Object Class: Safe
Tags: 4000, Humanoid, Observational, Safe, Teleportation, Uncontained
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| SCP-4999, circa 1973. Photo taken by professional photographer Gustav Bürger, three minutes before his death. |
Welcome back to SCP: Uncovered, where we take SCPs and explain them. Today is one that is short and sweet. We're going to move away from the horrible terrifying death-inducing devil incarnates that are other SCPs. and instead, look at one that is surprisingly reassuring. For this one, there isn't going to be any vocabulary needed to understand it, as it is relatively straightforward.
What this says is that there is no need to contain it. It only appears in front of one person at a time, and even then, the person is already near death at the time of its appearance. In the rare case that someone else does see it, they just need to be memory wiped, or amnesticized. On to the description!Special Containment Procedures:Due to SCP-4999's unwillingness or inability to appear before more than one person at a time, in addition to the subsequent and immediate death of any who witness it firsthand, SCP-4999 is effectively self-containing. Any reports of SCP-4999 manifestations captured by security camera feeds, photographs, or similar are to be investigated, and the media confiscated for analysis. All secondhand witnesses among the civilian populace are to be amnesticized.
Description:
SCP-4999 is a humanoid entity of unknown composition, visually resembling a middle-aged male. Its physical appearance varies, with its dark suit being the only constant between manifestations. Due to the rarity of recorded SCP-4999 manifestation events and the highly specific circumstances in which they occur, little data concerning its nature or intent is available; however, its behavior is consistent across all recorded sightings.
SCP-4999 will manifest only in the presence of one solitary human person at a time. All subjects recorded to date have been in terminally poor health, critically injured, or on their deathbeds, with SCP-4999 appearing nearby and within sight of the individual not more than 20 minutes before their expiration. SCP-4999 will only appear if the subject is conscious and alone. It will not appear if the subject is comatose, asleep, or unconscious; nor will it appear if they are being cared for by, in the company of, or otherwise being directly observed by another person.
That tells us why there's no reason for official containment other than amnestics. Anyone who sees him directly is going to die anyway. However, it does bring up the question of why it does this. Hopefully the rest of the description can answer that.
Upon manifestation, the entity will seat itself directly adjacent to the subject's bed, if such furniture is available. If not, it will remain standing or sit on the floor/ground in whatever configuration will allow it direct physical access to the subject without causing disturbance. Once situated, it will remove a pack of cigarettes from its left inside jacket pocket and offer one to the subject. If the subject accepts, SCP-4999 will place it between their lips, remove one for itself, and light both. If the subject declines, SCP-4999 will light and smoke the cigarette instead. The entity will make physical contact with the subject, typically via holding their hand, placing its hand atop theirs, or resting its hand on their shoulder.
SCP-4999 will then remain with the subject, silent and unmoving, until they have passed away.
SCP-4999 has not been seen to engage in any other activity or behavior, and demanifests immediately upon the subject's death. The subject's cigarette, however, will remain, providing the only physical evidence of SCP-4999's presence.
No subject thus far has been seen to recoil from or otherwise resist the entity, nor have any attempted to engage it in conversation, despite multiple instances of subjects acknowledging the entity's presence via eye contact, adjusting posture to reciprocate or facilitate the entity's touch, breaking into tears when noticing its presence, or verbally thanking the entity when offered a cigarette.
That was a long read. Let's summarize it for those who don't wish to read the entire thing. Once SCP-4999 manifests, it seats itself next to the subject's bed, if such furniture is available. If it isn't, then it will stay standing or sit on the ground, depending on which would give it the most access to the subject without disturbing them. It will then take out a pack of cigarettes and offer one to the subject. If the subject accepts it, SCP-4999 will take one out for itself as well and light both of them. If they decline, SCP-4999 will simply light and smoke one instead.
It will then make contact with the subject, holding their hand or resting their hand on their shoulder, remaining there until the subject passes away. There is no record of it doing anything else to the subject, and de-manifests soon after the death of the subject. Multiple subjects have been seen to acknowledge the entity's presence by thanking it or breaking into tears.
I know, not much of a summary. However, it is important that you understand the details, as it adds to the story. SCP-4999 is, unlike many other SCPs, harmless. It doesn't have an ulterior motive. All it does, is reassure the subject that someone is there for them in their last moments.
It appears that SCP-4999 has a preference of who to go to.
Individuals affected by SCP-4999 share a number of common attributes. Research into identified subjects has indicated that SCP-4999 is more likely to appear if an individual:
- lives alone
- is nonreligious
- is impoverished or homeless
- displays a history of mental illness
- is a military veteran
- has no criminal record, or has never been convicted of a violent crime
- has no currently surviving family
- is unmarried or otherwise lacks a significant other
- has little to no social standing in their community
- does not exhibit any record of significant professional or personal accomplishments
- has few to no mutually beneficial interpersonal relationships,
or exhibits qualities and life history that have rendered the individual nondescript, anonymous, neglected, or otherwise unremarkable or insignificant by the standards of their respective society.
SCP-4999 goes to those who have nothing going for them, and reassures them. As you can see from those attributes, SCP-4999 goes to help those who are ignored and neglected by society in their final moments. Wholesome.
That concludes this week's SCP:Uncovered. Next week, we'll be going back to the more intense SCPs with a 001 proposal!
tl;dr: SCP-4999 is a wholesome scp with a wholesome job doing wholesome things.
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