Spaces_010-4A
Nickname: The Deep Tile
Danger Ranking: 4A
First Reported: 1986–06–23 — Abandoned Community Center, Redmond, WA

Summary:
The Deep Tile is an anomalous subspace accessible through drained or abandoned indoor swimming pools, typically ones constructed between 1955 and 1975. It begins as a subtle spatial distortion—usually a loose tile or discolored grout—and manifests fully when a subject descends into the empty pool basin under specific conditions (typically around dusk, when reflections are longest). Once crossed, the subject is no longer in the pool they entered.

What follows is an endless labyrinth of tiled hallways—fluorescent-lit, water-warped, and eerily silent save for the hum of submerged lighting. The architecture is semi-submerged, with waist-high water in some corridors and deep vertical shafts in others. These hallways twist and split, always at right angles, often leading back on themselves in nonsensical loops. Gravity remains consistent, but directional orientation quickly collapses.

No exit has been confirmed.

Known Properties:

• Spatial non-Euclidean geometry: interior space far exceeds external pool dimensions, often described as "infinite" or "folding in on itself."
  
• Water is tepid and still. Submerged corridors show no signs of life—biological or microbial. The water does not ripple unless disturbed.
  
• Lighting is unstable. Fixtures buzz, flicker, and sometimes glow red without power sources. Shadows stretch unnaturally in long, impossible angles.
  
• Auditory hallucinations are frequent: distant splashing, muffled shouting, children laughing. One common phrase recorded is "No running by the pool."
  
• Subjects report déjà vu and “remembering” hallways they have not yet seen.
  
• Some explorers describe glimpsing things in the water—slow-moving, just beneath the surface. None have been recovered for analysis.
  
• Floor tiles occasionally shift or disappear. Some hallways flood without warning, cutting off return paths.
  
• Compasses and electronic devices fail immediately upon entry. The only timekeeping method that seems to function is analog wristwatches, though many show different times simultaneously.
  

Containment Procedure:

• All defunct pools built between 1955–1975 within the greater Cascadia region are monitored under Protocol 010-HALL.
  
• Suspected entrances are sealed with reinforced concrete. Entry prohibited without approval from PARADIGM level-5 command.
  
• Confirmed Deep Tile entry sites are tagged with Liminal Hazard markers and monitored for spectral interference or secondary breach events.
  
• Retrieval missions suspended indefinitely after the 1989 Echo-9 Expedition.
  
• Observation drones last only minutes before signal loss. No autonomous system has successfully mapped more than 0.08% of the interior.
  

Encounters:

• 1986–06–23 — Redmond, WA: Two teenagers vanished from drained YMCA pool after claiming to "see something weird in the tiles." Video footage caught only static and sudden bloom of condensation.
  
• 1989–09–18 — Tacoma, WA: Echo-9 team entered with analog recorders, chalk thread, and sealed oxygen units. Three of four operatives vanished. Last recovered tape includes wet footsteps and laughter.
  
• 1990–12–01 — Forks, WA: A closed middle school pool spontaneously drained overnight. Maintenance worker found scribbled messages across walls: “WE SWAM TOO FAR” repeated over 300 times.
  

Recommendation:
Do not enter drained pools in abandoned buildings. If you feel yourself "remembering" tile patterns or hearing laughter near water with no source, retreat immediately. Entry is not accidental—it is invited.

List of Case Workers:

• Operator Winslow Dee (Status: Active – Architectural Anomaly Specialist)
  
• Agent Mikael Reyes (Status: Missing – Echo-9 Expedition)
  
• Dr. Halima Noor (Status: Active – Topological Mapping Analyst)
  
• Clara Vent (Status: Deceased – non-recovered, presumed drowned)
  
• Technician Ezra Yung (Status: Active – Tiling Pattern Analyst)