Human Processing Center

Human Processing Center is a monolithic building, spanning hundreds of square kilometers in the Arctic. None know when and how the Center was built, or even if it was built by human hands. What is known is that humans are sent into the Center by the thousands, through gigantic metal doors. Of the many humans who enter, none have ever been seen again.

It is also not known what happens to those who enter the Center. Though some have speculated that they join a utopian society in its depths, the prevailing theories are far more sinister, ranging from mass slavery to human sacrifice on an unheard-of scale. Equally mysterious is the facility's power supply, or the source of its raw materials. The Center appears to be tended to by swarms of tentacled robots of various sizes, fulfilling a variety of functions. The smallest robots, resembling animatronic spiders, ceaselessly crawl along the cold metal exterior of the Center, scouring the slightest imperfections in its uniform surface. Larger robots tend to the long lines of human beings continually directed into the Center's maw. The largest of the robots are able to fly, and appear to be some sort of collector; every few minutes, one of them enters or leaves the Center. These Collectors carry translucent pods seemingly made from ethereal plastic. Among robots entering the Center, the pods are filled to the brim with naked men, women, and children, seemingly in a catatonic state.

When the robots touch down on pads at the Center's outskirts, the humans wake up, seemingly with little to no memory of their previous lives. Many are still dazed, and spontaneously join the lines traveling the short distance into the Center. Others attempt to flee, but are quickly and forcefully corraled by other spider bots, and are sometimes even shocked into submission by appendages reminiscent of cattle prods. The most resilient humans are pinned down by large robots, while miniature droids the size of a man's head appear to bore into the back of their skulls. These individuals then join the queue without complaint. None know who or what is in control of the Center, however governments have, on occasion, reported contacts from an entity calling itself "Mainframe Alpha". Though Mainframe Alpha is suspected to be an artificial intelligence managing the Center's operations, its purpose and objectives remain a mystery. Several expeditions have been attempted to the Center. None have ever been heard from since. Aircraft disappear permanently from radar within thirty kilometers of the Center, and satellites have thus far only been able to capture heavily blurred and indistinct images of the Center with little intelligence value. The Center has refused to acknowledge any radio transmissions attempting to communicate with it.