TEXT
NOTICE:
This is a retired project.
It is an inactive SCP integrated into a broader program, and is not meant to be accessed directly from the SCiPNet. Please contact Project Fountain director (ssamuels@scp.fountain) or your SCiPNet server administrator for more details.
| ITEM: SCP-XXXX | LEVEL 2/XXXX |
| CLASS: neutralized | restricted |
Tanner-Bowe High School
Special Containment Procedures: Items declared neutralized due to Wojciechowski decay on 2013/9/4, incinerated on 2013/9/8. Inert physical copies archived at Site-25.
Description: SCP-XXXX is the joint designation for a group of four letter-sized1 photographs. Upon viewing, instances are capable of memetically inducing severe emotional effects consistent with Project Fountain research into anart phenomena. Notably, the intensity of SCP-XXXX's anomalous effect greatly varies based on observer.
SCP-XXXX was created by PoI-541-79 ("Henri Boyer"), then-senior of Tanner-Bowe High School, Tucson, Arizona. Prior to SCP-XXXX, PoI-541-79 had no anomalous record. However, their mother was PoI-210-32-L ("Lois Alvarez"), a lesser-known anartist active in the American Southwest between 1995 and 2009. Since the disappearance of PoI-210-32-L in May 2009, PoI-541-79 remained in their father's2 custody and they were returned to passive L0 surveillance.
Discovery: SCP-XXXX was recovered from Tanner-Bowe High School on 2013/2/19. A detailed account of events is presented below:
~07:00-07:49 — Various Tanner-Bowe staff and students arrive to the school.
07:36-07:38 — Professor Nina Preston stops in the main hallway and carefully examines the photographs present on the bulletin board. SCP-XXXX is among those examined.
- When questioned, Professor Preston reported feeling "a bit dizzy" but otherwise exhibited no complications.
- Field Agents would later determine Professor Preston was the only staff member or student affected by SCP-XXXX-4.
07:43 — Jerome Boyer's 2006 Ford Focus arrives to the Tanner-Bowe parking lot.
07:44-07:45 — The vehicle remains stationary and unopened.
07:46 — Jerome and Henri Boyer exit the vehicle. Jerome is exasperated as Henri guides him towards the school entrance.
07:47-07:48 — The Boyers are stopped by Jane Callaghan, a friend of Henri's. The trio chats until Miss Callaghan leaves the school.
- When questioned, Miss Callaghan described Jerome as "[not] as bad as [she] expected."
- Based on Henri's reaction, it is assumed this encounter wasn't planned.
07:49 — Henri and Jerome Boyer enter the main Tanner-Bowe hallway. They witness SCP-XXXX.
07:50 — Jerome Boyer collapses face-down in front of the bulletin board containing SCP-XXXX. Henri Boyer is unaffected.
07:51-07:53 — Students and staff assemble around the Boyers. Henri is reported to be "sobbing, shaking [Jerome] by the shoulders."
07:54 — Principal Terry Lindon arrives to the scene. She orders the crowd to disperse: some teachers begin leading students to their respective classrooms. Henri is separated from Jerome.
07:55 — Janitor Gerald Heinz checks Jerome's pulse. First official confirmation of Jerome Boyer's death. Professor Lydia Puck makes the 911 call.
- Foundation surveillance bot I/O-DEVOLSON flags the call for mentions of a potential anomalous event. Nearest available Field Agents are alerted.
07:56-08:09 — Mr Heinz covers Jerome with a cleaning towel. Henri sits surrounded by remaining staff and students, all awaiting the police. He is "largely unresponsive throughout, […] staring downward."
08:10 — Field Agents Gunther and Nim arrive to the scene.
08:11-08:20 — Agent Nim conducts preliminary questioning to determine if the event was anomalous. She identifies SCP-XXXX and establishes provisional containment. Agent Gunther examines Jerome and confirms his death. He attempts to question Henri without success before apprehending him.
08:21 — Agents arrange with Principal Lindon to gain full access to the school until further notice. Students and staff are made to leave, barring persons involved with the case who are guided to Site-25.
- Miss Callaghan would be located and questioned later that day.
APPENDIX.XXXX.1
SCP-XXXX-1 ("Late Voyage"), digital scan
Item temporarily binds early autobiographical memory to short-term memory. Success dependent on early autobiographical memory & triggers rewarding response.
Reaction success: 17%.
Data by C-Yan.AIC
DATE: 2013/2/19
INTERVIEWER: Foundation Officer Martha Reeves
INTERVIEWEE: PoI-541-79 ("Henri Boyer")
FOREWORD: Due to the criminal nature of the event, it was deemed necessary to gather as much information as possible within the day.3 To this end, Officer Reeves was assigned to interrogate Mr Boyer to further understand the intricacies and nature of SCP-XXXX. Officer Reeves was chosen as interviewer based on numerous successful encounters with juvenile delinquents within her 32 years of service.
<BEGIN>
<Henri Boyer sits behind a metal table in Interrogation Room C, shaking his right leg. He tenses as Officer Martha Reeves enters and takes a seat. In her hands are a pen and notepad, and the preliminary report on SCP-XXXX.>
Reeves: Conducting the interview is Foundation Officer Martha Reeves. Subject's name is Henri Boyer, it is 11:29 AM. Hello, Mr Boyer. I will ask you a series of questions. Answer them honestly and to the best of your ability. If you do, we may be able to help you with your present situation.
Boyer: Yes, madam.
Reeves: Officer, please. What can you tell me about these items?
<She places reproductions of SCP-XXXX-1 through -4 onto the table.>
Boyer: Sorry? Do you want to know why I made them?
Reeves: That would be helpful, but I would rather you tell me how.
Boyer: Well, to get how art is made you need to get the author. If you don't know why it is the way it is, how can you hope to, um, understand how it's made?
Reeves: Alright, what do you propose?
Boyer: You'll need to know more about me to— I mean, I assume you've already done your research, I don't mean to waste your time, uh, officer. So… how much do you already know?
Reeves: I will be asking the questions. Start from the beginning. 'Late Voyage.'
Boyer: Of course. Yes. I was just saying, there's a lot, but. Yes.
<Boyer sits up and clears his throat.>
Boyer: That's a nice one. When I was young, we used to move around a lot. The work demanded it. I didn't mind though. It was fun traveling around the states with my parents.
Reeves: Jerome Boyer and Lois Alvarez. Can you tell me about them? Had your parents worked together on anomalous projects?
Boyer: Sometimes, maybe. I was pretty young then, I don't really know—
Reeves: Of course.
Boyer: —but I do remember the journeys we took. Even as a baby, they were bringing me up to, you know, appreciate the arts. Museums, galleries, concerts, performances. I was really too young to remember it all. Then again, I guess it still had an impact on me… considering where I am now.
<His smile fades.>
Reeves: Anything else you've seen? Something more esoteric perhaps?
Boyer: Well, it's hard to say. At that age all of it was strange and wondrous to me. In a way, it still is.
Reeves: Naturally. Mr Boyer, is this going somewhere?
Boyer: Right, well, this all led to a show in San Francisco. It must have been at least a decade ago. Mom and Dad were out. He'd often be there with her, on the exhibits, keep her company. I was alone in the motel room. I remember it was stuffy, dusty. I wanted out. Luckily, they left me a window open.
<He holds his head.>
Boyer: It's hazy. I don't know how it happened, I must've been playing too close, maybe my toy cowboy fell out and I tried to reach for it… but it was the second floor, that would have been dumb. Well, all I know is, the next thing I remember is a tiny, shaking room cramped with people in white and blue. Then the hospital, loud nurses and doctors. It was maybe the first time I was genuinely afraid.
Reeves: And you wanted to commemorate that?
Boyer: Well, I wasn't really hurt that bad. And when I got out the next day, Mom and Dad were waiting for me with hugs and kisses! We went on a road trip that day. On the coast, down all the way to San Diego. It's my favorite memory of the three of us. They got me a teddy bear, too! He is the star of Voyage, an attempt at capturing the magic of our journeys.
Reeves: I see.
<BREAK>
APPENDIX.XXXX.2
SCP-XXXX-2 ("Monument"), digital scan
Item triggers negative introspective emotional response. Particularly effective when combined with autobiographic loss-related phenomena.
Reaction success: 20%.
Data by C-Yan.AIC
<CONT.>
Reeves: Mr Boyer, how does any of this help me?
Boyer: Well, you know how Late Voyage works and, um…
Reeves: Because, frankly, you've given me nothing so far. All I have from you is you've made some weapons and used them to get rid of your father. Information I already came here with.
Boyer: I can… see why you might think that, and it does quite look like that, but… that's just not true, it couldn't be further from the truth.
Reeves: And yet I'm looking at your Monument right now and the impact sure seems hard-hitting. Especially considering Lois has been gone for a while now.
<She slides a copy of SCP-XXXX-2 in front of Boyer.>
Boyer: That's not the one that's dangerous. Why won't you just ask about—
Reeves: I am asking the questions, thank you. How did you make this?
<Boyer takes several shallow breaths.>
Boyer: August 14th, 2001. Like yesterday. We were in Phoenix, minor program, local folks Mom worked with. But someone… some idiot brought something dangerous. How it got past the marshals, I don't know. That's the art world for ya, you live for today 'cause you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.
Reeves: And what happened that day?
Boyer: Mom was… She… Look, all my dad said was, she's gone. She got "abstracted," I don't know. I tried asking him, but he… It means there's no bringing her back.4 That's about all I know. It was horrible what happened, but at least we… had each other.
<He grimaces.>
Boyer: I couldn't make it without him. He couldn't either, alone. So I channeled that pain into Monument and, yeah, there it is, okay? Is that what you wanted?
Reeves: Mr Boyer, either I am unclear regarding what we want, or you are deliberately ignoring my questions. What are you even trying to achieve with these anecdotes? You found someone's grave and made them a part of your revenge scheme, that doesn't bode well—
Boyer: That's not— I wasn't trying to kill him!
Reeves: And I've still gotten nothing about how your photographs are made. I've got half a mind to call off the interview if you continue like this.
Boyer: What the hell do you even want from me? How they're made? I— They're photos! I shot 'em and developed them, what do you think happened!
<Silence.>
Reeves: Okay, Henri. Let's assume you were just in the flow, and suddenly your photos can kill people. Or would you say you saw a "cool" scene, and reality itself bent over backwards to help little ol' you? Or maybe, maybe you're just better than all the greats?
Boyer: I never s—
Reeves: I've seen your type before. You've had it out for your dad since day one. You blame him for your mom's death. And now that the deed is done, you give me nothing but sappy stories and hollow excuses. How little do you think of us, Henri? You really think we didn't talk to anybody at your school? Your teachers? Your friends?
<Boyer remains motionless.>
Reeves: You asked me what we know of you. Well, we know you got into three fights just this winter. We know you spend all your days on the streets, away from home. And we know the whole school either wants you gone, or feels sorry for you because Jerome didn't care about you.
<His eyes water.>
Reeves: Do you have anything to say for yourself?
<Long silence. Reeves shakes her head.>
Reeves: Interview adjourned.
<END>
APPENDIX.XXXX.3
SCP-XXXX-3 ("Island of Concrete"), digital scan
Item enhances understanding of foreign neurological connections. Effect dissipates within 2 hours; lasting consequences non-anomalous.
Reaction success: 27%.
Data by C-Yan.AIC
DATE: 2013/2/19
INTERVIEWER: Foundation Officer Martha Reeves
INTERVIEWEE: PoI-541-79 ("Henri Boyer")
FOREWORD: Conducted on request by PoI-541-79 and approval by Officer Reeves.
<BEGIN>
<Henri Boyer sits in Interrogation Room C, staring aside. Officer Martha Reeves enters, holding the unfinished file of SCP-XXXX.>
Reeves: Interviewing Henri Boyer is Martha Reeves, speaking. It is 7:39 PM. You wanted to talk?
Boyer: Have you figured out how they work?
Reeves: I have no reason to answer that. But, as a matter of fact, we have good results. Nothing we can't handle. Frankly, we don't need more backstory for such a minor incident.
Boyer: …That minor incident killed my dad.
Reeves: Do you want to go through this again?
Boyer: No, just— Why did you accept to talk? After last time?
<Silence.>
Reeves: It's my job, Henri. And I suppose we haven't finished yet.
Boyer: There's still the Island and Precipice, right?
Reeves: Correct. However, you haven't given us much about the others. Why should I think things will go differently now?
Boyer: Because I'll tell you the truth this time.
<Reeves contemplates for a moment. She gestures him to continue.>
Boyer: The day my mother died, it was uncomfortably hot. I had nothing better to do than stay at the motel, watch TV. They'd do their thing, come back by the evening and the three of us would go off again, to somewhere else. That's not what happened. God, I still remember when he finally came, he looked like a train wreck and smelled like a liquor store, and the first thing dammit, first thing I asked was where's Mom.
Reeves: And?
Boyer: You know, I was thirteen at the time. Thirteen. And he treated me like a goddamn child. He didn't even tell me for days. "Mommy's busy, she'll be back soon, be quiet." And once he finally admitted she was gone for good, I just… I was just so fucking pissed off! Yeah, I know what it sounds like. And… sure, at the time, maybe even for years, I hated that— that broken, drooling mess of a man. He never talked to me about anything, let alone Mom. He barely even acknowledged I was there, like some awkward roommate instead of his… fucking son. Four years. For almost four years I had to grow up without parents.
Reeves: Is that what led you to today?
<He sighs.>
Boyer: Okay. Do you remember, there was an accident in the steel mill this summer? A worker died? Ah, you probably don't—
Reeves: Yes, I remember something. Company insisted the man ignored all safety rules and inhaled toxic fumes. Ruled as non-anomalous quickly, unclear if it was an accident or not?
Boyer: It wasn't. Well, you know, maybe it was, but I doubt it. Mr. Callaghan, Jane's dad. I talked to him maybe twice, but it was enough to get the idea. He was weird. Real quiet, polite. Constantly apologized for everything. Thing is, you could squint and see bruises on his head. Jane said that's just how he dealt with stress, that he's always like that. God, maybe if I said something…
Reeves: What does he have to do with you?
Boyer: Dad worked there for a little while. He knew him. He heard about what happened, but he didn't have the nerve to show up for the funeral. I was feeling better though, clear-headed, so I decided to go. Alone. And it was the first funeral I've ever been to. But, well, Jane would have done the same for me.
<Reeves sets down her pen.>
Boyer: We, um, talk about stuff, Jane and I. Bad stuff, from time to time, and I'm the one who usually gets coddled, heh. But I've never seen her so broken. It was bizarre. I felt out of place, like an audience sitting on stage. But Mrs. Callaghan? She seemed reserved. Calm, even. Jane said she'd gone about those first few days as if nothing had changed. Well, it didn't take a genius to see past it. The funeral was the breaking point.
<He shudders.>
Boyer: There was no one in the venue who didn't turn around. I didn't know a person could make a noise like that. There's a lot I didn't know. It was building up, and she couldn't hold it in anymore. And it got me thinking — if this much pain was bottled up inside her in only two days…
Reeves: How much would there be in four years?
Boyer: That was when I realized how stupid I was. I mean, as devastated as I was, Dad was the one who married her. The one who saw her die. The one who never stopped blaming himself.
Reeves: Was he to blame, Boyer?
Boyer: …I don't know. I don't know! But… I do know he didn't deserve all that. He was broken. So, I decided to help. I figured art would be a nice common ground. Sometimes it seemed like he enjoyed photography more than Mom loved her paintings, even if I haven't seen him pick up a camera since she died.
Reeves: Was Jerome an anartist, too?
Boyer: Nah, it was just for fun. He wasn't that good at it either, heh. But well, you gotta love art if you love an artist. I asked him for help getting a camera, you know, baby steps. He was skeptical at first, but he did help out and… yeah, things were getting better. Normal, even. I'd like to think he was glad to see me try. He was trying to be a parent, I was trying to, well, be a son. We were both, uh, not great at it, but I felt like I could finally breathe again.
Reeves: But it wasn't enough.
Boyer: No. Months passed, and I was getting… impatient. There was progress, but he seemed stuck, like he was stuck on a mountaintop and couldn't get down. It dawned on me that I only had my "breakthrough" when faced with something intense.
Reeves: Which brings us to Precipice…
<BREAK>
APPENDIX.XXXX.4
SCP-XXXX-4 ("Precipice"), digital scan
Item causes neurological straining, resulting in disequilibrium & mental generation of item characteristics. Reaction consistently ends before critical symptoms emerge.5
Reaction success: 61%.
Data by C-Yan.AIC
<CONT.>
Reeves: Henri?
Boyer: Yeah. Yeah… Precipice.
<He gulps.>
Boyer: Dad and I, we went to the Grand Canyon a month ago. It was the first time we left the state since we settled here. Hell, the first time we left town at all. It was his idea, too, as a present for my birthday. He really was trying his best. The place we stayed in though, hah, it was a total dump. Hospital-green walls, rocks for mattresses, ice-cold showers — and it's winter, mind you. Fourth floor, no elevator. It's funny, it actually reminded me of the good ol' days, back when the three of us traveled around the country. I didn't mind it. And once I saw the Canyon — hoo boy, it was hard to feel down after that. Pictures really don't do it justice.
Reeves: How was Jerome doing?
Boyer: He was, well, not as comfortable as I was. It was a pretty exhausting trip, I guess. But I do think he liked it. He had a little camera of his own, you know. Truth is, I only picked up photography because it's his thing, I figured it'd be easier to get on the same page… Besides, I think he was mostly going through with it for his own sake. I mean, well, I wouldn't call him a selfish man or anything, but, you know, everyone has an ego, a survival instinct, that sorta thing. At the end of the day, he was my dad. And he could have been a lot, lot worse.
<He picks up the copy of SCP-XXXX-4.>
Boyer: We sat at a neat little place, real special. The way the cliffs flatten out into the horizon, mmm. I looked down into the canyon, and I got that feeling, you know? The urge to jump, even if you don't want to?
Reeves: Yes, I know what you mean.
Boyer: I started thinking about Mr. Callaghan, about my accident as a child, how your life flashes before your eyes in a second. Wouldn't it be great if you could get that experience risk-free? Realize what truly matters to you without losing it? That's when I realized how I could help Dad. I would make him "a show that would change his life." And it was there I got my first piece, the most important piece. The others are just filler, really. You've seen what they do. They are nothing more than background for Precipice to show him a life worth living.
Reeves: Then what went wrong, Henri?
Boyer: I don't…
<Boyer blinks rapidly, holding back tears.>
Boyer: I guess… There wasn't one.
Reeves: What do you mean?
Boyer: God, do I really have to say it?
<He wipes his nose with his sleeve.>
Boyer: When he fell face-first onto that marble floor, I knew — I knew — it was all my fault. I killed him. I just… didn't know how. But I get it now. I pushed him off the ledge. And he chose to keep falling.
<Silence.>
Reeves: My condolences, Henri.
Boyer: So, what now? Am I gonna be stuck in a locker for life?
Reeves: Tomorrow morning you'll be handed over to federal officers. They'll decide what to do with you.
Boyer: I see. Locker it is, then.
Reeves: Look, you have good odds here. We already ran checks on our first conversation and it seems to match your current story well. I'll send a report to Ethics — you'll get off easy.
Boyer: …Thank you.
Reeves: It's my job.
<He flashes a smile.>
Boyer: When you say "get off easy…"
Reeves: If the feds decide to listen, you'll stay at juvenile court. You'd be looking at about ten months, until you're 18. After all, you did—
Boyer: No, no, I get it. I get it.
Reeves: Alright then. Interview adjourned.
<She turns on her way out.>
Reeves: And Henri, don't let this thing define you, will you? You've made a colossal mistake, yes, but that's all it was — a mistake. Else we'll have to meet again.
<The door closes. Henri is slouched, lightly smiling.>
<END>
APPENDIX.XXXX.5
The Ethics Committee unanimously agreed to solicit the FBI's Unusual Incident Unit for treating PoI-541-79 as a young offender, with a sentence of 10 months and release once they reach 18 years of age: this sentence was accepted. Once PoI-541-79 is discharged, monitoring will commence per standard low-priority L1 protocol.
UPDATE: On 2013/12/10, the day before PoI-541-79's release, Foundation Officer Martha Reeves was approved to send them a letter as per tradition. It has been replicated below:
You were right, pictures don't do it justice!
Best of luck,
M. Reeves
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