DrBriner

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Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures:

SCP-XXXX is to be stored in a small high-value anomalous item storage locker located on Site-XX. No other containment is necessary provided SCP-XXXX is not activated.

Testing with SCP-XXXX is permissible to any Level-2 or higher research personnel pending written approval from two (2) Level-4 or higher staff members. Under no circumstances is SCP-XXXX to be attached to any device or computer system capable of any form of network communication, nor shall any sensitive Foundation data be placed on SCP-XXXX for any reason whatsoever. Failure to adhere to these protocols will result in indefinite suspension of SCP-XXXX testing privileges and disciplinary action. See incident report IXXXX-QQ for additional information.

Description: SCP-XXXX is an electronic storage medium of seemingly infinite capacity¹ which utilizes an only partially-understood principle of quantum mechanics.

Development of SCP-XXXX was conducted as part of the now-defunct PROJECT DATASAFE² by a team of Foundation scientists led by particle physicist Dr. Pleo Briner. Dr. Briner theorized he could augment results from earlier experiments with methods described in Foundation archives³ to create a storage medium with a capacity of up to 2^64 times that which his prior experiments had achieved.

Although Dr. Briner and his team initially considered their results to be a success, additional unexpected anomalous qualities manifested in SCP-XXXX during testing which resulted in a termination of the project. Dr Briner has proposed passive monitoring of data stored on SCP-XXXX. Proposal currently pending O-5 review.

Addendum:

+ Show Abridged Research Log

Date	Notes
03-17-2001	Dr. Pleo Briner begins study of manipulation of Axion particles via ███████ waves for the applied purpose of storing information accessible by traditional computers
02-15-2003	Dr. Briner develops a successful proof of concept. By maintaining a pool of Axion particles in a non-volatile state via containment within a super-cooled ██████████, and selectively bombarding with ███████ waves, Dr. Briner stores a single bit of information on an Axion particle.
07-11-2005	Dr. Briner manages to successfully write a test 64kb JPEG, simply displaying the word "TEST" to his Axion pool; however reading the data back shows massive corruption with letters of the original image almost entirely unreadable. Hypothesized to be as a result of a lack of cohesive structure to pool.
12-25-2006	Dr. Briner changes methodology to instead use a combination of microwaves and electromagnetic waves, in addition to his previously used ███████ waves to force the Axion particles into cohesive alignment. This is considered a major breakthrough, subsequently all test read/writes show zero corruption so long as test data remains under 4MB.
04-01-2007	Dr. Briner publishes his thesis on use of Axion particles as quantum bits in a storage media, which is widely circulated among Site-XX staff.
10-22-2007	PROJECT DATASAFE formed after proposal by archivist █████ ███████ approved by O5
11-12-2007	Dr. Briner and research team assigned to PROJECT DATASAFE; funding and clearance for team as well as size of research team significantly increased
██-██-2008	Initial discovery of "13%%2-%%H%@ARTL$%%-19%%7%-%" folder by newly appointed members of research team.
01-01-2009	Following research notes found within "13%%2-%%H%@ARTL$%%-19%%7%-%" files, research team is able to successfully modify their ███████ emitter. ███████ emitter now demonstrated to create a previously undiscovered waveform which results in a similar, but markedly different response from the Axion particles. Named the "Briner Wave" after its discovering scientist, these waves are capable of [DATA EXPUNGED]. The mechanisms upon which this occurs is not currently understood and is in fact contrary to currently held beliefs regarding particle physics.
01-07-2009	Following research notes found within "13%%2-%%H%@ARTL$%%-19%%7%-%" files, research team manages to write 2^2 terabytes of data to their Axion pool with a 0.001% rate of corruption to data. This is the first surpassing of the 4MB limit. Team considers this the new baseline for research; subsequently redesigns entire storage system based on newly-learned techniques.
09-12-2009	New system taken online, team successfully writes a 2^30 terabyte file using a specially designed algorithm that writes "junk data". Foundation quantum computers confirm the checksum of the written file, demonstrating 0% loss or corruption of the written data. However, files larger than this limit seem to disappear from the storage medium without a trace.
10-31-2009	Team modifies Axion pool's ██████████ containment slightly in hopes to escape the 2^30 terabyte limit. This modification later determined to allow storage medium to operate without the previously required super-cooling, provided the Axion pool was super-cooled during assembly with the ██████████ containment. This advancement allows for a miniaturization of the technology.
12-01-2009	Due to pressures from O5 for project to reach completion, research team begins assembly of first prototype intended for out-of-laboratory use, despite protests of Dr. Briner and his team. This prototype would later receive the designation of SCP-XXXX, and is hereon referred to as such in these logs.
01-02-2010	SCP-XXXX taken online for the first time. Team is able to use their algorithm to write 2^87 exabytes of data before the algorithm reaches its programmed limits and exits. Team confirms 0% loss or corruption of data. Data stored exceeds team's projected upper limit of this technology by more than 800,000 times. SCP-XXXX deemed ready for delivery to O5 command for use by archivists pending completion of several more tests.
01-03-2010	A junior researcher checking on SCP-XXXX's data finds that while previously written data remains present, 2^87 exabyte file now has an entirely different checksum. In addition, the entirety of the team's digital data pertaining to SCP-XXXX's development including but not limited to research notes, experiment logs, and classified schematics are present on drive. Researcher initially reprimanded for breach in infosec protocols, however security footage corroborates researcher's story that she discovered the data during a routine check of SCP-XXXX. Anomalous data promptly removed from drive; delivery of drive to O5 delayed.
01-04-2010	Despite removing research data from the drive the previous day, researchers find their research notes on SCP-XXXX are again present. Investigation shows slight deviation from notes non-anomalously stored on Foundation computers, as well as two researchers having their work attributed to entirely different individuals. Foundation records show no existence of said individuals within the Foundation or otherwise. Data removed from drive.
01-05-2010	Researchers find a single text file on the drive, named "Are you sapient.txt". The contents of the file appears to be a series of questions directed to the drive itself, however researchers remain perplexed at how the questions got there. The questions are signed "Dr. Briner and Team." Dr. Briner responds to questions and leaves questions of his own, and signs them "Dr. Briner and Team."
01-10-2010	First change of drive data since incident occurring on 01-05-2010. Drive now contains a single application titled "Who are you really.exe". A junior researcher runs attached executable without approval, resulting in multiple containment failures when servers running the Site's power grid went offline. Post-incident forensics reveal the file is a virus written to run on the Foundation's proprietary operating system and with intimate knowledge of Foundation information systems security, which downloaded as much data from the Foundation network as it could and wrote it to the drive. Data which could not be accessed was intentionally corrupted, which accounts for the systems taken offline and subsequent containment failures. While test system for SCP-XXXX was not connected to the Foundation network at the time of running said virus, the system did possess an 802.11 compatible wireless networking card, which allowed the system to then connect to Foundation Intranet. All networking devices physically removed from test system. Junior researcher responsible demoted to Level-0 janitorial staff. See incident report IXXXX-QQ for full details.
01-11-2010	After backup of virus to secure medium for further heuristics, data is removed from drive and a single text file titled "Why would you do that.txt" is left on the drive. Almost immediately, the file is replaced with a file titled "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO US.txt" before reverting to "Why would you do that.txt" seconds later. System shut down, drive removed from system and placed into high-value anomalous item storage with further testing prohibited.
04-20-2012	SCP-XXXX research ban lifted with containment protocols considerably more stringent than those used today enacted. Drive placed into a test system without any network connection and system started. A file is created on the drive titled "Are you still there.txt", simultaneously dozens of similarly and identically named files4 appeared on the drive. Researchers then deploy a simple application which allows text to be entered into a box and submitted, which appends the writing to a text file. A box at the top of the application continuously reads from this file and displays the contained text. A number of near-identical applications are loaded onto the drive all within several milliseconds of each other, the majority of which collapse into singularity. When the application is run, it matches expected function but has minor cosmetic differences from what was expected. The text at the top rapidly fills with various statements and questions, some introducing themselves as Dr. Briner or members of his research team (some unknown), some asking questions to who is being addressed, others yet apparently addressed to SCP-XXXX directly.
04-22-2012	After better protocols for communication are developed, it is determined that correspondence is with extra-dimensional versions of the Foundation or dimension-appropriate counterparts. Standards of etiquette for information-sharing are developed, with each dimension hosting information it wishes to share with others in their own "sandbox" folder with a randomly generated name. Despite several hiccups in early stages where algorithms on several dimensions created identical folder names, this system has worked with little issue since.
██-██-████	During routine review of shared information, a report held in one of the sandbox folders shows this dimension's team was successful in recovering the original name for "13%%2-%%H%@ARTL$%%-19%%7%-%" to be "1332-A-HARTLE-1972." Ongoing conflicts between baseline reality and world referred to as SCP-1332-A have resulted in a discontinuation in participation of sharing data with other dimensions via this method, and the closure of this research path in PROJECT DATASAFE

Footnotes

1. The capacity of this storage medium have significantly exceeded their hypothesized upper limits, therefore a reliable estimate is currently impossible to form. Foundation research confirms a minimum storage capacity of 2^87 exabytes.

2. A project which sought to find a reliable and secure method to redundantly store the rapidly-growing Foundation digital records.

3. These archived files were accessed and analyzed for the first time since their creation in 1972 when his team found a cache of files during the preliminary research phase of their project in 2008. It is believed that the full significance of these methods was overlooked at the time because computer technology and quantum theory - even that in foundation control - had not yet reached a point in baseline reality where the data seemed meritorious of further research. An alternate theory has been proposed that this data was simply believed lost, as the filesystem the files were stored in required rebuilding before they were accessible, and upon recovery, the name of the containing folder was corrupted, readable only as "13%%2-%%H%@ARTL$%%-19%%7%-%". Fortunately, the files appeared to merely be orphaned and no corruption has been detected among files present within this folder.

4. Files with identical names collapsed into singular files almost instantaneously