SCP-2587-A8: Yeah, a bunch of people 
chained together. These ones were in gowns 
like me. The blob puts me at the back of the 
line and leads us down the hall. He gets a 
couple more people and chains them to me. | 
think there were about ten to twenty of us in 
total. 


Dr. Finch: Go on. 


SCP-2587-A8: So the thing leads us to a room 
and | get my first glimpse of that...thing. 


Dr. Finch: SCP-2587. 


SCP-2587-A8: Yes. It looked different back 
then, though. It didn't have any skin, and it was 
a lot smaller. The blob unchains the first 
person in line and shoves her into the mound. 
The thing grows a bit and spits out her gown 
after a couple of seconds. He does the same 
thing with everyone else. | remember getting 
pushed into the mound, and my memory after 
that is fuzzy. 


Dr. Finch: What is the next thing you clearly 
remember? 


SCP-2587-A8: Surprisingly, | had a couple 
moments | can remember quite well. | 
remember being in absolute darkness, unable 
to breathe. | kept hearing these whispers 
telling me to do things. 


Dr. Finch: What were you told to do? 


SCP-2587-A8: Simple things. Kick, curl up, 
nod your head, and others like that. | was too 
scared to do anything, so | just stayed 
perfectly still. This went on for a while, and 
then | woke up here. 


Dr. Finch: You seem quite calm given your 
recent experiences. 


SCP-2587-A8: | guess I'm just glad to be out 
in one piece. Everybody else is still in there, 
yet | was lucky enough to escape. | must be 
doing something right. 


Dr. Finch: That's all for today. Thank you for 
your time. 


SCP-2587-A8: No problem. 


[END LOG] 


Footnotes 
1. DNA samples were recovered from the Unusual Incidents Unit, 


who had SCP-2587-B in custody due to her involvement with UIU 
Casefile 2008-007. 
2. Mind-Affecting Resistance Scale 


« SCP-2586 | SCP-2587 | SCP-2588 » 


SCP-2588: The Collective Consciousness of Arthur 
H. Jones 


Item #: SCP-2588 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2588 instances 1 through 
23 are currently held at Site 118 in separate standard humanoid 
containment units. SCP-2588 instances should not be allowed within 
5 meters of each other except under controlled testing conditions. 
Testing with more than 8 instances of SCP-2588 at a single time 
requires approval by the containment wing director, currently Dr. 
Sonia Oland. Testing with SCP-2588-1 requires written approval 
from the containment wing director and the site director. 


Acquisition of further instances of SCP-2588 is currently rated at 
MEDIUM priority, given the small chance of SCP-2588 instances 
coming into contact with each other among the civilian population. 
Any leads relating to SCP-2588 should be reported to the project 
director. 


Weekly medical examinations of all SCP-2588 instances are critical 
to ensure the continued health of all specimens, and to avoid 
unanticipated transfers of SCP-2588. Along these lines, 
immunosuppressant drugs consistent with those administered 
following organ transplant surgeries should be administered to all 
specimens. Should medical personnel determine that an SCP-2588 
instance is likely to expire, D-class personnel should be deployed to 
accompany said SCP-2588 instance until expiration. 


Description: SCP-2588 is an anomalous collection of body parts 
and organs once belonging to a reality bending individual named 
Arthur Harold Jones. 


SCP-2588’s primary anomalous properties manifest itself in various 
body parts and organs of at least 23 individuals, ranging from the 


brain (SCP-2588-1) to the left arm (SCP-2588-13), or the liver 
(SCP-2588-18). It is unknown how many more instances of 
SCP-2588 exist that are currently uncontained, but major body parts 
not under current Foundation control include the right leg, pancreas, 
and left eye.! 


Over time, individuals possessing SCP-2588 instances will 
experience rapid changes in the composition of said instances to 
match the original condition and structure of the organ once 
possessed by Arthur Jones at the time of his death. This process is 
expedited if there are more SCP-2588 instances present near the 
individual, and even more so if SCP-2588-1 is near the new instance 
of SCP-2588. The exact range for this is unknown, but has 
tentatively been established to be roughly 5 meters in distance. 


The changes in composition of SCP-2588 instances end with organs 
that are nearly identical to the condition of said organs of the original 
Arthur Jones. For instance, previously healthy livers will degrade to 
the point of possessing the same severe cirrhosis that Arthur Jones 
possessed due to his extreme alcoholism. Said changes in structure 
and composition are noted to cause severe pain for the individual 
possessing the SCP-2588 instances. In addition, host individuals 
will, over time, experience extreme mental degradation to the 
degree where the host individual is largely vegetative, yet still 
capable of movement, and loss of memory-both recollection and 
formation of new memories. 


When an individual possessing any instances of SCP-2588 expires 
(often due to symptoms similar to organ rejection), the closest 
individual who does not already possess an instance of SCP-2588 
will become the new host of the SCP-2588 instance. If two instances 
of SCP-2588 are present in an individual at one time (achieved 
through traditional organ transplantation) then both instances may 
be transferred to the same individual, though this is not guaranteed. 


SCP-2588’s secondary anomalous property occurs when multiple 
instances of the anomaly are brought near each other (within the 5 
meter range outlined above). This ability causes SCP-2588 
instances to act autonomously from the host body. The more 
instances of SCP-2588 that are brought near each other, the more 
extreme these actions become. Whereas two instances may only 


cause involuntary muscle spasms, 8 or more can cause complete 
independence of action for the affected body part and the inability to 
be controlled by the host body, depending on the specific instances 
brought together. Moreover, proximity seems to accelerate the 
process of mental degradation noted above. 


Of particular note is the instance designated SCP-2588-1, the body 
part corresponding to the brain of the original Arthur Jones. It has 
been noted to be able to accelerate the process of restructuring of 
SCP-2588 instances, as well as increase the degree to which 
nearby SCP-2588 instances can act independently. Moreover, 
SCP-2588-1 is capable of active planning and, when fully 
developed, possesses the same degree of intelligence as the 
original subject, though it does not share the individual’s anomalous 
properties of reality manipulation. 


SCP-2588-1 is also capable of directly influencing the actions of 
other instances of the anomaly. While normal instances may exhibit 
actions consistent with that of the original body of Arthur Jones 
(such as nervous tics and other actions), only SCP-2588-1 has been 
demonstrated as capable of actively orchestrating complex action of 
other SCP-2588 instances, including developing new actions and 
behaviors. 


SCP-2588’s final anomalous property only activates in the presence 
of SCP-2588-1, and at least 13 other instances of the anomaly. 
When this occurs, the anomaly will exhibit total control over the 
formerly independent host bodies. Hosts will proceed to remove, by 
any means necessary, the SCP-2588 instances present in their 
bodies, and implant them in the host containing SCP-2588-1. This is 
believed to have the end goal of reconstructing the body of Arthur 
Jones, though the process has never been fully seen through to 
completion. The only time that this was partially successful is 
documented below in the acquisition report. 


SCP-2588 Acquisition Report: SCP-2588 formerly referred to the 
original host, Arthur Jones, a reality bending individual under 
Foundation control. SCP-2588 escaped during an external 
containment breach caused by a raid on the facility containing the 
anomaly. During recapture, the individual was terminated due to the 
danger that it presented, and the inability of the containment team to 


Please, let me go." Whether this indicates a secondary 
consciousness inhabiting the subject's mind with which he was 
conversing is unknown. It is at this point that the subject begins 
flailing, impacting the camera repeatedly and causing it to record 
only small fragments of footage. 


Fragments of interest are noted below (in chronological order): 


* Subject's head appears to be slowly embedding itself into his 
thigh, both eyes absent. 

* Subject's fingers visible on his torso 

* Subject's eye moving across his right foot, eyeball changing 
orientation rapidly as it does so. 

* Subject lying in a pattern reminiscent of the fetal position, slow 
breathing audible. 


<End transcript> 


A debriefing interview was scheduled, but, owing to the subject's 
larynx being relocated away from his trachea, could not be 
conducted. Autopsy showed wide-scale reorganisation of the 
subject's internal organs, including small-scale fusing of parts of the 
small intestine and [DATA EXPUNGED], resulting in contamination 
of the chest cavity [DATA EXPUNGED]. Despite this, the subject 
had a normal volume of blood within his circulatory system, and 
levels of other bodily fluids such as bile were within normal 
parameters. How SCP-290 maintains or replenishes these fluids is 
unknown. 


« SCP-289 | SCP-290 | SCP-291 » 


recapture the individual in a nonlethal way. 


SCP-2588 resurfaced approximately 8 months later, following 
reports of a minor reality bending individual. Containment teams 
arriving at the house believed to be the source of the reality bending 
events discovered 14 bodies and a partially reconstructed 
SCP-2588. SCP-2588 was terminated after an executive decision 
was made, causing the instances to be transferred to the 5 
members of the containment team, leading to the Foundation’s 
acquisition of the reclassified SCP-2588. 


SCP-2588 Incident Report 5/23/11: At the time of this incident, one 
individual host possessed SCP-2588-1, while SCP-2588-5 (the 
vocal cords and lungs), SCP-2588-13 (the left arm), and 
SCP-2588-14 (the right arm) were present on another individual. 
The following is a transcript of an interview conducted by the former 
project director, Dr. Julio Marquez, with the two individuals listed 
above. SCP-2588-1 communicates through the other individual 
possessing SCP-2588-5. 


Dr. Marquez: SCP-2588-1. Good afternoon. 
SCP-2588-1: Afternoon, doctor. 


Dr. Marquez: | presume that by this point, your original 
host’s memories are largely gone? 


SCP-2588-1: (Laughs) Oh, mostly. A few childhood 
memories here and there that won’t go away. Soon 
enough, I'll be me again. 


Dr. Marquez: And who is “me?” 
SCP-2588-1: Arthur Harold Jones. 
Dr. Marquez: How much do you remember? 


SCP-2588-1: Most of it. | was 28 when | died for the first 
time. 


Dr. Marquez: The first time? 


SCP-2588-1: Yeah. The first time. I’ve died a lot of times 
since then, doctor. But you know what they say. First 
time’s the hardest. 


At this point, SCP-2588-1 begins laughing, but is 
stopped by a coughing fit. SCP-2588’s lungs were 
heavily damaged by years of habitual smoking. 


Dr. Marquez: | see. And how did your present state... 
arise? 


SCP-2588-1: You mean me doing the whole zombie 
song and dance. Not pretty huh? | thought the same 
thing, but you get what you wish for | guess. 


Dr. Marquez: What do you mean? 


SCP-2588-1: You see, Dr. Marquez, with people like me, 
you learn to be careful about what you want at a very 
young age. If you think too hard about something you 
want, it'll actually happen. If | want a burger real bad, | 
can think one into existence. Now, we get pretty good at 
managing this for most of our lives. This was all fine and 
dandy until | got in trouble with you folks. 


Dr. Marquez: You mean your escape attempt. 


SCP-2588-1: Bingo. Your boys fucked me up pretty 
good. But you know what | remember the most as | was 
laying there, bleeding out? You know what’s the one 
thing in common that we humans have with every kind of 
animal from a rat to an elephant? 


SCP-2588-13 smacks the table, while SCP-2588-14 
clenches a fist. 


SCP-2588-1: None of us want to die. In that last, tiny 
moment before you cross over to the other side, | can tell 
you that you don’t want to go. You don’t want to die yet. 
You feel small, tiny, and pathetic, but dying seems so 
unfair and so wrong. And in that moment, there’s nothing 


in the world that you want more than to be alive. And 
wanting something that badly, especially when you were 
as fucked up as me...now THAT’s a dangerous thing for 
people like me. 


Dr. Marquez: And your wish resulted in your present 
condition. 


SCP-2588-1: (Snorts.) That's one way of putting it. 


Dr. Marquez: You're very calm for someone who has 
died repeatedly. 


SCP-2588-1: Oh, believe me, you can’t even 
comprehend how much | fucking hate all of you. And | 
mean that with the warmest regards, Dr. Marquez. But 
you and I, see, we’re kind of in the same position here. 
We both want the same thing. 


Dr. Marquez: And that is? 


SCP-2588-1: We both want me gone. Dead. Kaput. You 
see, | wanted to live so badly that | did this shit to myself. 
But I’m not alive. Not really. I’m in this purgatory limbo 
zombie land where I’m scattered around the world, so 
that last wish of mine isn’t gonna be fulfilled until | can 
get myself back into one piece, more or less. And once 
that’s done, | can kill myself and get it all over with 
already. 


Dr. Marquez: But why would you want to die after all that 
effort? 


SCP-2588-1: (Pauses.) You want to know what | feel, 
doctor? You want to know what it’s like being me? 


Dr. Marquez: Tell me. 


SCP-2588-1: | remember it. All of it. The moment | died 
the first time, because it’s the moment my body keeps 
trying to put itself back together for. When your hidden 
sniper blew my brains out from half a mile away, and 


your fucking black ops commandos or whatever the fuck 
they were broke down my door and riddled me with 
bullets. | can remember every. Single. Detail. And | feel 
it. It’s like fire in my veins, like someone is carving my 
skin off with a rusty butter knife, and the nightmare never 
fucking stops because this isn’t purgatory. This is hell. 


SCP-2588-1’s body is sobbing by this point. 


SCP-2588-1: Do you know what it's like, doctor? Do you 
know what it's like, being able to feel myself scattered 
across dozens of people? You know what it's like to feel 
this transformation happening over and over again? Do 
you know what it's like to crack open a man's skull as he 
fades away and to feel his regret and his fear? You know 
what it's like to see those same thoughts that | had right 
before | died? 


SCP-2588-1 shudders. 


SCP-2588-1: | can never forget this. | want, no-l NEED 
you to kill me. Because | can’t bear this pain anymore. 
Because every moment | breathe is agony for lungs that 
feel like they're full of holes, and every thought hurts 
because | can barely feel anything that’s not the memory 
of dying or suffering or pain. Because every time | die 
again, it just gets added to the pile, and | can’t live with 
this anymore. Kill me. Please. 


Following this report, Dr. Marquez filed a request for neutralization, 
noting that it was the Foundation who had technically caused the 
current status of SCP-2588. After a vote of the 05 Council, the 
request was denied by a vote of 9-4. 05-4 wrote the following 
majority opinion. 


Regarding the neutralization request for SCP-2588