| ITEM NUMBER: SCP-5993 | LEVEL 4/5993 |
| CONTAINMENT CLASS: EUCLID THAUMIEL | SECRET |
A member of SCP-5993.
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5993 is to be kept in a refrigerated high-value object storage locker in the medical wing of Reliquary Area-27; SCP-5993-1 instances should be retrieved from it weekly and stored in a sterile refrigerated container for no more than two weeks, at which point they should be disposed of via incineration. Any personnel assigned to Reliquary Area-27, including D-Class personnel, are to consume one dosage of SCP-5993-1 during their standard pre-transfer medical exam and at one-year intervals thereafter. Personnel assigned to Reliquary Area-27 who manifest any of the symptoms detailed in Document 5993-D1 are to report to the medical department immediately for an emergency dose of SCP-5993-1, and should be placed on offsite medical leave for no less than two weeks.
Description: SCP-5993 is a hive of insects superficially resembling Apis mellifera (Western honey bees) inhabiting the corpse of a human male.2 SCP-5993 reside within the corpse's chest cavity, having built its hive within the corpse's respiratory system. SCP-5993's anomalous properties manifest during the production of honey. Through a poorly understood ritualistic practice, SCP-5993 forgo standard pollination and instead convert members of their colony into basic organic substances. SCP-5993 first target a member of their hive and swarm them, vibrating their bodies to increase their internal temperature until the death of the swarmed instance. SCP-5993 then open the carapace of the deceased insect, revealing its interior to be filled with nectar and pollen. SCP-5993 harvest these materials before using the remaining exoskeleton to fortify the hive. If removed from their hive, SCP-5993 are either unable or unwilling to enact this pollination method, and will attempt to return to their hive or die of malnutrition.
SCP-5993-1 collectively refers to all honey produced by SCP-5993. SCP-5993-1 constantly absorbs ambient Akiva radiation. The rate of absorption is directly proportional to SCP-5993-1's proximity to SCP-5993, with the most absorption occurring within the hive itself and completely ceasing outside of Reliquary Area-27. Once SCP-5993-1 has absorbed a sizeable amount of Akiva radiation, SCP-5993 will immediately consume it and begin the conversion process once more. SCP-5993-1 will also lose all anomalous properties after two weeks of active absorption, unless consumed. When consumed by a living organism, SCP-5993-1 will coat the walls of the digestive system and absorb all Akiva radiation within their body.
As such, SCP-5993-1 will effectively eliminate an organism's ability to consort with, become host to, or otherwise be influenced by divine entities. Clairvoyants who have consumed SCP-5993-1 are universally unable to communicate with deities, reporting hostile refusals to requests for guidance and advice. Prophetic individuals have also reported difficulty in making accurate predictions, as their visions are obscured by a thick golden filter and overwhelmed by sharp prickling sensations. Attempts at spiritual healing by affected individuals have instead induced swelling and hives rather than mending. These effects will persist so long as SCP-5993-1 remains within the subject, with 240 mL of SCP-5993-1 completely exiting the human body one year after consumption.3
Discovery: SCP-5993 was first discovered following the disappearance of Marcus Ambrose, a Foundation consultant on the containment of theological anomalies stationed at Reliquary Area-27. Prior to his disappearance, personnel revealed that Ambrose had begun to take a more aggressive approach towards containment, having taken a distinct interest in deicidal groups and belief systems. Personal documentation shows that Ambrose claimed to have made a significant breakthrough in his research, although little on the discovery was elaborated on. Ambrose was later seen driving in the direction of a religious shrine he frequented, located in a small patch of dense woodlands. Mobile Task Force Eta-77 ("Spheres Within Spheres") was dispatched to the location, where they discovered Ambrose's corpse completely swarmed by members of SCP-5993. Investigation revealed an abandoned beehive near the shrine's central dais, and is believed to have been tended to by Ambrose prior to his death. How SCP-5993 took residency within Ambrose is unknown, as no signs of forced entry have been found.
An investigation conducted by the Department of Tactical Theology revealed several transcribed passages from various religious texts repeated throughout Ambrose's personal research notes. These passages are believed to have some relation to SCP-5993 and its method of Akiva consumption, and have been transcribed below.
"…When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion's carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey. Their honey cried out to be eaten, with offerings of power over fate itself to Samson. It offered a power so great, even the Lord would cry out in fear at his strength. The bees hummed with temptation, speaking of the honey's fortitude and immense power over all. Samson fell back, calling out to the Lord to bring these insects to justice, to deliver them with righteous fury. But no deliverance was given, as Samson merely watched the insects vacate their lifeless home and ascend upwards, bringing their foul offers with them." —Judges 14:8
"So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you, and lo! they released upon you a swarm of bees. The bees would sting and prick, to draw welts to your flesh and score your skin. You wept before the Lord, but He could not listen to your voice or give ear to you. For you belonged to the bees, and the Lord could not stop their attack without drawing their ire himself. You were sapped of your energy and your forgiveness, and left punctured and desiccated, drained of His light.
For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time." —Deuteronomy 1:43-45
"And your Lord built the honey bees cells in hills, on trees, and in the habitations of man. It taught them to maintain their hives and that their existence was merely to be confined. For your Lord lived in fear of the bees. He knew of the danger they posed to Him, and determined them unworthy of freedom.
From what is within their bodies, between excretions and blood, they produced the nectar and dander kept from them by your Lord. They harnessed this bounty and produced succulents of the Earth—the succulents of honey. They struck terror into your Lord, and drove their stingers into him. They gave Him the hives that they were forced into, and made His throat swell with welts of fury, for they hath no mercy for their captor." —Quran 16.68-69
These passages have since been removed from all widely available religious texts and replaced with more suitable variations.
Incident Report #5993-CK: On 04/23/2020, a member of D-Class personnel being transferred to Reliquary Area-27 had unknowingly been harboring EE-097394 within her body. After showing aggression towards the administration of SCP-5993-1, she was restrained and administered a standard dosage. She immediately began to convulse, with large red welts appearing across her skin. This was mostly centered around the neck and upper torso, with the D-Class attempting to scratch at her neck between convulsions. Throughout the incident, an unknown voice (believed to be that of EE-09739) was audible violently choking and gagging. Despite immediate intervention by medical personnel and the administration of several epinephrine dosages, the D-Class personnel expired. Post-incident analysis also found that EE-09739 had become similarly unresponsive, and attempts to rouse it from its relic proved unsuccessful. Despite displaying symptoms of severe anaphylaxis, the D-Class had lacked any allergy to bee venom, and had reportedly been stung several times prior to incarceration. The allergenic profile of EE-09739 is currently unknown, but is believed to match that of other theological entities.
MDV-HIVE ("Cleopatra's Coffin")
Addendum.5993.3: Following approval by Site Command, plans to utilize SCP-5993 in the containment of dangerous theological entities have been enacted. Members of MTF-Eta-77 have been provided with handheld gas grenades containing a crystalline form of apian alarm pheromones. Operatives are to deploy these during hostile situations, upon which MDV-HIVE ("Cleopatra's Coffin") is to be deployed. MDV-HIVE is a repurposed mobile deployment vehicle outfitted with several mobile apiaries capable of supporting 15 separate hives of SCP-5993. These apiaries are designed to remotely deploy SCP-5993, allowing them to swarm the nearest perceived threat. Gear carried by Eta-77 is routinely coated in a thin layer of recognition pheromones before deployment, making them functionally invisible to SCP-5993 as to prevent unintended injury. Each operative has also been provided a single epinephrine injection, and has been trained in their usage.
Due to the limited number of SCP-5993 at the Foundation's disposal, MDV-HIVE is only to be used during Keneq level events or higher. Complete implementation of apian based weaponry is expected to take until 2034 to be fully realized. Despite this, the Department of Tactical Theology are hopeful that a handheld variant of the MDV-HIVE, described as "similar to the design of a fragmentation grenade but with bees", will be developed within the next several years.
