"Because you're not my sister." Priss said, smiling as she saw 
Rhiannon catch on to what she meant. She had told Priss the very 
same thing weeks ago, when Priss first met the MCF directors of 
Africa branch. It was an ugly smile, and it hurt to see its effects 
wrought on Rhiannon's face. Despite that, she kept feasting on the 
pain Rhiannon surely felt. It was an ugly, painful gruel, and she 
swallowed it down with an ugly smile. 


The ugliness finally got to her, and she got up to her feet, ready to 
kneel down before her sister and embrace her, to finally be the one 
to apologize to her for a change. A subtle tug, and she looked down. 
Anabasis held her hand. Let's go home, it said, and offered its lever 
to her. 


"Goodbye, Rhiannon. Maybe I'll see you on the other side." Priss 
said in a soft voice, and cranked the lever. 


Rhiannon Locke could barely see through the rush of tears in her 
eyes, only making out the black and orange of her sister in front of 
her. A light started to dance across Priscilla's suit. Rhiannon turned 
around, thinking maybe the GOC soldiers had arrived, flashlights 
mounted on their guns. But there was no one there. 


As she turned back around, there was no one in front of her either. 
Rhiannon Locke had lost her sister again. 


« Breaking It All Down On Me | Hub | » 
\\ First Locke Donation // 


Manna 


Manna. 


Manna the power, 

manna the food, 

manna the drink, 

manna the entity and Manna the Entity, 
manna the authority, 

manna the respect, 

manna in the far past, 

Manna the person. 


Manna. 


Who is Manna? 


In a small room, darkened, filled with dirt and the smell of decay, 
there was a little boy. 


This little boy was hungry. He had always been hungry, so his very 
need for food was usually overridden by his need to escape the 
monsters. However, this was the hunger of those who can't think of 
anything else but the burning heft in their stomach, draining their 
sanity and what little strength they had until only an animal was left 
where a person was, and then draining the animal until- 


But no, this is not yet the time. 


Manna saw the lights in the sky. Manna took them and brought 1 
them to lighten the perils in their way. 


Manna saw the fruits up the trees, far, too far away from the Chi 
trees naked and threw their fruit down when battling the shadow 


Manna saw the river that came down, down from the mountains. 
highest mountain, but only those who touched the peak could ta 
went to the summit, carrying only a bowl and the skins of a few k 


Manna was wise and good and brave before the wardens of Tru 
stood aside in shame. Manna reached the summit after four day 
and then, exhausted, they plunged their bowl into the ice-cold w 


And, knowing they needed to drink the water more than anyone 
they drank it. 


What is Manna? 


A woman was bringing forth a child. The woman had been force 
conception; she never asked for the first, never wanted the seco 
to a new life was a choice she made on her own, in the way only 


Manna was born that day, and they would shape the barren Ear 
would live and thrive. 


As Manna grew, their mother grew old, and withered, and died s 
generous and kind even to those who did her harm. Manna, gen 
and talked to them for a day and two nights, and they all saw the 


The father of Manna took his own life. The grandparents of Man 


to their mothers’ spirit. The Children cried once every night, and 
Mother and keep Her memory alive, for she had brought them tc 


What is Manna? 


And Manna reached the gates of Death after a life of grand task 
old. Their Good was under perpetual siege by disillusion, their V 
Courage was plagued and weighted by memories, for in the end 


And they were wary. 


But then, their children, their grandchildren and all their Children 
us your Children, please, tell us what can we do for You, our firs 
world." 


And they Manna, the person, the human, the Benefactor, saw th 
Manna needed. So they told their children, their grandchildren ai 
shortening lives, they told them of Generosity, of Empathy, and « 


And then, they died and passed on and were interred, and on th 


What WAS Manna? 


As the years went by, the Children grew and changed. 


Many resented the Benefactor, for they saw Manna abandoned 
them anything nor share its fruits, and they called Manna a traitc 
their beings, they learnt Hate. 


Many resented the Benefactor and they saw Manna abandoned 
understand them nor love them, and they called Manna a fool ar 
their beings, they learnt Mistrust. 


Many resented the Benefactor and they saw Manna abandoned 
remember them once they came to Death or Death came to ther 
them; and, to get rid of the hollowed emptiness left in their being 


But many would never resent their Benefactor, whose bowl they 
Manna. The Beginning of all Humanity, the Concept of Abundan 
was stolen and hidden away, they remembered. 


But then, what is Manna? 


It is the proper time to talk of the child. 
The hungry, lost child. 


"You okay there, little kid?" 


The woman was a short, stocky person hidden under a mass of hair, 
turning and wriggling in ways the boy had never seen. She offered 
him a hand. "Come with us, kid!" 


The child was desperate, and so he reached for her hand... 


What indeed. 


... the child was now a youngster who had learned to trust. The 
woman was now a friend, and a master, and he was just a trainee 
that wanted to help with an orchard that had emerged from the solid, 
darkened grounds of a wasteland. 


He bit the fruit, thinking of its sweet taste, its weaving meat bleeding 
an acid juice that conquered his tongue and made him smile, eyes 
half closed. And, for a short second, he looked at the Work Group 
and realized he didn't just trust them; he would go to the ends of the 
Earth for them. 


They were more than family. They were equals. They were kin. 


He turned back to watch the poor, hungry refugees behind the 
fence, who were being given the food, and the seed, and the water 
and the land. They were kin, too, his people. They knew they could 
trust the Work Group, for they had earned their trust. 


And so they should do everywhere else, the boy thought, for weren't 
they all Humanity? Were they not the good, generous brethren 
roaming the Earth and feasting upon her generously ceded fruit? 


He looked at the fruit, half eaten, and laughed. "Hey, guys! Anyone 
wants half an orange?" 


What could it be? 


... the child was now a grown man and had learned conviction. He 
was strong, he was brave, he knew bravery had to come every day 


in an unending battle against hunger, disease and hatred. 


He covered a closed wound in bandages; then he cleaned another 
one with quick expertise, stitched it up and covered it in bandages; 
then he cleaned another one, rapidly taking out dead flesh and dirt 
and splinters of wood and metal and rock, and closed it. 


And then he raised his sight and saw the next wound had bled until 
the next one had bled through it. 


The old man stared at the dead woman. For the first time in his life, 
he did not feel anger, frustration or sadness when loosing a life. 


He felt pure desperation. 


Manna is... 


... the man was dead. 


Opal glanced down to the naked body. Then looked up, a grin in her 
face. 


"You know, | met him the very day he joined. Thirty years ago. | was 
just a newcomer. | was as innocent as they come, and so was he. | 
knew he was gonna have a goddamned hard time when we took 
him with us, but the thing is... he lived!" 


Tears went down, rolling down her smiling face. 


"He gave me his trust. He lent all his strength to our beneficiaries. 
He went on, forward, forward, forward. He never stopped," she 
laughed and sobbed almost at the same time, "-he never stopped 
loving life and loving us, his family, and he never, ever gave up on 
us, on anybody. And he never ever found that to be a sacrifice or a 
weight or a hurtful thing.” 


She raised her sight again, still crying, still smiling, and fiercely 
stared at them all. 


"He was like us." 


They all nodded in silent understanding. They were all different, they 
were all imperfect, and yet they were all alike. Opal nodded and 
silently took the bowl, filled to the edge with crystal-clear water. 


"You know how this goes, people. Let's give him the life he wanted." 


And so those of the Children who did not hate, who turned their 
backs on suspicion, who would not forget, covered the body on 
leaves and seeds and then threw fertile soil on both until a mound 
was erected and surrounded with vertical stones. Then, Opal 
dropped its contents on it. 


Some of them cried; those were youngest. Some of them looked 
distant and pensive, one or two silent and lost in their memories of 
the departed. A few prayed whatever their minds had learnt to pray 
over their lives. 


Most of them smiled. They had known him. 


But Opal, who went on embracing and caressing and kissing cheeks 
and whispering comforting thoughts and giggling with her nose 
drenched in snot, knew. She knew the truth. Not the truth of a sect, 
or a law, or a vision. Nor the truth of a mad woman, or a fanatic, or a 
self-imposed belief. In a dozen different ways, with a dozen different 
beats, their hearts were all doing the same thing. 


They were all silently remembering Manna, the Charitable. 


"Come on, boys and girls!," Opal shouted. "It's time to leave Niger, 
we're needed in Somalia!" 


Dead Is Manr 
Buried Deep Within 1 


From Which Bones And Flesh T 
River Of The Dead Gods Sprout Bs 
World 


But We Shall Never forget Manna 
For Us 


Addendum 682-E: Termination Options: 


Log of event 682-E18: Dr. attempts to use SCP-409 on 
SCP-682. General , General , and Dr. observing. 


0400: Exposure. SCP-682 began to tear at the point of 
contact, causing massive trauma to the area. SCP-682 
requests several times to know what it has been 
exposed to. 


0800: Crystallization begins, spreading much slower than 
normal. 


1200: SCP-682 shows signs of extreme pain, and begins 
having seizures 


1300: Crystallization stops at 62% conversion. 
Crystallized area explodes, causing massive physical 
trauma to SCP-682 


1400: SCP-682 recovers from exposure, despite the loss 
of limbs and organs. SCP-682 begins regeneration, 
stating that it will attempt to kill and consume all staff 
involved in Event 682-E18. 


SCP-682 appears to now be immune to SCP-409. Use of other SCP 
items to terminate SCP-682 must now first be tested on samples of 
SCP-682 before full-scale testing. 


In accordance the Dr. 's recommendations (see Document 
27b-6), Dr. and Dr. have requested permission to attempt 
the termination of SCP-682 using SCP-689. The request is currently 
pending approval from the 


It has also been suggested by Dr. Gears to use SCP-182 in an 
attempt to communicate with SCP-682. SCP-182 has expressed 
reluctance, and refuses to enter the containment center of SCP-682, 
if at all possible. 


Addendum 682-F: Termination Log: 
Experiment-Log-T-98816-0c108-682 


Because Manna Loved 
Because Manna Dreamed 
Because We Are A 
Because Manna He 


And What Can We Do But Share T 
Of Their Childr 


« Share Your Burdens | Live | Share Your Happiness » 


First CETRes Donation 


Graciously donated by a Richard Michael Maisnon ( 
Center for Eschatological and Trascendental Re 
contacted the Health and Prevention Mission Dire: 
detailed indications on how to op 


Of Interest: user-friendly, sessile (to water), non-hazardous 
organism, designed organism (Animalia, Mammalia?, Artiodactyla? - 
unclassed), abnormal entropy, ongoing research, ongoing 
programme, sentience ?, intelligence?, donation?, prospective 
Specialist member? 


Asset Summary: Transcript of the vocal report performed by 
Dr. Lucia Robres, Health and Prevention Director, to her MCF co- 
workers. 


Entry Ref: 007/05/23-1-Health and Preventio 


Given the unconventional communication methods used by our | 
collective understanding when reviewing this document. Howeve 
possible mental health issues, | will present my report. This is, ot 
subsequent security regulations to make sure | am neither a dan 
Foundation. 


The CETRes wrote this information directly in my mind. It is a pie 
impossible to alter. Since they are a novel benefactor group, the 
research has been conducted. This is also mandatory, and has | 
other Mission Directors. We hope future contact with the CETRe 


This is the best | can put in words the information the person, pe 


The soul-seekers of the Center for Eschatological and Trascend 
are an appropriate liaison for our exchange with your most Chari 


We hope this mind-merging event finds you well. 


Let us assure you, this method of contact is the most comfortabl 
messenger would be probably lost or hurt in the process of recei 
the topic at hand. Your mind, however, is connected to a perfect 
precious. We extend to your person an invitation to visit our facil 
pass or shed from your material carcass. Without further ado, let 


The Entity is an old member of the CETRes, and a dear friend-re 
mentor to several of them in their new matterless identities. The 
the world, connecting to a physical existence to perform a functic 
point of view of a living mammal carcass) water to make it physic 
viable as substrate for all beings willing to acquire it, except, obv 
can hardly have any relevance, since they cannot support a perf 
to us. 


The Entity has created a structured micronet around its abdomin 
non-cellular elements, acts as a filter feeder. This filter feeder ret 
most atoms heavy enough to be incompatible with current stand 
ecosphere. It should be able to recognize all physical, chemical, 
and acquire them as sustenance. 


Submerse the Entity on a solution mostly composed of water. Tt 
to air, vacuum or soil. The Entity shall weaken and its carcass fa 
proportion of water. The Entity may weaken, but it is unlikely its « 


We desire this to be only a first and auspicious contact with your 
further increases the occurrence of perfect, immutable souls in y 
appropriate care and respectful treatment is provided to the Enti 


Release yourselves from family, friends and body, for they are b 
with you. Have a most pleasant day. 


That is all it or they said. The item was donated to our European 
leave any identification nor background beyond a name, along w 
this being is all they say it is, because | did not enjoy being hijac' 
Donation will be reclassified as soon as testing begins, and furth 
Continental members achieve a consensus on its adaptation to f 


Dr. Lucia Robres is a forty-nine year old Executive Adm 


Prevention Mission Director for two years, although she 
worked as a volunteer and an Executive member for ten 
Director. She holds an MD, has considerable field exper 
abnormal health hazards in developing countries. 


COMMENTS: Comments disabled by MISSIONWATCH 


The conclusions of the report involving the First CETRes donation, 
informally known as "the Hippo", as written by Mr. Lin Jong, Health 
and Prevention Research Executive member, follows. 


Entry Ref: 007/07/11-3-Health and Preventio 


We conclude that the organism is a specimen of a previously 
general bodily form is reminiscent of the Hexaprotodon libe 
differences. It lacks evident external sexual organs, anus or an 
neck emerges under the cranium, replacing its jaws. All muscle 
swim nor leave its tank since it was placed there. 


Otherwise, the specimen reacts with ‘vocalizations’ — proba 
environmental sound, to which it is extremely sensitive. It is, as f 


Preliminary testing confirms that the organism is able to rapidly 
(from 53% saturation upwards) thanks to a specialized tissue 
This tissue adopts a configuration similar to bundles of fine ten 
its container. This organ is able to regenerate rapidly, but all 
entity, so an histological study has been impossible.