Item #: SCP-538
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-538 are to be contained within a flush-white 15 by 15 by 3 meter room with no fewer than four (4) overhead 200 watt lights. These lights are to be centered above a 1 by 2 by 0.5 meter block table stationed in the center of the containment area and shining at all times. One (1) Class D Personnel in a chemically-induced coma is to be kept medically stable upon the table, and will serve as the "feed" source for all specimens of SCP-538. No source of shade should be present in the room other than that provided by the Class D.
If at any point a light in SCP-538's containment area burns out, a crew of two security personnel are to be sent in through an adjacent airlock. Personnel are to be equipped with sealed hazardous material suits complete with independent oxygen tanks and advised to move slowly and deliberately in order to avoid agitating SCP-538. They are to replace the burnt out bulb and, upon completion of their task, are to return to the airlock. Once personnel are isolated within airlock, they are to be flushed with 300 watt white light in order to assure no instances of SCP-538 are clinging to their person. Examinations of Class D Personnel providing sustenance for SCP-538 are to be done in a similar manner, however only one doctor is required for examinations. See Addendum 538-A.
If at any time all four lights are to go out simultaneously, the chamber is to be sealed along with all observation ports. Until means of relighting SCP-538's chamber are available, the containment area is to remain in lock-down. If at any time personnel are bitten by SCP-538, the infected individual must be placed within SCP-538's chamber as soon as possible. Failure to do so could result in massive breach of containment and will result in termination of responsible individual.
Note: Security personnel are to be periodically screened for any unusual phobias. Any personnel found to exhibit any degree of arachnophobia is to be reassigned.
Description: SCP-538 appears to be animate shadows of an unknown species of spiders. SCP-538 appears to "feed" off of the shadows of other living objects, and will move to the nearest shadow cast by a living organism. To "feed", SCP-538 does no more than attach itself to the shadow of its host in such a manner that its own shadow is not obscured. Through this manner, a single specimen of SCP-538 can grow up to approximately 15 square centimeters in size. Feeding after this point appears to simply maintain this size; the whole process has so far proven to be harmless to the host. While a specimen can attach itself to an inanimate object to feed, it will slowly atrophy and decrease in size over time. Only when connected to the shadow of a living organism can SCP-538 thrive.
SCP-538 has shown itself capable of going short distances through open, well lit areas, such as to reach a nearby host or to escape a source of agitation. However, it will rapidly decrease in size at a rate of nearly 2 square centimeters per second for the length of time it is not attached to a shadow. Should a specimen be stranded out in the open long enough, it will eventually decrease to nothing, at which point it can be considered deceased. Top land speed has been observed at approximately one meter per second when at maximum size. SCP-538 has shown itself to be capable of slipping through cracks greater than 3 millimeters in height; spaces less than this distance appear impassible.
While generally benign, SCP-538 can and will attack its host if frightened. Frightening SCP-538 generally involves a rapid movement by its host, at which point it will "bite" the organism's shadow before attempting to flee. Bite must occur on bare skin to cause effects; clothing material consisting of cotton or anything sturdier will provide sufficient protection.
Upon being bitten, an individual will go through five different stages within the space of an hour. Note that bitten individuals may attempt to hide their condition; therefore, any individual exhibiting the following symptoms must be contained immediately.

Stage one: Upon agitation, SCP-538 will bite the shadow of its aggressor. Subject will report pain in relative area bitten on shadow; however, no puncture or wound will appear in this location. Subject will quickly become irritable, snapping at those around him.

Stage two: 10-15 minutes after being bitten, subject will begin perspiring heavily, but may report feeling cold. Skin will become red and warm to the touch.

Stage three: 25-30 minutes after being bitten, subject will become violent and aggressive, attempting to start conflict with those around him. Speech will be slurred, and motor skills may be impaired. Subject will resort to violence, often attacking those closest to him.

Stage four: 40-45 minutes after being bitten, subject's skin color will turn pale and paste-colored, and their core temperature will drop between 5 and 8 degrees Celsius. Subject will be apologetic to those around him, and may cite that he was not feeling well. Subject will attempt to excuse himself and retreat to a darker area.

Stage five: 55-60 minutes after being bitten, subject will [DATA EXPUNGED] resulting fluid will be completely translucent and harmless. Subject's shadow will have at this point completely disintegrated into smaller specimens of SCP-538 approximately 4 square centimeters in area, and for the lack of a better term should be considered its "offspring".

There is currently no cure for being bitten by SCP-538. Death has proven to be ineffective at halting advancement of the condition, but rather skips the process directly to stage five.
Addendum 538-A: As a result of Incident I538-A, no fewer than two security personnel equipped with two (2) 250 watt flashlights are to be sent in to accompany doctor examining Class D.
Incident Report I538-A:

> Expand Report

< Collapse Report

██/██/██, Site ██, Sector ██, Containment Chamber 538

Doctor █████ enters Containment Chamber 538 for a routine check up of D-7821, equipped with standard-issue fully sealed hazardous materials suit.

2 minutes and 23 seconds into examination, attack by the Chaos Insurgency cuts power to Sectors ██ through ██. As per protocol, chamber completely sealed and locked, trapping Doctor █████ inside with SCP-538.

Power remains cut off for an additional 23 minutes until back up generators are powered up and patched into the power grid. As per protocol, power was not routed to SCP-538's Containment Cell, but rather to Sector ██, containing [REDACTED] at the time.

Power subsequently routed through to the next highest level priority Containment Cells. As SCP-538 was sufficiently contained at the time, it was deemed minimum priority.

No major containment breaches were reported. Attack repelled quickly and with minimum casualties. Site engineers work to restore power.

18 hours after Chaos Insurgency attack, power finally reaches SCP-538 Containment Cell. A sobbing Doctor █████ is escorted from the chamber, claiming he could "feel them crawling" all over him.

Doctor undergoes psychological therapy for his new-found arachnophobia. Containment protocol updated, Doctor was reassigned.

« SCP-537 | SCP-538 | SCP-539 »


Item #: SCP-539
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-539 is to be kept in a padded case, to remain locked at all times, unless a supervisor with a minimum Security Clearance Level of 2 is present to observe, and only during potential testing of its phenomena. Physical contact with SCP-539 is forbidden unless approved testing is being conducted.
Description: Object is a thin, round disc composed of an undetermined material. While there appears to be corrosion around the edges, testing has determined that the marks are not the result of oxidation. When thrown, an event will occur in the immediate vicinity that will draw attention away from its thrower. These distractions have no observable pattern of any sort. However, it has been determined that the distraction will be more overwhelming in proportion to the difficulty of removing attention from the user. Due to the unpredictable nature of SCP-539's effect, testers are currently advised to throw it as far as possible from themselves.
Addendum: Test Notes
Test 539-1: Security personnel ordered to line up all with clear lines of sight on tester, with instructions to not break eye contact with tester under any circumstances. When the disc was thrown, the security personnel experienced a "sudden wardrobe existence failure", causing all of them to lose eye contact with the tester, being more concerned with the loss of clothing and the issue of the climate being rather uncomfortable to a nude security guard.
Test 539-2: Tester was dressed in bright and eye catching clothing for this test. Tester was alone with security personnel in an empty office. Security personnel ordered to maintain constant eye contact with tester. When the disc was thrown, the entire building's fire alarm triggered and could not be turned off until the disc was retrieved and the computer security system reset.
Test 539-3: Class D personnel given instructions to "attract the attention of the local authorities" then make use of the SCP. Personnel chased by police after smashing in a law cruiser's window. When thrown, a large animal of the species Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark) appeared in the way of the pursuing police cars, which were forced to stop and investigate. After Class D personnel were debriefed, both the shark and the SCP were retrieved by field agents. It is worth noting that the police officers involved have remained firmly silent to their superiors about the incident.
Test 539-4: This test was unauthorized, and disciplinary action of varying degrees of severity has been taken with the parties involved. As a "prank", a group of research staff decided to see if they could distract Dr. ██████ , who is notorious for becoming very involved in his work. When thrown, a pack of at least 10 Varanus komodoensis (Komodo dragons) burst from the ceiling vent and proceeded to chase the Doctor out of his lab. The reptiles proceeded to run unchecked throughout the facility until the disc was picked up, after which they were impossible to locate, and had apparently left the premises. This "test" may indicate that use of animals is the predominant method of distraction.
Look, I appreciate a good laugh as much as anyone, but perhaps this could have ended better if the research staff had gotten permission? Furthermore, I find it highly likely that the method of distraction will involve animals, given the way that they almost always attract the attention of humans. -Dr. ██████
Test 539-5: Test to determine object's effectiveness on proxy observers. Testing personnel set up an observation camera linked to a computer monitor in a different building. The computer would both record and display the video feed to observers. Camera was focused on test subject and the remaining personnel moved to the monitoring computer. When the disc was thrown, the computer suffered a fatal error caused by the deletion of the hardware drivers needed to use the camera feed. Recorded video was corrupt and beyond recovery.

« SCP-538 | SCP-539 | SCP-540 »


Item #: SCP-540
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-540 are to be handled and stored according to standard protocols for similar non-anomalous live munitions, with the exception that all locations housing SCP-540 are to be equipped with a secondary overhead sprinkler system capable of dousing any given room with herbicidal compound H-540-IB9-4LM to a depth of 10 cm in less than 90 seconds.
All armories that contain SCP-540 are to be located a minimum of 15 meters below ground, with monitoring and testing facilities located above ground, as part of Site 74-A. A secondary site, designated Site 74-B, is located 117 km away and is to maintain a fleet of firefighting aircraft, including no fewer than 10 airtankers. In the event of a partial or full containment breach of SCP-540 affecting more than 0.5 km² of above-ground land, this fleet is to be loaded with a variety of defoliants and herbicides, including Agent Orange and solutions of sodium chlorate, and proceed to inundate all areas affected by SCP-540.
Description: SCP-540 denotes a collection of Soviet-era explosive ordnance of various makes. All instances can be detonated in the same manner as non-anomalous examples, and explode with a similar yield and blast effect. However, approximately 35-37 seconds following the detonation, a mass of plant life will rapidly grow to cover the majority of the damaged area1. The initial growth rate of the plant life is positively correlated to the yield of the originating explosive, but returns to normal for the plant species after approximately 90 seconds. There are currently █████ instances of SCP-540 in Foundation possession and an unknown number outside of Foundation control.
SCP-540 was discovered in an abandoned munitions depot near █████, Ukraine on ██/██/1999 following investigation of reports of an unusual amount of non-native plant life appearing in the surrounding areas within a short period of time. At time of discovery, the depot had suffered significant looting, with only one portion of the armory undisturbed. Initial testing of munitions recovered from the depot indicate that only approximately 30% of munitions were actually instances of SCP-540. However, instances of SCP-540 are indistinguishable from non-anomalous ordnance, and were randomly dispersed among the non-anomalous munitions found in the originating depot. As such, all munitions recovered have been designated SCP-540 as a precaution. Instances in containment range from hand grenades to a single nuclear device resembling a modified version of the Tsar Bomba, with an estimated minimum yield of 75 megatons. Based on current analysis, it is predicted that should this nuclear device possess anomalous properties, its detonation would result in a GK-class hostile-greenhouse scenario over a minimum of one third of habitable land worldwide.
Attempts to disassemble low-yield instances of SCP-540 for analysis have resulted in premature detonation and resultant plant growth in approximately 50% of all such attempts. Instances that were successfully disassembled, then reassembled and detonated, did not display any anomalous properties.
Testing Log Excerpts:

Ordnance Tested
Resulting Plant Life

RGO hand grenade
3.1 m² of dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) in full bloom

PFM-1 land mine (buried)
12.8 m² of sawtooth sedge (Cladium mariscus) averaging 2.2 m in height

9K115-2 Metis-M anti-tank missile
single black oak tree (Quercus kelloggii), height 17 m, diameter 0.96 m

OTR-23 Oka 9M714K tactical ballistic missile (detonated without launch)
forest of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), covering 19.3 ha (193000 m²)

Footnotes
1. All testing to date has resulted in plant life covering a minimum of 90% of damaged areas.

« SCP-539 | SCP-540 | SCP-541 »


Item #: SCP-541
Object Class: Euclid Safe Neutralized
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-541 was kept in a plain pine wood coffin, some 1.98m (6.5ft) in length and with a stereotypical hexagonal construction. The lid to this coffin was kept affixed by means of four (4) padlocks, for relatively easy access to its contents. Keys were in the possession of the on-site Level 3 technician heading research on SCP-541. SCP-541 could be removed from its coffin with care; the coffin could be moved with minimal limitations and security measures and proved by-and-large suitable for continued containment/storage of SCP-541.
Description: SCP-541 was discovered in ███████████, Peru in 1988, in the crypt of a local Catholic Mission. The mission had been repurposed for several decades, and at the time of SCP-541's discovery was being converted into a youth hostel. The crypt beneath was being cleared for storage, with the corpses within being reburied locally. SCP-541 was discovered when the workers moving the coffin containing SCP-541 noticed "wet noises" coming from within. Investigation revealed SCP-541, led to local hysteria, then a brief fanatical following of SCP-541 (believing it to be supernatural or possibly saintly, akin to incorruptibility). The resultant attention led to a cursory investigation by our agents, followed by a total media blackout, confiscation of SCP-541, and extermination of those close to the object.
SCP-541 is an intact set of human thoracic organs, including the lungs, heart, digestive system, etc. Notably, the organs operate in a grotesque but accurate imitation of an ordinary human body. Blood pumped, the esophagus performed peristalsis, and it appeared that the "organism" as a whole did not decay like normal organs did (what happened to SCP-541's original "owner," if there was one, is unknown). The digestive system did operate "normally" though there was apparently no need for food (SCP-541 had been sealed for at least several decades before its discovery). Also notable is that the entire system was closed, that is, there was no evidence of blood vessels ever pumping to extremities outside of a general abdominal area and no indications of body structures, e.g. ligaments, nerves, membranes, indicating that a more complete organism was ever intact.
Various experiments were performed on SCP-541 to determine more about it and try to assess any use or adaptation for its unique structure. No container beyond the original pine box was deemed necessary.
Document #541-1: Blood was drawn from SCP-541's system in small quantities (to reflect the amount of blood estimated to be present in the system). The sterile needle wound healed itself (through an apparently normal white blood cell/platelet mechanism) and after several repeated, intermittent blood drawings researchers approximated that the blood replaced itself, again akin to a normal human body.
Document #541-2: Application of basic, easily digestible and nourishing food products to the open esophagus of SCP-541 prove the digestive system works normally (including excretion).
Document #541-3: Introduction of various stimulants, including caffeine, into SCP-541's system show that the subject responds predictably for its weight and condition.
Documents #541-4 through 13: Assorted tests to determine more about nervous communication among the component parts of SCP-541, various scans of the subject to try and learn more about its composition, and a brief battery of measurements to try and compare SCP-541 to the profiles of average, complete humans, in an attempt to learn more about or approximate its age/height/weight/health. For details on these reports please contact Dr. █████.
Document #541-14: Director █████████ approves attempts to "grow" SCP-541, including hormone and steroid introductions as well as attempts to culture SCP-541's cells. Results prove inconclusive on all counts and testing continues.
Documents #541-15 through 18: Further testing on SCP-541 concurrent to orders outlayed in Document #541-14. Results continue to be inconclusive (some cultures prove promising enough to continue research in the present direction.)
Document #541-19: During continued "growth" testing SCP-541 goes into arrest and cannot be revived. Following its "death," the remains of SCP-541 dissolve into a fine powder within minutes. Cultures stagnate and no clones of SCP-541 are produced.
Addendum: Lab technician #██-███ administered a drug dose appropriate for a normal human being of the age, height, weight and fitness of SCP-541, as determined by tests recounted in Document #541-12 and 13. This proved fatal to SCP-541 as the subject was not a complete organism and the dosage should have been adjusted accordingly. Technician was reprimanded and moved to bottom-level duties with restricted opportunities for advancement and promotion.
Addendum: Fine powder that remains of SCP-541 and coffin are contained at Storage Site ███. There has been discussion of attempting to reassemble SCP-541 by the use of SCP-914, but some concerns have been expressed about whether or not the powdered remains of SCP-541 represent the entirety of the subject and whether or not it would be able to survive the shock of reanimation.

« SCP-540 | SCP-541 | SCP-542 »


Item #: SCP-542
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-542 is to be kept in a 8m x 8m room with small adjoining bathroom, and may submit requests for furnishings barring anything that could be modified into surgical tools. Notable requests by SCP-542 include:

One queen size bed, no blankets or sheets, bare mattress (Approved)
Two large work desks (Approved)
One large wardrobe (Approved)
A selection of heavy coats, lab jackets, and pants (Approved)
Several full-length mirrors (Denied)
A selection of sewing supplies, along with bolts of cloth (Approved initially, revoked after Incident 542-B-03.)
Several large bookcases, filled with anatomy and medical texts both old and new (Approved)
A chess set (Approved)
Blank-paged notebooks and various writing utensils (Approved)
Regular supplies of German-language crossword puzzles (Approved)
Industrial-grade deep sinks (Denied)
Steel nail file (Denied. Given wooden/sandpaper emery board in replacement.)
Nail Clippers (Denied)
Access to his personal surgery kit (Denied except in cases of testing. See Addendum.)

The room is to remain locked, dead-bolted, and barred with at least two Class D guards on duty at any time. SCP-542 is to be fed two meals per day, delivered by Class D personnel, and as per request, will be given a transfusion of fresh blood (1 pint, any type) per week.
When SCP-542 begins to suffer from organ failure, he may request a fresh organ to be supplied, and Foundation Medical Personnel will sedate him and perform the surgery. Despite constant requests, SCP-542 may not be allowed to perform invasive surgery upon himself except during observed testing. Old and discarded organs or tissue are to be collected for testing.
In the event that SCP-542 should escape confinement, SCP-542 may be subdued by high doses of tranquilizers or disabled via a net. Should he come into possession of any knives or shards of glass/mirror that could be used to cut, nonlethal fire is permitted.
Description: SCP-542 claims that it has been, at one time, a typical human of Caucasian descent, identifying as German in nationality. This story is supported by the fact that German appears to be his first language, speaking all other languages with a German accent. SCP-542 requests to be called "Herr Chirurg" or "Surgeon" by staff and is fluent in German, English, and French, and can speak a small bit of Polish and Italian. Standard IQ tests have revealed 542's IQ to range around 150, placing him as high intelligence. It is unknown how old 542 is; testing of various tissue samples has revealed nothing. He claims to have been 'dreadfully normal' before World War I started, and claims to have worked for the Nazi party, even if he found their goals 'boringly simple.'
He has been described as a "Frankenstein's Monster" in appearance. SCP-542 may hide his odd features under heavy clothing, but prefers to wear only a nice pair of slacks, revealing his hunched form, distended gut, warped ribcage, and bizarre arm structure. His skin is made from patches of various hues and shades, some of these healed together with scars while others are still stitched together. Non-symmetrical bone and muscle structure reveals that he has replaced the majority of his body over time, and admits to having worked with "helpers" before to replace such things as portions of his own spinal cord. Although his appearance can change with surgery, his arms are always too long for his body, and his hands have been modified greatly to have additional joints in the fingers.
The skin is pulled rather tightly over 542's face, giving him a somewhat skeletal appearance along with the tendency for his bones to bulge through his skin. His teeth, it should be noted, are collected from different individuals, some of them not even human by all appearances. It is not uncommon for him to cough or to vomit blood, and as such requires infusions of fresh blood approximately once per week. He currently boasts two hearts and multiples of several other organs and organ systems. How 542 keeps track of his own structure while performing surgery is unknown, but he likens it to 'having a very good memory.'
DNA testing on all tissues is inconclusive, and reveals fragmented DNA. It is unknown how he is able to accept different blood types and multiple organs without suffering from organ rejection or allergic reactions, nor how he is able to function while performing invasive surgery on himself, even while inserting extra brain matter into his skull. SCP-542 is to be kept alive for observation and testing on the process that keeps him alive.
SCP-542 behaves in a surprisingly pleasant manner most of the time, enjoying lengthy conversations about science and biology, politics, and long games of chess. However, when an organ begins to fail or part of his body becomes necrotic, he undergoes a drastic personality change, stalking and observing people from a distance. Additional information on his habits and attacks may be found in the addendum.
SCP-542 appears to have a previously unknown ability to be completely aware of his body's functions and workings constantly, even able to identify points of rotting or decay he should not be able to sense by any known means. This ability, however, has been shown to extend beyond his own body. He can passively sense the health and medical status of other humans within several meters of him, the range extending to approximately five meters when he focuses. He admits that he uses this process, which he doesn't understand himself, to pick his next victims.
Addendum: SCP-542 has been proven to be the assailant in a string of 45 murders over the course of three years that occurred across Germany, England, and America, and is suspected of an additional, unconfirmed fifteen murders in that time span. He was first observed four years ago by Agent ████████ in ██████████, Germany, after four people had been attacked and had muscle, sinew, and bones removed from their limbs. Three of the victims died from blood loss and shock. The fourth, ██████ █████ happened to be staying in the hotel room next to Agent ████████, who intervened. This account may be found in Incident Report 542-A-06.
SCP-542 has a strong connection to a collection of scalpels, blades, syringes, and various other surgical equipment from time periods ranging from modern day to archaic, if very well-kept, relics from years as early as the 1910s. He carries these in a velvet-lined, black leather suitcase, and modifies many of his jackets to have holders to hide and carry this equipment in. He is not allowed access to this collection except during testing and observation of self-surgery.
SCP-542 has also caused several deaths of Class D personnel, even when not in testing, due to negligence or assumption that certain items may be 'safe' when used by him. Personnel are reminded that even if his personality is pleasant the majority of the time, he will still dissect personnel for amusement and curiosity's sake if given the chance. These incidents may be reviewed in Incident Reports 542-B-01 through 542-B-11. Seemingly safe items such as sewing supplies have led to him making more than a rather well-tailored jacket for himself, but also resulted in him restraining a Class D Personnel by sewing him to the mattress of the bed, before removing his kidneys and a portion of the liver.
SCP-542 has shown to be very willing to comply with certain experiments and appears to enjoy performing self-surgery with someone observing, explaining what he is doing and displaying his knowledge of the workings of the body as if he were a teacher describing a surgical textbook. Unfortunately, this usually requires being at a risk of attack from him.
It has been requested that SCP-542 be kept alive so the process that allows for him to recover from intense surgery without organ rejection be studied and potentially copied for medical use. SCP-542 may also show potential for being used to assist in surgical and studying endeavors, due to his increased intelligence and compulsion for dissection. Any books and notes written by him may be accessed and studied by those with Class-2 security clearance or higher.
Update ██/██/20██ SCP-542 has somehow acquired knowledge of both SCP-291 and SCP-1025, and appears to be very interested in their use. All requests to study both anomalies are to be denied until further notice.
Incident Report 542-A-06 Agent ████████, while staying at the █████ Hotel in ██████████, Germany heard the sounds of a scuffle and screaming from across the hall at approximately 3AM Local time, at which point he felt that he had to intervene, unknown that he would come face to face with a possible SCP. After forcing the door to ██████ █████'s room he observed SCP-542 removing the muscles and bone of Miss █████'s right leg. After the agent fired several shots, 542 fled through the window and Agent ████████ contacted local authorities and an ambulance.
██████ █████, an American tourist who had only been in town for a few days, described what had happened to her while recovering in the hospital. Afterward, she willingly took the amnestic issued to her, preferring to believe that she had instead been in an unfortunate traffic incident and her right leg had been amputated.
Her report is as follows.

I had been to Germany before, so I knew my way around…and I was used to taking the bus. But I guess I first saw him there, I think, just this guy all hidden under heavy jackets and this hat and glasses and of course, I was suspicious because it was summer, you know, sweltering hot…and I realized he was looking at me, but I ignored it. He didn't get off the bus at my stop, anyways, and there were always others on the bus, even late at night. I guess I saw him for three days, and I stopped thinking about it… He must've followed me off the bus that… that day. That night.
I went up to my hotel room, and I don't… I don't remember… The window was open, and it was all dark, the light wouldn't turn on. I figured somebody had decided to steal my stuff, so I went in to see if anything was missing and… and…
[[██████ █████ shows signs of intense discomfort, and asks for a minute to compose herself. This is allowed, and she resumes after several minutes.]]
He was hiding under the bed, and he had these freakishly… long arms… and the fingers… too many joints and he took my ankles right out from under me. He was just too fast, and… and he tied my arms and legs to the bed, and at first I thought, you know, that he was going to… to… you know.
He kept saying, like…"Don't worry," and "You're going to help me," and "I need your help…" and things like that, it was scary as shit, and he said that so long as I kept quiet he might call an ambulance afterward, and that was a little scary.
I guess it really was worse than that. He picked up his jacket, it'd been on the coat hanger by the door and I hadn't even noticed it… and started pulling out all these knives and… all these tools and I just didn't know what to do. So I decided to take my chances and started screaming as loud as I could. Then he… he…
[[██████ █████ was allowed to stop there, and was delivered the amnestic and alibi that night.]]

Incident Report 542-A-15 For details on the eventual tracking and capture of SCP-542 please refer to [[DATA EXPUNGED]]. A request for declassification is under review, 20██/██/██.
Note As of ██/██/██, SCP-542 has been moved to Bio-Research Area-12 in order to assist in the Olympia Project.
"And I want him back intact!" - Dr. Rights
Note

SCP-542 has somehow acquired information of SCP-291, SCP-827, and SCP-545. Investigation into the extent of 542's knowledge of these SCPs and how he acquired this knowledge is currently under investigation. Offending personnel will be disciplined appropriately following a board review.
-O5-██

« SCP-541 | SCP-542 | SCP-543 »


SCP-543 played on a television

Item #: SCP-543
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Access to SCP-543 is restricted to staff with Level 2 clearance. Detailed observation of SCP-543 has thus far been restricted to Class D personnel.
Description: SCP-543 is a collection of ████ 4-hour VHS videotapes from various manufacturers. Total length of tape is ████ hours. Tapes are labeled with dates and times from ██/██/████ to ██/██/████.
All tapes viewed so far appear to be "noise" or "snow" recorded from an empty analog television channel. However, those who watch the tapes for long enough are able to discern an image (see Addenda 543-1 and 543-2).
Discovery: SCP-543 was found in a single-room apartment in the ███████ Building, ███████, █████████, on ██/██/████. The room contained a ████████ brand 38.1 cm analogue television set with "rabbit ears" set-top antenna. Television was tuned to the "gap" between local stations ██ and ██. Antenna was attached to a tangle of wires that filled the entire room from floor to ceiling except for a small area in front of the television. SCP-543 was stacked along the walls and strewn on the floor.
In front of the television was the apartment's tenant, ████████████, adult male, deceased. Head was buried in the television; he had rammed it through the glass screen himself and died of electrocution. Signs of extreme malnutrition. Evidently, after filling the room with wires, he was unable or unwilling to remove any, confining himself to a smaller and smaller space. Body surrounded by food wrappers and excrement.
Body was discovered by building's landlord after continued non-payment of rent. Police dismantled antenna structure to retrieve the body. Examination of crime scene photos and investigation of █████'s behaviour show the wires were placed in four stages over the ███ days before his death:
Stage 1. Coat hangers attached to antenna with scotch tape. ██ hours of VHS tape.
Stage 2. Reel of 6-gauge wire and duct tape purchased from local hardware store. ███ hours of tape.
Stage 3. Waste wire scavenged from construction sites (█████ had lost his job at ████████████ due to persistent absenteeism). ████ hours of tape.
Stage 4. Apartment ransacked. Springs removed from mattress, appliances dismantled for wiring. Exits blocked. One tape, unlabeled, found in the VCR by police.
Addendum 543-1: Summary of SCP-543 observation logs (D-671)
Personnel D-671 was given a random selection of tapes (███ hours in total), viewed in chronological order with VCR and television of the same model as █████'s. Steel mesh fitted over screen as a precaution.
In tapes made during Stage 1, D-671 identified the image as unremarkable "TV noise". Later she claimed to discern an image and requested that it be "tuned in".
In Stage 2 tapes, instead of a two-dimensional "wall" of snow D-671 claimed to see a vast, three-dimensional space. She stressed the size of the space - "bigger than anything you've seen," "bigger than anything ever". Beginning of claustrophobic tendencies.
D-671 reported Stage 3 tapes as "clearer and sharper". She now claimed to see "things" occupying the immense space. Whether they were animate, or indeed whether they were entities or events, is unclear. Once again she emphasized their size, becoming agitated when interviewers "did not get it". Severe claustrophobia, anxiety, night terrors.
After viewing █ minutes of the final, unlabeled tape D-671 attempted to remove the mesh over the screen, stripping three fingernails and breaking her nose before being restrained. Currently isolated in four-point restraints. Cooperates with interviewers but answers are repetitive (see Addendum 543-2).
Addendum 543-2: (partial transcript of interview w/ D-671, 1015h ██/██/████)
Dr █████████: Why did you do it?
D-671: Because here isn't big enough. Not when you've seen there.
Dr █████████: Big enough for what?
D-671: (pause) Why do you think the TV can see them?
Dr █████████: …
D-671: Because they're everywhere. They're all through us. And we're not big enough. And it hurts.

« SCP-542 | SCP-543 | SCP-544 »


Item #: SCP-544
Object Class: Safe Euclid (Class updated after Event 544-423245 by order of O5-█)
Special Containment Procedures: When not in use, SCP-544 is to be kept in a standard 1 m x 1 m x 1 m locked storage container. When in use, the bearer of SCP-544 is to be under visual and auditory surveillance at all times. In the event that SCP-544 is to be removed from a bearer, it is to be only done by legally deaf staff in Auditory Safe Room #524264.
Description: SCP-544 is a 30 cm tall hand-held radio microphone, made of polished metal and black plastic. There is no evidence of wires or electrical plugs of any kind on the object. The object's surface reveals significant but superficial damage (presumably from everyday use). When jostled, the sound of a non-metallic object can be heard inside the device. Requests to disassemble SCP-544 to identify this object have been denied.
When grasped by the 'neck' of the microphone, the bearer will gain a subtle but significant compulsion to keep SCP-544 in his or her possession at all times. This compulsion begins as a simple dislike for the idea of letting go of SCP-544, but inevitably culminates in a desire to keep SCP-544 in a pocket or other carrying method at all times. Attempts to retrieve SCP-544 when the bearer is asleep have generally resulted in Separation Events (see below).
After two days of bearing SCP-544, it will begin to speak for its bearer, through methods unknown. The sound SCP-544 makes is identical to the bearer's original voice, and the bearer does not seem to notice that this voice-replacement is occurring until explained. As time passes, more and more of the subject's speech is replaced by SCP-544, and the vocal tone of SCP-544 becomes much more electronic, with a comical and jovial tone. Within two weeks, the bearer is completely voiced by SCP-544.1
Attempts to remove SCP-544 from the bearer's possession result in what has been dubbed a Separation Event. SCP-544 will produce a screeching tone in order to incapacitate those that wish to gain SCP-544. The decibel levels of Separation Events have ranged from 140-150db, causing significant discomfort and pain. The original bearer of SCP-544 is somewhat affected, but to a severely lesser degree. Incapacitating the bearer before attempting to acquire SCP-544 causes the same Separation Event. After the Event, its original bearer recovers normally, with the exception of being unable to speak at all. Autopsy of bearer's brains revealed near-complete atrophy of posterior inferior frontal gyrus section, commonly known as Broca's Area. Because of the risk to personnel nearby when Separation Events occur, O5-█ has ordered that all operations done to retrieve SCP-544 are to be done in Auditory Safe Rooms (ASRs), rooms specifically designed to mitigate and reduce sound-related issues.
Addendum-1: Interview with SCP-544-bearing subject

Interview Date: 04/12/20██
Interviewer: Researcher ████████
Subject: D-78909
Current amount of time Subject has borne SCP-544: One week, two days
Please note: By this time, a significant percentage of D-78909's vocalizations come from SCP-544. In the interest of clarity, sections in which SCP-544 is 'speaking' will be written like this, in keeping with SCP-544's higher, electronic 'voice'. As is standard with this effect upon its bearers, D-78909 does not notice (or does not seem to care) when he stops using his mouth to stop in the middle of a sentence.
…
████████: And how are we today, 78909? I see you've taken to stuffing SCP-544 into your pocket.
D-78909: Yes, it was getting a bit annoying having to hold this thing in my hands. Plus, it fits pretty well, don't you think?
████████: True, but have you considered returning it to us? What are you using it for?
D-78909: (shrugs) Nah, why would I want to give this up? I like it. Believe it or not, most of the other D-Class folks think I'm higher up on the food chain because I've got this thing. Stupid gangbanging [RACIAL INSULT]s, they think owning an old-time radio microphone is some version of a gang sign! Would you believe that they occasionally try to take the [EXPLETIVE]ed thing when I'm sleeping. [EXPLETIVE]ing [RACIAL INSULT]s. Have they forgotten they're in friggin' jail? This isn't Detroit, for God's sake!
████████: Let's refrain from racial insults, 78909, and mind your tone. You're in jail with them too. Tell me more about what happens when they try to take it from you?
D-78909: Fine, fine, sorry about the cursing. Anyways, I'm a light sleeper, so the minute I feel their dirty little mitts unzipping my pocket, I'm awake. Then the metal noise starts up, and they start clutching their heads like it's a bullhorn. They back off, and I go back to sleep.
████████: Metal noise?
D-78909: You know, that noise it makes when someone tries to take it. You guys installed it, right, so that nobody steals it from me? What was that stupid horn those Africans played at soccer games so much that everyone hated? Like that, but more synthetic. A lot quieter, too. Have to give you boys credit, it's a perfect "Stop Touching My [EXPLETIVE]" alarm sound. (winces) Sorry, sorry, I know, don't swear. Force of habit.
████████: Ah yes, that 'metal noise'. We made that noise for military discouragement operations. (pause) What would you say if I told you that you keep alternating between speaking with your voice, and that microphone speaking for you?
D-78909: I'd laugh at you, because you guys tried that trick a few days after you gave me this thing. You guys told me to randomly talk while looking into what you guys said was a mirror. Of course, it wasn't a mirror, since I stopped talking a few times in the (does 'air quotes') reflection, while I kept talking. Freaked me out a bit, but then I realized you guys just recorded me standing somewhere, doing nothing, and used that fancy CGI [EXPLETIVE] to make it look like I wasn't talking a few words. Nice try, Doc.

Addendum-2: Event 544-Alpha
On 05/24/20██ at 3:42am, the current bearer of SCP-544 (D-423245) was asleep in his bunk. While undisturbed and remaining asleep, SCP-544 began to speak seemingly-random phrases. It was initially assumed that D-423245 was simply 'talking in his sleep', until SCP-544 began speaking things which could not have possibly been dream-based. Later bearers of SCP-544 repeated many of the following lines in their sleep. For a full listing, please see file 544.FullLog.353.

I was slumbering. I was waking. Flames! Fire! Burning! I slumbered again.
There is no ███. There is no ███. There is no barrier.
The slab groans. I groan to match. We rise together.
When? When? When?
I dreamed until the dawn, but the it was not dawn. It was false! Dawn That Was Not A Dawn. Dreams turned to dust.
The number was [EXPUNGED]. The number is [EXPUNGED]
No, not time. Not yet. No. Wait and dream. Wait and dream.

Event 544-Alpha, and later similar situations, has caused the Foundation to re-evaluate SCP-544's nature. It is currently not understood how SCP-544 (or its multiple bearers) have a knowledge of SCP-███, much less how SCP-███ has anything in common with SCP-544. More startling is 544's mentioning of the specific lat/long of Foundation Overwatch. In response to Event 544-423245, SCP-544 has been upgraded to Euclid status.
Addendum-2: Event 544-Beta
On 09/15/20██ at 4:01am, the current bearer of SCP-544 (D-64349) was seen walking around the medical cell he had been contained in due to a common illness. Conversation with D-64349, speaking through SCP-544, began shortly thereafter. To date, there have been ██ attempts to forcibly re-create the events of 544-Beta, with no success.

Dr. █████████: Up and about, 64349? Feeling better?
D-64349: (long pause) Buried.
Dr. █████████: Excuse me?
D-64349: (unintelligible)
Dr. █████████: Please repeat yourself.
D-64349: (long pauses between words begin here and continue throughout the conversation) Perversion. Corruption of the method. I am trod under those who exist to serve me.
Dr. █████████: (realizes he's not talking with D-64349) What method are you speaking of? Does the person I'm talking to exist to serve you?
D-64349: Touch the stone. Become my voice. Speak my truths and my rules to the people. I warned them. Popocatépetl2 was the warning. Warning of corruption. Arrival. Destruction.
Dr. █████████: What happened?
D-64349: (extremely long pause) My voice was not protected. Pretenders to my Glory usurped me. Shattered. Disregarded. I slept.
Dr. █████████: And what caused you to wake up? Do you remember when?
D-64349: (shakes head) Shard of me. Not enough. The cerdos3! Treated like (unknown, translations suggest 'bearer of wooden collar'). Blasphemy. Touch the stone, become my voice. Touched the stone, spoke for them. (rapidly, alternating between Nahuatl, Spanish, and English) Arrogance! Arrogance! Arrogance! Arrogance! Arrogance!
(At this point, D-64349 awoke, presumably by the sound of SCP-544. He turns to face Dr. █████████, who startles him.)
D-64349: Jesus wept, doctor. Do you get your jollies off watching patients get up to take a piss?
Dr. █████████: None of your business, D. Good night.

Footnotes
1. In █ separate test cases, subjects bearing SCP-544 were noted as rarely saying the following words normally, if weakly: Why, Speaker, Shroud, and [EXPUNGED]. The latter, believed to be of Mesoamerican origin, has been uttered the most.
2. A volcano located in Mexico.
3. Spanish for 'pig'.

« SCP-543 | SCP-544 | SCP-545 »


Item #: SCP-545
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-545 is considered to be three individual parts, and thus each part may be stored differently.
SCP-545-A is to be kept in a two-room, residential containment unit at Site 17 furnished to her liking. To date, she has not requested a TV, radio, nor any contact with the outside world beyond a walk through a park or woods at least once per week, available to her upon request. During said excursions she is to be accompanied by a team of 4 armed security personnel and at least one researcher familiar to her. SCP-545-A is allowed to leave her containment and spend time in Level 0 and common areas, provided that she notify two Level-2 security personnel ahead of time and is supervised during the duration of her leaving her room. SCP-545-A poses no immediate threat to any personnel, provided that they are reminded not to make assumptions about her strength, speed, or intelligence based upon her appearance.
All samples and bottles of SCP-545-B are to be packaged and placed in the appropriate storage unit, under lock. Only authorized Level-4 security personnel or higher may be allowed to handle, transport, or study SCP-545-B. Drinking SCP-545-B is strictly forbidden and punishable by immediate termination, unless under testing protocol. All requests to study and test SCP-545-B must be submitted at least a week in advance, and approved by a head of Site research, if not an O5-level operative.
SCP-545-A's unit is also to contain a small garden under sunlamps, available for her to work in. No poisonous plants are allowed after Incident 545-6b.
SCP-545-C is to be locked in a quad-locked secure storage vault in Site-17's Precious Items wing.
Description: SCP-545 may be determined as three separate parts.
SCP-545-A appears to be an elderly woman, presumably of Eastern European descent. 1.5 m (5 ft) in height, and 73.9 kg (163 lbs) in weight, giving her a short, plump build. Her skin, although deeply tanned and heavily lined, is devoid of blemishes or liver spots otherwise common with age. Her hair is thick, completely white and past her waist when let down, although 545-A prefers to keep it up in a tight bun. Her eyes, despite her age, are a bright, clear blue and devoid of cataracts or fogginess. As a reward for good behaviour and cooperation, she has been allowed to choose a wardrobe of simple and traditional dresses and eyeglasses. Despite appearing to be 80+ years old, 545-A is in exceptional health, with no weakening of the heart, bones, or respiratory system. And although of average human strength, her senses are noted to be above-average, and she scores a general 115 on a standard IQ test.
SCP-545-A claims to be over 800 years old. This claim has yet to be disproved.
SCP-545-A prefers to be called a number of names and dislikes the SCP designation number. She will respond to "Grannie", "Beatrice", "Ms. Widow", and has taken a liking to Dr. ██████'s nickname for her- "Totenkinder". She displays a generally pleasant personality and enjoys activities such as sewing, cooking and gardening. SCP-545-A often requests conversations and walks outside as well. Despite SCP-545-A's penchant for acting like a kindly older woman, she displays no remorse for her use of SCP-545-B/C.
SCP-545-A also displays a pathological fear of death and an addiction to SCP-545-B, and she complies with Foundation personnel under threat of being deprived of her supply of SCP-545-B. As the only known long-term user of SCP-545-B, 545-A's information is considered invaluable.
SCP-545-B is a colorless, odorless liquid extracted from the body via 545-C and bottled. It is often dubbed "Liquid Life" due to its properties. Under examination, 545-B appears to be slightly more viscous than water, but varies in direct texture and taste. 545-B has no unique properties until ingested.
Drinking SCP-545-B extends the life of the user, slowing the process of aging and often either slowing or completely ridding the body of disease. It may even be used to heal major wounds if drunk quickly enough. Repeated use of SCP-545-B may prolong life indefinitely, but results in a strong dependency upon its properties and many frequent users show borderline sociopathic tendencies in regards to the creation of SCP-545-B. To date, the SCP Foundation keeps a limited supply of SCP-545-B and allows for production only for study of SCP-545-C.
SCP-545-C is a thin, weathered sheet of yellow parchment, in surprisingly good condition; carbon-dating places it to be at least 600 years old. SCP-545-A claims to have copied SCP-545-C from the original document containing SCP-545-C's instructions. For lack of a better term, SCP-545-C contains a recipe in Middle English for extracting and distilling SCP-545-B from the human body. Full contents of SCP-545-C are undisclosed in order to prevent unauthorized personnel from creating SCP-545-B. Key portions include

Ingredients list, including such materials as live leeches, skullcap seeds, chicken fetuses, snake skin, ginger root, mandrake root, lily-of-the-valley-water, spider eggs, and nearly two dozen more items, in varying amounts. The most prominent ingredient appears to be a living human being, preferably a child. Multiple ingredients on this list have been noted to match the ingredients used in instances of SCP-2077
Supplies list, including a boiling pot large enough for a child or other human along with water and many ingredients, and a strainer made from fresh spiderwebs among other things.
Instructions list, detailing rather elaborately the exact amounts of materials and timing needed to successfully create, distill, and bottle SCP-545-B.

SCP-545-A is able to recite and act upon SCP-545-C by heart; the exact mechanisms of the process that creates SCP-545-B are still unidentified.

"Magic" is not an acceptable answer. There has to be some sort of process here that allows for this to happen, it can't just "happen" because "it works."
Dr. ██████

Addendum: SCP-545 was located in a small Midwestern town, under the guise of an elderly woman with mild dementia. The woods her residential neighborhood were located in led to an area near a river that was prone to sinkholes and had a small history of children becoming lost or dying in the woods before. Her neighbors describe her as kind and caring, and had no suspicions that she may be anything more than a lonely, elderly widow with a penchant for giving neighborhood kids small treats in return for collecting their used glass bottles. She was located and captured by [DATA EXPUNGED]
From SCP-545-A's own memory, she has been repeating the same process for quite a while. She buys a small house in a relatively dangerous area and keeps the supplies for SCP-545-C with her, or manages to find and produce them. She collects glass bottles via the neighborhood and over time gains their trust. She describes the process of capturing children for SCP-545-C as being relatively easy. She simply goes for a walk and pretends to be lost, or talks kids into accompanying her home under the promise of food and candy. She admits to doing this at least once every five years or more.
She claims to have been using this process for at least 800 years, but has admitted that even though her aging has slowed to a crawl, it hasn't stopped completely, no matter how much SCP-545-B she produces and ingests.

SCP-545-B is not to be used or distributed even in cases of emergency. Failure to comply will result in termination.
O5 ████████████

« SCP-544 | SCP-545 | SCP-546 »


SCP-546

Item #: SCP-546
Object Class: Safe
Special containment procedures: SCP-546 is to be contained in a secured lock box. Access is restricted only to Level 2 research staff directly assigned to SCP-546. A full log of all used sheets, date used, inscribed data, and subject exposed is to be kept along with SCP item. At no point should SCP-546 or any of the sheets leave the quarantine room.
Description: SCP-546 consists of a single pad of spiral-bound, lined, ████ brand note paper. SCP-546 measures 15 cm x 23 cm, and currently consists of 57 sheets out of the original 60. Besides its anomalous effects, the item has no other outstanding characteristics.
When a subject inscribes on SCP-546 with any writing instrument, they begin to experience a cognitive breakdown. Any inscribed word or phrase will begin to interject itself into the subject's speech and writing. The frequency of the phrase will continue to rise over the course of time. After approximately 24 hours, the subject is unable to write and speak anything else other than the phrase they had written down. Removal of sheets does not affect the properties of the item.
Although there is serious mental distress from losing the ability to communicate with others, affected subjects have been shown to be able to continue living on with their new disability. Cognitive abilities are not directly affected, and subjects are able to nod and shake their heads in response to simple “Yes/No” questions.
Experiment log:

Subject: D-Class 546-3931
Sheet: 55
Date: 02/12/██
Phrase: ”South Dixie Drive”
Subject 546-3931 was then asked to read from The Canterbury Tales out loud. About 30 minutes into the novel, the subject interjected the phrase “South Dixie Drive” directly into her dialogue. She was assured that this would be normal, and asked to continue. The phrase came up again at the 45 minute mark. By this time, subject 546-3931 refused to keep reading and asked to see a doctor. Frequency continued to escalate over the next 14 hours, when the subject was sedated due to a violent outburst at an assistant. When the subject woke up 8 hours later, her vocabulary consisted entirely of the phrase “South Dixie Drive”.

Subject: D-Class 546-3931 (repeat subject)
Sheet: 55
Date: 02/15/██
Phrase: ”The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs”
Subject 546-3931 was instructed that writing the above phrase on SCP-546 would cure her current condition. Subject was unable to write down the phrase.

Subject: D-Class 546-3880
Sheet: 55
Date: 03/02/██
Phrase: ”Bread; Eggs; Milk; Cheese”
Subject 546-3880 is a Hispanic male whose primary language was Spanish. After writing down the test phrase, the subject was asked to sing the words to the Spanish version of “Happy Birthday” out loud until asked to stop. The first instance of the phrase occurred in English after approximately 25 minutes. The subject was calmed down, and then asked to continue singing the song, except this time in English. This time, the phrase did not occur until after 2 hours had passed. A written test phase later did not produce the same anomaly.

Subject: D-Class 546-3950
Sheet: 55
Date: 03/24/██
Phrase: ”555-1234”
Subject 546-3950 is a deaf individual who lost his hearing a few years before arriving at the Foundation. Although written text follows the same pattern as above, his ability to sign was never affected. After several weeks of monitoring 546-3950, it was determined that his ability to use sign language was unaffected by SCP-546.
"Sign language classes are being provided to subjects 546-3931 and 546-3880 to further study the effect of SCP-546." ~Dr. ██████

« SCP-545 | SCP-546 | SCP-547 »


Item #: SCP-547
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-547 is to be stored inside a plain black envelope which in turn is to be stored in the security deposit box located in Dr ██████'s office. No Foundation employee is to access SCP-547 without Dr ██████'s consent, and SCP-547 itself should only be handled by test subjects. Please note that any persons exposed to SCP-547's effects are subject to Class D status.
Description: SCP-547 is an off-white standard size business card (85 mm x 55 mm) for ███████ ██████, a licensed hypnotherapist from ███████████, UK. The front of the card is unremarkable and inert. On the reverse, the phrase “Je pense donc…?” is written in black ball-point pen. The modified side of SCP-547 is a cognitohazard and should be treated with the relevant precautions.
In all cases, reading and understanding the phrase has ultimately resulted in a complete loss of personality, and a greatly reduced awareness of self. Test subjects have been able to perform most basic tasks, and nearly all are still capable of speech. Subjects are, however, incapable of any subjective thought and emotion beyond the rational and immediate. The effects of SCP-547 are degenerative, with full manifestation occurring approximately ten weeks after exposure. Several stages have been observed:
Exposure- 1 week: No substantial change in personality. Subjects may occasionally forget personal details or answer to a name other than their own.
1-6 weeks: Subjects begin to show confusion as to their own identity and key facts regarding their lives. See interview SCP-547-A for further details.
6-9 weeks: Subjects begin to regress towards final stage of infection. Mannerisms and turns of phrase associated with subject begin to disappear and speech begins to lack inflection and emotion.
10 weeks and beyond: Psychological and cognitive effects previously described are fully manifest. See interview SCP-547-B for further details.

+ Interview SCP-547-A

- Interview SCP-547-A

Subject D-547-Tau is a Caucasian male aged 35. Time since exposure to SCP-547: 5 weeks 2 days.
Dr ██████: Good morning, subject Tau, I'm Dr ██████. Records say your name is ████ █████████. Is that correct?
D-547-Tau: It is.
█: Very good. Tell me a little bit about yourself, ████.
D: Where should I start?
█: Well, how about a little regarding your early life? Any happy memories?
D: Oh yes. Every summer, my parents used to rent this place in Maine. I loved it there. Sandy beaches, those quaint little lighthouses. Lobster dinners. I remember my mom telling me, “Henry, if th-“
█: Hang on, can I stop you there? Why did your mother refer to you as Henry?
D: Because that's my name.
█: You confirmed your name as ████ █████████ 30 seconds ago.
D: I did? I-
█: Please, continue.
D: Like I was saying, my mom always said, “Marcus, if there ever was a paradise here on earth this would be it.” Man, I loved that clean air, all that green. Nothing like BC in the spring.
█: British Columbia?
D: Only BC I know of.
█: Tell me about your parents.
D: Decent people. Both came from █████████, Kentucky. Born and raised. My Dad loved his bikes, named me after one. Got some ribbing at school for that, Harley ain't all that common a name you know. He was a good man though, loved his pa. Says leaving him at the boarding gate back in ██████ was the saddest day of his life, but a man's got to make his own way in the world I guess.
█: So he emigrated from ██████?
D: Yes.
█: But he was born in Kentucky?
D: That's right.
█: Would you mind confirming your name and the last place you lived please?
D: Jacob Maddox, Austin, Texas.
█: And again?
D: Paul Jones. I'm from Cardiff. It's in the UK in-
█: Again.
D: David Pollock, Birdseye, Utah, I don't understand why you're asking, I've already told you-
█: Again.
[REMAINDER OF INTERVIEW CLASSIFIED. O5 CLEARANCE REQUIRED]

+ Interview SCP-547-B

- Interview SCP-547-B

Fourth interview with SCP-547-Tau. Twelve weeks since exposure.
Dr. ██████: Good morning, Tau
D-SCP-547-Tau: Good morning.
█: I'd like to perform some tests today. Please follow the written directions on the sheet in front of you. You have fifteen minutes.
Subject Tau performs several tests, designed to highlight any loss in cognitive function. Results are negative.
█: Good. Now I'm going to show you a few pictures. Can you tell me what this is?
D: Blue sky with clouds.
█: What do you think of it?
D: I think- I think- I don't know
█: How about this one?
D: It's a man. He's dead. His throat's been cut.
█:: Any thoughts on this? You used to hate this picture.
D: It's an image of a dead human printed on photograph quality paper. High gloss.
█: Not quite what I was getting at. You have no opinion of it whatsoever?
D: No.
█: Moving on then. According to your profile, you suffered from arachnophobia.
Dr ██████ releases a large, but otherwise unremarkable house spider onto subject Tau's arm. Heart rate does not rise above 65 bpm.
█: Nothing? It's been 3 weeks since I've been able to elicit any sort of human response from you. Let's try something else. Do you know what this is?
D: A blowtorch.
Dr ██████ activates blowtorch and moves it towards Tau's arm, causing subject to flinch. Tau's heart rate jumps to 135 bpm.
█: Hm.
[REMAINDER OF INTERVIEW CLASSIFIED. O5 CLEARANCE REQUIRED]

From: Dr ██████ ██████
To: O5-█
Subject: SCP-547
In response to your previous email, subjects are unable to recall any previous experiences in an emotional context, and are completely incapable of subjective thought. I would like to suggest that due to their predictable behaviour, subjects exposed to SCP-547 would make perfect control groups for any other psychohazards or cognitohazards we may encounter.
Regards,
██████
From: O5-█
To: Dr ██████ ██████
Subject: Re- SCP-547
I would like subjects D-547- Alpha through Gamma prepped for transport by 0700 tomorrow. You can expect more requests of this nature in the future.

« SCP-546 | SCP-547 | SCP-548 »


SCP-548

Item #: SCP-548
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-548 is to be kept at 24°C in a 50 cm x 50 cm terrarium. The enclosure is to be composed of modified borosilicate glass with high thermal shock resistance, or of other materials not rendered brittle by sudden temperature changes of greater than 50°C. In the event that SCP-548 makes an active attempt to grind through the terrarium walls, the enclosure is to be flooded immediately with 500 mL liquid nitrogen and the subject removed temporarily to a reinforced steel terrarium. Subject is to be fed mice, one every four days.
SCP-548 should not be handled except as needed for testing. Handlers must be at least cursorily familiar with tarantula behavior and wear heavily insulated gloves. Should subject display any aggressive behavior, cease handling promptly. If bitten, personnel should be treated immediately for hypothermia and frostbite. Active intrathoracic warming with heated fluids is indicated for severe bites.
Description: SCP-548 is a female cobalt tarantula (Cyriopagopus lividus), 7.3 cm long. Its venom undergoes a highly endothermic reaction on contact with living tissue; a single bite, injecting less than 0.5 mL venom, causes an average temperature drop of 38°C in the affected area. One bite is sufficient to cause localized frostbite in a human, and may even be lethal should the venom reach the central circulatory system. Victims smaller than SCP-548 are frequently frozen solid.
SCP-548's feeding structures are normal for a spider of its species except for the maxillae, which are extremely hard and serrated. It feeds by delivering a venomous bite, then dragging the prey to a safe place while it cools. While secluded, it proceeds to grind the prey's still-frozen tissue into edible fragments. This feeding style requires unusual mouthpart strength.
Addendum: SCP-548, like most Cyriopagopus species, usually avoids contact with humans. If cornered, however, it quickly turns aggressive, attempting to bite its perceived attacker before fleeing.
The object may be frozen solid with no apparent ill effects. It has survived repeated freezings, each time resuming normal behavior upon thawing. Further research is required to ascertain the mechanism of this resistance and to determine its suitability for long-term storage.
Addendum 2: It is possible that the same anomalous effect that was historically responsible for SCP-2082 may now be affecting SCP-548. Research into this link is currently underway using SCP-2082 tissue samples preserved following Incident 2082-Prime. Proposals to resume the SCP-2082 cloning program for use of a live specimen have been denied.

« SCP-547 | SCP-548 | SCP-549 »


Item #: SCP-549
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-549 is to be kept at all times in its terrarium. The terrarium was created after previous containment proved to be insufficient. The containment plexiglass is to be checked for fractures every day at 0600 and 1800. Any signs of stress or wear are to be reported immediately to one of SCP-549's handlers. The terrarium is to be kept filled with miniature foliage and groundcover resembling that of northwestern North America. Fabrication company [REDACTED] is to be used for repairs on the terrarium's interior. A stream has been engineered to run through the terrarium, the water of which must be changed daily, using only filtered spring water. The terrarium is to be kept within a 15m by 15m room, placed on a stable support platform capable of holding up to two metric tons in the event that SCP-549 begins to throw its weight around.
The containment room should be lit in accordance with the day-night cycle and climate controlled in accordance with conditions in northwestern Canada. During summer and autumn months, SCP-549 requires upwards of 70,000-80,000 calories per day in preparation for its hibernation period. Because of SCP-549's special situation, it is inefficient to provide the nutrition in the traditional means. It simply takes SCP-549 too long to consume that much material. Currently, its diet is provided in the form of salmon fillets which have passed through [REDACTED], thus drastically increasing the caloric content of the fish. In winter and early spring, SCP-549 requires little or no care, though monitoring should continue as per usual. Personnel assigned to SCP-549 must take all care not to disturb its den by any means.
As a result of Incident 549-72 (the mauling of Assistant Researcher [REDACTED] by SCP-549), all personnel assigned to SCP-549 are required to watch security footage of Incident 549-72 as part of their orientation.
Description: SCP-549 appears to be a miniature version of Ursus arctos horribilis or grizzly bear. In stature it is approximately 17 centimeters in length when standing on its hind legs. However, SCP-549 has a mass in line with an average adult grizzly bear (in summer around 305 kilograms). It consumes as much food as a full-sized grizzly would and is able to exert all the same force with its claws and bite. This presents a number of problems, since its strength is concentrated over a much smaller area. Several of SCP-549's first enclosures were destroyed because it exerted far more force than expected of so small a creature. The walls of its current enclosure, treated with [DATA EXPUNGED], have proven more able to resist any attempts to escape, though as long as it is fed regularly and not provoked it seems content to remain in the terrarium.
SCP-549 was recovered in ██████████████, Canada along with several other miniature animals. Though agents on site were unable to determine the cause of death for the others, SCP-549's dietary requirements suggest they may have died from starvation. Professor █████ █████████ theorized that SCP-549 only survived because it was in its hibernation state at the time when [DATA EXPUNGED]. Subject had a collar affixed similar to the other [DATA EXPUNGED] with the etched designation "URSA MINOR / DR WONDERTAINMENT'S MICRO MENAGERIE". Several personnel were harmed in trying to remove the subject from [DATA EXPUNGED], mostly because of its great weight and strength.
How SCP-549 seems to be of the same mass as a normal bear but occupying a smaller space is currently unknown. Dr. ███████ believes that it may involve a warping of space-time, rather than true shrinking. How physical laws have been circumvented is unknown, but tests are currently being formulated.

« SCP-548 | SCP-549 | SCP-550 »


Earliest photo of SCP-550's initial recovery point.

Item #: SCP-550
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-550 is to be held in a standard-sized humanoid cell. SCP-550 should be provided with a human corpse on a bi-weekly basis. Any remaining materials are to be cleaned and removed from the containment chamber after provision. All personnel handling SCP-550 are to wear provided chemical resistant gloves and Hazmat suits at all times. Directions made toward SCP-550 may be broadcast from speakers installed in its containment chamber, and should be used for transportation, maintenance, and testing.
Description: SCP-550 is a humanoid composed of wood shavings from Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash), measuring 2.1 meters in height and 70 kg in weight. SCP-550 closely resembles a human male suffering from advanced muscle atrophy, though it lacks all exterior and bodily organs. SCP-550 is mainly compliant to human subjects, though it is restricted to following simple commands. Conversation through alternative systems of communication has been unsuccessful in determining if SCP-550 is sapient. SCP-550 is able to smell despite the lack of any sensory organs, and does this solely for the purpose of locating human corpses.
SCP-550 is mainly drawn toward corpses in early stages of putrefaction. If no such cadaver is in the vicinity, it will attempt to locate one itself through bipedal locomotion. Upon finding a cadaver, SCP-550 will unravel itself to create a wide split in the area where a chest would be, and will kneel over the cadaver and make physical contact with the cavity. This cavity does not appear to be different from SCP-550's exterior, and it secretes high concentrations of hydrochloric acid. The acid produced by SCP-550 does not dissolve the wood it is covered in.
SCP-550 is capable of incorporating simple molecules and compounds through its cavity. The hydrochloric acid it produces is used in breaking down organic substances located in corpses, allowing it to take nutrients through pores in the wood it is composed of. SCP-550 mainly intakes amino acids and various proteins, though it is unclear in how it uses them to maintain itself.
SCP-550 will continue making contact with its chosen corpse, before closing its chest cavity and standing up. SCP-550 will then release a slurry of materials, mostly containing loose portions of epidermis, articles of clothing (if present on the corpse), and stomach bile. When deprived of corpses for several days, SCP-550 will enter a dormant state and refrain from movement for an indefinite period of time until a corpse is available.
Addendum 550-Recov: SCP-550 was found at the site of a mass grave in ██████, South Africa. Foundation Intelligence was made aware of rumors being passed between locals regarding a "ghûl", descriptions of which had some marked deviations from traditional folklore. MTF Beta-7 ("Maz Hatters") was dispatched with orders to confirm the existence of a potential Euclid class being and to retrieve it on the Foundation's behalf.
28 corpses were found to have been damaged by SCP-550, and Protocol "Sewn Veil" was enacted to restore bodies to acceptable conditions. Several ritualistic items such as incense, candles, pieces of a large cloth stained with various bodily fluids, utensils, pots, plates, and various salts and spices were found scattered throughout the graveyard.
One person was reported missing in the town of SCP-550's original location, a local resident named Siyanda ██████. No corpse has been found that matches the civilian. Other town members claim ██████ had begun taking regular trips to a neighboring town prior to their disappearance.
On search of the civilian's home, a voicemail from a public phone located in [REDACTED] was found. No other evidence of possible involvement with SCP-550 was discovered.

Foreword: The following is translated from the Bantu language, belonging to the Zulus.

[Coughing and heavy breathing, masculine voice]
"We know you feel it in you. I know you do not want to answer me. You need to come. We are here to open those shredded bonds, never mind their state. You're famished, yet you are not hungry! Where do you expect to hide from what you need?"
[A feminine voice can be heard whispering for 4 seconds, before the caller makes a sound of approval.]
"Khetiwie says she is prepared, so now it is only up to you. Do you not want to let it burn through your bones, mixing you into the slime from where we began? Do you not want to become one with the saliva of the beast, soaking in the juices of your kin? You know what to do. We want to bring ourselves inside the beast. This is not something you should be afraid of."
[Further unknown background noises are heard.]
"See, Slindile has already brought forth her tendons, fresh. Just look at her pinch the eye out… Lord, I can't wait to feel what it is like inside him."

Addendum 550-A1 4/19/2011: Analysis of SCP-550 skin sample shows the presence of mucosal cells and microvilli, and confirms skin pigmentation as melanin. Dr. ████ has suggested and authorized MRI scan without sedation. Scan postponed following Incident SCP-550-T1.
Incident 550-T1 At 03:43, ██/██/20██, surveillance showed that SCP-550 had begun pacing its cell during research of its dormant state. Agent ████████ and Dr. ██████ were given permission to investigate. Surveillance footage shows that standard Foundation procedure was followed and no abnormalities were found until personnel left. SCP-550 immediately lay down in its cell until a large black tongue, anatomically human, erupted from within SCP-550. Site-36 was placed under lockdown, while the tongue protruding from SCP-550 had begun slathering the entirety of its containment cell. 2 minutes and 14 seconds had passed before the tongue withdrew into SCP-550. An amount of black, viscous saliva containing various amounts of organic material from all previously consumed corpses was left on containment chamber walls, along with what appeared to be an intact traditional black Zulu dress.1
Shortly after Incident 550-T1, the tongue belonging to SCP-550 has been recorded to randomly protrude from SCP-550's chest cavity for several seconds. SCP-550 has resorted to remaining in a fetal position, presumably to prevent an event similar to the recent incident. No further deviations in behavior have been noted; containment procedures are currently being updated.

Footnotes
1. Thorough analysis of this material revealed significant titres of a heavily modified variant strain of SCP-742. Additional analysis of genetic material, including the accompanying viral particles, showed significant splicing and incorporation of functional genes from a variety of plants, and several scavenger species, aligning with genetic analysis of recovered samples of SCP-3140.

« SCP-549 | SCP-550 | SCP-551 »


Item #: SCP-551
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-551 is to be contained in a simple cardboard box. It must be of an adequate size to carry all pieces of SCP-551. The box should be stored in a locker unit on Storage Site-23 and at least one (1) Level 1 staff member is to be notified in the event of its removal.
Description: SCP-551 is a standard, five hundred and fifty (550) piece jigsaw puzzle, which should depict, in its finished form, the image of a solitary woman on a small rowboat, surrounded by a stormy sea. However, due to the nature of SCP-551's anomalous qualities, some details of the scene are left incomplete, such as the woman's face and [DATA EXPUNGED].
SCP-551 was found in the apartment of ███ ████ after other residents complained of an odor seeping out from under the door. The severely malnourished body of ███ ████ was discovered beside SCP-551, with several pieces still clutched in her hand. Roughly one third of SCP-551 was pieced together on her floor.
Multiple subjects testing SCP-551 stated that a completion of the puzzle seems inconceivable. The mental reactions of subjects to SCP-551 was diverse, apparently depending less on the puzzle and more on the personality of the subject (see Addenda 551-1/2/3), though the effects of SCP-551 on the psychology of subjects should not be overlooked.
Addendum 551-1
Standard Class-D personnel is tasked with piecing together SCP-551. Subject spent two weeks in a single room, trying to finish the puzzle, and pausing only to sleep. Subject became increasingly frustrated with his progress on SCP-551, which failed to span past forty (40) connected pieces after this time. Subject slept less during his last days working on the puzzle, and was permitted to stop when he [DATA EXPUNGED].
Addendum 551-2
Class-D personnel with a history of addictive behavior is tasked with piecing together SCP-551. Subject acted aloof about the assignment at first, but after connecting two pieces, she seemed to become alarmingly obsessed with SCP-551. Subject stayed beside it for days, sometimes screaming about her lack of progress. After a period of four weeks, subject lost consciousness from lack of sleep, and the test was ended. One hundred and two (102) pieces of SCP-551 had been connected.
Addendum 551-3
Dr. ██████, who scored above average on a standard IQ test, expressed skepticism about SCP-551 and was approved to test it. Dr. ██████ completed all but a couple of sections, specifically the woman's facial features and [DATA EXPUNGED]. Despite this success, Dr. ██████ showed confusion over his remaining pieces and adopted a fatalist attitude toward the puzzle, finally refusing to complete it after four days.
Addendum 551-4
A computer-based approach was taken on the completion of the puzzle. The first tool used was a mechanical arm designed to take a piece and place it in the puzzle, used along with a camera and a desktop computer running an image processing algorithm. The application was tested extensively with normal puzzles; however, when tasked with completion of the puzzle, it would invariably trigger a blue screen or a kernel panic as soon as it finished scanning the piece. An embedded design approach was taken, and the computer was replaced by a microcontroller in charge of moving the piece linked to an image processing DSP; however, the value of the program counter register in all the CPUs would corrupt as soon as the DSP finished scanning the picture of the piece, and in several occasions a sudden, unexpected current peak would result in damage to the CPUs and other components. Automated solutions, therefore, had to be discarded.

« SCP-550 | SCP-551 | SCP-552 »


Item #: SCP-552
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-552 is to be contained in a room furnished as standard living quarters. All furniture is to be padded and bolted into place to prevent accidental collisions. Reading material may be provided at the subject's request, but any discussion of current events is to be censored. A screen is to play time-delayed security footage of the subject's containment facility to enable communication. The time delay should be updated once a week to keep pace with the subject's progressing condition.
SCP-552 is to be gagged and kept in full body restraints to prevent self-harm. It is not to be stored in any facility containing other SCPs or transported through any populated areas.
Description: SCP-552 is a middle-aged human male. The subject's sensory systems display an anomalous temporal distortion: it cannot perceive its surroundings as they currently are, but only as they will be in the near future. SCP-552 is otherwise physically unremarkable. The subject's physical form can be interacted with normally, but its reactions to any interaction will have already occurred. It is fully cognizant of its condition, and will sometimes attempt to time its reactions to interact normally with researchers.
The subject's temporal distortion has grown more pronounced over time. When first secured by the Foundation in 19██, it perceived events slightly under one second into the future. Within a year, the subject was noted responding to questions two seconds before they were asked. The temporal distortion has widened at an accelerating rate since then, reaching an 18-month gap after 10 years of containment.
The subject's predictive capabilities are substantial but not flawless. When a paradoxical situation is presented to SCP-552, in which researchers deliberately defy its predictions, it will experience memory loss regarding the predicted event. SCP-552 has requested the Foundation stop creating paradoxes in this manner, as they cause the subject severe migraines.
The subject's premature reactions to alarms have proven a reliable forewarning of containment breaches, enabling a heightened level of readiness and minimized loss of life.
Addendum 552-1: At 12:45 on ██/██/████, SCP-552 became extremely agitated, spending 12 minutes thrashing and shouting at Dr. ████ and "Dr. ██████", though the former was not present and no researcher by the latter name is in the Foundation's employ. During this period, it repeatedly insisted that it was fine, and to get away from it. It then collapsed, stiffened, and continued making incoherent cries. Further communication proved impossible: though analysis of the subject's physical condition revealed no changes, it remained incapable of anything more coherent than grunts and moans, and either cannot or will not move its limbs from a stiffened position. It has remained in some variation of this state ever since. Temporal distortion at the time was estimated at 4 years, 2 months, and 12 days, suggesting that the subject is experiencing an event starting on ██/██/████.
Addendum 552-2: On ██/██/████, shortly before the predicted cause of the subject's incapacitation, it unstiffened and regained mobility in its limbs for the first time in 4 years. Shortly thereafter the subject began screaming in apparent agony and frantically clawing at itself. After renewed attempts at communication proved fruitless, SCP-552 was physically restrained in a straitjacket and gag to prevent self-harm.1 Since then, SCP-552 has continued attempting to scream and scrape off its own flesh without any kind of pause, including pauses for necessary functions such as eating or sleeping.
It is believed that the subject's “stiff phase” was due to it experiencing being confined to a straitjacket 4 years before the straitjacket became necessary. It is unknown what experience is reflected by its sudden pain and impulse towards self-harm. Due to the possibility that it is reacting to a future anomalous event, possibly caused by a containment breach, it has been moved to Site 109, away from any other SCPs.
Please be very careful to keep SCP-552 alive, at least until we figure out why he's screaming. If he dies in the next 6-10 years, I don't like the implications. —Site Director Prell

Footnotes
1. The researchers present for this were, as expected, Dr. ████ and the recently hired Dr. ██████.

« SCP-551 | SCP-552 | SCP-553 »


SCP-553 feeding on a stalagmite

SCP-553 in transition to adult stage

Item #: SCP-553
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: The primary colony of SCP-553 is to be kept in the cave system they were discovered in, located in █████ ████████, China. Coordination with the Chinese Ministry of State Security has resulted in the surrounding area being declared a munitions testing range and off-limits to non-military personnel. Foundation agents have further encouraged local folklore which indicates that the cave system is inhabited by demons, in order to discourage casual exploration. A Chinese/Foundation security force is stationed on-site and will monitor the status of the colony.
125 instances of SCP-553 have been transported to Site-37 for observation and experimentation. They are kept in a 8 m by 17 m by 5 m steel-walled room whose interior replicates conditions in their originating cave system. Native cave flora and fauna are to be maintained in sufficient quantities to provide the appropriate nutritional needs of SCP-553. Multiple IR and night-vision cameras have been installed in order to provide full coverage of the interior, as well as numerous passive acoustic sensors.
Any personnel entering the chamber must only use the designated path and be wearing full body protection as laid out in Document 553-0-942-Alpha. Effective 06/01/20██, a decontamination airlock has been installed and all rooms and hallways adjoining SCP-553's chamber are to be equipped with high-strength UV lamps as well as a humidity level of 50% or less. Industrial dehumidifiers are to be on hand in the case of containment breach.
Description: SCP-553 is a colony of approximately 140,000 winged organisms superficially resembling butterflies. They possess a silicon-based biochemistry and are composed primarily of calcium and silicate compounds. The body of a member of the species is mostly calcite, with some of the internal organs composed of a material similar to quartz with piezoelectric properties. This silicate impurity adds rigidity to the creature, giving it a rating from 3.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Although they continue to grow throughout their observed lifespan, the growth rate slows considerably once they have entered their adult stage. The average observed wingspan of an adult is 2.3 cm.
The life cycle is notable in that it appears more closely related to crystal growth than standard biological growth. The creature starts out as a crystal seed, rather than an egg. Adult instances deposit them on stalactites, and they "hatch" approximately 12 days later. The larval stage appears as anthodites, and leach minerals from the stalactite using a weak acid. They move extremely slowly (approximately 5 cm per day), and leave distinctive tracks behind them as they progress. These tracks can be used to discriminate between genuine anthodites and SCP-553. The larval stage lasts approximately 70 days, at which point it becomes stationary and begins to grow its wings.1 During the transition from the larval to the adult stage, the wings of an instance of SCP-553 grow rapidly, becoming fully formed in less than 9 hours, at which point the adult will detach from the stalactite. Through an unknown process, SCP-553 maintains a relatively stable population, with eggs only being laid when an adult dies. The population transplanted to containment has stabilized at 137 +/- 2.
Members of SCP-553 primarily rely on a form of echolocation to sense their surroundings. They do this by creating a variety of ultra-high-pitched tones via scraping and striking their legs together, and appear to use their wings as a mobile array to detect reflected sound. Additionally, they appear to have a variety of chemosensors in their footpads, allowing them to determine the mineral composition of the surfaces they land on. Adult instances of SCP-553 primarily feed by scraping fungus and lichen from the cavern floor and, to a lesser extent, leaching minerals from stalagmites2 using a similar acid as used by the larval stage.
When any adult instance of SCP-553 suffers significant damage, it produces a unique sonar signature which alerts all other nearby adults to the presence of danger. Adults will swarm the perceived source of danger and proceed to attack it by attempting to slice it with their wings. The wings of SCP-553 members have an average thickness of 5 mm where they attach to the body, and taper rapidly to an average thickness of 0.05 mm with sharp, beveled edges. In testing, individual lacerations as deep as 1 cm have been measured. However, deeper lacerations usually result in some portion of the wing structure breaking off in the inflicted wound. These fragments typically continue to fracture in the wound due to mechanical stresses. The circulatory fluid of SCP-553 reacts with most carbon-based tissues in a necrotizing fashion, resulting in significant post-traumatic infections.
Incident 553-04-Gamma: On 05/21/20██, 21 instances of SCP-553 escaped their containment chamber due to an improperly sealed access door. They reacted to recapture attempts as an attack and retaliated. SCP-553 displayed a high degree of pattern recognition and target analysis and quickly focused their attacks on the exposed, fleshy parts of the containment personnel, particularly the throat and face. The 9 immediate fatalities received, on average, 10 wounds greater than 1 cm. It is currently hypothesized that these were caused by multiple slashes on the same wound site. The secondary necrotic infections caused by SCP-553 wounds resulted in a further 8 deaths. 12 instances were successfully recaptured and returned to containment and the remaining dead instances were retained for autopsy, structural analysis, and chemical analysis of their circulatory fluid.

Footnotes
1. Unlike known lepidopterae, SCP-553 does not possess a pupal stage.
2. Adults have never been observed to "feed" from stalactites. It is hypothesized that this is an adaptation to preserve food stock for the larval stage.

« SCP-552 | SCP-553 | SCP-554 »


Item #: SCP-554
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: A 100m exclusion zone should be maintained around SCP-554 with signage indicating danger of death due to electrocution. A rotating team of 3 field personnel is to be assigned the task of preventing public exposure to the object. The individual currently designated SCP-554-2 is to be held in Foundation custody at Sector-25. In the event of members of the public or Foundation personnel becoming exposed to the effects of SCP-554, the following procedures apply:

174-Macadamia: Where an individual has viewed SCP-554-1. Communication with Sector-25 should be established immediately to confirm that the individual previously designated SCP-554-2 has undergone a 554-Boojum event. Exposed individual is to be designated SCP-554-2 and conveyed to Sector-25. Containment is to be re-established and any eyewitnesses administered amnestics.

889-Almond: Where multiple individuals have viewed SCP-554-1 in a short time span. Surviving individual is to be interrogated to establish the identity, where possible, of others exposed. Failing this it will become necessary to remove SCP-554-1 and identify the corpse. Precautions must be taken to avoid accidental exposure while retrieving SCP-554-1. Corpses removed from SCP-554 are to be conveyed to Sector-25.

333-Hickory: Where Foundation agents have been exposed to SCP-554-1 in the course of their duties. Safety of uncontaminated personnel is the highest priority; where the previously exposed individual has not been identified, the exposed agent has sole responsibility for identifying SCP-554-1. Contaminated personnel are to be designated SCP-554-2 and conveyed to the Sector-25 facility; they should be kept under 24-hour surveillance by at least two staff members to delay a 554-Boojum event. Next of kin should be informed that SCP-554-2 has been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition. Video-link or in extremis personal contact with SCP-554-2 is authorised at the discretion of sector management; suitable steps should be taken to safeguard the secrecy of Sector-25.

Level 5 Access Required

Close

451-Cachichin: Where images or footage of SCP-554-1 has become public knowledge and has proven effective at transmitting the SCP-554 effect. SCP-554 is to be reclassified Keter with immediate effect. High explosives to be used to destroy SCP-554. If neutralisation efforts prove ineffective, following protocols are to be implemented in order provided below until containment is re-established.

Whitehouse Protocol: Electronic communications to be disabled worldwide to prevent transmission of SCP-554 effect. State approval is to be sought wherever possible - otherwise Foundation assets are to be directed to sabotage relevant infrastructure.
Ameles Protocol: Use of Project LETHE authorised. Contaminated objects, individuals, and electronic infrastructure are to be destroyed.
Wyndham Protocol: Orbital assets to be used to neutralise human optic nerves in area of contamination to prevent further transmission.

Description: SCP-554 is a structure located on Culver Down, Isle of Wight, England. Its date of construction and original purpose are unclear, but photographs taken from the nearby █████████ Holiday Park date its presence to the late 1970s.
The structure's exterior is composed of partially oxidised iron plates and concrete - radiography suggests its interior to consist of a large number of complex mechanical components. A rusted iron ladder permits access to the structure's roof, though as far as can be determined there is no instrumentation or access to the interior anywhere on SCP-554's exterior.
A human corpse, designated SCP-554-1, wrapped in a black plastic refuse bag, is visible in the space between the concrete beams on which SCP-554 is supported. When SCP-554-1 is viewed by a human subject, designated SCP-554-2, the previous individual to view SCP-554-1 will disappear the next time they are out of sight of any observer; this event is designated 554-Boojum.
Mechanical observation appears insufficient to prevent this effect; they will disappear between frames unless a sentient observer maintains unbroken line of sight to a live visual output of the subject. If SCP-554-1 is removed from SCP-554 and identified it will be discovered to be the corpse of the previous SCP-554-2 - the cause of death is invariably multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen and the corpse exhibits a level of decomposition consistent with remaining undiscovered for approximately 72 hours.
Individuals who undergo 554-Boojum are erased from all written and electronic records within approximately 120km; this has led to significant difficulty identifying victims of SCP-554. It is not presently believed that human memory is subject to this effect, though this cannot be ruled out: it can be established only that in some cases memories of the affected individual are not erased, as the Foundation has re-recorded the identities of numerous individuals who have been subject to 554-Boojum.
When SCP-554-1 is viewed by a human subject, activity from within SCP-554 has been detected, including mechanical noise and vibration. Markedly increased activity from SCP-554 has been noted in the case of individuals about whom a significant amount of information might be expected to be stored externally.
If SCP-554-1 is removed from SCP-554, the next time the space beneath SCP-554 is out of line of sight of any observer a new instance of SCP-554-1 will be generated. Only instances that have not yet been moved appear to spread the SCP-554 effect. Approximately 10% of all images of SCP-554-1 in situ cause the effect when viewed. Contaminated images and all footage of SCP-554-1 are to be destroyed as a matter of course.
Addendum SCP-554-01
SCP-554 has been known to the Foundation since 1981 at the latest. Due to the secondary effects of SCP-554 the recovery log initially attached to this document was lost in its entirety at some point prior to 05/07/2005, when the loss was successfully documented. Attempts to reconstruct the circumstances by which the Foundation became aware of SCP-554 via interviewing staff involved with the object at the time are ongoing; the reconstructed Recovery Log appears below. Note that to safeguard further information pertaining to SCP-554 the primary hard copy of this file is stored at Site-33 with a further copy at Site-60.
Reconstructed Recovery Log 554
Agent █████, now retired, testifies that SCP-554 was brought to the Foundation's attention in early 1979 as part of an investigation into a Jonathan, John, or Jeremy ███████, who confessed to a number of murders taking place in the 1970s on the Isle of Wight and the south coast of England. ███████ told police that he had hidden the bodies below an old 'septic tank' on the Culver Downs.
On arrival police discovered a single body, which was removed and found to be that of ███████ himself, who had apparently escaped from police custody with the destruction of all paperwork relevant to his case. Embedded Foundation assets were activated when the officer who had made the initial discovery was subsequently found murdered in the same location, preceding a string of disappearances. Professor ██████████, a field agent at the time, recalls several Foundation personnel were lost before SCP-554's properties were established and believes the identities of these individuals were redocumented in a separate file.
Note: Dr. ████████ testifies that several police officers were committed to a mental institution in southern England to prevent further investigation of SCP-554. Unfortunately he has been unable to recall the names of these officers or the institution in question. Enquiries into police officers who may have been committed in the early 1980s are ongoing. The file of Foundation personnel subject to 554-Boojum currently dates back no further than 1981.

« SCP-553 | SCP-554 | SCP-555 »