Item #: SCP-4094

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4094 is to be contained within a standard reinforced steel container, submerged in a liquid oxygen pool inside at a constant temperature of 25 K. If SCP-4094 is to be removed, it is to be packed into a container of spent uranium from decommissioned fuel rods in a standard lead lined container. All materials that come into contact with active SCP-4094 instances are to be destroyed within 1-4 hours of their exposure. Removal of instances of SCP-4094 from Site 94 at any time is strictly prohibited.

In the event of a containment breach, automated systems onsite will send out a distress signal to personnel stationed at Airstrip 40, 50 kilometers from Site 94. Modified air tankers equipped with a “slurry” mixture of supercooled oxygen and ice crystals will be sent to disperse these payloads over the site; all personnel onsite are to be considered lost due to the nature of SCP-4094. In the event of a wider scale containment breach, a rotating schedule of air tankers will attempt to keep the expansion rate of SCP-4094 in check until further assistance arrives.

Description: SCP-4094 is a designation for multiple anomalous instances of a single-celled organism of unknown origin. Ranging from 8 to 22 micrometers in size, instances of SCP-4094 share many characteristics with nano-robotic systems previously encountered and researched by the Foundation. However, analysis of SCP-4094 instances have revealed them to be purely organic entities, entering a dormant state of suspended animation at temperatures less than -223.15° C. At temperatures higher than that, SCP-4094 will emerge from this dormant state and begin to rapidly consume all matter for the sake of both its reproduction and environmental conversion. A short list of some of the byproducts from this process have revealed amino acid sequences, unknown vegetation and flora seeds, and conversion of atmospheric gases. This state will accelerate with rising temperatures until it plateaus at 150° C where it reaches maximum output.

The potential origins of SCP-4094 are currently unknown. Since its discovery in 19██ in Antarctica by a USSR research team conducting ice core drillings of the subglacial Lake Vostok, efforts of research into SCP-4094 in attempts to classify it have failed to concretely state what it might be. Despite being a single-celled organism, instances of it have been shown to work together with no known method of communication, and will not compete with each other for resources. It has alternated description of prokaryotic, eukaryotic, viral, or even bacterial, with further hypotheses including SCP-4094 being a motile environmental prion, an “enviro-phage”, or a non-terrestrial colonizer. It is currently unknown if SCP-4094 is sentient or not; attempts at testing this have been discontinued due to the risks that an active instance of SCP-4094 possesses.

At its active threshold, a single instance of SCP-4094 will consume a 1m x 1m x 1m cube of organic matter in approximately 4 hours, and produce 256 other instances during that time. Non-organic materials will take 2-3 times longer to be consumed and converted. Although new instances of SCP-4094 will take 24 hours to maturate, they will increase their potential consumptive capacity until they reach their full potential. Non-maturated SCP-4094 instances are capable of asexual reproduction within 30 minutes of their creation. Given the exponential growth rate of even the mere threshold of its active state, an uncontrolled SCP-4094 containment breach can pose an XK-class end of the world scenario if not properly contained.

The risks of SCP-4094 containment failure (further detailed by 'Project Grenadier') are immense. Attempts to destroy or neutralize SCP-4094 instances to a manageable level have been met with moderate success, though SCP-4094 has shown a heightened resiliency to many common forms of neutralization. Submersion in hydrochloric acid and similar substances has been shown to curtail the growth rate of SCP-4094 instances at temperatures above 10° C, allowing for further neutralization efforts to take place. Subjection of SCP-4094 instances to temperatures in excess of 2350° C will cause their structure to break down and rupture, neutralizing it completely. Freezing instances of SCP-4094 at temperatures in the dormant range and then subjecting them to intense pressure has been shown capable of destroying them and remains the most effective way of disposing of small-scale outbreaks of SCP-4094. However, this method is inefficient for large scale cleanup operations of potential containment breaches.

As of the containment breach of April 21st, 199█, any testing of SCP-4094 with living multicellular organisms is discontinued.

Addenda:

+ ‘Project Grenadier’ Overview:

- ‘Project Grenadier’ Overview:

Following the containment breach of 200█, further investigations into the origins of SCP-4094 were started by researchers at Site 94. Although a multiplicity of opinions emerged during that time, the most common thread among them that emerged was that SCP-4094 was non-terrestrial in origin. This was arrived at after multiple studies were conducted of the amino acid sequences that are observed in it, its conversion of the environment around it, and additionally the circumstances of its discovery.

I) Origins and Risks of SCP-4094: Further analysis of Lake Vostok and additional ice cores have revealed high concentrations of SCP-4094 instances in it. Its composition of liquid oxygen and hydrogen with no other mixtures or elements present, leads researchers at Site 94 to speculate that Lake Vostok is not a natural geographic feature. Its creation is likely the result of a non-terrestrial entity or one that is no longer extant on this planet to curtail the growth of SCP-4094. Discoveries of places of interest along the Voyeykov Ice Shelf and near Mount Erebus lead us to believe that 32 and 35 million years ago Lake Vostok was created as the result of a mass event identified by Project Grenadier researchers as ‘the Vostok Occurrence,’ coinciding with a rapid global climate shift and mass extinction event. While the global climate was shifting towards colder temperatures during that period, the rapid change during the period of the Vostok Occurence paired with discoveries made since the start of Project Grenadier indicate that an entity of unknown origin either began or greatly accelerated this process.

Lake Vostok thereby exists as a “lid” for further instances of SCP-4094. Given the density of SCP instances in core samples taken from Vostok since SCP-4094’s discovery, if the glacial ice sheet above Lake Vostok melts in accordance with our most conservative models it is likely that an XK-class end of the world scenario is nearly unavoidable. Even with the considerable resources that the Foundation possesses, should the Lake Vostok containment fail, our models indicate anywhere from a .37%-5% chance of successful post-breach containment using all available known Foundation assets. Biosphere recovery after a runaway SCP-4094 event will be incredibly difficult, if not outright impossible. Worldwide casualties that would result from an uncontrolled SCP-4094 release are hard to accurately gauge in the models examined by Project Grenadier, but can be assumed to be catastrophic if not outright apocalyptic.

II) SCP-4094 and Interstellar Events: On August 15th, 197█, a USA-based radio telescope recorded a significant extrasolar radio signal originating from the Sagittarius constellation. This event coincided with a containment breach at Site 94, in which SCP-4094 emerged from its dormant state despite it being cooled to 40 K. SCP-4094 began multiplying at a rate far higher than previously observed at its most efficient range, and in 6 hours, an estimated ██ personnel had been lost in the incident. A wider containment breach was avoided only by the deployment of a liquid oxygen mixture supercooled to 25 K, followed by SCP-4094 falling gradually into a dormant state once more.

At the time, this incident was chalked up to the erraticism of SCP-4094 and the poorly understood mechanics of it. Deducing the relationship of SCP-4094 and its response to radio signals like that of of the 8-15-7█ incident was complicated due to both the high staff turnover rate at Site 94, as well as the high casualty rate (estimated to be higher than 90% of all other sites in 2000). However, patterns began to emerge with repeated examination of SCP-4094’s periods of increased agitation and activity following extrasolar radio transmissions. Since the 8-15-7█ incident, there have been a total of 1█ incidents averaging an occurrence rate of 1 every 3.15 years that have put SCP-4094 into heavily agitated states. All of these incidents have coincided with extrasolar radio signals, all of which (with the exception of the one in the 200█ incident) have originated from distant star systems with stars extremely similar to Earth’s. The range of these stars from Earth have ranged from 9█.█ light-years from Earth, to 3.█ billion.

III) SCP-4094 Containment Risks: Since Site 94's construction in late 1976, SCP-4094 has breached containment a total of 17 times. Thousands of Foundation staff and personnel have died in these containment breaches, while at the same time enormous resources have been consumed in strengthening Site 94 and containment procedures, leaving the ethicality of maintaining such a dangerous anomalous entity in containment questionable. Both the incredibly catastrophic potential SCP-4094 has, paired with the issues in containing it, lead us to conclude that SCP-4094's containment is ultimately perpetuating the risks associated with it.

Project Grenadier has so far been successful in evolving contingency plans for SCP-4094 containment breaches beyond the usage of napalm or thermobaric weapons. The creation of the seed crystals from reverse-engineered SCP-4094 instances at the center of the slurry mixture was heralded as a new advancement in checking SCP-4094. However, our understanding of the properties of the seed crystals in this mixture are still poor at best, and dangerously ignorant at worst. An incident on 07-12-09 which utilized slurry to attempt a recontainment of SCP-4094 after a particularly virulent breach saw the seed crystals merely absorbed by the SCP-4094 mass. In that instance, the call was made to resort to conventional firebombing to control SCP-4094's spread; postmortem testing of the slurry mixture were unable to replicate the effect witnessed by containment teams.

Incidents happen and are unavoidable, this is true; the very nature of the Foundation is about mitigation and containment above all else. We may be able to contain the minute traces of SCP-4094 currently in containment at Site 94; but our containment protocols for the Lake Vostok Containment Zone are untested, and their efficacy unknown. Given our modeling efforts and the predicted loss of the Antarctic ice sheet, the failure of the Lake Vostok Containment Zone is an inevitability rather than a possibility. While we have outlined the losses we can expect both in biosphere and worldwide casualties in an unchecked SCP-4094 growth rate, the containment protocols for such an XK-class event are only slightly preferable to this unchecked growth.

While a moratorium has been self-instituted by Site 94 on testing thermonuclear weapons, it is hypothesized that they are one of the two final resorts that may stop a large-scale SCP-4094 containment failure. The flashpoint of a thermonuclear weapon, while effective, is of secondary value to localized radiation fallout, which will hopefully cause enough of a cessation of SCP-4094's growth rate for less destructive methods to take place. Again, we stress that this is a hypothesis; the usage of nuclear weapons to check SCP-4094 will be effective only in the beginning-to-intermediate stages of an XK-class scenario. Beyond this, the models of Project Grenadier break down and the efficacy of nuclear weapons in halting SCP-4094 outside of their usage to create a worldwide nuclear winter is next to zero.

With these facts in mind, we eagerly await the Council’s deliberation on this topic, and look forward to further discussion regarding these points that we have made.

Sincerely,

Drs. Carter, Bormann, Heinkel, Kauf, Noe, Jordan, Volkov, Amur, and Golf

October 10th, 2013

Oct. 12th Response: The O5 Council has denied the request by Project Grenadier researchers at this time. Liquidation of Lake Vostok containment denied at this time. Continued research into SCP-4094 and its effects are necessary; recommended further development and testing of seed crystals extracted from anomaly.

+ Report C

- Report C

The September 1st, 200█ ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ signal responsible for the containment breach of SCP-4094 the same day remained impossible to decipher until discovery of SCP-4███. The signal, lasting for 2 minutes and 4 seconds, was broadcast on several differing frequencies. Despite attempts to capture the message a second time, due to difficulties in recording the first half minute of broadcast from horizon blockage, researchers were unable to detect it again. A transcript of the decoded message follows:

00:37 - Vvarog sub-clade Ithun-clade at stellar coordinate 7721, system Urt, third planet, you have not invoked a return signal to Overmind Vvarog. Repeating prior broadcast: await continued directories hailing from Overmind Vvarog.

[previous message repeats twice]

00: 59 - Overmind Vvarog has received directory messaging indicating the following: Overmind Conduit of Vvarog transfers these directories to Vvarog's sub-clade, Ithun-clade. Directory issued: Sow and Stand for further instructions which will follow at a constant rate.

[message plays once more]

01:44 - Vvarog sub-clade, Ithun-clade: Sow and Stand while you await these continued directories from Overmind Vvarog. Maintain these directories for ten stellar cycles of 7721-Urt, or until new directories are given to you. Traitor-Ostlam retains their prior designation.

Origin of the signal was recorded in the direction of [REDACTED] with a G-class star and a single orbiting planet.

On May 15, 201█, another message came from the same star, a first since the Foundation began to monitor these transmissions. All records of this message were confiscated immediately by Foundation personnel, and Class-A amnestics administered. Records were falsified that indicated that the message received on May 15th was relatively minor, while Foundation personnel worked to decrypt the original broadcast. The decoded message follows.

Invocation-type-VVAR - Overmind Vvarog's determination of 7721-Urt inhabitants indicates that they are not worthy of diplomacy or consideration. Overmind Vvarog orders Ithun-clade to follow the following directory: Sow Sow Sow. Ithun-clade will follow this directory until Overmind Vvarog dispatches a directory indicating that Overmind Vvarog's Conduits and MAKDR are en route. Once inhabitants of 7721-Urt are pacified through Sowing, return broadcast to Overmind Vvarog and his conduits. If this broadcast from Ithun-clade is received, Vvarog and MAKDR will begin disembarking at 7721-Urt and begin Prosperity directive.

Maintain Traitor-Ostlam's prior designation. Disregard all invocations or directory stems of type -EROG, -AVNA, -UMST, and -CLYR. Overminds who bear those stems presume to speak for MAKDR, but have allied themselves with Traitor-Ostlam. Maintain only the orders of Vvarog.

The May 15th message repeated for 107 times over the next 3 hours and 44 minutes. Foundation personnel at Site 94 and at Airstrip 40 were on full alert and standby for the entirety of the broadcast. SCP-4094 was, however, unresponsive for the duration of the message and gave no indication of emerging from its dormant state.