Item #: SCP-5220
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Disinformation campaigns have successfully perpetuated public belief that SCP-5220 is a work of art and require little to no maintenance at this time. Public visits to the anomaly are permitted when it is visible.
MTF Upsilon-7 ("Muddy Waters") is responsible for clean-up and containment of 5220-A events and retrieval of victims via helicopter. Upsilon-7 is authorized to administer Class-A or -B amnestics to witnesses. Information suppression of events with more than 100 witnesses is to be coordinated with the site director of Site-215.
SCP-5220-1 is to be held in a humanoid containment cell at Site-215. No fewer than three times per week, SCP-5220-1 is to be escorted to SCP-5220 to facilitate the completion of anomalous rituals. Due to its extended cooperation with special containment procedures and lengthy containment, SCP-5220-1 has been granted privileges beyond those normally given to humanoid anomalies. These privileges are under the purview of the site director.
In the event that more than three 5220-A events occur within 12 months, or more than two events occur closer than 100 km from one another within 6 months, Foundation coroners are to falsify the cause of death by tampering with the cadavers so as to avoid the appearance of patterns in public mortality records.
SCP-5220 as seen from shore.
Description: SCP-5220 is an anomalous landmass on the northern shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, United States. It forms a spiral shaped-path and is comprised largely of basalt rock and salt crystals. The path measures 460 m from base to tip and is 4.6 m wide. Due to the fluctuating surface levels of the Great Salt Lake, SCP-5220 is submerged during periods of greater precipitation. It is only visible above water when the Great Salt Lake's surface level is less than 1,279 m above sea level. SCP-5220 is the cause and point of origin of what are designated 5220-A events. These events are characterized by a human dying by drowning, although they are not in or near water.
5220-A events correspond with a substantial spike in Hume levels at SCP-5220. Following the death of the 5220-A victim, the body will begin to float in the air, sometimes beginning immediately, but more commonly beginning days after death. The body will rise into the air and remain at a particular height, typically about 180–200 m above the ground, but occasionally as high as 300 m. 5220-A events frequently have civilian witnesses, which poses a substantial challenge to containment and public concealment.
Kant counters at the location of SCP-5220 generally produce readings between 30 and 50 Humes, but measure as high as 400 Humes during 5220-A events. It is believed to possess extensive reality-bending functionality that causes temporal merging between the present day and prehistoric timeframes; the precise extent of these capabilities is unknown, but has thus far targeted humans. SCP-5220-1 claims that the object has much more extensive capabilities that have not yet been observed.
SCP-5220-1 is a female humanoid, born on 22 April 1954 in Santa Barbara, California. SCP-5220-1 appears to "operate" the reality-bending effects of SCP-5220, but is apparently inept in controlling the anomaly. SCP-5220-1 shows elevated internal Hume levels when in proximity to SCP-5220 (<100 m), peaking at 35 Humes at the tip of the SCP-5220 spiral. It consistently expresses distress regarding air and water pollution, deforestation, endangered and threatened species, and especially in recent years, anthropogenic climate change.
Currently, the only known means of reducing the frequency of 5220-A events is the observance of rituals performed by SCP-5220-1. These rituals largely involve a meditative practice at SCP-5220; SCP-5220-1 claims that the Earth is a living entity and that the rituals permit it to communicate with the planet. SCP-5220-1 identifies knowledge obtained in this manner as the basis of its influence on SCP-5220.
Discovery: SCP-5220 appeared or was constructed by undetermined means in Spring 1970. As it is located on land owned by the state of Utah, Foundation assets within state government became aware that the anomaly had appeared on state land with no known records of its construction. It was flagged for investigation, which was undertaken by Site-215. By the time the Foundation initiated containment, numerous tourists had visited SCP-5220; photos and articles had been published in local and national newspapers. Because of the impracticality of concealing it from the public, the Foundation falsified government documents regarding its origin. Fabricated news reports were disseminated describing it as an art piece. SCP-5220 has since been known to the public as the "Spiral Jetty."
SCP-5220-1 was found at SCP-5220 on 4 June 1970. Foundation personnel interrupted a ritual that was likely responsible for ongoing fluctuations in Hume levels at the location.
Addendum 5220.1: Timeline
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Date
Number of Documented 5220-A Events
Notes
April 1970
3
First event identified in remote location near Delta, UT; at this time, a connection to SCP-5220 was not established. Event documented as Anomalous Event UT-47. Second and third events occur in Orem and Murray, respectively. Incidents are then classed as Anomalous Event Group UT-47ß.
May 1970
38
Foundation statisticians find no correlations among victims, who vary in age, sex, race. All but one have occurred in northern and western Utah, with the exception of AEG UT-47ß-31, which occurs in West Wendover, Nevada, less than a mile from the Utah-Nevada border. Continuous Hume level monitoring begins at SCP-5220.
June 1970
57
Statisticians identify strong correlation between spikes in Hume levels at SCP-5220 and occurrence of AEG UT-47ß. UT-47ß is reclassified as 5220-A events. 5220-A-42, the Capitol Incident, occurs (see Addendum 5220.2). MTF Upsilon-7 established for concealment of 5220-A events.
July 1970
41
SCP-5220-1 agrees to attempt to prevent 5220-A events through abilities related to SCP-5220.
August 1970
26
N/A
September 1970
18
N/A
October 1970
3
N/A
November 1970
1
N/A
December 1970
0
N/A
In the timespan from 1971 to 2017, no more than five 5220-A events occur during each calendar year.
Addendum 5220.2: Capitol Incident
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On 2 June 1970, 5220-A-43 occurred, killing a member of the Utah State Senate during an event in the State Capitol Building. Over 400 witnesses were present, including 14 local journalists. The victim began floating but was held down by others present.
Attendees were asked to leave immediately following the death. The body had been removed from the building before containment specialists could intervene. The O5 Council was informed of a potential Lifted Veil Scenario, whereupon MTF Gamma-5 ("Red Herrings") was deployed to identify all 447 witnesses and administer amnestics. Journalists and prominent public figures were treated as highest priority. One newspaper had printed an article describing 5220-A-43; all copies were seized by Gamma-5 and staff of the publication and printing press were amnesticized.
In light of substantial risks to information security, the O5 Council authorized the creation of MTF Upsilon-7 ("Muddy Waters") for the express purpose of containing 5220-A events.
Addendum 5220.3: Interviews with SCP-5220-1
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Interviewer: Jeremy Young, Junior Researcher
Interviewee: SCP-5220-1
Location: Site-215, Humanoid Containment Wing
Date: 5 June 1970Foreword: Dr. Bruce Rajaratnam, as head researcher, supervised this interview.
Young: Good morning, SCP-5220-1. I need to ask you—
SCP-5220-1: I have a name.
Young: I'm sorry?
SCP-5220-1: My name is Samantha.
Young: I have questions that I need answered. It is important that you answer completely and truthfully.
SCP-5220-1: I'm not answering any questions. I want a lawyer, and I want a phone.
Young: You are not under the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement, and we're not going to grant either of those requests.
SCP-5220-1: What do mean, I'm not … This is fucked. If you can't respect my rights, I'm not going to answer your bullshit questions.
Young: I assure you it is nothing personal, SCP—
SCP-5220-1: Yeah, 'cause you don't want to treat me like a person. The hell is wrong with you?
Young: We have knowledge that you are connected to … strange occurrences.
SCP-5220-1: Oh, you're with those people. The paranormal scientists, or whatever. Yeah, they told me that you might lock me up if I ran into you, tell me I'm an "anomaly" or whatever.
Young: Listen, it sounds like someone gave you prior knowledge of the Foundation, which makes me concerned for your safety. It sounds as if you have been influenced by a group that opposes the Foundation. Our only goal is keep people safe, especially from groups who want to disrupt the normal function of society.
SCP-5220-1: You … I'm trying to protect humanity! And a lot more than that, not that I would expect you labcoat types to understand.
Young: There is more at stake here than your feelings! There are severe consequences if you don't cooperate, and not just for you. Please explain what you mean to do.
SCP-5220-1: Explain this. [Makes a rude gesture at Researcher Young with both hands.]
Young: All right then, fine! We're done here. Interview concluded.
Junior Researcher Young was reprimanded for his inappropriate conduct during the interview and was instructed to remain calm in future interviews. The possible breach of confidential information was also discussed. —Dr. Rajaratnam
Interviewer: Dr. Bruce Rajaratnam, Senior Researcher
Interviewee: SCP-5220-1
Location: Site-215, Humanoid Containment Wing
Date: 6 June 1970Rajaratnam: Good afternoon, Samantha. May I offer you a drink?
SCP-5220-1: I thought I was a number to you assholes.
Rajaratnam: I understand that you have been upset by your situation in containment. It is my responsiblity to ensure that your needs are met, under the circumstances.
SCP-5220-1: Oh, so you're the good cop, and the jerk from yesterday is the bad cop?
Rajaratnam: I appreciate your concerns about Mr. Young's, ah, blunt approach. He is merely concerned about the effects of the object that appeared in the Great Salt Lake where we found you.
SCP-5220-1: It's a rock art thing. You could have read that in the Salt Lake Tribune, if you Einsteins were smart enough to read.
Rajaratnam: Ha, well, speaking of smart, I believe you know better?
SCP-5220-1: Do you like it when people accuse you of lying all the damn time?
Rajaratnam: I understand that this is uncomfortable, but it is necessary to protect the public from anomalies—
SCP-5220-1: Hey, fuck you, man! You all treat me like some freak of nature just because you found me out on the Spiral Jetty!
Rajaratnam: Please forgive me, I did not mean to injure you. The fact of the matter is, although we have concealed the nature of this object from the public, we have strong evidence that it is responsible for numerous deaths. We are gravely worried for the people who have died and for those who may be in harm's way. Any information you can give us—
SCP-5220-1: [Distressed and agitated] I didn't kill anyone!
Rajaratnam: I did not say that. Please, Samantha, our only interest is protecting innocent lives.
SCP-5220-1: I don't know anything!
Rajaratnam: Please take this as a compliment: You are a poor liar. Nothing about you suggests that you want to hurt anyone. I'm not making an accusation. Can you tell who informed you of the Foundation?
SCP-5220-1: I'm not talking. Eat shit.
Several interview transcripts have been omitted as they contain no actionable information due to SCP-5220-1's intractable behavior. Complete documentation may be requested with Level 2 or higher clearance from the SCP-5220 research lead.
I recognize that including these notes in an SCP document is unorthodox, but the information here serves as a valuable reminder to all of us. The Foundation does not operate with unchecked coercion or cruelty toward humanoid anomalies, and for good reason. —Dr. Rajaratnam
Dr. Rajaratnam,
Things are getting worse with 5220, and I'm not getting any leads. I don't have clearance to see any thing budget-related, but I'm sure we're spending fortunes on amnestics at this point, and heaven forbid anything worse than the mess at the Capitol happens. We need to get more out of dash one, I'd like to request a polygraph test.
Jeremy
Researcher Young,
Request denied, I'm afraid. I find myself skeptical of the reliability of polygraphs, and many of our colleagues would strongly disapprove. They're less than useless with reality benders, if recent research is accurate.
Dr. Rajaratnam
Dr. Rajaratnam,
We've had nine 5220-A deaths in the past week. I can't stand seeing these bodies tied to gurneys while the coroners make them look like murder victims or overdoses.
If 5220-1 is as sincere as you say, then I request to share the recording of your interview with the A-56 witness, the mother of the 3-year-old victim. If she has a conscience, then maybe she'll open up after hearing that woman cry over her dead boy. I watched the coroner plant evidence of strangulation on the kid's body, for God's sake!
Sir, I'm out of options here, and the world is falling apart. My family lives in the area of effect, and a lot of other innocent folks, too.
Jeremy
Researcher Young,
I recognize that your first Keter-class assignment is daunting, but I don't need to explain to you that this isn't how we operate.
I regret to say that I may have neglected to prepare you for the stress of approaching such a dangerous, as-yet uncontained SCP. It is, admittedly, a different world than your training in Safe object containment.
Consider this an order to visit the site psychologist for the sake of your emotional well-being. For my part, please understand that I have looked more than one K-class scenario in the face and lived to tell the tale. Our work is exceptionally difficult, but we have always prevailed through strict adherence to longstanding best practices.
Dr. Rajaratnam
Private Internal Message
From: McKayla Geduld, Site Director
To: Jeremy Young, Junior Researcher
Researcher Young,
This message serves to notify you of official penalties regarding misconduct committed in the course of interaction with humanoid anomaly SCP-5220-1. Your service record will document the following violations:
- divulging classified (Level 2/5220) information to an unauthorized individual,
- violating direct orders from a superior, and
- engaging in inappropriate interview methods, including emotional manipulation and causing mental duress.
I know the fear that comes with facing the anomalous, the unnatural, the absurd and arbitrary. Remember, you are with competent people. In your inexperienced position, it is critical that you follow protocol at all times.
I am compelled to remove your Level 2/5220 clearance and will reassign you at the earliest opportunity. This incident has also been submitted to the Ethics Committee, and they will inflict further penalties.
Cordially,
McKayla Geduld, Site Director
Addendum 5220.4: Statement from SCP-5220-1
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Following the incident in the morgue, SCP-5220-1 requested writing material be supplied. Dr. Rajaratnam received the following document on 29 June 1970.
Ever since I was a kid, I loved animals. All of them, even spiders and centipedes. I still do. I love plants, too. From the time I was 6 years old, I wouldn't go to the zoo because I hated to see animals in little jails.
Last year, the oil spill in Santa Barbara was a disaster. I mean, for me personally. I remember seeing the pictures of dead sea birds in the newspaper. Maybe it was silly for a 14-year-old girl to do, but I cried for those birds. Thousands of birds, ruined by human greed.
I went to the beach, thinking I could save the birds, somehow. There, I met a guy named Robert. I could tell he was sad about the oil spill, too. He told me that he was a student at University of California Santa Barbara. He told me that he belonged to a group that could undo the damage that humans had done to the world, for the sake of the birds and all the other living things. He asked me to come to a meeting on campus. I told him that I was only in 8th grade, but he said that didn't matter.
I went and it turned out that Robert was the leader of this group. The way he talked, it was amazing. He had such high-minded ideas and he seemed so smart. He told us that healing Mother Earth was about relativity. Einstein said that time and gravity are closely connected, and that the Earth's gravity bent the universe itself, and if we understood how the Earth worked, we could bend the universe too.
I had to sneak out to attend the meetings, because my dad thought they were "draft-dodging hippies." He went on about how if they wanted to do good in the world, they should join the army and go to Vietnam. My dad and I fought about it more and more. Eventually, I ran away.
I know that Robert's talk about bending reality to our will sounds like some new-agey horseshit, but it was real. One time, we met at a little pond. It was full of garbage and runoff from some rich people neighborhood. Robert put his hand in the water, and in an instant, the water was crystal clear. It was a blink and you miss it kind of thing.
When the end of the year came around, we had all done things like Robert cleaning up the pond, but smaller. Robert said we were ready to begin the real work. He told me that Mother Earth was preparing a locus for me. He told me that it was a place away from the ocean, but the seagulls were there, too. He told me I would know it when I found it.
So I just hitchhiked out of California and kind of wandered. Something seemed to be pulling me. I came to Utah. Seagulls here, of all places. Then I found the spiral, and I felt the Earth, ancient and brimming with life, but wounded. I knew what I was supposed to do. Bring back the great waters of this place.
Then everyone would know.
Liasions and/or undercover agents within the Global Occult Coalition, Manna Charitable Foundation, and Wanderer's Library have been contacted. No individuals matching the description of the alleged reality-benders have been identified.
30 June 1970 Interview
Interviewer: Bruce Rajaratnam, Senior Researcher
Interviewee: SCP-5220-1
Location: Site-215, Humanoid Containment Wing
Date: 30 June 1970Rajaratnam: Restore the world to conditions of a past timeframe. You are … ambitious, Samantha.
SCP-5220-1: I … I knew it would take a long time, the healing, I mean. Bring back a world before human industry and selfishness … I felt the memory of an enormous lake in this place.
Rajaratnam: You mean Lake Bonneville? An ancient pluvial lake, comparable to today's Great Lakes.
SCP-5220-1: So you believe me?
Rajaratnam: Well, modern geography and climate could not sustain that lake. Lake Bonneville was real, some … 20,000 years ago? But it existed because of an ice age.
SCP-5220-1: I wasn't sure how, but dammit, I knew it was possible, I don't know how, but if I understand the Earth's place in the universe, I could make it happen.
Rajaratnam: But …
SCP-5220-1: But people started dying. I didn't know until you told me, and I didn't believe you until that … asshole showed me the bodies. They were here, but they drowned in Lake Bonneville.
Rajaratnam: Why do you suppose only humans have fallen into the lake, so to speak? Why not other animals? Why don't we see fish swimming in the sky?
SCP-5220-1: I don't know. Maybe … the Earth is sick. Maybe it's trying to fight the infection. Humans are making it sick.
Rajaratnam: Well, I don't know if I can think of the planet as a living entity as you do. But I am tasked with containing this anomaly, and saving lives. What to do?
SCP-5220-1: I wonder if I can fix this.
Data on 5220-A events corroborate the claim that victims are partially conveyed to a prehistoric timeframe and drown in Lake Bonneville. Victims who died outdoors will float to an elevation of 1,590 m above sea level, the surface level of Lake Bonneville. Additionally, all 5220-A have been confirmed to occur in the area estimated by geologists and paleontologists that the lake covered.
Addendum 5220.5: 2017 Update
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Due to an extended period of cooperation with special containment procedures for SCP-5220, Site-215 approved various privileges for SCP-5220-1. These include access to educational material in the life sciences, geology, and climatology; access to television, internet and other media, albeit heavily restricted, and provisional Level 1 clearance. SCP-5220-1 was permitted to consult in limited capacities on various biological and ecological anomalies.
Over the years, containment specialists have noted that SCP-5220-1 has expressed increasing concern regarding reports on anthropogenic climate change. It expressed an intense desire to resume its described original work of "healing the world." Following the retirement of Senior Researcher Bruce Rajaratnam, SCP-5220-1 has become less amicable toward Foundation staff.
SCP-5220-1 has repeatedly asked what the Foundation intends to do regarding climate change and was told that her questions would not be answered. On 29 August 2017, SCP-5220-1 attempted to refuse escort to SCP-5220 and complete suppression of the anomaly. This pattern of behavior continued, and all privileges were revoked.
Throughout the next three months, a dramatic increase in 5220-A events was observed. It appears that SCP-5220-1 is using SCP-5220 as a bargaining chip, demanding that the Foundation use its vast resources to mitigate climate change, stating "What's the use of dying in the dark if the sons of bitches in the light die too?"
Medical examination has shown a possibility of dementia owing to SCP-5220's advanced age, which may explain its untractable behavior. Alternatives for containment without reliance on SCP-5220-1 are being investigated, but no possibilities have demonstrated viability.
Addendum 5220.6: Level 4/5220 clearance required
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The following is a partial transcript of an O5 Council meeting which took place on ██/██/20██ regarding SCP-5220.
O5-2: While the matter of global warming is a grave concern to all of us, it is not anomalous. Site-215's request to broker a deal with SCP-5220-1 is untenable in my view.
O5-9: Yet the documentation points to the possibility of others similar to this particular entity. Addressing these conditions may be a practical means of indirect containment of these persons of interest.
O5-7: Presumed persons of interest, you mean. The Foundation has expended considerable resources to track down this "Robert" that supposedly tutored SCP-5220-1. No trace of the entity has been found.
O5-9: The urgency of thought regarding climate change is dramatic above the veil. It is all but certain that members of the anomalous community are intervening. We have already contained such attempts from the MCF.
O5-7: An isolated incident hardly counts as evidence.
O5-4: At risk of sounding gauche, Seven, asking for evidence always did sound quaint among us. In the past █ years alone, we have discovered no less than █ anomalies of ancient origin capable of instigating K-Class scenarios. Not even we are omniscient.
O5-12: And how do we propose to fix the problem? Altering decades of human activity is a ludicrous idea. It would require a drastic change to life above the veil, and the Foundation has no business in turning social consensus reality on its head. Even with our substantial influence in various governments, we could not move them to overturn the basis of modern economies.
O5-9: The Global Occult Coalition, has greater pull with world leaders, perhaps with their cooperation—
O5-12: And now it is you who sounds gauche, Nine. How will you persuade the Coalition to kowtow to a low-level threat entity already in Foundation containment?
[REDACTED]