A full report of what these personnel will be 
required to perform is included in the attached 
report. Also in the attached report are the 


predictions of the research team regarding the 
progress SCP- has made in the past several 
years; Researchers at Sites and 42 have 
confirmed that containment procedures have 
officially been advanced to Stage II. The time 
for extensive manned exploration is now; the 
clock is ticking and you know as well as | that 
the Council does not want to see containment 
procedures advanced to Stage III for at least 
another years. We need more time to 
prepare, and to get more time, we need more 
data. 


While this request is large and will no doubt 
require going through multiple channels of 
approval with multiple departments (I'll be 
sending a similar email to the Ethics 
Committee shortly), | trust that you will 
recognize the urgency of this matter and act 
accordingly. 


Thank you, 


Eric Radford 
Director of Site-42 


June. June 1st. It's not a bad day for you. To your knowledge, 
you've never had a bad June 1st; spring pollen is gone, spring 
tourism is gone, and summer temperatures and business hours are 
here to stay for at least three or four months. Things are good, you 
tell yourself as you pull your tired legs up onto the base of the 
barstool. Things are good, you tell yourself as you take a halfhearted 
sip of flavorless domestic beer. You're as unconvinced as you ever 
were. 


A man stops you on the way out of the bar. "Hey, you from around 
here?" 


You turn around. "Just moved here from DC three days ago, 
actually." 


"You got somethin’ funny-lookin' about you." 
"| could say the same about you," you mutter. Redneck drunkard. 


"Aha- | like that! You feisty! | don't mean no harm. All | mean to say 
is you look like you from the city. Whatcha doin' down here at the 
beach?" 


"Fishing and drinking, | guess. What are any of us doing?" 


The man ambles closer to you. "Look, out-of-towner, let me tell you 
a thing or two. You say you like to fish? You won't be pickin’ up 
normal fish around these parts, here. Not anymore. You know them 
military folks at Sunny Point, across the Cape Fear, there? Buddy of 
mine says they're up to somethin’, and | can smell it. There's 
somethin’ not quite right about all that across the river. That Sunny 
Point over there, and that nuke plant. It's messin’ with the fish, | 
reckon, the water ain't right no more." 


"Is that so. Well, | have to get home." You pick up your pace and 
motion to the sidewalk, wishing you'd taken the car. 


"Aww, shucks, if you don't wanna be bothered, | can skedaddle. But 
| saw an out-of-towner in there at the bar, | just had to warn 'em. Me 
'n the guys have been readin’. Readin' about some freaky military 
stuff you won't believe is real, | tell ya." 


"Okay. I'll Keep it in mind. Have a good night." 


The man mumbles something and stumbles back toward the bar. 
You've only lived in Carolina Beach for a little over 72 hours, and it's 
about how you expected thus far. You amble back through the 
windy, sand-covered streets to your apartment complex and double- 
lock your door for the night. 


June 2 
Date: June 220 10:12 


From: Southeastern Region Requisitions 
Department (of.pcs.qer| 
sutsaehtuos.seilper#of.pcs.qer| 


sutsaehtuos.seilper) 


To: Eric Radford (of.pcs.nimda| 
drofdare#of.pcs.nimda|drofdare) 


Message Subject: Re: Personnel for Manned 
Exploration of SCP- 


Attachments: none 
Message Body: 
Director, 


Apologies for the delay in response. This 
required some significant discussion between 
our staff. This is a steep request. | understand 
the gravity of what this anomaly is putting at 
stake, and thus the necessity of the request, 
but we cannot approve something of this 
magnitude and with these conditions for 
personnel selection without first getting Ethics 
Committee approval (as you are aware). | will 
compose this email to the Committee on your 
Site's behalf and send it this afternoon. If all 
goes well, they will vote on the issue within 24 
hours, and your final verdict will be returned to 
you within 48 hours. | expect the timeframe 
could be extended to up to 96 hours if 
obstacles are encountered, but it's unlikely. 


Thank you, 


Jacob 
Southeastern United States Personnel 
Requisitions Department 


"Good morning. It is 10:15 AM, June 2nd, 20-" 


You roll over and swipe left on your phone to silence the robotic 
voice of the alarm. The pure white light of the sun reflects off the 
Atlantic and into your balcony's sliding glass doors. You remind 


yourself of how thankful you are to have moved towns, and use the 
energy to propel yourself up out of bed. 


While you're brushing your teeth, you hear your phone ring. You 
ignore it until you're ready to leave the bathroom. Upon looking at 
your notifications, you see a new text message from the number that 
called you. Hey, how you been? It's your old pal Wes from 
Washington. IDK if you had my number saved. How's North 
Carolina? Got that lack of government presence you'd been looking 
for? ;) 


You sigh and prepare to type a reply. Sorry, | was in the bathroom. 
Good to hear from you. And yeah, it does, though this conspiracy 
theorist was haranguing me last night at the bar, going on and on 
about how the nearby military base and nuclear plant are poisoning 
the fish or whatever. Other than that, don't have to think about those 
things too much. How are you? You hit send and put your phone on 
the kitchen counter while you pour yourself some cereal. 


You consider going out for the day, but figure you might as well take 
advantage of your one remaining week of post-moving break before 
you have to go back to work. You sit down on the couch in your 
pajamas, trying to appreciate the ocean view and bright, friendly 
color scheme of the decor. You find yourself missing Washington 
DC's white marble and black asphalt quickly. 


A new text from Wes appears on your phone. Remind me, did you 
stick with the Bureau or go back the civilian route? 


You answer, /'m a real estate agent now. | want nothing to do with 
that world anymore. 


| feel ya, his response says. 


You figure you'll have a real conversation later, and turn on the 
television to waste away a few hours. 


June 3 
Date: June 3 20 09:28 


From: Southeastern Region Requisitions 


Department (of.pcs.qger| 
sutsaehtuos.seilper#of.pcs.qer| 
sutsaehtuos.seilper) 


To: Eric Radford (of.pcs.nimda| 
drofdare#of.pcs.nimda|drofdare) 


Message Subject: Request Approval 
Attachments: approval_form1.pdf 
Message Body: 

Director, 


The Ethics Committee voted 2/3 in favor of 
allowing your request to pass. Today, I'll be 
tasking my department with finding individuals 
who fit the parameters requested and 
arranging retrieval plans. We'll mostly be using 
algorithms to search for certain physical 
statistics and employment background, so very 
little of the work done will be manual or time- 
consuming. Arranging extraction of personnel 
will be trickier, especially with a volume this 
high, but I've contacted the best amnesticist | 
know and she'll be driving down to 42 tonight 
to make arrangements with your Containment 
& Retrieval agents. We'll try to make this as 
seamless as possible so that your researchers 
can get started ASAP. 


All you need do is print out this approval form, 
sign it, and fax or scan-and-email it back to 
me. As soon as you've done that, I'll set the 
ball in motion on our end. 


Thank you, 


Jacob 
Southeastern United States Personnel 


Requisitions Department 
"What's the date?" 
"The third." 


"Right, thanks." You finish scribbling on the check and hand it to the 
gas station cashier. "Sorry, | just moved to town and I'm a mess. 
Usually I'd pay with card." 


"We're fine with the old-fashioned route down here, don't you worry." 
"Appreciate it. Have a good one." 
"You do the same. Welcome to town." 


You smile and walk out to your car. As you're pumping gas, your 
phone rings. It's the first time someone from the local 910 area code 
has called you. 


"Hello?" 


The person on the other end is clear and friendly, and asks for your 
name. 


"Depends, who's asking?" 


"| was informed of how to contact you via channels at the Federal 
Bur-" 


"Oh, no no no. I'm gonna have to stop you there. | told all of my 
superiors that | was cutting all ties. Not on bad terms or anything, 
but government work wasn't for me. I'm not interested." 


"I'm afraid this isn't negotiable. Is there a good time and place for a 
few of our operatives to meet with you and discuss a matter of 
urgent security?" 


"This doesn't sound real. Look, if someone at the Bureau needs me, 
you guys need to do it through the right channels. | don't trust this 
local area code. Are you the FBI's Wilmington office?" 


"No, we are not." 


"Are you going to tell me which part of the Bureau you're from, 
then?" 


"All of that is sensitive information, but can be discussed in-person if 
you can just inform us of what location works for you and what time." 


"| don't mean to be rude, but I'm not inclined to follow someone to a 
shady meeting when they won't even tell me which part of the 
agency they work for. Please inform whoever you talked to at the 
Bureau that there are more secure and straightforward ways to 
contact me. | cut all my ties with the Bureau fully legally, no loose 
ends. | work in real estate now. If it's really, truly urgent, you know 
the right way to reach me." 


The other end is silent for about five seconds. You hang up and take 
the gas pump out of your car. You make a note to yourself to text 
Wes about it when you get home. 


June 4 
Date: June 420 10:36 


From: Eric Radford (of.pcs.nimda| 
drofdare#of.pcs.nimda|drofdare) 


To: Southeastern Region Requisitions 
Department (of.pcs.qger| 
sutsaehtuos.seilper#of.pcs.qer| 
sutsaehtuos.seilper) 


Message Subject: Re: Request Approval 
Attachments: none 

Message Body: 

Good morning, 


Thank you for your help in keeping this 
process straightforward. We received the 


automatic approval confirmation yesterday, 
and officers from Site-42 C&R have already 
made preliminary calls to 113 of the selected 
persons. Some of them, especially the ones 
with government background, are clearly going 
to come willingly. | assume that we need not 
communicate further now that things are in 
motion, but don't hesitate to reach out to me if 
anything comes up. 


Thank you, 

Eric 
"Only a month until fireworks!" a young girl pipes up to her mother. 
"That's right, honey!" 


You give a small smirk at the family hiking in front of you as you 
scoot around them and further down the trail. It's only 75 Fahrenheit 
today, but the sun is beating down; still not too bad for June in the 
southeast, you figure, and you've packed water with you for the day. 


As you're taking a picture of the Cape Fear River from the shore by 
the trail, an incoming call pops up over the screen. It's a 202 area 
code — Washington. You sigh and answer it. "Hello? Yes, that's me. 
No, you- Are you the department that called me yesterday? | can't 
meet in person. | don't know what else to tell you. / quit. I'm not in 
the business anymore. | don't know what legal recourse you have 
for trying so hard to contact me, but- Excuse me, how can it be 
mandatory? | told you | quit. | have an apartment now, and a new 
job. You can't take me anywhere. No, don't argue with me. Either tell 
me which department you're from or leave me alone." 


The call goes about as badly as the last one. You hang up and try to 
focus on nature for the day, but the hair on the back of your neck 
stands on end for the next few hours. 


Around 9:30 PM, you arrive back at your vehicle in a rush. You still 
have 30 minutes until the park closes, but nightfall was heavy and 
dark and had you jogging out of discomfort for the last half-mile or 


has several forms of virus, bacteria, and parasites, many of which 
have been found only within SCP-835. The bacterium 835-15 forms 
the major concern for containment, due to its role in the reproductive 
cycle of SCP-835. Vertebrate animals infected with SCP-835-15 will 
undergo the following symptoms: 


* Increased weight gain (10-20lbs a day on average) 

* Constant hunger 

¢ Urge to consume normally unpleasant/unpalatable items (Raw 
meat, organs, grass, wood) 

Hardening/calcification of the skin 

Formation of polyps on the skin 

¢ Rapid reduction in intelligence and mobility 

« Increased aggression 

¢ Urge to enter sea water 

¢ Atrophy of many major biological systems 


End stage infection appears to convert the subject into an additional 
instance of SCP-835. Attempts to determine what, if any, 
intelligence remains have been inconclusive; however SCP-835 
appears to have a limited amount of awareness. 835-15 has shown a 
very high infectivity rate, with 68% of all infected subjects 
progressing to end stage. There is no form of treatment or antibiotic 
that has been shown to halt or reverse the effects of 835-15. This, 
coupled with the extremely hard “shell” of SCP-835, form a major 
obstacle to neutralization. Any force capable of “cracking open” 
SCP-835 would also cause the “slurry” inside to spread, and cause 
additional infection from 835-15. 


so. You guzzle water as soon as you're locked in your car, make all 
attempts to shake off the leftovers of the eerie sensations of the 
forest, and drive the short distance home. 


There is a man in black clothing standing on your porch. You sling 
your backpack over your seawater-splattered shoulders and walk up 
the stairs to your door. "Hi, can | help you?" 


The stranger greets you by name, confirming your suspicions, and 
motions to your door as if he's inviting you into your own apartment. 


"No, uh- Just slow down, please. | just got back. Are you the branch 
of the Bureau that keeps calling me? | know you had to have my 
new address on record, but you guys weren't supposed to come 
here unless it's an emergency." 


"My name is Agent Rogers. | work for the SCP Foundation. We 
attempted multiple times to explain to you on the phone that we 
can't disclose that except in person." 


"| don't know who you are, then. Are you FBI?" 
"No, we are not." 


"Then what do you want with me? There are plenty of other ex- 
government agents to harass." 


"Your history as a government employee qualified you for a serious 
career opportunity. One you may be interested in considering." 


"| told the Bureau and I'll tell you: I'm done with government work. 
Period. | sell beach houses and drink beer now, okay? I'm nota 
Washington drone anymore." 


"We are not government. | would be happy to give you more details 
if we can go inside." 


You suck your teeth and eye your vehicle over your shoulder, 
watching for any movement. "You're awfully pushy." 


"| don't mean to be rude. These are simply urgent matters." 


You keep scanning the parking lot, trying to figure out which vehicle 
is his. You realize you haven't lived here long enough to tell who 
owns what, and turn back to the man. "Okay. Fine. You can come in 
and talk." 


"Thank you." He smiles with expressionless eyes and follows you 
through the door, seating himself at your barstools as you walk to 
the sink to wash your face and hands. "In your time at the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, did you ever hear of the Unusual Incidents 
Unit?" 


"Yeah. Once. Figured it wasn't real." You splash your filthy face with 
cold water, hoping enough small talk will make the man realize 
you're not interested in the offer. 


"It's very real. The UIU does what we do, but on a much smaller 
scale. You are aware of what the UIU is tasked with, no?" 


"All that weird shit. Area 51, Men in Black shit. | never see those 
things actually happen, they're always hoaxes, so | never thought 
much of it.”