Item #: SCP-9098
Object Class: Neutralized
Archived manifestation of SCP-9098
Special Containment Procedures: This document serves to archive the timeline of events related to SCP-9098. No other procedures have been deemed necessary.
The bodies of SCP-9098-A and SCP-9098-B have been buried at an undisclosed location.
Description: SCP-9098 was an anomalous sentient broadcast signal that was neutralized on 11/12/1996 by SCP-9098-B
Addendum 1: Initial discovery
SCP-9098 was initially subject to an investigation by the Unusual Incidents Unit in early September of 1996 where several online users began posting on conspiracy and supernatural forum boards recounting strange, vivid dreams that they’ve been experiencing following a ‘strange broadcast’ reminiscent of a broadcast bumper that appeared on their television. One such example, written by a user on Parawatch, goes as follows:
complicated_casette 09/12/1996 (Thurs) 3:26:04 #17611329
Just like Joshua32 said, everything started with the broadcast. For me, it happened earlier this month. I was up late one night, half-asleep and binging reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when the broadcast suddenly cut out and switched to something else.
At first, I figured it was one of those broadcast hijacking things (I’ve heard of that happening before, though it’s kinda rare), but there was something… off about this one. It didn’t feel like a prank. From what I remember, it showed some kind of calm, scenic background with text overlaid on top. It looked like one of those station ID bumpers they’d show to remind you what channel you’re watching when you’ve nodded off on the couch.
The text said something really weird, something along the lines of: “Memories feel so far away, like on a distant shore.”
As I was trying to make sense of it, I started to feel this… itch. Not on my skin, but in my head. Kind of like an urge? Or is it like a pull? I don’t really know how to describe it, but I suddenly felt like I needed to get closer to the TV. So for whatever reason I started inching my way closer to the screen and whatever was gravitating me towards it kept getting stronger the closer I got.
But then next thing I know, everything went black. I must’ve passed out or something, because when I came to, the show was back on and nothing seemed out of place. I figured I’d just dozed off.
But then the dreams started. And after reading Joshua32’s post and hearing about other people talk about the same damn thing I’m not so sure anymore. Maybe something weird really is happening.
complicated_casette 09/14/1996 (Sat) 12:11:06 #17611329
EDIT: I was looking through the footage on my VCR around the time this started to see if it might've captured that broadcast and I found something.
This thing really did happen. Holy shit.
What the fuck is happening here guys?
Archived sketch of the man illustrated by a sufferer of SCP-9098
These dreams are universally described in phenomenal detail, predominantly featuring romantic encounters between an unidentified individual and was coined among sufferers as the “Ever Dream This Man?” phenomenon (Designated SCP-9098) due to the prominence of this recurring character within their dreams.
One member of this community was designated a Person of Interest by the UIU due to their extensive involvement in discussions concerning the phenomenon: most notably for posing highly specific questions to individuals affected by it while demonstrating knowledge of details not publicly disclosed in their posts.
Despite the promising nature of this lead, the investigation was halted due to budgetary restrictions brought about by the mounting pressure from the Satanic Panic, leading to the case’s abandonment by mid-September.
Addendum 2: Foundation involvement
Shortly after the investigation was abandoned, the lead investigator contacted an embedded member of MTF Iota-10 (“Damn Feds”) and requested Foundation assistance in completing the case. This interaction was recorded by the Iota-10 agent on-scene:
Interviewed: UIU Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Olsen
Interviewer: MTF Iota-10 Agent Davenport
Foreword: This interview was conducted in the underground parking garage of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.
<Begin Log>SSA Olsen: Agent Davenport! Glad you could make it.
Agent Davenport: Olsen! It's been too long, old friend. Mind if we get straight to the point?
SSA Olsen: Right let's get straight to business, you haven't changed one bit since last time Davenport [Olsen chuckles]. So do you remember that bust back in ’94? The one where I saved your ass and you said you owed me one? Well, I’m here to cash that favor in.
[Olsen retrieves a box from the trunk of his car, labeled “UIU Casefile 1996-074 ‘Killscreen’”]
Agent Davenport: Whoa, whoa- what’s this all about, Olsen?
SSA Olsen: Case I was heading about a month ago. Had to shelve it cuz our unit’s drowning in false alarms about satanic cults from paranoid parents and cranky neighbors. I want you guys to pick this one up and see it through.
[Davenport flips through the contents of the box, scanning a few files]
Agent Davenport: [Sighs] Fine. I’ll see what I can do. But that's only because we're good mates. So tell me: what exactly am I looking at here?
SSA Olsen: End of August, our tech analysts, or "tech trolls" as we call 'em, started flagging online chatter about people having the same weird dreams. We started comparing notes and saw a pattern.
Agent Davenport: Go on.
SSA Olsen: Take that photo you’re holding, which is supposedly a still from a strange TV broadcast linked to the dreams. We had some guys stare at it for a while, but nothing happened, so we ruled out anything memetic
Agent Davenport: And let me guess: you didn’t call me just because you’re overworked from the Satanic Panic.
SSA Olsen: Sharp as ever, Davenport, you’re right. I was gonna reach out sooner because my kid, my little Olsen Jr., starts talking about the same dreams. Word for word. Now, I might’ve lost my beautiful dame in the divorce, but that boy means the world to me. I figured if anyone could help me understand what was happening to him, it’d be you.
Agent Davenport: And…?
SSA Olsen: And a couple days before I could call, he tells me the dreams just… stopped. No warning. Just gone. I wasn’t cleared to keep working the case because of the Panic but I still had some friends down in Tech. Had ’em dig around online. They found a Parawatch post that went up the same day my son’s dreams ended. The user who wrote it was one of our primary suspects during the investigation because of his uncanny knack at knowing specific details about these dreams that some folks didn't even mention in their posts. That final post though… had some real weird wording. Almost like the guy was gonna off himself.
Agent Davenport: Alright, I’ll bite. Definitely sounds interesting. But what were these dreams about, exactly? Nightmares?
SSA Olsen: That’s the strangest part. You’d expect something dark, maybe apocalyptic or even satanic considering the times, but no. These dreams were romantic. People, my son included, described going on dates, having long conversations, spending time with some mystery man. Same figure every damn time. Ain't that weird? Actually wait, lemme see here…
[SSA Olsen sifts through the box, pulling out a microcasette and accompanying recorder]
SSA Olsen: I recorded a few interviews with my son: asked him what exactly he was seeing in those dreams. Figured you folks probably had some fancy doodad that could peek into people’s heads, so maybe it’d be pointless. But turns out, I’m glad I came prepared.
[SSA Olsen inserts one of the microcassettes into the handheld recorder and presses play.]
SSA Olsen [Recording]: So, Jack… can you tell me more about these dreams?
Jack Olsen [Recording]: It was kinda weird. I remember being in this basement, working on a computer: almost like I was drawing something, maybe? Some kind of picture or design, it made me feel funny everytime I looked at it. Then this man comes down the stairs holding a camera, and suddenly I feel… embarrassed, I guess. I tried to hide whatever was on the screen, like hugging the monitor to my chest. Then I said something to him, but I can’t really remember what. Everything after that feels blurry, but I remember laughing when he answered. It felt… normal, or natural, almost like we knew eachother. [The tape clicks and ends]
SSA Olsen: Weird, right? I wanted to press Jack for more, but he’s only seven: doesn’t remember much beyond that. I’ve got a few more tapes in the box, some from other talks with him and a few with people we managed to track down online. The latter might have more to work with than what my son could give.
Agent Davenport: You’ve definitely piqued my curiosity. I’ll talk to my superiors, see about getting this case transferred to us. Appreciate the heads-up, Olsen.
SSA Olsen: Glad to hear it, Davenport. Feels good knowing someone’s gonna finish what I started. Thanks.
<End Log>
Closing Statement: Following the interview, all information collected by the UIU was transferred to the custody of the SCP Foundation
The post that was previously mentioned by SSA Olsen was later recovered, being archived and appended below:
paintedcanvas 11/11/1996 (Mon) 1:32:00 #57328491
Hey everyone, Canvas here.
I've been apart of this place since everything started. Even though I never went through what most of you guys did, I always felt like I belonged here: Like she was telling me these things herself, even if I knew that was a lie.
I can’t really explain what’s going to happen next, but tonight, when you finally fall asleep, the dreams will stop. The noise will quiet down.
Thank you for letting me know that she was always there.
Love you all,
Canvas
Addendum 3: Neutralization
On 11/13/1996, a team from MTF Epsilon-6 (“Village Idiots”) conducted a follow-up investigation in Kanab, Utah, concerning the Person of Interest identified in the UIU report: a man named Silas Brown, known on Parawatch as paintedcanvas. It should be noted that the Foundation had already placed him under investigation for his potential affiliation with the anomalous and that local law enforcement in Kanab had identified him as a possible suspect in a series of localized broadcast hijacking incidents.
However upon the team's arrival, the team discovered the remains of two individuals, later identified as Luna Barclay (SCP-9098-A) and Silas Brown (SCP-9098-B). Both were determined to have died from carbon monoxide inhalation, with evidence suggesting a suicide.
A handwritten note was recovered next to the bodies:
It was all my fault. I just wanted to make her happy and I ended up hurting her in a way I couldn’t even imagine. But despite all the pain and confusion and fear she endured, she still thought about those memories we shared together. All those people, talking about our memories. You were just trying to tell me you were out there, weren’t you baby?
Don’t worry, this time I’ll join you on the otherside. We’ll be together forever, just like all those times when we promised we’d grow old together.
I love you.
S.B
Following this, all evidence collected at the scene was transported to Site-53 for analysis. Among the recovered items was a particular VHS tape discovered inside a VCR, bearing a crude handwritten label reading: “What should’ve been.” Playback of this tape revealed the following footage:
Recovered video footage
Timestamp: 1996.08.22 13:22.12
[BEGIN LOG]
The footage begins shaky and unfocused as the camera tilts upward toward a mirror, briefly revealing the cameraman, identified as SCP-9098-B. He leaves the bedroom and begins heading down a narrow staircase into the basement. There, SCP-9098-A is seated at their shared home computer, consumed in her work.
SCP-9098-B: Hey, babe… whatcha workin’ on over there?
The camera zooms closer. For a moment, the computer screen is visible, suggesting that SCP-9098-A is in the process of creating a cognitohazard on Microsoft Paint. She quickly notices the camera, gasps, and spins around, hugging the monitor to her chest.
SCP-9098-A: Hey! You’re not supposed to be down here! Shoo! Go upstairs! This is your anniversary present and it's ruining the element of surprise!
SCP-9098-B: Oh really? For YOUR information, this is our basement. And I happen to be working on my present down here too. I hope you weren’t trying to sneak a peek either!
She sticks her tongue out at him as he chuckles and crosses the room toward a cluttered workstation filled with wires, circuit boards, and the remains of a disassembled Virtual Boy. Setting the camera on the desk to face him, SCP-9098-B begins tinkering with a few components. After a few seconds, he pauses, sifts through his pockets, and pulls out a small box. He stares at it quietly, clearly hesitating.
SCP-9098-A [off-screen]: Sooo… what’s the plan for our anniversary tomorrow?
Startled, he quickly hides the box as SCP-9098-A appears behind him and wraps her arms around his shoulders, leaning against him lovingly. He laughs nervously.
SCP-9098-B: I- uh- thought maybe I’d show you my present early, since it’s obviously wayy cooler than yours.
SCP-9098-A: Uh, excuse me? Mine is literally the coolest thing ever made in, like, the entire world! You’re just trying to cobble together one of those funky gadgets that always end up exploding.
The couple break into laughter, continuing their playful back-and-forth. The camera remains recording until SCP-9098-A notices the red light still blinking and reaches over to turn it off.
The screen cuts to black, briefly flashing red text that reads 'I WOULD'VE SAID YES' before ending
[END LOG]
The cognitohazard in question was later discovered and testing personnel exposed to the image have universally expressed a feeling of warmth, comfort and love with a marked improvement on their mental and emotional wellbeing. As the image has been cleared of any harmful vectors, it has been appended below
- Displaying image...