SCP-1346

Description

SCP-1346 is a corridor, 3.5 m by 3.5 m and 130 m in length, located in the subbasement of the former ███████████████ Research and Engineering Center. The entrance is marked by a heavy steel door, 3.5 meters to a side and almost 45 cm thick. An identical door sits closed at the opposite end of the hallway. The passageway itself is a seamless, cement corridor having no other doors, windows or alcoves. The ceiling has regular lighting placements; however, due to the effects of SCP-1346 everything past 60 meters has proven impractical to maintain, rendering the last half of the corridor dark and in disrepair.

The corridor's anomalous nature manifests at approximately 50-60 meters along its length. Shortly after crossing the 50 meter threshold, electronic devices begin to malfunction. At about the same point, subjects report hearing clicking, tapping and other mechanical sounds, though not from any clear source. Ear plugs and other audio dampening measures neither diminish nor eliminate these sounds, according to witnesses. To date none of these noises have been verified remotely.

During this period, subjects start to report feelings of apprehension which intensifies the longer they remain in the passageway, and the further along it they traverse. Eventually some fear or dislike the subject harbors will begin to manifest into a fully-fledged phobia. Subjects with predispositions towards acluophobia, claustrophobia, bathophobia or other immediately present conditions will respond accordingly. Others may begin to hallucinate, imagining the presence of some entity or condition drawn from their psyche. At around 90-100 meters, or if more than 10 minutes have been spent in the anomalous zone, the subject becomes overwhelmed with fear, attempting to retreat from the passageway as quickly as circumstances will allow.

In most subjects, the feelings of fear and anxiety subside immediately upon exiting the corridor. Many express confusion and embarrassment at their overreaction, and can often be persuaded to reenter (although this invariably has the same result.) A minority retain a fear of the passage, in some cases resulting in long term psychological trauma. Some subjects may subsequently deny the existence of the hallway or its unusual properties, growing agitated and hostile if pressed on the topic. Whether these are natural psychological reactions or some aspect of SCP-1346 is not known at this time. Severe reactions are more likely to manifest the more often a person is exposed.

Addendum 1346-A: Blueprints of the facility include the subbasement and the hallway, as well as both vault doors, but nothing beyond the far doorway. Interviews with former staff indicate that while there was some awareness that the hall was, “odd,” it was ignored. Observation of staff suggests that most people, left to their own devices, have no curiosity about the subbasement and seem to unconsciously avoid it. Sonic imaging has revealed the presence of several rooms beyond the far vault door, but the nature and contents of these are unknown.

Addendum 1346-B: Testing has revealed the presence of a strong electromagnetic field in the anomalous region of the corridor, including an unusual pattern of rapid microwave pulses. These probably account for the persistent electronic malfunctions, and may also play at least a partial role in the psychological reactions of test subjects. These wave and pulse patterns appear similar to those studied in Project Pandora, a military research program dealing with the effects of electromagnetic radiation. The source of this radiation is unknown and it continues to be generated unabated even when power to the subbasement is severed.

Document # EL-1346-011: Log

Experiments involving fear dampening chemicals.

Date: ██-██-████
Subject: D-2245-1
Procedure: Subject administered diazepam, instructed to attempt to walk length of hallway.
Details: Subject reported feeling anxiety at the 65 meter mark. Subject began to report feeling 'tremors' at about the 75 meter mark. Subject shows symptoms of panic. At 85 meters the subject elects to retreat, sprinting back along the corridor. Subject reports certainty that the hallway was about to collapse. Feeling vanished after exiting. Subject showed no interest in returning.

Date: ██-██-████
Subject: D-0357-2
Procedure: Subject undergoes week of propranolol therapy instructed to attempt to walk length of hallway.
Details: Subject reports uneasiness with environment at about 60 meters. At 80 meters, subject reports seeing movement. At 85 meters subject becomes extremely agitated, claiming to be surrounded by thousands of spiders and insects, immediately retreats from corridor. Subject reports immediate drop in anxiety and, upon request, reenters the passage. Traverses about 45 meters before again turning and retreating from the room.

Date: ██-██-████
Subject: D-0867-2
Procedure: Subject administered [DATA EXPUNGED], instructed to attempt to walk length of hallway. Subject under threat of termination for failure to obey instructions.
Details: Subject shows signs of anxiety at the 70 meter mark. Pace slows considerably and subject becomes more hostile towards staff. At 90 meters, the subject reports disembodied voices threatening and mocking him. Subject becomes irrational, arguing with the apparent voices. Further instructions by staff are ignored. Shortly afterward, subject lets out a yell and retreats. The vault door is barred, and the subject is warned that unless he returns down the hallway, he risks termination. Warnings go unheeded and the subject hurls himself against the door repeatedly until giving himself a concussion. Experiment ends.

Date: ██-██-████
Subject: D-1118-1
Procedure: Subject administered general anesthetic and placed, via mechanical cart, at foot of far door.
Details: Upon regaining consciousness subject immediately begins to scream and thrash, then enters into cardiac arrest. Subject retrieved and successfully revived. Subject recollects nothing about the exposure, but subsequently subject becomes extremely agitated and aggressive towards anyone who brings up the topic.

(Note: For whatever reason, once experienced, the anxiety produced by the corridor is not limited to the anomalous zone, and only appears to abate upon passing beyond the near door.)

Document # EL-1346-030: Log

Experiments involving animals

• Rat: Animal refused to approach the zone. This is consistent with both healthy and drugged rats. Rats placed against their will within the zone will immediately attempt to leave it.

• Finch: Finches avoid approaching the zone. Those that enter, either through force or accident, immediately attempt to leave. Some suffer cardiac arrest from exposure.

• Cat: Cats panic immediately upon being placed in the corridor, and will try to escape, battering themselves against any obstacle blocking their attempts to do so.

• Dog: In the presence of a trusted human, dogs fare marginally better, and some have managed to remain in the zone for several meters before retreating. Without a human companion, dogs behave identically to cats.

• Reptiles, fish and insects: Appear unaffected, showing neither a fear response nor any other unusual reaction to their environment at any point in the corridor.

Document # EL-1346-047 Log

Experiment using electromagnetically shielded, direct wire remote control device to traverse corridor.

Remote vehicle succeeds in reaching far door, although is unable to open it. Audio taken from the vibrations of the door detected sounds similar to heavy footsteps moving beyond the door, with a series of metallic crashes occurring midway through the recording. At about 20 minutes of exposure, the remote vehicle began to malfunction and was recalled. Further experiments pending.

Proposals to blast through the far door, or burrow into the area from above have so far been rejected.