On 05/06/2019 an embedded Agent in NASA posing as an astronaut vanished while aboard the ISS (International Space Station). No crew witnessed the event, however they became distressed upon realizing the absence of Agent Alden. Alden had been displaying symptoms of paranoia and therefore the crew of the ISS feared he may have ejected himself from the station, a fear worsened by the fact that no space suits were missing.
The ISS, as recorded during approach of Expedition 60.
NASA collaborated with the Foundation to cover the event. A Foundation owned vessel departed the ORP-5 (Orbital Research Platform five), executed orbital rendezvous maneuvers and docked with the ISS. Foundation agents boarded the station and rounded up the crew, which at that time had begun accusing each other for the disappearance of Alden. The crew was amnesticized and Alden was replaced by a new Foundation agent. The memories of the crew were accordingly modified, and all records of the mission were expunged and replaced. A matching SCP-6803-B instance was later located orbiting Earth 57,000km from its surface.
Agent Alden was not under the effects of any inoculants known to allow triggering of Colombus events, therefore he had not been administered OH-16. However, he had an experimental intracranial CRD (Cognitive Recording Device) implanted which he used to log his time on the station. It is currently theorized the CRD may have caused neurocognitive interference that led to the Columbus event, however the exact trigger remains unconfirmed. Testing with D-class sporting CRDs exposed to SCP-6803-A instances has not yielded similar results.
The CRD of Agent Alden was located close to his body, the data within was able to be recovered. Logs follow:
Log 01, Agent Alde- Fuck, its hard to get used to this. Agent Alden here, expedition 60, reporting from the ISS. We -that is Kuznetsov, Thompson and me- left the Baikonur Cosmodrome approximately nine hours ago. Our Soyuz docked with the station seven hours later.
We met with the three on board -King, Vinograd and Nishimura- and all has gone as expected so far. I suppose half of the crew must always be American right? I mean usually… Anyways.
I’m following the steps of Agent Campbell and many others before me. My instructions are to log any anomalous events and properly amnesticize the rest of the crew if necessary.
How am I supposed to do that covertly? I have no idea. It was hard enough to find a secluded spot to record this without looking like an idiot staring blankly at the wa-
Anyways… again…
As long as that doesn't happen I'm only required to make weekly status updates. I believe that is all for the moment. Now, how was I supposed to turn this o-
I'm playing ping pong with a glob of water I can't fucki- God I love it up here! I-
Oh shit, did I activate this thing? Fuck, Fu-
Log 02, Agent Alden. The CRD has proven more of a challenge than I expected. I struggle enough with speaking clinically without focusing, but thinking? This is a whole 'nother dimension.
I suppose I was chosen for this because of my tendency for inner dialogue rather than talking, my inner child as I like to call it. Therefore, I hope I will be given some leniency on this front.
I listened to my previous log and it's not optimal. That little accident from yesterday even less so.
I will try harder to focus and stay clinical, especially if a situation were to arise. Unlikely, given there has been no incidents since the spatial shift of 2005. And with the ORP program going so well this current position of mine is becoming irrelevant, fast. Hence why the Foundation had no issue with those seven days between Campbell departing and my arrival.
Anyways, conditions remain as expected. I continue to run experiments mainly in the Destiny module. Life is good up here.
…
Shit, I did it agai-
[logs 03-04 skipped due to redundancy]
Log 5, Agent Alden. One month down, five to go. I’d say I miss home, but… yeah. And, I mean, I can still look at it from up here. It looks just as beautiful, probably even more. It also looks more natural, I suppose.
Odd how one of the best ways to take in the splendor of our planet is to leave it behind.
…
Moving on. I haven't really talked much about the crew.
Thompson has been playing all day recording fun educational videos or whatever. Lucky bastard.
On the other hand, Kuznetsov, he's serious all the time. Sometimes I catch him staring at me while I record these logs and make myself laugh. Probably thinks I'm crazy.
Now me, well, uh….
Oh, right! Yesterday Nishimura and I ejected a load of microsats out of the Kibo module. I spent maybe three hours staring out the tiny window looking at those glistening cubes. They kept going farther and farther away. Little lights against the endless void. I mean-
Ugh. Oh dear. Focus goddammit.
Log 06, Agent Alden. Nothing new to report. Conditions remain as expected.
Log 12, Agent Alden. Vinograd, King and Nishimura left today. In four days three new crewmembers will arrive.
…
I… I watched their Soyuz slowly shrink away. Just like the microsats.
In another twelve weeks that will be me.
…
…
Fuck this. Not going to waste this last three months.
'That's one small step for man, but one big step for me!' Really living up to my last name here!
Not that many people know that was his second name… Whatever.
'Ground control to major Tom… Ground control to… mmmm Tom… Take your protein pills and mmmmm helmet on. Ground control mmmm om… Commencing countdown mmmm… on. Check ignition and may Gonzo be with you…'
Ah fuck. Focus on the experiment…
…
…
Chris Hadfield eat your heart out.
Breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe out. It's just a spacewalk, no big deal. The airlock is almost ready. No big… woah…
[18 more unplanned logs skipped]
Log 13. If anything I'm glad my experience will help continue to fine tune the CRD. It clearly continues to trigger sometimes. I think it does so when I get excited? Not sure.
Thankfully only the inner dialogue component does, I haven't turned the perception field recorder and I don't plan to. I know they wouldn’t allow me to keep the videos anyways so ain't no one getting them then. Plus I wouldn't like to get randomly recorded while peeing or whatever, the maneuver is even more awkward up here.
Ricci -that's one of the new arrivals- keeps asking me why I space out so much. Told her I’m just in awe of everything. I wasn't lying.
[Logs 14-15 skipped]
[54 unplanned logs skipped]
Log 16. Once again, Agent Alden here. Nothing new to report. Currently inside the Cupola module, observing the endless ocean blue beneath me. I feel like this should be forbidden. No human was ever supposed to stare at Earth from this perspective.
Wait, Is that… is that an aurora? Oh my -excuse me- fucking god.
…
I’m so goddam lucky.
Frame from video captured by the CRD’s perception field recorder during this log.
Log 17, Agent Alden. I have been feeling… a bit different since the last log. I’m not sure why,
However, I have confirmed memetic activity within my brain waves, it keeps firing at random. I mean, not random, I'm in the process of researching the pattern.
Log 18. I realized something about log 16…
It was, somehow, the first log I recorded while I was looking out the windows. Turns out the perception whatever thing was actually on all along. Fuckers. It's off now.
I also have no idea how I have managed not to trigger the CRD every time I look outside, not even during the spacewalk. Guess I was too much in awe to even be excited? Or maybe my theory was just wrong, who knows. The CRD clearly has many kinks to be ironed. On that note…
It did record a single frame during the spacewalk, I think I know why. Kuznetov was my partner. He was very quiet, as usual. Add on top the whole in space no one can hear you scream' situation and for moments I forgot he was even there. At least until he radioed a command or something.
…
Often I would turn around and he'd be somewhere I didn't expect him, like he was in two places at once. I think the CRD captured one of those times.
It's blurry. I suppose memories are?
Frame recorded by the CRD during a spacewalk on 27/03/2019
Log 19. Still no answers, my memetic activity keeps shooting up at random and to even higher levels. I've also detected cognitohazardous vectors but I haven't been able to pinpoint their origins. They’re all over the station.
I think… I think the others are starting to notice. Ricci says I have cabin fever and Kuznetsov agrees. Thompson told them to lay off me as did the other two new ones. Whatever. I need to keep investigating.
If anyone tries anything I have enough amnestics to reset them to kindergarten.
Log 20. I think I saw a hand on the small window in Destiny today. Outside. The glove didn't look like the ones in our suits, it looked old. And no suits were missing anyways. The fuck?
[from this point on Agent Alden ceased recording weekly logs.]
It looks old, like an early space race suit. It's so far though, I can't tell.
What’s in its hand, is it pointing that at me?
Is it… threatening me? I think it wants me to look outside but I'm not sure.
It does, I'm sure. I heard its voice inside my head. What do I do now?
The continents, they’re dancing, they’re fucking dancing. Their shapes merge and swirl like soup. They’re mocking me.
I don't want to look out the Cupola anymore. It ain't right. It ain't right!
Only two weeks and you're out, only two weeks and you're out. Fuck. only two weeks and you're out.
Who would’ve thought so. Haunted by a lost cosmonaut while aboard the ISS.
It wont shut up. It wont shut up! It wo-… oh?
I don't want to look out, I don't. But I have to. I need to know if it's still out there.
Woah, have I been a fool all along?
[This is the last log recorded before the Columbus event. It is estimated the event occurred immediately after.]
Warning. Scanning reveals inoculation of reader is soon to expire
>The following log contains an SCP-6803-A instance.
>Proceed anyway?
Alden: I don't understand. It makes no goddamn sense. Where’s Italy? I swear I've been to Italy. Ricci is from there! Not that it isn't still majestic… it's just so…
[Alden activates the perception field recorder of his CRD]
Alden: It's so different from what I expected. But somehow… somehow it's still so beautiful.
Unknown: Always has been.
[Error XFV-43215, neurological activity no longer detected.]
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[END LOG]
The last frame captured by the CRD.