Baron11704

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Acting Researcher: Dr. Jacob Cook

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be stored in a standard containment locker at Site-36, when not being tested upon.

Description: SCP-XXXX appears to be a standard IV bag containing Sodium Thiopental (Trade Name: Penthothal), a common general anesthetic used during open surgeries. SCP-XXXX is capable of refilling itself 12 hours after initial use through unknown means. When administered, the subject falls unconscious at a rate in line with non-anomalous Sodium Thiopental. However after the effects of the anesthesia wear off, the drug appears to double as a painkiller, so long as some kind of surgery is performed, ranging from effects similar to local anesthetic in the case of a small incision, to mild feelings of pain after surgeries involving the removal of tissue.

The item was retrieved from ███████ Hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Foundation was alerted after a rumor began to spread of a self-refilling IV bag in the local medical community. Class-B Amnestics we're administered to those aware of the item. It is currently unknown how many patients we're exposed to SCP-XXXX due to the medical staff's liberal use of the item in order to somehow test its limits.

Addendum A 3/17/20██: After the third test Dr. Cook entered a panicked stated after observing the subject, claiming that the testing needed to be halted. He believed that by some means the original consciousness was removed and replaced with a replica. When asked to elaborate Dr. Cook could provide no further explanation. His objections were noted, and testing continued. The conditions of the first test were replicated with a new subject, and brain waves were measured pre, and post-op, and only a slight difference emerged in comparison of the two patterns.

Dr. Cook proposed a theory that the subjects were awakening as new people, albeit identical to themselves pre-op, with the memory's of the subject pre-op remaining intact, creating the illusion of conscious persistence. Based on this theory, it would be impossible to detect, and the subjects themselves would be entirely unaware of the fact that they're existence began after awakening from anesthesia. The decision of whether this unconventional set of circumstances, if true, would fulfill the requirement of death by the legal sentence of the D-Class subjects is pending approval from the Ethics Committee.

Addendum B 5/02/20██: After the 12th surgery Dr. Cook began expressing that his theory applied to all general anesthetics, claiming "We need to warn them, there are probably hundreds or thousands of surgeries being performed daily, and every time these people are dying and being replaced by some facsimile that believes that they are the same person". It was at this point that Dr. Cook was removed from his position as Acting Researcher, and placed under observation for possible memetic influence.

Show Interview Log, Dr. Cook. 5/04/20██ 

Interviewed: Dr. Jacob Cook

Interviewer: Researcher T██████

Foreword: Interview conducted on 5/04/20██, to determine if Dr. Cook is subject to a memetic effect from SCP-XXXX

<Begin Log, 13:02:00, 5/04/20██>
Dr. Cook is brought into the room.

Dr. Cook: Please! We must warn them! This is GENOCIDE of an unprecedented scale, and they don't even realize it!

Researcher T██████: Please Dr. Cook, calm down, I just want to ask you some questions.

Dr. Cook: I can't just calm down. Let me ask you, have you ever been under the knife? If you have you could be a consciousness living in somebody else's skin, and you may not even realize it!

Researcher T██████: Has anyone else on the team expressed any similar concerns to your knowledge?

Dr. Cook: I- sigh No, not that I know of

Researcher T██████: Were you always the one performing the surgeries?

Dr. Cook: Look, it doesn't matter who's performing the surgery, it doesn't change the fact that these people are dying! They're simply ceasing to be, they count down from 10, and then they disappear right before our very eyes, only to awaken as someone else.

Researcher T██████: Answer the question Jacob.

Dr. Cook: Alright, yes, I was the only one actually performing the surgeries. The rest were just nurses and researchers. I fail to see how this changes anything!
Researcher T██████: How early did you first have these suspicions?

Dr. Cook: It was after the first surgery. It's the first time I've really had to pay attention to the patients after they've come out of surgery. I should've been paying more attention, in the medical wards, D-Class just come in and out, its hard to even keep track of them all. When I first noticed something was off, I held my tongue thinking I was just imagining it.
Researcher T██████: Alright Dr. Cook, that's all for now, you may return to your quarters
At this point Researcher T██████ nods to the guard, and he escorts Dr. Cook back to his quarters.
<End Log, 5/04/20██>

Closing Statement: Based on Dr. Cook's responses, its possible that only someone with substantial medical knowledge, or possibly only the one directly performing the surgeries is affected. It also seems that contact with the patient post-op acts as a form of trigger, as no doctors from ███████ Hospital were affected.

Addendum C 5/07/20██: During a minor containment breach, the guard stationed outside Dr. Cook's door moved away to assist, at which point Dr. Cook broke into the containment locker containing SCP-XXXX, and administered the drug to himself. Based on the A/V setup's recording of the storage room, Dr. Cook perceived this as a fitting suicide. He was discovered after 5 minutes, and had not been administered a lethal dose, however it is unclear whether this was intentional. Upon awakening Dr. Cook appeared to be "Cured" of his paranoia claiming "Well I suppose I was wrong, I'm still here aren't I?". He refused to comment further and requested reassignment after a full psychological workup. Testing has been discontinued on SCP-XXXX due to dangers of its possible memetic effects affecting other researchers.