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THE FOLLOWING FILES HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED
TOP SECRET
BY ORDER OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
WARNING:
ANY NON-AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ACCESSING THIS FILE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED THROUGH
BERRYMAN-LANGFORD
MEMETIC KILL AGENT. SCROLLING DOWN WITHOUT PROPER MEMETIC INOCULATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE CARDIAC ARREST FOLLOWED BY DEATH.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
MEMETIC KILL AGENT ACTIVATED
CONTINUED LIFE SIGNS CONFIRMED
REMOVING SAFETY INTERLOCKS
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INPUT LEVEL 5 PRIMARY SECURITY CREDENTIALS
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Command:\users\O501>_ 5153426-the name of blasphemy-128498
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AUTHORIZATION GRANTED. PRIMARY MEMETIC KILL AGENTS DISENGAGED. GOOD MORNING, O5-06
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WARNING: PARTS OF THIS FILE HAVE BEEN LOCKED.
ADDITIONAL LEVEL 5 CLEARANCES REQUIRED TO UNLOCK.
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.Item #: SCP-978Object Class: EuclidSite and Personnel Requirements:
Under special order of O5-█, the following addendum is attached to the beginning of the file for SCP-978.All personnel assigned to SCP-978 must rotate out for one month of psychological counseling after two months on-site. SCP-978 is to be kept at an undisclosed location. All personnel assigned to SCP-978 will be transported there blindfolded from Site-19 by a route including no fewer than seven different forms of transportation. Removal of the blindfold during the transport process is grounds for immediate termination.Special Containment Procedures: SCP-978 is to be contained within a soundproof holding cell, triple airlocked to avoid escape, in Site 3. Cameras will monitor the cell at all times, and must be manned 24 hours a day. Site 3 is
to be equipped with three failsafe nuclear warheads which shall be detonated should ever SCP-978 breach containment. Access to SCP-978
for experimentation requires level
5 clearance and written approval following a thorough psychiatric profile. Personnel assigned to SCP-978 must undergo heavy psychological testing before being cleared to enter the site. Individuals must be unmarried, have no offspring, have no prior religious inclinations, and express nothing less than their absolute loyalty to the Foundation.Once a month, the
containment cell is to be cleaned and checked for defects.
Under
no circumstance will access be granted to personnel with
offspring or other relatives under the age of 21. Any who do encounter SCP-978
are to be held under Class 3 detention for interviewing before termination.SCP-978 has requested:
A bed (Denied)
A blanket (Denied)
Several Sarkic texts (Denied)
Discovery MindBlown Model Motor Engine Kit (Denied)
A copy of the
Clavicula Salomonis Regis
(Denied)
A copy of the
Book of Soyga
(Denied)
Goat's blood (Denied)
A specimen of Micromelo undatus (Denied)
The original Grand Grimoire
(Denied)
A Rubix cube (pending)
What is with this child and
magical texts?
-Dr. ████I don't really know, and frankly, I don't want to either. Ever.
- Dr. █████████As of incident 978-34b, anyone who has potential access to SCP-978 is required to first watch Surveillance Tape 978-Kovačvá, as a reminder of threats involved when working with SCP items and SCP-978 in particular.Description: SCP-978
appears to be a ███████ male, between █ and ██ years of age, with [DATA EXPUNGED]. The exact nature of SCP-978
is not yet known. The subject was recovered from an industrial warehouse in
████████████, ████, although the accent when speaking has been noted to be of
[REDACTED]. Whether or not this is SCP-978's true form or a disguise is still under investigation. The subject is fully sentient and capable of speech, as well as interaction with physical objects. Subject appears to be in prime health, despite several claims of fever or stomach aches.
SCP-978 is self-sustaining, therefore requiring no feeding or hydration of any sort.SCP-978
was classified as anomalous following Incident 01. Details of the Incident are under investigation by the O5 Council.Those who come within the presence of SCP-978
find themselves pliant to its will, aftet which it will monopolize their attention.
Researches with children or relatives under the age of 21 people become willing,
even amongst each other, to kill or even die for SCP-978.
Only one subject, is known to have survived such a battle and is currently subject to psychological evaluation by Dr. ██████. Prior subjects reported an "overwhelming feeling of need" to care for the specimen and, in every recorded case, take it into their home.Subjects and their immediate relatives begin to show signs of euphoria and mania. Behavioral problems soon escalate to violence and religious mania presents itself. Subjects separated from SCP-978 have presented violent behavior or become near catatonic, demanding through various means to be reunited with SCP-978 immediately.Due to the lack of information about all of SCP-978's anomalous behaviors, investigation has been delegated as follows:
05-1, 05-3, 05-5, 05-12
Identification of SCP-978's origin
05-8, 05-9, 05-4, 05-11,
05-12
Amalgamation of investigation results
05-7, 05-6, 05-13, 05-10
Identification of SCP-978's anomalous properties
Request 1967-1: Dr. ██ has requested access to SCP-978 vivisection. Request denied at the time, pending completion of less invasive physiological analysis on specimen.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire
Queens of the Stone Age
3:12
Do you ever just see something so beautiful, a sight so one-of-a-kind and world shaking, that you can't help but think “I could die here”?
The average American male has a lifespan of 78.69 years; that's 2.7 less than the UK, and 3.6 less than Canada. I know this, because I read it in the New York Times one day. In those 78.69 years, we pass through hundreds, maybe thousands of beautiful, breathtaking places, of moments where we feel infinite, powerful, fantastic. Your first concert, your first time in a roller coaster; seeing your child be born and holding them in your arms, going on your very last pub crawl before adult life fully sets in. All dizzying, all full of their own brand of serotonin highs. But only one of them, only one, we could die in. Just die in perfect happiness and regret nothing, with the lights painting us all sorts of hues and the world spinning on its axis as the color leaves our eyes.
That wasn't Wyoming for me. Not one fucking bit. If I had to see one more mule deer or pass by another pine tree, I’d scream.
But it was either that, or moving to some small, unknown town in the most northern part of Alaska, and I sure as hell didn't want to spend my days in freezing my dick off in Artic Fish Village, population 4.5, so Cowboy State it was. I mean, be honest, who even thinks of Wyoming when they think about the United States? That’s right, no one. And if you say you do, you're a shit liar.
But I wanted to make Wyoming that. I wanted to forget New York. I wanted to make my new home the place where I could be happy in. I wanted to one day take a look at the colorful sunset over the pine trees, when the sky is perfect, and think “this is it, where I can die”.Course by the time I almost managed that, the end of world came unannounced. Fucking rude, am I right? I didn‘t even finish my food. But whatever, I'm going to die soon. Hell, we're all gonna die soon. It's not the time to mope. And if I'm really going to die, it sure as hell won't be on my ass, drinking warm beer, under the shade of the fucking pine trees, in fucking Wyoming, of all places.There was only one place in Wyoming that made good surf and turf burgers, and it was all the way in Cheyenne, nearly 7 hours away from Alfred's daily comune from the place he called home, to work and back. He'd made himself a promise the very day he set foot in Wyoming, to not stray farther than Alcova unless absolutely necessary, but the burger place — creatively named Surf 'n Turf — called him.Plus, the cook, this sweet guy who always gave the food this touch that made it stand out from anything else he'd eaten, was soft on Alfred, and always made sure to give him oscypek and cranberries to take, which were absolutely worth breaking his diet du jour for. So every three weeks, switching between Tuesdays and Thursdays, he made the time to take the drive after work, half-empty Coke in hand and a six pack more on the passenger's seat of his Ford Mondeo, windows down to make up for the shitty AC, KARS-FM playing Queens of the Stone Age's best hits, trying to ignore the soul-crushing boredom and still remaining paranoia he felt every day since he moved.“Shrunken head I love to ado-o-o-o-ore. B-movie, gimme some gore.” Alfred slipped on a pair of black sunglasses to combat the bright sun. He knew he sounded like a dying walrus, belting out the song but failing to match the tune. “Gimme toro, gimme some more. Duh duh duh, pow pow, yeah!”He banged the steering wheel along to the beat. The road was empty save for him, so Alfred didn't mind if his car whizzed side to side once in a while. It was a perfect sunshiney kind of day, with everything turned mellow shades of yellow and orange. Even his own hair was being turned in the light. Alfred sneaked a glance at himself in the rearview mirror.He looked so different from the man he'd been before. Alfred had gone for ‘forgettable’ when he'd left, someone indistinguishable in a crowd — square glasses traded for larger, rounder ones that slipped down the bridge of his pointed nose; freckles and sunspots paled by his lack of time spent outside, until they were almost invisible. Tired eyes. His newer, slightly longer hairstyle favored him, or at least he thought it did, but the summer blonde roots were beginning to come out, contrasting against the darker, almost brown, dye. In this light, he looked so painfully much like —“Mattie?”Mattie was in the backseat, filing the few nails that remained on his left hand, sitting as comfortably as his broken pelvis would allow him. The shattered bones of his wrist broke through the flaps of skin. His good eye — which had once been that shade of hazel that changed with the mood or season or light, but was now a filmy gray — looked at Alfred through stringy dark blonde waves. The cracked, purplish lips trembled as they opened. The rearview mirror distorts him, Alfred told himself, he never looked like a fucked up monster, even if you teased him about it.He felt his sweaty palms slip against the steering wheel, body moving without him meaning to, reaching for his brother. The entire stretch of road, empty save for, without a single other traveler to stop him from driving recklessly, disappeared. Mattie cocked a partially singed brow. Some strange fluid, dark and watery, poured from his mouth.“Swerve,” he said in a perfect voice, like his throat hasn't been torn to shreds by shrapnel. The water pouring from his mouth didn't garble his words in the least. Then, when Alfred still continued to gawk, he screamed with a voice that seemed to come not from the body but from the radio, of all things, “Swerve you fucking idiot!”Alfred snapped back to reality. Without looking he knew, felt it even, that something, indiscernible under the sun, was standing in the middle of the road.He turned around and swerved just in time, forehead smacking the steering wheel as he all but crashed on a pine tree. There was a sound like several things breaking, and he could only hope it was his skeleton and not the car. Alfred groaned and rubbed his forehead, fingers coming to his face with the tips stained red and bloody.“At least the fucking trees served for something for once. Shit, Mattie couldn't you warn me before?” But when he looked back Mattie was already gone. Not even the stain was there. “Typical. Thanks anyway, for… letting me crash.”Thankfully the car still worked. Alfred reversed easily, adjusting his seat belt so it would ease away from the nasty burn his collarbone had, and went back to the road.It was behind him now. He wanted to believe the thing had run when Alfred almost hit it. Better yet, that it had all been a product of of his imagination and the raging sun. Instead they — the shape was very clearly humanoid, though all its features were obscured — were now facing his trunk, their position eerily resembling those paper chains in the shape of people he used to make in first grade. Alfred leaned back, bracing himself on the other seat, ready to hit reverse and run them over if another one popped up and grabbed its hand. He wanted a gun, anything that could work as a weapon.The radio turned to static. “Al… Al… fred… Al… lis… ten.”The thing opened its mouth, which parted into an impossibly wide grin. Alfred knew that because he could see the marble white teeth reflect the light, the only noticeable trait in an otherwise entirely black shape. A tiny hand raised up and waved at him. Another shadow joined him, this one taller, its form familiar. It waved as well.Then Alfred blinked, and the things were gone.Nothing happened for a moment. Alfred felt bile rise in his throat. Where the thing had stood was now a scrap of something, and his instincts fought between going out and investigating and getting the hell out of there. You're dreaming, Wyoming is getting to you. Mattie, that thing, they're all nightmares. The heat, the trees, the lack of sleep, you're just imagining things. Yet he couldn't move, couldn't turn from that spot.The radio host’s annoying screaming broke him from his reverie. “And that was Millionaire by Queens of the Stone Age. Stick around for the next song and maybe you can win the chance to see tribute band SICK SICK SICK live this week!”Alfred's stomach growled in protest, reminding him of his true mission. “Fuck this. I need some food.”Surf 'n Turf was already full with its usual clientele — wayward tourists going to better places, hungry locals and the occasional gaggle of students who had nowhere better to be on a school night. The place was the same as it was everyday too, brightly colored and with fairy lights and flowers strung all over the place, more Miami than SoCal. A straw blonde head peeked out from the kitchen at his arrival.Like Alfred, Feliks felt misplaced, although his feeling was due to the latter being a Polish emigre. Alfred always said he'd fit more in with the folks at Brooklyn than he ever would in sleepy Wyoming, what with his exuberant personality. Feliks at least liked the place, where Alfred couldn't be bothered to care, yet both were joined by the feeling of utter boredom the city gave them, and he wasn't ashamed in saying Feliks was his only friend in the entire state. He was clever, and sweet, able to win everyone over with his smile and singing and his breath always smelling like that fruity dessert he loved; was it kissel or kisiel?Alfred tipped his glasses in greeting, Feliks already running to meet him at the counter, offering him something to taste.“Open up,” he sang, and unceremoniously shoved a plastic spoonful of something clear as river water far inside Alfred's mouth. “Come on mój żabko , I've seen you put bigger things in your mouth and not gag.”A nearby family gasped at Feliks and Alfred offered them a pacifying look as he swallowed the offered treat. It was sweet, viscous, with a strange, familiar taste.“Ack, hey! I… oh, that tastes really good. Wow.”“Miód,” Feliks’ eyes were sparkling, as if he'd had a great a great secret he'd just shared with Alfred. Even without his rudimentary knowledge in Polish he knew it was honey. “Orange blossom. Great isn't it? I just loved the flavor. I'd only eaten alfalfa and sweet clover honey before, but I think this one is my favorite. I've been using it to give the bacon a new — Are you alright? You look pale, and your forehead…”Alfred blinked a few times. He was usually more attentive to Feliks talking, but he was still out of sorts after the whole incident. “Yeah I'm good, nothing serious, don't go calling the ambulances. Just crashed on the way here. Had to avoid a… stray dog. Big, big stray. Like, husky-pitbull-something mix stray. Huge.”His nervous laughter made clear how much of a bad liar he was, but Feliks only granted him a sympathetic smile and touched his forehead, muttering something in Polish. “Put some Amol on that.”“You say that for everything that happens.” It was better than an interrogation though. Alfred fished his wallet and phone — a burner, of course — out. “It's not that bad.”Feliks was already getting Alfred's order. “If you didn't get hurt so much then I wouldn't say it. You're making me turn into my grandmother. I'm gonna have to call Babcia on you and ask her to straighten you up.”The bag of takeaway smelled delicious. Alfred's mouth watered. One of the perks of always eating there was that Feliks knew his order and arriving time. No reason to wait.“Now eat all of that. You already look like you're going to have a breakdown, I don't want you passing out.”“I am not —” Feliks gave him an incredulous look. You don't have to tell me, it said, but don't think I'm stupid. Once more Alfred was sure that Feliks was a genius, or a mindreader. “Thanks. You're the best Fee.”“Don't call me that. Oh, and have a jar of honey too. I got an extra shipment of it and I don't know what to do with half of it.” Feliks thumbed at the dried blood crusted on Alfred's forehead. “Be careful, Matthew.”The mention of his brother's name — the name he'd been using all these months — felt like a sobering punch to the gut. Something thick and heavy formed in Alfred's throat, and he painfully swallowed it down. From behind Feliks was the reflective surface of a window, and there, his reflection mocked him: a cheap imitation of the real Mattie.“Right uh, I will. Thanks man. You're the best.”“I know I am. You,” he yelled at some hapless teen, “take this with him.”One of the part time workers helped Alfred on his way out. The kid, with dyed green hair and a myriad of buttons pinned on their shirt, winced when she saw his car. “Shit man.”“Yeah, I know. Thanks kid.”“No problem. And don't forget the honey.” The girl admired the orange label on the jar. “I've never been to California before. You think it's really all it's cracked up to be?”Alfred grabbed the jar and weighed it. The label showed a meadow of orange trees in bloom, vintage bees zipping around the cursive loop of letters. It was a fairytale kind of picture, perfect and pristine. Alfred remembered his last time in Mill Valley, when the oranges had been in perfect bloom. A bee had stung Mattie's palm and turned it red and swollen like a berry, and they both had laughed, voices drowned out by gunshots.“Nah. Trust me. It's not that great. You're much better out here.”By the time he was almost home, the sun was nearly down. Alfred munched on his burger with gusto, fingers drumming to the music. He reached to the backseat, never taking his eyes off the road.“Want a bite, Mattie?” Not a sound. Alfred shrugged and took another bite. “More for me.”“Congratulations, Alfred Winnifred, for being the winner of contest,” came the crackly voice from the radio. “Stay on the line for your prize, and in the meantime listeners, here's A Song for the Dead… It's late enough to go driving and see what's mine. Life's the study of dying, how to do it right .”One of the cars that passed Alfred turned the headlights at full beam, turning the windshield into a mirror. The Alfred in the reflection glared at him, no longer a copy of Mattie but his own tired self: bags under his eyes, mouth stained with ketchup, hair a mousy, badly-dyed brown, and gaze dulled with boredom.“I fucking hate Queens of the Stone Age,” he said, and opened the window, launching the honey out, it's jar shattering into a million tiny pieces against the road.