Item #: SCP-2942
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Foundation web bots SCP9ZY01 and SCP9ZY02 have been uploaded to NaTIS servers to facilitate identification of vehicle registrations that do not conform to standards for the system. Foundation-employed programmers within the South African Department of Transport are responsible for the maintenance of these web bots as well as notification of Mobile Task Force Iota-10 ("Damn Feds") upon confirmation of any anomalous vehicle registration, following which a detachment of MTF Iota-10 will be deployed to the relevant municipality to seize the suspected instance of SCP-2942. Confirmed instances of SCP-2942 are to be transported to Storage Sector 12 of Site-151. Standard hush protocols apply in cases of vehicle seizure (see Document A03-HUSH).
Description: SCP-2942 is a phenomenon affecting NaTIS, the South African National Administration Traffic Information System.1 In cases of SCP-2942, existing South African license plate numbers and NaTIS registration numbers are reassigned to vehicles2 which are not recognised as conventional motor vehicles, are not intended for operation on roads or on land, or are otherwise not normally authorised for civilian operation.
In addition to the four standard classes of vehicles authorised for civilian operation,3 NaTIS has (as of 01/11/2016) spontaneously generated exactly 90 vehicle classes not recognised by the South African Department of Transport (SADT), including:

G1: heavy armoured combat vehicle (20 000kg - 40 000kg)

G2: extra-heavy armoured combat vehicle (+ 40 000kg)

M1: large submersible propelled by diesel-electric engine (+ 20 000 metric tons)

TB1: vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL)

N3: two-wheeled vehicle powered by no more than 2 horses, mules or oxen

Vehicles that have been assigned a NaTIS registration number in this fashion (via SCP-2942) are designated SCP-2942-1. Instances of SCP-2942-1 will manifest a valid South African license plate on the exterior the vehicle.
In each case, the legal owner of a vehicle which has had its registration number reassigned becomes physically incapable of operating their original vehicle. Simultaneously, the individual becomes capable of the remote operation of a specific instance of SCP-2942-1 from within the confines of the vehicle that the registration number originally corresponded to (hereafter referred to as SCP-2942-2). Instances of SCP-2942-2 are exclusively light or medium motor vehicles previously licensed for use in private transport. Only the registered owner of the corresponding instance of SCP-2942-1 (hereafter referred to as the remote operator), as recorded by NaTIS, is capable of operating the vehicle in this fashion. The effect cannot be replicated by directly assigning an existing or newly-generated registration number to any desired vehicle via NaTIS. Instances of SCP-2942 have only been shown to manifest independently of human agency.
When the remote operator is seated in his/her instance of SCP-2942-2 and turns the key to activate the ignition system, the engine of the respective instance of SCP-2942-1 will instead be activated. At this point the remote operator will begin to enter a semi-dissociative state while simultaneously developing an increasing awareness of the physical location, dimensions and control system of the instance of SCP-2942-1. This event coincides with the appearance of anomalous phenomena (termed SCP-2942-3) within the instance of SCP-2942-1, theorised to be physical manifestations of the remote operator phenomenon. Previous manifestations of remote operators have included a dynamic thermal field with no identifiable source, a luminescent and only partially tangible gelatinous mass, two or more disembodied human hands and, in one case, an animate crash test dummy.4
Instances of SCP-2942-3 will manipulate the controls of SCP-2942-1 in a way that appears to correspond to movements made by the remote operator within SCP-2942-2 at that exact point in time5 but the relationship may be more difficult to predict depending on the level of variation between the two vehicles. Lack of prior experience in operating a similar vehicle under normal conditions results in a higher risk and rate of accident, but not to the degree that would typically be expected. It is unclear whether this is due to some level of autonomy on the part of SCP-2942-3 or not.6
Upon exit of the remote operator from SCP-2942-2, instances of SCP-2942-3 dematerialise and the instance of SCP-2942-1 immediately shuts down. Repeated sessions show a general increase in the ability of the remote operator to control the vehicle over time.
It is possible to transfer or nullify remote operator capacity by following due legal process for the transfer or cancellation of vehicle ownership.7 Although instances of SCP-2942 are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, current protocols advise the immediate re-registration of each newly-recovered instance of SCP-2942-1 to one of a pool of Foundation personnel selected for this specific purpose. The presence of numerous undercover Foundation personnel within SADT has been highly beneficial to ease of operations in this regard.
Document 2942-A: Log of notable instances of SCP-2942

SCP-2942-2
SCP-2942-1
Notes

2012 Ford Fiesta Hatchback
Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, formerly in use by Republic of Korea Air Force.
This case of SCP-2942 caused an incident which nearly resulted in the death of three ROKAF officers during training exercises. Vehicles recovered and transferred to Foundation ownership. Incident explained as result of human error. Pilots' claims of an "apparition" discounted as a result of head trauma.

2004-2010 Kia Sportage 4x4
Outboard-motor fishing boat "New Day", originally located at a marina in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Instance of SCP-2942-1 was intercepted by regional coast guard attempting to enter restricted waters when it was found to be manned by an emaciated, one-armed human torso. Vehicles recovered and transferred to Foundation ownership. Witnesses amnesticised.

1998-1999 Volkswagen Type 2 "Kombi"
Liebher mobile construction crane, located at a Gauteng construction site.
The building destroyed in the resulting incident was still under construction and was not inhabited or being worked on at the time. Incident explained as mechanical fault. Vehicles recovered.

2003 Volkswagen Citi Golf
Scottish steam locomotive "Aberdeen Express".
Significant civilian casualties. Surviving conductor leaped from train when a number of tentacles reportedly emerged from the back of the cab and seized the controls. Instance of SCP-2942-1 could not be recovered.

2013 Opel Corsa
Mohammad S.K. Batari, a 44-year-old rickshaw puller residing in Kolkata.
The Western Cape license plate could not be successfully removed from the individual's upper back until his NaTIS registration number was delisted. Remote operator manifested psychologically as an invasive consciousness that assumed control of the majority of Batari's voluntary motor functions, and physically as a Japanese spider crab that adhered itself to Batari's head. This incident represents the only recorded human instance of SCP-2942-1 to date.

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Access Document 2942-B: Experimentation

Close Document 2942-B: Experimentation

Preamble: With a significant number of SCP-2942 instances in Foundation custody by mid-2015, including a large number formerly owned by national and private militaries, testing to ascertain the value of the anomaly as a potential military asset was proposed by researchers J.D. Pollock and N. Shimwa and formally endorsed by several Mobile Task Force commanders. Testing was authorised by the regional director of Research Area-80.

Report on Project Driver
Authored by: J.D. Pollock, N. Shimwa; Foundation Academic Press

Date of entry: 01/11/2016
It was hypothesised soon after the discovery of SCP-2942 that the phenomenon was a projection of consciousness similar to that seen in Class IV "reality-bending" anomalies, a form of which was imparted upon the remote operator (albeit in a limited capacity) under the specific circumstances of the anomaly. However, standard tests for Class IV anomalies indicated that the individuals themselves were not inherently anomalous even while acting as remote operators, and therefore did not constitute a containment risk. Transfer of remote operator capacity to Level 2 Foundation personnel was authorised for containment purposes, under the condition that the aforementioned personnel be closely monitored. This was the all-important first step that would lead to the inception of Project Driver.
The first series of test subjects - all experienced military vehicle operators with extensive training - were not fully conscious even while performing the extremely complex task of operating heavy armoured vehicles or aircraft. Subjects remained in a state of effective somnambulism for the duration of the procedure, with Theta waves dominant on all EEG readings. Psychosuggestive techniques were necessary to keep subjects grounded in reality and able to carry out basic instructions.
Early testing revealed a strong correlation between the frequency of a subject's incidence of lucid dreaming and their general awareness during the procedure, as well as the ability to control the physical form and actions of manifestations of SCP-2942-3. Members of MTF Omicron-Rho, a task force specially trained in lucid dreaming techniques for the purposes of subconscious warfare and reconnaissance operations, were recruited as dual test subjects and consultants for the project.
Initial results from Omicron-Rho operatives were outstanding. Despite only a basic grounding in military vehicle operations, the subjects outperformed even experienced operators in all aspects of testing and quickly became adept at simple "milk runs". The recommendation was made to advance to the weapons testing phase. Prior to the Omicron-Rho results, in-built vehicular weaponry had been disabled for safety reasons. Military advisors to the project had hopes of creating a small, specialised squadron of combat vehicles able to be operated across continental distances and in real time, allowing commanders all the benefits of manned vehicles without the limitations of modern drone technology and with zero risk of operator casualties. However, the project lead was unable to secure the co-operation of all Omicron-Rho recruits to this end.
On 13/10/2016, Omicron-Rho operative Caroline Amina Rostam announced her departure from the project, following a series of incidents in regards to acquiring additional compensation for her position as a consultant and evidence of deteriorating mental health. Summarily, an additional three operatives followed suit over the following weeks, with only two operatives currently remaining on the project.
As of 01/11/2016, the future of Project Driver is still in dispute.

Access Addendum 2942-B-01

Close Addendum 2942-B-01

Extract from official probe r.e. Project Driver d.d. 15/10/2016
Interviewer: Senior Researcher J.D. Pollock
Interviewed: Caroline Amina Rostam; MTF-Omicron-Rho operative, fmr. Project Driver consultant

[begin log time 20:59.03 15/10/2016]
Pollock: Some very important people have put a lot of money into this project, Rostam. You think they're just going to let this slide?
Rostam: I won't say it again; I didn't sign up for what those people are suggesting, my colleagues didn't sign up for it, and we certainly didn't sign up knowing the real risks involved. And yes, Pollock, they are very real risks. The higher-ups can dish out whatever punishment they see fit, but I'm not putting my mind and body on the line for their ten-million-dollar obsession.
Pollock: Are you still going on about 2942?
[scraping, footsteps as interviewed leaves chair and steps away from table]
[no attempt at communication by either party for several seconds; protracted exhalation from interviewed]
Rostam: Pollock. You listen closely to me now, you manipulative little prick. No more games. You lied in that report. You lied by omission. It was me who told you that 2942 was affecting us psychologically. When I said I should be being paid more for this, I wasn't demanding… perks for my consultancy. I said that because I wasn't told beforehand that I'd be melding minds with a mind-affecting anomaly.
Pollock: Oh, come on!
Rostam: No, you come on, Jeffery. I've told you that 2942 isn't just a projection phenomenon. I didn't realise it at first… Couldn't. I wasn't sensitive enough. But the dash-threes are living beings in their own right. Each one is a broken-off piece of a larger consciousness, distinct from our own. It's not human. It was born deep in that bug-ridden database, and it was smart enough and powerful enough to engineer a way out of there that was within its means. When I take control of that tank, I feel my dash-three's thoughts. It's a parasite with its roots snaking into the folds of my brain from across an ocean, using my mind as a fuel source to sustain its own physical form. The more I trained, the deeper its roots dug in. Getting stronger right along with me. The manifestations started becoming more real.
[footsteps]
Rostam: Have you seen them? They have organs now, for Christ's sake.
[rustling of hair; laboured breathing from interviewed]
Rostam: I keep seeing its face in my dreams. The face it'd like to have. The hands that give it the power to manipulate a world limited to a dark, cramped cockpit. Metallic-cold. It's becoming more and more like its own person - if you can call it that - and sometimes I feel like I'm fighting it for control. Like I don't know who's driving who anymore.
Pollock: Rostam, please… don't-
Rostam: I'm not comfortable with that, Jeffery. My head is my safe place, don't you understand? My only safe place. Now you're filling it with guns and bombs and all that thing ever thinks about is guns and bombs and screaming engines. And what it's like to taste fresh air.
[brief click of intercom button being depressed]
Pollock: [into mic] I think you need to send someone in here.
Rostam: I'm not going back into that cockpit. Nuh uh. You hear me? Nuh uh. No more.
[end log time 21:02.39 15/10/2016]

Footnotes
1. NaTIS stores, records and manages information pertaining to South African vehicle regulations, and serves as a national vehicle registry.
2. The definition of what constitutes a vehicle appears to be broad in this case; see Document 2942-A.
3. This category comprises common passenger vehicles, goods vehicles, trailers and agricultural tractors.
4. In light of the events of Incident 2942-45-F, physical interference with instances of SCP-2942-3 is strongly discouraged.
5. e.g. depressing the accelerator pedal of SCP-2942-2 will cause an instance of SCP-2942-3 to simultaneously increase the throttle in a light aircraft, regardless of the distance between the two vehicles.
6. Research indicates that the phenomenon is more complicated than initially believed - see Document 2942-B.
7. The written consent of the previous owner is required for this process, but need not be supplied voluntarily.

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