SCP-5563
rating: +24+x
Item#: 5563
Level2
Containment Class:
safe
Secondary Class:
none
Disruption Class:
vlam
Risk Class:
notice

Containment Procedures: Site 627 has been constructed around the mouth of the cave leading to SCP-5563 to house personnel and testing equipment under the pretense of containing a pocket of poisonous gas. The site is capable of shielding the cave mouth in the event of an eruption from Taal Volcano.

SCP-5563’s chamber should have an ambient temperature of 20° C and humidity of 40% rH.1

A self-contained computer terminal running a modified version of SkipOS is to be continuously connected to SCP-5563. A folder containing multiple text documents is to be maintained and observed, with a blank text document created every two hours. In the event that two English words in a row appear in any text document, Dr. Mamet or Dr. Bosworth are to be notified immediately.

Description: SCP-5563 is a digital information storage device that dates back to at least the fifth century BCE by a hitherto unknown civilization. As there is no known name for the civilization, Dr. Mamet suggested calling them the Bombauni after the original Tagalog name for the island on which SCP-5563 is located. SCP-5563 is a device analogous to a hard drive built from materials that indicate a higher level of technological advancement than expected for that period, including stainless steel, silicon, synthetic rubber and glass2. Information is stored on a set of clockwork mechanisms and silicate wafers, though the exact method of storage is as yet unknown. So far no upper limit for storage capacity has been found. A leather headband with small copper electrodes is connected to SCP-5563 via a cable; this has been determined to be the primary means of data transference. A power cable runs from the eastern-most cave wall to a docking/charging station for SCP-5563. When off the charger, SCP-5563 has a "battery life" of up to 10 hours idle, or 2 hours of continuous use. Due to the location of the cable relative to Taal Volcano, it is theorized that the Bombauni harnessed geothermal energy in a more efficient manner than modern geothermal power plants. Other devices, including what is thought to be a computer, are also present in various states of disrepair. SCP-5563 is the only working device in its chamber.

SCP-5563 is capable of reading human knowledge in the form of computer files. When the input device is worn by a human, SCP-5563 will display a list of skills, experiences, specialized knowledges, and talents that the subject currently has, with file names in the user's primary language. Once displayed, SCP-5563 can transfer those specific sets of information from and to the subject's mind. Individuals who have had information transferred to SCP-5563 are unable to recall anything pertaining to said information, such as where it was learned or how much about it they knew.

Once in storage, information files can then be transferred through the input band to another human mind, allowing another person to "learn" everything the donor had known with no known loss of data. Test logs related to this can be found in addendum 5563.1.

Upon access of SCP-5563's data stores, it was discovered that 100,683 seperate files were already present. Testing has revealed that they are Bombauni in origin3. Testing with SCP-5563 is focused on recording any information available and learning the limitations of data transference.

Background: SCP-5563 is located 75 meters west of Taal Volcano, an island in the Taal Lake of the Philippines . SCP-5563's chamber was discovered during an excavation by the Philippine Institution of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to determine the age and composition of the containing island. The mouth of the chamber was discovered under basalt stone dated to 500 BCE. Six sets of human remains were present within the chamber when it was discovered. Forensic analysis showed no damage to any of the bones consistent with external trauma; the positions of the skeletons supports this. Upon discovery of the chamber, an agent embedded within PHIVOLCS called in the Foundation to commandeer the site and administer amnestics to the volcanologists involved. A cover story about a dangerous pocket of Hydrogen Sulfide was implemented with the cooperation of PHIVOLCS.

Addendum 5563.1 - A geophysical survey of the island was conducted; no further Bombauni artifacts have been located. Though SCP-5563's chamber was located under basalt stone, no connecting structures have been found. Further surveying is ongoing.

Addendum 5563.2 - Abridged Testing Logs

Full testing log may be found in Document 5563-2

Experimentation performed by Junior Researcher Dr. Sinclair Prope, and overseen by Senior Researcher Dr. Rebecca Mamet.

Test 5563.1
Subject D-5563-24, 22 years old
Protocol Subject will place the input band on their head. Dr. Prope will observe the results on the provided workstation.
Observations After fifteen seconds, a new folder appears in SCP-5563's root folder containing 90 separate files. Each file name is in English.
Test 5563.2
Subject Chipper, 2 year old Doberman (Test overseen by Security Officer Hanlon)
Protocol Subject will have the input band placed on their head. Dr. Prope will observe the results on the provided workstation
Observations After thirty seconds, an empty folder appears.
Notes Test was repeated two more times, with the same results. Animal testing is cancelled until further notice.
Test 5563.3
Subject D-5563-24, 22 years old
Protocol The subject will be sedated, and have the input device placed on their head. Dr. Prope will observe the results on the provided workstation.
Observations After four minutes, a new folder appears in SCP-5563's root folder containing 25 separate files. Each file name is in English. New files appear at the rate of one every thirty seconds.
Test 5563.4
Subject D-5563-24, 22 years old
Protocol After the subject's knowledge has been loaded, Dr. Prope will copy File 5563-000001 to the subject's information folder.
Observations The transfer takes five seconds. Once the transfer is complete, the subject mentions a mild headache. Dr. Prope asks the subject if they feel any changes. The subject responds that they feel like they know something new. When asked what they've learned, the subject recites a recipe for a dish similar in composition to Swedish Meatballs.
Test 5563.5
Subject D-5563-24, 22 years old
Protocol Immediately following Test 5563.5, File 5563-000001 will be deleted from the subject's information folder.
Observations Deletion takes less than a second. Subject grabs his head as the deletion completes and complains of a sharp pain, though the pain appeared to subside relatively quickly. Dr. Prope asks what they remember of the file's contents. The subject is visibly confused, stating that they don't remember having any knowledge of the file.
Note As the subject was escorted to their quarters, the subject repeatedly failed to acknowledge his class designation. Reorientation is suggested before any further experiments with this subject commence.
Test 5563.6
Subject D-5563-27, 35 years old, college graduate (Major in general studies)
Protocol After the subject's knowledge has been loaded, Dr. Prope will copy File 5563-000002 to the subject's folder. After completion of testing, File 5563-000002 will be deleted.
Observations The transfer takes five seconds. Once the transfer is complete, the subject mentions a mild headache. Dr. Prope asks the subject if he feels any changes. The subject is visibly excited, and when asked to relay what he has learned, he explains the history of a sport similar to basketball, including multiple team names.
Notes Subject displayed confusion upon return to his quarters and was sent to the infirmary for a hairline fracture on his tibia. He claimed he had forgotten about his bed and tried to walk past it without realizing it was there.
Test 5563.7
Subject D-5563-33, 29 years old, high school graduate
Protocol File 5563-00003 will be copied to the subject's folder, and Dr. Prope will attempt to view the file using a plain text reader and a hex editor.
Observations The file cannot be opened using a plain text reader. When opened with a hex editor the raw data can be viewed, but until the data encoding can be translated it is impossible to glean any pertinent information.
Test 5563.8
Subject D-5563-33, 29 years old, high school graduate
Protocol The subject's knowledge files will be loaded into memory. Dr. Prope will attempt to view one of these files with a hex editor.
Observations When opened with a hex editor the raw data can be viewed. A hard copy of the information has been requested by Dr. Prope for translational aid, and approved by Dr. Mamet.
Notes Dr. Prope asked the subject personal questions about her files not pertaining to the translation efforts. Dr. Prope has been verbally warned against asking questions about test subjects' knowledge files, and is to treat them as privileged information.
Test 5563.9
Subject D-5563-33, 29 years old, high school graduate
Protocol File 5563-000003 will be copied to the subject's folder and deleted ten times to check for data degradation. The hex editor has been modified with a tool to highlight changes. The subject has been given pain medicine to alleviate the headaches caused by the deletion of the data.
Observations No changes were seen in the data after ten transfers.
Test 5563.10
Subject D-5563-35, 32 years old, some college courses attended
Protocol File 5563-000001 will be moved to the subject's folder and back ten times to check for data degradation. The subject has been given pain medicine.
Observations For the first seven cycles of transference and deletion, there are no visible changes in the file's data. On the eighth reading, three bytes have been altered. On the ninth, 22 bytes were altered. After the tenth transfer, 147 bytes had been altered.
Notes Subject hasn't spoken since the experiment.
Test 5563.14
Subject D-5563-36, 56 years old, college graduate (Major in linguistics)
Protocol D-5563-36 will be given a sedative and allowed to fall asleep before experimentation begins. File 5563-000003 will be copied to the subject's folder and deleted multiple times to check for data degradation. No pain medication will be given.
Observations As before, read/write speed is drastically reduced. For the first five cycles of transference and deletion, there have been no visible changes in the file's data. The subject awakens partway through the sixth transfer, causing SCP-5563 to desynchronize briefly. The copy of File 5563-000003 was found to have over half of its data corrupted. The file was deleted without incident.
Notes Dr. Prope was once again reprimanded for asking the subject about information obtained from SCP-5563. Dr. Prope asserted that he was attempting to judge the subject's capabilities for further testing.


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