The Perfect Parry against an Imaginary Threat

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Title: SCP-236-FR - The Perfect Parry To An Imaginary Threat

Author: DrGemini

Date Published: 07/14/2016

Translators: Archiviste Judas and Dr Lekter

Special Thanks: Ann, Blade0886, Yossipossi, Uncle Nicolini and Dr Trickster for their proofreadings.

Images: Illustration image - pxfuel, CC0

The thunderstorm surrounding SCP-236-FR (photo taken from the Foundation base on the Eliphaz island).

Item #: SCP-236-FR

Threat Level: Orange ●

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: No naval or aerial traffic is allowed within 100 kilometers of SCP-236-FR, under the guise of recurring meteorological problems. Trespassers are to be stopped and interrogated to ensure they are not affiliated with the Group of Interest SAPPHIRE, then given amnestics and transported to the nearest coast. Satellite or meteorological records likely to reveal the existence of SCP-236-FR are to be altered by undercover agents.

Ariel pocket submarines can be used to approach SCP-236-FR for testing or observational purposes. Nonetheless, personnel are to be reminded that said submarines cannot surface within 200 meters of the anomaly.

A small artificial island named "Eliphaz" has been established 18 kilometers from SCP-236-FR to serve as a monitoring station for the Foundation. Immediately before an Ahithophel event, personnel and supplies present on-site are to be quintupled and prepared, starting February 28th of each leap year. Following Protocol Ahithophel, Eliphaz containment teams are granted unrestricted assets available throughout February 29th. Additionally, containment teams have full permission to perform whatever action proves necessary to protect civilians from Ahithophel events.

Given the impossibility to predict the exact nature of an Ahithophel event, a containment specialists team (counseled by high-ranking members of at least eight major religions) must develop a containment plan on a case-by-case basis and transmit it to containment teams as early as 2:00 AM on February 29th for immediate execution. These plans will be updated as events unfold.

Description: SCP-236-FR is an unidentified liner located in the Norwegian Sea, at the coordinates 69.██████° N, 2.██████° E. SCP-236-FR is completely stationary (though it has not dropped its anchor), and has not moved from its location since its discovery in 1996.

SCP-236-FR is located in the center of an exceptionally strong thunderstorm approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. The storm is a force 11 on the Beaufort scale, causing a raging sea and preventing seafaring within a distance of 20 kilometers. However, within 300 meters of SCP-236-FR itself, the sea is completely calm, and all waves break at this point. Lightning bolts, being abnormally powerful and occurring at an average rate of eight bolts per minute, are always directed towards SCP-236-FR, but seem to disappear 300 meters away from it. This area is presumed to be a 0 on the Beaufort scale.

The weather conditions around SCP-236-FR remain unchanged since 1996.

SCP-236-FR cannot be photographed or filmed, and its physical presence cannot be recorded by any technological devices. It is possible to access the calm area surrounding SCP-236-FR via submarine, but every watercraft attempting to approach closer than 150 meters to SCP-236-FR will be instantaneously moved 150 meters across the area, opposite its initial direction. Due to this, it is impossible to approach SCP-236-FR. Visual reports and drawings made by observers at the edge of the calm area agree that SCP-236-FR appears to be 160 meters long and 20 meters wide, has three masts and a funnel, lacks portholes, and displays the name "The Parry" on its hull.

Dutch maritime registers state that a disused French liner of the same name "hurriedly sailed off" in the middle of the night, on September 17th, 1993, without providing more details.

SCP-236-FR passengers are referred to as SCP-236-FR-2. All entities within SCP-236-FR are identical: resembling humanoids that measure approximately 1.65 meters in height. Their skin is pale without noticeable blemishes, their pupils are entirely black, and they do not possess any form of facial hair, such as a beard, eyelashes, brows, or sideburns. All entities are clothed in a grey outfit, covering their entire body, extending from their shoulders to their feet. The outfit has long sleeves and falls to the bottom of the legs, subsuming the feet to form shoes. The material it is made from is undetermined. The outfits possess no fastenings, pockets or other distinguishing features.

The entities within SCP-236-FR repeat the same activities each day on a loop, and have been doing so since 1996. The activities observed on the deck include moving, lying on the ground, sitting, and staring at the sea. It should be noted that, even if SCP-236-FR-2 instances stare at the thunderstorm or Foundation personnel, they seem not to notice them, and remain expressionless at all times.

The number of instances of SCP-236-FR-2 is estimated at 121 specimens. It remains an estimate due to the entities all being identical, the entities repeating the same movements continuously, and only the deck being visible.

Dr. Sertannet's Notes Regarding SCP-236-FR's Normative Anomaly.

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In the face of the scientific enigma SCP-236-FR proposed upon its discovery, we decided to take drastic steps to figure out its Hume Level. The results were disappointing.

Several anomalous locations have an astonishingly high Hume Level (going up to 50, or even 60 Humes) and have very odd occurrences. Other anomalous areas have a very low Hume Level (sometimes reaching as few as 0.3 Humes), and similarly, have odd occurrences.

The Hume Level emitted by SCP-236-FR is two Humes, a perfect baseline. An absolutely normal area.

At first we shrugged it off and opted for other leads, leaving the Kant counters online. It was only after three months of continual measures that it hit me: the Hume level inside SCP-236-FR was perfectly steady, always two. Make no mistakes — reality is in a state of perpetual evolution everywhere in our universe. Every place in the world undergoes a fluctuation of at least 0.1 Hume per hour! But not here. Never. The area surrounding SCP-236-FR displayed flawless normality.

So my team and I, developed a new method of reality calculation. We knew how to calculate reality through Humes, but we needed to discover the stability, the intensity, of this level. We needed to discover the so-called "Normality Level" — measured through Sertannets (St). Modest, I know.

You hear of Scranton Reality Anchors, used to prevent the fluctuation of reality. They stabilise reality at two Humes. If you place one, that area will have 2 Humes. Now place a second — the reality of the area will not change (still 2 Humes), but the effect will be doubled! Reality will become more stable!

In such a case, we go from 1.8 Sertannets to 3.6 Sertannets on the Normality scale!

Equipped with this new knowledge, we went back to get the measures of SCP-236-FR. The meter almost blew up! The Normality Level around SCP-236-FR is near ████ Sertannets, which equates it to ███ Scranton Reality Anchors piled up on top of each other!

Locked inside this bubble, SCP-236-FR passengers have probably been… crushed by the Normality. It explains their current condition: indistinguishable, plain, without… essence, if I may say. It also explains why nobody from the outside can approach the ship: we are, to put it simply, too anomalous to do that.

Similarly, it explains the ship's defense against the highly anomalous thunderstorm surrounding it.

Well, except for leap years, of course.

I don't know why, but during those times, the Normality Level is inverted. We go from ████ to -████. The consequence is that the Humes are entirely… devalued, I believe is the right word. The area still is technically at 2 Humes, but the Reality Level makes no sense without the Normality Level. It becomes both too high and too low. At the same time.

Yes, it seems ludicrous.

But that really is the nature of Ahithophel events.

Ahithophel events occur once every four years, on February 29th of each leap year. Each event consists of a Normality inversion in a 300-meter area around SCP-236-FR, followed by reality collapsing.

The cause of Ahithophel events is unknown, and they are as dangerous as they are unpredictable.

Ahithophel events occur precisely on February 29th from 00:00:01 to 23:59:59. On-site teams are to handle the containment of the event's consequences, without regard to SCP-236-FR or SCP-236-FR-2.

SCP-236-FR and SCP-236-FR-2 will spontaneously reappear in their place and in their original state on March 1st at 00:00:00.

Census of All Ahithophel Events since 1996 — Level 3/236 Required.

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02/29/1996: A sonic boom is heard on both the Norwegian and Icelandic coasts. SCP-236-FR is discovered by the Foundation. After verification of the satellite images, several blazing kabbalistic sigils are visible on the sea surface from space. Current containment is established.

02/29/2000: Observation of "two giant hands" emerging respectively from the sea and the thunderstorm, grasping the front and the back of the liner before breaking it in half. Observed passengers become human again and begin screaming. Apparition of "horse-headed sea serpents" and "woman-headed raptors" consuming passengers. ██ Foundation casualties.

02/29/2004: The liner and the entirety of the 300-meter radius water column around it are observed to "sink in the ground" in less than a second. A vacuum is produced, resulting in a maelstrom. ██ casualties. Anomalous low tide on the nearest coasts.

02/29/2008: The passengers are observed to become human again, but behave irrationally. An orgy occurs during the first six hours. Following this, a deadly brawl takes place for another six hours. After that, all of the passengers worship a survivor of the brawl for an additional six hours. Finally, all passengers experience convulsive seizures during the last six hours, along with an underwater apparition manifesting, which is thought to be SCP-████ based on its movements.

02/29/2012: The liner is observed to be "melting", while the seawater in a 300-meter radius around it turns into blood. Observed passengers become human again and are seen screaming. Blood recovered from the event was determined as positive AB and quickly dissolved into the seawater. No casualties, but extensive damages to the marine fauna and flora were reported.

02/29/2016: Accelerated increase of the local atmospheric pressure. Demise of all life on the deck after three hours. First ruptures of the portholes after five hours: the passengers are seen alive and screaming. First contractions of the hull after seven hours, then progressive compression. Supposed crystal growth in the last few minutes. No casualties.

29/02/2020: Sudden increase in salt levels in the seawater around the ship, 100 PSU reached after one hour and thirty-six minutes. The passengers still attends to their business despite the accumulation of salt on the clothes and skin. The entire crew is crystallised after one hour. Howling flayed passengers emerge out of the pillars of salt after eight minutes. Re-crystallisation. Howling flayed passengers emerge out of the pillars of salt after eight minutes. Re-crystallisation. This process repeats itself ███ times. The resulting pillars of salt go over 288m at 14:08:35, when they get lost into the storm. Collapse of the structure when it is struck by lightning at 23:57:02. No casualties, damaged marine life.

02/29/2024: [DATA EXPUNGED] ███ casualties.

18/05/2014 Update:

On 04/26/2014, a raid conducted by MTF Omega-5 ("The Jewelers") into the home of Dr. Philippe Riggelmann in Lyon allowed them to retrieve, in addition to a stolen SCP, the following files which provide important clarifications regarding SCP-236-FR:

Archived File GoI-096-236-1

Archived File GoI-096-236-2

The anomalous object named "BET-2311-GRE" seems to correspond to a mythological artifact known as the Helm of Hades, which, according to ancient texts, allows individuals to "turn invisible, even to the eyes of the gods".

Ongoing studies by the History and Archeology Research Department are attempting to determine more about the origin of the item. Unlike Foundation researchers, all SAPPHIRE members work within the public sphere, therefore the "Helm of Darkness" may have been discovered during an official archaeological dig in Greece or other countries. More research and information is required.