Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2637 is stored in sector 
34 of site-19. The outer casing of sector 34 has been repurposed as 
the primary containment structure of SCP-2637 and all access to 
sector 34 is suspended. Additionally, as of 1931-08-11 any structural 
change or activity outside the routine procedures of site-19 in the 8 
surrounding sectors requires prior approval of the site director. If any 
doubt concerning the effect of an activity on SCP-2637 is held, 
please refer to Dr C. Zhu. For details about the alterations 
performed on the storage unit and monitoring station 34-1 (formerly 
sector 36), see document 2637-1 (standard site-19 requirements 
apply unless directly contradicted). Thorough maintenance of the 
multipurpose deflection tiling must be completed every month, 
excluding Meélusine cells and the H-stabilizing layer which may 
be ignored!. 

The adjoining tanks must be kept filled up to 2000 m8 at all times. All 
uncontrolled energy transfer2.3 to or from SCP-2637 must be 
prevented. Should a variation in pressure and temperature occur 
despite the measures taken, no attempt should be made to bring 
them back to their former values4. 

SCP-2637 has no mind-altering effect. All reported cases of 
interpersonal quarrels and verbal escalation during researchs:6.7 can 
be attributed to controversies surrounding the item’s containment 
and research policies and their enforcement®. 

Please note that SCP-2637 now has a budget separate from site-19, 
and all maintenance, monitoring and human resources related to 
SCP-2637 should therefore not make use of common site-19 assets. 
For any concern about funding, please start by reading document 


2637-294, and only then contact Dr Malbreil. 


Description: 


Excerpt from 2637-w including pictorial information. Top: raw footage, bottom: 
reconstitution, white=1, black=0, grey=not significant one way or the other. The 
central band has been postulated to depict a topological diagram for the 
apparatus suggested by some interpretations of Segment 759 10. 


Nature of the item 


SCP-2637 is a chunk of granite extracted on 1928-07-14 near Kosh- 
Agach, Russia. It contains the source of a constant electromagnetic 
(EM) signal (hereafter referred to as 2637-w) with a strength 
estimated to be less than 10-12 V/m at the time of writing. The area it 
was excavated from has shown no anomalous properties. The 
strength of 2637-w dropped considerably following recovery (from 
0.7 V/m on 1928-07-14 down to less than 10-9 V/m on 1928-07-16), 
leading to immediate measures to suppress all activity near the item 
except for a constant isotropic energy transfer, which proved 
successful in reducing its rate of decay. The signal strength has 
since dropped below the weakest value detectable through any 
current equipment (a potentially more powerful method of detection 
is under development). 


Origin of the anomalous properties of the item 


2637-w is hypothesized to originate from a quartz phenocryst 
housing between 1021 and 1022 two-dimensional yoctometer-scale 
structures analogous to our universe! 1 (collectively known as 
SCP-2637-1). Every instance of SCP-2637-1 is bound to an up 
quark, though it is unknown from which baryon and which atom 
nucleus. While the Foundation's current model of physics suggests 
that similar entities can form on every up quark!2, their weak isospin 
charge being far below 1/2 should not allow for interaction with other 
particles, and SCP-2637-1's ability to generate EM waves is highly 
anomalous. 


The simultaneous emergence in the same spot of more than 1021 
individual instances may be explained by the common origin and 
very similar environment experienced by every SiO2 molecule in the 
quartz since their initial crystallization. A probabilistic estimate 


suggests that around 100 000 similar entities should, within the first 
kilometer of the Earth's crust, eventually develop a type IV 
civilization'3. The emergence of conscious entities within SCP-2637 
is therefore very likely explained by the mere possibility of stable 
self-replicating patterns and local change over long periods of time, 
much like the mainstream theory of abiogenesis and evolution'4. 


Activity of the item 


The content of 2637-w is a repeating sequence of periods of intense 
activity (EM waves in the YHz range) and periods of low activity, that 
encode an ordered sequence of binary digits (hereafter referred to 
as "the message"). Each of these bits lasts 2.113 minutes, with 
occasional seemingly incidental shifts. The total length of the 
message is 5887410 bits, or 23 years and 7 months, plus one 
additional final segment of varying length, unique in every instance 
recorded so far. The message repeats after a 9 months period of 
inactivity. Three complete instances of the message have been 
recorded since the discovery of 2637-w on 1927-12-0319. 

A recurring segmentation is 148 bits, acting as a “separator” 
between independent sections of the message and encoding 
various informations. The message notably contains 3 instances of 
pictorial representations revealed when displaying the bits as pixels 
arranged in rows of 148. Amongst the non-pictorial sections, roughly 
a tenth has been partially decrypted thanks to a key relating various 
physical values (including the mass and volume of a silicon atom, an 
oxygen atom, the Earth, and the solar system) to Planck's constant, 
the speed of light in a vacuum, and the mass of an up quark. 
Semantic units such as "forwards/backwards in time" and "larger/ 
smaller" are implied through use of these values. The largest 
contiguous part (roughly a fifth of the message) begins with a 
representation of the order of the algebraic Monster Group, and 
includes repeated use of said semantic units. There has been no 
consensus as to the precise meaning of the section. 

The nature of the entities which elaborated the message within 
SCP-2637-1 as well as the purpose of the message are not revealed 
within the elucidated parts of message'§. Numerous segments 
suggest the entities are aware of the two-dimensional nature of their 
reality, and are trying to eventually contact 196 ,884-dimensional 
beings. The existence of such beings is unsupported by the 


Foundation's current understanding of cosmology. 


Although the interpretation of the segments as 
"instructions" is not disputed anymore, all means of 
transmitting the message in the suggested way are far 
beyond the capabilities of mankind!” and the resulting 
state of the universe would not allow for the existence of 
matter, let alone life (like the process of emitting such 
strong electromagnetic waves has undoubtedly 
destroyed the quark-bound structures housing the 
entities). It's understandable that the swan song of an 
extinct civilization with a collective aspiration to leave 
their mark on higher realms can make some people 
emotional, but according any sort of value to the 
instructions would be, effectively, the birth of a death 
cult. Please don't. Keep in mind that the item is entirely 
harmless and we might never be able to retrieve any 
more data from it. Some of you are free to set their own 
priorities amongst "Safe" items, but with more research 
effort comes more expectation of tangible results (or at 
the very least a reasonable prospect of future results), 
and time spent on documentation will be accounted for. 
- Dr Malbreil 


It should be emphasized that gathering all possible 
information from what is widely recognized as equivalent 
to a class IV civilization unfathomably more advanced 
than ours is a valuable scientific pursuit in itself and does 
not entail any intent to immediately act based on the 
data. 

- Dr C Zhu 


Addendum 2637-01: Transcript of Meeting EAM-19-92AF 


[begin transcript] 


-Dr. C. Zhu: OK we're doing the next one, please quiet 
down. This is 2637- 


[aggravated interjections] 


-Dr. C. Zhu: This one is 2637, so please let's stay 
focused. Now Dr. Malbreil, | was told you prepared an 
opening statement, is that right? I'll let you- 


-Dr. M. Purcell: Actually there's something | ought to 
point out - the whole transcript is going to be an 
addendum for this one as well. 


-Dr C. Zhu: [to Dr. Lason] Oh, was that on the- really? [to 
all attendees] | have not been informed- 


-Dr. Lason: [unintelligible] you were going- 
-Ms. Sjoberg: Read the whole notice next time, Carl. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: No but that's fine, actually this is perfect, | 
am, no complaints, no complaints- 


-Dr. Malbreil: Alright, well, since we are all on the same 
page, I'll start with a few facts that are not all on record 
yet | believe. Y has been indistinguishable from random 
noise for more than one year now- 


-Dr. Lason: No, we got part of segment 72 again last 
June. 


-Dr. Malbreil: Alright, slightly less than a year. This is not 
a "prepared" opening statement by the way, Dr. Zhu. Did 
Sanderson tell you that? 


[aggravated interjections] 


-Dr. Malbreil: I'm sorry but what was the point of such a 
weird little fabricated- 


-Dr. M. Purcell: Dominique, this is all going on the 
technical- 


[interjections persist through Dr. Malbreil's statement] 


-Dr. Malbreil: Alright well for those reading this transcript, 
| want to say, think about - for one second, just imagine 


something like that being archived as documentation for 
any other item! This speaks- this just speaks for itself. 
That mere notion of a meeting transcript- 


-Director Jones: Stop. 
-Dr. Malbreil: [unintelligible] 


-Dr. M. Purcell: Come on, we should be able to make this 
quick, OK? So to clear that thing up for the record... If | 
may? OK, the RAISA has allocated this afternoon to 
review the status of 68 problematic Safe items, and 
given the history of controversy around 2637, it has been 
decided to spare everyone the inevitable round of 
revisions by using the transcript itself as an addendum, 
rather than a report. 


-Director Jones: And everything that doesn't require 
redaction is going to be left verbatim, so please start 
taking this seriously. 


-Dr. Malbreil: |, the. Alright. 2637 in its current state is 
nothing more than a chunk of rock. We dump 1 cubic 
meter of osmium a week into the insulation system. A 
whole sector of site-19 has been condemned while 
alarming infrastructure concerns are arising about 
sectors 20 to 50. We are long overdue for a drastic 
scaling down of the maintenance set-up, and the 
documentation is absolutely outdated. People should not 
have to dig through the addenda to get the whole picture. 


-Ms. Sjoberg: We might do more than an addendum. We 
will unfreeze the Special Containment Procedures 
section if a new consensus is reached. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: This is nothing new. It has been agreed per 
our July meeting- 


-Dr. Lason: June 29th actually. 


[crosstalk] 


-Dr. C. Zhu: -agreed that, assuming no shift in the rate of 
decay, up to a trillion instances of 2637-1 should still be 
active, which entails whatever means of preservation are 
within our capabilities. 


-Dr. Malbreil: Zhu. It has also been agreed that 10 to the 
12 is below the margin of error and that our advances in 
sensor technology are not catching up. By the time we 
manage to detect such faint signals, it's far more likely 
we'll find another yoctostructure as advanced as 2637. 


-Ms. Stevens: I'm afraid there's nothing new on that front. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: |- Come on! Are we, are we seriously going 
to use that sloppy Moore's Law analog to direct research 
priorities? 


-Dr. Malbreil: You've never suggested any sound 
alternative. We have to plan- 


-Ms. Stevens: It's already 60% of the 2637 budget. 


-Dr. Malbreil: My proposal for a separate budget could 
settle this whole debate by the way. 


-Mr. A. Purcell: Let's set that aside for the FC meeting, 
OK? Focus on the one we actually have retrieved. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: There's no telling just how advanced they 
are, a yoctostructure with such profound knowledge of 
reality might be unique in all matter in the galaxy, let 
alone Earth! 


-Dr. Malbreil: No, no, I- No, | can't let empty speculations 
supersede informed decisions when it's such a money 
sink, we have actual threats to deal with Zhu, when was 
the last time you worked on anything Keter? 


[crosstalk] 


-Director Jones: We need to move on. Is there anything 
new anybody has to say? 


-Dr. C. Zhu: In fact yes, we have recently decrypted the 
second part of segment 76. Just like in segment 62, 
there is a signature consistent with the last harmonic 
analyses of SCP-2998. And we think it suggests an 
analogy between the segment 75 apparatus and the 
Rosetta cluster. 


-Mr. Presley: It's more definitive than that, the MRD guys 
have actually managed to simplify their model of the 
cluster based on our findings. 


-Dr. Malbreil: | know that, but we've had that complete 
section for the last three decades. 


-Dr. Lason: It was updated last June! 


-Dr. Malbreil: Are we supposed to discuss containment 
or not? All parts related to cross-dimensional 
communication are within the repeated section. We have 
an overwhelming consensus that the non-cyclic sections 
are meant as a message for those 196884-D entities. 
[(The existence of such beings is unsupported by the 
Foundation's current understanding of cosmology.)]. 
This does not warrant further study, the only parts that 
are of interest to us are within the main section, which 
we have recorded entirely. It's time for an update of- 


-Dr. C. Zhu: There's nothing that indicates the non-cyclic 
sections contain no useful information. The next one 
should come within three years! We're not even close to 
understanding this particular content, and as 2998 
demonstrates the 4th dimension can affect ours non- 
destructively. There's no telling how useful that data 
might be. 


-Dr. M. Purcell: | think it's pretty clear we will not reach a 
consensus, so | suggest each of you put forward a 
motion and we take a vote. 


-Director Jones: Let's do that. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: OK then, | renew my proposal to keep all 
containment procedures as they are currently for the 
time being. 


-Dr. Malbreil: | propose that we draft a plan to decrease 
maintenance expenses for the next FC meeting. 


-Dr. M. Purcell: All in favor of Dr. Zhu's motion? 
[Dr. Lason and Mr. Presley raise their hands. ] 

-Dr. M. Purcell: All in favor of Dr. Malbreil's motion? 
[Ms. Stevens and Ms. Sjoberg raise their hands.] 
-Dr. M. Purcell: Alan, Megan, are you abstaining? 


-Ms. Grime: I'm sorry but I've never worked on 2637, | 
just have to reserve my judgement. 


-Mr. A. Purcell: You know how | feel about this. 


-Dr. M. Purcell: Alright, well | tend to favour Dr. Malbreil's 
opinion on this matter. | think this is definitely a debate 
for the FC meeting rather than a purely technical matter. 


-Dr. C. Zhu: Director Jones, please! Surely you can take 
a stand on this matter! We're dealing with critical 
information. 


-Director Jones: | don't think this is appropriate Carl. If 
this can bring you some solace, | know the Overseer 
Council are aware of your concerns about the potential 
implications of W and | will check if they're up to date on 
your latest findings. | think we can move on to the next 
item now. 


[end of transcript] 
1. However, dismounting those components from the tiling requires 


prior approval of the Site Director, which should beexceedinglyclear 
from all available instructional documentation and site-19 training 


SCP-297: "Steely Dan" 


Item #: SCP-297 
Object Class: Safe