SCP-4132
rating: +93+x

Item #: SCP-4132

Object Class: Safe

Threat Level: Green

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4132 is to be kept in a single secure room on Site 133. Testing of pre-human history events is to be performed only with the authorization and oversight of 1 Level 3 researcher. All testing of SCP-4132 is suspended until further notice. In the event of reinstatement of testing authorization, testing of events within 20000 years of the present day will remain denied. Foundation webcrawlers are to scan online shopping sites and flag any listings of products with qualities similar to SCP-4132.

Description: SCP-4132 is an object resembling a sensory deprivation tank composed of an as-yet unidentified plastic polymer. Embedded in the rear surface of the tank is an apparent product branding, identifying the maker as a corporate entity called Chronos Controlos1. A serial number is included in the branding, suggesting that SCP-4132 was intended to be a production model; no units have been found outside of containment. The unit has a single opening leading into an interior chamber filled with an unknown liquid2 providing buoyancy slightly greater than water, such that subjects reliably float within it. Should any amount of the liquid be removed, SCP-4132 will replenish it by an unknown means until it reaches the baseline amount.

A touch-screen monitor is present on the outside of the door of SCP-4132. This monitor remains inactive unless a human subject3 is present inside the tank and the door is closed. Once active, the screen will display two input fields corresponding to 'location' and 'time'. The 'location' field allows for entries as precise as a building site or street address; entries of lesser precision will place subjects in an apparently random point within the specified location. The field also displays a toggle for 'undefined,' which appears to replace specified entries and is presumed to force a random location. The 'time' field corresponds to an amount of time prior to the activation of SCP-4132 and will not allow amounts less than 1 hour or greater than 13.8 billion years4. The temporal input resolution decreases with numbers of greater magnitude, allowing only a maximum of three significant figures at time periods greater than 10000 years before activation. Once both fields have been adequately filled, the screen displays an activation input.

Upon activation, SCP-4132 will become inaccessible for 62 minutes, with the monitor reading ‘Observation In Progress’. No means of opening the door during this period has been discovered. SCP-4132 is impermeable to scanning, but GPS beacons indicate the subject remains within the tank during this period. At the end of the 62-minute period, the monitor will become inert and the door will automatically open. Units will be unable to be activated for approximately 15 minutes following use.

Subjects within the tank report spending approximately one hour observing events that have been determined to correspond to events that occurred starting from the time period specified on the screen input. In the event of a low-resolution selection, SCP-4132 appears to favor events of significance occurring very close to the chosen period5. Subjects are unable to interact with any observed events and there is no awareness of their presence by individuals observed during this period, suggesting that the events being viewed are more similar to a recording than an actual temporal reversion. Recording devices are unable to verify these observations.

Subjects report peculiarities in their movement during the observation event. Subjects are unimpeded by natural or man-made barriers but do not pass through the surface they stand on. Subjects reporting immersion in water do not have any difficulty breathing nor do they observe pressure differential due to depth, and move freely without effort regardless of the motion they make. Similarly, subjects in vacuum environments do not report any decompression difficulties and free motion by thought.

Testing has confirmed that observed events within known locations and time periods are highly accurate and that observations are near-perfectly consistent between units. Anomalous events have been observed prior to human history; it is unknown if these are an accurate historical record or an artifact introduced by SCP-4132.

History: SCP-4132 was discovered on 16/08/2014 when Foundation webcrawlers flagged a potentially suspect listing on ██████.███ advertising a “retrochronal observation machine” with a picture of SCP-4132. The product description read as follows:

Time waits for no man. But now you can go back and see what you missed. The retrochronal observation tank can take you back to wherever and whenever you want. Find evidence for that bold thesis you have. See the truth that hasn’t been discovered yet. Relive a classic moment in your OWN life, not a fictional person’s.

Chronos Controlos
Revive the past. Revise the future. Retake the present. Regain yourself.

Upon O5 authorization, an order was placed for one unit prior to enacting removal of the listing to be delivered to a Foundation front company. 24 hours after placement of the order, a box containing an instance of SCP-4132 was discovered outside the designated building. Security cameras showed a sudden appearance of the box, without delivery personnel or means of arrival. The box was marked as originating from Chronos Controlos, with an invalid return address provided.

Test Log for SCP-4132:

4132TL-1
Purpose: To confirm reputed function and determine accuracy
Procedure: Dr. Carmen was carefully monitored with cameras for one hour starting at 12:52:16 on 13/09/2014. 24 hours later, Junior Researcher Lao entered SCP-4132 with the purpose of verifying the events, including paying particular attention to specific details which he was unaware of prior to testing.
Result: Junior Researcher Lao correctly identified all probed details and was able to verify near-perfect correspondence with camera observations, remaining uncertain only on details Lao did not attend to.

4132TL-2
Purpose: To determine if experiences deviate from each other
Procedure: A recording procedure similar to 4132TL-1 was used. Beginning 24 hours later, Junior Researchers Lao, Christoph, Brigs, and Stanton were successively inserted into SCP-4132, with a one-hour period between activation events. Subjects were independently briefed on the events and told that other subjects were to observe other events and not to discuss observations with them.
Result: Correspondence between observed accounts exceeded 99% accuracy, with discrepancies believed to be attributable to errors in recall and differences in perception rather than discrepancies in the presentation of events.

Additional Notes: SCP-4132 seems to be working as advertised. I would expect greater discrepancy if these were somehow showing different versions of the past. However, it would be wise to independently verify that the length of time between events and observations doesn’t cause differences to arise. -Senior Researcher Mandel

Additional testing is pending approval.

Experiment Log for SCP-4132:

The following experiments were performed by parapaleontology expert Dr. Korvacs, who has hypothesized that anomalous events may have precipitated recorded mass extinctions.

4132EL-1
Examined event: Ordovician–Silurian extinction event
Period entered: 445 Ma BA6
Verified conventional hypothesis: No
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed no initial terrestrial activity. Approximately 20 minutes in, impact from a burst of energy of extraterrestrial origin was observed. Burst continued for approximately 30 seconds before ceasing. No further activity was observed.
Notes: I’ve seen a gamma ray burst hypothesized, but that was certainly not a gamma ray burst. However, I doubt we'll be able to determine the origins or easily track the effects. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-2
Examined event: Late Devonian extinction event
Period entered: 360 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: Undetermined
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed expected Devonian-era life activity. No notable events occurred during the viewing window.
Notes: If it's true that this favors viewing of notable events, then it's possible there wasn't any significant prelude to this extinction event. This supports the idea that gradual changes were responsible for the Late Devonian extinction event, but can't confirm it. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-3
Examined event: Permian-Triassic extinction event
Period entered: 252 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: No
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed expected Permian-era life activity. Approximately 25 minutes in, an extraterrestrial object made impact. Object rapidly unraveled into a large entity, which proceeded to emit [DATA EXPUNGED].
Notes: Even amnestics won’t let me unsee this. No wonder this was the worst extinction event on record. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-4
Examined event: Triassic-Jurassic extinction event
Period entered: 201 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: Yes
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed massive volcanic eruptions during the entire one-hour observation period. Believed to be location of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province.
Notes: After that last one, it’s almost a relief that this was mundane. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-5
Examined event: Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event
Period entered: 66 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: Yes
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed expected Cretaceous-era life activity. Approximately 12 minutes in, bolide impact was observed. Dr. Korvacs noted multiple visual distortions typical of dimensional disruption occurring in a progressively increasing radius from impact before observation ended.
Notes: I confess I expected to confirm the conventional hypothesis for this event, but I didn't expect the other finding. That was an awful lot of DK-class events. What was in that asteroid? -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-6
Examined event: None7
Period entered: 23.9 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: N/A
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed end-Paleogene life activity. Approximately 6 minutes in, a theorized DE-class dimensional anomaly was observed, permitting passage to humanoid entities resembling Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops horridus. Entities appeared to be fully encased in apparent bio-isolation gear and armed with unknown weaponry. Entities were observed collecting samples and entering information into computerized devices. Approximately 57 minutes in, all entities re-entered dimensional anomaly, which subsequently vanished.
Notes: I don’t know exactly what I just saw, but given the level of technology, I think we’re best off if we don’t see them again. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-7
Examined event: Eocene-Oligocene extinction event
Period entered: 33.9 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: Yes
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed expected Paleogene-era life activity. Approximately 37 minutes in, an impact was observed, believed to be the Popigai impact. No anomalous activity was found.
Notes: I'm almost disappointed by this, given that I strongly believed in a more anomalous hypothesis. It certainly didn’t have the peculiarities that the K-P event had. -Dr. Korvacs

4132EL-8
Examined event: Middle Miocene extinction event
Period entered: 14.0 Ma BA
Verified conventional hypothesis: No
Observation: Dr. Korvacs observed expected Miocene-era life activity. Approximately 13 minutes in, significant seismic activity was reported, which continued through the end of the observation period. The source of the seismic activity was unidentified.
Notes: What on earth was that?! Further testing to find the source of this activity requested. -Dr. Korvacs

Additional Notes: Test 4132EL-8 was repeated an additional 4 times. Location was different each time, but the onset of the seismic activity occurred at identical time points in each observation. The source of the activity has remained unidentified. Additional investigations are pending approval.

As of 27/01/2015, testing has been postponed until a determination can be made as to whether the anomalies observed are an accurate reflection of the historical record or introduced by the use of SCP-4132. Objections by Dr. Korvacs and Site Director North have been overruled pending further investigation into the nature of SCP-4132 and Chronos Controlos.

Special Report:

THE FOLLOWING REPORT IS TO BE ACCESSIBLE ONLY TO SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR VERDANA AND MEMBERS OF O5. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS IS PUNISHABLE BY IMMEDIATE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License