Item #: SCP-215
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-215 presents no threat unless worn, and so shall be kept in Dr. Naamdi's office until studies are concluded. SCP-215 is to be kept in its case when not in use, so as to prevent scratches to the lenses.
Description: SCP-215 is a pair of prescription glasses designed to correct myopic vision. When worn, SCP-215 induces a belief in the wearer that inanimate objects are sentient and capable of communication with the wearer. The severity of this delusion varies from wearer to wearer, but generally strengthens over time if SCP-215 is worn regularly, and in the worst cases manifests as a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, culminating in an irrational fear of all machines.
There is no definite "safe" amount of time to wear SCP-215; while the onset of delusions generally takes at least twenty-four (24) hours, a great deal depends on the psychological disposition of the wearer before SCP-215 is put on, and persons who already have some varieties of obsessive-compulsive, synesthesiac, or technophiliac disorders have been known to begin suffering SCP-215's effects less than an hour after donning it.
Removing SCP-215 does not remove the delusion, although normal methods of therapy have proven to be effective in less severe cases so long as SCP-215 is not put on again; a full recovery can turn to a full relapse in less than a day by the return of SCP-215. By the end of the second week, wearers tend to violently resist any attempt to separate them from SCP-215.
Case Study 215-99983-D
99983-D displayed a typical progression of SCP-215-related symptoms. The subject had no record of mental illness before the commencement of the test.
Week 1, Day 1: 99983-D is given a temporary position as a research assistant to Dr. Naamdi and is issued SCP-215 to replace a pair of his own spectacles that were destroyed by Foundation personnel. Subject complained that SCP-215 didn't match his old prescription, and stated that he was suffering from blurry vision and headaches by the end of the day.
Week 1, Day 3: Subject stopped complaining of blurred vision and began referring to SCP-215 as "Steve." Subject stated that "Steve and I get along alright; it's not exactly a match made in heaven, but we get by." Subject did not assign names or personalities to any object besides SCP-215.
Week 1, Day 6: Subject began to assign personalities to complex electrical and mechanical devices that he regularly interacted with, including the computer that he logged data entries in, the breakroom coffee machine, refrigerator, microwave, and a PDA he was issued by Dr. Naamdi. Most interactions involved complaining about the general uncooperative behavior of these devices.
Week 2, Day 1: Subject began having prolonged conversations with the aforementioned mechanical and electrical devices, giving all of them names and sometimes speaking of them in personal terms with other Foundation personnel, almost always to the effect that the devices were somehow antagonistic. Subject reported that while he could not "hear" the machines speaking, their "body language" was very clear.
Week 2, Day 5: Subject began assigning personal qualities to less complex objects in his work environment, starting with his office supplies.
Week 2, Day 7: Subject began minimizing interactions with living people and talked almost constantly to his inanimate "companions." Discussions with staff psychologists indicated a sophisticated web of relationships between 99983-D and the objects.
Week 3, Day 3: Subject had a violent altercation with the breakroom microwave after a burrito came out of it underdone. Subject reportedly cursed and shouted at the machine before attempting to destroy it with a breakroom chair. Subject was restrained and subdued, and later apologized for his behavior to the microwave and the chair.
Week 3, Day 6: Subject began personifying set-pieces in his environment, referring to floor tiles and ceiling lights as people. Subject would stop to thank each inanimate object he interacted with (including each individual floor tile) for permitting him to use it.
Week 4, Day 2: Subject began displaying signs of stress when asked to interact with any complex electrical or mechanical appliance, claiming that the machines had become hostile and threatening. Mechanical failures or faulty performances by any machines in 99983-D's presence were interpreted as signs of impending rebellion.
Week 4, Day 3: Subject refused to come to work. His PDA had been smashed; 99983-D claimed it was an act of self-defense. After being coerced into coming into the office, the subject began screaming and showing other signs of acute stress at the sight of his computer, which was turned off at the time. He attempted to force his way past the security guards at the door and had to be sedated.
Week 4, Day 5: Subject destroyed his table lamp, alarm clock, watch, and ceiling fan. Afterwards, he refused to come out of his room. When Foundation personnel forced their way into his cell, they found him dead, with severe burns on his hands and arms. He is presumed to have been fatally electrocuted while attempting to disable an electrical outlet in the room.
Addendum: I have been asked many times now if SCP-215 enables the wearer to actually interact with machines in any meaningful way differently from how normal people do it, and I'm pretty confident the answer is "no." I've done every test I can think of, and all the evidence I've seen suggests that the "living" machines only exist in the wearer's head. There are things in this Foundation that can make what you believe real, but this isn't one of them. -Dr. Naamdi
