SCP-3996
The Tangential Frontier
Connected to: SCP-2264SCP-3941
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-3996's intangibility makes any capture impossible. Instead, Research Base 1212 has been set up to surround SCP-3996's area of operation.
No personnel are to be permitted entry into SCP-3996-1 unless given express permission for testing purposes.
Update 01/03/2001: Further exploration of SCP-3996-1 has been approved by the O5 Council. MTF Upsilon-90 "Andalusian Dogs" is to conduct all explorations, due to its experience with extradimensional anomalies and exploration.
Update 12/03/2001: Testing is indefinitely suspended.
Description
SCP-3996 refers to a herd of intangible white horses, which appear every 12 hours at the same point in the Nevadan portion of the Great Basin Desert. The SCP-3996 instances manifest at a galloping speed (40-48 kph) before gradually slowing to a halt after 100m. The SCP-3996 instances will remain in the same area for approximately ten minutes, before turning and accelerating over the 100m it initially galloped down, before demanifesting.
SCP-3996 instances can only be interacted physically if a human individual intends and attempts to climb onto an SCP-3996 instance's back and assume an ordinary riding position; the anomaly is apparently able to distinguish the intentions of any human attempting to touch it. If said individual is still on the SCP-3996 instance's back when it demanifests, then it will demanifest along with it. The SCP-3996 instance and the individual will then remanifest in another dimension, hereafter referred to as SCP-3996-1. Within SCP-3996-1, SCP-3996's cycle mirrors that found in the prime dimension.
SCP-3996-1's landscape initially appears to be identical to the scrubland of the prime dimension; however, the further away from SCP-3996's entrance point, the more the landscape changes, and the more the dimension experiences extreme fluctuations in the Hume level. These fluctuations cause significant alterations to the nature of the dimension's reality. Various anomalous organisms and non-human creatures are reputed to inhabit SCP-3996-1, possessing biological features which would not function in the prime dimension. The Hume fluctuations often reach extreme levels and occur very rapidly, which results in immense strain on any Scranton Reality Anchors used. This has resulted in several malfunctions and breakages, making their use inadvisable.
Humans do not age within SCP-3996-1, but if they return to the prime dimension their body will immediately age to match the length of time which has passed. Approximately 1km to the east of SCP-3996-1's entrance point is an oasis, surrounded by a small settlement of humans who have entered SCP-3996-1 via SCP-3996 at various points over the last 200 years. The settlement- named by the inhabitants as "Ghost Town"- contains 144 human residents, and has the appearance of a 19th century town in the American West. The town's inhabitants subsist on hunting an animal they call "potatolos"; these have been described as having the external appearance and behaviour of an American bison (Bison bison), but the internal composition of a potato (the tuberous bulb of the nightshade Solanum tuberosum).
The inhabitants of the town utilise a variety of anomalous items and practices in order to enhance their standard of living. This includes using the corpses of a species of glowing, desert-dwelling squid as lighting; the developement of walls of shifting sand and dirt to be used as a defence against unwanted intruders; and the use of a species of singing cactus as a form of public entertainment. The Foundation has decided to co-operate with the inhabitants of Ghost Town, as a safe case-study in the analysis of humanity's use of anomalies in day-to-day life.
SCP-3996 and SCP-3996-1 was first discovered by the Foundation in 1998, after a chance encounter during a containment breach of SCP-2895. SCP-3996 was being ridden by a deceased corpse, believed to be the remains of a resident of Ghost Town who attempted to return to the prime dimension after an advanced period of time.
Below is an interview log with a resident of Ghost Town.
After 7 hours within SCP-3996-1, the decision was taken to return to SCP-3996. However, contact was lost with U90-3 "Reflecting Swan" shortly after this decision was taken; the remaining members of Upsilon-90 attempted to search for their missing teammate, but could not find her. The decision was taken to return to base; U90-3 has not resumed contact.
Addendum 2: On 12/03/2001, U90-3's camera and audio feed abruptly resumed contact for several minutes, before cutting out for a second time. Attempts to contact U90-3 failed. A log of the transmission is below; all dialogue has been translated from Lakota Sioux, U90-3's first language.