We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. Moloch. Moloch.

by Kothardarastrix

Original Document

Initial Containment Breach

Revision 1

Abnormal Pathology

Revision 2

Communication Attempt

Item#: 2068

Containment Class: safe

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: dark

Risk Class: notice

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2068 is currently contained at Site-15. No audiovisual equipment is to be brought within 20 meters of SCP-2068 unless approved for testing.

SCP-2068 when discovered.

Description: SCP-2068 is an oil pump jack manufactured by Kervier International. It does not include a rod or any underground components. Internal imaging indicates that the object's internal components are likely identical to its non-anomalous equivalents, but it has thus far proven impossible to disassemble.

When a device capable of producing audio or video output is brought within 20 meters of SCP-2068, it will begin to play media related to armed conflicts in the Middle East or war in general. Video devices will usually display news broadcasts or political speeches; audio devices typically play music with an antiwar message. This continues until the device leaves the radius of effect. Devices capable of recording audio or video receive similar media instead of normal input.

Addendum 2068-1: Origin

The first documented encounter with SCP-2068 occurred during Operation Desert Storm, when it was discovered by United States soldiers in an Iraqi oil field. The United States Paranatural War Command ("PENTAGRAM") subsequently seized the object. In 1998, it was determined to have no strategic or economic value and traded to the Foundation in exchange for information about the ASCI facility that preceded Area-14.

PENTAGRAM representatives stated that the object was initially seized in hopes that its anomalous properties pertained to oil production.

As there were no security cameras near SCP-2068's containment chamber, no direct record of this event exists. The timeline below has been assembled from eyewitness reports and post-event forensics.

Three research personnel (Researcher H██████, Researcher M█████, and Research Assistant W█████) are attempting to disassemble SCP-2068.

At approximately 17:30, SCP-2068 spontaneously activates, despite the lack of a power source. H██████'s hand is caught in the crank. He manages to withdraw it before it is crushed but suffers a severe laceration.

M█████ stands up and collides with the horsehead, injuring her scalp.

Crude oil begins to appear beneath the horsehead and spread across the floor. W█████ slips in the oil and falls, lightly abrading the palms of both hands.

All three personnel retreat into the hallway and close the chamber behind them.

W█████ acquires a nearby first aid kit and begins treating H██████'s injury. M█████ runs down the hallway and begins shouting for a security officer.

The PA system speaker nearest SCP-2068's containment chamber vocalizes the phrase "Die for oil, sucker."1 At the same time, W█████ suddenly vomits a large amount of oil onto H██████ and collapses. H██████ panics and attempts to flee.

Suspecting a contagious hazard, M█████ attempts to restrain H██████ before he spreads it to the rest of the Site. She successfully convinces him not to flee, but becomes covered in oil during the struggle.

Two security officers, having heard the commotion, round a corner in the hallway and start to approach. M█████ shouts at them, warning of a possible contagion. The officers attempt to radio for help, but their radios produce music2 instead. One officer retreats until he is out of SCP-2068's new apparent range to call for help. The other remains at the end of the hallway and instructs H██████ and M█████ to remain calm.

H██████ begins vomiting oil.

M█████ reaches toward her head injury, notices the oil on her hand, and stops.

H██████ falls unconscious.

Blood from M█████'s head injury runs onto her face. She wipes it off and notices that it has turned black. She faints.

All oil produced by SCP-2068 during this event was collected and incinerated at high temperature to ensure complete combustion. All three personnel were found to be deceased and, after examination, also incinerated. SCP-2068 was subsequently transferred to Armed Bio-Containment Area-14, as that facility was better equipped to handle contagious anomalies.

Item#: 2068

Containment Class: euclid

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: vlam

Risk Class: caution

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2068 is currently contained at Armed Bio-Containment Area-14. No audiovisual equipment is to be brought within 50 meters of SCP-2068 unless approved for testing.

SCP-2068's containment chamber includes four grated drains, each 0.25 meters in diameter, to facilitate the drainage of SCP-2068-A into the blast furnace below the chamber. All SCP-2068-A is to be immediately incinerated.

Personnel exposed to SCP-2068-A are to be placed under quarantine if possible, or terminated otherwise. Personnel responding to an SCP-2068 breach are to be equipped with MOPP-4 gear.

Only D-Class personnel are permitted to enter SCP-2068's containment chamber at this time. They are to be equipped with protective gear unless infection is intended.

SCP-2068 containment staff are to monitor news of armed conflicts in Iraq and neighboring countries. Area-14 is to be placed on high alert during large battles, major announcements from involved parties, or the commission of massacres and other large-scale atrocities.

A sample of SCP-2068-A.

Description: SCP-2068 is an oil pump jack manufactured by Kervier International. It does not include a rod or any underground components. Internal imaging indicates that the object's internal components are likely identical to its non-anomalous equivalents, but it has thus far proven impossible to disassemble.

The object does not require power to operate, and frequently activates without any apparent external stimulus. When active, SCP-2068 performs its typical pumping motion at a varying speed. This causes SCP-2068-A to appear beneath the horsehead, at a rate that varies linearly with the speed of the pumping motion. SCP-2068-A is chemically identical to non-anomalous crude oil.

When a device capable of producing audio or video output is brought within 50 meters of SCP-2068, it will begin to play media related to armed conflicts in the Middle East or war in general. Video devices will usually display news broadcasts or political speeches; audio devices typically play music with an antiwar message. This continues until the device leaves the radius of effect. Devices capable of recording audio or video receive similar media instead of normal input.

If liquid SCP-2068-A enters the bloodstream - typically through an open wound - it will begin to transmute the host's blood into more SCP-2068-A. Affected subjects begin to violently purge SCP-2068-A from multiple orifices, posing a significant infection risk. Death usually occurs within 20 minutes of exposure, due to poisoning, shock, or organ damage.

Addendum 2: Activation Events

SCP-2068's first activation event occurred at 17:34 on March 19th, 2003. The object was initially assumed to be acting in self-defense, as personnel were attempting to disassemble it at the time. However, most subsequent events occurred without any apparent prompting. Holistic analysis eventually determined that the actual activation trigger was violence in the state of Iraq; the first event had occurred simultaneously with the start of the US invasion, and the others with major battles, bombings, and other violent occurrences.

Activation events are expected to become significantly less common or cease entirely with the final withdrawal of US troops on December 18th, 2011.

The worst SCP-2068 breach to date3 occurred on August 3rd, 2014, at the start of the Sinjar Massacre. The breach was eventually halted by Janitorial and Maintenance Co-Head Micah Wegley, who climbed into the unlit blast furnace and unclogged the tar-filled drains from below with a broom handle. In the process, he suffered severe burns and became infected with SCP-2068-A. For reasons unknown, the infection has been considerably less aggressive than usual, only transmuting his blood at approximately the same rate the oil is cleared from his system. The concentration of oil in Mr. Wegley's body is not high enough to be fatally poisonous, but he does suffer from fatigue, headache, memory problems, muscle and joint pain, diarrhea, and indigestion. The exact pathology of these symptoms remains unclear, but a similarity to Gulf War syndrome has been noted.4

The trace amounts of SCP-2068-A in Mr. Wegley's blood are still sufficient to infect others, as indicated by testing with live blood samples. In all cases, uninfected blood exposed to Wegley's underwent rapid and total transmutation in keeping with typical pathology. Wegley has therefore been demoted to Class E and placed under quarantine until a means of purging SCP-2068-A from his system is discovered.

Mr. Wegley was in a delirious state and speaking incoherently when first discovered by medical personnel. Attending doctors recorded the following statements before he lost consciousness:

We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.5 Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.6 What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.7 Twelve. Eighteen. We will stop al-Qaeda.8 Moloch. Moloch. Moloch.

Item#: 2068

Containment Class: keter

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: ekhi

Risk Class: danger

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2068's containment vault is situated at the end of a 100 meter hallway extending eastward from the Heavy Containment Zone of Armed Bio-Containment Area-14. There is a security checkpoint at the west end of the hallway, within section N2; this station is to be manned by no fewer than four security officers at one time. From this checkpoint, the hallway can be accessed through a secure airlock. There is an identical airlock at the east end. No electronic devices are to be brought beyond the checkpoint.

The containment vault itself is shielded with a blast door and lined with heat-resistant steel plates; the metal lining also functions as a Faraday cage. The vault is to remain filled with deoxygenated air and kept at 200 kPa pressure, to prevent combustion or the escape of gasses from within. Any increase in pressure is considered a breach of containment. The vault is to be monitored visually from the checkpoint; this is accomplished by a series of lenses and mirrors, as cameras are prohibited beyond the airlock.

Natural gas detectors are to be installed throughout section N2. These detectors are to be inspected monthly to ensure proper function. If gas is detected outside the containment vault, Area-14 personnel are to prepare for a containment breach.

SCP-2068 is encircled by a large grated drain 1 meter wide, to facilitate the drainage of SCP-2068-A into the blast furnace below the chamber. The sides of this drain include electric heating elements, so that viscous forms of SCP-2068-A may be heated to flow more easily. All SCP-2068-A is to be immediately incinerated.

The water sprinklers in section N2 have been replaced with dry chemical fire suppression systems.

In the event of an SCP-2068 breach, all personnel within section N2 at the time are to don respiratory protection and shelter in a sealed environment, such as a quarantine suite or unused containment chamber.

No samples of SCP-2068-A are to be removed from the containment chamber.

If any device within Area-14 begins to unexpectedly play media related to military conflict, personnel are to prepare for a containment breach.

Description: SCP-2068 is an oil pump jack manufactured by Kervier International. It does not include a rod or any underground components. Internal imaging indicates that the object's internal components are likely identical to its non-anomalous equivalents, but its apparent indestructibility has thus far prevented disassembly or detailed examination.

The object does not require power to operate, and frequently activates without any apparent external stimulus. When active, SCP-2068 performs its typical pumping motion at a varying speed. This causes crude oil (classified as SCP-2068-A) to appear beneath the horsehead, at a rate that varies linearly with the speed of the pumping motion. The source of this oil, if any, is unknown, as is any upper limit to production that may exist. SCP-2068-A may take the form of any naturally-occurring variety of petroleum, including tar and natural gas. Flammable forms of SCP-2068-A will sometimes spontaneously combust. All forms of SCP-2068-A are chemically identical to non-anomalous petroleum.

If liquid SCP-2068-A enters the bloodstream - typically through an open wound or inhalation of unburned aerosol droplets in smoke - it will begin to transmute the host's blood into more SCP-2068-A. Affected subjects begin to violently purge SCP-2068-A from multiple orifices, posing a significant infection risk. Death usually occurs within 20 minutes of activation, due to poisoning, shock, organ damage, or spontaneous combustion.

SCP-2068 seemed to exhibit intelligent planning capability during the August 2014 breach. Attempts to communicate with the object through affected electronics have been unsuccessful.

On September 11th, 2014, Mr. Wegley became agitated and began to suffer heightened symptoms. He claimed that he could "feel the pump thinking," and that it "wanted to talk to [Director MacLean]." The Director proceeded to the observation chamber outside Mr. Wegley's quarantine suite and spoke to him through the glass partition. Anticipating equipment failures, Researcher Lee Roy Carlson accompanied the Director to transcribe his conversation.

<begin log>

[MacLean and Carlson are seated on one side of the partition. Wegley sits on the other, sweating profusely.]

[Carlson places his tape recorder on the desk and turns it on, in order to detect SCP-2068 activation.]

MacLean: Okay, Mike, we're here. What does 2068 want to tell us?

[Wegley rubs his head and groans.]

Wegley: Uhh, I don't know, Tom. I don't think it thinks like we do. I can feel it, sort of, but it doesn't have a voice.

MacLean: How does it expect to talk to me, then?

Wegley: I'm just a…translator, I think. It needs a voice. Something with speakers and a screen.

MacLean: Lee, go find a voice.

Carlson: I-

MacLean: Do it.

Carlson: Yes, sir.

[Carlson leaves. He forgets the tape recorder, which remains on and captures the next portion of the conversation.]

[MacLean and Wegley sit in silence. Wegley refuses to make eye contact.]

MacLean: They're going to give you a Foundation Star.

[silence]

Wegley: Thought those were strictly posthumous.

[silence]

Wegley: 500 could do it.

MacLean: We don't know that.

Wegley: We could find out. I know we have one here, for emergencies.

[silence]

MacLean: The Council would have to approve that.

Wegley: Right. [Wegley hangs his head.]

MacLean: Maybe if I-

Wegley: Save it, Tom. I'd rather have the Star than a lie.

[silence]

[Researcher Carlson returns, carrying a computer monitor.]

Carlson: Will this work?

[Wegley nods. He opens his mouth to say something. Instead, he cries out in pain and doubles over, clutching his stomach. His teeth are gritted and his eyes tightly closed.]

[The monitor powers on, despite being unplugged, and Carlson quickly places it on the desk. It displays only static. The tape recorder is unaffected.]

[The static resolves into what appears to be footage of George W. Bush's January 10th, 2007 address to the nation. When Bush speaks, Wegley silently mouths along.]

still frame

Bush: My fellow Americans.

[Bush opens his arms, as if for a hug, and smiles]

MacLean: I'm Irish.

[Bush laughs]

MacLean: What do you want?

Bush: I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.

MacLean: What?

Bush: There— it's— you know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.

[MacLean crosses his arms.]

MacLean: So you're just gonna throw Bushisms at me? Is that all you called me down here for? Is that why you did this to Micah?

Bush: I'm the commander, see. I don't need to explain—I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation.

MacLean: You owe me. You owe Micah. You owe the two hundred people you burned alive last month!

[Bush laughs, then grunts and clutches his head. For 45 seconds, he sways slowly from side to side. The sound of helicopter rotors is faintly audible.]

MacLean: I've had enou-

Bush: WELCOME TO MY HANGING!

[The view of Bush's office is replaced by a series of video clips. Audio from George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech plays over the footage.]

In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world.

[a news story of the CIA-sponsored 1953 Iranian coup d'etat, which overthrew the democratic government and reinstated the monarchy]

Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment.

[a prisoner being waterboarded by masked interrogators, presumably in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility]

Yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it.

[Thaer Thabet's famous video of the Haditha massacre's aftermath]

Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible.

[a cloud of nerve gas engulfs a wave of child soldiers in the Iran-Iraq war, both sides of which were supported by the United States]

Because of you our nation is more secure.

[footage of the oil fields in Kuwait, set ablaze by retreating Iraqi forces in the Gulf War]

still frame

Because of you the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free.

[a line of prisoners being beheaded by Islamic State fighters]

Thank you for serving our country and our cause.

[Video reverts to Bush's office, which is now on fire. Bush burns but is not consumed.]

I'm telling you there's an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That's the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best.

MacLean: Do you even know where the Hell you are? We're not the US government!

Bush: This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses.

MacLean: The Foundation had nothing to do with that war. Nobody you've killed did.

[For 21 seconds, Bush rapidly shakes his head. The sound of a large vehicle's engine is audible until he speaks again.]

Bush: See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.

[The footage becomes overlaid with an image of General George Bowe shaking hands with O5-█.]

Bush: Weapons of mass destruction.

[footage of Mobile Task Force █████-█ ("█████████ ███") and SCP-███-█ battling ORIA soldiers in Iraq]

Bush: Weapons of mass destruction.

[O5-██ speaking before the US Senate in support of the PATRIOT Act]

MacLean: The Bowe Commission is history. We don't-

[The monitor briefly produces the extremely loud sound of machine gun fire.]

Bush: I think we agree, the past is over. But our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.

[MacLean stands]

MacLean: Alright, I get it. You said your piece. Now let Micah go.

[Bush sighs and leans heavily on the podium.]

Bush: See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.

MacLean: What do you want, a formal apology? Reparations? A letter from the bloody president?

[A laugh track plays from the monitor. Bush shakes his head.]

Bush: You misunderestimate me.

MacLean: What?

[Bush grins. His teeth are bullets.]

Bush: Now watch this drive.

[Wegley screams and falls from his chair.]

Wegley: GET DOWN! IT'S G-

[Wegley explodes]

<end log>

It is now known that Mr. Wegley had been emitting natural gas since he became infected. The gas built up over the twenty days of Wegley's confinement to the sealed quarantine suite, then exploded when he spontaneously combusted.

Fortunately, Area-14's quarantine suites are strongly fortified to contain patients with anomalous capabilities. Due to these fortifications and Director MacLean's quick response - tackling Researcher Carlson to the ground, to place them both below the level of the window - both men survived the explosion and are expected to make full recoveries.

A third revision of SCP-2068's containment procedures is being drafted.