Item#: 5728

Level3

Containment Class:
euclid

Secondary Class:
none

Disruption Class:
keneq

Risk Class:
warning

link to memo

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5728-1 is to be contained in standard humanoid containment units at Site-06, with necessary alterations being made in accordance with the containment of SK-BIO entities.1
It is to be fed 1.3kg of raw meat once a week. The cadaver of SCP-5728-2 is to be preserved for use in the training of medical personnel for the examination of Sarkic cult members.
Description: SCP-5728 refers to two entities, from here on known as SCP-5728-1 and -2. SCP-5728-1 is the last of the SK-BIO type entities created during Incident-5728-A by a group of Proto-Sarkic cultists inhabiting the town of Arlingpool, Nevada. DNA sequencing performed on SCP-5728-1 has revealed a mutated variant of the baseline human genome.
SCP-5728-1 possesses several anomalous traits such as a strong healing factor that is able to repair gunshot wounds within 2 hours. In addition to this, it also has blade-like appendages on its hands and a third limb protruding from its back. SCP-5728-1 is noted as wearing the tattered remains of a UIU uniform circa 1947 and reacts violently to any efforts to remove it. There are also several mildly radioactive third-degree burns present on the back of SCP-5728-1, the radiation emitted is insufficient to cause any long term harm.
SCP-5728-2 resembles a Caucasian human of Uralic descent with the physical appearance of a 30-year-old despite being at least 150 years old. The entity was 1.7 meters tall, with an average build and brown hair with small signs of ageing present such as wrinkles and the greying of hair. Its genome more closely resembled baseline human DNA with only minor alterations preset. It identified itself as Nikita Lebedev, one of six known Karcists in Arlingpool, who specialized in the medical treatment of the local population.
The most significant of these properties was the presence of SK-BIO Type 006 organisms within its body, which contributed to the entity's longevity. A slight healing factor was also observed but this property degraded over time until it was rendered completely negligible.
During much of the early period of its containment, SCP-5728-2 suffered from clinical depression. It was frequently observed praying for forgiveness and often requested to leave, though actual escape attempts were rare. Sessions with an on-site psychiatrist were offered but were turned down. However, exactly 12 years after Incident 5728-B, SCP-5728-2 was shown to have much higher morale. When questioned it insisted this was because 'I finally got an answer.' SCP-5728-2 refused to elaborate further.
SCP-5728-2 was recovered from a small wooden hut in Western Nevada, on September 15th, 1963, guarded by SCP-5728-1. SCP-5728-2 was found to be gravely ill, with a later physical examination confirming severe radiation poisoning. After the capture of SCP-5728-1, the entity surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody without incident.
To date, only these instances from the Arlingpool sect have been recovered, though sightings of similar entities in the Bohemian and Bavarian Forests as well as in Central Italy have been reported. An investigation into a possible link between these entities and the Arlingpool Cultists is currently ongoing.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FILE IS LEVEL 4/5728 CLASSIFIED

ANY ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THIS FILE WITHOUT LEVEL 4/5728 AUTHORIZATION WILL BE LOGGED AND WILL LEAD TO IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

+ Level 4 Clearance Level Required: Please Provide Credentials

- Credentials Verified

Addendum 5728-A:
The following is a detailed timeline of events leading up to Incident 5728-A & B according to UIU documentation, oral history on the part of SCP-5728-2 and Foundation Archives from the period.
History of SCP-5728 Prior to Incident 5728-A:
SCP-5728-2 originated from the Amur region of Siberia. Then known as the Church of Oastrikyo, they were hunted and driven away by Tsarist forces in 18152, forcing them to flee to the coast.
Upon arriving, the Church encountered another Sarkic sect. Cultural differences prevented integration, so instead, the Church was provided with transportation to Mexico in order to escape what they saw as 'Eurasian Mekhanite influence'. Upon arriving on the Mexican coast, the Church travelled north to modern-day Nye County, Nevada and settled into the town of Arlingpool.3
The members of the Church of Oastrikyo quickly established themselves, making use of Sarkic rituals in order to create suitable farmland and to locate sources of freshwater.4 Within a year the Church of Oastrikyo, which had since renamed itself to the Church of the Scorched Earth in reference to their new desert surroundings, had created a self-sufficient society.
The first contact between the Church of the Scorched Earth and the U.S. Government occurred on the 30th September 1922, when a squad of U.S. Army Riflemen was sent to investigate reports of a 'commune in the middle of Nevada'. They were immediately attacked by a collection of SK-BIO Type 003 & 002 organisms created to defend the perimeter of the town, with only one of them managing to escape. This sole survivor was given over to the UIU before the Foundation could respond. Below is an account of the Church's first contact, taken from SCP-5728-2's diary.

Our village was attacked. Outsiders. We have been able to keep ourselves well isolated and hidden, but it has become clear that our current approach may not be sustainable forever.

Four men found us. Our guardians and defences were able to kill all but one who unfortunately got away on horseback. They were armed with weaponry unfamiliar to us, but thankfully they were of little effect against our guardians. Despite this, their arrival was a serious cause for concern.

An emergency meeting between myself and the other Karcists was called into session. After much deliberation, we decided that moving would be impossible. Not this time. We will stay and protect ourselves from the approaching Mekhanite incursion. I will sacrifice myself if it is to ensure that our people survive these upcoming days.

Praise be to Ion

Following this encounter, the United States government sent an envoy to meet with the Church, with the goal of establishing a 'mutual agreement of cooperation and trust'. The 'Treaty of Nevada' was signed and ratified by both parties on 19th May 1924.5
It was at this time that Foundation agents embedded in the US government became aware of the Arlingpool sect's existence, though all efforts to establish containment were blocked by the UIU & the American government. Protests by the Foundation over the use of anomalous properties rather than their containment were ignored by the US government.
Below is an account from the diary of UIU Agent Daniel Blake6, from his first arrival at Arlingpool.

I just got reassigned to what I thought would be the ass-end of nowhere. I was right; nothing but desert for miles, 'Church of the Scorched Earth' was right.

There are three of us, including myself, the other two being Johnathan Gordon and James Carr. They seem like decent people, though largely uninterested in the cultists. They spend most of their time in the little outpost we were provided.

I got to give these cult guys some credit. They are just unbelievable! There are sections in the eastern part of town, where the ground will be dried up desert one second but then suddenly, fertile soil and farmland with enough crops to feed everyone here tenfold. Compare that to the area surrounding the town, the ground is so dry it sucks up moisture like a sponge. I'm sure I could cook some eggs on the ground too. Maybe we could ask for some tips to deal with the Dust Bowls?

Hell, they're even resilient themselves. I mean, one of the locals tripped and cracked his skull open. I rushed over to check on them, ready to grab a first aid kit, but the wound just sealed up. I swear I saw some kind of worms inside him fixing it, but it was remarkable. By no means the weirdest thing I had ever seen, but it was noteworthy nonetheless.

Despite everything though, can't say I'd want to live like this. They have no telegrams, no advanced farming or building methods. The buildings they live in look okay enough to me, but sometimes I swear I see them move. And whatever it is they use it as livestock…I don't know what they are. I asked about their cows a few hours after I first arrived, the adults refused to show me but the kids snuck me over to their farmland. They were…it was like someone was twisted and turned in every conceivable and non-conceivable way and stuck them together with other people in the same boat. I had to run back to where we were staying and throw up in a bucket. I can handle the worms and the bigotry but I cannot handle that THING! But I stayed cool, my job is to maintain good relations not criticise their lifestyle. As long as I don't go over to that part of town I should be fine.

Thought about requesting a transfer, but that'd be the third one this month. I know I'm not some rich kid with a silver spoon up my [EXPLETIVE EXPUNGED] but I don't think I'm too bad at my job. Probably why they sent me to the middle of nowhere. When we're not out making sure the locals aren't doing anything we just sit in the outpost with nothing to do. I've been thinking of trying to learn sleight of hand. Always been meaning to.

While I have made note of Gordon and Carr's lack of interest, the locals are outright resentful towards us. They must be pretty closed off, when I walked around the town to get a lay of the land, they look at me and scoff. A couple even spat at me and mumbled in whatever language it is they speak, no doubt saying insults. Either the higher-ups thought learning their language was unimportant, or they just don't want us learning all their insults. They seem especially annoyed by the telegram and phone we've got set up for communication with the higher-ups. They often glare at it; evidently, they don't like long-range comms. The other two tend to keep them out of sight. They're worried the locals will steal them and destroy them. I'm thinking of seeing if we could replace them with carrier pigeons and one of those new radios, though for emergencies only.

The silver lining is, the kids seem fine with me. They just sort of stare at me instead of spitting insults. I went over to introduce myself and most of them either run away or were ushered away by their parents. Only one of them gave me the chance to give an introduction. Vasily, he seems nice enough. Asks me about the world: I've told him what I can, though I feel the gaze of his father whenever I do. Apparently, his father is like the head surgeon or something along those lines. Part of a council of 'Karcists' who run this place.

Well, I've certainly got my work cut out for me. I intend to send that request later in the week. Want to settle in first.

Agent Daniel Blake, 20th September 1929

Following his arrival, Agent Daniel Blake attempted to further improve relations between the Sarkic population and the UIU. This was found to be successful, as shown below in the following entry of SCP-5728-2's diary.

As part of the treaty we signed, the Americans have sent agents from their 'Unusual Incidents Unit.' The 'UIU' agents continue to observe us, with little care for our customs. When we sleep they play their voice producing Mekhanite contraptions, 'Radios' they call them. With little care for our way of life, they describe us as barbarians and savages, never mind the fact that our culture has been around long before they were. Their presence alone continues to insult us.

With one notable exception. One of the three agents stationed here, Blake, is not like the rest of his team. He has shown an interest in our customs, and a desire to respect them. He has even approached me in the hope of learning about our leadership and government.

He seemed…confused and, sometimes, disgusted at our practices. But, unlike other agents who remained here, he did not attempt to 'correct' our culture.

Instead, he explained that while he does not agree with some aspects of our culture he understands these are millennia-old traditions and will not be changed by one man whose only been here for a few weeks. For that, he must be commended.

He also took note of our distaste towards their 'communication devices'. He offered to try and get the larger ones removed and replaced with carrier pigeons and a radio, but for emergencies only. Ideally, no radios would be here either, but it seemed like a fair trade.

I expected this to be an empty promise, but within a week…the telegram and phone lines were gone. Carrier pigeons were used as promised, he truly was a man of his word.

Perhaps he is better than the others.

Praise be to Ion

Over the next few years, cooperation between the Arlingpool Sect & the U.S. government proved to be vital for the country. The aid of the Arlingpool Sect helped advance discoveries to help the treatment of Malaria and Smallpox amongst other diseases. Foundation efforts to halt this trade and establish official containment were blocked by the US government, who warned the Foundation against 'interfering in the internal affairs of the United States and her allies.'
Incident 5728-A:
On the 15th of December, 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. military called for the younger population of Arlingpool, those aged between 21-35, to aid them in the nation's involvement in World War 2. Despite objections from the Church's Karcists, they ultimately allowed this to occur due to Article 7 of the Treaty of Nevada.7
Despite being closely guarded and mainly placed in medical roles,8 all drafted Arlingpool inhabitants were listed as KIA by 1944. Below is an extract from the diary of Agent Blake describing the reaction to this news by the inhabitants of Arlingpool.

I'd just received word from the higher-ups, about the locals who we'd sent off to war. They are dead. Every. Single. One.

I racked my brain for something to compare it to. The closest my mind came was when my old man died, but I don't think even that comes close to this.

As I stood on that podium, as the town's population gathered around me, I felt like they were going to lynch me. But it was better they heard it from me, rather than some priest from a faith they did not believe in.

I said to them, "I have just received news of those of your children who were sent to the front."

They all looked hopeful.

I wished I had better news. "It is my…unfortunate duty to inform you, that they have been listed as Killed in Action."

At that moment, I could see their eyes water and their lips quiver. Many of the women fell to their knees. Weeping and screaming, I watched as young children who had barely seen death stood traumatised and in shock. And the men, those who were not comforting their families, looked up at me and our outpost in anger, tears of rage on their faces. They wanted to lynch me, or worse, I could tell. I wanted to tell them that their bodies would arrive soon to be buried, but my mind was racing far too much.

All I could do was apologise, I wish I could do more but…there is nothing. I'm sorry.

Then Nikita came up to me directly, he asked me to tell him his son was dead. Not that he was killed in action or kicked the bucket or to use any other euphemism. So I did, I said to him 'your son is dead.' At his insistence, I told him the details but I could tell it was just making him angrier. But I felt obliged to, I was the 'good foreigner, I could not break their trust with lies. He chastised me for sending his son to die, calling me a traitor. His eyes had a thousand lifetimes of heartbreak. I told him that I was not the one who gave the order, I did not want anyone to die. I wished they could come home, but I could not bring myself to lie to them. We argued for what felt like hours, he called me out for shifting the blame and trying to claim honesty made up for his son. Blows were exchanged. I lost.

All I can do now is wait, and hope things get better.

Agent Daniel Blake, 12th September 1945

Following this, relations between the U.S. Government and inhabitants soured, with the agents present being harassed and stalked. This resulted in the vandalism of the UIU outpost with Anti-American slogans and propaganda.
This culminated in an incident on the 20th December 1946 when UIU agent Johnathan Gordon was assaulted by a Cult Member. Agent James Carr, in an effort to aid agent Gordon, fired a warning shot at the Cult Member but accidentally hit a bystander. Though the shot was non-lethal, a riot ensued which was only halted due to intervention by Agent Blake.
On the 25th December 1946, the U.S. Government lost contact with the UIU agents present and the next day every single carrier pigeon stationed there was released and flew to a military communication point. None of them had any messages attached. At this time, a UIU patrol was sent to investigate the communications blackout. On the way there, the patrol encountered Agent Daniel Blake, who had been walking through the desert for the past two days. Foundation aid was once again denied. Below is an extract from Agent Blake's post-mission debrief.

Interviewed: Agent Daniel Blake
Interviewer: Agent Alexander Stevenson9
Foreword: The following interview occurred after Agent Blake was picked up by the passing UIU Patrol and functioned as his post-mission debrief.
<Begin Log>
Agent Stevenson: So, Agent, care to explain exactly why you didn't respond to our carrier pigeons?
Agent Blake: We…we were attacked.
Agent Stevenson: By whom?
Agent Blake: The locals.
Agent Stevenson: What happened?
Agent Blake: I…It was Christmas day. We'd been celebrating a merry Christmas, the other two Agents had been drinking, though I wasn't allowed. I'd been showing off some sleight of hand I'd learn, swapping out pens for pencils that kind of thing before I was told to go and be a look out. One of us had to be sober in order to keep watch. Though neither of them got properly drunk either but better safe than sorry I suppose. Which I did, I stayed outside and kept an eye out…but the whole town was…completely silent.
Agent Stevenson: So then what happened?
Agent Blake: I heard a noise from inside, like a woosh. I got up and went inside, and then…they were dead. Their throats had been slit. They weren't even able to call for help.
Agent Stevenson: Wait, their throats were slit? By who?
Agent Blake: Not who. What. The locals had sent these…creatures, two of them, they were covered in bones and had these sharp blades on their hands. Like something out of a horror comic.
Agent Stevenson: You hadn't seen these creatures before?
Agent Blake: Well…no we'd seen them, but never up close and only glimpses of them. And never in action. They were called 'Guardians', they kept the town safe. But they'd never gotten anywhere close to us before, they always stayed near the perimeter of the town's edge.
Agent Stevenson: I'm sorry that you had to see that. But, how did you survive?
Agent Blake: When I saw them, they just looked at me…and I ran. When I went outside, everyone in the town was gathered around me. Like a lynch mob…I was sure I was going to die. But…they didn't kill me. One of the higher-ups, Nikita Lebedev, he…he let me leave. Told me I was a good man, so he gave me all the food and water I'd need and sent me on my way. Then you found me.
Agent Stevenson: Alright, anything else to add before we continue?
Agent Blake: One last thing, I did ask them if there was anything I could give them in order to return things back to the way they were. To prevent anyone from fighting.
Agent Stevenson: And? What did they say?
Agent Blake: 'Your President's head on a spike.'
<End Log>

Agent Blake was placed on leave and the UIU immediately requested military intervention against Arlingpool's population. On the 2nd of January 1947, this request was granted and the 33rd Infantry Division was sent to quell the initial uprising. This marked the beginning of Incident-5728-A, known in UIU Documentation as the Sarkic Uprising of 1947. From this point, until Incident 5728-B, all offers of Foundation aid were declined and direct intervention was not attempted in order to maintain good relations with the US government.10
Between the request for intervention and the arrival of the first military forces, the inhabitants of Arlingpool managed to expand their control to the border of the exclusion zone. Only the arrival of U.S. Army forces prevented further expansion. While initially able to make use of their technological superiority to secure several victories against Arlingpool's inhabitants, the eventual deployment of SK BIO organisms halted the Military's advance. The U.S. Army, even with UIU support and advisors, was unable to effectively combat the SK BIO Organisms.
The military's intervention eventually grew into a stalemate, with the town's inhabitants able to prevent significant military advances with the SK BIO organisms. Meanwhile, the military made use of incendiary and high explosive weapons to cause significant damage to the SK BIO Organisms.
Incident 5728-B:
On the 20th January 1951, with the US military unable to make effective gains against the Arlingpool Sect, the US government attempted to propose a Status Quo peace. Below is the only known account of the meeting's outcome and the final known document from Agent Blake. Irrelevant information has been expunged for brevity.

Well…this is it. My last will and testament, if you can even call it that.

Five of us were sent to try and negotiate with the Karcists; me, an agent, two soldiers and some senator type who wanted to handle the diplomacy. He offered a status quo peace, go back to when times were good.

"And if we refused?" One of them asked.

"Then you will face swift and utter destruction."

Before I could even get a word in, it was over. With a single nod, it all went to shit. The escorts were killed by their foot soldiers, the other agent and the diplomat were dragged off. Their screaming stopped as suddenly as it started. I dare not imagine what happened to them.

Then the eyes of the Karcists fell upon me. I've never been so scared in my life, I was about to beg for my life when I heard Nikita speak.

"You are not like them, Daniel, you are kind to our people. But, you may not leave. Instead, you will serve Ion."

He gestured to the paper and pen I am currently using and offered to let me write down my last words. A final letter to my family. He promised me that the 'procedure' will not hurt, I dared not ask what would happen if I refused. I thought about running but I didn't want to see where the ones they took went. Besides…I'd always been good at Nikita as best as possible. Got to count for something right? But I suppose this all I have. So here goes nothing.

[EXPUNGED FOR BREVITY]

For what it's worth I finally managed to get good at that sleight of hand stuff at last though. Nikita seemed to find it amusing. I wish his boy could have seen it.

So, this is it. When I've finished writing on this page, it's over for me. I wish I could have done better.

This is Daniel Blake, goodbye.

Following the loss of communication with the diplomatic party, the United States Government called off any further diplomatic efforts and ordered all American forces to withdraw.
On the 27th of January 1951, a 1 kiloton nuclear bomb was dropped and detonated on Arlingpool under the guise of a nuclear test. The town and an estimated 98% of its population were killed, with the remaining population surviving due to the use of Sarkic protection rituals. Most of the remaining SK Type Organisms were killed by US Army forces sent in to clear out the area. Containment was formally handed over to the Foundation on 14th February 1951. Below is the last intact entry of SCP-5728-2's journal.

It's over now. The Americans dropped their ultimate weapon, its blinding light forced us to avert our gaze. From a brief moment, we believed that our prayers have been answered, that Ion had come to smite these invaders from our lands. But instead, our prayers were responded to with destruction, surely only the Mekhanites would be capable of such an act. But no, it may have spawned from a device of metal, but it was devised by no followers of that Broken God.

Few of us have survived, fewer still are in any condition to move. When I saw my home engulfed in fire and my friends annihilated, I had perhaps the first moment of clarity in a long time. At last, I saw what our crusade has brought. My son would turn his back in shame.

We pleaded with them, begging for help, an armistice, anything. But our olive branches of peace were ignored. As we travel we have yet to encounter other soldiers. Whether we managed to sneak past them or they have simply left us to die I am not sure. Even as I write this, our numbers dwindle, I dare not count how many are left for I know it would be outdated within hours. The Akuloth work tirelessly, but they can only delay our demise. Only one Guardian is left, escorting us, but we are thankful for his watchful presence.

I wonder why I still survive even as my brothers and sisters fall around me. Perhaps I have some purpose yet fulfilled. I will know in time.

Praise be to Ion

Following this, containment of any SK-BIO organisms was transferred to the Foundation. The UIU, following this significant failure, lost a significant proportion of its funding and suffered a major blow to its credibility.
Containment procedures have been updated in response to this change.

Addendum 5728-B:
On April 25th, 1994, SCP-5728-2, while being escorted to its monthly medical check-up, complained of a headache and collapsed. Further examination found that the entity's recorded radiation sickness resulted in the development of terminal cancer. The entity refused further medical treatment and, after finishing a final prayer, died in its sleep at 4:00 pm, April 26th, 1994. SCP-5728-2's cadaver was subject to a standard autopsy and it was found that all SK-BIO Type 006 organisms within its body were dead.
With the death of SCP-5728-2, all members of the Church of the Scorched Earth are now deceased and this group is to be considered Neutralised.

Footnotes
1. SK-BIO refers to Sarkic Biological organisms, see files on GOI-28 for more information.
2. SCP-5728-2 claims they were infiltrated by the Mekhanites, an investigation into a connection between the Church of the Broken God and the Imperial Russian Government is ongoing.
3. Arlingpool was previously a mining town. But it had been abandoned in the 1870s due to the town's economic failure.
4. The region's limited infrastructure and sparse population meant the church was able to remain undetected for decades.
5. For a copy of the treaty, read Document 5728-1
6. Daniel Blake was stationed in Arlingpool from 20th September 1929 to 18th March 1932, due to his experience with abnormalities, before being transferred and then sent back in 1940, remaining there until 1946.
7. This stipulates that the US government can call upon the town's inhabitants in the event of a 'national emergency.'
8. With only one aiding in the creation of SK-BIO Organisms for frontline combat.
9. Agent Daniel Blake's superior.
10. Over the course of the conflict several cover stories were produced to hide this information. Including war games, weapons testing and live-fire drills.

« SCP-5727 | SCP-5728 | SCP-5729 »


Item #: SCP-5731

Object Class: Safe

SCP-5731

Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-5731 is kept in Containment Locker 56 at Site-64 when not being tested. Request to gain access to the item is to be submitted to Dr. Green.
Description:
SCP-5731 is a square music box which is 6 cm in length, 5 cm in width, and 3 cm in height. Its top is made from clear plastic, allowing the interior to be viewed. When its anomaly is not in effect, it plays a rendition of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” when cranked. When in the vicinity of a non-sapient biological entity, its anomalous effect is triggered. If cranked nearby one of these entities, SCP-5731 will instead play English human speech. This is believed to be the broadcasting or “translation” of the non-sapient entity's thoughts. The voice from the music box is always that of a young female, despite the sex of the effected entity. Tests discovered wildly varying personalities in the music box between test subjects used. It is not believed the female voice is its own consciousness, rather a projection of the ones surrounding it.
Discovery:
SCP-5731 was purchased by Researcher Pret's wife from a yard sale at some point during the summer of 2013. Researcher Pret was not aware of SCP-5731's effects until 8/17/2018 when his daughter wound it in proximity to the family cat, which triggered SCP-5731's effects. Researcher Pret surrendered the object to the Foundation for testing.

Testing:

+ Tests

- Access granted

Testing is currently overseen by Dr. Green. She is to be contacted for further testing logs.

Test
Subject
Result

#1
Researcher Pret's cat "Missy"
SCP-5731 complained of being "too cold". A blanket was provided to the cat, and the complaints ceased.

#4
D-8113
SCP-5731 played "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah."

#13
SCP-███
SCP-5731 played "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah." SCP-5731 has not had any other results for any sapient entity, anomalous or not.

#24
Dr. Reed's dog "Duke"
SCP-5731 remarked how "funny this place smells".

#39
A raccoon retrieved from the forest surrounding Site 64
SCP-5731 cursed something called the "tall things" repeatedly.

#53
A female orangutan "Peaches"
See log below

#65
SCP-529
SCP-5731 requested cheese. The request was denied.

#101
SCP-096
During SCP-096's calm state, SCP-5731 repeated the phrases "so sad" and "ugly, ugly". Permission denied to deliberately trigger SCP-096 for testing purposes. Addendum 07/ 23/2020 : During an unrelated termination attempt, 096 was triggered and its thoughts transcribed through SCP-5731. It recited complicated equations of aerodynamics and physics. These are thought to be SCP-096 'calculating' how best to reach its target.

#106
SCP-2845
The music box played "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah", suggesting that SCP-2845 is sapient and has not been able or willing to speak to date.

+ Log for Test #53

- Access granted

Test Log

Testing run by Dr. Green on 12/02/2018
Subject: “Peaches” A female orangutan who displayed a high comprehension of human language.
<Begin log>
0:00 Dr. Green cranks SCP-5731
0:01 - SCP-5731: Hm? What's that you've got?
0:03 Peaches signals “What's that?” with her hands.
0:04 Peaches' caretaker signs “Music”.
0:12 - SCP-5731: I think I've seen one of those before. Something, something like it. Something different from it though. That music isn't right.
0:25 - SCP-5731: Hey! That sounds like you. It isn't playing music. Is it talking to you?
0:31 - SCP-5731: What's it saying? That thing isn't like you or me. I don't think I like it very much.
1:02 Peaches signs “Afraid”.
1:05 - SCP-5731: I know some of those words the music is telling me. It's… it's saying words that are in my head. That's not right. No, no. I hate it. Ouch, my head hurts.
1:23 Peaches growls and signs “Afraid” again.
1:27 Peaches' caretaker signs “Safe” to attempt to calm her.
1:51 - SCP-5731: You humans have to get rid of that thing. You don't like it all that much either, right? Look at you! This whole time you've been sitting around with fear in your faces.
2:14 Peaches' caretaker signs “Safe” again.
2:16 - SCP-5731: Safe? I think you're lying. I wish I understood what's going on. I know that thing you're holding is… unnatural. Normally being with humans is so much fun, but not today, not today. Do you hear the words I'm thinking? Well, listen to these words: Put that thing back in the place you found it!
<End log>

Addendum 07/04/2020
On 6/21/2020, an unauthorized number contacted Dr. Pines. The person possessed knowledge of SCP-5731 that she was not cleared to have.

+ File

 - Access granted

Texting between Judy T████ and Dr. Pines

This is the conversation Dr. Pines had with the unknown number.
Following this, the number was tracked and found to belong to Judy T████.1 The Foundation retrieved her for questioning.

+ Interview 06/022/2020

- Access granted

Interview 06/22/2020
Interviewed: Judy T████

<Begin interview log>
Interviewer: Good evening, Judy. I have a couple of questions for you.
Judy T████: About the music box, I bet.
Interviewer: Yes, of course. How did it come into your possession?
Judy: If I answer the questions you'll give it back to me, right?
Interviewer: Certainly.
Judy: Alright, I got it as a gift when I was little. From my aunt.
Interviewer: Do you know where she got it?
Judy: No.
Interviewer: What's her name?
Judy: What, are you gonna go after her family too? I already know you're mad enough at me for knowing about… all this… the weird stuff out there.
Interviewer: Tell us her name, please.
Judy: Ugh, it's █████ ██████. But don't bother. She's been dead for 6 years now.
Interviewer: Thank you. How did you find out about “all this”?
Judy: Well, it started with the music box. One thing kinda led to another and… I guess I just never stopped believing in magic as a kid, you know?
Interviewer: And about the Foundation?
Judy: Came across it in my search for the music box.
Interviewer: Could you elaborate?
Judy: How do I elaborate? I don't remember exactly when I found out about it. At that point I'd already known about the supernatural stuff for years, so a place that collects that stuff ain't so hard to imagine. And I figured a place that collects magic stuff might have ‘collected' something that was mine.
Interviewer: Hm, what was your aunt like, then? Do you know if she was aware of the anomalous?
Judy: She definitely knew what the music box could do. That's why she gave it to me. My best friend even back then was Sparky, and I really wanted nothing more than to talk to him. I don't know what else she knew about anomalies. What, do you think she was a witch?
Interviewer: Ha, well that's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. How exactly did you lose the music box?
Judy: I didn't lose it. It got sold at a yard sale. I like to think that it accidentally got swept up with the other things that were getting sold, but my mom may have just gotten rid of it on purpose.
Interviewer: Your mother was aware of it, then?
Judy: Yeah. She didn't like the music box or my aunt. She wasn't real fond of magic, and she always said that I needed to make actual friends, cause a dog wasn't good enough or something. [ Judy laughs ]
Interviewer: I see. Do you have any more information?
Judy: Nah. Can I have the music box back now?
Interviewer: I'll see what I can do.
Judy: Hey now, you just said ‘certainly' at the beginning of our chat, and now it's ‘I'll see what I can do'?
Interviewer: I will try my be-
Judy: No! No, that's not good enough.
Judy stands up from her seat.
Judy: Swear to me you'll get it back.
Interviewer: I d-
Judy: Do it! Please… [ Judy's voice falters ]
Interviewer: Please remain calm, Judy.
Judy: That thing is mine, and I'm running out of time. Swear you'll give it back.
Interviewer: Fine then, I swear! Please Judy, sit back down.
Judy sits and breathes deeply.
Judy: Stand by your word, or I'll be back on your doorstep tomorrow- I swear to that.
<End Interview Log>

Closing statement: Judy T████ provided no further useful information. She received amnestics to remove all memory of SCP-5731 and the Foundation, and was released from Foundation custody.

Why didn't they let her say goodbye? What is one person on the outside knowing about us? No no, amnestize everything away. She remembers nothing about her best friend. To her, he was nothing but a dog. Why? Because we're the Foundation, and we're cold.

Footnotes
1. Surname redacted intentionally.

« SCP-5730 | SCP-5731 | SCP-5732 »


Raddagher

More by this author | Find Us Alive Hub

Item #: SCP-5732
Object Class: Neutralized
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5732 was cremated on 29/4/2016. Dr. Miller was granted permission to keep the remains as they exhibited no anomalous properties.

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SCP-5732 is to be kept in a standard humanoid containment cell and provided with standard furnishings and entertainment. Any water provided for drinking, bathing, or any other purpose must be distilled and any receptacle, including those used for bathing, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before use. SCP-5732 is to be supplied its prescribed regimen of medication daily. New prescriptions can be approved by Dr. Miller.

Description: SCP-5732 was a female humanoid, aged 20 years. Any water that came into direct physical contact with it was instantly purged of any and all impurities. When SCP-5732 became submerged in any large bodies of water, roughly 1500 liters could be purified before the effect overtaxed the subject and rendered it unconscious.
SCP-5732's anomalous ability seemed to be in direct conflict with its immune system and organs, with uses of the ability correlating to increased immunodeficiency and organ dysfunction. Distilled water was used to limit damage to SCP-5732's body caused by its anomaly.
SCP-5732 was discovered on 14/3/2015 after it was hospitalized following an incident at a friend's swimming pool, in which SCP-5732 jumped into the water and immediately lost consciousness. Dr. █████████ of the Foundation was working at the hospital, leading to a quick extraction of the anomaly and the cover story that it passed away during emergency surgery. Amnesticization of present family and friends was not required.

Interview with Dr. Miller
Date: 21 March 2015

[Begin Log]
Dr. Miller: Good morning, SCP-5732.
[SCP-5732 doesn't respond]
Dr. Miller: I imagine you're probably feeling a lot right now. But I need you to work with me and answer some questions. Can you do that?Dr. Miller: The incident that landed you in the hospital, it sounded intense. I'd like to know how you're feeling, physically. We would like to make sure we aren't missing anything about your condition.Dr. Miller: And this only happens when you come into contact with water?Dr. Miller: Good. That means our researchers are on the right track with figuring out how to help you.[Neither speak for several seconds]
Dr. Miller: You miss your family.Dr. Miller: Think of it this way. They think you're dead. If you actually died in that pool, would you have been able to say goodbye?Dr. Miller: Goodbyes are a luxury. Most people don't get them.Dr. Miller: Sorry?Dr. Miller: Yes.Dr. Miller: It's alright.Dr. Miller: We'll start testing your ability in the next few days. We need to see the limits of what you can do so we can mitigate your condition properly.Dr. Miller: Humanoid anomalies like you get access to a rotating schedule of entertainment sources. We have items you can check out, books, video games, movies-Dr. Miller: They only left you two copies of the same movie?Dr. Miller: Come on. Franco isn't that bad.Dr. Miller: I like you. You have a good attitude.[SCP-5732 is silent for a moment, before beginning to cry]
[Dr. Miller removes a piece of paper from his pocket and sets it on the table]
Dr. Miller: I'm ending this interview, SCP-5732. For security purposes we can't allow anomalies to talk with one another, but you can request means of socialization with a certified staff member from this list. We've found it helps with mental stability.Dr. Miller: No. But you're in a very difficult position and you might find yourself needing someone to talk to.Dr. Miller: I'm certified for the job.
[SCP-5732 doesn't respond, but takes the paper]
[End Log]

Addendum: The following requests were made following the release of SCP-5732's preliminary medical examination results.

Item
Request Status

Low-severity pain medication1
Approved

One electric blanket, twin sized
Approved

Cell phone modified for communication with certified staff members
Approved

Relocation to above-ground dormitory with window
Denied

Interview with Dr. Miller
Date: 27 March 2015

[Begin Log][Dr. Miller laughs briefly, but quickly sobers]
Dr. Miller: Haha, uh… yeah.Dr. Miller: You don't seem terribly surprised.Dr. Miller: I'm sorry.
[Neither speak for a moment]
Dr. Miller: I'm going to speak with the medical staff about putting you on medication to manage your pain. Is there anything else I can do?Dr. Miller: You want to meet- no. I can't do that.
[Dr. Miller pauses]
Dr. Miller: Franco? That's the first person that came to your head?Dr. Miller: You know, you can switch out which movies you have.Dr. Miller: You're taking this remarkably well.Dr. Miller: Good point.Dr. Miller: I understand. It's a lot to process.Dr. Miller: The estimate is about fifteen months.Dr. Miller: Plenty of time. You're certainly a brave one.Dr. Miller: Well, let's see if we can do something about the waiting.
[End Log]

Addendum 2: Accommodations requested by Dr. Miller.

Item
Request Status

Sleep aid2
Approved

One Playstation 3 game console
Approved

One digital projector
Denied

Escorted excursion to local hiking path
Approved Approval rescinded following containment breach of another anomaly

Interview with Dr. Miller
Date: 3 May 2015

[Begin Log]
Dr. Miller: I'm real sorry, kid.Dr. Miller: They did approve us, though. We just might have to wait longer.Dr. Miller: They're not so bad.Dr. Miller: It's just their job.Dr. Miller: No.Dr. Miller: They don't deem it necessary.
[SCP-5732 pretends to cough]Dr. Miller: Stop.
[A pause. Neither speaks for several seconds.]Dr. Miller: Of course.Dr. Miller: Not that many, really. I work with self-neutralizing anomalies. Plenty of anomalies are self-destructive, but usually inanimate objects. Very few are animals, even fewer are humanoid.Dr. Miller: Like you.Dr. Miller: You're the fifth.Dr. Miller: I miss them all.Dr. Miller: Absolutely correct.Dr. Miller: If you could have anything, if you could be guaranteed to have ANYTHING before you go, what would it be?Dr. Miller: That's why.
[Dr. Miller sighs]
Dr. Miller: And besides, a little time is better than none at all, right? I got to be there to help make some good experiences before they went.Dr. Miller: Eh, checking things off boxes isn't always what makes the time worthwhile.
[End Log]

Addendum 3: Additional accommodation requests by Dr. Miller.

Item
Request Status

Weak opioid, anticonvulsant for neuropathic pain3
Approved

One digital projector
Denied

Escorted excursion to ██████ Camp Ground
Denied

Temporary relocation to Site-███, Italy
Denied

Two warm-tone light-activated night lights
Approved

One electric wheelchair
Pending

Open text logs September 2015

Close text logs

its not the same on tv

I know. I'm seeing what our other options are.

its not even that expensive

It's not about expense. It's complicated.

where are we on franco

You're not going to meet James Franco.

miller

i need the franco

i need the jimmy f miller

I'll talk to my boss, maybe she can pull Jimmy F for you.

im kidding god ur so fking old

I'm 49.

yeah ur ancient lol

I'll work on the projector for you. What movies do you want to see?

drone footage of ur backyard

I do not have a backyard.

ok but seriously maybe some of those animal documentaries?? i never got to go to the zoo always planned to tho

Animals on the big screen. Got it.

thnks

Close text logs

Open text logs October 2015

Close text logs

ow

Are you okay?

yes but ow

Do you want me to come in?

u know the only one who can save me

Don't say James Franco.

tobey maguire

I'm going back to bed.

hey want to see this god awful drawing i made

i drew tobey and it suxxxxx want to see

r u asleep already

loser

Close text logs

Open text logs November 2015

Close text logs

French toast sticks in the cafeteria

GET ME SOME HOLY SHIT

I'll bring you some. They'll be cold though.

BRING ME THE STICKS MILLER

Close text logs

Open text logs January 2016

Close text logs

hey can you come in

Yes. What's going on?

im fine

i mean like im sad

freaking out a little cuz im by myself in here

u know how it is lol

I'm on my way. How are you feeling?

fine

hurry tho

Close text logs

Open text logs February 2016

Close text logs

[IMG_20160213_6154873462.jpg]

Dr. Shepard's betta just ate its own poop.

mood

Mood?

ihop senior discount moment

Close text logs

Open text logs March 2016

Close text logs

hey can i ask u something

Of course.

do u have a family

There are people here I consider family. But I had my daughter, and my wife before she left.

where's ur daughter do they not let u see her??

She passed away when she was 9. My wife left shortly after.

im so sorry

Close text logs

Addendum 4: Additional accommodation requests by Dr. Miller following revision of SCP-5732's medication regimen.

Item
Request Status

Anticonvulsant alteration4
Approved

Appetite stimulant5
Approved

Additional pain medication6
Approved

One electric wheelchair
Approved

Use of a Foundation staff member's personal Virtual Reality console
Pending

Audio recording of social visit with Dr. Miller
Date: 27 April 2016

[Begin Log]
Dr. Miller: How are you feeling?Dr. Miller: Yeah. I know. Guess what I brought you?Dr. Miller: I… don't know. I bought the one that looked good.Dr. Miller: Yeah, why not? They don't cost that much these days. Have you ever used one?Dr. Miller: It's pretty cool. There's an ocean simulator that I think you'll really like. Want to get it set up tonight?Dr. Miller: Sounds like a plan. We can get some more of that bucket list stuff crossed off.Dr. Miller: We can see as many as you want.Dr. Miller: THAT I'm not sure about.Dr. Miller: I'm glad I get to be included.
[End Log]

Just got some insider information.

what

It's classified, top secret

tell me or else

French toast sticks tomorrow morning.

f yeah

vr and movies and french toast sticks

Absolutely.

see u tomorrow

Goodnight Rory.

hey can i tell u something

its not like urgent or anything i just really want to tell you

hey

ur asleep arent u

w/e ill tell u tomorrow gnight

Thurs 11:13 PM SMS

Note: SCP-5732 died in its sleep on 28/4/2016. Dr. Miller was permitted to keep the remains after cremation, as well as two DVDs from the Foundation's entertainment library.

Footnotes
1. naproxen and ibuprofen as needed
2. Diphenhydramine
3. codeine, carbamazepine
4. levetiracetam
5. megestrol acetate
6. oxycodone


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2/5733 LEVEL 2/5733
CLASSIFIED

Item #: SCP-5733

Safe

Art from the front of SCP-5733's slipcase.

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5733 is currently contained in Tape Vault A, shelf HS, box #1984 in the recorded media section of the Site-73 Archives.1
Efforts to identify the actors and locations depicted in SCP-5733 are currently ongoing. Stills of the cast are compared weekly to new entrants in the Foundation facial recognition database. A manual effort is underway to investigate contemporary film production sets and compare these to SCP-5733's locations.
Testing of SCP-5733 is open to all Foundation employees, pending approval by Lead Researcher, Dr. Carpenter. Details of the proposed testing approach must be submitted for approval in writing at a minimum of 5 working days prior to the desired testing date. Testing will take place in a Site-73 standard multipurpose room, equipped with a videocassette recorder and television. Room location will be confirmed 48 hours prior to scheduled tests. Following Incident 5733-01, all testing has been suspended. See Addendum 2 for further information.
Description: SCP-5733 is a VHS tape cassette containing a recording of the horror movie "Return of the Suburb Slasher" which was, according to the cassette's slipcase, produced by "Crystal Elms Productions" in 1983. No other record of the movie, production company, or cast has been found.
The movie's plot follows protagonist Heather Campbell2 preparing to host a party at her family residence, located in a suburban cul-de-sac3, whilst her parents are away. The date of the party coincides with the 10 year anniversary of a spree killing at the same cul-de-sac - Heather only becomes aware of this later on in the film. The killings were committed by an unknown assailant, dubbed the "Suburb Slasher" by locals and media in the aftermath.
During the party, the "Suburb Slasher" (henceforth SCP-5733-1) returns to the cul-de-sac and, in a manner consistent with contemporary horror movie tropes, proceeds to stalk and murder all 5 of the friends Heather has invited over and a police officer who visits the cul-de-sac on a routine drive-by. SCP-5733-1's identity remains a mystery throughout the film - they wear a black burlap sack over their face, and black, loose-fitted overalls, and do not speak at any point of the movie's duration.
SCP-5733's anomalous properties manifest at the 97th minute of the cassette's runtime. At the 95th minute, Heather discovers her friends' corpses staged in her living room. SCP-5733-1 appears at the other side of the room, and begins to chase Heather. Heather runs into the house basement, and locks the door behind her. Once secure in the basement, Heather turns to the camera and says a variation of the following speech:

"Hey Mister, I don't know you, and I don't know why you've just sat there watching this without doing nothing but please, I'm begging you, help me out here. What can I do to survive this?"4

Following this, the viewer of SCP-5733 can directly converse with Heather, henceforth designated SCP-5733-2, and advise her on how to escape from SCP-5733-1. The course of the movie then depends on the conversations held with SCP-5733-2. SCP-5733-2 will only converse with the viewer on the aforementioned topic. If the viewer ignores SCP-5733-2 or attempts to talk to her concerning topics other than SCP-5733-15, she, in a resigned manner, will walk back up the basement stairs, unlock and open the door. SCP-5733-1 will be waiting directly outside the door. The film will then cut to black and SCP-5733 ejects itself from the machine on which it is being played.
When the tape of SCP-5733 is examined, it has a runtime of 97 minutes, ending with SCP-5733-2 locking herself in the basement, but before she speaks to the viewer.
Viewers of SCP-5733 often develop self-destructive and obsessive behavioural tendencies. This effect is not believed to be anomalous.
Despite extensive testing, SCP-5733-2 has yet to escape from SCP-5733-1. SCP-5733-1 often seems to display advanced knowledge of the viewer's recommendations and advised course of action, and uses this to pre-emptively sabotage escape attempts.

Testing Log

Testing Log

All below testing was overseen and arranged by Lead Researcher Dario A. Carpenter.

Test 001
Subject: D-1973
Advice: D-1973 asks SCP-5733-2 if she has a car, she responds in the affirmative. D-1973 follows this by telling SCP-5733-2 to sneak back upstairs, find the keys to the car, exit by the back door, and drive "as far away from here as possible".
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 successfully manages to obtain the car keys and leave the residence without encountering SCP-5733-1. However, when she reaches her car she finds the tires have been slashed, and begins to panic. D-1973 urges SCP-5733-2 to smash the window of her neighbour's cars and unlock the door. After some convincing, SCP-5733-2 does so, and D-1973 proceeds to talk her through the process of hot-wiring a car.
The car successfully started, SCP-5733-2 laughs and begins to drive away. As she pulls out of the cul-de-sac, SCP-5733-1 leans up from where it has hid on the backseat of the car. SCP-5733-1 brandishes a kitchen knife. SCP-5733-2 screams. The tape cuts to black.

Test 002
Subject: D-1944
Advice: D-1944 tells SCP-5733-2 to retrieve her father's shotgun, which is shown at the 25 minute mark of SCP-5733, and use this to eliminate SCP-5733-1.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 sneaks up to her parent's bedroom and retrieves the gun. At that point, the camera reveals SCP-5733-1 stood in the bedroom doorway. SCP-5733-2 aims the gun and pulls the trigger, yet nothing happens as the gun is not loaded. SCP-5733-1 holds up his right hand, and opens his palm - the shotgun's shells fall out. SCP-5733-1 brandishes a kitchen knife and approaches SCP-5733-2. SCP-5733-2 screams. The tape cuts to black.

Test 003
Subject: D-1958
Advice: D-1958 tells SCP-5733-2 that resistance against SCP-5733-1 is useless, and that she should use a pair of garden shears in the basement to commit suicide.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 responds that this is not an option, and begins to sob. After 10 minutes, SCP-5733-2 stands up from the floor, walks up the basement stairs, and opens the door. SCP-5733-1 is stood outside waiting. The tape cuts to black.

Test 011
Subject: Assistant Researcher Felissa Baker6
Advice: After a conversation with SCP-5733-2 on her state of mind and skills, Dr. Baker believed her best course of action will be to obtain assistance from others. Dr. Baker recommended SCP-5733-2 go from house to house in the cul-de-sac in an attempt to find neighbours who could aid her.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 left the basement and house without incident, and went to the residence of Mr. Loomis, her next door neighbour. Upon arrival, she found the door ajar and lights off. Creeping through the house, SCP-5733-2 discovers Mr. Loomis and a figure she believes to be his wife apparently sleeping in bed. On attempting to wake him, SCP-5733-2 discovers that he is dead, with his throat slit. The figure in bed next to him gets up, and upon pulling back the covers is revealed to be SCP-5733-1. SCP-5733-2 screams. The tape cuts to black.

Test 015
Subject: Assistant Researcher Nick Englund-Daskewisz
Advice: Dr. Englund-Daskewisz explains to SCP-5733-2 that he works for an organisation which may be able to help her, and that she should try to call for help from the house phone. He gives SCP-5733-2 a covert Foundation phone number in operation in the year 1983.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 emerges from the basement, and makes her way to the kitchen, where the landline telephone is located. Upon reaching it, SCP-5733-2 finds that the phone has been destroyed, and a note, written in what appears to be blood, has been impaled into the wreckage with a kitchen knife. SCP-5733-2 reads the note aloud and shows it to the camera, asking Dr. Englund-Daskewisz what it means. It reads, "The only Foundation here is FEAR". Before he can answer, he alerts SCP-5733-2 to the presence of SCP-5733-1, who has appeared behind her. SCP-5733-1 brandishes another kitchen knife. SCP-5733-2 screams. The tape cuts to black.

Test 017
Subject: Field Agents Malcolm Pleasance and Donald McDowell
Advice: The field agents were selected for the test due to their knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques. They advise SCP-5733-2 to search the basement for supplies, to see how long she can remain there. Once it has been established that a small amount of food and water are available, the agents begin to teach SCP-5733-2 fighting techniques.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 is able to remain in the basement for a period of 112 hours before running out of supplies.7 During this time, Pleasance and McDowell have delivered content equivalent to a basic introductory combat course. The agents have delivered this training in shifts, and when SCP-5733-2 has slept, one agent has stayed awake to keep watch for SCP-5733-1.
SCP-5733-2 emerges from the basement, and makes her way to the house's front door, where she is confronted by SCP-5733-1. The two engage in hand-to-hand combat over a period of 23 minutes, as they fight throughout the house. SCP-5733-2 is able to deploy the techniques taught to her by both agents, and, at the conclusion of the fight, knocks SCP-5733-1 to the floor.
SCP-5733-2 picks up a candlestick from the dining room table, and prepares to attack SCP-5733-1 - both her and the agents celebrate. As she raises the candlestick above her head, the camera pans to reveal a second SCP-5733-1 instance creeping up from behind her. The instance leaps at her, and the tape cuts to black momentarily before contact is made.8

Test 028
Subject: Field Agent Tilda-Joan Bennett
Advice: Agent Bennett was chosen for testing due to her advanced knowledge of thaumaturgy. Agent Bennett instructs SCP-5733-2 on how to use rudimentary thaumaturgy for offensive and defensive purposes. After several hours, SCP-5733-2 is able to sign basic protective glyphs and perform low-level phonological elemental spells.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 makes it to their front lawn before encountering SCP-5733-1, who brandishes a kitchen knife and walks towards her. On Agent Bennett's advice, SCP-5733-2 signs a protective glyph. SCP-5733-1 attacks SCP-5733-2 but the knife bounces off her, and away from SCP-5733-1, due to the thaumaturgical protection. SCP-5733-2 counters with a wind spell which pushes SCP-5733-1 away from her.
SCP-5733-2 takes advantage of this opportunity, and begins to run down her driveway. SCP-5733-1 gives chase, and displays previously unseen thaumaturgical skills by casting a freeze spell on SCP-5733-2, locking her in place. SCP-5733-1 casts a summoning spell, drawing the kitchen knife back into his hand. SCP-5733-2 tries to scream but cannot. The tape cuts to black.

Incident 5733-01

Incident 5733-01

Foreword: Following a review of all previous testing, SCP-5733's Lead Researcher, Dr. Carpenter, devised the following test, with himself as the subject.
In preparation of the test, Dr. Carpenter had his team prepare possible options through which SCP-5733-2 may be able to escape from SCP-5733-1. Options were divided into the following categories:

What to take from the basement.
Where to go upon emerging from the basement.
How to exit the house.
How to exit the cul-de-sac.

Each of the above categories was to contain at least 20 options, and, under no circumstances, was Dr. Carpenter to be consulted on, or informed of, what these options would be. On the day of the test, these options were printed out and placed into plastic bowls correlating to the above categories. In addition to this, 3 cards reading "FACE", "BODY", and "LEGS" were created.
On the day of the test, Dr. Carpenter began watching SCP-5733. At the 95th minute, 2 minutes before anomalous properties manifest, research assistants placed the 4 bowls in front of him, and the 3 cards, face down.

The Final Test
Subject: Dario Carpenter
Advice: Dr. Carpenter informed SCP-5733-2 that he would be selecting instructions for her at random, and that it was imperative she followed them to the letter.

Advice - What to take from the basement: With eyes diverted, Dr. Carpenter placed his hand into the first bowl and selected an option. He informed SCP-5733-2 to arm herself with the pair of garden shears present in the basement and begin climbing the stairs to the exit.
Outcome: With no objections, SCP-5733-2 armed herself and began to climb.

Advice - Where to go upon emerging from the basement: Dr. Carpenter selected an option from the second bowl, and informed SCP-5733-2 she was to go to her upstairs bedroom, then come back down to the dining room.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 followed the instructions given. There is no sight of SCP-5733-1 at this point of the test.

Advice - How to exit the house: Dr. Carpenter selected an option from the third bowl. He told SCP-5733-2 to sprint back upstairs and into her parents' bedroom, where she was to climb out the window, onto the roof, and then drop down into the garden.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 followed the instructions given. There is still no sight of SCP-5733-1 at this point of the test.

Advice - How to exit the cul-de-sac: Dr. Carpenter selected an option from the fourth bowl. He informs SCP-5733-2 that she is to jump over the fence into her neighbour's garden, make her way to the front of the property, and run down the street until she finds help.
Outcome: SCP-5733-2 follows the instructions given, and makes it to the road out of the cul-de-sac, which she proceeds to run down. The camera pans, and SCP-5733-1 can be seen bursting out of the door of SCP-5733-2's residence. SCP-5733-2 continues to flee, and SCP-5733-1 does not give chase.
SCP-5733-2 begins to celebrate, and is asked by Dr. Carpenter how far away the nearest police station is. SCP-5733-2 responds that she does not know, but that, together, they'll find it. The road out of the cul-de-sac is uninhabited. The roads are lined by trees and the occasional streetlight.
SCP-5733-2 continues running for a period of 20 minutes, before she slows down to catch her breath. By this point, the trees have begun to grow scarce, yet only darkness can be seen beyond them.
SCP-5733-2 walks for another 5 minutes. The trees once lining the road have disappeared. Either side of the road is flanked by a pitch-black darkness. Dr. Carpenter asks SCP-5733-2 if she can see anything on the roadside. She responds in the negative. Dr. Carpenter goes on to instruct SCP-5733-2 to take off a bracelet she is wearing, and throw it off the road. As soon as the bracelet passes over the boundary between the road and darkness, it vanishes and cannot be seen.
SCP-5733-2 asks Dr. Carpenter what she should do next. Dr. Carpenter responds that she should keep walking.
An hour passes, with the road remaining straight, there have been no other signs of life. Trees once again begin to populate the boundary of the road, growing in density the more time goes by. SCP-5733-2 comments that she can see lights and houses up ahead, and begins to speed up.
As she approaches the houses, SCP-5733-2 begins to run and shout for help. When she arrives, she recognises the location. She has arrived back at the cul-de-sac where she lives.
Panicked, SCP-5733-2 asks Dr. Carpenter what is happening. Before he has a chance to respond, SCP-5733-1 begins to approach SCP-5733-2, brandishing a kitchen knife. Dr. Carpenter moves to the three cards set face down, and picks one at random - "FACE". He yells at SCP-5733-2 to use the shears to attack SCP-5733-1 in the facial region. She dodges its first swing of the knife, and successfully counter-attacks. The burlap sack covering SCP-5733-1's face rips.
Dr. Carpenter turns over a second card, and shouts instructions to attack SCP-5733-1's legs. SCP-5733-2 does so successfully, crippling SCP-5733-1's movement. Dr. Carpenter goes to reach for the last card. As his fingers touch it, he realises he already knows what it says as the last remaining card - "BODY". He yells at SCP-5733-2 to attack SCP-5733-1's torso, and to attempt to land a critical blow to his heart or other vital organs. SCP-5733-2 does so, but SCP-5733-1 dodges the attack, grabs the shears from her, and pushes her to the ground.
The camera tilts up, from SCP-5733-2 on the ground, to SCP-5733-1's face, only partially covered by the now damaged burlap sack. Dr. Carpenter approaches the television screen, staring at SCP-5733-1. With the sack damaged, SCP-5733-1's face can be seen, staring straight at the camera - SCP-5733-1 is a visually identical match to Dr. Carpenter. SCP-5733-2 screams. The tape cuts to black.

All testing has been suspended whilst investigations are underway into whether use of SCP-5733 by Foundation staff constitutes a data leak. A review of past test subjects' current and historic assignments is underway.

UPDATE: Another tape has been found.

Footnotes
1. The tape vault is a controlled environment designed to mitigate data degradation arising from temperature and humidity.
2. Portrayed by Alice Strode according to the film's opening credits.
3. A road closed at one end, resulting in only a singular inlet/outlet.
4. Variations include addressing the viewer(s) as "Miss", "Ma'am", "All of you" in lieu of "Mister", and, in lieu of "sat there", "stood there" or "lying there".
5. Including SCP-5733 and her anomalous nature.
6. After no negative effects were observed in D-class subjects, asides from non-anomalous psychological trauma, testing was opened up to general Foundation staff from this test.
7. It should be noted that, according to in-universe clocks, this resulted in SCP-5733-2 leaving the basement at 10:00AM. Despite this, light levels upon leaving the basement are more consistent with a time between 11:00PM and 01:00AM.
8. During Test 017, both SCP-5733-1 instances display levels of physical prowess and knowledge of combat techniques not demonstrated in other tests.

« SCP-5732 | SCP-5733 | SCP-5734 »


NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Alert: The selected SCP exists within an area of major armed conflict. Due to ongoing instability, the North African Regional Headquarters has recommended that any anomalous entities currently residing in the following areas be extracted with great speed.
Republic of South Sudan
Darfur region of Sudan
Kordofan region of Sudan
Blue Nile State (territory disputed)
Active containment of anomalous phenomena and entities of object class Euclid and below is to be halted in the above-mentioned locations.
The current situation is fluid. In such a case, where a major anomalous event in the area may cause irreversible damage, contact Site-189, Khartoum, Sudan.
— Automated Message, RAISA Africa

Item#: 5736

Level3

Containment Class:
pending

Secondary Class:
none

Disruption Class:
keneq

Risk Class:
danger

link to memo

Site-223 burning after being raided by a local militia. Unknown MTF-squad personnel surveying the damage, circa 1968

Special Containment Procedures: Any SCP personnel that were employed by the Nile Valley Foundation Branch1 from 1955 to 1964 are to be apprehended and sent to the North African SCP Regional Headquarters for interview.
Sudan Defense Force (SDF) and Azania Liberation Front2 (ALF) commanders who fought in the Equatoria, Bahr el Ghazal, South Kordofan, and Greater Upper Nile provinces during that time period are to be assessed for previous interactions with the Foundation. If an association is found then the individual is to be amnesticized.
Update 9/30/2010: Lack of funding to the Sudanese branch has restricted amnestic usage to situations that present a “break-the-veil” scenario. Thus, individuals are to be released or terminated on a case-by-case basis.
There are no rigorous containment procedures for SCP-5736 instances available at this time. If instances are ever secured, immediately contact the Ethiopian branch of the SCP Foundation. If possible, implement standard humanoid containment in the interim.
Update 2/15/2002: The North African Regional Headquarters has now instructed that all living SCPs contained within South Sudan are to be transported to the Ethiopian branch following the killing of SCP-SD3 Foundation Director Barnabas Opiyo.
The following document was retrieved by MTF Theta-12 during the Malakal pacification and is conjectured to refer to archival containment procedures of SCP-5736. It has been translated from Arabic to English.

Unknown Date of Transcription
To: Dr. Abdullah Khan, SCPF-Iran
My spy, Mr. Raheem, has just come up from Site-171 in Fuhan and relayed to me some disturbing news.
The traitorous men seem to be selling off magic wands and spirit staves to rebel militia members! And just a fortnight ago Director Khabz told me that containment had now issues when they lost electricity. Imagine my shock when Mr. Raheem saw Khabz himself loading up staves and skulls onto a truck.
Selling is one thing, you know selling between branches and sites has always been allowed within our special relationship. But what stopped my sympathy was what Mr. Raheem saw in the containment wing.
By God, our own Foundation tattooing the Seal of Amenirdis4 onto the backs of Nuer5 boys!
He saw the employees speak some tribal language while the boy's eyes shone blue among the rats and darkness down there.
I have been granted authority by the Nile Valley group to contain all anomalies and, God-willing, I will contain the evil people in the south. They have been corrupted by their impudent will! Dr. Khan, I commend you for prophesying their betrayal, how they are destroying the divine plan of Nature.
I will send soldiers to Site-171 this following week and terminate all those responsible for allowing these creatures to wander the Earth. The SDF nor the SCPF want anything to do such trickery.
From: Wanyanga Onyango, Director of Site-153, Brigadier General of the Sudanese Defense Force

Description: SCP-5736 were anomalous humanoid entities that were used in battle by the SDF and the ALF during the First Sudanese Civil War and, possibly, the Eritrean War of Independence.
The approximate number of anomalies used during the conflicts is unknown. Reports indicate that the only physical commonality of the entities was the physical inscriptions and a blue-gray eye color.
No specific age range for SCP-5736 instances has been confirmed, but anecdotal evidence suggests a leaning towards late adolescence. The anomalous effects of SCP-5736 appear to be varied and to depend on multiple characteristics such as time of day, diet, and temperament.
Circumstantial evidence implies that non-anomalous teenagers undergo some anomalous transformation through the use of some as-of-yet unknown mechanism. Surviving Nile Valley SCP accounts point towards the involvement of the SDF rather than some internal development.

Administrative staff of Site-168. The collapse of the Nile Valley branch and the subsequent chaos led many SCP personnel to defect to the ORIA.

However, retrospective analysis of the anomalous weapons division of the SDF has not shown any evidence of SCP-5736 development.
It is difficult to substantiate these accounts because a large majority of individuals, including SDF, ALF, and relevant Nile Valley SCP personnel, were killed in the subsequent Second Sudanese Civil War6 or have since disappeared.
The following recovered document describes some of the known anomalous effects of various SCP-5736 instances.

BENTIU OUTPOST-23 RECOVERY; UPPER NILE STATE

BENTIU OUTPOST-23 RECOVERY; UPPER NILE STATE;

NAME
LOCATION, TIME USED
EFFECT
DEAD/EFFECT

JOSHUA
KADUGLI, SEPTEMBER 1954
5KM BLAST
1000 ALF, 75 SDF, SOME CIVILIANS

GIRL
AD'DAMAZIN PASS, MAY 1960
BLACK BLOOD(?)
500 ALF, 470 SDF

SOLOMON
BRIDGE OF ABU JU'BAYHA, MARCH 1956
DISAPPEARANCE
1250 CIVILIANS, 1500 ALF/SDF, 60 CATTLE

ABDUL
PARIANG, JULY 1963
MELTING SICKNESS, VILLAGES OF KUAJAK, BIGA, JONT DESTROYED
??? ALF, >750 SDF

BOY
ER RAHAD, FEBRUARY, JULY 1961
BOT FLIES
900 CIVILIANS, 250 ALF

SHILOH
MALWAL APRIL, 1953
REINCARNATION
BROUGHT 55 ALF MEN BACK

NO NAME
KODOK MAY, 1959
TREE SPIRIT (ARTILLERY DISPATCHED)
150 ALF, 10 SDF

ABSALOM ZIMRI
GEDIR DECEMBER, 1964
UNKNOWN
??? SDF, AT LEAST 10000 CIVILIANS

OJIBWAY
MANAT APRIL, 1962
CONJUNCTIVA/SCELERA
ALL LIFE IN 15-20 KM

The lack of thorough information on SCP-5736 is due to the suspension of the Nile Valley branch in 1960. The suspension was catalyzed by the assassination of the Nile Valley branch Director Einku Asres through unknown circumstance.
Update 10/1/2004: Accounts from living Nile Valley SCP employees suggest that the assassination of Director Asres was due to an unpaid debt from Site-168's Director Anwar Farra.
Many at the time, however, credited the suspension due to the widespread failure of containment as a result of the First Sudanese Civil War, the lack of SCPF presence in Ethiopia on decree of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and the extraordinarily high corruption of SCP personnel in the United Arab Republic7.
Furthermore, multiple SCP sites located in the Darfur and Kordofan regions were looted, burned or otherwise destroyed under unclear circumstances during the era between the suspension of the Nile Valley branch and the establishment of the Sudanese branch. It is currently unclear if the dismantling of these sites was a simple wartime consequence or a concerted effort by either the SDF, ALF, or extant members of the Nile Valley branch.
SCP-5736, in particular, was well-known amongst the disparate warlords and commanders during the era due to its lack of containment. However, the extent to which this has affected society in former Nile Valley branch nations is unclear. The ubiquity of anomalous paraphernalia in the region and the societal presence of “shamans” and “spirits” has obscured preliminary searches and evidence for contemporary existence of SCP-5736.
The following is a recovered manuscript from Manna Charitable Foundation Outpost β-2 recovered in 1995. Outpost β-2 was raided by unknown bandits8 and destroyed in 2001.

In memory of executives Mekdem Eezkias and Amensisa Sisay, martyrs of our cause, who were killed by the Derg regime of Ethiopia in this past year.

MCF-Africa Division Bulletin-651; ; Headquarters to All MCF Employees operating in Northeast Africa

Of Interest: hazardous humanoid, SCP Foundation, conflict, humanitarian crisis, biohazard, refugee, DANGER wartime anomaly, SECURITY DISASTER

Entry Ref: Red Alert in Sudan, Magenta Alert in Eritrea/Ethiopia
Dear agents and volunteers,
I hope all of you are safe and healthy in these trying times. For those who have recently transferred to this region, know that the chaotic nature of the past year are unusual and has caused a situation of great concern.
The suspension of the Nile Valley branch of the SCP Foundation has caused many hundreds (possibly thousands) of anomalous objects and persons to be unguarded as many SCP Foundation employees have abandoned their posts. Oftentimes, in your work you may happen upon gangs, militias, and even normal citizens wielding anomalous artifacts.
This is to be ignored for your own safety. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan has levied such an astounding level of human suffering onto the region that the Central Council has approved the use of the Special Reparations' Units. Please recall that you must stay at least 5 meters away from their euphoric aura. These squads will remain in the war-torn regions until the regional SCP Foundation reforms.
We do not expect this, but if the SCP Foundation abandons the region then further reports will follow on aiding the ORIA in their expansion.
Of particular concern for are recent reports from our volunteers in Eritrea who have witnessed numerous, catastrophic events of anomalous nature occurring on the frontlines of the ongoing civil war. Information from our network incriminates the Sudan Defense Force as the culprit.
The rumor among the Eritrean Underground is that such individuals arrive on trucks from the northern passageway and are immediately deployed into the battlefield against the Ethiopian Empire. This presents as a possible smuggling operation and as such reality-bending users in the area are permitted to undergo rescue operations. For details, contact your shift supervisor.
For all others throughout the area, please be on the lookout and report such entities. Their description is as follows: 17-22 year old Dinka/Nuer males, Nubian/Egyptian inscriptions and markings on visible portions of their body (may present as ritual scarification), blue conjunctiva that shines in the night.
Unfortunately, due the recent deaths of aid workers and anomalous personnel, there will be no extra reinforcements sent to Ethiopia and Eritrea, besides what is already being sent.
And just as reminder to those who feel anxious or concerned, your work matters to all the people you help. We don't need affirmation of our positive impact, even if the SCP Foundation never returns to contain the anomalies of this corner of the world, we will always help people in need. Be they like us or unlike us.
God bless you and God bless the Manna Charitable Foundation.
~MCF-Africa Headquarters, Johannesburg, South Africa

Footnotes
1. A post-World War 2 SCP Foundation merger of the Republic of the Sudan, Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and United Arab Republic branches.
2. Armed rebel group active during the First Sudanese Civil War in conflict over South Sudanese separatism.
3. Sudan
4. The first “God's Wife of Amun” or highest ranking priest of the Amun Cult during the 25th dynasty of Egypt during the Golden Age of the Kushite Empire.
5. Nilotic people group present in Sudan and South Sudan.
6. Armed conflict from 1983 to 2005 that resulted in the displacement of 4 million people, the deaths of 2.5 civilians, and the complete destruction of most infrastructure.
7. In one such notable case, members of the local Cairo Sarkic Society caused the Blood Incident: Living Pyramid, despite being warned ahead of time by local peoples.
8. Possibly the “Black Eternal Army of Zande” or “Supreme Front of Nubia; Liberation Army."

« SCP-5735 | SCP-5736 | SCP-5737 »


Note: The following document is provided for informational purposes only, as no containment protocols have been put into place for SCP-5737. Historically, SCP-5737 has been assumed non-anomalous due to its near-universal presence in humans, and I expect that many will conclude this document with that belief still firmly in place. As the description below addresses an issue of significant personal value to many, discretion is advised when reading.
- Dr. Copeland, head researcher for SCP-5737

Item #: SCP-5737
Object Class: Explained
Special Containment Procedures: Because of the extensive period of time elapsed between SCP-5737's occurrence and the present day, as well as the unacceptable risk of any method of ongoing containment causing an MK-Class “End of Human Consciousness” scenario, SCP-5737 is functionally uncontainable. Containment efforts are to focus on minimizing the effects of SCP-5737 expression among extant human cultures via the promotion of humanistic politics and maintenance of containment procedures associated with identified Groups of Interest. The existence of SCP-5737 is to be confirmed only to Level 4 and higher Foundation researchers; individuals without Level 4 clearance who become aware of SCP-5737 are to receive targeted amnesticization.
Description: SCP-5737 is a hypothetical ontological shift, presumptively dated to the Ediacaran period (635-541 MYA), that affected the ancestral Nephrozoan1 and all descendent lineages. The suite of physiological characters resulting from SCP-5737 permit the emergence of the set of qualia commonly described as “spiritual/religious experiences”. As spiritual or spiritual-like practices have been observed in both protostome and deuterostome lineages, the influence of SCP-5737 is presumed plesiomorphic2, and lineages in which spiritual-like practices are not present are hypothesized to have secondarily lost its influence.
Due to the extremely widespread expression of SCP-5737 across bilaterian taxa and its universal expression across human cultures, several non-anomalous theories have been developed by civilian organizations as to the origin of its effects. These theories include SCP-5737 promoting social bonding and group cohesiveness, serving as a motivating force for the acquisition of resources and territory in early hominids, and being an emergent property at a certain level of cognitive development conferring no significant fitness benefits. However, the development by the Foundation of the Hume and Akiva scales has allowed accurate analysis of metaphysiological changes in organisms expressing SCP-5737-dependent behaviour, which permitted its anomalous nature to be determined.
Human susceptibility to SCP-5737 expression follows a normal distribution, with approximately 15% of the human population considered abnormally prone to spiritual experiences and approximately 10% considered abnormally resistant. Cultural factors explain more than half (55%) of this variation. Additionally, individuals diagnosed with or who meet the criteria for autism spectrum disorder have a significantly higher likelihood of being resistant to SCP-5737's effects than the general population. Research into the heritability of SCP-5737 susceptibility has proven inconclusive due to heavy confounding from upbringing and culture. In humans, SCP-5737 displays a mild antimemetic quality: individuals frequently express an inability to accurately describe the qualia produced by SCP-5737. Despite this, a number of indices have been developed both by the Foundation and by civilian organizations to estimate the degree of SCP-5737 expression in any given individual3. Variability is also observed in emotional response to SCP-5737: while a majority of people (~60%) display no marked emotional response to the possibility of spiritual experience, the remaining 40% are evenly divided between individuals expressing openness and optimism regarding the possibility and those who claim such an experience has or would be significantly distressing for them. Typical methods of inducing spiritual experiences include the use of psychoactive substances, repetitive movements, and the recitation of creeds or songs, although spontaneous ones are also commonly reported.
The presentation of SCP-5737 has been most extensively studied in Homo sapiens; however, ethological, paleo-anthropological, and paleontological research has revealed that it presents in similar ways in other species. The following table provides a generalized overview of major taxonomic groups in which evidence for SCP-5737 expression is present either behaviourally or physically: for more information, please see Document 5737-583-X4 (“Validity and Ethology of Behavioural Markers for High-Penetrance SCP-5737 Expression Across the Tree of Life”, by Foundation researchers Dr. T.I. Copeland, Dr. P.W. Goldschmid, and Assistant Researcher A. T. Zhang.)

Taxonomic Group
Behaviour/Documentation

Homo sapiens
Religious and spiritual behaviour in modern humans has been extensively documented. Approximately 93% of the current human population professes some degree of religious or spiritual belief; among the remaining 7% the majority also report at least one non-contextualized experience that aligns with sensations typical to SCP-5737. The recreational or ritual use of entheogens across diverse human cultures, even those with notable negative side effects, provides further evidence of the social significance placed upon expressions of SCP-5737.

Pan troglodytes
Ritual behaviour is also well-documented in chimpanzee societies. The emotion-like states, symbolic information transmission, and metacognitive behaviour that are permissive of SCP-5737 expression are extensively evidenced. Pre-death and post-death care, as well as deliberate post-death silence, controlled vocalization, and observation of corpses indicate the presence of a death culture. Ritualized behaviours indicating respect and awe are also frequently directed towards water. At the onset of heavy rains, a “rain dance” is performed involving rhythmic movements, repeated behaviours, and controlled vocalization matching religious rites of Homo sapiens; individualistic spiritual experiences are induced and expressed by behavioural displays and continuous observation resembling obeisance directed towards waterfalls and streambeds. These forms of pious expression are both individualized and normative, illustrating the qualitative nature of SCP-5737 expression.

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
H. s. neandenthalensis is one of the best-known examples of non-human SCP-5737 expression both among the Foundation and the civilian population. Deliberate burial of the corpses of conspecifics, as well as the provision of grave goods, provide evidence a well-developed death culture. In particular, the inclusion among these grave goods of the bones of other animals and stone and bone items unusable as tools indicates that the metaphysical nature of these things was valued above the physical.

Loxodonta sp.
Mourning behaviour in African elephants has been extensively documented, and individuals have been observed burying the corpses of deceased members of their kin groups, as well as, occasionally, unrelated animals including buffalos, cows, and humans. Some have been reported to observe the cycles of the moon, bathing preferentially upon the full moon and performing behaviours resembling obeisance, including the waving of branches and focussed observation, in the direction of a waxing moon. As SCP-5737-dependent behaviours act as a positive stimulus inducing or intensifying its expression in other individuals, the conviction with which multiple human subcultures believe African elephants are fully capable of religious and spiritual behaviour serves as an additional indicator of its expression in this genus.

Arthropoda
Cognition in arthropods is variable, in part because different arthropod groups display dramatically different social structures. The most developed cognitive abilities seem to be within the Hymenoptera: experimentation on Apis species illustrates the presence of the emotion-like states, symbolic information transmission, and metacognitive behaviour that are permissive of SCP-5737 expression. There is also controversy as to whether recently-translated writings from Pseudomyrmex ferruginea4 illustrate thought processes dependent on SCP-5737 or simply superficially similar. To date, full expression of SCP-5737 has only been observed in arthropod species or races that are themselves anomalous. See also documentation for SCP-4067.

Ammonoidea
See documentation for SCP-4246.

Therapoda
See Addendum 5737-1.

Addendum 5737-1: Paleontological evidence for SCP-5737 in therapods
In primary investigation of SCP-5737's influence on metazoan evolution and cultural development, the Horizon Initiative was contacted for consultation, with particular research efforts focussed on the methodology by which they pursued the integration of themes from extant scriptures into a conceptually coherent whole known as the Universal Texts project. During discussions, Initiative representative S. Yilmaz informed Foundation representative Dr. T.I. Copeland that Foundation conjecture regarding SCP-5737 could be useful in contextualizing certain artifacts which the Initiative had contained in 1999.
A Berriasian5 paleontological dig site had retrieved multiple fossils that resembled deliberate engraving and embossing from a fluvial shale deposit and had published images of the fossils in the supplementary data of their preliminary results. Initiative webcrawlers identified potential anomalous activity and the fossils were taken into Initiative custody to be interpreted. The fossils were determined to be casts of engravings that had originally been made in an unknown, but likely soft (less than 3 on the Mohs scale) substrate. With the aid of three-dimensional scanning and spatial rendering techniques and pattern analysis software, Initiative linguists managed to reconstruct and presumptively translate the symbolic language used. The Foundation has been given limited access to Horizon Initiative servers to view these documents.

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Verifying Horizon Initiative credentials…
Accessing Universal Texts…
Querying "Dinosaur Gospel"…
3 texts found.
History of the Redlands, Chapter 21;
Wanderings of Umberfoot, Chapter 7;
Hymn to the Turning Lights, Chapter 1

The Tournament of Bright Autumn
21 4Blue-Feathers, his crest at peak and teeth bared, roared challenge to the Black-And-Green Scale, so that they might meet on the field in single combat and settle the matter of the honor of She-Who-Tears-At-Furred-Ones. 5The battle would be by bone-spear, riding upon their beaked beasts, until one lay slain and the matter of honor had been sealed, and the line could then continue by her eggs. 6And unwilling to be shamed the Black-And-Green Scale took up this challenge, and each departed for their own land, to return to the field in three days' time.
7On the third day, Blue-Feathers returned with his company to the field, and they were eighty-two6 strong. 8Their crests they had adorned with the red earth, and their claws of the same, 9and thus arrayed Blue-Feathers took up his weapon and bestrode his mount. 10Then did the host of the Black-And-Green Scale come up, and they were even greater, numbering one hundred and three, and they too had donned their ceremonial colouration. 11Besides these there was a great host that had come to observe, and [Indistinguishable] and her company about her.
12Then did a captain of Blue-Feathers look to the sky, and he spoke: “I see the enduring light migrating low, and it draws nigh to the flank of the sacred mountain. Surely this is a good omen, and fortune shall favour you in this contest; he shall be delivered unto you.” 13But Blue-Feathers replied, “Speak not of fortune or of omens to me. For does not one control his future by his own strength only, and take no heed of whatever else may be? And this day
[At this point the text breaks off until a much later point in the narrative. Remaining verses may be found under query: History of the Redlands]

7 In that place it had come to pass that a great landfall had occurred, and it had blocked the flow of the river and contaminated the lower slopes with mud. 8Therefore Redcrest had departed from his burrows, and had journeyed into the east, seeking the great plains and the persistent river-pools that were there, 9for he had been told that the land was fertile and gave forth many lizards and insects for food. 10But Umberfoot had no knowledge of this, and she ascended the mountain-slope, and she made the call that was to summon him. 11But Redcrest came not.
12Thinking to herself that she had merely come upon a time when he was hunting, she settled herself down beneath the dark trees to wait. 11But when the night fell, she perceived that he did not return. 13So she rose and journeyed three more days, until she entered the hill country.
14In this place the forest became thin, and
[The following five lines have been lost]
20 “What is that to us?” they asked. 21So she continued on, until she encountered a herd of the small gliding beasts, and they were hunting, upturning the vegetation with their feet and their beaks to drive out the insects and the scurrying creatures. 22And she asked of them, “Do ye know the paths of this land? For they are unfamiliar to me, and yet here was I sent to seek the holy one, who I have heard dwells far from here.” 23And they answered: “There are no holy ones that dwell within this land,
[The text here becomes uncertain; it appears that the small beasts attempt to convince her of the sanctity of a certain tree within their boundaries, and demand tribute to it.]
24But she departed, and continued until [Remainder of text lost or absent]

1 Let us make joyful our exclamation unto you, of all beings most worthy thereof
2 You that bring all things to life, you that uphold the forests
3 We will celebrate you at the breaking of the day, in all your many names
3 And at its ending we shall sing them again
4 For you are without fail, o ruling lights
5 Never in all memory have you ceased in your appearance
6 Or refrained from arising at the proper time and season
7 Ye timekeepers, ye commanders of the present and the future
8 Unto you shall I cry honour; every day, until the failing of my strength
9 For the splendour of your shine is above telling
10 Oh ye sky-creatures, oh ye heaven-denizens
11 Who then can conceive of the reach of your necks
12 And the range of your territories; the land over which you roam extends from the uttermost rims of the world to its center
13 From the waters to the high deserts, and from the river to the swampland
14 All that tread upon and over them make obeisance to you
15 All set their voices up like steam at the sight of you.
[Remaining verses lost or absent]7

Addendum 5737-2: Personal reflection of Dr. Copeland

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When the Foundation first assigned me to SCP-5737, and when the data first began to link together into a coherent narrative, I… have to admit I was not surprised. As I progressed in my research, I had been fearing - or hoping for - what felt like the inevitable approach of this day: that something would appear and prove to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the ontological naturalists were right, and metaphysical belief is objectively false. It is an ages-old war: is pure mechanism too cold and comfortless and inhuman? Is any sort of faith just self-delusion? It is clear why knowledge of SCP-5737 was so restricted, even though it bears no unforeseen threat; such a revelation would shake anybody to their core.
So what are we, those with clearance to know this, to do? Ought we to doubt any belief we hold that has not been supported by extensive, rigorous, double-blind scientific study? Are we to discount the experience of any feeling that does not have a currently-available and strictly rational explanation? Are we to discount the experience of emotion at all? Such a worldview, although highly conservative and prone to Type II error, would serve as something of an inoculation against the effects of SCP-5737.
And yet, it seems a miserable way to live. In consistent doubt of one's own ability to even perceive the world as it truly is, regardless of understanding. I am not a theologian, nor a ethologist, nor even a psychologist - I am a paleontologist, and have always considered myself somewhat detached from such philosophical questions. After all, the past is unchangeable, and what we have access to is merely a hugely-incomplete record of its physical processes. The mechanistic is the only view through which any kind of study is possible.
Yet I can say with confidence that I am not among the resistant to SCP-5737. I have never professed a formal religion, but I have observed things that have taken away my breath, that I have felt myself unworthy to see: escarpments with bedding spanning hundreds of millions of years, that felt like looking down time itself, and acritarchs so perfectly and precisely formed, at such a small scale, that they seemed nearly impossible. Things that seemed very similar, qualia-wise, to the way my more religious colleagues speak of God.
We, the Foundation, have since our inception been dedicated to the preservation of normalcy, as defined not in the mathematical sense but by our own, qualitative perceptions of the state of the world. Yet surely a truly scientific approach would make no claims as to normality. As well as we can measure, the anomalous and the non-anomalous exist with equal validity. The belief that there is a normal might not be supported by any other agency, and yet we are all willing to live and die in its name. I have heard that everyone worships something, and the only choice is what: perhaps that is ours. I say this not to condemn, nor to extol, merely to attempt to observe.
What would the world have been like without SCP-5737? How much of what we think, feel, value can be attributed to its action? What traces has it left in our millions of years of history - and will it ever degrade? One thing every paleontologist knows with certainty is that his study cannot ever have control groups, or replications, or an n greater than 1; there has only been one history, and evolution winds the clock forwards but never winds it back. I may wonder what another world, and another normalcy, would have looked like until the day I die, and receive no more clarity than I have now.
I suppose I will have to be content with that.

Footnotes
1. The clade Nephrozoa encompasses all animals with a true coelom, digestive tract, excretory organs, and nerve cords.
2. Plesiomorphic characters are ancestral within a group of organisms, in contrast with apomorphic characters, which are more recent changes away from this ancestral state.
3. For more information, see “Measuring Spirituality as a Universal Human Experience: A Review of Spirituality Questionnaires” by E.J. Meezenbroek et al.
4. See "The Author of the Acacia Seeds" by U.K. Guin.
5. An age of the Early Cretaceous spanning 145-140 MYA.
6. The exact value represented by this number is unknown, but it appears to represent a company of significant size.
7. It should be noted that the behaviour described here bears significant resemblance to the tendency of extant Aves to engage in crepuscular vocalization, commonly known as the “dawn chorus”.

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