were received of attacks against isolated humans by clusters of 
animals of different species working together. A single specimen of 
Didelphis virginiana, the North American opossum, was captured. 
Presence of SCP-877 confirmed during dissection. Reclassification 
to Keter requested. 


August 2011: Keter reclassification denied by O5 command. 


September 2011: Another attack involving SCP-877 recorded. 
Two Boston terriers, four squirrels, and a garter snake cooperated in 
attacking an eleven-year-old child who had strayed into a wooded 
area near her home. Using radio frequency tracking, the two terriers 
were contained; presence of SCP-877 was confirmed by dissection. 
Both specimens were marked "GENERATION "and were located 
deeper in the cerebrum, making discovery more difficult. Mobile 
Task Force Rho-1 ("The Professors") formed and mobilized for rapid 
response and containment of SCP-877 instances. 


September 2011: After reports of unusually violent behavior, the 
victim of the previous SCP-877 attack was brought in by Foundation 
researchers. MRI scan inconclusive, though a small shadow was 
seen in the cerebral cortex. Researchers confirmed that the object 
was most likely SCP-877, given its consistent shape and location 
during multiple scans, though definite identification would not be 
possible while the subject was still alive due to the chip's placement. 


September 2011: Keter reclassification approved by O5 command. 


« SCP-876 | SCP-877 | SCP-878 » 


«Yep. High-end hardware. Processing machines — the works. At a 
glance...» Rebecca looked past the men. There was a large block- 
like device in the corner, with dozens of interlocking parts arranged 
across a table. «3D printer. I'd guess they were trying to build 
robots? Small drones, maybe.» 


«Great. Mechanical engineers.» Denise's sarcasm buzzed through 
the thread. «Just be careful. Clean-up crew is on its way.» 


The man who had pulled a wand on her spat at Rebecca's feet. 
"You can't stop us. Knowledge wants to be free." 


Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Mmhm." In her experience, members 
of the Serpent's Hand came in two flavors: Curious people in way 
over their heads, and die-hard fanatics. This guy was clearly the 
latter. Trying to reason with his type was like reasoning with a brick 
wall. A very angry, very teenage brick wall. 


"You will fall. The torch of progress will prevail.” 


«Think you can hurry up? One of them is monologuing.» Rebecca 
tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Stay focused, she told herself. 
Don't let your guard down. 


"You cannot keep the world in —" 


The man sprang forward, pulling something out from behind his 
back. Rebecca hopped away and lifted her hand toward him. 
Everything happened so fast — she didn't have time to pull herself 
out of the channel. Her unconscious thoughts vibrated through the 
bone and into the thread: 


«Bomb!» 
«Rebecca?» 
POP. 


Rebecca's hand trembled; her outstretched palm now occupied the 
empty space where he had been a moment before. His two 
comrades stared at that space with mute, wide-eyed shock. 


She turned her focus to them: "Run." 
They kept staring. 


"| said run!" Rebecca snatched both of them by their wrists and 
pulled them close. 


«Rebecca! Report!» 


«One of them pulled a bomb. | popped him.» Both men stumbled 
behind her; she just dragged them along. After a few steps, they 
finally remembered that they had feet and started running with her 
toward the door. 


«l thought you couldn't—» 
«Can, but only for 12 seconds. Everyone, GET DOWN.» 


Rebecca gritted her teeth and pushed both men through the 
doorway, diving after them. Somewhere behind her, the air crackled 
with released magic. 


... POP. 
"__darkness forever! Wait... where did —?" 


The blast alone slammed into her spine like a massive fist. Claws of 
fire scraped up and down her back; every inch of her was bathed in 
a scorching heat. The sheer force flung her into both men, crashing 
with them into a tangled heap atop of the floor. 


Her ears rang. Pieces of debris fell from above, tumbling to the 
ground. Rebecca groaned in pain. Still alive? Check. She tried to 
pull herself up, then — as several searing bolts of anguish flashed 
through her back — decided she ought to give herself a minute. 


«Everyone, report.» 
«This is Jack, clear and okay.» 


«Vernon, I'm good.» 


«Dai — shaken, but not stirred.» 


«Good.» They could all feel Denise's relief swelling with each voice 
that replied. But it was accompanied with a prickling anxiety. 
«Becca?» 


«I'm hurt, but not dead.» Rebecca grimaced. The two guys under 
her were wriggling; one of them groaned. «One's definitely dead, 
other two are stunned. Don't think they were in on their fearless 
leader's exit strategy.» 


«Good. Stay down. Don't engage. Coming to you now. Dai, with 
me.» Denise's urgency squeezed down on Rebecca; it was the 
mental equivalent of a hug. Even though it wasn't real, just thinking 
about being touched sent another spasm of agony lancing through 
her spine. 


One of the men under her sputtered, twisting to sit up. "A-ah," he 
cried out. "What just —" 


"Stay down. Just stay down,” Rebecca warned him, trying not to let 
the pain seep into her voice. 


"— | just — what just happened?" 
"It's alright. You'll be fine. Just don't move." 
"How did you...? | didn't know spells like that even existed." 


Fighting through the pain, Rebecca pulled herself up and gave him a 
half-smile. It hardly mattered at this point. Better to keep him 
distracted; by the time the memeticists were through with him, he 
wouldn't remember a thing. "Paramagic." 


His brow crumpled down into a tight, wrinkled knot as he tried to 
parse the word. "Para... magic? What the hell is... who are you?" 


"I'm with the Foundation,” she told him. "We contain science." 


In the Land of the Blind 


BEGIN AUDIO 


- sounds of chairs being moved and objects falling to the 
floor - 


Agent Randolph: Tell Hicks to get that channel open! 
Can anyone on this floor see anything? 


Doctor Gears: Gentlemen, is this Security Station Theta 
Blue? 


Agent Randolph: There's some sort of containment 
issue right now, you shouldn't be... oh. Sorry Doctor. 
What are your orders? 


Doctor Gears: Please pass me the microphone if you 
can find it, Agent Randolph. | need to make a site-wide 
announcement. 


- Static and feedback - 
Agent Randolph: -at's it. 


Doctor Gears: Attention, all Foundation Personnel. This 
is Doctor Gears. There has been a containment incident 
resulting in the temporary blindness of all sighted 
individuals in Site-19. Remain calm and do not leave 
your workstations. | repeat. Remain calm and do not 
leave your workstations. 


Doctor Gears: Thank you, Agent. Please put that on 
repeat. 


Agent Randolph: Yes sir... | think this is it. There. So 
this is temporary? 


- Recording of statement by Doctor Gears can be heard 
repeating in distance - 


Doctor Gears: It should be, Agent. An experiment with 
Me2515 has gone awry, however our research strongly 
suggests this will pass within the next six hours. Please 
contact Site-23 and have them send in a relief team to 
secure this location. 


Agent Randolph: Already done, ETA is 19:45. God, | 
hate to imagine what must be going on in some of the 
lower levels right now. 


Doctor Gears: The lower levels are contained by blast 
shields, all personnel there should be safe. Casualties 
will be worse if there is a panic. Would you kindly secure 
the door? 


Agent Randolph: Those poor bastards are down there 
with the really dangerous stuff and they can't even see 
anything though - 


- Rattling noises - 


Agent Randolph: -icks should be on his way back, we 
need to let him - 


Doctor Gears: Please secure the door Agent. 
- Screams heard in the hallway - 


Agent Hicks via security radio: Goddamn it! Answer 
me you fucks! | said 173 has escaped containment! 173 
has escaped containment! 


- Screaming stops. Loud scraping noises - 
Doctor Gears: Agent. Please secure the door. 
END AUDIO 


Note to O5: This is the transcript of an audio file recovered during 


the weekly scan and backup of servers at Site-19. We have no 
records on anything labeled Me2515 and there is nothing to 
corroborate what is contained in this file. Agents Randolph and 
Hicks were KIA during a field mission in '08 and Doctor Gears was 
not stationed at Site-19 during their rotation there. - Site-19 IT dept 


It's probably leftovers from some prank involving 050 again. Just 
delete it. - 05-8 


In the Manner of a Bad Apple 


Nonstandard Reality Acclimation and Preparedness 
Final Certification Exam 


1. Successfully recognize nonstandard reality 
environment (NSRE) within 5 minutes of exposure. 
@ Activation of circle-square trigger. 

@ Activation of mother-daughter-aunt trigger. 

@ Completion of full NFPOT checklist. 


2. Successfully document NSRE effects within 10 
minutes of exposure. 

@ Note divergences in physical, emotional, and logical 
environments. 

@ Note presence of non-sentient, non-real entities. 

@ Note presence of sentient, non-real entities. 


3. Successfully alert one other individual to presence of 
NSRE within 15 minutes of exposure. 

@ External activation of circle-square and mother- 
daughter-aunt triggers. 


4. Successfully create an action plan for combat, 
communication, or evacuation within 20 minutes of 
exposure. 


Elizabeth Cooper-Hughes ate undercooked beans off a flimsy paper 
plate in the remains of a charred building. There wasn't much left but 
the corpses of structures in Chicago since starlight began falling 
freely. She huddled close to the fire with other children and did her 
best not to sob. 


Something was wrong. 


A newly-nameless recruit ran through the narrow corridors of the 


underwater habitat. Red lights flashed and sirens howled as the 
plated walls began to buckle, creases running from one to the next, 
as if chasing her down. Squirming darkness leaked in through the 
new gaps in her world's shell, spitting and hissing at the endlessly 
recycled air. 


Something was very wrong. 


Wren stood in a wide field of golden wheat. She had been reaping. 
She was reaping. She would reap. It didn't feel like a metaphor, it 
was simply life. Day after day, year after year. The sky never rained, 
the sun never set, and there was always more work to be done. Her 
parents would return when she finished the last field though. They 
promised. 


Something was obviously wrong, because she felt confident a circle 
could perfectly fill a square. 


Overseer-6's loyal dog played cards in a dingy basement 
somewhere under Bangkok. The rules of the game weren't clear, 
something where highs were low and lows were high. A loaded 
revolver with a single bullet sat at the center of the table. When they 
laid their cards down the final time, the old man across the table 
snatched it up and shot her in the chest. 


Something was obviously wrong, because the simplest family tree 
was no better than a knot to her. 


Egret walked down the aisle of a gently rocking train, paused, and 
found herself cognizant of that wrongness. It wasn't a perfect 
recognition, something still buzzed angrily in the back of her head, 
but she had the distinct feeling that something wasn't quite right. 
She looked back and forth, eyes passing over gently flexing walls, 
vein-latticed windows, and seats covered in sheets of squirming 
cilia. The nagging feeling wouldn't pass, but it was hard to say why. 


Next, Egret looked through her backpack next for some hint of 
wrongness. Bottled water, energy bars, latex gloves, a glass jar full 
of pale worms, an assortment of unmarked pills, and a trashy novel 
she didn't quite remember buying. That wasn't unusual enough to be 
the source of her vague anxiety though, nor was anything else in the 


bag. If something anomalous was going on, it was too subtle for her. 
Even in Alpha-1, she had always worked more on 'people problems' 
than spending time with the weird shit brigades. 


The train jerked to a sudden stop. A noise halfway between a 
foghorn and a guttural roar sounded in the distance. Darkness was 
the only thing Egret could see beyond the fleshy windows. A hole in 
one wall opened with a wet squelch, and darkness started leaking 
inside too. The black sludge didn't look hostile, or even particularly 
alive, but it still didn't seem like very good company for a train ride. 
Egret started walking down the long aisle again, swiftly at first, but 
slower as the gentle rocking of travel resumed. No matter how far 
she walked, the far end of the train was little more than a pinprick on 
a narrow horizon. 


Most of the seats along the straight path were empty. Most, but not 
all. One held a shimmering figure of shifting symbols and ghostly 
light. Another pair of seats was occupied by a giant, chitinous, 
many-armed thing whose head was locked away inside an iron box. 
A third rider was a normal dog, sitting and panting as though it was 
just where it wanted to be. Or, maybe it was a cat? It was definitely 
not some kind of lizard, scales aside, because it was clearly some 
kind of badger, gnawing at something unspeakable. Egret didn't 
linger to consider it. 


It was harder to ignore the more human riders. Most were cursed 
with some aspect that would have doomed them to one of the 
Foundation's vast underground containment complexes. Forking 
horns, blurry faces, painful presences, there was plenty to condemn 
them all with. The train halted again, and something far behind Egret 
roared back in a tone of unabating, unquenchable, unrelenting 
impatience. They set off again soon after, rumbling down whatever 
tracks has been laid through the shifting scenery outside. 


A gray-uniformed woman with curtains of sleek black hair stared 
intently at Egret from her seat. She tenderly stroked a bare sword 
that lay across her lap, and the gnats in Egret's head were whipped 
up into a furor at the sight. 


"What?" asked Egret, as the woman turned her head to watch her 
passing. 


" What?" 


"The woman pointed a finger at Egret's backpack. 


Egret shook her head and kept walking. The nerve of some people. 
Footsteps followed behind her, but not close enough to be a cause 
for concern. That might change if they woman drew much closer, but 
even then the concern would not be Egret's. 


The train stopped. A city of alien buildings drooped from the clouds 
outside, each inverted tower hanging like an icicle over a sea of 
endless white. The train's floor pulsed like a heartbeat as it moved 
again, through a strangling jungle whose shadows were full of 
unblinking eyes, through a sketchy landscape of ash and ink. The 
bellowing horn sounded as it stopped, first in a empty plane of 
throbbing guilt, then in a crowded one of fire and serpents. Egret 
paid all of it no mind. The train would bring her to her destination 
eventually, wherever that was. 


"shouted the woman. Egret reached for the pistol holstered 
under one her arm, and found it missing. The gnats in her head 
buzzed loudly. The train stopped in a dim night, lit by furious stars 
and surrounded by the thundering beat of artillery fire. " " 
Egret reached for her pocket knife, and found that missing too. The 
gnats howled. Behind her, the footsteps came quicker and closer.