Item #: SCP-5435
Object Class: Presumed Neutralized
Special Containment Procedures: Following Incident 5435-3, all SCP-5435 events have ceased. Foundation agents within SCP-5435-A are to remain on watch for all possible SCP-5435 events. If an SCP-5435 event is confirmed to have occured, agents are to bring the victim to a hospital for immediate analysis and attempt to halt the event. No large-scale Foundation assets are to be deployed in SCP-5435-A at any point, regardless of circumstances.
No attempts to pursue or detain SCP-5435-B are to be made at this time.

SCP-5435-A at the time of the discovery of SCP-5435.

Description: SCP-5435 refers to a series of events formerly occurring in the town of Ocean's Breath, Delaware, United States, designated SCP-5435-A. SCP-5435 events consisted of citizens of SCP-5435-A committing acts of vandalism and arson at random intervals, regardless of their previous opinions of the town, occupation, or medical history. Upon interference by other individuals or the conclusion of whatever act of damage the event entailed, victims of SCP-5435 would fall unconscious, reawakening an indeterminate amount of time later and returning to their homes.
SCP-5435-B is Madeline Lane, the individual responsible for SCP-5435. Prior to Incident 5435-3, it was theorized that SCP-5435-B was utilizing rituals or other anomalous means of instigating SCP-5435 events, although this theory has been challenged following recent events. SCP-5435-B's current whereabouts are unknown, although she was a resident of SCP-5435-A for seventeen years and a student of the local high school, Ocean's Breath High School.
SCP-5435 events occurred all throughout 2019, although the exact start date is unknown. No events resulting in arson occurred prior to June 2019, but a notable spike in events was observed in the final week of May. This coincided with when students of Ocean's Breath High School were taking standardized tests. No students at Ocean's Breath High School were ever affected by SCP-5435 events, either as targets of the effects or direct victims of the ensuing damage. Ocean's Breath High School itself was also never affected by SCP-5435 events, with the exception of Incident 5435-3 to both these patterns.
MRI scans found no physiological alterations to any individuals affected by SCP-5435 events, although an unknown compound was found in the bloodstream of affected individuals prior to the Foundation's arrival. While the exact composition contained anomalous components Foundation equipment was unable to identify, caffeine and methanol were detected in small trace amounts. Unconscious individuals recovered immediately after SCP-5435 events all had high amounts of hydrocarbons in their blood, likely from anomalous sources in events without the use of spray-paint. Victims of SCP-5435 events reported no memory of their actions, all claiming to have blacked out the night before and woken up in their homes. No victims of SCP-5435 events ever regained their memories of the event. When interacted with during the event, no victim ever responded to any stimulus, apart from falling unconscious upon being touched.
Discovery: SCP-5435-A first came to the Foundation's attention on August 17, 2019, following the seventh SCP-5435-induced arson on record, witnessed by Senior Researcher Thompson while he was on vacation in the area. After inquiring into the events from locals, SR Thompson reported the possible anomaly to nearby Foundation agents, who then informed Site-23, the closest possible site, approximately 2 hours away in the neighboring state of Maryland. Foundation agents Villar and Dorsey arrived in SCP-5435-A three days later, and promptly ingrained themselves in town under cover of FBI agents investigating the spate of arsons.
Interview 5435-1

Interviewer: Agent Dorsey, Agent Villar
Interviewee: Madeline Lane
Foreword: This interview was conducted as a series of interviews upon the agents' arrival in SCP-5435-A, focused on obtaining any potential information on SCP-5435 from various citizens of SCP-5435-A. At this time, the significance of Ms. Lane as SCP-5435-B was unknown.
BEGIN LOG
Agent Dorsey: Thank you for coming in today, Miss Lane.
Madeline Lane: Yeah, yeah, it's—yeah. What do you wanna talk about.
Agent Dorsey: We're hoping that you could tell us anything you know about the recent fires around the town.
Madeline Lane: Apart from that I didn't do them, or know who did them, I don't know anything.
Agent Dorsey: That is a very rehearsed sounding response.
Madeline Lane: It's honest. Just say what you want.
Agent Villar: Jeez, alright, no need to pick a fight here.
Agent Dorsey: What my partner meant to say was, there's no need for hostility. We're here to solve this, figure out who's doing it, and get out of this town's hair. If you just try and tell us what you know, if anything, we can get this done quick and easy. Since you don't seem to want to be here.
Madeline Lane: I was being honest. I didn't do it, and I don't know who did. I haven't been anywhere near any of the places that burnt down, and I definitely haven't been selling gasoline to whoever did, or whatever you're thinking of pinning on somebody.
Madeline Lane: And if you're thinking that I was responsible for the rocks and spray-paint before this, I wasn't. I haven't done anything to this town, okay?
Agent Dorsey and Agent Villar glance at each other, and Agent Villar nods slightly before turning back to Lane.
Agent Dorsey: We'll keep that in mind, Miss Lane. Thank you for your input.
Agent Villar: Just one more question, though.
Madeline Lane: You don't believe me at all.
Agent Villar: I do, I do, just let me ask one last thing. Do you know anybody who would have hated this town enough to burn it?
Madeline Lane: Lots of people don't like this town in one way or another. A few kids hate it. But could any of us burn it? No, we couldn't. This wasn't us.
Agent Villar: Alright. Well, thank you for your time.
Lane jerkily nods and exits the room, slamming the door behind her. Agent Dorsey stares at the door for a few seconds before turning to Agent Villar, who is taking notes on a small pad.
Agent Dorsey: Honestly, I think she's one of the innocent ones.
Agent Villar: Five bucks says unintentional thaumaturgic backblast.
Agent Dorsey: We don't even know if it's anomalous yet!
END LOG

Incident 5435-1
On August 20, 2019, an SCP-5435 event resulted in the arson of the local 724 Motel, directly adjacent to the building agents Villar and Dorsey were in. No casualties resulted from this event, but the timing mere hours after the agents' arrival as well as the proximity to the agents was deemed enough to warrant independent investigation, resulting in Agent Villar acquiring a police report of prior disturbances, listed below.

Date
Reported Disturbance

December 3, 2018
Several hooded teenagers spotted attempting to siphon gasoline out of parked cars, fled once officers arrived. None of the teens seemed to bear any relation to SCP-5435.

February 26, 2019
Three families were mistakenly booked for the same room, and all three attempted to enter at the same time. A physical confrontation ensued, which officers had to break up. None of the families stayed in town for longer than week.

March 7, 2019
A local fisherman attempted to smuggle out a recently caught shark in a twenty foot long tank through a back door. No clear relation to SCP-5435, if any.

March 30, 2019
Two teenagers are seen in the parking lot, one tossing a switchblade in their hands and the other apparently recording them. As an officer arrives to investigate, they throw the switchblade over the building and run off. Notably, the disturbance was reported on the same night that one of the first SCP-5435 events occurred, resulting in the partial destruction of a convenience store across the street from the motel.

A sweep of social media posts from SCP-5435-A at the time of the disturbances revealed a video posted by Anna Misser, another resident of SCP-5435-A, showing her and Madeline Lane in the same location as the March 30 disturbance. Following the relocation of the agents to avoid further incidents of arson, a joint interview was made with the two.
Interview 5435-2

Interviewer: Agent Dorsey
Interviewees: Madeline Lane, Anna Misser
Foreword: Agent Dorsey approached the interviewees by the boardwalk of SCP-5435-A, as he was unsure of the safety of giving either of them the agents' new location following the August 20 event.
BEGIN LOG
Madeline Lane: I already told you, I don't know anything. I didn't burn down that motel, and I just want to be left alone.
Agent Dorsey: I just want to ask a few more questions. We know you didn't do it, and you're not under suspicion right now.
Anna Misser: Maddy, you've got alibis. I can vouch for you. This definitely isn't worth starting a fight over.
Madeline Lane: I don't—alright, sure. Sighs. Do you just want a name or something, or is there someone specific you were going to ask about?
Agent Dorsey: You're not too far off, actually. Do either you or Miss Misser here know anybody that you'd say has…strange things happening around them? Maybe somebody with too many stories of supernatural events, or who you've seen have weird things happening around them?
Anna Misser: I mean, it only ever snows in November here, if that's what you mean.
Agent Dorsey: Not quite, no. I—I meant people, anybody you might know that's sort of, not fitting in with…anything, really.
Madeline Lane: I mean, that could be a lot of people. If you want somebody to give you the shortlist of everybody that counts as an outsider, somebody else from OBHS might be the guy you're looking for—
Anna Misser: We don't know anybody, like Maddy told you, and we're not going to just throw somebody we don't like under the bus for no reason.
Agent Dorsey: We're not trying to get people in town to sell out their neighbors, don't worry.
Agent Dorsey: I did have a question for you two specifically, though. We were investigating the motel that burnt, and—
Madeline Lane: Knew it.
Agent Dorsey: You're not under suspect. I just wanted to know what that video from back in March was about.
Lane reaches up and touches her cheek for a moment before shaking her head and dropping her hand, glaring at Agent Dorsey.
Madeline Lane: I was annoyed about something, Anna was trying to cheer me up, and people thought there was something going on.
Agent Dorsey: What was the deal with the knife?
Anna Misser: It was just a little toy thing, we weren't gonna use it. Look, what happened there, with the cops and the running, wasn't related to anything going on now. We didn't go and break anything.
Agent Dorsey: Alright. Well, sorry to bother you, and thank you for the help.
Agent Dorsey beings to leave, as does Lane, but Misser taps him on the shoulder before he gets far.
Anna Misser: I know it looks suspicious, but Maddy didn't do it. She hates it here, but she would never burn it. She's…got problems with some people, but she's not who you're looking for. I swear, I swear, she hasn't done any of this.
Agent Dorsey: We know, and we agree.
Anna Misser: Okay, then, please, leave her alone. She's been through enough as is. Just…please.
END LOG

The following file was recovered from surveillance cameras located along several townhouses rented out to vacationers in SCP-5435 on August 23. The tape itself is dated March 27, although no time is listed.

BEGIN LOG
Lane and Misser are standing on the boardwalk sometime near dusk. Lane has a bandage on her cheek and is leaning against the boardwalk's fence.
Anna Misser: You know that I'm still here, right?
Madeline Lane: You and who else?
Anna Misser: Literally anybody? This isn't the first fight, there's no way it'll be the last. You've had support before, and you wouldn't just get universally ditched.
Anna Misser: Haven't your parents talked to you about it? Of all people they definitely wouldn't abandon you here.
Madeline Lane: They buy what everybody else is selling. I'm a dead woman walking, Anna.
Anna Misser: Bullshit, that wasn't your fault, and it never has been. There has to be something that's on your side, besides me.
Madeline Lane: If there is, I don't think it can help me by now. The damage is done, Anna, and I don't just mean this.
Lane points at the bandage and slumps down, sitting on the boardwalk as Misser begins pacing.
Anna Misser: What on earth is going on with you, Maddy? Have you just given up on everything you told me about? Did that cut sever a nerve in your spine or something, or are you just upset that you lost?
Madeline Lane: Don't fucking do this, Anna. I don't want to pick a fight right now.
Anna Misser: Then what is it?
Madeline Lane: I realized something. This town hates me. It's obvious. There's no point to mincing words or trying to look all happy to appease something that hates you anyway.
Anna Misser: So you're just going to roll over on it?
Lane stands up and turns, looking out at the ocean before leaning back on the fence and looking at Misser.
Madeline Lane: I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. But I'm going to do something. There's only one thing to do when a place hates you.
The footage abruptly ends, with the cause unknown.

Following the interview and discovery of the previous file, Agents Villar and Dorsey began attempting to track possible anomalous influence on SCP-5435 events when they occurred. In the following two weeks, two more SCP-5435 events took place, but the agents were unable to determine if there was anomalous interference present until Incident 5435-2.
INCIDENT LOG 5435-2

Time: 9:23 PM
Date: September 5, 2019
Foreword: Agents Villar and Dorsey deliberately did not attempt to halt this event as a means of tracking any possible anomalous influence on the targets responsible.
BEGIN LOG
Agent Dorsey: Please tell me you've got anything on that yet, Reed.
Agent Villar: It is literally out of my control, what do you want me to do?
Agent Dorsey: Expand the parameters? I don't know, I just want to be sure something's actually causing this and it's not just a Belfast thing.
Agent Villar: What's wrong with Belfast?
Agent Dorsey: Oh, back in like, 2012, they sent a team in to try and figure out a bunch of anomalous incidents, and it turned out each one, just kinda happened. They're still trying to figure out if there was some absolutely massive pattern or if the city's just weird—what the fuck was that?
The sound of glass breaking and fast footsteps are heard in the distance. Agents Villar and Dorsey turn to each other.
Agent Dorsey: Do we even need the car?
Agent Villar: You find out where that came from, I'll meet you there in under two minutes.
Agent Villar begins packing equipment into his bag as Agent Dorsey sprints towards the source of the sound, eventually rounding a street corner to see a woman awkwardly running down the road, a bottle with a rag stuffed in it in hand. A broken bottle is on the corner itself, surrounded by ashes and smelling of gasoline.
Agent Dorsey: She's going down Willow Lane, Reed, get down here!
Agent Dorsey runs after the woman, stopping a few buildings away from her. The woman herself is standing in front of the 724 Motel, one hand jerkily searching her pockets. She shuffles up to the front steps of the house and takes out a lighter, igniting it as she stares at the bottle.
Neither her nor Agent Dorsey move for a short while before the sound of rapid footsteps is heard down the street and Agent Villar stumbles to a stop next to Agent Dorsey, holding a tablet with wires leading into his bag.
Agent Villar: What's she doing?
Agent Dorsey: I don't know yet, she just hasn't moved.
The woman turns and looks at the agents for a moment, and then turns back to the house before lighting the rag on fire and dropping the bottle on the motel's front hall. Agent Dorsey runs up and grabs the woman, dragging her away from the growing fire as Agent Villar's lights up.
Agent Dorsey: You getting anything on there?
Agent Villar: I think so? I might be able to get a location, but whatever this is it's…kinda weak, actually. Apparently the radio scanner's picking something up, but the static filters are just destroying it.
Agent Dorsey: Fuck it, we're following the smoke. You seeing that shit?
The smoke from the now burning motel is blowing towards the east despite the wind blowing the opposite direction, and a faint dark purple tinge is visible near the peak.
Agent Villar: Oh, shit, yeah that looks bad. Tablet says source's that way anyway.
Agent Dorsey leaves the woman on the sidewalk in front of the motel and begins running through the backyard, hopping the fence and continuing through the adjacent yard as Agent Villar follows. They both sprint through several more yards before Agent Villar skids to a stop on a gravel path, staring a nearby house that the smoke is coalescing around.
Agent Villar: That's it. It's coming from there. And before you ask, I don't think that's memetic. I haven't had any countermemes shoved at me yet, at least, so let's go.
The agents cautiously approach the house, Agent Villar checking his tablet every few seconds. They reach the rear fence of the house, and the smoke is slowly swirling around the backyard. Agent Dorsey removes a small flashlight from his jacket pocket and begins climbing over the fence, clicking it on as he approaches where the smoke is densest. As he passes a beach towel lying on the ground, Agent Villar whispers loudly at him.
Agent Villar: Eric! Your right!
Agent Dorsey: I know I was right, I can tell what address this is!
Agent Villar: No, on your right! Look down!
Agent Dorsey: What are you saying—oh fuck!
The smoke shifts direction close to the ground, blowing towards Agent Dorsey's right and towards Madeline Lane lying on the grass, seemingly asleep. She shifts slightly as Agent Dorsey's flashlight passes over her, and he quickly switches it off before slowly backing away.
Agent Dorsey: Reed, does she know I'm here?
Agent Villar: Readings aren't shifting, I don't think so, but just get out. We'll call somebody in later.
Agent Dorsey slowly climbs back over the fence, slipping as he climbs down and loudly landing on the ground as a loud crack is heard from his pocket. At this, Lane begins to stir, and the smoke begins to dissipate.
Agent Villar: Go!
The agents run away from the house as quietly as possible while the smoke fades, but before they round the corner Agent Dorsey looks back and and sees Lane looking for them. Agent Villar trips and yells, and Lane spins around to look at the source, the smoke slightly thickening again before fully fading once the agents are out of sight of the house.
END LOG

The 724 Motel following Incident 5435-2.

Agents Villar and Dorsey called in to Site-23 at 10:44 PM on September 5 requesting a full anomaly research team, sending the log and data from Agent Villar's equipment as proof. A research team led by Senior Researcher Thompson arrived on September 7, operating under the same cover story as the agents. Another SCP-5435 event occurred that night, leading to the team taking charge of the local hospital for investigative purposes and uncovering the physical characteristics of the victims of SCP-5435 events. Despite this breakthrough, no further evidence on the means by which SCP-5435 was causing the events was found, leading to the research team and agents attempting to search for other incidents or police reports involving SCP-5435-B.
The following email was attached to a series of police reports listed as related to or instigated by SCP-5435-B, dated March 26, 2019.

Dear Madeline Lane,
Following your recent referral, OBHS administration has elected not to take any additional disciplinary action at this time. In accordance with standard consequence escalation, your suspension will last for the remaining 4 days, at which point you will be expected to return to school and make up all previously missed work. Review of the events of March 23 showed that you were not the sole instigator, and should not be punished as such. However, due to this being the latest in a consistent pattern of behavior from you, a notice has been sent to all colleges you have applied to, as well as in-school disciplinary records and police records.
Sincerely,
Walter Leman, Principal, Ocean's Breath High School

Any replies to this email were not attached to the report.
Following several SCP-5435 events, and a lack of progress in determining the actual mechanism for SCP-5435 events, Senior Researcher Thompson authorized a team of himself, Agents Dorsey, and Agent Villar to enter the residence of SCP-5435-B and attempt to find the mechanism himself on September 14, 2019.
INCIDENT LOG 5435-3

Foreword: Senior Researcher Thompson had intentionally waited to begin the mission until an SCP-5435 event was taking place in the hopes of catching SCP-5435-B in the act.
BEGIN LOG
Agents Dorsey and Villar and Sr. Res. Thompson are outside a window of SCP-5435-B's house, attempting to open it to enter.
Agent Villar: You know, I really don't think we should be here. Pliers.
Sr. Res. Thompson: The quickest way to determine what exactly the source of the anomaly is, is to simply go to the source and document it. Besides, you see what's going on right now.
Sr. Res. Thompson successfully opens the window and points upwards as he climbs inside, gesturing towards the clouds of smoke emnating from an upstairs window. The smoke is notably thicker than in prior incidents.
Agent Villar: Yeah, but just doing it officially would be easier, and way more legal.
Agent Dorsey: If we make it official, she could hide it, and it'll take too long. We're working with lives, Reed. Get in.
Agent Villar follows Agent Dorsey inside, the three finding themselves at the base of a set of stairs. Sr. Res. Thompson extracts a scanner device from his pocket, staring at it as they slowly begin to climb the stairs.
Agent Dorsey: (Whispered) What are we looking at, Thompson?
Sr. Res. Thompson: (Whispered) Large amounts of unknown radiation, and no detected memes. Whatever this girl is doing, she's being very low-key about it.
Sr. Res. Thompson: (Whispered) Whatever we find up there, we halt, detain, and record. If we can't halt it, we record, retreat, and come back.
The three reach the top of the stairs, turning a corner and emerging into a hall with several doors on both sides. Agent Villar steps past Agent Dorsey and Sr. Res. Thompson, reaching inside his jacket as he presses himself against a wall, reaching down to his holster, and Agent Dorsey does the same, leaning against the opposite wall of the hall as Sr. Res. Thompson remains on the stairs.
Agent Dorsey: Which one, Thompson?
Sr. Res. Thompson: Trying to determine. I can't find any traces of thaumaturgic radiation so far. She could be competent enough to camouflage it.
Agent Villar: How could she know how to do that, but leave a very obvious trail of purple smoke? This does not feel right.
Sr. Res. Thompson: Did you yourself not see the smoke coalescing around her and track the interference to here several times?
Agent Villar: It could be some sort of weird, elaborate ploy? I couldn't get a good signal apart from that one time, we'd never had that much interference or even smoke before. This whole thing could be some goose chase the actual culprit's leading us on.
Agent Dorsey: Or it could just be an upset kid that decided to try something the local crackhead told her. Although I don't think this is camo.
Sr. Res. Thompson: She's not a cerebromancer, as there were no countermemes detected, and some thaumaturgic rituals have unavoidable physical elements.
Agent Villar: That's not the point. We've been so focused on singling this girl out we've gone highway blind to anybody that could be actually doing it.
Agent Dorsey: You did ignore a lot of field notes from the others.
Sr. Res. Thompson: We've found the source of an anomaly, and we need to do our job and contain it. Now stop interrupting me.
Agent Villar: Look, I just think we should try and back out, work on containing and maybe stopping the events before we go for the source.
Agent Villar walks towards Sr. Res. Thompson and places his hand on the scanner.
Agent Villar: Thompson, we're breaking and entering. We're lacking some pretty critical information about how this whole phenomenon reacts to long term exposure to something fighting it, and we don't even know how it's happening. This is a very, very bad idea.
SCP-5435-B: What the fuck are you all doing?
SCP-5435-B stands in a doorway at the end of the hall, staring at Agent Villar and Sr. Res. Thompson on the stairs. Agent Dorsey looks between the stairs and SCP-5435-B before sighing.
Agent Dorsey: This is what we get for getting sloppy.
SCP-5435-B: Why are you all in my house? What—I can see a fire from my window! Why aren't you there or tracking whoever set it?
Sr. Res. Thompson: We are. We have reason to believe you have been responsible for both the vandalism starting in April and the fires.
SCP-5435-B: Are you—-I'm fucking done. God, I'm fucking done with this shit.
Agent Dorsey: Madeline, just calm down, and tell us how you're doing it.
SCP-5435-B: Oh, I don't fucking know! Why don't you just make up a reason for arresting me, like how everybody else in this god damn town has!
Sr. Res. Thompson: Radiation spike. Message being recieved.
The scanner device begins cracking, repeating an unclear message as SCP-5435-B continues to talk.
SCP-5435-B: Radiation? Message? Jesus, what the fuck are you talking about?
Agent Villar: Look, I know it sounds complicated, but we think that you're responsible for all of this in a way that isn't entirely natural.
SCP-5435-B: Great. I don't care. God, why is it so hard for people to just try and—
The scanner message clears as SCP-5435-B inhales and steps back.
Scanner: Leave me alone!
SCP-5435-B: Leave me alone!
The smoke suddenly rushes out of the room behind SCP-5435-B, impacting Agent Villar. He staggers back as Sr. Res. Thompson and Agent Dorsey dodge the smoke, avoiding contact before it dissipates down the stairs. Agent Villar stands still, panting heavily.
Sr. Res. Thompson: Villar? Do you need a medic? Is something—
Agent Villar suddenly turns and punches Sr. Res. Thompson directly in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. Agent Dorsey runs and tackles Agent Villar, both of their cameras being obscured as they begin struggling. After several minutes, Agent Villar kicks Agent Dorsey off of him and into a wall, and he sees SCP-5435-B removing Sr. Res. Thompson's camera from his coat, now carrying a duffel bag slung over her back.
Agent Dorsey: He's on your hands, Madeline! This whole town's on your hands!
SCP-5435-B glares at Agent Dorsey before Agent Villar charges him, slamming him into the wall again. SCP-5435-B holds up Sr. Res. Thompson's camera as she exits the house, looking around and recording the town. Nobody else is present on the street as she walks away from the house.
Agent Dorsey finally throws Agent Villar off of him and slams his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Sprinting over to the window, he sees SCP-5435-B walking away, and immediately reaches to his radio.
Agent Dorsey: This is Dorsey, I need a medic at anomaly ground zero, subject is gone and potentially dangerous, respond!
He does not receive a response for several minutes. SCP-5435-B turns the camera down towards her other hand to reveal Sr. Res. Thompson's wallet and radio, and her car keys. Returning the camera upright, she continues to approach her car at the end of the street, doing one final sweep of the camera before entering the car and starting it. She drives past her house, recording Agent Dorsey in the upper floor window as she does.
SCP-5435-B continues driving towards Ocean's Breath High School, the camera now resting on the dashboard of the car. Several people have gathered and are looking at the school, which is now on fire, flames coming out of several second-story windows. Anna Misser is standing in front of the school, and turns to look at SCP-5435-B, who waves at her before speaking to the camera.
SCP-5435-B: If I could have burned this town long ago, I wouldn't have hesitated. But I didn't. You did.
SCP-5435-B throws the camera onto the side of the road, getting back in her car and driving off. Anna Misser waves at her in the distance before sitting down on the sidewalk, staring at the burning school.
END LOG

Agent Villar and Sr. Res. Thompson made a full recovery, and Sr. Res. Thompson was officially reprimanded for his actions. Anna Misser has been uncooperative with Foundation authorities since Incident 5435-3, and has not divulged any information about SCP-5435-B's possible whereabouts. Given the unknown nature of SCP-5435-B's abilities, no active efforts to find her are being undertaken at the time, to avoid collateral damage.
Analysis of records of SCP-5435-B's early life do not present any evidence of anomalous influence.

« SCP-5434 | SCP-5435 | SCP-5436 »


Item #: SCP-5436
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-5436 are to be kept in a standard locker at Site-19. Personnel wishing to conduct tests involving SCP-5436 are to obtain Level 3 or higher authorization and present a detailed list of intended test subjects. All testing of SCP-5436 must be conducted in a soundproof containment chamber with padded walls and floors. Direct exposure to SCP-5436 is to be conducted exclusively by D-class subjects.
All known orchestras and related media are to be monitored for symptoms consistent with exposure to SCP-5436, and any additional copies of SCP-5436 are to be confiscated immediately.
Description: SCP-5436 is an unknown orchestra's recording of Mozart's Requiem in D minor, K. 626, distinguished by the addition of a unique auditory cognitohazard, which remains outside the human range of audible perception throughout the length of the recording. All individuals who listen to SCP-5436 report the experience of an unknown dimension and eventually encounter entities, dubbed SCP-5436-1. These anomalies are described as angels/spirits/supernatural entities if the subject is religious, and extraterrestrials/machines if the subject is not. Subjects who encounter SCP-5436-1 have unanimously reported feelings of serenity.
SCP-5436 was originally theorized to function as a means of generating a highly complex set of illusions. However, subsequent testing has suggested that SCP-5436 may actually function as a unique method of remote viewing. It is currently believed that the user receives sensory information from an extradimensional source, with increasing immersion across each section of the recording.
The effects of SCP-5436 are summarized in the following table:

Music Section
Effect on Subjects

Section I. Introitus
No anomalous effects.

Section II. Kyrie
Subjects begin to experience a minor compulsion to continue listening through the remainder of the recording, regardless of prior interest.

Section III. Sequentia
Subjects experience the onset of mild perceptual alterations, including photopsia1, hyperacusis2, and the sensation of falling. These conditions gradually increase in severity over the course of this section.

Section IV. Offertorium
Altered perception increases exponentially in complexity. Photopsia and hyperacusis symptoms begin to manifest in coherent, kaleidoscopic patterns.

Section V. Sanctus3
Altered perception becomes fully immersive. Subjects cease responding to any external stimuli until SCP-5436 either finishes playing or is paused.

Section VI. Benedictus
Subjects begin to perceive the presence of SCP-5436-1. Instances of SCP-5436-1 do not seem to take notice of the subjects until the start of Section VII. Agnus Dei.

Section VII. Agnus Dei
It is at this point that SCP-5436-1 approach the subject. During this time, the subject's bodies undergo grand mal seizures that continue until SCP-5436 either finishes playing or is paused.

Section VIII. Communio
Subjects suffer a permanent loss of higher brain function and undergo a momentary decrease in their personal Hume reading, resulting in the creation of an additional instance of SCP-5436-1 that appears in all subsequent testing.

Any copies of SCP-5436, recordings of SCP-5436 being played, and artificial broadcasts of SCP-5436 are known to display the same anomalous effects as the original SCP-5436. As a result, a single copy of SCP-5436 could potentially be utilized to mass produce any number of additional instances.
Investigation: The preliminary investigation of SCP-5436 was initiated when the Foundation's WATCHDOG global anomaly monitoring network highlighted a significant correlation between recent upticks in comatose patients, and growing rumors of an unidentified New Age movement applying music as a means of transcendence. These rumors were traced to an anonymous post on a religious studies forum4. Foundation analysts then developed a watchlist of any forum users who had interacted with this post, the investigation of which eventually led to the discovery of SCP-5436 on 04/23/20185.
Incident Log 5436: The following is a log of all known incidents directly involving SCP-5436. It should be noted that the vast majority of individuals who utilized SCP-5436 (>80%) were found to suffer from severe depression and/or anxiety.

+Open Incident Log 5436:

-Close Incident Log 5436:

Date: 04/23/2018
Details of Incident: A vinyl copy of SCP-5436 was found among the personal effects of Lucia Redd, a 52-year-old cantor who was discovered comatose in her apartment. Foundation agents identified SCP-5436 as a potential cognitohazard during a routine investigation of the scene, and subsequently confiscated it in accordance with standard protocol.
Results: Special containment procedures are established for SCP-5436, and the first known instance of SCP-5436-1 is encountered in subsequent testing.

Date: 12/03/2018
Details of Incident: Four cassette tapes containing recordings of SCP-5436's Section III. Sequentia, through Section VI. Benedictus, respectively, were confiscated from the home of McKinley Rayes, a 33-year-old church organist who had been privately utilizing these items as a method for easing panic attacks following the recent death of her brother. All witnesses were interrogated and then amnestitized.
Results: Despite extensive interrogation, Rayes confesses no knowledge regarding the origin of any SCP-5436 copies, all of which had been obtained through an anonymous gift at her brother's funeral.

Date: 12/27/2019
Details of Incident: The Foundation's WATCHDOG global anomaly monitoring network identified a broadcast of SCP-5436 from the laptop of Jack Williams, a 27-year-old graduate student of religious studies who was discovered comatose in his dorm alongside two other students. Although the broadcast was successfully jammed before reaching any mainstream channels, Foundation agents were ultimately forced to destroy the laptop in the process.
Results: Three additional instances of SCP-5436-1 are identified in subsequent testing. Attempts to trace the intended recipients of the broadcast prove to be impossible, due to the destruction of the laptop.

Date: 11/03/2020
Details of Incident: By correlating commercial delivery patterns with the prior incidents involving SCP-5436, Foundation agents were able to identify and intercept a shipment of approximately two hundred CD copies of SCP-5436. All witnesses were interrogated and then amnestitized.
Results: Subsequent investigations reveal this shipping order to originate from a shell company. Attempts to trace the manufacturer of SCP-5436 are currently ongoing.

Date: 11/11/2020
Details of Incident: A USB recording of SCP-5436 was found in Finney Chapel in Oberlin, OH, where the entire 14-member congregation was discovered comatose. This recording was confiscated, and the cover story of a carbon monoxide leak was issued to the local press.
Results: Fourteen additional instances of SCP-5436-1 are identified in subsequent testing. Reclassification to Euclid status is currently under consideration.

Document 5436: The following is a reproduction of the forum post that led to the initial investigations of SCP-5436. The original post has since been deleted in an attempt to minimize the occurrence of further incidents involving SCP-5436.

+Open Document 5436:

-Close Document 5436:

The original Requiem Mass was meant to grant peace to the departed. In modern times, we have learned to acknowledge condolences for the living as well, though memento mori has always been a cold comfort at best. As if peace only becomes a possibility when we're already dead. We have a choice to be or not to be, but there is a third option that goes unmentioned by the question. Requiem aeternam6.
Spread the word.

Footnotes
1. Perception of flashing lights in the subject's field of vision.
2. Increased sensitivity to specific auditory frequencies and volume ranges.
3. If the playing of SCP-5436 is interrupted after this point, the subject will awaken with mild disorientation, nausea, and motor impairment for the next 12-48 hours.
4. See Document-5436 for further information.
5. See Incident Log 5436 for details.
6. Literally translated to mean "Eternal rest." This phrase is notable as the first words recited during the introit of a Requiem Mass, in addition to being the title of a well known prayer from Western Christianity.

« SCP-5435 | SCP-5436 | SCP-5437 »


by J Dune

SCP-5437 -

X

Image Credits

▸ More by this Author ◂

{$comments2}

F.A.Q.

{$doesthisfixthebug}

Item#: 5437

Level5

Containment Class:
safe

Secondary Class:
none

Disruption Class:
vlam

Risk Class:
caution

link to memo

The exterior of SCP-5437

Assigned Site
Site Director
Research Head
Assigned Task Force

Provisional Site-5437
Dr. T. Ithelo
Researcher E. Metcalfe
Site Security

The entrance to Provisional Site-5437

Special Containment Procedures: The area surrounding Provisional Site-5437 has been cordoned off under the auspices of an archaeological site owned by Foundation front company "Bartac Expeditions". Standard security and trespassing protocol is enforced.
The carcass of SCP-5437-1 has been transferred to Foundation Facility Site-40 for research purposes.
Description: SCP-5437 is a prehistorical religious complex located ~30 kilometers west of Paraguarí, Paraguay. The exterior of SCP-5437 combines known elements of primitive Fifthist and preclassical Mesoamerican architecture. It is hypothesized that SCP-5437 was constructed some time between 4100-3100 BC, and saw usage until the start of the 3rd millennium BC. Research has shown that SCP-5437's sole anomalous property is its ability to preserve biological matter for abnormal amounts of time, causing it to decay at an excessively low rate.
The approximate size of SCP-5437 is unknown. The majority of the structure is located underground, and several hidden chambers and hallways have been uncovered behind the complex walls. Aside from these branching rooms, SCP-5437 is mainly composed of a spiraled staircase that leads to a spacious foyer ~86 meters beneath the surface.
Colored parietal art lines the foyers walls, arranged in sequential order to display a religious narrative. An analysis of these petrographs can be found in Addendum.5437.1. An unknown syllabic and logographic writing system is engraved underneath the artwork. They remain untranslated, leaving analysis of the paintings contents largely to speculation. The hypothesized purpose of this cathedral area is to serve as a place of worship for SCP-5437-1.
SCP-5437-1 is the carcass of a massive, ophiuroidic entity, catalogued as a Large-Scale Aggressor (LSA). The entity is green in coloration, and has five thin arms that sprout from its center, each measuring ~20 meters in length. SCP-5437-1 largely resembles an ophiuroid, but possesses hundreds of eyes on its central body disk. Dating techniques have failed to provide any discernible information regarding SCP-5437-1's age. SCP-5437-1's skin is incapable of being penetrated, even by anomalous means. As such, all attempts to dissect or examine the biological structures of SCP-5437-1 have failed. No secondary anomalous effects have been observed.
Addendum.5437.1: Petrograph Analysis

▶ACCESS ADDENDUM◀

▷CLOSE◁

Petrograph-01

Description: An entity resembling LSA-Brasil-01 is engaged in combat with an out-of-frame tentacled entity, of which only four tentacles are painted. Beneath this scene, a tentacle is drawn emerging from the sky as several entities hypothesized to be LSAs are falling to the ground.

Petrograph-02

Description: Several scenes show the entities that fell from the sky being worshiped by prehistorical civilizations. An eel-like entity hovers over a sacrificial altar built in the ocean. An ankylosaurid stands on top of a volcano as human figures surround it. A large group of men construct what is assumed to be SCP-5437 around SCP-5437-1. Five men are seen standing near SCP-5437-1's arms, which touch the tips of their heads.

Petrograph-03

Description: Each entity is depicted in a state of rest. Below this, the human figures that constructed SCP-5437 are shown to be dead, turned onto their backs. The eyes of SCP-5437-1 are closed. A visage of LSA-Brasil-01 covers the remainder of the mural.

Petrograph-04

Description: A logographic calendar system spans the wall, written in a circular fashion. While the system used is indiscernible, several key symbols related to farming, the sun, and numerology indicate that the mural represents a calendar. At the center of the painting is LSA-Brasil-01, standing over a human settlement. At the bottom of the calendar, LSA-Brasil-01 is depicted as deceased. Several figures gather around the carcass of the entity, each holding an item associated with occult rituals, such as a human skull, a ceremonial knife, and a cup of blood.

Petrograph-05

Description: Scenes of man-made structures burning and being destroyed by LSAs frame the mural. In the center, LSA-Brasil-01, larger than before, is now shown engaging in combat with the LSA entities that were depicted as resting. A thunderstorm is painted above the battle. Beneath this, LSA-Brasil-01 is shown tearing a serpentine entity apart with its tentacles and throwing its body into the sun. Several entities who are not pictured as deceased stand around LSA-Brasil-01. In the final sequence, LSA-Brasil-01 sits atop a large settlement, as human figures venerate themselves before the entity.

▷CLOSE◁

Addendum.5437.2: Interview Log

▶ACCESS ADDENDUM◀

▷CLOSE◁

AUDIO LOG

DATE: 1998/04/17

Forward: After Fifthist motifs were observed during the exploration of SCP-5437 and analysis of its artwork, Site Director Dr. Tobias Ithelo consulted with retired Foundation historian, Researcher Emile Metcalfe. Metcalfe specialized in the study of Fifthism for nearly three decades, following the belief system's discovery in 1969. Metcalfe was put on paid leave following an incident in 1991 wherein he exhibited signs of being neurologically affected by Fifthism. In the years that followed, Metcalfe has been given significant psychological therapy and treatment, being declared fit to work in 1997.

»BEGIN LOG«
Dr. Ithelo enters the room. Metcalfe stands to shake his hand, but quickly retracts himself and sits back down.
Dr. Ithelo: It's been awhile, sir.
Researcher Metcalfe: I've already been briefed. I know where this is going. Toby, I told you I don't want anything to do with this garbage. Not any more.
Dr. Ithelo: It… wasn't my call. They wanted an expert on Fifthism, you're the closest thing.
Researcher Metcalfe: And what makes you so sure this is Fifthist? I've seen the pictures. Five murals, the corpse of a brittle star. It's surface level, it's superficial, it's not Fifthist.
Dr. Ithelo: That's why you're being called in. We want to bring you aboard, help us analyze this anomaly, figure out what it really is. You have to admit, you can make aesthetic connections —
Researcher Metcalfe: And that's exactly why I don't believe this is a Fifthist creation. I'll come along, but your superiors won't get what they're expecting. Some grand Fifthist revelation about the anomalies' ancient origins. Something so counter-intuitive to the very idea of Fifthism it's laughable. I have to wonder if my work on the subject has even been read, if it's the mere sight of a starfish that's calling me in.
Dr. Ithelo: Well sir, I've read a bit back in Brussels, that was years ago but it stuck with me. What about Hy-Brasil? You've seen the paintings. That's the crocosquid. Five tentacles, five eyes? Come on.
Researcher Metcalfe: I was there. That's why I'm really here, aren't I?
Dr. Ithelo: You were… there? In 1988?
Researcher Metcalfe: Before you ask, my… my incident happened later. I'm alright.
Dr. Ithelo: (Pause) I'm sorry to hear that sir. I didn't have any idea.
Researcher Metcalfe: Do you think it's a tragedy? Hy-Brasil.
Dr. Ithelo: Come again?
Researcher Metcalfe: Do you think it's better they had died together, with others?
Dr. Ithelo: I'm not sure what you mean, sir.
Researcher Metcalfe: You wouldn't, Toby. I guess I'm here for a reason. Maybe you'll come to a conclusion in the coming months.
Silence.
Researcher Metcalfe: You have my assistance. Whatever you need me to do, I can help with. When I saw it… yes. (Pause) There's something here, perhaps.
Dr. Ithelo: Thank you, sir. How does research head sound? There's about 25 of us here, give or take. Not a lot to manage, it'd take a workload off me. I mean, we can even set your office up in the foyer, if you'd like.
Researcher Metclafe: Whatever accommodation allows me to carry out tasks in the most efficient way is fine.
»END LOG«

▷CLOSE◁

Addendum.5437.3: Collected Journal Entries of Researcher Metcalfe

▶ACCESS ADDENDUM◀

▷CLOSE◁

1998/04/19
Darnell helped me move the majority of my possessions to the cathedral area. I have a bed, a desk, my archives, and all the proper equipment I'd need. I'm still not entirely sure what my purpose here is. I've toured through half of the structure, taking photographs, notes, and placing markers. "Find a Fifthist angle," I was told. Find, or create? I remind myself of the inexplicable ties this structure has to the souls who perished 10 years prior.
As heaven poured out below, I could not see its eyes or its arms. Despite my life's work, my thoughts weren't on the virus of the mind, or the way it transmutes, or a world above our own. I was faced with the terror of the Aztec, bearing witness to the technology of European conquerors. Of the man who entrenches himself in the world of the anomalous for the first time. Of the neanderthal, seeing beasts larger than he can hunt. I did not think in terms of anomalies and normalities. I did not think at all.
I know it's true th
There's work to be done.

1998/04/21
Eventful day in the catacombs. Eventful night? I've walked all that we've uncovered, even the curious 'hidden' passages and chambers. Most of my time is spent cataloguing, dating, and observing artifacts we unearth. It's quite comforting work, given my former fields. Maite, a clearly green, kind girl, assists me by bringing objects to my office, which I do not leave for hours at a time. Its situation in between the arches of a long hallway makes me feel as if I've lived here my whole life. I'm surprised the request to move it here was even approved. It's possible, given my tendency to absorb myself fully in my tasks, that previous experience was taken into account.
There is little difference between this site, and a regular archaeological dig. Like a jungle film serial or comic, I feel as if I'm living out the fantasies of my youth. Instead of the brave safari leader, I've taken the role of the aged professor. I've even started dressing the part.

1998/04/22
The case of the murals remain. I've put off my duties for the day, as a research head can, to study them. The story they tell is evident. A legion of beasts cast from heaven descend to earth to be worshiped as gods. For whatever reason, they collectively hibernate. Do they become victims of time, or are they awaiting judgement? Upon the arrival of a greater beast, they awaken. A war is waged, and the lesser beasts venerate their new leader, as does humanity itself. I, of course, observe this through the eyes of a historian as I would any religious myth. However, that is a luxury seldom achieved by someone who entrenches themselves in the unknown.
I looked at the corpse. I had been avoiding it until now.

1998/04/24
Happy anniversary, Patricia. I still love you.

1998/04/27
I feel as if I haven't seen another soul in weeks, despite talking to my colleagues daily. Maite has started bringing me food. She's a wonderful cook.
There's something fascinating about the effects of this anomaly. Matter decays at a slower rate. Death is, for a time, prolonged. In retrospect, I'm surprised I was allowed to stay down here. I'm a willing subject, yes, but there's been a recent push for more ethical testing conditions within the Foundation. I think it's still happening.

1998/04/30
How long did that carcass take to die? These entities almost certainly live longer than most life, and given the effects of the structure, I'm left only to speculate.
Is it dead, or simply in the last stages of life? Its final seconds protracted into centuries.

1998/05/03
Toby informed me he's taking leave soon. I'm not sure when. He said tonight, but who knows when "tonight" actually is. I can't remember his reasoning, some sort of conference with his superiors. I'm acting Site Director now. Could you imagine? Director Metcalfe. There's some that would outright join the Coalition if they saw that.

1998/05/05
I haven't slept in days a long time. I'm almost certain it's the lighting. I might move out for a few days, but I realize that would interfere with the minor experiment I have going on with my body.
I'm starting to feel anger when I look at the carcass. Secretly, I wish it was alive. I hope it is. The death that being is capable of causing renders it a threat. I was proud to witness the coalition open a hole in the squid's head. Would we have done the same?
A gaping hole in the starfishes head. It wants to die, but its own temple forbids it.

1998/05/07
Kimberly would have been 13 today.

1998/05/10
I yelled at Maite. I'm not sure what I said to the poor girl, but I'm too ashamed to think about it.
The story on the paintings is solidifying itself more and more in my mind.
In 1978, the Russians found a beast in the arctic. They found its carcass frozen in a tomb. We know nothing about the society that built it. Their sole monument is one of death, a mausoleum for a beast. Did those ancient builders know their work would be forgotten? Why did they construct such beautiful creations, if they would soon die? The summation of their achievements is death.
I lay in the tomb of the undying.

1998/05/13
Patricia asks me what I want for dinner. I tell her I don't want anything out of the ordinary. She laughs, and asks if I know where I am. Kimberly enters, eating a luminescent, purple ice cream. She hugs me, and thanks me for letting her come.
I booked us tickets for a dancing show tonight, held in a large arena. I feel the stubs in my pocket. It's a secret. None of them know I purchased them. Another birthday gift to add to Kimmie's infinite pile.
I feel the warm, Tuathan silk of my couch as I lay my head down for a brief rest.
The island is paradise.
And then they died.

1998/05/15
Ordinary day.
Found a new passage.

1998/05/19
I got up in the middle of the day last night. Started walking the halls. I went into the hidden chamber, and all I saw were corpses. The men who built this temple, the men who didn't. They stretched on for miles.
Did they know they would die? Did they paint their murals with a sense of joy? The death, the destruction, the inevitable. Or did they believe they would be spared?

1998/05/24 28
It's good they died together.
It's good they died when they did. They would have died if they hadn't, because I would have told them to.

Thursday
I used to dream. I haven't in months.
Every stone in this temple was set by a man whose name is forever lost.
I watched myself today. I'm a Foundation man. I'm intelligent enough to know when things are awry. They aren't, even if they seem that way. My body does my job efficiently and effectively. I maintain composure, as I always have. Brief flashes of anger when Maite drops a statue, shattering it into a hundred pieces. Its thousand year death has finally come to a close. The tomb gains another resident today. I tell her it should've been her.

Night
A fifthist concept is hardly fifthist at first glance but slowly transcends reality, a quote from my first lecture actually. It's either that but paraphrased a bit.
This is not a fifthist concept.
I'm fully aware of what's happening here and I know it's the corpse. It has no secondary anomalous effects. I stepped outside today, just for a bit because I know my mind is torn between walking away and facing the inevitable. It was night time, and the sun looks exactly as it did that night in Hy-Brasil when Kimberly and Patricia were trapped under a wall and I saw the blood pooling but could not save them, nor would I want to.

I got put on psychiatric watch because I got too close to a tape I shouldn't have listened to and started repeating its ideas.
I started writing in this journal because I got too close to a beast I shouldn't have and started parroting its philosophy. If I was to die here, I would die an agonizing, slow death. If the people of Hy-Brazil were to die here, they would die extremely fast. Much like the deaths of my dearly dearly beloveds on that night.
That happened. They found a beast in the arctic. There are large scale aggressors. There are monsters. I can make myself leave my bed and see one myself. It's in the foyer. The one on the walls. I'm in the temple on the walls. The squid is on the walls. What's the point of denying it? These things happened. They're all going to happen.
What happened to its corpse? When the beast died, it did not die but move to the next phase of its life, which is resurrection of its body. Anastasis. These things will come to pass. Why deny them?
I prolong my death because we will all meet the same fate eventually. Toby left because he knew this. I can keep it together, but
I'm not doing this anymore.

1998/06/17
Coffee this morning was too hot. Documented several new artifacts. A chamber pot, some sort of religious statue, and a ceremonial dagger. There's evidence pointing towards a mass grave of human remains.
If they killed them in the structure, they must have suffered an incredibly long time. They might have existed for hundreds of years in a dying state before finally expiring, possibly more due to the effects this structure has on human matter on decaying matter in the structure.
I don't want to die. I'm scared to die.

I do not wish to partake in the coming destruction.
Like a fool, like a crazed lunatic, like someone affected by something out of their control, I touched the carcass. I would like to state, to the council, to my superiors, to whoever will eventually compile this into a document. I am in full control of my actions, my body's actions, and my thoughts, and the memories of my loved ones.
There is a sort of judgement coming. I do not wish to see it, and I know that I have a way out.
The best thing about that way out is that it's nothing new. It's always been there in the back of my head like a tiny hole that's been getting bigger and bigger. I know where it goes because I've been there before.
The civilization that built this temple does not exist. They did not exist. Their names do not exist because they never had names in the first place. Where did they go? Why did they leave us? Did they fear it like I do? This is flavor. I am incredibly bored. I don't think anymore, except when I'm on that island again, or in that room.
I don't mind any of this. It's calming compared to what's to come.

▷CLOSE◁

Addendum.5437.4: Audio Transcript

▶ACCESS ADDENDUM◀

▷CLOSE◁

The following is a transcript of audio recorded by Researcher Metcalfe the night of 1998/06/27. A QFX tape recorder containing the audio was found near SCP-5437-1.
Okay. I'm, uh, I'm doing this to prove a point. Maybe to myself, um (laughs), probably to whoever is going to transcribe this, and make… and make this into a document. I'm standing in front of the corpse, by the way. I'm sorry, the object (laughs). I forget where I am sometimes, and that I have to downplay what this thing actually is.
I'm Researcher Metcalfe, by the way. My writing's a little flowery, so that's… that's why I'm doing it this way. So you don't get the wrong impression and, uh, you can hear that I'm fine. I got called here because I'm an expert in Fifthism. There's some, um, connection between this anomaly and Fifthism, or so they say. I don't know, honestly, and I don't really care. Because you see — (scraping noises) when people think of Fifthism, they have this idea in their head about what it is really and not what it… uh, what it actually is.
They see the number five, or a starfish, and they think you start talking nonsense, but that's not the case. It never really is. I haven't said or wrote any nonsense. Go check. I'm clearly distressed, but I'm making sense. I think that… speaks volumes about the state I'm in.
(distortion)
You see the truth is, Kimberly. When Kim, and… when Patricia died that night, I was lying to myself. Would you believe how many people I talked to today? The number of people I talked to today? (laughs) I won't even say it. It's unbelievable how much things start making sense when you want them to.
I'm looking at this corpse right now. This giant… aquatic creature. It's dead, or at least it has been for a long time. What do you want from me? To start saying that it's talking to me and telling me things? That it's alive? That I'm prophetic? That's bullshit. It all is. The reality of… the reality of the situation is that it's dead. Every soul in this temple is dead. There is no beyond, there is no fifth world for you to transcend to, there's nothing. I'm in a sarcophagus, and the death is… it's palpable. It's on the walls, especially.
(scraping noises) Damn it.
I write like an old man, because I am one. That's why I'm doing this in this way… through this medium. So, in a house of the dead that still, uh, prolongs death, do you know what really scares me? The idea of something coming back. That's why I'm scared of that beast. Because I saw the… the GOC blow it to pieces. I saw its guts splattered across the land, and well, and what used to be the land. I saw all that, and it's still going to come back.

Fifthism is… uh, if I had to put it to words, it's the sight of your little girl being crushed by debris while you stand there unable to move. It's a beast that uses these arbitrary numbers and symbols to taunt you. It knows what it's doing by… by having that number of body parts. It's a tomb filled with dead built to prolong life. It's two forgotten societies doing the exact same thing halfway across the world from each other. It's the power to resurrect the dead. It's the power to awaken the sleeping. It's their blood mixing together and the coloration is clearly distinct in parts but… but you're still able to tell them apart.
It's knowing that there's a reckoning, and running from it with open arms. I fear… I fear for you all. I'm the coward here. I don't want to live in the world you're going to be, so call me weak (laughs).
There are… so many different, um, anomalies that I've seen. How many world-enders have we seen before? There's a lot. It's a little different when you know it's real, and when you know it's about to happen, and there's nothing you can do, and you know that because it already happened once. I'm staring it in the face. If I were you, I'd kill myself too.
I think that's about it.
(distortion)
Chalk it up to the right place, and the right time.

▷CLOSE◁

Addendum.5437.5: Incident-5437

▶ACCESS ADDENDUM◀

▷CLOSE◁

INCIDENT LOG

DATE: 1998/06/27

A portion of SCP-5437 following Incident-5437

At 00:12 on 1998/06/27, SCP-5437-1 released a large emission of Elan Vital Energy (EVE), killing all personnel stationed at Provisional Site-5437, and destroying the significant portion of SCP-5437. It is assumed this occurred shortly after Researcher Metcalfe created the above recording. Further investigation found Metcalfe's intact, unharmed corpse within the body of SCP-5437-1.
This incident occurred within the same time-frame of Prometheus Lab's revival of LSA-Brasil-01 and subsequent awakening of several LSA-class entities across the world. This event is catalogued as SCP-5391.
As decided by the Hyperion-5 Committee, SCP-5437-1 has been transferred to Foundation Site-40 for research purposes. Precautions related to the petrographs depicted in SCP-5437 are being taken.
Object class reclassification to neutralized is pending.

▷CLOSE◁

Critter Profile: Cappi!

War on All Fronts: Anastasis

Reviviscence

« SCP-5436 | SCP-5437 | SCP-5438 »


Item #: SCP-5439
Object Class: Pending
Special Containment Procedures: Medical scans on Dr. Crowler are being made and consolidated. Dr. Crowler is to be held in a standard humanoid containment cell until the research team has agreed upon further containment procedures.
Description: SCP-5439 is a preliminary designation for the unknown phenomena causing the extreme congenital analgesia in Dr. Henrietta Crowler. While cognitive functions and sensations have stayed the same, Dr. Crowler has shown herself unable to perceive certain stimuli. Medical personnel confirm there are no non-anomalous biological explanations for Dr. Crowler's condition.
Discovery: The issue of SCP-5439 emerged on 21/09/2021 when Dr. Crowler showed symptoms of congenital analgesia on a regular staff conference. A part of the meeting logs are attached below.

[OPEN LOG]

[Mr. Falkner is by the whiteboard presenting the results of a recent survey on site security. Mrs. Ramirez, Dr. Marly and Dr. Crowler are present at the table. Dr. Crowler scratches her nose.]
Mr. Falkner: As you can see, fire exits are blocked almost at all exits but-
Dr. Crowler: Oh god damn it.
Mr. Falkner: …We are probably going to have to intervene in another conference on the five steps of site security if things are going to chang-
Mrs. Ramirez: Are- are you alright Dr. Crowler?
[Dr. Crowler is rubbing her palm against her nose tip.]
Dr. Crowler: Yeah yeah, it just itches so bad on the inside.
Mrs. Ramirez: But Dr. Crowle- Oh Jesus!
[A snap is heard, which is believed to be the sound of Dr. Crowler's nasal bone. Dr. Crowler continues pressing and rubbing her nose, ignoring her co-workers protests. Her nasal bone structure cracks and is crushed completely. She sighs and wipes off some of the blood that has wetted her mouth and chin.]
Dr. Crowler: Aahh… That's better.

[CLOSE LOG]

« SCP-5438 | SCP-5439 | SCP-5440 »


SCP-5441 - S03 E02 - "The Intern"
Object Class: Keter

INT. SITE-67 RECORDS DEPARTMENT - BREAK ROOM - DAY
Researcher LUKE MILTON is being interviewed. Movement in the Records office can be faintly seen through the frosted glass behind him.

MILTON
"What is a bureaucratohazard?"
Well, every time I so much as utter that word-

Milton rolls up his sleeve, revealing a series of red marks just below his shoulder.

MILTON (CONT'D)
Yeah.
Let's just cut this off here, unless you want me to hook you up with some Class-Something amnestics too.

Off-camera, somebody forcefully opens the door.

VOICE
Where the [bleep] is my stapler, Luke?

MILTON
Aaand that would be my… desk-mate.
(beat)
Never a dull moment at Site-67.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE
The camera sweeps around the office, keeping in time with the upbeat folk-rock theme song that momentarily dominates the soundscape. We see Luke Milton at his desk, logging something on his computer. DAVE POOTS, his desk-mate, is aggressively applying Wite-Out to a filing card. He gives an awkward glare into the camera when he notices it has focused on him.
JANE BURTON, the receptionist, is answering a phone with one hand and playing with a Newton's Cradle with the other.
In the warehouse, MANDY SINGH is rifling through a locker of mundane-looking objects. She is startled by the camera, knocking a wooden owl ornament from the shelf. Deep red blood begins to pool around it on the floor, as Mandy shoos the camera out of the room.
In the office proper, Dave stands on a round stool to amend a sign: DAYS SINCE LAST BREACH —
Inside his personal office, SCOTT SULLY is asleep at his desk surrounded by toys and cheap trinkets.
The camera pans upwards, and comes to rest on a wall emblazoned with a large Foundation insignia. The music fades away.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE - MORNING
Sully is sitting in interview position, with a soft focus on him that blurs the Foundation logo on the wall.

SULLY
Scott Sully. Site Director (of Records).

He holds up a small plush of Monsters, Inc. protagonist James P. Sullivan.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Sully. Heh.
Y'know, I've given myself my own esoteric classification. Object Class? World's Best Boss.
(beat)
Kidding. That was a joke.
We take Foundation policy very seriously in this office.

INT. MAIN OFFICE
Dave pounds on Milton's desk.

DAVE
Where did you put it, Luke?

MILTON
Dave.
It's a stapler.

DAVE
False. It is my personal property and if you do not disclose its location I shall be filing a report with our superiors.

MILTON
Wouldn't you… need a stapler for that?
All those pieces of paper…

Dave returns to his seat, staring Milton down.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

MILTON
Jane and I printed off an antimemetic agent and taped it to Dave's favourite stapler.
What that basically means is that it could be right in front of him, and his brain just… wouldn't register it was there.
(beat)
What that also means is that Jane and I don't know where we put it, either.
I guess we'll find out in…
(checks watch)
Two days. Bi-weekly general countermemetic inoculation as per company policy.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE - INTERVIEW POSITION

SULLY
Yes, of course I want my employees to be on their best behaviour. Big day today.
Leave the shenanigans to yours truly.

INT. MAIN OFFICE
Sully stands near Milton's desk with a fresh-faced intern just behind him.

SULLY
May I have your attention please?

MILTON
(under breath)
Nope.

SULLY
Some of you may have forgotten that we are welcoming a new member to our team today. This is Patrick—

PATRICK
Hey.

SULLY
Patrick is… consider him our newborn baby. For he is fresh out of a Virginia.

PATRICK
Um, oh-kay?
I used to work for the FBI. Unusual Incidents Unit. I guess that makes me an intern, kinda…

SULLY
Look at him…

Sully uses his fingers to perform a scissor action in front of Patrick's stomach.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Still got the ol' Federal umbilical cord dangling there. But that's okay. Because we — all of us — are going to help you cut it.

Mandy shakes her head, and notes something down on a sheet of paper.
Milton steals another glance at the camera, and gets back to logging anomalies on his screen.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

MILTON
Do I think Scott Sully is funny?
Well, let's put it this way — I think Scott Sully should probably be working somewhere that's… not here.
Why do they still let him work here in the first place? Heh. Of all the weird things I see on this job, all the things that just leave me begging for answers… that's probably the most mysterious question of them all.
I dunno. After twelve years at Site-67 I've come to realize that things here… have a kind of rhythm. They always work themselves out.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE - INTERVIEW POSITION

SULLY
I see this workplace like a Babybel. There's me, in the middle - the big cheese - and everyone else is the red wax shell that binds it all together.
05 and Administration, well… they're like the snotty weird kindergartner who likes to eat the wax sometimes. But they don't dare touch that sweet cheddar itself.

INT. THE BREAK ROOM
Dave is tinkering with the microwave. Patrick enters the room, takes a seat, and opens his lunchbox. Dave looks at the camera, and then towards Patrick.

DAVE
Psst, intern?

PATRICK
What's up?

DAVE
A personal question, if you don't mind?

PATRICK
Hit me.

DAVE
At Quantico, in training, do they teach you the art of Sarkicism?

PATRICK
I… nope, must have been off sick that day.

DAVE
Pity. I can teach you a few things, if you're interested.
Things about the beauty of flesh.

Dave stares intently into the microwave, watching in the reflection as an expression of disgust forms on Patrick's face.

DAVE (CONT'D)
Kidding. It's only a Hot Pocket.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

JANE
The best prank me and Luke ever pulled on Dave?
Hm, it was probably… yeah, I think it was the time we swapped his glasses out for a pair of "novelty" x-ray spectacles. Only they were functional.
He spent a whole day running round convinced that everybody was turning into skeletons. He needed a week or so off work after that one.
(beat)
One of those things where you really had to be there.

Jane twists the tips of her hair before returning her gaze to the camera.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE - INTERVIEW POSITION

SULLY
If there's one thing we pride ourselves on here at Site-67, it's our inclusivity and undying love for each other. We're a diverse bunch, and if you've got a problem with that then you can suck it.
Take Mandy, for example. Mandy is from Cleveland.
She moved all the way down here just to work for us. See what I mean?

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE
Mandy is running through a new batch of anomalous items with Milton, crouching at the side of his desk.

MANDY
Okay, but it's not just any steamroller. It fell into a giant butthole and burst out of this old guy's chest.

MILTON
Hm.
Neutralized?

MANDY
Yeah, I'd say so.

At the other end of the desk, Dave is looking with increasing frustration at his screen.

DAVE
Luke.

MILTON
Dave.

DAVE
The strange people are talking in my computer again.

MILTON
(glances at camera with a disturbed expression)
Again? You're kidding.

DAVE
I do not jest, Researcher Milton. See for yourself.

Dave clumsily turns his screen in Milton's direction, knocking over a stack of papers.

DAVE (CONT'D)
Right there.

On the screen is Dave's incredibly outdated email client, with an exchange between several Foundation addresses taking up a secondary window.

| TO: a_bagley, d_poots
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis#TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis
| RE: Site-67 Records Department
Can you fax over a hard copy of yesterday's transcript?
- the SILVERHAMMER team

| TO: silver_hammer, a_bagley
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.76etis|stoop_d#TEN.PiCS.76etis|stoop_d
| RE: Site-67 Records Department
Who are you people and why did you just send this to me?

| TO: a_bagley, d_poots
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis#TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis
| RE: Site-67 Records Department
Oh for crying out loud, I said not to add any of them to the recipients list. How long has he been getting these?

Jane has been watching the situation with great interest. She waves Milton over to the reception desk.

JANE
(whispering)
Just so we're on the same page here, that's you, right?

MILTON
Me? I thought it was you.

JANE
Ohmygod.

Both Jane and Milton attempt to stifle their laughter.

DAVE
(to Mandy)
… nor is this the first time. They say strange things… snarky comments on our behaviour.

MANDY
Are you sure that's not just Human Resources?

DAVE
It's not like that. It's not like that at all. It's like I'm being watched.

MILTON
Wait, okay, even for you this is… paranoid. I mean, Jesus.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

DAVE
Yes, I was being completely serious. You guys were in there when I showed the logs, right?
You should see some of the other things they're saying. Talking about incidents so specific… it's like we're always being recorded.
(beat)
I, Researcher Dave Poots, am going to find out just what's going on here. I am going to find their cameras, their microphones, and expose their nefarious little game for whatever it really is.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE
Sully is facing the wall in his chair, and he spins it around as Patrick enters the room. In Sully's mouth is a rolled-up sticky note, dangling from his lips like a cigarette.

SULLY
(mimicking an elderly man)
Ahh, Mr. Mulder…

Patrick sighs and tries his hardest not to acknowledge the camera.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Haha, X-Files. 'Cause of, like, the FBI and-

PATRICK
No, I… I got it.

SULLY
Right.
So, kiddooo, how hath been thire first day, sire?

PATRICK
I mean…
There's a lot to get used to round here.

SULLY
Correctamundo.
Have you been down the warehouse yet? You really should, it's awesome. They have, like, this coffee machine. And if you… anything you… pfft… I typed it in and…
(unintelligible)
…and then when it all finished coming out, I said… "wow, just like your mother!"
It was awesome.

PATRICK
Sounds like it.

SULLY
I'd take you down there, but they won't let me after that.
Maybe ask Luke? Luke Milton. He's cool, and-

Dave is screaming something outside the office.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Uh-oh.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

PATRICK
I was assigned to Site-67 after my stint with the UIU. Headhunted, I should say. Somebody at the Foundation had read my research into narrative anomalies and thought I'd fit right in… not entirely sure I see where they're coming from, but with a lucrative organisation like the Foundation you gotta take any in-roads they offer you.
They wanted to "shake things up a bit" with the team down here, but I'd say Scott Sully and co. are way ahead of themselves in that department.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE
Half the ceiling tiles in the room have been removed and stacked on the floor. Dave is standing on his desk, poking out the remaining tiles with the end of a broom.
Sully and Patrick burst out of the Director of Records' office, bemused at the scene in front of them.

SULLY
Mulder and Sully at your service, what seems to be the…
Ah.

DAVE
Cameras, Sully. We are under constant surveillance.

MANDY
We are not under surveillance, Dave, constant or otherwise.
Take it from me as your HR liaison, this department operates with minimal oversight. Thanks to our track record—

SULLY
He's right. Our record when it comes to Records is impeccable.

INT. SULLY'S OFFICE - INTERVIEW POSITION

SULLY
Where's the lie? These days I only get snide emails from 05, oh, two or three times a week?
Lemme read you the one from last Thursday:
"Dear Mr. Sully,
From now on we shall be ignoring your frivolous requests for D-class personnel. There are only so many death row prisoners at our disposal. You have your own sanitation detail - please assign them to the tasks they were hired for."
Rude. Burrito day only comes monthly, and cleaning those stalls is not a job for an innocent man.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE
Dave is gesticulating wildly at the computer. Sully squints to make out the text amongst the cluttered interface.

DAVE
Here are the ones I saved from last week.

| TO: silver_hammer, d_poots
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.atap|yelgab_a#TEN.PiCS.atap|yelgab_a
| RE: Site-67 Records Department
Good lord, this guy makes me want to rip my hair out. Are they really so efficient we can't just, y'know… have him terminated? He crosses just about every line in the doorstopper of an HR book.

| TO: a_bagley, d_poots
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis#TEN.PiCS.atap|remmah_revlis
| RE: Site-67 Records Department
We've got authorization to drop in a new player. Neither party shall be aware of the nature of SCP-5441. Consider this an exercise in narrative manipulation. The selected subject, however, has a background in the field which should cover for any… complications which may have arisen from the insertion of a less "genre-savvy" participant.

SULLY
Come on, you think that's real? Nobody thinks I'm that much of a dick.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

DAVE
Luke and Jane are children, yes. This, however, goes way beyond the feasible realm of a workplace prank.
Jane stealing my stationery? Luke joining my lunchbreak gaming session under the name "Phthonus" and making me run around all week thinking the whole office had been replaced by lookalike charlatans?
That's all harmless fun.
But this is sinister. Luke and Jane may well be many things, however they are not evil.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE
Sully clears his throat.

SULLY
Attention, fellow conspiritators! Listen up.
I've just had 05-something on the line, and they deeply regret to inform you that the monthly general amnestic drive has been rescheduled to this afternoon.

A collective groan spreads throughout the office.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Yep, so if there's anything anomalous you might not have been supposed to see, now is your chance to write them down.
(beat)
Just make sure you don't remember who told you to do so!

Dave frantically begins typing on his computer.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE - HALF AN HOUR LATER
The amnestic delivery team arrives, clad in tactical gear emblazoned with the symbol of a silver pestle. Jane is checking AGENT BAGLEY in.

AGENT BAGLEY
Careful - it's Aaron with a second 'A'.

Sully swaggers over.

SULLY
If it isn't the S.W.A.T. — Small Wang Amnestics Team.
Wazzuuuup?

MANDY
'Cause that's not immature at all, Scott.

SULLY
Gah, why can't you get a sense of humor?
Amnesticize her out of my head, gentlemen, please…

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

AGENT BAGLEY
What the f—
Oh, right. I forgot you sorta get randomly whisked into these bits if you so much as set foot in this place.
(beat)
"Is it unethical to keep an entire department trapped against their will in an unstable narrato-bureaucratic anomaly?"
Well, look at it this way: is it unethical to ruin the efficiency of our Records Department and lose track of six thousand world-threatening anomalous objects? I don't think so.
Don't get me wrong, Scott Sully is an idiot of the highest order. But beneath all the childish shenanigans and potential HR [bleep]shows, this narrative scenario they've worked themselves into through the monotony of office life… things, at the end of the day, get done.

INT. MAIN OFFICE
The amnestics drive complete, Bagley and his team pack away their equipment. The employees of the Records Department hold cotton to their arms, stemming the needle marks from the amnestic injection.

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

DAVE
Yeah, I do feel better. Though, to be honest, it's not like I can even remember what I was paranoid about.

Dave glances backwards, looking through the glass into the rest of the office.

DAVE (CONT'D)
Who the hell took down all those ceiling tiles?

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE - THE NEXT MORNING
Sully walks into the office, car keys in hand. The other employees are gathered around the reception desk.

SULLY
Guten Morgen, meine—
Aagh, what the [bleep], Dave?

On the desk is a wad of Kleenex, holding what appears to be the mangled corpse of a common frog.

DAVE
What? I ran him over in the parking lot and must atone for my sins.

SULLY
Nope. Nooope. Get it out of here, Dave.
We are not holding another frog funeral. Not after—

DAVE
Precisely. Instead, I have performed a thaumaturgic ritual using a series of Sarkic incantations—

The frog croaks feebly. Its spilled innards begin to bubble, flesh starting to encase them once again. Its eyes open, and the rejuvenated amphibian suddenly leaps onto the carpet.
Just about everyone screams except for Milton, who sits at his desk and rolls his eyes.

SULLY
Calm, everybody! Stay calm! It's just a zombie frog!

The frog hops manically around the room.

SULLY (CONT'D)
Just a frog… Crazy Frog! Frog-nitohazard!
(beat)
Does anyone have a net?

INT. BREAK ROOM - INTERVIEW POSITION

MILTON
Yep - another uneventful day here at Site-67.
When all's said and done, I think we deserve to have some fun with the anomalous, y'know? Like…
Other branches, they're out there in the field or in the lab. I'm a "Researcher", sure, but most of what I do all day is organize files.
Not that what's in those files isn't, y'know, Earth-shatteringly fascinating—

Dave bursts through the door.

DAVE
Luke!

MILTON
Mr. Poots.

DAVE
The crank emails. Stop them.

Milton sighs and looks back into the camera.

MILTON
(whispering)
Just another day.

INT. THE MAIN OFFICE

MILTON
Dave. That's from yourself. It's from your own address.

DAVE
Perhaps there's some… other Dave Poots? In the Foundation, I mean.

On the screen, Dave has an email window open.

| TO: d_poots
| FROM: TEN.PiCS.76etis|stoop_d#TEN.PiCS.76etis|stoop_d
| RE: SILVERHAMMER
SILVERHAMMER. what does it mean, dave?

                                                    ID

        d85f614034638ab194991ab1f0bfbcbd_1706539399

                                                    PASSWORD

        ea79fd5c814b4cb08b16d4f339c9ce9d_1706539399

Login

Logout

Item #: SCP-5441
Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The file describing SCP-5441 has been contained within the digitalized teleplay for SCP-5441-43 ("Season 3 Episode 2 - The Intern").
MTF Theta-15 ("SILVERHAMMER") is to monitor the Site-67 anomaly at all times, placing the office under continuous covert surveillance and creating a new screenplay for each day's events.
Should subjects within SCP-5441 become aware of its anomalous nature, MTF Theta-15 has authorization to enforce the amnesticization of all affected personnel.
Minor suggestions that SCP-5441 may be anomalous are to be downplayed as paranoia or workplace pranks.

Description: SCP-5441 is a narrative anomaly combining 'pataphysical elements with those of a bureaucratic hazard.
First observed within the Foundation's Records Department, SCP-5441 has condensed the office ecosystem at Site-67 into a narrative structure similar to that of a "mockumentary"-style situation comedy. SCP-5441 is perceived as non-anomalous unless observed using audiovisual media, or transcribed in the form of a script or teleplay. It should be noted that in order for this to be effective, any references to the anomalous properties of SCP-5441 must make contextual sense within the narrative of a given "episode".
Subjects affected by SCP-5441 are observed to jump between locations via unknown means in a manner representative of scene changes. Much of the Records Department's productive output is believed to occur during these temporal lapses.
Subjects will often acknowledge or address the presence of a "camera" despite a film crew having never been observed within the premises. In most cases, however, the direct suggestion that a camera crew is present will be disregarded by subjects under the influence of SCP-5441.
Despite the comedic inclinations of this narrative causing Site-67 personnel to display incompetent and/or highly unprofessional behaviour, the productive output of those affected remains exceptional.

MILTON
Could be, Dave. Could be.

Milton steals a glance at Jane, and they both turn to the camera with confusion in their eyes.

FADE TO BLACK.

« SCP-5440 | SCP-5441 | SCP-5442 »