Clockwork

[erinflight]

It doesn't arrive in the basement. Instead the basement becomes it.
One minute, there is only dark spaces, old boxes, cobwebs.
The next there is the machine.

The human eye, the human brain could describe it, but it could never contain it.

There are gears, thousands, millions? of them. There wires shaped from copper, tin, gold, and other metals which can not so easily be named. Each component, individually, can be understood. But together? No.

At the front of the machine are two booths, input and output.
There is a copper panel, a knob, a key. Written around the knob are the words Rough, Coarse, 1:1, Fine, and Very Fine.

From the knob hangs a sign. It is hand written, the words are barely legible. It reads:
SCP-914. Disappearing, going. Where? Don't know!
Careful, careful, irreversible. Safe? No!
Euclid? Possibly. Keter?
IRREVERSIBLE

Comments

[erinflight]

The setting 1:1 returns a puddle of vodka at 0 degrees Celsius.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry collects that too, he places the collected the vodka cup near the water cup.

Henry looks at Gabe.

Henry looks at the vodka cup.

The vodka cup is moved to where it can't be reached easily.

[erinflight]

The fine setting returns an instant cold pack.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Of course it does.

It gets a label like the others. Henry is still sorting the results from Gabe's experiments, since somethings are hard to describe.

[erinflight]

At very fine the machine returns an ice cube.
At first glance it appears to be normal, but after several seconds, it remains completely dry.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

It takes a moment for Henry to notice this, the ice cube is placed in a cup and labeled, and only then the dryness is noticed.

...

So...

No visible results.

Puddle of water.

Puddle of vodka.

Instant cold pack.

Nonmelting ice cube.

...

At least there is a pattern: Four liquids; three cold things; two water-related objects.

Well, frozen water was chosen because it is simple. How about something more complex?

Henry inputs a small pencil at 1:1

[erinflight]

The machine returns a cheap mechanical pencil.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

...It is capable of understanding function? Seems like it, given previous results.

Henry folds two cups out of paper sheet. The two cups are input at 1:1.

[erinflight]

The machine returns two red, origami roses.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry stares at the result... at least it should mean the same output will change objects in the same way.

One origami rose is input at Fine.

[erinflight]

The machine returns an intricate origami forest.
The trees are folded from hundreds of colors of tissue paper.
Each tree is perfectly formed, down to each individual twig and leaf.
The leaves rustle in a nonexistent wind.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry and Gabe stare at it in wonder. The Origami Forest is carefully placed on a table so it isn't damaged.

Noticing a pattern, Henry draws a stick-figure in a sheet of paper and inputs it at Fine.

[erinflight]

The machine returns an extremely detailed pencil sketch of Henry.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry smiles at the sketch.

[unadalturedstrength]

"Aha! You like this thing! This means is my turn!"

Under Henry's protestations Gabe inputs a paper plane at Very Fine.