LiterallyMechanical

The Artist, by LiterallyMechanical

For the rest of my work, check out LiterallyMechanical's Author Page

A few of my favorites:

SCP-5236 — Ethics Committee Inquest

SCP-3163 — The Almanack

SCP-4170 — The Dark

Item #: SCP-4172

Object Class: Euclid Neutralized

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4172 is to be secured in a standard minimal-threat humanoid containment cell, and is to be provided with the standard nourishment and amenities befitting an adult human.

"Got Your Back" anti-psionic protocols are in effect for Foundation researchers and security officers tasked with in-person interaction with SCP-4172. All security personnel assigned to SCP-4172 must place in the 95th percentile or higher on the Heller-Oteski Innate Psionic Resistance scale. Any researchers with access to SCP-4172 who score below the 95th percentile on the IPR scale must be accompanied by 2 or more qualified Security personnel during testing and experimentation, and shall undergo monthly psychological screening to detect potential psionic manipulation.

A sedative (250 mg of Quetiapine) is to be administered orally on a nightly basis.

The bodily remains of SCP-4172 require no extraordinary containment procedures, and have been preserved in accordance with standard deceased human-anomaly storage protocols.

Description: SCP-4172 was an adult human male, 32 years of age at time of death. As a Class-I reality bender, SCP-4172 was capable of performing strictly limited, persistent transmutations of small amounts of matter via skin contact. This anomalous trait allowed SCP-4172 to transform liquid water into India ink at a rate of 10 to 15 milliliters per minute, a technique allegedly employed by SCP-4172 in its occupation as an artist. In most other respects, SCP-4172 was physiologically indistinguishable from a non-anomalous human, though medical records indicated a history of mood disorders and intermittent substance abuse throughout much of its adolescence and adult life.

There is conflicting evidence as to what, if any, telepathic abilities were possessed by SCP-4172. Social acquaintances of the anomaly effusively lauded the exceptional skills of SCP-4172 as an artist in visual media, with many highlighting its "innovative" and "groundbreaking" ink-on-paper art. However, few professed to be "close" friends, and no interviewed subjects displayed any signs of psionic interference or manipulation. Furthermore, SCP-4172 was characterized by several as a "quiet" or "laid-back" man, contravening the megalomaniacal, narcissistic demeanor exhibited by most psionic humanoid anomalies and casting doubt upon its designation as a compulsion-capable telepath.

However, SCP-4172 was able to quickly and totally suborn the loyalty of at least one Foundation Agent, allowing it to operate undetected by the Foundation at-large for a period of at least six months. It is hypothesized by some researchers that SCP-4172 exercised an unusual degree of self-control for a telepathic anomaly, voluntarily limiting its influence to a single, tactically crucial individual rather than exhibiting typical cult- or harem-building behavior. GYB anti-psionic protocols were maintained as a precautionary measure for the duration of its containment.

SCP-4172 first came to the attention of the Foundation during a routine internal security audit of MTF Zeta-Zeta ("Stardusters"), the Task Force assigned to on-the-ground surveillance of anomalous individuals within guerrilla performance-art groups, subversive theatrical troupes, underground art studios, and other insular creative spaces resistant to infiltration. During the audit, the Internal Affairs department discovered unexplained financial and communications discrepancies in the personal accounts of MTF Zeta-Zeta-F, re-designated as PoI 4172-1. Further investigation uncovered evidence that PoI 4172-1 was sheltering an anomalous individual, now known as SCP-4172, in his own personal residence in Brooklyn, New York. PoI 4172-1 was immediately disavowed by the Foundation. Anti-psionic personnel of MTF Psi-6 ("Psly Dogs") were sent in for retrieval, due to concerns that PoI 4172-1 had fallen under the telepathic influence of a then-untested anomaly.

PoI 4172-1 was killed in the ensuing confrontation, and SCP-4172 was successfully retrieved. An audio transcript of the retrieval is available under Audio Log 4172-A [Acquisition], below.

Audio Log 4172-A [Acquisition]

Background audio: Sound of door-breaching charge.

MTF Psi-6E: On the ground! Both of you! Now!

PoI 4172-1: Don't shoot!

MTF Psi-6E: On the ground!

PoI 4172-1: Run! [Unintelligible]. Go!

SCP-4172: Honey? Who-

PoI 4172-1: Go-

Background audio: Sound of 3 gunshots. Video recording confirms that PoI 4172-1 had drawn a weapon, prompting MTF Psi-6E to open fire.

SCP-4172: [Screaming]

MTF Psi-6E: Do not move! On the ground, right now!

SCP-4172 complies. There are no further coherent vocalizations as SCP-4172 is taken into Foundation custody.

SCP-4172 self-terminated after 32 days in containment. Autopsy results list the cause of death as massive cerebral hemorrhage and multiple organ failure, induced by the transmutation of roughly 50 ml of blood into India ink within the circulatory system of SCP-4172.

Please input Level-2 credentials to access Figure 4172-1.

Level-2 access granted.

Figure 4172-1: An article of bedding retrieved from the containment cell of SCP-4172, shortly postmortem.