Per 
Item #: SCP-4218
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4218 is contained in a 4 x 4 x 4 meter cube of stainless steel, made by submerging SCP-4218 in a vat of liquid steel. The steel containment cube is to be stored suspended in liquid nitrogen.
However, this protocol is top-priority only during the 100 days preceding and following the end of an activation sequence. At all other times, the containment of other SCP’s will take priority over that of SCP-4218 if a situation arises in which not all SCP’s in the facility can be reliably contained.
Description: SCP-4218 is a quadrupedal mechanical automaton measuring 118 cm tall, composed of a body attached to all four limbs, sandwiched between two dome-shaped metallic plates, the top plate having a single spike at its center. Protruding up from the front of the object is a long, metallic “neck,” supporting a small head consisting of an “eye,” or rather a structure resembling a camera, though it does not match any known make or model, as well as a “mouth,” and another, smaller metallic plate on the top.
Every component of SCP-4218 is metallic in appearance, save for the lens of its “eye,” and composed of unknown materials. Disregarding coloration (the head and two body plates are a dark red color, while all other metallic components are a dull silver), every part appears to be made of the same material. Though its exact composition is unknown, the object is exceptionally durable, thus far having been able to withstand all mechanical, thermal, and chemical tests performed on it without showing any signs of damage.
The object has two joints in each of its four legs- one ball joint at the shoulder connecting the leg to the body, and one hinge joint connecting the two leg modules. Each leg appears to be identical, with a sharp metal spike at the end. The neck has only a single pivot joint, connecting the rod to the head. Despite this, SCP-4218 has shown to be incredibly agile while in motion.
All attempts made to dismantle or probe the interior of SCP-4218 on or before the date of January 10, 2019 have thus far been unsuccessful.
As long SCP-4218’s activity has been monitored by the Foundation (which first obtained it in the March of 1944), it has been extremely predictable in when it is active. It appears to follow some sort of internal clock, though extensive study has found no trace of electromagnetic activity emanating from inside of it during its inactive phase. It repeats the same behavior every cycle: From whenever Event SCP-4218-02 is completed to the fifth of February twenty years later, it is inactive. Exactly 48 hours before its activation on said date, it begins radiating gamma rays, which gradually increase in intensity until thirty seconds prior to the activation event, at which point they cease.
At activation, the joints unlock and perform what appears to be a system check in which each joint moves once through its entire range of motion, beginning with the rear-left leg shoulder and ending with the neck joint. No known material or containment has thus far been successful in impeding the movement of the joints for any measurable period of time.
After its activation sequence is completed, SCP-4218 proceeds to break out of any measures being used to contain it and leave the containment facility. It is unaffected by gunfire, and seems to ignore all attempts to bring it back into containment, neither surrendering nor retaliating. It then proceeds to run at incredible speed into the nearest forest and continue running until all pursuing individuals lose track of it.
SCP-4218 then abducts exactly 5 (five) random individuals of varying ethnicities, sexes, and ages from throughout North America ever the course of the 14 days following its activation (interestingly, it has never been observed to choose abductees born and/or currently living outside of North America, even when stored in facilities on other continents). It is unknown where it keeps its victims or how it brings them to the site of the Ritual.
After gathering its five victims, SCP-4218 brings them all to a seemingly random location in the forested wilderness of North America. At every incidence, it cuts down one medium-size tree (it has used various species) and uses the wood to build a campfire, with five log seats arranged in a semicircular fashion around it.
It then begins what is known as Event SCP-4218-02, also simply called “the Ritual,” in which SCP-4218 somehow binds each victim to his/her own log seat and forces them to participate in a morbid question game. SCP-4218 asks each participant in a robotic voice whether he/she would prefer to perform some act (typically involving mutilation or █████████) or have a similar act performed on him/herself. This process repeats until a victim dies. When a victim succumbs to his/her injuries resulting from the event, SCP-4218 consumes his/her corpse by swallowing it whole, releasing a loud screeching noise and painting a symbol resembling ████████████████████████████████████ with the victim’s blood on the log where he/she was seated.
After three victims die, the final two are simply told they must hide. Then, SCP-4218 goes silent and stops moving until the campfire dies, at which point it reactivates and goes to hunt the remaining two abductees.
When it succeeds in consuming the second-to-last victim, it returns to the site of the event and paints another blood symbol on said victim’s log before going to find the last remaining abductee (referenced from this point on as SCP-4218-01). However, at this point SCP-4218 appears to know the exact location of SCP-4218-01, as it finds him/her in seconds. When nearing SCP-4218-01, it announces that he/she completed “the Ritual” and is [REDACTED]. Another strange symbol is created, this time as a brand on SCP-4218-01’s chest, then SCP-4218 shuts down again until the next activation cycle.
In the following days, the Foundation tracks down the site of Event SCp-4218-02. SCP-4218 is recovered and brought back into containment, and the site is closed off to the public until SCP crews remove any evidence of SCP-4218’s presence.
SCP-4218-01 is typically found within 2-6 days of the Ritual site, and is often missing one or more parts of his/her body. He/she is brought back to a Foundation facility and treated for multiple injuries, then interrogated by an agent on what happened during his/her time under SCP-4218. All instances of SCP-4218-01 seem to remember what happened after the start of the Ritual, but cannot remember anything between his/her kidnapping and that point.
Instances of SCP-4218-01 are to remain in containment in standard humanoid cells, but should not be allowed to interact with each other as one instance seeing the symbol on another’s chest will prompt a severe manic episode involving [DATA EXPUNGED].
SCP-4218’s designation as a Keter-class object only applies when active, as at such a time it is seemingly impossible to contain. However, seeing as this behavior is timed and predictable, it may be treated as a Safe-class object at any point in time further than 100 days from an active state.
Additional Notes:
Previous attempts at containing SCP-4218 have included:
- Standard (1944-1964)- SCP-4218 was stored in a standard storage locker after its anomalous composition was discovered, as it originally appeared inert.
- 5m x 5m x 5m Stainless Steel Vault (1964-1984)- SCP-4218 was stored in a stainless steel vault with walls one meter thick after it proved to be able to escape its previous container when active.
- 5m x 5m x 5m Reinforced Concrete Block (1984-2004)- SCP-4218 was stored in a steel-reinforced concrete block poured around it following its escape from and subsequent structural damage to Facility ██.
Contained instances of SCP-4218-01:
1944:
- Caucasian male, mid-30’s at time of recovery, found weeping at the edge of a creek near the 1944 instance of Event SCP-4218-02 at ██████████████████. Subject was missing his right arm and left ear. Branded symbol resembled a ███████████████████████████████. Current status: Deceased (As of July 2001), corpse frozen for study.
1964:
- African-american male, early 50’s at time of recovery, found unconscious in a bush near the 1964 instance of Event SCP-4218-02 at ██████████████████████. Subject was missing his right leg and kidney. The method by which SCP-4218 extracted said kidney is unknown. Branded symbol resembled an inverted █████████████████████████████████████████████. Current status: Comatose (As of January 2004), subject still has life-functions but no higher brain function.
1984:
- Hispanic male, 8-10 years of age at time of recovery, found wandering in the woods close to the 1984 instance of Event SCP-4218-02 at ██████████████████. Subject was missing both arms and right eye. Branded symbol resembled a ████████████████. Current status: Alive, though prone to seemingly random fits of screeching.
2004:
- Caucasian female, 16-18 years of age at time of recovery, found weeping violently while trying to consume the campfire ashes from the 2004 instance of Event SCP-4218-02 at ███████. Subject was missing her left leg below the knee and one hemisphere of her brain. Once again, SCP-4218’s methods of organ extraction are unknown. Branded symbol resembled two ████████████████████████████████████. Current status: Alive and currently being treated for severe PTSD.
