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Original title : SCP-561-FR - Xanax à l'ancienne

Author : Cauchynambour

Translator : Cauchynambour

Date : 29 october 2022

Image : pill modified by Floriak, factory under public domain by Mazdouk-Snoukza, last picture

Item #: SCP-561-FR

Threat Level: Orange ●

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-561-FR is to be contained in standard 5m × 5m ×15m silos in the Standard Abnormal Object containment area 37 of the Site-05 basement. Currently, SCP-561-FR is entirely contained in 7 21 90 silos, but the required amount of such devices could diminish in the future. Any extract of SCP-561-FR used in either in vitro or in vivo tests must be approved by at least one clearance level 4 personnel from Medical Department or from Censorship and Disinformation Department. These parts must be harvested exclusively by D-Class personnel to be terminated in the next week, wearing Type 33-519 Hazmat suits. Creating byproducts of SCP-561-FR is allowed under the same clearance, and must be performed by personnel engaging in their last month of duty at the Foundation, and only using SCP-561-FR-B. These products must also be used by either Class-D personnel to be terminated in less than a month or by regular personnel during their last month of duty at the Foundation. Ingestion of any amount of pure SCP-561-FR is prohibited. Every ingestion, either intentionally or by accident, must be followed by a 15 days 300mg As2O31 treatment. No further silo must be constructed by the Manufacturing Department, ever.

Any instance of SCP-561-FR-a is to be contained in standard glass jars in the closest Medical Department office available, and to be routed to Standard Abnormal Object containment area 37 of the Site-05 basement during the next convoy.

SCP-561-FR-B is located in the same area as SCP-561-FR, and must only be turned on by allowed personnel.

Hearing any mosquito buzz during harvest of SCP-561-FR is prohibited.

Description: SCP-561-FR is a seemingly organic matter. Its living state is unknown, but it is not monochromatic, nor liquid, nor a single living creature. According to the previous documentation about SCP-561-FR, its amount is supposed to dwindle in a near future because of Foundation's actions. The matter does not seem explosive, nor radioactive, and is able to be transformed into edible pills.

The main anomaly about SCP-561-FR is a Ennui-ignorance type antimemetic effect: research have shown that this matter is in fact anomalous, but it is currently impossible to track down what the further anomalous abilities it possesses. Thus, this document may contain uncommon descriptions or empty zones, as it is not possible not fill them for now.

Some files concerning SCP-561-FR have ben found in the Medical Department archives, implying a medical use for this object. This file is almost empty, excluding personnel involved in the process, non-anomalous materials used for producing pills based on SCP-561-FR, coordinates to a machine and an draft of its procedures, which are at the core of the current ones. Nobody listed in the file works at the Foundation anymore, although their names seem to link to corrupted files on the personnel database. The reason of this phenomenon is unknown, but it has been theorised that the anomalous effect of SCP-561-FR can extend through anything related by an anomalous link, hereby deleting files or making them unreadable. This effect could also explain the state of this initial file, as it may contain more unreadable data. Because of this, the initial document is currently in the hands of the Memetics Division and therefore non accessible to common Foundation employees.

Because of the nature of the antimeme, no mnestics have shown any efficiency on SCP-561-FR.

Some reports have been made of mosquito sounds close to SCP-561-FR. According to the Special Containment Procedures, these must not be heard.

An instance of SCP-561-FR-A.

SCP-561-FR-A is the name given to any byproduct of SCP-561-FR. The only current one consists in a set of white pills weighting 0.2g per pill with a black zero printed on each one. Any other attempt to create such byproduct has proven unsuccessful, but it is unknown if the product just did not synthesise or if it was affected by the antimeme of SCP-561-FR and is therefore undetectable. Thus, SCP-561-FR-A is for now the designation for these pills.

SCP-561-FR-A contains lactose, cornstarch, colloidal silica and sodium benzoate. The total amount of these products weight 0.18g. The black ink is mostly composed of ethanol and carbon black.

No physical effect has ever been detected after taking a SCP-561-FR-A pill. However, almost every subject involved in these tests has proven less effective in their research or containment work, noticeably by having issues finding their test subjects or understanding conversation topics. However, these individuals have reported feeling "less anxious" and "more acceptant" with their respective workplace. No administrative or janitor has experienced such side effect, nor any individual from screen companies that was aware of SCP Foundation. Because of Special Containment Procedures ongoing, no side effect has been tracked for more than a month.

Noticeably, oxidation of SCP-561-FR produces two reactants, one very close to adrenochrome] and the other one being a product of dopamine oxidation, being similar to a quinone. The exact nature of these products is unknown, but analysis revealed very close similarity to chemicals running in the human brain.

SCP-561-FR-B is a machine composed of a synthesiser and a pill press that seemingly produces SCP-561-FR-A. Its origin and fabrication is unknown, but a complete dismantling of the machine has not shown any anomalous part. It is for now the only known way to produce SCP-561-FR-A. The way the machine produces a pill containing lactose whith no evidence of lactose being found in SCP-561-FR is yet unknown. The following document is engraved on a aluminium plate and riveted to the steel body on a side of the machine.

How to produce effective Anxiolytics

1. Plug the machine to the outlet.

2. Turn the selector to "extract" position.

3. Dump the harvest from the silos into the funnel. 50kg per time max. If it still makes some buzz, put it through the grinder for 3 minutes.

4. Wait until the buzzing stops.

5. Turn the selector to "press" position and put a bucket under the pipe with a red arrow pointing down.

6. Enjoy your cover!

The machine room where SCP-561-FR has been found. The part with the entrance has been burnt during the operation.

SCP-561-FR has been found in a derelict pharmaceutical facility in Charleroi, Belgium, following the address of the Medical Department document. Although no previous raid has been carried out in this facility, agents on site have reported noticing similar sole markings as the from their shoes in the dust, traces of previous pillages and an exact replica of the old glove model used by Security agents. After an initial suspicion of data corruption or even hacking of the Security Department database, no normal or anomalous modification has been found by the Foundation Technical Support. Therefore, this testimony is not yet confirmed by any insider information and must be ignored for now.

While the Medical Department file has been emitted on 12/12/2010, the state of the machine, including heavy corrosion, dust and older mechanical standards are pointing to a creation date around the 1930s.

Presence or absence of any kind of symbols from a Group of Interest or an Internal Department on the machine is currently unknown.

Automated routine clearance check. Enter your information here: __________

Disconnect

Welcome back, Counter-Agent. Enter your password below to access surveillance memory about SCP-561-FR.

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[PASSWORD]

Tru3_tHE_1wAY_M1rr0R

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Password accepted, please proceed with care.

Internal case no: 131521/192009/172105

Case type: Closed

Threat type: Unclear ● to Seditious ●

Summary: Agent Philippe Bull, MTF Rho-9 ("Technical Support"), has been investigating SCP-561-FR alone, pushing way beyond was he was allowed to. This investigation has jeopardised the Veil Protocol by trying to contact civilians and also presented a risk to SCP-561-FR containment and various civilian protection programs out of your clearance.

File type: Stabilized and infohazard-proof .txtscp document.

Okay, calm down Philippe. You are not going crazy, something is hidden in the deep. Of course, they have some secrets, it's the SCP Foundation after all and I guess I only know what I need to know, but damn. Something does not click here.

Yesterday, I was called to investigate on a potential breach of Security database. I have been asked to find previous raids on a French drug factory that would have been deleted by an anomaly or anything else. I guess the French part is why they called me. Anyway, I found nothing. Like, not a single suspicious file, no e-Humes modifications, zero code bending aftermath, the base was clean as a newborn baby far from Tchernobyl. Then, they asked me about a specific SCP to find in the database, but I was not allowed to see its name. The automated screen censorship was covering its name in the prompts while an agent was typing it, I never saw such requirements. Of course there still was nothing.

I have some backdoors. I'm the technical support, after all. Hence, after the big gun guys left, I checked my analogue recorder on the keyboard cable. Apparently, they are looking for SCP-561-FR. There is no SCP-561-FR to be found in the database, it just doesn't exist. At first glance, I suspected it to be, like, an exercise. But when I talked about it with my guy Richard, he said he never saw anything like that.

This morning, I asked him again if he looked for SCP-561-FR. He said he doesn't know what I'm talking about, nor does he remembered about our convo hours before. I checked my prompt history: no SCP-561-FR to be found. What the hell is going on.

I'm typing this on a protected notepad, both from anomalies and my superiors, so I can prove to myself I am not crazy.

It is getting weirder and weirder.

This evening, I was at the cafeteria with the boys. Of course I brought my own meal, because of my allergies. I asked them if they ever encountered SCPs that weren't at all in the database, not over a denied access, no: purely not referenced in the back-end. Richard froze in place for like a second or two and I bet Dev blinked like ten times. It was a bit creepy and totally unexpected. Then, they resumed the discussion as if nothing happened. I did not ask them again, I am too afraid. We just chatted about COBOL and paraFortran. I quickly left, as I was feeling dizzy. I now know for sure something is off.

One thing stroke me, though. I swear I heard a mosquito in the cafeteria.

Oh my god. I think it's the number. I mean, I knew it was linked with this non-existent SCP, but it may be the number.

I wanted to check something out, so I picked up a $10 bill and wrote SCP-561-FR on it, then let it fall in a corridor. I know my friends call me the "tinfoil nerd" as I always try to sneak out, dodge medication or take a peak behind the curtain. But this time I'm not tinfoiling for sure.

Every single person in the facility that passed in the corridor just ignored it. Heck, some lady even stepped on it and it stuck to her heel! I had to follow her, and when I picked it up and turned it, she immediately recognised a regular bill. This thing seems to affect perception, but I don't know how. Even after she picked the bill and saw the number, she just acted as if it was a regular dollar bill. Well, to be honest, she recognised it was different from others, but she couldn't understand why.

Neither do I.

I guess it is my lucky day. A few hours ago, I was called on a mis-indexed file. A file about SAPPHIRE and a Canadian dude, the Graal, business as usual. However, not only the dude that issued this French request was from Québec, he mostly was from he Censorship and Disinformation Department.

I know that if ANYONE knows about this shit, I'm 100% dead and gone. But I saw the opportunity. I mean, these guys must know something about this skip, they are the ones hiding everything from us! So, when I got access to his account to reach this stupid document, I slipped an anti-worm in the session. Just a small software, sliding through the lines of the database with a pinch of code bending, but that rebuilds everything afterwards. I know our firewall can't detect them, I am technical support. Last week, we had to deal with a malicious anti-worm and the Scranton-Turing firewall just slept on this case like a cat in the sun. The software should bring me the files in a few hours or even a day, as I indicated it to go directly to an analogue printer. I don't want to have such documents hanging around in my session.

For fuck's sake, I might have fallen down the rabbit hole.

What the actual fuck is this SCP dude.

We can't get any info by nature? Nah, I can't trust it. Someone must know something. I am very, very suspicious about these pills. Anomalous anxiolytics? Why does it only affect those who know about the anomalous world very well? I had a small smile on my face when they mentioned my intervention though, but the text is incredibly suspicious too. I mean, according to the exploration report, this is not only, like, words, they got photos of the soles and one agent even brought back the glove! I have so, so many questions right now. There are some names of researchers that worked on SCP-561-FR. They seemed to be in two teams, a research one and a development one, but I don't see any trace of a project based on this anomaly. Maybe they are the key to this mad riddle.

Honestly, this notepad is the reason I am not going crazy.

I looked for the names in our database. Nothing, as expected. But, I may have found something! They are not in the current employee database, but every. single. name. lights something out in the former employee register. They all have been fired, have resigned, retired, or died. Literally everyone. I know it's mentioned in the Containment Procedures, but how can this bullshit be applicable in any way? It's like the red line about the mosquitoes, it just does not make sense.

I may take a few days off.

Alright, Philippe, just remember you are not going crazy. But hey, it's gonna be hard as fuck. I transferred the protected notepad on my cell phone, as I took a week off. I didn't settle any vacation for like a year, so my boss could not refuse it. I flew off to LA, I don't really know why, maybe I needed to come closer to the sea. On the way back to the hostel, I slipped on an oil puddle and hurt me badly. Some nice dude picked me up and helped me go to the hospital to see if something was broken.

When I arrived, I felt as if everything was crashing down. The name of the doctor. Samuel Hopkins. I saw it on SCP-561-FR original file from Medical Department.

He may have been amnesiated though, but I have to ask him questions.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I'm so goddamn fucked.

Last year, I had to work on an antimemetic malware that produced lethal code injections everywhere. Something like, 2100 or something. Anyway, the Foundation gave me what they call "mnestics", a drug that is supposed to counter memory alteration and lack of apprehension. As always, I did not take all of it and kept a syringe in my pick-up truck, just in case.

This evening, tortured by the sight of Hopkins in the hospital, I went to the hospital once again, lurking here and there. Then, I watched him take his car, and followed. I don't know why, but I broke into his house to ask him questions. He was pissing his pants, literally. Of course, he did not remember shit about the Foundation or anything. So, I injected the drug in his arm. It was horrible, as if someone crashed into itself. He was panicking, cried, had issue breathing. I screamed 561-FR, so he could understand want I wanted. And I saw him twitch from top to bottom. He just wrote coordinates on a paper, and mumbled "mosquitoes. It's all about the mosquitoes", and then he stopped moving.

There was blood leaking from his ears and nose. I fucking overdosed a man.

I can't go back now.

There is no Site-05. I don't know about Site-5, but for sure Site-05 does not exist for sure. Still, when I look on Maps at the coordinates Hopkins has scribbled right before he died, I can see a warehouse, in the middle of nowhere. I am going down there, and see if everything is alright.

I am writing in real-time, so if I'm killed by 343 knows what, at least things will be recorded.

I drove all night to arrive in New Mexico, and all morning to reach the warehouse. Nothing worth mentioning for now, it looks like I am under the radar. I can see the building, there is only a wire fence around, no one under the sun. Why are mosquitoes so silent in New Mexico ? Barely heard one coming towards me.

Welp, it looks like my MTF clearance did the trick at the entrance. There is no sign of anything on this black sheet metal warehouse, so I guess I have to enter.

For fuck's sake. There are tons of containers in there, ranging from wood crates to unknown shiny metal, all with a huge label on it. But, it doesn't follow Foundation standards, as every container seems to have its own… nickname ? What is this place ? It feels old as hell.

I see the staircase, I'll go down. Area #37 if I remember correctly.

Ok, found it. The door was a bit hard to open, but nothing to whiff at. It is unbelievably huge, and deep. I can only see the top of the silos, neon light doesn't go far enough. There is a small elevator to go down, thankfully I brought a torchlight.

There seems to be a slidable panel to inspect what is in the containers. But I can't find how to open it!

Ok, nevermind, it's this button. Looks like it also turned on the lights down below.

Oh.

Oh.

Okay. So I guess I know what these pills do now. I guess they put it in the food, in the water, maybe in the air, so we can act in the shadow while everyone lives in the light. Maybe us, the personnel, are receiving a smaller dose so we can do our job, but I bet no one escapes the white pill.

Now, I have two questions remaining.

How can I stop hearing the mosquitoes.

And what is this "Department of Abnormalities" that I see on each and every silo?

Case conclusion: Philippe Bull is still yet to be found. Samuel Hopkins have been cleared out and external services intervened to cover his accident. No agent has reported any troubles afterwards.

Additional notes: Internal Security was unable to act because we could not perceive the actions of the seditious agent. This notepad on his cell phone, found in the basement of Site-05, is the only remains of this case. We still don't know what Bull was referring when writing about a "Department of Abnormalities". A photograph was also found in Bull's phone, presumably SCP-561-FR matter.

You are not, despite your clearance, allowed to hear the mosquito buzz.

Footnotes

1. Arsenic trioxide.