Item #: SCP-1XXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: 1XXX is to be secured in a steel transport lockbox measuring 30cm x 10cm x 5cm (Material specification ██-████) inside of containment locker #████ when not in use for testing. All personnel handling the object directly are instructed to use thick gloves, and to dress with as little exposed skin as possible. Long hair should be tied back and/or protected with a cap. A combination GPS/radioisotope locator tag shall remain attached to the chain part of the object at all times.
Description: SCP-1XXX is a pendant and chain necklace, composed of 26 grams of sterling silver (According to mass spectrometry of samples from the chain: 92.7% Ag, 7.2% Cu, 0.1% various impurities). The pendant is in the shape of a hamsa, a prominent symbol in many religions and cultures, but most notably Islam. The hamsa, representing a hand with an eye set into its palm, is said to function as a ward against the "evil eye," demons, sickness, and other forms of harm. Both the pendant and chain show signs of wear, but neither is tarnished or stained in any way.
Exposure to 1XXX occurs when the pendant part of the object makes contact with the skin or hair of a subject. Contact with only the chain does not result in exposure, nor does contact with the pendant through any sort of garment or protective equipment. Contact with dead skin or hair no longer part of the subject's body does not result in exposure, and all species of animals tested thus far have proven immune. Effects of exposure have an incubation period, so it is possible that accidental contact will go unnoticed by the subject for days.
Effects of the object occur at a variable, but predictable time after exposure, always at 12:00 midnight UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, or "Zulu time") on the Thursday following exposure, but never before 24 hours have passed. For example, if a subject is exposed at noon on a Tuesday UTC, symptoms will manifest the following Thursday, one and one-half days later. A subject exposed at noon on a Wednesday, however, will not display symptoms for seven and one-half days.
Symptoms rapidly become apparent once the incubation period has expired. The exposed subject will imprint on someone else, most often the person who caused the exposure. If that person is unavailable (e.g. already deceased) or exposure was self-inflicted, anyone the subject is aware of is a possible target, with persons encountered shortly after symptoms appear being the most common. The imprinted-upon person is referred to as the "secondary subject," while "primary subject" was exposed to 1XXX. Secondary subjects seem to suffer no ill effects from their experiences, outside of expected psychological trauma should they witness the final stage of the primary subject's symptoms.
Once a secondary subject is identified, the primary subject will attempt to ritually slaughter themselves at a doorway or other portal which stands between the secondary subject and some identified source of danger. Historical accounts show the door of the secondary subject's place of residence to be a frequent site. Any attempts to prevent the process, or to stop the subject from reaching the site, are met with resistance to the best of the subject's abilities. This can result in the subject causing themself physical harm struggling against restraints.
The ritual process usually consists of the subject severing one brachial artery just above the elbow, but other exposed arteries have been observed to be used by the subjects. Once the subject is bleeding, they begin to draw a crude eye on or near the portal. The primary subject expires from exsanguination shortly after the ritual is completed.
Once the ritual is complete, the drawing is considered an instance of SCP-1XXX-001. SCP-1XXX-001 has a compulsive effect, quelling aggressive urges of people and animals aware of its presence. Any being on the "outside" of the marked portal refuses to take any action that would cause harm to anything on the other side. This compulsion takes place whether or not the secondary subject is on the protected side, but is not effective on any being that does not know of SCP-1XXX-001's existence. See research logs for a details and results of all tested scenarios.
Researcher's Notes:
- The alignment of 1XXX's incubation period with UTC is curious, given that the object is believed to have been created circa 3000 B.C. somewhere in the Middle East. This may suggest that 1XXX is somehow aware of its surroundings, or that it was altered sometime after the introduction of the UTC system.
- While the subject under the sacrificial compulsion frequently targets the secondary subject's place of residence, the main entrance of SCP containment facility [REDACTED] has been the site of two of the three incidents since 1XXX came into the Foundation's possession. Makes sense, given the number of hazardous specimens we keep in here.
- As a final note, SCP-1XXX obviously has potential to be useful to the Foundation. However, research is ongoing in order to determine how it may be best used. Either or both of 1XXX's compulsions could be a silver bullet against some of the problems we have piling up in containment, but the worst case scenario here is that we waste our shot and don't get a second. - Dr. Baz, Retrieval and Containment
Excerpt from document RL-1XXX-01
Note: All primary and secondary subjects are class D personnel unless otherwise noted.
Scenario: 001
Primary Subject: D-0801
Secondary Subject: D-7204
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 1403 Zulu, Monday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
Subjects were given food and water supplies for one week. Primary subject was instructed to touch the pendant while the chain was held by the secondary subject. After exposure had occurred and the specimen had been retrieved by a junior researcher, subjects were permitted to wander freely within a 1 sq. km area of the test facility. 7204 was instructed to sleep in the bunkhouse, while 0801 chose to camp approximately half a klick away.
Result:
0801 showed symptoms at 0000 Zulu, Thursday, [REDACTED], while eating a ration bar at his campsite. He made his way to the bunkhouse, arriving at 0006 Zulu and proceeded to perform the ritual. 0801 expired from exsanguination at 0009 Zulu. Experiment concluded, surviving subject terminated.
Scenario: 008
Primary Subject: D-1989
Secondary Subject: D-3572
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 0000 Zulu, Saturday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
Parameters unchanged from previous tests.
Result:
1989 showed symptoms at 0000 Zulu, Thursday, [REDACTED]. Ritual was performed using blood from the femoral artery instead of the brachial artery. 1989 expired from exsanguination at 0004 Zulu. Experiment concluded, surviving subject terminated.
Scenario: 011
Primary Subject: D-7743
Secondary Subject: D-2628
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 0000 Zulu, Wednesday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
Parameters unchanged from previous tests.
Result:
7743 showed onset of symptoms 24 hours after exposure, proceeded with ritual as in previous experiments. Experiment concluded, surviving subject terminated.
Scenario: 012
Primary Subject: D-9191
Secondary Subject: D-1387
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 0001 Zulu, Wednesday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
Parameters unchanged from previous tests.
Result:
9191 showed onset of symptoms 167 hours, 59 minutes after exposure, proceeded with ritual as in previous experiments. Experiment concluded, surviving subject terminated.
Scenario: 024
Primary Subject: D-0519
Secondary Subject: D-8351
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 0000 Zulu, Wednesday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
Neither subject was allowed to sleep in the bunkhouse.
Result:
0519 showed onset of symptoms 24 hours after exposure, and proceeded with the ritual, marking 8351's Foundation-provided tent. Experiment concluded, surviving subject terminated.
Scenario: 081
Primary Subject: D-1530
Secondary Subject: None provided
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Time of Exposure: 0000 Zulu, Wednesday, [REDACTED]
Experiment:
No secondary subject was provided. 1530 was sedated for transport to the test site, with 1XXX placed in a container beside him. Subject was instructed via a note to open the container, touch the pendant of 1XXX, and replace it inside.
Result:
1530 complied and made camp. Subject showed onset of symptoms 24 hours after exposure, but became increasingly agitated, appearing to search the grounds of the test facility. Ritual site was the entrance to a marmota monax nest approximately 1 klick from the subject's campsite. Experiment concluded, woodchuck terminated.
Scenario: 005
Secondary Subject: D-6032
Structure: A one-room bunkhouse within the bounds of test facility [REDACTED]
Threat: D-Class Personnel D-8627
Experiment:
6032 and 8627 were selected for their already-hostile relationship. 8627 had previously made over five hundred threats and four attempts on 6032's life while the two were inmates at [REDACTED]. 6032 was instructed to sleep in the bunkhouse and the door was marked with an instance of 1XXX-001 by another D-class subject. 8627 was placed in front of the bunkhouse, in view of the mark and given a detonator switch, which he was told would destroy the building and kill 6032.
Result:
8627 declined to press the detonator. When asked, the subject's reason for the behavior varied each time the answer was requested. Responses included doubts that the detonator was genuine, doubts that 6032 was in the house (resolved by the administrators instructing 6032 to open the bunkhouse door and reveal himself),