SCP-897

Description

SCP-897 is an effectively immortal person of variable height, weight, and build, and indeterminate age, race, and gender. It claims to be █████████ ███████, an Estonian man on record as having died in a house fire in Reval (now Tallinn) in 19██, aged 70. If this were true, it would make SCP-897 ███ years old.

When one or more of SCP-897's vital organs is compromised (usually as a result of trauma or disease related injury, but sometimes as a result of age related wear and tear) said organ will spontaneously switch places with that of whichever human subject is in closest proximity to SCP-897 (provided they are in good health) via teleportation. This saves SCP-897's life, but at the expense of the subject (to whom the process is fatal in ██% of cases, and severely debilitating in the other ██%). The process is entirely involuntary and does not require SCP-897 to be conscious in order to work.

MRI scans and medical tests indicate that the transplanted organs are seamlessly integrated into SCP-897's body (regardless of genetic disparity) and function as normal. SCP-897 has been found to contain DNA from at least ███ different people (including ██ Foundation personnel). It is estimated that no more than █% of its original body mass remains. Why its immune system (which itself has been replaced several times) does not reject foreign tissues is not known.

SCP-897 was discovered by the Foundation in the spring of 200█, when it was reported that three hikers in Denali National Park, Alaska had died in the space of two weeks under similar, highly anomalous circumstances. The first hiker appeared to drown, despite being on land. The coroner's report confirmed that, not only were her lungs filled with water, but they were unusually large in relation to her size and build, meaning they did not fit inside her ribcage, and as such had ruptured and haemorrhaged. The second hiker [DATA EXPUNGED]. The third hiker dropped dead when several of his bones (including his cervical vertebrae) appeared to spontaneously fracture. A mobile task force sent to scout the area found SCP-897 (who had recently taken to living in the wilderness) and took it into custody with █ casualties. SCP-897 reported that he had fallen into a river, [DATA EXPUNGED] by a mother grizzly bear, and fallen off a cliff at times coinciding with the deaths of the three hikers.

Due to the stress of involuntarily causing multiple deaths, SCP-897 is highly mentally unstable, and is neither willing nor able to cooperate with the Foundation. Its condition has gotten substantially worse since being taken into custody. SCP-897 will self-harm at any given opportunity. ██ Foundation personnel have been killed or injured because of this. Whether SCP-897 self-harms out of frustration with its existence or merely to spite the Foundation is unknown.

Addendum: On █ October 2011, SCP-897 briefly escaped Foundation custody. When Dr. Rasmussen entered SCP-897's padded cell in order to attempt an interview, SCP-897 broke free of its straitjacket and [DATA EXPUNGED] its own face, causing its eyes, nose, much of its skin, most of its teeth, and its lower jaw to be exchanged with Dr. Rasmussen's. Dr. Rasmussen is believed to have expired almost immediately. SCP-897 was then able to pass himself off as Dr. Rasmussen, allowing him to leave the facility.

When Dr. Rasmussen's body was discovered, Agent ████ was sent to recover SCP-897. 19 hours later, SCP-897 returned of its own accord, now possessing the memories and personality of Agent ████. It transpired that, upon tracking SCP-897 to the nearby town of ██████, Agent ████ attempted to restrain it, and accidentally shot it in the head, initiating a spontaneous brain transplant. Agent ████'s body quickly expired due to massive brain damage. The mind of the original SCP-897 was lost in the process. The fact that SCP-897's body has now been entirely replaced (meaning the original person technically no longer exists) has led some researchers to theorize that SCP-897 is not a person, but a localized abstract anomalous effect. Because Agent ████ is mentally stable and willing to cooperate with the Foundation, SCP-897 has been downgraded to Safe.