Item #: SCP-4387

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4387 is to be kept in secure storage locker 56 at Site-73. All testing must be authorized beforehand by a Foundation operative with a level 3 or higher security clearance. Testing time and human resources used are not to exceed beyond the authorized parameters set by the experiment's procedures and goals. Any deviation from these pre-established parameters are to be reported to the Head Researcher of the project. In the case that these deviations are attributed to the Head Researcher, they are to be reported to the Ethics Committee.

Description: SCP-4387 is a black necklace with a small wooden crucifix attached in the middle. Testing has revealed the materials of such to be non-anomalous. It was recovered during a Foundation raid of an auction run by the GoI "Marshall, Carter & Dark" in the city of ███████, Germany. Following research and testing, the object was associated with documents previously recovered near the city in 1989.1

When placed around the neck of a baseline human, the necklace will automatically tighten around it. After this, the flesh surrounded by the necklace will be severed by an unknown force at speeds hypothesized to surpass that of sound. Immediately afterwards, a small portal is placed on either side of the cut, so as to cover the entirety of the wound.

It can be concluded with certainty that these portals are linked to one another due to the fact that the wearer never once loses consciousness during this decapitation process. The portals act as a "bridge" so that blood, food, and even nervous electrical signals can travel between the head and the rest of the body. That way, the two may be physically separate, but all the while mantain normal bodily functions. It is to be noted, though, that the wearer will almost always express great amounts of physical and emotional distress because of this, with the pain reportedly becoming more intense as the head is moved further away from the body, presumably due to the link between the portals becoming weaker.

The necklace cannot be removed by the wearer, tightening when an attempt is made. However, when another individual does this, SCP-4387 will come off easily, but will cause immediate death, as it is impossible through non-anomalous means to make sure all blood vessels, nerves, and other connections between the head and body are perfectly aligned. This results in them becoming fused in a way that impedes communication and exchange between the two. The only exception to this is when the object is removed by the same individual who originally placed it, allowing the reconnection to happen successfully and for the wearer to be able to survive.

SCP-4387 will also occasionally manifest a secondary effect: when it is placed around the neck of a victim, the individual or individuals who performed, supervised, and/or authorized the action will experience a slight memetic alteration of certain thought processes. Subjects exposed to this effect have been observed to display a diminished sense of empathy and a lowered emotional response to the pain of others, as well as stating an increased sense of justification for their actions regarding the anomaly, with the phrase "science first" often being repeated. The effect, however, fades within 36 hours of the affected individual's last visual exposure to SCP-4387 and the person wearing it.

The following files are a series of reconstructed documents regarding SCP-4387 written by the now-defunct GoI Division XXV, which operated in East Germany up until its dissolution in 1989.

+ Addendum 4387.1

- Hide Documentation

Berlin, the 19. 03. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Request for resolution of interrogation

In the face of the recently captured American spy's continued refusal to speak despite the application of numerous conventional interrogation methods, the main branch of the Ministry for State Security has authorized the use of supernatural phenomena in the extraction of key information. As such, the task of developing an alternative method of interrogation will be assigned to Magister Krone. It is to be noted, however, that one of the principal reasons the task was passed onto the Division's hands was to find a way of retrieving the necessary data without causing even more physical damage that could result in the premature death of the subject and the loss of the information. Because of this, great caution and resourcefulness are expected.

Signed: Officer Konstantin Mader

Berlin, the 20. 03. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Project proposal 039/26

After considering all the aspects of this most recent order, I have come to the conclusion that the most effective course of action would be to develop a new kind of interrogation tool using supernatural means. Using some of the technology recently taken from one of the benign anomalous groups infiltrated by our field operatives, such a tool can be crafted with the help of the abilities I have aquired since leaving the Mages Academy. As the process would necessitate the use of a personal item belonging to the victim, a religious necklace worn by the western mole has been chosen as the vessel for this apparatus. It will cause no immediate harm to the subject, but it is intended that the psychological impact will be quite significant. As always, I thank Officer Konstantin Mader for the opportunity to further research and experiment with the real-life applications of supernatural phenomena in the benefit of the integrity of the great German Democratic Republic.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 21. 03. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Approval of Project Ichabod

The proposal of Project Ichabod is hereby approved. Further testing beyond the interrogation of the current western prisoner is allowed, but may be revoked if deemed necessary.

Signed: Officer Konstantin Mader

Berlin, the 25. 04. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Project Ichabod construction phase finalization

After a relatively simple process, I was able to successfully incorporate the new technology to the personal object. In light of positive testing results utilizing animals, the object will be used tomorrow for the interrogation of the capitalist spy. Simultaneously, the process will be observed as the first round of experimentation on the effects of this technology on humans and its possible applications.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 26. 04. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Research Report regarding Project Ichabod

Testing began with the entrance of the research staff and the awakening of the test subject. Although severely wounded and feeble, he adopted his usual mocking and uncooperative behavior, which worsened when he saw the necklace that used to belong to him. However, this attitude only lasted up until the point the object was fastened onto his neck and activated. The restrained subject had been standing, and his head had to be held so as to not let it fall to the floor. After 5 minutes, the subject`s cries of fear and pain eventually subsided long enough so that the parameters of the interrogation could be explained. It was made clear that the process would not be reverted until the necessary information was given. Otherwise, the only way to survive would be to hold the head in place, as the device only has an effective range of 50 cm, and the appendage could easily slide off and fall to the ground. When questioned if he would be compliant, the subject still resisted, and was subsequently left alone in his cell, maintaining a tight grip on his head with both arms. First test on a human has therefore been considered a technical success, although the desired outcome may require some time and further testing.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 28. 04. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Research Report regarding Project Ichabod

Today, the subject was fed his first meal, providing the opportunity to verify whether substances foreign to the body can still pass through uninhibited. Fortunately, the connection still holds and proper nutrition can be maintained. This also opens up the possibility of applying this technology to objects not restrained by the biological. Afterwards the subject was again asked if he would cooperate. The spy only complained about not being able to sleep for fear of dropping his head, appearing highly stressed. Even when offered the reversal of the process in exchange for the classified information he held, the subject still refused. Because of this, a more hands-on approach will be tried along with the periods of isolation. Test ended.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 30. 04. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Divison XXV

Research Report regarding Project Ichabod

The subject appeared more agitated than during the last test. He expressed a panicked relief at seeing the research team. Apparently, he was terrorized at the fact that his arms were growing too weak to properly support his head. In order to ease the subject's nerves for the interrogation, his restraints were changed so as to allow him to sit down, and a guard held his head in place. After he was given a few seconds to rest, the spy was told that this kind of treatment would continue if he cooperated. After some silence, he only laughed weakly and insulted the socialist populace of our great republic. Because of that, proper interrogation began. The capitalist's head was lifted up slightly, to his horror. Panicked, the spy yelled out information about his mission in Berlin, and as a reward, was set down again. But when further questioned, he seemed regretful and refused to even speak. Subject was returned to previous standing position. Test ended.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 02. 05. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Research Report regarding Project Ichabod

The most successful test so far. Although the capitalist spy was severely debilitated physically and mentally from stress, exhaustion, and lack of sleep, he remained uncooperative. When the previous method of torture was attempted, the subject showed an abnormal level of serenity. He declared mockingly that he had lifted his head multiple times while in isolation, and had gotten accustomed to the increased pain and disorientation. Because of this, the other planned method was applied. A guard was ordered to lift up the head and introduce a finger down the portal that was attached to the body. As was hypothesized, this caused the finger to appear going up the portion of the esophagus contained in the head and neck, and vice-versa. With this confirmed, an elongated stick was introduced up into the head, so as to travel down the esophagus, into the stomach. The subject complained of nausea and a sharp pain. The stick and head were leaned against the wall, the other end being supported by the inner surface of the stomach. After a few minutes in this state, the subject finally begged for it to stop, giving further information on the nature of his mission. Test ended.

Signed: Magister Krone

Berlin, the 06. 05. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Research Report regarding Project Ichabod

The test began in a similar fashion to the previous. Once again, the subject failed to comply, as suspected. Because of this, a new interrogation strategy was used. One of the present guards brought in the box of live cockroaches that had been previously collected. In order to test how other living organisms could interact with the technology, the subject's head was lifted and one of the insects was dropped onto the portal on the neck. The specimen fell into the esophagus, appeared in the back of the mouth, then was again transported down this digestive pipe, to the great disgust and horror of the spy, who vomited. In such a manner, the interrogation carried on as more cockroaches were introduced. Some were observed to fall down the trachea and be coughed up, while others became temporarily stuck in the vocal chords and epiglottis. Those who didn't immediately fall into the digestive or respiratory openings were observed crawling inside and around the flesh of the neck, often being visible through the skin. The experiment had to be stopped as the presence of the insects on important arteries and nerves threatened the life of the subject. Test was an absolute success. A full confession was obtained, detailing a wide range of undercover American and British activities in our country. Not only that, the subject revealed the locations of what are believed all of the currently active bases of operation for Western spies, even when it was not yet specifically requested. The subject only pleaded for the object to be removed from his person. A full transcript of the confession is attached in this document. As all the necessary information has been obtained, future experiments will focus on further testing the properties of my creation. The subject has been promised that the process affecting him will be reverted thanks to his cooperation. It is my belief, however, that the object can still provide other ways to benefit the work of this distinguished division of the Ministry for State Security. Keeping science first is what shall see our great socialist republic prosper ever faster! All possibilities must be explored.

Signed: Magister Krone

The 35 research reports that followed have been archived in a separate document so as to mantain brevity.

Berlin, the 15. 05. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Finalization of Project Ichabod

Because of having accomplished its pre-established goals, the continuation of Project Ichabod has hereby been deemed unnecessary and a waste of resources. Magister Krone is to be given a two-week vacation and may not be allowed to come into contact with the object produced during the project under any circumstances. This object is to be removed and stored, and the captured spy disposed of.

Signed: Officer Konstantin Mader

Berlin, the 16. 05. 1966

Ministry for State Security

Division XXV

Project Ichabod final report

The product from the project has been removed from the subject, who expressed great relief. However, when it was removed, the head appeared to reconnect in the wrong position, and the spy began to bleed profusely as his neck collapsed. The premature death of the subject facilitated his planned disposal. The object has been placed into storage next to Officer Konstantin Mader's office.2

Footnotes

1. (See Addendum 4387.1)

2. (Through testing, it has also been concluded that SCP-4387 has an effective range of various kilometers. It is unknown whether the creator of the anomaly was aware of this fact when realizing his experiments. However, it is hypothesized that saying the device had an effective range of 50 cm could have been used as a scare tactic.)