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Article: SCP-140-IT — O.V.R.D.

Author: Dr Zeno

Original: SCP-140-IT

Translator: Roberto Turati

Item #: SCP-140-IT

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The operations to monitor and conceal SCP-140-IT are coordinated at Site Virtus and carried out by agents of the Intelligence and Research Section (SIR), some of whom are embedded with the National Autonomous Roads Company (ANAS). Furthermore, it is necessary to intermittently cooperate with the German (DE), Greek (EL), English (EN), Spanish (ES) and French (FR) branches.

The use of reality cells proved effective to prevent the effects of SCP-140-IT. However, given the costs and the logistical problems implied by the hypothetical securization of all the affected areas, contributions to contain SCP-140-IT are limited to some dozens of units buried in strategic locations.

Description: SCP-140-IT is a spatial dislocation anomalous phenomenon acting on a probabilistic scale, manifesting itself in some specific city areas located mainly - but not exclusively - on Italian soil. It affects moving individuals and/or animals, either alone or in a group. It is a sudden dematerialization event, followed by a near-immediate materialization event in a different location;1 SCP-140-IT extends to any vehicles and the items on the victims' physical body (clothes and accessories); it maintains their momentum and occurs in a manner granting survival, at least from the outset.2

The dematerializating locations include the tracks of a well-defined list of roads, which can subsequently be classified based on their frequency rate. Said rate was obtained from the statistical analysis of all the established events recorded so far (see the SIR/140 record).

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1-2 yearly events
Cammino della luce (ancient Via Amerina), SP 1/a Via Portuensis, SP 3/e Via Ardeatina, SP 22/a Via Nomentana, SP 49/a Via Prenestina, SP 95/b Via Laurentina, SS 1 Via Aurelia, SS 2 Via Cassia, SS 3 Via Flaminia, SS 4 Via Salaria, SS 5 Via Tiburtina Valeria, SS 7 Via Appia, Via Trionfale

< 1 yearly events, at least 1 every 10 years
Montagna Spaccata, CAI track n.599, SP 27 Via Postumia, SP 102 Roman Via Postumia, SR 79 Via Ternana, SS 7 Via quater Domiziana, SS 16 Via Adriatica, SS 26 of the Aosta Valley, SS 27 of the Great Saint Bernard, SS 67 Via Tosco-Romagnola, SS 66 Via Pistoiese, SS 80 of the Gran Sasso, SS 113 Settentrionale Sicula, SS 340 Regina, tratturi Centurelle-Montesecco and l'Aquila-Foggia, the mountain passes of San Vito and Buccolo, Via del Volto Santo

At least 1 event ever recorded
Chaussée de la reine Blanche, Grand Corniche, route départementale 101, route nationale 7, route nationale 113 (France), Elsdorf Köln-Aachener-Straße, Grouven Römerstraße, Jülich Kölner Landstraße, Jülich Römerstraße, Köln Aachener Straße, Claudia Augusta bike path, Quadrath-Ichendorf Im Rauland, Quadrath-Ichendorf Rote-Kreuz-Straße, Thorr Römerstraße (Germany), A2 Egnatia Odos highway (Greece), A1, A2, A5, A10, A15, A37, A38, A41, A46, A68, A118, A140, A367, A358, A417, A419, A429, A607, A1198, A5460, B3151, B3167, B4000, B4114, B4455, B6403, Peddars Way, Pennine Way (United Kingdom), autopista C-32, autovía A-66, calzada de los Blendios, Paso de la Fuenfría, Silver Route (Spain)

N.B.: A comparative assessment of the aforementioned roads has identified a common trait: they follow the track of ancient consular roads dating back to the Roman age. It is noteworthy that the three degrees of frequency correlate to the geographical location relative to the materialization area.

On the other hand, the materialization location may include any (unoccupied) point within the area bordered by the Great Ring Junction; the most frequent locations by far (roughly 10% of all the events) are included within a 1478.5 m radius3 from the coordinates N 41° 53' 33.32" E 12° 29' 04.13", which are considered the epicenter of the SCP-140-IT phenomenon.

▶ Addendum 140-IT: History and origin of SCP-140-IT

◀◀◀ Addendum 140-IT: History and origin of SCP-140-IT

According by what was passed on by Janus' Order, mysterious unintentional materializations have been happening within the boundaries of Rome since 2nd century C.E., with a whole squad of the praetorian guard tasked with handling the phenomenon. Unfortunately, the troubled history of Janus' Order from the fall of the Western Roman Empire onward, which caused the loss of countless documents, made it impossible to gather accurate information on the origins of SCP-140-IT for a long time.

Another important data source about SCP-140-IT is a record compiled and updated over the centuries by the Confraternity of Saint George's Knights: the Georgites took care of studying and concealing the anomaly for the whole period of papal Rome, without ever reaching an unanimous agreement on whether it was "divine" or "hellish".4

Following the annexation of the Papal States to the newly founded Kingdom of Italy, SCP-140-IT was one of the first paranormal phenomena studied by the Royal Institute of Italian Anomalies. The cooperation between the Institute and the Order, but above all the access to part of the Confraternity's archives after the Lateran Treaty, made it possible to collect the most complete set of information about SCP-140-IT, inherited and expanded by the Foundation's Italian branch after World War II.

By studying the history of the phenomenon, it was also learnt how the perimeter bordering the materialization area gradually changed, adapting to the conventions on the boundaries of Rome from time to time.5 Indeed, the current overlap with the A90 highway began after that road was built in 1951.

The mystery of the origin of SCP-140-IT was solved for good in June 2010, when Janus' Order went on an expedition to Istanbul financed by the Italian and Turkish (TR) branches and discovered an archive of the Order's ancient Byzantian branch. Among the texts was the lost De Operĭbus Arcanis (“About the Secret Works”),6 containing passages describing SCP-140-IT. A translation is attached below.

Marcus Turpilius Domitius, De Operĭbus Arcanis, Liber III, 6

[…] Trajan, optimus princeps, was thus succeeded by Hadrian, who was certainly not inferior to him in terms of intellect, virtue and generosity. What Trajan conquered, expanding the boundaries of the Empire like no one before, Hadrian was able to keep, giving prosperity to both the citizens and the provinces. He was a great art amateur, and perhaps he was especially knowledgeable in architecture. The temple in Rome, ruin of Apollodorus, is his. The tomb where he is now resting with his bride is his. The Pantheon risen from the ashes and the mighty wall on the borders of Caledonia are his.7

But alas, even the best among emperors may fall into error, although they want nothing but peace for their people. Having to rule the greatest of all empires, greater than Alexander's, and having personally visited all of it, the pater patriae yearned for a way to make travels easier in such a vast territory. Therefore, he summoned sages from everywhere, masters of the arcane arts, asking them to craft a hex, so that goods and wagons and legions would be able to travel countless miles in the blink of an eye, as if they were walking in Mercury's sandals. He also asked that Rome, the capital city of the world, was placed where it deserved to be: at the exact center of the canvas.

Years passed, and just when the emperor had lost all hope, the sages returned with their response. They were sure that they could meet his demand. However, a sad surprise awaited them, once the consular roads were paved, once the milestones were carved and the formulas were uttered. Perhaps it was due to the difficulty in realizing such a prodigy, or maybe a punishment from the gods for daring so much, but the hex span out of their control, as it still spins out of ours. The Order's initiates know this well.

And yet, the adage repeated in every corner of the Empire since time immemorial was never so true: OMNES VIAE ROMAM DUCUNT.8

Footnotes

1. The time gap amounts to roughly 0.02 seconds.

2. Meaning that the materialization event occurs at ground level and without invading any occupied physical space. That does not exclude the possibility of accidents, even fatal ones.

3. The equivalent of a Roman mile.

4. Those who supported the former theory did so based on the status of Rome as the center of Christianity, a spiritual center capable of drawing souls to itself, transcending geographical boundaries. Those who supported the latter theory interpreted the dematerializations as pranks pulled by a demon of low rank.

5. In a way resembling completely SCP-137-IT.

6. A treatise attributed to Marcus Turpilius Domitius, a semi-unknown Roman historian and architect from 2nd century C.E., a member of Janus' Order. It analyzes several attempts in ancient history to apply anomalies to engineering and logistics projects, with mostly unsuccessful outcomes.

7. In that order, these are references to: the Temple of Venus and Roma (partly designed by the emperor himself and bitterly criticized by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus); Hadrian's mole (the current Castel Sant'Angelo); the restoration of the Pantheon after a series of fires; Hadrian's Wall.

8. All roads lead to Rome.