The Specter and the Crushing Case of the Orphan Crusher

Link to article: The Specter and the Crushing Case of the Orphan Crusher.

#page-content .rate-box-with-credit-button {
    border: solid 1px rgb(180, 180, 180);
}

div#header h1 a span {
    font-size: 0px;
}
div#header h1 a:before {
    content: "MTF Alpha-9";
    color: #eee;
    font-family: jostregular;    
}
div#header h2 span {
    font-size:0px;
    padding: 4px;
}
div#header h2:after {
    content: "Last Hope";
    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 15px;
    font-family: jostregular;
    color: #eee;
    border-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.267);
}
#page-title {
    display: none;

div#header {
    background-image: url('http://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/harry-blank-4/A-9.png');

span, a { word-break: normal !important }

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Ruslan+Display');
.shadow {
    font-family: 'Ruslan Display', cursive;
    font-size: 120%;
    line-height: 0.4;

border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0

border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); padding: 0 1em; background: #f2f2c2; margin: 1em 0

border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); padding: 0 1em

border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0

```
margin-top: 1em
```

border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0

```
color: blue
```
```
margin-top: 1em
```

border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0

```
margin-top: 1em
```
```
margin-top: 1em
```

border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0

```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```
```
shadow
```

[[include :scp-wiki:theme:simple-yonder]]

[[include :scp-wiki:component:toggle-sidebar]]

[[module css]]
#page-content .rate-box-with-credit-button {
    border: solid 1px rgb(180, 180, 180);
}
[[/module]]

[[module CSS]]
div#header h1 a span {
    font-size: 0px;
}
div#header h1 a:before {
    content: "MTF Alpha-9";
    color: #eee;
    font-family: jostregular;    
}
div#header h2 span {
    font-size:0px;
    padding: 4px;
}
div#header h2:after {
    content: "Last Hope";
    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 15px;
    font-family: jostregular;
    color: #eee;
    border-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.267);
}
#page-title {
    display: none;
[[/module]]

[[module css]]
div#header {
    background-image: url('http://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/harry-blank-4/A-9.png');
[[/module]]

[[module css]]
span, a { word-break: normal !important }
[[/module]]

[[module css]]
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Ruslan+Display');
.shadow {
    font-family: 'Ruslan Display', cursive;
    font-size: 120%;
    line-height: 0.4;
[[/module]]

[[div]]
[[=]]
+ The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] and the Crushing Case of the Orphan Crusher
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

[[div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0"]]
[[/div]]

=====
[[include component:preview
text=The Orphan Crusher sends their regards.]]
=====

[[include :scp-wiki:info:start]]
**The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] and the Crushing Case of the Orphan Crusher**
by [[*user BlazingPie]] for [[*user Hikarinu]] (Art Exchange 2025)

//The Orphan Crusher sends their regards.//

[[include :scp-wiki:component:ratio-bar pie=--]]

[[include :scp-wiki:info:end]]

[[div style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); padding: 0 1em; background: #f2f2c2; margin: 1em 0"]]

**RAISA NOTICE:** //The following SCP database file has just been updated because of a recent related incident, new information highlighted in ##blue|blue##. Presented information may be subject to further changes in the near future.//

[[/div]]

[[div style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); padding: 0 1em"]]

//Main file abridged.//

[[div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0"]]
[[/div]]

[[div style="margin-top: 1em"]]
[[include :scp-wiki:component:image-block-peppo name=1213.jpg|caption=SCP-1213.]]
[[/div]]

**Item #:** [[[SCP-1213]]]

**Object Class:** Safe

**Description:** SCP-1213 is a wooden and steel catapult, medieval in design. SCP-1213 is capable of autonomous locomotion on its four wooden wheels and of operating its firing mechanism by an unknown method.

Should SCP-1213 encounter a suitable subject, SCP-1213 will transport the subject into the basket on its firing arm by unknown means. SCP-1213 will then launch the subject at the nearest flat vertical surface. After a launching it will remain stationary, emitting a sound similar to the contented purring produced by felines while it resets its firing arm. SCP-1213 favors infant to prepubescent mammalian subjects that weigh between 15 and 50 kilograms.

SCP-1213 was found in █████, a farming town in England, after several unexplainable cases of dead children and small animals that were reported as having been "hurled into walls at high velocity". A search of the town found SCP-1213 in the bushes of a school playground. Further investigation of the town led to the discovery of an improvised laboratory in an abandoned farmhouse. Much of the laboratory was destroyed by an explosion, presumably caused by the large defunct device that was the focus of the laboratory. The device was the experimental work of Dr. ████████, who could not be located.

[[div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0"]]
[[/div]]

[[div style="color: blue"]]

**Addendum:** On the night of 16/12/2025 a severe extradimensional and spatio-temporal disruption occured centered on the ruins of the abandoned farmhouse in the town of █████, the building was the site of SCP-1213's creation over 10 years prior. The civillian population of the town has been successfully evacuated under the pretense of newfound geological instability.

Research and containment efforts are ongoing under supervision of the [/system:page-tags/tag/ettra#pages Emergent Threat Tactical Response Authority (ETTRA)].

[[/div]]

[[/div]]

[[div]]
[[=]]
@@ @@
[[image http://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/collab%3Akarpin-blank-resurrection-chapter-2/A9Asterisk.png style="margin-top: 1em"]]
@@ @@
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

[[=]]
++ __The town of █████, England, United Kingdom__
//16th December, 2025//
[[/=]]

[[div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0"]]
[[/div]]

The early morning sun coated the English coastline in pink and orange hues, shining through the rooftops and windows of small, cutesy buildings. The town -- humble, yes, but once lively -- was now more than desolate, for it met with an unimaginable fate. A destroyed farmhouse on the outskirts now standing tall and overlooking the town with a sinister presence, twisted beyond recognition into a hotchpotch of its previous parts, as if dozens and dozens of itself were crushed together into one barely coherent mess by some unthinkable force.

The sight of an old, dilapidated building, one abandoned by everything and everyone, was not a pleasant one for sure, but now it was something different, something much more foul. What was once a simple ruined farmhouse gave birth to an imposing fortress of evil and wickedness, incomparable to even the worst nightmares of the town's gone populace.

If the [[span class="shadow"]]//[[[scp-4494|Specter]]]//[[/span]] were to have just one sense, if everything was stolen from his face aside from one thing, he'd be left with his nose. His nose is all he needs to know the smell of villainy, he was never wrong.

This place reeked like none other.

However, he still had all of his face left intact to perceive wretchedness in all of its perverted glory. Staring down at the fortress with revenge in his eyes and wind fluttering his cape, [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] pondered.

"Alright, that's everyone evacuated. You learned something from just standing like this?"

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] turned to see Doctor Dan of the SCP Foundation's Emergent Threat Tactical Response Authority behind him. While they didn't agree on everything, their limited cooperation was for the best of both of them, and the worst of the forces of evil.

"Justice learns all what it needs from but a single glimpse!" With this declared the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] struck a dramatic pose, and continued on. "A staredown is an enforcement of its will to fight for what's right, doctor."

"Figures. Just so you know, this place is not random." Dan said, handing over a piece of paper to [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]]. "Around a decade ago the Foundation recovered an anomaly here, SCP-1213. Nothing all that special, from what I know that project's been sitting untouched for like six years, with [[[launched-into-parenthood|just one minor development a year ago.]]] Around this time, interestingly enough. Probably a coincidence."

Skimming over the abridged SCP-1213 file, the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] locked eyes with Doctor Dan. "So you're admitting to carelessness? That's why we're here?" He handed the paper back with a slightly mocking motion, at the same time glancing over the Foundation's research teams swarming around them.

"Not really. Look, this all happened just over 4 hours ago, and we've been here for 3 already. There are procedures in place for active monitoring of anomalous recovery sites, specifically for this very occasion. If anything, we're too careful, as we should be. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I would, my sincere apologies."

"Sure. Judging by your staring contest against a building, I suppose you have a plan."

"Delivering justice is a plan in and of itself, the steps do not matter if you have convictions! It's evil that gets caught up in schemes and plots. Blinded by arrogance, it wouldn't know what to do at the tiniest inconvenience!"

With a swift motion [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] turned away, again facing the mind-breaking collage of walls, and doors, and wooden support beams all in rainbow colors, and walked right into the mouth of the beast, disappearing. The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s elongated cape fluttered in anticipation of his triumphant return, before vanishing just as him, in a flash of light.

Dan had no idea if the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s last words were supposed to be a dig at him or not. Either way he didn't really care, and he had no time for that, he saw a scientist walk up to him, and had to prepare for news.

"Doctor Dan, sir. The narrative assessment is complete."

As soon as [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] showed up on the coast, he asked for one. This wasn't really a standard, but he sometimes lets his gut feeling take hold.

"So?"

"A lot of narrative structures in place here seem to be consistent with tropes associated with '1950s one-off comic book supervillains'. I'm personally not really an expert on the topic."

"Well, then compared to you I very much am." Doctor Dan said with a slight grin appearing on his face. "This could get interesting."

[[div]]
[[=]]
@@ @@
[[image http://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/collab%3Akarpin-blank-resurrection-chapter-2/A9Asterisk.png]]
@@ @@
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] should've expected that the inside of the den of darkness would be even more treacherous than its outside would suggest. An impossible structure sure does have an impossible interior, each turn could plunge him into the inescapable darkness of twisting wooden planks and staircases spiraling up and down and sideways all at the same time.

It was eerily quiet in there, but this quietness was interspersed with the cracking of wood under the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s determined and heroic gait, coupled with some other distant and unclear sounds. He couldn't quite make out what he was hearing there, from time to time he stopped in place and tried to listen.

Gusts of air, mechanical clicking, bursts and cracks and slams.

Wherever these sounds originated from, something was clearly being destroyed there. Destroyed with excessive force.

The whole structure was a mess, the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] suspected that maybe he's already gotten lost, but even if so, that doesn't really matter. He's now in enemy territory, an cut-and-dried evil hideout, and he knows damn well how these stories go, he's lived through this countless times. The mastermind doesn't just flee, they //have// to show themselves to the hero, then and only then can they attempt escape. Evil is predictable.

And then something unpredictable happened, the hallway the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] was in came to an end, just like that. There was absolutely nothing special about it, a wooden and twisted corridor like every single one he's been in already, but this time it ended in a door.

The door had a label, too. It read "The Meat Packing Room" in ominous blood red lettering. The only room that could've felt more evil than this in this scenario the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s found himself in would be something like "The Murdering People With An Axe Room".

And what would this be doing in a farmhouse? He thought to himself, before composing and quickly rushing towards the door.

At the halfway point he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right leg. Something stabbed him. He looked down, and saw something that at first glance looked like a mousetrap, but it clearly wasn't one, its true shape was just distorted by the surrounding darkness.

No, it was not a mousetrap. It was a miniature catapult, or was it a trebuchet? He didn't know the difference, and didn't care. Either way what struck him in the leg was a weapon of destruction, the fruit of humanity's often monstrous ingenuity. He kicked the contraption into the wall, and then heard cracks louder than before, now with a clear source -- beneath his feet.

It seems "The Meat Packing Room" was a trap.

And then the floor collapsed.

[[div]]
[[=]]
@@ @@
[[image http://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/collab%3Akarpin-blank-resurrection-chapter-2/A9Asterisk.png style="margin-top: 1em"]]
@@ @@
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] woke up to whole-body pain and rhythmic noises. He suspected that this was what he heard earlier, the cracks and slams, but now the sounds were not muffled, he was at their source. He found himself laying down, he tried standing up, but was strapped with rope to some sort of wooden contraption, probably a bigger catapult than the one he saw before falling.

Then, instead of trying to force his way out immediately, he tried to carefully analyse his surroundings, pretending to still be unconscious. Instantly he understood that he was where he needed to be, this was the heart of darkness he's been searching for.

He was in the middle of a huge, dimly lit chamber. Around him were hundreds of catapults, trebuchets, and other ballistic devices of different makes and sizes -- some freakishly large and others so small that they could fit into his hand with room to spare. Everything seemed very neatly organized, it looked as if he was in the middle of a military compound. The contraptions seemingly all had their duties to carry out, some were transporting boxes, some were surrounding him, and others were busy launching different projectiles into a designated wall, as if training for combat. That's what he kept hearing.

There was a single platform near the ceiling of the room, overlooking everything from above. There, he saw a human silhouette, after a moment of staring he could make out more details -- a lab coat, goggles, gloves, unkept hair. It was clear this was a mad scientist, and not of the Albert Einstein sort, rather the sort that's driven mad with evil. Behind the figure there was a big, bulky machine emanating some sort of aura, this was probably the reason for the dimensional shenanigans of today.

And now, he was ready.

"You should've known mere ropes won't hold back your punishment..." [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] began, and with a single display of strength tear down the ropes that bound him, jumped into the air, and landed victoriously. "For instruments of evil can't hold back... [[span class="shadow"]]//the specter!//[[/span]]"

"Oh, you're awake." The scientist figure said with a mix of confusion and indifference.

"That I am, fiend! Your meat packing was no match for the likes of me, the trap was obvious at first glance! I allowed myself to get caught, and in your arrogance you lead me right where I needed to be!"

A few seconds of silence went by.

"Your nefarious Meat Packing Room! I've seen many sinister room before, but none as sinister as that! What are you plotting behind its doors!?"

"That's food storage." A devious smile appeared on the scientists face. "It seems you didn't need my help getting caught! There was no trap, frankly I don't even know who you are! If it wasn't for you falling out of the ceiling I wouldn't have known you were here."

The scientist made a swiping motion with their hand, the previously idle catapults began swarming around [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]].

"Since your name doesn't ring any bells, do you mind actually introducing yourself?"

"I am the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]], the keeper of good, embodiment of justice itself!" His spiel would've been much longer if he didn't have to fight off all the catapults, and also if the scientist didn't interrupt him.

"Very impressive." This response was accompanied by a clearly sarcastic clap. "I am Orphan Crusher, doctor of multiversal sciences. My old name is of no concern to you, and anyone else for that matter."

A punch to the wheel, a kick to another, all the twisted contraptions quickly began overwhelming the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]], as he nearly nodded his head in acknowledgement of the name, but then did a swift double take.

What the hell did they just say?

"I know your type well enough! Only pure evil would call itself something so depraved!"

"I did not choose this life, or this name! Society made me into a monster!"

Getting them to monologue was a chance at turning the tables of the fight. The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] knew that, and very much liked using this trick to his advantage. Evil can't resist an evil monologue when given the opportunity.

"I was supposed to help everyone! I invented a machine that could do just that! It could see into every possible alternate dimension, humanity could've had everything it wanted!" Orphan Crusher's tone became more somber for a while. "I was lonely. I found a dimension of sentient catapults, and I adopted one as my son. How was I supposed to know it would just disappear one day and throw little Bobby into a wall?!"

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] wasn't really listening to all this, he was busy thinking of a plan while jumping from one catapult to another, he tried to remember the file Doctor Dan showed him before the mission. He had to think of a way to somehow reach Orphan Crusher, the constant onslaught of attacks prevented him from just going up there himself.

Although, from what he did gather of the monologue, it was pretty stupid.

"The townsfolk were furious! But they didn't listen to me! They didn't want to listen, and it's them who gave me my new name!" Orphan Crusher kept screaming and screaming at the top of their lungs. "It wasn't my fault, it was these hellish catapults! I had to flee from the town because of them!"

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] finally got an idea. The Foundation has only had just two SCP-1213s. Here, he had an unlimited supply, so what if...

"I used my machine to go to their dimension, and I tamed them! I now have an army, and everyone will pay for what they did to me!"

"You've done that to yourself! In your pursuit of glory, you failed to realise the consequences of what you were doing!" The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] started his concluding speech, his movements way more focused than his chaotic jumping from before. "You should only blame yourself! Instead you're shifting the blame onto everything else! That's what true evil is!"

Orphan Crusher tried to think of a response, but froze when they looked down at the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] and his movements. His cape was elongated and stretched across the entire room, meticulously attached to some of the catapults attacking him.

The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] then landed in the center of the room, but his cape went flying, and with it a series of catapults, each one smaller and smaller. A catapult was loaded into a catapult, then another, then another, like a matryoshka of ballistic weaponry. Then the biggest fired the rest, kickstarting a chain reaction. Each catapult fired in succession, their projectile, a baseball sized catapult made of sticks, accelarating to incredible speeds.

And then it hit the target.

[[div]]
[[=]]
@@ @@
[[image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/the-bowe-decommission-part-one/Asterisk.png style="margin-top: 1em"]]
@@ @@
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

[[=]]
++ __ETTRA Area-09, Great Basin Desert, Central Nevada, USA__
//17th December, 2025//
[[/=]]

[[div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); margin: 1em 0"]]
[[/div]]

"It hit them right in the head, I supposed knocked them out, and they fell onto the machine. This is probably why I was spit back into reality, and everything went back to normal." The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] said, finishing his explanation.

"So what you're saying is you did a good job. Then why are you so..." 

Dan couldn't quite find the right word to use here, which is not usual occurence for him. Luckily he didn't need to think any longer, as the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] interrupted his silence. "Weirded out?"

"Maybe." Doctor Dan concurred, waiting for [[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] to say anything else after he finished his summary of the fight against the Orphan Crusher.

Post-mission debriefings weren't always awkward moments. Of course it depends on the team dynamics and success rates, but generally after a mission well done these meeting were more like cynical joking sessions at the expense of the just stopped self-proclaimed bad guy of the week, rather than anything actually productive.

Especially considering the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s usual highly dramatic demeanor, this uneasy silence of the conference room was nothing short of bizarre.

"Speak up then, what is it?"

"How am I supposed to explain to anyone that I fought a guy named Orphan Crusher?" SCP-4494's cadence was that of an annoyed young adult, not his usual over-the-top superhero manner of speaking one could mistake for intentional parody.

This response prompted Doctor Dan to raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure you even have to explain this to anyone? Besides, even if you did have to, it's not like the guy specifically sought you out. You were there because there was //evildoing in the area//." Dan's imitation of the Specter came out as more mocking than he wanted it to.

"What if they come back?"

"So what? It's not like they're going to hit you with 'we're not so different, you and I'. You said it yourself, they don't even know who you are. I also highly doubt they're ever coming back."

"How so?"

"These types are usually a one-and-done." With that said Dan opened a briefcase he brought for the meeting, revealing some items from his personal collection of vintage superhero comic books. "You can borrow some, might just cheer you up. You're not the only one dealing with weirdos."

With a swift motion and a wave of his cape, the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] rose up from his seat and swiped one of Dan's books.

"Well, I must say I needn't have worried about it this much. Of course while delivering justice you have to fight awkwardness as well, for the awkwardness of evil knows no boundaries it won't cross! I lost a battle against awkwardness today, but thanks to your kind words, I won the war!" The [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]] said, flipping throught the pages of the comic book. "I am personally a fan of the more modern takes on my dignified profession, but I must say this really is a considerate gift!"

[[span class="shadow"]]//SCP-4494//[[/span]] then jumped onto the table, and from there to the windowsill. While the window was previously closed, during his leap he managed to perfectly open it using his cape.

"Justice thanks you! We will meet again when evil comes crawling out! As for now..." He jumped out of the window. "[[size 150%]][[span class="shadow"]]//The Specter departs!//[[/span]][[/size]] "

Although the [[span class="shadow"]]//Specter//[[/span]]'s performance just now was actually somewhat impressive, there was one other thing on Doctor Dan's mind.

He's probably not getting his comic book back.

[[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box]]
> **Filename:** A-9.png/A9Asterisk.png
> **Author:** [[*user SunnyClockwork]]
> **License:** CC BY 3.0
> **Source:** [*https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/old-faces-new-foes SCP Wiki]

> **Filename:** 1213.jpg
> **Author:** ChrisO
> **License:** Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
> **Source:** [*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Replica_catapult.jpg Wikimedia Commons]

> **Filename:** Asterisk.png
> **Author:** [[*user HarryBlank]]
> **License:** CC BY 3.0
> **Source:** [*https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/old-faces-new-foes SCP Wiki]

=====
[[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box-end]]

The Specter and the Crushing Case of the Orphan Crusher

Module Styles

Inline Styles

Includes

CSS Classes

Page Source