Item #: SCP-4438

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Informational leakage of SCP-4438 among civilians is primarily self-containing due to its antimemetic properties. Learning Computer Tau-9 ("Tetra") is to monitor media sources for events which could potentially be the aftermath of an SCP-4438 occurrence, including any surveillance footage, and removal of this evidence is to be handled on a case-by-case basis by Covert Task Force Zeta-14 ("Nothing To See Here").

Description: SCP-4438 is a rare phenomena which is known to occur when an individual is making a choice between three similar objects or entities. A fourth object or entity, hereafter referred to as SCP-4438-1, will suddenly appear in the immediate area. In all known cases, SCP-4438-1 will be an object or entity of similar appearance to the three involved in the original choice, and will behave as expected for an object or entity of that type.

Any individuals visually observing SCP-4438-1 will come to believe that an object is 'trapped' inside it. The specific nature of what they believe is trapped inside SCP-4438-1 differs between SCP-4438 occurrences, but is consistent between different viewers.

The entities individuals believe are trapped inside SCP-4438-1 are commonly those that could logically not exist inside SCP-4438-1 due to size differences, the conceptual nature of the trapped object or the fact that the SCP-4438-1 instance is not an object that could feasibly contain anything.

Due to this false belief, individuals observing SCP-4438-1 will commonly attempt to destroy it in order to retrieve the trapped object, although other responses have been noted - these exceptions are usually due to the nature of the object SCP-4438-1 appears as rather than a reluctance to free the trapped object. Even in cases where individuals know of SCP-4438-1's anomalous properties beforehand, they will consider their personal experience with SCP-4438-1 to be an exception to the rule and persist in their belief that an object is trapped inside it.

After a period of five to ten minutes, SCP-4438-1 will demanifest and all individuals who observed it during its manifestation will lose all memories of it. Physical evidence of the SCP-4438-1 manifestation such as surveillance footage or damage to the surrounding area will remain, however.

Due to the antimemetic nature of SCP-4438 making a full count of manifestations difficult, the precise rate of its occurrence is currently unknown. Research is underway on a method to more reliably track SCP-4438 occurrences.

Addendum 4438-1 (Manifestation Log):

The following is a log of SCP-4438 occurrences in the vicinity of Foundation personnel already under surveillance for security reasons. Due to SCP-4438-1's antimemetic properties, all information on these manifestations have been transcribed after the fact through recordings.

Member of Personnel
Form of SCP-4438-1
Further Details

Junior Researcher Mason
A fountain pen.
Junior Researcher Mason, in a state of panic, disassembles the SCP-4438-1 instance and then begins smashing the components, muttering that he has misplaced his cell-phone inside SCP-4438-1.

Dr. Samson
A teddy bear.
SCP-4438-1 manifests while Dr. Samson is tucking his eight-year-old daughter into bed. Upon sighting SCP-4438-1, Dr. Samson begins tearing it to pieces while his daughter runs to the living room to watch television. Dr. Samson can be heard declaring that he needs to retrieve his daughter's bedroom from inside SCP-4438-1 so that she can go to sleep.

Agent Ross
A notebook.
Agent Ross begins ripping SCP-4438-1 apart, angrily muttering about the inconvenience of having his notebook be stuck inside SCP-4438-1, despite the fact that SCP-4438-1 itself is a notebook at the time of manifestation.

Dr. Carè
A vehicle identical to his own car.
Dr. West is attempting to identify which car is his in a dark parking lot at the time of manifestation. He breaks through the window of the SCP-4438-1 instance and begins searching the inside of the vehicle for his glasses, despite the fact that he is wearing his glasses at the time of manifestation.

Site Director Sinclair
A male human prepubescent.
See Incident 4438-1.

Incident 4438-1:

On 09/12/2019, an SCP-4438 occurrence took place at the home of Site Director Sinclair during a family dinner. At the time of SCP-4438-1 manifestation, Sinclair was deciding which of his three children would be saying grace at the table, and as a result SCP-4438-1 appeared as a male child similar in appearance to Sinclair's youngest son. The following is a log of the events that occurred during the manifestation.

<Begin Log>

(SCP-4438-1 appears standing next to the dinner table, and immediately falls to the ground where it lies inert. Site Director Sinclair, his wife Samantha, and his three children recoil from SCP-4438-1 and exclaim in surprise and fear. Sinclair in particular puts his hands to his throat and appears to have difficulty breathing.)

Sinclair: Help! Hold him down!

(Sinclair's daughter Elizabeth and his elder son Matthew move over to SCP-4438-1 and seize its limbs as if to hold it down, despite the fact that it is not moving. Sinclair's younger son Noah moves to the corner of the room and begins crying.)

Sinclair: (to Samantha) What the hell are you doing?! Help me!

Samantha: That's … that's our son, James…

Sinclair: Are you fucking nuts?! I'm gonna die!

Samantha: But … James…

Sinclair: You're fucking useless! Move!

(Sinclair pushes Samantha out of the way and grabs a kitchen knife from the table, using it to crudely cut open SCP-4438-1.)

Sinclair: (crying) No, no, it's too tough. Matt, don't just sit there, grab a knife, help me!

(Elizabeth and Matthew get up. Matthew, crying, goes to the kitchen and retrieves a larger knife which he takes back to Sinclair. Elizabeth moves to the stairwell and vomits profusely on the bottom step, before running to Noah and comforting him.)

(Sinclair takes the larger knife from Matthew and resumes efforts to open SCP-4438-1, with significantly more success. Matthew faints.)

Sinclair: Please, please, I need some air! I'm sorry!

(Samantha runs upstairs to her and Sinclair's bedroom, where she retrieves a pistol from a box in the closet. She then runs back down the stairs, but slips on the vomit at the bottom step and falls forward. An audible snap is heard and Samantha does not move.)

Sinclair: (turning to Elizabeth) Help me, you little shit! Grab the ribs!

Elizabeth: (crying) Mommy…

Sinclair: How fucking old are you?! I'm gonna suffocate!

(Elizabeth, still crying, moves over to SCP-4438-1 and assists Sinclair in opening its rib-cage. Vehicles containing Mobile Task Force Zeta-12 ("The Guardbodies"), responding to an alert from the surveillance team, pull up outside.)

(Sinclair fully opens SCP-4438-1's rib-cage. A human arm and a smiling face, identical to that of Sinclair, are visible emerging from the cavity. Elizabeth and Sinclair begin screaming as the second Sinclair's arm makes physical contact with the original Sinclair.)

(Camera footage cuts out. Screaming can be heard for a further three seconds before ceasing.)

<End Log>

Immediately following the events depicted in this log, Site Director Sinclair, his family, and all humans within a one kilometer radius disappeared without a trace. At the time of writing, they have yet to be recovered.