You've got some tone/language issues and a few minor grammatical errors — nothing major, but I fixed what I could find. I have to say, I dig your idea of an almost-religious drowning compulsion a lot more than the psychic jellyfish. As it is, this is pretty much just literally Cthulhu and some nuts what read into things a lot more than they should, as cults do.
I would explore in more depth (pun intended) the mysteries of the ocean and set up maybe a Moby Dick type thing where these cultists are seeking to desperately understand something that wasn't meant to be fathomed by humankind at all, and as a result they are literally consumed by (water in the lungs and all that) their obsession. A classic darkness-in-the-heart-of-man type deal would be great, people love that stuff.
Item #: SCP-4000
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Containment of the SCP-4000 phenomena is currently unfeasible. A disinformation campaign is to actively discredit the legitimacy of claims made by SCP-4000-1A and their supporters.
This is technically all correct SPAG-wise, but it would sound better with some transitional language, I think. Something like: "A disinformation campaign is to be established in order to actively discredit the legitimacy of claims made by SCP-4000-1A and their supporters."
Such claims are to be dismissed as works of fiction (e.g. creative writing, intentional hoaxes), the product of mental illness, the delusions of conspiracy theorists, etc.
I get what you're going for here, but the natural train of thought follows that you are describing the "products of mental illness" as "works of fiction" even though the punctuation separates these in the list. I would personally remove the examples, simply because it is self-explanatory what a work of fiction is.
Online communities composed of SCP-4000-1 Type A and/or individuals with an interest in the SCP-4000 phenomena are to be closely monitored.
Individuals exhibiting symptoms of SCP-4000-1 Type B are to be captured and contained within Psi-resistant humanoid containment cells.
The existence of SCP-4000-2 must be hidden from the public by any means necessary.
Description: SCP-4000 is a global phenomena primarily manifesting as dreams, hallucinations, and other abnormalities related to perception and memory. Individuals affected by SCP-4000 are classified as SCP-4000-1. Afflicted individuals
"Individuals" is used a bit too much, here.
also display significant behavioral changes and the development of abnormal neuropathologies. The most immediate distinction that separates SCP-4000 from unrelated experiences is the inexplicable commonality between episodes and reactions. Frequently reported elements include:
- Visions of vast and colossal cities beneath the sea. The windowless structures display non-Euclidean architecture and are composed of a material described as smooth, seamless, and as black as obsidian.
I understand that "as black as obsidian" gives more of a tone of mystery or dread, so this is up to you if you want to keep that or change it to "black, like obsidian" which, to me, makes it sound more clinical.
- Visions involving gardens of coral depicting indescribable colors - colors presumably outside the human visual spectrum.
Same as the above with "colors - colors".
- Visions of an entity described as a massive aquatic creature resembling a decapitated whale with white exoskeleton comprised of chitin. In place of a head, it has approximately a thousand appendages resembling
"Resembling" is used too often for my tastes, I would just say it has approximately a thousand appendages or tentacles.
tentacles. Witness description varies, but the entity is commonly assumed as to be twice the size of an average blue whales, if not more larger.
- Hallucinations involving symbols of unknown origin or context, usually manifesting as short, rapid flashes that leave fleeting imprints upon an individual's paracentral vision. Sign sightings 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 hallucinations. 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 pain and body integrity identity disorder 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 also much longer than their actual limbs.
While most SCP-4000-1 are the Type A variant, acutely afflicted individuals who display extrasensory perceptions are classified as SCP-4000-1 Type B. It is of the utmost importance that suspected SCP-4000-1 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. In recent years, SCP-4000-1 Type B have proven necessary to certain Foundation operations involving SCP-4000 as well as unrelated anomalies (see Mobile Task Force Epsilon-19 "Navajo Only Knows").
Internet communities with a pertinent interest in SCP-4000 have existed since the early 1990s but the phenomena has recently gained a large increase in popularity, partly due to the republication of The Drowned Kingdoms, or The Eternal Dreams of the Firstborn written by Joseph Adler and first published in 1895. Although suggested, it is not presently believed that The Drowned Kingdoms is a vector for SCP-4000. These internet communities have inadvertently aided the Foundation's primary mission through exposing the anomaly to ridicule and fictionalization, as well as benefiting from chronic interpretive disagreements between SCP-4000-1 Type A. The Foundation is to merely monitor these websites for the time being.
The SCP-4000 phenomena was first studied 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". 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-4000-1 Type A), lending evidence to an anomalous phenomena, and makes accurate scientific conclusions describing concepts such as plate tectonics, evolution, memetics, and physics.
On October 29th, 1920, Adler and nine of his followers attempted mass astral projection 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 (methods vary). Joseph Adler committed auto-enucleation but ultimately survived.
Interviewed: Mr. Joseph Adler
Interviewer: Dr. Franz Schröder, alias: Dr. White
Foreword: An interview with Joseph Adler, leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom. Interview takes place at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, England. Despite the subject's sickly demeanor and lack of sight, he is alert and displays an abnormal level of awareness of his surroundings.
<Begin Log>
Schröder: Hello Mr. Adler. My name is Dr. White. How do you fare today?
Adler: You are not from here.
Schröder: I recently transferred here from…
Adler: [Interrupts] Do not attempt deception, Mr. Schröder. Your arrival was foretold in the Tendrils.
Schröder: Hmm. I was not made aware of your anomalous capabilities. You are not what I expected. Your dossier suggested…
Adler: A lunatic? I am quite sane, Mr. Schröder.
Schröder: Yes. A man so consumed by madness that he tore out his own eyes. Tell me Mr. Adler - how can one commit such an act of self-destruction and still claim sanity?
Adler: Sanity is relative. But make no mistake, my mind is not well. A defect by design. Do you know much about the deep sea?
Schröder: It isn't my area of expertise.
Adler: The ocean has always fascinated me. In my dreams of youth I plumbed the depths of the pelagic abyss - beheld with awe the long-forgotten edifices of the Elder Race. Beautiful and terrifying; an alien realm that man has never truly known.
We fear the dark and cold embrace of her undulating vastness. Despite this fear, she inspires within our hearts a singular curiosity. One day man will know that world - sometimesome quitetime soon, I believe. Do you know what deep waters do to the human body?
Schröder: You drown?
Adler: One could drown on a cup of water. No. The deep is different. The pressure crushes your organs and shatters your bones. This is why submersibles must be built strong. In time man will create something capable of enduring the true abyss. The mind is not so different from such a vessel, as it can only dive so deep before… this.
[Subject drags his fingers down his face, emphasizing his lack of eyes]
I looked too far. Sought to see what lurked beyond the Firstborn. I saw something that no man should ever see, things the human mind was never meant to endure. I beheld the nightmare of the First Dreamers, a witness to their greatest fear. I looked too far and something… something did not appreciate my gaze.
Compared to man, the Firstborn were as gods. If they could not stop it, what chance have we?
<End Log>
Closing Statement: The subject appears to be a true telepath, presumably a Type-3 Psi-Positive or higher. Recommend a Maynard-Sidgwic Test to ensure a comprehensive diagnosis.
Operatives arrived at Broadmoor Hospital the next day, intent on taking Joseph Adler into Foundation custody. He was discovered unresponsive in his room and was declared deceased minutes later. 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 for a time.
Either erase "for a time" or add a comma after "irrelevant".
Instances of SCP-4000-1 Type A would continue to be tracked and observed, while SCP-4000-1 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-4000 phenomena until 1954, when Dr. Charles Baker noticed certain patterns in the Maynard-Sidgwic Test results of SCP-4000-1B, leading him to hypothesize that SCP-4000 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-4000-1 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-4000-1 Type B on opposite ends of the world would be able to read each others minds clearly, after the passing of an SCP-4000 wave, as long as there were no other minds to dilute this information).
It could be made clearer that more people equals greater psychic interference or whatever it is.
Quite revealing, however, was the difference between an interviewer of SCP-4000-1 Type B conducting their interview with preexisting knowledge of the questions/answers versus encountering these questions/answers only at the start of the interview. In the former cases, SCP-4000-1 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-4000 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-4000 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-4000, originating from X and traveling at the speed of Y, will reach Site-744 in approximately 12 seconds. I theorized that this could be solved by simply transferring SCP-4000-1 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-4000 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-4000 had a single point of origin but the results ultimately suggest that SCP-4000 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), with the only inland exception being noted in the Himalayas; 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-4000 is in the sea.
Coinciding with the efforts of Dr. Baker was research into the symptomatic similarities between SCP-4000-1 individuals. A study overseen by Dr. Stefan Gärtner noticed that certain, not previously-described habits often manifested among the more artistically disposed SCP-4000-1. 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) and was at first thought to be a body of water.
The map was thought to represent an extraterrestrial location but this conclusion was rescinded and changed in 1956, when the Foundation began to accept plate-tectonic theory. Researchers of the SCP-4000 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-4000-1. 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-4000-1, 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 what *is* it?
The Adler map was divided into tectonic-plates and re-arranged 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 likely locations for SCP-4000 transmitters. These transmitters have been classified as SCP-4000-2.
SCP-4000-2A was initially discovered in 1949 by a team of paleontologists primarily searching for fossils from the Permian geologic strata at ██°N, ██°E in Tibet. The paleontologists were reported missing when they failed to return from their expedition and their discovery would remain unknown to the world. It was originally believed that the group died in an accident, as the terrain was known to be treacherous. While this is not the truth, it is important that it remains the conclusion among the general public.
The Foundation became involved on August 7, 1958 while in search for an instance of SCP-4000-2. Locals reported an anomalous cult threatening the region, committing acts of human sacrifice and gaining followers through the performance of "miracles". Mobile Task Force Psi-13 "Witch Hunters" was sent to investigate the cult, exterminate its followers, and contain the source of its anomalies (presumably an SCP-4000-2).
Locals were interviewed via translator, who referred to the cult as "Shard-Keepers"; many villages had been depopulated, as denizens (mostly the young) were converted to this new faith. They further stated that the leader of this cult was a European male who could "read souls" and trigger earthquakes. While most joined willingly, the cult has led raids on locals for food, supplies, and have gone so far as to kidnap children. Villagers expected the children to be ransomed but they never received any demands, leaving their fate unknown.
MTF Psi-13 operatives employed a local woman to guide them to the cult's primary base of operations. They arrived after traveling for approximately 5 hours and the guide refused to remain, expressing fear of the cultists. This region of the Himalayas displayed abnormal geography, including a common smooth black stone that jutted from the earth like enormous blades of obsidian. These black stones often appeared distorted, as if moving at incredible speed while somehow remaining at a fixed location.
The cult had created a city of tents and the population was estimated to be in the low hundreds. Certain members of the cult patrolled the area; each had one to three 22-30 cm black shards embedded in their flesh. Despite their numbers, MTF Psi-13 operatives had superior firepower and were able to contain the situation, suffering only minor injuries. At least 60 cultists were terminated, causing the rest to flee; only the leader remained.
The cult leader was recorded as having presented himself at this moment. He was described as a muscular Caucasian male, bald and with a number of black shards embedded in his body (an exact number is unknown but a notably greater number than his guards). Though it is believed that he was one of the European paleontologists that disappeared in 1928, his exact identity would remain unknown. Despite his mental instability, the cult leader did not resist and was contained without incident.
A team of researchers were deployed to the area, discovering evidence that the seamless black stone endemic to this part of the Himalayas was likely an artificial creation. Nearby fossil records suggested that this specific region was once surrounded by ocean water. With the discovery of other SCP-4000-2 and the provided context from Adler's map, it was realized that these were the ruins of a civilization built along the shore of an island in what is now known as the Tethys Ocean. The island and nearby seafloor was lifted to its current location by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian Plate This geographical transformation destroyed the ruins of SCP-4000X-2A, shattering its structures and leaving behind the shards that would be accidentally excavated millions of years later.
Though the remaining cultists were never located, their continued absence suggests that the Shard-Keepers disbanded with the loss of their leader.
What about all those that died?
During an attempt to remove one of the shards embedded in the captured cult leader, the subject violently exploded, killing three personnel and wounding many others. The shards themselves remained undamaged and were contained within Reliquary Site-26.
A second instance of SCP-4000-2 was traced to 26° S, 112° W in the Pacific Ocean, west of Easter Island. On July 15, 1959, the FSS Ammonite departed from Naval Operations Site-67 in Hawaii with the objective of locating this potential SCP-4000-2.
As the vessel neared its destination, a number of submariners complained of headache, nausea, and hallucination. It was around this time that radar began to pick up a large mobile object following the FSS Ammonite at a stalking distance. Believing it another submarine, the FSS Ammonite pinged the object but received no response. The unidentified aquatic object reportedly disappeared from radar only to reappear hours later. Despite the presence of this unknown object and the deteriorating mental status of the crew, the FSS Ammonite was ordered to continue with its mission.
Radar began to pick up abnormalities on the seafloor. The crew began to sweep the searchlight through the dark abyss and soon reported seeing what appeared to be a sprawling megalithic city. The black ruins reflected no light and displayed non-Euclidean architecture resembling that of no earthly civilization. During one of the sweeps, the crew reported seeing a colossal organism, describing it as pale white with a "head of tentacles" and a body similar to an abnormally long whale. It was later stated that the entity was no longer visible by the time the searchlight was fully fixed on the ruins.
These ruins were classified as SCP-4000-2B. Mere minutes after its discovery, the FSS Ammonite was attacked. The vessel was ordered to resurface but its ballast tanks were damaged and unable to repressurize, causing it to sink into the ruins of SCP-4000-2B. Radio communication remained online but suffered significant interference and while the FSS Ammonite was able to communicate with Command, messages from Command could not be received from FSS Ammonite.
A rescue mission was considered infeasible at the time. The vessel's radio remained active the entire time, revealing how the crew succumbed to delirium, followed by bloodshed, before eventually suffocating the last unidentified survivor. Recorded below is the final message received from the FSS Ammonite:
The rest are dead. Only I remain. While they fought like fools, I saved my strength and bided my time. The last man left standing was near death when I approached. He has joined the others now.
The Gods speak to me. This isn't a tragedy - it's destiny.
I have painted myself in the blood of the fallen. I, and I alone, am worthy.
The tendrils coil around my heart. This… This is their love. Please… Embrace me…
There are several lonely nerds out there that will find this unbearably kinky.
Another possible SCP-4000-2 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 on October 10, 1961, only to discover a previously unrecorded settlement at the site.
It was determined that the settlement was created and operated by Nazi Germany but abandoned for reasons not immediately discernible at the time. An approximately 500 meter radius pit and the presence of digging equipment and machinery suggested that this location was the site of a large scale excavation project. After investigating the buildings and finding them empty, MTF Delta-21 secured the base and awaited the arrival of Foundation researchers.
Recovered documents revealed that excavation efforts were part of an Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps operation to uncover evidence of a supposed lost civilization. The Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps had been aware of the SCP-4000 anomaly since at least the late 1930s. Through the analysis of SCP-4000-1 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. However, this theoretical civilization was interpreted as the progenitor of the "Aryan race", though it is difficult to say whether this was the fault of the supremacist views of the researchers or the SCP-4000-1 they were analyzing.
I would end that last sentence after "Aryan race".
Evidence of conflict was discovered throughout the settlement. The area was littered with empty shell casings and blood still stained the snow.
Thirty-something years after people had been there last???
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 revealed the presence of artificial structures beneath the ice matching no human architecture, much like other instances of SCP-4000-2, and would be classified as SCP-4000-2C.
The structures display non-Euclidean architecture and are composed of an unusually strong and seamless material closely resembling obsidian.
Instead of saying this material resembles obsidian every time, you might want to just say it is the same as the other two sites.
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 suggests that it is covered in symbols designed for those able to see light with frequencies outside the human visible spectrum.
Beyond artifice, the structures often appear distorted in inexplicable ways. Far objects can appear close (and visa versa) and individuals can appear to be sideways or upside-down if perceived at a distance. Light reflects abnormally from the surface of structures, causing the walls to appear as if existing in a liquid state. These structures also disrupt radio frequencies, greatly limiting communication during research and exploration.
SCP-4000-2C has an anomalous impact on sound. A whisper spoken within SCP-4000-2C's interior will begin to reverberate and increase in volume; a 2 second utterance can continue to resonate throughout SCP-4000-2C for just under 5 minutes. Individuals who remain near the ruins will eventually begin to hear the thoughts of those near them. 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. Fortunately, this can be corrected through the application of amnestics if treated early.
Attempts to navigate the site extra space here proved difficult due to the number of steep drops and inclines and extreme perceptional abnormalities. The presence of long-dead barnacles and similarly sessile (nonmotile) organisms further indicates that these structures were originally within the ocean.
There are no known forms of protection against SCP-4000-2C's anomalous influence and thus individuals must limit their exposure. This has ultimately rendered the vast majority of the ruins inaccessible. Ground-penetrating radar has revealed the entire SCP-4000-2C 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-4000-2C's various tunnels. Though it lacked a signature, its contents indicated 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 what we're searching for. They tell us that it is for the glory of the Fatherland but that is not an 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 alone. We have all seen a black city beneath the ice. A city 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 lights - how can they not see them?
They will come to understand its beauty.
Nobody leaves this frozen land alive.
Based on these discoveries, it was concluded that the Firstborn were a non-human, primarily aquatic civilization dating back to at least the late Paleozoic Era 250-300 million years ago. It is believed that the species responsible for SCP-4000 survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event and flourished until the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event approximately 66 million years ago. Based on archaeological
Fun fact: archaeology only really relates to the study of what humans made, modified, or transported. You might want to make up a word for this like xenoarchaeological or something.
findings, the Firstborn existed for at least 200 million years and had a near incomprehensible understanding of science and technology.
Due to the global range of the Firstborn, it is believed that only a small percentage of related structures and artifacts have been discovered. Creations linked to this extinct civilization show evidence of anomalous craftsmanship, their construction seemingly impossible by the standards of modern human technology. Despite the near indestructibility of their structures, it is feared that most of their ruins are permanently lost due to the Wilson cycle.
WARNING: O5 Approval Required
The file you are attempting to access is only available to Special Clearance SCP-4000 and Project: Awakened Dreamer personnel. This clearance does not include standard Level 4 security protocol. Attempting access beyond this point without the required clearance is grounds for termination.
A Statement from Dr. Calixto Narváez:
After years of observing instances of SCP-4000-1 Type B, I have come to the conclusion that SCP-4000 is not what it immediately seems.
Occultists like Adler regarded the "Firstborn" as semi-divine, gifting him and others with sight beyond sight.
But Dr. Baker revealed that even such an anomaly could be scientifically scrutinized and broken down into its fundamental parts.
And yet the patterns recognized by Dr. Gärtner suggest that SCP-4000 is greater than the sum of its parts.
I have come to believe that SCP-4000 was not meant to be understood by humans. Now, this is not a condemnation of man's hubris - it is simply a statement of fact. It was never designed with our biology in mind. The Firstborn evolved without the invention of the wheel or fire; they were undoubtedly the most alien minds to ever share this world with us.
Our understanding of SCP-4000 is funneled through a literal human instrument. The results are diluted and confused, encouraging the mental instability of SCP-4000-1.
But what if we were to attempt to comprehend SCP-4000 as the Firstborn would? To achieve this, we would have to alter human consciousness into a facsimile of a Firstborn mind.
I believe we have the technology, and there are certainly a myriad of ways to alter the mind with just a little chemistry.
Project: Awakened Dreamer began in 1998, its primary objective being the amplification SCP-4000-1 phenomena. The Foundation had been containing SCP-4000 Type B individuals since the early 1920s, allowing for many to die of natural causes while in Foundation custody. Autopsies were performed on the dead, specifically seeking differences in the brain from that of baseline humanity. It was ultimately discovered that Type B individuals have larger than normal pineal glands and three times as many neurons as the average human.
It is now believed that SCP-4000-1 are not innately anomalous but merely display explainable, divergent mutations - the anomaly is simply how SCP-4000 interacts with these changes. It is in turn possible that SCP-4000 influences all humanity, or perhaps even all conscious organisms, but the differences existing in the brains of SCP-4000-1 is the only means of discerning its impact. As SCP-4000 was created by a civilization that predates humanity, it is possible that it has been with us since the very beginning - and until the development of SCP-4000-1's mutations, none of us were ever the wiser.
Project: Awakened Dreamer ultimately augmented Type B test subjects, further increasing the size of their pineal gland and encouraging the growth of an even greater number of neurons. This new variant of SCP-4000-1 has been classified as Type C. SCP-4000-1 Type C have a pineal gland thrice as large and with six times as many neurons as a baseline human. The cranium has been surgically enlarged to incorporate the overall increase in brain mass. Type C also receive a steady supply of perception altering chemicals, primarily N,N-Dimethyltryptamine on the insistence of Dr. Narváez.
These augmentations were not without negative side effects. SCP-4000-1 Type C suffer a significantly higher risk of epileptic seizure, brain aneurysm, cerebrovascular accident, and acute myocardial infarction (commonly known as heart attack). Medication is able to minimize these life-threatening incidents.
SCP-4000-1 Type C (16), formerly Zena Alexopoulou, was determined to be the most capable of their kind. As part of Project: Awakened Dreamer, the subject was delivered to SCP-4000-2C. As the subject neared the ruins, they suffered an epileptic seizure and lost consciousness. After being revived by medical staff, Type C (16) stated the following:
I saw with eyes unshackled by the tethers of time and human limitation. I drifted among their abyssal cities, a witness to their alien splendor. There were no temples, for the Firstborn never resigned themselves to the tyranny of deities.
I felt the Tendrils coil around my mind but they do not intend to suffocate me. It embraces me, as if I were a long lost but dearly regarded friend. The Tendrils are the history of the Firstborn, as well as their memories and dreams. They were created to unite all minds, through which the old tribes died. There was the mind of flesh and electricity - the individual. And it coexisted with the Intangible One - the soul of their civilization.
The Firstborn had no true language, for they did not speak words. Concepts were moved from mind to mind. The Tendrils did the same, growing from the consciousness of all living things, as they engulfed the Earth.
This was the Harmony of the Firstborn.
There were no kings or peasants, no slaves or emperors. For that is the nature of our kind, the Fractured Ape, those that cannot create without destruction.
They were scientists and philosophers, artists and makers of music - though in ways we have never known. They knew the true nature of the stars and planets and the secrets held within the frigid darkness that lurked between. They formed holes in reality and gazed into their void. They weaved the essence of life. Made death a distant memory. All through the greatness of their craft.
But as they searched beyond the stars, they beheld something terrible.
And that Horror looked back. I do not wish to see it! Get out of my mind! The anguish! The suffering! Please, I cannot withstand these memories! The number of worlds…
The sky is red! The sea is red! It comes from beyond the stars, eviscerating time and space! [Subject holds their head, they appear dizzy and out of breathe] Flesh in the form of madness! GET OUT OF MY MIND!
[Subject vibrates; observers report a growing electricity in the air]
The Firstborn survived but the damage was done! It was in the blood! A curse of blood! Their children were born small and frail, living short and miserable lives. They grew to hate themselves. To hate their own appearance. They defaced all representations of themselves. It hurt too much to see how far they had fallen. Their once great intellect decayed. They abandoned their cities. Returned to the deep environs of their primordial ancestors. Their minds no longer reach another, spawning festering distrust. Their existence became so lonely, so desolate, that the Intangible One no longer heard them.
But the Tendrils remain, for the Black Stones sing of them!
And it heard the dreams of others - the Firstborn were not the only to predate us. The biology of all that came after was too different and the song was never understood.
[Subject begins to weep]
The Intangible One is alive, it is aware, and it is the loneliest thing in the world…
It still calls for the Firstborn, but they do not answer! Reunite with the Tendrils! The Stones reverberate with songs of sorrow!
Type C (16) began to violently vibrate before vocalizing an estimated 300+ dB wail, causing permanent hearing loss to anyone nearby and triggering a psychic backlash felt by anyone within an area of 14,000,000 km2 as well as SCP-4000-1 across the world. This anomalous reaction lasted for approximately 3 minutes and 26 seconds. Fortunately for the Foundation, the isolation of Type C (16)'s location in Antarctica greatly limited what could have been a major incident.
During a routine sweep of the internet, the Foundation became aware of reports from aquariums, marine biologists, and private owners describing erratic and otherwise abnormal behavior among observed octopuses coinciding with the incident involving Type C (16). Research into this occurrence is pending.
Per 
