Hutchinson, again, says nothing. 
"What is this? What happened here?" 


At first Hutchinson doesn't answer this either. She walks away 
across the roof and spends an entire minute staring at the 
forthcoming Sun. 


And then, surprising Wheeler and slightly surprising even herself, 
she walks back to him and says: 


"SCP-4051, which is the number we just assigned to this infestation, 
has an intrinsic property which makes it nearly impossible for 
sapient organisms to perceive it. It's a form of camouflage. It's not 
invisible, it's a mental blocking effect. Information about it goes 
nowhere, it gets suppressed. People walk past this building every 
day of the week. They don't see what's blocking the windows. They 
walk past that door and don't realise it's standing open. It could have 
been here for decades. The researchers will get the whole story 
eventually." 


Wheeler finds in this explanation something he halfway 
understands. "So... living fnords?" 


And this actually slows Hutchinson down for a second. She gets that 
reference. She read those books when she was younger, years ago, 
before joining the Foundation. But she's never made the connection 
between fnords and the work she does. For as long as she's been 


working there, she hasn't even thought about it. The irony is intense 
enough to burn. 


"Yeah," she says. 
"Except that you can see them," Wheeler says. 


"| have specialist training," Hutchinson says, declining to mention 
her drug regimen. 


"And I, also, can see them." 


"You seem to have a mild natural immunity to memory-clouding 
phenomena," Hutchinson explains. "It's rare, but it happens. Ata 
hospital this busy, someone like you was bound to stumble into this 
place sooner or later." And escape alive, she privately adds. "But the 
point is... this infestation, SCP-4051, is a snowflake. | don't mean 
that it's special and unique. | mean: it's part of a blizzard. 


"| work for an independent scientific research institution with a 
specialist focus on the containment of hazardous anomalous 
phenomena. We have an international mandate and formidable 
resources and... unimaginable responsibilities. We... we watch the 
blizzard. And we guard the little fire. We're called the Foundation." 


Wheeler's full attention is on her now. He feels tense and exposed 
here, vulnerable to extraordinary natural forces from which by rights 
he should be fleeing. But he's also fascinated. Hutchinson has a 
faintly ethereal attitude to her. It's as if she's not standing on the 
same planet as everybody else. 


"So you're not FBI," he says. "Either, | mean. That was my other 
guess." 


Hutchinson wrinkles her nose. "| hate that show." 
"| don't believe | mentioned a show," Wheeler says mischievously. 


"They do everything wrong," Hutchinson says. A nerve has been 
touched. She shuffles irately. "They don't have enough people; they 
don't trust each other. They don't spend nearly enough time on 
paperwork. Paperwork saves lives. But most of all? | hate the will- 


they-or-won't-they. For what, five years? It's forced, it's farcical." She 
glares at Wheeler. "It doesn't take that long to know. You will or you 
won't. And then you do." 


Wheeler reads her expression carefully. "You do?" 
"Yeah," Hutchinson says, smiling again. "Yeah, | think you do." 
A distant rapid thudding noise slowly becomes apparent. Hutchinson 


sees the source of the sound first and points. "Backup's here. And it 
looks like we rated a helicopter after all." 


In the Trenches with the Dead 


If you can read this, you are already dead. 


2.10 — Five Dogmas of Defense: The Identity Warrior must 
depend on five key elements of identity for defense in IWT, as well 
as for long-term survival. We call these five elements "dogmas" 
because you must believe them if you are going to survive. 

2.10.1 — NAMES: Use the mnemonic "NAMES" to remember your 
five dogmas: Narrative, Anchor, Mission, Emotion and Society. 


— Identity Warfare Training Field Manual-01: Basic Techniques 
QO—OQ 

Item #: SCP-3125 (Mobile Task Force Omega-Zero Iteration) 

Object Class: Keter 


Special Containment Procedures: The ongoing incursion by 
SCP-3125 is to be monitored, and opposed by Mobile Task Force 
Omega-Zero ("Ara Orun") wherever possible. Foundation 
antimemetics researchers are to be protected while alive, and in the 
event of their deaths, their nascent info-streams are to be defended 
against SCP-3125 predation in order to facilitate MTF w-0 
recruitment. Survivors are to be infected with a Type X targeted 
retro-grade amnestic antimeme and all SCP-3125 information is to 
be erased. 


The SCP-3125 containment unit at Site-41, designed by Dr. Bart 
Hughes, is theorized to be inverted containment and represents a 
memetically-insulated space in which informational construct entities 
cannot enter; this includes both SCP-3125 and MTF w-0 operatives. 


A senior Antimemetics Division staff member must visit SCP-3125 
every six weeks (42 days). During this visit, an MTF w-0 Revenant 
Team is to manifest in the SCP-3125 containment antechamber and 


standby to provide support and defense, if needed, to the staff 
member upon exit. 


Description: SCP-3125 is an invasive memetic ecology or possibly 
a single large self-organized informational construct, originating in 
an informational system or alien noosphere with much higher 
complexity than that of humanity. As such these incursions are 
naturally adept at Identity Warfare, and are to be considered 
extremely dangerous. 


This system is able to detect and perceive unsecured info-streams 
that include information about itself!. Whenever (and wherever) this 
information is detected an incursion occurs, resulting ina 
manifestation of anti-memetically cloaked arachnoid organisms 
supported by sustained infolaser assault. This incursion attacks any 
person who hosts information pertaining to SCP-3125, as well as 
individuals with close association (based on similarity of memeome), 
killing them and erasing them from the noosphere. 


The result of this is that of the over 400 groups once known to MTF 
w-0 that were engaged in antimemetic research, only two remain: 
the Foundation's Antimemetics and Counterconceptual Divisions. 
The other groups were not only eliminated, but forgotten and 
unremarked; their very existence is buried under sophisticated 
feedback-reinforced antimemetic structures. 


To date, 36 incursions have been successfully defeated by MTF w-0 
Revenant teams, but at significant casualties, resulting in the 
unrecoverable zeroing of 13 operatives, and significant permanent 
identity damage to 17 more. Once a researcher is targeted, these 
attacks will continue until they either are killed, or suffer retrograde 
amnesia such that they no longer possess relevant information. 


In the event that this is the precursor to an attack, humanity's 
defenses are now largely eliminated. Counterconceptual Division's 
superior antimemetic defenses appear to have cloaked it from 
SCP-3125, but at the cost of their own ignorance. They appear to 
have deliberately rendered themselves incapable of conceptualizing 
SCP-3125, as a countermeasure, making them unable to mount a 
response. Antimemetics Division is theorized to be working on a 
containment strategy within the SCP-3125 containment chamber, 


An outbreak of SCP-584 typically begins with the appearance of a 
small (> 2cm), painless lesion, most commonly on the extremities. 
Often these lesions appear similar to warts or skin tags. If not 
removed, the lesion will quickly grow to resemble a fully functional, 
though often undersized, appendage. Often the appendage will be 
“appropriate” to the limb on which the lesion appeared, i.e., extra 
toes on a foot, extra hands on an arm, etc, but severe outbreaks can 
trigger severely disfiguring, chaotic lesion formation elsewhere on 
the body, such as the head and torso. Lesions can appear singly or 
in groups. 


Notably, SCP-584 has been shown to be able to regenerate missing 
limbs or digits in subjects who lost them due to accident or 
congenital (non-genetic) defects. These "replacement" appendages 
are full-sized and fully functional. It is believed that SCP-584 
functions by activating regenerative biological processes that 
normally cease shortly after embryonic formation. However, 
SCP-584's effect seems restricted to external organs and 
appendages only. 


Antiviral treatment is quite effective at limiting and stopping 
outbreaks of SCP-584, but currently there is no cure for the virus 
and it is highly communicable. Drug therapy has even been found to 
stop the growth of lesions in advanced developmental stages, 
however it is not effective once the appendage is fully formed. 
Surgical removal of lesions is only effective in the long-term if 
coupled with drug therapy, as scar sites are prone to developing 
recurrent lesions. SCP-584 infection in unborn babies, especially if 
contracted during the first trimester, has resulted in high rates of 
polymelia (extra limbs), polydactyly (extra fingers), and parasitic 
twinning. 


« SCP-583 | SCP-584 | SCP-585 » 


but as a result the Division is under constant and undetected 
assault. Over 3500 Division personnel have been killed since 2012, 
and only 27% have retained coherent enough info-streams for 
successful recruitment to MTF w-0. 


Footnotes 

1. Conventional cryptography and most Foundation memetic and 
antimemetic techniques are all inadequate. IWT may be effective, 
and MTF w-0 currently appears to be either successfully 
camouflaged from this detection or to be not of interest to it. 


O—O 


2.10.1.1 — Narrative: We are only the stories we tell about 
ourselves. Identity Warriors must have a clear and self-consistent 
narrative of self. All attacks against your identity fundamentally 
target this narrative, and either attempt to edit it or cause it to be 
forgotten. Your narrative is you, if you lose control of it, then you are 
lost. 

2.10.1.1-A — CIB: You will maintain a Core Identity Biography (CIB) 
according to the standards given in Section 3 at all times. This 
document is subject to inspection by your superiors. 


— Identity Warfare Training Field Manual-01: Basic Techniques 
Manifestation Log — Operation Cold City 
Team: Revenant-3 


Roster: Lyn Marness (Leader/Field Memeticist), Santosh Desai 
(Identity Defense), Zoe Smith (Identity Offense), Riley Cooper 
(Quick-Space Manipulation) 


Briefing: Today at 1030 Director Wheeler is scheduled for her visit 
to the SCP-3125 chamber. | don't need to remind you of the 
significant threat that SCP-3125 represents and that our primary 
hope in mounting an effective defense is whatever Director Wheeler 
has been doing in that chamber. 


Revenant-3, you are directed to manifest at Site-41 near the 
SCP-3125 containment airlock, and await the return of Director 


Wheeler. You are to render whatever aid she appears to need, and 
defend against any assault by SCP-3125 entities. 


Your manifestation, code-named "Operation Cold City", has been 
inserted into the relevant systems and is standing by for activation. 


Remember: We are the Saints who guard, 

— Amos Sanchez, Operations Director, MTF w-0 

BEGIN MANIFESTATION LOG 

<manifesting: Marness L; Desai S; Smith Z; Cooper R> 
Marness: Alright ghosties, we are logged in. Let's get video up. 


Video Feed shows the SCP-3125 containment antechamber. 
Researcher Paul Kim is sitting at a terminal. The airlock occupation 
indicator is lit. 


Marness: Linebacker, defensive status? 


Desai: Situation is nominal. There's still that pressure that's been in 
Site-41 for at least a year, but other than that we are secure. 


Marness: Roger that. Stay alert, Saints, and let's hope Marion 
comes out of there with something this time. 


O—O 


2.10.1.2 — Anchor Your anchors are those among the quick who 
remember you. Strong anchors knew you well, grieved for your loss, 
and have taken mnestics at some point in their careers. Initially 
you'll need your anchor to survive but you can, and will, learn to do 
without. A strong anchor can be a powerful asset to the Identity 
Warrior. You can learn to use your anchor to sustain your narrative, 
learn to sense your anchor's location and emotional state, and even 
manifest at your anchor's location. 

2.10.1.2-A — CS Rating: By utilizing exercises in Section 3 you will 
be able to quantify the strength of your anchors. This is the CS 
(Chain Strength) scale. To qualify for field operations, you'll need at 
least one anchor with a CS of 4.5 or higher. 


— Identity Warfare Training Field Manual-01: Basic Techniques 


Smith: Hey, Riley, did you know our boy Santosh has the strongest 
recorded anchor in the Task Force? CS 7.8. 


Cooper: Really? | didn't even know that was possible, that's a 
logarithmic scale, right? Who's your anchor Santosh? 


Desai: My dad. | really don't like talking about it. 
Marness: No secrets between the dead, son. 


Desai: Yeah, yeah ... okay. I've been dead for nearly a decade now. 
He keeps sending me emails, blames himself and can't move on, 
deliberately makes sure he is mnestic qualified so he never forgets a 
thing. It sucks for him, it's uncomfortable for me, and a significant 
asset for Omega Zulu. 


Cooper: Jesus, that sucks. 
Smith: Uh, what's he looking at. 


Smith: We've got a hostile vector here. Boss, you want to Casper 
this? 


Marness: Desai and Cooper, keep an eye on Kim here, he's 
compromised. Yeah, this is definitely 3125 stuff, like we fought in 
‘76. Injecting countermeme. 


Marness: C'mon Paul, think! 


On the video feed, the airlock starts to cycle. Kim gets up, startled, 
and goes to the door. It cycles open. Marion Wheeler is lying on the 
bottom of the chamber. 


Desai: Do you feel that? She's under an infolaser assault. I'm 
blocking it, but | don't know for how long. 


Marness: Cooper, start composing a message for Wheeler, try to 
warn her. 


Cooper: On it. 


On the video feed, Wheeler is still huddled at the bottom of the 
airlock. Kim is talking to her. He unfolds a pocket-knife and leans 
down towards Wheeler. 


Smith: I'm dethreading him. Or whatever it is that's puppeting him. 
... His entire memeome has been overwritten, and what's in there 
now is tightly bound, I've never seen anything like this. 


Desai: It's trying to overwrite her too. I'm shielding, for now. 


Wheeler and Kim are struggling, Wheeler parries a thrust and kicks 
Kim hard. He flies through and is flung against the wall. 


Cooper: Fuck you! 


Blood streams out of Kim's nose and flows into words on the wall 
behind him, "Wheeler, Site-41 under siege. Compromisea". Wheeler 
surges up, and glances at the message. She then looks directly into 
the camera and clearly enunciates "I'm okay. | remember the plan", 
then sprints out of the containment chamber. 


Wheeler sprints down the corridor, heading to the pharmacy. Around 
her Site-41 begins to suffer structural failure. A section of ceiling tile 
collapses behind her and a dog-sized arachnoid organism drops out, 
and begins to skitter after Wheeler. Suddenly it staggers and 
blunders into the wall. Behind it another spider drops out of the 
ceiling. 


Smith: These things. All right, I've got the first one's threads. Got it 
pretty confused about what it is right now. 


The second spider spontaneously crumples into to a ball and stops 
moving. 


Cooper: Guh. | don't like spiders. 
A third one drops down and slowly staggers after Wheeler. 
Marness: Got this one. They're fighting back. 


Cooper: Something bit me. Hang on. | am Riley Cooper. | broke my 
brother's tooth with a basketball when | was 12. I'm Riley Cooper. 


Good to go. 
Desai: Yeah, they're feeling for your threads. I'm on it.