Corpses littered the facility, around twenty
in total. Their massacre had unfolded in a matter of
seconds despite their advanced armor and heavy weaponry. Their killer, wielding an ancient sword he’d
somehow pulled from thin air, looked upon them with disdain. Weak, unworthy opponents. He breathed heavily - His torso was covered
with bullet wounds and many had punctured his lungs. It was enough to kill a normal man ten times
over, but not him. He was the ultimate warrior. The perfect killing machine. He would need to seek out an enemy more fitting
for his legendary combat skills. He fled from the chamber into a connecting
hallway - where a giant, metal door slammed shut behind him. At the other end of the hall another door
did the same. He laughed at the thought of someone thinking
he could be trapped so easily and charged towards it. But then, large valves began to open all around
him. Torrents of freezing seawater began pouring
in, filling up the chamber and submerging him before he could reach the door. The warrior fought for breath, and he held
it far longer than any mortal man could - especially considering the state of his lungs, but water
always wins. He soon gave his last gasp, and floated, lifeless,
in the hallway. And soon after his body turned to dust and
disappeared in the briny water. But he would be back. He’d always be back. His brother was a different story. Tall and handsome, with a strange Sumerian
rune tattooed on his forehead, he was practically a pacifist and spent most of his days reading,
conversing with the staff, and wandering the facility of his own accord. Upon hearing of the latest incident at the
facility, he gave a sigh. He knew, on some level, that all of this was
his fault. It’d been centuries, millennia even. But was it too late to make things right? Six days later, the two are standing face
to face. This meeting had been a long time coming,
but it was always destined to end in blood and pain. The man with the runic tattoo was unarmed
- the only thing he carried was his regrets. The warrior, eyes full of burning fury, drew
his sword. And not long after, a head hit the floor. Who are these two strange men? And what is the significance of this fatal
meeting? In our own universe, these two may never meet
again. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a universe
out there where they will. And it is that universe where today’s tale
springs from. The story between these two began a long,
long time ago, when they were both set on a course of destruction. But to learn how these two finally met once
again, we only need to go back a few days. While they seem more human than a lot of the
beings under the SCP Foundation’s watchful eyes, there’s no doubt that these two are
anomalous - they’re known as SCP - 073 and SCP - 076, but better known as Cain and Able. From the name alone, most people with a basic
knowledge of the bible could tell that these two have a connection, but the particulars
were largely a mystery to the Foundation. They wanted to know how much of the story
was actually true. SCP Researchers approached SCP - 073 - aka,
Cain - and asked if he’d be interested in reuniting with his brother one last time. It took Cain three days to answer: Yes, but
on one condition - that he was the only person who could abort the mission. The Foundation mulled over this requirement
for three days before the O5 Council finally made a decision - Cross-testing approved. These two brothers, separated by millennia,
would finally meet again - and the SCP Foundation would get to watch what happened when they
did. Of course, for safety reasons, the cross-test
would have to take place in 076’s containment facility - a bedrock chamber two hundred meters
beneath the sea. That would be the closest thing to “safe”
this fateful meeting could ever be. Though safe was really a relative term when
it came to SCP - 076. His escape attempts were as frequent and unpredictable
as they were deadly, and everyone who’d ever worked with him knew exactly why. To the untrained eye, it would seem strange
to create such a complex facility for a three-meter-squared stone cube, known as SCP - 076 - 01. But the cube isn’t what’s being locked
up here. The real danger comes from the corpse stored
inside - known as SCP - 076 - 02, but better known as Able. He’s a lean, olive-skinned man who appears
to be in his late twenties, but his most distinctive physical feature is the fact he’s covered
in an elaborate network of arcane and occult tattoos, largely of scowling, demonic faces
- similar to those found on members of the Yakuza. Whenever Able’s corpse reanimates, as it
does at random intervals, everyone in his vicinity is in terrible danger. He’s capable of pulling bladed weapons out
of miniature dimensional rifts that appear around him, though he does this so quickly
that it seems as though the weapons are simply materializing in his hands. Despite the increasingly complex efforts to
contain him, Able has been able to breach containment and go on brutal rampages multiple
times, killing scores of Foundation personnel in the process. Able possesses superhuman strength, speed,
and durability. During prior containment breaches, he was
able to shrug off rounds from .50 caliber machine guns. He’s torn through reinforced steel doors. He’s even swatted bullets from both handguns
and assault rifles out of the air with a length of steel rebar. Only killing him can truly end one of these
rampages - and the Foundation has had to go to terrifying lengths in order to achieve
this during past containment breaches. He’s been drowned, asphyxiated, crushed,
burned to death with a thermite grenade directly inserted into his chest cavity, and even disintegrated
by the activation of the facility’s on-site nuclear warhead. This may seem like overkill, but if Able ever
made his way into a major population center, the fatalities would be… well, of biblical
proportions. Even death can’t keep him down for long
- his body will rapidly decompose, and reappear intact within SCP - 076 - 01. There’s no telling when he’ll reawaken,
and his periods of inactivity can range from hours to years. Because of this, he must be constantly observed
by guards highly proficient in close combat, always ready to go toe to toe with perhaps
the most dangerous melee combatant in history. He’s such a proficient killer that there
was once a project aimed at weaponizing Able, but this turned out to be a disastrous failure
for the Foundation. When they ran out of missions to give him,
Able’s thirst for blood caused him to turn his blade on his allies with no remorse, hacking
them up with the same ruthless abandon he gave his assigned enemies. Interestingly, Able does seem to have a twisted
sense of honour. He has a respect for combatants capable of
providing him with a real challenge - and has even expressed concern for guards he considers
to be respectable adversaries. But don’t be fooled. There is no reasoning with Able - either you
kill him, or he kills you, and trust us, he’s much better at it than you are. While he’s often overshadowed by world-ending
anomalies or more talkative mass killers like SCP - 682, Able is one of the most deadly
creatures known to the Foundation. Able’s counterpart, 073, is an entirely
different story. Despite his namesake being the first biblical
murderer, this Cain is a far more enigmatic figure. A tall man in his early thirties appearing
to be of Middle Eastern descent, he has two very notable physical characteristics - The
untranslated Sumerian symbol tattooed onto his forehead, and the fact that several of
his body parts - namely, his arms, legs, spinal cord, and shoulder blades - have been replaced
by mysterious prosthetics of unknown origin. Unlike Able, Cain is polite, non-confrontational,
articulate, and communicative. He’s even allowed to wander the facility
he’s housed in freely, though with certain regulations. Namely that Cain is never permitted to come
into contact with plant life or uncovered ground. This is because, in spite of the fact Cain
doesn’t appear to harbor any malicious intent, direct contact with him causes plants to wither
and die, and the ground to become infertile. If Cain was ever introduced into a natural
environment again, he could unwittingly cause an ecological catastrophe with his mere presence. In that sense, he can be almost as dangerous
to large populations as Able. However, Cain’s danger to flora is only
one of his several anomalous qualities. Another is extraordinary mental capabilities,
and a near-perfect memory. His memory and ability to recall is so good,
that some Foundation personnel have suggested using Cain’s mind as a kind of backup server
for the Foundation’s collective knowledge. But perhaps his most well-known anomalous
trait is his ability to act as a kind of immortal human voodoo doll. That’s right: Any damage inflicted on Cain
causes no permanent injury to him, and is reflected back on the perpetrator. While Cain has remarked on still being able
to feel the pain of these assaults, he’s functionally immortal. This damage-reflecting ability has even made
performing certain kinds of tests impossible - as doctors attempting to draw blood from
Cain have found that their sample was actually their own blood, and their skin exhibited
the telltale bruising and puncture marks of blood testing. But, of most interest to the Foundation right
now was the fact that Cain has shown prior knowledge of Able. However, he was cagey when questioned. He refused to add any additional information,
and commented that it would be best if he and Able were never brought into contact. But what does “never” really mean when
you live forever? Cain finally did agree to the test, and while
nobody knows what caused Cain’s change of heart, the Foundation knew better than to
push him and potentially get the entire mission scrapped. Cain was taken from his facility, and transported
to the access point of Able’s underwater prison. The experiment’s design was simple: Cain
would occupy a temporary residence in Able’s containment facility until he next reanimated,
at which point, the interaction between them would be closely observed. Perhaps it would take weeks, months, or even
years before Able once again awoke and left his cube, but when he did, Cain would be there. Thankfully, as Cain whispered soothing words
into Able’s tomb, the resurrection took only minutes. If you were expecting a heartwarming reunion,
think again. Cain tried to apologize, but Able immediately
struck him with a decapitating blow which - due to Cain's damage reflecting properties
- caused him to sever his own head instead. Cain remained at Able’s side as he regenerated,
and as soon as Able did he immediately tried killing Cain again. It went on like this again and again and again. It was an arduous process, and eventually,
even Able began to tire of it. The duo fell into a tearful embrace. Able asked his brother why he killed him,
so long ago. And Cain apologized, saying it was the actions
of a younger and more foolish man. In that moment, the two finally reconciled,
and having fulfilled their bargain with their creator, both finally crumbled into dust. Peace at last. As we said, this didn’t happen to the Cain
and Able of our universe, but when universes are more numerous than grains of sand in an
endless desert, such a thing has indeed happened somewhere out there - perhaps in a kinder
universe than our own. We can only hope that our Cain and Able may
someday get to meet and find the same resolution, but until then, these brothers will remain
one of the most dangerous and fascinating duos in the Foundation’s catalogue. Now go check out “SCP - 087 - The Staircase”
and “SCP - 1730 - What Happened To Site-13?” for more strange and tragic mysteries from
the archives of the SCP Foundation.
