Item #: SCP-2204

Object Class: Keter (provisional)

Special Containment Procedures: Containment of SCP-2204 is undertaken by the research team stationed in Oak Grove, Kentucky. Said team has managed to communicate the following:

Information of any kind regarding events transpiring in Oak Grove, even that which does not pertain to SCP-2204, is unreliable.

Containment of SCP-2204 is high-priority.

Containment of SCP-2204 is hazardous to personnel.

No meaningful research or containment of SCP-2204 is possible from outside of Oak Grove.

Personnel assigned to SCP-2204 should be qualified to work with infohazards and antimemetics, resistant to cognitohazards, and of a personable disposition.

For a list of funding and other resources requisitioned by the research team in Oak Grove, contact the budgeting office.

Description: Information regarding SCP-2204 is incapable of leaving the town of Oak Grove, Kentucky. SCP-2204's nature and properties are thus known only to the research team in Oak Grove, so long as said team members remain in Oak Grove.

A limited amount of indirect or very general information regarding SCP-2204 — that which is present in this document — has been communicated by the Oak Grove research team.

Any information regarding SCP-2204 must be gained via an in-person visit to Oak Grove, Kentucky.

An in-person visit to Oak Grove, Kentucky.

Item #: SCP-2204

Anomaly Class: Safe

Research Procedures: SCP-2204 is restricted to the city of Oak Grove, Kentucky. SCP-2204 requires no particular containment procedures. SCP-2204-A is to be monitored for any unusual activity or change in anomalous nature. To this end, one agent is to pose as Triple Threat's manager.

The mother of SCP-2204-A-1 through -3 has been informed of SCP-2204-A's anomalous properties (under the guise that personnel are working for the United States government), and has thus far been cooperative in assisting research.

All documentation relating to SCP-2204 is held at Outpost 2204-A. Research personnel are to re-familiarize themselves with all SCP-2204-related documentation at least once per month.

Description: SCP-2204 is an anomalous phenomenon surrounding SCP-2204-A and SCP-2204-B. SCP-2204-A is a group of five adolescent human males, age 17-24 at time of writing, residing in the town of Oak Grove, Kentucky:

SCP-2204-A-1: Martin Alvarez, age 19.

SCP-2204-A-2: Matthew "Matt" Alvarez, age 22.

SCP-2204-A-3: Michael Alvarez, age 22.

SCP-2204-A-4: Jerome Troier, age 24.

SCP-2204-A-5: Austin Betancourt, age 17.

SCP-2204-A-1, -2, and -3 are siblings; SCP-2204-A-2 and -3 are fraternal twins. None pose any particular risk to themselves or each other.

SCP-2204-B refers to any works or communications produced by SCP-2204-A, either individually or in concert.

SCP-2204-A, SCP-2204-B, and any information regarding either are incapable of leaving the town of Oak Grove, Kentucky.

Physical objects (such as SCP-2204-A itself, physical media containing SCP-2204-B, etc.) will disappear upon reaching the boundary of Oak Grove and reappear in some appropriate location within the town's borders.

Observers outside of the Oak Grove's border looking in at SCP-2204 experience a mirage-like effect that renders the information or entities in question unrecognizable. A similar effect occurs for sound, which is distorted to the point of being unrecognizable. This effect applies both to human observers and recording equipment. Those without prior knowledge of SCP-2204 will rarely recognize the effect as unusual.

Individuals who leave Oak Grove immediately forget all information related to SCP-2204, with all pertinent memories being altered to contain different material to form a coherent narrative that does not include SCP-2204. This effect typically draws on material from the individual's own experience.1 This effect is reversed upon returning to Oak Grove.

Attempts to transmit SCP-2204-B or SCP-2204-B-related data electronically outside of Oak Grove results in a malfunction either in the device sending the data or the device receiving it, preventing the transmission. The nature of the malfunction varies, though any error message that appears will be replaced with "Groovy, baby!".

The exact parameters that delineate what information can or cannot leave Oak Grove are unknown. A very limited amount of information has been communicated to the SCP Foundation at large — see the primary documentation of SCP-2204 in the main SCP database.

SCP-2204 possesses a secondary cognitohazardous effect on persons who observe anomalous activity resulting from SCP-2204 or who are exposed to information regarding it. Over the course of five to seven weeks, affected subjects manifest a general disinterest in SCP-2204's anomalous properties, typically considering them unusual (and, in some cases, acknowledging their apparent supernatural qualities), but not find them noteworthy. After nine weeks, no subject has voluntarily attempted any action that would trigger SCP-2204's anomalous properties.

These cognitohazardous effects are dissipated by regular exposure to information that calls attention to SCP-2204's anomalous properties, such as this document. The effects are substantially more difficult to reverse in subjects who are native to Oak Grove or who enjoy the music of Triple Threat.

SCP-2204-A's members together comprise the members of the hip-hop group Triple Threat, with SCP-2204-A-1 and -4 responsible for production, SCP-2204-A-2 and -3 responsible for writing and performing vocals, and SCP-2204-A-5 acting as a turntablist. The group has thus far released two mixtapes (Spy vs. Spy and JAGUAR) and one self-titled album. Due to its high-quality music and acclaimed live show, Triple Threat is popular among citizens of Oak Grove.

SCP-2204's anomalous properties initially manifested at some point in 2009, when SCP-2204-A-1 through -3 began to write music and began calling themselves Triple Threat. SCP-2204-A-4 and -5, longtime friends of the trio, were added in 2012 and were thereafter subject to SCP-2204's anomalous properties.

SCP-2204 retained its anomalous properties for the duration of a temporary dissolution of Triple Threat over interpersonal and creative disputes in 2014. It is thus presumed that SCP-2204's anomalous properties, while likely initiated by Triple Threat, are independent of its existence.

SCP-2204 was discovered by chance in 2013. While the Foundation at large is entirely ignorant of the nature of SCP-2204, it has continued to provide funding for containment efforts and personnel as requested by Outpost 2204-A under the advisement of the Antimemetics department.

Addendum: Note from Dr. Bavitz, SCP-2204 head researcher.

SCP-2204 is, as you've probably realized by now, self-containing. The chance of the "outside world" learning about it is effectively zero. The population of Oak Grove leads lives that are completely normal in every important aspect. There's nothing to suggest that either of these are changing any time soon.

If the Foundation was capable of knowing what we do here, there's no chance that they would bother funding it. If you feel that your talents would be better used elsewhere, or that deceiving the Foundation in this way is somehow immoral, feel free to request a transfer — we're not afraid that you'll give up our secret, obviously. I should note, however, that this assignment is about as low-risk as it gets, and you'll feel healthier not getting amnesticized who-knows-how-often. At least, that's what I think it is.

Our research is undertaken for the benefit of SCP-2204-A. Those of us who remain here believe that SCP-2204 poses an unjust restriction on these individuals, and that our research may be able to identify a way for them to live more normal lives. They may be unaware of what they're missing, but that doesn't change anything. Not to mention that the world is being deprived of some rather good music.

We're glad to have you aboard.

Footnotes

1. For example, SCP-2204-A-3's mother will recall raising three girls whose descriptions and life histories correspond to different women that SCP-2204-A-3 has dated. Foundation personnel will typically recall working on containment of an SCP object on which they have previously worked. Memories of SCP-2204-B are consistently replaced with memories of material from the Austin Powers franchise or from the nonexistent rock band Constellation Starfish.