Side Story #3: Monkey WHAT ?!!
Side Story #3: Monkey WHAT ?!!
Under a calm, moonlit night, a van drove quietly along the roads of Amiens. In the back sat a tactical team from the Foundation, their expressions focused as they prepared for their assignment.
The team leader held a map in his hands and spoke up, "Alright, squad, listen up. We've received several reports of strange disappearances at the Amiens Métropole Zoo. Our goal is to investigate the cause and, if possible, contain any anomaly responsible. Understood?"
The team replied in unison, "Understood."
Silence returned, broken only by the hum of the engine. The vehicle came to a stop, and the driver turned back, "We're on site. Good luck." Team Leader slid open the door, stepping out with his squad following behind. They scanned the surroundings—a cobbled path lined with trees and benches on either side. Ahead, a small wooden bridge led to the zoo entrance.
Team Leader signaled forward, and the squad moved toward the park. One agent crouched beside the padlock securing the entrance gate, swiftly picking the lock.
The padlock clicked open swiftly, and the gate swung aside as the team stepped onto a short wooden walkway flanked by trees. They moved toward the left and stopped at the darkened ticket booth. Climbing over the small entry gate, they finally entered the park proper. Before them lay a junction of paths branching in various directions, with a large map mounted nearby.
The map showed the park divided into color-coded zones. Team Leader scanned it quickly, then gave out orders, "2 and 3, head to the blue pavilion. 4, 5, 6, and 7, secure the dark green zone. I'll take 8 with me to cover light green and purple. 9 and 10, check out the yellow zone. Let's move."
The team split up, each pair heading down their designated paths, their footsteps fading into the stillness of the park.
Team Lead and 8 moved swiftly along the moonlit path, passing by a small dark building and several enclosures. With a quick motion, Team Lead brought up his radio. "Situation report."
He received a series of replies, all confirming, "Nothing to report."
After a few minutes, a voice crackled through: "4 to Team Lead, we heard something on our side. Hang on… Oh, never mind, it's just a monkey." There was a pause, then an alarmed shout, "WAIT, HOLD UP, THE MONKEY'S GOT A GUN! TAKE COVER!"
Suddenly, gunfire echoed throughout the park, followed by 4's frantic shout, "SUPPRESSIVE FIRE ON THE MONKEY. GO!" More shots rang out in quick succession before 4's voice came through again, "The monkey's fleeing toward the light green zone. We're in pursuit."
Team Lead responded with a sharp command, "All units, regroup in the light green zone immediately!"
Minutes later, they spotted the monkey bolting down the path ahead, clutching an antique rifle. Hot on its heels were four Foundation agents giving chase. The monkey turned its gaze toward Team Lead and 8, raising the weapon. Team Lead yelled, "TAKE COVER!" A shot cracked through the night as the monkey fired.
Team Lead took the bullet straight to the head and dropped. 8 shouted, "TEAM LEAAAAD!"
But then, a shocking scene unfolded: Team Lead's body started to shrink, morphing into a monkey within his tactical clothes, while the monkey they had been pursuing began to grow, reshaping into a human form.
In an instant, where the original monkey had been, now stood a naked man, while a confused-looking monkey emerged from Team Lead's discarded clothing. Silence fell as everyone stared, utterly bewildered.
Then suddenly, the naked man yelled, "I'M FREE!" and bolted down the path. The agents snapped back to action as 4 shouted, "6, with me! We're going after him!" They both sprinted after the fleeing man.
Meanwhile, 5, 7, and 8 looked at the newly transformed monkey sitting in Team Lead's clothes. Taking a steadying breath, 8 grabbed his radio. "8 to Site Command, Team Lead is compromised. I'm assuming temporary command."
Site Command responded promptly, "Site Command to 8, report."
8 quickly explained the bizarre transformation that had just occurred. After a pause, Site Command replied, "Capture the suspect, secure the monkey and his weapon, and bring them all back to base. A separate team will handle the cleanup."
8 replied, "Copy that." Then, the entire team, now accompanied by the monkey, the naked man, and the antique rifle, began their retreat from the area.
---
Leonard woke up in the morning, sitting at his breakfast when a system window popped up in front of him:
[Ding! Congratulations on containing SCP-445-FR "Monkey See, Monkey Shoot." You have been rewarded with 6,000 Gold.]
Leonard spat out his cereal and exclaimed, "Monkey WHAT?!"
He quickly logged into SCPiNET and accessed the new file:
Item #: SCP-445-FR
Threat Level: Yellow
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-445-FR is to be housed in the chimpanzee enclosure of Site-Lamedh, treated as a non-anomalous member of its species. SCP-445-FR-A, emptied of ammunition, is to be kept as far as possible from the enclosure to prevent containment breaches. Personnel entering the enclosure require no bulletproof gear. SCP-445-FR and SCP-445-FR-A are only to interact in highly controlled experiments, with involved personnel wearing bulletproof protection.
Description:
SCP-445-FR is a common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) armed with a French Mas 1873-1874 Revolver, designated SCP-445-FR-A. When SCP-445-FR uses SCP-445-FR-A to fire at a human, the individual transforms into a common chimpanzee, and SCP-445-FR takes on human form. The transformed chimpanzee then becomes SCP-445-FR, with previous instances being human victims who report being shot by the last instance. As such, the original instance remains unknown.
Transformation is painless and occurs instantly upon contact with a fired bullet. The subject retains their memories and likely consciousness, albeit with chimpanzee-level intelligence. Their original sex is preserved, and some physical characteristics (such as body size or health issues) may carry over. Clothing and accessories also remain, although SCP-445-FR quickly discards them due to lack of utility. Tattoos and piercings are retained, but hair shaving on the head or body does not persist.
SCP-445-FR displays possessiveness of SCP-445-FR-A but has no special proficiency in using it; all recorded transformations occurred through controlled experiments or accidents owing to typical chimpanzee curiosity. When a transformation occurs, no ammunition is expended.
Reactions to the transformation vary, usually beginning with initial confusion (if the subject was unaware of SCP-445-FR's effects), followed by the inspection of their new body. Over time, they adjust to their condition and join the chimpanzee community in the enclosure. When transformed back to human, subjects often express nostalgia or frustration and sometimes demand a return to chimpanzee form, though this is not considered anomalous behavior.
—
Leonard stared at the screen, his jaw dropped as he watched the recording of the tactical team's operation. A moment of silence hung in the air before he finally stood up and muttered, "Well, they've already finished me off. I'm going back to bed." With that, he headed back to his room, feeling a mix of disbelief and resignation about the bizarre events he had just witnessed.
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