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Aerial view of Kerrigan Atoll
Special Containment Procedures: The island of Kerrigan Atoll is to have a ten-kilometer exclusion zone enacted around it on the grounds of heavy nuclear contamination during the United States DoE nuclear test program. In all documents referencing the Pacific Proving Grounds islands, Kerrigan Island should be marked as a Category III Radiation Hazard.
Satellite surveillance of the island and the waters is to be conducted daily. An array of submersible probes in the surrounding waters must be regularly monitored to detect any changes in the ocean floor.
In the event of any seismic activity being detected on or around the island of Kerrigan Atoll, a thermonuclear device is to be detonated on the island immediately.
Description: SCP-XXXX refers to an occult ritual that occurred on the island of Kerrigan Atoll, located thirty kilometers north of the Marshall Islands chain in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people and a permanent restructuring of local reality. This ritual was conducted by a previously unknown organization known as The Waves of Rán, who worshipped the Norse Goddess of the Sea. The intent of this ritual is unknown, as no surviving cultists were located and all texts are presumed lost.
A timeline of events has been established.
February 1945: A wealthy financial backer of The Waves of Rán purchased the island for an undisclosed amount from the Government of the Marshall Islands. Ship manifests show that over one hundred cultists moved to Kerrigan Atoll during this time and surviving photographs indicate that they were able to construct two towns and a beachside resort soon after this.
Recovered Photographs of Construction
March 1946: The Foundation became aware of The Waves of Rán following a failed bombing attempt on a cruise ship. Literature regarding the beliefs and goals of the organization, as well as the enclave on Kerrigan Atoll, are found aboard the vessel. Foundation Agents began to monitor the island shortly after.
August 1946: On August 9th, a Category-Five typhoon formed over the course of three hours, centered directly over Kerrigan Atoll. It remained over the island for two days before dissipating. A manned mission to the island was authorized at this point.
Exploration Video Log Transcript
Date: 12.08.1946
Exploration Team: RTF J-9 "Flotsam & Jetsam"
Subject: Kerrigan Atoll, Resort
Team Lead: Captain Samuel Stahl - "Jetsam"
Team Members: Corporal Samuel Henry - "Flotsam," Corporal James Calico - "Driftwood"
[BEGIN LOG]
Camera turns. The front of a black dinghy is visible, moving slowly through the surf, which is clogged with wood, plastic, and garbage.
Flotsam: Christ, whatever came through here sure did a number on this place.
Driftwood: You guys think it's still around? They wouldn't just send us in blind, right?
Flotsam: If it was still around, I think we'd know already.
The dinghy makes landfall and Flotsam secures the anchor, while Driftwood and Jetsam remove the gear from the craft. A single beam is all that remains of a large pavilion, while concrete stubs are the only traces of the other buildings.
Jetsam: Alright, we've got nothing here. Where do we even start to look?
Jetsam: Wait, what's that?
Camera turns sharply to follow where Jetsam is pointing. Several meters past the treeline is a bright red, pink, and orange tree.
Flotsam: Let's find out.
The RTF approaches the tree.
Jetsam: Mother above… Is that? Coral?
Driftwood: An entire tree made out of coral? How?
Flotsam: Guys. Look into the forest and tell me I'm just losing it.
Camera pans towards the denser foliage. Several clusters of coral can be seen interspersed on the ground and attached to trees. As Driftwood approaches, a vaguely humanoid shape can be seen within the coral structure.
Jetsam: Dear God. There's people in these.
Flotsam: We've gotta get em out.
Flotsam approaches a cluster attached to a palm tree and strikes it several times with the butt of his rifle. After one minute, cracks appear and a human figure falls out, as well as a large quantity of green gel.
Driftwood: Is he… alive?
Driftwood approaches the man. Large portions of his skin have melted away, revealing bone in several places. In his eyesockets, several coral polyps can be seen.
Jetsam: What the fuck is going on here? [Pause.] Shit, Flotsam. Your rifle!
[Flotsam lifts his rifle. The stock is covered with the green gel and most of it has turned into a white material. Flotsam throws the rifle to the ground and takes a closer look.]
Flotsam: It's… coral.
[END LOG]
Head Reasearcher Gilbert Falli with an SCP-XXXX-2 cluster
Two days later, a Research team was dispatched to the island, with S.S. Explorer serving as an improvised base of operations. Tests on the tree and the clusters, SCP-XXXX-1 and SCP-XXXX-2 respectively, showed they were constructed of a coral capable of photosynthesis and non-aquatic respiration.
Video Log Transcript
Date: 15.08.1946
Subject: SCP-XXXX-1
Location: Kerrigan Atoll, Resort
[BEGIN LOG]
[Camera opens to Doctor Gilbert Falli inside the canvas tent covering SCP-XXXX-1. Doctor Ian Jackson is with him.]
Dr. Falli: Marvelous… Simply marvelous. Jackson, do you see what I'm seeing?
Dr. Jackson: Hm. Perhaps. A living tree constructed out of coral is a wonder in its own right. However, I've noticed a particular mutation in the polyps, but I doubt that's what you're referencing.
Dr. Falli: The lack of a rigid cell wall on the interior structures? Close. [Pause.] But I'm looking at a far grander picture.
Dr. Jackson: As you are oft to do.
[Dr. Falli gestures for Dr. Jackson to come to him, before ashing his cigar.]
Dr. Falli: In my sketch, do you see that slender part that widens into that round growth about halfway up the stem? [He gestures to SCP-XXXX-1's trunk.]
Dr. Jackson: Yes.
Dr. Falli: And do you see that part above the growth that tapers just after the trunk terminates into the branches?
Dr. Jackson: I do, but I don't know if I'm following.
Dr. Falli: In all ways except materials, this mirrors the construction of a human brain stem.
Dr. Jackson: Do you mean… it's alive?
Dr. Falli: Not quite. We have yet to register anything beyond the slow growth of coral. It's missing that… spark! If you permit me to wax poetic, before us lies a great calcemic corpse, devoid of that ever so precious energy that compels all life.
Dr. Jackson: For the record, you mean it's dead?
Dr. Falli: I would say in utero before deceased, but that's my opinion. This puzzle is missing something.
[END LOG]
Each cluster of SCP-XXXX-2 contained some form of fauna in various states of liquefication. After thirty days within an SCP-XXXX-2, all organic material is reduced to an acidic sludge. It is believed that SCP-XXXX-2 acts as some form of digestive organ and that all life on the island was encapsulated in SCP-XXXX-2 in a similar manner to a pyroclastic flow.
September 1946: On September 13rd, a manned mission was conducted after faint electrical signals were detected, originating from the island.
Recovery Video Log Transcript
Date: 13.09.1946
Exploration Team: RTF J-9 "Flotsam & Jetsam"
Subject: Kerrigan Atoll, Town-A
Team Lead: Captain Samuel Stahl - "Jetsam"
Team Members: Corporal Samuel Henry - "Flotsam," Corporal James Calico - "Driftwood"
[BEGIN LOG]
[Camera shows the shadow of a helicopter as it lands in a clearing. Driftwood disembarks, along with Flotsam and Jetsam.]
Jetsam: Alright. Command says the signals are coming through strongest here, so we'll poke around. See what's going on.
[Driftwood begins to walk towards the remnants of a house. He moves a piece of plywood and reveals a cellar door.]
Driftwood: Got a cellar here we musta missed on the first sweep. Going in.
Jetsam: [Over Radio] Copy that.
[Driftwood turns his flashlight on and pulls open the door. Descending the stairs, he comes into a large room with pews and an alter.]
Driftwood: Guess this is where it all started…
[He walks towards the large stone altar. On top is a small SCP-XXXX-2 cluster, dried blood, and a bloodstained shirt lies in front. He grabs it.]
Driftwood: This could fit my four-year-old… Oh, Christ. Then that's…
[He looks behind the altar. A man can be seen, partially encased in coral. His eyes turn to face Driftwood.]
Unknown Man: An… Apostate… in… Her… sanctum.
[As Driftwood moves behind the altar, the man is seen holding a water-stained book.]
Driftwood: Save your speech for somebody who cares.
[Driftwood pulls the book from the man's hands, who is instantly covered in coral.]
Driftwood: Well shit. Did I-
[Thick strands of coral erupt from the man and pierce the ceiling above. Driftwood falls to the ground.]
Jetsam: [Over Radio] Driftwood, come in. The XXXX-2 just went nuts. They're growing or…
Driftwood: Copy that. I'll meet you up top.
[He exits the cellar. After several minutes, Flotsam and Jetsam enter the clearing.]
Jetsam: We've got growth all over. Strands connecting XXXX-2 clusters.
Flotsam: Clocked em at 10 centi in diamater. And they're putting off a lot of energy.
Driftwood: How much?
Flotsam: Bout fourty watts. Coming in pulses. How about you?
Driftwood: Found this journal. And a dead kid, I think. Not much else.
Flotsam: Let's get this back to-
[Flotsam and Jetsam clutch their heads and scream. The camera shakes violently as Driftwood falls to his knees and starts vomiting. After twenty minutes, the RTF members stop screaming and shaking, presumably falling unconscious.]
[A multitude of people can be seen at the edge of the clearing. One begins to walk towards the RTF. After a few minutes, Doctor Gilbert Falli bends down over Driftwood and removes the journal from his belt. Coral structures can be seen growing from his chest and throat.]
Driftwood: Doc… help.
Dr. Falli: Those who heard Her call and crumbled like sand do not deserve Her embrace.
[The people encircling the clearing let out a guttural scream for the next fourteen minutes, before departing.]
[END LOG]
On September 14th, all contact was lost between Overwatch Command and the SCP-XXXX forward operating base. Contact was re-established briefly one day later by a member of RTF J-9, transcription provided below.
Overwatch Command. Hailing Overwatch Command. This is Corporal James Calico… RTF J-9. Some… happened. Something… There was something wrong… water, I don't know, but everyone just… After we found the journal. The doctors, the researcher, even the… Got up and… Flot and Jet said they'd… but.. haven't heard… hours. You have to… Her. Stop… Shit, they're…
Mobile Task Force Upsilon-11 ("Requiem's Wake") was deployed to the island to recontain the anomaly on September 17th. The search revealed fifty-four new instances of SCP-XXXX-2 arrayed around SCP-XXXX-1 in positions resembling prayer.
Camera still of the S.S. Explorer before its destruction
Recovery Video Log Transcript
Date: 17.09.1946
Exploration Team: MTF Upsilon-11
Subject: Kerrigan Atoll, Sea Caves
Team Lead: Captain Henry Shore
Team Members: Warrant Officer Jane McCalloway, Chief Warrant Officer Alexander Crowley, Lieutenant Commander James Zimmerman, Warrant Officer William Jenkins
[BEGIN LOG]
[Camera opens to CWO Crowley and WO Jenkins walking down the beach towards a cave structure.]
McCalloway: [Over Radio] Hey Shore. We've got nothing over here. Those RTF bootprints just lead to the surf. You want us to put on our frogman gear and look for bodies?
Shore: Negative. Meet up with us, we're going into the caves.
Jenkins: Christ, after today? I'm never going swimming again.
Crowley: You don't bathe already, not much change there.
[Shore and Jenkins laugh. They reach the mouth of the sea cave.]
Shore: Flashlights on.
[They walk for several minutes, following the twists of the cave system. Soon, the light of a lantern can be seen. A man can be seen, bent over a radio. Shallow breathing can be heard.]
Shore: Calico? Corporal James Calico? Is that-
[Shore shines his flashlight at the man and Crowley gasps. The man's legs have been turned into coral, as well as his spinal cord. He turns his head slowly to look at the MTF.]
Calico: Please… kill me. Before it's too… late.
[Jenkins moves towards him. He covers his mouth with his hand after looking at Calico's chest.]
Jenkins: It's… there's just nothing there…
Crowley: Sir, permission to terminate Corporal Calico? He's clearly suffering.
Shore: One seco-
[Crowley and Jenkins can be seen against the back wall, drenched and coughing up water. Shore stumbles to his feet.]
Shore: What… [Cough] happened?
Jenkins: We got hit by a wave. Somehow.
Crowley: Calico's [Cough.] gone.
[END LOG]
Further exploration revealed that portions of the S.S. Explorer were spread across the island. Based on the indentations in the hull, this had apparently been done by massive humanoid hands.
Late September 1946: On September 21st, researchers noticed distinct changes in the topography of the island. Aerial imaging showed that a twisted humanoid face, spanning the entire island, was emerging from the soil. On September 22nd, radar imaging showed a massive humanoid body with approximately three legs, twelve arms, and an unknown number of other appendages was forming underwater and extended ten kilometers to the northwest. The entity was designated SCP-XXXX-ᚱ. Object Class was upgraded to Keter.
The next day, personnel stationed on the island reported being attacked by coral creatures that "hatched" out of the SCP-XXXX-2 clusters. Contact was lost fifteen minutes later and all personnel are presumed lost.
At 9:13 PM, 22.09.1946, all flora on the island of Kerrigan Atoll instantly transmuted into large coral structures and sunk into the ground. Hundreds of the coral entities reported by island-based personnel could be clearly seen.
At 10:13 PM, 22.09.1946, the coral entities arranged themselves into an array resembling neuron clusters, reverted to their SCP-XXXX-2 form, and connected themselves to SCP-XXXX-1. Slight movements were immediately detected from SCP-XXXX-ᚱ.
At 7:13 AM, 23.09.1946, O5-7 authorized the nuclear bombardment of Kerrigan Atoll. Bombing commenced two hours later, destroying all SCP-XXXX-1 and SCP-XXXX-2 instances. The body and face of SCP-XXXX-ᚱ began to dissipate after this.
Post Incident: Over the next twelve years, Kerrigan Atoll was subjected to additional nuclear bombardment twenty-three times in a campaign to prevent SCP-XXXX-ᚱ from reforming and entering this dimension. As of 10.11.1980, no further movement has been detected on the island.
Photos
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Bikini_Atoll.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seabees_build_camera_tower_on_Bikini_Atoll.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CAPT_Christian_L_Engleman_and_Chief_Mullen_from_USS_COUCAL_with_a_giant_clam,_probably_in_the_vicinity_of_Bikini_Atoll,_summer_(DONALDSON_74).jpeg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HD.10.022_(10561377633).jpg
ARD
I'm sick and tired of exploration logs with barely-one-dimensional MTF characters who only exist to say "Jesus Christ" and "Oh God" before dying horribly. O5-7's 'quiet God' shtick becomes grating fast. Ran exists for all of two lines before being nuked to hell. Dr. Falli is the only potentially interesting character here, but he barely has any time to shine before becoming a cultist. The sheer drudgery of the exploration logs sapped my interest immediately, and none of the characters had enough presence to reclaim it.
I got agree with ARD, the logs are just boring to me. Instead of exploring this coral wasteland and learning what happened through interesting exploration, we get MTF people are mostly there to show us the disgustingness and weirdness of the corals.
I think most of what you said in the logs could have been said in the text and nothing would have been lost. But even if those were more interesting, you still get an out of nowhere betrayal of the doctor and the reveal O5-7 being a Norse God. This wasn't foreshadowed or eluded too, it was like getting punched. Maybe you could have 7 trying to interfere with the mission of this SCP, giving the question of "what is he doing?". Or you could go more with the Doctor, maybe he's interfering with some things.
Overall, I just felt like this could have been done differently and a lot of filler could be cut, making a more linear story.