SCP-974
rating: +2+x

Item #: SCP-974

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: The item is placed in a box made of titanium, facing away from the entry door. The box is locked with two keys that must be operated by two people simultaneously. The box is attached to the floor with the same mechanism. The door to the chamber is guarded by two armed soldiers instructed to shoot anyone attempting entry without advance permission on sight.

All personnel entering the chamber must wear goggles, attached to the head with a locking device. These goggles distort SCP-974 enough to lessen the harm to an acceptable level. All personnel entering and exiting the chamber must pass through a security scanner in order to find any possible data storage or recording devices. Anyone attempting to carry such a device past the security checkpoint will be terminated. In the event of accidental exposure to SCP-974, follow the procedures given in the attached chart.

Hours after exposure Symptoms Treatment
<1 None Immediate administration of CNS depressants
1-4 None Class C amnesiac on IV for at least 2 hours
4-8 False memories of SCP-974 Class A amnesiac on IV for at least 24 hours
8-12 Excessive thoughts of SCP-974 Administer X-534 on IV for at least 24 hours
12-18 Hallucinations of SCP-974 Partial lobotomy, X-534 on IV until MRI activity back to normal
18+ Coma Partial lobotomy, Class X(Full) Amnesiac, administer Class A dissociative for at least 2 months. Survival unlikely.

When a computer is used to analyze SCP-974, the computer being used must remain in the containment chamber the entire duration of the analyzing process, must not have any wireless communication capabilities whatsoever and must not be connected to any network. Once the analysis is over, all data storage on the computer must be reset.

Security personnel are to check the containment chamber every two hours. If SCP-974 is missing, the UN secret service should be contacted immediately and a code 41 lockdown of the sector ordered. The facility and the surrounding sector will then be searched and all Internet connections within the sector disabled. When SCP-974 is retrieved, suspects are to be interrogated with the use of truth drugs; SP-17 preferred, sodium amytal can be used as a replacement. If SCP-974 was not spread or copied, terminate the person involved and lift the code 41 lockdown. If SCP-974 was spread further, copied, or uploaded to the Internet, initiate a code 45 lockdown and follow the 2007 Data Containment Guidelines. If SCP-974 is not found within 30 days of searching, initiate a code 44 lockdown of the sector and adjacent sectors and continue searching.

Description: SCP-974 is a picture of unknown origin. It was discovered in an abandoned graphic design company headquarters. When seen by a human, it corrupts long-term memory and begins to spread to various areas of the brain, overwriting memories and skills, and eventually causing functional brain death. Unlike most memetic threats, it has a prolonged asymptomatic latency period due to its mode of action.

The only casualties thus far were D-class test subjects. Internal casualties are not likely, since personnel will seek treatment if exposed. It is the possibility of terrorists gaining a copy of the image that poses the gravest threat.

Addendum 974-01: After a week long analysis of SCP-974, Dr.███████ has shown symptoms of exposure. He was successfully treated with X-534, although he developed slight memory dysfunction as a side effect of X-534. This is believed to be caused by the brain developing tolerance to the goggles' distortion. Personnel working with SCP-974 for extensive periods of time are now required to change lens types on the goggles every two hours.

Addendum 974-02:

From: [ADDRESS EXPUNGED] O5-4
To: [ADDRESSES EXPUNGED] SCP-974 Research/Containment Personnel
Subject: Research Progress
I need to tell all personnel working on SCP-974 that I am very unhappy about the lack of progress
made on SCP-974. I need to remind you that the only reason that SCP-974 is not destroyed is the
importance of preparation for the possibility of another similar image turning up someplace.
It has been over a year since discovery and we still don't know how it works, and any good
treatments for exposure. The only effective treatment for exposure, X-534, has destructive
side-effects, and, more importantly, cannot be easily synthesized in large amounts. There is
no way that we could make enough to treat everyone should a large-scale crisis occur.
You are hereby authorized to experiment on as many volunteers as you believe is necessary to
find out how SCP-974 works and develop more effective treatments. — O5-4

Document D-718: A Review of Visual Memetic Agents and Techniques

Authors: [DATA EXPUNGED]

Page █

A well-known memetic agent that was invaluable to early research in the topic was SCP-974, commonly known as the "Death Spiral" due to its appearance through protective goggles. While it was one of the first discovered, its mode of action is fairly atypical of such agents. Viewing it, even carefully, fails to cause any immediate response in the subject. Research has shown that the danger comes from the way it is treated when it is transferred to long-term memory. After the ██████████████ process, the compressed form of the image is similar to [DATA EXPUNGED]. This causes the brain to [DATA EXPUNGED] until it runs out of memory, making it incapable of functioning
Early treatments for exposure involve inhibiting the formations of long-term memories using CNS depressants. Once any symptoms are experienced, those treatments will be ineffectual and amnesiac agents are recommended. These work by [DATA EXPUNGED]. A specialized neurotoxin designated as X-534 has been developed that is capable of reversing SCP-974 infection even after classical amnesiacs lose their effect due to depletion of ██████████ in the hippocampus.

Addendum 974-3: Following incident 838|974-A, those additional precautions must be taken:

  • No person previously exposed to a memetic or thought-based SCP may be exposed to SCP-974.
  • No person previously exposed to SCP-974 may be exposed to a memetic or thought-based SCP.
  • If a "mutation" is suspected, all infected personnel must be terminated immediately.

Incident report: 838|974-A On April ██,2008, Test Subject ██████████, hereafter referred to as Subject 5Y was exposed to SCP-838 and afterward given ██ of LSD as part of an experiment. Full report is available at ███████████. After a recovery period of 7 days, Subject 5Y was exposed to SCP-974 as part of a trial for a new treatment for exposure. Immediately after being exposed, Subject 5Y reported feeling dizzy and seeing bursts of color, which were not symptoms of SCP-974 exposure. After 5 minutes, he began dancing in a manner similar to but different from that of someone exposed to SCP-838. He spoke something to the scientists supervising him, who began to dance in the same way that Subject 5Y did. In the resulting confusion, the meme spread past the SCP containment area and into the SCP-974 research labs. Security personnel initiated a lock down of the SCP-974 branch and disabled all network connections. After 30 minutes, at which time everybody in the SCP-974 branch was infected, 3-methylfentanyl was sprayed into the ventilation system, rendering everybody inside unconscious. A scientist was taken out and taken to a research lab, where, after 1 hour, the research personnel confirmed that the new meme is a combination of SCP-974 and SCP-838. Scientists were taken out of the area one by one and treated with L-12, a class A amnesiac (a general treatment for SCP-974 infection). After that, they were awakened in isolation rooms watched with CCTV cameras to see if the treatment was successful. 14 scientists did not recover, and were terminated. 9 scientists died from 3-methylfentanyl overdose.

Incident report: 838|974-B
On May ██,2008, a level 2 personnel described the visual appearance of SCP-974 to other personnel. A level 1 person within hearing range resorted to dancing. Both individuals had been victims of incident 838|974-A. The individual screamed something which spread the outbreak throughout the area immediately. After screaming something unintelligible the individual fell into a coma which was afterward confirmed to be a relapse to the last state of exposure to SCP-974. The SCP-974 branch was locked down, and a scientist was tranquilized and removed by a guard wearing ear protection. After that, nerve agent N-03 was introduced into the ventilation system, terminating everybody inside. The scientist was awakened in Isolation Room ██, with a pen and a piece of paper. After he finished writing, he was terminated. The piece of paper, containing the hybrid meme was stored and named SCP-████.

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