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| SCP-XXX |
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Item #: SCP-XXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXX is to be stored, sealed within its container, within Storage Unit-07 at Site-19.
Tests conducted with SCP-XXX must be approved by Dr. Xylander, SCP-XXX head researcher and one other researcher with Level-3 clearance. When conducting tests lasting longer than 24 hours, measures must be taken to ensure that the subject does not make any emotional connections with Foundation personnel in order to avoid contaminating test results.
Description: SCP-XXX is a collection of approximately 550 'gummy bear' soft candies, ostensibly manufactured by the ██████████ Corporation in █████, Germany. The associated container is marked with an expiration date of 02/10/20██. Each candy is chemically identical to standard reference samples of the same product, save for one additional component, a highly complex derivative of [REDACTED]. Analysis has shown that this chemical appears to be a particularly potent preservative. While this chemical is not produced by any known supplier, the Foundation has judged that [DATA EXPUNGED].
SCP-XXX's effect is triggered when a candy is ingested by a young human subject. The exact threshold is not known, however the Foundation has determined empirically that activation occurs in 97.5% of subjects under the age of 16, falling to 32.4% for subjects between the ages of 16 and 18, and to 2.6% for those between 18 and 20. There have been no recorded activations to date in subjects over the age of 20. Affected subjects will experience above-average pleasure from consuming the candy, even if they have previously expressed a distaste for similar confections. Commencing approximately 3 hours after consuming SCP-XXX, subjects' perception of any direct carers (parents, guardians, care workers) with whom they have frequent contact will begin to be altered.
Subjects initially report observing intermittent physical and auditory abnormalities with sudden onset, such as total lack of eye pigmentation, lack of one or more facial features, clothing abnormalities, [DATA EXPUNGED] and vocal distortions. Olfactory anomalies are also reported by ~50% of subjects. Changes also manifest when the subject is shown photographs or video footage of the affected persons. After approximately 10 hours, subjects will report detecting behavioural abnormalities, reporting that any affected persons are threatening them, or making unwanted physical contact. Any food prepared by, or served to the subject by affected carers is viewed as inedible, with some subjects vomiting upon being presented with it. Chemical testing of such food has shown that it remains physically unaltered.
24 hours after exposure to SCP-XXX, these perceptual anomalies will begin to manifest in connection with any person who attempts to aid the subject, or with whom the subject has some emotional connection. In addition the intervals between manifestation will shorten, with the abnormalities becoming almost constantly visible after approximately four days.
Class-B amnesiacs have been used in attempts to reverse the effect of SCP-XXX, with moderate success. A standard targeted Level-2 course of treatment is effective in removing the perceptual anomalies, but carries a medium risk of collateral memory damage due to the psychophysiological immaturity of most subjects. Furthermore, Incident XXX-A appears to suggest that subjects may experience brief relapse episodes months or years after treatment with no known trigger.
Addendum XXX-1: Details of recovery and initial investigation
SCP-XXX was recovered from a family home in ██████████, ██ on ██/██/20██, following an investigation by local law enforcement into a potential child abuse incident. Embedded Foundation Agent E███████ K█████████ noticed various abnormalities with the case, and notified the nearby Site-██. Foundation operatives took over the investigation and ascertained that SCP-XXX was directly related to the child's distress.
Interview log:
Relevant sections of interview with subject (Alexandra I██████, ██) exposed to SCP-XXX. Subject had recieved prior psychological counselling and resilience therapy to ensure that the interview process presented a minimal level of distress.
Dr. Xylander: Please describe the first time you noticed something… wrong with your parents.
Alex: It was my dad. He came to pick me up from school, and when we were in the car, I looked in the mirror, and his… his eyes had turned white. Like totally white, nothing else. When I looked again, they were fine.
Dr. Xylander: And this was the first day you cons… ate the sweets?
Alex: Yeah, I had a few in my lunch.
Dr. Xylander: When did you next see anything wrong?
Alex: When we were eating dinner. My mom gave me my plate, and it was covered in [REDACTED] maggots! Everything was rotten… <subject pauses to suppress vomiting> I nearly threw up. But she said there was nothing wrong with it! If I could see it, she could too! And then, when she walked back to the kitchen with the plate… oh… <subject pauses>. I mean people just can't move like that!
Dr. Xylander: What did you do?
Alex: I couldn't face going to school, so I ran away and went to my boyfriend's. He's on holiday already and his parents are away… I thought I'd be safe there.
Dr. Xylander: But…?
Alex: I was telling him about everything, but something just seemed… off. I don't know what, just something didn't feel right. We… went to kiss, but then he changed. His mouth turned into this… I don't know… <Subject becomes agitated> …so many teeth. And then he tried to force me onto [DATA EXPUNGED].
Dr. Xylander: And then you went to the police, correct?
Alex: Yeah… once I got to the police station I told the guy on duty all this, so he sat me in a room like this and asked me to wait. A counselor person turned up… she was nice. She listened, and told me about what would happen next. But then it happened with her too.
Dr. Xylander: What do you mean, 'it happened with her too'?
Alex: What do you think? While I was talking to her, the shrink or counselor or whatever, her skin began to crack, like you see in the desert, and this black… stuff came out. I ran out of the room, but I could still smell it, it was like… [DATA EXPUNGED]. <Subject vomits>. How do I know you're not one of those things too? <Subject became distressed and was restrained before being sedated>.
Subject was retained in Foundation custody for three weeks while further tests were performed before being successfully treated with Class-B amnesiacs and returned to her parents. Subject was monitored by the Foundation under the guise of follow-up counseling each week at ████████████ Psychiatric Hospital.
Addendum XXX-2: Incident XXX-A
Eighteen months after the initial incident, subject evidently underwent a relapse, claiming that her parents had [DATA EXPUNGED] essentially becoming one entity. Subject also experienced anomalies in connection with the Foundation therapists assigned to her, and made a successful escape attempt from the hospital. Subject was captured and taken back into Foundation custody, but committed suicide while in containment.
Note: All future subjects exposed to SCP-XXX are to be placed on suicide watch while in containment regardless of initial psychological state. - Dr. Xylander
Addendum XXX-3
On ██/██/20██, Foundation personnel embedded within the [REDACTED] Corporation's Chinese Product Development Division discovered ongoing research into precursor chemicals [DATA EXPUNGED] and suggested that direct action be taken should Compound 3B-h be produced in large quantities or further progress made.