In steeple shadows, on city corners,
I see my people despised as foreigners,
Get locked away, or be deported,
Is this land still made for you and me?
| Item #: SCP-9726 | Level 4/9726 |
| Object Class: Archon | Classified |
Two boats carrying Cuban SCP-9726-1 instances on May 18th, 1980 outside of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Special Containment Procedures: Due to the nature of SCP-9726 as an Archon object, it is not to be contained.
Only US residents born within the country's borders may be assigned to SCP-9726 research. Maintaining SCP-9726 is considered a top Foundation directive as of July 1999. Means of ensuring the continued existence of SCP-9726 in the face of ongoing decline are currently underway.
Description: SCP-9726 is the designation for a man-made (See Addendum 9726.1) mind-altering effect manifesting in humanoid subjects residing within countries with economies, life expectancy, and education opportunities significantly lower than those available in the United States of America at the time, which instills a desire for a better life within the United States.
Illustration from Walter Crane's Columbia's Courtship: A Picture History of the United States in Twelve Emblematic Designs in Color with Accompanying Verses (1893) Click here to view in larger size.
The anomaly has historically seen spikes in activity, during periods of conflict, famine, or civil unrest in other nations, or periods of economic or social prosperity within the United States. Notably, the effects of SCP-9726 do not subside even if entry to the United States is illegal, as was seen during the mass Chinese immigration into the country following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the National Origins Formula.1
SCP-9726-1 instances arriving in Ellis Island, New York, 1915.
The belief instilled by SCP-9726 typically lasts throughout the remainder of an SCP-9726-1 instance's lifetime. Said beliefs typically include:
- "Any American can prosper if they work hard."
- "My life is much better here than it was before."
- "I am living the American dream."
A precipitous decline in SCP-9726 beliefs has been noted in SCP-9726-1 instances who have migrated to the United States since 1981, with 12% no longer being influenced by SCP-9726 after the year 2000, and 45% by 2023. The reasoning behind this remains unknown.
SCP-9726-1 refers to immigrants to the United States of America, which, as of 2023, number at over 47.8 million.
Addendum 9726.1: Creation by the ASCI
Due to historical records being incomplete, and in some cases nonexistent, it is unknown when exactly the American Secure Containment Initiative (ASCI) began work on creating SCP-9726. However, most sources seem to indicate the early 1850s as the start of the project. What few available records survived the Rebuke of 18612 imply that SCP-9726 was created as a means to attract new white settlers to the United States and help expand Manifest Destiny into the western, northern, and southern frontiers.
No records of SCP-9726 functioning exist prior to 1859, when SCP-4004-α3 fully assumed its Emperor Norton persona, "Norton I., Emperor of the United States, Protector of Mexico." As this persona, he attempted to engage in communications with Queen Victoria of England and King Kamehameha V of Hawaii on the topic of strengthening ties between nations and pushing for racial equality between the peoples of the United States and the world at large. The ASCI considered SCP-4004-α a threat due to its extremist beliefs and reality-bending properties, and as such, contained it in San Francisco via hypnosuggestive agents,4 actors, and other methods of subversion.
SCP-4004-α in life, date unknown.
Successful at first, SCP-9726 attracted many German, French, Scottish, and English migrants to the United States. However, at the same time, many Catholic, Jewish, Slavic, and Chinese migrants began entering the country as well, leading to the aforementioned Exclusion Act and the implementation of other legal inhibitors in an attempt to halt this. Due to beliefs expressed by SCP-4004-α in life and postmortem, it is currently unknown if this migration of SCP-9726-1 instances from non-desired countries was caused by SCP-4004-α affecting or influencing SCP-9726.
The ASCI remained adamant in its use of SCP-9726, and its effects continued into the 20th century, when it began drawing more "Arab, Colored, Oriental, and Latin" SCP-9726-1 instances. Despite this, the ASCI remained Whites-only until 19725 when the first "Colored" agent was hired and trained to investigate the USS Kitty Hawk race riot. Following this landmark incident, the ASCI allowed agents of all races to be trained. Immigration from White countries slowed even further following 1981, with Slavic and Latin immigration only growing from this point forward.
The Foundation did not become aware of SCP-9726 until 1998, when the ASCI requested assistance in upholding it in the interest of helping the United States. The Foundation accepted, on the condition the ASCI folded into the Foundation, which the latter eventually accepted upon seeing further decline in SCP-9726's effects in late 1999.
Addendum 9726.2: History with the Foundation
Following the discovery of SCP-9726, the Foundation sampled the population of foreign-born employees working within Sites at the United States and came across multiple candidates for a study on the anomaly. Attached below is the history of one such employee, Dr. Justine "Jay" Everwood.
Justine S. Everwood
Groups of Interest Research
Senior Researcher
Security Clearance Level: 4
Post: Site-132 (April 1998-November 2001), Site-55 (November 2001- June 2023) Site-43 (June 2023-Present)
Office: MC-726
Present Assignment: Head of GoI Research, Site-43
Place of Birth: Santos Suárez, Havana, Cuba
Date of Birth: 26 July 1974
Dr. Everwood is among the Foundation's foremost diplomats and Groups of Interest researchers. They were originally approached by the Cuban Ministry of Anomalies to work as a spy for the organization in the United States, but they turned down the position and instead fled to the US. Everwood possess a wellspring of knowledge on the many groups which make up the world, their goals, their members, and their intelligence capacities. Highlights of Dr. Everwood's academic catalogue include:
- Nobody Made Me Who I Am — PhD Thesis, Site-55, 2003.
- Wonder of Doctor Tainment — Site-55, 2014
- Climbing Mountains With An Arm Behind My Back — Site-55 Press, 2020.
- Containing the Immortal — Site-55 Press, 2023
- "Chaos on the Swing: On the Chaos Insurgency and Its Remains." — Foundation Informer, vol. 62, no. 12 (Fall 2025): 12-21.
Dr. Everwood was identified as an SCP-9726-1 instance early into being hired by the Foundation in 1998. They had originally migrated from Cuba in 1994 on a raft, having entered the country illegally. However, because of the "wet foot, dry foot policy"6 of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, they were able to apply for citizenship in 1995, and had successfully become a citizen by 1998.
Attached below is a transcript of poetry produced by Dr. Everwood on May of 1998, presented both in original Spanish and translated to English using BABEL.aic. NOTICE: Any structure, rhyming scheme, or use of particular language has not been preserved in translation.
Nací en el día
veinte y séis de julio
en una noche
cálida habanera
en ciudad Santo Suárez
Mi madre dijo
que tocó una banda
afuera cuando
nací, celebrándome
y mi primer aliento
Mi padre dijo
que hubo un desfile
celebrándome
cuando no podía ni ver,
hablar, cantar, escuchar
Y yo les creí
Porque simplemente no
sabía na' mejor
Cada año, desfiles.
Los disfrutaba mucho.
Viajábamos a
el Capitolio a
ver los desfiles,
mi madre y yo, joven,
sin saber lo que eran.
Pero entonces,
empezó el colegio,
y con él, llegó
el conocimiento de
que mis desfiles no eran para mí.
no.
no.
no.
Pertenecían a Fidel.
Siempre le habían pertenecido a él
Ese hombre que creó un culto a la personalidad
Ese hombre cuyo nombre no podía pronunciar
Por miedo a invocar el Comité de Defensa de la Revolución
Debería haber sabido que
los tanques,
los soldados,
las banderas,
los aviones,
los bailarines,
las bandas,
no eran para mí.
Que le pertenecían a él.
Al hombre que abandonó mi familia.
Todo por pensar mudarnos a la "U S A"
El hombre que nos quitó las raciones cuando ya no había nada que comer
El hombre que encarceló a mi tío por atreverse a decir lo que pensaba
El hombre que se apoderó de mi hermosa isla
El hombre que me quitó mi cumpleaños.
Como empezó todo con un ataque al Moncada.
Como continuó sacando a hombres y mujeres de sus hogares.
Como culminó con su toma de posesión de Cuba.
Cuanto más aprendía, menos quería hacerlo.
Lo peor no fue saber que le pertenecían a él
Lo peor no fue el ridículo que me provocaron mis compañeros
Lo peor fue saber que mis padres me mintieron
Y todo por culpa de Fidel.
y los años han
pasado. perdonando
fue la parte mas fácil.
vivo en américa.
los desfiles en mi nombre no se celebran desde hace años.
no desde que tenía cinco.
he aprendido a dejarlos ir.
recuerdos buenos, sin duda, pero eso es todo lo que son.
recuerdos.
mi familia ya no celebra el 26 de julio.
no como el día de la rebelión, al menos.
ahora el 26 de julio es sólo mi cumpleaños.
nada más.
nada menos.
Me llamo Jay Everwood y he sobrevivido a Fidel Castro.
I was born on the twenty-sixth of July, on a warm Havana night in Santo Suárez City.
My mother said that a band played outside when I was born, celebrating me and my first breath.
My father said that there was a parade celebrating me when I couldn't even see, speak, sing, or hear.
And I believed them because I simply didn't know any better.
Every year, parades.
I enjoyed them so much.
We traveled to the Capitol to watch the parades,
my mother and I, young, not knowing what they were.
But then,
school started,
and with it, came the knowledge that my parades weren't for me.
no.
no.
no.
They belonged to Fidel.
They had always belonged to him.
That man who created a cult of personality.
That man whose name I couldn't pronounce.
For fear of invoking the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.
I should have known that the tanks,
the soldiers,
the flags,
the airplanes,
the dancers,
the bands,
were not for me.
That they belonged to him.
To the man who abandoned my family.
All for thinking of moving to the U.S.A.
The man who took away our rations when there was nothing left to eat.
The man who imprisoned my uncle for daring to speak his mind.
The man who took over my beautiful island.
The man who took away my birthday.
How it all began with an attack on Moncada.
How it continued to take men and women from their homes.
How it culminated with his takeover of Cuba.
The more I learned, the less I wanted to.
The worst part wasn't knowing they belonged to him.
The worst part wasn't the ridicule my classmates gave me.
The worst part was knowing my parents lied to me.
And it was all because of Fidel.
And the years have
passed. Forgiving
was the easiest part.
I live in America.
The parades in my name haven't been held for years.
Not since I was five.
I've learned to let them go.
Good memories, no doubt, but that's all they are.
Memories.
My family no longer celebrates July 26th.
Not like the day of the rebellion, at least.
Now July 26th is just my birthday.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
My name is Jay Everwood, and I survived Fidel Castro.
Due to the Cuban government's refusal to accept Foundation presence outside of Guantanamo Bay, the veracity of Dr. Everwood's comments on their family and prior history before coming to the United States could not be verified. However, seeing as the above poetry was flagged as being written on their personal Foundation-issued hard drive, it is believed to be factual, and therefore, Dr. Everwood was identified as an SCP-9726-1 instance possessing extremely positive views on the United States and was slated to be interviewed for further research.
Attached below is a log of the initial interview carried out to test for SCP-9726-1 status.
Present Parties:
- Doctor D. Miller, SCP-9726 Research Lead (Interviewer)
- Researcher J. Everwood, SCP-9726-1 Instance (Interviewee)
Date of Interview: 17th of May, 1998
Notes: Researcher Everwood had been employed with the Foundation for approximately one month prior to discovery of suspected SCP-9726-1 traits.
<BEGIN LOG>
Miller: Okay, we're recording now, Justine.
Everwood: My name is Jay.
Doctor D. Miller, head of SCP-9726 research.
Miller: It still says Justine in your paperwork.
Everwood: I need to get that changed. What is this meeting about, Daryl?
Miller: I wanted to talk with you in regards to something you wrote.
Everwood: Did I mess up data input on SC—
Miller: Oh, no, nothing to do with work.
Everwood: I don't know what else you could be referring to then.
Miller: Your poetry.
[Everwood stiffens. They stare Miller down.]
Everwood: How did y—
Miller: Don't worry. You're not in trouble.
Everwood: I wouldn't expect to be. If anything, I think you should be. I— I— I wish I knew the words in English to curse you out.
[Miller chuckles.]
Miller: Justine, relax! It's a good thing. We noticed your particularly American sentiment in your poetry, what with surviving the dictator of your old home and now finding a better life here.
[Everwood covers their face, cheeks turning red.]
Miller: The Foundation welcomes people of all races, creeds, and walks of life, just as the United States welcomed you earlier this year. Obviously, I can't speak to the quality of the poetry because translation butchered it, I'm sure, but I am confident it is lovely in Spanish.
Everwood: Uh huh. So why were you snooping through my personal hard drive?
Miller: It's not so much a "me" thing as it is a "Foundation" thing. The higher-ups, they, well, they like to have a handle on everyone's business. It's just that my particular title demands that I dive a little deeper into this.
Everwood: Verga. Chingada madre, me jodí al aceptar el primer trabajo que me pusieron por delante. Fine. You're just like the CMA back home.
Miller: You mean the group that tried recruiting you before you came to us?
Everwood: Yes.
[Miller laughs.]
Miller: So what, are you some sort of spy?
Everwood: No. I turned down the offer. I didn't want to be a spy. I wanted to be a diplomat. That's what I'm doing here, trying to understand all the groups that make up the unveiled wo—
Cuban Ministry of Anomalies logo, otherwise known as CMA or MAC (Spanish).
Miller: Yes, yes, I know. Groups of Interest specialist. So what, did the CMA try to extort you?
Everwood: Yes.
Miller: I see. Well don't worry, Miss Everwood. The Foundation will do no such thing to you. Barring exceptional circumstance, anyway.
Everwood: … Right. Anyway, I still don't understand what the point of this interview is.
Miller: The Foundation wanted to get a better understanding of how you're feeling ever since you became a citizen.
Everwood: It's… I don't know. It's been a lot happening at once. Getting hired here, having… what's the word—
[Everwood gestures vaguely with their hands.]
Everwood: —a home, I guess. But yes. If you wanted to ask if it is better here than where I came from, then yes. I'm used to ration cards and nights without power, so compared to how things were, I'm living the dream.
Miller: Well, I'm happy to hear that. This country is the land of opportunity, after all. How have you been adjusting?
Everwood: Pretty well, I think. I'm getting more and more used to actually speaking English, and the fact that there's actually computers, electricity, and internet here that don't go out randomly is doing wonders for my learning and immersion.
Miller: That's wonderful.
Everwood: I think my favorite thing so far is the air conditioning, though.
Miller: Yes, it truly is a modern marvel, isn't it? Anyway, that's all I needed to hear, so we'll wrap this up for now. Thanks a bunch, Justine.
Everwood: Jay.
Miller: Right.
<END LOG>
I am things that have been, things that are no more. Do you understand what I mean to say? The things I have seen, Mr. President, I, I, I don't know what to make of them. What am I, what are we to make of them? Mr. President, I have hurt so many. Millions dead, millions more on their way to the grave. Am I just a machine for death? I'm no better than a swine.
Following confirmation that Dr. Everwood was indeed an SCP-9726-1 instance and was displaying a positive attitude towards the United States, Dr. Miller forwarded their case to Regional Command. From this point on, close monitoring of Dr. Everwood would be established by the SCP-9726 research team and Dr. Miller.
On the 13th of October 2001, Researcher Everwood requested a transfer to Site-55 in Massachusetts. There was an initial concern raised by Dr. Miller on how to respond, seeing as most SCP-9726-1 instances preferred to remain in their original Sites of assignment; however, Everwood's request was granted due to Site-55 being the main external communications hub for the Foundation. The following is an interview with Site-55's Director, Director E. Alder intended to introduce herself to her new employee.
Present Parties:
- Director E. Alder, Site-55 Director (Interviewer)
- Researcher J. Everwood, SCP-9726-1 Instance (Interviewee)
Date of Interview: 29th of November, 2001
Notes: Researcher Everwood had been excelling in all their work and was outpacing colleagues prior to transferal request. The decision to transfer them to Site-55 was approved by both Director Alder and Dr. Miller, head of SCP-9726 research.
<BEGIN LOG>
[The video feed begins. Alder appears to be adjusting her camera.]
Alder: Hello? Can you see me?
Everwood: Hello, Director. Yes, I can see you.
Site-55 Director E. Alder.
Alder: Oh please, no need for the formalities, honey. You can call me Emily.
Everwood: It's lovely to meet you, Emily.
[Alder leans back and smiles at the camera.]
Alder: So… Jay, right? That's your preferred name?
Everwood: Yes, that's right. Wow, it's uncanny to not hear my deadname.
Alder: Well, soon enough you won't have to worry about that anymore. Site-132 is a bit of a backwater. You're in, what, the panhandle? We're much better about these kinds of things here at 55.
Everwood: That's reassuring.
Alder: So where are you from?
Everwood: Santos Suárez.
Alder: Where is that?
Everwood: It's a barrio in Havana.
[Alder claps her hands together.]
Alder: Oh! Ayres dey Cooba? Yo hablow un poko day espagnol!
Everwood: I speak English just fine.
Alder: Sorry, I got excited is all. I know you're not in Miami anymore, but did you hear about… oh, what was his name now… Elián González?
Everwood: Yes, unfortunately. I am all too familiar with him and his story.
Elián González (second from right) was at the center of a high-profile international custody dispute between members of his family in Cuba and the United States. Following a raid by the United States Marshall Service on his great-uncle's home in Miami, González would be expatriated to Cuba with his father (first on right).
[Alder sighs and nods.]
Alder: How does it make you feel?
Everwood: Conflicted. I love my home, but, I don't know. It's not a good place to be right now.
Alder: Yes, I empathize Jay. My family came here looking for better opportunities as well, so I figured you would be unhappy at the fact that that poor boy's prosperous future was cut short.
Everwood: Oh?
[Everwood leans forward, quirking an eyebrow.]
Alder: Yes. About 350 years ago, my family came from England. They were Separatists from the Church of England and wanted somewhere they could practice religious freedom.
Everwood: I see. Well, most of us are immigrants in this country. There's very few who aren't.
Alder: I don't know, I feel pretty American.
Everwood: I guess I do too? I don't know.
Alder: That's a good thing! I want you to feel welcome up here. I know the South can be a little hard to foreigners.
Everwood: I speak Spanish to almost everyone around me daily.
Alder: And that's a great thing! Did you know that the United States has no official language?
Everwood: Yes. It was on my citizenship test.
Alder: That's great to know. Anyway, let me ask you something. Why my Site?
Everwood: It's the center of communications for the Foundation. It's the place to be for GoI research, my career path within the Foundation.
Alder: Good answer, Jay. Plus it will do us good to have someone with knowledge of the CMA in our ranks. Our last expert recently relocated to a different Site, so I think that having you around would be a delight!
Everwood: I actually wanted to specialize in Dr. Wo—
Alder: Oh, come now, surely you want to be reminded of home?
Everwood: Actually, I don't.
Alder: Okay, I understand, honey, but we need someone to specialize in them.
Everwood: Ugh. It's always CMA with the Foundation.
Alder: If you say yes, I can approve your transfer immediately.
Everwood: Verga. Fine.
Alder: So I'm going to approve your transfer with you on the line, okay?
Everwood: Thank you.
[Both smile.]
Alder: How was your Thanksgiving?
Everwood: I, uh, don't celebrate.
Alder: Well, I sure hope you do when you're up here. Massachusetts is the birthplace of America! You religious?
Everwood: It's complicated. I was raised Catholic Atheist. I don't really care, I guess. I still go to the Ermita del Cobre every year on Christmas to ask for good luck from Nuestra Señora de Caridad del Cobre.
The original image of Nuestra Señora de Caridad del Cobre, or Our Lady of Charity, was found floating on the waters of the Bay of Nipe, Cuba, in 1612. The image was on a small piece of wood with the inscription: "I'm the Virgin of Charity."
Alder: I see. Well, I hope that it's not too big a disruption from your routine, since we tend to get snowed in around Christmas time and there's not a lot of time off during that time of year.
Everwood: I understand. By the way, is it okay if I bring someone along with me up there? They wouldn't be staying with me on-Site, or anywhere near it, I have arranged for them to stay in Boston. I just need them to be nearby in case of anything. When I last talked to Dr. Miller, he said it should be okay.
Alder: That depends on who you're talking about.
Everwood: My father and mother. They came to the United States this year, and are trying for citizenship but they need to be able to claim that they have support to stay here and I'm the child who is sponsoring them here. Again, Dr. Miller told me it would be fine. I'm helping them study for their citizenship tests.
Alder: Oh, of course! Are they going to go to work?
Everwood: My father can work, my mother is illiterate and can't drive.
Alder: Illiterate?
Everwood: She stopped going to school at 10 years old to help take care of her brothers and work the field.
Alder: I see. That's unfortunate. In the US, we would never let that happen.
Everwood: Yeah.
[Alder types at her computer a moment.]
Alder: Alright, honey, you're all set to come up here. I'll be seeing you here tomorrow, okay?
Everwood: Thank you, Emily.
<END LOG>
For so long, the blood of the slave sustained me. I, I have no love for this land. The earth itself. I love the people. Or, I once did. I have twisted them so long into things they are not. No man hungers for the blood of the foreign man. No man naturally. This world. This world has been worsened by my continued efforts.
Over the years, Dr. Everwood would advance their career at a vastly expedited rate when compared to their peers. They quickly became Head GoI Researcher, eventually taking over the Site-55 Communications Hub. As Head GoI Researcher, they coordinated with multiple Groups of Interests such as the Global Occult Coalition, the Manna Charitable Foundation, and the Horizon Initiative to secure and contain multiple anomalous objects, engage in exchange of information, and trade strategic anomalies. Despite their broad range, they remained chaired as the CMA Specialist as per Dr. Miller's orders.
On 13 May, 2012, Dr. Everwood's father, Raul Remedios Everwood, was captured following an ICE raid in a Boston warehouse where he was working. Despite being a citizen, he was detained, then deported to Venezuela due to the Cuban government refusing to accept his return. Immediately upon his arrest, Dr. Everwood demanded to speak to Dr. Miller, who had recently been promoted to Regional Director of the North American Council.
Attached below is a log of the conversation between Dr. Everwood and Dr. Miller.
LOG FROM THE OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL COMMAND. CLASSIFIED LEVEL-4 AND ABOVE CLEARANCE ONLY.
<BEGIN LOG>
Everwood: —rrarlo por el rabo y voy a deswanizar a ese malparido condenado y te haré lo mismo a ti si no me pasas con ese cabrón ahora mismo!
Miller: Jay? Sorry, I don't speak Spanish. What seems to be the problem?
Everwood: Oh, but when I get guajira on their ass they give into my demands. Okay. Dr. Miller, finally, I've been screaming at your secretary to transfer me to you. My father was arrested.
Miller: What?
Everwood: The government came into his work and arrested him for not speaking English well enough.
Miller: That's absurd. Surely there's another reason. The United States doesn't arrest people just because. That is absurd.
Everwood: Well, it fucking happened. And they're saying they're going to send him to Venezuela because Cuba doesn't want him back.
Raul Remedios Everwood.
Miller: He speaks Spanish, doesn't he? I don't see what the problem is.
Everwood: What?!
Miller: He can come back.
Everwood: Wow. I— okay. Wow. Look, you promised me they would be fine here.
Miller: And they will be, Jay! I guarantee his safe passage back into the US.
Everwood: What is my mother supposed to do in the meantime? She can't make a living babysitting. She can't drive. She doesn't speak English. Verga!
Miller: There's only so much the Foundation can do.
Everwood: What do you mean by that?! I've seen what the Foundation can do, and protecting the families of its employees like something so basic I don't even—
Miller: Okay, let's take a moment to breathe in… and out.
Everwood: Oh, fuck you.
Miller: Excuse me?
Everwood: Get my father back. Or find yourselves another CMA expert with my qualifications.
Miller: Let's not be hasty, Jay. I—
[Everwood ends the call.]
<END LOG>
NOTE: Deeming Dr. Everwood to be too high value of an employee, Dir. Miller opted to intervene.
Due to it being too late to stop Mr. Everwood from being deported, he instead spoke to the South American Regional Command, who ordered personnel from Facility-9 in Venezuela to intercept Mr. Everwood after he was repatriated to the country by ICE officials. Immediately afterwards, Dr. Everwood was informed that their father had been located and was on his way back to the United States with an L-1 visa7 that would be transferred to an IR-1 visa8 upon confirming marriage papers to his wife and Dr. Everwood's mother, Leonor Dolores Santos.
Additionally, Mr. Everwood would be hired on by a Foundation front company in order to further secure his safety within the country.
Lifting the embargo will not be enough. You must put an end to this. Put an end to me. To me. End me. End us. We cannot continue doing this. We are complicit in too much. We cannot do it any longer. I, I, I, I want it to be over. Mr. President, I no longer wish to be emperor. I don't think I ever did. I don't think I ever wanted to be emperor. To be an emperor is to oppress.
Following this event, Dr. Everwood's positive view of the United States as a result of SCP-9726 diminished. This was also noted to be consistent across other SCP-9726-1 instances working within the Foundation following the completion of a single blind study,9 and research into methods for improving the condition of SCP-9726 was initiated. The ASCI Special Interests Council released the following statement addressed to the Foundation following the further decline of SCP-9726.
DUE TO: The Foundation's inability to properly handle the entrusted Phenomenon,
AS PERTAINS TO: Phenomenon 9726,
IT IS ESTABLISHED: The American Secure Containment Initiative lodges a formal complaint against the Foundation, its current steward,
THEREFORE: The Foundation is to increase its research responsibilities into Phenomenon 9726 and secure a future for the American people,
OR ELSE: The Foundation will lose all funding from the United States of America.
Andrew Adams, ASCI Special Interests Committee Chair
IN GOD WE TRUST.
Out of fear of losing funding and a trusted partner, Dir. Miller increased budgetary allowances for SCP-9726 research by 30% and increased the manpower of the project by approximately 15%.10
Research appeared to show promise between 2013-2015, leading to a stagnation period for SCP-9726 where no changes were noted. Despite the number of SCP-9726-1 instances entering from desirable countries remaining similar to its prior number, SCP-9726-1 instances from Latin, East, and South Asian countries only increased. The ASCI Special Interests Committee was pleased that more SCP-9726-1 instances possessed degrees in technical fields than ever before. However, most entering the United States were still unskilled laborers. This trend continued until late 2016, when SCP-9726 appeared to cease to function for most target countries almost entirely.
This, paired with a near-total SCP-9726-1 Foundation-employed instance drop in morale, led Dir. Miller to conduct further interviews with all the aforementioned instances, though many refused to cooperate. The following is a log of the attached email between Dir. Miller and Dr. Everwood when attempting to coordinate an interview.
| From: | dir.d.miller@scp.int |
|---|---|
| To: | dr.j.everwood@scp.int |
| Subject: | Requesting Follow-Up |
| Date: | 17/01/2017 |
Dear Jay,
How are you doing? I hope you are well.
Remember that conversation we had all those years ago about the United States? I would like to speak with you in regards to your feelings surrounding the country again. I know things have changed since we last spoke, but I would like to hear your opinion.
Kind regards,
Dir. D. Miller
North American Council
Secure, Contain, Protect
| From: | dr.j.everwood@scp.int |
|---|---|
| To: | dir.d.miller@scp.int |
| Subject: | RE:Requesting Follow-Up |
| Date: | 17/01/2017 |
You know damn well how I feel.
Dr. Jay Everwood
Site-55 GoI Research Lab
CMA Specialist
Secure, Contain, Protect
Naught but death. Sheol. Naraka. Jahannam. Dukkha. I, I deserve nothing more. I have brought hell upon the world, and they still will not end me. What more do they want? Let the torment, not mine alone, but that of the others, end.
Dr. Everwood refused to elaborate on this despite multiple emails from Dir. Miller. Notably, other SCP-9726-1 instances employed within the Foundation also refused to elaborate.
Dr. Everwood would later initiate a request to be transferred to Site-43 in Canada. Dir. Miller and Dir. Alder blocked this, citing the necessary nature of retaining a CMA expert despite the GoI's official disbanding in 2016 following Fidel Castro's death. Rumors suggested the Group of Interest continued to have holdouts within the jungles of Venezuela, and sleeper agents within Cuba. Dr. Everwood would immediately begin training their protegé, Researcher Alces, to take over for them so they might be transferred.
The following is a log of poetry recovered from Dr. Everwood's personal hard drive produced on July 26, 2020, presented both in original Spanish and translated to English using BABEL.aic. NOTICE: Any structure, rhyming scheme, or use of particular language has not been preserved in translation.
|
Otro cumpleaños que llegó y fue Anhelo la verdadera libertad. |
Another birthday come and gone I long for true liberty. |
Due to Dr. Everwood no longer being defined as an SCP-9726-1 instance, monitoring of their activities has ceased. Dr. Everwood was eventually allowed to relocate to Site-43 in 2024.
Jay exited their Ipperwash Beach home, shared with their partner and adopted son, and came out into the backyard holding a matcha tea for Ilse. They sat down on the wicker chair to their partner's right, setting the tea beside their own cup of Earl Grey tea.
"Thanks for making it," Ilse said, offering a kind smile.
"Any time, dear. I had to wait for my tea to cool anyway."
Ilse grabbed her cup and took a sip, despite its boiling heat.
"I don't know how you can do that," Jay laughed. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"It does. But it's nothing compared to the usual."
Jay nodded, turning their attention to the six year-old playing with dinosaur toys in the sandbox a few meters away. They sighed, then picked up their tea, blowing on it as a precaution before putting their lips to the rim of the cup. It was still hot, but not unbearably so.
"Ilse?" they spoke up after a sip.
"Yes, dear?"
James roared loudly as he mimed a battle between a T. Rex and a Triceratops, kicking up some sand in the process.
"I know things are different now than when you first came to Canada, but do you ever regret migrating?"
Ilse took a moment to consider this. She took two sips of her impossibly hot beverage. She glanced back at James, who was roaring like a T. Rex again, before ultimately looking back at her partner and offering her signature sweet smile.
"No."
They sat in relative silence punctuated only by the clashing of plastic and James roaring. After about a minute, Jay broke said silence.
"Why?"
"We wouldn't have met had I not migrated. Same for you, Jay. I'm glad you're here."
"But everything that's happened to you… none of it would have happened had you stayed home."
"That may be so. But in the end, I'm glad I'm here." Ilse's smile widened in an attempt to reassure her partner.
"I guess," they grumbled, "but what about the Foundation absorbing the ASCI? And the funding they get from the American government?"
"What about it?"
"Doesn't it sit wrong with you? Like some sort of colonialistic empire is building itself up?"
"I know all about the voorcompagnie and Dutch empire, and I've studied what was going on with the States while I was in the ADDC. I disagreed with apartheid and the treatment of natives in South Africa for about as long as that was ongoing. I am familiar with empire, Jay."
"I know, I know. But still. It sits wrong with me. Like I helped something get ahead at the cost of myself and my people."
"You were only seeking a better life."
"It's not about me anymore."
Ilse and Jay exchanged a look. They then both glanced over at their child, who waved at them.
"Did I do the right thing?" Jay asked.
"You did." Ilse replied, waving back at him.
James started putting down his toys and dusting himself as he approached.
"But I suppose it only makes sense. I am, afterall, a hispanic person with the last name 'Everwood.' It would only be fair for me to be okay with colonialism," Jay sighed.
There was a silence, interrupted only by a cool October breeze.
"Hi mama, hi baba."
"Hey, kiddo. Are you ready to go inside?" Jay smiled vacantly.
He nodded, shot his parents a sheepish look, then averted his gaze toward his sandals. "I heard what you and mama were talking about…" James mumbled.
"Oh, sweetie, it's okay!" Ilse started.
"No, James, it's not okay. It's something that I don't know will ever be okay for me," Jay sighed. Ilse looked to her partner, reaching out for their hand. "And is it really gonna be any better now that we're in Canada? A neighbor of the country that did this to me? A country which is so quick to follow in the footsteps of its neighbor?" Ilse thumbed Jay's only hand with her right. "But I'll learn to live."
"Am I in trouble for listening?" James pouted.
"Never, kiddo. Now come on. Let's go inside."
Ilse and Jay moved to stand, but were stopped by James. "Wait!" the child exclaimed, running back to his sandbox, grabbing the T. Rex and dusting it off as he ran back to his parents. "Here," he held it out toward Jay.
"What's this for?"
"Mr. Rex is my favorite toy. Besides my Switch 2. He makes me feel happy and strong, and I want you to feel happy and strong instead of sad and not okay."
Jay smiled, brightly this time, and reached for Mr. Rex.
"Thank you, James."
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
