NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

This database file represents the initial stages of research collation, data entry and editing. It is not intended for general viewing, and is not to be considered accurate or complete until its publication.

— Maria Jones, Director, RAISA

Currently Editing:

Lead Researcher Shutong Yin

Level 4 Research Director, Integrated Containment Site-30.

► 2010-08-18

► Dear Maria,

► I'm sending you this file with my drafting notes included. The header and containment procedures are in their final state, but the description is arranged in the order that we have learned about the object. My hope is that you'll help figure out a way to document the discovery process here. I believe that it may be useful to Foundation personnel in similar situations.

► Thanks.

► -SY

Item#: 5044

Containment Class: safe

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: dark

Risk Class: warning

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5044 is to remain in a standard safe-class item room at Integrated Containment Site-30. It may be taken to and from SR-1104 for annual exposure to no more than five (5) Site-30 personnel chosen by a Level 4 Research Director and approved by the Site Director.

Personnel undergoing first exposure to SCP-5044 are required to complete the post-viewing debriefing session. Personnel may not be exposed to SCP-5044 if there is not adequate time for the debriefing session, or if there are concerns regarding their capacity to understand the debriefing.

SCP-5044 and original container.

Description: SCP-5044 is a video cassette tape. Its physical qualities conform to that of a standard consumer-grade video tape, but it does not show signs of wear or deterioration that typically occurs with those products.

► 2007-12-29

► Ambivalent about this line. Of course the object is anomalously durable. Otherwise it would likely have stopped being a problem long ago. The image makes this clear enough. I'd like my first document as Lead Researcher to be more concise.

The video recording on the tape is 16 minutes long. The recording is heavily distorted, but it appears to contain narration and on-screen text in an unidentified language. The final 3 minutes of the tape is a static image depicting occult imagery. Within 5 to 10 minutes of viewing the recording on SCP-5044, individuals experience a change to their perception when their eyes are closed.

► 2007-12-30

► Annoying place for a cliffhanger, but that's all we can say for the time being. The Foundation's recovery team was in contact with only one exposed individual in the field. That individual was quite agitated and repeated over and over that they were "seeing blood"—that's translated from the Ukrainian, where this isn't a known expression. That individual expired for reasons that seem quite unrelated to the object. We're requesting a pair of D-Classes for testing.

TEST LOG: D-33982-1

DATE: 2008-01-03

NOTE: First test after subject's exposure to SCP-5044. Subject is asked to close their eyes for 10 seconds every minute and announce any changes to his environment.

[BEGIN LOG]

0:00: Exposure to SCP-5044 completed.

+0:06: With eyes closed, subject reports seeing a red liquid spreading across the floor. Apparent source is the bottom of the door of the testing chamber. Cameras show conditions normal in room.

+0:07: Subject opens his eyes and reports that he no longer sees the red liquid.

+0:08: Subject instructed to close his eyes again. Subject complies and repeats earlier report. Subject instructed to keep eyes closed and to touch the red liquid. Subject panics after approaching door and declares the red liquid to be human blood. Subject is asked to evaluate the substance more closely, but insists that he is absolutely certain. Subject becomes noncompliant. Testing is suspended.

[END LOG]

NOTE: No physical changes to the test chamber were detected.

Through closed eyelids, individuals will perceive blood misting, dripping, or pouring into the room they occupy. Blood can enter the room from behind closed windows, through the cracks underneath doors, and through air vents. This perception is comparable to being in a dark room with no light sources, but only the blood is visible.

As soon as the affected individual opens their eyes, the effect ceases. If the individual closes their eyes again, the effect restarts from the beginning, with blood entering the room seemingly for the first time. The affected individual does not feel, smell, or otherwise sense the blood except visually.

► 2008-01-03

► It's morbid, but a fascinating perceptual effect. We have two primary testing routes to follow. I'd like to try tweaking the testing environment to see if we can figure out what contributes to the perceived blood flow—will it just seep in through one path, any path, or are doorways special? Does the person exposed have anything to do with it?

► Alas, first comes testing for long-term exposure. I feel a bit bad for D-33982. He's quite a cooperative and intelligent fellow, so I'd like to put his mind at ease about what he's seeing. Our cameras and sensors make it clear there was nothing in the testing chamber, but he seems quite convinced that it was filling up with blood. Our next test will be aimed at acclimating him to the effect.

TEST LOG: D-33982-2

DATE: 2008-01-04

NOTE: D-33982 shows signs of stress and fatigue after failure to sleep overnight. Subject reported seeing blood entering his sleeping quarters through the air vent and hallway window. Subject reports that he was too fearful to keep his eyes closed for any significant length of time.

[BEGIN LOG]

0:00: Subject is instructed to put on blindfold and complies.

+0:04: Subject reports that blood is pooling up in the room and around his shoes. Subject asks to cease the experiment; request denied.

+0:14: Subject reports that blood is pooling up in the room up to his waist. Subject panics and removes blindfold, opening his eyes. Subject is informed that blood is not detected by cameras or other sensors, but refuses to proceed with testing. Testing is suspended.

[END LOG]

NOTE: No physical changes to the test chamber were detected.

► 2008-01-04

► Doesn't seem to be any way of talking D-33982 into accepting that the blood simply isn't there, even when he doesn't smell it or feel it. He says that when he puts his hand into the "blood," it's like moving through thin air. I consulted with the Site Director; the only sensible way to show him it's all visual is by immersion.

+ CLEARANCE REQUIRED -- Testing log: 2008-01-05

- ACCESS GRANTED.

TEST LOG: D-33982-3

DATE: 2008-01-05

[BEGIN LOG]

0:00: Subject is seated in a chair, restrained, and blindfolded.

+0:04: Subject reports that blood is once again around their shoes. Subject asks to cease experiment; request denied.

+0:14: Subject reports that blood is pooled up to their waist. Subject asks to cease experiment; request denied.

+0:26: Subject reports that blood is pooled up to their shoulders. Subject asks to cease experiment; request denied.

+0:33 Subject reports that blood is pooled up to their neck. Subject asks to cease experiment; request denied.

+0:34 Subject begins convulsing. Subject ceases responses to verbal communications.

+0:39 Subject stops convulsing.

[END LOG]

NOTE: An autopsy revealed D-33982's cause of death to be drowning.

► 2008-01-05

► Jesus Christ.

► 2008-01-12

► It's been a week since D-33982 died. I've barely slept. It doesn't matter how many times they tell me about the criminal record that landed him here. When I knew him, he was gentle. A sort of calm in the eye of the storm. Until I showed him the tape.

► Was it manifested guilt? Rage? Something else?

► Testing has been placed on hold. I don't want to see another go out like that.

► 2008-01-15

► Still no ideas. We're going to be exposing D-33983 to the object today. It will be made abundantly clear to her in advance that there. is. no. blood.

[Testing log omitted]

► 2008-01-17

► She doesn't believe us.

► 2008-02-15

► D-33983 has expired. The autopsy is still underway, but it's clearly connected to sleep deprivation.

► Still haven't figured it out.

► 2008-02-29

► Only one way to be certain.

Testing revealed that the effect did not occur in airtight rooms. Further investigation revealed that the perception of "blood" corresponded to air leaks and drafts entering the room occupied by the affected individual. The sensitivity of the perception is comparable to an industrial-grade thermal imaging camera. Accordingly, an affected individual is capable of detecting even very minor insulation flaws that might otherwise be missed by spot radiometers or a thermal line scanner.

► 2008-03-02

► The drive home was surreal. Red mists billowing in every direction if I took more than a second to blink. In my house, it was seeping in through the windows and the walls. As much as I knew it wasn't real, I also knew what would happen if it pooled up above my head. It was intolerable. I took the garden hose into the garage and fixed one end to my car's exhaust pipe. I didn't want any carbon dioxide to escape and hurt anyone else, so I sealed off the entire garage the way only a scientist might.

► I sat with my hand on the key, ready to turn it in the ignition, breathing deeply for a long time. Then I closed my eyes. I waited for the red to appear one more time, but it didn't come. The only place I could see it misting in was through the cracked window holding the other end of the garden hose. It registered in my mind, but slowly. "Less blood than before? There goes the 'guilt' hypothesis." Then I thought a bit more. Then I experimented with another open window. An open door. Eureka.

► Of course. Our humanoid test chambers are secure, but they are not made to be air-tight. It was never going to become clear if we kept testing in the same old rooms. Now we know.

Individuals frequently report anxiety when they first experience this effect, but upon being informed that the "blood" is only representative of airflow, they cannot suffer any adverse consequences as a result of their perceptions. Accordingly, it is essential that individuals are debriefed about the nature of their perceptions promptly after viewing SCP-5044.

► 2008-03-05

► I stayed in bed with my sleep mask on and let the red surround me. As much as I still felt I deserved punishment, I knew what I was seeing. What D-33982 felt. "Thin air." And knowing that makes it harmless.

► All I had to do was figure it out earlier and tell them.

An individual who has been exposed to SCP-5044, but promptly debriefed, experiences no difficulties in their daily life. Debriefed individuals report that, when they have their eyes closed before or after sleep, they might perceive blood filling up the room in which they are resting. Because it does not have any negative effect on them, debriefed individuals become accustomed to the new "routine" — as if the normal black that one "sees" when their eyes are closed is simply replaced with a different color — and it is no longer considered disturbing.

The effect appears to wear off after 300 days. Individuals can be re-exposed to SCP-5044 to come under the effect for an additional 300 days. There appears to be no limit to how many times individuals can safely repeat this process. As of August 2010, one individual has been exposed to SCP-5044 three times with no documented adverse effects.

► 2008-12-26

► I can personally attest to the 300-day limit. The final version of this article will include a mention of how many consecutive times a person can be exposed. That'll be me.

Addendum — 2009-05-14

The O5 Council has recognized the utility of detecting air leaks and insulation flaws inside Foundation containment sites. Accordingly, a limited number of maintenance and containment personnel may be exposed to SCP-5044 to aid in their work of strengthening containment.

Staff report that having the perception explained to them promptly alleviates any anxiety they might otherwise feel at the sight of blood. Health and psychological monitoring of staff who are exposed and then debriefed shows that they experience better sleep, increased job satisfaction, and less anxiety in general compared to other Foundation employees.

A concise, standardized debriefing presentation has been prepared by Lead Researcher Yin. Following Ethics Committee Decision #F1000303-2008, all individuals exposed to SCP-5044 are also required to complete the debriefing.

Addendum — 2010-08-18

After a successful pilot implementation at Site-30, staff members were permitted to view SCP-5044, receive the debriefing, and return to other Foundation sites. In addition to strengthening containment, insulation repairs made to containment sites by personnel exposed to SCP-5044 have, to date, saved the Foundation USD $4 billion in energy costs. Selective exposure of maintenance and containment personnel to SCP-5044, if followed by debriefing, may continue.

► 2010-08-18

► Dear Maria,

► This is the last note. I'm in a much better place now than I was when I wrote some of these entries. It hurts to look back at them. But it would have hurt less to know that other personnel have struggled with guilt—I only learned how common this is after I started talking to others. This is why I believe it's in the Foundation's long-term interest to preserve the "journey," as it were, behind the entry. Of course, my notes don't exactly adhere to clinical writing standards. And I'm not a novelist, just a scientist. Still, you know this database better than anyone. I'm sure you can figure out how to present this information in a way that lets others know they're not alone.

► Thanks.

► -SY