"So, They've finally managed to get us a room. With an actual bed. | 
think we should go break it in." 


"Down, girl.” 


Avery pressed herself against Lakshmi and wound herself around 
her. "| love you," she said. 


"| love you too," Lakshmi said, and went to kiss her. 
lt was...harder than it looked. 

"Okay, do you know how sharp your teeth are?" 
"Sorry. Sorry. No teeth." 

They tried again, and broke apart just as quickly. 


"Can | use tongue without getting it bitten off, or is that just not an 
option at this point?" 


"I'm sorry! | just forgot, okay!" 


"I'm not certain this is the best approach." 


"Well," Avery said, nuzzling her, "we'll just have to figure it out.” 


Asterion's Wendigo!234 


Avery McInnes, Huge Dog Person‘, SCP-5760 


Conspectus 


Asterion's Wendigo is a large canid®’ creature 
partially possessed by an unknown, extremely 
hostile spirit summoned into its body. The 
Wendigo has the ability to create and sculpt the 
bone of any living creature, as well as having 
some talent for thaumaturgy89. 


Illustration 


Portrait of the Wendigo, drawn by M£99k. 


Knowledge 


Traits: Large and extremely fuzzy!9, the 
Wendigo is a corporeal entity with canid, 
cervine, and humanoid qualities. The Wendigo is 
carnivorous and subsists upon raw meat in the 
wild, though it is capable of eating dairy and 
most plant-based foods. However, it should be 
noted that the Wendigo, like other canids, 
cannot eat chocolate.11 


Nature: While Avery retains control of the body, 
the Wendigo!2 is warm, personable and 
outgoing. Frequently affectionate with 
others!314, Avery is usually about as playful as 
any other typical canid. 


However, should the spirit take over, the 


Wendigo becomes hostile to almost everything it 
sees, wreaking chaos'5 with its ability to shape 
the bones of others. 


History & Associated Parties: Avery McInnes 
was abducted while hiking in the Green 
Mountains, and subsequently forced to undergo 
the ritual that would transform her into Asterion's 
Wendigo. Normally, the ritual is performed with 
either a large animal or a feral child who hasn't 
been exposed to human civilization, and Avery's 
exposure to these allowed kept the spirit from 
gaining full control. The Wendigo was caught by 
the Jailors, where she unexpectedly 
encountered Dr. Lakshmi Agarwal, a former 
Jailor, refugee from the Foundation, and Avery's 
romantic partner.161718192021 The Wendigo was 
freed by our agent Javier Gonzalez, who had 
been working undercover amongst the Jailors for 
some time. The two brought Dr. Agarwal with 
them to the Library against her will22 in order to 
ensure the spirit would not resurface. 


Approach: When controlled by the Avery 
McInnes consciousness, Asterion's Wendigo is 
perfectly harmless, if liable to accidentally use 
excessive force when greeting friends.23 When 
controlled by the spirit, however, the Wendigo is 
hostile to all sapient life and will attack. Ensure 
you know who is at the reins before 
approaching. If you're unsure, bring Lakshmi 
with you to keep the spirit at bay. Avery enjoys 
being petted, and particularly likes belly 
rubs.2425 However, rubbing her exposed innards 
causes her considerable discomfort26 and as 
such should be avoided when playing with the 
Wendigo. Insulting Dr. Agarwal in her presence 
is also an ill-advised course of action, as is 
asking about the physical nature of their 
relationship. 


Dr. Mirth: That was considerably faster, Mr. Deeds. It 
only took you thirty-two seconds. And the caviar is quite 
good. 


Mr. Deeds: | am pleased to hear it. 


Dr. Mirth: One more thing before we end this session, 
Mr. Deeds. 


Mr. Deeds: As you wish. 


Dr. Mirth: | request that you assassinate Osama Bin 
Laden. 


Mr. Deeds: I’m afraid that cannot be done at this time, 
Dr. Mirth. Perhaps someone closer and less heavily 
guarded? 


Dr. Mirth: Very well. Let’s make it the gentleman in the 
next room over. 


Mr. Deeds: Indeed. 


Mr. Deeds once again entered the hallway. After visual 
confirmation, the cameras were momentarily turned off. 
When turned back on, they revealed the door to the next 
interrogation room down shutting. The cameras in that 
interrogation room showed Mr. Deeds entering the room 
with a large buck knife hidden behind one arm. Mr. 
Deeds approached the waiting D-class personnel and 
deftly slit his throat with one quick motion of the knife. 
Mr. Deeds watched as the D-class personnel went 
through the motions of death, avoiding their attempts to 
grab him. Once the D-class individual was visually 
presumed dead, Mr. Deeds returned to the interrogation 
room from whence he came. 


Dr. Mirth: The deed is done, then? 
Mr. Deeds: Indeed. Here is the knife | used as proof. 


Dr. Mirth: Why could you do this thing but not the other? 


Observations & Stories 


"The first time | met this particular Wendigo was 
while | was trying to find a field guide for 
identifying deities. | was pretty used to the... 
non-human members of the Library, as well as 
the way bigger patrons, but | nearly got crushed 
by Avery after accidentally wandering into the 
aisle she was blocking.2” And from that moment 


on, a beautiful friendship blossomed, mainly 
involving overly friendly hugs and using her asa 
ladder to reach the higher shelves. Not gonna 
lie, having to drag in a carcass to use later on as 
a ladder is pretty disturbing, but you do what you 
have to." 


— Alex Sukarno 


Doubt 


The status of the relationship between Avery 
and Lakshmi?8 is still in doubt29, mainly because 
of the complications relating to "not asking about 
the relationship". Which makes obtaining this 


information a lot harder8031, - 
Javier3233343536373839404 142434445 


| don't know if this is just me, but if Avery wants 
to get back into her old body, we're probably 
going to need her to actually tell us more about 
the ritual.46 Either that, or me and Remy could 
go and see if we could find any ritual that could 
correspond to the effects of what Avery went 
through. At the very least, we could try to find 
something to drive out that other 
consciousness? If you really want her to stay in 


this particular body, I'm not going to be the one 
to judge47, but I'm sure that you don't want your 
girlfriend turning into a murderous killgod every 
now and then.48495051 Unless you're into 
that5253, in which case I'm still going to make a 
case for public safety.545556 —A/ex 


1.What the hell doesAsterionof all things have to do with 
you, remind me again? —Lakshmi 

2.You... have seen the other titles they give these things, 
right? -Avery 

3.Point taken. —Lakshmi 

4.What makesyouso different from any other wendigo, 
anyway? —Coyote 

5.That wasmyjoke. —Lakshmi 

6. You picked up some of the lingo from the Foundation 
people? Colour me impressed.—Lakshmi 

7. Nah, | just used to do vet work.—Avery 

8. She cracked my staff like a goddamn chopstick last 
time she tried to use it!-Remy 

9. Splinters in my paws.—Avery 

10. Seriously, was this the best you could do?—Lakshmi 
11. I'd apologize, but | can't stop laughing. You're a 
goddamn bone horror wolf. And you can't 
eatchocolate.God, the irony. -Gonzalez 

12. I'm not sure whether | should call the Wendigo "the 
Wendigo" or "Avery" while Avery's in control. Goddamn 
semantics.—Alex 

13. The only thing heavier than the understatement here 
was the cast on my ribs.—Alex 

14. Hey, at least | helped fix them after | broke them...— 
Avery 

15. To be fair, she still wreaks chaos while she's in 
control. Ever see her knock over a bookshelf?—Remy 
16. Former partner, | thought. -Javier 

17. Nope.-Avery 

18. You sly dog, you. When did this happen!? -Javier 
19. About two weeks after we got here. Being here, in the 
library - it reminded me so much of when we first fell for 


each other, and how happy we'd been. She won me over 
again. -Lakshmi 

20. I'm legitimately tearing up. That's the single cutest 
thing I've ever heard. Please just get married already. Let 
me die happy. -Remy 

21. Alternately, the spirit could just be incredibly 
homophobic. I've seen stranger things. -Alex 

22. She would've been shot otherwise! The hell were we 
supposed to do!? -Javier 

23. | still have bruises.-Alex 

24. You. Are. Insufferable. -Lakshmi 

25. You. Are. Overdramatic. -Avery 

26. | can't believe | have to say this. Some people. ..- 
Avery 

27. Yes, this is the reason for the broken ribs. Sue me. — 
Alex 

28. "Status of the relationship"? Really? Did the 
Serpent's Hand become Facebook all of a sudden or 
what? —Alex 

29. | feel "in flux" would be better. They seem to be a 
little... on and off. -Remy 

30. A telepath is editing this document. The only problem 
is that this telepathrespects other peoples’ privacy.—Alex 
31. Aw. You're no fun. -Remy 

32. To clear up the discussion: yes, it's bestiality, but no, 
it's not objectionable because both participants are 
sentient. -Avery 

33. All of this is purely theoretical, of course. -Lakshmi 
34. That's not what you said last night, babe. -Avery 

35. You... You...| thought we agreed to keep this private. 
-Lakshmi 

36. Should we just burn this entry and start all over 
again? —Alex 

37. Alex sshhhhhhhhhh. Let it flower. We're watching 
something beautiful. -Remy 

38. | mean, lwasgoing to. | was just teasing you. Don't 
yell at me - this is all on you. -Avery 

39. ...1 should have you spayed. -Lakshmi 

40. Bitch. -Avery 

41. Look who's talking. -Lakshmi 


42. Should this still be in Doubt? -Alex 

43. | don't know. | feel like they might be that couple. You 
know, on and off. But good for you, Agarwal. You were 
always too uptight. You needed to get laid. -Javier 

44. I'd like to go back to the Foundation, actually. A bullet 
in the brain wouldn't be as painful or anywhere near as 
humiliating as this is. -Lakshmi 

45. Like | said: overdramatic. -Avery 

46. | mean, I've told you everything | can. Bone powder, 
starvation, wrists slit and restitched three times, tied to a 
cliff wearing dead animal parts. Everything else | was 
either unconscious for, or | just...blocked it out. -Avery 
47. Yes you are. -Remy 

48. Decidedly not. I'm not one of those people who gets 
aroused by needless danger, thank god. -Lakshmi 

49. Sure. Sure you aren't. | must have been the one who 
called me a sexy beast after asking me to use the claws 
a little more. -Avery 

50. I'd forgotten your complete and utter disregard for 
privacy. Not your most attractive trait. -Lakshmi 

51. Of course not. That would be my animal sex appeal, 
as you so aptly put it. -Avery 

52. Nothing like a bit of spontaneous ossiferous tissue 
generation to spice up the bedroom. Boneplay: the hip 
new kink. —Avery 

53. | hope you're not seriously suggesting this after the 
debacle above. —Lakshmi 

54. Out of curiosity, what gives you the confidence to 
think you could pull off a consciousness fragmentation 
ritual? —Javier 

55. Because we're babysitting a 4-year old avatar of a 
flower goddess. —Alex 

56. ...Alright then. —Javier 


The End 


<< HUB 


In His Own Image 


A story about life in the Foundation and what happens to people 
along the way. Series by TroyL, featuring art by SunnyClockwork. 


In His Own Image: 


* Part 1 
Interlude 1 
* Part 2 

¢ Interlude 2 
¢ Part 3 

¢ Interlude 3 
* Part 4 

¢ Interlude 4 
¢ Part 5 

¢ Interlude 5 
¢ Part 6 

¢ Interlude 6 
* Part 7 

* Epilogue 


Same Universe, Other Stories: 


¢ The Man from Maple Street 
* Contain Yourself 
* A Day in the Life of Alto Clef 


* Audio Version by Sherman J. Christensen 


In His Own Image: Part 1 


September 19, 2011: 


The blood, thankfully not his own, rolled down Lament’s arm as he 
shook the woman again, trying to get her attention. It was a lost 
cause, he suspected. Judging by her eyes, her expression.... 
Severe shock. And unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to carry 
her out. With a sigh, he stood up again, leaving her there and 
opening the heavy, metal door. He peered out, hearing the creak 
and groan of the shifting walls, wincing as he heard the snap of a 
shearing bolt. 


He worked his way down the hall slowly, now, glancing over his 
shoulder occasionally as he kept his revolver at his side. He 
grimaced slightly, wishing he’d brought his other sidearm—the one 
that held more bullets—but the reliability of the old gun, the feel of it 
in his hand, gave him a level of comfort that the other couldn't. 
Dodridge would have yelled at him for it, but there are times that 
comfort and capability with a weapon are more important than flat- 
killing power. He believed that. Right up until he heard the 
screeching sound, followed by a long, chitinous appendage entering 
the hall ahead of him, the shadow of a dangling corpse with eight 
legs moving over the flat metal walls. 


It took him less than a second to realize what it was, about two to 
assess the area completely, and only one for him to decide on the 
office to his left. He tried the door, finding it locked, then took a step 
back, kicking it hard and getting inside. 


The red, glowing emergency lights were all he had to see by, and as 
he shoved the desk against the door, he heard the thing scratching 
at it. A moment later, he pushed the filing cabinet on top of the desk, 
upending it with the adrenaline surge that he was riding, then 
positioning himself against the far wall, taking a deep breath and 
double checking his sidearm. Then waiting. 


Waiting, waiting, waiting. 


He let the breath out when the scratching stopped, leaning against 
the wall, sliding down it and looking around the room. It took him a 
moment to realize where he was. It'd been a while since he’d 
worked with the man—a promotion followed by a reassignment had 
taken him away from Site19 in 2006—but he recognized the 
accouterments. The spartan elements were the first indication, but 
the three pictures, all upended and in the floor now, were the only 
other indication he needed. He looked down into the face of the 
passive, bald man, and immediately regretted his choice of hiding 
place. 


Gears. 


September 13, 1997: 


Everything was fresh and new at Site19, he thought. Everything 
was... exciting! There was so much hustle and bustle. People 
moving around, smiling, laughing. Some looking serious, or angry, 
or—in the case of the four other Junior Agents he was standing with 
—extremely, overwhelmingly nervous. 


They looked up at the man wearing spectacles and an obnoxious 
Hawaiian shirt under a lab coat, and Lament wondered, with just a 
touch of gnawing trepidation, why he was grinning at the lot of them 
quite so brightly. 


“Hello!” The man spoke in a voice that instantly reminded Lament of 
a professor he’d had in college. That man had been in love with 
literature, and every action he performed was done through that 
same overwhelming rapture with the written word. Lament decided 
that he liked him immediately. 


“I’m Dr. Djoric,” the man explained. “Welcome to Site19! I’m 
supposed to be showing you around and letting you get a feel for the 
place. The normal tour guide—her name is Agatha, you'll meet her 
soon—is currently dealing with a pregnancy or something. So here | 
am instead! We’re going to have a lot of fun!” 


Lament wasn’t convinced that it was going to be fun at all, but it 
actually turned out to be. He met a ton of people, including the 
legendary Dr. Clef, who seemed mostly... bored. And Senior Agent 
Strelnikov told them some stories over lunch in the mess, mostly 
warnings, and they got to meet Lombardi, who Lament and one of 
the other new guys—short fellow by the name of Sandlemyer—had 
heard about, but no one else had. He honestly felt a little... star 
struck.