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Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Safe Under Evaluation
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX and its related components are to collectively reside in a designated storage locker at Site-19. The locker itself is a standard Foundation locker used site-wide, large enough to accommodate for SCP-XXXX and its necessary equipment. A keypad containing a six-digit access code will allow access to the contents of the locker, with periodic code changes by Dr. Grundman. All researchers and personnel responsible in testing/accessing the SCP will be notified of this passcode change. The SCP itself is to be stored in a standard-size single-disc black jewel CD case, which will be provided by the foundation. If visible damage appears on the CD case, the foundation will provide compensation with new CD cases.
In addition to the SCP itself, a CD player will be supplied for audio playback, as well as a pair of standard-use headphones. These will as well be stored in SCP-XXXX’s designated storage locker. All audio playback and listening are to be done with these headphones exclusively. Any audio playback of SCP-XXXX using speakers or any other medium is strictly prohibited. Personnel are forbidden to listen to SCP-XXXX's audio at all times, unless during exposure testing. In the case of exposure testing, listening times of SCP-XXXX are to be strictly regulated to Dr. Grundman's research in increments of 0-15 minutes, 15-20 minutes, and 20-30 minutes, 36 seconds. Class-D used in experimentation are to be restrained to avoid damage to the SCP or its equipment. If a test subject manages to remove their headphones, the SCP must be replayed from the beginning and the test must be repeated to avoid test result discrepancies. Any audio duplication or CD burning of SCP-XXXX is strictly prohibited.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a seemingly generic CD that appears to have been manufactured in the mid to late 1990s. The SCP exhibits no distinguishable factors such as album art or graphics: both sides of the SCP are devoid of company/brand names or distinguishable company logos. The SCP seems to be custom-made and erased of any identifying factors other than minor aging and infrequent scratches on the readable mirror side.
The SCP has retained its original ability of audio playback, containing a single track lasting exactly 30 minutes and 36 seconds. The track itself contains drums, low-tuned guitars, bass, and unintelligible vocals that follow a common 4-measure melody of the following eighth-note pattern: F3, F3, F3, F3, F3, A#3, G#3, F#3, F3, F3, F3, F3. This melody continues throughout each instrument in the entire track at a consistent tempo of 110 BPM. At exactly 15 minutes, the audio quality drastically decreases and the vocal channel cuts out, replaced with a consistent audio loop of a human male crying. As the track progresses, the crying becomes more intense and reaches a human male audibly screaming in noticeable desolation at the 20-minute mark. This continues until the 30-minute mark when the rest of the audio cuts out. The crying and screaming audio loops continue for 36 seconds until the audio eventually fades out as the track is finished. Upon research done by the designated SCP-XXXX research team, no known band/album/song matches with the melody and music found on the SCP; the audio appears to be exclusive to this CD alone.
Experimentation on Class-D personnel have shown SCP-XXXX’s anomalous properties do not occur until approximately 15 minutes into the listening of the audio. Human test subjects grow visibly agitated and nervous past this mark, visibly becoming more upset as the track progresses, often mimicking the audio loops heard in the song. By the 20 minute mark, subjects begin to cry and act in a distressed manner, crying out in, as described by on-site researchers, ‘moans of horrendous pain’. Most often, test subjects will also act violently and aggressively at this point. Some subjects were reported to have started pleading with research personnel for the music to stop, and in some cases, for the security personnel to kill them. By the 25 minute mark, the test subjects begin shaking violently, not unlike that of someone suffering from extreme fear or aggressive anger.
By this point, researchers will make the decision themselves on either the completion of the audio track, or cutting the listening research short. Those who have been released at this point remain in a hyperactive distressed state, shaking continually in correlation to the length of time in which they listened to SCP-XXXX's audio. Further study of the individuals has shown that those who have survived a listening of the song remain depressed for a long period of time, the longest being three months' time. Psychological analysis is required for each test subject in increments of weekly visits. If one of these subjects hear a melody that closely mimics that of SCP-XXXX's melody, a PTSD-like reaction often results; the behavior exhibited upon their first listen is often replicated in this reaction.
In contrast, subjects who were commissioned to listen to the song to completion go into a state of brain death/extremely low brain activity at exactly 30 minutes. In the 36 seconds the track fades out, muscle and motor functions will cease. Subjects in this state are to be brought by security personnel to the on-site medical bay for analysis and study. Subjects will be under 24/7 surveillance and brain analysis. Any sign of brain activity will be submitted to Dr. Grundman immediately, and are to be restrained for safety purposes.
Experimentation has also been done using deaf Class-D personnel to listen to SCP-XXXX's audio. The conclusive result was that the SCP can still cause emotional distress in deaf test subjects, but cannot drive them to suicide or brain death as it does with those who can hear normally. More experimentation is required to identify how the audio can affect deaf test subjects, and whether continual exposure to the SCP can create the same result as seen with other test subjects.
Update: those who have listened to the entirety of SCP-XXXX’s audio ARE NOT DEAD. Through analysis, test subject experience brain activity approximately three weeks after having little to none. These test subjects show consciousness and are extremely hostile. They seem to resort to primitive thought process without memory of who they are. They are to be regarded as highly dangerous and should be handled with extreme caution. Surveillance on these test subjects often report them humming the melody from SCP-XXXX. These test subjects are to be immediately transferred from the medical bay to a secure containment chamber located on-site. Constant supervision and analysis from researches are required. No fewer than five guards are to stand on-site. All test subjects are to be tightly restrained with reinforced cuffs and straps. Dr. Grundman and his research team have yet to decide whether these subjects should receive SCP classification as SCP-XXXX-1, and if the object class of SCP-XXXX should be changed from Safe to Euclid.
Addendum: SCP-XXXX was initially discovered at a record store named ███ █████ █████ ██ ███████ in █████████, ██ in 1998. The CD was retrieved from an ‘employees only’ storage room located in the store. Upon interview, employees report a coworker of theirs named █████ ███ committed suicide after listening to the CD for inspection. The employees of the store never set the SCP out on the public shelves, one saying they feared it was 'cursed'. Uninformed employees who listened to the SCP suffered the same fates as described in the SCP’s description, resulting in 10 different instances of SCP-XXXX’s damage. Those who were reduced to low brain activity were sent to a mental hospital for analysis, and were eventually transported to Site-19 after the SCP Foundation gained custody of the SCP itself. Others were reported to have committed suicide after being unable to finish listening to the track.
A police investigation into the deaths of the employees began in the summer of 1998 after the reports of these deaths were first filed. Some of the employees were questioned in connection to the deaths. The interrogations were inconclusive. The record store shut down for several months after public backlash, until it was contacted by the SCP Foundation in 1999. A team of researchers confiscated the SCP and brought it to Site-19 for experimentation and SCP classification. Surviving employees who worked near SCP-XXXX were brought into questioning by Dr. Grundman of the SCP Site-19 research division and have been stored in extensive logs. A shortened, concise version of one of these logs are shown below:
Interviewed: █████ ███████ (will be referred to as 'Employee' in interview logs for confidentiality)
Interviewer: Dr. Grundman
Foreword: Interview of 02/23/99 between Dr. Grundman and █████ ███████ at secure off-site location, approximately one month after SCP-XXXX's confiscation by SCP Foundation from the ███ █████ █████ ██ ███████ in █████████, ██.
Dr. G: Hello, sir. On the behalf of the SCP Foundation, we thank you for your continued cooperation. I will be asking you some questions today, is that alright?
Employee: Yes, that's fine.
Dr. G: [Flips through documents] I understand quite a few of your coworkers have either died or been incapacitated over the past few months. Is this correct?
Employee: It is. Terrible fucking business. Fuckin' horror show if you ask me. I didn't even wanna return to work. Hell, I'm glad they closed that shithole down.
Dr. G: [Writes on note paper] If you can recall, Mr. ███████, there was a mysterious CD you and your coworkers found in the employee's only area. Do you remember it?
Employee: Of course I remember it. That thing was all we talked about. We was always daring each other to go listen to it. No idea where the hell it came from, █████ was the first one who found it. At first I thought it was some joke he pulled, ya know, puttin' a random CD there, but then he winds up fuckin' dead. Spooked the shit out of us. We thought that shit was cursed, or haunted, or some shit.
Dr. G: I see. How many people do you remember listened to it?
Employee: [Sits in silence for a few moments. Visibly trying to remember] I think it was about, uh, ten of 'em. That's how many either died or fuckin' got sent to the nut house. Boggles me that many people decided it would be a good idea to listen to that shit.
Dr. G: Ten people? [He flips through several more documents] That sounds about right. [Writes down on same note sheet as before]
Dr. G: Now I have another question, Mr. ███████. Have you yourself ever listened to this CD?
Employee: [Shakes head] Nah, was too scared. After that many deaths, somethin' must have been up.
Dr. G: [Continues to write notes] Now, I understand you were interrogated by the police about this?
Employee: [Nods in approval]
Dr. G: Could you describe what they did, if you'd please?
Employee: [Exhales loudly] Well, they was thinkin' we had somethin to do with it. They didn't believe that horseshit about the CD being 'haunted'. They especially was grillin' me hard. They thought I did it. I'm in charge of gettin' all the CDs and records prepped and on the shelves, so they was thinkin' I had some big scheme to distract them with a lil' weird CD, then kill them all and frame it as suicide. Such a weird fuckin' plot they made up.
Dr. G: Did you have something to do with it?
Employee: Of course not! You think I'd wanna kill those guys? Hell nah, they was my family! They was my whole life, and now they gone. It's been way too hard without them. I miss them a lot, man. I really do.
Dr. G: [Finishes writing down notes] Alright, Mr. ███████. I thank you again for your cooperation. I have one more question though, and I want you to answer honestly.
Employee: [Stirs a bit] Alright. Shoot.
Dr. G: [Pulls out CD case of SCP-XXXX and a CD player connected to headphones] Right here is the CD you all were talking about. Now, Mr. ███████, I have to ask, would you like to listen to it?
Employee: [Stares at the SCP without blinking for several moments. He exhales loudly and face turns red] After seein' what happened to them? No. No thank you sir. I'd like to leave now, if that's alright.
Dr. G: [Puts SCP-XXXX away and stands up] Our security guard here will escort you back home. Thank you for coming to talk. [Motions to the security guards]
Employee: Thank you sir.
Dr. Grundman's Notes: Employee █████ ███████ was visibly distressed when talking about SCP-XXXX and seeing it again with his own eyes. He must have some insight on the harm of this SCP. More questioning may be required in the future if necessary. Other employees who worked around SCP-XXXX should be questioned as well in order to ensure consistency between accounts.
In addition to interviews with these employees, Dr. Grundman also personally interviewed surviving subjects of experimentation with SCP-XXXX. The logs of one of these interviews is also shown below:
Interviewed: D-8764
Interviewer: Dr. Grundman, accompanied by MTF guard and other researcher.
Foreword: Interview of 7/18/99 between Dr. Grundman and D-8764, first Class-D to survive listening exposure from SCP-XXXX, approximately a month after first listening.
Dr. G: [Enters cell] Hello, D-8764. It's been [flips through notes] about a month, hasn't it? Since we've last spoken?
D-8764: [Currently laying down on bunk. Turns over to talk] What do you want?
Dr. G: An interview, if you're willing. Or, perhaps, if we must force you.
D-8764: [Stirs for a moment] What do you wanna know?
Dr. G: [Takes chair from hallway, brings into cell. Sits down and begins] You were used in experimentation with SCP-XXXX about a month ago. I'm not sure if you remember that test too well, as I know you D-Class are exposed to a lot. I was wondering if you could tell me how you're feeling now?
D-8764: [Sits up] Why the fuck do you wanna know? You my designated psychologist now?
[Security guard aims gun at D-Class and shouts at him to calm down]
Dr. G: No. I'm simply wondering how you've been doing after exposure.
D-8764: [Sighs loudly] Well, I feel like shit. But then again, I would have felt like shit anyway. This place sucks. But if you really wanna know, fine. I feel like a cold void without any type of drive at all. I get fed slop and then I test with SCPs. Then, I go back to this stone-cold cell where I die inside every so slightly each time. I feel like shit and I have no hope for the future. Not that I did anyway. Now it's all just a bigger hellhole than it was. Ever since you played that damn CD I’ve felt like a pile of shit. My name might as well be shit. Does that sum it up for you?
Dr. G: [Finishes writing] It does. Now, this is a harsh question here: given the chance to kill yourself, such as with a gun or other device, would you do it?
D-8764: Of course I would. Nothing to live for.
Dr. G: [Sighs and continues writing]
D-8764: Why haven't you sent me to any fuckin' dangerous SCPs yet, huh? Why is always these harmless ones that just fuck with my head? Send me to somewhere where it'll kill me on-site. Please. Just fucking please. Kill me.
Dr. G: [Looks up from paper] I'm afriad we can't do that, nor can we send you to any life-threatening SCPs. We have plenty of other disposable test subjects for that. You're being kept alive so we can see how SCP-XXXX is damaging you.
D-8764: [Begins repeatedly slamming his head against the stone wall. Begins to bleed]
Dr. G: Sir, please stop. I have more questions.
D-8764: [Continues slamming head and starts to cry. Doesn't respond to Dr. G's commands]
Dr. G: Alright, get him to stop. [Motions for guard to intervene]
[Guard holds D-8764 steady as he screams]
Dr. G: If you're not going to cooperate, we can do something else that I don't think you'll like.
D-8764: Like what? Fuckin' kill me? Yeah, go ahead. Do it. I've been waiting for this moment all along. [Continues to yell and tries to squirm out of the guard's grasp]
Dr. G: [Sighs loudly and leaves the cell. He returns a few minutes later with an electric paino attached to a rolling cart]
Dr. G: Since you will not cooperate, we have to resort to this. Whether you want to cooperate or not, we know how to get results.
[Dr. G proceeds to play the melody from SCP-XXXX's audio. D-8764 ceases squirming immediately and stares wide-eyed at the ceiling. He proceeds to scream as loud as possible and curl into fetal position. He begins to pound his fists against his head and bawls loudly. Security guard gets up and leaves]
Dr. G: [to other researcher] Tell someone to monitor this cell for the next few days. We need to see how he responds to this. Keep him quarantined in this cell. Bring someone in here to play the melody of SCP-XXXX; it’s simple and easy to remember. Record his results.
[Cell doors close as guard and Dr. G part ways with other researcher]
Doctor Grundman's Notes: The Class-D showed signs of agitation and extreme annoyance from my presence. Showed extreme aggression and agitation when told he is not permitted to die anytime soon. Proceeded to react in a PTSD-like manner to hearing SCP-XXXX's melody again. D-Class will be monitored and more will be needed to test the extended effects of exposure to SCP-XXXX.
