SCP-480 containment chamber
Special Containment Procedures
Site-415, located 142 km SSW of ██████, Wyoming, United States, has been constructed at the location of SCP-480's recovery, and is to be used exclusively for its containment. SCP-480 is to be monitored constantly for indicator signs of an impending fluctuation event.
SCP-480 is contained in a Type-3 standard observation chamber retrofitted with an early-warning system consisting of a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation sensors. Work stations and research staff are to be situated a minimum distance of 25m from the observed center of SCP-480. In the event of a likely significant expansion of the area of SCP-480, a D-Class subject is to be immediately prepared and secured in the observation antechamber located next to the primary containment unit.
Addendum 28-MIKE: To address concerns raised by research staff, a memetic pass-phrase system has been instituted to confirm that personnel are not currently under the effects of SCP-480. All personnel completing a shift at Site-415 must undergo memetic reality confirmation protocols prior to being signed out.
Description
SCP-480 is a localized electromagnetic field generated by an unseen and as yet unknown source, capable of inducing substantial changes to human consciousness and physiology.
Observation chamber prior to introduction of test subject
While size and strength of the electromagnetic field fluctuate constantly, SCP-480 typically occupies a space of approximately 450m3 and usually is observed to be between 2.4T and 4.6T. SCP-480 is capable, however, of contracting and expanding substantially; it has been documented at minimums of 38.1µT and 18m3, and maximum values of 14.9T and 792m3. Although SCP-480 is 62% more likely to experience a major fluctuation event if no sapient organism is present within its area of effect, these events can occur at any time regardless of persons or materials present within SCP-480.
When a sapient organism is introduced into the area of SCP-480, it will undergo radical changes in sensory perception and mental function. Subjects placed in SCP-480 experience a mental state similar to dreaming during REM sleep, and become mostly unresponsive to outside stimuli. In this state, subjects experience the perception of a recurring period of time, either a recent event or a time perceived to be in the near future. Each recurrence begins in the same manner; for instance, if a subject finds themselves driving a car upon a particular section of highway at the beginning of a recurrence, they will always find themselves engaging in the same activity in each successive iteration thereof. However, subsequent events will differ in each successive scenario experienced by the subject.
Each recurrence experienced by those within SCP-480 consists of an event or series of events that will cause heightened sensations of existential dread and/or terror in the subject. Some recurrences end with the subject's perceived death, while others conclude with the subject simply losing consciousness due to unknown means. Regardless of the means by which recurrences end, the scenario experienced by the subject restarts in the exact same manner. Subjects apparently do not retain any memory of previous recurrence iterations. For a partial list of known recurrence scenarios, see Addendum 480-3.
Subjects will continue to experience the effects of SCP-480 as long as they remain within its area. Because of the nature of SCP-480's influence, subjects exhibit acute, unremitting signs of increased stress levels while remaining within the electromagnetic field, invariably leading to deleterious physiological effects. Removal of affected individuals from SCP-480 has invariably resulted in spontaneous cerebral hemorrhaging in subjects (usually occurring in the brain stem), causing brain death within minutes.
Addendum 480-1
RESEARCH PROTOCOL UPDATE 480-T.78
Modality of Test Subject Preparation
In consultation with the Behavioral Psychology Office and Directorate of Neurology, the following protocols are to be observed for the preparation of SCP-480 potential test subjects. Note that a minimum of five fully-prepared potential test subjects are to be maintained at Site-415:
- In addition to the standard D-Class Incoming Psychological Profile, for test subjects routed to Site-415, a supplemental form (Form 480-T8) is to be filled out by the Sector Supervising Psychiatrist detailing Modified LaGrande Unconscious Cognition Scores, linguistic aptitude, and the results of a Full Phobia Spectrum Analysis.
- Upon arrival, all D-Class serving as potential test subjects must have vocal folds surgically disabled.
- Potential test subjects are to be enrolled in an intensive Morse code training course. All requests made by potential test subjects (e.g. food, water, any other necessities) will only be fulfilled after a correct request given in Morse code by tapping an index finger against any of the multiple purpose-built sensors throughout the holding facility.
- Test subjects will be required to maintain a record of their dreams, recorded in Morse code signals. A regimen of steadily-increasing doses of psychotropic drugs is to be prescribed in order to facilitate a more varied and stimulating dream state, as supervised by the Site-415 physician.
- Concurrent to language and dream transcription regimens, potential subjects are additionally required to undergo mental conditioning designed to maintain self-awareness and conscious thought throughout the sleep cycle, especially during REM sleep.
- A test subject is deemed fully prepared when able to demonstrate the ability to communicate the events of the dream-state they are experiencing, through the established Morse code finger tap modality, in 90% of attempted observations. Testing has determined that potential test subjects demonstrating this proficiency will have an approximate 75% success rate in communicating to researchers during an SCP-480 event.
- Senior Researcher E. Moore
Addendum 480-2
TO ALL SITE-415 STAFF
In regard to the procedural inquiry after Incident 480-14 and the loss of Dr. Herrera, the Site-415 Ethics Committee has, by a vote of 4-3, adopted the staff recommendation that Foundation personnel affected by SCP-480 be maintained as test subjects for the duration of continued life function.
While the effects of SCP-480 are undeniably distressing for those observing former co-workers, the correlation between presence of test subjects and reduced instances of containment breaches requires that personnel who would be lost to the Foundation in any subsequent scenario be employed to reduce risk to unaffected staff.
For record keeping purposes, personnel who are affected by SCP-480 are to be immediately considered deceased.
Addendum 480-3 Recorded results of SCP-480 events
| Incident |
Subject |
Description |
Length of Time before Expiration of Subject |
| Incident 480-3 |
D-84116 |
First scenario consists of subject describing being held in Site-415 per standard routine. No other personnel or test subjects are present in Site-415. Subject describes being stalked by an invisible presence, losing consciousness as cell door opens. Variations as recurrence occurs consistently feature an undescribed, predatory presence, and include subject being held directly in SCP-480's containment chamber, being held in a ventilation shaft, and being held in a lightless, presumably wooden box. |
Eight weeks, three days, four hours |
| Incident 480-5 |
D-06518 |
Initial scenario consists of D-06518 at Sector-18 processing center, prior to assignment to Site-415. Instead of being transferred to Site-415, D-06518 is instead routed to an unrecognized facility. In each recurring scenario, subject is restrained and subjected to various surgical procedures; documented instances include removal of facial epidermis, amputation of legs, removal of internal organs, and controlled application of caustic chemicals, all apparently done without anesthesia. |
Three weeks, one day, seventeen hours |
| Incident 480-11 |
Researcher Riordan |
Unknown |
Fifteen weeks, six days, two hours |
| Incident 480-15 |
D-39147 |
Subject describes being prepared to enter observation chamber in anticipation of SCP-480 fluctuation event. Each recurrence consists of waiting for a length of time for SCP-480 to encompass test subject, with research staff communicating to test subject that SCP-480 event is imminent. Time lengths for each recurrence estimated at five minutes, forty-five minutes, three hours, and two days before communication ceases. Presumption is that each recurrence consisted of a longer waiting time prior to perceived SCP-480 event. |
Twelve weeks, five days, twenty-one hours |
| Incident 480-19 |
Researcher Moore |
Unknown |
Thirty-one weeks, six days, seventeen hours |
