Unfelonious

Item: SCP-####
Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-#### is to be stored in a containment locker outfitted with multiple redundant purple lights.
SCP-#### must always be dressed in rich purple boots and robes emblazoned with a single-headed eagle and the words “Αυτοκράτορας και αρχηγός των Ρωμαίων” ("Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans”). The clothing must be replaced as soon as any signs of wear appear on them.
In the event of SCP-####-A, the Project Manager must initiate Protocol FILLINNAME and send code “Basileus-Alpha” to alert local agents in national capitals to use anit-memetic agents and meet with or at least establish visual contact with the national leader in person outside of their residence. Public appearances are not to be taken as proof of freedom from SCP-####-A's influence. When a ruler is found to be affected by SCP-####-A, MTF Gamma-12 “The Royal Guard” is to extract SCP-#### from the ruler’s household by non-lethal means when possible.
The affected ruler must be evaluated using a Parlo-Zhao Conviction Test¹ and the results are to be compared to the ruler’s baseline as recorded when they entered office. Once evaluated both ruler and guards are to be given a Class-A amnestic if they are within the effective time period. If it is beyond the effective time the team lead is to get approval from Level 4 Project Managers before administering higher level amnestics to a head of government.

Description: SCP-#### is the skeletal remains of a human being, estimated to stand approximately 172 centimeters tall when still alive. Radiocarbon dating places the time of death in the late 13th century. DNA testing identified the individual as being a male of Byzantine Greek descent.
SCP-####-A incidents cannot be completely prevented, but can be significantly reduced by keeping SCP-#### in the purple regalia designed to represent the raiments of the Emperor of Trebizond. The garments must include the title “Αυτοκράτορας και αρχηγός των Ρωμαίων” (roughly “Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans” in Greek) and the royal, single-headed eagle of the Comneni of Trebizond. The clothing breaks down as though it is used on a daily basis and must be replaced when signs of wear become evident. Purple light on any bone still exposed also helps reduce the rate of SCP-####-A incidents, though with less efficacy than the regalia.
SCP-####-A incidents occur when SCP-#### anomalously disappears from its enclosure and reappears in the home of a national leader (Monarch, President, etc.), hereafter referred to as SCP-####-1. After its appearance, SCP-#### will perform the following series of actions.

• All personnel responsible for the Head of State's protection will decide it is their duty, for unstated reasons, to imprison SCP-####-1 within his/her residence. Almost all external contact with SCP-####-1 will be denied and the guards will only take orders from SCP-#### as though it is their proper leader.
• Upon appearing, SCP-#### will immediately feed upon SCP-####-1's convictions and morals. The methods of feeding are currently unknown. What is known is that SCP-#### will consume a strongly held conviction of SCP-####-1. This effect is not memetic in nature and is not reversible by any known means. This affect does not appear to prevent SCP-####-1 from developing new convictions, given time and motivation, but there are no known methods of restoring or recreating the lost morals and associated thought patterns once they are consumed. For this reason it is important for all national leaders be given a Parlo-Zhao Conviction Test soon after gaining office to serve as a baseline in the case of an SCP-####-A Incident.
• SCP-#### will animate and take SCP-####-1’s place in all public appearances. Its presence will create a memetic effect in both those that see it in person and in all recording equipment causing onlookers to believe that they are seeing SCP-####-1. Statements by SCP-#### will differ according to the situation, but will tend to include references to the ancient lineage of the nation and its grand destiny free of usurpers and fools. Since such rhetoric is common in many political speeches, scanning for changes in public behavior have limited success in attempting to locate SCP-####.

SCP-####-A-10-12-2006

On October 12, 2006 monitoring sensors notified Site-██ staff that SCP-#### had disappeared from containment. The Project Manager, Dr. Theodosius Wainwright immediately initiated Protocol FILLINNAME and broadcast “Basileus-Alpha” to all local agents. The search took 2 days, but local agents in Ecuador finally spotted SCP-#### masquerading as President Alfredo Palacio as it walked between the residence and a waiting car.
MTF Gamma-12 was moved into position later that same day and managed to overcome the presidential guard with only a single casualty on the side of the MTF. SCP-#### was seized in the living room, placed in its regalia and bagged for transport.
Follow on agents in the QRF secured the compound and administered the Parlo-Zhao Conviction Test to President Alfredo Palacio. Results indicated that most convictions consumed were of little national import, except his conviction to improve himself as a medical doctor and accept the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization. With that conviction gone, he was now convinced that he should throw his energy into winning the presidential election the next month, though he had done little actual preparation for this previously. As this did not pose an obvious threat to international relations or more wide-spread issues, it was decided by the SCP-#### Project Manager to request to administer Class-B amnestics to remove the relevant memories from the president and his guard, since the effective time period for Class-A amnestics had passed, and let events move forward as normal. Upon careful review of the last 2 day's activities by O-4 ████ ████████, approval was granted.

Initial Discovery: SCP-#### was discovered by accident on April 24, 1987 when Agent Julio Rojas noticed what appeared to be a skeleton being escorted into Marine-One while using memetic-resistant glasses to search for another escaped artifact, SCP-████. Unsure of what he had seen, Agent Rojas immediately contacted the Foundation to report the sighting and his possible compromise to a memetic agent. SCP-████ was safely recontained and Agent Rojas was brought in for questioning.
Testing did not show that Agent Rojas was under the effect of any detectable memetic agent. Live public interviews of President Reagan did not show a skeleton or any other anomalous behavior, regardless of what memetic filters were applied.
To attempt to duplicate the initial sighting a team was scheduled to visit the President in his residence under the guise of being a lobbying group for a number of the President's corporate backers. The majority of the team was made resistant to most memetic influences with a combination of drugs and/or memetic filtering glasses. Two of the party were left without special memetic counters as a control group. All members of the group were given non-transmitting audio recording equipment hidden within items of clothing.
Twenty-four hours after the meeting took place Foundation agents remotely activated the radio trackers that had been surgically implanted in each member of the team and traced it to a local crematorium. All members of the team were confirmed deceased, with the bodies of five of the agents able to be recovered and three having already been cremated. The effects of six of the team were recovered from the site, including the recordings.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portions of the recording, beginning when the team was escorted into the Oval Office.

Recording Log

Note: This is a recording taken from Agent Johnson's shoe. Voices are somewhat muffled and sounds of walking or shuffling are greatly magnified.

Muffled Voice: Right this way gentle…{sound muffled by walking}

The sounds of several people walking on carpet are heard.

President Reagan: Hello gentlemen, please take a seat.

Agent Johnson: Good afternoon Mr. President. {muffled sounds of speaking} consortium, and we would like to discuss with you possible national advantages of investing further in subsidizing certain markets to give our great nation a toehold on the world economy of tomorrow. If I…{Agent is cutoff by a shout from the President}

President Reagan: They can see! Kill them!

At this point there is a lot of muffled swearing and scrambling of feet, followed closely by gunshots at close range.

Agent Franks: Skeleton is real {muffled} ..hind his shoulder! It …{more gunshots}

After this point no further speech is heard from any member of the team. President Reagan is heard to order the disposal of the corpses.

President Reagan in a much weaker voice: My god, what have you done? Why?

With careful planning and coordination, a strike force of five MTF units was assembled and given the task of securing the SCP that had apparently captured the President. All contact to and from the White House was severed and an agent inserted into the communications network to ensure that no calls of alarm would be received by outside forces. Two MTF units, Beta-15 and Tau-12, were lost during the assault but the remaining units managed to secure the compound and locate SCP-####. Containment was quickly established and amnestic treatment was given to all non-Foundation personnel.
It is unknown how long SCP-#### had impersonated and held President Reagan for. At the time of capture the President was bedridden and could barely speak. It was only discovered in later tests how the President had been damaged. As no cure or treatment was available, the story was leaked that the President had suffered much worse damage during an assassination attempt early in his term of office than had been publicly acknowledged.

Edited by: Deep Blue Outer Space, any mistakes that I stubbornly refused to correct are my fault.

Footnotes

1. A test designed by Doctors Willan Parlo and Nan Zhao to quickly determine the depth of an individual's feelings on a wide range of subjects.