"You know what's worse than being a dead employee? Being an eternally employed, dead employee."
Billith & Doctor Cimmerian
Billith's Author Page
Dr. Jeremiah Cimmerian's Author Page
Item #: SCP-8505
Object Class: Vault
Special Containment Procedures: Knowledge of SCP-8505's properties has been restricted to Foundation personnel and trusted members of the anomalous finance community. SCP-8505 is currently held in Foundation protective custody, and therefore resides in a standard low-risk high-value humanoid containment dormitory on the Site-19 campus. Subject is not an active escape risk; thus, securement protocols are converse, with a focus on ensuring SCP-8505's safety and peace of mind.
Due to the nature of events surrounding acquisition, contact with SCP-8505 is restricted to remote communications methods and requires approval from the entity's current containment supervisor, following mandatory filing of Forms C-118 ("Document for the Approval of Unusual Witness Communications") and/or C-231 ("Document for the Approval of Posthumous Whistleblower Testimony Acquisition"). These measures are taken to further mitigate risk of retaliatory action from associates of Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd.
Along with this, Site-19 has also implemented the following auxiliary security measures:
Security monitoring systems have been augmented with thaumaturgic detection arrays to identify potential infiltrations or anomalous tracking mechanisms. Employee IDs have been updated to include RFID tracking signatures in order to accurately and securely identify personnel at all times.
A dedicated team has been created with the purpose of monitoring communications and actions taken by Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd. for evidence of planned operations against Foundation interests and/or SCP-8505.
In the event of an actionable threat, SCP-8505 will be placed under a communications blackout and relocated to a maximum security safehouse in an undisclosed location until said threat is no longer present.
Foundation legal representatives maintain an ongoing collaboration with Goldbaker-Reinz, Ltd. to preemptively counter any new claims or actions against SCP-8505's person or intellectual property classification.
Description: SCP-8505 is the designation for a humanoid amalgam roughly 1.6 m in height, given name Percival Godwin or "Percy," as it insists. SCP-8505's physical form is comprised of remains from several preserved cadavers in varying states of decomposition, assembled with rough accuracy using a number of mundane materials. Despite its condition, SCP-8505 displays no pain or negative physical complications aside from occasional "structural indiscretions," such as losing a limb mid-gesture. Lost components become inert until they are reattached; the subject is capable of approximate self-repair when given basic office supplies.
SCP-8505
SCP-8505 possesses full cognitive function and retains a portion of the memories and impressions of its component individuals, demonstrating fragmented but consistent recollection of pre-mortem experiences. Notably, SCP-8505 harbors extensive knowledge of Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd.’s internal financial operations, anomalous asset management systems, and legal history.
This information has been deemed both invaluable and a significant liability, necessitating SCP-8505's Vault classification.
Discovery: SCP-8505 was brought to the Foundation's attention when it voluntarily submitted itself to Site-88 personnel, citing concerns for its safety. Initial hesitation from security personnel subsided following SCP-8505's preliminary intake interview, during which it provided classified documentation implicating Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd. in numerous ethical and antitrust violations.
An excerpt from the recorded intake interview follows.
Addendum 8505-1 Excerpt, Intake Interview
Location: Site-88, Intake Unit
Interviewer: Yolanda Thomas, Asst. Dir. of Containment for Site-88
Subject: SCP-8505
[BEGIN LOG]
Asst. Dir. Thomas: Ahem. Okay. Go ahead and state your name for the record.
SCP-8505: Percival Godwin. Friends call me Percy. <pauses> Well. When I had friends, they called me Percy. You guys can call me Percy, too.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: Alright. So, Percy, you voluntarily entered Foundation custody. Why?
SCP-8505: Protection. I heard you guys have done something like that in the past.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: Not quite. Protection from what, exactly?
SCP-8505: <leans forward> Do you know what’s worse than being a dead employee? Being an eternally employed dead employee. It turns out when MC&D says "lifetime contract," they aren’t referring to just one lifetime. And worker's rights are a bit different—i.e. nonexistent—for a disembodied soul placed in a proprietary, manufactured vessel owned by its employer.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: So… you are an employee of Marshall, Carter, & Dark?
SCP-8505: More like an asset. One minute, I’m a Junior Assistant Regional Vice-President of Financial Acquisitions for the entire southeastern corridor, the next, I’ve been "restructured" and transferred to the mailroom of a local branch—and by "restructured," I mean "stitched together from various regrettable personnel losses." It seems the company decided to consolidate its growing threat of legal action into one, uh… convenient package.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: You believe your current condition is a result of corporate retaliation?
SCP-8505: Oh, absolutely. I tried to unionize our office after learning of some ethically creative procurement practices. Next thing I know, I’m waking up as a prototype of MC&D's new "workforce retention initiative." The irony of my predicament is not lost on me.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: And what would you like us to do about it?
SCP-8505: I’d like to continue existing without being repossessed like an overdue rental car. And there's more—<whispering> I've been piecing together what happened to the people I’m made of… They all died in "accidents," according to their files, but I don't think they were accidents, and I don't think they ever really left.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: <taking notes> Certainly alarming. What makes you say that?
SCP-8505: MC&D employment contracts have a "perpetuity clause" in the fine print. If an employee dies with unfinished business dealings, the company takes ownership of their soul until they finish out their contract. Here's the thing: The wording is deceptive. They keep an employee's soul until they finish their contract. Not until their soul finishes. Their person. Obviously that's impossible. Corpses don't just get up and finish their job. <pauses> I mean, aside from me, I guess, but I'm not in my body, and this body isn't the body of those it's made of, either.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: These are some pretty serious allegations. Do you have any evidence to back this up?
SCP-8505: I do. <SCP-8505 pulls up the back of its shirt and retrieves a manila folder tucked into its slacks, handing it to Asst. Dir. Thomas> Copies of our employment contracts, internal memos, employee obituaries, all pointing to the same conclusion: Marshall, Carter, & Dark is going to slowly replace its workforce with their own souls. An eternity of unpaid labor propped up by constructs containing the sum of their relevant experience. So… can you help me? I know they're coming.
Asst. Dir. Thomas: <flipping through pages in the folder> We will need to assess your claims. Until then, you will remain in standard humanoid containment.
SCP-8505: That's fine. I-Ah—<sneezes, which causes its nose to violently detach> Shoot. Do you have any paperclips?
[END LOG]
Closing Remarks: Following this interview, subject was given an official SCP designation. Site-88's Legal Department analyzed the evidence procured by the entity and subsequently confirmed its veracity.
Three days after the above interview took place, Site-88 began receiving large volumes of certified mail from Marshall, Carter, & Dark's Legal Team, demanding SCP-8505 be relinquished to their control. SCP-8505 was discreetly transferred to Site-19, where infrastructure would better allow for high-profile witness protection. Legal representation for SCP-8505 was provided by Goldbaker-Reinz, Ltd., free of charge, upon learning of this situation. A lawsuit was then filed against SCP-8505's employers on its behalf.
Addendum 8505-2
Excerpt, Percival Godwin, et. al vs. Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd.
[TRANSCRIPT TRUNCATED FOR BREVITY]
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: Your Honor, the employment contract utilized by Marshall, Carter, & Dark requires all employees to affirm that they are of "sound mind and body" at the time of signing. However, his current state renders said contract unenforceable. Furthermore, the language of the contract's stipulations does not account for post-mortem corporate restructuring vis-à-vis the "perpetuity clause" outlined in the document submitted to the court, labeled Exhibit A, which, as you will see, has placed my client in a state of perpetual servitude beyond the scope of any legally-recognized employment arrangement.
SCP-8505 adjusts its tie nervously, arm detaching and falling out of the sleeve. It hits the ground with a loud thump. The entity sighs and begins pulling loose office supplies from its pockets with its remaining hand, a flustered look on its face. The Judge stares at SCP-8505, clearly unamused, but says nothing, looking down at the photocopy handed to her by the courtroom clerk.
MC&D Counsel: Objection, Your Honor! The plaintiff's current condition, while unorthodox, does not invalidate the contractual obligations Mr. Godwin agreed to during his initial employment onboarding. The perpetuity clause within the contract is a standard provision, ensuring continued corporate stability. Moreover, Mr. Godwin’s ability to communicate, reason, and perform essential functions suggests he remains bound by the terms to which he originally consented.
Judge Edwards: Overruled. Counsel for the defense, are you arguing that a contract remains legally binding even after an individual has been physically deconstructed and reassembled from multiple persons?
MC&D Counsel: Your Honor, our position is that Mr. Godwin's identity remains consistent with that of the original signatory. The company has made extensive efforts to maintain his functionality, ensuring that he is still capable of fulfilling his professional obligations. Furthermore, Mr. Godwin is fully capable of requesting reasonable accommodations, were he to do so. However, no such request was ever submitted. The notion that he is no longer of "sound body" is an egregious, willful perversion of facts, and thus an arbitrary misinterpretation of the contract’s language.
SCP-8505 successfully retrieves a small roll of masking tape with some effort, tearing off a piece with its teeth. After a moment, SCP-8505 looks up and realizes both lawyers and the Judge have stopped talking due to the commotion.
SCP-8505: Sorry.
SCP-8505 sets its arm down on the table, appearing slightly embarrassed.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: The contract’s wording is explicit, Your Honor. "Sound mind and body" is a standard legal term implying both physical and mental fitness to perform job duties. My client’s frequent structural failures, his dependency on adhesives and office supplies for mobility, and the fact that he is comprised of at least five different former employees mean that he no longer qualifies as a singular legal entity under contract law. In addition, the "perpetuity clause," as exercised by Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd., constitutes a potentially widespread violation of labor protections. A contract cannot bind an individual beyond their natural lifespan, much less across multiple lifespans, or in a post-life configuration.
Judge Edwards: Counsel for the defense, how do you respond to the claim that Mr. Godwin, as he currently exists, does not meet the contract’s criteria for "sound body?"
MC&D Counsel: Your Honor, if we are to allow subjective interpretations of such terminology, we open the door to endless litigation regarding physical changes due to injury, illness, or in this case, unconventional corporate innovation. Mr. Godwin remains a fully operational asset of Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd., and his continued existence, in and of itself, serves as evidence of the company's commitment to its employees, even beyond traditional mortality.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: Your Honor, with all due respect, the defense is attempting to reframe blatant corporate exploitation as employee retention. Mr. Godwin is not merely an injured worker using a prosthesis—he is a mosaic of deceased employees, forcibly retained for corporate gain. This court has a duty to recognize that a severed arm mid-proceedings is not a minor inconvenience, but a damning indictment of the contract’s inapplicability. We may also discuss how asserting that Mr. Godwin's body is the intellectual property of his employer precludes him from contractual obligations that can only be applied to biologically-human beings. Last time I checked, Your Honor, we live in a civil society where people are not property, and thus the inverse must be true as well.
Judge Edwards: I have heard enough. The language of the contract is clear, albeit deceptive. The perpetuity clause, as applied in this case, is unconscionable and unenforceable. The court recognizes Mr. Godwin as an independent legal entity and annuls all claims of corporate ownership made by Marshall, Carter, & Dark, Ltd. Next point of order.
[TRANSCRIPT TRUNCATED FOR BREVITY]
SCP-8505: Yes, at least five people. I have their names, and I've taken DNA tests to confirm.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: And have you met any of these people—either in their previous bodies or in a configuration similar to the one you inhabit right now?
SCP-8505: Neither. I don't know where they are. I have to assume they met a fate similar to mine, but weren't fortunate enough to get out.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: What makes you say this?
SCP-8505: We were all prepared to speak up about our dissatisfaction. We all died via workplace "accidents"—My left arm belonged to a guy who got his head crushed in a xerox machine. My right? Mauled by a mimic disguised as a watercooler. After a certain point I just couldn't ignore the reality of the situation anymore. I mean, we all signed our contracts, each of which has a perpetuity section. Why would they keep me but not them?
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: No further questions. Your Honor, it is imperative to reiterate that perpetuity clauses cannot and should not be applied to the ownership of another's body or soul, separate or together. Such a notion is legally untenable under both national and international law.
MC&D Counsel: Your Honor, we must contest this claim. We have retained a highly professional legal team of our Tartarean brethren, which includes specialists in the arbitration and handling of vital forces. Their expertise in soul currency transactions and enforcement measures ensures such contracts are within legally-acceptable bounds.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: According to testimony acquired from Mr. Godwin, Marshall, Carter, & Dark is utilizing contracts made out of Tartarean papyrus—a highly regulated anomalous material on which binding documentation is enforced through bureaucratic compulsion. As per interdimensional regulatory statutes for the import of these materials, their enforcement within national territory would be illegal unless processed through the appropriate governmental channels.
MC&D Counsel: Objection!
Judge Edwards: Overruled. Proceed.
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: Thank you, Your Honor. As I was saying, should the court recognize these contracts fall under Tartarean jurisdiction, the court, and the defense, must also recognize that all Tartarean contracts within national territory can potentially be rendered null and void.
Long pause. Members of Marshall, Carter, & Dark's legal counsel confer in hushed tones, one of which appears to briefly become possessed, eyes rolling upwards as he speaks in tongues several centimeters off the ground. After a moment, they fall silent again and return to their previous positions.
MC&D Counsel: <dryly> Your Honor, given the current circumstances, the defense is prepared to resolve this matter amicably and avoid the need for further litigation. We would like to discuss this with the plaintiff's Counsel in a private setting.
Judge Edwards: Noted. Representative of the prosecution, how would you like to proceed?
Goldbaker-Reinz Representative: Mr. Godwin is amenable to this, Your Honor, should the resolution prove commensurate.
Judge Edwards: Very well. This court is adjourned.
[REMAINING TRANSCRIPT TRUNCATED FOR BREVITY]
Closing Remarks: Following legal proceedings, members of the court were amnesticized. Facing significant legal and public relations pressure within the anomalous community, Marshall, Carter, & Dark withdrew all claims to SCP-8505 and settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. Goldbaker-Reinz offered SCP-8505 a bespoke "Rest In Peace" insurance package, including access to low-cost office supplies upon request, euthanasia services, and further counsel in the event legal proceedings must resume.
SCP-8505 currently remains in Foundation custody, providing intelligence on Marshall, Carter, & Dark's internal workings and long-term objectives.
Research into the status of other potentially-impacted employees is currently underway.
END FILE