SCP-3322-B.

Item #: SCP-3322

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: One Foundation operative is embedded in both SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B at all times (given the designation Operative A/B while on station). Fluency in Spanish and familiarity with the cultural practices and lifestyle of Patagonia is required for Operative A, and fluency in Mongolian language and knowledge of Mongolian lifestyle and culture is likewise required for Operative B. In order to minimise the effects of SCP-3322, both these operatives should be selected for similarity in family background, personal history, personality, and interests. They are required to be physically and psychologically healthy and to have been unaffected by an anomaly for the last 3 months. As the number of Spanish-speaking staff available to the Foundation is much larger than the number of Mongolian speakers, it is advisable to initially recruit for the Mongolian B position and subsequently find a suitable match for the A position.

These operatives are inserted in the guise of regional government officials and have the task of collecting demographic data on SCP-3322, observing its population, and facilitating the experiments of the SCP-3322 research team. The town government and population of SCP-3322 are generally cooperative with this position, which is based out of an office in the town hall of SCP-3322-A and B. Operative A/B is also tasked with conducting a formal annual census. They are to reside on-site for the duration of their assignment. A house at [REDACTED] has been attached to their position, which they are free to use as they wish outside of working hours. Visitors from outside of SCP-3322 are forbidden. Operatives are advised to maintain cordial, professional relations with the local population, and keep a record of all their interactions. The formation of close personal relationships with the inhabitants is discouraged, unless a proposal demonstrating their research value is submitted and approved.

SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B are each monitored by two observation posts (OP-1-A/B and OP-2-A/B) on the north-south highway passing through SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B, at a distance of 500m outside the boundary of SCP-3322. They are to be manned by 3 staff members each, with the cover of local police. Profile matching of these staff members between A and B sites, as with Operative A/B, is beneficial but not a requirement. All traffic approaching or passing through SCP-3322 is to be logged, but should not be interfered with outside of exceptional circumstances.

All communication relating to SCP-3322 should be passed to the SCP-3322 research team currently based at Site ██ in Buenos Aires. Staff in SCP-3322-A are not to contact staff in SCP-3322-B and vice versa except in emergency situations, a detailed list of which can be found in Protocol 3322-Omega. An emergency hotline is present between OP-1-A and OP-1-B for this purpose.

Publicly available information (particularly maps and satellite data) relating to SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B is to be altered to remove similarities without arousing suspicion in civilians who visit or who have a familiarity with either location.

Description: SCP-3322 consists of two anomalous locations, SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B. SCP-3322-A is the town of Cameron, Deseado Department, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and the surrounding area in a 1 km radius from the township limits. SCP-3322-B is the town of Buyant (Буянт), Galshar District, Khentii Province, Mongolia, and the surrounding area of identical dimensions to SCP-3322-A. SCP-3322-A is located at coordinates 46° 22' 43" S, 68° 52' 16" W, and SCP-3322-B is located at coordinates 46° 22' 43" N, 111° 7' 44" E, making the two towns antipodes to one another.

SCP-3322-A. A-2201 and A-3977 visible in foreground.

Both towns have a population of 5,023, a life expectancy of approximately 72.5 years and an estimated GDP per capita of $8,500. SCP-3322-B is known in the local region as a prosperous town, with a large number of brick and wood houses. It has relatively few ger1 or people living traditional nomadic lifestyles. Residents of SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B report similar quality of life measurements and levels of subjective wellbeing.

View of the outskirts of SCP-3322-B.

SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B have the anomalous property of internal causal synchronicity; events and actions that occur in SCP-3322-A will occur in SCP-3322-B and vice versa. These are appropriate to the local context rather than exact replications.2 This property is flexible; local conditions such as climate may prevent synchronous events, as may outside intervention, but an approximation will be generated in the corresponding location. Events are staggered due to the 11-hour time zone difference. Most events occur on the same local date and time, but a time delay of up to 12 days has also been observed. Neither location is more likely to generate events which precede events in the other. Both towns have an identical street and building layout (although with differences in architecture), which persists due to the anomaly.

SCP-3322 also affects the profiles of individuals within its boundaries. Each individual within SCP-3322-A has a corresponding counterpart within SCP-3322-B, where they possess similar family situations, interests, and personality traits, in addition to their behaviour. There are currently 5,912 individuals in each location affected by SCP-3322 (given designations A/B-1, A/B-2… A/B-5912), not including Operative A/B. 5,023 are permanent residents and 889 are seasonal residents or regular visitors such as delivery vehicle drivers. Similarities between visitors are only apparent in those who have visited SCP-3322 more than once.

SCP-3322 has no visible effects outside the previously stated boundary, and if a matched pair of individuals affected by SCP-3322 leaves3, their actions will cease to reflect one another.4 However, the effects of the anomalous causal relationship do have external impacts, as external circumstances occur in a way that maintains similar internal events within SCP-3322.5 No practical method for reliably predicting external events that affect SCP-3322 has yet been developed, and when these events occur they are considered non-anomalous. Therefore, the nature of SCP-3322 is formally considered to be confined to its boundary, although this definition is contested.

No evidence of any anomalous cognition has been observed within SCP-3322. All its inhabitants behave in a manner appropriate to the local region, and have no detectable biological or psychological abnormalities. When observed in isolation, all events that occur within SCP-3322-A or B are consistent with baseline reality, and local Hume levels are unremarkable. However, Foundation parastatisticians have estimated the likelihood of events in SCP-3322-A and B occurring together by chance at less than 10-48 per annum.6

Addendum 3322-1: Selected events relating to SCP-3322

Date
Description

27/02/1995

Construction of a residence within SCP-3322 for the use of the operative on station is approved (prior to this, they were residing outside SCP-3322 and making a daily commute). An experiment is designed where a local building firm is contracted with Foundation funds to build a residence in SCP-3322-A at [REDACTED], with no action taken relating to SCP-3322-B. On 1/03/1995, B-1 (Mayor C. Batu) announces he will use his personal funds to construct a house for the use of Operative B (Agent B. Ganbold) and his future replacements, with the rent being deducted from Operative B's local government allowance. This appears to be for tax minimisation reasons.7 Both houses are completed on 11/11/1995 at matching locations.

01/08/1996

A-1568 (Mr O. Vidal), wielding a hunting rifle, shoots and kills his wife, A-1569 (Mrs M. Vidal), during a heated argument. Operative B (Agent B. Ganbold) is informed of these events 2 hours later by Operative A (Agent G. Martin) and he investigates the residence of B-1568 (Mr A. Gantulga) and B-1569 (Ms O. Bayarmaa). Hearing a disturbance, Agent Ganbold attempts to force entry, which startles B-1568 and causes him to discharge a firearm he was holding, killing B-1569. Both A- and B-1568 are arrested and transported to the relevant provincial capital for trial. A-1568 is convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, while B-1568 is convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.8

An internal Foundation investigation clears Agent Ganbold of wrongdoing and recommends the current procedure of restricting communication between staff within SCP-3322-A and SCP-3322-B, which was not in effect at this time. Agent Ganbold requests reassignment, but receives counselling and decides to remain.

05/04/2004

While crossing a street, Operative A (Dr G. Richter) is struck by a van driven by A-5003 (Mr A. Acosta).9 Dr Richter suffers a serious head injury and requires evacuation to Buenos Aires for medical treatment. Operative B (Dr A. Xangai) is advised to remain indoors and await extraction, avoiding motor vehicles. Shortly before transport from OP-1-B arrives, Dr Xangai trips and falls down the stairs of the SCP-3322-B town hall, also suffering a head injury. Dr Xangai makes a full recovery over the next 12 months, but Dr Richter has residual left-sided weakness and mild memory loss, necessitating his retirement from field duties. Dr Xangai is reassigned and a new pair of observers installed.

11/07/2005

Dr Richter requests to retire from active Foundation service and reside permanently within SCP-3322-A, stating he has become accustomed to the environment over the last 6 years. This request is approved provided he surrender his security clearance and refrain from contacting former colleagues. Dr Richter agrees to these conditions and takes up residence at [REDACTED], receiving the designation of A-4702.

On 15/07/2005, a Dr I. Kosyachenko moves into the corresponding address at SCP-3322-B and is given the designation of B-4702. B-4702 also has left-sided weakness and mild memory issues, following an assault outside a restaurant that led to his retirement from a teaching position at Novosibirsk State University. He holds a PhD from Moscow State University in history.10 Both A- and B-4702 are trilingual, unmarried, childless and the youngest of 3 brothers, and share interests in American colonial history, Thai cuisine and jazz music. Notably, B-4702 was considered a candidate for Foundation employment in the 1990s, but did not pass pre-recruitment evaluations.

01/12/2005

Dr Richter (A-4702) is found to have established contact with B-4702 over the Internet. He is reprimanded for undermining containment procedures. It is planned to revoke his privilege of residence within SCP-3322-A, but a proposal from the research team for the ongoing study of this relationship is approved, and he is allowed to remain in place provided he submit to electronic surveillance and report details of his conversations with B-4702 to the Foundation. As of 2017, A- and B-4702 remain in contact on a weekly to monthly basis. Their interactions are based on personality compatibility and mutual interests, with no noted anomalies.

12/06/2013

Operative A (Agent E. Santos) and B (Agent V. Navalny) are discovered to have been involved in an intimate relationship with A-491 (Ms C. Herrera) and B-491 (Ms O. Erdenchimeg) for the previous 3 months. Agent Santos and Agent Navalny are transferred and officially reprimanded. Subsequently, Agent Navalny escalates the decision for review, reporting that Agent Santos initiated the relationship 2 days before he did and his own actions were thus conducted under the influence of an SCP. An Ethics Committee panel denies his appeal by a 2-1 vote, citing the absence of cognitohazardous effects within SCP-3322 as the basis for this decision.

20/11/2015

Operative B (Dr E. Zhang) receives news that her mother has died of advanced heart failure, and her request for 1 week of leave to attend the funeral is approved.11 For research purposes, it is decided to leave Operative A (Dr P. Molina) on station and observe the effects of attempting to circumvent SCP-3322's effect for this period of time; Foundation staff at SCP-3322-B were directed not to enter its boundary.

On 22/11/2015 at 0045 hrs local time, SCP-3322-A's perimeter is breached by a ANG12 unit in an armoured vehicle, who proceed to detain Dr Molina and transport her to an unknown location. Simultaneously, at 1145 hrs local time, Foundation observers at SCP-3322-B report the arrival from Ulanbataar of a previously unknown government official, who takes up residence in the house assigned to Operative B. After deliberation by Site ██ staff, an operation to apprehend this official is conducted on 23/11/2015 by MTF Epsilon-6. She identifies herself as a GOC field operative, 'Captain Polina Pavlovna'. While she refuses to divulge any other useful information, intelligence from other sources confirms the ANG unit seen at SCP-3322-A was a GOC strike team, whose operation was planned at least 1 month in advance.

Captain Pavlovna is exchanged for Dr Molina on 31/12/2015, in line with preexisting Foundation-GOC arrangements. An agreement is reached with the GOC where they recognise Foundation control over SCP-3322 in exchange for research data.

14/12/2016

A-5422 (Ms B. de la Cruz)13 announces her intent to travel to Mongolia on holiday. Her plans involve spending 2 weeks in Ulanbataar and the surrounding areas, with no initial mention of SCP-3322-B. She is placed under Foundation surveillance from this point and arrives in Ulanbataar on 20/07/2017.14 On 08/08/2017, she begins travelling towards SCP-3322-B on a rented motorcycle. Although the research team initially plans to allow her to enter and observe the results, this is overruled by Site Director Dominguez, due to information security issues and concerns that this interaction could have destabilising effects on SCP-3322. A-5422 is intercepted and detained by Foundation staff (see Interview 3322-A-5422-1).

Addendum 3322-2:

+ Interview transcript 3322-A-5422-1

- Interview transcript 3322-A-5422-1

Date and time: 08/08/2017, 1533 hrs

Interviewer: Dr Nambaryn Bayar, SCP-3322 research team

Subject: SCP-3322-A-5422 (Ms Beatriz de la Cruz) of Buenos Aires, dob 01/02/1996

Note: The interview was conducted in English, which A-5422 is conversant in, as no Spanish-speaking staff were available on site.

Dr Bayar: I'm Officer Bayar, Mongolian Police. Can we ask you a few questions?

A-5422: (afraid) What is this? I haven't done anything. Do you need my visa?

Dr Bayar: You can't go this way. There is, ah, military business further on. You can go back to Ulanbataar when we are finished, but my orders are to do this for whoever comes down this road. Sorry for the trouble.

A-5422: (relieved) Okay, I see. What do you want to know?

Dr Bayar: Can you tell me about why you are here in Mongolia?

A-5422: I'm a student from Argentina, on a backpacking holiday.

[EXTRANEOUS CONVERSATION REDACTED]

Dr Bayar: Do you know what is further down the road?

A-5422: No. I don't know about any army secrets or anything like that.

Dr Bayar: So why did you decide to come this way? Where were you going?

A-5422: There was really no reason. (notices Dr Bayar appearing sceptical) I, uh, have this feeling - have you ever had that feeling, where you want to go and do something, go somewhere, that other people haven't done?

Dr Bayar: (laughing) More than you might expect.

A-5422: That's why I came here, just to see what would happen. (nervous laughter) I guess something did happen. Going somewhere without a reason - it makes me feel more free. That's all.

Dr Bayar: Okay, Miss Beatriz. My friend outside has a few little things you need to do, and then you can go. Enjoy the rest of your stay.

A-5422's statements and behaviour were deemed to be consistent with her baseline personality and habits. No anomalies were detected on further testing and she was released from Foundation custody.

Footnotes

1. Traditional Mongolian tent.

2. For example, a resident in each town would go shopping for groceries, but purchase slightly different items.

3. Individuals residing in SCP-3322 do not leave without their counterpart also doing so. If one individual is prevented from doing so by external intervention, they have been observed to leave at a later time, or a replacement individual will enter to take the place of the individual who has departed.

4. Similar behaviour will continue due to their personal profiles and histories, but this is not considered anomalous.

5. For example, if a resident permanently moved away due to the unexpected death of an outside family member, their counterpart would likely move away due to a different external event.

6. See Bradford et al. (2015) Anomalous probability vs anomalous causality; what does it mean in practice? A case study with SCP-3322, Journal of Parastatistics.

7. On 05/03/1995, A-1 (Mayor L. Lopez) invests an equivalent sum into a small business in Puerto Deseado.

8. Neither A-1568 or B-1568 have returned to SCP-3322 since their release from prison.

9. It is later discovered that B-5003 (Mr E. Yasavur) has crashed his van into a brick wall. Nobody is injured in this incident, but both vehicles receive similar amounts of damage and A- and B-5003 both refrain from operating a motor vehicle for the next 2 months.

10. Dr Richter holds a PhD from Brown University in anthropology.

11. Operative A's mother remains alive and well at this time.

12. Argentine National Gendarmerie.

13. A-5422 resides in Buenos Aires and is an arts student at the University of Buenos Aires. She is an annual visitor to SCP-3322-A, as her father (A-1990, Mr A. de la Cruz) is a permanent resident.

14. At this time, B-5422 (Ms T. Tsetseg) was in Beijing, her usual place of residence.