Per 
SCP-4440 after recovery
Item #: SCP-4440
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures:
[UPDATED PER O5 DIRECTIVE]
New Containment Procedures are being implemented as a result of Incident-██████ following the test described in 4440-██
SCP-4440 is to be held in Site-██, and must be contained within a ███████ alloy metal safe. The safe’s combination must be only known to Supervising Researcher Dr. Andersmith, who may not be present at Site-██ at any point in the future unless further testing is approved on SCP-4440, or in the event of any K-class disaster. The safe must be housed in a 5x5x5 meter secure cell with CCTV equipment monitoring the safe at all times. The secure cell’s sole entrance must be an inwards-opening ███████ alloy reinforced blast door with primary reinforcements directed inward. Cell walls must be made of similarly reinforced █ meter thick concrete with a Scranton Reality Anchor (SRA) buried █ meters below the floor. Security Personnel posted outside of SCP-4440 are to be informed that they are guarding a dangerous Type-Green entity housed within the safe. Under no circumstances should said security be informed of the nature of SCP-4440. If research is reinstated on SCP-4440 the research teams are to be entirely composed of researchers from sites other than Site-██ and must be guarded by off-site MTF Squadron Phi-0 “Abyss Gazers”.
Addendum: Redacted information must only be known to off-site contractors and Clearance Level 4 and higher Senior Research staff due to Incident-██████. - RAISA
Description:
SCP-4440 is a small 20x15x10 cm chest composed of an unknown metallic substance with an inscription embossed around the side in an unknown language that does not originate from Earth. SCP-4440 possesses several memetic effects that are currently within the Foundation’s knowledge base. A full accounting of these effects can be found in Addendum 4440-Hadley. The primary memetic effect of SCP-4440 is the implantation into nearby sapient beings capable of higher thought with the desire to open it. With enough exposure to SCP-4440 the temptation to open the lid of the chest becomes irresistible.
The inscription on the object reads:
“I hereby open Riddles' Well
and hope that I shall riddle well,
for soon my state will surely tell
how much I dared to dream”
This transcription is the vocalization made by subjects for whom English is the first learned language, and other language’s vocalizations read slightly differently. However, in every language the vocalization of the inscription always reads in AAAB rhyme scheme and always contains the same information.
Once a subject reads the inscription on SCP-4440’s surface out loud the lid of the chest opens. Inside of the chest is a dark void that the subject opening the chest immediately feels irresistibly compelled to reach into. Once a subject’s hand reaches inside the chest one of two effects will instantaneously occur for observers:
Effect 1 - The subject will [DATA EXPUNGED] dying due to their condition shortly thereafter.
Effect 2 - The subject will pull their hand away from the chest and have gained complete knowledge about a certain asked question.
When interviewed, subjects who live report awakening in a void and speaking to a disembodied entity that asked them what they wished to know. Once the subject states their desire they awaken in a new environment that seems to constitute a riddle. The answer to the riddle/environment gives the subjects the answer to their desired question. It is hypothesized that those who fail to answer their riddle are subject to the former of the two effects.
Subjects that live through opening SCP-4440 all report vastly different riddles and environments. The records of all SCP-4440 interactions are listed in Addenda 4440-01 through 4440-16. Miscellaneous discovery and research notes and other anomalous factors can be found in Addendum 4440-Hadley.
Addendum 4440-Hadley:
When SCP-4440 is present in line of sight of a sapient being capable of higher thought, or said sapient subject knows of SCP-4440’s presence in an accessible location the subject begins manifesting a desire to open it.
Testing has demonstrated that parameters for “accessibility” include the object being within 300 feet of subject, and not behind any security measures that the subject does not know how to open. The predominant theory is that SCP-4440 somehow calculates the time it would take for nearby subjects to access it and memetically implants desire into nearby subjects who could access it the fastest.
When a subject attempts to open SCP-4440 all subjects who were not otherwise instructed immediately begin to read out loud the inscription along the side of the box in their own native language. No subject appeared to notice that the inscription was written in anything other than their native tongue unless previously informed of this effect. Those subjects who are informed can still read the inscription, however instead of seeing the letters written on the box as uninformed subjects do, informed subjects seem to just instinctively know what it says.
The discovery of this native-language effect happened by accident, when a bilingual researcher whose first language happened to be Russian began to argue with an American researcher about what language the inscription on the SCP was written in. Both researchers initially believed that the inscription was written in their respective first languages.
This effect has a second particularity - normally when asked to open a chest one would tend to try to open the lid rather than read the inscription. Subjects who were specifically instructed to open the lid without reading the inscription found the lid to be locked tight with forced entry seemingly impossible. Destruction testing has thus far failed to damage or open SCP-4440 in the slightest, and further testing has been cancelled due to the extreme value of SCP-4440
Requirements for opening SCP-4440 are very specific. One subject who has never opened SCP-4440 before must be holding SCP-4440 and must read out loud the inscription they see on the box/intuitively know about. If any of these requirements are not met (for instance if the subject recites the passphrase from memory instead of reading it, or if two subjects or no subjects are holding SCP-4440 when the passphrase is read) the chest lid will remain locked.
Researcher Note - My guess is that SCP-4440 is a “contract object”. It’s intended to not hurt anyone except the person saying the passphrase. It’s almost as if the object is a challenge, saying “open me if you’re clever enough to live through it”. If I were to speculate on its origins, I would guess that the anomalous object is actually the void inside of the chest, and that the chest was built by whatever civilization rocketed the thing into space to keep the void inside from challenging everyone near it. I am also of the opinion that it was the void itself that wrote the inscription, and not the civilization that built the box, because a) why would you carve on a nigh-indestructible metal when you can just put a post-it on it, and b) why would you put a passphrase that is understandable in any language to any sentient species on something you sealed into a box and then blasted to God knows where? Speaking of 343 - I would be interested to see what He has to say about this object….
-Dr. Andersmith
SCP-4440 was discovered when an unidentified object entered Earth’s atmosphere and crash-landed in a Mr. Daniel Standorn’s field. Mr. Standorn phoned local police, and a Foundation agent embedded in the force alerted a recovery squad of the incident. Recovery was performed by several researchers including then-Assistant Researcher Dr. Andersmith as well as MTF Squad Phi-0 “Abyss Gazers”, with appropriate amnestics distributed to all involved non-Foundation parties. The crash site was composed of a heavily deteriorated vessel composed of the same unknown alloy as SCP-4440, which contained SCP-4440 inside. This alloy seems to be a extremely advanced version of the ███████ alloy the Foundation currently uses for heavy blast shielding, and seems impervious to damage by conventional means. How the vessel became as damaged as it was when it was recovered is currently unknown, as well as its intended destination. The vessel seems to have a socket where a booster engine used to be, however there are no navigational tools or any electronics contained inside it. The vessel is considered a Safe-class artifact and is currently housed in storage at Site-12.
Researcher Note - I’d bet a good amount that the vessel wasn’t intended to go anywhere but away from the civilisation that made it. God knows I want this scip the fuck off my planet, but unfortunately that would pose an even greater risk than keeping it secured here is.
- Dr. Andersmith
[PROCESSING….]
[VERIFIED]
Addendums 4440-01 through 4440-16:
Artifact discovered June [REDACTED]
D-Class unit 04582 in recovery team asked to approach the crash site. D-04582 enters the wreckage and immediately reaches for the box. At this point D-04582 ceases responding to requests for report and performs activation on SCP-4440. D-04582 immediately [DATA EXPUNGED] and was terminated.
Researcher Note - We were around the crash site for about 15 minutes before we sent D-04582 in. While it’s standard recovery procedure to send a D-class in first, even if it wasn’t we would have still had him go first. We could all feel… something pulling on our minds from that crash site, asking us to come closer. I don’t blame the poor bastard at all.
-Dr. Andersmith
Incident 01-Reiner occurs during artifact transport to Site-12
The Abyss Gazers secured the chest, called for amnestic and large object recovery teams for the civvies and the ship respectively, and we took a Helo out of there. The whole process was pretty long, we were out there for about an hour with that thing. Recovery is always the most dangerous step of containment, doubly so with memetic objects with unknown properties. In total our research squad was composed of five people: Senior Researcher Dr. Reiner, Researchers Dr.Volkoff and Dr.Minkowski, and Assistant Researchers Jensen and myself. I could see the hunger in everyone’s eyes, I felt it too. I wanted nothing more than to take that fucking box from the trooper sitting across from us and crack it open. I bet the troopers felt it as well, but the Abyss Gazers are hardened memetic recovery pros, trained for this shit. We weren’t. Dr. Reiner broke first, asking the trooper for a closer look at the inscription. Before anyone realized what was happening he mumbled the passphrase to himself, the chest opened and he stuck his hand in. To this day I wonder what he asked for, what challenge SCP-4440 gave him that someone as smart as him couldn’t best. He was dead before he hit the ground, before half the troopers obliterated his corpse with small arms. That was my worst memory of working on this godforsaken scip: the handsome face of a genius I admired torn to shreds by small arms lying on the floor of a helicopter as everyone just sat around waiting to get back to base.
-Dr. Andersmith
Test Subject: Dr. Alexander Volkoff
Test Hypothesis: SCP-4440 is a “contract-type” SCP object capable of more than killing the subject, should the subject prove worthy.
Transcription of recording of test 4440-03
Control: “Dr. Volkoff are you ready to begin procedure”
Subject: “Yeah Minkowski just authorize it already for fuck’s sake”
Control: “Subject Volkoff we must proceed according to -”
Subject: “DO IT ALREADY”
Control: “…. Authorized, subject you may begin testing
procedure. Please be careful, Doctor.”
Subject approaches SCP-4440, pauses for a moment, and
begins reading the inscription out loud.
Subject: “Я отпераю загадное дно,
Надеясь что угадаю верно,
И скоро будет всему миру видно
Бодрость моей души”
Control: “Volkoff what the fuck are you -”
SCP-4440’s lid opens, subject immediately inserts their hand into
the chest. Subject drops to the ground instantly and then opens
their eyes and gasps for air.
Control: “Volkoff! Are you alright? What did you see? Report!”
Subject continues to gasp for air.
Subject: “….Си..бирь…” (Siberia in Russian)
Subject faints and is administered emergency medical treatment. Recording stops.
Researcher Notes and Reports:
My strongest recollection from the SCP-4440 test in which I was subject was the pull, the irresistible desire to open the chest. I think it knew what was about to happen, that I was about to open it, and so it pulled on me more, fed me more compulsion so that I would open it faster. I now understand why Dr. Reiner did what he did - that monster knew he was the most vulnerable of us, the most curious, and I’d wager anything that it pulled on his soul magnitudes more than on the rest of ours. I formally apologize to my co-researchers and the Foundation for my conduct during this test, my lack of regard for procedure could have ended far worse than it did. I hereby request to be removed from the SCP-4440 research team and moved to another project.
-Dr. Volkoff, M.D.
When I put my hand into the box I felt my soul leave my body. I don’t know if that was what actually happened, however my body believed it to be so. When I awoke I was floating in a pitch-dark void and felt, rather than heard, a voice speak to me. It asked me what I wanted to know, and I hesitated. By this point I was thinking, thinking about how this thing killed that D-class and Dr. Reiner, and I estimated that their fatal mistakes had been here - The D-Class probably asked how to escape and failed his task, and Dr.Reiner probably bit off more than he could chew; asking about the meaning of life or how to kill 682 or something. I answered that I wanted to know what I needed to do to be happy again. I am certain that the Foundation will be disappointed that I did not consider the desire of my employer when faced with an omniscient, omnipotent entity asking what I wanted, and they may lodge their complaints in my performance review. Upon asking my question I immediately found myself in a seemingly endless tile hallway stretching in both directions. Seeing nothing else to do I began walking in the direction I faced when I arrived. I walked for what seemed to be an eternity, until I started feeling strange. I glanced down, and saw that my hands were wrinkled and worn, I felt like death and age had slowly come for me as I walked through tile and halogen light, and I had hardly noticed until now. I turned and ran in the other direction as fast and hard as I could, and I felt myself growing stronger, younger. Another eternity passed and the tile ended. I was stood in a hallway of earth and wood and I smelled the air of my homeland in Siberia. For the first time in a long time contentment entered my heart. I looked up at the Sun and said that I understood. Instantly I felt an upward rush, as though I was being pulled through space and time, and I felt my age and weariness re-enter my body. I could not see or breathe and thought I would die too, until I reawoke back in the testing chamber and lost consciousness.
-Dr. Volkoff, M.D.
Dr.Volkoff has proven unable to reopen SCP-4440. He has received high honors for his many years of service to the Foundation and has been transferred to Archives while awaiting his retirement and relocation package.
-Dr. Minkowski
Test Subject: Dr. Gregory Minkowski
Test Purpose: To further explore the abilities of SCP-4440
Test Transcription: [Redacted]
Test Result: Subject Minkowski terminated by SCP-4440
Researcher Notes: It’s just me and Andy left now. The higher-ups (understandably) don’t want anyone else contaminated by this thing’s memetic effect, but I just don’t know how much longer I can hold out. They’ve promoted me to full Researcher, but that doesn’t change how unqualified I feel to lead research on this thing. I see it in my dreams sometimes.
-Dr. Amelia Jensen
Test Subject: D-42579
Test Purpose: To further explore the abilities of SCP-4440
Question to be asked: What is 2+2?
Test Transcription: [Redacted]
Test Result: Subject terminated by SCP-4440
Researcher Notes: Of course he didn’t ask it 2+2, what kind of fucking moron asks an omniscient being 2+2? We need to change how we use these D-Classes or we’re just mass murdering prisoners.
-Dr. Andersmith
Test Subject: D-35292
Test Purpose: To further explore the abilities of SCP-4440
Question to be asked: What is SCP-173’s name?
Test Transcription: [Redacted]
Test Result: Subject terminated by SCP-4440
Researcher Notes: Okay I guess that was too big of a leap from 2+2.
-Dr. Amelia Jensen
Test Subject: D-01998
Test Purpose: To further explore the abilities of SCP-4440
Question to be asked: How do you beat the Water Temple in Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time?
Subject Description: D-Class with moderate intelligence, high obedience index, and no prior knowledge of the Legend of Zelda franchise selected for this test.
Test Result: Subject successfully opens SCP-4440 and survives.
Post-Test Interview:
Interviewer (Dr. Jensen): Hello D-01998, could you please
explain to me what you experienced after reaching inside
SCP-4440?
D-01998: (screaming) JUST FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY! HOW
MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? DO IT ALREADY, DO IT!
Interviewer: We cannot terminate you until you divulge this
Information D-01998, you are the only D-Class to have lived
through this procedure.
D-01998: Fine, you wanna know what I saw? You wanna fucking
know? I saw a fucking pixelated ass 3-D game world, in which I
was a pixelated fucking twink that had to push and pull giant ass
pixelated boxes around to solve a fucking gigantic pixelated
puzzle. And you know the best part, you smarmy cunt? GUESS
HOW LONG IT TOOK ME? FUCKING GUESS!
Inteviewer: D-019-
D-01998: THIRTY-TWO YEARS. Do you want to know how I know
that? I know that because that FUCKING THING IN THE CHEST
PUT A TIMER ABOVE MY HEAD. A GLOWING RED TIMER
THAT NEVER WENT AWAY.
Interviewer: D-01998 Plea-
D-01998: NO YOU LISTEN TO ME NOW YOU LAB COAT
WEARING SLUT. I LIVED IN A WATERY HELL FOR YOU AND
YOUR GOONS WITHOUT FOOD, WITHOUT SLEEP, WITHOUT
MY FAMILY, AND WITHOUT GOD, FOR THIRTYTWO FUCKING
YEARS, SO YOU ARE GOING TO FUCKING KILL ME RIGHT
NOW BECAUSE YOU AT LEAST OWE ME THAT!
Interviewer: …… Mr.Jones please terminate D-01998.
Recording stops.
Incident-02-Jensen
Researcher Notes: Last night on ██████ at 19:00 Dr. Amelia Jensen left the women’s housing unit assigned to her and entered SCP-4440’s containment. She knowingly broke our agreement (and myriad protocols) to not test SCP-4440 ourselves in what I believe to be a successful attempt at suicide. In light of this I have been promoted to Researcher and told to continue experimentation on SCP-4440.
-Dr. Andersmith
[TESTING DATA EXPUNGED PER O-5 MANDATE]
Incident-03-05421
Researcher Notes: The test consisted of a particularly intelligent D-Class whom we believed to have a very high obedience index. As it turns out, this D-Class somehow managed to hoodwink the obedience tests, and upon gaining access to SCP-4440 gave it an unknown request as opposed to the directed one. She must have been able to solve an incredibly difficult puzzle and asked a particularly unique question, as immediately upon removing her hand from SCP-4440 she manifested extremely powerful reality-bending Type-Green abilities, broke containment, and began a Site-wide breach resulting in ██ casualties and $███████ in damages. Subject successfully terminated after 2 hours of combat. Containment procedures have been updated to hold up to new information, all testing on SCP-4440 discontinued as per O-5 mandate.
-Dr. Andersmith
[SCANNING RESULTS…..]
[MEMORIES VERIFIED]
Hello Dr. Andersmith,
I am writing to you today to notify you of your promotion. Your work on SCP-4440 has been exemplary even by Foundation standards. Your insightful hypothesis that the artifact was not in fact a kill-box but a “contract SCP”, compounded with your keen observations during artifact testing, your superb handling of the completely unprecedented Incident-03-05421, and your incredible willpower to resist the artifact’s memetic effects have all been noticed by O-5 command. Due to these and many other superb qualities you are being promoted to Senior Researcher on SCP-4440 and are being moved to Site-17 as per updated containment procedures.
That was the official part of this transmission, now here comes the other part.
I know you hate this promotion.
I know you hate that you are now stuck with SCP-4440, and I know you hate us for doing this to you, so allow me to explain:
This isn’t about you, Dr. Andrew Smithman Andersmith.
This is about the future of the entire Foundation and humanity as a species. O-5 council has reviewed your extensive research upon SCP-4440 and has come to a singularly poignant conclusion: SCP-4440 is not Euclid class, it is Thaumiel.
If a K-Class disaster ever occured, this SCP is one of the few we have that could have the answers and power to save our species. Those answers, however, would be extremely difficult to get, and O-5 believes that you may be one of the few people who could do it. You have had the best of this SCP at every turn, and should things turn for the worst you, my friend, may be one of humanity’s last hopes. So take this promotion, move to Site-17 where you’ll have a cozy office and some Safe SCP’s to lead research on, and remember what your real duty is.
Sincerely,
O-5 4