Your Ghosts Are Real

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Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to remain contained within a temperature-controlled, electromagnetically isolated storage locker in Site-96. Routine checks are to be carried out on the device to ensure no loss of integrity.

SCP-XXXX is to be provided with a steady, low-level current of electricity equal to 15 watts, and must not exceed 25 watts, in order to aid in simulating an organic neural environment.

Testing of SCP-XXXX is currently suspended until such a time where the contents of the device can be safely retrieved.

Description: SCP-XXXX is the preserved consciousness of deceased containment specialist Dr. Ian L. Wells, maintained on the removed neural implant of former interrogation specialist Nathaniel A. Reynell.

SCP-XXXX, while present inside of its host, was capable of communication with the host-body's brain; subject has described this as an experience of foreign thoughts disjointed from one's own. Manifestations of visual disturbances were not uncommon, resembling the deceased in question, however it is speculated that these hallucinations resulted from the traumatic nature in which SCP-XXXX formed rather than being inherent to the nature of SCP-XXXX itself.

Addendum 1: SCP-XXXX was first recognised in former taskforce agent and interrogation specialist Nathan Reynell in 2011, following a complaint made to Reynell's primary psychiatrist about auditory and visual hallucinations.

Reynell, at the time, had undergone significant psychological trauma from his service in an experimental neural research programme, spearheaded by Dr. David Parks. While initially believed to be entirely a result of Reynell's psychological condition, testing confirmed that a portion of Dr. Wells' psyche had become 'stuck' on the device due to a fault with the technology itself, and was actively being preserved by electrical impulses from Reynell's brain.

+ REPORT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT - N. REYNELL, 11/3/2011

REPORT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

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CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL

NAME: Nathaniel Arthur Reynell
D.O.B 6/3/1974
CHRONOLOGICAL AGE: 37 years 5 months
SEX: Male

EVALUATOR: Farah Saab, Ph.D

DATE(S) OF ASSESSMENT: 11/3/2011

REASON FOR REFERRAL:

Ongoing routine evaluations as mandated by Dr. D. Parks and Dr. H. Sutton.

ASSESSMENT:

Mr. Reynell expressed uncharacteristically subdued behaviours for the duration of the session. He appeared lethargic as if from lack of sleep (which he confirmed when prompted),and he had difficulties in coordinating his speech appropriately. Mr. Reynell has expressed that he is experiencing visual disturbances as well as auditory hallucinations; additionally, he demonstrated highly unusual behaviours and patterns of thought that may allude to the onset of psychosis. He claimed that he felt as if he were 'being haunted' by a now-deceased Foundation researcher. He fixated strongly on this idea and we made little progress in tackling the source of this delusion.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Recommending Mr. Reynell's immediate withdrawal from the DEAD EYE programme. He is reaching a point where more serious interventions are required that cannot be given by a single care provider. Request of Transfer will be attached with this document.

REQUEST OF TRANSFER OF CARE

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CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL

Dr. Parks,

This is a formal request for a Transfer of Care to be enacted in the case of agent Nathaniel Reynell. As highlighted in the attached reports, agent Reynell is displaying advanced symptoms requiring stricter interventions than can currently be offered.

Dr. Saab

Please return to:

Dr. Farah Saab
Room 267, Subfloor 1
Psychological Services

+ CALL LOG - 11/7/2011

<BEGIN CALL TRANSCRIPT>

SAAB: Dr. Farah Saab, speaking.

REYNELL: Hey, doc. It's Nat.

SAAB: Nathan, hi. How've you been?

REYNELL: Not, not um. Not great.

SAAB: Aw, well, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you feel up to talking about it? I have a session available later today, had a no-show.

REYNELL: Mmm…

SAAB: Nathan?

REYNELL: You can't go to Parks.

SAAB: Nathan, while I understand you may be reluctant to disclose certain information, if I believe there's serious concern for your safety or someone else's safety, I have to.

REYNELL: He won't listen, Farah. I don't wanna have to sit through another one of his stupid fuckin' lectures on 'positive thinking'. You can't go to Parks. Don't go to anyone unless you can get me the hell out of this situation ASAP —

SAAB: Nathan.

REYNELL: What?

SAAB: What's wrong?

[There's a brief pause]

REYNELL: …nothing. Forget I ca- just forget it.

<END TRANSCRIPT>

This call took place approximately 2 hours before agent Reynell's attempted trepanation.

Addendum 2: Reynell would come forward in 2014 with insight into SCP-XXXX. Prior to this, he had refused to willingly take part in questioning from staff due to the distressing nature of the circumstances in which SCP-XXXX was formed. Reynell had since had the implant removed and was seeking appropriate psychological support.

The interview, recorded below, would be the last account Foundation staff received from Reynell in relation to the project.

+ Interview #7753 - Project DEAD EYE, N. Reynell

Interviewed: Agent Nathaniel Reynell

Interviewer: Dr. Victor Langley

Foreword: Foundation personnel had requested an interview from agent Reynell several times in the past with regards to SCP-XXXX. While all information of importance had been obtained by then, personnel were interested in an in-depth, first-hand account of SCP-XXXX.

<Begin Log>

LANGLEY: Stating that this interview is being digitally recorded. I am Dr. Victor Langley, working for the Department of Technological Research. Please state your name and designation for the record.

REYNELL: Agent Nathaniel Reynell, Field Operations.

LANGLEY: And is it OK if I refer to you as Nathan throughout the course of this interview?

REYNELL: Yeah.

LANGLEY: Great, thank you. Time is 12:21 in the afternoon. Now…

[Paper shuffling]

LANGLEY: SCP-XXXX, you knew him as Dr. Ian Wells.

REYNELL: Yes.

LANGLEY: I'm aware you have answered this question before, so feel free to refuse to answer — at what point did you begin to notice SCP-XXXX?

REYNELL: I uhm. Pretty much immediately. After we uhm, after we finished up the ██████ ████ on his brain.

LANGLEY: And how did that — how did that look, for you?

REYNELL: At first it was a lot like. Like I was still there, in a ways. When we did the ██████ █████ we'd experience these…impressions. Of thoughts, of memories, stuff like that. As if we were living them ourselves.

LANGLEY: And this persisted outside of the usual circumstances?

REYNELL: Yeah. At first I'd thought, y'know, uhm. There's like these warning signs you looked out for, for when it was starting to really hit you negatively. One of the biggest ones is that your thoughts start getting mixed up with the people you end up interrogating. You start losing yourself. That's what I thought was happening, originally.

LANGLEY: So you felt you were experiencing this…thought tangling, as opposed to suspecting anything different?

REYNELL: See that's the thing - we didn't know it was possible for it uh, for it to come from the memories actually being stored on the implant. But the symptoms also didn't quite line up. I was still very much me, I just — I couldn't demonstrate it very well, I was in a bad place with it.

LANGLEY: I see. They said this happened because of…a couple of things? Both that your neural implant was modified from a memory enhancer, as well as the fact it had gotten damaged.

REYNELL: Yep.

LANGLEY: And how do you think it got damaged? Was it wear and tear, were there compatability issues?

[Reynell appears uncomfortable. He doesn't respond for about 2 minutes]

REYNELL: I'm…going to be upfront. I did it myself.

LANGLEY: Pardon?

REYNELL: I did it myself. I tried to damage the port the morning we were scheduled to interrogate Wells. It was hard to find something small enough. I ended up using a screwdriver I'd been using to take apart my laptop.

LANGLEY: That could've killed you.

REYNELL: Yeah, well. I was desperate. I wanted a quick out, whether it destroyed the chip or killed me. Working under Parks was, was hell. He — there's no way I would've gotten off the programme easy. If it had worked and I, I didn't end up ████████████ Wells, none of this shit would've happened.

[Langley remains silent]

REYNELL: Then again. It got me off the project, didn't it? Just took a couple days.

LANGLEY: Are you, um, referring to the self-trepanation incident?

REYNELL: Mhm.

LANGLEY: Why did you do that?

REYNELL: 'Cause as far as I was aware, I had a ghost in my brain. And I wanted to get him out.

<End Log>

Closing Statement: Reynell continued to exhibit signs of significant distress and proceeded to become more withdrawn. No other coherent information was retrieved, and Reynell was allowed to leave.