Wow. This managed to creep me out real good. Perhaps a little over the top, but that probably helps it. Nice work.
I dunno. It started to sound real good in the main article, but the ridiculousness of the addendum made me unsure whether I should be scared or amused. I would've liked it more if we were less sure of what exactly 973 did, but now it just comes off as SCP-682 ON WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS!!!
Yeah, there's a lot to like in this one, but the fight just seems a little too much. A lot of effort was put into destroying rather than containing the thing for some reason. It would be easier to take it seriously if the fight never happened.
But I really like the description of the driver's mouth not being there.
Also! Let's mash it up with 745!
I'm all for the fight happening, it shows just how creepy the thing is. The Foundation thought maybe they could blow it to hell/kingdom come, and be done with it, since the thing is extending its reach. Then they found that it just won't work.
I wonder how long until its reach becomes global…
That just gave me the hilarious mental image of Dr. Kondraki riding A 682-shaped go-kart.
One question: what happens if there are two cars in range when the window opens? Or more? Does it select randomly/based on distance to some point (its 'lair'?)/time of entry/something else?
Reading this, I can't help but wonder, given the form it takes: What if it only goes after people traveling above some specific speed (like 55 MPH)? Under that speed, you're perfectly safe, but the instant you go above it, by even the smallest margin, the SCP comes after you. It fits the form better, without significantly reducing the danger. After all, how many people really drive below the speed limit on a highway? Maybe even have that limit go down if conditions are less than perfect, but not by any set or predictable amount, so at most times you don't even know what the safe speed is.
Disclaimer: This is just one of my random ideas. You are under no obligation to even consider it, unless it turns out to be awesome.
Hmm…
@thunderbird: If there are two cars, it may go after both, or neither of them. As for choosing its targets, it's just random, so long as it's within the affected area and time slot.
@Leicontis: Never thought about the speed limit thing, but that's a neat idea. I'll consider it.
Also, event log condensed into a third addendum.
That incident report is a bit over the top, but I love the two addenda.
Scariest part of this for me?
"RUN FUCKER RUN FUCKER RUN FUCKER RUN"
That, and the dangling duct-taped bumper. It's 2:30 in the morning and you're screaming down a windswept stretch of highway, with that godawful ostinato on your radio, and the deranged ghost of a police car is striking sparks off the roadway behind you and always gaining…
On the nth reading, it's starting to remind me of the movie The Wraith (starring Charlie Sheen), only twisted.
Sorry to bombard you with questions (boundless curiosity once something good gets my mind going), but: is it possible to escape the cruiser, for example by leaving its territory without being overtaken? Will it pursue me beyond the boundaries, or stop, or just vanish, or will something prevent me from leaving the designated territory once manifestation is triggered?
Never heard of that movie. But hey, I love questions! Basically, it is possible to escape 973 by passing over its territory border before it catches you. It will just vanish at the border, which leads to a "policeman from hell" urban legend of sorts for those few who just floor it and escape, or those who are good at off-roads work.
The problem is, it's pretty smart about these things. 973 jumps on you almost as soon as you come into its territory, and it has the tendency of catching you before you hit the end. It seems to enjoy catching people just a few hundred yards from the border.
This is pretty damn cool.
What happens if someone pulls over though?
You die with your remains being found app. 6.4 km from the roadway, with all sorts of nasty injuries. Either that, or [DATA EXPUNGED]…
Also came here to ask this. A [DATA EXPUNGED] result on that test with a D-class would certainly add to the chill. If pulling over is somehow worse than dying in a wreck to the point that the Foundation expunges it, that's damn creepy.
Great SCP. Creepy stuff. But am I the only one that can only picture it having the voice of Sinistar. What with the "Run, coward"
Man, I was HOPING I wasn't the only one who thought that.
Goddammit, now I have a mental image of the trooper morphing into SiniStar during his fight with the agents.
Thanks a lot, guys.
On topic: Short and sweet.
SCP-973 will manifest at night when another vehicle enters the designated territory, and is believed to be triggered by the target vehicle accelerating over a certain speed. This limit varies, with the average being in the area of 88.5 km/h (55 mph), but it can range anywhere between 53.3 km/h (35 mph) and 112.7 km/h (70 mph).
Two things about that:
- What led the Foundation to think that breaking some speed limit is the trigger? If the entity said "Run, you [EXPLICATIVE] speeder", or each time it dumped the corpses it left a speeding ticket with them, that would make researchers think it was about speeding. But absent something like that, how would they know?
- Saying that the speed limit can vary from 35 mph to 70 mph seems to imply that going about 70 mph will always trigger the entity, which would make it a lot easier for the foundation to attempt to destroy it, since there'd be a guaranteed way of triggering it.
I see. So trigger it, then nuke the road. Hahahaha
Not nuke the road, but blow up just the police cruiser, with a remote activated mine, or a bazooka, or something. It probably wouldn't work, but I think the Foundation would consider it worth a shot.
Has there ever been any foundation stories about SCP 666-j being used to try and terminate SCP 973 ?