SCP-4210 - The American Dream

Author: Swineapple

Image Credit: Map Data and Images - Google Maps

Other Work: SCP-4945

3/4210 LEVEL 3/4210

CLASSIFIED

Item #: SCP-4210

SCP-4210-03 prior to containment, located at █████, MA

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4210 is to be placed in a safe secure box at Site-██. Houses constructed according to SCP-4210 are to have 2m high fences installed around the perimeter of the land, under the guise of construction work. Properties surrounding these houses are to be purchased by The Foundation, with at least one building utilized as a guard barracks and research laboratory.

Four guards are to be placed around the perimeter of SCP-4210 in disguise as construction workers in six-hour rotating shifts. Any and all persons attempting to enter an SCP-4210 house without approval from on-site Level 3 researcher are to be detained and administered Class A amnestics. Windows are to be heavily tinted on SCP-4210 houses in order to prevent a security breach. Persons leaving SCP-4210 houses after being removed by other entities are to be interviewed and sent to Site-██ for Psychological Evaluation and amnestic treatment.

Description: SCP-4210 is an anomalous residential floor plan, supposedly produced by architectural company S███████ Inc. However, no records of this company have been recovered. On the backside, the writings "The American Dream. Our Dream. 19██" and "Japan [ILLEGIBLE]-lesses me because this - 改善1" are present in black ink. Houses built using SCP-4210 are identical in material, size and room numbers, only differing in furnishings. The Foundation is currently aware of five SCP-4210 houses, all residing in the continental United States.

After spending a prolonged period of time in a house constructed according to SCP-4210, persons begin to undergo psychological changes, expressing strong desires to make themselves and other people within the house "perfectionists".2 The "perfection" the entities strive for, is directly reminiscent of the American 1950s "nuclear family" stereotype, as detailed below. At any one time there is a maximum of four (one of each entity type) SCP-4210 entities in an SCP-4210 house.

SCP-4210-A refers to persons who are biologically male and are between the ages of 25-50. After spending a total of 29 hours in the house, SCP-4210-A will begin to exhibit behavior typical of a father figure, such as romantic attraction towards SCP-4210-B and fatherly behavior towards SCP-4210-C and SCP-4210-D. Typical behavior includes dressing in business attire, watching television programs and simultaneously consuming alcoholic beverages, and participating in "catch" with SCP-4210-C.

SCP-4210-B refers to persons who are biologically female and are between the ages of 25-50. Similarly to SCP-4210-A, SCP-4210-B will exhibit motherly behavior. Typical behavior includes producing meals and beverages for itself and other entities, cleaning previously used cutlery, reading magazines and conversing with SCP-4210-A about its day.

SCP-4210-C and SCP-4210-D refers to persons who are under the age of 24. SCP-4210-C will act in a way similar to children or teenagers, depending on its age and gender. Instances under the age of five are completely dependent on SCP-4210-B for sustenance. Physical fights between older instances of SCP-4210-C/D are common.

A subject entering an SCP-4210 house that fits criteria for one of the aforementioned entities that already exists in the house will gradually start to exhibit behaviours of the respective SCP-4210 entity. Subjects will become SCP-4210 entities at a less gradual rate3 and will decide to "join the Family". Over a short period of time, the new entity will become more accepted by the family. The fate of the previous instance depends on the family; usually, they are either ignored or banished from the house forcefully.

If one of the SCP-4210 entities no longer matches the criteria for an SCP-4210 entity4, the family will actively seek out candidates for replacement, often by inviting neighbors to events such as dinners.

Discovery: On ██/██/19██ local police were called to the report of a disturbance in residential ██████, CA. Upon arriving at the scene police discovered a man running down █████ St. wearing only underwear, shouting "How could they replace me!" continuously for ~7 minutes. When brought in for questioning at the local police station, the man, named M██████ Scratton, explained that he was eating dinner with his family at his home, when a stranger knocked on his door. In under 15 minutes, Mr Scratton was removed from his home with only his underwear and SCP-4210 in his possession.

Mr Scratton was questioned about the origins of the floor plan and any locations of other houses using its design. Mr Scratton refused to answer about the origins; however, he gave the location of four more houses. He was unwilling to share how he knew of these houses. Mr Scratton was subsequently administered amnestics and released to the public under Foundation watch.

▶ Interview Log D-13564

▼ Interview Log D-13564

On ██/██/198█, D-Class subject D-13564, a 34-year-old male, entered SCP-4210-05 and was instructed to remain inside for 3 hours in order to become SCP-4210-A. After a period of 4 hours, D-Class subject D-92873, a 29-year-old male who matched the same criteria as D-13564, but was more athletically built, was instructed to enter the house. After approximately 21 minutes D-13564 was observed exiting the house in a distraught panic. Interview follows:

Interviewed: D-13564

Interviewer: Dr. A████

<Begin Log ██/██/200█ 13:02:44>

Dr. A████: Hello D-13564, my name is Dr. A████, I'm going to ask you a few questions.

D-13564: My family literally just kicked me out, don't you people have any sympathy.

Dr. A████: We just need you to cooperate with us and tell us how you feel about everything that went on in those four hours.

D-13564: Perfect.

Dr. A████: Sorry?

D-13564: Perfect. It was perfect, we were perfect. We complimented each other so well, we flowed as a family, there was nothing that could stop us. If we couldn't do something together it was because it was impossible.

Dr. A████: What sort of activities could you do in such a short time to feel that way?

D-13564: We cooked together, played chasey with the kids, watched a movie together until.. well until he came in.

Dr. A████: Until D-92873 entered the house?

D-13564: I don't know his number but yeah I assume that's the piece of shit.

Dr. A████: What occurred when D-92873 entered the house?

D-13564: Well we welcomed him in, of course, we weren't going to be rude we were better than that. He came in and we started talking about everything that was going on with him and he was quite interesting, younger and probably more attractive than me. Which was exactly why I started to worry.

Dr. A████: What did you feel that made you worry about him?

D-13564: I had a feeling. I'm not sure what it was, just a feeling that something was wrong. I could see the way the kids and the wife were talking to him. They were more and more impressed with every word he was saying. I thought to myself that I was surely better than him in some way, right? [D-13564 looks extremely distressed and stares at Dr. A████ for 14 seconds.]

Dr. A████: What is it?

D-13564: It just that, as soon as I thought that. The immediate second I thought that thought. That I had to be better in some way, the kids and my wife looked at me, angrily and at the same time said: "No, you aren't good enough." [D-13564 begins to tear up, before getting visibly angry] It was you.

Dr. A████: What was me?

D-13564: You sent in that son of a bitch to see my reaction. You knew this would happen. You knew I would lose my family.

Dr. A████: They weren't your family.

D-13564: How fucking dare you mess around with my family like that.

Dr. A████: D-13564, you need to calm down or there will be serious repercussions.

D-13564: I want a new one.

Dr. A████: You want a new what?

D-13564: A new family. A perfect family and I don't want you fuckers to mess around with it.

Dr. A████: We won't send you back in there in the foreseeable future, may I remind you of the agreement you have with the Foundation.

D-13564: I don't care about the agreement, you don't understand what it's like to be so close to perfection, only to have some other assholes take it from you!

Dr. A████: There's nothing to be done for you, you're to be psychologically evaluated and assigned elsewhere, per the agreement.

D-13564: At least someday I'll find that sort of perfection again, I'll make it mine and you eggheads will get none of it.

<End Log ██/██/200█ 13:07:56>

▶ Recovered Document 4210-02

▼ Recovered Document 4210-02

The following document was recovered during a sweep of SCP-4210-02 prior to containment.

My Dearest E███,

I'm hoping this letter finds you well. It's gone wrong. Everything I dreaded would happen has come to pass. M██████ has taken the plans for himself. He says he's going to build the perfect America out of it. I told him that that wasn't the purpose of the plans, and in fact, the purpose couldn't be further from that. He says he can make improvements to it, tweak it, so everyone can strive to be better. To be perfect.

All I wanted was for us to be together and raise a family we could be proud of. By the time you're reading this it may already be too late for me, but who knows right? Maybe I'll get another miracle from Japan. More a curse in disguise I guess now. When M██████ took the plans he threatened me with a gun, can you believe it? I don't think he meant to shoot, that damn idiot, but here we are.

If you get this message please, try and get the plans back, but be careful. M██████ is doing anything he can to get what he wants, and I couldn't stand the thought of you getting in harm's way for me.

Have a wonderful life E███, but don't try to make it perfect. You never even had to try.

I love you.

- John S.

Footnotes

1. Translated from Japanese: "Change for the better"

2. Identifying themselves as "family"

3. A mean time of two hours

4. Either by aging out of the age range or by death