411 Days A Year

Photo from an SCP-3455 celebration. The coloured substance is believed to be an anomalous hallucinogen.

Item #: SCP-3455

Object Class: Archon1

Special Containment Procedures: Standard Foundation operating procedures are to be maintained during SCP-3455 so far as is possible. Foundation personnel acting in manners directly contrary to the goals of the Foundation during SCP-3455 are to be severely reprimanded following its conclusion.

Prior to the conclusion of SCP-3455, all critical data is to be backed up at a temporally isolated storage site.

Research into the cause of SCP-3455 is ongoing, though it is to be noted that should the cause be discovered it is vital that its effects are preserved; SCP-3455 failing to correctly reset at the end of an iteration would cause irreparable damage to normalcy.

Description: SCP-3455 is a temporal anomaly that subverts the linear flow of time, occurring annually at 00:00 GMT on March 17th. At the initiation of SCP-3455 all affected humans will immediately regain all memories they had during the previous iteration of SCP-3455, which typically includes knowledge of SCP-3455 and its nature.

SCP-3455 lasts for exactly 47 days, concluding at 23:59 GMT on May 3rd. Following its conclusion, time reverts back to the point that it initially started; any changes made during SCP-3455 are removed from causality and all knowledge acquired is lost. Time then progresses normally until the beginning of the next iteration.

Human behaviour changes significantly during SCP-3455; this is not believed to be related to the anomaly itself, but rather a consequence of the regained knowledge from previous iterations of the anomaly and the general cultural perception of the time encompassed by SCP-3455 being consequence-free. Notable increases in displays of hedonism occur globally, along with a general increase in nihilistic beliefs and lowering of personal inhibitions. Actions that would typically be considered reckless or wasteful are also common occurrences. SCP-3455 has been widely designated as an extra month in the calendar named Liberary amongst the civilian population.2

Incidence rates of anomalous activity increase far beyond baseline during SCP-3455. Containment of new anomalies during this time is complicated by the general public awareness of anomalous activity and of the Foundation itself. Despite this, all Foundation personnel are to maintain standard operation during SCP-3455.

The first SCP-3455 event is believed to have occurred in 1976, though the baseline Foundation did not become aware of it until 1987, when the technology to temporally isolate data from the timestream was developed.

▶ Notable Events During SCP-3455

▼ Notable Events During SCP-3455

Note: for ease of distinction between time in SCP-3455 and baseline time, the month name Liberary will be used to designate dates within SCP-3455.

1978

Presumed to be the third iteration of SCP-3455, and the first in which humanity as a whole has become aware of its effects. Notable for wide-spread rioting, the collapse of a number of governments, and the complete collapse of public and emergency services across large parts of the world.

1980

Believed to be the first iteration referred to as "Liberary" throughout popular media, though the source is unknown. Significant increase in promiscuous sexual behaviour world-wide, along with wide-spread street parties in major cities.

1983

Formation of the "Children of Liber", a cult that practices extreme hedonism during SCP-3455. The concept quickly becomes popular in a number of areas of the world, and spawns a number of groups with similar philosophies. The founder of this cult is unknown.

1985

On Liberary 17th, the USSR launched five nuclear weapons at the moon, which impacted approximately three days later. On Liberary 23rd, the US launched ten nuclear weapons at the moon. The first set of explosions were not visible to the naked eye due to the full moon at the time. Due to the later phase of the moon and the specific impact locations, three of the detonations of US weapons were briefly visible as small but bright flashes. This led to a declaration of victory by the US government, though no further details were given.

1986

On Liberary 33rd at 17:00GMT a total of 57 simultaneous terrorist attacks were carried out in major cities throughout the world. The exact fatality count is unknown, but believed to be over 5000. The perpetrators were not identified.

1987

There is a notable increase in diagnosed cases of PTSD, especially amongst victims of violence during previous iterations of SCP-3455. This is believed to be related to the sudden recall of memories of past iterations.

The popularity of groups such as the Children of Liber increases. A number of low level anomalous phenomena have additionally become associated with the Children of Liber themselves. Investigations are ongoing. A month long festival popularly called Liberalia gains traction in a number of areas of the world, characterised by the use of a variety of anomalous drug compounds that are typically dispersed through the air. This festival reoccurs during almost every iteration.

Technological developments by Foundation personnel enable the preservation of data during SCP-3455 iterations, giving personnel in baseline time access to recorded data and knowledge from within SCP-3455. The anomaly receives its official designation in baseline time.

1990

Saddam Hussein announces that he is commissioning a 50m tall statue of himself to be built in Baghdad. It is estimated to be 20% complete by the end of the iteration.

Investigations into the anomalous activity associated with the Children of Liber are ongoing, though no information on their leadership or any of the reported anomalous activity has been found thus far.

1991

The Children of Liber are confirmed to be led by an individual named Paul Hagenson, designated PoI-54112. An attempt to question PoI-54112 regarding previously observed anomalous activity ended in violence, resulting in the termination of him and a number of his followers.

An anomalous event on Liberary 41st resulted in the complete disappearance of the islands of Madagascar and Ireland, and approximately 80% of the landmass of Japan, to a depth of approximately 800m below sea level. The resulting rapid changes in sea level caused significant disruption in coastal areas worldwide. This event did not occur in baseline time.

1992

On Liberary 5th knowledge of the Foundation becomes public, as the Site Director for Site-76 sends large amounts of classified data to news outlets world-wide. As a consequence of this action, Foundation activities during SCP-3455 iterations have suffered severe complications due to civilian and governmental interference.

Security procedures were significantly updated in baseline time to prevent such breaches reoccurring. The individual responsible for the breach was dismissed from their employment with the Foundation following the administration of Class-E amnestics.

People who disappeared during the previous iteration possessed no memory of the event that occurred. By all accounts, their memory of the iteration ends at the time the event occurred.

1993

Larami3 announced the construction of "the worlds largest water gun", which was completed on Liberary 32nd. The activation of the device resulted in the destruction of itself and nine buildings directly in its path. The column of water fired escaped the atmosphere and created a temporary cloud of water vapour in orbit. The use of anomalous technology is suspected, though investigations in baseline time could not corroborate this.

It is confirmed that no record of PoI-54112 can be found in baseline time, despite his presence within SCP-3455.

1996

The anomalous website "childrenofliber.com" was first noticed during this iteration. During SCP-3455, the website features news and world-wide event listings pertaining to SCP-3455; outside of SCP-3455, the website features a simple timer counting down to the next SCP-3455 iteration. Attempts to trace the owner of the domain or the server hosting the website have failed, in and out of SCP-3455 iterations.

1997

On Liberary 36th, a pod of bottlenose dolphins approaches the shore near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and begins performing various works of William Shakespeare in English. Due to widespread knowledge of the Foundation, this event becomes public before containment can be established. The event does not occur in baseline time.

1999

Increased tensions between the US and China related to events from both baseline time and the previous iteration of SCP-3455 lead to declarations of war. While the impact is minimal4 there are a number of attacks on military targets from both sides.

2000

Hostilities begun in the previous iteration resume, with far more coordinated strikes from both sides. Strikes on both military and civilian targets result in thousands of casualties on both sides. An impromptu meeting of the United Nations towards the end of the iteration descends into chaos as old and unrelated grievances between a number of countries are reignited.

Attempts to find more information on PoI-54112 have repeatedly failed. Given public knowledge of the Foundation and his awareness of Foundation interest in him, he appears to be actively avoiding contact.

2001

Conflict emerges world-wide as a result of the events from the previous iteration. While significant portions of armed forces world wide remaining absent from the conflict, significant damage is caused to the global infrastructure for communications and power. Shipping and transport routes are disrupted by the conflict, leading to food shortages in a number of areas across the world. Casualties are high and structural damage is significant, considering the relatively short period of time and limited man power on all sides. These conflicts continue for the next three iterations, with similar results.

2005

While no official resolution to the ongoing conflict is reached, hostilities functionally cease due to lack of available man-power across the world, as members of armed forces throughout the world simply refuse to participate.5

Pope John Paul II did not die during this iteration, despite the illness that lead to his death in baseline time beginning before SCP-3455. The significance of this is unknown.

2009

An attempted interaction with PoI-54112 again results in his termination.

An unknown form of energy storm formed over the South Pacific Ocean on Liberary 41st and began moving west towards Australia, leaving a temporal void in its wake.6 The storm made landfall on Liberary 46th, obliterating a significant portion of coastal Queensland before dissipating.

In baseline time, the non-anomalous Cyclone Yolanda followed a similar path and timetable, resulting in a severe number of fatalities and major damage to the region.

2010

PoI-54112 willingly surrendered to Foundation personnel for the purposes of establishing a dialogue. The conducted interview is transcribed below.

▶ Open PoI-54112 Interview Transcript

▼ Close PoI-54112 Interview Transcript

Interviewer: Agent Ryan Christchurch.

Interviewee: PoI-54112 (Paul Hagenson)

Date: Liberary 45th, 2010.

Christchurch: Okay, let's begin. You've actively resisted our attempts at making contact in the past, Mr. Hagenson-

PoI-54112: Paul, please.

Christchurch: -so why talk to us now?

PoI-54112: Can you blame me? Everyone knows how you operate. People locked away, weird shit in secret black-sites all over the world. I don't have much interest spending my time trapped in a cage. But, I've grown tired of spending time I should be enjoying looking over my shoulder, and I've recently become aware of something that affords me a little… leverage.

Christchurch: And what's that?

PoI-54112: First, let me ask you; what do you know about me?

Christchurch: You founded the Children of Liber during Liberary 1983 and have led them since. You've become known in certain circles for your somewhat extravagant parties, even considering the normal things that go on during Liberary. You've been tied to various anomalous goings-on almost every Liberary for the last 30 years.

PoI-54112: Anything else?

A brief silence.

Christchurch: No. You don't seem to exist outside of the event.

PoI-54112: I used to. Be out there, I mean.

Christchurch: How did you leave baseline time? Did you create the temporal anomaly?

PoI-54112: No, no I didn't create it. I'm just a man. I used to be a rich and powerful man. Owned a giant, faceless corporation in the seventies.

Christchurch: What changed?

PoI-54112: Cancer. It was treatable, of course. As I said, I was rich. But you know how these things work. You're never really cured of cancer. You're just on a clock, waiting down the days until it rears its ugly head again. And I was already 58. It's become a bit of a cliché, I know, but the whole affair made me aware of my own mortality. So I decided to do something about it.

Christchurch: About mortality.

PoI-54112: Why not? You must have seen some unusual things working for your Foundation. You must know the kinds of shit you can find out there if you look hard enough.

Christchurch: So what did you do?

PoI-54112: The same thing every rich asshole would do in my situation. I visited every hack, wack-job and voodoo magic man I could find who might have what I was looking for. Hey, it was the seventies. None of them did, of course. But I did catch wind of something. Do you believe in anything, Mr. Foundation? A God?

Christchurch: No. No, not really.

PoI-54112: Ah, but you've seen things, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes. Things that claim to be gods, or as close enough to them as humans are ever likely to care about.

Christchurch: Are you saying you found a god?

PoI-54112: Or something that was close enough. He was old. Dying, I think, if gods even can die. The great Liber, Roman god of wine, fertility and freedom.

PoI-54112 gestures dramatically.

PoI-54112: I don't know if he actually was what he claimed to be, but he certainly believed it. He was bitter, too. Angry about being forgotten. He ranted on about how his fellow gods were all immortalised by the calendar or how they had become pop-culture darlings. But not poor old Liber.

Christchurch: You made a deal with a dying god.

PoI-54112: Bingo. Ironically, I'd gone looking for something to try and solve the issue of my own mortality, only to find a dying god who couldn't solve his own. He couldn't make me immortal, but he could give me time. Endless time. A strange distinction, but there it is.

Christchurch: This being created the extra time?

PoI-54112: Oh no, no. I don't think so. No, I think the repeating time was already there. A natural phenomenon maybe. Of course, no one remembered it. It could have been happening for centuries. Millennia even, for all I know. No, he gave people memories. Turned me into an anchor of sorts, I guess. Put a little bit of whatever was left of him inside of me. As long as I exist, he exists, and people will remember what happened last Liberary. And since I'm now linked to it, I can't not exist. I had to give up my original life, obviously. Was all but forgotten by the world. But it was worth the price.

Christchurch: And what did this Liber person get out of it?

PoI-54112: To be remembered, of course. To live on a little. All any being of great power ultimately wants. So I made sure the extra time would be named after him. Founded the Children. For 47 days out of the year, Liber is the biggest game in town.

Christchurch: And you get to spend your time hosting orgies and eating enough food to feed a small country.

PoI-54112 laughs.

PoI-54112: Understand, from my perspective it's only been a few years since this all started. Whatever you consider normal time doesn't exist for me. But I'll admit, that aspect of it all has started to wear a little thin. That's not what we're here to talk about, though, is it.

Christchurch: You mentioned something about leverage. I assume you're going to attempt to blackmail us now.

PoI-54112: Please, understand that I don't do this maliciously. It's actually out of my control. But as I said, I'm tired of having to look over my shoulder constantly in case some faceless Foundation goon grabs me and locks me in a box. So I'm hoping we can come to some sort of arrangement.

Christchurch: I'm listening.

PoI-54112: Liberary is my entire existence. My impact on your world is limited, but it's not non-existent. You lose nothing by leaving me be. The world already knows about the Foundation and all the weird shit you deal with during Liberary. None of the "anomalous" stuff in my circle is harmful. Most of it is just side-effects from having part of Liber inside me, I think. The remnants of an old god amusing itself.

Christchurch: We lose nothing by leaving you alone. What do we gain, then?

PoI-54112: As I said before, I'm something of an anchor now. While I'm here, I keep whatever this all is-

PoI-54112 gestures vaguely around the room.

PoI-54112: -pinned down. Solid. Whole. When I'm not here - for example when Foundation soldiers burst into one of my parties and shoot me dead. Well, things become a little less solid.

Christchurch: What are you implying?

PoI-54112: I'll spell it out for you. Every time I've died, something bad has happened. Something big. I don't know why, maybe it's the result of that last piece of a god living inside of me actually dying. But they've started to bleed over into your time. The last time I died, that storm in Australia leaked over and caused all sorts of trouble. How many people died? Nine, ten thousand? That was the worst so far, but it wasn't the first.

Christchurch: So you're holding the world hostage?

PoI-54112: Oh don't be so dramatic. Like I said, this isn't intentional. I felt terrible when I realised the connection. I've taken a lot less risks since then, just in case. But like I said, I also have little interest being hunted. So here's the deal. You leave me be, to go about my business at no cost to your self or your precious "normality" or whatever you call it. And in return, I won't kill myself every time I think you're even getting a little close.

Christchurch: We could just keep you sedated. Put you under every time Liberary starts again.

PoI-54112: That would work once. Next Liberary I'd wake up somewhere else. Certainly not in your little jail cells. And then you'd have to track me down all over again, and risk my getting killed. Why take the chance?

Following the interview, PoI-54112 was held until the conclusion of the SCP-3455 iteration, with their agreement. PoI-54112 was not present in his assigned cell in the following iteration, and his current whereabouts is unknown. The claim that their termination has a correlation with destructive disasters, which mirror disasters in baseline time, has been corroborated.

The current operating policy on PoI-54112 is to monitor, but not to approach.

Footnotes

1. Archon-class anomalies are anomalies that should not be contained due to the damage that would be caused by doing so.

2. So named for the Roman God Liber.

3. A toy company that was acquired by Hasbro Inc. in 1995, notable for the development of the popular "Super Soaker" brand of water gun toys.

4. Due in large part to notable percentages of armed forces on both sides failing to report for duty.

5. It is theorised that ongoing memories of injuries and deaths amongst the armed forces significantly reduced the desire to engage in conflict.

6. A dark region of space in which time either does not exist or does not move.