SCP-3279
Pareidolia
SCP-3279-1-A
Special Containment Procedures
All recovered SCP-3279-1 instances are to be shipped to Site-55 for storage. Instances are to be stored in standard humanoid containment cells; multiple instances may be placed in a single cell for as long as volume permits. Retrieval, transportation, and maintenance of all SCP-3279-1 instances may be carried out only by personnel suffering from severe congenital prosopagnosia.1
Due to the inherently low risk level associated with SCP-3279-1 manifestations, any instances deemed too costly for retrieval should be contained on site; premises are to be staffed by Foundation personnel and instances must be observed remotely at all times.
Global disinformation campaigns are to be maintained by Foundation personnel in order to obscure the true nature of SCP-3279. Any and all forms of social media are to be monitored for information regarding potential SCP-3279 events.
Description
SCP-3279 refers to an extraplanetary entity of indeterminate size, location, and origin whose existence was made known to the Foundation through a series of manifestation events found on the Earth or in its immediate vicinity. These manifestation events occur most frequently in densely populated areas, though they have been found in areas with density as low as 23 persons/km2.
SCP-3279 events all follow a similar structure. The first stage involves the creation of a host, an inorganic structure of natural or artificial construction. A variety of non-anomalous materials have been found to create suitable hosts: as long as the structure somewhat resembles the shape of a human face2, SCP-3279 possession will occur. In this stage, the manifestation lies dormant and remains non-responsive to stimuli.
The second stage of a manifestation event is the realization of the event by at least one person. Upon receiving human recognition, the host becomes inhabited by SCP-3279, resulting in an instance of SCP-3279-1. Though lacking a tangible form of its own outside of the host object, SCP-3279-1 instances have been confirmed by subsequent radiation and spectroscopy testing to have the ability to respond to external stimuli including auditory or tactile interaction.
Testing has confirmed the presence of a shared consciousness of sorts; stimuli applied during testing at Site-55 resulted in noticeable fluctuations in radiation levels surrounding a different manifestation in ███████ Park, ██ approximately 77km away. Continued testing has supported the existence of SCP-3279, with each instance of SCP-3279-1 being an extension of a greater whole. As of yet, no progress has been made toward locating SCP-3279; with the confirmation of at least one lunar manifestation event3, probes have been sent to search the interplanetary system for SCP-3279.
SCP-3279 was incidentally discovered during routine field testing of SCP-████: abnormal amounts of electromagnetic radiation were found coming from a public garbage bin, which was taken into Foundation custody. After preliminary testing, the bin was given a temporary classification as an anomalous object before the collective nature of SCP-3279-1 was made clear and the object was subsequently reclassified.
No attempts at communication with SCP-3279 or any manifestations have yet been successful; prolonged exposure to SCP-3279-1 results only in a sense of paranoia, with test subjects often claiming to 'feel like they're being watched'.