Level 327 : "Joint Operation"

Level 327 takes the form of a contemporary home's second floor, containing multiple unending narrow hallways with rooms adjacent on each side. Additionally, stairways can also be found that may lead to different sections of the level with bright windows and wider hallways.

The design of the interior remains identical, maintaining consistency throughout the continuation of the level. The walls of both the rooms and hallways are made of cement and painted a shade of faded white that extends to the ceiling. In the hallways, the faded walls have a singular line of quartz running through them horizontally as part of their design. The floor is lined with standard-sized white ceramic tiles that reflect the natural light that penetrates through the walls.

The walls are made of solid concrete, but light from the exterior is able to permeate through them, giving them a distinct glow.

The ceiling has light fixtures, but it is undetermined whether they are functional, as there are no light switches to be found. It is also possible to encounter several security cameras attached to the ceiling in some of the hallways; majority of those encountered by wanderers appear to be deactivated.

Majority of the information from the brief synopsis above was provided by a group of wanderers who managed to have escaped the level. Due to the scarce information the database had on this level, the organization acted accordingly and decided to establish its existence. According to the group of wanderer's testimony, several of their companions had gone missing within the level.

After some deliberation, a compass point operative was assigned to lead a team of selected M.E.G. personnel to properly document and confirm the level’s existence. Encrypted here are the data entries of the team assigned to locate and secure the said level.

Date: 05/16/2019 ㅤLocation: M.E.G outpost “Frozen City”
Time: 05:30 AMㅤㅤㅤㅤ Level: Level 159
John Willson, Senior Service Operative, First Response
Preoperational Data Entry 01

J.Willson: Date. May 16 2019. Time. 7:00 AM. Location. Level 159. First Response, Senior Service Operative. John Willson reporting in. And present here with me is my junior associate…

S.Seltzer: First Response Junior Service Operative Stephen Seltzer. Alive and well, reporting in.

J.Willson: And today is the beginning of the M.E.G joint-operation to locate our assigned undocumented level within the Backrooms. We were just briefed about the details, most of which is based on the file description, so you can access that later on. So now we're going to proceed to the operation launch site and meet up with the dispatch unit waiting for us there.

It's autolocked to my profile now. That's just wonderful. Now I'm going to have to get it fixed by one of the technicians. But since we'll be leaving in a while there's no time. Jesus its fucking cold…

S.Seltzer: You should have worn an extra coat sir. Maybe we can ask for one from the other team members. And isn’t swearing prohibited in official data entries?

Unknown voice : Don’t worry yourself junior. Where we’re going, won’t need winter clothes. And once John’s had his favorite coffee he’ll be himself again. Trust me, its like giving candy to a baby.

J.Willson: Well, if it isn’t the fearless leader of this expedition. How you been Marc?

[Willson hands the camera to Seltzer as Willson crosses his arms afterwards, the unknown voice in the distance draws nearer.]

[The figure, now more visible was now face to face with the other two. A tall Caucasian male, with dark brown hair somewhere in his mid-30’s, dressed in grey winter clothes. He then rests his hand on Willson’s shoulder.]

M.Pomerantz: Been good John. Well, can’t say the same for you. You’re half frozen like a mummy in the ice.

J.Willson: That’s because you're the one calling the shots. Great leadership, really.

[Willson remarked sarcastically and gently pushes Marc’s hand of his shoulder]

S.Seltzer: Good evening, sir.

M.Pomerantz: Evening junior. How does it feel to be on your first special operation?

S.Seltzer: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited sir. At the same time, I’m extremely anxious.

M.Pomerantz: That’s good to hear. Don’t worry. Just stick with John and you’ll be fine. He’s been through worse.

S.Seltzer: You two know each other ?

J.Willson: Classified information.

M.Pomerantz: Let’s just say we’ve been through some hard times together.

S.Seltzer: You didn’t say anything during the briefing.

J.Willson: There was nothing to say. Our current objective is our top priority. We can reminisce the past once this operation is over. Now if you’ll excuse us , I don’t want to keep the dispatch unit waiting any longer. See you at the launch site, head operative Marc.

M.Pomerantz: Likewise, John. I’m going to take a little piss break. You tell the others I’ll be there in 5. See you at the launch site junior.

S.Seltzer: sir.

[Pomerantz leaves the two, and enters the men’s restroom.]

S.Seltzer: So, what’s your favorite kind of coffee sir? Surely that’s not classified information?

J.Willson: Turn that thing off.

K.Tanner: Hey Mike, can you shine the light over here?

S.Seltzer: After we left outpost “Frozen City” we took a bit of a detour directly into Level 36, when we were supposed to end up directly at the level we were supposed to go to. So much for the head operative’s plan.

This infuriated my senior, as he got irritated by our head operative for stubbornly insisting we pass through Level 36.It turns out senior operative John hates airports for some reason. He gave me the audio recorder and told me to summarize where we went until we made it to our destination, and then he stormed off in front of the group. After walking around for 6 hours, we found an exit, but quickly found ourselves in a completely different level. So, we just kept passing through levels until we could find one that meets the right conditions of this supposed "entry point".

D.Kim: Nothing here either. Just dust *cough* *cough* this shit's below my paygrade.

M.Dhars: Kim, we don’t even get paid to do this.

M.Pomerantz: Flip them over if you have to! Remember, we’re looking for a faint streak of light. It's usually accompanied by a gust of wind. Doors don’t work that much, so let’s make sure to completely search the place!

S.Seltzer: Eventually we ended up in Level 162. And after finding a signal, we were able to contact the local M.E.G base. When we arrived at their HQ, we asked around if there were any bedrooms in this level. And they told us that there was a subsection where we could find them. We rested up for a bit, and resumed the operation at 2:00 AM.

M.Pomerantz: Junior! Did you find anything?

S.Seltzer: Negative sir.

[A sudden thud is heard. The sound of stumbling footsteps echoes through the rooms.]

M.Pomerantz: what was that?

N.Gomez: My bad! It's just really dark. Sorry.

S. Seltzer: Anyway, according to the head operative, the entry point to this level is by finding a weak source of light coming from underneath a bed. To make it easier, we turned off all the lights. So that leads us to what were doing right now. We’ve been searching for exactly 3 hours and 23 minutes, still no luck.

[Willson and two other operatives appear in the doorway of the room]

J.Willson: This is Willson I copy, over. Well good for you then. Us? No, we’re still searching. Sure, we’ll do that. Understood. Thank you, over and out.

M.Pomerantz: Intel from the cavaliers?

J Willson: More like intel regarding their breakfast later. Turns out a Wrangler group found a shit load of bacon on their supply run yesterday. And they shared some of the extra spoils with M.E.G.

D.Kim: Great, now we know everyone’s having breakfast without us.

M.Dhars: We missing breakfast boss?

K.Tanner: Sure sounds like it. I’m starving though. Would absolutely kill, for some scrambled eggs.

J.Willson: They invited us to join, but I told them we were still searching. Unless of course, we all convince the head operative to call it off for the morning.

M.Pomerantz: Fine then. Gather everyone here John, since this was your brilliant idea.

J.Willson: With pleasure.

[ Willson exits the room for a few minutes and returns to the room accompanied by the other operatives searching the other rooms. Everyone was now in the presence of their head operative. People start talking to each other, it becomes loud very quickly]

D.Kim: Everyone shut the hell up please.

[The noise dies down, the room becomes silent]

M.Pomerantz: Thank you, Kim. Now, I am aware most of you are tired right now and word is that the Cavaliers have received a fresh supply of food from the neighboring groups. Senior Operative Willson here proposes we call it off for the morning, hit the hay, and then join the cavaliers for breakfast later. All in favor?

[Everyone starts speaking again, others started raising hands]

J.Willson: Well, that settles it then.

N.Gomez: Guys, where’s Alex?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ _[Everyone is silent]_ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

F.Payne: I swear he was right behind me when we came in.

D.Kim: Are you serious right now? it's like you're not even part of the same unit.

F.Payne: Piss off Kim. Mind your own fucking business.

M.Pomerantz: Woah, calm down lads. Last thing we want on our hands is another problem, and I would rather not have any internal conflicts in this operation. Payne, when was the last time you saw him?

F.Payne: He was right behind me. He kept going on about how he could hear something cooking. I shrugged it off, because I didn't hear a fucking thing.

K.Tanner: Relax Payne. He probably wandered off looking for the restroom again. Besides, isn't this level devoid of harmful entities? Worst thing he could run into is HR. Am I right?

[The ambience of the room was already uneasy, and yet somehow, it was clearly visible that Tanner had made it worse]

F.Payne: I could pummel your funny ass into the ground right now Tanner.

[Suddenly a brief gust of wind is felt within the room, coming from the hallway outside. A voice is heard calling out to them.]

A.Lee: Guys, I'm alright!

N.Gomez: Alex? where are you?

M.Pomerantz: Lee? where are you lad?

A.Lee: Chief…. I think I found it!

J.Willson: What?

K.Tanner: Shit.

M.Dhars: Now you owe me one boss.

M.Pomerantz: It appears breakfast's off the table boys. Let's go!

[Everyone exits the room, and starts going after the sound of the operative's voice.]

J.Willson: Seltzer! Pick up the pace!

S.Seltzer: It appears one of us found the entry point. I’ll update as soon as I can.

J.Willson: Operation data entry 02. John Willson, Senior Service Operative, First Response. The time is 06:30. Location Unknown. Level Undetermined. The team has successfully arrived at the target level. An operative found the entry point by following the scent of cooked food . All of us crawled through the space one at a time, splitting the team into different sections of the level.

[Radio static can be heard]

M.Pomerantz: Willson? Do you copy?

J.Willson: This is Willson, I copy. I’m alright.

M.Pomerantz: Thank God you’re alright! You’re the only one I haven’t heard from yet.

J.Willson: You’ve reached out to the others?
Pomerantz: We’ve been split into 4 different groups, excluding you. Are you with anyone?

J.Willson: Yeah, I’m with Kim, Dhars and Seltzer. Despite the circumstances, it appears we’ve made it, head operative. Everything seems accurate to the briefing. Empty white room, no windows, no furniture, save for an oak bed.

M.Pomerantz: Same story on my end. I’m with Payne and five others. We’re moving through a hallway right now as we speak.

J.Willson: I assume our main objective is to regroup?

M.Pomerantz: You know what to do. We’ll be doing the same on our end, so be sure to keep in touch.

J.Willson: Understood, over and out.

J.Willson: Alright, pack your things. We’re heading out. Keep your eyes peeled. Just because no entities were encountered here, doesn’t mean we’re safe. Time to do your thing Dhars.

M.Dhars: I’m on it.

J.Willson: Here Seltzer, take this back.

J.Willson: I’m going to need you to hold on to that. Stay frosty. I'll calibrate our comms with the others groups.

S.Seltzer: Yes sir.

M.Dhars: Hey man, maybe you should be careful with where you put that thing. It looks like its going to fall out of your front pocket.

S.Seltzer: Oh… thanks.

M.Dhars: What do you want Seltzer?

S.Seltzer: I just want to know your assessment of this level, you know, as a pathfinder.

M.Dhars: You know I'm not the head pathfinder of this mission. And boss is usually the talker among the two of us.

S.Seltzer: I thought Hemmings was the head pathfinder, not Tanner.

M.Dhars: Oh no, I just call Tanner boss to get him to shut up.

Its…. complicated.

S.Seltzer: I see….

S.Seltzer: I still want to hear what you have to say though.

M.Dhars: Okay fine. Calm down jeez.

M.Dhars: Well, I probably don't have high enough clearance for my account to be official, but the level itself seems repetitive in nature, euclidean, and it seems pretty secure for now since we still haven’t encountered any entities.

One thing is consistent about the rooms in this level; a bed. All of the rooms we’ve encountered so far contain one standard twin-size oak wooden bedframe, with a foam mattress covered in a plain white bedding resting on top of it. These beds can be found in any area within the room, with the opposite end of the bedframe facing a wall. Excluding beds, it is uncommon to find other kinds of household furniture and other objects in these rooms, although it is possible.

According to briefing, some rooms could contain certain objects of scarce quantities. These objects consist of small white wardrobes that were empty upon inspection, armless leather desk chairs with wheels, pillow feathers, and ceramic coffee mugs. So far, we’ve only been able to encounter an absurd abundance of coffee mugs. We also took a few of them with us incase the research team needs them.

Also, there appears to be no day or night cycle in this level; it's currently 8pm on my watch, but it's still bright as day. That’s all we’ve been able to come up with so far. A few days ago, a team radioed Pomerantz, saying that they found a room with windows.

S.Seltzer: I was with Kim scavenging mugs when you got that transmission. What does this place look like from the outside?

M.Dhars: They said it looked like they were on the second floor of a normal house. The area surrounding us resembled a normal neighborhood, only empty. There was a garage at the bottom, but obviously it was fake, because when they dropped an object through the window, it noclipped out of the air before it could hit the ground.

S.Seltzer: Possible exit?

M.Dhars: Maybe.

S.Seltzer: Hello again, Seltzer here. We followed some stairs into a different section of the level, where the anomalous characteristics of this place continue to manifest themselves on us.

D.Kim: The smell’s getting stronger. We’re getting close.

M.Dhars: I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should turn back.

J.Willson: Everyone shut up and lower your voices.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ [ Everyone is silent]

J.Willson: Can you hear that??

ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ

S.Seltzer: Sounds like…. something sizzling?

ㅤ ㅤㅤ [A strong gust of wind can be heard through the empty hall]

S.Seltzer: *cough* *cough*

J.Willson: Seltzer, Are you alright?

D.Kim: The smell just got even stronger. It's burning my nostrils..

[Willson’s radio turns on by itself and starts churning static]

J.Willson: What the hell?

M.Dhars: Okay guys, I really think we should be careful about this.

D.Kim: But what if its main group? Shit my nose…

M.Dhars: We haven’t seen anyone in days Kim! This is obviously a fucking trap!

S.Seltzer: Sir? What do we do?

J.Willson: Okay, here’s the plan. Everyone shut up and stick close to the wall. Cover up that nosebleed Kim and follow my lead.

M.Dhars: Oh God, I can’t believe we’re doing this…

[Silent footsteps can be heard]

[The sound of a sizzling pan increases]

D.Kim: There’s an opening up ahead. No door.

S.Seltzer: Alright take a peek and be careful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ_[Silence]_

J.Willson: Guys… it's Tanner.

M.Dhars: Boss is here?

S.Seltzer: What about the rest of the team?

D.Kim: It's just him.

M.Dhars: What’s he doing Kim?

D.Kim: He’s cooking something…. but its hard to see because we're facing his back.

J.Willson: I’ll handle this.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ_[Slow audible footsteps can be heard]_

J.Willson: Tanner? What are you doing here alone? Where’s the main group?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ_[ Silence]_

J:Willson: Tanner? You alright lad?

[Breaking the silence, the sound of of the sizzling pan becomes louder and louder.]

K.Tanner: Oh? didn’t see you there. I was just cooking some of the provisions they gave us.

S.Seltzer: What the fuck is that smell?

D.Kim: Guys… the bleeding's stopped, but I can't smell anything.

M.Dhars: Boss? What the hell is going on? Where is everybody?

K.Tanner: You guys are just in time for breakfast.

J.Willson: What the hell?

Hello? Hello?

There's still some juice left… Let's do this.

This is Seltzer, First Response, Junior Service man reporting in. We……

I, uh…. the time…I think it's 8 am? I can't tell anymore, it always feels like 8 am here….

It's been approximately 13 days since I got separated from my group. And it's been officially a week since I ran out of food.

Anyway, I'm still alive. Running on my last flask of almond water. Well it's Tanner's almond water if you really think about it.

Something serious must have happened to jeopardize his mental state. I mean, he didn't even care that he was tied up. He didn't even say a word no matter how much Dhars tried to reason with him. And since we were starving, we all split his share amongst ourselves. Including him of course, but we still tied him up because we never figured out where he got that second finger.

For a while things were quiet. We never received any more transmissions from the main group since we found Tanner, no matter how much sir desperately tried calling out to them.

Thanks to Tanner's supplies, we were able to restock on blue tape. And so we continued to explore the level, running our trail of adhesives all over the floors of the hallways. Dhars was drawing up a map, but he eventually ran out of paper.

We didn't let the fear of starvation control us like Tanner did. We continued exploring the level, rationing the best we could, so that we last a little longer.

We tried to find exits to the level, but knowing that our entry point into this place wasn't in a fixed position, it was likely that the exits are the same.

One night we camped out in a room with a window. I kept watch as I watched over my fellow operatives as they fell asleep. Dhars was huddled up in the corner of the room, using his map as a blanket. Next to him Kim slept with with his back to the wall, still clutching his knife with a forceful grip. Sir Willson was laying on the floor beside him, he always looked more at peace asleep than awake.

Tanner was on the opposite side of the room. Still tied up, shifting sides every now and then. Probably distraught from what he'd seen.

That night, I stood infront of the window, to see the vast neighborhood of houses and streets. It could almost pass for a normal neighborhood in the real world. Minus the lack of people and deafening silence, of course. That alone reminded me that it this was all an illusion. An empty reflection of what it was supposed to be. A mistake.

And then suddenly Tanner got up. He was panicking. Screaming gibberish as he started banging his head on the wall. This was the first time he had spoken since we found him, and now it was as if he was speaking a language we couldn't understand.

Everyone woke up, and long story short, he charged at me head on, pushing me out the window. I…. probably could have avoided him, but I was honestly too tired to move. Fatigue had set in on my body more than my mind, rendering all my actions sluggish.

Both of us went flying out the window that day. He fell through as soon as I was halfway to the ground. I could hear the depth of the sound from the shattering window pane echoing through the room where I once stood.

Then I blacked out.

Next thing I know, I'm in a different room, surrounded by shards of glass and broken pieces of ceramic mugs. My eyes searched around the room for Tanner, but he was nowhere to be found. It appears that the damage from the impact of the fall was mitigated greatly, as it had left me with a few cuts on my right arm and a sprained ankle, instead of a bone fracture.

I limped out of the room, only to find myself in a completely uncharted area of the level. No trail of tape, no way back. Tanner's satchel was with me when I fell, so at least I still had some source of nourishment.

And that leads me here. I'm still not dead. Although it's going to look that way real soon if I give up. I'm faced with two options. Try to make it back to the others …or find a way to leave this level.

If you listen to this recording, know that I'm not dead, and I don't plan to be.

There is no presence of entities on Level 327, but it remained unsafe due to the lack of consumable resources required for sustaining basic physiological needs, which are essential for survivability. Food, water and Almond Water are absent in this level, which results in a majority of unconfirmed casualties of wanderers in this level being due to starvation or terminal dehydration.

The exact estimate of people that have died in this level is unconfirmed as no bodies have been discovered. Several personal effects of individuals were found within the rooms, some of them covered in blood.

There are some anomalies that exist within this level, most notably its deafening silent ambience. The time of day does not change. The level does not have a day/night cycle and is stuck at approximately somewhere between 06:30 to 08:00 AM. Despite the thickness of the cement walls light is able to penetrate through them providing every room and hallway this early morning brightness. Occasionally, a light breeze of air may be felt passing through the same thick cement walls where ventilation is impossible. The breeze only occurs in the hallways, so it is unlikely to come from the windows from some of the rooms. The level is lacking of other integral aspects, such as sound. It is mostly eerily quiet, with the only sounds being made from the footsteps of other wanderers, and the occasional gust of the sea breeze. The exact cause for this is unknown.

Additionally, light filters in through some of the windows that can be found in some of the rooms. The exterior of these windows are visible; it could be described as being positioned on the second floor of a house in a normal neighborhood that cannot be interacted with, as the ground at the bottom is unstable.

According to the recovered data logs, two operatives fell out the window. It was later discovered that doing so will send any object or living entity back into a random room on Level 327. In this instance, the operative noclipped midair, entering a room through the ceiling, causing him to experience the force of gravity, leaving the operative to have sustained mild injuries. It is advised to be careful around rooms with these windows.

M.E.G Outpost: "Breakfast Club"

• This outpost consist of 20 M.E.G. personnel currently stationed, all of them from different divisions. The expedition into Level 327 was classified as a joint-special operation. This is done after Compass Point Operatives discover levels that are safe and habitable, or have potential to become so.

• The operatives registered their outpost as "breakfast club" because every meal taken in this level is consumed in the presence of perpetual rays of light.

• The outpost is located in the 25th sector of level, which can be accessed by following the trails of green tape, which indicate safe routes to get there.

• A supply depot that connects other outposts.

• Friendly to wanderers and other allied groups.

• Frequently visited by M.E.G. operatives passing through.

• Trades exclusively with M.E.G. operatives and non-affiliated wanderers.

The entrances are difficult to find, but they may be found by crawling under beds that have light radiating from underneath them. Level 162 is the most common route, although it is frequently used by M.E.G. personnel. Although prior to the joint-special operation, there have also been some reports of the entrances showing up in level 64.

Leaving level 327 has proven to be difficult, as the exit points tend to shift every few hours. Although it is still possible to encounter a shifting exit point, one would need to leave the same way they entered the level, which is by crawling underneath a bed.

The only fixed exit point has been discovered and is currently controlled by the M.E.G., its location is far from the outpost, thus escort runs led by the breakfast club are a common occurrence.

Written by Ampingno174

Special thanks to the following:

WEPeter
ThetoastedTepich275
RoseMonsignor
hanabi matsuri
jan Jejasa
Dr Avenlee
Anime_Roar

And to Sky3, for the greenlight.

All Images seen here belong to me, Ampingno174.
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