Original location of SCP-396

Item #: SCP-396
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: A geolocator has been affixed to SCP-396 to track its movements. Local Foundation liaisons have been dispatched to locations where SCP-396 frequently manifests to facilitate prompt re-containment. An airborne amnestic compound has been infused into the cushions of SCP-396 and into its containment chamber as a precaution. When possible, SCP-396 is to be contained within Area-93.
Foundation personnel are not to mention any location or event taking place outside of Area-93 when they are within SCP-396's containment area. Failure to comply with this can result in demotion to Level 0 and is to be treated as a disclosure of classified information.
Current theories on enacting permanent containment are currently focused on finding ways to utilize SCP-396's awareness of its surroundings to create controlled environments and induce it to teleport there, which SCP-396 may become settled in repeatedly appearing. This "closed loop" theory of containment is currently under consideration by the Area-93 leadership.
Description: SCP-396 is a chair constructed of plastic and steel.
At statistically random intervals, usually between one and eleven months, SCP-396 will displace itself and another chair somewhere on the planet Earth. Any living matter that is seated on SCP-396 or the seat it is displacing will also change places. This change is instantaneous. The approximate limits of this teleportation are unclear, but SCP-396 is currently believed to be able to transport itself to any location on Earth.
SCP-396 was discovered in a theater in ██████, ██████████. Originally, it was classified as Safe, as its area of effect was believed to be localized. As such, Junior level researchers were frequently assigned to work with it.
It is believed SCP-396 is able to listen to nearby conversation, and transported itself to locations mentioned by its research staff. Containment procedures and classification escalated until reaching their current levels.

There are currently 1297 locations that are known to have been discussed or mentioned in passing around SCP-396 that it may affect. It has been shown to be much more likely to affect locations that were mentioned repeatedly, or in great detail. A full list is considered to be impossible due to incomplete records of SCP-396's early time in containment.

Locations SCP-396 has affected.

█████ Cruise Ship
Located by Junior Researcher Bland while on vacation, after witnessing it manifest on the deck of the ship. Bland contacted the Foundation, and classification was upgraded to Euclid upon re-containment. Theorized to have 'imprinted' on Bland during his time working with the anomaly.

Site-77, 2nd level research floor
A researcher who had transferred from Site-77 is known to have mentioned their previous work there, which is the initial link leading to discovering the cause of SCP-396's escalation of anomalous activity.

Death row, [REDACTED]
D-Class personnel assigned to testing had been asked to state their name and point of origin while in a testing chamber with SCP-396. D-936816 mentioned the [DATA EXPUNGED] penitentiary at least two times during testing. Three months later, SCP-396 displaced itself and the electric chair located within this facility. Due to the fact that an execution was about to be performed prior to this displacement, it was only the timely intervention of local agents that prevented major amnestic intervention from becoming necessary. Upgrade to Keter put under consideration.

Area-93 Washroom
Review has shown that Researcher Park mentioned recent renovations to the Area-93 washroom when discussing their work environment with a colleague. Notably, this took place in a soundproof chamber previously thought to be safe from SCP-396's anomalous effects.

US Supreme Court, Washington DC
Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas' seat was replaced by SCP-396, after he had arrived within the building but before taking his seat. It was not noticed until the end of that day's hearing, when Justice Fortas reported it as unusual to members of the Supreme Court Police. Foundation personnel involved in the case were able to intercept documentation of the incident and re-contain SCP-396.

Set of "█████ ██████" talk show.
A vacant audience member's chair was displaced during the live broadcast of the show, although its presence was not detected until after the show was over. Suppressed footage of the show shows that SCP-396 is clearly visible when the camera is pointed at the audience. This footage has since been replaced with a doctored copy in ███'s archives, although recordings of the original broadcast have not been completely suppressed due to their widespread nature.

"Sheikra" Roller Coaster, Orlando FL
SCP-396 manifested in an empty seat during the ride's normal operation. Agents were able to recontain SCP-396 within 2 hours of displacement, as the ride was shut down following the operators noticing the unusual seating and alerting their management. Agent Alleyn was commended for also suppressing the souvenir photo taken on the ride.

Vatican City
Pope Paul VI was displaced along with his throne, and appeared within Area-93 disoriented and confused. Light dosages of amnestics were able to convince His Holiness that the incident was a religious experience, and a deal was struck with Vatican City government officials to prevent widespread coverage of the incident.

Addendum SCP-396-A: On 09/18/19██, during regular testing of SCP-1609, the anomaly unexpectedly began to show aggression towards D-939668. However, before any personnel could be injured or killed, SCP-1609 was displaced by SCP-396. Due to SCP-396's more remote location and secure containment chamber, there were no casualties and SCP-1609 was recontained without additional incident. After the incident, it was found that D-939668 had previously worked as a contractor in the construction of multiple GOC facilities. Security data is being reviewed to find out how SCP-396 was able to displace itself to Storage Site-08.

« SCP-395 | SCP-396 | SCP-397 »


Item #: SCP-397
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-397 is contained within secure arboretum ██ at Site 20. The arboretum should be stocked with vegetation native to [REDACTED] and the temperature adjusted to mimic local seasonal variances. SCP-397 is confined to the arboretum space when not undergoing active testing. Transfer for testing is subject to Level 3 approval and is to be facilitated by at least three security personnel with documented intelligence quotient ratings above ███. SCP-397 may be provided with music or literature upon request, though all selections must be reviewed by at least one Level 3 researcher to determine suitability. SCP-397 is to be kept isolated from any primates at all times save research staff.
Description: SCP-397 is a female chimpanzee standing 1.27m (4ft, 2in) in height and weighing 40.82kg (90lbs) exhibiting human-level sapience. SCP-397 can read and speak both English and the local dialect of [REDACTED] proficiently and is able to write in a somewhat legible shorthand. Standard testing measures an IQ of approximately 160, though this number may be inflated due to the distinctly non-standard nature of the subject. SCP-397 has demonstrated an intense desire to utilize its abilities to read and write, showing particular interest in the fields of ancient history and classical music. Its studies in these fields have been supervised by Dr. ██████, whose curriculum carefully excludes any in-depth tactical reviews of military history or advanced political theory. SCP-397 has shown particular interest in the works of Franz Liszt, Tacitus, Seneca, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
SCP-397 was brought to the attention of the Foundation after Dr. ██████ received reports of coordinated attacks on the village of ████████████ perpetrated by a band of primates utilizing simple slings, spears and clubs. Witnesses consistently recounted instances of a chimpanzee "leader" issuing commands, setting fires, and distributing rewards of food for successful human kills to its fellows from well-defended locations at the village outskirts.
After an unexpectedly difficult skirmish resulting in the loss of Agent R████, SCP-397 was apprehended and tranquilized. The remaining chimpanzees of [DATA EXPUNGED] were captured and terminated to ensure that any behaviors taught to them by SCP-397 would not spread.
While in Foundation custody, SCP-397 has made 18 escape attempts, occasionally fashioning simple weaponry or tools from vegetation to do so. █ of these attempts have involved D-Class personnel acting as willing accomplices—most often through sabotage of security countermeasures or through direct assaults on security staff on behalf of SCP-397. As a result, D-Class personnel with a ████████ personality matrix rating of 6 or lower and possessing an IQ below ███ are not to be used in the containment of SCP-397. Withdrawal of reading and music privileges has proven most effective in curbing escape attempts.
Addendum: Despite a self-admitted distaste for modern human society and customs, SCP-397 regularly attempts to imitate human physical mannerisms such as upright bipedal walking. A log between SCP-397 and Dr. ██████ follows:

Dr ██████: Could you describe, for the records, the colony of chimpanzees that you were discovered with in [REDACTED]?Dr ██████: Please just answer the question.Dr. ██████: Please explain your comment.

« SCP-396 | SCP-397 | SCP-398 »


Snapshot of video footage inside the SCP.

Item #: SCP-398
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-398 is contained behind a reverse-airlock style containment chamber locking mechanism consisting of at least three steel doors and an atmospheric reduction system. A minimum of two guards must be stationed at the doors, remaining at a 50 m distance from the entrance to the SCP.
Description: SCP-398 appears to all subjects as a hallway of some description; however, details differ between accounts. It is first seen as a hallway with white walls, plain wooden doors twenty (20) metres apart and approximately two (2) metres high, and brass handles, with no special attributes visible. This detail is consistent across all accounts. It was found on location at [DATA EXPUNGED] and upon investigation, a Dimensional Containment Site was set up around it. The remainder of the original building surrounding it is unremarkable and has been demolished as such.
Addendum-398-A:

Agent ██████ sent to research subject, equipped with a hand-held video camera with transmission feed. Agent ██████ travels down the hall.
Agent ██████: The hall… it's changed.

Transmission shows no change in the hall's appearance.
Control: Changed? How so?
Agent ██████: It's different from when I walked in. Dark wood-paneled walls. Red carpet and Monet paintings. I like it.
Control: Continue, Agent. Go in further.
Agent ██████: Roger, sir. Continuing.
Agent ██████ continues until the appearance of several doors. The door is similar in design to others in the location.
Control: Agent ██████, open the one on the immediate right.
Agent ██████: Yes, sir.
Agent ██████ opens the door to reveal an unpainted and unfurnished room.
Agent ██████: It seems to be a cafeteria.
Control: A cafeteria? Is there anyone in it?
Agent ██████: You can't see it? There's no one in here, just tables, chairs, and a buffet-style layout. Smells real good and I haven't had lunch yet.
Control: Noted. Open the door opposite this room.
Agent ██████ opens the door. It is identical to the first room in appearance.
Agent ██████: This one… it's a bedroom.
Control: A bedroom?
Agent ██████: Yes, a child's room. The one I wanted from a catalog when I was a kid, because it had Spider-Man sheets. We couldn't afford it.
Control: Noted. Continue. Open one more, and return, Agent.
Agent ██████ exits the room and opens the one next to it. Again, it is identical to the first two.
Agent ██████: She can't be here.
Control: What, Agent? What's through this door?
Agent ██████: … my old girlfriend. But she's married now, expecting a kid. The… person in the room can't be her.
Control: Agent ██████, please return now.
Agent ██████ lowers the camera and only the floor can be seen.
Agent ██████: I want to make it right, baby. Shhh, it's okay, don't cry. It was all my fault.
Footsteps are heard, and then a soft, incomprehensible crooning from Agent ██████.
Control: Agent ██████? Did you hear me?
Agent ██████: I'm so sorry I let you go. Don't you worry, it won't happen again.
Control: Agent ██████, you will turn around, close the door, and return to the outside. That is an order!
Agent ██████: With all due respect, sir, no. I can make it work this time.
At this point, the camera is lifted and then the feed is abruptly ended.

Addendum-398-B:

After loss of Agent ██████, Class-D personnel are to be sent into SCP-398.
Personnel D-193 and D-216 are sent equipped with hand-held video cameras to explore further.
Transcription of audio follows.
<begin log, skip to 00h-12m-41s>
Control: Right, you two. Continue onward.
D-193: Understood.
Transmission shows the same hall seen in Addendum-398-A. D-193 appears to be in front of D-216. D-216's feed shows D-193 walking ahead of him.
D-193: There are doors. Shall I open one?
Control: No. Continue onwards.
The class-D personnel continue. After a few metres, D-216 gasps.
Control: D-216? What's wrong?
No answer is heard.
D-193: He… seems to be unconscious, sir.
Control: His vitals have dropped out. He's dead. Leave him and continue, 193.
D-193: Roger, sir.
██ seconds pass.
D-193: The hall's changing, sir.
The feed shows no change.
Control: Describe.
D-193: It's starting to look like the corridor outside of my old cell. I never wanted to see this again. But it looks like it gets better just up ahead.
Control: Noted. Open the door to your left, 193.
D-193 opens the door. It is identical to the rooms seen in Addendum-398-A. A burst of breath is heard from D-193. His heart rate rises.
Control: What is it, 193?
D-193: It's the basement we had in a house I lived in as a child. I always hated it, I never went in.
D-193's voice is shaky.
D-193: Oh god. Can you hear that? There are voices. Something's down there.
Nothing can be heard except D-193's breathing.
Control: What are they saying, 193?
D-193: I don't know, but I'm getting out of here. It will get better further on. It has to.
D-193 starts to run on down the hall.
Control: Negative, D-193. Return at once.
D-193: I can't, sir. It's terrible back there. It will be better further on. Much better.
The log continues for █ minutes until the feed is inexplicably cut off.
<end log>

« SCP-397 | SCP-398 | SCP-399 »


Item #: SCP-399
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: When not being worn by a human being, SCP-399 is inert. SCP-399 is to be kept in a locked safe at Facility ██ when not in use. Testing of SCP-399 requires Level 4 approval and is only to be handled by personnel who have received a rating of "Clear" or better on Psychological Profile 399-17. Any generators, power plants, or similar energy sources in the vicinity of testing are to be dedicated exclusively for testing and should not be used to power any other mission-essential equipment or facilities.
As a result of Experiments 399-4 and 399-5, testing of SCP-399 on human subjects requires Level 5 approval and is to be conducted in isolation from other SCPs or sensitive facilities.
Under no circumstances is SCP-399 to be tested or stored in the vicinity of any "free energy" or "perpetual motion" device.
Description: SCP-399 is a ring consisting of two metallic bands linked by six metal bars, with six pieces of a transparent purple glass between them. The ring is of unknown make and bears no identifying stamps.
When not being worn by a human being, SCP-399 is inert. When placed on a human being's finger, the ring "activates", which is indicated by the six glass segments beginning to glow one by one. In testing this process takes from three minutes to 6 hours dependent on the availability of nearby energy sources. Once fully active, the ring responds to spoken or mental commands from its wearer until removed, at which point it becomes inert until worn and re-energized.
In this mode, SCP-399 is capable of manipulating or reshaping objects within a 5m radius of the wearer at varying levels of complexity. By a currently unknown mechanism, SCP-399 draws in energy from its nearby environment with which to perform these functions. Minor tasks, such as causing a small object to levitate or turn itself inside out, require minor amounts of ambient energy which is primarily drawn from the surrounding atmosphere, causing a temperature drop. At finer scales, progressively more energy is necessary, and SCP-399 has been known to draw energy from electrical generators, nuclear reactors, and [DATA EXPUNGED] to complete the reaction. If there is not sufficient energy within SCP-399's range (approximately 300m) to perform the operation, SCP-399 will draw on its wearer and [DATA EXPUNGED]. More detailed operations also carry a greater chance of catastrophic failure resulting in [DATA EXPUNGED] of the wearer.
The extent of SCP-399's ability to alter objects within its range appears to be solely a function of energy available to it. With an adequate power source, manipulation of objects at the atomic or subatomic level appears to be possible (see Experiment Log 399).
SCP-399 came to the Foundation's attention on ██/██/████, when a string of power outages and unusually cold weather were reported in the vicinity of [DATA EXPUNGED]. The object was located in the possession of a Mr. ████████, who had apparently become deceased during an attempt to use SCP-399 to change lead bars into gold. How ████████ came into possession of the device has not been satisfactorily determined.
SCP-399 does not appear to have any means of storing energy that has been drawn in, simply drawing in the quantity it requires to perform a task and expending it immediately. It has been speculated, owing to the high energy demands of SCP-399, that it was intended for use in conjunction with a dedicated portable energy source of high volume. Such a device was not found among the effects of ████████. In conjunction with such a device or an SCP of a similar nature, SCP-399 could potentially be used to devastating effect as a weapon of mass destruction or to neutralize other Keter-class SCPs. Due to the potential negative consequences of a failure on this scale, this line of experimentation is not to be explored at this time.
Experiment Log 399:
Experiment 399-1
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. ██████ █████
Subject: One (1) phone book
User attempts to open book to page 368. Experiment successful. Ambient temperature of test chamber drops by 4.8 Kelvins.
Experiment 399-2
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. ██████
Subject: One (1) T-shirt, colored blue
User attempts to change shirt's color to red. Experiment successful. Power brownouts reported in nearby sections of facility. Ambient temperature of test chamber drops by 9.7 Kelvins.
Experiment 399-3
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. ██████
Subject: One (1) phone book
User attempts to cause text of book to be translated from English to French. Experiment successful. On-site electrical generator overloads and fails, causing loss of primary power to facility for six hours. Ambient temperature of test chamber drops by 17.4 Kelvins.
Experiment 399-4
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. ██████
Subject: One (1) phone book, 3 D-Class personnel
Special Test Protocols: Experiment 399-4 was conducted in Remote Facility ██. All electrical sources in the area were deactivated except those necessary to power monitoring equipment.
User attempts to cause text of book to be translated from English to French. Experiment successful. D-Class personnel are [DATA EXPUNGED]. No significant reduction of ambient room temperature.
Experiment 399-5
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. ██████
Subject: Remains of one (1) D-Class personnel from Experiment 399-4
Special Protocol: Test conducted at Remote Facility ██. A dedicated nuclear reactor was provided as energy source.
User attempts to restore D-Class personnel to his physical condition prior to Experiment 399-4. Nuclear reactor reaches 57% capacity. Subject is successfully reconstructed physically intact but remains deceased. User attempts to restore subject to life. [DATA EXPUNGED]. SCP-399 was recovered by Hazmat personnel 48 hours later. Weather patterns in vicinity of facility site normalized within 96 hours. Radiological contamination of the region has been deemed within acceptable limits.
*Note: Following the loss of Dr. ██████, Dr. C████ requested and was granted permission to conduct the following test on himself.
Experiment 399-6
Date: ██/██/20██
User: Dr. C████
Subject: Dr. C████
User attempts to cause self to levitate. Successful. Upon initial levitation room temperature begins to drop 1 Kelvin approximately every .68 seconds. Dr. C████ then begins to cause himself to hover slowly about the test chamber, which begins to produce electrical brownouts. The rate of temperature decrease increases to 1 Kelvin per .47 seconds at this time and fluctuates as the rate of the Doctor's movement is accelerated or slowed. Experiment is terminated after room temperature drops below zero degrees Centigrade.

« SCP-398 | SCP-399 | SCP-400 »


2/400 LEVEL 2/400
CLASSIFIED

Item #: SCP-400

Euclid

Special Containment Procedures:
The single colony of SCP-400 in Foundation custody (designation SCP-400-B) is currently housed in a juvenile humanoid containment cell at Site-77's Euclid objects wing. Any cell containing an active SCP-400 colony must be secured with an air-lock door under Bio-safety Level 4 precautions. Any openings for ventilation must be covered by a metal screen with gaps no greater than 0.2 cm in diameter, followed by aerosol filter 400-AF to be changed monthly and remanded to on-site chemical research personnel with Level 3/400 clearance. Access for experimentation purposes requires approval from both the Ethics Committee and the item's acting HMCL supervisor (currently Dr. Marshall Grant). SCP-400 handlers are required to wear Level 4 positive pressure Bio-hazard suits, and must be decontaminated prior to egress. In emergency situations, prevention of olfactory contact with SCP-400 is sufficient to prevent accidental exposure in most cases. For care-giving instructions, please refer to Document 400-C rev 1.3.
Agents operating in the continental United States are to report any statistically significant drop in daycare, preschool, and primary school enrollment in their assigned region. Elements of MTF Beta-7 (“Maz Hatters”) are to remain on-call for identification, research, and termination of active SCP-400 infestations. Locations found to be infested are to be quarantined using cover story 139-B (‘bubonic plague'). Media inquiries are to be categorically denied, and all agents of the press demonstrating interest in the quarantine are to be detained and administered a Class B amnestic prior to release.
Foundation personnel affected by SCP-400 are subject to quarantine of up to three (3) weeks. If by this time anomalous effects have subsided, personnel are subject to psychological evaluation prior to return to duty. If anomalous effects are still present after the administration of a Class A amnestic, remaining personnel may be reassigned to non-anomalous research, administrative, and medical positions. Civilians exposed are to be administered a Class A amnestic prior to release. Please refer to Document 400-1R for reintegration instructions by geographic region. Damage control for infestations affecting population centers of 500 persons or more may employ amnestic agent Ennui-02 locally if necessary.
At least one active SCP-400 colony must be collected from all subsequent infestations, and remanded to genetic research personnel with Level 3/400 clearance.

Description:
SCP-400 is the collective designation for an anomalous species of arthropod similar to Armadillidium vulgare, or the common pill bug. SCP-400 individuals are morphologically similar to A. vulgare in appearance, but can be distinguished visually by bright red striping patterns on their dorsal carapace. Visual identification is only possible by individuals not under the influence of SCP-400's anomalous effects. SCP-400 is a parasitic organism which feeds on human mammary secretions. Access to this food source is gained by habitation and manipulation of deceased human infants.
Affected persons are subject to a Type 3 cognitohazard via a pheromone vector, which repurposes the natural child-rearing instincts present in all humans for its own feeding and protection. Those subject to this effect are unable to perceive SCP-400 or the damage it causes to infants. Exposure to D-Class assets has determined that the effect does not apply to video or audio surveillance, and that Level 4 Biohazard precautions are sufficient in preventing the effects' onset. Personnel briefed on SCP-400's effects show no special immunity to the false perceptions created by the anomaly.
As of 14/07/2005, the Ethics Committee has determined that future human experimentation with SCP-400 will only be allowed in unique and dire circumstances. As such, all information regarding SCP-400's relationship with humans and life cycle have been compiled from extensive surveillance and interviews conducted in █████████, ██, the site of SCP-400's discovery. Conclusions are based on an observational period from August 2003 through July 2005.
Infestation begins when twenty-five (25) to fifty (50) instances of SCP-400 select an infant1 and access its crib. Observation has failed to detect any instance of SCP-400 prior to appearance within the target crib. Parents and D-Class personnel present will be unable to perceive SCP-400. If any person passes within 0.5 m of the infant, SCP-400 instances will collectively release a fine spray, which causes immediate disorientation and rapid loss of consciousness.
SCP-400 will then begin to burrow into the flesh of the sleeping infant. Favored points of entry include the mouth, eyes, anus, navel, and armpits. The infant will not react to the presence of SCP-400 in any fashion, suggesting the use of local anesthetics. Cardiopulmonary activity in the infant will cease within the first forty (40) minutes of this procedure, and within three (3) to five (5) hours, movement will resume, followed by strained vocalizations. At this point, the infant is considered an ‘active colony' of SCP-400. Incapacitated subjects will awaken soon after the first vocalization and investigate. Parents or other adults present within ear-shot will also show interest as per normal for distressed infant vocalization. If the original mother of the colony is present at this time, she will immediately begin breastfeeding regardless of previous feeding schedule or practices.
Over roughly the next ten (10) weeks, parents and other adults begin to show increased affection and protectiveness toward the colony. During this stage, direct observation by present adults and children will be unable to detect any abnormalities in the colony's physiology, despite numerous dermal perforations and jerky, unnatural movement. The colony is capable of basic vocalization, and is able to emulate feeding, defecation, and play behaviors of normal infants with increasing proficiency. Decomposition is still visible via surveillance during this time, culminating in desiccation of the colony's remaining soft tissues2.
By the end of the twelfth (12th) week, all observed colonies exhibited increased size, such that individual instances of SCP-400 are visible moving under the skin. Such colonies are considered ‘mature', and individual instances will begin reproductive behavior during this period. During feeding, seven (7) to twelve (12) SCP-400 individuals will exit the colony through one of its dermal perforations, and take hold of any exposed portion of the host mother's skin for approximately 10 min before returning. Host mothers studied during this time begin to show increased progesterone production, as well as heightened levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, indicating an induced pregnancy. After an incubation period of two (2) to three (3) days, host mothers will ‘birth' twenty-five (25) to fifty (50) instances of SCP-400 during her next sleep. Instances of SCP-400 have not been successfully tracked after birth. Maximum interval of dormancy before SCP-400 must initiate another infestation is unknown. After breeding behavior begins, the cycle will repeat once weekly for the duration of the infestation. No natural limit to SCP-400 infestation timeline has been observed. (See Addendum 400-02)
Of ███ recorded infestations to date, all have occurred in the south-eastern United States in rural or mountainous areas, and in some cases have gone unnoticed for as long as nine (9) months. Improved detection and extermination of SCP-400 instances is considered a high research priority.

Addendum 400-01: Interview 400-25

Foreword: Twenty-fifth in a series of interviews conducted during the █████████, ██ infestation of 2003. Mrs. █████ ███ B██████ (hereafter ‘Mrs. B.') interviewed by Dr. Marshall Grant, Agent Fabian Pertucci observing. Mrs. B has served as host-mother to SCP-400-A and SCP-400-B simultaneously. The advanced state of decomposition suggests the colonies had been active for over two years. She and her deceased twins are considered strong candidates for ‘Patient SCP-400-0'. At the time of interview, Mrs. B was isolated from SCP-400 for fifteen (15) days. Interview conducted on 10/7/2005.
Dr. Grant: Good afternoon █████, how are we feeling today?
Mrs. B: Where are my babies? What have you done with my babies?
Dr. Grant: Your children are being treated for possible bubonic plague exposure, ma'am. They will be returned to you as soon as possible.
Mrs. B: [subject strikes table] Oh that's bullshit! You can't keep them from me. You have no right to keep a mother from her children! Tell me where they are or so help me when my husband's lawyers hear of this—
Dr. Grant: Mrs. B██████, we're on your side here. We want to help. If you'll just answer a few questions for me, we'll do everything we can to let you see them this afternoon.
Mrs. B: I've already told you on the form. They're three months old, male, [NAMES REDACTED], identical twins, weigh about 10 pounds, they don't have any allergies. What more do you want from me?
Dr. Grant: You said three months old? When were they born?
Mrs. B: February 5, 2003. Now will you-! … I'm sorry, I'm just… I love them so much. Never thought I would be much of a mother but they have been such a joy! After my husband died…[subject is silent for 15 seconds] …they mean the world to me! I don't know what I would do without them. Not a day goes by I don't feel blessed.
Dr. Grant: I imagine you must. For the record, you're aware of today's date?
Mrs. B: It's July the 10th two thousand fuh… Huh… Well that's funny. I could have sworn they were only three months. My, time does fly! I must have a picture of them here somewhere.[subject accesses personal effects and produces a portrait of SCP-400-A and SCP-400-B prior to infestation]Here it is! Aren't they just so beautiful?
Dr. Grant: Yes, ma'am. Now, has there been anything peculiar about your boys?
Mrs. B: Well there was that time in May when that doctor… No, nothing at all! If anything they're doing too well! So healthy and full of life. I swear little [REDACTED] said ‘Ma-ma' just yesterday!
Dr. Grant: I'm sorry, what was that about a doctor?
Mrs. B: Yes, he came to the house after they…[three second pause, subject visibly confused] I didn't say anything about a doctor! Let me see my children, please. They're probably starving by now; they need to be fed.
Agent Pertucci (inaudible to Mrs. B): We're losing her; come back to it.
Dr. Grant: I assure you, ma'am, we're giving them the best care possible.
Mrs. B: With that awful formula, I'll bet! [REDACTED] threw up the last time I tried that. Neither of them has touched it since. No; it's natural breast milk for them, 100%. My obstetrician said that they'll need it for at least another three months, and I'm not about to take any risks.
Dr. Grant: Isn't two and a half years a little long to be breastfeeding?
Mrs. B: They're… they're only three months old!
Dr. Grant: But just now, you had said—
Mrs. B: I know what I said! It's your fault. Got my head all turned around!
Dr. Grant: I'm sorry if I've confused you, ma'am, it's just—
Mrs. B: Who the hell are you people, anyway? Let me see my babies!

At this point in the interview, Mrs. B refused to answer any further questions, and exhibited increased emotional distress and separation anxiety. Post-interview medical examination revealed extensive ovarian/uterine trauma in excess of all other host mothers examined. Mrs. B was administered a Class A amnestic when observations were concluded, and is currently under Foundation surveillance as a Person of Interest.

Addendum 400-02:
As of 14/7/2010, SCP-400-A and SCP-400-B have been active in Foundation custody for five (5) years, indicating that colonies may be able to survive indefinitely if continually provided with food. Level 4 Bio-hazard precautions have successfully prevented not only reproduction of SCP-400, but also the spread of all cognitohazardous effects within Site-77. Limited access for experimentation may be granted with approval from the Ethics Committee and SCP-400's HMCL supervisor (currently Dr. Grant). Please allow up to thirty (30) days for review prior to beginning any new line of experimentation.

Addendum 400-03:
On 5/10/2010, SCP-400-A ceased activity while in containment after ingesting an experimental nutritional supplement, allowing medical examiners to dissect the colony. Despite desiccation and decomposition, muscle tissues remain responsive to electric stimulus. Highest concentrations of SCP-400 can be found in the stomach, mouth, brain case, and spinal column. Of particular note is the presence of individual specimens periodically along major motor nerves in the extremities, indicating an unprecedented level of communal intellect utilizing the infant's extant neural architecture.
Examination of the pheromones produced by individual SCP-400 instances has revealed several hallucinogenic, amnestic, and soporific compounds which are capable of reproducing SCP-400's cognitohazardous effects. Analysis of several compounds has revealed similarities to Class B and C amnestics currently in use by the Foundation, indicating a possible security breach (minimal risk). Aerosol concentrations of the mixture as low as 50ppm have proven effective in initiating the effect. Further research into the genetic sequencing of SCP-400 is recommended.

Footnotes
1. Precise criteria for this selection is unknown. In the seven (7) colonies observed from inception, infant targets were between three (3) weeks and two (2) months of age. Upper and lower age bounds for infestation have not been established.
2. It is presumed that the final desiccation is an adaptation of SCP-400, developed to ensure the colony's continued structural integrity

« SCP-399 | SCP-400 | SCP-401 »


Item #: SCP-401
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-401 is to be kept in an enclosed courtyard at Site-██. A mural of the landscape of southern France is painted on the walls of the courtyard. Once daily, personnel are to locate at least ten roots which will be fed a total of 15 L of nutritional supplement 401-NS-4 and to remove any solid waste produced. An EKG is to constantly monitor SCP-401 for any anomalies (refer to Incident 401-1 for details). Female personnel are not to enter the courtyard at any time between March 15 and April 1, under any circumstances.
Description: SCP-401 was discovered near the French city of ██████ when agents responded to reports of the ground bleeding. When led to the site, investigators found a human mouth embedded in the soil, licking away the remaining blood with a long prehensile tongue. It was not until a week later that agents realized that the mouth was part of the root structure of what at first appeared to be a forty (40) meter tall dead eucalyptus tree with branches shaped like multi-jointed human arms. The white colour of the trunk, originally suggesting that the tree was dead, was found to be because the bark was made of human bone tissue. It was given SCP status and excavated from the area, to be transported to Site-██.
SCP-401 resembles an ordinary tree in form and function. However, human physiology is substituted for plant biology in the fulfillment of necessary processes. The trunk is supported by multiple vertebral columns, woven together by tendons and muscles and coated by a layer of rough bone tissue also held together by flexible tendons. As one goes higher, the trunk will split repeatedly until there is a single vertebral column supporting the rest of the structure. At the base of the trunk are multiple human hearts which pump blood and nutrients through the roots and branches. The roots themselves are esophagi, protected by a layer of cartilage reminiscent of the trachea. At the end of each root is a fully formed upper and lower jaw, complete with muscles, lips, and the prehensile tongue first witnessed by agents in the field. The tongue seems to be used as a digging implement and as a snare for food, ranging from burrowing animals to edible fungi and plants. All of these roots ultimately lead to a single stomach. This, along with a fully functional, though unusually long, intestinal tract, work to absorb ingested nutrients. Solid waste is eliminated through a sphincteral orifice on the side of the trunk. No roots are found in the area immediately beneath this spot.
The branches, as initial observations suggested, are human arms. They extrude themselves from the bony trunk but have no bark themselves. Some will split at the elbow so that they may have two or even three forearms. The palms of its hands all face upward and the tip of each finger has a human eye growing from it. The iris of each eye is hazel. Dissection of the eyes shows that they are all myopic, though they do react to light stimuli as a normal eye would. Though the chemical process is not yet understood, the retinas carry on a form of photosynthesis which transforms carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose. It is generally agreed that the eyes are myopic in order to prevent excessive damage to the retina from direct sunlight. Chemical analysis of the lungs shows that there is a higher oxygen content when SCP-401 exhales than when it inhales.
During spring, SCP-401 will go into bloom. Though it is genetically a human male, it will grow female sexual organs. The vaginal openings are located on the palms of its hands, with canals extending 18 cm along each wrist to a bulge which contains a fully formed uterus and ovaries. Five days after the formation of the organs, menstruation occurs, at which point male sexual organs begin to develop in their place over a period of ten days. Once fully formed, they will remain for one day before they are shed and eaten by the roots. During this phase, SCP-401 will attack human females for the purpose of reproduction.
Experiment Log 401-1:
The fact that SCP-401 is genetically human, combined with the violence exhibited against women during its male phase, suggests that it may be compatible with human beings. A number of breeding experiments have been proposed to test this.
Date: ██-██-████
Subject: Female D-class personnel D-2055
Procedure: D-2055 was artificially inseminated with material produced by SCP-401 during male phase. The product of this was allowed to gestate.
Details: Nine months after conception, D-2055 gave birth to a normal human male infant. Though healthy and lacking in any unusual physiology, the child has been found to suffer from severe myopia, comparable to what was estimated with the eyes of SCP-401. The child has since been adopted by Agent R████ F███████ who has agreed to bring R████ Jr. to a Foundation-approved doctor for monthly physical examinations.
Experiment Log 401-2:
Date: ██-██-████
Subject: Male D-class personnel D-2067
Procedure: D-2067 was ordered to donate genetic material which was used to artificially inseminate SCP-401 at the beginning of its female phase. This was allowed to gestate.
Details: 12 hours after insemination, the uterine bulge in the wrist increased in size by 300%. While the other branches continued to develop normally for the next two weeks, the inseminated arm retained its uterine bulge and vaginal canal. 24 hours prior to maturation of male organs, the uterine bulge began contracting until a mass of tissue was extracted from the palm. This was thrown over the edge of the courtyard by the arm which had given birth. The appendage was then shed and absorbed by the roots minutes later. After five hours of searching, personnel found the item which was thrown: a human urinary bladder with a foetus nestled inside, consistent with one that had been gestating for two months. The bladder was planted in soil. It germinated two days later and became a seedling, equivalent to SCP-401 in structure. The organism died of malnutrition one week later, despite being fed nutritional supplement 401-NS-3.
Experiment Log 401-3:
Date: ██-██-████
Subject: Female D-class personnel D-2081
Procedure: An egg was removed from D-2081's ovary, fertilized with genetic material harvested from SCP-401 and frozen until next spring. The fertilized egg was implanted into SCP-401 and allowed to gestate.
Details: [DATA EXPUNGED] Nutritional supplement 401-NS-4 has been formulated with this development in mind.
Incident 401-1
On ██-██-████, several of SCP-401's branches went into convulsions and then went limp. It was soon discovered that one of its hearts suffered from cardiac arrest and was not able to recover. An angiogram of the other hearts showed large amounts of plaque buildup. Since Incident 401-1, the damaged heart has been absorbed and two new hearts have grown in its place. In order to maintain the future health of SCP-401, a lower cholesterol nutritional supplement 401-NS-3 has been approved. Nutritional supplement 401-NS-4 is now to be used, following the results of Experiment 401-3.

« SCP-400 | SCP-401 | SCP-402 »


Item #: SCP-402
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-402 is kept in a climate-controlled storage locker at Site-41. All known SCP-402-A and all water affected by it (currently ~612,000 liters) are kept in a climate-controlled freezer at Site-41, with each sample wrapped in barricade tape to prevent accidents. SCP-402 and SCP-402-A must be kept away from all water, including water vapor, outside of testing.
Substantial quantities of SCP-402-A may exist outside of containment. All unusual drowning or suffocation deaths must be investigated for possible SCP-402 involvement. Mobile Task Force Tau-4 "Water, Water, Everywhere" is tasked with performing all testing, investigations, and retrieval missions associated with SCP-402.
SCP-402-1 is kept in a Type 2 Humanoid Containment Cell at Site-59.
Description: SCP-402 is an irregularly-shaped solid weighing 4kg. While SCP-402 is composed largely of obsidian, trace amounts of platinum and iridium are present. SCP-402's structure has numerous abnormal microscopic gaps similar to those found in SCP-148; this, along with SCP-402's anomalous density (22.2g/cm3, roughly 8.5 times that of obsidian), suggests that the two materials operate under similar principles.
Any water that comes in contact with SCP-402 (hereby SCP-402-A) develops antimemetic properties, effectively rendering it imperceptible by any direct means. Witnesses typically interpret this as SCP-402 absorbing the water. SCP-402-A can be detected through its interaction with other materials, which occurs normally. For example, the dissolution of salt in SCP-402-A presents as the disappearance of the salt. Scales and thermometers that detect SCP-402-A's weight and temperature, respectively, can be read normally. Items that float in water will appear to levitate when placed in SCP-402-A.
Water rendered imperceptible by SCP-402 can transfer its effects to other water — for every unit of SCP-402-A that is introduced to a body of water, an adjacent 11,000 units (± 500) are similarly affected. This is perceived as the rapid, spontaneous disappearance of the affected water. SCP-402-A does not present any risk of a chain reaction; however, due to natural currents, SCP-402 itself can create large amounts of antimemetic water very quickly when submerged, particularly in moving water.
Consumption of SCP-402-A presents a serious choking hazard, as its presence in the trachea does not trigger the laryngospasm responsible for sealing the airway. SCP-402-A's presence in the lungs is only detectable via the resultant oxygen deprivation, and is typically mistaken for other medical conditions, which prevents proper treatment. Safe handling of SCP-402-A can only be performed by trained personnel.
SCP-402-1 is a human, roughly 35 years of age, that was in possession of SCP-402 at time of recovery in ██████, Indonesia, as well as a plastic jug containing four liters of SCP-402-A. SCP-402-1 has refused to cooperate or communicate with Foundation personnel, and has not been identified. Prior to containment, SCP-402-1 would consume SCP-402-A to the exclusion of all other liquids,1 resulting in the illusion that it did not possess any body fluids and giving it a desiccated appearance. This was initially mistaken for a property of SCP-402-1 itself, with the true nature of its condition (and the anomalous nature of SCP-402) only being identified after careful observation. SCP-402-1's appearance returned to normal as SCP-402-A was flushed from its system.
SCP-402-1's blood, when composed of SCP-402-A, possesses cognitohazardous effects when consumed in any quantity. Subjects will become convinced that any water they encounter is an extension of an effectively infinite subterranean body of water, in which they risk being trapped should they come into contact with the water. This results in severe aquaphobia, as well as a fear of drowning that persists even in situations where no water is present.
Testing the anomalous properties of SCP-402-1's blood has been deemed cost-ineffective; as such, information on its effects have largely been garnered from SCP-402-1's pre-containment activities.
Note: Several subjects who had previously consumed SCP-402-1's blood displayed a strong fear response when exposed to SCP-109 and SCP-812, though none were able to justify their reactions. Further testing is under consideration.

Footnotes
1. This was accomplished safely via a tube inserted into the esophagus.

« SCP-401 | SCP-402 | SCP-403 »


Item #: SCP-403
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-403 is to be sealed in a steel safe with a combination known only by Dr. ████ ███████. The walls of the safe must be reinforced with fire-retardant material complying with Foundation standard C3/403. The safe will remain under surveillance by 2 armed guards at all times.
Description: SCP-403 is a visually unremarkable naptha-fueled lighter that was discovered in a cafeteria at Site-██. When lit once after a prolonged period of disuse, SCP-403 produces an ordinary flame. However, if ignited repeatedly within 24 hours the flame produced by SCP-403 becomes larger and more violent in nature with each subsequent ignition.
During an experiment a Class-D test subject attempted to light SCP-403 a third time within two hours, resulting in a powerful explosion of superheated gas and plasma. This event destroyed the monitoring equipment within the testing cell, and caused significant damage to the flame-resistant plating lining the walls. Despite this, the subject and the item itself remained virtually unharmed. Radio-imaging has shown the formation of a magnetic field around the lighter, which is hypothesized by researchers to be the cause of this immunity.
The fuel used by SCP-403 to produce the detonations is not known as of yet, if any conventional fuel is used at all. Examination of the item shows that the fuel compartment within SCP-403 is empty; no traces of any combustible compound have been found. Considering this, and the amount of energy initiations are capable of producing, SCP-403 should currently be treated as if using a functionally inexhaustible power supply. Tests to ascertain the exact nature of this power source are ongoing.
Addendum 403-1: Continued experimentation has been authorized for SCP-403, and a designated safe detonation area has been provided for testing. After the third ignition, a Class-D personnel attempted a fourth, which caused an explosion that initially appeared to be a thermonuclear blast. Evaluation of the explosion has demonstrated that it was of equivalent magnitude to 10 MT of TNT, far exceeding the yield of most strategic nuclear weapons; this yield was also far greater than extrapolations based on past tests seemed to suggest. Further study of recorded data seemed to show that the event was actually caused by the release of [DATA EXPUNGED] stellar material. No abnormal lasting effects from the explosion were observed, apart from the devastation wreaked by the initial blast. Once again the subject used to ignite SCP-403 was unharmed by the blast.
Addendum 403-2: All further tests have been suspended due to the extreme danger presented by the high-energy detonations SCP-403 is capable of producing. As it seems the power of SCP-403 increases exponentially, a fifth ignition could result in an event comparable to [DATA EXPUNGED]. A blast of this magnitude could devastate vast portions of the continent and present a severe risk of breaching the containment of several Foundation sites, including [REDACTED].

« SCP-402 | SCP-403 | SCP-404 »


Item #: SCP-404
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-404 is to be kept in Section Alpha-1 of the Documents Repository. Any movement of SCP-404 beyond Section Alpha-1 will result in termination.
Description: SCP-404 is a pair of large manila envelopes, one of which has a series of pages attached to the front. Each page is stamped with a name/date/time/number table and contains multiple entries with known and unknown names. The ink has been dated to 1833, ±10 years and the folder dated to 1834, ±10 years. Many signatures are noted on the grid, notably those of former Document Repository Administrators ████████ (dated ██-██-████), ███ (dated ██-██-████), and ██████████ (dated ██-██-████). All signatures also are followed by a numerical reference number. Currently there are over 1000 signatures on these pages with additional pages appearing on their own when the previous ones become full. A count of these pages has proven impossible as has the contents of the envelope as mentioned later.
Contained inside SCP-404 are a series of large 8 x 10 photographs. Attempts to count the exact number of photographs have thus far failed. When a person attempts to count the total photographs they will invariably get a number wrong at least twice and have to start over. If more than one person attempts to count them they will begin to debate what number they were at last and start over. If a mechanized system is used to count the photographs it will either glitch, fail, freeze, or skip causing a recount to be required.
Any person may pick up and access the first envelope, known as SCP-404-A, they may withdraw a single photograph at a time from the envelope. This photo will always be blank when drawn out and will remain so until five (5) seconds have passed. Should the photo remain in contact with the person who drew it longer than five seconds it will then begin to fade into an image in the same way a Polaroid develops. This image will be a crystal clear image from an event in the holder's past which thus far has always been immediately recognized by the holder.
Once this photograph has been 'developed' it will no longer fit into SCP-404-A no matter what effort is applied to it. This image will fit perfectly into the second envelope, SCP-404-B. An undeveloped photo will not fit into SCP-404-B. After a developed photo is placed inside of SCP-404-B the pages attached to the front of the envelope will update themselves with the name, date, time, and an incrementing number. If a person picks up SCP-404-B they immediately know which pages contain lines with their name, although they may not know the numbers. When they have viewed the numbers or if they already know the number, they are able to draw that photo out of SCP-404-B with only a few seconds of searching.
The most disconcerting feature of SCP-404-B is that once the subject has left the presence of the envelopes for longer than an hour they forget interacting with either envelope as well as the memory imprinted on the photo. This effect lasts until the subjects re-enter the presence of SCP-404-A or -B at which time they regain their memory of having used the envelopes, but will not remember the event on the photograph until it is viewed again. Researchers who oversee the testing of SCP-404-A or -B but who do not interact with the contents of the envelope are capable of remembering both the test and the image to the best their natural memory allows.
Document #404-1: ██-██-████: Subject is Class-D personnel who has been instructed to draw five photos from SCP-404-A.

First Photo drawn contains an image of a young girl on a tire swing being pushed from behind. Subject confirms that the girl is their younger sister at age six.
Second photo drawn contains image of the same girl now older, nude, in a bedroom setting, laying on a bed and smiling, wagging finger at the viewer. Subject confirms once again this is their sister and is noted becoming distressed.
Third photo drawn contains image of same girl, older again, in the garb of high school graduation with her arm around a male of similar age. Subject confirms again this is his sister and the boy is her boyfriend. Subject seems agitated and reluctant to continue until assured he must only draw two more photos.
Fourth photo drawn contains image of a car that has gone half off of a road. The windows on all sides are smashed and the driver door is open. In the driver seat is the same boy from the previous photo with no discernible age difference. There is considerable bodily damage on the boy as well as a slit throat. Subject confirms this is the same boy.
Fifth photo drawn shows a funeral setting, the girl from the previous photos is the center of focus. She is wearing a black funeral dress and has a hateful expression. Subject confirms this is his sister again.

All photos drawn will no longer fit into SCP-404-A so are filed inside of SCP-404-B. Subject's name, current date, and numbers now appear on the topmost sheet of SCP-404-B.
After the test had completed the subject was allowed to leave the testing area and then questioned about the photos. After a time-lapse of approximately one hour subject became unable to answer any further questions about the photos and denied having ever even been part of a test for this day. The subject is unable to account for the time spent in the testing chamber and also denies knowledge of ever attending a funeral with his sister for any individual. Up until the time threshold had passed subject had been willing to answer any and all questions regarding the incident in the photos; loss of memory attributed to interaction with SCP-404-A and B.
Document #404-2: ██-██-████: Subject is Dr. ███████ who has recently been through an overly dramatic breakup of a relationship. She has volunteered for this test and has been informed of the anticipated results.

First photo drawn from SCP-404-A develops into the image of a young man in overalls leaning against a car and covered in oil stains. Subject confirms this is her ex-boyfriend and that he was mechanically inclined.
Second photo drawn from SCP-404-A shows the same man in a very angry state postured as if he is striking the viewer. Subject confirms again that this is her ex-boyfriend and that this event is part of what led to their separation.
Third photo drawn from SCP-404-A shows the same man in an amusement park setting, seated on a roller coaster beside the viewer. Subject confirms this was their first date.
Fourth photo drawn from SCP-404-A is completely blank. Twice the normal time allowed for a photo to developed passes and photo remains blank. This photo also is returned to SCP-404-A with no effort while all other photos must be inserted into SCP-404-B which now shows the subject's name with three new timestamps and numbers listed on its pages.

After the fourth photo was drawn subject was released and approached three hours later where she was asked as to the status of her relationship with the boyfriend. Subject denies knowing any such person or ever having participated in any tests today. Subject is also unable to account for lost time but shows no concern over the disparity.
Document #404-3: ██-██-████: Subject for this test is Dr. ████████. Dr. ████████ was chosen at random with no end result expected.

First photo drawn is a first person perspective of a water paint portrait being drawn. The artist's hands are visible in the photo and Dr. ████████ confirms this is her at age 4.
Second photo drawn is of an elderly man smiling, photo perspective suggests the viewer is raised up in the air looking down at the man. Dr. ████████ confirms this is her grandfather who passed away approximately a year and a half later.
Third photo is drawn after a brief reprise to allow Dr. ████████ to collect herself. This photo shows a funeral service and the perspective again suggests the viewer is a short individual. Dr. ████████ confirms this is her grandfather's funeral service. This photo also shows the elderly man again at the headstone which is the viewer's point of focus in this photo. The elderly man is marginally out of focus compared to his surroundings which are crisp and clear. In addition he is semi-transparent to a degree of approximately 15% suggesting that his presence is either a true spectral manifestation or exists only in the mind of the viewer.

Dr. ████████ requested a copy of this third photo and a digital copy was created for her without incident. The original has been filed into SCP-404-B and the copy is framed in Dr. ████████'s office.
Document #404-4: ██-██-████: Subjects for this test are Dr. █████ and Dr. ███████ whom have been working together for the past two years. These two doctors were chosen at random from established pairs of staff who had been working on projects together for over one year.

Dr. █████ draws the first photo from SCP-404-A. This photo when developed shows an older woman in her mid thirties on a bed, nude. The woman is posed in a [DATA EXPUNGED] position from the viewer's perspective. Dr. ███████ identifies the woman as his wife. Dr. █████ attempts to protest this until a photo is produced from Dr. ███████'s wallet which confirms the identity of the woman in the photo. The guard on staff intervene in the escalation of tempers and inform both doctors to continue with the test, personal matters will be resolved afterwards.
Dr. ███████ draws the second photo from SCP-404-A. It is of note that Dr. ███████'s expression was malicious toward Dr. █████ after the previous photo. The photo drawn by Dr. ███████ develops into a girl of young age who appears to be in a [DATA EXPUNGED] pose from the viewer's perspective. This girl is confirmed as Dr. █████'s daughter who is [DATA EXPUNGED] years old. Tension in the room escalates after this photo once more and the guards on duty step in again. Due to the nature of the photos being drawn only two more, one from each doctor, are requested.
Dr. █████ draws the third photo from SCP-404-A. This photo contains an image of the same girl from the second drawing, nude again, in a new pose. Dr. █████ reluctantly confirms this is in fact his own daughter. Both Doctors are calmed down by this event however both appear to be extremely uncomfortable and express repeated desires for this test to end.
Dr. ███████ draws the final photo for this test which after developing appears to be Dr. █████ wearing an evening dress.

The test is immediately ended by the administering personnel and both Doctors placed on notice until the results of this test can be confirmed. A lapse of a full day's time was allowed to pass before either Doctor was confronted about the previous day's test results. Neither Doctor claims to have any memory of participating in any test nor any inappropriate behavior with either each other or any of the subjects from the photos. All photos were filed in SCP-404-B and both Doctors have been restricted access from SCP-404 from here forward. Continued observation of the Doctors from this test show a 6% increase in productivity; this may or may not be related to the loss of the memories exposed in this test.
Document #404-5: ██-██-████: Subject for this test is a deceased Class-D personnel who expired while engaged in testing of SCP-███. The body of the subject was manipulated by two members of staff in conjunction with medical implements to draw a series of photos from SCP-404-A.

First photo drawn develops into a view of SCP-███ at rest. It is assumed this is what the subject saw as the testing of SCP-███ was commencing.
Second photo drawn develops into an extreme close up view of SCP-███. The nature of this photo suggests this was the moment at which the subject expired. The right side of the photo is blacked out as is expected from a scene viewed by a person with a single eye.
Third photo drawn develops into [DATA EXPUNGED]. Test aborted immediately after viewing of the photo sends the staff manipulating the subject's body into a state of rage. Guards enter the room to control the situation. One guard enters the same state as the research staff and turns on another guard who is restraining the original test members. Additional armed staff enter area and developed photo is covered by a jacket to prevent further viewing by any other staff.

After the events of this test any further exposure of the deceased with SCP-404 has been expressly forbidden. All staff who were involved in the test were restrained in solitary confinement and after 48 hours were given a psychological evaluation and released. Those who requested amnestics were allowed to utilize them. All photos made during this test were not filed into SCP-404-B but were instead sequestered into the care of Dr. █████████ and are not to be accessed by any staff without maximum clearance.

« SCP-403 | SCP-404 | SCP-405 »


Item#: 405

Level2

Containment Class:
euclid

Secondary Class:
{$secondary-class}

Disruption Class:
vlam

Risk Class:
warning

link to memo

Special Containment Procedures: Infected subjects are to be contained at SCP-405 isolation zones. ███ zones exist in depopulated areas. All field teams encountering SCP-405 are to be informed of the locations of nearby isolation zones. All observation of SCP-405 victims is to be done via video link from a distance of no less than 1 km. If a subject suffering from SCP-405 is in the late stages upon apprehension, they are to be terminated and all individuals within 200 m are to undergo Treatment Protocol 405-Alpha if an isolation area cannot be reached in time. Treatment Protocol 405-Alpha is also to be used on any individuals found in the preliminary stages of SCP-405 infection.
SCP-405-1 are housed at Research Facility ████ in the ██████ Desert. On no account are individuals suffering from SCP-405 to be brought into contact with SCP-405-1. SCP-405-1 are to receive limited human contact from Drs. ██████ and ██████ only and only while Drs. ██████ and ██████ have been dosed with type 3 sedatives. SCP-405-1 are housed in █ adjoining 10 m x 10 m x 10 m cells and are not considered an escape risk: Research Facility ████'s remote location is for their benefit, not ours.
Description: SCP-405 is a contagious phenomenon of unknown origin that causes the uncontrolled development of telepathic capabilities in humans. The typical progression of the disease is as follows. (██% of cases do not follow this pattern.)

Primary stage: 0-2 days after exposure. No noticeable effect.

Initial stage: 2-7 days after exposure. Subject begins to hear higher order thoughts of nearby subjects, seemingly at random. Thoughts about the subject are most common. Subjects rarely realise that the heard vocalisations are not spoken.

Secondary stage: 7-10 days after exposure. Subject now hears all conscious thoughts of nearby individuals. Subject will become aware of their telepathic nature. In some subjects, thought projection is first observed here. Subject will usually complain of ear ache and express a desire for silence. Sleep patterns typically become disrupted due to perceived noise levels.

Escalation stage: 10-14 days after exposure. Over this period the range of the subject's abilities increases, typically to about 200 m but occasionally far further. In a few rare cases where the subject has pre-existing telepathic capacity (as measured on the Mechevik-Luntan scale) range has been shown to grow exponentially out to several kilometres, leading to the early onset of Terminal Stage. Subject hears all conscious thoughts of humans within this range, as loudly as if the individuals were speaking directly in the subject's ear. The first suicide attempts typically occur at this point as a result of sleep deprivation and perceived noise levels. Subjects also begin to uncontrollably project their thoughts to nearby individuals. MRI scans taken at this stage indicate several significant deformities in the audio cortex.

Plateau stage: 14-28 days after exposure. No noticeable change in symptoms is evident at first, although many subjects begin to detect unconscious thoughts towards the end of this phase, including autonomic responses and reflex actions. Subjects typically exhibit a wide range of dementias such as [REDACTED] consistent with sensory over-stimulation and sleep deprivation by this stage and most (██%) attempt suicide, often frequently and with increasing levels of creativity and desperation. Restrained subjects will typically beg for termination or other extreme measures. One Agent at this stage requested being used to examine SCP-███, normally reserved for D class personnel. To date all subjects have been observed to attempt to deafen themselves if able, most commonly by inserting a long thin object, such as a pen, into their ears until the internal structure is destroyed. Towards the end of this phase subjects often experience catatonic episodes and begin to suffer from seizures. These are not apparently related to the telepathic abilities but rather due to swelling in the subject's neural tissues.

Terminal stage: 28 days after exposure until death, typically 32 days after exposure. Subjects slip into a coma and begin to suffer from persistent seizures caused by significant brain deformities. MRI scans taken at this stage confirm audio cortex is still processing vast quantities of data.

Experiments with animals, including higher primates, confirm that SCP-405 is species specific. The vector for SCP-405 is the subject's final mental vocalisation, identified by most observers as a "Death Scream." This vocalisation occurs at the moment of death, regardless of cause, and has a range of at least 200 m, although the more advanced the disease the greater the range. Individuals who hear this telepathic signal are infected with SCP-405.
Outbreaks of SCP-405 appear spontaneously; there have been at least ████ in recorded history. The ultimate cause of these outbreaks is unknown. The earliest believed SCP-405 outbreak was in the town of ██████, a famous ghost town, in ████. The entire population was recorded to have died either by their own hands or at the hands of deranged residents. Written records retrieved from ██████ are consistent with the symptoms of SCP-405. The cause of SCP-405 outbreaks is unknown, although 79% have been traced to some form of educational facility. Only 2 cases have occurred outside the continental United States. Outbreak ██ occurred at ██████, Canada, and Outbreak ██ occurred in ██████████████████, Wales.
Sufferers in the Primary to early Escalation stages of SCP-405 have been successfully treated with Treatment Protocol 405-Alpha. Subjects are administered twice the standard dose of Class D Amnestics and placed in a chemically induced coma for 3 days. This appears to reset brain activity to a pre-infection state and allow abnormal development to subside. Success rate is ██% with greater success in the early stages. No treatment for the later stages exists. For an examination of disease behaviour please see the Infected Subject Interview Log.
The use of Type 3 Disaster Synthesis Quarantine measures are pre-emptively approved to contain large-scale SCP-405 outbreaks.
To date only █ individuals have recovered from SCP-405 naturally. They gained sufficient control of their abilities to deal with small groups of individuals but are still incapable of dealing with more than ██ individuals at a time without exhibiting extreme stress. Seizures and other neurological conditions caused by structural brain deformities are common. Such individuals are referred to as SCP-405-1-A to SCP-405-1-█. They have adopted the designations for themselves and no longer respond to their original identities, perhaps due to the fact that all staff think of them by those designations. The potential value of SCP-405-1 to the Foundation is unclear at this time.
Addendum 405-01: Storing SCP-405-1 in the same area was a bad idea. I am sure their personalities are gestalting. I observed SCP-405-1-█ tapping the desk in her room yesterday in a manner consistent with playing the piano, but only SCP-405-1-█ has any musical talent. Worse, SCP-405-1-█ reported finding himself performing an action unconsciously and wished to know if I recognized it. SCP-405-1-█ was unconsciously field stripping an imaginary ████████. None of them have military backgrounds, they picked that up from us! If you get any more survivors, don't send them here! -Dr. ██████
All interviews with SCP-405 victims or SCP-405-1 are to be recorded in Interviews Log 405.

« SCP-404 | SCP-405 | SCP-406 »


SCP-406's western entrance.

Item #: SCP-406
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Task Force Tau-6 are assigned to monitor SCP-406 and process SCP-406-1 instances. They are to be based in a converted small industrial unit at a nearby industrial park, behind a Foundation front company ("Simon's Carpet Paradise").
The emergence point and western entrance of SCP-406 are to be monitored via closed circuit television cameras. Concealed lighting and infrared sensors are to be fitted to detect and illuminate emerging SCP-406-1 instances, and emergency clothing, non-perishable food, and basic first aid supplies are to be concealed behind false brickwork on the opposite wall. Two-way audio communication is to be enabled, via concealed microphones and speakers, between Tau-6 and the emergence point, to guide and instruct SCP-406-1 instances, and to wake them if necessary. The gate at the open western entrance is to be kept locked. Trespassers are to be monitored and are to be detained and administered amnestics if they witness an SCP-406-1 instance.
SCP-406-1 instances are to be retrieved by members of Tau-6 and taken to Sector-25, debriefed, administered amnestics, then escorted to their point of origin. Fabricated cover stories and/or amnestics are to be used to explain the absence of SCP-406-1 instances. All SCP-406-1 instances are to be logged and remotely monitored for a period of 5 years (previously 20), and detained if any anomalous properties become apparent.
A proposal for covert monitoring of residents of the origin area to prevent or reduce disappearance event frequency is currently under review.
Description: SCP-406 is a 228-metre-long disused railway tunnel in Crigglestone, England. The eastern entrance has been infilled and is inaccessible. The western entrance is blocked by a metal fence with a locked gate.
SCP-406-1 are persons who emerge via unknown means through the inner northern wall of SCP-406, at a point 15.3 metres from the closed end of the tunnel. SCP-406-1 instances are invariably initially asleep and walking upright, but most instances wake up naturally shortly after their appearance, usually due to the sudden shock of the cold air within the tunnel.
Initial inspection and testing of the emergence point was unable to identify any anomalous effects. Further testing of the emergence point is prohibited until further notice. See document SCP-406-A.
SCP-406's first known anomalous event on record was in December 1981, when the naked body of Mr █████ ████████, 24, was found within the tunnel, having died of head injuries and exposure after apparently tripping and falling within the tunnel. A tattoo was identified and later matched against a missing persons report in Illinois, USA. A subsequent instance of SCP-406-1 was recovered alive in February 1982, Miss ███████ █████, 8, and the anomalous nature of the tunnel became apparent. The Foundation became aware of SCP-406 at this point and established initial containment procedures.
All instances of SCP-406-1 to date have originated in the rough geographical area of Douglas County, Illinois and a small portion of the southern end of Champaign County, Illinois, and appeared within SCP-406 shortly after falling asleep. Instances of SCP-406-1 do not report abnormal histories of sleepwalking. To date, no attempt to witness or record the disappearance of an SCP-406-1 instance from their origin point has been successful. Current conjecture suggests that a disappearance will not occur unless unobserved. No SCP-406-1 has yet to report any memories of their time between falling asleep and waking within SCP-406, and no attempt to recover memories has yet been successful.
To date, ███ instances of SCP-406-1 have been recovered. SCP-406-1 instances are not known to be anomalous. No individual SCP-406-1 instance has appeared more than once.
Document SCP-406-A:

On August 14th 1989, at 17:32 GMT, an emergence event occurred during exploratory drilling of the materials of the wall at the emergence point. Despite immediate medical intervention, Mrs ████ ████████, 76, died at the scene. Mrs ████████ was not known to have had any living relatives, and staff at the nursing home where she resided were administered amnestics and a cover story (heart failure). Technician █████, manning the drill at the time, also requested amnestics. This was denied. A leave of absence was granted.

« SCP-405 | SCP-406 | SCP-407 »


Item #: SCP-407
Object Class: Neutralized
Special Containment Procedures: At time of acquisition SCP-407 was recorded within a compact cassette tape. Currently, SCP-407 is backed-up as a digital audio file on [DATA EXPUNGED]. SCP-407 should not be allowed to play under any circumstances outside testing conditions, and only with the approval of O5-██.
Testing of SCP-407 is to be done in completely sound-proof environments. All tools and subjects must be sterilized to remove the presence of pollen, fungal spores, plant seeds, and as much bacterial life to the greatest degree possible to delay the negative effects of SCP-407.
Description: SCP-407 is a song in an unidentified language, seemingly sung a cappella. The voices are thought to be human. The tape containing SCP-407 was found with one track of approximately thirty (30) minutes duration, though the abrupt ending suggests there may be more. The song has been described by all listeners as something along the lines of 'soothing', 'glorious', and 'beautiful'.
While SCP-407 is played, rapid cell generation seems to occur within auditory radius. This effect seems to occur at the cellular level, and does not require the subject to be able to hear the music. The changes seem to only affect multi-cellular organisms at first, but quickly begins to affect mitosis in single-celled organisms.
During the first minute of exposure, all multi-cellular life forms seem to become healthier. Subjects suffering from malnutrition, scarring, physical injury, or chronic diseases or other medical conditions seem to become healthy with only a minute of exposure to SCP-407. This has been shown to cure Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease, brain and spinal cord injuries, and normally fatal infections or wounds, amongst other things. Interestingly, cancer does not seem to be affected, though the subject's physical condition was still vastly improved.
During the second and third minute of exposure, subjects start experiencing unnecessary unrestrained cell growth, manifesting in quickly advancing dermal growths. These growths seem to mostly be benign tumors and calcium and fat deposits, which though sometimes painful and disfiguring, are not life threatening.
During the fourth minute of exposure, increased bacterial and fungal growth occurs, creating conditions that grow increasingly dangerous for all exposed life, even in their new healthier states. Respiratory and digestive problems are quick to arrive in most cases, and become steadily worse as time progresses.
Past five (5) minutes, the effects of SCP-407 seem to differ each trial. In all cases, trace elements of plants or fungus as well as any animal life present begin to grow and replicate uncontrollably, at varying rates, often shaping into new organisms. Full results have varied depending on the test, and on the objects present when SCP-407 is played.
Addendum-407-01: SCP-407 was found in the home of Professor ██████ of ██████████, who had recently returned from research in the Amazon regions of northern Brazil. Agents were first alerted to a possible SCP when [DATA EXPUNGED].
Addendum 407-02: The mold that eventually resulted from SCP-407's second test appears to be some sort of Cordyceps Fungi. Noted to be similar to mold encountered by SCP-507. Due to fear of fulfilling a fate similar to that observed by 507, testing using SCP-407 has been limited to using only the first twenty (20) minutes of the recording.
Addendum 407-03: Below is a sample test run of SCP-407. For full research and experimentation notes, see Experiment Log 407.
Sample Test Notes:
<Test 2; SCP-407 played for 28m 32s. Within chamber; 1 D-Class personnel, unsterilized >

00:25 - Subject reports feeling soothed by the music, and of feeling stronger and more invigorated.
00:45 - Liver spots and scars previously seen are shown to disappear.
02:20 - Subject appears to have physically grown an inch. Increase in musculature is noticeable.
03:40 - Subject reports intestinal pain.
04:20 - Subject begins vomiting. From vomit, plants are seen growing and slowly rooting into the tile floor.
04:50 - Subject starts developing rashes and growths on skin.
05:30 - Heavy dermal disfigurement. Subject panting heavily, begging for help. Great pain reported.

06:10 - Subject falls to the ground and ceases to move.
06:45 - Subject's body is quickly covered in what is thought to be fungal infections. Plant growth is observed growing from the subject's mouth, then eye sockets.
07:30 - Subject is by this time unrecognizable, covered in molds and plant shoots. Body bursts as a banana tree emerges from the subject's intestines and proceeds to grow to maturity within seconds.
08:45 - Plant and fungal growth has begun to spread throughout the testing chamber. What appears to be moss and weeds cover the floor.
09:30 - Several shoots, stalks, bushes, and even small trees have appeared. Banana tree is no longer recognizable; the tree has grown thick and is covered with foliage and fungal growth.
10:30 - The air is heavy with pollen and spores. Vision into testing chamber is difficult.
11:30 - Movement is heard within the chamber. Several different small insect-like creatures are observed. Creatures are seemingly made of plant matter.
17:30 - For the last six minutes, creatures made of plant matter have been observed to rapidly generate, grow to maturity, kill and eat other creatures, and then be eaten themselves. Creatures increasingly progressing in size as time increases.
19:00 - Medium sized mammalian creatures are observed; they seem humanoid and bear a resemblance to initial Subject.
21:00 - Large fungal stalk is observed to grow from one of the mammalian creatures. Stalk end bursts, dispensing white spores.
22:00 - Plant growth is still lush, but everything begins to become coated by a layer of mold. The plant creatures seem to die slowly for an unknown reason, before being covered by the mold.
23:00 - Mammalian creatures are the last to succumb; they heavily decay and become covered in the same mold. Bodies are shown to contract and expand as if breathing. Stalks quickly rise from the bodies, burst with spores, and then just as quickly rot.
28:32 - Tape ends. No change in chamber since the appearance of the mold. Chamber undergoes rigorous anti-biological cleansing. Samples of the mold were taken. [See Addenda 407-01, 407-02]

<End Test 2>
Addendum 407-04: SCP-407 has been deleted from the system by what is now known to the Foundation as the Interest Group: Serpent's Hand. All known backup copies of SCP-407 have also been deleted. Refer to Incident Report X23.

« SCP-406 | SCP-407 | SCP-408 »


Item #: SCP-408
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: The screen mesh aviary must be kept properly maintained by Level 2 personnel with backgrounds in biology or lepidoptery. Proper humidity must be maintained and recorded once per day, and backed up to Site 17. 200 feeders filled with an aqueous sugar solution are to be maintained and refilled once per week.
Description: SCP-408 is a large mass of Lepidoptera, taking the appearance of zebra butterflies when not camouflaged. SCP-408 acts as a single entity at all times, speculated to be a form of hive mind communication amongst the mass. When inactive, SCP-408 will take on the color, pattern, and even texture of its immediate surroundings, making them functionally invisible. When threatened, SCP-408 has been observed to take on the form and appearance of a number of threatening creatures as a defense method, including a pride of lions, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and most notably SCP-682 (See Incident Log 682-C).
SCP-408 possesses the ability to communicate and reason, utilizing its ability to manipulate its color into words and sentences to reply to researchers. IQ tests administered to SCP-408 have evaluated its IQ to be 109, or slightly above average. However, when a part of the swarm is isolated, lower scores have been reported, resulting in a theory that SCP-408 shares its cognitive capacity amongst the entirety of the swarm. As of ██-██-████, SCP-408 prefers to be identified by its SCP number.
SCP-408 was discovered in ██████, Brazil, after reports that locals and logging teams found their maps to be frequently inaccurate regarding the size of the rainforest. After reports of animal sightings not local to either the Brazilian Rainforest, and some not found on Earth at all, Foundation agents began an investigation resulting in the discovery of SCP-408. After learning it was intelligent, Dr. ███████, who accompanied the agents in the field, communicated with SCP-408 and convinced it to accompany him to Site 17, where their current habitat exists.
Addendum 408-A: Regarding SCP-408's knowledge of SCP-682, an investigation is underway regarding this leak of information.
Incident 408-A: Due to a failure by appropriate personnel to properly refill 408's feeders, the swarm took it upon itself to find sustenance by its own means. Taking the appearance of several level 1 personnel, SCP-408 convinced a passerby to open the door to the aviary, upon which they made an escape into the Site 17 facility. For the whole of the day, Site 17 personnel reported an alarming series of irregular events, ranging from color changing walls to several dozen versions of SCP-529 walking down a hallway. Site 17 was placed on lockdown and Delta Level Alert when it appeared that 90% of the containment units had been breached. Dr. Kondraki, Head of Research for 408 had been out on assignment that day, and it wasn't until his return that the illusion had been revealed, and in short order SCP-408 was returned to its aviary. Little damage was done, except to the faculty break room, which was left without proper sweeteners for the next week.
Note: It may be just sugar water, but without it 408 is prone to mischief as we clearly saw yesterday. It's fortunate that it doesn't act maliciously, but think about others next time you slack off custodial duties. Think about yourself as well, as I will not tolerate having to use Sweet-n-Low in my morning coffee for very long. -Dr. Kondraki
Addendum 408-B: Recent field testing has shown that SCP-408 can act as an effective form of active invisibility when ordered to. SCP-408 was able to conceal five Level 2 personnel and keep them undetected throughout the facility. Tests show the concealment to operate at 99.997% efficiency, and can be maintained for up to five hours without need for rest or recuperation. The option of lending SCP-408 to Task Forces for covert operations is pending approval.
Addendum 408-C: During Incident 239-B - Clef-Kondraki, which SCP-408 was heavily involved in, a number of corpses left by Dr. Clef vanished in the aftermath of the event. Surveillance showed that at certain times, the entire swarm of SCP-408 would descend on the body, only to leave no trace of the corpse behind. Subsequent testing shows a proportional increase in IQ, although a lack of cooperation when questioned has shed no light on this development.
Interview Log 408-c
Interviewer: Dr. ████ Saghai
Interviewee: SCP-408

Dr. Saghai is seated within the aviary, while SCP-408 hovers around a large feeding trough filled with sugar water.
Dr. ████ Saghai: I'll start off with asking how you're recovering, you seem to have lost quite a bit of your mass after the SCP-531-D termination.
<SCP-408 responds by uniformly creating words one after the other.>Dr. ████ Saghai: I'm his substitute for the interview, as he happens to be busy adjusting to his new promotion. Lots of paperwork I'm told.
<A moment goes by..>Dr. ████ Saghai: How exactly do you replenish your numbers?<Another pause.>Dr. ████ Saghai: Was Dr. Kondraki the one who taught you to speak?Dr. ████ Saghai: He taught you, but how do you communicate with him?Dr. ████ Saghai: You lost the part that knew?Dr. ████ Saghai: Next question then. What happened with SCP-091-ARC and you during the incident a few months ago?Dr. ████ Saghai: You mean you'd smelled it before?Dr. ████ Saghai: Are you saying you predate human existence?
<No response from SCP-408.>
Dr. ████ Saghai: Never mind, doesn't matter. Last question.
<Dr. Saghai closes the interview questionnaire and sets it onto the ground.>
Dr. ████ Saghai: What is the nature of your relationship with Dr. Kondraki?Dr. ████ Saghai: That's not what I meant. Logs show that you're with him, out of containment, almost all of the time now. Dr. Kondraki has been breaching protocol by letting you out of containment.Dr. ████ Saghai: You're going to admit this to me, so I can bring it before Oversight. Do you know what I was doing, before that schmuck snatched me up as an “assistant”? I was head of research for the entire sub-human Safe SCP sector. Now, I'm interviewing a damn insect! I will have him thrown out; Oversight won't let him get away with this.
<SCP-408 proceeds to approximate a “laugh”, as described in the log as a caricatured face displayed by SCP-408.>
Dr. ████ Saghai: Are…you laughing at me!? I'm about to have your little friend terminated, and you're having a chuckle?
<SCP-408 shifts to display a new image, which was presumed to be a live feed of Dr. Kondraki in his new office.>
Dr. ████ Saghai: No…that's not possible! I read the damn logs, you can't do that! You can't do that!
<Dr. Saghai attempts to damage SCP-408. Guards later found Dr. Saghai huddled in a fetal position, displaying symptoms similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.>

« SCP-407 | SCP-408 | SCP-409 »


SCP-409

Item #: SCP-409
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: No physical contact may be made with SCP-409 for any reason. Anything making physical contact with SCP-409 must be contained in quarantine immediately, along with any materials used in the transport of the subject. SCP-409 must be kept in a granite case at all times. Any transportation of SCP-409 must be done in a sealed granite container. Residue from SCP-409's effect are to be sealed in granite containers along with any tools used to transport residue into containers.
Description: SCP-409 resembles a large quartz crystal approximately 1.5m (5ft) tall and 0.6m (2ft) wide. Any objects coming in contact with SCP-409 will begin to crystallize after three hours. This effect will occur in any material other than granite. The crystallization will spread by approximately 2.5cm (1in) per minute, and will convert the entire object or organism, inside and out. Subjects report this effect to be extremely painful, and similar to frostbite. After complete crystallization, the object will begin to make snapping and creaking noises for approximately twenty minutes, before bursting into thousands of fragments with great force.
Anything touched by or touching a fragment will immediately begin to crystallize. Nothing at this time is able to reverse the effect in organic matter, including amputation of affected areas. Inorganic matter will only crystallize for a few centimetres around point of contact. SCP-409 was recovered in [EXPUNGED], under a pile of crystal shards several feet deep. Losses of personnel during recovery were high.
Addendum 409-1: With the suggestion of Dr. [500-0021D], Subject 409-D5 was exposed to the effects of SCP-409 and was left to become severely "crystallized". After that he was treated with SCP-500, and a complete recovery was achieved in 9 days. Subject reported that he continued to feel pain in body parts that were "crystallized" even after the estimated recovery time. Pain faded 13 days after subject was treated. It is unknown if the pain effect was psychological or real during the intervening 4 days.
Addendum 409-2: Extensive testing has yielded no information as to why the crystallization occurs. SCP-409 and the shards created by it are indistinguishable from any other quartz crystal. The effect appears to be similar to a seed crystal, where a pre-existing crystal formation is added to a solution, causing the crystal to "grow". SCP-409, however, appears to do this with all solid matter, and does not need to remain in contact. How this is done, why SCP-409 is unique among all other quartz crystals, and why granite is the only material immune are all still unknown.

« SCP-408 | SCP-409 | SCP-410 »


One of fourteen individuals comprising SCP-410

Item #: SCP-410
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-410 is currently held at Site-23, Entomology Lab 14/Zeta, and maintained in a 1 x 1 x 1m transparent acrylic glass container. The top of the container is perforated with thirty-three (33) 1mm holes to allow for ventilation and features a small, hinged, lockable hatch in its center measuring 5 x 5 cm. The hatch utilizes a simple cylinder lock which is to be re-keyed every three (3) months. The hatch is to remain locked unless SCP-410 is actively being fed or constituent members of SCP-410 are being removed for/returned from research applications.
Every twenty four (24) hours, a visual inspection and inventory of SCP-410 and its constituent members is to be performed and logged according to Level IV Archival Standards by designated observational staff. Any increase or decrease in the number of constituent members of SCP-410 should be reported to the senior researcher on duty immediately.
Every twelve (12) hours, a document containing no fewer than five thousand (5000) words in any language, but possessing a minimum syntactical, orthographical and/or grammatical error ratio of 1% (50 errors/5000 words) is to be placed inside the container. The document should be removed after one (1) hour, reviewed by a staff linguist with a specialty in the language the document was composed in, and subsequently filed in the SCP-410 Feeding Archive. "Food" documents should be composed specifically for the purpose of sustaining the SCP-410 colony. No existing archival materials or official SCP records should be given to the entire SCP-410 colony under any circumstances.
A single individual from the 14-member colony that comprises SCP-410 may be removed for research and functional application for a single two (2) hour activity period daily with approval from the senior researcher on duty. No more than four (4) members of the colony are to be removed at any given time. Transport of a single SCP-410 colony member should be facilitated by no fewer than two (2) Class 2 entomology staff using only an approved SCP-410 transport module to do so. The current SCP-410 transport modules are 20 x 20 x 20cm transparent acrylic glass containers perforated with twelve (12) 1mm ventilation holes and each featuring a hinged lid equipped with a simple latch.
Description: SCP-410 is a colony of fourteen (14) individual beetles (designated Scarabaeus scriptor by staff coleopterist Dr. Langstrom), each measuring approximately 5cm and possessing a carapace color variation from light blue to deep emerald green. A visual examination reveals nothing distinctive from other members of the genus Scarabaeus with regards to their appearance (number of legs, wings, eyes, etc). Dissection of a single member of the colony by a trained coleopterist showed no discernible anomalies in internal morphology with the exception of a small additional organ (designated the "scriptorgan" by Dr. Langstrom) capable of producing a variety of fluids both caustic and inert. It is worth noting that following the death and dissection of this member of the colony, a "replacement" beetle larva was seen fourteen (14) days later and grew to full maturity within one month.
Members of SCP-410 appear to subsist entirely on inscribed language; more specifically, on syntactical, orthographical, and grammatical errors found in any form of writing physically inscribed on any surface by any currently available method. SCP-410 has no effect on electronic displays or digitized data. Consumed writing disappears from the surface of whatever material it has been inscribed upon. Between eighteen (18) and twenty-two (22) minutes following a feeding, SCP-410 will excrete "corrected" writing; inscribing it by unknown means back upon the surface from which the errors were consumed. To date, all corrections made by SCP-410 have been evaluated as 100% accurate by both staff and independent orthographers and linguists.
Individually, members of SCP-410 each seem to be able to consume and correct an approximate maximum of twenty-five thousand (25000) characters worth of errors daily and appear healthy and active with as few as five (5). Lack of sustenance for a period in excess of one day results in increasing lethargy until SCP-410 becomes completely inert, entering an apparent state of hibernation. SCP-410 can be roused from this state with a minimum of fifty (50) errors placed within its proximity. In groups of three (3) or more, SCP-410 will not only correct grammatical and orthographic errors, but begin to alter the style of the original text slightly; often using a somewhat expanded vocabulary and incorporating more complex narrative methods. When the entire colony is applied to a single document, all linguistic errors are corrected and the document is "perfected" in clarity, style, word choice, and rhetorical technique to such an extent that the original author's voice is nearly non-existent. Although the central thesis of a document always remains, the arguments supporting it may be vastly more complex or compelling in the case of research writing. In the case of basic lists of short statements or simple observational reports, enhanced correction may be in the form of layout alterations to provide greater clarity. See archival files 410-A44.2 through 410-A59888.6 for examples of editing.
There appear to be few limitations on the languages or materials that SCP-410 can interpret and harvest sustenance from. Hieroglyphs from the 31st century BCE Narmer Palette were successfully corrected by SCP-410 just as easily as errors created in the modern constructed language Esperanto. Excreted corrections match the original colors, method and medium of the errors with near-perfect accuracy. Graphites, inks, engravings, acid etchings, and high-energy laser inscriptions have all been successfully replicated in appearance by SCP-410's corrections. The only anomaly found within excreted corrections appears to be an inability to replicate aged materials. Errors inscribed in ink on a 14th century CE illuminated manuscript were ingested by SCP-410 and while corrections were excreted in a matching color, they possessed the vibrant intensity of new ink. Staff experts were easily able to spot the corrections in the manuscript visually, and spectrographic analysis confirmed the excreted inks were modern while the surrounding text dated from the time of the original manuscript.
SCP-410 has successfully harvested error sustenance from and excreted corrections onto the following materials:

Paper
Cardboard
Wood
Ice
Human Skin (see Experiment 410-7.9)
Granite
Limestone
Marble
Steel
Aluminum
Titanium
Beta Carbon Nitride

Proposed testing of SCP-410 with anomalous texts, including texts containing SCP-423, is currently pending review.
Experiment 410-7.9:
One (1) heavily-tattooed Class D exposed to one (1) constituent member of SCP-410. Class D staff member (hereafter "Subject D") possessed a prison-created tattoo with the words "Foerever Your's Babey" on her left forearm.
15 seconds: Subject D secured in a motion-restricting harness and fitted with a pulse rate monitor. One (1) constituent member of SCP-410 removed from transport unit and placed on Subject D's left arm.
49 seconds: SCP-410 begins circling the perimeter of the tattoo.
122 seconds: SCP-410 begins consuming the tattoo's error, beginning with the first extraneous "e" in "Foerever". Subject D indicates an 8 on the NRS-11 pain scale. Pulse rate reaches 106.
149 seconds: SCP-410 finishes consuming the first extraneous "e". It no longer appears on the subject, revealing a bare patch of slightly reddened skin. Subject D reports pain has ceased. Describes the pain "like putting my goddamn arm in a blender." Pulse rate 94.
224 seconds: SCP-410 finishes consuming errors in the tattoo, appears to fall asleep. Tattoo now reads "Fo ever Your Bab " Subject D experiences pulse rate fluctuations between 102 and 144. Reports pain ranging between 6 and 10 on the NRS-11. Subject D requests painkillers. Request denied.
1226 seconds: SCP-410 rouses, begins excretion/correction process. Subject D's pulse rate 113; reports NRS-11 rating 3 to 4; describes it as roughly analogous to being tattooed.
1494 seconds: SCP-410 completes excretion/correction process. Tattoo reads "Forever Yours, Baby", with corrected lettering's colors significantly more vibrant than unedited counterparts.

« SCP-409 | SCP-410 | SCP-411 »