Description
An electrical outlet within the Backrooms.
Object 41, known by everyone simply as outlets or sockets, is the single most common source of electricity within the Backrooms. Like their baseline reality counterparts, electrical outlets are receptacles fixed in walls that supply electricity to any electronic device that is plugged into them. Instances of this object appear in the Backrooms with the same varieties that can be found on planet Earth in a roughly equal distribution. Object 41 can also occasionally materialize with sockets of bizarre and unfamiliar design, incompatible with any known plugs. It is best not to tamper with outlets of this kind.
Electrical outlets can be found on almost every level of the Backrooms, even the ones you would least expect. Unsurprisingly, this object is more commonly found in enclosed spaces, either singularly or in groups of more than one. These clusters typically consist of two—occasionally three—sockets aligned in sequence, though they have also been observed arranged haphazardly in greater numbers, or forming strange patterns reminiscent of spirals and stars. Manifestations of Object 41 are, however, not restricted to indoor levels. On rare occasions, they have been encountered in outdoor environments, often concealed beneath stones, buried among the grass, or hidden behind trapdoors within artificial trees.
Properties
The primary and most evident characteristic of Object 41 is its ability to provide power to electronic devices, but this is not its only function. When connected to an instance of Object 41, cellphones, computers, and terminals may begin receiving foreign data in the form of BACKDOOR1 messages, files, or emails with no discernible origin. These transmissions can include anything from fragments of conversations between unidentified entities to survival tips or historical notes about the level in which the socket is located. However, the information is not always useful—or even comprehensible. A sample of such an extraneous transmission is shown below:
… IT BURNS AND IT BURNS AND IT NEVER STOPS BURNING YOU TOLD ME TO TRUST AND I DID I TRUSTED AND BELIEVED AND LOVED AND THIS IS WHAT I GET BUT YOU WILL RETURN AND IN THE END YOU SHALL BURN TOO OH WE WILL ALL BURN AND DANCE IN THE FLAMES IT BURNS IT BURNS IT …
Recovered from an outlet found in Level 46
While these messages may appear unnerving to some, they have been found to be of no particular significance. No further consideration should be given to them.
Research
The existence of amenities such as WiFi, running water, and electricity within the Backrooms has long fascinated wanderers and researchers alike. Over the years, many have tried to understand the inner workings of these systems, with electrical outlets being the main object of study for those trying to uncover a potential Backrooms electrical network. The initial efforts to discover this hidden grid began with the examination of the wiring behind multiple nearby outlets, which instantly made clear that said grid likely didn't exist. Not only was it discovered that the sockets were independent of each other, but it also became apparent that each one supplied electricity from highly different, abnormal sources.
There are likely to be countless varieties of power sources for outlets; listed below are some examples of those that have been encountered on more than one occasion:
- Some sockets in Level 1, Level 4 and Level 9 are powered by what can only be described as "steampunk" machinery, composed mainly of gears, metal pipes, valves and rods. All attempts to elucidate the operation of these machines have proved futile, as there seems to be no science or logic behind them.
- After a group of explorers investigated an outlet discovered in an unexplored cave section of Level 75, a sudden collapse revealed what lay behind the wall into which the object had been embedded: the outlet was connected via squishy, vein-like tubes to a mass of human organs. Among them, the team identified multiple lungs, a massive beating heart, and several other organic structures with descriptions that didn't match those of any known human or animal component.
- Trying to probe behind instances of Object 41 will, more often than not, reveal that there is simply nothing powering it. Closed loops of cables that return back to the object, wires that are found severed, or, more bafflingly, the outlet seems to be affixed to the wall with no actual wiring—coming off cleanly, as if glued on. While the revelation of these anomalies typically causes the socket to stop providing power, there have been some isolated instances where the object continues to supply electricity, rendering it a portable and seemingly infinite energy source. These samples are rare and highly prized, so they are often sold at exorbitant prices on black markets such as Level 9.2.
