Fibrous conglomerate structures formed by SCP-2333 in an isolated sample

Item #: SCP-2333

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Currently, 15 samples of SCP-2333 are stored in Bio-Research Site 101. SCP-2333 must be contained under Biosafety Level 2 precautions. Minimal isolation is necessary for infected individuals. In the event of a breach, all on site personnel are to be screened for infection, with infected subjects isolated.

SCP-2333-1 is to be contained in a humanoid containment cell under Biosafety Level 2 precautions. Standard rations are to be provided twice daily. A full medical examination is to occur on a biweekly basis.

Research on SCP-2333 is currently restricted to personnel with Level 3 clearance or higher.

Description: SCP-2333 is a group of complex artificial prions. SCP-2333 has an exceedingly low infectivity, with direct injection into neural tissue being the only known reliable route of infection. Injection into the blood results in infection in approximately 20% of cases.

SCP-2333 causes the formation of anomalous fibrous conglomerates around neurons and myelin, which appear to promote increased neural signals and regeneration of tissue. This process occurs extremely rapidly, with symptoms appearing in as little as 12 hours.

Symptoms of SCP-2333 infection appear no more than 24 hours following exposure. The first sign of infection is an extremely calm emotional state. Rapid neural growth results in regeneration of nerve tissue, resolving any previous neural injury or degenerative neural condition. Infection also results in the suppression of pain receptors. Lastly, subjects with SCP-2333 infection are no longer able to sleep and do not report increased fatigue. Analysis of several subjects' EEG readouts has been inconclusive.

An average of seven days following initial infection, the concentration of SCP-2333 in neural tissue reaches a critical level, stimulating production of large amounts of melatonin. This marks the transition of infection into Stage 2. Infected subjects become drowsy and withdrawn, and lapse into a coma within 1 hour of Stage 2 onset. After a mean of 3 hours following onset, subjects invariably experience a complete cessation of neurological activity.

Subjects infected with SCP-2333 have a generally positive demeanor, though they seem to be instinctively aware of their imminent death. Most subjects display a desire to send farewells to family and friends, as well as perform various unrelated, often reckless behaviors. Subjects with any previous chronic disease will experience a marked improvement in symptoms, to the point of appearing as a complete recovery.

SCP-2333-1 (formerly Dr. George S████) is a 39 year old Hispanic male, measuring 1.9 meters in height and weighing approximately 90 kg. SCP-2333-1 is the sole known subject infected with SCP-2333 to not have progressed into Stage 2 of infection. At the time of this writing, SCP-2333-1's condition has not deteriorated over its ██ months of containment. Subject displays the normal demeanor of subjects infected with SCP-2333.

SCP-2333-1 displays a severe skull fracture consistent with a gunshot wound. MRI scanning of SCP-2333-1's head shows the presence of a small metallic object measuring 3mm in diameter in the subject's cerebellum. No symptoms of neurological damage are present in the subject.

On ██/██/20██, SCP-2333 was recovered from [REDACTED] Hospice Care in [REDACTED], when 5 researchers employed at the facility turned themselves in to local police, claiming anomalous results in a medical study being conducted. Foundation personnel discovered the case during a routine intelligence check, and agents were dispatched to investigate. It was discovered that SCP-2333 was being used as palliative care at the [REDACTED] facility. All researchers involved in the study were detained, and all employees not involved in the study were administered Class-B amnestics. The facility is currently under indefinite observation.

Dr. ███████ █. ██████ and Dr. Philip D████ have been granted employment in return for their cooperation.

Addendum: Log 2333-1

The following is the journal of Dr ███████ █. ██████ from ██/██/20██, to ██/██/20██. Dr ██████ was the Lead researcher in Project Helios.

██/██

The outside guys showed up today, so we can finally begin testing. I'm a little surprised at how small the team is, but I'm not going to complain. I've been working here for years, so it's about time that I got to be the head of something.

We'll start testing the first samples tomorrow.

[IRRELEVANT DATA REDACTED]

██/██

Phil wanted to talk to me again today. He said that he didn't like the new focus of the study. I told him that it was his discovery, and that he should be glad that he was getting some credit. Apparently he didn't appreciate that, because he told me that I should be grateful that a "fucking moron" was the project head.

Now that I think about it, that did kinda escalate quickly. Phil's never been quick to get so angry. He must really have a problem with something.

██/██

I found out why Phil is angry. Apparently he thinks the focus on life extension is somehow inherently wrong, from a moral standpoint.

I was about to talk to him about it when I learned that he'd asked for me to be removed as project head. I was going to be reasonable, but if this is how he's going to be, then I don't care about his morality.

You know what? Screw morals. If I want to go big, I'm going big.

██/██

Clinical trials are beginning today. Phil is still upset, but at this point, I don't care anymore.

It's been about 20 hours now. The patients are up and alert. Gonna send one for an MRI, so we can make sure they're responding correctly.

██/██

That bastard! He did something to the samples, I know it! The patients all just died, and there's no way that it wasn't him messing with the protein!

I need to calm down. I have to get some samples. I need to prove that he did this.

██/██

Phil's saying he's got two of the other researchers on his side. He's now threatening to report me for ethics violations. And he's gone further than that, too.

I logged onto the network earlier, and all of the information on the protein's structure was deleted.

I talked to Stan, one of the outside researchers. He's agreed to help me end this, if I don't tell George. Says having him oblivious to this will help keep this from getting out.

██/██

I shot George.

I didn't mean to do it. Stanley brought a gun, and I approached Phil with it. I looked at him, and told him that he should be wishing he had helped me. He lunged at me, and it went off. It all went so fast…

I didn't feel anything. I saw a shocked look on Phil's face, and thought I'd hit him. Then he ran behind me.

George was writhing on the ground in a puddle of blood. Phil and I both keeled over him. I could hear Phil scream, and George was moaning.

It felt like it'd been forever since George opened his eyes. He looked right at me, then asked in a slurred voice what was happening. We helped him up, and got him to his room. Phil told me to clean up the spill before someone found it.

I don't know how George survived this. I hit him right in the back of the head, yet as I write this he's lucid and talking.

I took a sample of the blood on the ground. Maybe it holds some answers.

██/██

George doesn't remember anything about yesterday.

I talked to Phil, and he agreed that we should test the blood.

Somehow, George was exposed to the test protein. We think he has a few days left.

Phil said we should tell the other researchers. For once, I agreed.

██/██

It's been two weeks. George is in perfect health. We've decided that he's not going to die.

We all know that this has gone too far.

Phil was keeping a printed copy of the documentation in his room this whole time. We're gonna give it to George, so that he at least knows what happened to him. Once he leaves, we're turning ourselves in.

Addendum: Interview Log 2333-3

The following interview was conducted with SCP-2333-1 immediately following its recovery.

Interviewed: SCP-2333-1

Interviewer: Researcher ██████

<Begin Log, Skip 2m-16s>

██████: So the initial goal, as you stated, was pain reduction. How well did you achieve this during initial testing?

SCP-2333-1: Well, our initial tests were just on cell cultures. We were just making sure that we could alter the nerve cells without destroying them. We honed in on the correct protein after a few trials, and things started off, I'd say pretty smoothly.

██████: Was there anything unusual about your results?

SCP-2333-1: Actually, yes. It turned out that the prions were actually making some of the cultures far more hardy. They were more resistant to heat and chemicals, and they could grow a lot faster. I personally was pretty surprised by that.

██████: And it was at this point that the goal of Project Helios was altered?

SCP-2333-1: Partially. We concluded that, since we were getting these regenerative effects, it would be helpful to see if we could also possibly reverse some neurodegenerative conditions.

██████: Understandable. So the animal tests were conducted on animal models of Alzheimer's disease, correct?

SCP-2333-1: Yes, we did use some Alzheimer animal models. We dosed the mice, and the disease was reversed in the test subjects, while the control group died.

██████: So at this point was when human trials began?

SCP-2333-1: Not at that point. We were actually towards the end of animal tests when we got more unexpected results. One of the lab assistants prepared a batch improperly, but again, no negative effects on the subjects were observed. In fact, they were healthier than most normal lab rats. We did some extended testing, and, well, they didn't age.

██████: They… didn't age?

SCP-2333-1: We took cell samples, and all of them were biologically immortal. Their cells repaired themselves rapidly, grew rapidly. Biologically, they were not aging.

██████: So, I'm guessing it didn't have that same effect on humans then?

SCP-2333-1: It had a completely different effect. The patients were awake for a week, then died.

██████: And then that prion is what was put into general use?

SCP-2333-1: Um, I think so, as far as I know.

██████: I understand that the project was ended at that point. Is that correct?

SCP-2333-1: Yeah.

██████: Was there anything else notable after that?

SCP-2333-1: Well, a few days after the project ended, I was about to head back to my home state, when one of the other researchers approached me.

██████: What did he want to talk about?

SCP-2333-1: He didn't actually say very much. He handed me a stapled packet of papers, and told me that before I left, he wanted me to read it.

██████: What was in the packet?

SCP-2333-1: I only skimmed through it, but most of it was just the documentation of Project Helios. The last page had a handwritten note on it.

██████: Do you remember what it said?

SCP-2333-1: "The right to die is as essential as the right to live."

██████: Do you still have the packet?

SCP-2333-1: No. I burned it. I threw it in my fireplace when I got home. I kinda felt like I had more pressing things to do, like I didn't have much time left. Do you know how much longer it'll be?

██████: How much longer until what?

SCP-2333-1: Until I die.

██████: I don't think I can answer that, I'm sorry.

SCP-2333-1: That's okay. Thanks for talking to me, Doc.

<End Log>