SCP-2218
If I Only Had a Brain
Connected to: SCP-2136
Typical SCP-2218 instance during observation.
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-2218 instances are to be contained through the usage of doubly redundant recording devices in a 4 kilometer wide square perimeter (designated as the 2218 Containment Area) around the instance's previously established community boundaries.
All recording devices are to be oriented counter-clockwise to face the rear of the next recording device in the line. Secondary recording devices are to be utilized at the corners of this perimeter to cover any gaps in surveillance. No recording device is to be further than 100 meters from another recording device (excluding the device's own backup).
Foundation maintenance staff are to patrol the perimeter of the 2218 Containment Area daily and clear any growths or obstructions. These staff must also repair or replace devices which are no longer functioning.
All staff should maintain records of any SCP-2218 instance that reached the perimeter of the 2218 Containment Area. Every 5 days any SCP-2218 instances which have reached the outer perimeter are to be transported back into the containment area outside the line of sight of any recording devices.
The 2218 Containment Area is to be designated as private land and access to it is to be limited to Foundation staff. Trespassers are to be apprehended and interrogated. If civilians are found to possess knowledge of Foundation operations in the area or knowledge of anomalous properties relating to SCP-2218 instances, they are to be amnesticized prior to release.
Description
SCP-2218 is a collection of individuals which take on the outward appearance of an inanimate mannequin if observed. Observation in regards to SCP-2218 is defined as any visual or auditory information processed by any individual or automated surveillance system. While the general appearance of individual instances differ greatly from one another, all living instances take on an individually unique appearance when observed (though a non-adult instance may grow in size, its appearance remains similar). This has allowed for easy identification of discrete instances1.
Beyond this observation effect, SCP-2218 instances do not appear to possess additional anomalous properties, (though they do not appear to experience the passage of time while observed). Each instance requires nutritional intake approximate to a human individual of similar size (though only when unobserved). SCP-2218 instances appear to engage in behavior typical to isolated human communities capable of agriculture. A majority (approximately 60%) of instances are devoted to primitive agricultural pursuits. The remainder of instances are split between various religious, leadership, and professional roles.
Recovered written communication have indicated that English is the primary language utilized by SCP-2218 instances. The most common communications appear to be between individual instances and members of the religious class. This religious class appears to control vast influence in the SCP-2218 community. Religious doctrines taught appear to be closely related to Methodist teaching, with a strong focus on theology, liturgical rituals, and ecclesiology.
Community historical records indicate that isolation began during the early 1950s as a result of the instance's anomalous effect. The majority of residents appear to credit a higher power's favor as the reason for their isolation. The few residents who are believed to have lived prior to the establishment of the community, however, refuse to respond to written communications left by Foundation personnel.
Due to their anomalous properties, capture and examination of individual instances is not difficult. While internal examinations through non-invasive means2 indicate an inner composition reflective of inanimate mannequins, physical examination of this internal structure has shown that regardless of outward appearance, all instances are internally physiologically identical to humans. Internal organs, once removed from an SCP-2218 instance, do not display the anomalous effect possessed by whole instances.
