Tinko

SCP-5038 in an assembled state.

Item #: SCP-5038

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Object is currently kept at Site-██ Anomalous Storage Container-49 in a disassembled state. Access to SCP-5038 is Level 3/5038 restricted.
For further expedition requests to SCP-5038-1, personnel should submit a formal request to Site Command.
After Incident-5038-1-01, all further expeditions are on hold pending O5 Approval.

Description: SCP-5038 is a 70cm tall hookah, gold in color with no identifying brand or model, presumed to be [REDACTED] in origin.
The hookah set consists of the following parts:

• A black hose, 1 meter long with the word "INHALE" written in English on the holding end.
• A black tobacco bowl made of polished clay with a single hole in the center.
• A golden vase with 4 different symbols engraved on each side.
• A golden pipe that connects the parts, found to be unremarkable.

When the object is fully assembled, the symbols on the vase emit light for 1 second, after which they return to normal. No apparent source for the light has been discovered. Current theory is the light represents that the object is "primed" and ready for use. When in assembled and primed state, SCP-5038 can be lit and smoked normally. Its anomalous properties manifest about half-way through the smoking session. See Tests 01,02 and expedition logs 01-05 for a more detailed information on SCP-5038-1.

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+ Test-01

Test-01 - ██-██-████

Subject: D-4156
Subject is a heavy smoker but has not tried a hookah before. SCP-5038 is prepared by a hookah specialist and sat on table in the test area. D-4156 is instructed to sit at the table and begin smoking from SCP-5038. Subject is compliant, grabs the hose and begins. After 5 minutes of smoking, subject request a cup of strawberry tea to go along with the flavor of the tobacco, claiming that the taste is excellent. Request approved. ██ minutes into smoking, subject suddenly exhales a very large and thick cloud of smoke which engulfs the entire testing area. All electronic equipment in a 15 meter radius shows signs of malfunction. Security is then instructed to go in and stop subject from continuing but the electronic lock on the door malfunctions and prevents them from doing so. █ minutes later, the smoke clears and all electronic equipment begins operating as usual. There is no sign of D-4156 anywhere in the test area and SCP-5038 is found with a detatched hose. D-4156's tracking signal is unresponsive and subject is presumed lost.

*Note from Dr. Connors: "Something of a note here, right after we lost D-4156's tracking signal, we recieved a ping from one of our satellites that acts as a backup tracker but the location was unknown. If this thing is a teleporter of some kind, we need to figure out where it's sending people fast because if that D-class ends up somewhere populated it might be a hard cover-up story.

+ Test-02

Test-02 - ██-██-████

Subject: D-4157
Testing of SCP-5038 moved outside, in a 5x5x5m fenced off area. A thermal and an infrared cameras are positioned on each side, 20 meters away from the test area. Subject is a non-smoker, but has tried a hookah before. SCP-5038 is prepared again, this time with a minty flavor. Subject is instructed to begin smoking. At first, subject is reluctant, claiming she had a bad headache the last time she tried a hookah. Control reminds subject of her deal with the Foundation and she soon begins the smoke session. After 5 minutes, Control asks subject if she would like a mint tea to go with the flavor of the tobacco but subject refuses and even describes the flavor as "harsh and very heavy". ██ minutes after smoking, subject begins coughing but continues nonetheless and suddenly exhales the same thick smoke that engulfs the testing area in a perfect sphere around SCP-5038. Thermal and infrared cameras fail to penetrate the cloud and security is instructed to go in and provide additional information. As Security Officer O'Brian tries to enter the cloud, he screams and retreats back, claiming his left hand is burning up. Upon inspection, his left hand is found to have sustained a second degree burn up until above the wrist, which is the part that was inside the cloud.█ minutes later the cloud disperses and SCP-5038 is found with the hose detatched. D-4157's tracking signal is unresponsive and subject is presumed lost.

*Note from Dr. Connors: "Okay, so that was a bad idea but we did learn a couple of things here.
The object itself seems to be non-anomalous, as the subjects both had different opinions and needs during smoking. The cloud that manifests seems to only engulf a certain area around SCP-5038 and is able to maintain a perfect sphere. It's almost like a shield of sorts and nothing seems to work so far to let us see inside"."Most interesting indeed".

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+ UPDATE 5038-1

Before Test-03 was able to take place, Subject D-4156 suddenly appeared in the Test-01 testing area.
At the time, Security Officer Ramirez was walking by and found the subject uncoscious in the same place he vanished from. The subject was rushed to the ICU where it was discovered he was severely dehydrated and placed on a 24-hour care. 1 day later, subject reclaimed consciousness and was immediately set up for an interview. See Interview 5038-1-01 for more details.

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+ Interview 5038-1

Audio Log 5038-1

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DATE: ██-██-████

Interviewer: Lead Researcher ████████

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[BEGIN LOG]

"Hello, D-4156, how are you feeling?"

"Hey Doc, thanks for patching me up, for a moment I thought I was a goner there"

"That's quite alright, now, if you wouldn't mind answering some questions."

"Yeah, I gotta tell you Doc, you wouldn't believe half the shit I saw, hell, I don't even believe it was real myself."

"What do you remember of the test that you were instructed to do a few days ago?"

"Well let's see, you made me smoke from this golden ass hookah or whatever but you wouldn't tell me why. Though I gotta tell you the flavor on this bitch was some good stuff. Did you make it yourself?"

"Please try to refrain from swearing too much and only answer the questions to the best of your memory. Now, 5 to 6 minutes after the session, you asked for a cup of strawberry tea, is that correct?"

"Sure thing, I thought since I'm gonna be given the freedom to smoke for a while, I might as well enjoy it with a nice drink along.

"I see. So if you were given a mint flavored tea instead, would you say you would still drink it?"

"I mean, I don't see why not, beggars can't be choosers, amirite?"

"Right. And what do you remember after that? You were there and next thing you were gone.

"Is that what happened? I remember just smoking and the hookah was kinda dying so it was getting harder to smoke. Then I remember getting this gigantic cloud out and thought, man, there's still some left I guess. But suddenly, I don't know, I felt like my lungs were clogged and I couldn't continue smoking. Next thing I know I wake up in this place and—-"

"So you don't remember anything in-between those events?"

"Well no, it was like being taken out with chloroform, I would know".

"Can you describe the place you woke in? Include anything you remember please, even the small details".

"So I wake up on this empty ass meadow and I'm trying to get a bearing on my surrounding. I'm telling ya, there was nothing of interest I could see, except a city in the far distance."

"A city? What kind of city was it?"

"Oh man, that's the crazy part, believe me, I'm not making this shit up. It was—"

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[END LOG]

BY ORDER OF THE OVERSEER COUNCIL

The following files are Level 5/5038 classified. Unauthorized access is forbidden.

SCP 5038-1 Expedition Logs