(Skin Wyrm)

7

Item #: SCP-021 Object Class: Safe Special Containment Procedures: SCP-021 is an obligate parasite of the human body. Containment, therefore, is no more difficult than containing an adult human; most cells will suffice. Item is currently housed in detention cell 217-A on subject D-139. Only class D personnel are eligible for hosting SCP-021. As long as a given subject survives as a host for SCP-021, he is exempt from normal monthly terminations of class D personnel. Description: SCP-021 takes the form of a large and elaborate tattoo of a serpentine dragon in the oriental style, covering approximately 0.8 square meters of skin. This tattoo is fully animate within the confines of its host's skin and behaves largely as a normal animal would, albeit in only two dimensions. The tattoo's movement causes constant pain to its host, comparable and similar in character to simultaneous tattooing and tattoo removal on a large scale. The organism tends to spend most of its time on and near the torso. SCP-021 displays no intelligence beyond a basic pattern of feeding and locomotion, although actually measuring the intelligence of a two-dimensional life-form has proven impossible thus far. SCP-021 appears to feed exclusively on pigments in the host's skin. This can include melanin, However, the organism shows a marked preference for other tattoos and will seek out and devour these before resorting to natural pigments. It should be noted that the feeding process itself, beyond the sensation of movement, is painless; normal tattoo ink simply vanishes as it is 'eaten'. The organism maintains a constant size, and no excretions have been observed. The organism is capable of clearing over 0.6 square meters of skin per hour. One may 'feed' SCP-021 by (quickly) tattooing fruits or small animals on the host. SCP-021 can be transferred between hosts by various forms of physical contact, with differing rates of success. In the case of successful transfer, the organism simply 'swims'