Item #: SCP-868

Object Class: Euclid-nuntii

Special Containment Procedures: Two D-Class Personnel infected with SCP-868 are to be maintained in a soundproof humanoid containment cell supervised by at least one armed guard. Personnel wishing to experiment with SCP-868 must submit to an interrogation and background check to confirm their loyalty to the Foundation and its methods.

All persons suspected of hosting SCP-868, along with all persons living in a community where an infectee has been located, are to be tested for infection. Any subject found to be a victim of SCP-868 must be treated with AMN-868. Should a population treated with AMN-868 exhibit a noticeable amount of unusual behavior, a follow-up amnestic should be distributed.

Any reports of SCP-868 infection in the general population are to be treated as a breach of secrecy. Personnel spreading SCP-868 intentionally or attempting to access the current carrier of SCP-868 without following protocol are to be court-martialed if applicable and stripped of all security clearance otherwise.

Description: SCP-868 is a meme that resulted from a memory improvement therapy designed by Prometheus Labs, Inc. Surviving documents indicate that the researchers responsible for creating SCP-868 were unaware of its memetic properties until shortly before the facility was destroyed. The process and materials necessary for administering this treatment have not been recovered, although recovered materials do not indicate that its creation required anomalous items.

SCP-868's transfer mechanism is poorly understood; however, it is believed to be transferred via two-way verbal communication1 with an infected subject for no less than thirty minutes, with symptoms manifesting between four and nine days after infection. Stage One symptoms typically include a significantly improved short-term memory, with subjects typically being able to clearly remember events and information for 80% longer than they would otherwise, on average. Subjects also report the ability to recall events that happened after initial infection with greater accuracy than they would otherwise. This has been confirmed by testing. The effects of SCP-868 become more pronounced the longer the subject is host to the meme.

Stage Two effects of SCP-868 become apparent roughly five weeks after infection. Prior to this, subjects are frequently able to remember with near-perfect accuracy any event or information received after contracting SCP-868 and from several days before. However, over the course of between one and five days (directly proportional to the subject’s age), this effect extends to encompass the subject’s entire lifespan.

SCP-868 poses a significant risk to Foundation interests due to its interaction with subjects that have been affected by amnestics. Testing has shown that hosting SCP-868 for any amount of time is sufficient to prevent amnestics from affecting its memories. In addition, during the second stage of the infection, SCP-868 completely negates the effects of any amnestic administered at any point in the subject’s life, potentially allowing the subject to remember sensitive or dangerous information. This has held true for all tested methods of inducing amnesia, both natural and man-made (See Addendum 868-2).

Prior to its full containment, SCP-868 caused 5 secrecy breaches, necessitating the termination of [REDACTED] individuals to prevent the spread of sensitive information regarding the Foundation, SCP objects, and other classified data. Subsequent cleanup and cover-ups have cost an additional $[REDACTED]. Containment breaches after its containment have required an additional [REDACTED] to contain.

Addendum 868-1: In June 19██, Drs. Carson and Basak received access to SCP-868 after filing the relevant paperwork.2 Approximately six weeks later, reports from ███████, Bangladesh, indicated that residents had become aware of the existence of SCP-███, which had been recovered from that location three years previously; investigation revealed that the village and some outlying areas had been infected with SCP-868. Because AMN-868 had not been created at this point, it was necessary to neutralize the village under the pretense of a flood. Under interrogation, both personnel admitted to releasing SCP-868. See Incident Report 868-7 for details.

Addendum 868-2: In November 2008, Foundation researchers developed a Class-B3 amnestic, AMN-868, that was capable of reversing the effects of SCP-868 and preventing spread of the infection. In 70% of cases, AMN-868 will only cause mild side effects, specifically severe headaches, with an estimated 10% of those at risk of developing early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. In the remaining 30%, AMN-868 will function, but will also cause self-destructive tendencies and prolonged antisocial behavior. See [REDACTED] for details.

Footnotes

1. Repeated testing has shown that the content, tone, and language of the conversation is irrelevant; it is hypothesized that SCP-868 alters the subject's behavior in a manner that is too subtle to detect with current methods.

2. At this point in time, SCP-868 was classified as Safe, and its containment procedures were minimal.

3. Class-A and -C versions are currently under development