Info
Article by Robert Goerman
Micro-critiqued by centurys lute,
DivineAtlas, and
Derrick770
Theme created by MC_Crafter_24_7
CONCORD ENTITY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
HABITAT(S): Unknown
4B+XX
"The Men in Black have visited the Backrooms four times in recent history. The first time that the M.E.G. tried to protect an individual marked for death by the MiB, we lost ten of our best people. Humans can't hurt them. Humans can't stop them. The second time, we lost forty-nine. We no longer interfere.
"This is not different than swallowing a poison with no antidote or suffering a terminal illness. Nothing can save Anne Dunne now. If we assigned a hundred men to her, she would still end up dead, and we would lose one hundred men."
- - Unnamed M.E.G. official briefing Amy Cochrane
Habitat(s):
Men in Black operate in both the Frontrooms and Backrooms, but are not native to either realm.
Cropped and brightened
image of the MiB taken
on Level 365.
M.E.G. Archives
Description (Frontrooms):
Whenever they are encountered in the Frontrooms, Men in Black are never imagined to be anything other than human beings. They are mysterious men, often dressed in black, who silence witnesses to so-called Unidentified Flying Objects and terrorize researchers of UFOs and esoteric subjects. Any genuine strangeness is remembered only after they depart.
No one has ever reported meeting a group larger than three, with pairs being common and single individuals encountered the most often.
Some witnesses describe them as cadaverous and devoid of body hair. Others see them as swarthy. There is always something slightly "off" about their appearance and mannerisms.
Another curious trait is that the clothes that the MiB are wearing look as if they had purchased them in a clothing store ten minutes beforehand, and even the bottom of their shoes seem unwalked-on in appearance, no matter the weather. Everything is always brand new.
The Men in Black received official United States Air Force recognition in a confidential memo sent to all commands that began: "Information, not verifiable, has reached Hq USAF that persons claiming to represent the Air Force or other Defense establishments have contacted civilians who have sighted unidentified flying objects." The letter recounted how one imposter demanded and received photos belonging to a private citizen and another bogus officer, in full Air Force uniform, assembled local police and other citizens to warn them not to speak about their recent UFO sightings.1
MiB Quote
"What happens when you shoot an angel?"
Behaviors (Frontrooms):
Behaviors are where things get really interesting, really fast.
The MiB often intimidates a witness before that person has a chance to tell anyone else about seeing a UFO. In a surprising turn of events, they describe the UFO sighting to the witness in astonishing detail and know when the witness is lying or hiding something. They are aware of any video, photos, or tangible proof that might "upset the balance of the multiverse."
They warn the witness to keep silent and confiscate any physical evidence. Victims speak of being unable to think or react rationally until after the enigmatic visitors depart. To some, this "deer in the headlights" confusion suggests altered states of consciousness or subliminal hypnotic techniques.
Men in Black appear and disappear at will. Their black automobiles often vanish down dead-end roads. These Cadillacs and Jaguars, reported in the United States and Europe, respectively, are usually vintage models that belong in a showroom.
Earth and Psi:
Psychics from Earth trapped here (how did they not predict that coming?) find their occult abilities growing sharper and stronger day by day. According to Alayna, an evolved Faceling from the distant future now stationed at the Harbinger Heights region of Level 246, this is because the Earth is under the influence of metaphysical suppression due to the concentration of humans found there. This inherent filter permeates every being in the Frontrooms, native or visitor, and greatly reduces many supernatural abilities.
The suppressive anti-psychic field does not exist in the Backrooms because humans do not belong here. The Backrooms environment permits Men in Black to be genuinely terrifying.
Description (Backrooms):
We identify life on Earth by its appearance. Men in Black are shapeshifters who can change their appearance more easily than we change our clothes, with access to an infinite closet. MiB can become an entity, your best friend, or even you.
Men in Black are able to become invisible or pass through objects like ghosts. Unlike a poltergeist, MiB cannot move or affect solid matter while in this ghostly state. They do not possess telekinetic powers.
MiB Quote
"You exterminate your own kind with primitive weapons that split atoms. What would human beings do with access to real power?"
Behaviors (Backrooms):
Men in Black act and react differently in the Backrooms than they do in the Frontrooms. There are no restrictions on their actions or abilities here.
[Addendum]
Estimate of the Situation
Having chosen this existence to live in the Backrooms has opened a number of doors for me. Beings with access to temporal travel and predestined knowledge have filled in a number of blanks in my research. This is what I have learned:
Human beings on Earth are under strict quarantine.
The Men in Black enforce said quarantine.
Certain arcane truths, like the existence of other worlds and beings,2 temporal manipulation, quantum consciousness, and free energy, are off-limits to humanity on Earth. If mankind learns these secrets, it can apparently "upset the balance of the multiverse." Punishments can include stern warnings, threats of violence, misfortune, or, ultimately, an exile to the Backrooms. That final judgment is basically a death sentence. When the "execution" fails, the MiB arrive to "tie up loose ends."
Extrapolating this, the Major Explorer Group needs to recognize that anyone finding a way to the Frontrooms is in mortal danger from the MiB.
Anne Dunne3
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
The "deer in the headlights" trauma that victims suffer during MiB presence is nothing compared to what Entity 190 can do to the human mind in the Backrooms. We call it "enchantment." Imagine that the human mind is a massive room of standing dominoes. These dominoes control not only emotions but also bodily functions. Enchantment is a chain reaction of toppling dominoes until death results.
The latest official fatality from exposure to enchantment occurred to M.E.G. Security Technician Alberto Sanchez of Team "Harbinger." (Wanderers are directed to The Visitor section of the article describing Level 710 for more information.) Sanchez was pronounced Dead On Arrival by medical personnel at Base Alpha.
Biology:
[Confidential]
The Man in Black was chasing us across Level 19 when, in an attempt to avenge the death of my friend, Alberto Sanchez, I let the entity have it with two blasts of firesalt. The MiB did everything a creature aflame should do. The flesh blistered and blackened. It screamed and staggered. Then it laughed. The Man in Black promised to cuddle us in a hellish embrace and drew closer, wrapped in flames.
We ran for our lives until we fell to our knees in exhaustion. The MiB caught up with us, not even breathing hard. In fact, it wasn't even breathing. There was no hint of a skull or skeleton; there were no holes for the eyes, nose, or mouth. The creature was little more than crawling dots and flickering filaments. It was unnerving to watch it reconstitute flesh, face, and clothes from nothing.
It stood up, tipped its fedora, and said, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."
That was the last thing that I remembered until Anne snapped me out of the enchantment.
Amy Cochrane
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Artist conception of
the natural state of a
Man in Black or MiB.
M.E.G. Archives
[Confidential]
The anecdotal observations of Anne Dunne and Amy Cochrane on Level 19 allow me to formulate a theory about the "biology" of our Man in Black. It is the Backrooms psychic equivalent of a Portuguese man-of-war and is not a single creature. Entity 190 is a siphonophore, a colonial organism made up of thousands of filaments and fragments of consciousness, or psychical zooids, working together.
Dr. John Rhinehart, PhD
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Rough draft of
the original letter
that set the "MiB
policy" into motion.
M.E.G. Archives
M.E.G. Position Statement
Marvin Matthews enters the room and distributes a red binder to each of his fellow M.E.G. officials. The cover reads Protocol of Non-Intervention and Non-Interference Regarding MiB Activity by Marvin Matthews.
Marvin Matthews
wrote the M.E.G.
manual for dealing
with Men in Black.
M.E.G. Archives
[Official Statement]
Ladies and gentlemen of the Major Explorer Group:
This is your revised edition of our knowledge and suspicions about the MiB.
"Men in Black" are three words.
You only need to remember three more words.
"DO NOT ENGAGE!"
We have conducted exhaustive interviews with Anne Dunne and Amy Cochrane of the M.E.G. Team "Epiphany" concerning their roles in the “Great Catastrophe of Level 710.” Even though Anne Dunne survived and the Man in Black apparently did not, her role in the entity's demise was secondary. We do appreciate that it was her knowledge of Frontrooms folklore that revealed the secret of "cold iron."4
This latest conflict with Entity 190 may not be our last. Any skirmish with these beings risks the lives of everyone around you. M.E.G. personnel are always ordered to stand down.
These final words may be difficult for some of you to hear. The entities have little regard for human life because human beings, apparently, are not highly regarded across the multiverse. We are like cockroaches trying to protect our fellow roaches from an exterminator. Right or wrong, these Men in Black believe they are serving a greater good. They are relentless.
Station Chief Marvin Matthews
M.E.G. Team "Harbinger"
Level 710
Update:
Men in Black are identified as Aeloks according to the One on the Divine Path.
Aeloks are true "shapeshifters," capable of replicating human beings and humanoids. (This is why wanderers are scanned before the dimensional detention Level 234 portals can be opened.) These higher dimensional inmates will attempt to befriend wanderers to the detriment of the humans. Aeloks are not biological entities as we understand them. They feed differently.
Do's and Don'ts:
Do:
- Avoid eye contact.
- Retreat until you are safe.
Don't:
- Stare at the entity.
- Threaten or attempt violence.
