A veteran worker of the SCP Foundation sits
at his terminal, performing one of the most critical tasks in the entire organization
- creating a file for an as yet undescribed SCP. But there’s something terribly wrong. His eyes are glazed over, his mouth hangs
open - is this a zombie or a trained foundation researcher? What is going on? Like any large international organization,
it takes more than just the exciting, action filled jobs to keep the wheels turning at
the SCP Foundation. Sure, the head researchers, guards, mobile
task force soldiers, and members of the O5 Command get all the praise, but a legion of
number crunchers, cleaners, and paper pushers are equally important. One such person was archivist Walter Bainbridge,
who had been tasked with digitizing some of the older records that the Foundation had
on file. It was when he was innocently recording the
details on SCP - 050 through 060 that he first came under the strange and startling effects
of SCP - 055. But, the most peculiar part, as with all incidences
of SCP - 055’s anomalous effects taking hold, is that Walter had no idea any of it
was happening. In his new digitized filing system, he first
took note of SCP - 053. Euclid Class, also known as the Young Girl,
this anomaly was a seemingly normal human female child who provoked homicidal insanity
in those directly exposed to her. Then SCP - 054. Safe Class, a non-aggressive humanoid female
made entirely of, as well as biologically and chemically identical to regular spring
water. Next, SCP - 056. Euclid Class, a being that changes form to
suit its environment, but only when all observers lose focus on it. And then SCP - 057. Safe Class, an underground chamber that crushes
the humans who walk within. It was at this point that Walter received
a concerned message from one of his superiors at Site-19, Mr. Kovach. The message praised the thorough digitization
of the other anomalies’ records, but was confused about why Walter had left out any
mention of SCP - 055. Immediately, Walter was embarrassed. How could he have forgotten SCP - 055? That iconic anomaly known for...Well, he couldn’t
quite say, off the top of his head, but he’d be sure to look into it. A quick trip to the Site 19 Archives showed
him that there was actually quite a hefty file on the nature of SCP - 055, which must
have been the result of a huge number of studies. What struck him as strange was that all the
files were filled out in pen rather than being typed up, like a traditional file. The majority of these notes were written in
short-hand, too, as though they were frantically taken during the tests themselves on extremely
short notice. There weren’t even any redactions. Walter made a mental note of what he had seen,
put the file back in its proper place, and headed back to his computer terminal. However, after writing in an almost trancelike
state, he looked back on his work to see that he had written an entry on SCP - 058, a giant,
evil bovine heart with insect legs and a scorpion stinger… Strange, he thought. That’s when Walter got a call from Mr. Kovach
on his Foundation-issue phone, and he didn’t sound happy. He’d given Walter direct instructions to
go back and digitize the files on 055, and instead, he’d been working on 058. What was the meaning of this? Walter was typically an extremely loyal and
diligent employee, but the verbal barrage from his supervisor had him considering talking
back, just this once, and hoping it didn’t get him demoted to D-Class and thrown into
682’s acid bath for play time. Walter gulped, picked up some courage, and
interrupted Mr. Kovach’s rant to ask if he had any idea what SCP - 055 actually was. The line went silent for a moment, then the
supervisor spoke again, this time with less confidence. “Of course I can tell you about SCP - 055. It’s a classic, one of the first hundred. How could you forget its...Or, um, you know,
its...I think it’s the one with the...” Another long pause, as Mr. Kovach seemed to
search for the words, but instead just trailed off into silence. Knowing that some of the anomalies on file
were dangerous memetic hazards, Walter was worried for a moment that he may have accidentally
killed his boss by getting him to think too hard about SCP - 055. He asked if Mr. Kovach was okay, and finally
got a reply. “I’m sorry, I seem to have zoned out for
a second there. What were we talking about, again?” But this time, it was Walter who couldn't
answer. He had no idea at all what the two of them
were discussing just moments ago. He felt disoriented and kind of sick, like
they’d taken some low-level amnestics. Mr. Kovach told Walter to get back to his
filing duties and they’d speak later. Walter then checked the messages he’d received
from Mr. Kovach earlier, and there it was, plain as day: “You missed 055. Go back and digitize that before proceeding. - Mr. K.” But Walter had never even heard of an SCP
- 055, if such an anomaly even existed! What was going on here? In that moment, Walter realized he was dealing
with something much stranger than just a standard digitization job. After all, how could he properly complete
his duties if SCP - 055 seemed to be impossible to speak, write, or even think about, unless
you were directly observing it at that moment? Walter had to know, and ask around the entirety
of Site 19 to find the answers if he had to. Sadly for Walter, he was about to embark on
a much more challenging task than he could have ever imagined. To paraphrase a supposed quote from Socrates,
“All I know is that I know nothing.” And that’s also about the extent of the
knowledge we have on SCP - 055, also known as The Anti-Meme and the Self-Keeping Secret. What does it look like? When and how was it obtained by the Foundation? What are its anomalous abilities? Is this thing dangerous? We may never know, because the only anomalous
ability of SCP - 055 that we’re aware of is the fact that nobody is capable of retaining
any information about it. It’s crucial to note that, whatever 055
is, it isn’t invisible, or indescribable. Foundation personnel are perfectly capable
of entering its containment chamber and observing it without incident, but mere minutes after
leaving the chamber, any memories of the particulars of 055 seem to spontaneously erase themselves. Hence, the Self-Keeping Secret. But this didn’t deter Walter. Perhaps his greatest advantage was that he
didn’t know enough about the thing he was investigating to know how futile his mission
was. He wanted to know the unknowable, and a pesky
issue like “impossibility” wouldn’t stop him. He’d get to whoever he needed to at Site
19 to get the answers he needed. Of course most people had no knowledge of
the mysterious anomaly. The common response he got back from his colleagues
was, “055? Do we even have an 055?” While the realization of sudden memory loss
- or the realization of 055’s existence - has been known to cause momentary stress,
there are no known long term physical or mental effects from 055’s anomalous abilities. It’s a fleeting idea in its purest form
- like forgetting why you walked into a room. 055 could be the most harmless object on the
Foundation’s roster, or the most deadly. Either way, we just don’t know. At times, Walter worried he was going insane. 055, and everything related to it, was gaslighting
him. Was 055 even real? The one thing that proved to him that 055
must have existed is that its containment chamber existed. According to the official records kept by
the Foundation on the Site 19 Containment Facilities, 055 is kept in a “five by five
by two point five meter square room constructed of fifty-foot-thick cement, with a Faraday
cage surrounding the cement walls.” The report continues that, “Access is via
a heavy containment door measuring two by two point five meters constructed on bearings
to ensure door closes and locks automatically unless held open deliberately.” 055’s cell is one of the few to have no
posted security guards, and any personnel working on other SCPs in the area are ordered
to remain at least fifty feet from the geometric center of 055’s cell, where the anomaly
itself is kept. When he tried to explore further why the cell
was constructed in this manner, he found that - surprise, surprise - nobody knew. 055 was an anomaly whose containment requirements
were so mysterious that it automatically netted itself a Keter Class designation. After all, how can you properly contain something
you can’t even hope to comprehend? There were plenty of rumors about the true
nature of 055. Some of the more conspiratorial minds at Site
19 theorized that 055 was actually an autonomous or remotely controlled spy inserted into the
site to observe Foundation operations - or even humanity as a whole. If you’re on the more paranoid end of the
psychological spectrum, this theory makes total sense. An anomaly that’s physically impossible
to remember, even when writings and pictures on the subject exist, would be a perfect spy. However, this was all ultimately little more
than speculation. Walter was barely any further along than when
he started. There were multiple points in his investigation
where Walter seriously considered giving up, until, finally, he had a major breakthrough. Dr. Bartholomew Hughes and Dr. John Marachek
were two scientists that had performed extensive research into 055, and who - Walter hoped
- might have the answers he sought about the Self-Keeping Secret. These scientists were the first to discover
the “Anti-Memetic” nature of 055, performing numerous tests on D-Class personnel to see
if it was possible to create feasible written records, sketches, or any other records or
impressions that could bypass its anomalous effects. The disorienting, memory-ruining effects of
055 also extend to any materials concerning 055. It seemed to be a truly uncrackable code,
but Dr. Hughes may have finally found some cracks in the armor. For starters, the fact we’re able to remember
that 055 is Anti-Memetic is an ironic exception to its Anti-Memetic qualities. This revelation also inspired another realization
from Dr. Hughes: Would it be possible to discover more about 055 from the process of deduction
rather than the typical induction? In other words, could they possibly learn
about 055 by figuring out all the things it isn’t rather than what it is? Dr. Marachek designed an experiment with Dr.
Hughes to explore this theory. They designed the experiment around a simple
question: Is 055 not spherical? In designing the question to specifically
find out what 055 isn’t, they hoped to subvert the anomaly’s Anti-Memetic Powers. Walter was fascinated by this potential method
of getting answers. Marachek and Hughes found that, while the
questioning process for those exposed was often arduous and frustrating, they could
now definitely say that 055 is not a sphere. It is theoretically possible to discover the
true nature of 055 by an almost endless barrage of deductive questions, though whether command
would authorize the resources for such extensive testing is still an open question. Walter, in his desperation, begged Marachek
and Hughes for clearance to view 055 himself. The curiosity had become too great during
his search to just walk away with the single fact that 055 wasn’t spherical. He needed to see this thing. And after several weeks of filling out forms
and cutting red tape, his wish was finally granted. Walter Bainbridge was allowed a private audience
with SCP - 055, the subject of his months-long obsession. Outsiders observed that Walter spent just
over an hour in the containment chamber, taking photos, drawing sketches, writing down notes,
recording audio logs, and reciting memory mnemonics. He was pulling out every stop to counteract
the anti-memetic effects of the Self-Keeping Secret. He was adamant that he would not be defeated
by his non-spherical nemesis, not after all this time and effort. Once his time in the 055 containment chamber
was over, he retired back to his office to finally digitize his exhaustive findings,
so that his supervisor, Mr. Kovach, would finally get off his back. Walter smiled, took a deep breath, and began
to type. “SCP - 059. Keter Class. This anomaly is a radioactive mineral that
emits a unique radiation known as Delta Radiation. Exposure to this radiation has caused strange
fungal growths on the infected...” Wait, what was this supposed to be about again? Oh well, it couldn’t have been that important. Anyway, check out “SCP - 096 - The Shy Guy”
and “SCP - 3008 - Trapped In Ikea” for more unforgettable tales from the SCP Foundation.
