Incident 028-A - SCP Foundation

Incident 028-A:

During a recent experiment involving SCP-028 and D-9833, Dr. Cardinal, the head of the experiment, stepped into the proximity of SCP-028. Dr. Cardinal began shouting profanities and swatting at the air. When guards came to assist Dr. Cardinal, he was incredibly hostile towards them. The guards then tranquilized Dr. Cardinal, and he was transported to Site-4's medical ward. After three weeks of bed rest, Dr. Cardinal made a total physical recovery, and was released from the ward.

Audio Logs

Interview 028-A

Interview 028-A:

Interviewer: Dr. Donald Walters

Interviewed: Dr. Jim Cardinal

Foreword: Dr. Walters visits Dr. Cardinal's office to document Dr. Cardinal's experience with SCP-028.

[BEGIN LOG]

Dr. Walters: Hey Jim.

Dr. Cardinal: Hey Don! Great to see you! What's up?

Dr. Walters: Heard that you just got released from the ward. You doing alright?

Dr. Cardinal: Yeah, man. My leg's a little sore, but other than that I'm fine.

Dr. Walters: It's just that…I saw the tapes, and—

Dr. Cardinal: Don, I'm fine.

(Dr. Cardinal lights a cigarette, and resumes his work.)

Dr. Walters: Listen, Jim. I hate to do this to you…but the Foundation needs your perspective on the incident. They sent me to interview you.

(Dr. Cardinal stops his work, sighs, then turns around to face Dr. Walters.)

Dr. Cardinal: Of course. Anything I can do to help.

Dr. Walters: OK then, let's begin. I'm sure you know how these work. I'll ask the questions, and you answer to the best of your ability. Question 1: What event caused the incident to occur?

Dr. Cardinal: We were transporting D-9833 to SCP-028's vicinity. The bastard thought it was a good time to make a run for it. While trying to stop D-9833, I accidentally entered SCP-028's vicinity, and was exposed to its effects.

Dr. Walters: OK. Question 2: Was anyone else exposed to the effect of SCP-028?

Dr. Cardinal: As far as I know, no. I was the only one.

Dr. Walters: Good. Last Question: What did you experience while under the influence of SCP-028?

(Dr. Cardinal does not respond, and appears to be visibly distressed by the question.)

Dr. Cardinal: My mind wasn't straight, I don't remember.

Dr. Walters: You don't remember anything?

Dr. Cardinal: No, I don't.

Dr. Walters: You don't remember the knowledge you received from SCP-028?

(Dr. Cardinal speaks in an aggressive tone.)

Dr. Cardinal: No, I don't! Next question!

(Dr. Walters speaks in a worried tone.)

Dr. Walters: That's it. No more questions.

Dr. Cardinal: Alright, then. It was good to see you, Don. Now, I've got work to do.

Dr. Walters: Hey, Jim. If there's something going on, I—

Dr. Cardinal: Goodbye, Don.

(Dr. Walters packs up his recording equipment, and exits Dr. Cardinal's office.)

[END LOG]

Interview 028-B

Interview 028-B:

Interviewer: Dr. Statovich

Interviewed: Dr. Cardinal

Foreword: The following interview is a recollection of Dr. Cardinal's experience during Incident 028-A.

[BEGIN LOG]

Dr. Cardinal: Why the hell am I here?

Dr. Stratovich: We are here to discuss the events of Incident 028-A, Dr. Cardinal.

Dr. Cardinal: Again? Look, I already gave Don my testimony. If you have any questions, ask him.

Dr. Stratovich: I'm sure that you're aware that the testimony you gave was not what the Foundation wanted.

Dr. Cardinal: Well, it's what they're getting. Now, if you have any questions that are not related to SCP-028, I will happily give an answer. If you don't, then I'll just show myself out.

(Dr. Cardinal gets out of his chair, and makes his way to the door.)

Dr. Stratovich: We want to help you, Dr. Cardinal. It's obvious that whatever happened with SCP-028 has had a long lasting effect on you. We want to help, but in order to help, we need to understand what happened.

(Dr. Cardinal stops at the door. After letting out a sigh, he returns to the table with Dr. Stratovich.)

(Dr. Cardinal reaches into his coat pocket, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes.)

Dr. Cardinal: Do you mind?

Dr. Stratovich: Not at all.

(Dr. Stratovich pulls out his lighter and lights Dr. Cardinal's cigarette.)

Dr. Cardinal: You got a name, kid?

Dr. Stratovich: My name is Dr. Stra—

Dr. Cardinal: I meant your first name.

Dr. Stratovich: …Vlad.

Dr. Cardinal: You been working here a long time, Vlad?

Dr. Stratovich: Not too long. I've only been here for three years.

Dr. Cardinal: Ever worked on any Euclids or Keters?

Dr. Stratovich: I worked at 106's containment cell for a few months, and…about two weeks with 2117.

Dr. Cardinal: Then you understand that you see some fucked up shit on the job, yeah?

Dr. Stratovich: (chuckles) Even that's an understatement.

Dr. Cardinal: Let me tell you…(puffs on cigarette) in my 17 years of working, I've seen men turn to machines, divers get swallowed by a giant sea snake, hell, I've even seen a baby get eaten alive by an amphibian dog. We've all seen our fair share of fucked up shit. But last week…

(Dr. Cardinal takes a moment to breathe.)

Dr. Stratovich: We are here for you, Dr. Cardinal. If you need a break, please tell us.

Dr. Cardinal: No, I'm fine…I just need to take it slow.

Dr. Stratovich: Take your time, doctor.

Dr. Cardinal: (puffs on cigarette) You know, it was weird at first. When I first got exposed, everything just came at once like BAM! I didn't realize what I had seen until a minute after. Fuck…

(Dr. Cardinal, lowers his head, and whispers to himself.)

Come on, Jim. Just get it out.

(He puffs on his cigarette, then continues the story.)

The first thing I saw was a dark basement, hadn't been cleaned in years. All that was lighting it was a single swinging bulb. Come to think of it, the room didn't look too different from an old interrogation room from those old detective flicks.

Couldn't feel anything, but I knew it was cold. It was silent, and I mean dead silent. I could hear rats squeaking all across the floor. The room had an odd peacefulness to it, a dark, chilling peacefulness. Then I start hearing this weird noise, some kind of scream. I thought it was a rat at first, but I'd never heard a rat scream for help before…I hear someone unlock a door, then a bright beam of light comes from the stairs. It's hard to see, but I can make out the figure. It was a large man, and I mean large. I thought he was Fernand the first time I saw him. But nope, just a large man. He was carrying a cleaver in one hand, and a boy in the other. The boy couldn't have been older than…oh, I'd say 12.

Poor kid was screaming his head off, flailing his arms in all directions. The man cuffed the boy to the rotting wall next to me, and walked to the middle of the room. He turned on a light, and revealed this large, concrete table. It had straps on all four corners, and its surface was stained in blood. The man turned around, and grabbed a tray with all sorts of sharp tools on it, scissors, scalpels, you get the point.

The man walked, uh…walked over to the…fuck

Dr. Stratovich: Take it slowly, Dr. Cardinal.

Dr. Cardinal: (deep breath) …The man walked over to the boy and uncuffed him. The boy tried to run away, but the man's grip was too strong. He brought him over to the table, and put the boy's arms and legs in the straps. Then, he…he, uh…

(Dr. Cardinal's hands begin to shake uncontrollably as he puffs on his cigarette.)

Dr. Cardinal: No, no. Can't do it. I'm sorry. I—I need a break.

(Dr. Cardinal makes his way to the door. Dr. Stratovich follows.)

Dr. Stratovich: Dr. Cardinal, if there is anything I can do to help—

(Dr. Stratovich places his hand on Dr. Cardinal's shoulder. Dr. Cardinal immediately shakes off the hand, and snaps at Dr. Stratovich.)

Dr. Cardinal: Don't fucking touch me!

(Dr. Cardinal is visibly teary-eyed. He walks to his office, and slams the door.)

[END LOG]

Interview 028-B-2

Interview 028-B-2:

The following is a continuation of Interview 028-B, two days after the initial interview.

Note: As requested by Dr. Cardinal, no questions relating to the boys of Incident 028 are permitted.

[BEGIN LOG]

Dr. Stratovich: Are you ready to continue?

Dr. Cardinal: (sighs) Let's just get on with it.

Dr. Stratovich: OK. Did you ever get a good look at his face? The uh—the man, I mean.

Dr. Cardinal: (puffs on cigarette) …White man, mid 50s… dark brown hair with gray streaks…and a black handlebar mustache. His face was always so…greasy.

Dr. Stratovich: Do you know where this occurred?

Dr. Cardinal: (puffs on cigarette) 1853 Eva Pearl Street, Baton Rouge, Illinois. The red brick house on the corner.

(Dr. Stratovich jots down notes on his notepad.)

Dr. Stratovich: Were you aware of the killer's motive?

Dr. Cardinal: He uh…kept saying he had to do what he did. Claimed that whenever he saw a kid, he'd get these…feelings, and the only way to get rid of those feelings was to…Fucking sick bastard! How the fuck does s—

Dr. Stratovich: Thank you for the information, Dr. Cardinal. That was all we needed.

(Dr. Stratovich completes his notes for the interview.)

Dr. Stratovich: This concludes our interview, Dr. Cardinal. Your cooperation was much appreciated. You may leave now.

(Dr. Stratovich reaches to turn off the tape recorder, but is stopped by Dr. Cardinal.)

Dr. Cardinal: That boy wasn't the only one, you know?

Dr. Stratovich: Pardon?

Dr. Cardinal: There were more. More kids.

Dr. Stratovich: How many more?

Dr. Cardinal: From the ones that I remember…about six or seven more.

Dr. Stratovich: Did all of them share the first child's experience?

Dr. Cardinal: For the most part, yeah. But with each new kid he brought in, he'd add his own little fucked up spin on the situation. I don't wanna get into it, but some got it worse. It's just that…

Dr. Stratovich: You can tell us, doctor.

Dr. Cardinal: It's just that the kid looked just like my boy. Same hair color, same eyes, same high-pitched voice. I—I knew it wasn't him, but…whenever I looked at him, I saw my boy. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop picturing his face. The fear in his eyes, the blood running down his chest…I just…

(Dr. Cardinal breaks into a fit of crying. He calms after a few minutes, and readjusts in his chair. He then raises his head, and makes direct eye-contact with Dr. Stratovich.)

Dr. Cardinal: When you work at the Foundation, death is normal. It's rare to go a day without someone getting their balls cut off for 2845, or being sucked up by 835. Most of the deaths are D-class. You're not really connected to them, so you shrug it off. But when you're watching someone you care about being tortured, watching them cry and scream as the life slowly drains from their eyes, it's different. You want to jump in and save them, you want to hold them tight and tell them they'll be fine…but you can't. Then that feeling, that feeling of dread and guilt, stays with you for the rest of your life. Pray that you never go through this, Vlad. It kills a man.

Dr. Stratovich: The Foundation is going to help you. We are always here if you need someone to talk to.

Dr. Cardinal: We need to head to the house.

Dr. Stratovich: Dr. Cardinal, I don't think that's—

Dr. Cardinal: Please. I can't sleep knowing that the kids are still missing. We need to go to the house.

Dr. Stratovich: (sighs) I'll see what I can do.

[END LOG]

Excavation 028-A:

Project Lead: Dr. Jeff Cardinal

Assistant Project Lead: Dr. Vlad Stratovich

Location: 1853 Eva Pearl Street, Baton Rouge, Illinois

Mission Description: Members of MTF Epsilon-6 are to search the area for any objects that resemble human remains.

Results: Upon arrival, the house in which the events of 028-A occurred had been abandoned for twenty five years. The house's owner passed away that same year from lung cancer. No neighbors remember the last time they saw the owner of the house, and no records of family were found. Under the guise of a demolition crew, MTF Epsilon-6 searched both the outside and inside of the house. The following is a list of items that were found at Area-028:

Internal:

A box of horse hair rope

A box of steel handcuffs

Many containers of Bleach, Ammonia and Benzene

Pornographic magazines

A box of polaroids, all of which are photographs of naked children

External:

An uncleaned sewage disposal container

Ashes of burned clothing

Many skeletal remains of children (forensics determined as many as thirty different skeletons)

Update on Dr. Cardinal's Status:

Following the excavation of Area-028, Dr. Cardinal requested to be amnesticized from any memory related to Incident 028-A. The request was approved by O5 council, however amnestics had no effect on Dr. Cardinal's memories. While Dr. Cardinal has been making a steady recovery since the incident, he has been assigned to Area-26, and will remain there until further notice. No personnel are to speak to Dr. Cardinal about SCP-028 unless absolutely necessary.