| Item #: SCP-5748 | Level 3/5748 |
| Object Class: Safe | Classified |
Part of recovered GRU-P documentation. Depicts Subject-14 being administered SCP-5748.
Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-5748-1 are stored in maximum security anomalous item storage at Site-109. Any persons exposed to SCP-5748 can be amnesticised and released from containment, with their lack of language skills explained as the result of a haemmorhagic stroke.
Description: SCP-5748 is a gaseous chemical weapon1 designed to infiltrate the brain’s language centers, and remove all semantic connection between words and their meanings. All known SCP-5748 is in containment in the form of a collection of weaponised delivery systems, designated SCP-5748-1.
The initial onset of this effect is a corruption of the meaning of words and expressions such that they lose nuance. Individuals then experience a loss of vocabulary and understanding of grammatical structure. During this time, the affected individuals' communications become increasingly unintelligible, and they have increased difficulty in understanding verbal, signed or written language. In the final stages, they lose all capacity to understand language and become unable to learn or relearn any language in the future.
The duration of time between initial onset and final stages varies depending on how much SCP-5748 was inhaled by the individual. The effects can take days to fully manifest with small doses, while sufficiently large doses can cause near instant progression to the final stage. Thus far, no way to reverse the effects of SCP-5748 have been found.
Discovery: SCP-5748 was created by GRU 'P' Division in the early 1970s. It was originally intended to specifically target the English language, in order to be used as a weapon that would cause massive disruption amongst American forces while leaving their own troops unaffected. However, their attempts to create a targeted form of SCP-5748 failed, and the project lost its funding.
The SCP-5748-1 instances created as part of this project remained in GRU-P storage until the dissolution of the USSR, at which point they were obtained by the Foundation along with a number of other GRU-P assets and personnel.
Currently, the Foundation has 650 tonnes of solid state SCP-5748 in containment.
Addendum 1: Experiment Log Excerpt
The following is part of the documentation on SCP-5748 recovered from GRU-P.
Experiment Log: Subject-14
Date: 14/08/1973
Subject: Subject-14 is a healthy 32 year old female. Previously, she was an American spy captured during an attempt to infiltrate a GRU-P installation. Subject is intelligent, with a rich vocabulary and excellent grasp of the English language, and has moderate command of Russian.
She has proven cooperative with testing after the consequences of non-cooperation were explained to her. She has been granted access to several personal items2 as an incentive for good behaviour.| Control | |
| Speech Sample3 | It’s a painting of a forest. It’s beautiful, the colours are vibrant and rich and the way the sunlight illuminates the empty glade at the center makes me feel nostalgic for when I was young girl and I’d play in the woods out back. |
| Post-Interview Assessment | Subject has been selected to test the effects of Substance P4124 exposure on a typical American citizen. She has not been informed about the nature of Substance P412, and has instead been informed she is to be used in testing the bodies reaction to prolonged exposure to a high oxygen environment. She is to be administered one dose of 3.5 mcg of Substance P412 while asleep in the oxygen chamber. |
| Day One | |
| Speech Sample | It’s a painting of a forest. I think the colours are good and the shapes and stuff are good too. The bit in the middle where there’s no trees feels kind of sad to me. I’m sorry, I know I explained this better yesterday but I don’t just feel good today. |
| Post-Interview Assessment | The onset of symptoms is slow but apparent. Assessment of language skills indicates a large decline, but other areas of cognitive performance remain stable. |
| Day Two | |
| Speech Sample | there are trees and the space between the trees look sad and alone the trees are brown with green leaves but there's all different kinds of green and its very pretty |
| Post-Interview Assessment | Subject is fully aware of the deterioration in her linguistic skills and suspects that we are responsible. She refused to comply with providing a speech sample until threats of physical violence were issued. Cognitive assessment of non-language skills indicate a minor decline, likely due to subject’s difficulty adapting to non-language based thought. |
| Day Three | |
| Speech Sample | NA. |
| Post-Interview Assessment | Subject has been rendered fully nonverbal. Upon her discovery that the letters from her husband have become unintelligible to her, she has become unresponsive and has exhibited symptoms of severe depression. Effects of Substance P412 on morale appear to surpass expectations. |