Agent Ellen O’Connor was used to working
normal cases in the Department of Analytics, or at least, as normal as cases can be when
you work for the SCP Foundation. This usually involved analyzing data and managing
the WATCHDOG network for critical surveillance information. SCP sites and facilities were highly guarded,
and major dangers usually stemmed from practical security failures that would be dealt with
on-site by security teams. It was rare that she would be called down
to investigate a high-priority case in person - but that’s exactly what happened when
she got an alert from the holding facility containing SCP-5002. SCP-5002 was not your usual specimen. Better known as Emma Hastings, she was a seemingly
normal woman born in Tewkesbury, England where she worked as a writer of detective novels. Born in 1978, she had published ten books
that had found moderate success, and was living a quiet life without much to gain the foundation’s
attention. That is, until the Foundation started observing
strange events around her. It seemed that whenever Ms. Hastings read
a copy of one of her own books, the events would occur in real life. While some details might change, the main
narrative of her book would play out - along with any associated deaths. The Foundation picked up on this pattern when
they intercepted UK police reports, and took a confused Ms. Hastings into custody. She claimed to be unaware of this strange
effect, but cooperated with Foundation authorities and was taken to Site-06 where she was kept
in a standard containment cell. But then came the events of December 14th,
2019. It was time for morning checks, and SCP-5002
was lying in bed - and she was dead. But what had killed her? The cell was locked with no signs of forced
entry, and Agent O’Connor quickly obtained the electronic records that showed the cell
had not been disrupted. Security cameras confirmed no unusual activity,
and the facility’s Reality Anchors that suppressed reality-altering powers were operational. There was no obvious explanation for SCP-5002’s
death, but something wasn’t adding up. Agent O’Connor knew she needed to investigate
everyone who could have been involved. Soon, Agent O’Connor had collected the entire
crew of Site-06. Site director Evelyn May. Her Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nadine Grossenbacher. Senior researcher Dr. Karen Yau and her second-in-command
Michael Simpson. Security Officer Lowry, and D-Class Personnel
D-4986, who was currently stationed in Wing G under the supervision of Officer Lowry. It seemed that after her death, SCP-5002 had
become the star of her very own detective story. The first meeting of all the suspects was
tense. Agent O’Connor tried to present the basics
of the case, but it soon descended into arguments. D-4986 had an attitude, and Officer Lowry
wasted no time in threatening the D-Class Personnel. Junior Researcher Simpson, meanwhile, quickly
started showing contempt towards the deceased Ms. Hastings, referring to her as a neutralized
specimen. Agent O’Connor let them argue among themselves,
watching and studying them, before surprising them all with an announcement - One of the
people in this room was SCP-5002’s killer. Agent O’Connor had already collected much
of the material relevant to the case. She had all the police reports on the deaths
linked to works by SCP-5002, including the 2017 unsolved murder of British grad student
Kate Holloway. She had investigated the containment cell
that SCP-5002 had been held in, including all the normal amenities and the unique ones
she had been given - like her electronic typewriter, a bottle of whiskey, and a fully-typed manuscript. It seemed that SCP-5002 hadn’t let her containment
stop her writing. Now, it was time to start interviewing the
suspects - starting with Officer Lowry. Officer Lowry started out friendly, but seemed
to tense when it came discussing the morning he discovered SCP-5002’s body. He had been escorting D-4986, who had been
kept in a spare containment chamber, to his standard duties and checked briefly on the
specimens along the way. But when he jiggled the handle of the cell
and no response came from Ms. Hasting’s chamber, he investigated. He could see that there was blood all over
the blanket, and Officer Lowry, now accompanied by Dr. Yau, investigated the cell to determine
what had happened. Chief Medical Officer Nadine Grossenbacher,
recently promoted to her position, was next to be interrogated. She reported that SCP-5002 had been stabbed
at least ten times by a sharp object, but there were no signs of a struggle and no murder
weapon was found in the cell. While Dr. Grossenbacher was helpful in explaining
the cause of death and in pointing out that the site director seemed to have a special
interest in SCP-5002, she was cagey when asked about her own whereabouts during the hours
of 1 and 3 AM - the likely time period during which SCP-5002 was killed. The picture was not getting any clearer for
Agent O’Connor. Officer Lowry was brought back in for more
questioning about the facility’s security systems. It seemed like his shift was well-covered
- except for his smoke break that he took around 2 AM, where he left every night and
left the low-risk containment area unwatched. He had only been gone fifteen minutes, and
swore that any security breaches were unlikely due to the need for high-level clearance. Lowry continued to cooperate, but was quickly
becoming tense at being seen as a suspect. However, not everyone was as cooperative. A security alert soon went up - one of the
suspects had tried to leave the facility. It was quickly identified as Junior Researcher
Michael Simpson, and his place in the interrogation list moved up. He was belligerent and refused to give information
about why he needed to leave, and claimed to have an alibi - he was working on his thesis
during the time of the murder. He confirmed Officer Lowry’s story of trying
to rouse SCP-5002 in the morning, but claimed to know nothing about a kitchen knife found
in the staff kitchenette dishwasher - conveniently washed clean of any identifying substances. Agent O’Connor may have found the murder
weapon, but the killer had covered their tracks. Junior Researcher Simpson made one thing very
clear - he did not like SCP-5002 and was not particularly sorry that she was dead. He viewed all SCPs the same - as inhuman specimens
unworthy of any respect. He had worked with her extensively in testing,
but that didn’t seem to change his mind. But he did have kind words for his supervisor,
Dr. Yau - who had given him a copy of her key card, giving him greater access to the
facility. Agent O’Connor decided that she would need
to look a little deeper into SCP-5002’s history at the facility. A security video of a previous test of SCP-5002’s
abilities provided some new information, and it just so happened to involve Dr. Yau, Michael
Simpson, Officer Lowry - and a new face, a female D-Class personnel with the classification
of D-2825. The scientists would test SCP-5002’s powers
by having her write things down about D-2825 and then read them aloud - and then watch
as D-2825 would act them out. They would primarily test this by using a
machine with two buttons on it, one red and one green. 5002 would write out and then read a passage
describing D-2825 pressing a sequence of red and green buttons to see if she would follow
it. 2825 followed the sequence exactly as SCP-5002
had written it, but only once. If SCP-5002 read it again, there was no effect. While it worked when some of the text was
redacted, it seemed to make D-2825 deeply upset and confused - as if she was being puppeted. Both SCP-5002 and D-2825 were led back to
their cells, but not before SCP-5002 asked a disturbing question - What if D-2825 had
been restrained when the text was read? The investigation then shifted to Dr. Yau,
who had worked more closely with SCP-5002 than anyone. Agent O’Connor asked about the book SCP-5002
had written while in custody, and was told that it was about the life of a D-class personnel. Dr. Yau said that it had been very different
from her normal works, and ruled out one of Agent O’Connor’s theories - there had
been nothing in the book resembling the events of SCP-5002’s death. She had not found a way to self neutralize. But Dr. Yau did reveal a few important details. The whiskey found in SCP-5002’s cell had
not been authorized by her, and Michael Simpson had begun acting cold and hostile towards
SCP-5002 several weeks into testing. She praised Dr. Grossenbacher though, and
her impressive work with D-2825 even after the D-Class suffered a mental breakdown. But there was one suspect that stood out in
Dr. Yau’s mind - and would soon become Agent O’Connor’s next target. D-4986 had been hostile since the investigation
began, more so than the average D-class. Dr. Yau reported that he had smiled when he
saw that SCP-5002 was dead and expressed that she got what she had coming. Agent O’Connor knew she needed to get the
D-class into an interrogation room but first she needed more information on him - starting
with finding out why he was in Foundation custody. The incident report wasn’t pretty - seven
murder convictions, with three others suspected. And all ten deaths were by the same method
- brutal stabbings. D-4986 immediately admitted that he was guilty
of those murders and had no regrets, saying all his victims got what they had coming. But he claimed that he did not kill SCP-5002
- despite wanting her dead. He had long hated SCP-5002 and Dr. Yau for
using him as a puppet, forcing him to perform tasks against his will. While D-2825 had broken down, D-4986 was filled
with rage. Was D-4986 truly innocent - or had he been
used against his will one more time? Upon examining the residents of the site,
Agent O’Connor decided to investigate another potential suspect - a fellow SCP. Better known as Robert Gates, this United
Kingdom-born man’s SCP number has been classified, but we know he possessed the ability to pass
through solid objects and was in Foundation custody after using his ability to assault
more than thirty women. Believed to be a dangerous criminal with antisocial
personality disorder, he was kept under the influence of a reality anchor that neutralized
his powers - but had he found a way to break free? Mr. Gates seemed to know more about the death
of SCP-5002 than he should, and wasted no time taunting Agent O’Connor. He claimed to be able to leave whenever he
wanted, despite past testing showing he was safely confined. He claimed to be innocent of the murder and
said he never interacted with or assaulted SCP-5002, but he worked very hard to put doubt
in Agent O’Connor’s mind. He wanted them to know that it was only a
matter of time before he found his way out. There was only one person left who might be
able to provide some insight about the whole affair. Director Evelyn May was a busy woman, and
she had waited until last to be interviewed. She seemed preoccupied with other disasters,
worried about the paperwork, but cooperated when Agent O’Connor wanted to review the
data on the reality anchors for the site. As the interview went on though, things became
tense. Agent O’Connor mentioned that Simpson had
been under pressure to produce results with SCP-5002, and Director May bristled at the
implications. Agent O’Connor was able to get information
out of Director May about her whereabouts at the time of the murder though - she had
been offsite meeting with a divorce attorney. There was something odd about that day though,
for some reason she only learned SCP-5002 had been killed almost an hour later than
her body was found. Why had Dr. Yau kept the events from her boss
for so long? Agent O’Connor believed she was getting
close to a conclusion, but she needed to dig deeper into Dr. Yau. The senior researcher seemed to have the closest
bond to SCP-5002, and a look at a past interview confirmed this. They spent time talking about SCP-5002’s
new novel, and SCP-5002 revealed that she had some previous awareness of her abilities
before being apprehended. They discussed her plans for the plot, and
SCP-5002 expressed overall satisfaction with her living quarters. Agent O’Connor now had all the evidence
she needed. It was time to gather the suspects. After Agent O’Connor brought all the players
together, she revealed that she knew they all had been lying to her… Everyone except for D-4986. She had pinpointed weak spots in each of their
stories. Officer Lowry had lied about his smoke break,
having been gone longer than he said - and drinking in addition to smoking. When he realized his drinking on duty would
be discovered, he had stashed the bottle in the one place he first had the opportunity
- SCP-5002’s cell. Director May, meanwhile, had lied about her
motivations. She was being blackmailed. She had been covering up the consistent failure
of reality anchors around the facility, which had allowed a dangerous SCP to get loose. But Robert Gates’ target had not been SCP-5002
- it had been the unfortunate D-2825, who experienced a breakdown as a result. And the source of the blackmail had been one
of the few other people with access to the statistics - Dr. Grossenbacher, whose quick
promotion suddenly made a lot more sense. Dr. Grossenbacher didn’t even know the full
story - but Agent O’Connor did. The reality anchors weren’t randomly malfunctioning
- they were targeted. None of the other cells ever malfunctioned,
only Mr. Gates’. He was placed in close quarters with SCP-5002
with the intention of him targeting her by Director May - or as she used to be known,
per a conversation with her divorce lawyer in London, Eve Holloway. The mother of the late Kate Holloway, one
of the people who died because of SCP-5002’s anomaly. She had been plotting for a long time to make
her suffer. But she wasn’t the one who brought the knife
into the facility. Agent O’Connor then turned to Junior Researcher
Simpson, who had his own agenda. His stony and cold facade was all a cover
for his participation in the radical group known as The Serpent’s Hand, which attempted
to liberate SCPs. He had planned to break into SCP-5002’s
cell and liberate her that night, giving her the kitchen knife for protection and escape
with her. Simpson was shocked when SCP-5002 refused
to leave - because she had something keeping her there. She was in love with Dr. Yau, and they were
in a relationship - and that was the primary reason she was so content in her captivity. Dr. Yau was in love with SCP-5002, or Emma
as she called her, and had been intentionally slowing down her research to ensure she stayed
in her facility for as long as possible. She had been editing the footage to keep their
trysts a secret - and it would have worked if Agent O’Connor hadn’t noticed the timestamps
while investigating the mysterious case of the Jack Daniels bottle. It seemed there were many people with ulterior
motives - but none of them with a reason to kill SCP-5002. The pattern of the blood indicated that SCP-5002
had been stabbed standing up, not in her sleep, and then dragged back to her bed. It wasn’t an ambush murder. There was likely a confrontation. And after eliminating all the other suspects,
Agent O’Connor had pieced together the timeline of the events. Junior Researcher Simpson had made his attempt
to get SCP-5002 out of her cell, but she had rejected the escape attempt. In his hurry to avoid detection, he had left
the knife behind in the cell and left the cell door unlocked. Just in time for Officer Lowry to jiggle the
handle as he walked by and find it unlocked. He was drunk and he picked a fight with SCP-5002. In the argument, the truth came out about
her and Dr. Yau. Officer Lowry felt she was flaunting it, taunting
him, and he couldn’t handle it. He believed Dr. Yau should have loved him
- not SCP-5002. Dr. Yau had always had a good relationship
with Lowry, and ignored the signs of trouble on his profile - like his history of drinking. She didn’t realize he was becoming obsessed
with her, and once he lost his mind and stabbed SCP-5002, he did his best to cover it up - and
he would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for the mystery of the Jack Daniels bottle. Officer Lowry was arrested for murder, but
Agent O’Connor still had questions. The final report on the case would indicate
her great doubts about the outcome. When dealing with a reality-warper, is anything
as clear-cut as it appears? While the reality anchors in SCP-5002’s
cell were active and there were no texts detailing the events of her murder, Agent O’Connor
wondered if her ability could have triggered it. She examined several blank pages found in
the containment cell that had been cut into an elaborate pattern. She wondered if when they were placed on the
right pages, if they could be some kind of grille cipher, revealing a new meaning. While she didn’t have any answers, Agent
O’Connor believed that the ambiguity of the case possibly warranted leniency for Officer
Lowry. But she was still left with one big question
- in a world with specimens like SCP-5002, who can rewrite reality, how much of anyone’s
story is truly their own? For more on the complex nature of the stories
of our lives - and how they can be influenced - check out “SCP-4001 - Alexandria Eternal”
or watch “SCP-343 - God” for what might be the most powerful reality-warper in the
Foundation’s custody.
