It had happened again. Some absolute schmuck of a junior researcher
had left a certain door ajar - the door that kept SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, locked in
his containment chamber. As a result, the good doctor had wandered
out, and given the junior researcher a hug of appreciation for freeing him, leaving his
dead body sprawled out across the ground. Typical. A problem solving itself. But this time, the problem had been a little
more severe than just the one responsible facing immediate consequences of their actions. The Plague Doctor had grabbed the junior researcher’s
corpse and dragged him back into his cell, leaving the door, once again, slightly ajar. With the variety of equipment from his magical
medical bag, the Doctor had transformed the junior researcher’s corpse into a disfigured
zombie, in hopes of curing him of “The Pestilence”, and released him into the facility. 049 had followed him out to observe his behavior,
and in the process, he’d given several guards and members of janitorial staff a congratulatory
hand-touch, sending them to early graves. By the time people realized what was going
on, six people were dead, several zombies were wandering around the building, and 049
was spotted in a lab stealing medical equipment. Dr. Clef, who was on duty at the time, was
getting sick of this nonsense. This was actually the third breach that the
Plague Doctor had been involved in this month, and it was only the 14th. He was frankly ready to wash his hands of
this particular anomaly. Because it wasn’t just the fact that the
Plague Doctor killed people that bothered Dr. Clef - After all, Dr. Clef himself had
killed a considerable number of people - it was the fact that the Plague Doctor was also
so damn sanctimonious about it. Clef breathed a sigh and rubbed his temples
to subdue the incoming headache. It was time to have a little tribunal and
decide what disciplinary action he would take against this freaky physician. The Plague Doctor was on his knees, locked
into place by heavy chains and restraints around his neck, arms, and legs - These weren’t
even official Foundation property, Dr. Clef had brought them in from his private leisure
room back at his house. As usual, the Doctor was preaching the immense
value of his work. “The Pestilence runs rife, Dr. Clef, surely
you must see that!” The Doctor cried. “You’re a man of science yourself - allegedly
- surely you can empathize with my mission. I just want to help people, can’t you see? I’m just like you.” “Blah, blah, blah, always this goddamn Pestilence. Do you ever turn off?” Clef said, waving away the Doctor’s words. “I don’t know about your Pestilence, but
I’m definitely looking at a pest right now. What the hell am I supposed to do with you? No matter what allowances we give you, you
keep escaping.” The Doctor hung his head. He hated when people treated him like this
- Like some wild animal. Of course, occasionally, people died, but
it was only in the pursuit of saving so many more lives! He tried to convince Dr. Clef that the costs
would pale in the face of the rewards, but the gung-ho Foundation researcher simply wasn’t
interested in hearing it. Instead, he was brewing up a new idea. One that might rid him of the Plague Doctor
forever, even without breaking the Foundation’s goofy rule against killing anomalies. “You know what?” Dr. Clef said, affecting a voice of mock kindness. “You finally got your words through my thick
head. I get it now! I get how important your research is. All this time, we’ve been stepping in the
way of Nobel prize-winning work! I don’t know how I’ll ever live with myself
for this. I just want to say, personally, on behalf
of the SCP Foundation, we are truly sorry.” Suddenly, the Plague Doctor perked up. My goodness, he thought, I’ve finally gotten
through! He was practically vibrating with glee. “Your apology is accepted, good sir!” The Plague Doctor proclaimed. “Let us not obsess over the past. We will look towards the future!” “Exactly!” Dr. Clef cut in. “That’s why, by way of an apology, I plan
to reassign you to a special research facility, where you’ll get to run the show! You’ll have live test subjects aplenty and
no accountability to the Foundation whatsoever. How does that sound to you, doc?” The Plague Doctor somehow rose to his feet,
despite the chains, perhaps propelled by the sheer force of his love for science. “I suggest we leave at once!” he said. “Thank you, Dr. Clef, you kind, kind man. I always knew that you were the reasonable
one.” Even Dr. Clef had to resist the urge to laugh
about that one. Smash cut to the next day, when Dr. Clef,
the Plague Doctor, and a group of Mobile Task Force Officers were crowded into a helicopter
heading towards SCP-3008, also known as The Infinite Ikea. Of course, The Plague Doctor didn’t know
that. He thought he was heading toward the state-of-the-art
research facility that Dr. Clef promised him. Clef, on the inside, reasoned that what this
bird-brained moron didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. The helicopter landed within the perimeter
established around the abandoned Ikea, and the Plague Doctor was herded off the vehicle. He’d bought Clef’s lie hook, line, and
sinker, and as such, was unusually cooperative with the guards. Dr. Clef pointed to the building and instructed
the Plague Doctor to head inside and just keep walking. He’d find the test subjects and the facilities
soon enough. And why would the Foundation be lying to him? They even let him take his medical bag in
there! “When you get in there, ask for Hugh, he’ll
be your lead assistant,” Dr. Clef told him. “Lead assistant? You mean to tell me I will have multiple research
assistants?” The Plague Doctor said, “Oh, splendid! I cannot wait to meet this Hugh.” “Oh yeah,” Dr. Clef said, biting his bottom
lip to stifle a laugh. “His last name’s Jass. Be sure to mention that. It’ll help speed along the process.” The Plague Doctor nodded his head in thanks. “Much appreciated, Dr. Clef. Rest assured, I will not forget this kindness!” As the Plague Doctor wandered into the abandoned
store, his heart swelling with pride, Dr. Clef began to quietly laugh behind his back
like the big ol’ jerkface he was. When he could no longer see the Plague Doctor,
Clef turned to one of his colleagues and jokingly asked, “Does this mean we’ll need to reclassify
3008 as Thaumiel now? Not looking forward to that paperwork...” On the inside of the Infinite Ikea, the Plague
Doctor was chuckling to himself with glee. After all these years of hard work, his merit
had been recognized, and he’d been given the respect he deserved from his peers at
the Foundation. He was so wrapped up in his own sense of personal
pride that he didn’t even register it as strange that he was surrounded by odd, sterile
living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, all in a seemingly random configuration, with
signs next to them in a mix of the King’s English and what he believed to be some form
of Swedish that he didn’t quite understand. Still, he didn’t mind too much. He just assumed that these must be the accommodations
for himself, his patients, his test subjects, and his research assistants. And to think, they’d built this whole place
just for him and his research! It lifted his soul to know that the SCP Foundation
had finally recognized the Pestilence for the danger that it is. From now on, everything would change. He’d probably find the cure in the next
few years! Then, it suddenly occurred to him... He was a little lost. The layout of this research laboratory was
incredibly strange. It seemed like an utterly arbitrary configuration
of bizarre rooms, separated by wide aisles. It didn’t seem sanitary at all. Where were the sealed laboratories? The gurneys? The patient beds? The medical equipment? And on top of all that, where was Hugh!? Some kind of shenanigans were afoot; that
much was clear now! The Plague Doctor quickened his pace through
the halls of this strange building. One way or another, he would get to the bottom
of this. Nothing would get in the way of the important
research he planned to conduct here! After what felt like hours of aimless walking,
the Plague Doctor encountered some other sentient beings: A group of three people, wearing ragged,
post-apocalyptic looking clothes, all carrying defensive kitchen knives and hammers. The Doctor was overjoyed to see people he
could actually converse with. The others, upon seeing him, were a little
taken aback. Had some Ren Faire cosplayer somehow accidentally
wandered into the building? What on Earth was going on here? “Excuse me, good sirs!” The Plague Doctor called out. “I’m searching for Hugh Jass!” That caused the group to break into laughter,
immediately lessening the tension. The de facto leader of the group, Calvin,
replied, “Aren’t we all?” 049 didn’t get it. But these humans nonetheless liked the cut
of this new guy’s jib. All three of them had been in here for at
least a year each, and it’d been a while since they’d had a good laugh in this terrible,
labyrinthine place. Calvin stepped forward, lowering his weapons
now that he could see this weird cosplayer guy didn’t seem like a threat. He cleared his throat and asked, “Mind if
I ask who you are, fella?” The Plague Doctor was taken aback by this
question. “Did they not prepare you in advance for
my arrival?” The groups shook their heads. “How strange,” The Plague Doctor said. “Well, I suppose some proper introductions
are in order, then! I am your new leader, as appointed by Dr.
Clef of the SCP Foundation. I am a reasonable man, a man of science, and
under my leadership, we will be a scientific force the likes of which the world has never
seen! Together, we will cure the Pestilence and
save all of mankind!” There was a long pause after that. None of the group of humans really knew how
to react to this. Calvin thought to himself, “Great, we’ve
got ourselves a major space case. Let’s get him back to the camp before he
gets himself killed.” He forced and smile and nodded, pretending
to be impressed by the Plague Doctor’s bizarre ranting. “Well, then, Doctor,” he said. “We better get you back to our camp. We’re not going to get anything done while
we’re just standing around, will we?” The Plague Doctor couldn’t agree more. He followed the group of his three new research
assistants further into this incredibly strange scientific building. The Plague Doctor indeed appreciated Dr. Clef
putting all this together for him, but he would privately indulge in the thought that
Dr. Clef seemingly could not put together a laboratory to save his life. This place was a bizarre, confusing disaster,
but he would still make it work, one way or another. However, his musings were interrupted when
the lights went out. The three people with him began gasping in
shock and horror. Calvin was repeating to himself, “No, this
is impossible. I timed it! I swear, I timed it!” But the Plague Doctor found their attitude
to be utterly baffling. These were supposed to be intrepid men of
science, and yet, they were afraid of the dark? It seemed they really did need his leadership
to get anything done here. “Follow me, gentlemen,” The Plague Doctor
said. “It’s merely a failure of the lights. I’ll get this rubbish sorted out.” He began to walk forward as the three humans
began to panic behind him. Telling him that if he keeps walking, he’ll
die. He needs to come back. They need to stick together. But he kept walking. He didn’t get this far by being a coward,
after all. At least the others are following him now,
wielding their hammers and kitchen knives. He’d whip them into shape. Then, his attention was stolen by something
altogether stranger. It was a creature, humanoid but not human,
standing about ten feet away from him, seemingly ignorant to his presence. The Plague Doctor was simultaneously fascinated
and horrified by what he saw before him. It was in some kind of yellow and blue uniform,
with a hideous, malformed, faceless head and two long, tangled arms that it dragged along
the floor behind it like an orangutan. It was a truly repulsive, pitiful creature,
one that made the Plague Doctor sad to even look at it. Clearly, this had to be an advanced case of
the Pestilence! While the Plague Doctor was filled with scientific
curiosity, his three human traveling companions were filled with terror. They were still so far away from the camp,
and the Staff had found them already!? Because there’s never just one. They’re like big, deadly cockroaches. If you can see one, more are on the way. Their best bet is just staying incredibly
quiet and trying to sneak past. “Hello there, you poor fellow!” The Plague Doctor said, stepping forwards
and waving. “It seems you are in dire need of some medical
assistance!” Calvin and his two companions were mortified. So this was how they were going to die? After making the mistake of being kind to
a clearly deranged man dressed as a medieval plague doctor? What a way to go... The second it heard the Plague Doctor’s
voice, the member of Staff was activated, as were several others in a ten-meter radius. They all suddenly stood upright, muscles taut
with violence waiting to happen. They began chanting their dreaded phrase,
“The store is now closed, please exit the building”, while converging and running
towards the Plague Doctor like a pack of hungry dogs. It was a terrifying sight to behold. But not for the Plague Doctor himself. There were so many of these poor, infected
people, and clearly, the Pestilence had not only warped their bodies but broken their
minds. After all, this wasn’t a store, this was
the new research center specifically designed for his research. Dr. Clef would surely never just lie about
something like that. He was an honorable man! Then again, maybe that was exactly why Clef
had sent him here - so many victims of advanced Pestilence would make perfect test subjects. A paradise of research! The Plague Doctor couldn’t be happier as
a group of ten staff members converged on him. Calvin and his men could barely look - the
new guy may have been crazy, but he didn’t deserve to go out like this! However, the last thing they expected was
for the Plague Doctor to calmly raise his hands, allowing the members of Staff to run
right into his deadly touch. In the following moments, all ten of them
were lying on the ground, dead. The three men were utterly speechless. What had just happened? Had the main in the strange costume snuck
in a secret knife, or a silenced gun? Had he gone some hyper-advanced, instant kill
Kung Fu move that was simply too fast and subtle for them to perceive? Or had he really just killed ten members of
staff in mere seconds just by touching them? The Plague Doctor turned to them and said,
“Well then, gentlemen, let us not dilly-dally. Grab one each, and we’ll carry them to the
laboratory on the double!” Soon after, the Plague Doctor and his three
“research assistants” arrived at a nearby encampment. Several other members of Staff had attacked
them on the way, but a single touch from the Plague Doctor had killed each one. The humans’ perspective on this mysterious
stranger had changed entirely: He’d gone from a goofy crank to a godlike savior. For as long as they’d been in here, they’d
lived in terror of Staff. But they were nothing to this man. With a single touch from him, they were gone
forever. As the doors of the camp were closed behind
him, the people of the camp began running towards them, confused and curious. The Plague Doctor was delighted to see that
there were so many other research assistants here to help him on his divine mission. Dr. Clef, that beautiful, sweet man, had given
him such a boon. Perhaps now, the Pestilence may finally be
cured! One of the camp leaders ran over, furious,
and yelled, “What the hell are you doing? You know you can’t bring those bodies in
here. It’ll only attract more of them, you fool!” Fool? The Plague Doctor found that rather rude,
but he’d overlook it for the sake of the greater good. He’d spent his whole life dealing with aspersions
from lesser intellects who couldn’t even begin to understand his work. The masses rarely understand processes, only
results. And here, he knew he would be able to give
them results. “Worry not, good sir, I am a medical man,”
the Plague Doctor said, simply walking past the naysayer and bidding his first three research
assistants to drag the bodies after him. “I will bring this place up to code. You will see, soon enough, that my scientific
leadership is second to none. Now, I will retire to my office, and begin
dissecting these samples.” Before the camp leader could say anything
else, the Plague Doctor had retired into a staff room, which had been retrofitted as
a kind of headquarters for members of the camp. That’s when Calvin approached the camp leader
and told him the astonishing news. “Look, boss, I know he looks like a goofball
in a Halloween costume,” he said. “But this guy... He’s special. He’s something else. He can kill the staff.” The camp leader scoffed. “So can we,” he said. Calvin shook his head. “No, you don’t get it, boss. Not like us. This guy? He can kill the staff just by touching them.” And the camp leader had no response to that. In his new study, the Plague Doctor was dissecting
one of the dead staff members and was astonished to see what was happening within. The creature had no organs - it was simply
that strange, slightly yellow tissue all the way down. He’d never seen the Pestilence have such
a profound and horrific effect on its victims. It had horribly altered them, all the way
to the core. Was this what the Great Dying was truly capable
of in its later stages? The Plague Doctor shuddered, both with horror
and scientific excitement. He’d barely been here a day, and he’d
made some of the most incredible discoveries. He took fastidious notes on all these new
revelations, feeling the picture come together in his mind. His deep, scientific thoughts were then interrupted
by the door opening, and Calvin and the Camp Leader stepping in. The Camp Leader was different than before
- He had none of the bluster and arrogance of his first words. He showed fealty like he was standing in the
presence of a divine being. “I’d like to formally welcome you to our
camp, Doctor,” the Camp Leader said. “We’re extremely fortunate to have you
here. Please, if you need anything, don’t hesitate
to let us know. We are truly at your service.” The Plague Doctor was delighted to hear this. With a polite nod, he replied, “More test
subjects like these will do just fine, good sir. I believe I am very close to a breakthrough
here...” Now go check out “SCP-049 The Plague Doctor
- Everything You Need to Know” and “SCP-049 - What Actually is the Pestilence? The Plague Doctor Questions and Theories”
for more on everyone’s favorite well-intentioned killer!