WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.740 --> 00:00:05.110 A man is lying in a hospital bed and it is clear that he is not doing well. 00:00:05.110 --> 00:00:10.220 A group of doctors buzz around him performing various tests, checking his vital signs again 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:11.510 and again. 00:00:11.510 --> 00:00:15.980 The man feels weak and a little disoriented, and the looks on the various doctors’ faces 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:21.080 tells him all he needs to know - something is very wrong with him. 00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:24.740 Finally there is a break in the commotion and the doctors stop prodding at him and peering 00:00:24.740 --> 00:00:27.380 into his eyes with a bright, blinding light. 00:00:27.380 --> 00:00:30.630 All of the doctors and nurses leave the room except for one. 00:00:30.630 --> 00:00:34.720 The doctor steps towards the man and tells him that he has some bad news. 00:00:34.720 --> 00:00:39.610 “You see…” before the doctor can finish, someone else emerges from the shadows in the 00:00:39.610 --> 00:00:41.990 corner of the room and taps him on the shoulder. 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:43.980 “I’ll handle this.” 00:00:43.980 --> 00:00:47.760 The man hadn’t noticed this person, but he can see now that he’s dressed in a suit, 00:00:47.760 --> 00:00:52.730 and unlike the doctors, he doesn’t have any identifying items like a name tag or badge. 00:00:52.730 --> 00:00:54.860 Maybe he’s some kind of professor? 00:00:54.860 --> 00:00:58.730 Or a renowned surgeon who is going to tell him how they will make him better. 00:00:58.730 --> 00:01:02.320 The doctor steps back from the bed but the man in the suit tells the doctor that it would 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:06.710 be best if he and the patient could be left alone… “just for a moment of course.” 00:01:06.710 --> 00:01:09.600 The doctor nods in agreement and leaves the room. 00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:12.740 The man in the suit waits until the door is closed behind him to continue. 00:01:12.740 --> 00:01:16.229 He tells the sick man that “he has a rare condition. 00:01:16.229 --> 00:01:17.229 Quite rare. 00:01:17.229 --> 00:01:20.799 So rare, in fact, that you’re the only person to ever have it. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:23.109 The only recorded case in history.” 00:01:23.109 --> 00:01:26.799 The man in the suit sits down on the bed next to the man and takes his hand, lifting it 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:28.579 up, examining it. 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:30.229 The man’s hand is an odd color. 00:01:30.229 --> 00:01:34.710 It has a slight green tint to it, and the skin itself appears to be taking on a fibrous 00:01:34.710 --> 00:01:36.060 quality. 00:01:36.060 --> 00:01:40.630 The sick man feels very tired, but he manages to whisper, “are you a doctor? 00:01:40.630 --> 00:01:42.960 Are you going to help me?” 00:01:42.960 --> 00:01:47.659 The man in the suit responds, “yes, I’m a doctor… of sorts. 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:49.299 A doctor and a researcher. 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:54.950 I work for a very important organization, and I specialize in cases just like yours. 00:01:54.950 --> 00:01:59.889 Well not exactly like yours, you’re unique, quite special, in fact.” 00:01:59.889 --> 00:02:03.290 The sick man offers a weak smile, “I’m very lucky.” 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:05.840 “Oh yes, very lucky indeed. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:09.250 Well not because of your condition of course, but because I am here. 00:02:09.250 --> 00:02:13.590 You see, if it’s alright with you, we’d like for you to come with us, to come stay 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:15.750 at one of our facilities for a while. 00:02:15.750 --> 00:02:19.550 We can’t promise that we’ll be able to figure out exactly what’s happening, or 00:02:19.550 --> 00:02:20.550 why. 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:23.940 But if we can, we have a much better chance of figuring out how to cure it. 00:02:23.940 --> 00:02:26.720 To cure you, so you can go back to a normal life.” 00:02:26.720 --> 00:02:30.530 “Do I have much of a choice?” the sick man asks. 00:02:30.530 --> 00:02:31.730 “Of course you do! 00:02:31.730 --> 00:02:33.060 It’s completely up to you. 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:37.890 I think this would be your best course of action, your best by far in fact, but we can’t 00:02:37.890 --> 00:02:40.680 force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:45.440 The sick man looks down at his greenish hand again, turning it over in front of his face. 00:02:45.440 --> 00:02:48.110 Examining the small growths that seem to be sprouting from his skin. 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:50.120 “When do we leave?” 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:54.040 “Right now!” the man in the suit tells him, “the nurses will come get you ready 00:02:54.040 --> 00:02:55.980 and then we’ll be on our way.” 00:02:55.980 --> 00:02:59.050 The man in the suit leaves the room and closes the door behind him. 00:02:59.050 --> 00:03:02.820 Standing next to the door in the hallway are a pair of men wearing tactical uniforms like 00:03:02.820 --> 00:03:04.090 a SWAT team. 00:03:04.090 --> 00:03:07.570 The man in the suit tells them that luckily they won’t be needed today, “this one 00:03:07.570 --> 00:03:09.320 is coming easy.” 00:03:09.320 --> 00:03:13.030 The sick man lies on a bed but now he is in a new room. 00:03:13.030 --> 00:03:17.790 This one is even more sterile than the hospital, with cold, concrete walls, and harsh fluorescent 00:03:17.790 --> 00:03:18.790 lights. 00:03:18.790 --> 00:03:22.780 Just like in the hospital, he’s surrounded by a seemingly never ending cast of doctors, 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:24.620 nurses, and researchers. 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:29.690 They too poke and prod at him, take samples, and administer all kinds of tests. 00:03:29.690 --> 00:03:33.110 As time goes on, the man’s condition only grows worse. 00:03:33.110 --> 00:03:37.010 It seems there’s nothing that they can do to stop his condition from advancing.The green 00:03:37.010 --> 00:03:41.330 color spreads across his body and his skin soon becomes woody and stiff. 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:45.740 If he sits in one place for too long without moving, tiny fibers emerge from his skin, 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.120 like probing roots looking for soil. 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:51.540 All the while the man grows weaker and more fragile. 00:03:51.540 --> 00:03:54.820 Even the slightest movement seems to cause him great pain. 00:03:54.820 --> 00:03:58.070 The doctor who originally brought the man to the facility gathers with a small group 00:03:58.070 --> 00:04:01.190 in the observation room next to the man’s containment cell. 00:04:01.190 --> 00:04:04.560 They discuss the results of a recent test which showed that much of the melanin in his 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:09.070 skin has somehow been replaced with chlorophyll, and that the fibrous quality of his skin is 00:04:09.070 --> 00:04:12.260 being caused by the appearance of cellulose around his cells. 00:04:12.260 --> 00:04:17.359 In other words, he isn’t just starting to look like a plant, he’s truly becoming a 00:04:17.359 --> 00:04:18.359 plant. 00:04:18.359 --> 00:04:21.090 And there doesn’t seem to be anything they can do to stop it. 00:04:21.090 --> 00:04:24.780 Try as they might, they haven’t found a single clue as to what is causing the man’s 00:04:24.780 --> 00:04:26.639 condition, or how to treat it. 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:29.260 The man, though, seems strangely at peace with his fate. 00:04:29.260 --> 00:04:33.120 He’s told that they’re going to allow him to live, whether that be as a man or as 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:37.360 a plant in containment for as long as he can stay alive, and that he will be well taken 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:41.160 care of to make the whole process as comfortable for him as possible. 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.610 Even though they failed to find a cure for his anomalous disease, they will do everything 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:47.749 in their power to make sure he doesn’t suffer. 00:04:47.749 --> 00:04:50.569 A tragic yet familiar tale for the SCP Foundation. 00:04:50.569 --> 00:04:56.020 A normal person is subjected to an abnormal situation that completely changes their life, 00:04:56.020 --> 00:04:57.600 and not for the better. 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:00.960 At least in this situation, the Foundation appears to have shown a rare glimpse of their 00:05:00.960 --> 00:05:06.009 own humanity, opting to make this safe class anomaly’s existence as painless as possible 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:09.270 rather than force it to endure a lifetime of painful tests and studies. 00:05:09.270 --> 00:05:12.569 Or at least, that’s what you’ve been led to believe. 00:05:12.569 --> 00:05:18.680 Unfortunately, everything you’ve just seen about SCP-1500… is a lie. 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:24.099 Those with Level 3 Clearance though, can learn the truth, which is that SCP-1500 is actually 00:05:24.099 --> 00:05:28.650 an extremely dangerous anomaly, whose true identity must be hidden from even the majority 00:05:28.650 --> 00:05:32.009 of the Foundation for reasons you’ll soon learn. 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:37.090 SCP-1500 is not a man suffering from a condition that causes him to slowly transform into a 00:05:37.090 --> 00:05:42.669 plant-like being, but is actually a greenish-gray, smooth skinned humanoid with no facial features 00:05:42.669 --> 00:05:43.669 at all. 00:05:43.669 --> 00:05:47.180 It’s limbs are long and multi-jointed, and its abdomen is highly distended. 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:53.180 The skin is exceptionally durable and tough, and though SCP-1500 has no visible sense organs 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:58.129 like ears or a nose, it still appears to possess senses that are roughly equivalent to an average 00:05:58.129 --> 00:05:59.129 human’s. 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:03.180 The entity is incapable of speech, owing to its lack of a mouth, and it has not shown 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:06.210 a need to eat, breathe, or sleep at all. 00:06:06.210 --> 00:06:12.090 In addition to the strange appearance of SCP-1500, its primary anomalous effect is the impact 00:06:12.090 --> 00:06:16.069 it has on any human that comes within its line of sight, or rather what would be its 00:06:16.069 --> 00:06:18.439 line of sight if it had any eyes. 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:22.830 Those that do find that they will soon begin experiencing headaches, nausea, and an overwhelming 00:06:22.830 --> 00:06:24.439 sense of dread. 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:28.039 These symptoms will increase over the next several minutes, with the headaches becoming 00:06:28.039 --> 00:06:33.150 more and more debilitating, and the feelings of nausea and fear growing until eventually, 00:06:33.150 --> 00:06:35.370 the subject passes out. 00:06:35.370 --> 00:06:39.919 They will remain unconscious for roughly 15 seconds, after which they will awaken, and 00:06:39.919 --> 00:06:45.120 claim to have no memory of ever being exposed to SCP-1500. 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:48.680 But something else strange also happens to the subject after waking. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:53.680 When asked to describe the creature known as SCP-1500, they will no longer remark on 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:56.229 its faceless head or long twisted limbs. 00:06:56.229 --> 00:07:00.749 Instead, they will describe the creature as being an average looking caucasian male. 00:07:00.749 --> 00:07:03.770 Even stranger, is that to them it now has a name… 00:07:03.770 --> 00:07:05.759 Zachary Callahan. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:10.949 In further interviews with subjects exposed to SCP-1500, it became clear that many of 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:16.009 their memories had been reshaped to now include the entity in its human looking, Zachary Callahan 00:07:16.009 --> 00:07:17.009 form. 00:07:17.009 --> 00:07:21.070 They would often describe him as a close friend from childhood or early adulthood, and one 00:07:21.070 --> 00:07:23.520 that played a significant role in their lives. 00:07:23.520 --> 00:07:27.529 They also claim that they are perfectly capable of communicating with Zachary Callahan, able 00:07:27.529 --> 00:07:31.889 to carry on conversations with him, while all the observing researchers will see is 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:36.220 an apparently one-sided conversation between the subject and the featureless gray skinned 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:37.729 creature. 00:07:37.729 --> 00:07:41.009 While Foundation personnel have found that they are able to remove the false memories 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:44.749 from the subject’s minds through the use of amnestics, they have yet to be able to 00:07:44.749 --> 00:07:50.590 reverse the effect that causes the subject sees SCP-1500 as a human being, and everyone 00:07:50.590 --> 00:07:55.819 who has been exposed continues to see the entity as Zachary Callahan forever more. 00:07:55.819 --> 00:08:00.300 It is still unknown what kind of long term effects this exposure may have or how dangerous 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:03.740 to their mental or physical health it will turn out to be. 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:09.139 Even more concerning, is that evidence has emerged that SCP-1500 may be able to affect 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:11.589 more than just those in its immediate presence. 00:08:11.589 --> 00:08:16.419 Recently, a United States Senator was giving a televised speech on a rather uninteresting 00:08:16.419 --> 00:08:17.419 topic. 00:08:17.419 --> 00:08:21.759 The speech started out normal enough, but then the senator began to relay an anecdote 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.660 about a childhood fishing trip he had taken with a friend. 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:28.119 You won’t be surprised to learn that according to the senator, the friend’s name was none 00:08:28.119 --> 00:08:31.630 other than Zachary Callahan. 00:08:31.630 --> 00:08:34.520 Investigations into the senator’s background concluded that there was no person by that 00:08:34.520 --> 00:08:37.529 name of the appropriate age in the area where he grew up. 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:41.860 It was also discovered the senator had suffered an especially bad migraine at a dinner party 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:44.039 the week before the speech. 00:08:44.039 --> 00:08:48.791 Further research into SCP-1500’s memory altering effects have also revealed that they 00:08:48.791 --> 00:08:52.260 might just be more intrusive than first believed. 00:08:52.260 --> 00:08:57.320 Rather than simply appearing as an old friend, subjects exposed to 1500 have begun to report 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:01.640 that Zachary Callahan actually played a much more prominent role in their lives, either 00:09:01.640 --> 00:09:06.350 as a close relative, a parental figure, or even a former lover. 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:10.640 In each of these cases, the subjects described their feelings for Zachary Callahan as ones 00:09:10.640 --> 00:09:14.830 of adoration, and that he made them feel protected and loved. 00:09:14.830 --> 00:09:20.410 Most troubling of all, is a recent addendum to the SCP-1500 file, which describes the 00:09:20.410 --> 00:09:23.230 very latest research on the anomaly and its effects. 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:28.360 It is now estimated that as many as 23,000 people all across the world have been affected 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:32.860 by the creature, with the idea of Zachary Callahan implanted into their memories. 00:09:32.860 --> 00:09:37.060 It is unknown why it is trying to spread its influence so far and wide, but one clue that 00:09:37.060 --> 00:09:41.570 may point to a nefarious purpose is that it seems to be disproportionately targeting political 00:09:41.570 --> 00:09:46.269 and military figures, as well as SCP Foundation personnel. 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:52.420 Following these new developments, classification of SCP-1500 to keter was requested and granted. 00:09:52.420 --> 00:09:58.510 Due to the risk that SCP-1500 poses through its anomalous effects, and its powerful ability 00:09:58.510 --> 00:10:03.079 to influence those in positions of great power, it is permanently kept in a modified humanoid 00:10:03.079 --> 00:10:05.630 containment cell at Site-17. 00:10:05.630 --> 00:10:09.770 No personnel are allowed to enter into its containment chamber under any circumstances, 00:10:09.770 --> 00:10:12.110 nor are there security cameras in its cell. 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:16.319 A false containment document describing a human male with an anomalous plant-like effect 00:10:16.319 --> 00:10:22.620 was placed in the database in order to deter further investigation into the real SCP-1500, 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:26.650 and any personnel who experience painful, persistent headaches are immediately transferred 00:10:26.650 --> 00:10:32.370 away from Site-17, while any who attempt to breach containment are immediately terminated. 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:37.250 Is SCP-1500 planting the seeds for something big by infiltrating the minds of some of the 00:10:37.250 --> 00:10:39.259 most influential people on earth? 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:42.759 Or is it merely looking for a connection as it takes on a form that it wishes it could 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:47.000 have in the only way it can, inside an imagination. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:50.259 Perhaps one day, we will know the answer. 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:55.690 Now go and watch another entry from the files of Dr. Bob, like SCP-1500, the story of me 00:10:55.690 --> 00:10:59.399 and my best friend Zach and the time we rode motorcycles across South East Asia… wait 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:00.470 a second… 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:05.130 I didn’t do that with Zach. 00:11:05.130 --> 00:11:11.569 Ahem… like SCP-163 The Old Castaway, for another truly bizarre guest of the SCP Foundation 00:11:11.569 --> 00:11:14.149 whose story you definitely won’t forget. 00:11:14.149 --> 00:11:18.420 And make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications, so you don’t miss a single anomaly, as we 00:11:18.420 --> 00:11:22.460 delve further and further into the SCP Foundation’s classified archives.