Metaphysician

Item #: SCP-xxxx

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures:

Description: SCP-XXXX is divided into two distinct but inseparably conjoined anomalies which have been classified as SCP-XXXX-A and SCP-XXXX-B.

SCP-XXXX-A has the appearance of a human child dressed in the tattered lower-class garb of an early 20th century American girl. The body itself displays few signs of life save for the occasional twitch of limbs and digits and has not exhibited any evidence of aging since containment began. The skin remains intact but appears cadaverous, possibly preserved by environmental conditions, chemical agents, and/or through anomalous means. A hole has been made with surgical precision where the SCP-XXXX-A’s face should be and it is from this aperture that SCP-XXXX-B is able to manifest. For reasons unknown, SCP-XXXX-A is immune to SCP-XXXX-B’s disintegrative touch despite all evidence indicating a terrestrial origin.

SCP-XXXX-B’s appearance cannot be captured by video or photography. Direct observation of scp-xxxx-B will trigger numerous perception disorders, including visual snow syndrome (VSS)1, visual aura2, hypergeometric form constants3, and disturbing hallucinations that have thus far proven ineffable to viewers but fortunately these effects can be neutralized through the wearing of blindfolds. Based on limited (less than 15 seconds) viewings, SCP-XXXX-B most commonly takes the form of an amorphous mass of black and violet colored tendrils lined with vibrant neon red and yellow veins. These constantly branching, metamorphic appendages radiate a shadowy aura and produce lingering afterimages of their form as they move. The body simultaneously exhibits characteristics of all four states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, and plasma) and may represent a form of matter utterly alien to our universe. Other observed details include the presence of floating semi-translucent orbs, colors outside the visible spectrum, and a dark shroud full of small lights similar in appearance to star clusters in the night sky.

SCP-XXXX-B appears to be immune to deconstruction and all efforts to harvest tissue samples, if the word "tissue" is indeed applicable to such an anomaly, have failed. It is hypothesized that SCP-XXXX-B is extra-dimensional in nature and that matter from our universe cannot harm it. However, this lack of physical interaction is evidently one-sided as any contact will result in the rapid disintegration of matter originating from our dimension.

Prolonged proximity to SCP-xxxx will result in weakness, fatigue, tremors, hypothermia, itching, skin erosion leading to necrosis, and an acute sense of dread. Protective equipment has proven ineffective but these symptoms can be minimized by limiting exposure to less than 10 minutes per day. Though seemingly indestructible, SCP-XXXX is acutely susceptible to thaumaturgic binding and can be contained through the application of certain ritual circles. As long as these counter-occult protocols remain in place SCP-XXXX should be rendered harmless.

SCP-XXXX was discovered within a hidden sub-basement of an abandoned orphanage in ███████, Connecticut on 8/12/2012 during an investigation into the unexplained disappearance of five self-described “ghost hunters”. During the routine surveillance of online communities, the Foundation became aware of a live-streamed video depicting a group of self-described "ghost hunters" exploring an abandoned orphanage that was long rumored to have been haunted. The following collapsible contains a transcript and description of the last 12 minutes of the video.

The video depicts four individuals while a fifth handles the video recorder. The group has spent approximately an hour inspecting graffiti and rubble. So far the only discovery of note has been an unfamiliar black mold-like substance with an almost crystalline quality. At this moment in the feed the group appears to be inside a large and almost entirely empty basement save for the presence of a late 19th century coal-burning furnace.

Woman 1: I think I felt a cold spot.

Man 1: Woah, really? About time we got something. Hey Steve, pick up any EVP yet?

Man 2 (Steve, presumably the cameraman): Nope. Nothing. Dude, I don't think even the rats and roaches want anything to do with this place. There is literally not a single sound but us.

Woman 2: But that's creepy, right? Normally there is something. I mean, the absence of evidence is evidence too.

Man 2: I guess?

Woman 1: Guys, the cold spot!

Man 1: Right!

The group concentrates around woman 1, who is facing a wall.

Man 3: Uh, I don't think that's a spot. Not technically at least. Feel the wall. Air is coming through a crack.

Man 1: Weird. Aren't we underground? Are you saying this leads outside?

Man 3: Maybe? Could be a tunnel.

Woman 2: Oooo! Secret door!

Man 1: Holy shit, I think she's right! I can feel a seam. It's not like the other walls.

Woman 1: So is there like, a knob? A latch? Or do we need to find some kind of Scooby Doo ass lever?

Man 1: [laughs] If only there was a bookcase like in the movies. I dunno, look around I guess? Feel the walls? There's got to be a switch or something.

The group proceeds to wander the basement, groping the brick and mortar walls. The cameraman looks around as well and after about 15 minutes he finds a loose brick jutting out of a wall. With his free hand, he pushes the brick which slides into the wall, producing a noise like stone grinding against stone followed by the clicks and clanks of turning gears. The camera and flashlights all turn towards the false wall as its mechanisms send it sinking into the floor. On the other side is a spiral staircase descending downward.

Man 2: Yeah that was me. I won.

Woman 2: So, the basement has a basement.

Man 1: And to think I was ready to give up on this hunt. This is huge! Hey subscribers! Looks like you're all getting lucky tonight as we solve the mystery of the forsaken orphanage? What terrible, twisted secrets lie below?

Woman 1: God, don't say it like that. I'm seriously freaked out. This isn't right. Maybe we should call someone?

Man 3: I was going to make a Ghostbusters joke but maybe she's right?

Man 1: Call who, exactly? The cops? No way! Plus, and I can't believe I have to explain this, what we are doing is very illegal. The signs made that pretty clear. We're going down, ok? I've got a good feeling about this. You just need to trust me.

Woman 2: Greg's right. We need to see this through. Stay here if you want but the rest of us are going down. Steve? Come on, follow us and don't stop filming for even a second.

Despite their reluctance, man 3 and woman 1 descend the stairs with the rest of the group. After a minute of walking, they arrive at the sub-basement. Flashlights reveal a long hallway

Man 1: Jesus Christ…

Woman 1: Oh God, what the fuck is this shit? No, no, I was right. This is bad and we should just leave.

Woman 2: Shut up, ok? Just shut up.

It is believed that the Empyrean Society removed or destroyed evidence of their activities prior to its abandonment of the orphanage.

The building itself displays a number of unusual architectural characteristics, with measurements and angles consistent with certain principles of occult geometry. It was discovered that a series of pipes connected dormitories to the sacellum5 and it is thought that these ducts were harnessed as a way to covertly expose children to specific sounds and/or fumes, possibly of an anomalous nature.

While the sacellum had been stripped of all furnishings, surface markings indicate the former presence of a heavy central object, possibly a statue or obelisk. The chamber has a circle of six evenly spaced discolored patches on the floor which were likely caused by heat and smoke, indicating the former presence of incense burning vessels. The ceiling had originally been composed of glass but had since collapsed at some point in the past. The durable stained glass used in the windows of the upper walls remained intact. As the only surviving evidence of the structure’s religious significance, these multi-colored glass panels depict abstract images - possibly representations of their otherworldly deities. Curiously, these depictions share a striking resemblance to nebulae only recently imaged thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Due to the extreme dangers presented by moving SCP-XXXX, Reliquary Site-83 was constructed on location, incorporating much of the original building.