STRANGE DAYS
Chapter 261
See first chapter for disclaimers.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.
Worm & Rising of the Shield Hero
And now
SCP Foundation Mythos And…?
SCP-001
Item #: SCP-001
Object Class: Keter
Containment protocols: Due to the nature of this anomaly, containment is not currently possible. Discrete monitoring of SCP-001 is the only option available, and is to be initiated whenever possible and maintained as consistently as possible in hope of gathering the data necessary to devise appropriate countermeasures and/or containment procedures. The protocols in place for monitoring of SCP-001 are lengthy and must be followed to the letter to avoid incidents that could compromise the safety of Foundation personnel or the security of the Foundation itself. Procedures are contained in attached document SCP-001-OBS.
Description: SCP-001, a known and proven source of many other SCP objects, is the collective designation for an anomalous offshoot of homo sapiens. Careful studies of this subspecies have revealed much about them, but extreme caution is called for, given the anomalous traits and abilities that individual instances, designated SCP-001-A, have been shown to possess.
The numbers of SCP-001 are relatively small, less than one percent of any given nation's population, but they are found in almost every country. Observation, let alone an exact count, of them has proven tricky, as SCP-001 has been discovered to be extremely reclusive and xenophobic. They do not participate in national census, so exact numbers are impossible to determine. The xenophobic tendencies may not hold true of all instances of SCP-001-A, but investigative efforts beyond observation and the collection of related anomalous objects requires the approval of at least three level four researchers, owing to the risks of interacting with the SCP-001.
SCP-001 seems to consist of a number of individual communities within different nations and have shown a loose affiliation. There is evidence of national governments and some degree of international cooperation between such governments, but data, at this point, is limited. It is believed that most forms of 'official' communication involve an anomalous means that is not yet understood, and thus, cannot be tapped. Data on known forms of communication are currently restricted to researchers and security personnel, level three and above.
Instances of SCP-001-A are physically indistinguishable from homo sapiens, allowing them to blend with the non-anomalous population at will, but most of them seem to have a limited understanding of our culture due to the isolationist policies of their various governments. This leads individual instances of SCP-001-A to give themselves away in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, unusual forms of dress such as outdated fashions (80 years out of fashion), crossdressing, or the wearing of climate-inappropriate clothing. Subjects may also demonstrate an inability to properly use even the simplest electronic devices correctly, and have little to no understanding of social conventions and pop culture.
What little is known of their culture indicates that they tend to ape the governments of the nations in which they live, but their laws and cultural understanding are extremely behind the times. Agents have uncovered indications of rampant corruption in various governments being studied, as well as a strict class system in many nations that is based, at least partially, on the strength of an individual instance's anomalous abilities. It should be noted that the Foundation's understanding of SCP-001's culture is incomplete, at best, however, agents have uncovered enough verifiable information to confirm that they have enslaved at least one other anomalous species, and discriminates harshly against others. This state of affairs may benefit the Foundation and mainstream humanity, should conflict arise. SCP-001's collective xenophobia and paranoia regarding discovery can best be demonstrated through incident SCP-001-51. See the addendum below.
A number of anomalous objects directly related to SCP-001 and instances of SCP-001-A have been collected and catalogued by the Foundation over the years. A partial list is given below. See file indexes for a full list.
SCP-001-B: Anomalous objects, foci.
Instances of this anomalous object take several forms, depending, apparently, on the nation and culture of origin. Each seems to serve as a focus for the anomalous abilities of SCP-001-A instances. While capable of using their abilities without such a focus, it is considerably easier for 001-A instances to achieve desired effects with a proper focus. These objects demonstrate no anomalous abilities when separate from 001-A instances. See index B for a complete list. Collected examples of foci include:
1. Straight pieced of wood ranging between 15cm and 25cm in length. Each piece seems to be made from a single piece of wood and have been formed around a length of some other material. The 'cores', as they are called by 001-A instances, have been found to contain bird feathers, fur, and tendons from unidentified animals, combinations of different minerals, or various types of plant matter unrelated to the outer casing. Genetic testing of organic materials is ongoing.
2. Staffs that typically range from one to two meters in length. These also contain cores of types similar to the smaller foci.
3. Pendants/rings: Jewels that have been carefully carved or otherwise shaped in specific ways that facilitate the flow of some form of energy that is still being studied, apparently make excellent foci, but they are not as popular as the other types, perhaps owing to the expense of the materials used.
SCP-001-C: Anomalous objects, clothing.
This category contains articles of clothing ranging from hats to shoes to undergarments that display anomalous properties running the gamut from useful to deliberately harmful. These properties include, but are not limited to; rendering a wearer invisible, creating moderately effective defensive fields, masking the footfalls of wearers, altering one's appearance via illusion, constricting on the wearer in awkward and painful ways, biting the wearer, and others. Index C contains a comprehensive list.
SCP-001-D: Anomalous objects, printing/artwork.
This category contains newspapers, books, photographs, and paintings retrieved after various incidents involving SCP-001. See index D for a complete list.
1. Newspapers and magazines from various communities have been retrieved after instances of SCP-001-A were observed reading in public and then discarding them afterwards. The paper used for these anomalous items is non-anomalous and the ink exhibits no special properties in laboratory testing. Nevertheless, the headlines of the various articles are the only printing that is legible. When researchers attempt to read the actual articles, the words blur and become impossible to focus on. The headlines blur to a degree, but remain legible, and offer some indication of events taking place inside the communities to which the instances of SCP-001-A belong. The blurring of the actual text of the articles is hypothesized by researchers to be a security measure to keep ordinary humans from reading them. Attempts to photograph or digitally scan the pages of the various periodicals have met with mixed results. Full details are restricted to personnel with level three clearance or above. Foundation operatives observing SCP-001 communities have been instructed to be on the lookout for opportunities to obtain similar objects for study. See index E for a complete list.
2. Books on various subjects have been retrieved over the years, some of which do not have the same blurring effect observed in the newspapers referenced above. The books are on a variety of subjects and offer some insight into the history and culture of SCP-001. These books include; children's stories, recipe books, children's school books, and general fiction. The picture gained of their culture is incomplete at best.
Warning: Some books have proven to be dangerous. Some tomes retrieved have had extremely dangerous defensive measures applied to them. Incidents involving these books have led to the deaths of several Foundation personnel. Observed safeguards have included cognito-hazardous effects such as blinding the person attempting to read them, but some have killed researchers without a trace as to how it was accomplished. The most dangerous 'security measure' started an anomalous fire that resulted in a flashover, killing everyone in the immediate area and causing an incidental containment breach, leading to the deaths of a total of 22 Foundation personnel. It should be noted that the conditions normally necessary for a flashover did not exist, and objects that are not normally flammable are shown on video as burning as readily as gasoline-soaked paper. Extreme caution should be used in examining any new SCP objects of this type. See index F for a complete list.
3. Photographs have been shown to have a distinctive anomalous property. The subjects in the photos move. Trees have been seen swaying in the breeze. People and animals photographed go through a set of actions, as on a video clip, and then reset and repeat. This effect does not seem to fade over time, as photographs that are upwards of a decade old still exhibit this property. The subjects appear to have a limited response to physical stimuli, as they have been seen to move to avoid fingers or other objects poking the photographs. If left alone, they quickly return to their former, preset activities. See index G for a complete list.
4. Paintings containing people have demonstrated the ability to not only move but for the subjects of the artwork to speak and even converse intelligently. They can manipulate objects in the paintings freely. Interviews with the subjects of these paintings have had mixed results, however, all of them cease communicating after a time, regardless of what stimuli are applied. The deciding factor seems to be when the subject in the painting determines that the researchers are not instances of SCP-001-A. Further communication can sometimes be induced through trickery or threats or actual damage to the paintings, but the results have been mixed. Some information has been forthcoming after the subjects determine that researchers are not instances of 001-A, but any information gained after this point is to be regarded as suspect. See index G for a complete list.
SCP-001-E: Anomalous objects, miscellaneous.
This is by far the largest category. It consists of everyday objects that have been deliberately altered by anomalous means, often as a means to embarrass, harm, or even kill normal human civilians. Such items are collected as a matter of course and amnesthics are administered as necessary.
Objects in this category include, but are by no means limited to; doorknobs that bite the hand of those trying to turn them, random objects that teleport persons touching them to different locations, non-flammable objects that burst into violent conflagrations when handled, and previously non-anomalous books and papers that inflict papercuts whenever they are touched.
Most of the objects in this category have been shown to inflict deliberate harm to those attempting to use them. They are often secreted in public buildings or private homes for unwary humans to find. Sometimes the effects these objects have are little more than pranks, but others have deadly consequences. Caution should be used in collecting any objects known or suspected to have a connection to SCP-001. See index H for a complete list.
SCP-001-F: Anomalous abilities.
The specific anomalous abilities of SCP-001-A instances are many and varied, and study is ongoing. The list below and the attached index are not comprehensive. The partial list below should be taken as evidence of precisely how dangerous this particular anomaly is. See index I for the current list.
1. Flight. Instances of 001-A have been witnessed flying, riding on a variety of objects or unassisted in rare cases. While some of these objects used in this manner have been contained, they exhibit no anomalous properties once separated from a 001-A instance, leading researchers to believe that they require power provided by an instance of 001-A.
2. Levitation. Instances of 001-A have been shown to be able to move extremely large, heavy objects with no visible means of support and little to no strain on the part of the instance performing the action. No testing has been possible to determine weight or time restrictions.
3. Teleportation. Instances of 001-A have been witnessed disappearing and reappearing at will. It is unknown if there are limits to the distances they can travel in one 'jump' or if there is a limit to the number of jumps possible in a given time-frame.
4. Transmutation/transfiguration. Instances of 001-A have been observed altering both the state of matter and its shape. This includes both living and nonliving targets, leading Foundation researchers to believe that changes can happen at the atomic as well as the molecular level. This can be used to make a variety of objects, and has been shown to be used by some instances of 001-A as a devastating weapon. Index D contains references to video files that require level three clearance or above to view.
5. Mind/body control. Instances of 001-A have been observed controlling others actions, although, it is unclear whether the victims' minds or merely their bodies are affected. Both are possibilities given the behavior of victims. In some instances, victims have been observed pleading even as they perform dangerous or even self-destructive actions. At other times, their faces are blank and no protestations are made, regardless of what the victim is being made to do. This may be an indication of mental disorders such as sociopathy among some instances of 001-A. Study of former victims, living and deceased, is ongoing. So far, no mechanism has been found for this control.
5. Memory removal and alteration. Observation of subjects has showed that they have the ability to erase and alter memories, and it is hypothesized that this is SCP-001's primary means of maintaining secrecy. This is best indicated through footage of incident SCP-001-51. For obvious reasons, the means and limits of this ability has not been tested.
SCP-001-G: Anomalous physiology.
A number of corpses of SCP-001-A have been gathered over the years in various states of decay. Regardless of freshness, no anomalous traits have been found in the bodies' physiology, however, genetic testing reveals that many have non-human ancestry. This may indicate that interbreeding with unknown anomalous species was, or possibly is, common. Research is ongoing. See index J for reference to specific reports on tests run.
Addendum: Incident 001-51.
Incident 001-51 was video-taped in a city park in an undisclosed city during surveillance of an area previously noted for anomalous activity. The footage begins with an elderly man dressed in red house-slippers, gray sweatpants, and a woman's blouse, periwinkle, reading a newspaper on a park bench.
The headlines of the paper are not fully visible, but seem to involve some sort of scandal involving either a war hero or local celebrity of some sort. The family name of the individual was noted, but it is too common to be a viable avenue of research. The picture, like many other recovered photographs, is moving and appears to show a teenage boy with round glasses and messy dark hair scowling at the camera and attempting to move away from the photographer. It is unclear whether this is the subject of the headlines, a relative, or an acquaintance.
Civilians can be seen at a distance from the instance of SCP-001-A either whispering to each other or outright pointing and laughing. The instance of 001-A seems either unaware of or unconcerned by their presence and behavior.
Three minutes into the video, five men in red robes appear out of nowhere via teleportation. Two of them take the man into custody, removing evidence of any anomalous activity. The others are shown rounding up the civilian witnesses and threatening them with their foci to gather them into a group. Another figure in robes approaches and gestures in a complex way with his own foci.
The witnesses immediately become compliant, taking on a dazed appearance. The instance that performed this action speaks briefly to the group and then all instances of 001-A depart via teleportation. The witnesses stand motionless for a moment and then look around, seeming to be confused before wandering off. These witnesses were later interviewed by Foundation personnel posing as local law enforcement on the pretext of having possibly witnessed criminal activity in the park. They were shown to have no knowledge of anything unusual happening in the park that day. They were released without incident. Amnesthics were not deemed to be necessary.
ADDENDUM:
A proposal submitted by Dr. Thorpe, a level three researcher at a Foundation facility in Germany and agreed to by three level four researchers, was put into action on a classified date. The attempt to capture and study an instance of SCP-001-A at a disposable site established using proxies, ended badly, although the details are classified. Any further such attempts require the approval of the 05 council.