Est. 1980 · San Jose, California
The Async Research Institute develops applied solutions to global overpopulation and resource scarcity. KV31 is our most significant active programme.
About
Founded in 1980 and headquartered in San Jose, California, the Async Research Institute is an applied science organisation operating under partial government funding. Our core mandate is the development of practical solutions to global resource scarcity, residential overcrowding, and long-term storage infrastructure.
In April 1988, Vice Director Ivan Beck initiated Project KV31 — an experimental programme to access and evaluate a parallel dimensional space, first identified through research conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory six years prior. KV31 has since become the Institute's primary operational focus.
The Async Research Institute does not publish programme details externally. Personnel working within KV31 divisions operate under standing non-disclosure agreements and are subject to facility security protocols at all times.
Research Areas
The core of Async's applied research. Study of low-proximity magnetic distortion as a means of accessing null-space geometries — most significantly, the parallel structure known internally as The Complex. Overseen directly by Vice Director Ivan Beck.
Classified · ActiveNull Zones are naturally occurring boundary points between conventional space and The Complex. Found throughout the real world — and throughout The Complex itself — they are the mechanism by which people and objects fall into The Backrooms without warning. This division maps, monitors, and attempts to model their distribution.
ActiveSystematic cartography of The Complex's known areas. The first area alone spans an estimated 600 million square miles of interconnected rooms, corridors, and anomalous spaces. Subsequent areas — including outdoor suburban environments, tiled pool structures, and pitch-black third-area passages — are under ongoing survey.
Active · Area 1–10 LoggedAnalysis of lifeforms encountered within The Complex. Current subjects include the Bacteria (Lifeform Fellow) — a colonial organism built around a mutated hay bacillus strain — and the Still Life, a humanoid entity of unknown origin found in deeper areas. Both are considered active threats to personnel.
High Risk · OngoingConfirmed cases of forward temporal displacement have been recorded near Null Zones within The Complex. Researcher Peter Tench was displaced approximately two months forward in time on March 1, 1990. The mechanism is not understood. Reversal has not been achieved. The division is presently theoretical.
Active · Tench Case OpenThe long-horizon objective of Project KV31: repurposing The Complex as overflow residential and storage space for a world approaching population limits. Walkway infrastructure is under construction in surveyed areas. The programme is supported by Department of Energy funding secured in May 1990. Entity risk assessments are ongoing.
Development PhaseThe Threshold
KV31 · Internal Use Only · LPMDS ProgrammeThe Low-Proximity Magnetic Distortion System (LPMDS) — referred to internally as the Threshold — is Async's primary active apparatus for accessing a parallel dimensional structure known within the Institute as The Complex, or colloquially as The Backrooms. Development was initiated in April 1988 by Vice Director Ivan Beck, building on classified spatial geometry research transferred from Oak Ridge National Laboratory six years prior. The stated purpose of the programme is to evaluate The Complex as a solution to global overpopulation and long-term storage infrastructure needs.
On October 17, 1989, the sixth test achieved First Contact. A stable portal was held open. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Loma Prieta region the same evening, killing 63 people and destroying power at the facility. Async has not issued a public statement. The programme continued the following morning.
The Complex is a parallel dimension primarily composed of interconnected complexes of segmented, mostly non-unique rooms, halls, and doorways. The first area — the most common entry point — spans an estimated 600 million square miles and is characterised by mono-yellow wallpaper, moist brown carpet, and fluorescent ceiling fixtures of unknown power origin that run without interruption. Subsequent surveyed areas include a modern-office second area, a pitch-black third area with forest-patterned wallpaper, a greener fourth area accessed via Room 14D's pitfall system, and a fifth area that presents as an outdoor suburban neighbourhood at night, lit by an unidentified red light source above. The Complex is not infinite — its scale has been compared to Earth's surface area — but no outer boundary has been reached.
Areas 1–10 DocumentedDesignated internally as the Bacteria — after Kane Pixels' Ko-fi documentation — and officially as the Lifeform Fellow. A tall, thin, vaguely humanoid colonial organism believed to be composed of a mutated strain of hay bacillus, consistent with samples recovered from the corpse found on February 3, 1990. Its limbs are elongated and stiff with arms reaching the floor; a cable-like structure wraps its body. It navigates primarily by sound, stalking prey over extended periods before engaging. Its most dangerous known behaviour is vocal mimicry: it reproduces human screams and pleas with sufficient accuracy to lure victims closer, using vocalisations harvested from previous victims' larynges. Marvin E. Leigh survived a direct encounter on May 6, 1990, after the entity lured him deeper into Room 14D with mimicked cries before revealing itself. It gave chase and failed to match his speed. Room 14D was subsequently sealed. The written message "don't move, stay still" found in Area 1 by Kane Pixels on July 4, 1991 may be Lifeform-authored — or a trap using a previous victim's handwriting.
Active Threat · Do Not Engage · Do Not MimicA humanoid entity encountered in deeper areas of The Complex, first documented during the exploration by subject designated Ravi on approximately April 20, 1995. The Still Life resembles a human figure covered in a black-and-white substance, possibly the same mold-like material associated with the Lifeform. Its appearance is not consistent — size, facial features, and height appear to shift between observations. Movement is impaired; it crosses its legs with each step, which may account for its comparative slowness. However, it demonstrated the ability to break through barricaded doors. It vocalises with human-like wails and unnatural cries. Theorised by some researchers to be The Complex's attempt to replicate a human being, in the same way The Complex replicates physical spaces from the real world — but imperfectly. Relationship to the Lifeform is unknown.
Threat Level: High · Limited ContactsNull Zones are localised boundary points between conventional space and The Complex, characterised by a distinctive green electromagnetic glow. They occur naturally throughout both the real world and The Complex itself, and are the mechanism through which individuals and objects fall into The Backrooms without warning — and through which the Threshold is engineered. The green glow is theorised to result from gamma radiation produced by magnetic distortion, consistent with readings from the LPMDS aperture. Temporal anomalies have been confirmed: researcher Peter Tench was displaced approximately two months forward in time during a March 1, 1990 expedition near a Null Zone. The displacement was forward only — no reversal has been recorded. Tench re-entered the facility on May 8, 1990. His mental state was assessed as severely compromised. He was armed when he left.
Temporal Cases: 2 ConfirmedOn February 3, 1990, an Async exploration team recovered a decomposing corpse from Area 1, most likely Nicolas Bolton, one of the growing number of individuals reported missing since the Threshold was opened. The body was returned to the facility and autopsied by an external contractor with no knowledge of The Complex. The pathologist noted unusual partial decomposition inconsistent with known environmental conditions, and identified a mutated strain of hay bacillus inside the tissue — the same organism now theorised to be the biological foundation of the Lifeform. The contractor filed a standard report. No follow-up questions were permitted. The report is on file under KV31 Biological Archive, Case 001.
Classified · Bio Archive Case 001On May 8, 1990, Async presented its long-horizon plan to the Department of Energy: the conversion of The Complex into overflow residential and commercial space. The presentation was attended by DOE president James Watkins, whose department subsequently confirmed programme funding. Infrastructure work is underway — walkways have been installed across Room 14D, a rover survey has been completed, and construction teams have been sent into Area 1C. The Lifeform has been encountered by construction personnel. This has been noted. The programme timeline has not changed. Seventeen personnel are presently unaccounted for across all KV31 operations. The Institute's official position is that this figure falls within acceptable parameters for a programme of this scale and sensitivity.
DOE Funded · Programme Active
// ASYNC INTERNAL NOTICE — KV31 Programme Office · May 1990
All personnel operating within KV31 divisions are reminded that incidents occurring inside The Complex — entity encounters, temporal displacement events, missing persons, and biological contamination — are classified under Async's standing non-disclosure agreement and are not to be shared with external parties, family members, or contractors. The seismic event of October 17, 1989 is attributed to natural causes. This is not open to internal discussion. If you observe a Still Life — a humanoid figure with inconsistent features — on Institute premises, report to your floor supervisor immediately. Do not approach it. Do not attempt to communicate with it. Do not attempt to determine when it arrived.
Internal Reports
Personnel
Born 1931 in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia. Responsible for proposing the KV31 initiative and overseeing all Threshold operations. Signed original dielectric research papers in 1972 that formed the programme's theoretical foundation.
Higher-ranking Async member with full facility clearance. Responsible for internal security incidents, including the containment of Peter Tench following his reappearance inside the facility in May 1990.
On May 6, 1990, Leigh fell into Room 14D's pitfall system and became the first Async researcher to record direct contact with the Lifeform. He survived. His footage triggered a full programme review and the establishment of new safety protocols.
Displaced forward in time approximately two months during a March 1, 1990 expedition. Async faked his death to manage the incident. After returning, he was unstable. He later fled the facility armed, was disarmed by Kirk Maxwell, and died of injuries sustained outside the building.
Contact
Async does not accept unsolicited research proposals. Inquiries related to KV31 programme access, DOE liaison matters, or facility employment should be directed through official government channels. All other correspondence is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.