SCP-1813
Schrödinger
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-1813 is kept in a 200000 L tank constructed with reinforced glass, located in the biological sector of Site-18. SCP-1813 is to be fed a diet of lettuce three times weekly.
Maintenance and security personnel are to be mute or muted prosthetically before performing duties in the area. Any vocalization in the cell is grounds for disciplinary action or termination depending on propagation of the effect.
The area is monitored with surveillance cameras at all times.
Jets with the purpose of churning the water to harmlessly frighten SCP-1813 and cause it to vocalize are installed in the tank and may only be activated for testing purposes with approval from the Site Director. SCP-1813 is to be fed double the amount of lettuce after tests and is to be supervised for at least eight hours daily, regardless of testing, by a marine biologist equipped with noise cancelling headgear.
Description
SCP-1813 is a female manatee, 45 years of age, with a weight of 1,252 kilograms, and measuring 4.7 meters long. SCP-1813 was recovered from a canal near an electrical facility on the shore of Hillsborough Bay, in Apollo Beach, Florida. SCP-1813 is physically and behaviorally normal.
SCP-1813 emits vocalizations audible four to five minutes before and after they are actually performed. SCP-1813 is not louder than a mundane manatee, but sound emitted appears to 'bounce' off itself, increasing in volume exponentially before abruptly fading. The sound produces a rippling effect, causing subtle visible distortions in the surrounding area.
While SCP-1813 vocalizes, living subjects within its radius can be observed with one to eight transparent, incorporeal duplicates of themselves. The copies move through space as the subject had, and will have, until finally merging into the original subject's present location with no harmful effect. Extended exposure, however, appears to cause variances in the effect with copies of the subject moving in ways that the subject hadn't, or would not. Further prolonged exposure testing is not recommended as this tends to cause original subjects to exhibit unpredictable properties requiring original classifications.
The effect does not present itself when subjects are exposed to recordings of SCP-1813. Visual disturbances are not detrimental to living subjects or inanimate materials.
SCP-1813 does not seem to create physical duplicates of itself when it vocalizes. It is not known whether or not the duplicates simply do not exist, or if they overlap SCP-1813 in such a way that they would be invisible.
Addendum: Testing Transcript 005 During this test the subject was asked to vocalize a certain phrase repeatedly while exposed to SCP-1813, to ascertain whether or not an asynchronous vocalization similar to those of SCP-1813 would manifest itself if the subject also were to vocalize within its range of influence. D-4293 was provided with earplugs, placed on the grating over the tank of SCP-1813, and ordered to pace slowly back and forth during the procedure.
The following transcript is only a rough approximation of the actual audio due to distortions caused by SCP-1813.
D-4293: Say it now?
Dr. Sanders: Yes. Begin.
Jets in SCP-1813s tank begin churning the water, startling SCP-1813 and causing it to emit frightened vocalizations.1
D-4293: Uh… In Flanders fields the poppies blow.
Four duplicates of D-4293 appear following and leading his path. D-4293-3 develops a slightly different facial structure and eye color than the rest toward the end of the test.
D-4293-1: Uh… Flanders fields the poppies blow.
D-4293-2: Flanders fields the poppies blow.
D-4293: What the hell is that!
The testing subject appears to be startled by the apparitions and attempts to exit the containment area, banging on the door repeatedly.
D-4293-3: What Flanders hell the poppies that blow.
D-4293-4: Flanders hell let the poppies did that blow.
D-4923 enters a fetal position near the cell wall and begins screaming.
D-4293: Alright I did it let me out! Let me the fuck out!
D-4293-1: Alright Flanders blow to Hell.D-4293-2: I did it to Hell fuck I did the blow.
The copies continue vocalizing, barely visible due to the testing subject's lack of movement. Save for weeping the subject does not make any other vocalizations. This goes on for five minutes until new results are observed.
D-4293-2: Alright. What the hell is Flanders?
D-4293-4: What the hell is that?
D-4293-1: The hell is the fields.
D-4293-3: Uh. Is that it?
The copies appear to be conversing with one another with dialogue previously spoken by D-4293. This goes on for three minutes.
After four minutes the copies appear to move out of sync with D-4293, moving over slightly from his position on the ground near the wall of the cell.
D-4293-1 through 4 appear to be in physical pain, with their hands grasping their heads. Unique vocalizations from the copies can be heard during this time.
D-4293-3: My head! Oh my god the noise!
D-4293-4: The noise! My head!
The vocalizations from the copies appear to echo from one another until sound levels in the cell reach a peak of 150 decibels. D-4293 shields his ears with the provided earplugs. Jets in SCP-1813's tank powered off, SCP-1813 is now in a calm and silent state.
Blood can be seen discharged from the ear canals of the copies before their falling over, and becoming motionless. It is apparent at this point that three of the copies do not have earplugs. The copies disappear instantaneously.
D-4293 rises and faces the cell door. Sound is produced from D-4293's location prior to his vocalizing. Speech originating from the testing subject is denoted with a C.
D-4293: No! Let me go!
D-4293-C: What the hell?
D-4293: Happy birthday, honey!
Dr. Sanders: That concludes the testing. Please exit the cell.
D-4293: What do you mean I broke protocol?
D-4293-C: Wait what?
D-4293: I'm innocent!
D-4293: I want a robot!
D-4293: Does that mean you're releasing me?
D-4293 begins vomiting. He is manually removed from the cell. D-4293 exhibits this unique auditory effect until, before, and five hours after termination.
Researcher's Note: 005 Auditory Test: The SCP-1813 effect causes something like a physical echo, although the reasons for the divergent behaviors of the copies is not completely understood. It is also apparent at this point that in addition to copies saying things that they did not yet say, also say things that they would not and will not say.
Testing with white rats in a complex maze in SCP-1813's chamber reveal a minimal amount of copies (1-2). Paths chosen by the copies in the maze are at most times completely different from the original subject's intended and traveled path. Copies also vary in color, sometimes being black or brown, and in one instance, purple.