"Did it use to be a medical library?"

"Not specifically, but it's to be expected that a library would include books and records on medical topics."

"I do not think I could find books on synthesizing plagues to target specific populations in the JHU medical library, let alone an ordinary public library."

"I'm not surprised? It's a dangerous topic and most libraries likely wouldn't be comfortable hosting such material. I think it would draw our attention if an average library did, even one at a medical school."

"Yet while the ex-library skip had these books in circulation it didn't get noticed?"

“I don’t know why it would? Those kinds of books are to be expected somewhere that used to be a library.”

"You're contradicting yourself. Is it more worrying that you're doing that or that I'm noticing?"

"Have I been?"

He thinks back over his words.

"I'll take your word that I have, but I can't find the contradiction. That in itself wouldn't worry you, that's the nature of skips like this. It is interesting that you're noticing. There are skips that cause easily observed contradictions, where the person affected doesn't notice but it's obvious to everyone else. This isn't one of them, or at least, I don't remember it being one of them."

"Decontextualizing what you said if I'm not making a mistake trying to do this from memory, you said it would be surprising to find X in the general class of Ys to the point where it would have attracted Foundation attention; and then that it was not surprising to have found some X in an instance of Y because it was a Y."

"Hm, you're right. That's an obvious contradiction. I'm not going to identify which part of what I said matched that pattern, because brute forcing this is unlikely to work and could potentially be dangerous. But, if you were able to identify the contradiction and hold onto it..."

He suddenly stops walking and lifts off the cord that's been hanging around his throat. At the end, there's a simple metal tube. He unscrews it and shakes the contents, a pill and a tightly rolled up piece of paper, into his palm.

He hands the paper to Miranda, without unrolling it.

"Read this."

"...you're confident it's safe? There isn't an SCP that deposits necklaces containing hostile memes on people?"

He shakes his head.

"I can't be confident. I don't know what it says. I do know that its a failsafe and I know I was given it by people who are better at their job than I am at mine. I'm supposed to read it under certain conditions. This isn't one of them. But, in the event that I found myself resistant to any of the effects of the skips on the list, I was supposed to read it first, no matter what crisis I found myself in."

"I think I'd like more thorough details on the circumstances in which you're supposed to read it and any other instructions it came with before I look."

"I'm security level four. There are five levels. The day I was promoted I received the list and this capsule from the only people with higher clearance levels than me. I was told that the capsule is a fail safe. That I would only be able to remember it was a fail safe as long as I didn't know what it was protecting against. I was supposed to read it in three scenarios. The first was if I became aware of anything that could potentially combat the effects of the skips on the list. The second was if I became aware of a skip that should be on the list but wasn't. The third was in the event of a containment failure. I was also told that if I thought there was a chance I should use it, but wasn't sure, then I definitely should. Because, in any situation that requires it, I would likely be unable to know. Which is why I'm giving it to you, despite not actually knowing anything about you. I was also told that each employee could only trigger the fail-safe once, which is why I haven't read it myself yet."

"Is the list just all the skips there are or a subset?"

"A subset, 74 of the several thousand skips we have contained."

"Selected how for inclusion on the list?"

"I don't know. I wasn't part of the process, but they all seem to have powerful memetic properties and I suspect the ones that don't simply have memetic properties it is difficult to retain the knowledge of."

"Yeah, okay." She unrolls the paper and has a look.

Antimemes are ideas that can not be spread. Everything on the list is an antimeme. There are 11 entries on the list you do not remember.

The included pill is a mnestic. It will enable you to remember things you would otherwise forget. If there is a containment failure, take it now and contact one of the O5 immediately. If the O5 are out of reach, access the Antimemetic Division protocols. You do not need permission, they are open to anyone who can remember they exist. 

Otherwise, you have a choice. If you believe you are most useful in your current role in the Foundation, write whatever you have learned on the backside of this paper and reseal it and the pill inside the capsule. Afterwards, you will forget that you ever had a failsafe. 

Otherwise, take the mnestic. You will join the Antimemetic Division. This will make you a target. They know who remembers them. The life expectancy of personnel in the Antimemetics division is a third of the life expectancy of the average foundation employee. 

It's your choice. Remember what's at stake. 

If you've taken the pill, it is time to relearn everything you've forgotten. Start with SCP-055.

"I'm honestly not inclined to take strange drugs without a lot more information about them," remarks Miranda. "I'm also not able to get in touch with anybody about it and I'm assuming it's the sort of thing you need several doses of."

"I still don't know what it says. Can you tell if your seeming resistance to the ex-library is reason enough for me to read it?"

"My guess is that you do not need to read it but you were right to give it to me, but if you disagree you can certainly have it."

He nods.

"You can hold onto it for now. I would guess that you were right and the pill is intended to be the first in a series. You can decide what to do with it once we're out of here. If they recognize me, I should be able to get a replacement. If they don't, it won't be of much use to me anyways."

"Sure. Can I have the vial so the pill doesn't fall out of my pocket and get stepped on or whatever?"