Starknife24 - SCP Sandbox III

Starknife24

Item #: SCP-5119-J - The Imposters Among Us

Object Class: Euclid Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The body of infected host 5119-2, is being cryogenically preserved in it’s own specialised morgue on site. It is to be considered an etiological item of Biohazard Threat Level 4. Handling of the body is to be done with class four biohazard suits, with level four clearance or higher. A disinfectant shower and decontamination spray is required before and after examining SCP-5119-J-2, after which personnel are to be quarantined for a period of 72hrs for signs of anomalous behaviour.

After Incident log 5119-B: Site ██ is on lockdown, and key researchers are to be quarantined. Personnel on site are advised to travel in groups of 2 or more, and are required to wear their bio-trackers at all times. Any personnel strongly suspected to be infected by SCP-5119-J are to be detained immediately.

Description: While a live specimen of SCP-5119-J is not yet available, according to Document 5119-1, it is a parasitic organism procured from the Argo 3 space expedition to ████. SCP-5119-J is a brown, amoeba-like organism, capable of pseudopod locomotion. It weighs 50g and is the size of a rodent, approximately 11.5cm long.

When infected by SCP-5119-J, hosts will be exposed to it's memetic effect, allowing them to retain full cognizance of their self-being, while displaying an impulse to consume large amounts of biomass. Over time hosts develop a preference for human flesh, resulting in strong homicidal tendencies. Infected hosts are much more physically resilient than normal humans (See Incident 5119-B). Hosts are also extremely flexible, being able to traverse small openings, such as through vents and drains, allowing them many means of escape. No other means of distinguishing infected hosts are currently known.

Hosts will evolve predator-like instincts, preferring to isolate individuals before killing them by conventional means. SCP-5119-J then sprouts an orifice, filled with jagged teeth and a needle-like proboscis, from the midriff of the host, before proceeding to REDACTED, leaving behind only the lower torso of the victim. Current known cases suggest that SCP-5119-J can only manifest in hosts sporadically, however this metamorphosis is perfectly reversible. Dormant hosts are otherwise physiologically identical to healthy humans. Given the extreme difficulty in diagnosing infected cases, termination of key research personnel should only be used as a last resort.

+ DOCUMENT 5119-1

- DOCUMENT 5119-1

DOCUMENT 5119-1:

The following is an excerpt from daily journal entries by Prof. ████, sole surviving crew member of the Argo 3 expedition. A total of 6 crew members were killed during the expedition. Infected host SCP-5119-J-1 was identified and forcefully ejected by Prof. █████, 88 days prior to the return of the Argo 3.

The names of the 8 crew members have been REDACTED and colour-coded instead. For easier reference their specialisations are listed as shown below:

[Red]: Astrobiologist
[Blue]: Mech Engineering
[Yellow]: Medicine and Pharmaceutical
[Green]: Astrophysics
[White]: Electrical engineering
[Cyan]: Nuclear Physics
[Pink]: Mineralogy
[Brown]: Military (Commander)

Day 127: I can finally see ████ through the windows, the end journey after months of crappy space meals and micro-G aerobics. Can't believe I'm saying this but space living gets old real quick. I dunno how the other 7 guys hold on for so long. [Red] is talking about growing her damn taters on alien soil again, while (Lt) [Brown] is busy barking orders for landing prep. It's but a mere dot on the horizon now, but arrival is expected in a week. Can't wait to set up shop on the surface and start research.

Day 135: Left the main colony ship in orbit while we took the shuttle to the surface. Basic landing maneuvers went off without a hitch; within 16hrs we managed to aerobrake the shuttle and land gently in our chosen crater. [Blue] started construction of our living quarters first, before setting up the other essentials for a good-ol self sustaining colony, which of course includes food, power, oxygen, communications among other stuff. Poor dude works himself too hard. The process may be automated, but it's still several facilities being built at once. Kudos to him.

Day 136: Rest of us are busy settling down and unpacking stuff. First thing that [Pink] did is bust out her mining rovers and suit up, eager to uncover whatever secrets lie buried deep in the alien soil. As if they aren't just a bunch of minerals. [Cyan] is busy stabilizing the reactor so we won't die in a fiery death a week later. Meanwhile I’ll determine our launch windows back to the shuttle in case things go awry. Hopefully it won't come down to that.

Day 152: I’m proud to declare the Argo a cozy home, even though we're still wearing suits outside of the living quarters. [Red] ensured the biomes had breathable air compositions, using her jazzy bio-tech stuff. [White] finished wiring power to all the biomes, so we aren't living in complete darkness all the time. [Pink] dug up some strange meteorite shards, and because they contain organic material, it's being left to [Yellow]'s expertise in the Lab. I’m betting with [Blue] that it might be primordial bacteria, nothing more than that. But hey, it’ll still be pretty cool for sure.

Day 156: Turns out, it's more advanced than first thought. [Yellow] finished his analysis and uncovered this weird poop blob that's capable of limited movement in response to bright light, likely just reflex to stimulus. It's basically an amoeba, but for a prokaryote it's pretty big; the size of a rat. He’s got it trapped in this plexiglass enclosure so we won’t infect it with our Earthly germs. Now we gotta wear suits all the time, in case we catch space-flu(?) from it. Commander [Brown] is prepping transmissions to let our Earth friends in on the big news, and it might take a day before they reply. Can't wait to hear their response!

Day 159: We got our orders to secure a live specimen and ship it back home (Well it’s the only sample we’ve obtained so far). It's isolated in the Lab till the end of the mission for now. Almost had a mishap with Comms and couldn't hear from Earth for a few hours, but with everyone's help (mostly [Blue]'s mechanic hands) we got it back up in no time. Our research continues for now.

Day 163: I'm still trying to process what the hell just happened. Was doing observations on several moons when we heard panicked screams over comms. It was [Pink] telling everyone to report to Electrical immediately, rambling about bloody murder. She wasn't joking at all.

There was blood splattered all over the transformers and the lower half of someone splayed on the floor. The only thing giving away that it was [White] was the glittery suit. Her upper torso is nowhere to be found, but given the shredded state of her pelvis I don't think I even want to try. I'm too busy trying not to throw up in my suit anyway.

[Red] and [Pink] had to leave the biome to console each other, while the rest of us guys just stood there dumbfounded, trying to make sense of it. The only info we had was that [White] went to fix a few loose connections causing faulty lighting in the Lab, and we haven't heard from her in 2 hours. The work of some alien…? Did we underestimate that damn amoeba? Was it sentient after all? Fuck… I’m stuck on some desolate alien planet, afraid that I’ll never make it home.

[Cyan] and [Yellow] are debating heatedly on what to do next. [Brown] is trying to stop everyone from freaking out, while notifying home base about the situation. [Blue] is just there kneeling over [White]'s remains, at a loss for words. It’s time to call quits on the expedition. I want out and I think we should go home.

Day 164: There's been an intrusion, and that alien thing is gone. We were just bringing [White]'s remains to the labs when we found it’s enclosure smashed on the floor. Logs show that the last person to leave the place was [Pink], but that was a full day before, and nobody has been inside since. That plexiglass box was made to withstand seafloor levels of damn pressure. How the fuck did it break out, and how did it move from the Labs to Electrical so quickly?

[Yellow] finished the autopsy. Said that she was chewed in half like a sick pet toy. He determined jagged bite marks on the pelvis and some alien slime goo, but the actual cause of death is still subject to debate. That doesn't narrow things down at all. That monster would have to be huge, bear-sized at least, but where the hell can it hide in enclosed biomes like ours? And how did it grow so big so rapidly?

[Brown] is enforcing safety protocols, arming everyone with high-voltage tasers for protection. No one is to travel around alone either. As if that would stop some alien monster from mauling us to death.

Day 165: Something fishy is definitely going on. We haven't heard from home base in awhile. When we went to check the transmission station there was another malfunction, something about the encryption device being all fucky. [Brown] left the issue to [Blue] and asked [Cyan] to keep him company, since he was the closest thing we had to a radiologist anyway.

This was the 3rd time we've had some critical error in the colony in the past month. But back on Earth tests guaranteed more than 2 years of lifespan for all equipment. Is it just the harsh environment corroding them? Or was this the work of something, or some… sick fuck… intentionally sabotaging the colony? But, who… And why? Was the alien some sort of parasite, controlling it's host? Can I not even trust anyone anymore? The next launch window is in 65hrs… I’m gonna pop a few beer cans if I can even survive until then.

Day 168: We're sitting safe and sound, back aboard the colony ship for now… a crew of 5. Everything went to shit in the last 36hrs. Yesterday, the oxy-generator tripped. [Red] rushed headlong to O2, attempting to salvage the systems. [Pink] had to sort her rock samples, but we tagged along to keep [Red] safe. Honestly we're more worried about her mental health. She's always been close to [White] and her death hit her harder than any of us.

Things got worse. It's a critical regulator malfunction and CO2 levels would've hit 10% in 24hrs. Whereas repairs would take… 30hrs at best. Screw that. It was time to leave. Our window was coming up in 8hrs and we had packing up to do. Forget about any directives from home base. [Blue] and [Cyan] had been doing their daily repair works and we hadn't heard from them since morning, so we went over to Comms to fetch them.

But [Cyan] was nowhere to be found. In his place were the remains of [Blue], ripped apart the same way [White] was. Had to spur [Pink] and [Red] out of their reverie. Comms were down so they scampered off to report to [Brown], while I went in search of [Cyan]. Hesitation found me, not knowing what state [Cyan] would be in. Did I even want to find him? If it was actually him, when did he break into the labs? And for what purpose?

I linked up with the rest and we found [Cyan] unconscious in Admin. His boots and gloves were caked in blood. Taking no chances, [Brown] restrained him and propped him against the lounge chair. A bloodied knife was tucked away in his pants. Things were not looking good for him, as much as I didn't want to believe it. [Yellow], [Pink] and I huddled together, not knowing what to say. [Red] and [Brown] were arguing about what to do with [Cyan], as well as the bodies.

[Cyan] came around soon after, demanding to know what was happening, to let him go. [Brown] only had to utter the words, '[Blue] is dead.' [Cyan] went pale, pleaded his innocence, insisted that [Blue] sent him to retrieve an ID card from Admin, said he blacked out when leaving Comms. [Brown] wasn't buying it. If there was an alien infection spreading he couldn't risk bringing [Cyan] on board.

[Red] demanded to at least retrieve their bodies but [Brown], fearing they're also contaminated, simply brushed her aside. Needlessly cruel of him, to not let her put her best friend to rest.

We boarded the shuttle, and there I was peeking out at our failed colony as we lifted off. Right there and then, I wondered what inevitable demise befell [Cyan], and if we made the right decision at all.

(Note: Given that there have been no more transmissions from the colony on ████, it is assumed that [Cyan] died from asphyxiation)

Day 177: I've been shunning the remaining guys for the past week. Haven't shaved or showered in that time either. I've just been silently gleaming over the controls in Navigation, mapping the fastest trajectory back to Earth.

The only time I see the others are during meals, in the cafeteria nibbling on whatever bland rations were available. With three empty seats at the table, their absence filled the room, and the mood was suffocating. Filled with regret, for leaving [Cyan] behind, for not being able to save either [Blue] or [White], but what else could we have done? No one spoke; taciturn meals came and went, and we conducted our daily business.

Day 178: Silence speaks louder than words. I can see that the tragedy affected [Brown] most, with visible weight loss from only eating hardtack the past week. It was ultimately his decision after all. [Pink] and [Red] mostly sit together; they will exchange a few words, but mostly stare blankly down at their plates. [Yellow] is still eating heartily, but with seemingly extra caution, eyes darting around the Cafeteria between bites.

There was one time I caught him digging up our leftovers, wolfing down whatever food he could find. I don’t blame him; I always knew he was a stress eater, and no good can come from wasting rations anyway. I just hope our work distracts us enough from the bleak outlook of this mission.

Day 180: We have finally left ████ behind, and with the trajectory we're taking we should reach Earth in 90 days. In the meantime I'll be making minor adjustments to stay on course, while everyone else maintains the ship's operating systems.

Day 183: Minor glitches in the system. We went over to Medbay to submit our scans today. Something tripped when the A.I processed [Yellow]'s data, but he said that it's a small conversion problem and that he'll tackle it immediately.

Without [White] around, [Pink] has taken over her role of fixing the wiring, but given the occasional power trips, she just isn’t half the electrician [White] was. [Yellow] keeps to himself in Medical, doing whatever doctors can do on a spaceship. [Brown] goes around to keep stuff fuelled up, while [Red] hangs around in O2.

Of course more work is expected in the absence of a few helping hands, but I swear it's piled up more than we can handle. Cheers to holding out till we get home.

Day 185: Reactor meltdown almost killed us today. [Cyan] isn't around to keep them stabilized and we've neglected certain parameters for too long. Luckily [Brown] and I were there to remedy the issue, otherwise our journey home would've been cut abruptly.

Day 186: We've been revelling in this false sense of security for too long. Turns out the murdering alien bastard is still among us.

[Pink] didn't show up for breakfast today. She usually sleeps in so I brought it over to her quarters. But today, she was nowhere to be found. I sounded the alarm and we went on an hour long manhunt, before [Yellow] finally cracked open the doors to Security. We found what was left of her.

Her suit was tainted by deep red blood, splattered all over the hallway monitors. Killed the exact same way that [Blue] and [White] were, like some fucking pest that needed exterminating. [Yellow] and [Red] tried their best to salvage the logs, as [Brown] went around trying to look for hard evidence instead. I didn't see much use in doing either.

I collated their alibis. [Yellow] was testing samples in Medbay at the time, [Brown] in Admin doing routine checks, [Red] clearing up dead leaves in O2. Nothing out of character… Dammit who do I even trust? Who's lying? Shit… doesn't this mean that [Cyan] was innocent after all? And we convicted him without further trial, just like that?

I'm sick to my stomach. I don't care even if I die trying, I won't rest until I make things right.

Day 187: Stayed in the security room the entire time. I think I've found a lead. There was a vent that was tampered with, at the back of Security. The grating was a bit loose, but I shook it harder and it detached altogether. The opening is really small, and there's barely space to wiggle about. However there were prints leading deep into it, so I followed the trail out anyway. It leads to a branching path to both Electrical and Medbay. No one was in Electrical at the time so doesn't that mean…?

I didn't know if I could trust [Brown] but I had to bring the info to him at least. I asked [Red] to tag along and informed them both about the situation in Navigation. [Yellow] was having lunch in Cafeteria at the time. We were silent for a long while, before [Brown] also confirmed his suspicions. He found evidence of the lab logs being tampered with back on ████, immediately thinking of [Yellow], the most frequent visitor, but suppressed his suspicions when [Cyan] was caught "red-handed". How damn wrong we were.

We finally reached a compromise. Unclear of what else he's capable of, we agree not to confront him yet, as we closely monitor his activities. No one else has to get hurt. [Red] is inviting me over to her quarters, saying she needs some company. I don’t mind. I can use some semblance of safety and solace right now.

Day 188: A deafening roar jolted us awake, resonating throughout the ship. [Red] and I scrambled over to storage, only to see [Brown]'s mangled brown suit, slumped over the containers. His taser laid just out of range of his lifeless hands.

Standing over him wasn't [Yellow], but a goddamn monster. A gigantic maw filled with shark's teeth sprouted from his chest, tearing through his pristine suit, a snake's tongue wrapped around [Brown], ready to devour him. He let loose a piercing screech. [Red] screamed and collapsed to her knees.

I've had enough. Before [Yellow] could make a lunge for her, I grabbed the taser out of [Brown]'s hands and threw myself at him, giving him a searing jolt. Almost went deaf from the shrieks of pain. Between the smell of seared flesh and the cacophony of howls, I couldn't recall how many times I zapped him, but I eventually back him into the ejection port.

With him paralyzed, it bought me enough time to secure the airlock. Overhead the alarms sounded, red lights flashing, warnings about a forced ejection blaring through the PA. I watched as [Yellow] slowly regained his strength, pounding on the port window, panic-stricken, silently shouting at me but to no avail. The face through his helmet was contorted in mute horror, and just for that second, he looked almost human again. Too late for regret. The other airlock opened, revealing black murky emptiness as [Yellow] was sucked into the vacuum of space. A lone figure, desperately grasping at nothing, slowly receding into the dark abyss until he wasn't visible anymore.

[Red] and I stood there for practically an eternity, relief and sorrow washing over us all at once, hopeful that everything was finally over. [Brown]'s vitals showed he had long since flatlined. We didn't know what to do with his body yet, but for now we have a moment to mourn our losses as we finish the journey home. This is going to be the first good night of sleep in a long while.

Day 215: I'm left alone in Argo 3. I went over to wake [Red] up today, only to find her vitals offline, an open bottle of pills spilled over her desk, a stiff lifeless figure, donning her favourite red blouse, lying motionless in bed. Ironic, that it doesn't reflect the gruesome bloody ways the other crew members met their end.

All systems aboard the ship are stabilized now, and there's enough food to last me the rest of my shitty life, but what does it matter now? There's still 2 months left aboard this damn space coffin. I’m all alone now. I'm exhausted. Maybe I should just follow suit in [Red]'s tracks…

The Argo 3 arrived safely on Earth on ██/██/████, at DATA EXPUNGED, 61 days after the final transcript. Foundation personnel took over the landing site and secured the colony ship before transporting it to site ██. Nine days were spent on disinfecting and cataloguing the contents of the ship.

All media coverage was suppressed and Class A amnestics were administered to the ground team in charge of the expedition. Prof. [Green], the sole survivor, was brought into the facility and placed in a holding room for questioning.

+ INCIDENT 5119-A

- INCIDENT 5119-A

INCIDENT 5119-A:

Interviewer: Dr. ███

Interviewed: Prof. [Green]

Foreword: The following is an interview with Prof. [Green] 2 days after securing the Argo 3 colony ship. Note that this was conducted before the discovery of Document 5119-1 and the only information available on SCP-5119-J is from radio transmissions by the Argo 3.

Dr. ███: Good evening Professor [Green], I hope our facilities have been treating you well.

[Green]: Why everything here is comely enough, thank you very much. The best thing I could ask for is proper Earth meals anyway; you'd have no idea what months of space rations would do to ya.

Dr. ███: [Clicking his pen] I'm glad you're enjoying your stay, and my condolences, about the loss of your comrades.

[Green]: It was a massacre alright. I can only thank God or Buddha or Whoever for watching over me till now.

[A pause]

I only wish that [Brown] and [Red] could make it back. They didn’t deserve to be swatted like mere insects.

Dr. ███: Ah yes that's what I would like to discuss about, if that's okay. Could you elaborate on why and how you removed their bodies please?

[Green]: … I thought it would be fitting to give them a proper space burial. They wouldn't have wanted to rot away into nothing. Made a personal casket for each of them too.

Dr. ███: I see… you ejected the bodies. Well we found traces of blood in Dr. [Red]'s quarters. From what I understand you two were the lone survivors correct?

[Green]: Oh [Red]… poor girl slit her wrists. Survivor’s guilt must have gotten to her. I knew she was never very strong-willed, but I thought she'd at least consider the possibility of a future with me. With us. Guess I was wrong.

Dr. ███: [Scribbling on clipboard] Truly a shame we lost such brilliant minds, professor. I'm sure the return journey alone must have been harsh. But I see you have kept yourself busy, given that you finished all the food in the Cafeteria.

[Green]: I've learnt well from [Yellow] then. Asshole might have been overly inquisitive, but he knew how to let himself go. Hah… see where that got him. Nothing can trouble you if you drown your sorrows in shitty space beer.

[A short pause]

Dr. ███: Well I would like to ask about the events leading to Dr. [Yellow]'s infection. Be detailed as possible, if you don't mind.

[Green]: Sure thing Doc. But can I grab a bite first? It's well past dinner and I'm starving.

Dr. ███: No worries professor. I can get personnel to cater food for you. Have anything in mind for supper?

[Green]: Well I was thinking… You.

[A longer pause]

Dr. ███: I beg your pardon?

[Scrapping of chairs as Prof. [Green] slowly stands up]

Dr. ███: What are y-, GUARDS—

[A loud wet thud]

[Frantic footsteps as security personnel enter the room]

[Shouts in between gunfire for ten (10) long seconds]

[Cease-fire]

Incident 5119-A resulted in the termination of Dr. ███ and Prof. [Green], as well as sustained injuries of 3 security personnel. Unbeknownst to researchers at the time, Prof. [Green] was an infected host, becoming SCP-5119-J-2. It was assumed that SCP-5119-J transferred hosts during the struggle aboard the Argo 3, before incubating for several months.

Dr. ███ was stabbed through the eye with a needle-like proboscis, as SCP-5119-J-2's midriff morphed into a maw. Security personnel unloaded at least 180 rounds into SCP-5119-J-2 before finally terminating it. All involved personnel were placed under close monitoring for a period of 72 hours for anomalous behavior, after which their movements were tracked for another 7 days. At the same time, cryogenic preservation was performed on SCP-5119-J-2 for future study.

+ INCIDENT 5119-B

SCP Sandbox III

Sandbox III: Revenge of the Sandbox