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| SCP-XXXX out of its container. |
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be kept in a locked, watertight container. No Foundation personnel are to directly handle SCP-XXXX. All handling of the object is to be made through D-Class or robotic units when necessary. If any subject proves immune to the object's effect, contact Research Director Knox immediately. All SCP-XXXX-A subjects are to be sustained intravenously and fitted with a recording device. Painkillers are to be given to subjects for extreme hoarseness. Medical procedures to alleviate throat pain are permitted and encouraged for all SCP-XXXX-A subjects. All vocalizations will be electronically stored and sent to a database at Site-731. SCP-XXXX-A vocalizations may be obtained with Level 2 Security Clearance and permission of Research Director Knox. All SCP-XXXX-A subjects are to be held in standard humanoid containment cells at Site-731. As of Incident-XXXX-1, all SCP-XXXX-A subjects are to be kept on permanent suicide watch.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a copy of Finnegans Wake by James Joyce that has been formed through unknown means into a simulacrum of a human face, identifiable only by the spine. When in the presence of a living human, the “mouth” of SCP-XXXX begins to move. When any human being engages in skin contact with the object, they immediately become an instance of SCP-XXXX-A and begin to vocalize the text of novels, short stories, and plays. Some vocalizations of SCP-XXXX-A are full versions of works that were considered lost or unfinished. There is no correlation between the subjects and what work is vocalized, with illiteracy and an inability to speak a work's language having no noticeable effect. As of this date, no SCP-XXXX-A subject has been found to repeat a work vocalized by another instance.
SCP-XXXX-A subjects are unable to stop vocalizing through any known means. All medical procedures designed to keep the subjects' from vocalizing have resulted in fractured mandibles, loss of teeth, the removal of subjects' tongues, and the bursting of vocal cords, and it appears that, when muffled, the subject unwittingly vocalizes with greater force. Surgical removal of the subject's vocal cords results in the cessation of vocalization, as expected, but subjects still appear to be “mouthing” text. This inability to stop speaking normally causes SCP-XXXX-A subjects to expire from an inability to eat or drink. Cognizant SCP-XXXX-A subjects express an inability to fall asleep and need to be heavily medicated to fall into a sleep-like state. Even while asleep, SCP-XXXX-A subjects “sleep-talk” at a lower than normal decibel level. Subjects under anesthesia vocalize at lower decibel levels, and individuals put under a medically-induced coma continue vocalizing at a normal decibel level. As of the date of this report, SCP-XXXX-A1, the first instance brought into Foundation custody, has been vocalizing for ██ years.
Of infected individuals, the majority show reduced levels of brain activity, comparable to a persistent vegetative state, except for the constant vocalizations. These subjects, if left alone, normally expire within a week, but it is possible to keep them alive through further medical means. Subjects remain unresponsive to most stimuli, beyond bodily responses to light and pain.
However, 10% of SCP-XXXX-A subjects appear cognizant of their vocalizations yet are still unable to control their vocal cords. They are responsive to all stimuli and can communicate with staff through writing.
Of this number, roughly half express feelings of serenity, present from onset of infection. When interviewed, these subjects seem reverent of the SCP-XXXX object, referring to it in affectionate, familiar terms. Many of these subjects refer to their affliction as a gift and speak of the effects of SCP-XXXX as bringing them into a sort of community. These subjects, however, still express a desire to eat and drink but may resist attempts at sedation, expressing fear at not being able to hear their own voice.
The last 5% react in a heavily negative manner. They show suicidal tendencies and refuse food and water, preferring to be sedated until expiration. These subjects exhibit symptoms of extreme depersonalization and sexual deviancy. When interviewed, these "negative" reacting subjects often claim to be drowning or make reference to their affliction through the usage of water metaphor. Of note is that these individuals immediately express fear and revulsion from their own vocalizations from the moment of infection. These individuals are noted to become violent when told that there is no known cure.
Addendum-XXXX-1: SCP-XXXX-A1 makes first attempt at self-termination. When questioned, subject exhibited severe signs of depersonalization, antisocial personality disorder, and disassociative personality disorder. Subject is sedated and kept on suicide watch. Changes made to containment procedures.
Addendum-XXXX-2: During routine testing, D-XXXX-365 remained unaffected after contact with SCP-XXXX. When questioned, he claimed to be a writer before his incarceration for [REDACTED], despite his status as a plumber. Foundation agents proceeded to search D-XXXX-365's prior place of residence and found numerous bound manuscripts, all seemingly rejected by various publishing houses. Further experimentation using an fMRI attached to the subject while coming into contact with SCP-XXXX have shown no change in readings. D-XXXX-365's monthly termination has been revoked, and further study into his immunity are pending. When interviewed about his immunity, D-XXXX-365 claims that, upon first sighting the object, he experienced a sense of deja-vu and felt as though he had "touched it before."
Retrieval Log: Foundation officials were notified of anomalous activity at the ████████ ████ Public Library. Agents sent to secure the situation found the object on the floor, having fallen from a bookshelf. The object was surrounded by four instances of SCP-XXXX-A, three who appeared braindead and one who appeared to be in great pleasure. Against Foundation protocol, Agent Price touched SCP-XXXX and became an instance of SCP-XXXX-A. Other agents on the scene were able to secure the object, and Class-B amnesiacs were administered as necessary, with the incident being blamed on the work of a local terrorist cell. Agent Price was reprimanded and named SCP-XXXX-A1. All records of ████████ ████ Public Library indicate that no copy of █████████ ████ by J████ J████ has ever been carried by the institution.
Partial List of SCP-XXXX-A Vocalizations:
- Shuihu Zhuan (Water Margin), Shi Nai'an. In original Chinese.
- Ulysses, James Joyce.
- Love's Secret Sniper, Dee Dee Grace.
- Lenones Gemini ("The Twin Pimps"), Plautus. Full version in original Latin.
- Brigands of the Moon, Ray Cummings.
- When Empurpled, Matt Margo. Vocalized before publish date. Originally thought to be a malfunction; proved to be experimental literature.
- Moby Dick, Herman Melville.
- The Long Patrol, Brian Jacques.
- Kir Ianulea, by I. L. Caragiale. In original Romanian.
- Tommyknockers, Stephen King.
- A Separate Peace, John Knowles.
- The Pale King, David Foster Wallace. Appears to be the unwritten final draft.
- Monster Blood III, R.L. Stein.
- Ransom, Danielle Steele.
- Cien años de soledad (100 Years of Solitude), Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In original Spanish.
- An unknown novella of vampire erotica. Investigation pending.
- Bleak House, Charles Dickens.
- Prince Jellyfish, Hunter S. Thompson. Work unpublished.
- The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer. All 120 stories initially planned. Of note is that the ██████ won the contest.
- An unknown work in Hittite. Appears to be about an unnamed king's relationship with a goddess.
