SCP-342

Item #: SCP-342

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-342 can be safely stored in its case file folder, in an envelope stapled to the inside cover, as it poses no danger so long as it is not actively used. Said case file folder should be kept in a secure file cabinet in High Value Items Storage, and protected by a standard array of biological, chemical, memetic, and physical positive action defenses.

Description: SCP-342 normally takes the form of a mass transit ticket for the closest form of mass transportation to its current location. At the moment, it takes the form of a train ticket, departing from ████████████████ Station. When held by a sentient person for any length of time, it will eventually change form into a transit ticket for a form of transportation its holder desires to use. This transformation always takes place when not being directly or indirectly observed: no recordings of SCP-342 changing form exist at this time. SCP-342 is indistinguishable from any valid transit ticket and may be used as such.

Should SCP-342 be validated by stamp, tearing off the ticket stub, or disposal, it will reform itself into an unused ticket after a short period of time. SCP Foundation personnel should be on site to recover SCP-342 after the conclusion of any field experiments.

Anyone who uses SCP-342 to board a vehicle is unable to exit said vehicle by any means. Once the vehicle ends its route and ceases movement, the user will disappear from this reality. Users report a mounting feeling of dread prior to boarding the vehicle, which increases during the course of the journey, and culminates in panic-inducing terror shortly before disappearance. Specific phenomena often resemble acute paranoid schizophrenia, and include:

A perception of increased darkness of the sky outside the vehicle (fog, premature night, or, most frequently, dreary depressing weather).

Auditory hallucinations: most frequently, misperception of normal announcements by drivers and passengers: i.e. an announcement of the next stop is heard as a declaration that the user will never stop.

Normal objects, such as other passengers and non-threatening items, suddenly taking a threatening tone or appearance.

An almost pathological fear of the drivers/conductors/other transit staff.

Strange occurrences completely preventing the rider from getting off of the vehicle.

The absolute knowledge that it is impossible to get off.

Inability to perceive other passengers exiting and entering the vehicle: users report that other passengers appear to simply appear and vanish from their seats, and, in some cases, cannot perceive that a passenger has exited the vehicle, continuing to see them in their seats.

Inability to hear or perceive attempts to calm or reason with them.

Although the most acute experiences are limited to the user only, bystanders (including agents assigned to observe the subject) do report feelings of uneasiness, and will be compelled to exit the vehicle early, seeking other means of transportation.

Addendum 342 A: Object was discovered in Chicago, during 1936 by [DATA EXPUNGED]. Case was reopened several years later, as it was hoped that advances in technology would allow for a deeper understanding of [DATA EXPUNGED].

Addendum 342 B: The importance of retrieving SCP-342 after it is validated for travel cannot be understated: please see report re: "Dr. Lank Incident," in which SCP-342 was not successfully retrieved after validation, resulting in a six-month long containment breach causing the disappearances of several New York City civilians. SCP Foundation personnel are requested and required to use any means up to and including: impersonation of a peace officer, intimidation, and threats/actual use of deadly force to retrieve the item.

Addendum 342 C: Agent [NAME REDACTED]'s Report: Our first experiment with the ticket had a Class D personnel member enter onto a bus using the object. We stationed agents at each of the stops to observe his behavior without actually entering onto the vehicle (a precaution in case everyone who got on was in some way affected; the old reports were vague in this area). Many times he simply sat in place, or paced up and down the aisles. Increasingly he began to stare outside in horror, and the last few times we could not locate him. At the final point before the bus was to be parked for the night, we saw him pounding on the window with a pleading expression, screaming towards the agents for help as it pulled away, a strange mist filling much of the background behind him.

As we could not draw many conclusions from this event, we decided to track down some of the passengers and interrogate them, to hopefully shed some light on what happened. Many were hesitant to talk or claimed that they did not notice anything, saying they were preoccupied by something or distracted by illness, aches, or feelings of foreboding. We finally found some useful information from three boys (one 15-year-old (Caucasian) and two 16-year-olds (Hispanic)) who were riding the bus near the front for part of the trip. We were told that our test subject had tried to leave several times, but his pulling on the stop bell was always ignored, and the doors seemed to close right before he could get out. He would run and just not make it, or walk from a distance and get manipulated into the back of the line. Finally he sat right at the head of the bus so he could be close enough to get out in time, but every chance he got, there were too many people swarming on or off for him to leave.

Something about this event seemed to bother the boys. One of them was particularly irritated, but could not explain the source. Under hypnosis, he described what to him was a moment of pure dread, that he had seen a few people in the crowd of passengers actually push the man back on, subtly hold him back, or trip him, all while staring ahead innocently, like they didn't even notice that they were doing it. Finally, after shouting at the driver that he wanted to get off for a good ten minutes (which the driver ignored, aside from requesting that the subject sit still and be quiet), the man went back to his seat, apparently giving up in despair. Two of the boys said that the man actually shrieked and stumbled back to his seat in fright when the driver turned around at him. The other didn't realize that the two were in conflict, which is contrary to his usual habit of avidly looking for and watching fights on the particularly rough inner-city buses.

After going back to his seat, the boys said they promptly forgot about the subject, most likely because he was not struggling anymore. The next time they saw him he was three seats back, then five, then seven, but at no point could they recall seeing him stand up from his seat to move further back. This was all they could tell us, and it seemed to cost them plenty to even reveal this.

On a side note: at the end of our session, the youngest teen screamed, "It was like it swallowed him in the end!" and promptly had to be hospitalized for extreme psychosis.

Addendum 342 D: Subway Experiment Two: NOTE BY SUPERVISING OFFICER: Subway Experiment Two was the first time we had an observer alongside the passenger. Agent Strahm paid attention to the smallest details of the Class D personnel's behavior, took various fluid samples, and tested organs, mostly the heart and brain, until the man became too aggressive to examine. He also recorded an excellent log of all subjective and objective events. Since the physical examinations provided no special signs, except that the subject was in the midst of a typical nervous breakdown, said information has been placed in Document 342-D Alpha. Only the most relevant information has been included here.

The two men bought passage, the prisoner presenting the ticket. Immediately, he became aggravated and said to the person accepting his ticket, "What did you say to me, bitch? Are you threatening me?" He was quickly hurried along to avoid an incident, and was almost immediately separated from the agent accompanying him by a pair of security guards. Agent Strahm reports that the guards appeared to be in a trance and attempted to separate him from the user, softly chanting, "One at a time, please." Nevertheless, he managed to push his way through by force, although he was forced to knock down one officer who attempted to interpose himself between Agent Strahm and the door.

On the train, the user became very quiet: surprising, as he was one of our most violent D-Class personnel. Agent Strahm continued testing and interviewing until the prisoner said softly, "Let me off this fucking train." Agent Strahm said that they could leave after a few more hours, at which point the user became insanely aggressive, and began jumping up and down, off the walls, and swinging on the bars and holders, while howling like a primate. Agent Strahm knocked him out with a blow to the head from his truncheon and handcuffed him to a pole. To assuage civilian fears, he held up a badge that said he was a U.S. Marshal and went back to his analysis.

Physical analysis indicated that the prisoner had entered a REM sleep state after only three minutes, which is especially unusual in a subject who had been knocked unconscious. After the subject woke up, Agent Strahm made the decision to abort the experiment, and told the D-Class subject that he would help him get off the subway as soon as possible, if he cooperated. Holding him tightly, they attempted to leave, but were prevented from doing so by the crowd.

Agent Strahm attempted to exit a second time at the next stop, taking the precaution of holding up his badge and ordering all passengers to remain in their seats. Nonetheless, he was prevented from exiting the vehicle by the crowd boarding the train. Agent Strahm reported that the prisoner was almost pulled away from him: he was unable to determine by what means, but claimed that "the hands that pulled him back didn't belong to any passengers." Fortunately, Agent Strahm had handcuffed himself to the subject, and was able to maintain contact with the D-Class personnel, although his attempt to exit the vehicle was unsuccessful. Now in a state of panic, the prisoner clung to the agent like a frightened child so tightly that Strahm had bruise marks on his chest and arms for days, and screamed several times that the handcuffs were "slipping off." In the chaos, Agent Strahm's badge was knocked out out his hand, and he sustained a blow to the side of the head.

During the ride to the third stop, Agent Strahm, in a highly aggravated manner, interrogated the new passengers to find out who had hit him. No one would give him any hint or clues, and many became hysterical at the merest question or touch. One woman began wailing when Agent Strahm grabbed her shoulder, although she was later silenced when he began shaking her vigorously. Security cameras record Agent Strahm throwing a male passenger to the floor and striking another in the face while the D-Class personnel wept and clung to his leg. Given the extraordinary circumstances, the Board of Inquiry has chosen not to reprimand him for this lack of control.

Agent Strahm made a third attempt to get the prisoner off the train, choosing to take a coordinated approach. Using his radio, he communicated with agents at the next stop, despite difficulty due to static interference. Unusually, both sides said they heard the person talk in a quiet small voice like a frightened child, although both sides reported that they were using raised voices to be heard over the static.

It was at this point that the prisoner began beating on the door screaming to be let off the vehicle. Agent Strahm, although sympathetic, warned the user that he would sedate him if he continued. This seemed to dismay the prisoner more than anything else: according to Agent Strahm, he stated, "No, that's how it started. A lonely dark ride in unknown parts of the country. Travelers and drifters. The unattached. They would fall asleep, with a bottle of booze and oh god, when they woke up they'd still be going. Still be on. Don't you get it? They wake up and even though they slept for hours they still be on, who knows where…" He then stated his intent to cooperate and curled up in a fetal position, rocking slowly.

At the next stop, Agents Macabyern, Cinulure, Smith, and Jacobs (accompanied by Dr. Gunsther, the project head) boarded the subway and began pushing their way through the crowd towards Agent Strahm and the subject. Despite efforts to intimidate the crowd, progress was difficult until Agent Smith fired his weapon into the ceiling and threatened deadly force. The subway car was evacuated of all other passengers and a protective cordon was placed around the subject. Agent Jacobs ordered the driver to shut down the subway; when the driver appeared confused, he ordered that all power to the subway be cut off. SCP Foundation personnel, in the guise of Transit Authority officers, then evacuated the entire train, platform, and station of all civilians.

Agents Strahm, Macabyern, Cinulure, and Smith, and Dr. Gunsther then attempted to lead the prisoner off the train. Despite all efforts to lead, cajole, and force him off the train, no efforts were successful. Agent Strahm ceased his efforts after the prisoner was threatened with deadly force by Agent Smith, screaming at his fellow agents that, "He's not holding onto anything, there's some kind of wall." Other agents appeared confused, claiming that the subject was maliciously attempting to impede exit by holding onto one of the supporting bars. They continued in this assertion until it was pointed out to them the impossibility that this could take place, given that both of the prisoner's hands were being held by agents at that time.

In a last, desperate effort to extract the subject, the personnel attempted to dismantle the subway around the user through the use of cutting torches and power tools. Agent Strahm remained with the subject, while the others exited to help Foundation personnel prepare. While the equipment was being set up and everyone's backs were turned, the doors closed, and the train immediately started up and pulled away of its own accord. The agents did not manage to catch up to it until the next stop, and passengers immediately filed on, despite their commands not to.

Agent Strahm was later discovered lying on the subway platform 8 kilometers away in a comatose state. One end of his handcuffs was still attached to his own wrist, but the other was empty. Traces of blood found on the metal have been determined to belong to the subject.

Addendum 342 E: Subway Experiment Three: Possibly due to mental trauma from his loss of Subject D-342-D, Agent Strahm volunteered to be the subject of the next experiment, stating that someone more knowledgeable of our terms and procedures could provide better communication. O5-07 approved this after much pleading from Agent Strahm. Agent Erin and Dr. Haber, both close friends of Agent Strahm, accompanied him on his trip.

The ride on the subway started out normally enough, although Dr. Haber noticed that Agents Erin and Strahm appeared to share a closer understanding of the phenomena experienced by Strahm, perhaps as a result of their close friendship. Agent Erin's empathy allowed Agent Strahm to remain coherent and sane for the entire length of the ride, and was able to calmly and rationally talk about seemingly otherworldly events without breakdown of linguistic and mental functions. For this reason, this experiment was the most useful and rewarding, and a full log of the sequence of events experienced by Agent Strahm can be found in the attached documentation.

Of particular note: Agent Strahm made no effort to leave the subway, or even consider the possibility of doing so. This acceptance of his fate may have allowed an avoidance of mental anguish, as seen in the following log:

Dr. Haber: … All right, we've got what we need. Now, let's try to get you off this thing. Strahm: No. Dr. Haber: Excuse me? Strahm: It's too risky. Erin: We could get separated or hurt. We know what happens every time. Something bad. I'm not taking that chance. Dr. Haber: But he's doing so well. Maybe that's all it is, a willpower thing. You're keeping yourself together, you're calm, you're composed, it doesn't control you. (excited) That's it! All it takes is a strong will to pass through the gates… Erin: If there is a test, it's not here, it's at the end of it all. That's where he's going to need us, need our support. That's where it's going to happen. Strahm: (quiet) Dr. Haber: Look, we can't just let him… Here's the stop. I say we at least attempt it… for results. Strahm (morosely): You'll get your results, all right, Doc… (At this point, the three personnel attempted to walk to the door.) Dr. Haber: Jesus! Erin: Step back!

It was at this point that a homeless man travelling on the train hurled Dr. Haber across the room and broke his neck, before being shot four times in the chest by Agent Erin. Foundation personnel waiting at the next platform quickly evacuated them from the train on stretchers. The vagrant died on the way to base, and although transported in a highly secure ambulance, his body disappeared when passing through an abandoned part of town, specifically under a ruin of a train bridge.

Agent Erin ordered the train evacuated and stated his intention to continue the experiment alone, remaining with Strahm. Hallucinations continued as the trip progressed: Agent Erin reported seeing flickering shadows and strange phenomena, while Strahm reported more overt hallucinations, including Agent Erin's face melting apart to reveal a horned red faced monster, and the very metals and materials of the train beginning to melt like wax and mold and reform strangely. Erin said he found it extremely difficult to think logically or concentrate, but he persevered to stay attached and talking to a increasingly deranged Strahm.

This experiment has led to the formation of the idea that the user travels on two separate trains: the first, the four-dimensional vehicle of reality, and the second, a so-called "shadow train" that overlaps the first. Both trains move at the same rate, with passengers and personnel perceiving one or the other to various degrees, until the "real" train reaches the end of the line and stops moving, while the "shadow train" continues. According to Agent Erin, shortly after reaching the end of the line, Agent Strahm began to slowly drift forward towards the front of the train, passing through solid material in the process. When pointed out to Agent Strahm, Strahm became perturbed and began to run towards the back of the train. Upon reaching the mid-point of the third to last car, Strahm began to pound his fist against the air, stating that he was at the end of the train, and "it's moving, it's pulling out of the station," and that he was unable to proceed further. Agent Erin attempted to halt Agent Strahm's progress, but succeeded only in knocking him to the ground, at which point Strahm quickly accelerated towards the front of the train, sliding on his stomach. Fingernail marks were later found in the carpet, where he had clawed at the ground in an attempt to halt his progress. Agent Strahm passed through the closed conductor's compartment door and into the conductor's compartment, where he immediately began to cry out in terror.

Agent Erin stated, at this point, that he drew his service revolver and attempted a benevolent termination of Agent Strahm, but was unable to do so through the reinforced glass of the conductor's compartment door. His last reported observation of Agent Strahm states that he saw "a creature, kind of like an enormous spider, but wearing a conductor's hat, looking up from the levers, wrapping Jerry in a web, like a cocoon, and then throwing him through the window, like it was air." The creature then turned towards Agent Erin and ordered him to exit the train, at which point Agent Erin lost consciousness from terror. He was later found huddled at the back of the train car with an empty weapon, continuing to pull the trigger on an empty cylinder over and over until the weapon was confiscated from him by personnel.

Addendum 342 F: Doctor Gunsther's Supplemental Report: We set up several situations to try and discover the controls, parameters, and triggers of SCP-342. First, we used a company bus and a driver that worked for our organization, and had the prisoner as the only passenger. Nothing happened, even though the ticket was ripped before entering onto the vehicle. We attempted numerous other iterations of the same concept: prisoners entering a company bus along with other agents, and we also each had a ticket present to gain entrance. We had them speak of this loudly and obviously, and even denied one agent entrance because he did not have a ticket. Still, the object did not change to resemble a ticket for the fictional transportation system we created.

Next we had unaware citizens entering onto our bus, using tickets we had previously distributed. Once again, the ticket did not change, and our rider was able to leave at any time. We then exchanged our company bus driver for drivers hired from newspaper want ads. The drivers seemed confident at first, and were very excited about the prospects we were offering them, but when the prisoner came aboard (either on a empty bus or a full one), the driver suddenly became very bewildered and overwhelmed, saying that the controls for our bus were too advanced or new to him, he didn't understand the dashboard, he was "more comfortable with his own bus," and couldn't drive this one, even if the same model bus was used. Attempts to refresh the driver's memories as to the method of operating the bus failed further, until even the steering wheel was considered "too complicated."

After this failure, it was determined to allow the drivers use their own buses. Making deals with the corporations and public departments, in the guise of a higher level government bureaucracy, we had them set aside a special time when they would only pick up the prisoner and when they would stop. Although the bosses were fine with this, when the moment came, the drivers refused to change their routine "for egg headed paper pushers." All of them continued on the preset pathways, saying they were too busy or didn't have the time of day to go different routes just because someone ordered them to.

Finally, we made a deal with a driver named Bucky Folsworth that he would pick up our passenger along his normal route, and would only switch with another driver (one of our personnel) halfway through. Driver Folsworth was offered considerable compensation, was told that failure to cooperate would result in his termination from employment, was instructed to constantly be in contact with us via radio, and to stop at the fifth stop, park the vehicle, and let one of our agents get on to drive. In hindsight, we realized that perhaps the ticket was luring us closer and closer to this edge, by presenting situations that were so close yet did nothing, in hopes of having us go just one more alteration further, until we crossed the line and allowed it to become fully active.

When the prisoner neared the bus stop, the ticket turned to resemble a ticket to that specific vehicle. After realizing that this would be another doomed ride, several members of our team cautioned restraint and suggested we should send an Agent to accompany the prisoner. The consensus was we did not want to jeopardize a fragile situation that could suddenly fail at the slightest touch. I will admit a personal failing, as I was tantalized by the prospect of having one of our own be in control of the phenomena, and the vitally important data that could be gathered.

Unfortunately, our giddiness and desire not to mess with a very important, perhaps once in a lifetime chance, only damned another person. When the bus driver reached the fifth stop, he halted the vehicle as instructed. However, as he attempted to leave his seat, the brakes on the vehicle failed, allowing the bus to speed down the hill, crushing a little girl crossing the street under its wheels. At first we thought this was an attempt by SCP-342 to lash out against us, at having outwitted it and kept the prisoner out of its grasp. Shortly afterwards, we realized that the important fact was not that the child was killed, but that the bus was still moving, and Driver Folsworth was still in command of the vehicle.

We tried to get into communication with Bucky but he refused to talk. We thought maybe this was because he felt guilty for the death of the child and was worried he was going to be punished, so we tried to reassure him that if he stopped now, there would be no repercussions. At this we got the first word from him, a simple "No." We knew then that we would have to use physical force to halt the bus. Setting up roadblocks and tire treads, we punctured two of the tires, and temporarily managed to tip it over on its side. However, he still somehow managed to go onto the highway and at one point we lost him when he went under the road. When he was found again, he was speeding, going at least 130 miles per hour in the middle of traffic in the opposite direction. At this point, he was a danger to the entire populace, not just the prisoner.

We told local law enforcement to stand down, and chased after him with cars and helicopters. The last statement we got from him was, "I'm not pulling over. I'm a driver and that's what I do. That's my purpose. I don't need to switch. I can get him where he's going!" After this, he shot off the freeway into open space for about 10 seconds, before crashing into another lower lane. We don't know if this was intentional or not, as at the same time he veered towards the sides and headed towards the rails at a slant, a bullet was put into his head by an aerial sniper. From reports, the bus hit the ground and exploded into a fiery blaze. There were no survivors, and many bodies were never discovered or declared missing.

One report from a bystander (26 year-old woman driving in the next lane over who was suspended upside down by her seat belt and sustained a blow to her head from the crash) is of particular interest. She states that she saw a second identical bus rise out of the smoke and pull aside the wreck. It opened its door with a large mechanical sound and waited there for a few seconds, until out of the flames came a single burning silhouette shaped like a human corpse. This corpse was said to have entered the bus and sat down, which then pulled away, smoothly navigating the pileup before disappearing.

We tried the same parameters (real vehicle, real passenger, real driver who knows what's going on and is in contact) three more times, but with trains this time. We also had agents stationed at the train each time. However, the same mix-up happened over and over again: the prisoners inexplicably went on the wrong (unsafe) train, even if it was clear which one to enter. Somehow they got disoriented in the mob and entered the incorrect train, one with no personnel, safeties, or special equipment on it. From my assistant, Dr. Haber's log (following his recovery from his prior accident):

Dr. Haber: Ok, so you're going to go on that train over there. Prisoner: Ok. Dr. Haber: Just present your ticket and get on. There will be a man in a black suit waiting for you near the end. Prisoner: I get it already! Dr. Haber: All right, go… No! To your left! Dr. Rubert: Don't get on! Stop! Dr. Haber: Fuck! Dr. Rubert: Goddammit! Package lost… DAMN it! Fucking sonova… Agent Ogel: Damn it, you morons, you were supposed to TRACK him! What the hell were you doing!? Dr. Haber: We WERE tracking him, we just lost… shit shit shit… Dr. Rubert: What a senseless waste.

Addendum 342 G: Cessation of Experimentation Order: Somehow in the course of the most recent events, Dr. Haber got his neck stuck in the door when trying to help one of the subjects exit the train. As the train pulled away from the station, he was decapitated when it went past a jutting stone ledge. Because of this and the other unmitigatable casualties that happen after every normal experiment (one test subject per experiment), we have decided to end our research. O5-08, upon our urging, has invoked Statute 62, meaning that no other teams can perform trials on the object without our permission or the overruling of all twelve Overseers. We have decided to grant permission if they come to us with a novel test idea, one that has not been done before, as the usual experiments only waste lives and grant us no additional information.

On a related note, several civilians have been buzzing on the topic of a haunting: specifically, some kind of specter on the train systems that carries a mysterious bundle in its lap while riding the trains, roughly the size of a human head. We have taken in several witness, but under no amount of hypnosis and drugging could they give a description of the apparition's face, saying it was obscured by darkness, or tell us what was beyond the shoulders at all.

Addendum 342 H: Excerpt from Dr. Gunsther's Personal Log: Doctor Joahnes Getrim has disappeared from his house today. You can't escape, in the end.

A year ago, we tried an experiment where the ticket would be torn but the rider would not get on. Doctor Getrim decided to be the one to redeem the ticket, and immediately afterwards, hand it to an agent and walk away to a special on-site protection zone, keeping a journal of his experiences. The journal (attached to the file) speaks of severe anxiety, neurosis, fear, and paranoia. He had unrelenting fear of roads, and often spent the night on-site so he would not have to leave.

After several weeks of not leaving work, and suffering the mental and physical results of that, he was sent to a psychologist for review. He brought up his research, and asked to be quarantined, for his own safety and others, but the way he went about his plea prejudiced many against him, and sent a ripple of disgust over his pathetic antics through the office. His tactics backfired and instead he was merely shunted off to some small project not even directly involving SCPs.

The entire group was becoming more and more fed up with him, arriving late, sweating profusely, and looking disheveled because he had walked the whole way, refusing to accompany any field work that involved getting there by transportation, and especially at his habit of always requesting rides home, both for personal reasons and because his car (a brand new Mercedes) kept breaking down on the way home. After attacking a tow truck driver with his own wrench for telling him he should take a bus home, he was dismissed for an undecided amount of time and confined to house arrest.

This morning, thick tire tracks were found on the suburban street where he lives. He was reported missing by his wife, who remembers hearing him say, "Well, I guess it's time to go." Neighbors report being woken up by the loud sound of a door opening and the sound of a large vehicle driving away. A suitcase, filled with his clothing, was found by the side of the road. Had he accepted his fate in the end enough to pack? Either way, he apparently didn't need it where he was going.

Addendum: 342 Eye: Excerpt from Dr. Clef's Personal Log: At the risk of sounding melodramatic, SCP-342 has finally taken out its oldest arch-nemesis.

Three days ago, Dr. Gunsther and I were going through some of his old files for archival, when he came across the file for SCP-342. Gunsther removed 342 from its envelope and laid it on his desk as we discussed the object's history, as well as his own regrets for the number of lives senselessly lost in the research on this project.

Our discussion was cut short by the fact that we had made an appointment to watch a showing of "Repo: The Genetic Opera", with Doctors Rights and Kondraki later that evening. I noticed that Dr. Gunsther became somewhat perturbed shortly after presenting his ticket at the door, and asked me to go on ahead and save his seat for him. He arrived shortly after and sat down next to us, although he seemed preoccupied and distressed throughout the show. Given the subject matter, I believed this to be a normal reaction to the grotesqueries on stage.

Afterward, as Kondraki, Rights, and I discussed retiring to a bar for drinks, Doctor Gunsther stated that it was time for him to leave. Handing me an envelope and warning me to keep it safe, he thanked me for a splendid evening and wished me the best in my future endeavours. He then boarded a taxi cab, which sped off unusually quickly into the night. Upon opening the envelope, I noticed that there were two identical tickets for his seat at the musical, one of which transformed into a twenty-dollar bill as we approached a trendy bar with a twenty-dollar cover charge.

Realizing what had happened, I then proceeded rapidly back to the place where Dr. Gunsther had boarded the taxi and ran back down the street that the taxi had taken, followed closely by my confused colleagues. The street, as it turned out, was an alleyway that ended in a brick wall fifty feet from the street. No trace of Dr. Gunsther has been seen since that time.

It is my belief that SCP-342 took the form of Dr. Gunsther's ticket to the musical, redeemed itself at the door, and thus doomed him to the same fate as its prior victims. Dr. Gunsther, upon opening his wallet to purchase a beverage, realized what had happened and returned to the front door to recover SCP-342. Given the SCP's prior murderous history, he must have made the decision not to inform us of the incident, keeping us safely ignorant for the time being.

When I think of the amount of mental fortitude it must have required to remain calm during the musical, knowing his inevitable fate, I am struck with a sense of loss at the passing of an inestimably valuable asset to the Foundation. For this reason, I am requesting that this file be permanently sealed and no further experiments be carried out on this item.

One disturbing development: prior reports indicate that SCP-342 can only take the form of a ticket for mass transit, whereas in this case, it took on the form of a ticket for a stage play. I understand that there is a group in the Foundation that is seeking to re-open experimentation on the object in light of these new developments. Further updates as events warrant.