Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures:
The containment area of SCP-XXXX is to preferentially be guarded by hearing impaired guards. All guards that are not cleared by a physician to be profoundly deaf must wear noise-cancelling headphones. Lethal force is authorized to suppress a breach if deemed necessary by staff. Any research staff entering the containment area must wear noise cancelling headphones.
Containment cells are to be surrounded with soundproofed and anechoic walls so that personnel or audio recording devices cannot perceive internal noise up to 160 decibels from 30 meters away from the containment area. All verbal contact with SCP-XXXX instances must occur on a volume controlled intercom system from at least 25 meters away.
Contained instances must be fed 10 kilograms of bovine organs divided into two to four separate feedings per week, with an occasional nutritional supplement for calcium.
Site command must clear instances for testing before experimentation.
Description:
Instances of SCP-XXXX resemble humans of varying ethnicities and appearances, with one commonality being a physically fit physique and facial features commonly associated with attractiveness. Observed instances have heights and appearances consistent with human averages in their area of discovery, but they tend to weigh significantly less than a human of their size would, at only 50-60% of the expected weight based on human BMI averages.
SCP-XXXX instances are carnivorous, and they are specifically adapted to hunt humans. Instances have poor vision due to possessing few photoreceptors, and hunt primarily through hearing and olfaction. Instances of SCP-XXXX consume the organs of victims, and the females tend to dispose of the remains, while the males usually create nests out of the remains for the purpose of attracting mates.
SCP-XXXX instances are capable of altering the minds of their listeners within a 25 meter radius of the subject, regardless of if the listeners hear recordings of SCP-XXXX or if listeners directly hear SCP-XXXX instances. Most mind altering effects of SCP-XXXX involve influencing the emotional state of listeners, eventually leading to abnormally high trust of and obsession with the instance.
The more experience an SCP-XXXX instance has, the greater control it can exert on listening subjects, with the greatest amount of control on record from a neutralized instance in ██████ that led its victims to [REDACTED]. Many inexperienced instances easily lose control of what effect they have on listeners.
Instances of SCP-XXXX have perfect pitch when singing as well as an innate understanding of music theory, even exceeding that of many well educated professional musicians. Instances are capable of mimicking human voices and even ‘inventing’ new voices to sing with without hearing the voice they claim to create. Apart from musical intelligence, all other areas of intelligence tend to be at or below human averages. Most instances of SCP-XXXX display narcissistic and antisocial traits, with the most aggressive devoid of empathy both towards humans and other instances of SCP-XXXX.
Instances are capable of emitting extremely loud noise with the loudest from SCP-XXXX-5, recorded at 180 decibels. This behavior usually occurs in defense when instances of SCP-XXXX project loud noise in all directions. After such an event, instances will often deafen themselves temporarily, but according to tests and anatomical studies, will recover from even the most profound hearing loss. The sound resonates from the entire thorax rather than through the mouth.
Instances of SCP-XXXX gather around large, metropolitan population centers, with the most instances believed to be in ██████, China. Because of their concentration in densely populated locations, instances of SCP-XXXX are likely to interact with each other. In many cases, instances will compete for territory, though some have worked collaboratively. Though most instances become involved in the music industry, some instances have been reported using their speaking voice to achieve mind altering effects in victims.
The origin of SCP-XXXX is unknown, though a dramatic increase in events consistent with instances of SCP-XXXX has been traced through Foundation and police records to Liverpool, United Kingdom 1962.
Addendum:
Procedure Canary
With increasing occurrences of SCP-XXXX, a mobile task force procedure has been developed to contain and neutralize instances in the field. If the foundation receives reports of any of the following, agents should be mobilized and prepared to call for Procedure Canary to be conducted in the specified area.
- New musicians with a quickly obsessed fan base
- A high number of missing persons cases in which the only recovered remains are skull fragments and limb remains
- Singers with various solo songs that have varying or inconsistent voices in multiple songs or within the same songs
- Singers that have performed at a crowded, loud venue without a microphone
- Any reports of dramatic or intense emotional experiences from attendees of performances suspected to involve an instance of SCP-XXXX
- Any humanoid entity with blue blood or blue-colored injuries
- Any and all reports from metropolitan areas of strange centipedes or maggots that cannot be identified by entomologists
In the case of a confirmed instance of SCP-XXXX, Mobile Task Force Eta-11 must be dispatched to the area of interest with noise cancelling equipment. Members of the task force are encouraged to use visual forms of communication to delay alerting instances. Collaboration with local police forces may be needed to assist in identifying victims so that cover stories may be provided to families. The task force should mobilize on the subject(s) at dawn, specifically around 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning, as these are times when wild instances may be digesting food and less mobile.
The most effective method of neutralizing subjects is through gunshot wounds to the lower abdomen, where the heart is located. Instances of SCP-XXXX are highly resistant to neurological trauma, even from intense shock or explosives, possibly as an adaptation to their extreme auditory volume, so agents are discouraged from targeting this area.
Fire is effective in harming instances due to the low water content in their exoskeleton and poor thermoregulation. When appropriate, such as in infested abandoned buildings, controlled burns are authorized when agents deem it impossible to remove all larvae. Civilians will be notified to evacuate the area through red and green signs, as instances are colorblind and will not be able to interpret the warning. Even if adult instances manage to evacuate, the larvae in the building will die. To prevent the spread of larvae, agents are encouraged to poison animal carcasses in active areas of SCP-XXXX with chlorpyrifos.
If the located instance captured or neutralized is well known to the public, then Mobile Task Force Gamma-5 must initiate a cover up of media released by the instance, or alternatively create a cover story to provide to the public regarding the removal of that instance. If hazardous media, such as recorded music that causes listeners to behave violently, circulates, Mobile Task Force Gamma-5 has been permitted to use copyright laws in a cover-up effort to stop sales, streams, and other distribution of the recordings. Still, recordings that remain on personal devices cannot be completely recovered, but unless an instance of SCP-XXXX is nearby, they are unlikely to cause harm to the public. Current research efforts are being directed to producing virtual agents and computer viruses to delete or corrupt music files containing recordings of SCP-XXXX instances.
Screech Events
A screech event occurs when an instance of SCP-XXXX produces a deafening sound, defined as any noise above 110 decibels for more than thirty seconds. Most screech events last for less than ten minutes. The use of tranquilizing rounds or electric shock is authorized in a screech event, as both methods, particularly the former, are effective in stopping the screech.
In the event of a screech without a containment breach, the stationary task force assigned to SCP-XXXX is to be mobilized with sedatives to sedate the involved instance(s) of SCP-XXXX with a tranquilizer gun.
If a screech event occurs in proximity of civilians, news of malfunctioning construction equipment or building alarms can be distributed, depending on the nature of the noise. Civilian witnesses that have seen the screech event directly must be administered class A amnestics.
Studies of SCP-XXXX anatomy and lifecycle were conducted with behavioral and physical examinations of instances SCP-XXXX-1 through SCP-XXXX-6 as well as dissections, X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs taken from neutralized subjects. Most of the life cycle, especially of the larvae, has been observed through field reports.
SCP-XXXX larvae have segmented bodies and hatch from eggs, much like maggots. Females produce egg sacs full of thousands of eggs, but very few offspring survive to metamorphosis because in addition to their high mortality rate, they exhibit cannibalistic behavior in the nest. Typically, larval forms of SCP-XXXX will consume the decaying remains in the nest until metamorphosis, occurring after the larvae reach about 12 kilograms in mass. At this point, they grow a fleshy layer of tissue in which the humanoid body forms. After shedding the layer and completely metamorphosing, they resemble a human toddler. Attempts to raise instances of SCP-XXXX larvae in the lab have been largely unsuccessful.
While metamorphosed instances of SCP-XXXX appear to have skeletons, muscle, and fat distribution similar to that of humans, most of their structure is composed of a chitinous exoskeleton. The cuticle resembles human skin, but can be quickly distinguished in the field by abnormal creasing, lack of sweat, and bimonthly molting.
They have a relatively simple three-valved heart and instead of hemoglobin, use a substance similar to hemocyanin for oxygen transport, causing their blood to be blue. Instances lack distinguishable lungs, tracheae, or larynxes, and likely respirate through spiracles located laterally on the abdomen. The thoracic cavity is mostly hollow, with the esophagus travelling down the dorsal side of the inner cavity.
It is likely that during feeding, the stomach, located in the abdomen, expands into the air cavity; hence why instances of SCP-XXXX cannot easily use their anomalous voice after gorging. The jaws of SCP-XXXX can unhinge, and the true, serrated teeth are located behind the false teeth, which are actually made of white chitin.
The lifecycle of SCP-XXXX instances is relatively short with eggs incubating for about ten days before hatching, then larvae requiring about three to four months to metamorphose into human-like forms. After metamorphosis, instances only live for about 35 years, with the oldest confirmed being SCP-XXXX-4 at 40 years old. Causes of death vary, with the most common cause in the wild observed to be conflict with other instances over prey or territory, leading to violent fights. It is highly likely that age is a factor as well, as SCP-XXXX-4 has shown signs of fatigue and decreased activity consistent with advanced age despite not appearing elderly to humans.