SCP-8352 - Little Havana Syndrome

The Foundation and the Pentagram commit some light treason to contain an anomalous strain of communism.

Our Open Veins Hub » SCP-8352
Third Law Hub » SCP-8352

DrGrimoire

Little Havana Syndrome
Authors: DrGrimoire

If you liked this, you would like:

Our Lady of Sorrows: Three Portlands' ghosts have been disappearing, and the Morrigan, goddess of Fate, War, and Death has come to investigate.

The building containing an entrance to SCP-8352 within Site-Alpha

Item #: SCP-8352

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation operatives within the United States Department of State, Department of Defense, and Democratic and Republican National Committees are to ensure the continuation of the Cuban embargo. Pursuant to the terms of the Eisenhower Agreement, the Mobile Task Force Upsilon-4 ("Sugar Pill") is to maintain a garrison around the primary entrance to SCP-8352-B (Site-Alpha), under the guise of the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Snake Conservation Preserve.

SCP-8352-A instances are to be quarantined within SCP-8352-B. Any carriers found outside of quarantine are to be either returned to SCP-8352-B or terminated, depending on feasibility of transport. Under no circumstances should Foundation staff communicate with SCP-8352 carriers via any means, save for giving them orders necessary for their containment. Any personnel found to have communicated with SCP-8352-A instances outside of giving said orders are to be considered compromized and terminated.

Any potential SCP-8352-C sightings are to be investigated by members of Mobile Task Force Gamma-4 ("Green Stags"). Upon confirmation of a sighting, the instance is to be captured, and the entrance to SCP-8352-B to be sealed, preferably by encasement in concrete. Any individuals found to have come into contact with the SCP-8352-C instance are to be treated as instances of SCP-8352-A, and contained as such.

Any individuals attempting to enter into SCP-8352-B without authorization are to be detained and interrogated. American citizens are to be amnesticized and deposited at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay hospital. All other individuals are to be turned over to the Department of Defense Paranatural Warfare Command ("Pentagram") for interrogation and processing.

Any entities or individuals attempting to leave SCP-8352-B are to be treated as hostile and met with lethal force.

Description: SCP-8352 is a highly contagious memetic pathogen discovered upon an extradimensional island (SCP-8352-B) accessible from numerous locations in the Caribbean and South Atlantic, the most notable entrance being an abandoned manor house on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. SCP-8352 is transmitted both by infected human hosts (SCP-8352-A), including the entire human population of the anomaly, and by a variety of anomalous entities native to the island, collectively designated SCP-8352-C.

SCP-8352 is highly infectious, with an R0 of at least 5, and is transmitted through recorded and live audio or video of, and literature produced by, SCP-8352-A and -C instances. Any such media (recorded audio, recorded video, or literature) remains infectious for the lifetime of the substrate: 20-50 years for VHS or Audio Cassette, 100-200 years for DVD and CD, and theoretically indefinite for literature.

Information about the progression and symptoms of SCP-8352 themselves can transmit the infection, and as such are Level 4-8352 Classified.

- Close

Regardless of infection vector, SCP-8352 presents as a series of changes in the beliefs and values of subjects, eventually converting them into SCP-8352-A instances. Once started, this sequence of changes is nearly unstoppable, and follows a highly-consistent progression regardless of means of infection, defined as follows:

Stage 1 — Initial Exposure: After consuming sufficient infectious media, the subject will demonstrate a marked desire to learn more about SCP-8352-B's society and native population, with a notable emphasis on their political and economic systems.

At this stage, should a subject be prevented from consuming further media, they will develop conspiratorial thinking and paranoia, believing that the prevention of their exposure is due to unknown, organized conspiracies acting against them. Of note is that, in Foundation and Pentagram personnel, this phenomenon instead presents as resentment towards their organization for denying them information. In less than 10% of such cases of denied exposure, recovery is possible via intensive psychiatric intervention and exposure to counteragents.

Stage 2 — Priority Realignment: After consuming sufficient additional infectious vectors, subjects demonstrate a realignment of personal and political priorities. In most individuals, this takes the form of a disenchantment with the systems of labor and capital, increased political activity, typically including the joining of socialist or communist parties, and a desire to disrupt the efficiency of their workplace by the organization of unions, worker cooperatives, and/or pushes for shorter working hours and equal pay. Subjects also display an unusual interest in learning the Spanish language, and begin actively planning their relocation to the Caribbean or Bermuda.

In Foundation personnel, this realignment has also been observed to take the form of opposition to the Veil protocol and the questioning of the necessity of the Foundation's work. Infected subjects have attempted to leak information about Safe-class anomalies, particularly those which subjects believe could improve the lives of civilians, Foundation blackmail material on politicians and industry leaders, and knowledge of the existence of organizations such as the Manna Charitable Foundation and the Serpent's Hand to socialist and communist movements and parties. All such attempts have been unsuccessful thus far.

At this stage, subjects are considered to be fully-fledged SCP-8352-A instances, and can produce infectious vectors on their own.

Stage 3 — Active Carrier: Following the development of their first infectious vectors, subjects are designated as active carriers. In this stage of infection, subjects not only seek to continue the political activities begun in Stage 2, but also to actively spread SCP-8352 through the transmission of infectious vectors. Often, subjects begin by infecting members of the socialist or communist groups they joined during Stage 2, followed by working as a larger group to attempt to infect the population of an ever-expanding area. This vector of infection has been found to be least effective in highly-developed, affluent regions, with an R0 of between 1 and 2, and most effective in underdeveloped regions and those with substantial enmity towards the United States such as Afghanistan, Chile, and Cuba.

Stage 3 subjects also begin attempts to provision SCP-8352-B with material aid, largely in the form of weapons and military equipment. Intercepted shipments from SCP-8352-A instances in the United States have contained:

8 M48 Patton Tanks
13 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs)
3 Bell UH-1 Iroquois Helicopters
At least 500 AK-47 Assault Rifles
Over 500,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition

The standardization and military nature of these attempts suggests the existence of a method of communication between SCP-8352-A instances in the outside world and within SCP-8352-B; research and espionage are ongoing.

Foundation personnel who reach this stage without termination or containment typically abandon their posts and proceed directly to Stage 4, often attempting to instigate containment breaches of Safe- and Euclid- class humanoid anomalies as a means of covering their desertion.

Stage 4 — Disappearance: After a variable period of activity within Stage 3, subjects finalize and enact their plans to move to the Caribbean or Bermuda. If not stopped, they will make their way to locations with one or more SCP-8352-C instances present, and make use of previously-unknown and apparently ephemeral entrances to SCP-8352-B to enter the anomaly.

- Close

SCP-8352-B is an island approximately 50 kilometers in length and 30 kilometers in width, located in an extradimensional space which appears to be bounded by an endless ocean. Surveys of this ocean have failed to locate any physical boundary or edge, however an anomalous, persistent storm prevents any exploration beyond 20 kilometers from shore. The island itself is densely covered in vegetation, with climate and ecology similar to the rainforests of Puerto Rico and Tobago.

Entrances to SCP-8352-B appear sporadically on islands within and the coastline of the Caribbean Sea, with occasional reports of entrances on Bermuda, and take two main forms: static and ephemeral. Static entrances appear largely fixed, and exist for a period of time greater than one year. Such entrances are usually found within ruined buildings, often taking the appearance of an unusually well-preserved door. The static entrance in Site-Alpha has existed since at least 1956, and potentially much longer.

Ephemeral entrances opening at sea and linking to the anomalous storm surrounding the island are believed to be one cause of the "Bermuda Triangle" phenomenon.

Information about human society within SCP-8352-B is capable of transmitting the SCP-8352 infection, and as such is Level 4-8352 Classified.

- Close

Two settlements are known to exist within SCP-8352-B, SCP-8352-B-1 ("Libertad") and the larger -B-2 ("Pequeña Habana"). Together with several smaller clusters of homes, farms, and factories scattered across the southern third of the island, they form the micronation of SCP-8352-B-3 ("La República Popular del Caribe"), with an estimated population of between 12,000 and 15,000 SCP-8352-A instances. Remote surveillance by Foundation staff also notes the integration of SCP-8352-C instances into the culture and society of -B-3.

SCP-8352-B-3 appears to operate under a form of anarcho-syndicalism with clear influences from Revolutionary Catalonia and the Makhnovshchina.. Unlike in other examples of this form of government, SCP-8352-B-3 appears highly effective and stable, with widespread use of anomalous techniques largely obviating both the need for low-skill labor and issues with resource distribution common in non-anomalous anarcho-communist communities, suggesting the anomaly has developed a post-scarcity society.

Despite its lack of central organization, SCP-8352-B-3 maintains a highly-effective military, primarily composed of indigenous SCP-8352-A instances, SCP-8352-C instances with forms suited to combat, and Foundation and Pentagram defectors. Despite their largely outdated armament, they have proven able to drive off numerous attempted Foundation raids, and even conduct their own offensives on Foundation and Pentagram holding facilities to effect the escape of SCP-8352-A and -C instances and numerous humanoid SCP objects.

SCP-8352-B-3 is to be considered a dangerous, actively-hostile Group of Interest, with unknown anomalous and military capabilities, its threat only limited by the size of entrances near Foundation sites. Given the fact that the entrance in Site-Alpha is only large enough for a single SCP-8352-A instance, or similarly-sized SCP-8352-C instance, to pass through at one time, every effort must be made to ensure that it is the only entrance into SCP-8352-B.

- Close

SCP-8352-C instances are anomalous beings with morphology similar to that of creatures from Taíno and Voudoun mythology. Instances vary in size, appearance, and behavior, but most are able to communicate with humans verbally, and are capable of transmitting SCP-8352. Instances have been observed working alongside SCP-8352-A instances to effect the release of SCP-8352-A and -C instances from Foundation custody, to cause containment breaches in Foundation sites across the Caribbean, and to intentionally spread the SCP-8352 infection to groups worldwide.

Discovery: SCP-8352-B was initially discovered by the Pentagram in 1956 when several individuals with known Communist ties (now suspected to be SCP-8352-A instances) were apprehended while trying to enter Site-Alpha. From 1956 to 1957, the Pentagram conducted covert reconnaissance of the island. In 1959, following the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista and the signing of the Eisenhower Agreement, the anomaly's existence was disclosed to the Foundation. In 1962, the Foundation was given primary responsibility for the containment of SCP-8352, in exchange for its assistance in training and arming Brigade 2506.

During their brief custodianship of the anomaly, the Pentagram performed only limited reconnaissance of SCP-8352-B, during which they located a small settlement of largely non-anomalous humans, designated SCP-8352-B-1, known by its inhabitants as "Libertad". During their search of the settlement, the Pentagram discovered that it was inhabited largely by students displaced from their universities by Batista's purges, suspected communists, and anomalous smugglers (all now identified as SCP-8352-A instances). In cooperation with the Buró para Represión de las Actividades Comunistas (BRAC), the Pentagram discovered a second entrance into the anomaly in the basement of a faculty building on the campus of the University of Havana. This entrance was sealed by filling the basement with concrete while the university was closed due to anti-government protests.

The primary, pathogenic anomaly was discovered by the Foundation in 1968. Five years after the interrogation of several communist guerrillas (later identified as SCP-8352-A-1 through -4) who had attempted to breach Site-Alpha, three Foundation personnel involved in the interrogations attempted to free the guerrillas, instigating a containment breach of several uncategorized anomalies (now suspected to be SCP-8352-C instances) which were stored in a warehouse on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay while awaiting transport. During the breach, these personnel were observed actively aiding both the breaching anomalies and the SCP-8352-A instances in entering into SCP-8352-B, and all but one of said personnel escaped into the anomaly themselves.

Interrogation of the sole captured individual (designated SCP-8352-A-5) revealed what would later be classified as Stage 3 infection with SCP-8352, with a modality focused on subversive activity. Following the reclassification of the SCP-8352 infection as the primary anomaly, SCP-8352-A-5 was terminated, along with several associates believed to also have been infected.

Incident Report 8352-08082016: At 09:18 on 08/08/2016, a known SCP-8352-A instance ("John Mitchell"), formerly an employee of the United States Embassy in Havana, was observed entering the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Unusual Incidents Unit Miami field office by routine surveillance. Mitchell left the office at 13:38. At 14:01, the Pentagram alerted the Foundation that a formal request had been lodged by the UIU for an inspection of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, stated to be "following up on an anonymous tip regarding violations of both the Hoover Mandate and the Fourth Convention of the Veil Accords". Per the Eisenhower Agreement (the existence of which is not known to the UIU), the Pentagram denied this request.

At 07:16 on 08/19/2016, a United States State Department DHC-8 jet landed at Leeward Point Field carrying the Domestic Security Advisor, the Executive Assistant Director of the Unusual Incidents Unit, and the Postmaster General, all members of the Domestic Security Council, responsible for matters of US paranormal policy. At 08:42, these individuals were reported by members of MTF Upsilon-4 as approaching Site-Alpha, accompanied by Rear Admiral Peter J. Clarke, the commanding officer of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Upon arrival, the councilmembers demanded access to "The goddamn enclave you Pentagram assholes have been hiding from us for sixty damn years!". The officer on duty, Upsilon-4 Lieutenant William Crosby, denied the existence of any such "enclave" and insisted that Site Alpha was a Pentagram research site built around an entrance to the Taíno afterlife of Coaybey.

Despite the continued insistence of Lt. Crosby upon this cover story, corroborated by numerous fellow members of MTF Upsilon-4, at 09:17, the Domestic Security Advisor forced his way into the containment zone, followed by the other three officials present and their security detail. All then made their way into SCP-8352-B. Immediately following this, Lt. Crosby requested orders from offsite MTF command, and was advised to take no action against any individuals emerging from SCP-8352-B until all US officials were confirmed to have left.

FURTHER DETAILS CLASSIFIED O5/STARLIGHT ANGLER

- Close

At 21:03, approximately 12 hours after entering the anomaly, the party returned, carrying with them several manila folders of documents. The dignitaries did not speak with the MTF Upsilon-4 members on watch, save the Postmaster General, who was overheard muttering "goddamn Foundation" while exiting Site-Alpha. All then proceeded to their jet, and at 22:39, the aircraft took off from Leeward Point Field, bound for Washington, DC. An emergency O5 council meeting was held, producing the following resolution, classified O5/STARLIGHT ANGLER:

BY ORDER OF THE OVERSEER COUNCIL

EVIDENT, that the United States Government is aware of the existence of SCP-8352-B, and the Foundation's role in its containment;

RECOGNIZED, that the United States Government possesses sufficient paranatural capabilities to present a substantial threat to Foundation operations, both domestically and globally;

ACKNOWLEDGED, that the spread of SCP-8352 within the highest levels of the United States government presents an existential threat to consensus normalcy;

RESOLVED, that the Foundation must act to prevent the spread of SCP-8352 within the United States Executive in order to prevent an SK-class Dominance Shift Scenario, and/or a Broken Masquerade Scenario;

THUS, MTF Alpha-1 ("Red Right Hand") is to act to discredit and controvert the views of all United States government officials who have come into contact with SCP-8352-A, and is provided blanket authorization to use anomalous means to carry out this mission, designated STARLIGHT ANGLER;

AND, the containment procedures of SCP-8352 are to be updated to include the use of infiltrators in United States Department of State, Department of Defense, and Democratic and Republican National Committees with the stated purpose of steering US policy away from alignment with Cuba, and the covert purpose of ensuring that any potential instances of SCP-8352-A within the United States Government are identified and ideologically neutralized.

So ordered by,
Overseers 02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 10, and 12

Between 08/21/16 and 08/25/16, STARLIGHT ANGLER operatives installed electronic surveillance software on the personal and work computers, cell phones, and smart home devices of the Domestic Security Advisor, the Executive Assistant Director of the Unusual Incidents Unit, and the Postmaster General. Physical surveillance equipment was also installed in their offices, homes, and personal vehicles where possible. Anomalous surveillance methods, including the use of astral projection and thaumaturgical scrying, were also deployed.

On 09/01/16, STARLIGHT ANGLER delivered the following preliminary surveillance report to the O5 council:

STARLIGHT ANGLER REPORT 090116

BRIEF:

Surveillance of Domestic Security Advisor (SUBJECT-A), and the Executive Assistant Director of the Unusual Incidents Unit (SUBJECT-Β) has indicated high likelihood of infection with SCP-8352, with unusual pathology (see PATHOLOGY) below. Surveillance of the Postmaster General (SUBJECT-Γ) has indicated low chance of infection with SCP-8352.

Accordingly, SUBJECT-A and SUBJECT-B have been designated the primary targets of operations under STARLIGHT ANGLER. Psychological warfare techniques, including sleep disruption, false and intentional-near-miss bomb threats at residences, and induction of stress-inducing life events has begun (see PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS below). Initial assessment suggests high degree of success against SUBJECT-A, with substantially lower degree of success against SUBJECT-B. Alternative means of action against SUBJECT-B are being developed presently. SUBJECT-B has also been identified as a close associate of the current frontrunner in the United States Presidential Election, and may have infected said individual with SCP-8352 (provisional designation SUBJECT-Δ).

Given current progress, it is suggested that efforts to sway the United States election be increased. Prior to the incident, SUBJECT-Δ has indicated support for a thaw in US-Cuban relations, which now presents a potential violation of SCP-8352 containment procedures. If SUBJECT-Δ is allowed to ascend to the office of the President, modelling by the Directorate of Intelligence suggests that their administration would pursue a Broken Masquerade scenario as a matter of policy, and would likely actively work against Foundation interests globally.

PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS:

The following psychological operations have been conducted targeting SUBJECT-A and SUBJECT-B. No operations have been conducted targeting SUBJECT-Γ for reasons of resource conservation, concealment of conspiracy, and lack of cause.

Sleep Disruption:

Hypnotic suggestion and psychic possession of both subjects' neighbors has been used to induce them to operate motor vehicles, host loud parties, and engage in domestic disputes during subjects' sleeping hours (2100-0500 hours). Landline telephones present in both subjects' homes have had their ringers replaced with substantially louder models, and anonymous calls have been placed to both homes at random intervals during sleeping hours.

Bomb Threats:

Intentionally defective explosive devices have been mailed to both subjects, as well as a random selection of other high-level Executive Branch officials to conceal STARLIGHT ANGLER's existence. A second wave of explosive devices, including two functional ones delivered to the Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health and the Comptroller General. Neither device caused harm to its intended recipient, although one US Postal Service worker was injured. Following these events, both subjects have been moved to secure government housing under heavy guard, the existence and location of which was already known to STARLIGHT ANGLER. The landline telephones in these secure sites has already been modified as described in the Sleep Disruption section, and all mattresses in these sites have been replaced with models selected for their ability to reduce quality of sleep.

Induction of Stress-Inducing Life Events:

Beyond the stressors mentioned above, the following measures have been taken to induce strain on both subjects' personal and professional lives:

Subjects have had cluster headaches and migraines induced by Foundation psychics, forcing them to miss critical meetings with the President and National Security Council
Departmental scandals have been manufactured by deep-cover operatives within the subjects' organizations, some of which have already breached, including the UIU "Pool Hall" incident.
Statistics in presentations given by both subjects have been altered to make subjects appear untrustworthy.
Subjects' preferred security details have been infected with the flu, requiring temporary replacements. Replacements are Foundation operatives, instructed to appear lackadaisical towards their responsibilities.
Bank statements implicating both subjects in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal have been released to ideologically-hostile news media.
SUBJECT-A's home has had a tree felled on it.
Traffic light timings outside of subjects' secure residences have been altered to ensure that heavy traffic will always be present on their commute.
Evidence of an affair between SUBJECT-B's wife and best friend has been planted, including the implantation of false memories of said affair in both "participants".

Results:

SUBJECT-A has begun drafting a resignation letter, expected to be delivered to the President by 09/04/16. This resignation will have the secondary effect of forcing the President to nominate a new Domestic Security Advisor, who will likely be retained by SUBJECT-Δ should attempts to influence the election prove insufficient. Operations to influence this process so as to select a pro-Foundation candidate are underway.

SUBJECT-B has proven substantially more resilient than SUBJECT-A. Operatives in the news media have been instructed to increase coverage of the 1MDB scandal, and particularly the involvement of members of the FBI. Additional plans, including the planting of compromising material on personal computing devices with the intent of their being leaked to the media, are in progress.

Pathology:

The SCP-8352 infection in SUBJECT-A and SUBJECT-B has not followed the standard progression thus far. Subjects are believed to have completed Phase 1 of infection during their time within SCP-8352-B (how SUBJECT-Γ remained uninfected is unknown at this time). Both subjects are now expected to be in Phase 2, however, rather than joining Socialist or Communist groups or demonstrating opposition to the Veil protocol, both have instead maintained their political views, including on the necessity of the Veil. Subjects have instead manifested infection as a strong opposition to the Pentagram's oversight of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, a desire to cease all joint operations with the Foundation, and an anomalously-strong desire to try Foundation and Pentagram staff involved in SCP-8352 containment for Treason and various war crimes.

The reason for this difference in SCP-8352 presentation is unknown as of this time, but is believed to be related to the strength and duration of individuals' convictions.

As of 11/09/16, STARLIGHT ANGLER is considered successful, with all targets having resigned their post and the risk of an SCP-8352-A instance gaining the powers of the Presidency eliminated.

- Close