The past is just a nap away.
Item #: SCP-8521
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-8521 is to be held within a 5 x 5 meter holding cell. Access is only to be provided during approved testing procedures. Site Director ████████, who holds records for all those who have used SCP-8521, must be consulted before tests can be approved. As a general rule, it has been deemed that any subject who has reached 3 uses of SCP-8521 is no longer suitable for testing, as outlined by the Ethics Committee.
Description: SCP-8521 is a brown, █████████ brand lever recliner chair, estimated to have been built sometime between the 1990’s and 2000’s. The chair is made of woven fabric and the reclining lever a fine oak wood, although chips in the wood show signs of aging. The Latin phrase, “Praeteritum Plene Praesens Est”, can be seen engraved into the lever’s handle.
When a person sits in SCP-8521 with the recliner activated for approximately one minute, they will experience heavy drowsiness and quickly enter REM sleep. The periods of sleep induced by SCP-8521 have been measured to last anywhere from 30 minutes up to 6 hours. Subjects have reported experiencing life-like recreations of positive core memories while they were asleep in SCP-8521. Upon awakening, the user will experience a mild to severe headache as well as confusion and disorientation. The severity of these effects seems to increase with repeated uses of SCP-8521, though further testing is required to verify this.
Brain scans of subjects taken with specialized Foundation MRI equipment while SCP-8521 was in use revealed abnormally high brain activity for deep sleep centralized in the hippocampus. It is currently theorized that SCP-8521 produces highly realistic dreams in its users by overclocking the brain’s subconscious neural functions, which puts overbearing amounts of stress on the brain that could lead to trauma.
Addendum-8521-1: Excerpt from Interview Log 8521-05
The following is an excerpt from an interview that took place between a D-Class test subject and Senior Researcher Ventura early in testing of SCP-8521.
- Hide Interview Log 8521-05
Date: July █, 20██
Interviewed: D-8433
Interviewer: Senior Researcher ████ Ventura
Notes: Preceding wellness check and introductions have been omitted for brevity.
[BEGIN LOG EXCERPT]
Ventura: Can you describe what you saw while you were asleep in SCP-8521?
D-8433: I… I was at my tenth birthday party. Well, calling it a party is a bit much. It was just me and my parents there. We had it at this lake up in REDACTED that we visited a lot when I was young. They had this big community center filled with stuff to do. We fished, swam, played cornhole in the grass, everything we could really. It was just me, my parents, and our cat Sprinkles.
Ventura: Did you at any point realize you were in a dream?
D-8433: God no. Everything felt so real. The grass, the air, the sun, the whole place was exactly how I remembered it. There were things in there that I didn’t even remember myself. I didn’t even remember that we played cornhole until now.
Ventura: That must have been a very special day for you, then?
D-8433: Yeah, you could say that. Especially considering that was right before everything fell apart for us.
Ventura: Oh? How so?
D-8433: They split up. Got stuck with my mom. Ended up moving away from everything and into the city. Got stuck in a shitty apartment and-
D-8433 winces in pain.
Ventura: Are you alright?
D-8433: Yeah, I’m fine. Head’s still pounding, but I can take it.
Ventura: Good. So, it showed you a moment before a big turning point in your life?
D-8433: I… guess?
Senior Researcher Ventura: Would you like to experience that again?
D-8433: What?
Ventura: We’ve been looking for someone to take part in repeat trials with SCP-8521 to further explore its effects. You would use SCP-8521 once every other day for the remainder of your time here, receive the appropriate care afterwards, and we’d document the results. How does that sound?
D-8433 is silent.
D-8433: …I’ll do it.
Ventura: Are you sure? If you agree, this will become a mandatory part of your schedule.
D-8433: Fuck it, yes. I’ll take some migraines if it means get to do this regularly. Feels like I’m dying in that goddamn cell.
** Ventura:** I’m glad to hear that. You’ll be starting on Sunday.
D-8443: …When is that? I don’t know what fucking day in is in here!
[END LOG EXCERPT]
Addendum 8521-2: Trial Results
Following recruitment, a D-Class subject was to utilize SCP-8521 once every 2 days until the end of the trial period. The results have been grouped into stages below:
Stages
Number of Uses
Effects
Stage 1
1-3
Subject suffered moderate headaches, brief confusion, and disorientation.
Stage 2
4-6
Subject reported worsening pain in the head. Pain relief medication was issued. Subject also needed assistance recalling events hours prior to use.
Stage 3
7-9
Subject’s headache pain became nearly unbearable, and subject began to show reluctance to show up for tests. Subject also demonstrated increased sensitivity to light in the eyes. Possible photophobia.
Stage 4
10-12
During post-test interviews, subject could not remember why they were in Foundation custody. Subject began suffering seizures between tests, despite having no prior history of them. Headaches are now chronic.
Stage 5
13-14
Subject showed signs of severe brain damage and inability to recall basic personal details like their name, hometown, etc.
Stage 6
15
After not responding to stimuli after use, subject was found to be clinically braindead.
Following the trial, the subject was euthanized and disposed of. Ethics Committee officials requested to end all tests with SCP-8521 following publication of results. Request was denied by 05 Council authority. The Ethics Committee additionally requested modification to testing prerequisites to ensure preservation of D-Class test subjects. Request was granted by 05 Council authority.