Jeremiah Cimmerian, Phillip Foster, Jeffery Jacobs 


Abstract: Humans, by our very nature, are social 
creatures. We gather, we find partners, and we form 
families. This is no less true for members of the 
Foundation than it is for any other group. Unfortunately, 
due to the nature of our work, such relationships create 
the potentials for massive breaches of security, and in 
several cases, have required the use of amnestics. By 
granting the loved ones of specific Foundation personnel 
a special class of Level 0 clearance, not only does 
one decrease what could be considered a potential 
security breach, but also reduces amnestic use, and in 
many cases, helps alleviate the stress and physical/ 
mental strain constant deception of loved ones has upon 
Foundation personnel... 


"But when you get down to it, Ed wasn't just a good friend. He was a 
good person. Kind, compassionate, and thoughtful, he poured his 
heart and soul not only into his own work but also in helping those 
he worked with." 


Site Director Sasha Merlo looked around the crowd at all the faces 
lost in thought as she spoke. She stood under an umbrella in the 
spring rain, as part of a semi-circle of roughly fourteen formally 
dressed men and woman that had gathered within Portland's Forrest 
Park. At the semi-circle's center was a simple metal urn, inside of 
which was the remains of the SCP Foundation Site-64's former Site 
Director, Edgar Holman. 


Sasha recognized most of the faces there. There was Edgar's son 
and daughter-in-law: Ted and Karen, his grandchildren, Researcher 
Jacob Conwell and his wife, Assistant Director Clarissa Shaw, a 
small menagerie of other former and current Site Directors, and a 
representative of the local branch of the Unusual Incidents Unit. She 
had always pictured Holman's funeral to be much grander, but in the 
end, living a life in the shadows made your friends few and far 
between. 


"I'm going to miss you, Ed," Sasha finally finished, tears had formed 
in her eyes. "I really am." 


She felt her husband, Gabe, put a hand on her shoulder as she 
dried her eyes and looked to Holman's son with a nod. Everyone 
else had already said what they wanted to say. Ted nodded in return 
and gently picked up the urn and carried it to a pre-dug hole. 
Without a sound, he deposited his father's ashes within and planted 
a sapling on top. 


Edgar Holman was put to rest. 


Activation of this protocol requires fulfillment of the 
following criteria: 


* Approval of Site Command. 

* Approval of Site Ethics Committee Liaison. 

* The Personnel holds a minimum of Level 2 Clearance 
or Higher. 

* The Personnel is not actively serving on a Mobile Task 
Force or similar project. 

* The Personnel is not actively serving on a project 
featuring an anomaly featuring a cognitohazard, 
memetic, or biological hazard of BSL-3 or higher. 

* The Personnel has passed their last two Routine 
Mental Health Screenings. 

* The Subject be a minimum of 18 years of age. 


With Ethics Committee approval, Site Directors may 
include additional requirements for protocol activation. 
Subjects that are activated by personnel who meet these 


requirements at the time of activation, but then become 
ineligible, through assignment change or otherwise, do 
not face revocation of their active status... 


"| never know what to say at these things," Gabe Merlo mumbled to 
Sasha as they attended to funeral's reception. 


"Perhaps it's for the best," Sasha replied. "You don't exactly need a 
social butterfly for these things." 


The various attendees stood in small clusters, quietly speaking 
among themselves. Occasionally a small melancholy chuckle would 
rise above the low clamor before vanishing as suddenly as it had 
arrived. 


"That was a beautiful soeech you gave," Gabe continued. "Fitting 
you should get the last word on Ed." 


"Ed probably would have thought it was far too sentimental." Sasha 
smiled softly. "But hey, you don't get to choose how people praise 
you at your funeral." 


"I'm sure my dad would have loved it." 


Sasha turned to see Ted Holman standing behind her, having made 
the rounds from the other clusters before stopping there. 


"| know | did," Ted went on, stopping to give a sad, tired chuckle. 


"I'm sorry for your loss." Sasha gave him a hug. "I meant every 
word. Your father was one of the best men | ever had the pleasure 
to meet." 


"Thank you," Ted replied. "It means a lot to hear so many people 
say that." 


"Of course." Sasha ended the hug and looked over at Karen Holman 
as she and Edgar's grandchildren spoke to another guest. "You 
have a beautiful family, by the way; what are your kid's names?" 


"Arthur and Laura," Ted said with a smile. "Twins. Both are off to 


college in the fall." 


"We have a daughter getting to be that age," Gabe commented. 
"Things really do move fast don't they." 


"Like a blur," Ted chuckled. "It’s a shame because they just now 
have reached the point where they don't mind hanging out with me 
again." 


"Speaking of daughters, where is Linda?" Sasha asked. 
Ted's smile vanished. 


"My sister and my dad had a huge falling out when my mom 
passed," he explained. "She always saw him as someone who put 
work first, even when his wife was on hospice. He made attempts to 
reach out to her, but no dice. | wish she came today and heard all 
the things all of you said about him. Maybe... | don't know, maybe 
she would finally stop being so bitter." 


"| didn't mean to open old wounds." Sasha frowned. "I'm sorry." 


"It's fine," Ted said with a sad smile. "Not your fault. You didn't 
know." 


Ted sighed and looked around at the other guests. 
"| should move along. Thank you again for the kind words." 


"Any time," Sasha said, looking thoughtfully down at the ground as 
Ted walked away. 


Her mind began to wander to her own daughter, Jessie. 


At no point should any personnel feel pressured to 
activate a loved one should they feel the benefits of 
maintaining the Veil Protocol outweigh the benefits of 
activation. In the event of a dispute between multiple 
parties as to whether to activate a loved one, maintaining 
the Veil Protocol takes precedent... 


Two days later, Sasha Merlo found herself on the couch in her 
apartment living room, hair tied back and glasses on her head, 
typing on her laptop. In the chair next to her sat an uncomfortable 
looking young man Jessie had introduced to them as Desmond. 
Occasionally, Merlo would look at him out of the corner of her eye, 
and smile to herself as he would awkwardly avoid her gaze. 


"We'll be back before curfew," Jessie Merlo said as she walked into 
the other room, clad in skinny jeans and a flannel. Like her mother, 
her brown hair was also tied back. 


"Have fun," Sasha replied as she watched Desmond casually 
scramble for the door. "Don't do anything | wouldn't do." 


"Yeah, no," Gabe called from the nearby kitchen. "Don't do anything 
! wouldn't do." 


"Can do," Jessie said as she rolled her eyes, and departed with 
Desmond in tow. 


"That boy is waaaaaaaaay too intimidated by us," Sasha said aloud 
as she resumed typing on her computer. 


"| kind of liked him, actually," Gabe said with a chuckle, emerging 
from the kitchen with two bowls of stir-fry. "Seems like a decent kid." 


"We'll see..." Sasha put her laptop away and accepted a bowl with a 
smile. The two proceeded to eat in silence for several moments 
before she then blurted out. "| want to activate Protocol FD90 for 
Jessie." 


Gabe stopped mid-bite. 
"You... what... why?" 


"Just... seeing what happened with Holman and his daughter," 
Sasha began, "I can't bear the thought of that happening to you or 
me. Besides... as a Site Director I've basically got a bulls-eye on my 
head, and for better or worse you and Jessie do through 
association. One way or another, our world's going to catch up to 
her. Might as well choose the option that requires fewer amnestics. 
She more than qualifies for the clearance." 


Gabe sighed. 


"Don't you think this is a little reactionary?” he asked. "It’s a cliché to 
say this, but you know for a fact that ignorance is bliss here." 


"We both agreed when we got married," Sasha returned, "that if we 
had kids, and if either of us wanted to activate FD90, we would. I'm 
playing that card. If something happened to me, or you, wouldn't you 
want Jessie to know the sacrifices we made?" 


Gabe nodded. 


"Of course," he agreed, "I just... | don't want to bring someone to our 
side of the Veil recklessly. Let alone our daughter. " 


He then sighed. 


"You haven't steered us wrong with these decisions before... so | 
trust you, but please before we move forward, can you at least talk 
to others who activated FD90?" 


Sasha nodded with a sheepish grin. 


"| Know a few people..." 


Personnel are to complete the following steps prior 
to completion of activation: 


1) A script for the activation is to be completed by the 
Personnel. 

2) The activation script is to be submitted to Site 
Command for approval. 

3) Upon approval of Site Command, the activation script 
is to be submitted to the Site Ethics Committee liaison. 
4) Upon approval of the Site Ethics Committee liaison, a 
requisition for Class A amnestics is to be acquired, anda 
training course on their proper use is to be completed. 
5) Personnel are to activate the Subject according to the 
activation script. 

6) Immediately following activation, a representative of 
the Ethics Committee is to provide the FD90 Orientation, 


explaining the rights and restrictions of Level 0 
clearance. 

7) One week following completion of Orientation, the 
activated Subject is to undergo a mental health 
screening. If the Subject passes this screening, 
activation is considered completed until a renewal is 
required. In the event a Subject fails this screening, 
Class A amnestics are to be used, as per the protocol's 
Reset procedures... 


Follow my light 
Follow my lead 
Never listen to me 
Never listen to me 
Fall by my side 

| only needed to see 
Never listen to me 
Never listen to me 


The sound of music carried through the office door when Site 
Director Sasha Merlo poked her head into the PI Office of the 
Site-64 Anomalous Materials Lab. Therein, a gangly man 
with messy blond hair typed away at a keyboard, humming along to 
the tune. Sasha watched him for several moments before clearing 
her throat. The man gave a start, realizing he was being watched, 
and quickly turned off the nearby iPod. 


"Director Merlo," he said, getting up from his chair. "Sorry about that, 
| didn't see you come in. If you're here for the results on the 2849 
pheromones, I'm going to need a few more days to..." 


"Conwell," Sasha held up a hand as she spoke. "I'm not here for any 
of that, relax. You always meet your deadlines." 


Conwell nodded and gave a relaxed sigh. 


"Ah... well then, uh, what are you here for? No offense, but we don't 
see a lot of people from the admin offices on this sub-level." 


Sasha didn't respond. Instead, she stepped into the office, and 


approached the desk, grabbing a framed picture that from its 
surface. The image was of Conwell on what looked to be a 
backpacking trip. Next to him was a short woman with long red hair, 
with an arm wrapped around his waist. A teenage boy dressed all in 
black, despite what appeared to be warm weather, stood between 
them, by his side was a preteen girl dressed in an eccentric array of 
bright colors. 


"How are Kate and the kids?" Sasha eventually asked, putting the 
picture down with a smile. 


"Can't complain," Conwell replied, raising an eyebrow. "Zach's going 
through a bit of a brooding phase. Carrie is... not. Still, they are 
good kids... but not why you're here. Seriously, what's up?" 


"I'm planning on FD90-ing Jessie," Sasha said with a sigh. "| know 
you did the same for Kate, so | wanted to ask you about that." 


"You're going to un-Veil your daughter?" Conwell shook his head. 
"Why?" 


"Why did you un-Veil, Kate?" 


"Because | couldn't stand lying on a daily basis to someone who 
only tells me the truth. Also, as a spouse to the PI for a major 
Foundation Lab, Kate qualified for the clearance. You?" 


"Because, if anything happened to me and Gabe, | want Jessie to at 
least know we didn't just bail on her. | don't want her to end up like 
Holman's daughter." 


Conwell nodded in understanding, he gestured to a spare chair in 
front of his desk and returned to his own seat. 


"Have you asked anyone else about this before me?" 


"Gave Ralph a call out at 77, also a few other people around the 
site here." 


"Then you'd know the whole thing isn't cut and dry," Conwell sighed. 
"A lot of people don't take being un-Veiled well. | talked to Kate 
shortly after | returned from the leave of absence Holman sent me 


SCP-632: Intrusive Arachnid Thoughts 


Item #: SCP-632 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: A live colony of SCP-632 is 
currently kept in a 20cm x 40cm x 20cm sealed enclosure in the 
Biological Containment Wing of Site-52. Sufficient amounts of prey 
insects and water must be administered weekly through a vacuum 
chute at the side of the enclosure. Both live and deceased samples 
of SCP-632 must be handled by personnel wearing full-body 
respiratory protective gear. Skin contact with SCP-632 instances is 
to be avoided at all times. 


Personnel reporting headaches, sensations of spider silk on skin, 
and intrusive thoughts about spiders must submit to MRI scans to 
determine the presence of SCP-632 manifestation. Affected 
individuals are to be sedated and restrained before the onset of late- 
stage manifestation, and any newly-formed SCP-632 instances are 
to be surgically removed. 


Uncontained instances of SCP-632 in the wild are to be destroyed 
on sight. 


Description: SCP-6382 is a type of arachnid that reproduces via 
unconventional means. Mature instances measure 10-15mm in 
length and are highly social, living in colonies numbering up to 500 
individuals. While the exoskeleton of SCP-632 instances is 
composed of a substance resembling calcified fat, the interior is 
almost entirely derived from differentiated human brain tissue. 
SCP-632 is unusual among arachnid species in that both male and 
female SCP-632 are physiologically similar; sexual organs of both 
appear to be merely vestigial, likely as a result of its reproductive 
methods. 


SCP-632 reproduces by exposing a human host to an array of 


on. Upon learning that | had essentially been lying to her for the first 
seven years of our marriage, she socked me in the face, broke my 
nose, took the kids and left. | didn't see her again for four days. 
Thought amnestics might come into play. Eventually, however, she 
called, we met at a coffee shop, and things were slowly patched 
back up from there." 


Conwell paused for a melancholic chuckle. 


"Bringing people onto this side of the Veil changes how they view 
the world and changes how they view you, for better or worse. If 
your plan is for this to alleviate stress for you and your husband, that 
is not happening. It certainly isn't going to alleviate stress for your 
daughter. There is a reason that they don't allow active duty MTF 
agents to have FD90 as an option. All it's going to do is put all of you 
in the same boat. But hey, sometimes that's just what you need." 


"Do you regret doing it?" Sasha asked. Conwell replied by grinning 
and shook his head. 


"Not for a second." 


Unlike typical Level 0 personnel employed by the 
Foundation, who typically fill clerical, janitorial, 
maintenance, health care, and minor administrative 
positions within Foundation Sites, the rights and 
privileges of Level 0 personnel created through this 
protocol are much more restrictive. Those activated 
through this protocol: 


* Have a basic understanding of what the Foundation is 
and does.