Oodoov

• Do not touch
• Further testing must be approved by [MANAGEMENT]
• Treat nicely

A crude hessian doll measuring 246mm in height. Stitched together with black thread. Black button eyes. Item 020 has numerous stains across the surface of its fabric. After several attempts to wash, it became apparent the stains were on the inside.

It can typically be observed walking around its cell, bumping into the walls as it copies movements of certain Ministry personnel.

Item 020, known by researchers as ‘The Reverse Voodoo Doll’, or “Oodoov”, is a low-intelligence entity that replicates human movement. It can only do this to humans who have touched it with direct skin contact, but Item 020 is able to choose which person it wants to emulate at any one time. More significantly, “Oodoov” appears capable of reversing this relationship with its chosen human, turning them into a puppet for its own desires.

In testing, these desires seem to be very simplistic and reactionary. Whilst ever “Oodoov” is left alone or treated nicely, it will continue to harmlessly emulate the movements of its bonded human being. However, if harm - or even an attempt at harm - is done to “Oodoov” by the bonded human, the direction of control will soon become reversed. The individual who committed the act will find themselves the target of revenge, and typically try to commit self-harm upon themselves, relative to the act they performed (or attempted to perform) on Item 020.

This unfortunately appears to be the case with the last individual in possession of Item 020, prior to its acquisition by the Ministry of Secrets. Agents attended a house fire in Greater Manchester which appeared to have been started by the owner. Fire crew also believed the young woman had thrown herself atop the fire, before it spread to the rest of the house. Unharmed, in the garage, was a walnut box with item 020 housed inside. It is believed by the research team that she had been attempting to burn the item, before it seized control and reversed their fates.

Research concludes Item 022 to be capable of bonding with humans only by direct skin contact. However, once a human has been bonded, item 022 has proven itself perfectly capable of suspending or resuming its bond at any time. It is unknown if there is a maximum number of bonds that item 022 can achieve, but [MANAGEMENT] has rejected any testing to determine whether an upper limit exists.

Through its actions, researchers were able to determine that Item 020 doesn’t simply operate through a set of preordained rules or parameters - it appears to make conscious choices. Most of these choices appear to be between passiveness or revenge. Without exception, every documented case of Item 020 ‘seizing control’ over a bonded human was to take violent retribution against them, in a manner befitting the perceived wrong they had committed.

Test subjects attempting to set the doll on fire would later give themselves third degree burns or attempt to burn themselves to death. Test subjects dunking the doll in water would later attempt to drown themselves. The period of time that Item 020 will control a person depends on the severity of their perceived crime. For example, during experiment 54-020-X3 (attempting to burn the doll), the test subject had to be restrained for over two (2) weeks. However, during experiment 54-020-X4 (clearly and intentionally dropping the doll), the test subject simply had control taken away from them for six (6) minutes, during which time they repeatedly threw themselves at walls and onto the floor.

This difference in time periods and severity of control/punishment indicates that item 020 has at least some understanding of restraint. Further testing indicated that item 020 may also understand higher level concepts such as justice, brutality and irony. It had previously been proposed to determine the full extents of “Oodoov’s” understanding through additional testing, but following experiment 54-020-X17 (also referred to as incident 54-020-I1), all testing was suspended by Chairman 54. Future testing must be approved by [MANAGEMENT].

Several experiments had been carried out in relatively quick succession to determine the precise triggers of item 020’s behaviour, as well as what it deemed appropriate punishments. During all previous experiments, item 020 had only taken retribution against the individuals committing an act of harm against it.

Incident 54-020-I1 occurred when, in the middle of a routine experiment, item 020 took control of every single Floor Fifty-Four staff member or researcher who had ever touched it, no matter how briefly or inconsequentially. It attempted to kill each individual one at a time, in whatever method was most readily available, before moving onto the next. Fortunately, the number of personnel that had been bonded to “Oodoov” had intentionally been kept low - only four (4) total. All four were severely injured during the incident, which lasted exactly fifty-four (54) hours.

Researchers are in disagreement over whether this time period was a coincidence or an intentional message to Floor Fifty-Four personnel, but [MANAGEMENT] immediately halted all testing on “Oodoov”, citing [high probability...] that Item 020 had timed this display as a warning. There have been no further tests carried out since incident 54-020-I1, and any proposals must be approved by [MANAGEMENT].

Of note is that there were periods during Incident 54-020-I1 where “Oodoov” was moving in its cell, but none of the four personnel were being controlled. These periods happened much more frequently earlier on in the incident. It is theorised that Item 020 still had bonds with unknown individuals in the outside world prior to its discovery. It is unclear whether these individuals would have survived the onslaught of periodic self-harm episodes over the fifty-four (54) hour duration. It is also unclear just how many people may have been affected by Item 020 trying to sever all its human bonds. There were no sizable jumps in suicide statistics to form any reasonable conclusions either way.

All Ministry personnel affected by Incident 54-020-I1 have since recovered, albeit with varying levels of injury and trauma. With experiments ceasing, “Oodoov” has not carried out any further attempts at harming personnel. There have been a few notable moments where “Oodoov” has seized control again, however. Minor incidents, during which an individual was forced to take a few steps in a random direction, then remained frozen in place for several minutes. Surveillance footage shows “Oodoov” simply walking to the centre of its cell, turning to face the glass and remaining stationary, before it eventually resumes copying the movements of a different person.

It soon became apparent that this was only occurring to the individuals who had never visited “Oodoov” since Incident 54-020-I1. Researchers determined this was possibly a small act of defiance at being ignored. It has since been left to individuals discretion whether they revisit “Oodoov” and at what frequency. All four have been observed to enter Cell 020 on a minimum weekly basis, and sit down, play with or cuddle Item 020.