WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:04.490 It is November of 1966, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 00:00:04.490 --> 00:00:10.790 It's a crisp, clear night, the kind of natural beauty only Autumn in Appalachia can bring. 00:00:10.790 --> 00:00:15.639 The lush green mountain sides have gone fiery as the season changed from Summer to Fall, 00:00:15.639 --> 00:00:21.180 vivid oranges, reds, and yellows flooding the landscape and turning the hills into a 00:00:21.180 --> 00:00:22.180 sunset. 00:00:22.180 --> 00:00:27.430 Now, in the dim light of the moon, the colors are muted but still glorious, dancing in a 00:00:27.430 --> 00:00:29.040 silvery blue glow. 00:00:29.040 --> 00:00:34.760 The spooky fun of Halloween has come and gone, leaving the warm, cozy feelings of the harvest. 00:00:34.760 --> 00:00:39.200 Of fresh-pressed apple cider, corn mazes filled with happy families, cuddling up around a 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:43.249 fire with a flannel blanket and a mug of something hot and sweet. 00:00:43.249 --> 00:00:48.219 Some people think Christmas is the most romantic time of the year, or Valentine's Day, or Spring, 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:51.820 when the wildflowers bloom and the breeze carries their perfume through the town. 00:00:51.820 --> 00:00:56.649 But to at least one happy couple, this is the most romantic thing they could possibly 00:00:56.649 --> 00:00:57.649 imagine. 00:00:57.649 --> 00:01:01.690 They're a young man and a young woman, driving down the winding country road, they're so 00:01:01.690 --> 00:01:05.900 in love, and they feel like the only two people in the entire world. 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:09.680 At this moment, life is good. 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:14.540 They're driving just to drive, to crank up the radio and enjoy being alone together, 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:18.890 but after a long stretch of road with nothing much in sight, they decide to drive a little 00:01:18.890 --> 00:01:24.330 bit further away from town, over toward an area nicknamed "The TNT Area" for its former 00:01:24.330 --> 00:01:27.170 life as a World War II munitions plant site. 00:01:27.170 --> 00:01:32.270 Now, of course, it's just mostly wildlife out there, but it'll look beautiful at night, 00:01:32.270 --> 00:01:34.650 and it should be completely private. 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:38.210 As the car winds around a curve in the road, the woman thinks she sees something out of 00:01:38.210 --> 00:01:41.960 the corner of her eye, and her heart skips a beat, taking her back to long-forgotten 00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:43.620 childhood fears. 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:47.860 As a little kid, she always used to get nervous driving at night, imagining a monster running 00:01:47.860 --> 00:01:50.860 alongside the car as it went, trying to catch her. 00:01:50.860 --> 00:01:55.710 She used to picture long pale limbs and big eyes, something loping along on all fours, 00:01:55.710 --> 00:01:59.110 dipping in and out of sight between the moonlight and the shadows. 00:01:59.110 --> 00:02:02.290 She would have nightmares about what the creature might do if it ever caught up to the car, 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:06.130 if it ever reached through the window and pulled her out into the darkness. 00:02:06.130 --> 00:02:10.519 But of course, that was just a flight of fancy, the sort of thing a bored child's mind cooks 00:02:10.519 --> 00:02:16.319 up on a long drive, imagining monsters where there are just dead tree branches or nocturnal 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:17.319 animals. 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:21.969 But now, seeing motion in the forest out the window, she feels that same breathless terror 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:23.769 she felt as a little girl. 00:02:23.769 --> 00:02:27.099 She doesn't even realize she's squeezing her boyfriend's hand too tight until he pulls 00:02:27.099 --> 00:02:28.489 it away with a wince. 00:02:28.489 --> 00:02:30.349 "Easy, before you crush me." 00:02:30.349 --> 00:02:32.900 He laughs, but there's worry in his eyes. 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:33.980 "You okay?" 00:02:33.980 --> 00:02:35.709 She nods, shaking off the feeling. 00:02:35.709 --> 00:02:37.549 "Sure, I'm fine." 00:02:37.549 --> 00:02:41.129 She privately chides herself for being so silly, for letting her own imagination get 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:42.680 the better of her. 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:46.440 She's lived in Point Pleasant all her life, she's no stranger to wildlife. 00:02:46.440 --> 00:02:49.799 Animals come out at night sometimes, it's just as much their world to live in as it 00:02:49.799 --> 00:02:51.840 is hers, she reminds herself. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:56.220 She's just starting to settle in, to let herself relax, when she sees it again. 00:02:56.220 --> 00:03:00.909 A fluttering motion, like great big dark wings, flapping at the edge of the area illuminated 00:03:00.909 --> 00:03:02.519 by the headlights. 00:03:02.519 --> 00:03:06.510 Something about it, the way it moves, the way it shimmers in the light that seems to 00:03:06.510 --> 00:03:10.450 shine right through it like black mist, it feels deeply wrong. 00:03:10.450 --> 00:03:14.139 Like the old stories her grandfather used to tell her about the things you see in the 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:17.730 mountains late at night, things you never want to come close to. 00:03:17.730 --> 00:03:21.670 He'd once told her about a mountain lion with the face of a woman, or a deer he watched 00:03:21.670 --> 00:03:23.780 stand up on its hind legs. 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:27.610 She'd never seen anything quite like that, but the feeling he described, the deep sense 00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:32.739 of the unnatural, the way her mind and body recoil instinctively from this sight, feels 00:03:32.739 --> 00:03:33.739 the same. 00:03:33.739 --> 00:03:35.010 "Did you see that?" 00:03:35.010 --> 00:03:38.450 She asks, her throat so tight that her voice comes out in a whisper. 00:03:38.450 --> 00:03:39.799 Her boyfriend shakes his head. 00:03:39.799 --> 00:03:40.799 "See what? 00:03:40.799 --> 00:03:41.910 Are there deer out here? 00:03:41.910 --> 00:03:45.379 You know a deer completely wrecked my last car, ran right into me. 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:47.620 He was fine, got up and walked off like nothing happened! 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:48.620 Me, on the other hand..." 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:50.290 "No, it wasn't a deer." 00:03:50.290 --> 00:03:51.310 She shakes her head. 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:52.650 "Never mind, it's silly." 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:55.840 But the little break in her voice makes him pause. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.489 He turns the wheel, pulling the car over by the side of the road, and parks there. 00:03:59.489 --> 00:04:00.579 "Hey, look at me. 00:04:00.579 --> 00:04:02.319 What's got you so shaken up?" 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.090 He puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:08.029 "I just...I thought I saw something." 00:04:08.029 --> 00:04:10.999 She sighs, feeling absurd as she says it out loud. 00:04:10.999 --> 00:04:13.819 "You probably did, all kinds of animals out here. 00:04:13.819 --> 00:04:18.139 But it's fine, they're more scared of us than we are of them," he reassures her. 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:19.750 She shakes her head, frowning. 00:04:19.750 --> 00:04:21.340 "No, I know that. 00:04:21.340 --> 00:04:22.500 It wasn't an animal. 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:23.500 I think. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:27.090 I couldn't quite see it, but I got this awful feeling. 00:04:27.090 --> 00:04:29.000 All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:34.620 Whatever I got a glimpse of...I can't explain it, I just feel like there was something wrong. 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:36.660 Like it wasn't supposed to be here." 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:40.110 She rests her face in her hands, struggling to find the words. 00:04:40.110 --> 00:04:43.370 He rubs her back, unsure what else to do, what else to say. 00:04:43.370 --> 00:04:47.010 They sit like that for a long while, before she finally sits back up. 00:04:47.010 --> 00:04:48.010 "Wanna go home?" 00:04:48.010 --> 00:04:49.830 He asks. 00:04:49.830 --> 00:04:50.830 She nods, weakly. 00:04:50.830 --> 00:04:51.830 "I'm sorry. 00:04:51.830 --> 00:04:54.629 I know you wanted to go driving more, it's a new car..." 00:04:54.629 --> 00:04:55.629 He cuts her off. 00:04:55.629 --> 00:04:57.360 "I want to do what you want to do. 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.300 Come on, let's go by the diner and get a couple burgers, see if they've got any cherry pie 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:02.300 left. 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:03.300 Sound good?" 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:04.300 She nods. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:05.509 "Sounds great." 00:05:05.509 --> 00:05:09.430 The young man is just about to put the car back in "drive," when there is a sudden fluttering 00:05:09.430 --> 00:05:11.920 motion, something moving through the headlight's beam. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:16.190 This time, they both see it, and they can only watch, wide-eyed, as it settles to a 00:05:16.190 --> 00:05:18.490 stop, directly in front of their car. 00:05:18.490 --> 00:05:23.720 There, the size of a grown man with a ten-foot wingspan, is something unlike anything they 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:24.930 have ever seen before. 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:30.860 It's massive, dark gray, its face shielded from view by the limited light, with one notable 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:31.900 exception. 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:37.340 Boring into them are a pair of glowing red eyes, wide and piercing. 00:05:37.340 --> 00:05:42.159 Then, with a flap of its wings, as quickly as it appeared- the strange thing is gone 00:05:42.159 --> 00:05:43.159 again. 00:05:43.159 --> 00:05:47.870 The couple sit in complete silence for a long time, before they turn to look at each other. 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:53.740 They don't speak, but their expressions both say the same thing: you saw that too, right? 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:57.380 Still too shocked to speak, the young man cranks the engine with trembling hands and 00:05:57.380 --> 00:06:00.530 the two speed off back down the deserted road toward town. 00:06:00.530 --> 00:06:03.409 They have to get back, they have to call the police, and tell them...what? 00:06:03.409 --> 00:06:07.449 That they saw a monster, a flying man with glowing eyes? 00:06:07.449 --> 00:06:09.240 Will anyone even believe them? 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:12.409 Suddenly, the young woman's voice breaks through the tense quiet in the car. 00:06:12.409 --> 00:06:13.419 "Behind us!" 00:06:13.419 --> 00:06:14.780 She cries out. 00:06:14.780 --> 00:06:18.599 The man glances in the rearview mirror, and sees what he would assume were red headlights 00:06:18.599 --> 00:06:21.140 if he didn't already recognize them. 00:06:21.140 --> 00:06:26.129 Sure enough, the massive thing is flying behind their car, following them along the road. 00:06:26.129 --> 00:06:28.550 The car takes a turn, and so does the creature. 00:06:28.550 --> 00:06:32.000 The car speeds up, and it flaps its wings to catch up to them. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:36.099 It doesn't do anything else, doesn't try to grab them or break the back windshield, it 00:06:36.099 --> 00:06:40.490 just follows them, watching with an expression that he could almost call curiosity. 00:06:40.490 --> 00:06:47.090 Then, after five tense miles, it just disappears again, and they're alone. 00:06:47.090 --> 00:06:48.419 Truly alone. 00:06:48.419 --> 00:06:51.939 That chill on the back of their necks is gone, and they know that wherever that creature 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:54.100 came from, it's gone back there. 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:56.599 At least for now. 00:06:56.599 --> 00:07:00.000 When they make it back to town, they pull into the police station and rush inside. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:03.470 They can hardly get their words out as they try to tell the officer on duty what exactly 00:07:03.470 --> 00:07:04.470 they saw. 00:07:04.470 --> 00:07:06.439 He's skeptical, of course. 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.310 Two scared kids seeing things that aren't there, he assumes. 00:07:09.310 --> 00:07:13.110 But they insist, again and again, that they know what they saw. 00:07:13.110 --> 00:07:17.349 He humors them, listens to their story, and suggests that it was some sort of large wild 00:07:17.349 --> 00:07:18.419 bird. 00:07:18.419 --> 00:07:20.550 Animals' eyes reflect light, he reminds them. 00:07:20.550 --> 00:07:25.240 And everything looks worse at night, especially when someone is already all worked up. 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:29.500 Realizing they won't be believed, the couple head home and get ready for bed. 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:30.810 But they don't sleep. 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:32.650 They can't. 00:07:32.650 --> 00:07:37.889 All they can think about is that massive figure, landing right in front of their car and staring 00:07:37.889 --> 00:07:39.550 directly at them. 00:07:39.550 --> 00:07:44.069 Its unbelievable wingspan, its speed, the strange interest it had shown in following 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:46.980 them home until it disappeared without a trace. 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:49.780 What did it want? 00:07:49.780 --> 00:07:50.780 Will it ever come back? 00:07:50.780 --> 00:07:54.449 As they lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling and replaying the events of the night again 00:07:54.449 --> 00:07:59.479 and again in their minds, they wonder if they'll ever get the answers to those questions. 00:07:59.479 --> 00:08:06.249 One thing is for certain, though: they'll never forget those eyes as long as they live. 00:08:06.249 --> 00:08:09.800 Contrary to what the police officer thought about their story, this pair of young lovers 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:14.319 were not the only ones to see the strange winged figure around Point Pleasant. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.780 Over the next month, others reported seeing similar things, and soon, eyewitness accounts 00:08:18.780 --> 00:08:20.979 were pouring in on a regular basis. 00:08:20.979 --> 00:08:25.169 A pair of volunteer firemen saw it while on duty, describing a massive bird with bright 00:08:25.169 --> 00:08:26.169 red eyes. 00:08:26.169 --> 00:08:30.699 A police officer reported seeing an unusually large bird-like animal with eyes that reflected 00:08:30.699 --> 00:08:32.409 the glow from his flashlight. 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:37.040 A group of gravediggers doing their work looked up from their shovels to see something large, 00:08:37.040 --> 00:08:41.570 dark, and winged fly through the sky overhead, temporarily blotting out the moon. 00:08:41.570 --> 00:08:44.980 It soared overhead, then landed in a far-off tree. 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:49.339 All over town, people reported sightings of the creature, and the story grew and grew. 00:08:49.339 --> 00:08:53.550 The Sheriff tried to calm the townspeople down, positing that it was just a sandhill 00:08:53.550 --> 00:08:57.380 crane, a large bird with a seven-foot wingspan and reddish coloring around its eyes. 00:08:57.380 --> 00:09:02.490 But the reports kept coming in, and they only got more bizarre. 00:09:02.490 --> 00:09:06.389 Some said it could fly over one hundred miles per hour, others said it could appear and 00:09:06.389 --> 00:09:07.540 disappear at will. 00:09:07.540 --> 00:09:11.700 A man in Salem, West Virginia blamed the creature for strange patterns appearing on the screen 00:09:11.700 --> 00:09:16.750 of his television set, and for strange noises he heard outside of his home at night. 00:09:16.750 --> 00:09:20.310 Then came the strange being's most infamous appearance. 00:09:20.310 --> 00:09:25.260 Eyewitnesses saw it, a massive, shadowy winged figure, on the night of December 15, flying 00:09:25.260 --> 00:09:29.040 over the Silver Bridge, a suspension bridge over the Ohio River. 00:09:29.040 --> 00:09:34.580 Soon after this sighting, the bridge collapsed, and 46 people lost their lives. 00:09:34.580 --> 00:09:38.820 Though a fracture in the suspension chain was the culprit, people whispered around town 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:41.920 that this mysterious creature was somehow responsible. 00:09:41.920 --> 00:09:45.500 If not responsible, then the monster was at least connected. 00:09:45.500 --> 00:09:48.610 It had to be, how could it be a coincidence? 00:09:48.610 --> 00:09:54.300 This mysterious apparition grew to be known as The Mothman, or simply, Mothman, but to 00:09:54.300 --> 00:09:59.160 the SCP Foundation, it had a different name: SCP-2901. 00:09:59.160 --> 00:10:04.580 And according to their findings, there wasn't just one Mothman, but an entire species. 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:10.260 SCP-2901 refers to a species of carnivorous scavenger creatures that, thus far, have demonstrated 00:10:10.260 --> 00:10:11.760 limited intelligence. 00:10:11.760 --> 00:10:16.580 They stand at an average height of 1.7 meters, and generally appear to have an ellipsoidal 00:10:16.580 --> 00:10:20.240 shape, with two large red eyes covered in photophoric tissue. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:25.400 Their bodies are covered in tiny iridescent scales, similar to those found in moths, butterflies, 00:10:25.400 --> 00:10:28.209 and other insects belonging to the Lepidoptera order. 00:10:28.209 --> 00:10:33.480 They are not bound by standard rules of space or time, and are able to move through both 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:34.579 at will. 00:10:34.579 --> 00:10:39.290 This gives them seemingly impossible abilities such as levitation, flight, teleportation, 00:10:39.290 --> 00:10:44.600 and the emission of an acoustic cancellation effect thought to help them avoid detection. 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:48.649 In spite of these talents, they are still impervious to some ordinary forces, such as 00:10:48.649 --> 00:10:49.900 standard firearms. 00:10:49.900 --> 00:10:54.630 Due to their unique abilities making them especially elusive, these creatures have proven 00:10:54.630 --> 00:10:57.360 difficult to contain using conventional methods. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:01.449 Not only that, but it has become increasingly difficult over time to keep the general public 00:11:01.449 --> 00:11:04.430 from discussing the possibility of their existence. 00:11:04.430 --> 00:11:10.260 The first appearance of SCP-2901 on record occured in West Virginia in 1967, shortly 00:11:10.260 --> 00:11:13.199 before the catastrophic collapse of the Silver Bridge. 00:11:13.199 --> 00:11:19.240 Since then, SCP-2901 instances have gone out of their way to avoid humans, keeping to themselves 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.500 as much as possible and vanishing from sight when approached. 00:11:22.500 --> 00:11:27.040 However, they have continued to manifest near the sites of various disasters, appearing 00:11:27.040 --> 00:11:31.660 to a handful of eyewitnesses in the location approximately a week to a month before something 00:11:31.660 --> 00:11:33.420 terrible occurs there. 00:11:33.420 --> 00:11:38.181 Somehow, through a predictive ability compared by some researchers to a sense of smell, they 00:11:38.181 --> 00:11:42.510 are able to detect when an event resulting in multiple fatalities will occur. 00:11:42.510 --> 00:11:45.920 Once they have first appeared in an area, the creatures will remain there and guard 00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:48.660 it until the disaster comes to pass. 00:11:48.660 --> 00:11:52.779 They are extremely territorial, fighting with each other for dominance over the area, and 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:56.630 even changing their shapes to frighten humans that wander into their territory. 00:11:56.630 --> 00:12:01.660 Once the disaster has occurred, the instances of SCP-2901 in the area will scavenge the 00:12:01.660 --> 00:12:04.440 dead until there is no more food left for them. 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:09.620 Then, they will disappear once and for all, leaving no trace behind. 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:15.190 Because SCP-2901 cannot be physically contained, the SCP Foundation has instead put guidelines 00:12:15.190 --> 00:12:19.620 in place for managing the creatures' appearances, as well as what to do if an agent encounters 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:22.149 one of these ethereal beings in the field. 00:12:22.149 --> 00:12:28.749 Cases involved SCP-2901 are assigned to Mobile Task Force Phi-5, also known as the "Twilighters" 00:12:28.749 --> 00:12:34.240 - not to be confused with fans of a certain young adult vampire romance series. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:39.209 Any civilian encounters with SCP-2901 should be addressed with standard amnestic procedures, 00:12:39.209 --> 00:12:43.899 and any media leaks regarding the creatures such as social media posts, YouTube videos, 00:12:43.899 --> 00:12:48.600 or local news reports, will be deleted or otherwise countered by the Information Detraction, 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.160 Censorship, and Rescission Division. 00:12:51.160 --> 00:12:56.170 Field agents have been instructed to avoid SCP-2901 if possible, and carry mobile devices 00:12:56.170 --> 00:13:00.779 capable of SMS messaging in the event of one of the creatures using acoustic cancellation. 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:06.070 If an operative comes face to face with an instance of SCP-2901, and there is no way 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:10.720 to avoid a direct confrontation, there are specific steps that they must follow in order 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:12.220 to minimize casualties. 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:16.459 First, do not attempt to run away from the creature, lest it be provoked to chase after 00:13:16.459 --> 00:13:17.459 you. 00:13:17.459 --> 00:13:22.050 Second, hold your ground and maintain eye contact, do not show weakness. 00:13:22.050 --> 00:13:26.640 Third, make a threat display, similar to the display the creatures use to frighten civilians 00:13:26.640 --> 00:13:27.640 away. 00:13:27.640 --> 00:13:31.519 Use your clothing to make yourself look bigger, stand on your tiptoes, and spread your arms 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:32.630 wide. 00:13:32.630 --> 00:13:39.340 Continue this step until SCP-2901 either loses interest or is intimidated into standing down. 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:42.829 If the creature approaches, do whatever you can to keep from touching it. 00:13:42.829 --> 00:13:46.380 Throw objects or brandish a makeshift weapon if you must. 00:13:46.380 --> 00:13:50.470 Though they do not tend to deliberately harm living humans, the fluctuating nature of the 00:13:50.470 --> 00:13:54.600 creatures' position in space and time causes direct physical contact between them and a 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:56.639 human to result in a dermal fusion. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:02.080 Essentially, they become stuck together, but the creature does not realize this. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:06.370 When they then attempt to flee and leave the human behind, the results are...painful, to 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:08.360 say the least. 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:10.649 Imagine the feeling of ripping off a large bandaid. 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:12.730 Now multiply that by a thousand. 00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:14.380 And multiply again. 00:14:14.380 --> 00:14:15.899 One more time? 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:17.720 That's what it feels like. 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:21.269 Though these guidelines were put together with Foundation field operatives in mind, 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:26.959 they may come in handy for any civilian who accidentally crosses paths with SCP-2901. 00:14:26.959 --> 00:14:30.471 Should you find yourself in that unfortunate position, I hope that this information will 00:14:30.471 --> 00:14:34.060 help you avoid unnecessary trauma and pain. 00:14:34.060 --> 00:14:37.680 One more thing...I initially believed the preceding information to be all the available 00:14:37.680 --> 00:14:40.100 research into the nature of SCP-2901. 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:45.069 However, after obtaining some additional security clearance through methods I won't detail here 00:14:45.069 --> 00:14:49.350 out of concern for the safety of all involved, I was able to locate this classified entry 00:14:49.350 --> 00:14:50.980 into its official file. 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:55.170 It is a missive from the Information Detraction, Censorship, and Rescission Division., and 00:14:55.170 --> 00:15:00.060 details a practice of containment known as "Operation: Surgeon's Photograph," intended 00:15:00.060 --> 00:15:05.160 to act as a public disinformation campaign regarding the nature of SCP-2901. 00:15:05.160 --> 00:15:09.899 The purpose of this operation is not to conceal information about SCP-2901 from the public, 00:15:09.899 --> 00:15:13.850 but rather to control the information they have access to. 00:15:13.850 --> 00:15:18.740 A summary of the operation's methodology and ongoing success was included, and reads as 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:20.070 follows: 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:25.490 "SCP-2901's current evolution is the sum of Foundation efforts in manipulating its existence 00:15:25.490 --> 00:15:26.680 through public perception. 00:15:26.680 --> 00:15:32.949 SCP-2901 are a group of extradimensional entities that lack a stable cohesive form and purpose 00:15:32.949 --> 00:15:36.940 that only coalesces through continued observational reconciliation. 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:42.640 For SCP-2901 to maintain a stable physical mass, approximately 75% of the nearby human 00:15:42.640 --> 00:15:49.389 populace within 500km need to be congruent on a singular concept of what SCP-2901 is 00:15:49.389 --> 00:15:51.120 and what it does. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:56.490 SCP-2901 were first discovered and categorized as highly unstable Keter-class entities capable 00:15:56.490 --> 00:16:00.589 of producing localized CK-class scenarios at random. 00:16:00.589 --> 00:16:06.220 Further research into SCP-2901's unstable manifestations proved to be futile as, unbeknownst 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:12.560 to Foundation scientists at the time, SCP-2901 would involuntarily change during each subsequent 00:16:12.560 --> 00:16:13.860 observation. 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:17.630 During a containment breach into the civilian populated areas within the Appalachian region 00:16:17.630 --> 00:16:23.649 of the Southern United States, SCP-2901 began gradually condensing into a singular manifestation 00:16:23.649 --> 00:16:26.250 the more it was exposed to humans. 00:16:26.250 --> 00:16:31.980 Civilians began conceding to the idea that SCP-2901 was a dark winged-like humanoid with 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:36.610 large red eyes, which corresponded to pre-existing local folklore. 00:16:36.610 --> 00:16:42.120 SCP-2901 also began to evolve predatory-like behaviors and anomalous acoustic effects that 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:46.910 conceptualized due to the mass fear generated within the surrounding communities. 00:16:46.910 --> 00:16:52.579 Foundation researchers recognized the effects and began isolating SCP-2901 as much as possible. 00:16:52.579 --> 00:16:58.329 However, deprived of regular perceptual input, SCP-2901 began to devolve into its initial 00:16:58.329 --> 00:17:01.279 highly unstable manifestations once again. 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:06.079 The decision was made to maintain SCP-2901 in a functioning manageable state through 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:11.909 continued exposure to human perceptual belief that SCP-2901 is a tangible creature of local 00:17:11.909 --> 00:17:15.870 folklore: another Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster. 00:17:15.870 --> 00:17:21.490 The nearby Silver Bridge collapse of 1967 and the SCP-2901 Appalachian Incursion in 00:17:21.490 --> 00:17:26.920 reality have no connection with one another; however, public opinion strongly disagreed, 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:32.690 and henceforth SCP-2901 began to appear at other future disaster events. 00:17:32.690 --> 00:17:36.820 This was the precursor of the precognitive scavenging animal-like behavior that is observed 00:17:36.820 --> 00:17:38.260 today. 00:17:38.260 --> 00:17:42.110 Efforts are to continue gradually introducing notions developed by the Foundation as to 00:17:42.110 --> 00:17:47.740 further SCP-2901's evolution into a more docile and manageable concept." 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:52.330 I'm not sure I appreciate the implication that Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster don't 00:17:52.330 --> 00:17:53.330 exist. 00:17:53.330 --> 00:17:55.260 I, for one, am still holding out hope. 00:17:55.260 --> 00:17:58.020 But this finding still does compel me. 00:17:58.020 --> 00:18:02.630 Belief is a powerful thing, it can shape the world around us in unexpected ways, and apparently 00:18:02.630 --> 00:18:06.659 can even shift the nature of an entire race of creatures that otherwise refuse to abide 00:18:06.659 --> 00:18:09.260 by our rules, and our understanding. 00:18:09.260 --> 00:18:13.230 Who knows what these beings will look like, how they will behave, a few years down the 00:18:13.230 --> 00:18:14.230 line? 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:18.960 For now, they are shadowy precognitive scavengers, waiting in the wings for humanity to encounter 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:22.460 disaster, then picking up the leftovers for themselves. 00:18:22.460 --> 00:18:27.230 They may not mean us any harm, but the sight of them can, and should, still strike terror 00:18:27.230 --> 00:18:28.760 into the heart. 00:18:28.760 --> 00:18:32.630 If you're ever out on your own and you spot a wide pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness, 00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:37.330 hear the rustle of leaves, of something floating through the trees like a cloud of black mist, 00:18:37.330 --> 00:18:39.700 you should probably leave that place immediately. 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:43.799 You won't want to be there for what's coming next, because whether it takes a day or a 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:49.240 month, SCP-2901 only goes where it knows it will be fed. 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:54.039 if you want to support this important mission, while also getting influence over the anomalies 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:58.510 we cover and an exclusive look behind the scenes, check out the Dr. Bob patreon and 00:18:58.510 --> 00:19:01.450 become a junior researcher today 00:19:01.450 --> 00:19:06.730 Now go and watch another entry from the classified files of Dr. Bob, such as “SCP-4434 - Anglerfish”, 00:19:06.730 --> 00:19:11.320 for more glowing-eyed horror hiding in the darkness. 00:19:11.320 --> 00:19:15.320 And make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications, so you don’t miss a single anomaly, as we 00:19:15.320 --> 00:19:19.210 delve further and further into the SCP Foundation’s classified archives.