SCP-4246

rating: +306+x
Item#: 4246
Level3
Containment Class:
esoteric
Secondary Class:
archon
Disruption Class:
amida
Risk Class:
caution


Special Containment Procedures: Complete containment of SCP-4246 phenomena is not presently feasible, although it has been hypothesized that efforts to impede or terminate the anomaly may result in events detrimental to the preservation of normalcy. A disinformation campaign is to be maintained to actively discredit the legitimacy of claims made by SCP-4246-1 and their supporters. Such allegations are to be dismissed as works of fiction, the product of mental illness, or religious delusion. Communities and cults comprised of SCP-4246-1 (and non-anomalous associates) are to be closely monitored.

It is of the utmost importance that suspected SCP-4246-1 Type B are secured and contained as soon as possible due to their ability to gain preternatural knowledge of the Foundation and its inner-workings. Instances of SCP-4246-1 Type B are to be captured and contained within Psi-resistant humanoid containment cells1. SCP-4246-1 Type B must be physically restrained for their own safety when triangulating the location of (or in close proximity to) SCP-4246 transmitters, such as SCP-4246-2 and SCP-4246-3. The existence of SCP-4246-2 and SCP-4246-3, along with their creators, must be hidden from the public by any means necessary. In the case of SCP-4246-3, Provisional Containment Area-48 has been constructed and must be maintained. Members of Mobile Task Force Epsilon-19 "The Psych Ward” are the only individuals allowed within SCP-4246-3 unless authorized by Site Director.

Description: SCP-4246 primarily manifests as a morbid psychological condition involving dreams, hallucinations, delusions, and fixations of a singular relation to the ocean and its contents. Individuals afflicted by SCP-4246 are classified as SCP-4246-1 and display significant behavioral changes, including the development of abnormal neuropathologies. Most SCP-4246-1 will eventually come to interpret their anomalous experiences as spiritual visions conveying some manner of revelation or esoteric knowledge, ultimately leading to the creation of cults and related organizations.

The most immediate distinction that separates SCP-4246 from unrelated experiences is the inexplicable commonality between episodes and reactions. Frequently reported elements include:

  • Visions of sprawling and colossal cities beneath the sea. The windowless structures display non-Euclidean architecture and are composed of a material described as smooth, seamless, glassy, and black.
  • Visions involving gardens of coral displaying indescribable colors presumably outside the human visual spectrum.
  • An uncontrollable psychological urge to immerse themselves in seawater2, often to the point of self-endangerment.
  • Hallucinations involving symbols of unknown origin or context, usually manifesting as short, rapid flashes that leave fleeting imprints upon an individual's paracentral vision. These visions have been known to trigger dizziness, vertigo, post-traumatic stress, psychosis, mania and/or depression, homicidal/suicidal thoughts and behavior, and the development of new hallucinations3. Afflicted individuals have been known to kill family and friends in an effort to "save" them from an ill-defined but nevertheless impending cataclysm.
  • Reports of sensations similar to those described by sufferers of phantom pain4 and body integrity identity disorder5 but manifesting as healthy people with their bodies intact feeling as though they are missing limbs that otherwise never existed. Afflicted individuals understand that this feeling is illogical and that the human body (normally) has four limbs, but continue to experience these sensations regardless of acceptance. Individuals have described incidents of phantom pain registering up to 12 meters away from their body, as if these non-existent appendages were significantly longer than their actual limbs. There exist several cases of acutely afflicted individuals removing the limbs of others and attempting to graft them to their own body with fatal results.
  • The majority of SCP-4246-1 will eventually self-terminate by drowning in the ocean. While all appear to suffer the compulsion to do so, a minority are able to resist the urge.

SCP-4246-1 are divided into Type A, Type B, and Type C variants. Type A individuals are the most common and generally display one or more of the previously noted symptoms. It is unknown how many SCP-4246-1 Type A exist but their reaction to SCP-4246 is generally self-contained and easily countered by the propagation of disinformation.

Acutely affected individuals exhibit extrasensory perception (ESP), such as the ability to identify information hidden from normal senses, as well as preternatural knowledge of a subject’s thoughts and memories. These individuals have been classified as SCP-4246-1 Type B and, following decades of research, have been determined to be psi-positive (non-psychokinetic) passive receivers - unwillingly absorbing information via ESP but unable to actively transmit it.

Information regarding SCP-4246-1 Type C requires Level 4 clearance or authorization by Project: Awakened Dreamer director Dr. Joan Henrike.

adler.jpg

Joseph Adler, leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom

The earliest known effort to catalog and explain the SCP-4246 phenomena was by English occultist Joseph Adler (1833 - 1921), leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom - an organization devoted to the study and practice of the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his book The Drowned Kingdoms, or The Eternal Dreams of the Firstborn, Adler discusses his lifelong visions and "astral" exploration of the ruins of a long forgotten race which he refers to as the "Firstborn"6. Unlike other claims involving lost worlds and civilizations (a popular concept at the time), Adler's work includes extensive interviews with other so-called "Dreamers" (SCP-4246-1 Type A), lending evidence to an anomalous phenomenon, and makes accurate scientific conclusions describing concepts such as plate tectonics7, evolution, memetics, and physics.

On October 29th, 1920, Adler and nine of his followers attempted "mass astral projection"8 in the hopes of learning more about the "Firstborn". The attempt resulted in three deaths from acute myocardial infarction (commonly known as heart attack), two from intracranial hemorrhage (non-traumatic), and four by self-termination (various methods). Adler himself ultimately survived, but had been rendered permanently blind.

Operatives arrived at Broadmoor Hospital the next day, intending on taking Joseph Adler into Foundation custody. He was discovered unresponsive in his room and was later declared deceased. The body was delivered to Humanoid Containment Site-744 where it would undergo autopsy. Adler's cause of death was indeterminate but was thought at the time to be the result of untreated pneumonia aggravated by recent trauma.

Among Adler's belongings was an unfinished draft of a map depicting an unknown location. It was initially believed that the partially depicted landmass was an uncharted island, as the apparent coastline failed to coincide with any known location and the etching itself offered no sense of scale. All efforts to find this island failed and the map was dismissed as irrelevant until 1956.

Instances of SCP-4246-1 Type A would continue to be tracked and observed, while SCP-4246-1 Type B individuals were secured as per special containment procedures at Humanoid Containment Site-744. There would be no change in the Foundation's understanding of the SCP-4246 phenomena until 1954, when Dr. Charles Baker noticed certain patterns in the Maynard-Sidgwic Test results of SCP-4246-1B, leading him to hypothesize that SCP-4246 influenced individuals are not true Psi-positive individuals and that they are merely receiving information sent and/or displaced by an outside force. Testing this hypothesis required the creation of a new method of Psi assessment, one taking the timing of failure and success into account with the presentation of new information.

It was discovered that SCP-4246-1 Type B require a subject relatively nearby to read, suggesting that displaced information decayed the further it moved from its original source or that it was dependent on the number of sources (minds), not distance traveled (in such a case, SCP-4246-1 Type B on opposite ends of the world would be able to read each other's minds clearly, after the passing of an SCP-4246 wave, as long as there were no other minds to dilute this information).

During interviews of Type-B instances, a significant difference arose between cases where interviewers knew questions/answers in advance, and cases where interviewers were not aware of questions/answers before the interview. In the former cases, SCP-4246-1 Type B were able to ascertain any information held by the interviewer. However, in the latter, there would be a delay 1-12 seconds. With enough interviews occurring simultaneously, researchers were able to conclude that the SCP-4246 phenomena required approximately 12 seconds to reach Site-744 from its point of origin. This suggests that Dr. Baker's hypothesis was correct and that SCP-4246 is likely a frequency of unknown wavelength, significantly slower than electromagnetic radiation (if its origins are unimpeded and terrestrial) but potent enough to cause information displacement/amplification, receivable (to varying degrees) by an unknown number of individuals.

A Statement from Dr. Charles Baker:

SCP-4246, originating from X and traveling at the speed of Y, will reach Site-744 in approximately 12 seconds. I hypothesize that this could be solved by simply transferring SCP-4246-1 Type B to a number of sites at different parts of the world and conducting the experiment again. Hypothetically, identifying a new maximum "delay of ignorance" could help triangulate the point of origin for the SCP-4246 phenomena.

The experiment was once again conducted as described but the results revealed an unforeseen problem. The initial hypothesis was predicated on the supposition that SCP-4246 had a single point of origin but the results ultimately suggest that SCP-4246 is being transmitted from multiple points - greatly complicating our search.

However, one important detail was gleaned from this data. The delay of ignorance dramatically decreased with proximity to the ocean (inland seas and freshwater bodies displayed no such influence). For reasons unknown, the Atlantic Ocean resulted in a relatively longer delay (approximately 8 seconds) compared to the Pacific Ocean which had the shortest delay (approximately 2 seconds).

Suffice it to say, the source of SCP-4246 is in the sea.

Coinciding with the efforts of Dr. Baker was research into the symptomatic similarities between SCP-4246-1 individuals. A study overseen by Dr. Stefan Gärtner noticed that certain, not previously described habits often manifested among the more artistically disposed SCP-4246-1. These included depictions resembling the partially drafted map of Joseph Adler. An estimated 12,000 distinct images were compared and combined (along with Adler's original draft), creating a complete map displaying intricate cities and geographical features. Despite its incredible detail, approximately 20% of the map was empty space (primarily in the form of a large "C" shaped mass left of center). The amount of detail depicted in regions initially hypothesized as water led many to hypothesize that Adler’s map depicted a lake, rather than an island.

In 1956, when the Foundation began to accept plate-tectonic theory, researchers of the SCP-4246 phenomena came to the realization that all previous interpretations of the complete Adler map were wrong and that the image's empty space depicted the supercontinent of Pangaea, which had existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. In turn, the detailed portion of the map intended to depict the ocean floor - complete with the unexpected, yet undeniable markings of civilization.

A Statement from Dr. Stefan Gärtner:

One by one, like pieces of a puzzle, the Adler map was created after months of tedious craft. At first, we knew not what to think - the complete image may as well have been some intangible dreamscape born of the collective subconscious of SCP-4246-1. But scientific consensus became a quick and integral ally, the conclusions of plate-tectonics solving a puzzle we would have otherwise struggled with for decades.

As part of my research on SCP-4246-1, I introduced a copy of the map into my weekly interviews and asked if they recognized it. Their reactions ranged from suffocating dread to excitement bordering on euphoria. This is the world that haunts their dreams.

But why?

The Adler map was divided into tectonic-plates and rearranged to match the placement of continents in the present era. Using the data from Dr. Baker's delay of ignorance experiments, the Foundation was able to estimate the most probable locations for SCP-4246 transmitters. These transmitters have been classified as SCP-4246-2.

An additional 18 SCP-4246-2 would be discovered, bringing their total number to 21. These transmitters do not appear to have any obvious pattern or advantages to their current geographical location. However, when superimposed over a map of the supercontinent Pangaea as it existed 300 million years ago, SCP-4246-2 form a pattern that maximizes reach over ocean distances - ultimately implying some manner of intelligent design behind the creation of the SCP-4246 anomaly.

Dr. Joan Henrike would propose a solution to lingering questions surrounding SCP-4246-2. Inspired by a comment made by SCP-4246-1 Type B #002715, she hypothesized that the creators of SCP-4246 had purposefully hidden the presence of SCP-4246-2 through dimensional manipulation. Revisiting these locations, Kant counters would register at a difference of 60 humes in relation to the surrounding environment, revealing a high degree of dimensional instability. Dr. Henrike would further hypothesize that SCP-4246-2, while able to receive and transmit the SCP-4246 frequency, are in fact safely tethered outside of the baseline iteration of reality by some unknown means.

In an effort to properly study SCP-4246-2, 3 Scranton reality anchors (SRA) were modified to endure an aquatic environment and triangularly placed around the estimated position of SCP-4246-2A. On 08/07/1965, at 0900 hrs, the SRA were activated, triggering the emergence of a 600 m tall, quadruple-helix shaped structure composed of a smooth and seamless black material. Object remained anchored to baseline reality for 1 minute and 26 seconds until the sudden obliteration of SRA units, presumably due to a dimensional tethering overload event. A second attempt was made the following day at 0700 hrs, this time with SCP-4246-2B, producing similar results, though only lasting 55 seconds. Further testing was prohibited, as the hypothesis had been verified and the statistically likely loss of more Foundation assets was deemed unacceptable. It is assumed that other SCP-4246-2 are of a similar construction as 2A and 2B.

Based on current evidence, it is theorized that SCP-4246 functions as a world-wide network. What remains unanswered is its purpose, as the anomaly fails to display any sensible goal. It is possible that SCP-4246’s observable influence (via SCP-4246-1) is an unintended side effect of a far greater phenomena. If the creation of SCP-4246-1 was indeed the goal of SCP-4246-2’s creators, it could have been accomplished by simpler means (e.g. memetics).

During a routine scan of news media, a report of unusual seismic activity in Antarctica was discovered. Relevant to the Foundation was its timing, occurring on 08/07/1965 at 0900 for an elapse of 1 minute and 26 seconds and again on 08/08/1965 at 0700 for an elapse of 55 seconds, coinciding with the SRA tethering of SCP-4246-2A and SCP-4246-2B. The epicentre of these two seismic events was traced to a region presently beneath the glaciers of Antarctica at 79° S, 172° W. Operatives from Mobile Task Force Delta-21 "The Abominable Snowmen" were deployed to these coordinates, discovering a previously unrecorded settlement at the site.

It was determined that the outpost was built and operated by Nazi Germany but damaged and abandoned for reasons not immediately discernible. The presence of a pit with a kilometer diameter and industrial digging equipment indicate a large scale excavation project, later verified by official documents. After investigating the buildings and finding them empty, MTF Delta-21 secured the settlement and awaited the arrival of Foundation researchers.

Recovered documents confirm that excavation efforts were part of an Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps16 operation to recover evidence of a supposed lost civilization. The Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps had been aware of the SCP-4246 anomaly since at least the early 1930s and had been, unbeknownst to the Foundation, conducting their own research into the phenomena. Through the analysis of SCP-4246-1 and their visions, they were able to deduce that this part of Antarctica held something of significance and were able to act on this information before the Foundation. They regarded this theoretical civilization as some manner of "master race", though this conclusion was based entirely on unfounded pseudo-scientific and supremacist beliefs.

Unfortunately, most of their research appears to have been intentionally destroyed and only vague references to the project have been encountered in extant documents. The amount of resources deployed, along with the apparent urgency behind the excavation operation, suggest more than a scholarly interest in SCP-4246. It is believed that the Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps’ ultimate goal was to weaponize the anomaly but how they planned to accomplish this remains unknown.

Signs of conflict were found throughout the settlement, the area littered with empty shell casings and frozen corpses. The docks had been razed and all ships had been intentionally scuttled, while excavation machines had been sabotaged and drained of diesel fuel. Journal entries and scattered memos describe growing animosity between laborers and their Ahnenerbe overseers.

The excavation project had ultimately uncovered the presence of an artificial structure beneath the ice. Classified as SCP-4246-3, it displays non-Euclidean architecture and is composed of an unusually strong and seamless material closely resembling obsidian. Chemical analysis of this material has revealed a combination of calcium carbonate, chitin, volcanic glass, magnesium, and iron, but efforts to replicate this material in a lab setting have resulted in failure. Spectrum analysis of this material has uncovered constantly shifting symbols designed for those capable of perceiving light in frequencies outside the human visible spectrum.

SCP-4246-3 displays an anomalous impact on sound. A whisper spoken within its interior will reverberate and increase in volume; a mere 1 second utterance can continue to resonate throughout SCP-4246-3 for just under 5 minutes. Individuals who remain near the ruins will eventually begin to hear the thoughts of anyone in their proximity. Continued exposure may result in the development of memory overlap, with one such example involving a Foundation operative who came to believe he shared the same wife as his partner. Thoughts and memories will continue to blur until the afflicted individual is rendered mentally incapable or catatonic. Fortunately, this can be corrected through the application of amnestics if treated early.

Attempts to navigate the site proved difficult due to the number of steep drops and inclines, along with the extreme perceptual abnormalities that occur within. The presence of barnacles and similarly sessile (sedentary) organisms further indicates that much of the structure, if not the entire complex, was within the ocean prior to the Late Cenozoic Ice Age (33.9 million years ago). There are no known forms of protection against SCP-4246-3's anomalous influence, requiring individuals to limit their exposure. This has ultimately rendered the vast majority of the ruins inaccessible. Ground-penetrating radar has revealed the entire SCP-4246-3 complex is distributed over a land area of about 822 km2, making it larger than New York City.

A journal was recovered from one of SCP-4246-3's various tunnels. Though it lacked a signature, its contents indicate that it belonged to one of the lost German laborers. Several passages of note include:

They work us like slaves but won't even tell us why. They say it is for the glory of the Fatherland but that is no explanation! I always heard that the SS represented the best of the German people but these men I do not trust. They are strange and cast malignant looks our way.

I heard the voice of Johannes but his mouth did not move. I remembered our mother, how I lament the sorrow our absence must caused her. My mother is dead and Johannes is no brother of mine. What is this?

I suffer strange dreams in this place and it seems I am not the only one. We have all seen the black city beneath the ice. A kingdom older than Adam.

The stones sing to us.
We trespass on holy ground.
This cannot continue.

Plans have been set in motion. We will show them what the Gods have shown us.
The Black City is alive with light - how can they not see them?
They will come to understand its beauty. But we cannot return - the Fuhrer would taint it.
Nobody can leave this frozen land alive.

Mobile Task Force Epsilon-19 "The Psych Ward” was deployed to SCP-4246-3 in order to explore and map its interior. Members of MTF Epsilon-19 are resistant to telepathic, cognitohazardous, and memetic anomalies; to achieve this, they have undergone extensive training, mental conditioning, and surgical augmentation17.

Much of SCP-4246-3’s interior was found flooded, requiring the construction of dams and drainage systems to access the majority of areas. SCP-4246-3’s non-euclidean architecture and labyrinthine vertical shafts have also necessitated the use of rappelling techniques and equipment. After 8 years of exploration and the establishment of various base camps, MTF Epsilon-19 completed their survey of SCP-4246-3. The resulting network of rope and anchors were in turn employed to create a minimalist lift system, allowing the Foundation to more efficiently move personnel and supplies throughout the complex. As MTF Epsilon-19 members are the only individuals capable of safely remaining within the complex, research was conducted indirectly via live video feed.

At the lowest level of SCP-4246-3 is a spherical chamber with an estimated volume of 720,000 m3 containing SCP-4246-4. SCP-4246-4 is an organic mass18 primarily composed of neurons and glial cells - the two broad classes of cells found in the brains of all naturally occuring terrestrial species. These cells are alive, despite lacking any obvious means of preservation, with veins transferring blue blood (hemocyanin) throughout the cluster (indicating the existence of a closed circulatory system). SCP-4246-4 itself is submerged in water and protected by a translucent dome.

After thorough analysis it was determined that SCP-4246-4 was a fully-functional brain, though one of unnatural size and complexity19. It is currently hypothesized that SCP-4246 is caused by the neural oscillations (brainwave) of SCP-4246-4, with SCP-4246-2 designed to receive and further transmit it throughout the world and potentially beyond. SCP-4246-4 appears to be expanding this brainwave across the world through a neural network composed of SCP-4246-2 (strong receivers and transmitters) and the neurons of all living things (weak receivers and transmitters, but far more numerous). It is believed that SCP-4246-4 is ultimately scanning the entire planet in a continuous cycle, gathering information for reasons still unknown. It is thus hypothesized that SCP-4246-1, through their divergent brains, are collecting some of this information much like a filter, their mental instability growing with decades of unintended contamination.


WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FILE IS LEVEL 4/4246 CLASSIFIED


ANY ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THIS FILE WITHOUT LEVEL 4/4246 AUTHORIZATION WILL BE LOGGED AND WILL LEAD TO IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION


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