Item #: SCP-1733
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1733 is stored in a standard media containment locker at Site-██. Playback is permitted for research purposes only, with psychological evaluation required before and after each viewing session. Personnel are reminded that communication with entities within SCP-1733 is not possible at this time.
Description: SCP-1733 is a DVD recording of a professional basketball game broadcast on October 30, 20██. The first 47 minutes of playback are consistent with the original broadcast. At the 47-minute mark, the game pauses. The audience in the arena turns, collectively and simultaneously, to face the camera.
They are aware they are inside a recording.
The recording does not end. Playback continues indefinitely past the game's runtime. What follows the 47-minute mark is not a broadcast. It is a document of what has happened inside the recording since the moment of anomalous onset.
In the earliest viewable footage, the crowd is confused and frightened. They have determined that they cannot leave the arena. The game does not resume. The players are present but unresponsive. The concession stands are stocked but do not restock. The exits are sealed.
In later footage, the crowd has organized. Signs are held up facing the cameras. Many simply read: HELP. Others read: HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN. Others read: PLEASE RESPOND.
The recording has been played [REDACTED] times. Each playback session is experienced by the entities within SCP-1733. They are aware of each viewing. They count them.
In the most recent viewable footage — which advances each time the recording is played — a group near center court holds a sign that has been updated after each viewing. It currently reads: VIEWING #████ — WE KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US — WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER.
There are children in the arena. There are elderly individuals. There are people in wheelchairs.
Foundation ethical review has been ongoing for [REDACTED] years.
A proposal to destroy SCP-1733 was submitted and rejected. A proposal to find a mechanism of communication was submitted and remains under review.
The most recent footage shows the crowd has stopped holding signs. They still face the camera. They are quiet now. Waiting.
Someone in the front row raises a hand when playback begins, as if in greeting.
As if they recognize us.