KneeCola

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Item#: 6492

Containment Class: euclid

Secondary Class: {$secondary-class}

Disruption Class: keneq

Risk Class: notice

Special Containment Procedures: Due to SCP-6492's nature, it is naturally contained within the region of forest around it. All satellite imagery that shows the anomalous recovery of the region must be scrubbed and replaced with fabricated images that depict it in a state typical of a region destroyed by wildfires.

To prevent civilians from encountering SCP-6492 after the region's recovery, the area has been labeled as wolf and bear territory to the public, and all hiking trails leading near it have been removed and blocked off. In addition, the perimeter of the region reachable by SCP-6492, a roughly 3 mile radius, is monitored by Foundation-operated drones. Any unauthorized persons found entering this region will be detained, administered Class A amnestics, and released away from the region.

Description: SCP-6492 was the designation formerly given to a region of trees, roughly 200 acres in size, that were found by Foundation satellites to be completely undamaged by a wildfire that had destroyed 15,000 acres surrounding it in the Rocky Mountains. How this occurred was unknown, as the area was obscured by smoke during the fire and for multiple days afterwards. Further satellite analysis over the next two days revealed that more trees were rapidly growing around the perimeter of the region, expanding in size by 10 acres every day.

Following investigation, the SCP-6492 designation has since been given to the entity at the source of the region's anomaly.

Open Addendum 6492.1: Initial Exploration

Close Addendum 6492.1: Initial Exploration

Exploration Video Log Transcript

Exploration Team: Mobile Task Force Kappa-21 ("Park Rangers")

Subject: SCP-6492

Team Lead: K-21 "Cedar"

Team Members: K-21 "Juniper", K-21 "Poplar", K-21 "Rye"

[BEGIN LOG]

Footage is from multiple head and chest mounted cameras. All operatives are disguised as actual park rangers. The team stands surrounded by burned trees. The edge of SCP-6492 begins 20 feet away from them.

Cedar: Mic check, everyone.

Poplar: Check.

Juniper: Check.

Rye: Check.

Cedar: Good. Poplar, you're collecting samples. Rye, set up a Kant counter1 once we've neared the center. Mission control suspects there may be a weak reality bender at the center of this.

Juniper: (Chuckling, nudging Poplar) Maybe it's a "powerful forest spirit".

Poplar: Oh come on! That was 2 months ago, let it go.

Cedar: I don't know about fantasy creatures, but I do know that whatever's in there is powerful potentially dangerous. And Juniper, thanks for reminding me; you and I are here to keep those two safe while they're running equipment.

Juniper: On it.

Cedar: Let's move in.

The team proceeds through the edge of the trees. Poplar regularly collects various flora samples, including bark and leaves.

Poplar: Underbrush is just as alive as the trees. Insect population is less than ideal, which is odd. Why would the plants stay protected but then some of the bugs die off? It seems to mostly be flying insects, too.

Cedar: Or maybe the anomaly is actively killing off the insects. Hell, I haven't even seen a squirrel yet. It might be a coincidence, but there's never coincidences with these things.

Juniper: It'd suck for us if that were true, huh?

Cedar: Certainly would prove my suspicion that the anomaly here isn't friendly.

Poplar: At least everything seems like native species on first examination. I'll make a closer analysis when we stop to check the area's Humes.

The team continues for roughly 1500 feet.

Cedar: Alright, here. We should be near the center. Rye, get that Kant counter set up. Juniper, keep your weapon ready, and keep your eyes peeled. If something else is in here, it's damn sneaky.

Juniper draws her pistol, safety on. Cedar does the same. Rye begins to set up the Kant counter, as Poplar loads a plant sample in her field microscope.

Poplar: Plant structure seems normal, non anomalous. I should note the lack of wear and tear, though. It's like every plant here sprang up yesterday, and yet they still have all the other signs of aging.

Juniper: That's nerdspeak for "the plants grew old really fast."

Cedar: (Sarcastically) Yes, thank you, Juniper.

Rye: Humes are at baseline.

Cedar: Got it. That rules out a reality bender. Wait for Poplar to finish and then we'll proceed to the center.

Poplar: I'm just going to do a quick—oh, damnit.

Poplar fumbles and drops a bark sample into an adjacent bush. She parts its branches to the side, revealing the charred skeletal remains of a deer.

Poplar: Uh oh.

Cedar: What do you mean, "uh oh?"

Poplar: There's a deer skull here. Charred. Plant growing through it. I don't know if the plants burned it or what, but it was killed recently. We aren't safe.

A snapping twig can be heard in the distance.

Cedar: Weapons hot. Unknown due east. Watch all angles, there could be more.

Poplar and Rye draw their pistols.

Cedar: Remember what we're here for. Don't kill it. Command won't be happy if we bring back scraps.

A brief, soft, melodic tune plays from an unseen location through the trees. Juniper, Poplar, and Rye take their weapons off safety. Cedar holsters his pistol and readies a can of bear spray. All four scan their surroundings. The same melody is heard again, closer this time.

Cedar: Stand your ground, it's closing in.

The same source emanates a different melody, still closer than before. Seconds later, a roughly two foot tall entity moves in and out of the nearby underbrush, too briefly to be identifiable.

Rye: 10 o'clock!

All four operatives aim towards the entity.

Cedar: Hold your fire. Wait until my signal.

The unseen figure whistles and slowly approaches the group.

Cedar: Hold!

The figure reveals itself fully. This entity appears to be robotic in nature, and seems mostly comprised of copper. It is vaguely humanoid in appearance, with an enlarged, rectangular head baring two green light displays in the place of eyes, as well as vertical slits in the place of a mouth which indicate the presence of a speaker. In the place of legs, the machine rolls around on a large metal sphere, which by some method is able to spin freely without twisting or rolling its upper body.

Jasper: Aww, look at it.

Cedar: Remember the phrase "never trust the little girl". It seems unassuming, but we should keep our guards up for safety.

Cedar stores his bear spray and slowly draws his pistol. The machine hums a simple tune and wheels away through the trees.

Poplar: Do… do we follow it?

Cedar: Alarm bells in my head are telling me it's a trap, but we don't really have any other options. Again, keep your guard up. Treat everything as a potential life threat.

The team proceeds through the forest after the entity until they eventually arrive at a clearing. In the center of the open area lies a small wooden cabin, surrounded by a wide garden of various cultivated plants, all native to the area. A single, abnormally large Douglas fir tree grows out through the roof. The robot can be seen tending to a potted fireweed plant. It sees the team and quickly dashes inside the cabin. The team all raise their weapons. After a few moments, the robot exits the building carrying a tray atop its head that holds four mugs carved from stone. Vapor slowly rises from them. It approaches the team and beeps twice.

Cedar: What is this, an offering?

The robot hums a low tune. Juniper grabs one mug and wafts the steam towards her nose.

Juniper: Smells like tea. Uh, thanks?

The robot beeps and slowly nods.

Cedar: Do not drink that, Juniper.

Juniper: I'm not going to drink the mystery tea! (To the robot) I'm sure your tea is great.

Juniper sets her mug back on the tray. Cedar tentatively grabs a second one, seals it with plastic wrap, and stores it in his bag. The robot sets the tray on the ground and returns to the plant it was tending before.

Cedar: We can test its contents later. Let's move inside, see if this building has any answers.

The team proceeds through the front door of the cabin, weapons still drawn. The interior is filled with more potted plants, ones which are not native to the region. The trunk of the Douglas fir stretches from the floor to the ceiling. It has two indentations in its side, roughly the size and shape of the robot entity's hands. There are unknown symbols inscribed in them, which glow a soft green.

Cedar: Poplar, do you know what this is?

Poplar: Douglas fir, huge one too. Not sure about these carvings. Definitely anomalous, there's no denying that. Maybe this is how the robot charges? We should get a thaumatologist or something take a look at this.

Juniper: Hey, the robot's leaving.

The other operatives turn to look out the window. The machine rolls past the tree line, out of sight.

Cedar: Everyone, follow it. See where it's going.

The team proceeds out of the cabin after the entity.

[EXTRANEOUS FOOTAGE REMOVED]

The four arrive at the burned region of woods outside SCP-6492. The robot is pushing on a dead tree.

Cedar: It's just… touching a tree?

The tree falls over, sending ash in the air on impact. The robot climbs on top of it and begins humming a complex melody. Immediately, plant life sprouts from the ground, completely overtaking the felled tree and the surrounding soil in moments. Cedar is visibly confused.

Cedar: Oh, it grew the other plants, didn't it?

Poplar: Maybe that deer died in the wildfire? And then this little man regrew the forest around it? That would explain the lack of animals. They just haven't returned yet.

Cedar: You never know what could happen! Keep your guard up!

Juniper: I don't know, Cedar. If it wanted to hurt us, it would have by now.

The robot stands near a specific plant and hums the same melody. Over the course of 20 seconds, it undergoes rapid growth, eventually becoming a fully grown coniferous tree. It removes a pine cone and offers it to Poplar.

Poplar: (Taking the pine cone) Aww. Thank you, little guy.

It hums a cheerful melody and moves to another dead tree.

Cedar laughs.

Cedar: Yeah, I'm no moron. It's just a god damn magic gardener.

Cedar takes a sip from the mug of tea.

Cedar: This is delicious!

[END LOG]

Open Addendum 6492.2: Description Updated

Close Addendum 6492.2: Description Updated

SCP-6492 is a roughly meter tall, vaguely humanoid robotic entity living near the center of a forest in the Rocky Mountains. It is made mostly of copper, although it does not show any signs of rust or decay. It is capable of basic communication via hums and beeps that it produces through an equipped speaker in its "head," and demonstrated a potential for sentience. By vocalizing a specific song, it can facilitate rapid growth of surrounding plant life, enough to bring a tree seed to adulthood in 10-20 seconds. The Foundation has been unable to replicate this effect by playing the same melody on other devices, suggesting that the effect is reliant on an unknown component unique to SCP-6492.

SCP-6492-B is a 104 foot tall Douglas fir tree of unknown age at the center of this forest. It grows through the roof of a small cabin, which SCP-6492 is believed to have constructed around SCP-6492-B after it had already grown. Two imprints, the size and shape of SCP-6492's hands, are in the side of SCP-6492-B trunk within the cabin. They are covered in unknown scripture and exhibit a soft green glow. SCP-6492 needs to regularly return to SCP-6492-B to recharge itself by placing its hands in these imprints and remaining in this position for a full minute.

It is theorized based on analysis of the area that SCP-6492-B and the artificial structures around it were completely unharmed by the fire that spread through the area, likely as a result of SCP-6492-B's presence. However, all the plant life beyond these were destroyed by the fire. After wildfire cleared, SCP-6492 began to restore the tree life around it. It continued this restoration after the initial investigation was made. As a result, the destroyed region of forest made a complete recovery only three years after its destruction.

Footnotes

1. Device used to measure an area's Hume level. Used to detect reality bending effects and entities.