| Item #: SCP-5000 |
 |
Object Class: Euclid |
| Level 4 Clearance |
Threat Level: Blue ● |
Section of brain tissue extracted from a 45-year old asian male baseline subject in █████, Colorado. SCP-5000 is clearly visible as circular white spots. Similar quantities of SCP-5000 have been found in all baseline subjects.
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5000 is currently uncontained. Research is actively ongoing to determine the most suitable way to contain the spread of SCP-5000 given its global coverage and high level of integration with biological life. No method of containment or elimination has yet been found which does not lead to expiry of an affected subject. As such all containment research is to focus on limiting the spread of SCP-5000 and the post-hoc cancellation of its effects. better understanding the nature and function of the SCP.
Description: SCP-5000 is an unknown species of bacteria (taxa assignment pending). The bacteria primarily occupies the brain tissue of humans and all known mammals but may also exist in smaller numbers within the sensory nerves. As of 01/12/2019, the bacterium is estimated to be present in at least 99% of the human population. The mechanism through which SCP-5000 spreads from host to host is poorly understood, and as such any uninfected individuals are to be held under strict quarantine according to Foundation procedure PATH/00-B (see attached procdure notes for further details).
SCP-5000 was first detected during the Foundation's most recent decadal Baseline Readjustment Procedure on 01/11/2019. Initially being found in GPs across the U.S. East Coast (the first to be tested), all further subjects exhibited infection with SCP-5000. The effects of SCP-5000 manifest when an infected individual is exposed to any form of memetic anomaly. A subject infected with SCP-5000 will be 'immune' to memetic effects, be they either positive or negative. Testing so far has revealed no limit to the severity or hazard level of the memetic anomaly which may be blocked by the presence of SCP-5000. An abbreviated log of more significant testing can be found in the attached test log. The mechanism through which SCP-5000 acts is poorly understood, however some working theories have been developed. The most popular theory to date suggests that the bacteria acts as a 'filter' for memetic effects. By occupying neural synapses, the bacteria experiences neual impulses before they are relayed into the nervous system, potentially recoding the signal to be non-anomalous. This then has multiple levels of redundancy, as the bacteria can further filter out cognitohazardous signals once they reach the brain. Infected subjects are thus unaffected by memetic and cognitohazardous anomalies regardless of how they are exposed.
Initially it was believed that the infection, while clearly anomalous in source, was of no concern the functioning of the human brain as all tested subjects appeared unaffected physically and psychologically by the presence of the bacteria. On 2019/08/01, Junior Researcher Dr. ████████, submitted her research notes to the foundation testing database for approval by her seniors (shown below).
Date: 08/01/2019
Entry code: Mem-080119
Something strange has been happening. Last month I was assigned to the overviwing of D-class exposure to SCP-099 for Dr. [REDACTED]'s dumb 'Anomolous Art' archival project. It felt dumb to be placed on such an old, extensively tested SCP again hey, not my job.
What the hell is going on here? I'm going tp submit this log and hope that I'm not just going insane or messing up my methods.
This account was rapidly corroborated by other junior researchers dealing with Dr ████████████████'s project. This evidence was submitted to the Memetic Research Council, where it was decided to halt any further testing of memetic SCPs until a cause could be found. The discovery of SCP-5000 was noted by this council, who then worked with the O5 Council to open an inquiry into the origin of SCP-5000.
Excerpt from the introduction to Chief of Applied Research Dr. ██████████'s Defining Normal: A Researcher's Guide to Baseline Adjustment; 1999 Edition
'Normal': within the Foundation this word may have little meaning, as every day we deal with anomalies that break the laws of science on which the rest of the world relies. Nonetheless, our research often requires us to test precisely what makes these anomalies anomolous, and to do so we tend to throw the non-anomolous up against the anomolous and then record the results. To achieve this, however, we must be able to understand what a non-anomalous subject actually //IS.//
This has necessitated the use of a Baseline Readjustment system which we conduct every 10 years to make sure our definition of 'normal' still holds. Usually the resulting readjustments have been minor; new minimum requirements for a variety of mental illnesses to be classified, or changes in base nutrient loads. Some, though, have been drastic. In the 1929 update it was found the hemisphere's of all human brains had switched function with the other. This ultimately changed the way the Foundation tested personalities, as all previous bi-cameral theories of mind were now nullified. Such a drastic change will obviously have major impacts on our research, but for those departments which focus on the microscopic and most subtle effects of anomolies, even the most minute of changes to the baseline can have tremendous implications.
This guide will therefore give you a detailed breakdown of the methods we must use to continue our adjustments and keep our science up to date. While it is not the job of researchers directly to secure, contain, or protect, the work we do here may help us understand how to do those things better. So maybe, just maybe, the 'normal' will one day save us from the 'abnormal'…
Excerpt from Chapter Three: 'Preserving The Veil':
[…] Following on from the specific procedures outlined in the previous chapter, we must now butt heads with the ethical implications of our work. Notably, how we can consentually test over 1,000,000 people around the world while also ensuring they have no idea it's happening.
To achieve this, the Foundation has worked with the GOC to embedd a set of recommended tests withing a globally distributed WHO 'GP Standard Practice' information booklet. Said booklet is to be handed out to ALL medical practicioners around the world. To prevent suspicion, however, there is no mandatory training required, nor will medical staff be informed of the in-appointment testing procedures unless they inquire with the contact details provided with the booklet. Despite the voluntary nature of this test, the average number of patients administered the baseline test lies at around 1,600,000: a strong turnout and more than enough for us to work with.
Below is a summary of the procedure as written in the WHO booklet://
- 1: While examining the patient, offer to complete additional WHO-compliant tests to check for any background conditions;
- 2: Using the WHO-Standard Testing Kit supplied, the following samples should be taken from the patient with your assistance:
- a.) Stool via rectal swab;
- b.) Urine via cup;
- c.) Intravenous blood sample;
- d.) Occular fluid via needle;
- e.) Seminal fluid (discretion advised);
- f.) Fatty tissue via intradermal needle;
- g.) Spit via cup.
- 3. Once all samples are collected, the patient is to be administered, under your supervision only, two 100mg doses of supplied medication. Assure the patient that the purpose of the medication is to alleviate paint and accelerate healing.
This procedure has been simplified from the full set of instructions, however it should illustrate how easy it is to complete even by an otherwise incompetent practitioner, and how much potential bioloigcal data can be gathered from a single subject. Note that, in step (3), the medication provided is a mild amnestic agent, providing enough pain relief to prevent the patient questioning any problems in the hours and days following the procedure. A specialised memetic hazard, codenamed [REDACTED] has also been embedded within the information booklet provided, preventing practitioners from discussing it with others without being given a code word (these are securely held within foundation databases and change at each baseline adjustment).
Note to all Foundation research staff
There comes a time in every researcher's life when they must take a step into the darkness. Where the shallows of their current knowledge prove too safe, too comfortable and, seeking adventure, head out in search of foreign shores. The longer than anyone can remember, the Foundation has been a great ship on which those thirsty for knowledge could set sail on this journey. Despite this, recent times have been hard. Over the last few decades it has become more and more obvious that our purpose was less and less certain. Every year it feels our duties have listed towards the side of saving the world. Budget changes and resource allocations have favoured the security and applications of anomalies over understanding exactly how they function.
That was, until this year. Through circumstances we do not understand, an anomalous infection has brought to us a tremendous new power. Many of you will have already seen the effects of this: cognitihazards rendered harmless, antimemes being spotted by even the most feeble-minded of D-Class personnel, and some of our greatest memetic challenges being circumvented despite previous years of hardwork and failure to do so. Yet this is no curse. This may now be the ultimate case for science. Everything we thought we knew about so many of our SCPs is now out of date or plainly invalid. This presents us with an opportunity like no other. After years of stagnation we may now, as we once did, take these great leaps into the unknown and discover the wild and unimaginable things which have been kept out of reach this entire time.
So go forth, researchers. It is now your directive to open old cases, pull dormant anomalies from their boxes, and dust off our memetic instruments. The bright cone of knowledge has reached its new frontier, and I hope you are as excited as I am to peek over the edge.
- O5-5, Chief of Research
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