"Administrative note: Current style guidelines for all Foundation documents recommend against usage of the term "human veal"."
Special Prosecutor Lucretius Brown: Agent Cruz, after all we’ve seen and heard here today, do you still contend that your actions on the night of November 23rd were justified?
Agent Steven Cruz: Justified? I can't even say I know what a word like “justified” means.
Brown: Appropriate. Necessary. Morally defensible. Pick any word you want; the question doesn't change: do you still stand by your actions taken during the execution of OPERATION TITUS?
Cruz: Yeah, I wouldn't know anything about that.
Brown: Agent Cruz, this tribunal will pass judgment whether you cooperate or not. This is your last opportunity to speak in your defense. If you have nothing to say here, then your actions will speak for themselves.
Cruz: When you go through the Academy, they teach you how to shoot straight. They don't teach you when to pull the trigger. I don't know if you've ever been out on a real op, but it doesn't matter how many stories you hear, or how many logs you read. Once you're out there, it's…different. I did what I did.
Brown: Is that an admission of guilt?
Cruz: Guilt is a human construct.
Brown: Isn't that what you are? Human?
Cruz: You've seen the video. Why don't you tell me?
– Transcript from the court martial of Agent Steven Cruz
Special Containment Procedures
All captured SCP-8879 entities are to be held in Unit H of Site-254’s humanoid containment center. Although SCP-8879 entities may be assigned to containment chambers in pairs of two, and may communicate with other SCP-8879 entities during meal times, direct interaction with other humanoid anomalies is prohibited.
SCP-8879 entities are to receive daily intravenous supplementation of vitamin B12, iron, niacin, and zinc. For subjects that present with extreme vitamin and mineral deficiencies, additional dietary supplements may be procured as needed from the Site-254 Organ and Tissue Storage Facility.
In the event that new populations of SCP-8879 are discovered, they are to be captured and relocated to Site-254 using minimal necessary force. All capture operations are to be executed by MTF Omega-26 (“Bounty Reapers”). As SCP-8879 populations have been observed to congregate in large numbers during the late autumn and early winter, operations performed in late November and December are of highest priority.
Description
SCP-8879 are a population of carnivorous humanoid entities, distributed throughout the rural southeastern United States. SCP-8879 entities bear a superficial resemblance to non-anomalous humans, and display comparable levels of intelligence and social organization, but are distinguished by their multiple rows of serrated incisors, bony claw-like protrusions at the end of each knuckle, poor vision, and pronounced vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
All documented SCP-8879 entities have been observed to participate in the routine consumption of human flesh. In the absence of human flesh, or regular supplementation of vitamins and minerals, SCP-8879 entities exhibit rapid muscular atrophy and deterioration of cognitive function.
Although capable of digesting raw meat, SCP-8879 entities have only been observed in the field to ingest human flesh after it has been cooked, using a diverse variety of culinary preparations. These preparations have been described as "simple" and "rustic" by field agents.1
Mission Log 8879.01
The following log is transcribed from body camera footage recovered from MTF Omega-26 Agent Steven Cruz, depicting an incident that occurred during the execution of OPERATION TITUS on 23 NOV 2023. Other operatives appearing in the footage have been identified as Agent Bryan Sullivan, Agent Christian Torres, and commanding officer Captain Wallace Slater.
Site of OPERATION TITUS
19:15, 23-11-2023 - BEGIN LOG
The operatives gather in darkness outside of a dilapidated farmhouse. The agents crouch as they walk through overgrown grass, approaching a side door to the structure. Dim lights flicker inside and the low murmur of voices is audible.
Captain Slater: Alright boys, listen close! We've got at least twelve freaks ready to tango on the other side of this wall. They're alert. They're dangerous. And they’re very, very hungry.
Agent Sullivan cocks his rifle.
Agent Sullivan: They're not the only ones.
Captain Slater: Remember: Stay close. Stay alert. Don't hesitate. Site-254 says they want as many of these fuckers alive as possible.
Agent Torres: And what do you say?
Captain Slater: I say what they don't know can't hurt them. Now let's move!
The operatives lower their night vision goggles over their eyes. Slater throws a smoke grenade into the window of the farmhouse. Sullivan circles to the front, crouched low, and lights an incendiary device at the front doors.
Torres kicks in the side door, and he, Slater and Cruz enter, guns raised.
At the center of the one-room farmhouse is a long dining table, set with ornate dishes, antique silverware, and large platters of fresh meat and human bones, around which a congregation of SCP-8879 entities sit. As smoke fills the room, they rise and begin to disperse, as the agents fire their rifles at the entities. The entities begin to flee towards the front door, but are blocked by flames.
Gunshots continue, muting the sounds of the SCP-8879 entities’ screams as body camera visuals are obscured by smoke.
Agent Torres: Fuck, we got a big one here!
Gunshots continue. As the smoke clears, the agents stand over a farmhouse that is strewn with debris and bodies. Agents Sullivan, Torres and Cruz restrain the few SCP-8879 entities that are still moving, while Captain Slater extinguishes what remains of the fire at the door.
Captain Slater: Good work, boys. That's the way you do it. Torres! How's that cut looking?
Torres examines a tear in his body armor.
Agent Torres: You should see the other guy.
Agent Torres looks down at a restrained, limp SCP-8879 entity at his feet. He lifts the butt of his rifle and drives it into the back of the entity’s head.
Captain Slater: Rookie! Still holding in there?
Agent Cruz: Affirmative, sir!
Agents Torres and Sullivan chuckle.
Captain Slater: Listen, son, you're in Omega-26 now. Leave the "sirs" and the "affirmatives" back at the academy. You can call me "mommy" for all I care. When you're out in the field with me, all that matters is you get the job done. Understood?
Agent Cruz: Affirmative–I…yes, I get it.
Captain Slater laughs and turns to the other agents.
Captain Slater: See? They learn fast. Torres, start loading up the wagon. You and me can get the ones we bagged down to Site-254.
Agent Torres kicks the SCP-8879 entity at his feet, which groans as he drags it by its bound arms towards the door.
Agent Torres: Come on, you're not dead yet.
Captain Slater: Sullivan and Cruz! Stick around and secure the area until the cleanup crew gets here, then you can head back to base. Should have about 20 minutes, so don't take all night.
Captain Slater drags two more entities to the door and leaves the farmhouse with Agent Torres.
Agent Sullivan slaps Agent Cruz on the back.
Agent Sullivan: First hunt?
Agent Cruz: Yeah, it was…I don't know how to describe it.
Agent Sullivan: You can't describe it. Got to feel it.
Agent Cruz: But it's a…it's a rush.
Agent Sullivan: Yeah. A rush. If there’s no shit in your pants right now then you're already doing better than most.
A groan is heard from the agents' feet. Agent Cruz jumps back and raises his rifle, looking down to see a bloody SCP-8879 entity crawling on the floor.
Agent Cruz: We’ve got a live one!
SCP-8879 Entity: Help me…
Agent Sullivan: Get back!
Agent Cruz: I don't think he's going anywhere.
Agent Sullivan: Only one way to make sure.
Agent Sullivan approaches the SCP-8879 entity and places the barrel of his rifle against the entity’s forehead. The entity looks up silently as Agent Sullivan fires his rifle.
Agent Sullivan: Let the cleanup boys handle it, right?
Agent Cruz laughs unsteadily. Agent Sullivan drags the body of the entity aside, bumping into the table and knocking over a large, brightly colored centerpiece woven in the shape of a googly-eyed turkey wearing a pilgrim hat.
Agent Sullivan: You'll fit right in with Omega-26, I can tell.
Agent Sullivan begins searching the table, clearing it of further debris.
Agent Cruz: It was my first choice out of the academy.
Agent Sullivan picks up a mostly intact plate, and begins searching the half-full serving dishes that cover the table.
Agent Sullivan: First choice! Of course. No one ever picks us second. It's like balls: either you've got them or you don't. Now come on, don't just sit on your ass. We've got ten minutes, there’s only two of us, and we've got a lot of meat to get through.
Agent Sullivan begins to fill his plate.
Agent Cruz: Meat?
Agent Sullivan: The sweetest there is.
Agent Cruz examines the dishes strewn across the table.
Agent Cruz: Did you read the dossier? You know what SCP-8879 eats, right?
Agent Sullivan: First rule of combat: if you want someone to read something, don't put it in a dossier. But don't worry. I know meat when I see it.
Agent Cruz: Human meat.
Agent Sullivan: Like I said, the sweetest there is.
Agent Sullivan sits at the table and begins cutting his meat.
Agent Cruz: Sullivan…don't tell me you're planning on eating a human.
Agent Sullivan: Not a human. Human meat.
Agent Cruz: A person.
Agent Sullivan: Don’t be so dramatic. You're a person. I'm a person. This is a steak. Look, it's got the char marks and everything.
Agent Sullivan holds up the steak to reveal a pattern of grill lines.
Agent Sullivan: You're not curious?
Agent Cruz: You think I'd be curious about what human tastes like?
Agent Sullivan: If you want to make it in Omega-26, you’ll need a better poker face than that.
Agent Sullivan takes a bite of steak.
Agent Sullivan: Second rule of combat: never leave food on the table.
Agent Cruz begins to back away.
Agent Cruz: If anyone found out about this, they'd take us out of here in handcuffs.
Agent Sullivan: That's why we dine in the dark. Cheers.
Agent Sullivan raises a glass of dark red fluid, drinks from it, and grimaces slightly as he swallows.
Agent Cruz begins to turn.
Agent Sullivan: You abandon your post and they really will be carting you off in handcuffs. I know it's your first hunt, but come on. Every MTF does this.
Agent Cruz: Every MTF eats people?
Agent Sullivan: Every MTF does more than they put in the field report.
Agent Sullivan looks around the table, lifting the lid off of a chafing dish.
Agent Cruz: Is that…
Agent Sullivan: Jackpot.
Agent Cruz: Please don't say it.
Agent Sullivan: Relax. It's just veal.
Agent Cruz: Is it just veal?
Agent Sullivan grins.
Agent Sullivan: Human veal.2
Agent Sullivan adds a leg of human veal to his plate.
Agent Cruz: Fuck. That's it. This is a war crime.
Agent Sullivan: It's not. I checked.
Agent Sullivan sits and continues eating.
Agent Sullivan: Besides, you think the Foundation follows the Geneva Conventions?
Agent Cruz: It's still a crime against God and nature!
Agent Sullivan: You think there’s a God? Give it a year. You see enough babies in broilers on this job and you'll figure out that if there's a God, he's not watching either.
Agent Cruz: You're the one with a leg of human veal on your plate.
Agent Sullivan: We all have to make sacrifices. What do you want me to do, throw it in the garbage?
Agent Cruz: Can I go throw up?
Agent Sullivan: I’m not stopping you.
Agent Cruz bends forward.
Agent Sullivan: Hey, hey, not here! I'm eating.
Agent Cruz walks across the farmhouse, stepping carefully over the debris and corpses, walks outside, and vomits onto a hedge. As he straightens up, a Jeep drives up the dirt road towards the house. The Jeep stops, and Captain Slater steps out.
Captain Slater: Turns out the night's not over yet. HQ wants more samples, and they'll settle for the dead ones. Grab a body bag and help load them up, will you?
Agent Cruz stands in the doorway.
Agent Cruz: Right now?
Captain Slater: Yeah. Now.
Captain Slater approaches, but Agent Cruz blocks his path.
Agent Cruz: You can't. It's not…it's not ready.
Captain Slater: I'm about ready to knock you on your ass if you don't stand down, Agent.
Captain Slater pushes past Agent Cruz into the farmhouse. Inside, Agent Sullivan loads spoonfuls of meatballs into a dish.
Agent Sullivan: Feeling better?
Captain Slater: I'll be feeling better when this whole damn operation is wrapped up.
Agent Sullivan looks up to see Captain Slater.
Agent Sullivan: Captain! Got time to eat?
Captain Slater: Might as well. At this rate, by the time we get back to Site-254 there'll be nothing left for us but scraps.
Captain Slater takes a place and begins to load it with ribs carved from a large rack.
Captain Slater: But isn't that just how it goes? We put our necks on the line for them night after night, and they can't even save us a drumstick.
Captain Slater turns to look at Agent Cruz.
Captain Slater: What's eating him?
Agent Sullivan: Not hungry.
Agent Cruz vomits again.
Agent Sullivan: You know how it is with the rookies. Never want to admit they're curious.
Agent Cruz: Sure. Of course I'm curious. It's normal to be curious. But it's a big leap from curiosity to cannibalism.
Agent Sullivan: You know what that leap is called? Opportunity. You know, the Chinese only have one word for "human" and "meat."
Agent Cruz: I'd be very surprised if that were true.3
Captain Slater: Out in the field, anything can be true. You just have to commit.
Agent Cruz: But that doesn't make it right.
Captain Slater: Last I checked this is my unit.
Captain Slater begins to advance towards Agent Cruz.
Captain Slater: Right. Wrong. What are those? Words. When one of those bloodsucking freaks has got you in a corner with a knife to your throat, do you think right and wrong are going to save you? Do you think it's going to let you walk away in one piece because you followed the rules?
Agent Cruz: Rules are the difference between us and them. Back at the academy, that's what they taught us.
Captain Slater: They taught you a lot at the academy, huh? What else did they teach you? Firearm safety?
Agent Cruz: First thing.
Captain Slater: Triage?
Agent Cruz: Of course.
Captain Slater: Wilderness survival?
Agent Cruz: Yes! Yes! There was a lot to learn!
Captain Slater: Did they ever teach you, at any point in your training, not to eat human meat?
There is a long pause.
Agent Cruz: That shouldn’t have to be said.
Captain Slater: Exactly. It doesn't have to be said. Because in every man’s life there comes a time he has to make that decision for himself. What an agent does in the field is between him and his God.
Agent Sullivan: And there is no God. So there’s pretty much no wrong answer.
Captain Slater: If you'd seen what we've seen, you’d understand. Give it time. You will understand.
Captain Slater sits down at the table.
Captain Slater: It was four years ago. A hunt just like this one. On a Thanksgiving night just like this one. We had a rookie with us then too. 18 years old, fresh out of training. A lot of good it did him. He was joking about wrapping up early. Wanted to go home, he said. Wanted to see his family, he said. Well he got to see his family alright. He got to see his family in a body bag.
Captain Slater stares into the distance as he grips a rib tightly.
Captain Slater: Never saw the freak come at him. Didn't even have time to scream. Got its claws stuck into him and carved him up like a prize turkey. Was the Ethics Committee there to save him? Were all their books and regulations enough to stitch him back up and send him home?
Captain Slater's voice begins to quiver.
Captain Slater: So if they want to tell me, after all the blood we’ve spilled so they can sleep soundly at night–after all the sacrifices we've made to keep their hearts beating–that I can't sit here and enjoy a rack of human ribs…that it's not “moral”…that it's against their “rules”…well why don't they come down here and take them out of my hands themselves?
Captain Slater stares down at the rib in his hand.
Captain Slater: But if they do, they'd better bring a shovel. Because they've got a lot of dead to bury.
Captain Slater begins to eat. Agent Sullivan extends the dish of meatballs towards Agent Cruz.
Agent Cruz picks up a meatball, sits on the floor, and holds it in front of him.
Agent Cruz: Back at the Academy, whenever the other cadets heard I wanted to join Omega-26, they always tried to stop me. They always said the same thing.
Agent Sullivan: That they don't have the balls to do what we do.
Agent Cruz: Yes. Exactly. But they didn't phrase it like that. The way they put it was "Omega-26 eats people."
Agent Sullivan: Don't listen to rumors.
Agent Sullivan begins to chew the meat off of a long bone.
Agent Cruz: But I figured, even if it is true, even if it's what they do, even if Omega-26 eats people…then at the very least, if I join Omega-26, that doesn't mean I have to eat people.
Agent Sullivan: You don't have to eat people. You get to eat people.
Agent Cruz drops his meatball on the floor.
Agent Cruz: But it's not true. It’s not the same. I can't just tag along, then sit back and twiddle my thumbs while you chow down on a human femur.
Agent Sullivan: Tibia.
Agent Cruz: You get what I mean.
Agent Sullivan: Yeah. I get what you mean. It's like balls.
Agent Sullivan extends the tibia to Captain Slater.
Agent Sullivan: You've either got them or you don't.
Captain Slater extends the tibia to Agent Cruz.
Captain Slater: You signed up for this job, son. In this unit, we do what has to be done. It's a jungle out there: eat or be eaten. So are you a hunter or not?
Agent Cruz accepts the tibia, holds it for a moment, sighs, and deactivates his body camera.
END LOG
ADMINISTRATIVE VERDICT
Given the importance of the continued success of OPERATION TITUS, it is the recommendation of this tribunal that no disciplinary action be taken against Agents Cruz, Sullivan and Slater that would prevent them from returning to active duty.
Although the actions of the operatives in question represent a gross departure from cultural norms, it is our view that they do not constitute an explicit violation of either official Foundation policy, or the Geneva Conventions.4
Standard operation of MTF Omega-26 is authorized to resume on 28 NOV 2024.
