Item#: 4762

Containment Class: neutralized

Secondary Class: {$secondary-class}

Disruption Class: {$disruption-class}

Risk Class: {$risk-class}

SCP-4762 prompt found at the astrophysics department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during event 4762-E.

Archived Special Containment Procedures: Foundation efforts are focused on containing knowledge of SCP-4762 and determining if it represents a threat to normalcy on a cosmological scale. Assets stationed in interstellar space are investigating this possibility at this time.

All individuals who recover from a SCP-4762 encounter are to be amnesticized. Due to the public nature of persons selected by SCP-4762, the production of Foundation body doubles and terminal disease cover stories are often necessary.

Description: SCP-4762 is an extradimensional program that spontaneously generates itself on computers operated by prominent members of the field of cosmology.1 Notably, SCP-4762 has yet to target someone with the same preference in solution to Fermi's Paradox2 as a previous target. The program will automatically run upon manifestation and overwrite any attached non-volatile data storage mediums with itself. Once completed, SCP-4762 will display two 4 by 4 Rubik's cubes surrounding a graphic of a person under two question marks. The left cube has yet to repeat an arrangement between manifestations while the right is always in a "solved" state. Any typed user input on the device SCP-4762 is running on will activate the anomaly's primary effect.

Once activated, the individual operating the computer housing SCP-4762 will enter a non-responsive state for a potentially indefinite period of time. Subjects demonstrate continuous rapid eye movement and physiological responses typical of fear or jubilation during this time. Responses include perspiration despite a lowered body temperature, tensing or relaxation of musculature, and the dilation of the pupils. If a person affected by SCP-4762 recovers from the inflicted state, the program will proceed to delete itself from the affected device. In the event that the affected remain catatonic, SCP-4762 will delete itself upon their death. Subjects interviewed after exposure often report experiencing hallucinations of realities either involving encounters with an alien intelligence, global annihilation of the human species, or universal solitude.

Dr. Gerard Kuiper, previously designated D-4762-1.

Addendum 4762.1: Discovery

SCP-4762 was discovered on 1973/12/21 at the Mauna Kea Observatory by Dr. Gerard Kuiper when it appeared on his personal console despite hardware limitations regarding colored images. Following an amnestic campaign of the observatory's staff, Dr. Kuiper and his affected computer were moved to Site-17 where they resided until his death in 1995/01/15. Kuiper's encounter was originally thought to be a targeted retaliation by the GRU Division P to US Air Force Project A1193 after the second occurrence of SCP-4762 on the work computer of Carl Sagan on 1992/03/15, who also worked on the project.

Addendum 4762.2: Occurrence Log

Event
Affected
Preferred Solution
Result

4762-A
Gerard Kuiper
Rare Earth Hypothesis
Maintained a catatonic state until natural death by stroke.

4762-B
Carl Sagan
Youngness Hypothesis
Awoke after 32 seconds and expressed awe at his experience until his natural death.

4762-C
Robin Hanson
Great Filter Hypothesis
Awoke after 1 year 7 months and 22 days and expressed views of dread until amnesticized. Current amnesticization protocols adopted.

4762-D
Frank Drake
Berserker Hypothesis
Maintained a catatonic state for 3 years 2 months and 13 days until event 4762-F. Expressed views of acute disdain for the human race until amnesticized.

4762-E
Ray Kurzweil
Zoo Hypothesis
Awoke after 7 days and 4 hours following event 4762-F and expressed heightened hope until amnesticized.

4762-F
Stephen Baxter
Planetarium Hypothesis
Remained catatonic despite the SCP-4762 instance deleting itself after 57 seconds alongside the other two extant copies. Subject currently kept on life support at Site-17.

Addendum 4762.3: Hypothesis Testing Verdict

Asimov Probe Proposal Summary

From the desk of Dr. Nathaniel Ames, Ethics Committee Cosmology Liaison

Date: 2032/12/24

SCP-4762's response to Dr. Baxter marks a departure from its expected behavior and its apparent activity. With no further occurrences of it over the past 30 years, I think it is safe to say we have as good a sampling of its nature as we are going to get. I will summarize the research team's findings below:

SCP-4762 only occurs on a console owned and operated by someone representative of a solution to Fermi's Paradox

The affected subjects awake with memories of experiencing their solution

This behavior ceased after Dr. Stephen Baxter encountered SCP-4762

Dr. Baxter is the creator of the "Planetarium hypothesis" solution, where our universe appears empty due to an illusion created around the local astronomical area by an advanced civilization

With this in mind, the Foundation Cosmology Department is requesting the construction and launch of an Asimov class4 deep space probe capable of intergalactic travel. With no methods of generating the required energy within Sol system without breaking the veil, the probe will first jump to Alpha Centari after clearing the Kuiper belt in two years. Once there, it will construct a series of solar power stations over the course of 22 years to enable it to make the jump to Andromeda where it will repeat the process to send a constructed copy of itself back to report its findings.

Setting aside the material cost of such an expedition, there is obviously a bigger elephant in the room concerning SCP-4762. Continued expansion and change is normalcy for humanity and I know we will eventually run into the walls of our enclosure. While I believe 4762 was an invitation, parting our planetarium's projector curtains may anger the wizard beyond them. We are looking at a veil greater than our own and the question of "Do we break it?" stares us in the eye.

We can stay, safe and sound, in our prison cell out of fear or we can have the bravery to believe in a nobler reality around us.

Ethics Committee Verdict 270

Codename: FERMI

Voting Record

Yeas: 4 Nays: 3

Motion Passed

Footnotes

1. The scientific study of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe.

2. A contradiction noted between the millions of years an alien civilization would have to fill the universe with evidence of its existence and an apparent lack of any evidence.

3. An early PENTAGRAM effort to establish a claim on lunar based anomalies via nuclear bombardment.

4. A method of wormhole generation via entry into an anomalously projected gravity well connected to the gravity well of a target location's star.