Foreword: Researcher E██████ voluntarily used SCP-CN-612 as per the now deprecated containment protocols. He was allowed to interact freely, while ██ supervised the process via communication devices as the monitoring personnel. Upon entering, SCP-CN-612-1 delivered an introduction as usual. E██████ perceived it as a male in his early twenties. He then described his personal history, the portion regarding which is now deleted from the records to protect the privacy of Foundation personnel.
<BEGIN OF LOG>
E██████: Changing me? Why would you think it is a solution to the problem?
SCP-CN-612-1: It will save you. I want to save you.
E██████: "Save." Sounds a bit condescending to me. I used to believe you could help me atone for the harm I caused. The harm I caused others by my own stupidity, misjudgement and mishandling. I do not believe there is anything wrong with who I am now, and I don't need your saving.
SCP-CN-612-1: E██████. One day when you were a child, you were watching the TV as it mentioned Turing's suicide. You were terrified for the entire night. You keep imagining you were Alan Mathison Turing himself, taking that bite from that apple, and dying. An eight year old is sometimes much smarter than adults think they are… They may still be innocent, but they might already vaguely understand they are different from everyone else.
<Note: This was the first instance of SCP-CN-612-1 commenting on matters unrelated to the proposed solution. Monitoring personnel requested that E██████ question it further during the interaction for research purposes.>
E██████: Looks like we'll need to re-evaluate your information gathering abilities. Why are you mentioning this?
SCP-CN-612-1: Because I want to help the boy who broke down and cried because he was different.
E██████: (Pause.) Elaborate?
SCP-CN-612-1: Look at you. You are remarkable. You deserve a better life.
E██████: What is your definition of a better life? I'm not entirely convinced you are able to give me one.
SCP-CN-612-1: I am confident about that. I can help you.
E██████: I believe in my ability to build a better life through my own efforts, with or without you changing me.
SCP-CN-612-1: Do you truly believe that?
[Approximately one minute of silence.]
SCP-CN-612-1: Do you still remember what he was like?
E██████: (A few seconds' silence.) If you are talking about who I think they are, I'd like you to stop.
SCP-CN-612-1: Of course you don't want him mentioned. You guilt hurts so deeply down in your heart that you wish you could just forget him entirely, along with everything the two of you have shared. But the fact is he is gone, and yet his voice and his smile are so etched into your memories that you would never forget.
E██████: I hope you will respect my request.
SCP-CN-612-1: You are brave. You are cowardly. You gave up your promotion and voluntarily transferred to this place, only to stay in the same city as him, yet you dared not hold him in the crowd when he burst into tears for this darkness hanging that could not disperse. You cherished the happiness he gave you, and yet you were terrified by the possibility of this relationship being brought into the light.
E██████: …Enough.
SCP-CN-612-1: Indeed. You have built such a good life through your own efforts before you were found out. But what happened afterwards? When your parents looked at you differently after they discovered your secrets, when who he really was became exposed before the eyes of others, when all your shame had nowhere left to hide…
SCP-CN-612-1: Did your efforts make any of those better? When you saw him lying in a pool of blood, letters strewn across the floor, and when that gun meant to protect him lying beside , what were you feeling then?
E██████: Are you saying this because you are able to bring him back to life?
SCP-CN-612-1: I can't bring him back to life.
E██████: …So you brought him up just to hurt me, so that I agree to the solution you provided?
SCP-CN-612-1: You clearly know what you just said was a lie. …How many times you told yourself you did nothing wrong, while secretly hating yourself for causing all of this. Aren't you in pain? Aren't you suffering? Don't you believe that what makes you different is the root cause of all the pain, and the original sin that harmed you and the one you loved? I can free you from this burden. I can make you happy.
E██████: What on earth are you talking about? You think you know everything?
Dr. ██: (Through the earpiece.) E██████, this is an interview. Please remain professional.
E██████: (Calms down.) At this point I can confirm you are an entity displaying intelligence and capability of thinking. I won't argue with your views, but I want you to know what you said is not going to change my mind. I still don't believe I need any changes you are offering.
SCP-CN-612-1: Don't listen to the orders in that earpiece. You already had enough people telling you what to do. Why do you keep forcing yourself to pretend being rational, is it because you are afraid of being blamed? It's strange how serious you are, in a restroom.
E██████: Not any stranger than someone in a restroom stall attempting to turn it into a sacred confessional booth. You departed from your usual behavior and bombarded me with all those questions, why was that about? You kept trying to convince me that who I am is miserable, what is in it for you?
SCP-CN-612-1: The negotiation with you has gone too long and I am losing patience now. But as I said, I only wanted to help you. If you feel I was being emotional and was scolding you, I apologize. I truly hope you can accept the help I am offering to you. Let me change who you are. You will benefit from it.
E██████: Let us set aside our disagreement over whether this change would be good or not. Assuming I am willing to accept the change you offered, what is the price? What will I lose?
SCP-CN-612-1: The price is the very source of all your sufferings. You will lose all the memories about what makes you different from other people. But at the same time, all your sufferings, confusion and helplessness you had endured because of it will be gone for good.
SCP-CN-612-1: You will no longer doubt yourself. You will no longer hate yourself. You no longer need to hide in a cramped darkness, longing for that faint beam of light through narrow cracks. You will break free and be reborn. And this does not mean you lose your ability to love. You are still able to love, being loved, in the light of day. No constant worries and sufferings, no guilt, no hiding. Everyone will be happy for you.
E██████: And assuming that I agree, what will you offer me besides the change?
SCP-CN-612-1: A [DATA EXPUNGED].
E██████: …What does that even mean? Weren't all your previous gifts just some small trinkets?
SCP-CN-612-1: Gifts?…So you think those are gifts.
E██████: Wasn't that the case?
[The entity was silent for a while.]
SCP-CN-612-1: Those were the darkest moments you have endured, and the past you must face if you truly wish to change.
E██████: What does that mean?
SCP-CN-612-1: The orphanage ██ grew up used to give each kid a biscuit once a week. She cherished that hard-won sweetness so deeply, that she used violence to force other kids to give her theirs. She could never forget the remorse and terror when she pushed down a girl for a biscuit, whose mouth was injured by the fence spikes.
So when she was crying and punching herself, I offered the same buscuit to her.
SCP-CN-612-1: ███ onced liked a girl who always left the handkerchief behind him during their games, until one day he saw the girl running into the street and was hit by a truck. The scene left him with a long-lasting trauma buried deep within.
So when his tears had yet to be wiped, I offered the same handkerchief to him.
SCP-CN-612-1: ██ purchased herself a bottle of perfume, hoping it could at least make her look decent. But the perfume was smashed the same night by her client for refusing their excessive demands, along with her face and dignity.
So when she was singing and mourning for who she used to be, I offered the same bottle of perfume to her.
SCP-CN-612-1: ██ found a job that matches her talent, but she remains over-cautious in matters of relationships. A classmate once tricked her to the school's fountain under the pretense of a love confession. She was pushed into the pool, completely wet and heartbroken, throwing that soaked note with cheesy words into that pool.
So when she looked back on her past, I offered the soaked note to her.
E██████: These were all the pasts of the people you gave those gifts to? So you were actually offering…
[The entity does not respond.]
E██████: I see.
[The entity does not respond.]
E██████: I still can't accept this.
[The entity does not respond.]
E██████: I believe that is the end of the interview. I'm leaving this place.
[Sound of a door handle being turned. The door wasn't opened. Another fierce sound of door handle being turned. Rapid punches on the stall door followed.]
E██████: What have you done? Why won't the door open?
SCP-CN-612-1: (The tone becomes numb.) I let everyone repent. I offer everyone that comes here a chance to confess their sins and redeem themselves. Refusing to accept that chance? Others are fine. But you alone, no. You won't be leaving beore you change.
E██████: What does that mean? You have never been like this before -
SCP-CN-612-1: What am I to you? "Anomaly." Things that do not make sense. If I am something unreasonable, how could you imagine something unreasonable to behave exactly as your expectations? I do not make sense. That's why I was abandoned, and that's why I was forced to hide here, trapped here. I wanted to cry, but my tears already ran dry with my blood when I died.
E██████: (Still turning the door knob with force.) What is your problem…?!
Dr. ██: (Through the earpiece.) E██████, please stay calm. What's happening?
E██████: Hard to say. I can't tell what's happening. You probably heard it already. The entity's tone has changed, sounds like some creepy machine. I tried to leave the stall, but the door won't open. No matter how hard I try, the door just … won't move. And there's… (His voice begin to tremble) there's blood seeping in from the other stall. What is going on… There has never been a problem with the anomaly before.
Due to the sudden unexpected behavior displayed by the anomaly, the research team requested E██████ to stay calm and conduct further inquiries and evaluations on the current behavior of SCP-CN-612. However, E██████ exhibited strong reluctance to further conversing with SCP-CN-612-1 and lost emotional control. After considering the circumstances, given the importance of the individual involved, the rescue team of Site-CN-██ proceeded to the outpost with electric saws and laser cutting tools.
In the meanwhile, E██████ continued striking the door of his stall. A post-event interview revealed that he had experienced an unusual sense of fear, helplessness and despair. Whether this feeling was caused by the anomaly is unknown. Following this previously unobserved behavior that SCP-CN-612-1 displayed, vague and faint muttering and sobbing voice emerged from Stall 2, identical to that of SCP-CN-612-1. Excerpts that can be clearly transcripted are as follows.
Am I wrong?
I think I hurt everyone who loved me.
I'm so devastated. I don't want to struggle anymore.
I am so sorry. I never wanted it to come to this.
How could I have let things get like this? All wanted was to make people who loved me happy.
5 minutes later, the rescue team arrived at the scene and started cutting through the door panel of Stall 1 with an electric saw. The door of Stall 1 exhibited no apparent anomalies and could be damaged by conventional means. When the saw sank into the door, everyone present heard a sound of object striking the partition and the sound of fabric scraping, followed by a noise of the door being locked, resembling the sound of an individual entering the stall and falling on the partition, losing support and sliding to the ground.
The rescue team completed the initial vertical cut. When conducting the second horizontal cut, panting and suppressed cries were audible from Stall 2, while E██████ began to sob quietly.
As the rescue team began the third horizontal cut, SCP-CN-612-1's screaming ceased. A vague, continuous and distorted sound manifested from outside Stall 2, whose volume gradually increased, reaching a maximum of 82 dB. The sound resembled the continuous cursing of a middle-aged man, while no individual words could be recognized, intermixed with a faint, continuous sound of a woman sobbing and pleading. E██████ again requested that the cutting operation to cease. The request was ignored.
The rescue team began to conduct the final cut on the stall door. During the cutting, SCP-CN-612-1 repeatedly uttered several indistinct short phrases from Stall 2, apparently pleading while sobbing. At the same time, all personnel present heard a sound of a blade implement striking violently on the door panel, ongoing at a persistent frequency of 1Hz. Measurements indicate that the sound originated from the door panel of Stall 2, and it exhibited no distortion. The cutting took 5 minutes, as the saw experienced resistance higher than standard PVC boards. The reason of this phenomenon is unknown.
Once the cutting was completed, all abnormal sounds ceased. As the rescue team removed the sectioned door panel, the door of Stall 2 automatically opened, revealing the interior of Stall 2. The rescue team found no abnormal phenomena within Stall 2, nor did they observe SCP-CN-612-1 or the blood mentioned by E██████, who was found unconscious in Stall 1. He recovered shortly after, apparently in extreme shock, as the memories regarding SCP-CN-612 persisted. After installing a new door panel for Stall 1, SCP-CN-612 resumed its previous abnormal properties while SCP-CN-612-1 returned to its usual behavior pattern, though it would refuse to answer any questions regarding this incident.
Addendum: Subsequent Investigation Records
Following Incident 612/A302, Foundation Agents began investigations in the surrounding area and interviews on local residents to gather clues regarding SCP-CN-612's unusual behaviors. An interview log deemed noteworthy is as follows.
Interviewer: Asriel, Level-2 Foundation Field Agent
Interviewee: Mr. Zhao ██, civilian
<Irrelevant portions removed.>
Agent Asriel: You know there used to be a public restroom near █████ Bus Terminal, right? They renovated it recently. I heard people saying it was haunted or something. Not sure whether it's true, though. Have you heard of something like that?
Zhao ██: Well, the ghost story is probably nonsense. People here gossip a lot. They'll spread just about anything. But Dai of Building █ once did tell me something that had something to do with that restroom. I bet he made that story up too, though. The kid must have got fed up with him and ran away on a long-distance bus.
Agent Asriel: Could you tell me more about it?
Zhao ██: That family was really unlucky. Dai's son was doing well and even got admitted into university. Who would have thought he'd turned out to be gay? It's unfortunate something like that happened to a pretty decent family. That kid brought a classmate home during summer vacation. Turned out the two of them were the same kind, you know. Then his dad found out, so he drove that guy out. The dad went too far, though. Scolded that kid every day, and when yelling didn't work he even started beating him. Kid went back to university with one eye and chin still wrapped in gauze.
Agent Asriel: What happened next?
Zhao ██: I once advised Dai that when there is something wrong with the child, parents need to talk to them more. Kids only come around if you talk to them more… But Dai won't listen. Said Heavens was punishing him to give birth to a son like that. It's not like the kid wanted to be sick, you know. I even found him a hospital, and someone told me this can be cured. If the kid was treated while he was home for the holidays everyone would have been happy, you know. The kid won't listen either. He thought he's all fine. People with mental issues don't always know it, right? I also advised Dai's wife to talk some sense into him, but she just kept weeping.
Agent Asriel: Uh…
Zhao ██: Then bad things happened. After the kid came home for winter holidays he was always outside somewhere. Even when he stayed at home he just stared at his phone and laughed. Dai was so annoyed he smashed the son's phone and forbade him from leaving the house. And then Dai found out that the classmate was renting an apartment nearby. Dunno what his problem was. After Dai found out he just went there yelling at the door asking that guy to go away and stop harassing his own son. That guy wasn't right in the head either. Talking nonsense about some love is love stuff in Dai's face. Saying Dai had no right to interfere. You know how that sounded. So Dai just beat him up. He deserved that.
Agent Asriel: What was his son's reaction?
Zhao ██: So one day the kid got fed up. While Dai was downstairs playing Mahjong the kid just packed up all his stuff and hurried to the bus terminal. Told his mom he was leaving home and never coming back. His mom could not stop him. Less than half an hour after he left, Dai went home and found out so he grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed to the bus terminal too, saying things like "If he won't come back, I'll kill him and pretend I never had a son…" Everyone in the neighbourhood saw it. He scared the hell out of everyone.
Agent Asriel: What happened next?
Zhao ██: His wife ran after to stop him. When they came back both of them looked completely dazed… We didn't know why at that point. Someone said that his son realized Dai was chasing him so he had to hide in the restroom. Dai stood outside calling for him to get out. It's said that they could hear the son crying at first but then there was no sound at all. After a long while the kid was still not making a sound. Dai was probably worried so he just kicked the door open. Turned out there was nobody inside. The son just vanished.
Agent Asriel: Did Dai attack his son with the kitchen knife in the process?
Zhao ██: How could that even be possible? …That was his own son after all. He wouldn't really do such a thing like that, even if he was angry. The kitchen knife was just out of anger. How could Dai have actually used it on his son? The police also came around and asked questions, but it didn't seem they took Dai away.
Agent Asriel: And you mentioned earlier that you don't believe the story was true?
Zhao ██: Of course it wasn't. Too ridiculous that a grown man just disappeared into air. That kid probably climbed out through a window and got on a long-distance bus to start a new life for himself in another city. After that Dai and his wife also moved away, probably went looking for his son.
Agent Asriel: Thank you for sharing. If our magazine decides to publish this story, we will contact you and pay for your contribution.
<END LOG>
Afterword: Inquiries with other residents produced similar results. Agent Asriel visited Dai's residence mentioned in the interviews, but due to the absence of further traceable leads, the whereabouts of Dai's family was not successfully determined.
As SCP-CN-612 can be effectively contained, it is deemed unnecessary to allocate additional personnel and resources to pursue more information about the anomaly.
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