"SCP-2346 is an anomalous sequence of numbers."

NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The following document details an explained phenomenon following internal review by the Foundation Department of Psychiatry. It is presented in the original form, as updates to the file have been deemed irrelevant following said review. Relevant notes have been left throughout, to provide clarification.

— Maria Jones, Director, RAISA

Item #: SCP-23461

Object Class: Keter/Pending2

Special Containment Procedures: Dr. Endicott is to monitor any and all communications, missives or daily events for instances of SCP-2346.

Description: SCP-2346 is an anomalous sequence of numbers, "2346" that appears in ~85% of all written material observed by Dr. Endicott. Whether the anomalous sequence was already present, or is inserted when observed by Dr. Endicott is currently unknown — SCP-2346 appears to be the result of a sentient being that targets exclusively Dr. Endicott for unknown reasons.

Each time Dr. Endicott observes an instance of SCP-2346, the resulting anomalous effect is of minor negative consequence. If Dr. Endicott fails to notice a new instance of SCP-2346, the resulting anomalous effect has widespread or disastrous consequences.

Research into the origins and mechanics behind SCP-2346 are under investigation. A non-comprehensive list of notable SCP-2346 instances is included below:

Date
Document
Sequence Excerpt
Consequence

07/06/2004
Foundation Issue ID
ID# 9472346012
Dr. Endicott appears blinking in their ID Photo.

When I first got my ID, the sequence jumped out at me. '2346'. Nondescript, but unexpected. It caught my eye.

19/06/2004
Chocolate Box Barcode
fDs-2346-SkD
Dr. Endicott is seen choking on a chocolate, but suffers no permanent damage.

God I'm embarrassed. The first gift Charles sends me at work and I end up choking in front of my boss.

30/06/2004
Digital Clock Error
11:46PM
The digital clock in Dr. Endicott's office froze and was stuck on 11:46PM. This wasn't noticed until 2:34AM on 01/07/2024.

I can't believe I missed our date night. Charles stayed up for me the entire time, half-awake on the couch when I got home. I'm slipping, and I don't know why.

11/07/2004
Calorie Intake Log
2,346 Calories
Dr. Endicott goes significantly over his caloric intake target for the next week.

Charles has got us both on this new diet where we're counting calories. Don't tell him, but I've been fudging my numbers — it's only because I keep staying late and binging on vending machine snacks.

09/08/2004
Receipt from ███████
Total: $23.46
Dr. Endicott's order of lab coats is delivered. All are size 'XXS'.

I wanted to surprise Charles for our anniversary, so I stopped at an adult boutique on the way home. No matter what the box says, it is not one-size-fits-all.

12/08/2004
Poker Hand
Endicott Held: 2 of Spades, 3 of Spades, 4 of Spades and 6 of Spades.
Dr. Endicott went all in after seeing his cards, hoping for a straight flush. He went bust, with High Card of 6. His lost chips equated to ~3 months salary.

Charles can't find out, it was stupid and I shouldn't have taken that risk. I should have seen it. Maybe if I work some later nights, I can hide this?

18/08/2004
Resubmitted Invoice
Number 02832723468
Dr. Endicott's invoice contained errors, and was denied. It was also denied for similar reasons on the next two attempts.

I'm falling apart here. I'm on-Site, what, 15 hours a day? I barely see Charles anymore, and I feel like shit, but I have to make it up to him. It'll be worth it in the long run. Right?

21/08/2004
Gift Basket
Contents: 2 Bottles of Wine, 3 Candles, 4 Gourmet Spreads and 6 Incense Blends.
Dr. Endicott tripped while leaving the Site and hit his head on the curb. Dr. Endicott was embarrassed, but unharmed.

I don't even care, I'm too excited. Charles is going to love this basket.

22/08/2004
Suspected GRU-P Number's Station
'12346911234691'
MTF Agent Sullivan is dispatched to investigate the origin and is KIA.

I stayed up with Charles way too late last night. I was monitoring the station when I fell asleep. I didn't notice the sequence until months later.

19/12/2004
Christmas String Lights
Bulbs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th position were burned out.
Dr. Endicott requested additional time off from work. It was denied.

I can't believe it. First, I burned the turkey, then I was denied extra time off? I've been neglecting Charles and I feel terrible, I need to make it up to him.

31/12/2005
Restaurant Address
2346 Lillard Way
Dr. Endicott fails to appear for their scheduled shift. They receive a formal reprimand.

I don't give a fuck. For the first night in a long time, I got to be with Charles. I wouldn't trade that for the world.

03/01/2005
Foundation Issue Door Lock
Lock# 2346984
Dr. Endicott forgets their keys inside their office and is locked out for 2 hours, 34 minutes and 06 seconds.

I'm all over the place lately. Charles was doing great on New Years, but he's staying in bed more and more. I wish I could be home to look after him, but I need to keep my job.

23/01/2005
Locker Combination
11-23-46
Dr. Endicott is unable to remember the first two digits of the combination, and in frustration, breaks a Foundation issued tablet.

This has to be something more. Something is after me, something is after Charles. And I keep seeing it, over and over and over again. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but at this point… it's anomalous, right?

17/02/2005
Personal Letter
Zip Code: 92346
Charles Endicott, Dr. Endicott's husband, gets a flat tire while driving home from visiting family.

I should have gone with him, but I couldn't get the time off. Charles was staying with family in Highland while he saw a specialist. Nobody's sure what's going on, and I'm terrified. The letter just made it sting more.

21/04/2005
After Action Report
Report Number #493234601
Dr. Endicott informed his superior of the repeated sequence, and his belief that it was an anomaly, but was dismissed at the time.

Nobody believes me. It's not just me though, the data doesn't lie. Something is going on.

28/04/2005
Voicemail Transcript
"Dr. Endicott? This is Sarah. Please call me back. We need to talk about Charles."
Dr. Endicott was observed storming out of his performance review in tears. His promotion request was denied.

No way. This isn't real. I can't take it. What the fuck do I do?

05/05/2005
Dr. Endicott's Credit Card
Last 4 Digits: 2346
Dr. Endicott's new credit card was rejected by all vending machines on Site.

It has to be 2346. I keep seeing it, day in, day out. I feel like I'm going insane. Charles is in and out of the hospital every day now, meanwhile, I'm stuck at the fucking Site and still things are going wrong. What am I going to do?

16/05/2005
Plane Ticket
Reference #: 02023461
Dr. Endicott noticed the sequence right before Charles Endicott boarded the plane, and was able to convince him to take the next flight. Flight OF-2346 disappeared approximately 3775.5 kilometers into their flight plan, and has not been found.

Fuck. I can't believe I almost missed it. If I had… I can't think about that. Charles was going to see a specialist; I asked the Foundation if they could help, but I was told that 'the health of non-employees is outside of the scope of our concerns'. Assholes. I need to figure this out. It's not safe anymore.

17/05/2005
Internal Foundation Records Search
"12346 Results Found"
Dr. Endicott's computer crashed, and had to be replaced.

It's making fun of me now. Why does nobody else believe me? Bad things are happening, I know I can prove it.

18/05/2005
Lab Entry Code
2346#
The entry code to the lab was randomized, per procedure. Despite proper entry, Dr. Endicott was unable to enter the lab.

Why does nobody else believe me? How am I the only one noticing things?

18/05/2005
Car Odometer
23460 Miles
Dr. Endicott did not notice the odometer tick over from 23459 to 23460. Their car engine shut off, and could not be restarted.

I can't deal with this today. I need to get home.

19/05/2005
Incoming Phone Number
███-███-2346
Dr. Endicott missed the phone call, as they were at the hospital at the time. Medical staff report that Dr. Endicott was seen screaming at a doctor.

Leave him alone.

19/05/2005
Hospital Room Number
Floor 2, Room 346
Dr. Endicott refuses to enter the room upon noticing the number. Despite their protests, the room is unable to be changed.

What do you want from me? Why can't you leave me alone?

19/05/2005
Hospital Chimes
Note Sequence: BCDF
Dr. Endicott becomes agitated upon hearing the chime, and is heard yelling "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" They are forcibly ejected from the hospital.

You thought you could sneak it past me, didn't you? I have perfect pitch you dick. BCDF? It's everywhere, I keep seeing it. In the paper. In my emails. License plates, reports, receipts, puzzle answers, dates, everything. I'm surrounded by 2346 and it's ruining my life.

19/05/2005
Clinical Trial Results
Success Rate: 2.346%
Dr. Endicott misses a review meeting and is suspended for a failure to complete their work.

Look. 2346? You can fuck with me, you can ruin my career, you can hurt me. But leave Charles out of this.

NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Following Dr. Endicott's suspension, an internal review began due to concerns surrounding the quickly degrading mental state shown in the submitted instances. Dr. Endicott logged a total of 2,346 instances between 07/06/2004-19/05/2005, 1,058 of which were submitted during the three months prior to his suspension. Upon detailed investigation, no causal link was found between the reported instances.

In fact, further investigation revealed a further 13,327 instances of the sequence '2346' in documents related to or created by Dr. Endicott that were neither reported, nor correlated to any anomalous effects. It is the conclusion of both the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Replication Studies that any correlations between '2346' and negative consequences were the direct result of selective perception by Dr. Endicott.

On 03/07/2005, after Dr. Endicott failed to return to work at the conclusion of his suspension, Foundation agents were dispatched to perform a wellness check, accompanied by Site Psychiatrist Dr. Erza Fisher. A written statement from Dr. Fisher is provided below.

— Maria Jones, Director, RAISA

On the 3rd of July, I was dispatched to perform a wellness check on Dr. Endicott, a Foundation researcher, due to concerns of his worsening mental state. Upon our arrival, Dr. Endicott greeted us at the door, appearing disheveled and gaunt. He quickly ushered us in, before shutting the door. I observed as he performed as series of knocks: 2, then 3, then 4, then 6, muttering under his breath as he did.

Dr. Endicott led us into his sitting room, where the walls had been covered with pages of documents, hospital records, overdue bill notices and a variety of unrelated advertisements or flyers. Each one was covered in notation, each instance containing the sequence of numbers '2346'. The room was disorderly, full of piles of trash and takeout. Dr. Endicott sat in a stool, staring at the wall of pages, seemingly ignoring us.

He then stated "You know? It's kinda funny. It's all my fault. But none of you believed that." After asking questions to clarify, Dr. Endicott became distressed, ranting and violently tearing at the pages on the walls. The agents present moved to draw their weapons, but, at my order, stopped and left Dr. Endicott and I alone. I observed Dr. Endicott sink to the floor, gripping a sheet of paper tight in his hands.

I asked Dr. Endicott what he was holding, at which point he stated: "I'm sorry. I killed him. I should have noticed. I should have been more careful. 2,3,4,6. So yeah. I killed him. He didn't trust me. Why didn't Charles trust me anymore? I just. I knew better. The doctors didn't understand. I'm smarter than those brainless doctors. 2,3,4,6. They didn't. Nobody else understood. Charles didn't understand either. It was everywhere, ruining my life. Those numbers. The same sequence. 2346, again and again. Again and again and again just — Never 2,3,4,5. Of course not. That would make sense. 2346 is more clever than that. It hides. In plain sight. Lurking around every corner. But I got distracted, you know? Fuck me. I was worried. Charles was getting worse. I had to get him out. Back home. Away from there. I wasn't thinking straight. I wasn't focused, I wasn't prepared — 2,3,4,6 — I wasn't. I wasn't thinking. I just didn't notice. I know I should have noticed. I didn't. I didn't notice. Should have known better. I didn't notice it, not then."

At that point, Dr. Endicott stopped responding to my questions. After multiple attempts to resume communication between us, Dr. Endicott shook his head, and handed a sheet of paper to me. At this point, he began to repeat the sequence of phrases: "I didn't. I didn't notice. Should have known better. I didn't notice it, not then."

Upon review, the page I was given was a hospital discharge bill, dated 19/05/2005. The total, circled in red was "$23,468.21". It was then I noticed another page on the wall; an autopsy report for one Charles Endicott. It was mostly obscured with Dr. Endicott's writings, but the time of death was encircled in red: 11:46PM.

I asked Dr. Endicott what had happened to Charles, at which point, Dr. Endicott froze. In the only moment of true lucidity that I noted during my visit, he spoke and said: "I wish I had seen the total, maybe then I could have saved Charles. I just… didn't notice.", before returning to his former repetition.

It is plain to see that Dr. Endicott is a man in pain. His obsession with SCP-2346 has taken over his entire life, defining not only how he perceives the world, but also in how he copes. His compulsive behaviors have taken over his entire being, SCP-2346 being integrated in every part of his routine, occupying his entire life. Dr. Endicott is terrified of breaking those rituals; after all, in his mind, that sequence killed his husband. It's tough to make out through his hand writing, but the ME report lists the cause of death as 'heart attack due to comorbidity'. Nothing about the situation was anomalous, and yet, to him, it was real.

At the Foundation, we train our researchers to notice the unnoticeable. We praise those who find the anomalous in the mundane, promote the scientists who overwork themselves, pushing themselves along the delicate balance between greatness and self-destruction. We sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, knowing we have saved thousands more from the same fate.

And yet, looking at Dr. Endicott, I cannot help but doubt things. If our mission is right, is Dr. Endicott an acceptable loss? He is still hurting, haunted by an imaginary specter, a sequence that seems to taunt him wherever he looks. His mental health issues and obsessive compulsive behaviors intensified this, yes, but — could we have done something?

Should we have done something?

Dr. Ezra Fisher

Psychiatry

Following the submission of the above written statement, further diagnostic sessions and a full internal review, Dr. Endicott was placed into psychiatric care and SCP-2346 was reclassified as SCP-2346-EX.

Footnotes

1. SCP-2346-EX

2. Explained