NOTICE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND PARAPSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESSES

The following article contains audio which, at the time of recording, possessed cognitohazardous qualities. Media in this article has been cleared of anomalous effects - cognitohazardous frequencies have been removed.

Please ensure you have been briefed in essential cognitohazard safety procedures before accessing this article.

If you suspect any media in this article has retained its cognitohazardous effects, inform Level 4 management personnel immediately and report to the nearest on-site medical facility for amnesticisation.

[ ACCESS FILE ]

[ ACCESS GRANTED ]

Item#: 4687

Containment Class: keter

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: keneq

Risk Class: danger

Artist's impression of SCP-4687. Hover to enlarge.

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4687 specimens are known to occupy coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean, especially around the British Isles and Western Europe, ranging in density of population towards the South Atlantic. Regions where activity from SCP-4687 has been identified are to be monitored closely by regional Foundation operatives, and scientific expeditions into the Bathypelagic layer1 in these regions are to be heavily restricted. Sightings of SCP-4687 in unmonitored regions are subject to immediate investigation in order to gather data on population density. (Permanently withheld - see Incident Log 4687-A for more details.)

Public deaths thought to be caused by SCP-4687 are to be explained as circumstantial drowning accidents. If knowledge about the anomalous nature of SCP-4687 is publicised, MTF Gamma-5 ("Red Herrings") are to be deployed to propagate a cover story - supposed scientific research is to be published regarding an esoteric psychological effect defined by suicidal ideation in open bodies of water (similar to suicidal impulse or the 'high place phenomenon').

Description: SCP-4687 is the collective designation for an anomalous species of deep-sea cephalopod, thought to belong to an unidentified species or group of species within the genus Architeuthidae2. While no very little direct footage of SCP-4687 exists, sub-aquatic research expeditions and sonar scans have produced limited information about the anomaly. SCP-4687 are anatomically similar to Architeuthis dux, only larger and more sparsely populated. SCP-4687 instances are a significant example of deep-sea gigantism; male SCP-4687 instances can grow up to twenty-four meters in length from the posterior fins to the tip of the tentacles, and female specimens have been found significantly larger, with some reaching up to thirty meters or more in overall length.

SCP-4687 inhabit the dark waters of the bathypelagic zone in the coastal regions of the North Atlantic, particularly the British Isles, Norway and Spain, reaching down to the South Atlantic around Southern Africa and the boundary waters of the North Pacific. Males lack a hectocotylus, the reproductive organ found in most squid, and it is unknown how reproduction is achieved in SCP-4687 (if indeed it occurs at all). SCP-4687 feed on a varied diet of detritus, small fish, crustaceans, and other cephalopods, however like Architeuthis dux they will prey on larger creatures such as sharks if it is convenient.

SCP-4687 instances possess anomalous sound-producing organs in their oral cavities which produce high-frequency cognitohazardous reverberations at an incredibly loud volume. These anomalous vocalisations cause creatures which perceive them to feel an immediate, conscious compulsion to swim downwards.

Sounds produced by SCP-4687 can be heard for thousands of meters and have a potent cognitohazardous effect on hearing organisms, including humans. Research has found that certain anomalous frequencies produced by SCP-4687 are exclusively responsible for the cognitohazardous effects of these vocalisations. The potency of these effects increases exponentially based on the affected organism's proximity to SCP-4687.

Incident Log 4687-A: São Miguel research expedition

On 15/03/██, sightings of a group of SCP-4687 were confirmed by seabed audio equipment off the coast of São Miguel in the Northern Atlantic. Researchers were assigned to São Miguel Marine Research Facility and a submarine research vessel was deployed almost immediately to gather data on SCP-4687.

Exploration Audio Log 4687-A

Date: 15/03/██

Subject: SCP-4687 distribution patterns in coastal Northern Atlantic waters (coast of São Miguel)

Team Lead: Lead Researcher Andersen

Team Details: Three research personnel aboard the SCPFV Nautilus submarine research vessel, communicating with Lead Researcher Andersen, hereby 'Command', via radio. Researcher Taike pilots the vessel while Researchers Amber and Echo observe the surroundings with the aid of lighting equipment. The crew were outfitted with protective equipment to avoid accidental exposure to SCP-4687's cognitohazardous effects, and the Nautilus had been outfitted with a soundproof rubber mesh.

[BEGIN LOG]

EST. TIME 05:18:32 AM

Command: Log commence. Check, Nautilus.

Taike: Check.

Amber: Check.

Echo: Check. Vessel is past third decompression stop. We're descending now.

Command: Audio relay says SCP-4687 is still active. Can you confirm?

There is a pause as crew examine the vessel's sensory equipment.

Echo: It would seem so, yes.

Command: Can you estimate the duration?

Echo: Looks like it's been sounding for at least a few hours.

Command: Please be specific.

Amber: Delta-Nine first heard them two hours and fifty-three minutes ago. Estimates three anomalies, around two thousand meters deep.

Command: Alright, Nautilus. Continue your descent.

Roughly an hour passes as the Nautilus descends towards the Bathyal zone, stopping periodically for depressurisation. Onboard crew can be heard chatting about personal matters. Communication resumes once the Nautilus reaches a depth of roughly one thousand meters.

Echo: Come in, Command.

Command: We read you.

Echo: Nautilus has reached the aphotic zone3.

Amber: Fauna activity seems to be consistent with SCP-4687. We're seeing myctophids… a few surface water species…

Command: Any other activity?

Echo: Negative.

Command: Noted. Continue.

Almost another hour passes as the Nautilus descends further. The crew onboard are noticeably quiet.

Echo: Command, SCP-4687 appears to be nearby.

Command: I can almost hear it through the comms unit. Do you have an estimated distance?

Echo: Negative. (Aside) Do we know the volume of (unintelligible)?

Amber: Something (unintelligible) … more than our equipment.

Command: Come in, Nautilus.

Echo: We're still hearing SCP-4687, Command. Given the volume, we must be within a few hundred meters or so.

Roughly an hour passes as the Nautilus descends deeper into the Bathyal zone, stopping periodically for depressurisation. Vocalisations from SCP-4687 suddenly cease as the vessel descends a further three hundred meters. Communication resumes almost immediately.

Echo: Come in, Command.

Command: We read you, Nautilus. SCP-4687 seems to have stopped.

Amber: We've noticed too. No activity whatsoever.

Taike: (Unintelligible) … very quiet.

Amber: No sign of SCP-4687 now, Command.

There is a pause as both parties monitor sensory equipment.

Amber: Activity seems to have ceased completely.

Command: It's unsafe to continue without a clear proximity to the anomaly. Looks like we missed our window, Nautilus. You should begin your ascent.

The Nautilus begins to reascend, the crew onboard mostly silent. Communication resumes abruptly after almost thirty minutes.

Amber: (Unintelligible) … Echo… (unintelligible) … up.

Echo: (Unintelligible) … Command.

Command: Come in, Nautilus.

Echo: Command, SCP-4687 is directly above us.

There is a pause in communication as the Nautilus abruptly halts its ascent.

Footage of SCP-4687, recovered during Incident 4687-A. Hover to enlarge.

Command: How far?

Echo: (Unintelligible) … No more than five meters.

Amber: We're taking a video recording.

Command: We see it. Just sit tight, Nautilus.

Almost ten minutes pass as the Nautilus waits for a clear route to the surface. During this time, the instance does not move at all. Communication is re-established following this period of inactivity from SCP-4687.

Echo: Command, it isn't moving.

Taike: (Unintelligible) … tentacle… like its probing…

Command: Is SCP-4687 in contact with your vessel?

Echo: We… think so, Command, but it's right in our blind spot. We might be able to—

Researcher Echo is abruptly cut off as the Nautilus is jolted by a hard thump from SCP-4687. Researcher Amber is heard crying out as the vessel rocks.

Taike: Son of (unintelligible) … the (expletive) proofing!

Command: Come in, Nautilus. Tell us what's happening.

Echo: It's hitting us. It's — we think it's attacking the vessel.

Another thump, this time from a different instance of SCP-4687 which had appeared from the opposite side of the Nautilus. Several instances of SCP-4687 begin to close in around the vessel during the following exchange.

Amber: There's two — three of them!

Command: Please try and stay calm. We're working on what to do next.

For a few moments, the crew of the Nautilus can be heard frantically trying to find an opportunity to escape. There is another, much louder thump as an SCP-4687 instance attacks the vessel.

Echo: (Unintelligible) … the one above us.

Taike: We can't, we'd be pushing past it.

Echo: (Unintelligible) … Command, we need some help here.

Amber: Oh god, oh god.

Command: Nautilus, you'll have to resume your ascent. The instance above you will have to move if you ascend with force.

Taike: Copy that, Command. We're ascending—

There is a very loud creaking as the Nautilus is once again thumped by an instance of SCP-4687. The impact ruptures the Nautilus' protective gelcoat, breaching a hole in the vessel's external frame, bursting a small hole and compromising the vessel's soundproofing. All three instances of SCP-4687 immediately begin vocalising. The sound they are producing is at a far greater volume than the limit of the crew's protective equipment.

Command: What's happening, Nautilus? Come in.

There is a momentary pause as the Nautilus is rocked by instances of SCP-4687. It is no longer attempting to ascend. Researcher Echo can barely be heard over the sound of water rushing into the vessel.

Echo: (Unintelligible) … loud.

Command: Come in, Nautilus. Respond immediately.

Command spend an additional three minutes attempting to re-establish contact with the Nautilus. Researcher Echo can then be heard responding, apparently giving instructions to Researcher Taike.

Echo: Jamie… (unintelligible) … wonderful… (unintelligible) … deeper.

Command: Echo. (pausing) … Robin. My love. Please.

Despite numerous attempts, there is no further response from the crew. Due to the increasing volume of SCP-4687's vocalisations, it is unknown if any subsequent response was attempted. Lead Researcher Andersen was forced to sever communications with the Nautilus to inhibit the cognitohazardous effects of SCP-4687 from affecting members of the control team on the surface.

[END LOG]

Several distress messages and further communication attempts were made with the Nautilus as it descended deeper into the bathyal zone, however the vessel was considered decommissioned after it stopped receiving distress signals no more than twenty minutes after the incident. Early attempts to salvage the vessel were originally met with failure, and the crew onboard are considered deceased.

Further manned research expeditions into sightings of SCP-4687 are permanently withheld, and requests for human examination of wild instances will be automatically declined. Research surrounding the possibility of higher intelligence in SCP-4687 instances is currently pending approval.

Footnotes

1. Also called the Bathyal zone - the area of the deep ocean between 1000m and 4000m in depth with very little natural light.

2. Better known as giant squid.

3. The region of the great ocean which is too deep for sunlight to penetrate, resulting in pitch-dark surroundings.