SCP-2656 prior to containment. Picture taken from ███'s digital camera.

Item #: SCP-2656

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Due to the nature of SCP-2656's effects, SCP-2656 is to remain contained at Outpost-2656 until reliable methods of transport are implemented. SCP-2656's cave is to be sealed off with an air-tight chamber located at the mouth of the structure. Large vacuums are to remove moisture from the air to slow further oxidation of SCP-2656's body.

Approved maintenance personnel are to inspect Outpost-2656's dehydration chamber once a week for technical discrepancies with the vacuum system or chamber lock. Approved researchers are to monitor SCP-2656's activities at all times by way of an on-site remote-controlled observation droid for analysis of SCP-2656-A oxidation.

Per Containment Protocol "Esposas", only personnel whose immediate and extended family are deceased may be permitted to enter Outpost-2656 for containment detail. Researchers and Agents recruited for containment of SCP-2656 must be able to supply death certificates if needed. Personnel unaware of the identities of their biological families are to be blacklisted from on-site records, and are prohibited from any SCP-2656 activity, regardless of authorization level.

Exceptions to Protocol Esposas are permitted for testing purposes with the express permission from on-site director, Dr. ███ Hawari. Unauthorized contact with SCP-2656 will be met with immediate termination. Foundation personnel are to locate the whereabouts of any potential collateral casualties for damage control. Personnel are to refer to Document-2656-D for proper amnestic administration per incident.

Description: SCP-2656's designation refers to a collective mass of entangled chains located inside a mountain cave in ███████, █████. Excavation into the tunnels walls has shown extensive length buried into the earth surrounding the visible body. However, due to the extremity of SCP-2656's anomalous properties, extensive excavation is not advised.

Each chain (henceforth referred to as SCP-2656-A) displays varying degrees of oxidization, as well as varying lengths. Upon initial exploration of the cave in which SCP-2656 resides, researchers discovered that instances of SCP-2656-A located further into the cave have different attachments implemented on them such as hooks, flails, and [REDACTED].

Personnel with living family members have reported seeing said relatives inside of the cave, frequently entangled within the chains, either deceased or inflicted with lethal wounds as a result of [REDACTED]. In approximately half of all cases where this occurs, subjects affected will believe that these are their true family, and will try to remove them from SCP-2656 using force. Even when presented with physical proof that their family is safe, subjects will fervently deny this fact to the point of insisting they do not recognize the real person. This is presumed to be a memetic side effect of SCP-2656 interaction, designed to influence subjects into triggering SCP-2656's primary effect. Further research on all affected subjects is ongoing.

SCP-2656's primary anomalous effect manifests when an instance of SCP-2656-A is removed from the cave and exposed to human blood. When exposed to human blood, SCP-2656-A begins to decay as a result of seemingly accelerated oxidation. However, all tests have suggested a strong correlation that as SCP-2656-A decays, a generation of the subject's family expires as well, until the subject themselves expires.

Addendum 2656-1 (██/██/20██): SCP-2656 came to the Foundation's attention in ██/1/20██, when the entirety of a small, isolated village in ████, █████ lost contact with nearby townships. A team of agents was dispatched following deductions of possible SCP-███ activity, but following their arrival, they found the what was initially believed to be the entire population deceased.

Upon further investigation, Agents recovered two children, one eight years old (male) and the other five years old (female). The recovered are noted for being of a different ethnicity than previously found in the area.

SCP-2656 Interview Log SCP-2656 Interview Log Interview Log 2XXX (██/1/20██): Foreword: The following is an video transcript of an interview between Dr. Hawari and eight year-old ███ ███ ██, one of the two minors found in ████, █████. Dr. Hawari: [Translated from Chinese] Hello, ███, I am here to ask a few questions. ███: (shuffles his feet, does not respond) Dr. Hawari: Any information you can give to this investigation would be very helpful. ███:…Is it my fault? Dr. Hawari: Is what your fault? ███: Is it my fault that everyone's dead? Dr. Hawari: What did you do? ███: (takes a deep breath before responding) … me and a couple other kids went exploring in the mountains. We found a cave with a bunch of chains hanging from the ceiling. One of my friends brought his dad's pickaxe, and wanted to take one of the chains home to show everybody else. Dr. Hawari: Which friend was this? The one in the picture? ███: (shakes his head) No, someone else. That's █████. She's dead now. Dr. Hawari: …I'm sorry. ███: It's okay. Anyway, my friend ████ took the pick and smashed one of the chains from the cave's ceiling. █████ picked it up and cut her finger on the broken part of the chain. We took it back to the village to show everybody, but… (pauses). Dr. Hawari: Please continue. ███: The elders and █████'s grandma and grandpa died in the same night, after we got back. My parents told me that it was just their time to go, and they died sleeping. But, but then- (sobs) All the men died! The women died! All in their sleep! Aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters, all dead! █████'s parents, too! Everyone was dying! And, and then- Dr. Hawari: Calm down, it'll be okay. What happened to the chain you took from the cave? ███: We found it the morning mommy and daddy went to sleep. It was crumbling! Little by little, falling apart into little red pieces… Only one ring was left, and it was red. Dr. Hawari:…What happened then? ███: All my friends went to sleep. So did their brothers and sisters. Never woke up. Then, one morning, █████ was gone too. It was just me and my sister, alone. Dr. Hawari: And the chain? ███ reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a handful of red dust; proven by further analysis to be the same metal substance as SCP-2656-A, post-redox. Dr. Hawari: Can you show me where this cave is? ███: …Yes. Dr. Hawari: I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, though I have one more. How did you and your sister come to live in the village? ███: We moved when my sister was a baby. I always knew we were different, but… (pauses) They always told us that we were family… END TRANSCRIPT Following ███'s interview, he and his sister were administered Class A amnestics and relocated to another home. Upon Dr. Hawari's recommendation, a team of foundation agents was dispatched to the location of the 'cave' described in ███'s interview, resulting in the discovery of SCP-2656.

Addendum 2656-2 (██/5/20██): Although it is unproven how widespread the scope of SCP-2656's effects are, hypotheses of Dr. Hawari and other foundation researchers have speculated as follows:

Each ring appears to correspond to a generation. Even if the number of rings removed exceeds the number of generations currently alive, the effect starts from the influence the earliest generation would have had on the currently living family.

The eldest / first born of the living generation will die first, ending with the last. However, the subject will always die as the last of their generation, regardless of possible age discrepancies with the subject's siblings.

SCP-2656's effects do not affect those legally bound to families, such as by way of marriage or adoption.

The constant oxidation of SCP-2656 could lead to more potent effects from SCP-2656-A in the event of a containment breach.

Addendum 2656-3 (██/10/20██): All further testing forbidden by O5-█; SCP-2656 pending classification to Keter.

Seriously? This shouldn't be a surprise! One mistake during testing, and we could kill off an entire goddamn country! ~Agent ████ (Field Researcher)