SCP-1235

Description

SCP-1235 is a large illustrated German-language atlas of the world (Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas). The title page claims the atlas to have been printed by Velhagen & Klasing in 1903 as the 3^rd revision of the 1899 4^th edition; the publisher has no record of this printing.

Initial recovery indicated that pages handle normally and otherwise appear non-anomalous. Under microscopic analysis, however, details such as state names, city locations, and shading for discrete political entities fail to appear. Instead, at higher magnifications the atlas depicts a photorealistic satellite view of the magnified area.

SCP-1235-1 is a brass achromatic microscope outwardly consistent with equipment contemporary to SCP-1235's stated date of publication and stamped with the legend 'ADLERAUGE MCMVII'. Its internal workings, however, are highly complex and constitute an innovative method of magnification that relies on superposition of light via a microscopically perforated baffle. The construction of this baffle is beyond known manufacturing methods at the time of SCP-1235-1's ostensible construction. In normal operation SCP-1235-1's maximum magnification is approximately 1,000X - when viewing SCP-1235, however, its instrumentation permits far greater increases in magnification. No upper limit has been established on SCP-1235-1's magnification while viewing SCP-1235 - under experimental conditions it has proven capable of excellent clarity at over 300,000,000X magnification.

Analysis of SCP-1235 using SCP-1235-1 indicates that SCP-1235 represents a microcosm: nations within SCP-1235 are composed of apparently sentient beings at a scale of approximately 1:25,512,400. A typical microcosmic individual is approximately 700 angstroms tall and as far as can be ascertained is composed of microcosmic particles on a similar scale to their non-anomalous counterparts. When SCP-1235 is opened to any given page, time begins to pass at a highly accelerated rate (approximately 1:300) in the world it portrays, beginning from the atlas' supposed date of publication (1903). Closing and re-opening the page resets the world within SCP-1235 to 01/03/1903; the inhabitants of SCP-1235 seem to retain awareness through this reset, and have made several attempts to prevent further interference, culminating in Incident 1235-01.

Although microcosmic events chronologically prior to 01/03/1903 apparently proceeded historically, significant diversions from historicity have been noted following extended observation. Shortly after recovery, SCP-1235 was left open to pages 7-8 - a full-page spread of Atlantic Ocean trading routes - for 7 days. During this time, geopolitical/geosocial disturbances were observed throughout the area covered by the map. It appears that, as soon as time begins to pass within SCP-1235, its inhabitants become aware of macrocosmic reality — though it is uncertain to what extent they are able to resolve images from macrocosmic light and thus accurately perceive the nature of the wider world.

The rapid rise to hegemony in Europe and Africa of a federated Austro-Hungarian state - possibly predicated on the proposal for a 'United States of Austria' floated in macrocosmic history by Aurel Popovici - seems to be a common and inevitable outcome of iterations of the microcosmos viewed via Pages 7-8. Experimentation on other pages has been suspended following Incident 1235-01 and subsequent breach attempts.

Several attempts have been made to contact contemporaneous Foundation assets in Britain and the United States through microstenography - microdots measuring under 1nm were dropped onto unpopulated areas of Canada and African wilderness under British control. Thus far it is unclear whether these objects have been correctly interpreted - the hostile nature of the Central European powers makes close observation increasingly difficult. If communication with a microcosmic Foundation is established, the fate of Site-██ in the western United States (not depicted on the map) is to be determined as a priority; containment breach of a microcosmic version of SCP-███ constitutes a possible XK-class event and it is not at all clear that this would be confined to the microcosmos. Until its status can be ascertained, attempts to neutralise SCP-1235 via removal of light sources or destruction of part or all of the atlas cannot be countenanced.

Recovery Log 1235

SCP-1235 and SCP-1235-1 were recovered from the Cambridge offices of Dr Arnold ████████, a Bavarian-born historian and known cartographic enthusiast who had been previously used as a consultant by Sector-30 in matters relating to SCP-████. The whereabouts of Dr ████████ are currently unknown and he has since been reported missing. A hastily written note was found near the objects; handwriting analysis indicates this to have been penned by Dr ████████. The note, translated from German, reads 'both quality and detail are incredible'. It is uncertain whether this missive refers to SCP-1235, SCP-1235-1, or both.

Incident 1235-01

On ██/██/20██ SCP-1235's object class was upgraded to Euclid following unprecedented activity by microcosmic state actors in the third week of sustained observation. The Austrian Empire, supported by German and possibly Belgian and Romanian allies, launched a significant fleet of vessels into macrocosmic space, apparently powered by glucose harvested from dust falling onto SCP-1235. Professor ██████ was attacked by a number of these objects, which used several milligrams of high explosive to destroy his eardrum - it appears their intent was to enter his brain and cause life-threatening damage; fortunately the Austrian forces appear to have underestimated the extent of this explosion in the confined space of Professor ██████'s ear, disabling the portion of the fleet assigned to the attack. The remainder of the force, however, was successful in rapidly constructing makeshift clamps from surrounding material to prevent further manipulation of the pages of SCP-1235. Examination Room 3 was designated a high-priority containment area and sealed off from the surrounding facility. The central European alliance has since reinforced their beachhead with pressurised habitat domes and artillery emplacements based around the clamps, which have been progressively strengthened.

Several attempts have since been made at resetting Pages 7-8 or closing SCP-1235; in each case this has resulted in an increasingly lethal counterattack by forces from the microcosmos, usually attempting to breach containment or attack researchers assigned to SCP-1235. During Containment Breach ████-03 it became evident that at least the Austrian state has developed atomic weaponry: though these devices are generally less hazardous to personnel than previous attempts by various state actors to modify macrocosmic viruses, SCP-1235 military assets have proved highly capable of targetting these weapons towards eyes, eardrums and other sensory apparata where they are able to do damage on a macroscopic scale. En masse, they have also been successful in breaching Chemturion suits. The americium pellet in Examination Room 3's smoke alarm has also been seized, apparently in the belief that this mass will be fissionable via microcosmic explosives. The increasing sophistication and hostility of agents within SCP-1235 is a matter of extreme concern to sector management; reclassification to Keter-class is pending.