The sky as visible from SCP-4156-1 prior to environmental restoration.

Item #: SCP-4156

Object Class: Thaumiel

Special Containment Procedures: All observation and maintenance of SCP-4156 and its related anomalies is to be conducted from Site-98, located several kilometers below SCP-4156-1.

A perimeter of Angleton Environmental Stabilization Engines are to be established around SCP-4156-1 in order to maintain an ash-free atmosphere. Survivor communities are to be discouraged from approaching SCP-4156-1 through the establishment of environmental dangers in a secondary perimeter around the environmental systems. In the event that an approach continues regardless, on-site security is authorized to use lethal force to repel them. Any physical access to SCP-4156-1 by personnel must be approved by Director Caul.

Deliveries of food and other necessities are to be brought into SCP-4156-1 on the first day of each month. During this period, all specimens of SCP-4156-2 are to be placed into an inactive state via use of KALEIDOSCOPE.

Observation of all SCP-4156-2 specimens is to be conducted using the hidden microphones and cameras that have been established throughout SCP-4156-1. Similarly, all media devices used by SCP-4156-2 are to be monitored by personnel at Site-98. In the event that any specimen of SCP-4156-2 begins operating outside of acceptable behaviour, they are to be returned to their default state immediately and the cause of their deviation is to be logged. Known causes of deviation are to be countered via the use of KALEIDOSCOPE.

In the event of the unscheduled death of an SCP-4156-2 specimen, a replacement is to be produced using SCP-4156-3. If a SCP-4156-2 specimen's personal narratives means that they would logically spend a length of time outside SCP-4156-1, they are to be brought into storage, given false memories of their time outside SCP-4156-1 via use of KALEIDOSCOPE, and returned to SCP-4156-1 at an appropriate date. Learning Computer Tau-2 ("HOWARD") is to procedurally generate media content for consumption by specimens of SCP-4156-2.

All instances of SCP-4156-3 are to be maintained and repaired in accordance with instructions provided by Senior Researcher Halson. Production of any SCP-4156-2 specimens using SCP-4156-3 must be approved by Director Caul from a selection of pre-arranged templates.

Description: SCP-4156 is the collective designation for a number of anomalous items used in conjunction as an experimental method for a manual history reset following the occurrence of Event Indigo, the resultant destruction of SCP-2000, and the subsequent collapse of human civilization. The SCP-4156 project was officially proposed and put into effect by Director Simon Caul following the occurrence of Event Indigo on 09/02/2034.

SCP-4156-1 partway through restoration.

SCP-4156-1 is the small town of Winston, Ohio, which has been restored to its condition prior to the occurrence of Event Indigo over the course of several years. Specifically, SCP-4156-1 has been restored to the state it was in during the year 2017. All buildings and environments within SCP-4156-1 have been tapped with hidden microphones and cameras in order to maintain the ability to observe all activity within the area. Similarly, feeds from all media devices within SCP-4156-1 are accessible from the observation center at Site-98.

SCP-4156-2 is comprised of six thousand, two hundred and ninety seven artificial humans which have been produced by SCP-4156-3 and given false memories appropriate for their roles as citizens of SCP-4156-1. All memory installation and alteration is performed via use of the prototype KALEIDOSCOPE system, originally designed for societal amnestic purposes. Through the application of cognito-agents through all media devices within SCP-4156-1, as well as several thousand hidden speakers, the memories of all SCP-4156-2 specimens can be altered as necessary. In addition, alterations made to the consciousness of all specimens of SCP-4156-2 through KALEIDOSCOPE have rendered them unable to perceive any phenomena which would contradict the normalcy of SCP-4156-1, such as the presence of Foundation personnel or any evidence of Event Indigo.

SCP-4156-3 is the collective designation for three-hundred devices, derived through re-purposing of SCP-███, capable of producing specimens of SCP-4156-2 of any specified physical attributes when provided with a sufficient amount of biomass. Each instance of SCP-4156-3 consists of a standing chamber measuring one by two meters, along with a control console through which the desired attributes for the SCP-4156-2 specimen being created can be specified. When necessary and while working at full facility, the SCP-4156-3 system is capable of fully replenishing the population of SCP-4156-1 in a span of forty-eight hours.

+ System Failure Log

- Close Log

The following is a log of all SCP-4156 system failures over the course of the project, as well as the responses taken to correct and prevent them from occurring in the future.

Nature of Failure: SCP-4156-2-4830, who was designed with hearing difficulties, is not immobilized by KALEIDOSCOPE during the monthly food delivery due to insufficient proximity to the nearest hidden speaker. Upon seeing that all other specimens of SCP-4156-2 have become immobilized, SCP-4156-2-4830 panics and attempts to flee the area.

Corrective Action: Dispatched security successfully tranquilize and reacquire SCP-4156-2-4830 as it attempts to flee. SCP-4156-2-4830's hearing aid is modified to transmit cognito-agents when required by KALEIDOSCOPE.

Additional Notes: It worries me that this wasn't done right from the beginning. If we're creating an individual specifically to have hearing issues, shouldn't we have measures in place to accommodate that? And for that matter, why do we even need to give them such conditions? As far as I can see, it just makes the project that much more difficult to maintain. - Senior Researcher Halson.

I understand and appreciate your concerns, David, but it's inevitable that some things like these slip through the cracks. If we want to recreate society as it was, we can't make changes to it just to make things easier for ourselves. All great works start off flawed. All I ask is that you have a little faith for a little while longer. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: Oversight during routine memory maintenance results in numerous specimens of SCP-4156-2 receiving contradictory and incompatible memories. Several of the specimens enter a comatose state, while others engage in suicidal and homicidal behaviour.

Corrective Action: All specimens of SCP-4156-2 are forced into an inactive state via use of KALEIDOSCOPE. Defective specimens are retrieved and, as memory repair was deemed non-viable, euthanized. Identical replacements are created via SCP-4156-3 and reintroduced into the population.

Additional Notes: I accept that these are systems that we are not yet fully used to using, and that some incidents like this are unavoidable. However, replacing SCP-4156-2 is not something we can do lightly - it requires resources, resources that won't last forever. If we wish that the project remain viable, we must take greater care in the future. - Senior Researcher Halson.

Following my personal review of this failure, I have to conclude that the guidelines I set out were simply not followed. I believe I made it quite clear that alterations to the personal narratives of the SCP-4156-2 beyond my original specifications were not allowed under any circumstances. This is unacceptable. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: A large portion of the SCP-4156-2 population begin experiencing severe respiratory difficulties. After switching the SCP-4156-2 population into an inactive state through use of KALEIDOSCOPE, medical inspection shows significant damage to the affected specimen's lungs as a result of ash and soot present in the atmosphere, despite the continued operation of Angleton Environmental Stabilization Engines throughout the facility.

Corrective Action: All affected specimens euthanized and replaced.

Additional Notes: I would like an immediate explanation, Mr. Angleton. - Director Caul.

As I've tried to make clear during the planning of the project and every subsequent meeting about its progress, the primary purpose of the Engine is to disguise atmospheric contamination, not get rid of it. The majority of it is still there. I can't just flip a switch and make the air clean again, as I've said again and again and again. - Chief Engineer Angleton.

I propose that the next generation of SCP-4156-2 be designed with more durable respiratory systems. If we can't get rid of the contamination in the atmosphere, we can surely give them the tools to survive it better instead. - Senior Researcher Halson.

Denied. The purpose of SCP-4156 is to recreate human civilization as it was. If we were to make changes, that wouldn't be recreating it as it was, now would it? I'm ordering the construction of further Stabilization Engines, placed in greater proximity to SCP-4156-1. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: Due to an unforeseen malfunction of Learning Computer Tau-2 ("HOWARD"), all media it is procedurally generating and streaming to SCP-4156-1 is replaced by a series of random tones and screeches. These sounds appear to have an adverse effect on KALEIDOSCOPE's psychological programming, thus allowing the SCP-4156-2 specimens to perceive the Angleton Atmospheric Stabilization Engines immediately surrounding SCP-4156-1, as well as the contamination within the atmosphere. Due to conflicts between the surviving KALEIDOSCOPE programming and the reality they are perceiving, the majority of the SCP-4156-2 population fall into comatose states, with those remaining conscious engaging in suicidal and homicidal behaviour.

Corrective Action: All specimens euthanized and replaced. Learning Computers Beta-94 ("ISAAC") and Gamma-12 ("NOAH") are reassigned from attempting to contact surviving Foundation sites in order to share the duties of procedurally generating media.

Additional Notes: I'm afraid that no matter how many Learning Computers we assign to this, this simply isn't the kind of task they're designed for. They're intended to be used for simple communication duties, such as impersonating online users or monitoring communication channels. Another failure like this is inevitable. Perhaps we could avoid that simply by using reruns of archived media? We could use KALEIDOSCOPE to ensure the specimens never noticed. - Senior Researcher Halson.

Further alterations to the SCP-4156-1 scenario at this point would render the entire project pointless. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: Upon production of the next generation of the SCP-4156-2 population, all specimens are found to have severe developmental errors and expire shortly after creation.

Corrective Action: All specimens recycled and a new generation is produced.

Additional Notes: As long as we reuse as much as we can, this shouldn't be too difficult to deal with. All great works start off flawed. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: Upon production of the next generation of the SCP-4156-2 population, all specimens are found to have significant development errors. Approximately seventy-five of the population expire shortly after creation, with the remainder remaining in vegetative states.

Corrective Action: All specimens recycled and a new generation is produced.

Additional Notes: With the difficulties we're having with the project, it might be a good idea to redouble our efforts to get into contact with other Foundation survivors. I've wrote up some concepts on how we could expand our current communications array to help us out with that, if we can make some time to discuss them. - Chief Engineer Angleton.

Concerns noted. - Director Caul.

Nature of Failure: Upon production of the next generation of the SCP-4156-2 population, all specimens are found to possess minor deviations from the desired physical attributes. However, all specimens are viable and the majority of the deviations are aesthetic in nature, such as hair colour and facial features.

Corrective Action: All specimens recycled and a new generation is produced.

Additional Notes: Requesting clarification on why this was ordered. It honestly seems like a waste of resources to me. Surely it doesn't matter what they look like, so long as their behaviour is the same? - Senior Researcher Halson.

Nature of Failure: A hostile survivor community - identified as deserters from the United States Army - attack SCP-4156-1 seeking food and shelter. They are engaged by on-site security and repelled after a six-hour confrontation, with heavy casualties on both sides. Large numbers of SCP-4156-2 specimens were also killed during the fighting, and it is believed further members of the population fled SCP-4156-1 during the confrontation.

Corrective Action: As Director Caul's location has not yet been confirmed, further action has not yet been taken.

Additional Notes: N/A

+ Message from Senior Researcher Halson to all Site-98 staff.

- Close message.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Director Simon Caul occurred at 08:43 today, following the confrontation with the US Army deserters. Right now we're thinking it was suicide. If you'd like to know more about the specific circumstances, read on, but you're under no obligation to.

During the chaos after the fighting, we found it impossible to locate Director Caul. That in itself was strange; this place is watched inch by inch by cameras every hour of every day. I initially suspected he'd been taken by the deserters as a hostage, perhaps so they could exchange him for food or other resources. That was a foolish notion, of course - they wouldn't even have known who he was - but the ringing from the explosions was still in my ears. I wasn't thinking straight.

Eventually, though, I figured out where he had gone. Someone had turned out all the recording devices in one house on Lambert Street, this little place that wasn't really important enough to even pay attention to. Under normal circumstances we'd have noticed immediately, of course, but as I said - explosions.

The majority of security was still hunting down stragglers hiding in SCP-4156-1, so I went to Lambert Street alone. Idiotic, I know. There was a pretty high chance I'd be shot by some survivor still limping through the streets, but the thought didn't even occur to me at the time. I just walked there, all in a daze. Some of the SCP-4156-2 I passed were running, screaming, like they'd just realized they were in a warzone. Others just walked all orderly on their way to work. I saw one man taking a bite out of a sandwich with one hand while blood poured out of the stump on his other side. None of them noticed me, of course.

The door to 34 Lambert Street was already open when I got there. I could hear a television playing inside, one of those first cartoons Tau-2 had come up with. I found Simon straight away when I walked in.

He was sat on the couch, with a pistol in one hand and his brains on the wall behind him. He didn't have much of a face left, so I couldn't tell you what he was feeling at the end. There was a little girl on the couch next to him, six or seven. She was the one watching cartoons. There were some blood and brains on her face too, of course, she was so close after all but she wouldn't notice we wouldn't let her notice.

Apologies.

I looked through Director Caul's personal files when I got back, at the guidelines he'd made for the SCP-4156-2 population. I'd seen them before, of course, and I already knew it was incredible work - designing six thousand different people, I mean - but his personal version of the guidelines, they had his notes on every one of the specimens.

I didn't get it at first when I just read through some at random; most of the notes were just one word, a job or a date or a street. But I started to understand once I looked at the notes that weren't so short. Long paragraphs, cherished memories, names for the specimens that weren't the ones we'd given them. These weren't random faces - they were people Simon had known, every single one of them, recreated as he'd known them.

His childhood teachers.

His parents.

His colleagues.

His neighbours.

His friends.

His siblings.

His briefest encounters - mailmen, bank tellers, people he'd passed on the street.

His wife.

His daughter.

I'd seen his daughter. I realized that as soon as I saw her picture. I'd seen her watching cartoons with her father's blood on her face. He'd done that. I'd done that. She didn't even notice when we took the body out. But the thing is, it wouldn't really have mattered even if she had noticed. Samantha Caul is dead, after all. Gone.

It's all gone, isn't it?

I think we need to rethink this whole project.