Gattison

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: All field agents, undercover operatives and researchers involved in the study of #### will now receive mandatory PFT [Peripheral Focus Techniques] and AVC [Averted Vision Combat] training. The containment of #### will be added to their existing D-3s [detection, documentation and detention orders] indefinitely. Detection of an instance of #### is to be recorded and reported immediately. If possible, operatives are to maintain awareness of ####'s location until a capture unit arrives. A properly equipped capture team is to be deployed immediately. By their very nature, instances of #### are hard to perceive, so vigilance during capture is crucial.

All video recording devices used by the Foundation, either directly or discreetly, shall now be upgraded to high-definition, with alternating circular polarizing filters (oscillating zero (0) to sixteen and two-thirds (16²/₃) f-stop reduction) and graduated neutral-density filters. Funding under the guise of government grants to cities, provinces, towns and specific businesses and corporations to improve "safety" by upgrading public recording devices (security cameras, traffic cams, police bodycams, etc.) is to begin immediately on a global scale. Priority is to be placed on Foundation locations and places of interest.

When an instance of #### is located, the only known containment method proven successful to date (03/07/2020) is as follows: as many operatives as are required to completely surround the structure/location will be assigned. At least one operative is to be assigned to every entrance/exit, including openings that only a very small child could fit through, as well as roofs and basements. An absolutely thorough sweep of the entire structure/location, searching every conceivable hiding spot is always necessary. #### cannot manifest its anomaly under duress, and does not eat, drink, sleep or breathe, therefore time is not a factor.

Once contained, minimal physical security is actually necessary, as it is unlikely an instance of #### would ever show the initiative to attempt a breach. All instances of #### are to be temporarily detained with a minimum of two operatives remaining in physical contact with it at all times to prevent escape. Though rare, some instances of #### may display an animal-like aggression when confronted and may or may not also display incredibly advanced combat skills. All precautionary procedures are to be followed when containing instances of ####, including the use of handcuffs, manacles, face-restraints, blindfolds and/or any other method deemed necessary. While awaiting permanent containment, two (2) operatives must remain in physical contact with the instance, while three (3) other operatives must also keep visual contact with it at all times. Guard shifts will be a maximum of thirty (30) minutes long and will occur one-at-a-time to reduce distractions. No single human is to spend more than thirty minutes in close proximity to an instance of ####.

Without delay, all instances of #### are to be shipped to Site 14's Minimal Security Basement Annex. Site 28's underground Sehlwol Isolation Complex. As base instances of #### don't require food, air, water or sleep, a single sealed, padlocked room large enough to contain all instances is sufficient. All instances are to be kept in isolated cells under constant surveillance. Human contact is only to be allowed with contained instances of #### during testing, which must first have Level 3 approval. If any contact with #### is otherwise necessary, it will be done so with drones. No exceptions. Video surveillance will be maintained at all times using at least three (3) different viewpoints and three teams of three Class D operatives monitoring at all times. Headcounts will be taken constantly to ensure no instances breach containment.

Description: Instances of SCP-#### resemble nondescript humans of indeterminate ethnicity and/or gender, with pale, almost translucent skin. Cellular testing proves they are at least partially human, and that they all seem to be "twins" of each other, but most of the rest of their DNA is corrupt or missing, and they lack fingerprints or other defining features. ####'s secondary anomaly manifests when viewed directly by the human eye. Due to an unknown property, perhaps of their physical makeup, all instances of #### can only be seen with averted [peripheral] vision, but not direct vision. Recording devices cannot perceive them either unless fitted with specially designed lenses.

They are physically weak, but are fast and have been known to be able to squeeze through impossibly small openings. Studies show that though they appear human in most ways, their bones are soft and rubbery, more like cartilage, and their organs are all mostly vestigial. They do not seem to have a sapient-level intelligence, yet their animal minds understand a great deal about humankind and modern lifestyles. They are exceptionally stealthy, supposedly immortal and only make vocalizations in the most extreme circumstances.

Their primary anomaly manifests as the need for instances of SCP-#### to find a human they would like to be and become them, ultimately replacing them for a time, until they get bored, revert back to their base state and do it all over again. Instances of SCP-#### are known to wander around human population centers, silently following people seemingly at random, and remaining unnoticed the whole time. For unknown reasons, they eventually settle on a victim' (hereafter referred to as "subject") and begin focusing on following that individual around. At this time, #### studies its prey closely, but always remains at a distance. It will show up at the same place for weeks in a row, just to find and follow the subject. The instance of #### may choose to proceed at this point, or it may choose to abandon this subject, and go select another. The reasons for these choices are unknowable. If it proceeds, it will gradually attempt to follow the unknowing subject for longer and longer periods, meanwhile cautiously attempting to get closer and closer. Within a week or two, it will get close enough to smell its subject, and at this point it may again decide the prey is not to its liking for whatever reason, and move on to a brand new subject. Most often one good sniff of a subject's scent is all that is required, but two and three sniffs have been observed in rarer cases.

Next it will begin sneaking unseen into the subject's home, automobile, work environment, even stores the subject shops at and houses of friends the subject visits. Once alone with a potential subject's belongings, #### will begin to closely inspect everything they can, as fully as possible. They will be as careful as possible to leave everything where they found it, but they have been known on to make mistakes on occasion. This process may take up to a month, at which point the anomaly may still choose not to continue.

However, at this stage, #### there seems to be some sort of connection, possibly psychic in origin, between the anomaly and the subject, hereafter referred to as SCP-####-a. The condition is described as a 71% (and increasing; as of 03/07/2020) chance of an increased suicide rate for rejected subjects. There is also an unquantifiable correlation between the amount of time the anomaly spends considering the subject for replacement, and the time and nature of the subject's suicide, as subjects rejected after this point in the process commit suicide in increasingly surprising and horrific manners, including familial murder-suicides and homicidal rampages ending in "police confrontation."

The next step is for the instance of #### to begin physically acting like its chosen subject. When it sneaks into their home, it secretly uses their combs and toothbrush, tries on their clothes, and nibbles tiny bits of their leftovers. It starts attempting to walk like its subject, and mimic their gestures and stances, as well as what they do when they're there. When it sneaks into other places the subject goes (almost always at night, to decrease chances of detection) it may start by pretending to type on your computer at your desk, or cook food in your kitchen, or bowl in your favorite lane at the bowling alley.

At this point it also starts to steal items from the intended subject, which will go largely unnoticed. It will carry these items on it, wearing or using them as it pretends to be the subject. At this point, as the anomaly impersonation become more accurate, it will also start to resemble its subject in subtle ways, such as skin tone, hair color and facial and skeletal shape. Once this happens it is believed that the anomaly is now fully invested in their intended target and committed to becoming them.

Now more confident in its understanding of its prey, the anomaly will continue its behaviors as described above, but will allow more "close calls" (events where the subject and anomaly almost directly confront). It starts to resemble the subject more closely, and will begin physically altering (somehow) its height and weight to match the subject's. Its mimicry of the subject would at this point fool most known associates from a distance, or on a low-quality video recording.

Once the metamorphosis is nearly complete, it will have already stolen a complete outfit of the subject's to wear, and may even "borrow" some of the subject's personal affects. They will now begin by simply going out in public, allowing others to see them, but only as a near perfect copy of the subject. They will start by avoiding places the subject may be recognized, but that are still nearby and probably familiar to the subject. Whatever mechanism camouflages them from detection is deactivated during these excursions, though if this done consciously or not is unknown.

Soon their confidence will increase in their new body and they will begin doing things their subject does, such as going to their bank and accessing their account, but never depositing or withdrawing money, so as to leave no noticeable trail. How the anomaly learns the subject's exact vocabulary remains unknown.

Once it feels comfortable convincing the subject's acquaintances that it is the subject, it will start to follow the subject again. Whenever an instance of #### begins this phase, they always reactivate their innate camouflaging system, as they typically follow closely behind the subject, looking for safe but improvised opportunities to pretend to be them. Instances of #### at this stage have been known to sneak into a subject's house/place of employment/store right after they leave, claiming to have "forgotten something," but eventually this will grow to become entire conversations with people the subject knows. This is always carefully constructed "smalltalk" that leaves little impact on the subject's associate, and thus rarely returns to the subject in any significant way.

Finally, the anomaly will once again break away from shadowing its subject, and begin going out on its own, as the subject of course, once again. It now comes up with excuses to be seen by the subjects associates at abnormal times, such as staying "home sick" with the subject's family while they go to work, or shopping at the subject's regular market on a different day. After it becomes comfortable with this, it will makes its final choice about the subject. It will either fully replace the subject, disposing of the original as it continues to live out their life, possibly for years to come. The method for this still remains an unwitnessed event, though it is suspected it involves some sort of consumption or absorption, as no trace of the subject is ever found after this point. Otherwise it will decide it has had enough of the subject, and it has no need to continue. It will simply walk away, abandoning all of its routines, and absentmindedly shedding all of the subject's belongings that it stoles and carries with it as it goes back into hiding, waiting for its features to revert to a "blank state" again. If this outcome is chosen, the subject will inevitably and expediently commit an atrocious murder-suicide, or some other such disastrous form of ending their own lives. Intervention is recommended in nearly all circumstances.

#### also displays an innate sense of when it is being detected and when not, and this goes beyond just being seen. When noticed, instances of #### will simply continue doing whatever they were doing, but as soon the observer looks away, or is distracted, will either leave or hide immediately.

When discovered, meaning when an observer believes they saw something, but can't find what it was they thought they saw, #### will show a preternatural sense of the observer's field of vision and will expertly avoid it, hiding at the next opportunity until the observer tires and leaves.

If confronted directly, they typically seem "startled" to operatives in their reports, but also display an unpredictable "instinctive" speed, and are "geniuses at avoiding capture."

If confronted directly, with no means of escape, #### will typically become motionless and react with classic fear responses: widened, darting eyes, stiff, rigid but trembling body, hyperventilation through clenched teeth, sweating and flushing of their pale skin.

Upon threat of physical contact, #### will begin to audibly make whimpering noises staring desperately at the approaching offender. It still will not move.

Addendum: [Optional additional paragraphs]

Once physical contact is actually made, it will most likely turn to stare expectantly into the eyes of whoever touches it. If multiple individuals touch an instance of #### at the same time, it will constantly look back and forth into the eyes of all of the individuals. No harm or other anamolous effects have ever been detected as a result of direct eye contact with #### for less than thirty-six (26) seconds. Operatives who have experienced eye contact with #### have claimed that "it looked depressed" or "almost like it wanted a hug, or a kiss or something," on more than one occasion.

Sometimes an instance of #### may stop staring into its captors' eyes and instead begin to begin to shake uncontrollably as it starts to also make sobbing sounds. Others have been known to simply go limp, as if "playing dead." If an instance of #### does none of these things and instead begins to focus its stare into the eyes a specific individual for longer than ten (10) seconds IMMEDIATELY SEPERATE AND ISOLATE THE TWO AND NOTIFY THE SITE DIRECTOR. DO NOT ALLOW EYE CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO AGAIN. The operative must undergo every test possible to prove their identity afterward, and must remain under constant surveillance for a minimum of six (6) months before they may be officially declared free of infection by ####.

(#### don't need to eat, sleep or breathe, so we just stick em in bodybags and sit on em) They also seem to be confused by the absence of humans to imitate, and the two-hundred forty-one (241) individual instances of #### currently in containment simply shuffle around bumping into each other. Studies have shown, in this state, #### needs none of the human necessities to survive. Studies into exactly how they

Responsible for the German legends of Doppelgangers, these beings wander curiously, yet silently through the world. Wandering in and out of people's lives in order to get to know them better and see what kind of person they are, they never actually meet the subjects they follow, or "shadow," instead trailing just behind them, going where the subject has just been. They inspect and spy on people, but always emotionlessly, invading a person's privacy without them ever knowing it. Special cameras have recorded these beings sniffing and listening to things the subject has touched or especially used. They hover their hands over things as if resisting the urge to touch and use things a person just touched/used is almost unbearable. Most of the time the being never gives in, but when they do, it is a sign they are getting ready to become the subject.

Much like certain specific astral phenomena, they can only be seen by humans with averted (peripheral) vision. In order for cameras to pick them up, they must be specially equipped to detect all levels of light-radiation, even those typically unrelated to sight or even human life.

#### is actually ####-1, because all -1's are actually by-products of the very first one, the source, #### itself. Maybe -1's don't even reproduce, instead they consume the subject in the end, and most of the subject's knowledge, emotions and memories go to ####. When #### or a -1 starts physically imitating you, and allowing itself to be seen as you, if it then changes its mind and decides not to become you and leaves, that is when the subject commits a violent, deplorable suicide, often taking others with them.

#### first appeared over a thousand years ago in Germany. It is the accidental remainder left over after the unnatural destruction of a parallel universe/alternate timeline. As such, it is not a true, full person, instead it is an empty vessel that needs filling. It steals the lives (emotions, memories, experiences) of others to fill its own need for them.