Item #: SCP-7848

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: All remaining instances of SCP-7848-A are to have a microchip tracker injected into them and are to be kept in a terrarium at Site-27. The terrarium is to be provided with flora and insects necessary to sustain a large colony of purple boxer mantises.

Absolutely no personnel are permitted within SCP-7848's cell without permission from Dr. Whitney. Should one need to enter the cell, they must be accompanied by at least two armed guards specially equipped to deal with insectoid swarms. The door leading to SCP-7848's cell must be sealed even while personnel are inside, and is not to be opened until it's safe to do so.

After leaving SCP-7848's cell, personnel are to be checked for any instances of SCP-7848-A that might have hidden itself in their clothes. If an -A is found, it is to be terminated immediately.

Description: SCP-7848 consists of two designations that refer to different parts of the anomaly, them being designated SCP-7848-A and SCP-7848-B respectively.

SCP-7848-A refers to an individual purple boxer mantis. While sizes between the different -A instances vary, the average measurement comes out to be about 12 cm (4.8 inches) in length. While there are no abnormal physical features that distinguish -A instances from non-anomalous purple boxer mantises, -A instances have shown to possess far superior intelligence than their non-anomalous counterparts, though it still remains unclear how much agency a -A instant has independent of SCP-7848-B.

SCP-7848-B refers to the collective hivemind of all 578 492 instances of SCP-7848-A. Currently, it's unclear if -B is the combined consciousness of all -As or if -B is a separate entity controlling the -As, though the entity referring to itself as "we" suggests the former. While -B technically has no physical form, it will often present itself as a humanoid entity by grouping up the -As into a single mass, with each -A moving in a way that gives -B the appearance of human movement.

Despite not having the anatomical requirements to do so, SCP-7848-B possesses the ability to speak, and has shown to be quite intelligent. It was allowed to take the FIE1 after being contained, and ended up scoring 93%2.

Addendum 7848-1: Interview #1

Forward: The following is an audio recording of an interview that took place shortly after the containment of SCP-7848.

Interviewer: Dr. Franklin Reed

Interviewee: SCP-7848-B

<Begin Log>

Reed: I suppose we'll start with something simple. What are you?

7848: A bit of a rude question, wouldn't you think?

Reed: My apologies, allow me to rephrase. Who are you?

7848: We have no name. Mother perished before she could give us one. 'Course, it's not like she would have even if she lived. When you have hundreds of kin, naming every one of your children becomes an impossible task.

Reed: Your mother? She died?

7848: Yes. Right after we were born.

Reed: How long ago was this? What can you tell me about her?

7848: About four months ago, and we're afraid there isn't much to tell. At least, not to the likes of you.

Reed: What's that supposed to mean?

7848: The life of a single insect is hardly worth the attention of even the lowest of humans, let alone a respectable man of science such as yourself.

Reed: If it's anomalous, I care very much.

7848: Except she wasn't. Unlike us, she had no sapience. She was just your average, run of the mill… what word do you humans use so much…? Bug. She was just your average bug. The only thing exceptional about her was her ability to carry and birth over 500 offspring at once. I'd like to see a human try that.

Reed: You keep referring to yourself as "we" and "us." Why?

7848 remains silent for roughly five seconds.

7848: We're… afraid we don't understand. It would be like us asking why we should refer to the Foundation as a body as "it" instead of "he" or "she." We are us, brothers and sisters left motherless in a cruel world. Only by working together as we do now, are we able to survive.

Reed: I see. So you're a hivemind?

7848: A crude way of putting it, but yes. We think as one because that's the only way to survive.

Reed: How much independence do each of you have from one another?

7848: That… is a complicated question. We don't think we could explain it in a way that could make sense to you. Imagine it like this. Each cell in your body is technically alive and independent in its own way, but ultimately is just a cog in a far greater machine. We are similar, but different. Imagine if each cell in your body, rather than just being an unimportant instant of life, was significant in some way. It doesn't devalue you as a whole any, but it does put more value on the different parts of the whole. Enough value that each part is referred to as its own being. That is what we are. A machine that values each cog as its own thing. Working as one, but made up of many.

Reed: While this is an interesting way of describing your nature, it still doesn't quite answer how much free will each -A instant has.

7848: No? No, we suppose it doesn't. Well, like we said. It's a complicated question.

<End Log>

Addendum 7848-2: Interview #2

Forward: The following is a follow-up meeting that took place several days after the first interview. Due to Incident-████████, Dr. Reed was reassigned to Site-██. Dr. Whitney was subsequently placed in charge of SCP-7848.

Interviewer: Dr. Whitney

Interviewee: SCP-7848-B

<Begin Log>

Whitney: Afternoon 7848.

7848: You… are not Reed.

Whitney: Doctor Reed was transferred to another site after an… unexpected incident. My name is Doctor Whitney, and I'll be taking-

7848 laughs, interrupting Whitney.

7848: And here we thought we'd be stuck making small talk with meat bags.

Several seconds of silence.

7848: Forgive us, we just weren't expecting a non-human to be running the show here. Tell us, what species of reptile are you? You look lizard like, but we can't quite pinpoint which breed you are.

Whitney: If… you don't mind, 7848. I'd rather we focus on you instead of me.

7848: Of course, of course. Sorry if we sounded a little intrusive, we were just intrigued.

Several seconds of silence. Shuffling of paper is heard.

Whitney: Alright, 7848, let's start by talking about your last session. You showed a surprisingly high understanding of some rather complicated topics. For example, you seemed to understand the anatomy and function of cells. Communication is one thing, but something so scientific was unexpected. How did you learn of this?

7848: The same way everyone learns. Watching and listening.

Whitney: Please elaborate.

7848: After we were born and mother's body went limp, we scattered. Some of us foraged for food, some of us looked for water, some of us looked for a place to call home. Keep in mind we were still operating as a hivemind, we just utilized our ability to separate to its fullest… even if it did end up being a mistake. Anyway, a few of us found our way to a middle school. That day, the teacher was giving a lecture on cells. We were fascinated, of course, so we hid up in the cracks of the wall and listened to the lesson. We stayed there for a few days, listening to the lessons and classrooms through the school, before grouping back up.

Whitney: You said using your ability to separate ended up being a mistake. How?

7848: The few are far weaker than the many. Divided, we were more susceptible to predators. By the time we left the school and reformed, we had lost nearly thirty bothers and sisters.

Whitney: I see. With that taken care of, there's a question that I personally wanted an answer to.

7848: Go for it.

Whitney: When we contained you, you were trying to pass as a human in the civilian world. You had taken this form you are right now, and had even cobbled together some old clothes. It didn't work as you had hoped, and people were quick to notice the person with insects for a face, but you still tried to live amongst humans. Why?

7848 chuckles to itself.

7848: Oh Whitney, you of all creatures should know the answer to this.

Whitney: Crea-?! Whitney stops herself and takes a breath. Creature?

7848: Yes. Look at you, Whitney. Are you even able to see what's directly in front of you with that snout?

Whitney: I can see just fine.

7848: You're not human, Whitney. And yet, you dress like one, talk like one, probably even eat like one. And why?

Whitney: What am I supposed to do? I may be a lizard, but I'm still intelligent. You expect me to get on all fours and live off purely instinct?

7848: Which is exactly what we thought. You and us, we're too intelligent to crawl on along the earth the animals. We're drawn to the civilized world, to the wonders of humanity. It only makes sense we'd try to be as human as possible. Now, admittedly, we could've approached it better, but our thinking was just that. We wanted to live amongst humanity.

<End Log>

Addendum 7848-3: Interview #11

Forward: The following is an audio recording of a scheduled session with SCP-7848-B. The main topic of the meeting was to get 7848-B's opinion on its current containment.

Interviewer: Dr. Whitney

Interviewee: SCP-7848-B

<Begin log>

Whitney: Afternoon 7848.

7848: Hello doctor. How are you today?

Whitney: I'm fine, 7848. Thank you for asking. Now, shall we begin?

Audio of a chair scraping against the ground as Whitney takes a seat.

Whitney: Now that you've been here for a few weeks, we'd like to know your thoughts on the Foundation and your containment. Are you content with everything you've been provided.

7848: We're quite glad you asked that. It's something we've been meaning to approach you about for a while now. Unfortunetly, we are not content.

Whitney: Oh… Elaborate.

7848: We appreciate you and the Foundation creating this… terrarium, is it called… to sustain us. Food and water are easier to come by than ever. However, we feel as though we've outgrown its purpose.

Whitney: What do you mean?

7848: We understand why you'd place us in a cell meant to replicate the wilderness. After all, we just seem like average insects to you. However, as you've discovered over the past few weeks, we are not so. We have intelligence, and are far more than just mere bugs.

Whitney: What are you suggesting?

7848: We would greatly appreciate it if we could be transferred to a more… human environment.

Whitney: Human environment? Whitney goes silent for three seconds. You mean like a humanoid anomaly cell?

7848: Yes, precisely.

Silence for 4 seconds.

Whitney: What exactly were you thinking?

7848: Well, we were thinking of being treated identically to one of those humanoid anomalies you just mentioned. We aren't quite sure what that entails, but we assume it means obtaining a room that would fit a human more than it would an insect hive. Of course, we understand that there's still a big difference between us and humans, and that accommodations would be needed. However, if we choose to remain in this humanoid form, we don't understand why we wouldn't be allowed to live as a human.

Whitney: …I see. Well, this is a big request, and not one I can make on my own. I'll be sure to relay your wishes to my superiors.

7848: If you could, we would greatly appreciate it.

Remaining twenty-seven minutes of audio cut for irrelevancy. See Document-7848-9 for full transcript.

<End log>

Addendum 7848-4: Interview #26

Forward: The following is an audio recording of a scheduled session with SCP-7848-B.

Interviewer: Dr. Whitney

Interviewee: SCP-7848-B

<Begin log>

First thirty-one minutes of session removed for irrelevancy.

Whitney: Thank you for your time, 7848. I think that will wrap things up for today.

7848: Of course, doctor.

A scraping sound is heard as Whitney stands from her seat.

7848: Doctor, there was one last thing we wanted to ask you about.

Whitney: Yes?

7848: It pertains to our transfer to a human environment. It's been a good month since we first asked you about it, and we've been anxious for an answer.

Whitney: Ah… yes. Forgive me, I got an answer yesterday and intended to tell you during our meeting, but forgot. I'm afraid the Foundation denied your request for a transfer.

Silence is held for five seconds.

7848: We… don't understand. You did inform your superiors of our human intellect, right?

Whitney: I did.

7848: And you informed them of our intentions to maintain this humanoid form?

Whitney: They know.

7848: We don't understand why our request would be denied then.

Whitney: The Foundation doesn't often tell me why they make the decisions they do, but my guess would be security.

7848: Security? What does that mean?

Whitney: Well, you may combine to take the form of a humanoid, but your ability to separate into individual mantises serves as a great security risk. Even under surveillance, it would be easy for one of you to break away from the main group and escape. Or, for you all to break apart and swarm towards an exit.

7848: Our request for a transfer was denied because… the Foundation feels it wouldn't be able to contain us?

Whitney: Precisely.

Silence for four seconds.

7848: We strongly advise the Foundation reconsider that stance.

Whitney: I'm sorry, but the Foundation rarely changes its mind. If you have any other requests, I'd be happy to forward it to my superiors.

<End log>

Addendum 7848-5: Cell #7848 CCTV Feed

Forward: The following is a video recording of SCP-7848's cell. As a result of Incident-████████, the number of staff members on site was low. Due to this, Agent Jack was assigned to clean SCP-7848's cell as part of standard site containment procedures.

<Begin log>

Door to SCP-7848's cell opens. Jack walks through pushing a cart of cleaning supplies.

Jack: Hello? 7848? You here?

Silence for several seconds.

Jack: (Shaking head) Must all be scattered eating bugs or something.

Jack begins pushing cart further into cell. He stops several feet in before taking a mop and water bucket out of the cart and places them on the ground. Soaking the mop, he begins wiping the floor. This goes on for several minutes, before the sound of multiple insect wings begins from within the cell. Jack looks up towards the noise, seemingly confused.

Jack: What th-

A massive swarm of SCP-7848-A instances flies out of the terrarium vegetation and towards the still open cell door. Jack tries to jump out of the way, but his right arm is hit by the oncoming swarm. This shreds the hazmat suit at the elbow, causing his entire arm to fall off as flesh begins to pour out of the tear. Jack yells and grabs the opening, sealing it with his grip as he falls to the ground. The SCP-7848-A instances fly out of the cell.

<End log>

Addendum 7848-6: Incident-7848-SB001

Location: Site-27

Date: 11/17/2023

Incident: During a routine cleaning of SCP-7848's cell, all 578 instances of SCP-7848-A managed to breach containment by swarming and ambushing the exit. The on-duty containment team were able to lock down that sector of the site, preventing SCP-7848-B from escaping. Despite this, the 7848-B swarm continued to traverse the hallways and ventilation of the site, looking for an exit.

Site security were eventually able to recontain SCP-7848-B by utilizing anti-insectoid swarm tactics. Additionally, the GenSec officer chose to appeal to SCP-7848's higher intelligence by terminating several 7848-A instances and threatening to terminate more if the objects refused to cooperate.

Results:

Total dead: 0

Total injured: 0

Object breached: No

Object terminated: No*

Breach time: 3 hours, 42 minutes, 11 seconds

*86 instances of SCP-7848-A were terminated, but the anomaly as a whole remains intact

Infirmary Security Camera Log

Forward: The following is security camera footage of Site-27's infirmary several hours after Incident-7848-SB001.

<Begin log>

Jack is laying in an infirmary bed with a bandage sealing his suit. As he's laying there, Whitney enters the room and stops by his bed.

Jack: Oh, hi Whitney.

Whitney: Hello Jack. How are you doing?

Jack: Not bad, actually. Thankfully it was just my arm that got torn off. The doctors even said they'd be able to reattach it… maybe. They still don't know if it being nothing but a pile of flesh will make it easier or harder to do.

Whitney: I see. Well, it's a good thing you've make a swift recovery. With how thin our numbers are here, we'll need all the hands we can get.

Jack: Well once I get my hand back, I'll be happy to lend it.

Neither speak for several seconds.

Jack: Was there… something else?

Whitney: I… feel like I should apologize to you. It's my fault the proper precautions weren't taken to secure the anomaly before its scheduled cleaning. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if I had done my job properly.

Jack: Oh don't sweat it. I've read the file. There was no reason to think it would've acted out like that. Besides, we've sent people in before to clean and nothing bad happened then. You can't blame yourself for not seeing this coming.

Whitney: But I should have. I felt uneasy about 7848 after our last session. The way it said the Foundation should reconsider… I should've read its tone better.

Jack: Hey, look on the bright side. No one was killed and the anomaly was recontained. And now that we know 7848 is hostile, you can take the proper steps to make sure it doesn't get out again.

Neither speak for several seconds.

Jack: What're you thinking?

Whitney: How to keep 7848 from breaching again. Whitney turns to leave the room. If you'll excuse me, Jack, I need to update 7848's special containment procedures.

Whitney walks towards the door, but stops before exiting the room.

Whitney: Get well soon.

<End log>

Footnotes

1. Foundation Intelligence Exam

2. The average humanoid score is about 87%