Swordsrus

Item#: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be stored in Vault-22 of Site 87. Knowledge of SCP-XXXX is to be restricted to Level 3 and higher personnel. Personnel are not to be given access to SCP-XXXX before undergoing Rezek/Somme-3 Memetic Immunity Training.

Subjects affected by SCP-XXXX are to be quarantined in humanoid containment cells made to resemble early 1900s prison cells and interrogated for information regarding SCP-XXXX-A. They are to be told they have been rescued by a resistance cell in Switzerland, and are being held indefinitely until news of their disappearance dies down and search parties are called off. Individuals without Rezek/Somme-3 Memetic Immunity Training are not to interact with affected subjects.

Description: SCP-XXXX is a collection of 22 items which all date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The complete list of items is as follows:

• 8 Gewehr 98 rifles.
• 5 Reichsrevolver M1879 revolvers.
• 2 rifles of unknown make which resemble the American made Springfield 1903
• 1 tank of unknown make which resembles the British Mark V.
• 6 pieces of paper, all of which have writings on them.

Dating of these items confirms they were all created between 1879 and 1919. All of the weapons function correctly when loaded with ammunition, though the tank’s engine was removed an unknown amount of time before it was acquired by the Foundation.

If any of the writings are read by an uninoculated subject, the subject enters a state of extreme psychosis, causing them to believe in an alternate history, a phenomenon known as SCP-XXXX-A. This history depicts an alternate version of World War One in which the Allied Powers won a decisive victory through the use of various anomalous technology supplied by an alternate Foundation and various alternate Groups of Interest. This led to the annexation of much of the former German and Austro-Hungarian Empires by France and the United Kingdom, the full extent of which has not been fully mapped. The status of other major powers in the First World War, such as the United States, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, is currently unknown. The memory of subjects affected by SCP-XXXX never extends past 1919.

If a subject’s psychosis is challenged with evidence that the world does not conform to their belief in SCP-XXXX-A, they will become agitated, lashing out in an attempt to destroy anything which challenges their worldview. After they succeed in removing evidence or are restrained, they will fall unconscious for a period between 10 and 12 hours. Once they reawake, they will have no memory of the incident, and will continue believing SCP-XXXX-A to be the reality in which they exist. Repeated exposure to evidence against the existence of SCP-XXXX-A has proved ineffectual in permanently breaking the psychosis.

It is unclear if SCP-XXXX-A is an actual alternate reality, or a fiction created by an unknown party and applied as a memetic effect to the writings. A methodology has not been developed to test either theory.

THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS CONSTITUTE A 3/REZEK LEVEL MEMETIC HAZARD. DO NOT VIEW THE DOCUMENTS UNLESS YOU HAVE UP TO DATE REZEK/SOMME-3 MEMETIC IMMUNITY TRAINING. IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO THE DOCUMENTS WITHOUT THE PROPER TRAINING, ALERT THE MEMETIC CONTAINMENT DIVISION OF SITE 87 IMMEDIATELY.

Translated from the original German.

Claudia,

The fighting is still hard here. The English don’t let up. More appear in their trenches every day. They must be packed into transport ships shoulder to shoulder; we can hardly make a dent in these numbers, and their soldiers are tough enough already. I know you have been asking for details, so do not blame me if the following upsets you.

During the last charge, I saw a British soldier take half a belt from a machine gun to his midsection. His bowels were splattered behind him across No Man’s Land, but he merely slowed. It was only a bayonet strike from one of my fellow infantrymen under the chin that did him in. All of the British soldiers possess this unearthly power, and I’ve heard similar tales of the Russians and the French. It seems they are possessed with some great vitality, which allows them to kill a dozen of our own before we can bring one of theirs down.

I do not wish to worry you, but I fear this war is already over. There are rumors the Americans are preparing to join, possessing further enhancements. If such things are true, it will spell death for each and every Austrian soldier. I pray for the war’s end before then, whatever the outcome. I hope this letter reaches you safely.

Yours,
Jannik

VIA BOSTON
FROM WASHINGTON D.C. SEP 9TH. 1917

MRS. VERONICA CONWAY

DEEPLY REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT PRIVATE THOMAS RICHARD HARDY INFANTRY IS OFFICIALLY REPORTED AS KILLED IN ACTION JUNE EIGHTH. HE KILLED 32 GERMANS, 8 ON HIS FINAL DAY, AND IS REPORTED TO HAVE LAUGHED AS HE CRUSHED AN ENEMY’S SKULL EVEN AS SMALL ARMS FIRE PUNCTURED HIS LUNGS. WE HOPE THIS BRINGS SOME SMALL COMFORT IN THESE TRYING TIMES.

COLONEL TERRY KIRKLAND

Item#: DCS-XXXX

Object Class: Combat Enhancer

Development: DCS-XXXX was discovered by Commander ███████ in 18██. The substance in its raw form was contaminating the northern drainage basin of the Amazon River. Commander ███████ described it as “viscous, with a consistency like thick mud and a grey coloration. Warm to the touch even after extended storage in a refrigerated environment.” The substance’s origin is still unknown at this time. Its unprocessed form, when consumed by a living being, causes increased aggression and survivability, though subjects invariably die within 48 hours of ingestion.

The Foundation harvested a great deal of this material and brought it to a facility in Rio de Janeiro to refine it. For full details see Document XXXX Supplemental-12. The final result is a complete reversal of the issue of reduced lifespan. Those who ingest the refined product maintain the positive symptoms, and the product remains in the body indefinitely, generating its own energy through an unknown process, eliminating the need for subjects to eat, drink, or sleep.

Further refinement could lead to further aggression and greater toughness, though this could lead to a reduction in the subjects’ mental faculties, making these subjects harder to control.

Clients: The British and French government have already expressed interest in using DCS-XXXX in breaking their ongoing stalemate in Europe. They are reasonably certain they could convince the Russian Empire to buy in as well. The United States has also expressed interest, but at this time are disappointed by the potency of the product…

The rest of the page has been torn off and has not been recovered by the Foundation at this time.

Addendum: Interview with D-24766, hereafter referred to as SCP-XXXX-A-7

Note: SCP-XXXX-A-7 was exposed to SCP-XXXX’s memetic effect. After the effect completed, he lost the ability to speak in English, instead speaking fluent German. He was interviewed by Dr. ███████ to gain more information about SCP-XXXX-A. This interview was translated from the original German.

Dr. ███████: Are you willing to answer my questions?

SCP-XXXX-A-7: It seems I have little choice. Ask away.

Dr. ███████: State your name and occupation.

SCP-XXXX-A-7: My name is █████ █████████. I’m a steelworker in Vienna. Before that, I fought in the war.

Dr. ███████: Elaborate on your time in the war.

SCP-XXXX-A-7: I joined in 1914, about seven years into the fighting. For the first two years, everything was normal. Then in ‘16, we noticed more and more soldiers turning up on the other side of the trenches. It seemed like hundreds were coming across No Man’s Land every day. Men, women, old, young, like half of France was dropping over the trench wall. They were tough, too. Only thing that could stop them was a bullet straight between the eyes or a mortar round. They never stopped to rest, even the ones that got shot or stabbed. They just kept pushing east, mile by mile. Soon every soldier we saw should’ve been dead a hundred times over. Soon we were doing more running before fighting. They’re still posted in Vienna, you know. When I go to buy groceries, I pass by the same one every time. He’s missing an eye and a few fingers, but he keeps this white-knuckled grip on his gun and just stands there. They never move unless something’s wrong. I don’t think he’s moved for a few months now.

Dr. ███████: Are the soldiers posted only French and British?

SCP-XXXX-A-7: They have to be. Their uniforms are sort of faded by now, but they can’t be Americans.

Dr. ███████: What do you mean by that?

SCP-XXXX-A-7: You’ve never seen one?

Dr. ███████: I haven’t, no.

SCP-XXXX-A-7: You wouldn’t forget it if you had. America took her time joining the war. Her soldiers got something else when they did. They never marched in formation or waited in trenches. I doubt they’d be able to stand still for long like the rest of them.

Dr. ███████: Could you elaborate on that?

SCP-XXXX-A-7: No. No, I’m not going to talk about that.

SCP-XXXX-A-7 refused to answer any further questions concerning American soldiers.