Item #: SCP-058-DE
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Area-DE4/058 comprises the village in which SCP-058-DE occurs as well as the surroundings within 1 km. It is surrounded by a 3 m high concrete wall, which is secured against being climbed over by barbed tape. 5 m on the inside is a barrier of at least three (3) rolls of barbed tape. In between is a drive- and footway for patrols. On both sides of the wall cameras with night-vision and thermal imaging are installed, for an extensive surveillance of the area around the wall. At any time, a group of at least four (4) guards must be patrolling on the patrol way. The wall has to be inspected on the outside daily.
All subterranean conduction for electricity, water and gas are equipped with isolation and one-way valves. The access to the canalization is weld shut and filled with concrete. There is a small autonomous sewage treatment plant in the perimeter.
The area in front of the vehicle access is walled and secured as well, and hosts living and recreation containers for the personnel as workshops and storage rooms. Area-DE4/058 is marked as a military security zone. All guards are to be using uniforms, equipment, and vehicles of the Bundeswehr. Within the area, sound suppressors are to be used.
The area is equipped with a radar for detection of aerial drones. These are to be shot down with an EMP-rifle and the owner is to be arrested, as well as all individuals trying to enter the area or are protesting in front of it. These are to be class-A amnesticized and to be released, though they are to be kept under observation by the Department for Surveillance of Civilians, especially in social media.
Persons which are infected by SCP-058-DE (SCP-058-DE-1) are to be added to the village community or to be terminated and cremated; this decision is up to the project supervisor. Affected personnel of the Foundation can request either option (as long as they are able to communicate). Individuals suspected to be infected with SCP-058-DE are to be quarantined. If after four (4) weeks no symptoms occur, the project supervisor can decide to abort the quarantine and to release the subjects according to standard procedure.
The actual containment area of Area-DE4/058 is to be patrolled thrice a day. Overall the whole containment area is to be controlled daily. All personnel entering the containment area has to wear bite- and cut protection suits made (depending on the weather) from fiber composite material or chainmail. For longer deployment, temperature-controlled protective suits are available. In addition, face masks for protection of the mucous membranes are to be worn. Personnel with unclosed wounds are excluded from entering the containment area. All personal safety measures of this paragraph are optional for personnel of classes D and E.
All SCP-058-DE-1 are to be supplied with sufficient food each day, in a form guaranteeing that they ingest the food. Immobile SCP-058-DE-1 or those unable to chew or swallow are to be orally fed pasty nourishment-concentrates. Immobile SCP-058-DE-1 are to be looked for during each patrol. In case they have ceased all activity, they are to be examined by a physician daily. When brain death is ascertained, the instance is to be cremated. Because of the noise sensitivity of SCP-058-DE-1, entering the area with motor vehicles is to be refrained from.
In case of an attack by SCP-058-DE-1, all personnel of the Foundation has to withdraw to the entrance area or into one of the protective bunkers in the area. After 24 hours, the area can be accessed again.
Description: SCP-058-DE is a highly contagious virus, transmitted by droplet infection. Incubation time is 4-10 days, the onset-probability was 100% in all known cases. A cure or vaccination is unknown, giving medication to strengthen the immune system stretches the incubation time up to 16 days.
The virus itself is harmless, though it leads to the formation of a dangerous prion. Unlike many other prions, this does not lead to the destruction of the neural system, especially the brain, but its restructuring. Thereby, under significant periodic headache, a large portion of the brain is physically restructured over a stretch of four weeks. As a result, the subject loses the ability to make themselves understood and to solve problems as well as to show emotions and empathy. In addition, reaction to outside stimuli, self-preservation drive, and motoric abilities become severely limited. It is believed that the intelligence and the ability to form a will are strongly receding. Though SCP-058-DE-1 seems to keep memories of their former life, especially of tasks they executed very often, and try to fulfill or to imitate these tasks, like sleeping in their bed, to take a shower, to eat, to defecate into a WC, to imitate their work and the like, see Appendix #058-DE/A1.
SCP-058-DE first broke out in the village [RED ACTED] in the Sauerland/Germany, in which the infected now are contained. As the pathogen is not airborne, and the SCP-058-DE-1 seem to need a certain degree of daily life, Area-DE04/058 was erected around the village, instead of isolating each subject in an own cell.
Because of their restricted mobility, SCP-058-DE-1 tend to injure themselves. As they do not treat their injuries themselves, and treatment by personnel of the Foundation is complicated, these easily get infected what again leads to necrosis. This frequently leads to loss of body parts, immobility and ultimately death.
SCP-058-DE-1 usually behave peacefully. They tend to ignore each other and Foundation personnel. It is possible to train individual SCP-058-DE-1 behavior patterns by external stimuli, like letting themselves being fed by a stomach tube or to give up destructive behavior. Thereby great caution is necessary. The subjects are reacting aggressively to be held, physical badgering, loud and continued talking, loud noises and obvious as well as alleged attacks. Many first make refusing threatening noises but attack quickly. In case it attacks, SCP-058-DE-1 utter a loud scream and excrete a pheromone from their sweat glands. Both lead to other SCP-058-DE-1 joining the attack. Then they attack all individuals not infected by SCP-058-DE and try to bite or scratch these. They prefer the shortest way to their target, and run with the highest speed possible, but are rarely able to bypass or climb over obstacles. After an attack, they stay in their aggressive stance for 20 hours. The degree of aggressiveness and the threshold of aggression are different in each SCP-058-DE-1 and depend on their former personality.
From the beginning of the restructuring of the brain, the infected excrete a pheromone. From this time, they are no longer being attacked by SCP-058-DE-1. Those who are to be integrated into the village are to be assigned an apartment or rooms in the village, so they can get used to their new surroundings and later need less care by the Foundation.
The whole containment area, especially inhabited buildings, are to be checked for damage regularly, which are to be repaired if necessary. Also, all sharp and pointy objects, as well as objects that can form sharp shards (like vases and glasses) are to be removed as well as obstacles on the ground. Plates and drinking vessels made from glass or ceramic are to be replaced by plastic. Only SCP-058-DE-1 which are able to prepare and/or ingest their food on their own without injuring themselves may keep the required knives and forks. If possible, injuries of SCP-058-DE-1 are always to be treated.
Addendum: In the surrounding villages, rumors about illegal and unethically practices of the Bundeswehr in Area-DE04/058 rise, for example, rumors about testing and storing biological weapons. This repeatedly motivates especially young civilians to try to intrude the area, to spy out the area with aerial drones or to protest in front of the area. After their detention and amnesticazion, the persons concerned are showing a raised chance to fall for these rumors again. Analysis of their social media accounts, chat logs and the like have shown, that the always have been in contact with an account with the name “Dr. Chaos” or a variety thereof which brought them on these conspiracy theories. This account appears in several social media platforms, and can be found through the search function, but does not seem to exist on any server of the website operators and therefore cannot be deleted. It is believed that it is the same person or group responsible for SCP-042-DE. Whether ‘’Dr. Chaos’’ also is responsible for the existence of SCP-058-DE is unknown.
Appendix #058/A1:SCP-058-DE-1 seem to imitate a normal life. They repeat habits and common daily routines from their former life. It is yet unknown whether this is reasoned in a rest of personality or if it is an instinctive act. The degree in which complex acts can be accomplished varies from individual to individual. Seemingly especially the intelligence and memory power before the infection is critical for the precision and complexity of imitated acts.
For example, most SCP-058-DE-1 used to take a shower multiple times a week. But now, some only stand in the shower for a few minutes, without turning on the water, while in one instance (a former veterinary) undresses, adjusts the water temperature (in case it was manipulated beforehand), uses shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, towels herself down, rinses the shower, opens the window and dresses again. However, the form of imitation does not allow for conclusions about possible remains of mind. The same subject is unable to get new clothes from the wardrobe if the taken off clothes had been removed from the bathroom. Or to use toilet paper which is not on the roll holder but is laying on the floor next to it.
The situation is similar at the daily going to the workplace, if that is within the containment area, and leisurely activities. A former butcher goes to his butchery every day, stands there for ca. 10 hours and goes back to his apartment. A car mechanic changes the tires on the same car every day for multiple hours, though without balancing them correctly but considering the driving direction indicators.
SCP-058-DE-1 are shown to be having rudimentary capabilities to use computers (if they were existing before). Computers can be turned on and be used to a limited extent. If the computer is not plugged in some are using mouse and keyboard as if the computer was turned on, others wait multiple minutes until they turn away or retry turning it on. If the computer is turned on, some seem to be clicking around aimlessly, while others are opening programs purposefully. If the program icon has been moved, only a few subjects are able to run the program.
The mostly opened programs are internet browsers, with which the subjects try to access social media, web-mail, and pornography (the internet connection to the village was shut down and a jammer is blocking wireless and mobile connections). Some subjects are able to open computer games but founder on playing the game. 97% of all keyboard input is seemingly random button pressing, in the remaining 3% unrelated, most often single words, are inputted. Whole sentences or words in any relation have not yet been noticed, wherefore it is believed that it is not a communication attempt.
Incident #058/I1: