SCP-4XXX "The Faceless Live in Evanholly"

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[[size 125%]]**Item #:** SCP-4XXX[[/size]]
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[[size 125%]]###990000|**Level 3/4XXX**##[[/size]]
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[[size 125%]]**Object Class:** Safe[[/size]]
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[[size 125%]]###990000|**Classified**##[[/size]]
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----

[[div class="scp-image-block block-center" style="width:80%;"]]
[[image evanholly2.png style="width:100%;" link=#]]
[[div class="scp-image-caption" style="width:100%;"]]
A *.pdf of the first-edition cover template of SCP-4XXX, obtained from the original publishers, Crossley-Griffith.
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++ **__Special Containment Procedures:__**
SCP-4XXX is to be contained in a standard containment locker at Site-107. Personnel assigned to SCP-4XXX must be cleared by either the Site Director or SCP-4XXX's head researcher (currently Dr. Fynegan); no personnel under Level 3 clearance or personnel with pets are allowed access to SCP-4XXX.

Foundation webcrawlers are to monitor any information on SCP-4XXX-related media. If an incident arises, a cover story pertaining to a new advertising ploy is to be released and MTF μ-9 ("Null Squad") is to detain Clyde Hiller for pertinent questioning. Additionally, MTF Δ-10 ("Literary Analysis") is to confiscate any copies of the book relevant to the incident.

See Procedural Addendum 01 for pending changes to Containment Procedures.
----

++ **__Description:__**
SCP-4XXX is the collective designation for nine anomalous copies of the novel __The Faceless Live in Evanholly__, written by author Clyde Hiller. The instances are initially identical in appearance and content to standard copies of the novel, except for being printed with invalid ISBN numbers and barcodes. SCP-4XXX's anomalous properties manifest whenever a person reads a significant portion of the book - the definition of "significant" is dependent on whether the reader has reasonably comprehended a large part of the story rather than if the reader has read all the content in the novel. When this has happened, a variation of the following timeline occurs:

||~ TIME ||~ EVENT ||
|| 0 minutes || The reader (designated 4XXX-A) completes the novel.||
|| 30 ~ 60 minutes || Any pets in the care of 4XXX-A (designated 4XXX-B) will start behaving erratically.||
|| 2 ~ 3 hours || 4XXX-B will self-terminate or be killed by outside forces, in a similar manner to animal deaths described in the novel.||
|| 4 hours || 4XXX-A will, by this time, confirmed to be suffering from stress cardiomyopathy (Broken Heart Syndrome). It has not been determined how SCP-4XXX incites this response. ||
|| 5 hours || SCP-4XXX will substitute the names of the characters in the novel with the names of the 4XXX-B instances. ||

In all recorded incidents, after the five-hour timeline, 4XXX-A instances have been admitted to an emergency room regarding a severe heart condition; a heavy correlation between general affection for 4XXX-B and higher trauma response in 4XXX-A has been identified. This effect is pending classification as a secondary anomaly of SCP-4XXX. SCP-4XXX is undergoing testing for the 'criteria' that SCP-4XXX uses to determine 4XXX-B instances. At this time, duration of care, affection for 4XXX-B, and the name given of 4XXX-B were deemed irrelevant criteria for 4XXX-B selection.

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++ **__Item History:__**
SCP-4XXX was acquired on March 5th, 2011 by MTFs μ-9 and Δ-10 after reports of unusually high pet death rates and their owners' hospitalizations after approximately 20 copies of __The Faceless Live in Evanholly__ were shipped to the town of Maxim, Nevada. The reports were analyzed and nine copies (SCP-4XXX) were discerned to be correlated to the death rates. Clyde Hiller was detained and questioned, but no useful information save Interviews B and C (see Addendum 01) could be determined from Hiller. Currently, Hiller has been released and amnesticized, although further interrogation of Hiller is currently awaiting approval.
------

++ **__Addendum 01:__ Clyde Hiller, Interviews B and C**

[[collapsible show="» SHOW: Hiller, Interview B" hide="« HIDE: Hiller, Interview B"]]

> **Interviewer:** Researcher Joe Fynegan
>
> **Interviewed:** Clyde Hiller
>
> ----------
>
> [BEGIN LOG]
>
> **Fynegan:** Hello again, Mr. Hiller. How are you?
>
> **Hiller:** Good, thank you. It's good to see, uh, a rather familiar face.
>
> (//Extraneous data removed.//)
>
> **Fynegan:** So, Mr. Hiller, how were the book sales?
>
> **Hiller:** Which one?
>
> **Fynegan:** The Faceless Live in Evanholly.
>
> **Hiller:** Oh. Well, to tell the truth, it didn't sell well. Glossed over, quickly put down.
>
> **Fynegan:** The records indicate that was your best-selling book.
>
> **Hiller:** Yes, but //not at first//. I was approached by a company, Yellow-something-something. They offered to re-publish for my book.
>
> **Fynegan:** Did you accept their offer?
>
> **Hiller:** After talking about it with my agent, yes. We canceled our deal with the original fellows and transferred my manuscript over to the new company. They certainly did well, at least until...
>
> **Fynegan:** Until?
>
> **Hiller:** Until I started getting complaints. Personal calls, death threats, even.
>
> **Fynegan** Can you elaborate on these complaints?
>
> **Hiller:** If you don't tell anyone else about them. I mean, if people heard about them...
>
> **Fynegan:** Everything you say today will be kept in this room and in this room only.
>
> **Hiller:** Thank you, agent?
>
> **Fynegan:** Researcher. Fynegan.
>
> **Hiller:** Thank you, Researcher Fynegan. These threats were regarding several books that were shipped out at an apparent later date. People complained that their pets were dying. That the books had their pets' names in them. I thought nothing of them at first - I did pick rather common names for my characters - until a long-time reader sent me a copy of her book and a picture of her pet.
>
> **Fynegan:** And?
>
> //A short pause.//
>
> **Hiller:** I've never, ever written a character called "Josephine"... and I've never had it impale itself on a kitchen knife. That's that.
>
> **Fynegan:** Thank you, Mr. Hiller, we will speak again soon.
>
> [END LOG]
> -------------
> **Closing Statement:** We have contacted Hiller's publishing company to ascertain whether or not the aforementioned advertising agency has any relation to SCP-4XXX.
>
[[/collapsible]]

[[collapsible show="» SHOW: Hiller, Interview C" hide="« HIDE: Hiller, Interview C"]]

> **Interviewer:** Researcher Joe Fynegan
>
> **Interviewed:** Clyde Hiller
>
> **Foreword:** Interview was requested by Hiller and not pre-planned.
>
> ----------
>
> [BEGIN LOG]
>
> **Hiller:** Hello, Mr. Fynegan.
>
> **Fynegan:** You can just call me Joe. Did you request me specifically?
>
> **Hiller:** I mean, you're the only person whose name I know.
>
> **Fynegan:** Ah, I see. What did you want to talk about?
>
> **Hiller:** I wanted to talk about that advertising company.
>
> //Researcher Fynegan flips through several sheets of paper.//
>
> **Fynegan:** Yellowjacket Publishing?
>
> **Hiller:** Yes, yes! That's the one. Very unusual name. Unusual proposition.
>
> **Fynegan:** What was the proposition?
>
> **Hiller:** I was told my books weren't affecting the reader enough. It was bought for the cover, the actual reading was a farce. Basically, my book was shit.
>
> **Fynegan:** Hmm.
>
> **Hiller:** They said, I think, "We can make your readers feel connected to your book. We can make them feel like they are inside your world...", or something like that. I don't remember too well. But it sounded great. I mean, what author wouldn't pay to enchant readers to their books?
>
> **Fynegan** So, as you said before, you took the offer. Did anything happen?
>
> **Hiller:** Another interesting thing. I got paid, imagine that, paid for using their services. It was a win-win. I got publishing, ads, and they got to test out their new process.
>
> **Fynegan:** New process?
>
> **Hiller:** Yes, a new process. Something about memes?
>
> **Fynegan:** Could the word have been memetics?
>
> **Hiller:** It could be, but I don't remember it clearly. Anyways, they apologized to me about a shipment of books that they screwed up on.
>
> **Fynegan:** What did they apologize for?
>
> **Hiller:** They told me they busted a shipment. Stuff about the readers being too involved or what-not, but it was really late when they called so I wasn't paying attention. Besides, I didn't feel like busting their balls over it. I thought that might be relevant to this.
>
> **Fynegan:** Hmm. Interesting. Is there anything else?
>
> **Hiller:** That would be it.
>
> **Fynegan:** Thank you for being cooperative, Mr. Hiller. Goodbye and good luck.
>
> **Hiller:** Goodbye, and thank you, Joe.
>
> **Fynegan:** No problem.
>
> [END LOG]
> -------------
> **Closing Statement:** Investigations into Hiller's advertising contacts (Yellowjacket Publishing, designated GoI-448) are underway as of current. Clyde Hiller has been released and amnesticized following protocol.
>
[[/collapsible]]
------

++ **__Procedural Addendum:__**

[[collapsible show="» SHOW: Pending Special Containment Procedures" hide="« HIDE: Pending Special Containment Procedures"]]
**NOTE:** //##blue|BLUE## text is unchanged from the previous procedures, while ##red|RED## text has been appended or removed.//

##blue|SCP-4XXX is to be contained in a standard containment locker at Site-107. Personnel assigned to SCP-4XXX must be cleared by either the Site Director or SCP-4XXX's head researcher ####red|--(currently Dr. Fynegan)--####blue|; no personnel under Level 3 clearance ####red|--or personnel with pets--####blue| are allowed access to SCP-4XXX: ####red|only Level 4+ personnel may view SCP-4XXX##.

##blue|Foundation webcrawlers are to monitor any information on SCP-4XXX-related media. If an incident arises, a cover story pertaining to a new advertising ploy is to be released and MTF μ-9 ("Null Squad") is to detain Clyde Hiller for pertinent questioning. Additionally, MTF Δ-10 ("Literary Analysis") is to confiscate any copies of the book relevant to the incident.##

##red|Due to Incident 4XXX-01, no personnel with infant children in their care are allowed access to SCP-4XXX.##
[[/collapsible]]