Level 1609 is the 1610th level of the Backrooms.
Description
Level 1609 is a series of seemingly identical indoor swimming pool complexes connected to one another. Each pool is accessible to one another via archways stationed in the "long" sides of the room--the eastern and western sides--and via doorways stationed in the "short" sides of the room-the northern and southern sides. Aside from the positioning of the flag banners that stretch across the rooms, the layouts of the rooms remain roughly the same. The pools themselves are long and thin, all filled with chlorinated water, with some divided into lanes and others not. Windows dot the walls, although they are translucent and merely cast light entering from the adjacent rooms.
The number of swimming pool complexes in this level is unknown. Nine rooms of interest, however, have been identified in Level 1609. "The water is undrinkable: do not drink" has been sprayed in black spray paint on the floors in each of the nine rooms to warn Wanderers who have stumbled upon them. Mild discomforts, including nausea and vomiting, has ensued in Wanderers following consumption of the pool water.
Six of the rooms contain either one-way entrances or one-way exits to the level, and have been dubbed Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta. Each of the six rooms are denoted by spray-painted Greek letters on the respective walls, which are thought to have been done by both Wanderers and colony members. The seventh room contains a two-way entrance to Level 1906, and has the words "The Mirror Room" spray-painted on the wall closest to the swimming pool.
The eighth, curious room, dubbed The Pipe Room, contains a interlocking network of steel-looking pipes on the ceiling. Lighting within is poor and contains no windows to the other complexes. Attempts to break or remove the pipes have been unsuccessful. It is not known where this room is found, although most reports of its being found have been through taking mostly north exits after starting in the Beta room. Wanderers have experienced feelings of paranoia and fear upon leaving The Pipe Room and have reported auditory disturbances.
The ninth room is a rare locker room that can be found upon opening a door in one of the northern or southern doorways. The room itself is empty and all of the locker doors are locked, although successful attempts have been made to either break into the lockers, or pick the locks. Items found within the lockers include a packet of cigarettes, used hiking boots, and an opened packet of shaving razors. When inside the changing room, there have been reports of sounds of echoing voices and water splashing from the doorway, as if the adjacent room was occupied.
A potential tenth room may exist, although evidence for its existence is dubious. This room is not labelled and is said to go pitch black without warning. This was reported by a pair of Wanderers who claimed to have been attacked, blacked out, and awoke in Level 11 afterwards. However, these two Wanderers had been travelling together, and it is hypothesised that such a story was mutually fabricated.
Entities
No entities have been discerned through exploring the Megacomplex, although growls, heavy footsteps, and splashes of water have been heard by some who have discovered and left The Pipe Room. No confirmed attacks, aside from the dubious anecdote, have been reported.
Colonies and Outposts
No colonies nor outposts are currently stationed in Level 1609. Minor evidence suggests that there was an attempt to station an outpost in the rare locker room due to the items found in the lockers, but several colonies have denied doing so.
Entrances and Exits
Entrances
Four one-way entrances to this level exist, which stem from the ceilings of the rooms dubbed Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Entries come in the fashion of finding a hole in the floor from another level, and plummeting into the swimming pool of the respective room. There exists also exists a two-way entrance.
- Alpha Room Entrances: The first documented entries to Level 1609 were through the Alpha Room Entrance. Entrances to the Alpha Room can be found in Level 1068 and Level 1608, which are thought to appear in the floor at random intervals; the latter being much more common than the former.
- Beta Room Entrance: This entrance is found in Level 1610, close to where the Zeta Room Exit leads.
- Gamma Room Entrance: Gamma is currently the most common entrance for Level 1609, being found in Level 15. No reports of level entry were reported until access had been made via Level 1608.
- Delta Room Entrance: This is the least used entrance of those discovered, being found in Level 1995 in the floor.
- Two-way entrance: There is a one-way mirror in Level 1906 at the bottom of a staircase that leads to the aforementioned "Mirror Room". From Level 1609, this "mirror" takes on the appearance of a sheet of glass coated in black paint on the western side of the room.
Exits
Only two one-way exits to this level have been found, which are found at the bottom of the swimming pools in rooms Epsilon and Zeta.
- Epsilon Room Exit: the outline of the exit is clearly visible from the side of the swimming pool. By submerging and applying some force to the exit, the Wanderer will fall through and end up in Level 7, with the exit's being sealed shortly after.
- Zeta Room Exit: like with Epsilon, the exit is clearly visible, although more force needs to be applied to the floor for it to part. Different level destinations have been reported upon falling through, although the most common reported destination has been Level 1610. Two Wanderers have reported falling through only to find themselves inside the Beta room of the same level.
- There is a one-way mirror in Level 1906 that acts as a two-way entrance to Level 1609 in the aforementioned "Mirror Room".
