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SCP-3856: Researcher Lloyd, Destroyer of Worlds

Author: MaliceAforethought

Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FBI_Laboratory_scientist.jpg

Related Tales:

The World Forgetting, By The World Forgot

Error: Field Cannot Be Lloyd

File photo of Researcher Lloyd, taken approximately 3 hours prior to an NK-Class ("Grey Goo") scenario

Item #: SCP-3856

Anomaly Class: Keter

Threat Level: Black ●

Special Containment Procedures: Baseline Researcher Lloyd (SCP-3856-1) is to be housed in a self-sufficient maximum security bunker, restrained to avoid any potential acts of self-harm, and shielded from any possible detrimental influences. The death of SCP-3856 must be prevented at all costs, and any personnel acting in a way that may kill, maim, or otherwise damage SCP-3856-1 will be summarily terminated — note that attempting to gain access to SCP-3856-1's chamber without authorisation is considered an act of potential harm, and will be handled as such. As SCP-3856-1 has already been treated with all low-risk life-extending techniques currently available to the Foundation, no further efforts to extend SCP-3856-1's natural life are to be attempted without unanimous Level-5 approval.

Should the probability of SCP-3856-1's imminent death rise above .01 at any time, the instance is to be immediately ejected to the nearest inhabited universe. The handling of any non-native iterations of Researcher Lloyd will be undertaken on a case-by-case basis by staff with Level-4/3856 clearance or higher.

Description: SCP-3856 is a probabilistic anomaly affecting all iterations of Foundation Researcher Samuel Lloyd across all known variants of the Foundation, in all known life-supporting universes. There is currently no known way to subvert, permanently delay, or otherwise prevent the effects of SCP-3856, though research is ongoing. Cross-testing with other anomalies known to manipulate chance has yielded a null result in all cases, suggesting SCP-3856 manifests as an intrinsic property of the metaphysical nature of Researcher Lloyd1.

The full range of SCP-3856's effects are not known, but the primary element appears to be the fact that any iteration of Researcher Lloyd will inevitably2 cease brain activity only following the elimination of every other extant human3 from the universe in which they currently reside. In circumstances where Researcher Lloyd would ordinarily be killed before this event, SCP-3856 appears to have the secondary effect of hastening a large-scale K-Class End-of-the-world scenario. While this event is invariably caused by external forces, and is frequently predicted or registered long before the initial recognition of SCP-3856, attempts to prevent it have thus far met with failure in all cases.

Observation of terminated universes containing an iteration of Researcher Lloyd reveals that the severity of the apocalyptic event caused by SCP-3856 is inversely proportional to the number of sapient individuals residing within the affected universe. To clarify: while a human population of several billion will result only in the worldwide extermination of said humans, the death of Researcher Lloyd within an uninhabited or sparsely populated universe risks a high-level Yggdrasil Severance Event, and the subsequent collapse of adjacent dimensional regions.

SCP-3856 has led, indirectly, to the establishment of communications with a growing network of Foundation-positive universes, with the shared goal of minimising SCP-3856-related casualties. Despite the formation of a semi-informal regulatory body, no consensus has yet been made.

Addendum.1: Event 3856-Alpha: On ██/██/████, despite agreed-upon travel protocols, a single instance of Researcher Lloyd manifested within Site-54, equipped with standard Foundation provisions and equipment (circa 1880 AD). The entity was later determined to have originated from U-4046Y, and had been relocated via Ectodimensional Way Generation by SCP Foundation-4046Y. SCPF-4046Y refused to communicate with baseline Foundation personnel following this incident, and subsequent investigations revealed that the probability of their instance dying from natural causes had been steadily increasing for some months previously.

The instance (designated SCP-3856-4046Y for clarity) was taken into custody and treated with standard life-extending techniques. A more permanent method of processing is currently in development.

The following message was found attached to the instance upon manifestation:

WE ARE SORRY TO BURDEN YOU AT THIS TIME. WE CANNOT RISK FURTHER DETRIMENT TO OUR CITIZENS. WE ARE SURE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR RETALIATION FROM HOSTILE SOURCES WE WILL BE CLOSING DOWN ALL EXTERNAL TRANSFER CHANNELS. ALL EXISTING TRADE ROUTES WILL BE TERMINATED

WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED

~ The Sovereign of Carallas-Pralwright

Addendum.2: Update ██/██/████: Following the manifestation of a further six instances of Researcher Lloyd, of which two were shown to exhibit life-threatening wounds, the decision has been taken to transfer three instances (SCP-3856-03B54, -193FF, and -73E2M) to low-volume Floater Universes accessible via SCP-████. This is expected to act as a temporary buffer until a more permanent solution can be devised.

All other instances have been housed in maximum-security bunkers at undisclosed locations, with the exception of SCP-3856-0PD31, who went into cardiac arrest shortly after manifestation. They were cryonically frozen using experimental techniques shortly after this, and are expected to survive for another ███ months without medical intervention. Given U-B9PYB's attempt to conceal an instance of Researcher Lloyd in a scheduled shipment of precious metals, the decision has been made by the O5 Council to close all exo-universal trade routes.

Talks with alternate Foundations are ongoing, but have been somewhat strained following the spontaneous collapse of Universes-03B54, V4L2K, OIO10, and 5FIVF. Exo-universal elections are due to be postponed until a practical solution to issue MU-3856-SCT-LLOYD can be found.

Addendum.3: Log-3856-F: The following log is a severely abridged list of Researcher Lloyd instances currently known to the Foundation. Due to the situation's current rate of escalation, it is expected to undergo frequent changes.

Instance designation(s)
Summary
Current Status

SCP-3856-LPN4R
Instance had apparently been converted to a mechanised form, inline with GoI-004B (The Cogwork Orthodox Church)'s "standardisation" process. Due to a lack of ordinary senescence, it is believed the instance will be capable of surviving near-indefinitely. The instance has since been terminated via the addition of an irregular logical construct into their system. Foul play is suspected, but unconfirmed.
Extant Deceased

SCP-3856-SMRC3
Resided for four years in what is either a nonexistent fictional construct or region of the Anatolian peninsula, depending on sources. Expired due to starvation following an abnormal resurgence of memetic phenomena and the deaths of 99.97% of the human population from cerebral haemorrhaging.
Deceased

SCP-3856-770R2
Instance was retroactively eliminated prior to their birth by their iteration of the Foundation, resulting in a successful negation of SCP-3856's effects. U-770R2 maintained societal stability until the year 8620, at which point the aforementioned Foundation adopted a policy of retrocausal containment, eliminating anomalies before they could appear. The device used to terminate SCP-3856-770R2 was removed during this process, and SCP-3856-770R2 was caused to have expired from radiation poisoning following global thermonuclear war.
Deceased

SCP-3856-FI7EN & -YUE4K
Both instances fled their host-universes due to persecution from hostile anomalous organisations (in the case of -FI7EN) and a hostile Foundation-analogue (in the case of -YUE4K). Currently residing in a post-extinction iteration of Earth, and expected to survive together for up to 2 decades before expiring.
Extant

Unknown, presumed upward of 5000 instances from various sources.
Instances were transferred en masse to U-01HF2, as an effort to reduce total casualties. Retaliation from U-01HF2's inhabitants saw a large portion of the instances dispersed among adjacent universes — seven were accidentally killed during this process, moments after the relevant universes experienced spontaneous vacuum decay.
Majority deceased, estimated 98 instances still living

Addendum.4: Update ██/██/████: Due to the low availability of Floater Universes, twelve of the forty-eight Researcher Lloyd instances currently in Foundation possession are to be shifted to the nearest available universes with low probability of undergoing K-Class Events. Apologies have been preemptively made to all involved parties. As a show of good faith, baseline Lloyd will be kept, with research into a consequence-free termination method as a Highest-Level priority.

Although the actions taken are in violation of exo-universal regulations, the goal of maintaining veil protocols and preventing large-scale damage to humanity is currently considered more important. Due to the current parapolitical climate, the possible implementation of sanctions on baseline reality is considered unlikely at best.

Addendum.5: Proposed update to documentation:

Proposal Date: ██/██/████

Designation: REV-3856-000934-F

Summary: "Addition to SCP-3856's Special Containment Procedures, in light of recent events."

Current Status: PENDING APPROVAL

In the event that any instance of Researcher Lloyd manifests within baseline reality, they are to be supplied with standard provisions, treated with low-risk life-extending techniques, and promptly ejected to the nearest available universe. Exo-universal officials have agreed to monitor these transfers, but have stated that they are not currently able to interfere in cross-dimensional affairs.

Efforts to diplomatically resolve issue MU-3856-SCT-LLOYD are underway, but are hampered by Researcher Lloyd's position as High Juror on the Exo-Universal Council.

Footnotes

1. Dependent on his existence as an individual, though not his continued employment by the Foundation. Removing Researcher Lloyd from his post as Foundation staff has thus far failed to avert the associated apocalyptic event.

2. 100% chance, no observed margin of error.

3. Defined as a non-anomalous instance of Homo sapiens, native to the relevant universe