GSeanT500

Item #: SCP-4172
Object class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Although the Foundation was able to retrieve hundreds of copies of SCP-4172, many are still owned by people all over the world. This makes SCP-4172 nearly impossible to contain. All copies retrieved by the Foundation must be stored in a tightly locked storage room in the basement of Site 19. Used game retailers are to be monitored for selling copies of SCP-4172, and any previous owners found are to be administered Class-A amnestic. No Foundation personnel are permitted to play SCP-4172 unless given approval by two-thirds of the O5-Command.

If the Foundation finds evidence the game is being played but cannot pinpoint the exact coordinates, then a campaign of mass surveillance in the relevant area will follow until it’s found. Foundation-operated web analysis bot Iota-99 will be used to ensure copies and footage of SCP-4172 are not shared on the Internet. Although new gaming consoles have been created since 2001, making the effects of SCP-4172 more of a rarity, finding the remaining copies of SCP-4172 is a top priority.

Additional containment procedures include preventing the events predicted in gameplay from occurring, as well as covering up any links a catastrophe has to SCP-4172. Legislation and campaigns against violent video games are also to be encouraged, even extreme cases like China's ban on video game consoles in 2015.

Description: SCP-4172 is exactly 1,000 corrupt copies of the video game Marksman 2, which serves as a memetic virus. The original was developed, published, and distributed by Graphix Games Inc. and released in 2001. The game sold millions; however, hundreds of consumers were able to purchase SCP-4172, which caused many groundbreaking world events to occur. SCP-4172 was discovered in Langley, VA at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters on ██/██/2002. One copy of SCP-4172 was being used for training purposes by CIA employees prior to confiscation. SCP-4172 is compatible on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox but can also be played on certain PC emulators.

SCP-4172 plays and looks very similar to the real Marksman 2 but “the Agent”, who is a fictional CIA agent, has no dialog and neither do any of the non-player characters (NPC). Instead of the original soundtrack playing, all music in SCP-4172 was produced by █████ ███████ and resembles poorly made orchestrated music. SCP-4172 also lacks a any menus except for the in-game weapon selection one, where players can view and equip given weapons. Players enter what is seemingly an infinite number of randomly generated missions based on real life locations where the Agent must eliminate NPC’s representing real people. These targets range from infants to politicians; this is unlike Marksman 2 where the locations and targets are generally fictional and adults. Another difference is the loading screens lack any imagery, but the red bar for said loading screens is still present. However, like in Marksman 2, game objectives are indicated on an in-game map.

Once a passes finishes a mission, humanoid entities will spawn in different geographical locations to re-enact missions’ players completed. The time it takes for this to happen ranges from minutes to years. These entities are referred to as SCP-4172-A. SCP-4172-A entities will look like the Agent: bald head, lacking finger tips, and lacking a tongue. However, the skin pigmentation and clothing of SCP-4172-A entities depends on the cultural and environmental circumstances they manifest in.

An online forum from 03/21/2003 where two people discussed the anomalous properties of SCP-4172; after being tracked by web analysis bot Iota-99 the forum was taken down and the two individuals and their families were administered Class-A amnestics.

It should be kept in mind that if a player fails a mission, the player will be forced to play it again until he passes. If the Agent’s health bar is less than 75% then the mission is automatically failed. If the player turns off or restarts whatever console or emulator used to play SCP-4172 then the mission can never be played again. Gaming consoles from the early 2000's do not have the hardware to handle any video games, modified or not, like SCP-4172.

If one SCP-4172-A instance spawns in Saudi Arabia, it will have brown skin and will dress in anything from a thawb to a hijab; if one SCP-4172-A instance spawns in Canada, it will have white skin and dress in jeans and a t-shirt. These are only examples. This makes identifying SCP-4172-A entities difficult. Sometimes the prevention of assassinations is completely impossible. Methods SCP-4172-A entities use for assassinations range from arson to terrorism. On rare occasions an assassination attempt resembles a suicide.

The Foundation was able to uncover footage of someone playing an instance of SCP-4172 in 2008, which was analyzed by scientists Dr. ██████ and Dr. █████. See the SCP-4172 DVD Analysis Report for more details.

+ SCP-4172 DVD Analysis Report

SCP Involved: SCP-4172
Date: ██/██/2008 (original); updated on ██/██/2019
Location: [REDACTED]
Summary: On ██/██/2008 a man by the name of ██████ █████ who uploaded four videos of him playing SCP-1472 to YouTube. The videos were discovered by the web analysis bot Iota-99 were then downloaded for research purposes. Afterwards, the videos were taken down under the pretense of copyright infringement. ██████ █████ was tracked down and administered a Class-A amnestic. His hard drive was wiped of all relevant files.

Each video was precisely ten minutes. ██████ █████ played SCP-4172 on an emulator and recorded the gameplay with a program called “Unregistered Hypercam 2.” The music from the original game was muted for unknown reasons, except for four songs chosen by ██████ █████; the first song played at 0:00 (“Bodies” by Drowning Pool), the second at 10:00 (“Paralyzed” by Finger Eleven), the third at 20:00 (“Stop” by Ghost K), and the fourth at 30:00 (“Dreamscape” by 009 Soundsystem). The videos were edited together and burned to a DVD, the duration being 40:00. The following is a list of imperative moments during the gameplay with notes from Dr. ██████ and Dr. █████.

0:01-3:21 – After credit is given to Graphix Games and other corporations involved with creating Marksman 2, a black loading screen appears with a red bar at the bottom. It takes the remainder of the time (2:15) for the bar to fill. The red bar originates from the first Marksman, although the real Marksman 2 used it as well. A difference between Marksman 2 and SCP-4172 is the former used artistic representations for the loading screen.

3:22-18:25 – The Agent spawns at the back entrance to ████████ Middle School, which leads to the kitchen for the cafeteria. The player activates the weapon select screen, which reveals he has a .44 Magnum and AK-47; both had infinite ammo. After ██████ █████, who will now be referred to as “the Player,” selects the AK-47. A black bar with low opacity, which takes the upper half of the screen, appears with “OBJECTIVE” written in red and “Kill everyone inside” written in white. (This will be referred to as the objective pop-up.) Red dots, clarifying targets, fills the circular map game which also outlines the school itself. The Agent, controlled by the Player, barges through the door and murders the eight workers inside the kitchen.

Then the Agent ran into the cafeteria and began shooting at the students and teachers eating. While some of the targets were able to escape, a quarter of everyone present were killed. What must be considered is that all non-player characters (NPC) represent real people, so every single school employee and student are unique; this is in contrast with most video games where cloning of NPC’s are common. The Agent then runs through a double-door where most of the escaped and into the hall.

Some targets disappeared off the map once they reach an entrance, as implied by the map, but the Agent continued to run throughout the school to shoot down any running students. At the 12:53 mark the Agent began barging through classroom doors to kill targets hiding inside, not being phased by the objects the NPC’s threw at him (ranging from books to cell phones).

At the 16:11 the remaining red dots on the map disappeared, despite no indication of them dying, and the objective pop-up said, “Kill the cops and escape.” The in-game map then shows blue dots entering the location from the front entrance, representing SWAT officers with M4 carbines. The Agent gets into a shootout with at least ten SWAT officers, sustaining a wound to the leg (decreasing the green health bar on the left-hand corner of the screen by about 40%) but manages to kill them with relative ease. Once the player touches the front entrance door the mission ends, leading to the next black loading screen.

Note: On ██/██/████ ████████ Middle School was attacked by a SCP-4172-A entity, killing ███ students and staff; this was followed by an encounter with an FBI SWAT team which lead to the entity escaping. The Foundation administered Class-A amnestics to all survivors of the incident, all footage of the SCP-4172-A instance were erased from security cameras, and all cell phones were destroyed. The Foundation lobbied for the ████████ state government to demolish the school building to prevent further investigation, which occurred on ██/██/████. The SCP-4172-A entity was captured in Rio, Brazil, on 06/25/2015 where it was hiding in a homeless shelter.
21:32-25:07 – After another long loading screen the Agent spawned at a paper mill in █████, Ethiopia. The objective pop-up gave the same text in the previous mission, and the Player gives the Agent a UMP40 with infinite ammo. This time the targets were all the workers inside the factory and its owner, ██████ ███████. The moment the owner was shot, after hunting down the factory workers, the mission ended.

Note: The Foundation’s reaction to this mission was to send unmanned drones around the area of the paper mill. In the past ten years no incident has occurred at the paper mill, but a drone is always present to kill any SCP-4172-A instances which may spawn.

28:57-35:12 – The next mission spawned the Agent at a rooftop with a PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle which included a scope attachment. The Player got to see celebrities walking the red carpet to the ████ Academy Awards. The objective wasn’t given for this mission, but at the 34:15 mark three red targets appeared on the map; they were inside a black limousine.

When the first celebrity, ██████ ██████, stepped out of the vehicle he was shot in the head by the Agent. The next celebrity, ██████ ███████, exited the vehicle and ran towards the entrance only to be shot in the shoulder which immediately killed her. Both the driver and the remaining celebrity behind him, ██████ ████████, were shot through the windshield and died. The Player had the Agent drop his weapon and the objective pop-up said to “Reach the extraction point,” which was indicated on the in-game map with a small arrow. The mission ended after the Agent ran downstairs and reached the extraction point on the streets, which was about 0.5 kilometers from the crime scene.

Note: The assassinations attempted here were successfully prevented when MTF-Alpha 9 personnel terminated the SCP-4172-A entity which spawned at the real ████ Academy Awards.

37:59-40:00 – The Agent spawns in a shopping mall; a stall in the men’s restroom. The location of the shopping mall itself is in ██████, ██████. The objective pop-up said to “Kill the Professor!” That professor turns out to be Dr. ████████.

The Agent stole rat poison from the ████ █████ department store while nobody was looking. The Agent then ran to the food court right when Dr. ████████ rushed to the restroom. The Agent poured the rat poison into a cup of soda, probably Root Beer, without anyone noticing. The objective pop-up said to “Reach the extraction point,” which was the entrance to the food court itself; once the Agent touched the door the mission was over by the 39:45 mark.
The last five seconds was the loading screen, but the Player didn’t continue recording.

Note: ██/██/████ Dr. ████████ died due to poisoning at the shopping mall. The SCP-4172-A entity responsible was caught on camera but was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses to avoid identification. While the suspect is still officially at large, the Foundation captured it on ██/██/2014. It was terminated on ██/██/2016 after trying to breach containment at Site 19. The Foundation was unable to stop the assassination due to fear of public exposure.

The dangers of SCP-4172 were demonstrated on ██/██/████. A SCP-4172-A entity planted and detonated a ███ bomb in ██████, which lead to the deaths of ██ men, women, and children. The entity was captured by the Foundation and is still contained for research purposes. The attack caused the ██████ to blame it on the █████ to justify the [REDACTED] which nearly destroyed them. Cases such as these, and the fact infamous murders brought about by SCP-4172-A entities remain unsolved creates mass hysteria, are why the Foundation is anxious about SCP-4172 since it can bring about a VK class end of the world scenario.

A news report from the BBC detailing the ██/██/████ incident.

When an instance of SCP-4172-A commits a crime DNA traces are usually absent at the crime scene. If there are any DNA traces left behind forensic scientists are unable to determine conclusively who it belongs to. These forensic scientists are to be administered Class-B amnestic. Sometimes weapons are left behind at the crime scene which were used by an instance of SCP-4172-A which are commonly weapons from modern times, although some appear to be of [REDACTED] origin such as the ██████████. All weapons derived from these crime scenes must be taken to Site 36 for research. All documentation of these crime scenes must be manipulated, so another person is blamed, or destroyed.

In some cases, instances of SCP-4172-A will travel to multiple locations across the globe to kill new targets, but they usually try to blend into society until captured or terminated. One instance of SCP-4172-A was employed by ███ to kill more contracts for money. Four instances of SCP-4172-A were found among members of the ████████ Cartel after a raid by [REDACTED]. Many SCP-4172 entities are [REDACTED] which explains how they’re able to blend in with society with ease after a successful assassination. However, some of the [REDACTED] are of similar origin to weapons. All [REDACTED] held by instances of SCP-4172-A are to be taken to the same Site as weapons.

The biology of SCP-4172-A entities is the same as that of an ordinary human, which is revealed in X-ray scans. The average IQ of SCP-4172-A instances is 200, although this doesn’t reflect the sometimes nonsensical or absurd methods of murder they use. SCP-4172-A entities are masters of hand-to-hand combat, possessing the skills of black-belts in Taekwondo, Jujutsu, and Krav Maga. SCP-4172-A entities are extremely agile and strong, being able to dodge bullets and, on average, can lift 180 kilograms.

SCP-4172-A entities have also displayed fluency in most human languages. Instances of SCP-4172-A can communicate with each other, but never with others. Whether such communication is done telepathically is unknown. It should be noted that SCP-4172-A instances vanish upon termination. It should also be noted that all instances of SCP-4172-A are all male in appearance, but they all possess female genitalia. Sexual reproduction with SCP-4172-A entities are impossible, however.

Upon discovery, MTF Alpha-9 agents are to be dispatched to capture any SCP-4172-A entities immediately. Termination is permitted if the instance resists MTF efforts to capture it. Once in the custody of the MTF, the instance must be taken to the nearest Foundation Site. Special Containment Procedures for instances of SCP-4172-A includes keeping them in standard humanoid containers and are never to be interacted with except for research purposes in which armed guards are present. SCP-4172-A entities are to be given a bed and fed three times a day. To avoid a containment breach, instances of SCP-4172-A are never to encounter each other. If any instances of SCP-4172-A try to breach containment, or display signs of aggression, termination is permitted.

If any instance of SCP-4172-A was successful in an assassination attempt, then misinformation campaigns must be prepared so the blame falls on someone or something else. If a third party captures an instance of SCP-4172-A then a campaign of termination(s) and censorship must follow, even if said third party is [REDACTED]. Foundation-operated web analysis bot Iota-99 will ensure any pictures or video of any instances of SCP-4172-A aren't shared on the internet. If a crime is committed in a crowded area and/or video surveillance, then the Foundation will use whatever means necessary to ensure nothing is shared with or on news media, and Class-A amnestics are administered. If, however, an instance of SCP-4172-A is completely covered up in clothes when committing crimes on camera then capture becomes more important than public exposure.

A careful investigation conducted by the Foundation found SCP-4172 to be a creation of the US government. However, it is unknown how these copies were mixed in with the official international distribution of Marksman 2. The Foundation is certain that a CIA software engineer responsible for the creation of training simulations was personally a Sarkite, although attempts to find and investigate the individual have been met with resistance. It should be noted the Foundation and the CIA have clashed before due to conflicts of interest ever since the tenure of Allen Dulles in the 1960’s.

Allen Dulles with a member of O5-Command

In ████ there were forty-five new instances of SCP-4172-A but in ████ there were only six new ones. While this implies new consoles have caused remaining copies of SCP-4172 to not be played as much by contemporary owners, one instance of SCP-4172-A is considered by the O5-Command to be one too many. The Foundation still considers the containment of SCP-4172 to be a top priority.

+ LEVEL 5 CLASSIFIED

On February 9th, 2002, there was an incident involving fourteen Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents being caught at Site 19. The agents were found to have kept records of several SCP’s and researchers. Twelve of the agents were arrested and became D-class personnel, but two were able to escape with records which could jeopardize the Foundation. Evidence suggests SCP-079 aided in their escape.

On February 15th, 2002, six MTF Iota-10 agents were given the task to retrieve the stolen information from the CIA headquarters in Langley Virginia. Fake ID’s were given to these agents so they could successfully get past security. The following log was kept by Agent Oscar, who was given the role of a paralegal.

Day 1

Oh boy. First day being a paralegal for the CIA. Whew! I am in so much debt to Harvard Law and all I got out of it was failing the bar four times. If I wasn’t in the army for so long I probably wouldn’t be working for the Foundation. At least I get to use my Juris Doctorate for something.

So far being a paralegal is alright. I mainly worked with a lawyer named John Rizzo, who was a tolerable person to be around, but he had little tolerance for low productivity. I mainly had to do the grunt work the other lawyers didn’t feel like doing.

My real reason for being here is to find documentation given to the General Counsel which relates to the Foundation. However, I found nothing today.

At my apartment I learned from the agents assigned to work in the Directorate of Science and Technology (S&D) that several SCP’s were being researched. The CIA director, Peter Goss, was told by one of the scientists about SCP-079 and he seemed excited about the implications of such an entity. Funny, the only interesting task I really performed was drafting approval of capturing several suspected terrorists living in France.

Day 2

So, I did find a document related the Foundation. It was a plan by the Special Activity Division to rescue the CIA agents who were degraded to being D-class personnel in Site 19. It also mentioned plans to capture SCP-079, referring to it as a “strange super-computer.” That was the only documentation I uncovered, while the rest was mainly Rizzo helping me draft documents clarifying approval of airstrikes in Afghanistan.

I informed my colleagues about the plan, which was taken very seriously for obvious reasons.
Day 3

When I woke up in the morning, I was sent a text message on my phone informing me of a CIA raid against Site 19, which lead to a containment breach. The CIA agents tried to steal SCP-079 but they were shot before they got to take it anywhere. Other SCP’s were re-contained, but at the cost of many lives. Ironically, many of the CIA agents were killed by the SCP’s who escaped.

I went into work hoping none of the employees would start to raise eyebrows. However, when I stopped working for lunch, I saw an employee playing a video game on a PlayStation 2 in the break room. Judging from the game box on the floor, he was playing Marksman 2. I haven’t played video games since my undergraduate studies, so I watched him play it for at least 45 minutes.

The game seemed strange to me. When I last played video games everything was still 2D, but this was full-on 3D. I was impressed, but the music was poorly orchestrated. It sounded like a bunch of retarded kids were given violins, cellos, and pianos and were told to randomly play stuff. (Luckily the volume on the TV was low. I noticed, however, nobody in the game talk. Even in that one game where you go to Hell to fight demons the enemies made vocal reactions. However, the long, black loading screens in between seemingly random missions didn’t seem right to me.

Towards the end of my break, the employee was given a baby as a target. He didn’t realize who he was killing until he barged into a hospital room, where the character spawned near, and shot up the entire room hoping one of the targets would die. He quickly turned off the PS2 the moment the loading screen appeared, and he walked out with a blank stare. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel unsettled from seeing this, although I’ve seen so much worse from my tenure at the Foundation.

Something told me this copy of Marksman 2 was off. I don’t know how to explain it but when nobody was looking, I stole the video game and placed it in my brief case; another boring day at the office that is. I worked from 8 AM to 4 PM before another paralegal took my position. The joys of the public sector I suppose.

When I arrived home my colleagues told me about the terrible anxiety they felt. They’re worried the CIA knows too much and need to strike hard to keep their mouths shut. This, combined with the fury of the O5-Command after recent events, made me worry as well. However, I went to sleep thinking about the game I stole. Why did I feel something was wrong with this?

Day 4

I couldn’t sleep last night, but the moment I entered the headquarters I encountered this rather strange man. He got on his knees and begged me in a Russian accent to tell him where the copy of Marksman 2 he modified was. I professed ignorance, which was followed by him screaming and running to the restroom. I have no idea why but none of the security guards at the entrance even cared; one even laughed at him. Something was off to me. What was so special about that copy?

At the office I read a lot of documents related to the battle which occurred at Site 19 the other day. I had to work from 8 AM to 8 PM that day and I had to draft documents I didn’t feel comfortable with. I know I’m undercover, but I’m worried the Foundation will question my loyalty for some of the things I did today. One piece of documentation I had to analyze involved a reprisal plan from the perspective of the Geneva Convention (since the Foundation is an international organization).

When I arrived home my colleagues were all nervous about the CIA’s plan. However, the copy of Marksman 2 I had still disturbed me, and I asked my colleagues from the S&D division about it and the crazy man who confronted me. They said he was a software engineer responsible for creating training simulations for employees. They told me to not worry about him, though, he will probably get fired soon. I went to sleep contemplating the fate of Foundation.

Day 5

When I showed up at my office today, I heard several explosions in the parking lot, followed by sounds of gunfire. When I ran into the hallway with my brief case, I saw many employees with UMP40’s and security guards running towards the explosions. I naturally ran the opposite direction and tried to run down the stairs. I didn’t want to use the elevator in case it stopped working because of the chaos.

However, I encountered the software engineer I met being escorted by three goblin-like humanoids. As soon as I saw them, I immediately rushed back up the stairs and took my chances with the elevator, knowing full-well I didn’t stand a chance against whatever I just saw. I took the elevator to the first floor, the alternative parking garage, only to find the entire infrastructure was collapsing. I sprinted like I never did before as the roof destroyed vehicles and the building shook like an earthquake.

When I left the parking garage, I found myself in the main parking lot where I heard the explosions. I was greeted by MTF-Alpha agents, most armed with P90’s and SCAR’s. They were all exchanging fire with the armed employees inside the Agency, and there were corpses everywhere. A white van pulled in front of me and the driver rolled down his windows to tell me to get in; he was MTF thankfully and I acted on his request without hesitation. Within seconds we were out of Langley. The fact we got out without being blown up still surprises me.

I’m writing this as we are journeying to Site 11, instead of Site 19. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’m certain what I saw earlier today had something to do with it. My brief case still had that copy of Marksman 2 and a shit load of documents and messages related to the Foundation.

Notes: Between 2002 and 2009 the Central Intelligence Agency and the Foundation were engaged in a secret war, which ended after President Barack Obama appointed John O. Brennan as Director of Central Intelligence, who signed a top-secret treaty with the O5-Command in 2010. After an interview with Agent Oscar, the Foundation strongly believes the “goblins” mentioned in the journal are instances of SCP-2191-1. While the name of the software engineer is unknown, the Foundation believes Sarkite infiltration of intelligence agencies is a major predicament. It should also be noted that only Oscar and an agent given the role of a janitor were the only two undercover agents to survive the mission. The video game Oscar had in his possession has displayed anomalous traits. Further research is needed to see if it the SCP classification applies here.