Item #: SCP-039-IT
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-039-IT is to be contained in a secure container of sufficient size (a box thirty centimeters on each side) and completely insonorized. Should these conditions become impossible to satisfy, SCP-039-IT is to be destroyed via mechanical solicitation.
For no reason must the object be linked to a functioning telephonic network.
In the event that the object's container is accidentally opened, the first course of action must be to providing apt sound isolation for the object until the restoration of containment conditions. In the meantime, SCP-039-IT must not be interacted with in any way; in particular, it must be at all avoided doing anything resembling the act of “answering a phone call”. Specifically, in the event that SCP-039-IT begins ringing, raising the handset and listening to it is to be considered as an exposure to the anomalous effect of SCP-039-IT, and the subject doing so is to be considered as “infected”.
In the case an individual gets infected, the most preferable solution is immediate termination. If the individual’s termination is against the Foundation’s best interests, they must be confined in such an environment where further contagion on their part becomes impossible. In other words, complete isolation is the only effective alternative to termination, and such an action needs Level 4 approval.
For such reasons, it is recommended that all testing activities involving SCP-039-IT to be carried out by deaf or acoustically isolated D Class personnel.
Description: SCP-039-IT is a central battery, fixed, automatic rotary phone resembling an S62 Siemens phone from the 1960s. The only available information on the model that can be found on the ID plate on the back of the apparatus is a serial number, identifying the object as number 3. It is unknown if other phones with similar anomalous properties are still at large, as the number would suggest.
All analysis on the internal structure of SCP-039-IT has found no anomaly in the components or the assembly of the object. Despite this, the apparatus displays the abnormal characteristic of autonomously ringing from time to time, whether it is linked to an electrical and/or phone network or not. If SCP-039-IT is linked to a network, other phones in the network will begin ringing as well, in accordance with any limitation of the network.
The sole act of answering an SCP-039-IT call, whether through any device linked to the same network or the apparatus itself, infects the answering person with an unknown disease which symptoms have been grouped under a syndrome currently called SCP-039-IT-1. Symptoms include tinnitus, insomnia, anxiety, delusional disorders, and an inclination towards self-harm. Furthermore, an infected subject, while not contagious themselves, tends to facilitate exposure to SCP-039-IT to other people around themselves.
There is no known cure for the SCP-039-IT syndrome, be it pharmacological or psycho-therapeutical. Infected subjects show no sign of improvement over time, even after long periods; all available data seems to suggest that the condition is irreversible. Life expectancy for infected subjects is noticeably shorter, mainly because of their tendency to take their own life.
SCP-039-IT was found in the village of [REDACTED], under the Provincia of Matera, in Basilicata, Italy. The finding of the object itself, the discovery of its anomalous properties and the acquisition into the hands of the Foundation is the full merit of Agent A█████ R████ as a result of his investigations throughout the 1980s. At the end of his investigations, the Agent sent SCP-039-IT to his superior, along with his belongings and a resignation letter.
On ██/██/198█, an extraction team was dispatched to recover the Agent. After thourough searches in the immediate area, no further contagion was detected among the general population. The team was not able to track down Agent R████’s whereabouts.
On ██/██/199█, another extraction team was sent with orders to widen the research area. Agent R████ was found dead inside a cave located south of the village of [REDACTED]. The team estimated the cause of death to be the ingestion of a Strock standard capsule around five years prior. The cave also contained two other corpses later identified as Graziano ███████ and Salvatore ██████, who died of repeated fatal blows to the body.
Mission DF3456L
████████ village, Provincia of Matera
████ inhabitants
no record in Found. archives
chief inspector Graziano ███████ already was collaborative in the past while in █████████ / reason of call: two young people recently disappeared in unexplainable circumstances
Useful references:
tel. ███████ / Luigi
tel. ██████ / Rita
tel. █████ / Sandro
tel. ██████ / Maria
police station
████ Road 51, 1st floor
chief insp. Graziano ███████
tel. ██████
-> 2nd of the month, 9:30 am
lost flavors b&b
piazza ████████ 11
miss Raffaella ███████
tel. ██████
-> from 30/4 to 7/5 12/5 20/5
bar&restaurants
the jug
caffè fantasia
da adele / good coffee
bar lucania
spring inn / ciaudedda stew
da peppino inn / baked bread, lagane pasta with chickpeas
pizzeria spaccanapoli
the bell tower
1/5
i’m the only one in the b&b
no breakfast
15 minutes to walk through the whole village
normal, bars offices shops
when back the owner ask pardon for no breakfast / 40 yo?
(does not clean up room though)
2/5
chief insp. seems ok, a bit burnt out
couple disappeared 13th april
research team back after 5 days (already?)
strange: doors locked from inside, no breaking, no fight, all valuables left behind
Nicola ███████ and Vincenza █████ 2 years married / 28 and 26 yo
he under anti-depressants and sedatives, in therapy for 6 monthspsychiatrist: Paola ████████
—> tel. ██████
4/5
psychiatrist frowns (actually worried)
boy: very ill / NCL subject
under cure for panic attacks stress delusions self-harm and severe tinnitus (!)
apparently not the only one but because prof. secrecy only can talk about this particular case
return file
psy. tried it all
girl was not in cure but the psy. knew her – no records
contents of psy. desk
- 1st drawer: accounting, papers
- 2nd drawer: list patients marked URGENT
- 3rd drawer: notes, pens and pencils
- 4th drawer: tape recordings of hypnotic sessions
safe behind beacon painting (break in?)
shelves and some drawers still needs looking in
List URGENT patients psychiatrist Paola ████████:
- Anna ██████ tel.███████
- Antonio ███ tel.███████ — (*)
- Antonio ███████ tel.██████ — (*)
- Antonio ██ █████ tel.██████
- Linda ████████ tel.██████ — (*) (**)
- Luigi █████ tel.███████ — (*)
- Maria ██████ tel.█████ — (*)
- Salvatore ██████ tel.██████
(*) same symptoms as NCL subject
(**) same address as b&b and same surname as owner / LND subject
5/5
confirmed: Linda ████████ is daughter of b&b owner / =LND subject
owner will not talk about daughter disease (clear trauma + embarrassment)
need to look around the place
I’m convinced that the mental problems in the NCL subject played a vital part in the disappearance of the couple – characteristics are v. suspect and I would not be surprised if caused by anomalous causes (also, sifted through the house of the couple, have no further leads right now)
6/5
b&b owner
- leverage on economic status? (business not good recently)
- strong religiosity
8/5
found a way to enter: owner convinced I am a neurologist and I can maybe find cure for daughter via surgery. allowed me to study subject before professional evaluation can be made
sedated and under anti-depressants, LND subject (~18 yo) bed-bound
v. unstable according to mother, as if crazy, can sleep only thanks to drugs – completely inert during sleep
has bruises of various intensity on right temple and around the hairline (some v. recent), moon-shaped (contusions?)
same as similar signs mentioned in files of other psy. subjects
asked to be moved in first floor room to be close to patient
9/5
4 am noises in the hall: sighs sobs moved chairs
peek behind door, subject limps to telephone – picks up and listens (phone has not rung)
suddenly gets frustrated and begins hitting herself with handset – chilling
dr. Salvo ██ ███████ called in, treats her hastily and is not collaborative (must have seen this before)
— tel. ██████
go meet doctor, need to be heavy handed but successful
has 7 more analogous cases in the village
all files have same symptoms, 4 are in cure under the same psy. as the NCL subject
others are:
- Anna Maria ██████ tel.██████
- Giuseppe ███████ tel.███████
- Salvatore ██ ███████ tel.██████ — doctor’s nephew!
all symptoms match
11/5
reducing drug dosage to LND subject to see what happens
every time the phone rings she convulses, raises, listens and lies back down
is under constant unrest and periodically does the same: walks to the phone, listens to the “free” tone in the handset (calming down), 15 seconds later the “occupied” tone plays and panic ensues, often tries to hit herself
seems to share the same persecution delusion of the NCL subject
13/5
today someone called the b&b phone, LND subject jumped from bed, answered the call while remaining still for several seconds, empty eyes, then muttered a sequence of 6 numbers (███████), hung up and back to bed – ignores all my questions about who called, reacts with hostility when I insist
numeric sequence is the same as phone number of the b&b owner’s sister
Mariella ████████ / MRL subject
tel. ███████
14/5
chief insp. changed stance, no longer cooperative (too heavy with doctor? relatives?) – I’ll go heavy handed to get authorization for phone records
16/5
phone call made three days ago was from a local number, an office in the center of town, ██████ Insurance
all subjects got a call from there in the last month
(I bet the owner’s sister will get one soon as well)
3 people work at ██████ Insurance:
- owner: Luigi █████ — patient in the URGENT list!!! / subject LUG
- his wife: Maria █████████
- employee: Giuseppe ██████
17/5
spent more than a day in the car next to the MRL subject’s nearest control unit, manage to deviate a call at 10:30 am from ██████ Insurance, as soon as I pick up I hear a sharp inhale, as if surprised. hear nothing more but I can swear there is someone on the other end. nothing, then the “occupied” tone
convinced that only a few minutes passed, but the clock says it’s been more than half an hour
back at the inn, someone sifted through my stuff – they found the encrypted copy of my notes hidden behind the bedside table!
I’m in danger
b&b owner claims to know nothing – unlikely
heavy handed, finally she gives me description of the man
can’t sleep here now
late evening, went to LUG subject’s house, said I was an inspector and his wife Maria █████████ collaborates – desperate, wants to believe I’m here to investigate further on her husband’s case
LUG subject declared lost 3 months ago, all researches were fruitless, no escape evidence, car documents belongings all left home – similar to disappeared couple
before vanishing same symptoms as NCL subject like running to the phone and saying phone numbers
since vanishing, insurance company remained closed!!! - who made the calls???
18/5
can’t fall asleep, too involved in mission…
keep thinking of that heavy silence, like a whisper, that I heard at the phone yesterday – but was it really that?
I park in front of the control unit in front of the agency, link up the signal splitter and wait
19/5
time passes and the call doesn’t come, I’m being conspicuous, trying to pass as a telephone technician but people seems to know who I am, tell me to go away
seems like the whole town is against me
damn phone call torments me
spins in my head
I’m doing meaningless stuff
I crushed my hand in my car’s trunk
in the afternoon I realize I’m having the same symptoms as the NCL subject – if it means what I think it does I’m screwed
I’m in danger and, worse, the Foundation is in danger!
I need to end this fast
in the evening the chief inspector and another man come to visit me “undercover” - the second one corresponds to the description of the bastard who made a mess in my room (confirmed: the idiot even has my notes on him)
I dumped the bodies in a haste, I’ll deal with that later
11 pm, phone call from the agency, I run inside but there is no one, all three phones ringing at the same time
despite training I lose my shit
wreck it all
uproot phones from sockets
one of the fuckers just keep ringing
I consider mission complete
Transcription of the hypnotic session between Dr. Paola ████████ (referred to as ‘A’) and her patient Nicola ███████ (referred to as ‘B’), ██/██/198█:
A: «Nicola, do you hear my voice?»
B: «Yes.»
A: «How do you feel, overall?»
B: «Tired.»
A: «How so?»
B: «I can’t sleep at night.»
A: «What’s the cause of that?»
B: «There’s this noise. And I’m afraid.»
A: «Let’s talk about the noise. Is it loud?»
B: «No, it’s not. It’s quiet, but it’s always there, after me.»
A: «What noise is it?»
B: «It’s just like the “occupied” tone, at the telephone.»
A: «Could you describe it better?»
B: «It’s a low noise, always the same, coming and going rhythmically: tuu tuu tuu.»
A: «I see, thank you. Do you know where it comes from?»
B: «Yes, from the phones. I can hear it from afar, even if the handset is lifted.»
A: «Does your wife hear this sound as well?»
B: «I don’t know, but I don’t think so. She’s fine, she can sleep.»
A: «Which phones emit this kind of sound?»
B: «All of them. Even yours.»
A: «Right now?»
B: «Yes.»
A: «I can’t hear it, but do you know that there are lots of people who can hear hums and other noises caused by some damage to their auditory nerve? It’s called tinnitus and is generally not a severe deviancy, one can learn to live with it. Do you believe this can be your case as well?»
B: «No, this is real. It’s there for me and it wants me.»
A: «Why would you say that?»
B: «Because it always looks for me, and for others, too.»
A: «Nicola, how do you know this?»
B: «I just… know it.»
A: «Help me understand, is this the only noise you hear? Or are there other things you hear?»
B: «Sometimes the noise changes to the “free” tone. When it’s like this a phone call is coming and my phone rings.»
A: «And do you answer?»
B: «I don’t want to. It’s the worst part, I really don’t want to but I must. And so I answer.»
A: «And what happens then?»
B: «And then I… I… don’t know.»
A: «What do you mean? You don’t remember what happens next?»
B: «No.»
A: «Is there something else you want to tell me about it? Any other noise, feeling or anything else?»
B: «Yes, sooner or later it will come for me. It wants me, but others too, and sooner or later it will get us all.»
A: «Who? Who are you talking about?»
B: «The one… the one on the other side… calling me.»
A: «How do you know?»
B: «I think… I think it told me.»
A: «Really? Can you remember what it told you, exactly?»
B: «I think so.»
A: «What then?»
B: «(*)»
(*) Subject produces a long series of incomprehensible sounds, atypical for the human vocal apparatus and far from the linguistic repertoire of the patient.
All testing done up until now confirms the observations of Agent R████. No significant discovery was made regarding the identity of a supposed entity on the other side of the line of SCP-039-IT, and no link has been found between the phenomena provoked by SCP-039-IT and the missing people in the town of [REDACTED].
Under no laboratory experiment has it been possible to replicate said disappearings, and all exposed subjects have died – sometimes after years of close observation – because of stress or suicide. This has led researchers to think that the phenomenon has some kind of geographical link with the town of [REDACTED].
The project regarding the installation of a research team in loco was severely impeded because of the frailty of local social status quo, aggravated by Agent R████’s action, and was later discarded after the update in communication infrastructures in the late 1990s with the introduction of digital models.
Sleeper agent [REDACTED] has been planted on site, tasked with keeping the area under check.
