SCP-3555

Description

SCP-3555 is or was █████ ███████████, a human individual approximately 27 years of age previously living in San Francisco. SCP-3555 went missing on December 30, 2016, with his roommate reporting that ███████████ said he was going to "go take a drive to the beach" with no further information, and that ███████████ had reported suicidal ideation two days beforehand. The roommate called police when ███████████ did not return by 11:00 PM.

Search efforts were hindered by the fact that ███████████ left cellular coverage upon entering Samuel P. Taylor State Park, and a full search of western Marin County took place. ███████████'s vehicle was located on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at 3:00 AM on December 31; SCP-3555 was located by NPS rangers on January 3, after a postponement due to bad weather.

SCP-3555 remains human in topological layout, but has been distorted, such that while its absolute height remains consistent with ███████████'s medical records, it is approximately 8 meters in length, skewed northeast-southwest, approximately parallel with the beach. SCP-3555 is approximately 40 centimeters in circumference at its widest point. Photographs corrected for this distortion show SCP-3555, apparently normal and alert, with an expression personnel have characterized as "relieved."

SCP-3555 is resistant to normal hand sampling techniques. Though its clothing (distorted in the same manner as the rest of the object) possesses qualities corresponding to a heavily distorted textile weave, the underlying aspect shows markedly higher resilience than would be expected; a researcher was able to make a shallow scalpel cut with some effort, but was unable to retrieve any material, and no bleeding or other biological response was noted.

The cut has not, as of this writing, been affected by any healing process. When combined with the lack of any movement of the object (aside from minor wind-induced clothing motion), researchers have concluded that SCP-3555 is no longer "alive" in any conventional sense; however, a conclusion has not yet been reached as to whether the object is dead.

Additionally, an as-of-yet poorly characterized phenomenon extends a further five meters in the line of SCP-3555's distortion, forming a slanted cone. If corrected for distortion, it would form a vertical 45-degree cone extending from the top of SCP-3555's head. This phenomenon is designated SCP-3555-A.

Humans and other animals with brains possessing a neocortex, or with cognitive processes similar to those of animals with a neocortex, are affected if the cone representing SCP-3555-A intersects their brain at any point. Tests with animals show an extensive variety of responses to induced intersection. Results were largely similar for certain orientations of the animal's brain in respect to SCP-3555-A; if the animal's brainstem intersects at any time, cessation of proper autonomous nervous function is immediate, with implanted EEG electrodes showing epileptiform activity in the affected region.

If the brainstem does not intersect, the test specimen does not die immediately, but tends to exhibit abnormal behavior, with more debilitating behavior tending to occur both with deeper insertion and with a longer length of time spent inserted. Rats have been observed to:

• pace endlessly in circles
• form unusual obsessions with objects inside or outside their cages, or with specific research personnel
• constantly climb their cage walls and attempt to escape at any opportunity
• cease all voluntary motive activity altogether, including eating and drinking
• engage in self-destructive behavior, such as scratching, fur-pulling, or biting up to and including severing limbs or tail
• attempt suicide using enrichment devices or by inserting their head in cage doors as researchers are closing them.

Notably, these behaviors are consistent between specimens and tests when the orientation and insertion depth of the test subject's brain into SCP-3555-A is preserved.

One human, a National Parks Service ranger named ███ ██ involved in the search effort, was exposed to SCP-3555-A, and was brought to Foundation attention when, after several days, he was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, suffering from a Cotard delusion among other symptoms. fMRI analysis showed unusual activity in a portion of ██'s superior frontal gyrus approximately consistent with low-grade frontal lobe epilepsy; this encompassed an area consistent with SCP-3555-A penetration to a depth of approximately one centimeter.

During treatment, ██ insisted alternately that he was dead and that he should be dead, and was unable to distinguish between the two states when questioned. Notably, no unusual activity was exhibited in ██'s fusiform gyrus; extant cases of Cotard delusion are usually associated with disease or disorder of this area of the brain. Recovery was gradual over the course of two months, but complete.

During interviews with Foundation therapists and psychiatrists, when asked about his life before entering the Parks Service, ██ recalled at various points both attending the local community college in Marin County before transferring to the Ranger Academy at Santa Rosa Junior College, and attending ████████ █████████████ University (SCP-3555's original alma mater) in ████████ before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in computer science, though he was unable to recall specific details of time spent at the latter institution.

██ was unable to reconcile these memories, but they appear to have diminished along with his Cotard delusion; ██ states that he can remember claiming he attended the university, but is unable to remember why he claimed this.