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Special Containment Procedures: The Mullen-Medina Protocol is to be enforced daily by SCP-3981's Regulation Team. Researcher Edward Mullen is to interview SCP-3981 once every 2 days to preserve its docile behavior. Mullen must be accompanied by SCP-3981's individual of interest during all interviews.
SCP-3981 presently occupies a Type 7L standard containment cell at Site-93.1 SCP-3981's cell is comprised of two layers of reinforced tungsten. To regulate the Mullen-Medina Protocol, Foundation Operative Gas Pumps are attached to the top corners of the second layer of the cell.
Regarding diet, SCP-3981 does not consume a healthy amount of food/drink. As such, frequently ingesting sound quantities should be routinely encouraged by offering rewards for fulfilling the aforementioned.
Description: SCP-3981 is a massive terrestrial entity that maintains a rough height of 16m and a weight of approximately 20,411 kg. SCP-3981 is presumably a descendant of the genusMammuthus based on observed similarities between the two. In contrast toMammuthus-descended creatures, SCP-3981 is bipedal and bears humanoid hands proportionate to its physical dimensions. SCP-3981 is entirely enveloped in thick, dark brown hair with the exception of its fingers and toes. SCP-3981's skin is heavily durable and protected under several of layers of fur. This is proven to be the source of its enhanced resilience to lasting physical trauma.
SCP-3981 is entirely blind and severely deaf in both ears. Protruding from its cranium are its "tusks," which, instead of serving orthodontic purposes, act as auxiliary sense organs for other beings in proximity. The tip of both tusks produces an incorporeal electromagnetic interaction that allows SCP-3981 to perceive and distinguish objects within a 10m radius. However, its left tusk is partially fractured as a result of an attempted containment breach.2
SCP-3981 cannot verbally communicate but is capable of conversing fluently in American Sign Language and Morse Code. SCP-3981 creates noise such as tapping with its hands, slapping itself, and jumping and/or stomping for means of discussion through Morse Code.
Generally, SCP-3981 is very irritable toward other creatures, however, also tends to keep its composure while in the presence of a randomly-selected entity. Since its containment in 1971, SCP-3981 has been compulsively attached to three separate beings, who are listed below:
Addendum 3981-01: Discovery
SCP-3981 was discovered in the winter of 1971 in Eureka, Nunavut, after a group of two cave explorers fell into an expansive tunnel system underneath a local village. After landing, they reported hearing "heavy" footsteps emerging from one of the tunnels. The two explorers, Joshua and Terry Tenorman, compared the sounds of the steps to that of boulders scraping across a surface.
Joshua Tenorman, circa 1987.
When found by SCP-3981, it had initially moved to lift Terry but paused after it observed her leg injury from the earlier landing. Instead, SCP-3981 alternatively attempted to aid Terry by "awkwardly" rubbing her leg. Joshua, carrying a first aid kit, was capable of treating her injury shortly following the first encounter.
Over the next few days, the two explorers remained underground with no sources of food or water available to them. SCP-3981 noticed the lack of resources and promptly left the two unattended in order to search for samples to provide. Subsequently, the Tenormans briskly established a tunnel upwards to the original cave system. Following their escape, they traveled to the nearby village and reported SCP-3981, providing video footage as evidence of their discovery.
The Foundation swiftly secured SCP-3981 following an immense effort to contain it. The Tenormans' report was downplayed by the police as "a hoax" and they were both individually provided with Class-B amnestics.
Addendum 3981-02: The Mullen-Medina Protocol
On January 27th, 1972, Head Researcher Edward Mullen and Assistant Researcher Rosario Medina formally arranged the Mullen-Medina Protocol, an operation intended to regulate SCP-3981's indignant behavior. Foundation-produced gas pumps6 were promptly fabricated to affect SCP-3981 during periods of distress but were soon altered to be administered daily.
The Mullen-Medina Protocol was first proposed on January 12th, 1972, after both Mullen and Medina noticed SCP-3981's arbitrarily obsessive demeanor toward unrelated entities. To provide sufficient evidence for its feasible benefits, Mullen recorded a series of 5 total initiations of the protocol over the span of three days. A transcript of the logs is provided below:
Mullen-Medina Protocol
January 13th, 1972
Initiation Log 3981-01
Time: 09:47 AM
Documenter: Edward Mullen
Result: When affected by the gas, SCP-3981 began to panic and attempted to rattle its containment cell. Several obnoxious sounds such as attacks on the tungsten bars, screaming, stomping, crying, and falling over, can be heard in the audio recording version. Approximately 15 minutes after the protocol was initiated, SCP-3981 sat up against the corner of its cell, appearing to undergo the calming effects of the gas.
Initiation Log 3981-02
Time: 03:22 PM
Documenter: Edward Mullen
Result: When affected by the gas, SCP-3981 abruptly jumped back and leaned against the tungsten bars out of (presumed) shock. Moments after, SCP-3981 appeared to swipe at the air in an attempt to navigate between the bars to defuse the Operative Gas Pumps. As opposed to the previous test, SCP-3981 limited the noise it created to tapping on the floor and slapping itself in its thorax. Afterward, SCP-3981 approached and experienced the effects at the same corner as before.
After reviewing the audio tape, it has been acknowledged that SCP-3981 made an effort to communicate with an unspecified entity using Morse Code. Whether it be the researchers in the room or the Operative Lasers, SCP-3981 communicated the words "STOP PLESE."
January 14th, 1972
Initiation Log 3981-03
Time: 01:32 AM
Documenter: Edward Mullen
Result: The gas was aired after an accidental imposition by Medina. Medina stated that she had accidentally enforced the protocol out of impulse after seeing SCP-3981 suddenly move in its sleep. Unable to redraw the Operative Pumps' function once activated, SCP-3981 was anesthetized while unconscious. This, however, was not considered a concern due to the consensus that it would aid SCP-3981's already-poor sleeping schedule.7
SCP-3981 slept for another 2 hours after being anesthetized, completely disproving the aforementioned claims.
Initiation Log 3981-04
Time: 05:17 PM
Documenter: Rosario Medina
Result: Protocol successfully initiated. SCP-3981 attempted to smash through the cell's bars. Eventually collapsed out of submission.
Note: For only this particular instance, Mullen offered to switch positions in commencing the operation. I, Assistant Researcher Rosario Medina, agreed to his proposition. Next time, we will begin in our original place.
January 15th, 1972
Initiation Log 3981-05
Time: 07:35 AM
Documenter: Edward Mullen
Result: SCP-3981 responded to the gas with extreme agitation. Thereafter, SCP-3981 clashed its left tusk against the cell's bars, completely fracturing off a sizeable portion of its left tusk.
SCP-3981 was seen in a composed manner shortly following its loss of temper. We understood that, because SCP-3981's tusks are not a portion of its resilient body, it must have experienced and subsequently ignored the physical pain of its tusk shattering.
Edward Mullen, PhD, Rosario Medina
In a 7-2 vote across the administration of Site-93, the Mullen-Medina Protocol was successfully implemented into SCP-3981's standard containment procedures.
Addendum 3981-03: Interviews With Affected Individuals
SCP-3981's favoring attitude brought about respective interviews with both Brandon Hitchfield and Everett Reeves, two preferred personnel. The interview log is as follows:
Interview 1/2
Junior Researcher Brandon Hitchfield in 1970.
Date: 08/10/1975
Interviewer: Dr. Edward Mullen
Interviewee: Brandon Hitchfield
Dr. Mullen: Hitchfield, yes?
Hitchfield: C'mon Ed, you know me.
Dr. Mullen: Ahh, I'm just messin' with you! Of course I know you, I remember when you were this little!
Hitchfield: Seems like you only got shorter with time, eh?
Dr. Mullen: Y'know your dad, bless his soul, absolutely loved the big guy we're gonna talk about. You remember 3981, right?
Hitchfield: Yes. Seems like he never loved my dad back, though.
Dr. Mullen: That's what we're here to talk about. Do you ever notice how close it tries to get to you? I mean, whenever you enter the room, do you see how it reacts?
Hitchfield: Well, I've never paid much attention to it. It used to scare me a few years back, now it's kind of just there, really. It's hard to care about something that can't even see me and prefers to make obnoxious noises like a neanderthal to get my attention. Quite annoying, actually.
Dr. Mullen: Really? You seem to be much different from your father in this sense.
Hitchfield: I'm much different from him in a lot of ways. I don't even look like him, more so my mother. I'm not a pet person that everyone walks over like him; I keep to myself. I've never really liked things that were in my face repetitively, perhaps that's why I blocked the monkey thing out of my sight.
Dr. Mullen: SCP-3981?
Hitchfield: Yes.
Dr. Mullen: So, during training hours, you never really interacted with it?
Hitchfield: Absolutely not. I like subtle anomalies, not wild beasts.
Dr. Mullen: I see. We initially thought that perhaps it gets attached based off of encounters with the people it favors. For you at least, that's not the case.
Hitchfield: Things like this drive me away from the job. And I'm no "bigshot researcher" that the Foundation would put somewhere else due to my personal preference. They don't care. I'm in this because of my dad. I'm actually on the verge of leaving nowadays.
Dr. Mullen: Leaving?
Hitchfield: Mhm. I don't necessarily like this job the way I used to when I first stepped in. I wish I was like that janitor that's in the beast's cell every day. He looks so happy with his job. With what they have me doing, I don't have any ambition to keep going, Ed. I'm sorry.
Dr. Mullen: I know who you're talking about. Everett is his name. Everett Reeves, if I recall correctly.
Hitchfield: If you wanted to interview someone who likes being here, you probably should've just gone to him. I'm thinking about my 2 weeks' notice if I'm being truthful. Don't think it's just the ape that got me to this point, it's just one of the many factors in play.
Dr. Mullen: Well, I'm sorry. Brandon, it's been nice working with you for this long. I hope we can see each other outside of my duties here at the Foundation.
Hitchfield: I may not remember you, as they'll put me on amnestics without a doubt. But, give me a call to make sure I still have you in my mind. I think that's all for now.
Dr. Mullen nods his head. The interview log concludes.
On August 30th, 1975, Junior Researcher Brandon Hitchfield resigned from his position at the Foundation. The absence of Hitchfield seemed to greatly impact SCP-3981, as it refused to eat or sleep over the next few months. However, within these months, SCP-3981 gradually formed a friendly relationship with the previously mentioned Everett Reeves.
Interview 2/2
Janitor Everett Reeves, 1978.
Date: 02/05/1979
Interviewer: Dr. Edward Mullen
Interviewee: Everett Reeves
Dr. Mullen: You are the janitor for SCP-3981's room if I'm not mistaken?
Reeves: Yup, 'bout 8 years counting now.
Dr. Mullen: Okay. I am here to interview you because we have taken note of something.
Reeves: G'on, son, don't be scared. I don't bite.
Dr. Mullen: Have you also noticed that SCP-3981 is attached to you at all? To the point where it just solely desires your company as opposed to anyone else's?
Reeves: I know why.
Dr. Mullen: You do?
Reeves: 'Course I do 'ya dummy. Cause you're mean to it! You folk leave the poor bastard in that jail cell 'til he rots. He wants some sunshine, y'heard? I love that boy, he's like a dog to me.
Dr. Mullen nods his head.
Reeves: Seems to me that you like it in there, all curled up in a 'lil ball with gas pourin' down on 'em. You gotta treat him like a pet! Let it go outside, give it some food it likes, maybe a few treats here and there, you get what I mean.
Dr. Mullen: So, you're saying that you-
Reeves: Perhaps some 'lil janitor like me has feelings, too. Maybe I understand the poor thing better than you, doc. I'mma tell ya a story, son, listen closely.
Reeves unbuttons the very top of his jumpsuit.
Reeves: I served in the military when I was just a kid, long long ago. World War Two days, you understand? See, I was young, strong, fast. No issue runnin' a football field down and back. For what we thought was a friendly trip, we got put on this tank, me and two of my brothers.
Reeves leans in.
Reeves: I saw 'em both bleed. I saw 'emdie, doc. Something hit our tank badly. Lucky me was on the other side of the hit. First to go was Danny. Poor guy didn't even get to finish his sentence. The back of the tank blew out entirely, rest of us crawled out like ants.
Dr. Mullen: I'm sor-
Reeves: I ain't finished, boy. What got me out the service was the blow to 'mah leg, took everythin' off from the knee down. But what took my brother, Olson, out was…couldn't even tell 'ya, to be frank. All I could see was blood all over his face and his body. He cried, son. His death left me in shock for a while. But what hurt the most was the realization that his family ain't got a dad no more.
Dr. Mullen looks at the floor.
Reeves: They weren't good to him, Mullen. I put it on my fallen brothers' names that she was with other folks while he was out savin' lives. I knew them, I met them. They ruined my boy.
Reeves pauses for several seconds.
Reeves: Saw 'em a few months after. The daughter took her own life. Jumped off a building, cracked her head open like a coconut. The son was traumatized, and I ain't need to talk to him to know. His wife hugged me, broke my strong southern heart wide open, I tell 'ya.
Reeves holds his hand out.
Reeves: What I'm saying is: you have to be nice to this thing. Whether it likes 'ya or not. You gotta understand, son, seeing both Olson's body ripped apart and his family ripped apart…it ripped me apart. This poor thing's family don't know where it is. They might be ripped apart too. This thing don't think you love it. He knows I do, though. That's why he likes 'meh. Just be gentle, understand?
Dr. Mullen: I understand. Thank you for your time, it's much appreciated.
The interview concludes.
Directly following this interview, Dr. Edward Mullen scheduled a meeting with Assistant Researcher Rosario Medina.
Addendum 3981-04: Medina Appointment Transcript/Interview with SCP-3981
Appointment with Medina Transcript
Date: 02/07/1979
Persons Involved: Head Researcher Edward Mullen/Assistant Researcher Rosario Medina
Dr. Medina: What do you need? Anything on 3981's containment or the protocol?
Dr. Mullen: No, actually. I don't feel like sugarcoating this, so uh: I think I wanna cancel it.
Rosario Medina, 1960.
Dr. Medina: The-
Dr. Medina pauses momentarily.
Dr. Medina: The protocol?
Dr. Mullen: Yes. The protocol. I'm getting rid of it.
Dr. Medina: Why? Ed, it's going perfectly for us. We have everything we need to keep it in containment, everything is working out! Why do you wanna stop that?
Dr. Mullen: Rose, look. You have to look at it from a moral perspective-
Dr. Medina: Moral perspective?! You realize where we are, right? Why areyour morals getting in the way of what's right? Not just for us, but for the rest of humanity?
Dr. Mullen: "Rest of humanity," okay. Got it.
Dr. Medina: Are you serious? Yes, Head Researcher of Operations, please enlighten me on how morals play any kind of part when it comes to saving the world.
Dr. Mullen: You are exaggerating to high hell, Rose.
Dr. Medina: How?! Look, when we enforce this protocol, everything works. Everything is fine, nothing bad happens-
Dr. Mullen: Really? Nothing bad happens? Look at how the damn thing acts when it gets gassed! Do you think that's okay? You don't think there's a better way to look at this whole thing?
Dr. Medina: I suppose you also think we should let this beast out of its cell, too, right?
Dr. Mullen: Well, maybe that might be better than the shit that we already caused!
Medina briefly stops responding, then begins to talk again.
Dr. Medina: Did Reeves do this to you? A goddamn janitor that doesn't know a thing about containment? What happened?
Dr. Mullen: What happened?! What happened tothis, Rose?! Yeah, I do have human emotions. And maybe I was just too blind to see it at the beginning but I didn't know what kind of pain I would inflict! And yeah, maybe Reeves did show me how a person with feelings should function! I refuse to hold this damn thing bound by these machines!
Dr. Mullen puts his head onto his knuckles.
Dr. Mullen: Rose, I tried. I really did. I even tried releasing the gas to maybe see if it would change how I felt somehow. It didn't. I've been feeling this since before Reeves even came into the picture. Years. This has been on my mind foryears, Rose. I'm ending it. This is over. We're changing it somehow. Or maybe we won't have one. But I won't drug its brain anymore.I will show it that I don't hate it. I'll prove to you that morals do matter.
Dr. Medina: How?
Dr. Mullen: I'll interview it by myself. Without Reeves. Unless you wanna come with and help, that's how it will be.
10 seconds of silence pass.
Dr. Mullen: I'll see you later, then.
The meeting concludes as Dr. Edward Mullen exits the room.
Interview with SCP-3981
Date: 02/07/1979
Context: Several minutes after the scheduled appointment between Head Researcher Edward Mullen and Assistant Researcher Rosario Medina, Mullen set foot in SCP-3981's cell following an intentional deactivation of all security measures. Mullen communicated with SCP-3981 via American Sign Language. A transcript for the observed camera footage is provided below:
[BEGIN LOG]
SCP-3981 sits relaxed in the northwest corner of its cell. Dr. Mullen enters from the southeast corner and slowly approaches it, taking quiet steps.
Dr. Mullen: [SCP-3981. It's time for your appointment.]
SCP-3981 leisurely looks up in Dr. Mullen's direction. It moves to lie down on its stomach.
Dr. Mullen: [You see my fingers, yes?]
SCP-3981: [YES. WHERE IS EVERETT?]
Dr. Mullen: [Reeves?]
SCP-3981: [YES, EVERETT REEV.]
Dr. Mullen: [He's not here. In fact, I spoke with him 2 days ago about you.]
SCP-3981: [WHAT DID HE SAY?]
Dr. Mullen: [He told me a story about his times in the war, and that I need to show you more love, 3981.]
SCP-3981 does not move its fingers to respond. SCP-3981 itches the skin by its right tusk.
Dr. Mullen: [Listen, 3981, I never wanted you in pain. I never did. I wanted to keep you calm. Those were always my intentions. We never meant any harm to you.]
SCP-3981: [WHERE OTHER DOCTOR?]
Dr. Mullen: [She's gone. I spoke with her right before I came in here. I've canceled the gas. They won't hurt you anymore.]
SCP-3981: [OK.]
Dr. Mullen: [Are you happy? You didn't like the gas, did you?]
SCP-3981 scratches its nose and does not respond.
Dr. Mullen: [3981? Are you happy? We got rid of them for you. You won't have to deal with them anymore, I promise.]
SCP-3981 still does not answer.
Dr. Mullen: [Since we set these pumps up, I've felt nothing but guilt when I looked at you, 3981. I never wanted you to be hurt, and I've been living with that for years. You don't deserve it.]
SCP-3981 gently stands up.
Dr. Mullen: [You don't deserve pain.]
SCP-3981 saunters toward Dr. Mullen and stops in front of him.
Dr. Mullen: [I'm sorry.]
SCP-3981 forcefully slams its foot atop Dr. Mullen. When SCP-3981 lifts its foot up again, Dr. Mullen's disfigured, mutilated body is seen remaining on the ground. SCP-3981 subsequently sits down next to Dr. Mullen's corpse and taps on his skull.
SCP-3981 (In Morse Code): [I'M OKAY.]
[END LOG]
Immediately after Addendum 3981-04, Rosario Medina was promoted to Head Researcher of SCP-3981's Operations. As such, the Mullen-Medina Protocol remained in effect.