its devastating effects on the NVA reached GRU-P. The brass decided that this weapon was dangerous and needed to be destroyed. Termination orders were issued for Ymir and its creator.

The strike team Red Storm was deployed to Huế with the goal of carrying out the termination orders. 

[[div class="blockquote"]]

{{**Task Force**: Red Storm}}

{{Personnel:}}
 
{{Major Sergei Veronin: A longtime veteran of GRU-P since World War II. He had previously been involved in multiple classified operations across the Soviet Union. Surviving GRU-P records indicate that he operated in Korea and in the early stages of the Vietnam War}}.

{{Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov: former naval officer recruited after surviving an encounter with an unknown anomaly.}}

{{Sergeant Anya Moloknya: A marksman who held some notoriety in Red Storm, described by one of her peers as "Cold as ice, but she always has your back."}}

{{Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky: Former military engineer with a skill for operating machinery. This reportedly gave him skills in working with radio equipment.}}

[[/div]]

The following interview logs come from audio recordings of the team's debriefings after the mission. These have been translated from their original Russian and arranged to present a picture of events. The full unedited recordings are available in the archives.

[[collapsible show="Red Storm Debriefing Logs" hide="Red Storm Debriefing Logs"]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<BEGIN LOG>** 

**Medved:** Tell me about your arrival in Vietnam.

**Kestrov:** There wasn't much at first. Our plane landed in Hanoi, then we were put on a helicopter that brought us to Huế. 

**Medved:** And that's when you began looking for Ymir?

**Kestrov:** That's what we were there for. Though I wasn't sure how we were going to find him in that mess. The whole city was in ruins. It seemed like you couldn't turn a corner without something being on fire. No matter where we went we could hear gunfire and explosions, occasionally shelling. 

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** Can you tell me about your first day in Huế?

**Moloknya:** Veronin's first orders were to find somewhere to set up a base of operations. That part of the mission involved a lot of scouting. We needed somewhere that offered shelter, and cover, where it would be possible to work without drawing too much attention. 

**Medved:** Did you find such a place?

**Moloknya:** We did. We found a three-story building that hadn't been completely destroyed. The upper levels offered some decent vantage points, lots of windows, and walls for cover. And it would at least keep us dry if it rained. I'd say it was perfect. There was just one problem.

**Medved:** And what was that?

**Moloknya:** Americans. There were a few of them hiding inside. When they saw we weren't on their side they started firing. 

**Medved:** So you fought back?

**Moloknya:** What were we supposed to do? We took them out, had to make sure there weren't any witnesses.

**Medved:** What exactly was this building?"

**Moloknya:** No idea. If it had any labels or signs or something they'd fallen off. We dug in and got comfortable. Veronin called in our ordinance.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** What equipment did you have?

**Tchaikovsky:** Oh you delivered. When Veronin called in our supplies we got fifty tons of dynamite, two .50 cal machine guns, twelve crates of grenades, three RPGs, and what was it? Oh right, about a hundred pounds of C4. All delivered by airdrop.

**Medved:** Sounds like you were prepared.

**Tchaikovsky:** We didn't know what we'd need. Veronin wasn't the kind of man to take unnecessary risks.

**Medved:** So you've got your supplies, and base to work out of.

**Tchaikovsky:** It wasn't very comfortable. We had a hard floor and crates to sleep on, but at least it gave us some relief from the sun.

**Medved:** Moloknya would disagree.

**Tchaikovsky:** Have you met Moloknya? To her, there's no difference between a queen-sized bed and a foxhole, and she'd always pick the foxhole. She was already fast asleep by the time the supply drop came in. I don't know how she does it. 

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** Tell me about Veronin. 

**Kestrov:** Where to begin, I looked up to him, and I owed a lot to him. You read my file, didn't you?

**Medved:** Yes, back in 1963 you were accused of murdering your previous Captain, one Dmitri Teraskovich. The KGB thought it was an open and shut case but GRU-P disagreed.

**Kestrov:** Veronin was the one who cleared me. Without him, I'd have been shot. He brought me into GRU-P. Red Storm was hand-picked by him and he didn't always go for the most obvious choices.

**Medved:** What do you mean?

**Kestrov:** There must be a hundred Spetznaz guys who would kill for my position. Guys with years of combat experience, people who saw the worst at Stalingrad. But he chose me, an inexperienced and newly-disgraced First Officer aboard a submarine. You know why?

**Medved:** Why do you think?

**Kestrov:** Because during that voyage I experienced something strange, something that defies our understanding of reality, and I came out the other side. That's what Veronin liked. He wanted people who saw what GRU-P faced on a regular basis. He wanted people who could stare into the face of things that defy anything they understood to be true, and keep going.

**Medved:** Your file mentioned you did a few operations together since then. In 1967 you were involved in an altercation with a Neo-Sarcic cult in Siberia. Is that right?

**Kestrov:** Yes, sir.

**Medved:** Veronin was in command there, too. It wasn't clean but he got results. I see why they picked him for this mission.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** What happened after the initial preparations?

**Moloknya:** By the next day we were starting on our main objective. I was usually put on watch or recon duty. I got a good eye for it.

**Medved:** Not surprising. According to your file, you're quite the marksman.

**Moloknya:** My mother was a sniper in World War II. She taught me well.

**Medved:** Yes, so your file explained. Did you have a plan for tracking Ymir?

**Moloknya:** First step was to find him, and be ready when we did. The rest of us were on guard duty, making sure we didn't get any unwanted attention from the NVA or American forces. You can probably imagine the mess that would come if Russian soldiers were found conducting a top-secret mission on Vietnamese soil. Even worse would be if the NVA mistook us for Americans and tried to attack.

**Medved:** How exactly did you plan to track Ymir? I've seen the reports on Huế, the fighting there is brutal.

**Moloknya:** Veronin had been working on that already. Tchaikovsky was operating the radio, constantly listening for any transmission from either side that might give us a clue. Every time the fighting seemed to get close, he'd send one of us to check.

**Medved:** Did you find him?

**Moloknya:** The first few attempts were unsuccessful. Two days and nothing but false alarms. It was starting to get frustrating.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** When was your first successful lead?

**Tchaikovsky:** We'd been out there for three days. I'd been monitoring the radio most of that time listening for anything. On the fourth day, I had a breakthrough. There was a lot of interference, I couldn't make out everything that was said, but it seemed to be an NVA distress call that talked about a "machine monster." I managed to track the area the message came from, and reported it to Veronin. He sent me and Moloknya to check it out.

**Medved:** And what did you find?

**Tchaikovsky:** We'd just missed it, but the devastation we found was a clear sign it had been there. We found a store that had been turned into an NVA compound, only we were too late. There were bodies everywhere, many of them riddled with bullets. Part of the building had collapsed like someone launched a grenade at it. 

**Medved:** How do you know it was Ymir?

**Tchaikovsky:** We found one survivor, though calling her that feels wrong. She was badly burned and didn't have more than a couple hours. She had a pistol in hand and pointed it at us, only to drop it. Then she noticed we weren't American or South Vietnamese. She didn't speak Russian, but she knew a little English, so I was able to ask her about what happened. 

**Veronin:** What did this... survivor tell you.

**Tchaikovsky:** She asked me to kill her. I doubt she could have survived that injury. I asked her what happened. She claimed to have seen a "metal man" firing on her people. I couldn't get much more than that. She asked again for me to kill her. I wanted to help, but what were we going to do? I aimed my gun at her head but hesitated. I couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger. The Moloknya fired, hitting her straight between the eyes. It was...unsettling.

**<END LOG>**


[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** When did you find Ymir?

**Kestrov:** Our first lead was the NVA distress call when Tchaikovsky just missed him. But it gave us a strategy. Vernonin's orders to Tchaikovsky were to start listening for any similar distress calls. 

**Medved:** Did it work?

**Kestrov:** Partially. We kept finding places Ymir had been. We could see the destruction he caused.  One by one we started to see the magnitude of his violence. It became increasingly clear why GRU-P wanted this thing terminated.

**Medved:** How did the team react?

**Kestrov:** Many of them were shaken. I got the sense they were feeling nervous about encountering it. I can't say I blame them. Except Moloknya. Every time we just missed Ymir, Moloknya seemed... disappointed.

**Medved:** And how long did you encounter these false leads?

**Kestrov:** I started to lose track of how many days it was. But then things changed. It was early in the morning, barely dawn. I couldn't sleep. I didn't understand how anyone could sleep out there. It was hot, and the bugs... even in the cities the mosquitos were ruthless. Of course, Moloknya was sound asleep on the hard floor. Didn't even try to make a pillow. Suddenly I heard Tchaikovsky's voice telling me to get up. Veronin wanted to speak to me. He also wanted me to wake Moloknya.

**Medved:** Veronin had something?

**Kestrov:** That's what I assumed. But at that moment I had the task of waking a woman who could sleep through an air raid. And when I did finally get her up, the first thing she did was put a knife to my neck.

**Medved:** Tell me, what did Veronin need you for?

**Kestrov:** I found him talking to Tchaikovsky. Apparently, they'd caught a break. Tchaikovsky intercepted an American transmission stating plans to reinforce a stranded unit by deploying Ymir. And he'd managed to get the coordinates. We had a shot at actually seeing this thing. Veronin wanted Tchaikovsky to bring us to the area.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** So you led Kestrov and Moloknya to the coordinates you recovered from the transmission?

**Tchaikovsky:** Yes. It brought us to an empty street, at least it looked empty at first. We found an old restaurant with a roof where we could take point. Moloknya spotted the Americans, at least what was left of them. They were trapped behind a destroyed wall. I could see the bodies of several men on the ground. Looked like one might have been wounded. She also spotted NVA soldiers in a building across the street. 

**Medved:** But you didn't see Ymir?

**Tchaikovsky:** Not yet. Part of me wasn't even sure we would. I think I almost hoped I wouldn't. After the last few days, it felt very likely that this would be just another false alarm. But then it happened. 

**Medved:** What?

**Tchaikovsky:** An American helicopter flew overhead. H-19, I think. The side door opened, and I had my first glimpse of that... thing. I can't imagine how they fit it in there, but it emerged. The helicopter didn't even need to land it just... jumped.

**Medved:** Jumped?

**Tchaikovsky:** It was from pretty high up, must have been thirty or forty meters. And it slammed into the ground, feet first, right in front of the soldiers. Looked like they were real excited to see it. Then it turned toward the building, lifted one arm, and started spraying it with bullets.

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved:

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** Tell me about Ymir.

**Moloknya:** It was... unbelievable. I watched him through the scope of my rifle. A huge metal man. His arms were weapons, one of them looked like a minigun. The other seemed to be a grenade launcher, which he used to poke holes in the NVA stronghold. Part of me wished he was on our side, but our job was to kill him. 

**Medved:** What did you do?

**Moloknya:** Tchaikovsky radioed Veronin to tell him we had a confirmed sighting. He ordered us to sit tight while he made his way to us. 

**Medved:** So you waited?

**Moloknya:** I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to fire right there, but we didn't know what we were up against, and the last thing we needed was getting caught up in the crossfire. All I could do was keep them posted. I'm not sure how long we waited, but Ymir managed to cut through the NVA without much difficulty. The building was torn down by the time he was finished. We got a message from Veronin, he said he wanted Tchaikovsky's help with a radio transmission, gave the rendezvous point as a house roughly two klicks to the south of our position.

**Medved:** What was his plan with the radio?

**Moloknya:** I don't understand all the technical details, but basically Veronin wanted to set up a killzone and lure the Americans with a false transmission. Luckily he had some experience working with the NVA and could speak their language. Not like the Americans could tell if he spoke it with a Russian accent. Kestrov and Tchaikovsky left to help. I was tasked with keeping an eye on Ymir. Once I confirmed the signal was received and the unit was moving, I was ordered to follow them.

**Medved:** The Americans were moving towards your "killzone?"

**Moloknya:** It looked that way, but at one point they stopped to rendezvous with a tank. 

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lt. Vasili Kestrov

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** Tell me about this "killzone" you set up. 

**Kestrov:** Veronin had found a narrow residential street. It seemed abandoned, looked like the Americans had already searched it. But luckily most of the houses were intact enough for us to use. He had me set up a .50 cal machine gun in one of the houses. We had it aimed through an open window. Tchaikovsky helped Veronin set up explosives. Then Moloknya radioed in to tell us about the tank. 

**Medved:** You had a plan for that?

**Kestrov:** Of course. Moloknya usually took up rooftop positions. When she made it back, Veronin gave her an RPG and several shells. We were as prepared as we could possibly be. 

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** You know some might call you cold. You were about to fire on American soldiers. They are our enemies, but setting a trap like that takes a level of cruelty.

**Moloknya:** I'm cold, not cruel. I take no pleasure in the lives I ended that day. But Ymir had to die. They were in the way, and they were going to fight back. In Huế, it was kill or be killed. And that thing was going to kill a thousand more. If I had to kill a few Americans to save hundreds of people, I was ready to do it.

**Medved:** What happened when the Americans arrived?

**Moloknya:** They began searching each building. At least, that was what they were trying to do. They were crude and disorganized. Most of their efforts involved them yelling over each other. None of them seemed to know what they were doing, beyond supposedly looking for something they had no way to recognize.

**Medved:** Where did you take position?

**Moloknya:** I found a house with an intact second story. I watched through the window with a pair of binoculars. My rifle and an RPG were at my side, ready for me to reach.

**Medved:** You have much experience with heavy weapons?

**Moloknya:** It's a long-range weapon. I can adapt.

**Medved:** When did you strike?

**Moloknya:** I knew our first priority was the tank. I waited for it to come closer, then I reached for the RPG. It was a simple matter of calculating windspeed and trajectory, really not all that different from my rifle. And I fired. The tank caught fire, didn't seem operable. That caught the attention of everyone, including Ymir. At that point, I had to switch to my rifle and keep back the Americans.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** What happened when you engaged?

**Kestrov:** I was on the .50 cal, and I started firing. I swear I emptied an entire magazine into Ymir and it seemed to do nothing. He just kept marching forward. With one arm raised, he began spraying every building on my side with bullets. I was lucky enough to duck just in time. Then I heard our explosives go off. When I looked out the window, I saw a cloud of smoke. I watched as Veronin stepped out of the house across from me.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya  Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Moloknya:** Unfortunately, I had to take them all out. I fired on every American soldier I saw.

**Medved:** I assume you shoot to kill.

**Moloknya:** Is there any other kind? We couldn't risk any of them seeing who we actually were. You know what would happen if the American government learned there were Russian boots on Vietnamese soil?

**Medved:** I'm not objecting to your methods, I'm only trying to understand them.

**Moloknya:** I was able to turn my attention to the cloud of smoke that I presumed contained Ymir. I switched to the RPG and reloaded it, then fired another round, just to be sure we actually got him.

**Medved:** And did you get him?

**Moloknya:** For a moment, it looked like we did. 

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lietenant Vasili Kestrov

**<Begin Log>**

**Kestrov:** I saw it stumble out of the smoke, struggling to stay on its feet. I couldn't believe it was still standing. It collapsed and fell to the ground, its minigun arm barely holding it up. Veronin stood at the door, watching, waiting to see if it had died. Instead, it looked at him and lifted up its other arm. I hadn't seen what was attached. It had been a grenade launcher but I guess they replaced it with a flamethrower- except it wasn't a normal flamethrower. This had a way of sticking to Veronin. I could only watch as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

**Medved:** Sounds like napalm. The Americans used to put it in flamethrowers during World War II.

**Kestrov:** I thought they usually put that stuff in bombs.

**Medved:** They do, but it sounds like they may have revisited the flamethrower concept in Ymir's case.

**Kestrov:** It also managed to ignite the building. And the fire was starting to spread. I knew I couldn't face Ymir with an empty 50-cal, and I was afraid he was going to turn it on me, so I ran. I managed to get to a backdoor just as the house went up in flames. Then the ones next to it. Next thing I knew the whole city was burning. I just had to find the others.

<END LOG>

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Medved:** What happened when the fire started?

**Moloknya:** I couldn't see much at first, with all the smoke. Then I suddenly saw a flame appear, and a house catch fire. Then I realized Ymir was spraying the houses with flame. I can only assume he was fitted with some sort of napalm spreader. As the smoke started to clear I could see Veronin's body. That was when I knew I had to find the others.

**Medved:** You left your post?

**Moloknya:** What was I supposed to do? The fire was spreading and I knew at least one man was down. Kestrov and Tchaikovsky were down there, I had to help them!

**Medved:** What happened to "cold, not cruel?"

**Moloknya:** My comrades were out there in the blaze. Was I just supposed to let them burn?

**Medved:** You could have helped them from your position.

**Moloknya:** Are you crazy? That fire was spreading. Sooner or later it was going to reach me! And I didn't even know where they were. In all that chaos I almost forgot about Ymir. My mind was too preoccupied with trying not to get caught in the flames. I called out for both of them. Everything was burning, I wasn't sure if they were even still alive.

**Medved:** Ymir didn't target you?

**Moloknya:** Not that I'm aware of. Maybe he didn't see me, or maybe he was just too preoccupied. Maybe he didn't think I was a threat. Or maybe he was gone by the time I was out, I don't know. All I knew was my team was in trouble, and I needed to find them. 

**Medved:** Who did you find first?

**Moloknya:** I found Tchaikovsky stuck under some debris. I had to pry his foot loose but luckily there wasn't any serious damage. Then we found Kestrov. He was lying in the mud behind one of the houses, looking very confused. I pulled him to his feet. I told him we needed to go, but he insisted on finding Veronin. I tried to tell him what I saw but he wouldn't accept it. He ran into the street, and I had no choice but to follow.

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Medved:** What happened to Veronin?

**Kestrov:** I found him in the rubble, covered in burns. I could barely recognize him. He struggled to speak, and I could tell he was in pain. With the little strength he had, he handed me his pistol, and told me I was in command now.

**Medved:** And what did you say?

**Kestrov:** I told him I couldn't, that I wasn't ready for this. But he insisted I was and made me promise one thing- that I would kill Ymir. Then he gave me one final order- to shoot him. I aimed the gun at him, my hands trembled, but I pulled the trigger.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** I can imagine it was hard losing your commander.

**Tchaikovsky:** It was... hard. We all knew the risks when we signed up, but knowing that we might not make it back is not the same as finding the body of someone you've come to respect. I think we all admired him one way or another, even if it was for different reasons. You know what I keep thinking? Why him? Why'd Veronin have to die? If I could I'd gladly change places with him.

**Medved:** He was a good soldier.

**Tchaikovsky:** We were lost without him. I didn't know if we were going to survive. I couldn't be sure if we were going to pull the plug and get out of there or get ourselves killed fighting a losing battle.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Anya Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Moloknya:** Losing Veronin was tough for all of us, but it seemed to hit Kestrov especially hard. I found him standing over the body, pistol in hand. He just told us we should go.

**Medved:** What did you do?

**Moloknya:** We didn't have many other options. We returned to our base, went through our regular duties. Kestrov became withdrawn. He barely spoke. We had trouble getting him to eat, and he rarely slept. He'd just stare into the battlefield. Once, when he thought I was asleep, I thought I heard him crying. 

**Medved:** That can't have been an easy change for him.

**Moloknya:** It was like that for a few days. At one point an American unit camped nearby, one of them brought a radio that played rock and roll. We knew better than to draw their attention, but the music seemed to make Kestrov angrier. There was one song, "The End" by the Doors. You know it?

**Medved:** I didn't take you as a lover of American music.

**Moloknya:** I never said I loved it, but you hear a lot of things in the field. It seemed to really agitate Kestrov. He started trying to cover his ears, crouched down in a corner, trying to keep the noise out.

**Medved:** What happened to them?

**Moloknya:** After a few hours, they left; unaware they were being observed. That evening, Kestrov called a meeting. He told us about how Veronin meant a lot to us, and we needed to finish what he started. This wasn't just a mission anymore, it was about getting payback. He said that he didn't know if Ymir could be killed, but we were either going to do it, or die giving it our best shot.

**Medved:** He sounds like a dedicated man. 

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** How exactly did you plan to take on Ymir?

**Kestrov:** We'd already seen that bullets wouldn't work, but the explosives seemed to have an effect. They were enough to weaken him, at least temporarily, so that was our best option. But I was starting to suspect we'd need more than what we had left from the last attempt. If we wanted to stand a chance, we needed to hit him with everything we could. That meant we needed maximum firepower.

**Medved:** And how did you plan to achieve that?

**Kestrov:** I tried calling in additional ordinance. We managed to get a few more crates of C4 and RPG shells, but I had to be sure we were ready. Luckily, we were in Vietnam.

**Medved:** How is that fortunate?

**Kestrov:** We were in the middle of a warzone. The fighting was going on around us. We were constantly hearing the sounds of gunfire and shelling. It wasn't hard to find places where heavy fighting had taken place.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]


**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Moloknya:** Kestrov had us searching for places where heavy engagements had taken place. We found a lot of bodies, both American and NVA; and many of them had weapons they no longer needed. I managed to get my hands on a couple of American M16s that way. Some of them also had grenades. I found a couple of M-79s, but the real prize was when we found one of those mounted grenade launchers the Americans have been using. It was still intact, and it still had a few rounds left.

**Medved:** Impressive.

**Moloknya:** Tchaikovsky managed to recover working mortars and shells. Everything we found we brought back to the base. We'd accumulated a decent stockpile. The one thing we weren't able to get was Napalm- well, and an atomic bomb, but good luck obtaining either of those things.

**Medved:** So you had your explosives. How did you plan to find and bring down Ymir?

**Moloknya:** Same as before. We had Tchaikovsky listen in on radio transmissions, hoping to find out where he would be and checking up on every lead. Kestrov insisted on coming every time, despite our constant efforts to convince him he needed to rest. 

**Medved:** You sound concerned.

**Moloknya:** He was overworking himself, growing more obsessed with finding Ymir. I admire his dedication but... we're a team. Of course, I was worried about him. 

**Medved:** You're not...

**Moloknya:** What? NO! No, of course not. He's not my type.

**Medved:** What is your type?

**Moloknya:** Can we get back to the mission?

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** Tell me about what happened after Kestrov took command.

**Tchaikovsky:** Once he announced we were going to keep finding Ymir, We started to settle back into a routine. I was back at the radio, monitoring transmissions. Everyone else had their usual duties. Kestrov had teams go out to collect supplies and there were usually a couple people on watch duty. Beyond that, there wasn't much action, at least not from us.

**Medved:** How was Kestrov as a leader?

**Tchaikovsky:** I could tell he was inexperienced, probably overwhelmed, but Veronin saw something in him.

**Medved:** He didn't mistreat you at all?

**Tchaikovsky:** No, in fact, it was the opposite. He was encouraging us to be at our best. At one point he had to order Moloknya to eat and get some sleep after she'd volunteered for two supply runs and took an extra hour on watch duty. He seemed to notice when I needed to step away from the radio and let someone else take over. Really, it was Kestrov himself who was being treated the worst. He'd constantly over-exert himself, insist on helping with everything, refuse to eat or sleep. We had to force-feed him once.

**Medved:** I gather he was determined.

**Tchaikovsky:** Something changed in him. I'm not sure if he even remembered we were on a mission. Killing Ymir was personal. 

**Medved:** So when did you find Ymir?

**Tchaikovsky:** We'd been out there for a few days without much happening. Then I picked up an NVA transmission. It mentioned plans to meet at Do Lung Plaza. I called command and got the coordinates. Then I told Kestrov, and we came up with a plan.

**<END LOG>**


[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lietenant Vasili Kestrov

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** Tell me about your plan.

**Kestrov:** Tchaikovsky didn't realize it yet, but he gave us exactly what we needed. 

**Medved:** And what was that?

**Kestrov:** Bait, for a trap. 

**Medved:** A trap?

**Kestrov:** We didn't have Ymir's location, but we knew where we could find a target. If we could alert the Americans of a Vietnamese stronghold we hoped they'd bring everything they had. We could take position and let the two sides fight each other, wear each other down while we focus on the priority. In all the confusion it would be easy to avoid drawing attention.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** You realize this plan would be putting our allies at risk? Can you imagine what the NVA might do if word got out they were fired on by Russian soldiers?

**Moloknya:** We needed to fight it on our terms. This was the only way to know where it was going to be and prepare for its arrival.

**Medved:** Luckily for you we got no reports of the NVA spotting Russian troops. They may have been too preoccupied with the Americans to notice you.

**Moloknya:** You haven't been to Vietnam, have you?

**Medved:** I have not been to Vietnam, but I was a Lieutenant in the Second World War so yes, I have seen combat.

**Moloknya:** Then you'll know how quickly things change when you're in the field. All the politics, all the ideals that drove you to fight, they become meaningless. President Johnson might want to say otherwise, but there's no winning that war. There is only violence and death in that country. 

**Medved:** I'm not objecting to your methods, only questioning them.

**Moloknya:** We did what we had to do. You think I don't know those people are human? The NVA were farmers just trying to get some control over their lives. The Americans were once teachers, grocery clerks, mechanics, and farmers- most of them brought there against their will. But to spare them meant letting Ymir keep going. If he stayed alive more would die, and imagine if they made more like him. The Motherland would never be safe. It's as simple as that.

**Medved:** So what happened at the Plaza?

**Moloknya:** Kestrov and I went there at dawn, and found a good vantage point to get a view of it.

**Medved:** And what did you find?

**Moloknya:** Lots of buildings that could provide cover. Most of them still had rooves or at least a second or third floor high enough to take position in. Most of the NVA activity seemed to be happening in the Southeast corner, I spotted a few of them finishing up preparations for the night. They had several machine gun nests set up, looked like a decent selection of weapons. A couple of them seemed to be wiring explosives. I couldn't see much but they were clearly preparing for an attack. I can't say I blame them.

**Medved:** Sounds like they did your job for you.

**Moloknya:** Not quite, it looked like they were prepared for American soldiers but we needed to be ready for Ymir. Kestrov send in the call to bring everything that could be carried. We realized doing it during the night was most ideal. During the day they were likely to be hiding inside. At night, the NVA tends to do a lot of its operations, meaning they'll be more scattered, and there are fewer potential witnesses.

**Medved:** So you set your trap?

**Moloknya:** We had to wait until nightfall. Kestrov insisted I go to sleep while he took care of observation. I guess he wanted me well-rested before we started. Probably wanted to make sure I was alert.

**Medved:** And then you set the trap? 

**Moloknya:** You make it sound so easy. The NVA aren't stupid. They may favor operating at night but they weren't going to leave their hideout unguarded. That's where I came in. I had the task of watching for anyone who might compromise us and... dealing with them. 

**Medved:** Did you have to... deal with any?

**Moloknya:** Some. I spotted a sniper in one of the windows I had to take out. Tchaikovsky and Kestrov had to work on setting up the explosives in the courtyard. That was when they had the biggest chance of being noticed. When they returned, we set up the mortars, and that fancy grenade launcher I found. I offered to take care of the watch, but Kestrov insisted Tchaikovsky and I go to sleep. I guess he wanted me to be well-rested.

**Medved:** As you said, you needed to maximize your chances.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<Begin Log>**

**Medved:** So let me get this straight. You infiltrated an NVA camp and set up heavy weapons and explosives?

**Tchaikovsky:** I thought it was crazy, too. But Kestrov had a point. The NVA prefer to operate at night, meaning fewer remained in the hideout who could spot us. It was still a big gamble but he seemed sure this was our best shot. The next morning, Kestrov had me prepare the final step, using the radio. He needed me to set it to an American frequency.

**Medved:** Let me guess, so you could let the Americans pick up a transmission about the NVA presence.

**Tchaikovsky:** I know a bit of English. Not like Veronin did, but enough that I could make a sentence. I'd hoped my accent would be less noticeable on the other side, but I also knew one or two ways I could make the illusion of interference.

**Medved:** So when did you start on this plan?

**Tchaikovsky:** The next morning, we'd been up for a few hours already. It was perhaps around mid-day when Kestrov gave me the signal to transmit. I spoke quickly into the radio, making some adjustments so there would be a lot more static and white noise. I simply said that we were under fire by VC and needed backup. Then I made sure the co-ordinates got through.

**Medved:** You think they believed it?

**Tchaikovsky:** I don't know, but if they recognized a Russian accent I imagine they'd still want to investigate. You know how paranoid they are.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<Begin Log>**

**Moloknya:** It took about an hour before I started noticing American forces. I spotted them approaching the plaza with multiple tanks. Obviously, that wasn't going to do, so I waited for them to get closer, and I fired an RPG at one of the tanks. The Americans scrambled and panicked, trying to hide, thinking the NVA were already attacking. It gave me enough time to reload and fire on the second tank. The explosions must have been enough to draw the NVA's attention as well, they were already scrambling into position. I just had to make sure they pushed forward into the plaza.

**Medved:** How did you plan to do that?

**Moloknya:** There's an old NVA tactic that was perfect for this situation. I waited for one of the Americans to be exposed, and I fired. He went down immediately. A second soldier came out to try and help his comrade. I shot him, too. It's a simple trick, draw them out as they try to help their friends. Exploit their bond.

**Medved:** That is cold.

**Moloknya:** Cold, but effective. Once they thought there was an NVA sniper targeting them, they started to get an idea where the attacks were coming from, and where they needed to push through. They also had to call for backup. The fact that I took out both tanks probably helped because that flew over us. The door opened, and once again Ymir jumped out onto the ground. He began advancing into the courtyard. From what I could tell it looked like one arm had been replaced with an M60 and the other had a minigun. With that thing on the field, the Americans were right behind.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Dmitri Tchaikovsky

**<Begin Log>**

**Tchaikovsky:** It didn't take long for the shooting to start. Next thing I knew there was heavy gunfire on both sides. I saw a few RPG shots aimed at Ymir- the NVA may have unwittingly helped us.

**Medved:** So while both sides were fighting, you were targeting Ymir.

**Tchaikovsky:** Kestrov had us fire in an alternating pattern- one fires while the other reloads. We needed a near-constant barrage directed straight at Ymir, though the blasts took out a lot of the Americans as well. 

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

<Begin Log>

**Medved:** What were you doing when the shelling started?

**Moloknya:** I was on the grenade launcher. The smoke from the mortars made it hard to see Ymir's exact location, but I fired at the cloud. When I ran out of ammo I switched to the RPG. Unfortunately I couldn't risk anyone figuring out what we were doing, so I fired two rounds at the NVA. I think the blasts startled both sides. They assumed they were caused by their enemy. Suddenly the NVA were evacuating and the Americans were trying to fall back. In all that chaos they seemingly forgot about their weapon.

<END LOG>

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lietenant Vasili Kestrov

<Begin Log>

**Kestrov:** When the yard was clear, I gave the order for the others to cease fire. I left my position and approached the cloud of smoke that was just now starting to dissipate. I could still hear metallic stomping, but also what seemed like heavy breathing. No, it was more like a wheezing sound. Ymir, that thing, he stepped out. I was about to run when I noticed both its weapons were destroyed by the explosions. It stumbled, barely able to keep its footing, and it looked at me.

**Medved:** It survived all those blasts?

**Kestrov:** Barely, but it was weakened. It made eye contact with me, and for the first time I could just barely see through those fogged lenses, were a pair of human eyes. But they didn't seem to be staring with any malevolence or hatred. They looked like they were in pain. In that moment, all the rage, all the anger I had felt disappeared. I only felt pity. That was when I realized this... thing... it was a victim. He was once a man, like me until... until someone turned him into that abomination. 

**Medved:** We are still working on finding out the creator's identity.

**Kestrov:** One by one the others started to come out from their positions, and we watched as it did something none of us expected.

**Medved:** And what was that?

**Kestrov:** It spoke. It was difficult to make out, but he started trying to tell me something in Broken Russian. He said "No more."

**Medved:** What did he mean by that?

**Kestrov:** I think he knew why we were there. He was done, he wanted it to end. I think he wanted me to kill him more than I did. And I think he wanted me to prevent anything like him from ever being created again.

**Medved:** You're saying he wanted to die? Why didn't he just let you kill him at the start?

**Kestrov:** Don't you get it? He was once a man, twisted and turned into a weapon with no will of his own. All he wanted was to go down like a soldier, standing and fighting; bested by a worthy opponent. The next word he managed to get out was "kill" followed by "Curtis." I asked him if that was refering to his creator. 

**Medved:** Curtis?

**Kestrov:** Yes, I think it's a name.

**Medved:** Excuse me.

<Footsteps are heard, and a door opens. A few minutes of silence pass before the door opens again. Footsteps are heard>

**Medved:** Anyway, you were saying?

**Kestrov:** He simply repeated those phrases, "No more, kill Curtis, no more, kill Curtis." He finally said the word "back." It took me a moment to realize he wanted me to go behind him. I noticed a small tube on the back of the neck, with a cap screwed on. I removed it and lifted Veronin's pistol. All it took was one shot.

**Medved:** He was dead?

**Kestrov:** Ymir collapsed to the ground. We'd actually done it. I called for a chopper to extract us. They ended up having to send two so they could carry Ymir's body, but I was finally able to rest. I was woken when we got back to Hanoi. They put us on a cargo plane back to Moscow, alongside Ymir's remains. Seeing the body just made me feel sick. I couldn't imagine who would do this.

<A knock is heard.>

**Medved:** Come in.

<The door opens>

**Unidentified GRU-P Officer:** I have the file you wanted. Am I interrupting something?

**Medved:** No, we were just finishing. That will be all.

<Door closes>

**Medved:** It seems we have found your "Curtis."

**Kestrov:** You did?

**Medved:** Dr. Joseph Curtis, disgraced American scientist. We've had rumors of him entering a contract with the Valravn Corporation for an unknown purpose.

**Kestrov:** Tell me where he is and I'll put an end to him.

**Medved:** I'll let you know as soon as I have it. For now, get something to eat and maybe some sleep. 

**Kestrov:** What about the body?

**Medved:** The body?

**Kestrov:** Ymir's body. Our mission parameters were to destroy anything that could be used to rebuild him. We need to destroy the body!

**Medved:** Don't worry, I'll take care of it personally.

**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]


[[/collapsible]]


**ADDENDUM: AFTERMATH** 

GRU-P intelligence tracked Curtis to a secret lab hidden in a warehouse in West Berlin. Red Storm was deployed with orders to terminate Curtis and destroy all records of Project Jotunn. The following is a recording of the debriefing after the mission was completed.

[[collapsible show="West Berlin Raid" hide="West Berlin Raid"]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Lieutenant Vasili Kestrov

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** What happened after you arrived?

**Kestrov:** The first night was mostly uneventful. After the flight, we got a taxi to the hotel you booked for us. Thank you for that, by the way.

**Medved:** That wasn't too hard, especially since it was just you, Moloknya, and Tchaikovsky.

**Kestrov:** We spent the night getting cleaned up and rested. The next morning we located the building and began watching it. We spent a few days surveying it. There was a man in a long coat and a fedora who was always walking in and out, constantly looking to make sure he wasn't being observed. The warehouse had two entrances that we could find and seemed to be locked on a regular basis.

**Medved:** How'd you get in?

**Kestrov:** That part was easy. The more we observed the man, the more our suspicions were confirmed. It was Dr. Curtis. And even better, he had a routine. His arrival was always at 0600, precisely, and his departure was at 0800. He kept the door locked, but now that we knew his routine I knew exactly what to do.

**Medved:** And what was that?

**Kestrov:** We arrived at the warehouse a few minutes before 0800. Moloknya and I set up by the door, We spent that time acting casual, trying not to draw too much attention..

**Medved:** What did you find in the lab?

**Kestrov:** I wish I could forget it. It was a well-funded project. I'm no scientist but the equipment looked expensive. There were several slabs, all of them containing bodies. I'm not sure what he did to them, but every instinct confirmed I was right. 


**<END LOG>**

[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

Transcript of Interrogation, recorded on tape retrieved from Dr. Curtis's lab.

**Interviewer:** Lt. Vasili Kestrov

**Interviewee:** Dr. Joseph Curtis

<BEGIN LOG>

**Curtis:** This log is for posterity. My name is Dr. Joseph Curtis. I tried to do something good here but it's all gone wrong, and now I'm about to pay the price. I'm not sure exactly who's coming, but I think I know why. I don't know who you are, but if you're hearing this do not trust Valravn. There is a man on the board named Axel Brandt. He will tell you what you want to hear. He will come to you when you have no other choice, and he will make you promises. Don't accept his offer. Do not let yourself get dragged into Valravn. All they will do is use you. They will let you think they're on your side, but in fact, they will twist you into their slave.

<A door is heard being kicked in>

**Curtis:** Ah, I'd been wondering when you'd arrive.

**Kestrov:** Don't play games with us, Curtis. I know who you are.

**Curtis:** I'm sure you do. I had a feeling someone would be coming sooner or later. Let me guess, they wanted you to kill me.

**Kestrov:** With extreme prejudice.

**Curtis:** Your accent is Russian, so you couldn't be SCP. If you were with Chaos Insurgency you would have killed me and taken everything by now. But the KGB doesn't take an interest in science. You must be GRU-P.

**Moloknya:** Very good.

**Kestrov:** You've got a lot of explaining to do.

<Curtis is heard grunting as he is grabbed and thrown into a chair near the tape recorder>

**Kestrov:** Oh, look at that, I can get your confession on tape.

**Curtis:** I confess to everything. I tried to improve their bodies.

**Kestrov:** Is that what you call this? An improvement? You took human test subjects and turned them into... abominations! Now, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to ask you some questions, and if I don't like the answer, I hurt you.

**Curtis:** When Subject 42 came into my lab, he was dying. He'd been burned, lost both his arms. He was struggling to breathe. He begged me to help him. I thought I could do more. I thought I could make him bett-

<DR. CURTIS SCREAMS IN PAIN>

**Kestrov:** You didn't make him better. I saw him. He wanted to die.

**Molknya:** Who was he?

**Curtis:** They wouldn't say. They just told me he was a soldier, like you.

**Kestrov:** That's what I saw from him.

**Tchaikovsky:** KESTROV! One of them's alive!

**Kestrov:** Put them out of their misery.

<GUNSHOT>

**Kestrov:** Why did you work for Valravn?

**Curtis:** They listened to me when no one else would. You weren't in Korea, were you?

**Kestrov:** Our forces weren't deployed there, and even if they were I wasn't old enough to enlist.

**Curtis:** Then you don't know the horror men went through. The damage it did to them. Healthy men came back disfigured and broken. Missing body parts, permanent spinal damage, blindness, shattered eardrums. Sometimes they couldn't even walk. I watched a lot of people die in Korea, but they were the lucky ones.

**Kestrov:** So you built a weapon that could be deployed in Vietnam, to cause the same amount of harm.

**Curtis:** They told me I could help their wounded, then they convinced me that I could improve their bodies. I thought I was saving that man's life, but I'm no better than they are.

**Kestrov:** Your experiments end now!

**Curtis:** Of course. There's an incinerator you can use to destroy the bodies, and I've already left my notes for you.

**Kestrov:** Why are you doing this?

**Curtis:** Doing what?

**Kestrov:** Helping us?

**Curtis:** I know you're going to kill me. I won't try to stop you. But maybe I can use my final moments to do a small amount of good. Don't you see, we're all pawns in a game we don't even know we're playing. You, me, Ymir; we're just tools. You think you're the hero, you think you're getting justice, but you're not.

**Kestrov:** Major Sergei Veronin, his blood is on your hands. You don't get to walk away from this.

**Curtis:** Exactly. You're no soldier. You're just an errand boy, doing their dirty work. You think GRU-P is any better than Valravn? Did you know Stalin used to let them use gulag prisoners as test subjec-

<CURTIS CRIES IN PAIN>

**Kestrov:** My name is Vasili Kestrov, remember that in the time you have left!

**Moloknya:** Kestrov?

**Kestrov:** You killed Major Sergei Veronin. Your work stops here.

<CURTIS CRIES IN PAIN, BEFORE BEING ABRUPTLY SILENCED BY A GUNSHOT>

**Kestrov:** Moloknya! What were you thinking?

**Moloknya:** What is wrong with you Kestrov? Our orders were to terminate, not torture!

<BRIEF PAUSE. DEEP BREATHING>

**Kestrov:** Alright, Moloknya grab the tape recorder and bring it back to the car. Tchaikovsky, give me a hand with the bodies.

<A BRIEF CLICK IS HEARD BEFORE TAPE ENDS>

**<END LOG>**


[[/div]]

[[div class="blockquote"]]

**Interviewer:** Captain Boris Medved

**Interviewee:** Sergeant Anya Moloknya

**<BEGIN LOG>**

**Medved:** You shot Dr. Curtis?

**Moloknya:** Cold, not cruel. I trust Kestrov in a lot of things, but at that moment he was going too far. Our orders were to terminate Dr. Curtis, not to torture him.

**Medved:** So you terminated Dr. Curtis. What was your plan for the lab?

**Moloknya:** We needed to burn it down. Kestrov found the incinerator- I'm guessing it was used to dispose of failed subjects. But getting rid of the bodies wasn't enough. We needed to burn down the whole lab with everything inside.

**Medved:** And how'd you do that?

**Moloknya:** We're Russian, and we needed to start a fire. What do you think we did?

**Medved:** Wait, you're not saying-

**Moloknya:** I found a bar nearby, picked up a couple bottles of Vodka. Rags aren't too hard to come by. Then we just had to light them up. 

**Medved:** So you made sure everything was gone?

**Moloknya:** Almost, there's just one more loose end.

**Medved:** And what's that?

**Moloknya:** The body. 

**Medved:** Kestrov expressed concern about that, too. But don't worry. I've personally taken care of it. Ymir's body has been incinerated. There's nothing left. 

**<END LOG>**



[[/div]]

Shortly before his termination, Dr. Curtis attempted to write a letter to the Global Occult Coalition. This was intercepted and archived by the SCP Foundation.

[[div class="page"]]
██████ █████████
@@ @@
It is unfortunate that I have to write to you now, but I see no other choice. You are the only one I can trust to carry out my request. I have made a huge mistake. I tried to do something good but it's been warped into something... monstrous. It is, for this reason, I must ask you to destroy my work. This must be stopped before any more harm is done.
@@ @@
During my time in Korea, I saw many men die horribly. But I also saw too many problems with those who survived. Men who went in healthy came out with missing legs, hearing loss, and nerve damage. Some couldn't even walk, or their brains were too damaged to function. I saw their bodies as broken and started trying to find ways to fix them. But nobody listened. No American company wanted to fund my research. Rich men who'd never seen combat told me it wasn't profitable.
@@ @@
Valravn came to me in 1955. They were the first ones to see value in my work. They told me I could help their wounded soldiers, and my treatments could be marketed. Of course, I accepted, but something changed. Valravn has some strange practices, some sort of rune-based technology; it's almost like magic. But they also have some fanatical beliefs, and somehow they got into my head. Suddenly, I thought I couldn't just fix broken bodies but improve them.
@@ @@
When they brought me specimen 42, I thought I was saving his life. I don't know who he was, but he was scared. He'd lost both arms at the elbows and was burnt all over, struggling to even breathe. He begged me to help him. But all I did was make him their slave.
@@ @@
Do not trust Valravn! Do not listen to their promises. They can only use you, they will get into your mind and destroy you from the inside out. If Project Jotunn is completed, they will kill thousands more. You must destroy every trace of it.
@@ @@
I have attached a map with the lab's location.
@@ @@
Thank you,
@@ @@
Joseph Curtis
[[/div]]



[[/collapsible]]

President Lyndon B. Johnson, with assistance from the SCP Foundation, began working to discredit any reports of his deal with Valravn. Witnesses were pressed into signing NDAs while photographic and video evidence was seized. 

The loss of Ymir, along with its creator and all information regarding its construction, resulted in crippling losses for Valravn in the following years. However, the company would begin to rebuild through investments in computer technology during the 1970s. This led to Valravn studying military applications for computers and eventually trying to integrate their components with the human body. This ultimately laid the groundwork for the cybernetic soldiers they employ today.

[[div style="background: url(https://kaktuskontainer.wdfiles.com/local--files/format-hell/scp_trans.png) bottom center no-repeat; text-align: center; width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; font-size: 20px; padding: 0px;"]]

@@ @@
@@ @@

@@ @@

@@ @@

[[=]]
++* ##black|BY ORDER OF THE OVERSEER COUNCIL##
##black|The following file is Level 4/7542 classified. Unauthorized access is forbidden.##
[[/=]]
= **##black|7542##**

@@ @@

@@ @@

[[/div]]

**ADDENDUM: SCP-7542 Autopsy Report**

Officially, Ymir's body was destroyed, per Kestrov's request. However, in secret, Captain Medved had an autopsy conducted on Ymir. 

[[collapsible show="Show Autopsy Report" hide="Hide Autopsy Report"]]


[[div class="blockquote"]]
{{Patient: Unknown, codenamed "Ymir"}}
 
{{Clinical History: Unknown}}
 
{{**DESCRIPTION OF GROSS LESIONS:**}}

{{EXTERNAL EXAMINATION: Patient's identity is difficult to determine with any certainty, but appears to be a caucasian male. Age is estimated to be mid-thirties. Subject was likely around 1.82 meters tall. He has been encased in armor comprised of steel, kevlar, and [DATA EXPUNGED]. Armor lacks any mechanism for removal, suggesting it was intended to be permanent. Subject's face is concealed beneath a gas mask, which also appears to be sealed into the suit. Eyes appear to be unaffected. Small tube on the back of the neck appears to be intended for feeding. Cracks present in the right shoulder,  head, and left leg suggest minor damage to armor.}}

{{Armor had to be cut using a high-power chainsaw. It was then found that armor was grafted to patient's skin. Genitals had been removed and replaced by a network of tubes.  Upon removal of armor, a fragmented runic symbol was found embedded in patient's abdomen. [[footnote]] Though unconfirmed, it is possible that a thaumatergical component was used in Ymir's construction. Dr. Martin has suggested this played a role in keeping Ymir intact and resistant to damage.[[/footnote]]}}

{{Digestive System: Patient's esophagus removed, replaced by a plastic tube connecting the stomach to the back of the neck.}}

{{Brain: Evidence of an attempted trans-orbital lobotomy.}}

{{Nervous System: Spine has been infused with a titanium alloy.}}

{{Heart: Unknown substance has been used to increase heart size. A small pacemaker-like device was wired into the patient's heart. This appears to be designed to increase bloodflow allowing for faster movement.}}

{{Toxicology Report: Unknown substance detected in patient's bloodstream at a level of 100mg/dl. Analysis revealed specimens of //Plasmodium falciparum//[[footnote]]A parasite transmitted by mosquitoes known to cause malaria in humans[[/footnote]]. This, combined with a white blood cell count of 12,4x10^9/L, suggests patient was septic at time of death.}}

{{Immunity system: Intestines have been moved to make room for spinal augmentation. Evidence of crude attempts to cut reconnect them is present. Spleen size reduced to make room for enlarged heart.}}

{{Cause of Death: 18mm bullet fired from a Makarov pistol at point blank range into the back of the skull. Patient died instantly from hemorrhaging and brain damage.}}


{{Note: Presence of //Plasmodium falciparum// combined with weak immune system suggests patient had contracted malaria, probably through a mosquito entering the feeding tube. Had patient not been killed by Red Storm, he likely had little more than a few weeks to live.}}

[[/div]]

[[/collapsible]]

**ADDENDUM: Operation Blackout**

In 2015, operatives of the SCP Foundation tracked a cell of the Chaos Insurgency to an abandoned GRU-P black site in Belarus. In the ensuing raid, the MTF entered a laboratory containing the remains of human test subjects. No official records of these experiments existed, but reports found on-site indicated that it was being used as part of a GRU-P effort to produce a human weapon. A sealed coffin containing the heavily disfigured remains of a human cadaver was recovered. 

Records found on-site indicated a GRU-P-backed effort to replicate the experiments that produced Ymir. The project had been authorized by Captain Boris Medved.

The body was transported to SCP Site-19 for further analysis. A year later, the Foundation was sent the following message:

------
[[collapsible show="Message From Valravn" hide="Message From Valravn"]]
[[<]]
[[div class="email"]]
[[div class="tofrom"]]
**To:** █████
**From:** Dr. Olga Brandt
**Subject:** Regarding SCP-7542

Dr.  █████

It has come to our attention that you have recently acquired something of great interest to us. You have labeled it as SCP-7542, but we have known it by the name Ymir. I believe that Valravn could put SCP-7542 to great use, but I understand that you will not return him for free. Fortunately, we have something that we believe will be of even greater value to your organization. I would like to propose a meeting to discuss the terms of a mutually beneficial transaction.

I look forward to meeting you
Dr. Olga Brandt, Tyr Project Lead


[[/div]]
[[/<]]
[[/collapsible]]
[[/div]]

The meeting took place three weeks later when Dr. Brandt met with the 05 Council. Ultimately the trade was accepted, and SCP-7542 was released in exchange for ███████. 

[[footnoteblock]]

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<< [[[SCP-7541]]] | SCP-7542 | [[[SCP-7543]]] >>
[[/=]]

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SCP-7542

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