Was that just Paul McCartney?
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ATTENTION
Personnel assigned to Site-007 and RPC-509 are required to see the attached image upon accessing this file.
Failure to do so can result in severe psychological damage and possibly death upon interacting with the anomaly.
ATTENTION
Registered Phenomena Code: 509
Object Class: Alpha White Alpha Yellow
Hazards: Grouped, Visual, Memory Alteration
-Containment-
A minimum of 8 instances of RPC-5091 are contained within a modified bug terrarium with a protective, non-transparent screen being used instead of glass or plastic. A small camera is installed as a way to keep track of activity within the terrarium. Lastly, a gas tube is used to connect a can of non-lethal bug spray to the anomalies’ living space.
Should an instance remain unseen for a period longer than an hour, the researcher in charge of monitoring the terrarium is to activate the bug spray. Once the anomalies have been incapacitated, the monitor is to approach the terrarium and open it to confirm whether or not an instance has breached containment. Should the suspicion be unconfirmed, monitoring is to continue as it were.
If a breach is confirmed, a silent alarm that will send a notification to all of Site-007’s devices is to be activated. Through it personnel will be alerted of the breach, memetic properties of the anomaly and the correct procedure of containing the anomaly without the assistance of ASF units, which is as follows:
Upon finding the escaped instance(s), it is to be captured and recontained with any tools available. Personnel attempting to constrain an RPC-509 specimen are advised to capture the instance by placing a canister between the legs of the memetic illusion, or on the center of its torso if it appears to be lying down.
Extermination of RPC-509 instances is forbidden, unless a “Yoko Ono” announcement is in effect. This announcement allows site personnel to exterminate instances of RPC-509 outside of its containment upon sight as a way of preventing uncontrolled breeding and health risks. Staff are still required to report these terminations, and are not encouraged to keep score among themselves for the amount of exterminations they have conducted.
Should any wild instances of RPC-509 be reported, MST Tango-17 (Peter Parkers) is to be deployed to either recover or exterminate the anomalies under the guise of a regular pest control.2
To prevent suspicion or discovery of the anomalous nature of RPC-509, civilian sightings of instances are to be attributed to mass hallucinations in the area of Manchester, England. Although not the optimal solution, discussion in media of the "Beatle sightings" phenomenon are to be periodically released through Authority-owned sources as well.
-Description-
RPC-509 is the collective designation for a species of Blatta orientalis (Oriental cockroach) that has the anomalous property of appearing as fully-sized members of the rock band "The Beatles". When viewing an RPC-509 instance directly, it will be perceived as either John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison or Ringo Starr in the attire the actual counterparts wore in the period from 1960 to 1970. These memetic illusions will usually be in black or gray suits the band members have used in their performances, with some rare variations.
It was initially believed that an instance was restricted to one form, but after an incident3 this theory has been disproved. The testing that followed proved that the perceived form depends on the subject that is viewing the instance.
Apart from the anomalous property and a slower than usual reproduction rate,4 RPC-509 does not differ in behavioral patterns from a regular member of its species. Specimens will gather in large numbers in dark and damp areas, and react accordingly to outside influences such as light and movement. There have been recorded cases of instances being found among regular dens, and it is also presumed they are able to breed with them. Whatever trait that is enabling RPC-509 instances to use their anomalous trait seems to be a recessive one, causing it to rarely appear in the specimens created from RPC-509 and regular instance interbreeding.
The memetic effect can be prevented if the instance is not viewed directly, such as through a camera, mirror or photograph. Observing an instance through anything that obscures it in any way, such as darkness or small surfaces with holes, have given varied and unreliable results: Observing a specimen in an area with poor lighting has produced a "flickering" effect, with the memetic illusion appearing and disappearing at irregular intervals.5 It is currently believed that RPC-509 has no control over the illusion's mannerisms, and that the subject's brain instead compensates for the incomprehensible anomalous phenomena by perceiving it as the closest logical approximation under his or hers current understanding of reality.
In case staff members are confused with the how the memetic aspect of the anomaly functions, they are to consult with the chart provided below.
-Discovery-
On April, 1972, police in Greater Manchester were notified of a possible home invasion, and subsequently mobilized. Upon arriving at the address, they were approached by the caller, a 76 years old Olivia Brown, who seemed to be in hysterics. While one of the officers attempted to calm down the caller, his partner entered the home. During investigation, he entered the basement and encountered RPC-509.
According to interviews undertaken later by Authority agents, it is presumed the officer had encountered a minimum of 40 instances spread around the room. The officer claimed he saw the illusions sitting down on, standing, leaning onto and walking across various platforms and objects across the room. To him, most of the anomalies seemed to have been dressed in a variation of gray and black, with 3 of the illusions appearing dressed as in the band's "Sgt Pepper" costumes, two of which were John Lennon.
The officer attempted to arrest the nearest instance of RPC-509, which caused the specimens to panic and scatter. Due to the bad lighting and number of miscellaneous objects positioned around the room, as well as the anomalous properties of RPC-509, the attempt was unsuccessful. When the officer emerged from the basement and requested backup for arresting an "underground Beatles cult", implanted Authority agents suspected anomalous activity and were mobilized.
A nest was discovered in an old fridge, which was opened by Mrs. Brown during spring cleaning. This caused the instances to pour out in a panic, which resulted in Mrs. Brown experiencing a sensory overload. Unhatched eggs and a small number of instances were taken from it and sent to Site-007 while the rest was exterminated. A cover story of a punk group organizing meetings inside basements of occupied houses was created as a countermeasure.