1/5639 LEVEL 1/5639
CLASSIFIED
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Item #: SCP-5639
Object Class: Safe
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Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5639 is to be given historic landmark status, but remain closed to the public under the pretense of compromised structural integrity. Non-Foundation researchers requesting access to SCP-5639 are to be turned away using cover story Kappa-14 ("Holy Hell").
No living creature is to be allowed entry to SCP-5639, though exploration through the use of wireless relay and disposable drones is possible. Researchers wishing to explore the interior of SCP-5639 must provide a disposable drone with vocalization capabilities for Miranda.aic to pilot and a signature of approval from their Site Director.
Description: SCP-5639 is a compound of abandoned buildings surrounded by a seven-meter-high wall located on the outskirts of Rome, Italy. The buildings within SCP-5639 have the appearance of a monastery, but there are no markers to indicate if SCP-5639 is a true monastery. Vatican archives have no record of a monastic establishment at SCP-5639's location.
SCP-5639-δ is a virus that saturates SCP-5639. SCP-5639-δ infection has a 100% fatality rate in Kingdom Animalia members, and entry into SCP-5639 guarantees saturation and/or infection. Infection is contingent upon inhalation of the virus. However, SCP-5639-δ has an anomalous ability to permeate any membrane brought into SCP-5639, regardless of material thickness or chemical makeup. As such, hazmat suits and other protective measures have proven unreliable as protection against SCP-5639-δ.
Symptoms of SCP-5639-δ infection are uniform. Subjects that inhale SCP-5639-δ are immediately subject to haemoptysis. The infected subject will cough up blood continuously before succumbing to exsanguination. For humans, this process takes approximately 30 minutes. Animal death times vary based on size and lung capacity. Additionally, anything infected or saturated with SCP-5639-δ is prevented from exiting SCP-5639 due to what witnesses have described as "an invisible wall."
SCP-5639-1 is a red-cloaked entity that inhabits SCP-5639, and the apparent source of SCP-5639-δ. Miranda.aic has reported an increase in SCP-5639-δ density wherever SCP-5639-1 is present, and new SCP-5639-δ particles manifest in its presence. SCP-5639-1 has an anomalous ability to de-materialize, but is unable to leave SCP-5639. Miranda.aic has attempted interviews and excavations to determine the origin of SCP-5639-δ and SCP-5639-1, with varying degrees of success.
SCP-5639-2 is a leather-bound journal entitled The Gospel According to Sebastian, penned in Italian. SCP-5639-2 claims to be the autobiography of the historical St. Sebastian, transcribed at the request of his wife. It was discovered following an interview of SCP-5639-1 by Miranda.aic. The veracity of SCP-5639-2 is contested, but the existence of SCP-5639-1 suggests that at least some of SCP-5639-2's claims are true. See Addendum 2 for contents.
Addendum 1: Miranda.aic has attempted to interview SCP-5639-1 on multiple occasions, with only two successful attempts. See transcript for the first.
Interviewed: SCP-5639-1
Interviewer: Miranda.aic
Foreword: This interview took place in the apparent chapel of SCP-5639. Although SCP-5639-1 had largely avoided Miranda.aic, it confronted her upon entry to the chapel. SCP-5639-1 spoke predominantly in Italian or Latin, but some words in its vocabulary were determined to be a portmanteau that left some ambiguity in interpretation. See footnotes for untranslated terms.
<Begin Log>
SCP-5639-1: You do not [belong/live] here. This is a [cursed/holy] [prison/chapel].
Miranda.aic: Please state your name so that I may properly identify you.
SCP-5639-1: You are not [sick/alive]. How is this so?
Miranda.aic: I am an artificial intelligence and therefore not susceptible to biological diseases. The question of life is deeply philosophical in nature and above my clearance level. I repeat, please state your name so that I may properly identify you.
SCP-5639-1: You must leave, or die.
Miranda.aic: I have backed up my data to a cloud. I am not in danger. I can see that you are forming new bacteria particles. Do you control the disease that permeates this complex?
SCP-5639-1: I am the disease. I control him. You can leave?
Miranda.aic: I can leave, yes. Why are you unable to leave?
SCP-5639-1: (visibly agitated, minor static in video feed) Trapped! [Cursed/blessed] was the day! Is… (clamps right hand over mouth, but left hand pulls it away) Isotta! Is she aaaaaaaaaaaaaa (SCP-5639-1 shakes violently. Miranda.aic perceives a spike in Akiva levels. SCP-5639-1 points its left finger at the altar of the chapel.) Un… (SCP-5639-1 de-materializes).
<End Log>
Closing Statement: Following the interview, SCP-5639-1 did not physically manifest for seven hours. Miranda.aic examined underneath the altar where SCP-5639-1 was pointing, and uncovered what was designated SCP-5639-2. See Addendum 2.
Addendum 2: Although unable to remove SCP-5639-2 from SCP-5639, Miranda.aic was able to send translations to Foundation personnel. Relevant excerpts are attached.
1The gospel according to Sebastian, whom the savior protected from death twice. 2First, they shot him with arrows, but the savior did not find fit to bring him unto heaven. 3Filled with fire, he confronted the Emperor Diocletian, preaching in the name of Jesus Christ. 4And Diocletian, filled with rage, had him beaten with cudgels until there were no signs of life left in him, and they dumped his body in the sewer.
5But the savior still did not find fit to bring him unto heaven. And so, he awoke. 6Sebastian was a noble man, and beloved follower of Christ. 7But the Roman arrows and cudgels had pierced his heart with doubt, and so he said,
8"Even my savior did not suffer three executions. Christ asks a surrendered life; I have given mine twice. Surely that is enough."
9And so he appeared before Lucina, telling her he had died and where to find his body. 10But it was not his body, and so Sebastian knowingly sinned. 11And, like Jonah, the savior found a fit punishment for him.
12He fled to Sardinia, pursuing quiet and peace. He lived a meager life, worshiping his savior and praying forgiveness for his cowardice. 13But the savior did not find fit to bring him unto heaven. Years passed, and he did not age. 14Sickness came to Sardinia and he did not fall ill. For one hundred years, he lived on the island. 15And they persecuted him, not in the name of his savior, but for his demonic youth and health. They pummeled him, but he healed. Finally, Sebastian said,
16"It has been decades since Constantine permitted the following of my savior in the empire of Rome. Babies born at the time of my recorded death are wizened. 17The remains believed to be mine had been given their own holy basilica. It is safe to return to Rome."
8And a plague came from Constantinople. 9Sebastian looked upon the wounds of the afflicted, and saw himself in them, for their sores looked like arrow wounds. 10And the savior whispered unto Sebastian, 11"For this purpose I have preserved you. Be my hands and feet to the sick. 12You will not fall ill."
1The Black Death ravaged Rome, and Sebastian found himself helpless. 2The cries of the sick invaded his nightmares. There were too many patients, and the savior had not found fit to bless Sebastian with miraculous healing abilities like his own. 3Sebastian stood at the deathbed of wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and children, and consoled the grieving. 4The wounds of the afflicted mocked him, saying 5"Why Sebastian and no one else?"
6And in their desperation, the people turned to paganism. 7Those who Sebastian could not treat prayed to Morbus, the Red-Cloaked One, for healing. 8Hoping to glean some medical practice from their rituals, Sebastian attended one. The atrocities witnessed in the ritual would haunt his nightmares for decades to come. 9And yet, Sebastian prayed forgiveness for the participants, that the savior might absolve them of abominations committed in desperation.
10The people cried out to St. Sebastian, protector against plagues, for salvation. 11Sebastian heard their cry and interceded for them, 12but he could not walk the halls of heaven and ask the savior for healing in person as they desired.
13Then Christ whispered once more unto Sebastian, 14"Go into the city and find the men I have sent for you." 15So Sebastian did as He commanded, and found six healers awaiting him. 16They were men of faith, all, and so Sebastian was inspired by the savior to form an order. 17And thus, the Esoteric Order of St. Sebastian was created, 18and the Red-Cloaked One was starved of his worship.
10Now, Sebastian had forsaken the embrace of women since his youth. It did not seem fitting for one such as he to take a wife, 11and the savior had warned him against adultery. 12In time, though, he came to love a woman.
13Isotta Borroni had come from the north, from Venice, seeking aid for her dying brother. 14The Esoteric Order took her in, and it was decided that Sebastian would treat the man. 15And as he worked to heal her brother, the savior blessed him with feelings he had not known. 16When he beheld Isotta, he understood. 17And so he proposed marriage to her, saying
[EXTRANEOUS DATA REMOVED]
24And Isotta accepted his proposal, and the marriage day was set. And on the 5th of August, the year of our Lord 1874, Sebastian became Sebastian Borroni, husband of Isotta Borroni. 25For a wedding gift, he presented her with this gospel, 26with the promise to add more pages as their lives went on.
[EXTRANEOUS DATA REMOVED]
5After six years of marriage, the savior blessed them with a son, who they named Dante. 6And the boy became sick after birth, to his father's relief, 7for he did not wish to pass on his Christ-given longevity. 8The boy recovered, with his father's healing, and all was well.
1It was at this time Sebastian realized he had been a fool. He had heard of a German proposing that sickness was transmitted through tiny organisms that clung to clothes, but thought nothing of it. 2Dante Borroni died of consumption on the 2nd of December, the year of our Lord 1889. 3His parents cried out in grief to their savior for healing, 4but He did not answer.
5The consumption which took Dante was a virulent strain. Sebastian had taken a patient with similar symptoms before the boy became sick. 6The patient had died via exsanguination. In the patient's death throes, Sebastian sensed something directly at work against his savior.
7Dante was not the last to suffer the strain. 8Every day, Sebastian took more and more patients with the same symptoms. He could not cure a single one. 9The savior did not answer his prayers.
10And so, for the first time in a millennium, Sebastian sought out the old cults again. 11After months of searching, he found an acolyte of the Red-Cloaked One. And he said unto the acolyte,
12"Why does a new form of consumption ravage the city?"
13And the acolyte responded, "Our lord has grown tired of his formlessness. He seeks a human body, 14so that he might walk among mortals again. 15But no corpse is fit to contain him, 16all who have tried have died."
17And Sebastian did not hear the whisper of the savior, 18but he knew in his heart what he must do. So he gathered his Order and his wife unto him, saying
19"My savior was sent as a lamb to free us from the disease of the soul. I have been sent as a lamb to free us from the disease of the body. 20The demon Morbus demands a body, and intends to kill the whole of Rome to obtain it. 21I cannot let that happen. I will offer my own body to the scoundrel."
22The Order and his wife disagreed with him, saying,
23"Surely you cannot give this abomination a way to walk among the living. Who knows how many souls he will take then?"
24And Sebastian calmed them, saying "I do not intend to let this Morbus run free. 25My brothers, our savior is the lord and master of all lesser spirits. 26What our God has bound, no power can unbind. You must bless the walls of the monastery, 27praying that He will not let the monster escape." 28And the brothers were at peace.
29Then Sebastian said unto his wife, 30"My darling, I hope that you will find our son in heaven. 31I pray that once the demon has entered my body, my soul will be freed to join you. But I cannot say for sure. 32As always, I trust my savior for mercy. 33May you live long and prosper." 34And his wife was at peace.
35So the brothers blessed the walls of their monastery, leaving the gates open for the entity to enter. 36That morning, Sebastian entered, gospel in hand, prepared to pen his last thoughts for his beloved Isotta. 37The acolyte of Morbus entered the trap, and agreed to deliver the journal as a last request. 38And the acolyte performed the ritual, [END OF SCP-5639-2]
Addendum 3: Following the translation of SCP-5639-2, Foundation researchers tracked public records on Sebastian, Isotta, and Dante Borroni. All dates recorded in SCP-5639-2 are consistent with public records. However, Sebastian Borroni is recorded as having died in 1890 CE of consumption. After assembling a file on the Borroni family, Miranda.aic attempted contact with SCP-5639-1 again, resulting in the second successful interview.
Interviewed: SCP-5639-1
Interviewer: Miranda.aic
Foreword: Miranda.aic located SCP-5639-1 in the apparent chapel of SCP-5639 and confronted it. SCP-5639-1's speech was more cohesive during this interview, with an inclination towards the usage of Italian.
<Begin Log>
Miranda.aic: Your gospel indicates that you are Sebastian Borroni, or Morbus.
SCP-5639-1: …
Miranda.aic: Which are you?
SCP-5639-1: …
Miranda.aic: There was indication that Sebastian Borroni intended to bind Morbus to his body, but there was uncertainty regarding what would happen to his personality afterwards.
SCP-5639-1: …
Miranda.aic: Why did the book remain in this complex? It was clearly meant to be brought out.
SCP-5639-1: Unimportant. Did you… (SCP-5639-1 appears to struggle with itself briefly) find her?
Miranda.aic: If you are referring to Isotta Borroni, yes, we did find her. (Miranda.aic notes a spike in Akiva levels.) She gave birth to her late husband's daughter Proserpina in 1890. Proserpina went on to have children, and there are descendants of Sebastian and Isotta alive today.
SCP-5639-1: Descendants? How long?
Miranda.aic: I have not been given clearance to reveal the current year to you. However, I am able to reveal that Isotta died in 1920 at the age of 76, succumbing to consumption.
SCP-5639-1: Consumption? (SCP-5639-1 begins to laugh and cry simultaneously. It reaches out and grabs hold of the drone Miranda.aic is controlling.)
Miranda.aic: What are you…
SCP-5639-1: She is gone. No more talk. (SCP-5639-1 smashes Miranda.aic's drone.)
<End Log>
Closing Statement: Following this interview, SCP-5639-1's time spent in a de-materialized state increased. Any attempts by Miranda.aic to communicate with SCP-5639-1 were met with hostility. At this time, no further interviews are permitted.
