Orange Zone as of 4/26/2020

Item #: SCP-3731

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Protocol ALABASTER has been declared active:

All Foundation military personnel have been reassigned to the expansion of the Orange Zone via the securing of SCP-3731 instances.

All research personnel have been reassigned to development of technological, paratechnological, and thaumic countermeasures to SCP-3731 activity in addition to more effective neutralization procedures.

Portable contained objects have been moved into the Orange Zone as resources have allowed.

Immovable objects have been decommissioned or rendered physically inaccessible in accordance with their respective emergency protocols.

Sites containing immovable K-class threats have been thaumically warded and locked down; Overt Automated Defense systems have been deployed to maintain the perimeters of these Sites.

All assets formerly restricted by the veil doctrine - including paratechnical weapons and vehicles, infantry augmentation equipment, and Overt Automated Defense systems such as Giant-class unpiloted combat drones - are approved for open use.

Giant-class unpiloted combat drone

Ethics Committee rulings pertaining to SCP-3731 are considered irrelevant.

All Mobile Task Force units/Foundation military assets are reassigned to the securing of SCP-3731 by any means necessary. Instances of SCP-3731 are to be relocated to the Orange Zone for processing. Provisional containment areas have been constructed within the Orange Zone to house excess SCP-3731 instances. Trucking, rail, and other transport infrastructure is to be commandeered as necessary for the movement of contained instances.

Provisional Containment Area 2

As of O5 Council mandate 3731-Ov236, contained instances of SCP-3731 are to be restored to baseline normalcy via neutralization procedure 08-Lilac. Restored instances are to be employed as Class-E personnel within the Orange Zone until global normalcy can be reinstated.

Description: SCP-3731 is the sapient population of Earth, formerly known as "humanity." Following the total containment failure of thaumic symbiote SCP-3396, available data indicate that 100% of the civilian population outside the Orange Zone have been converted to SCP-3731. The conversion of human beings to SCP-3731 is caused by exposure to semi-tangible blue matter secreted by SCP-3396, which spreads contagiously between instances. The incubation period between exposure to blue matter and conversion to SCP-3731 ranges from seconds to months.

Organisms exposed to blue matter display extreme thaumic innervation1 and polymorphism2, resulting in an unpredictable variety of anomalous capabilities. The effect of blue matter symbiosis on the personality and intelligence of SCP-3731 instances is inconclusive; available data indicate that instances retain the knowledge and traits they possessed when they were human, and almost invariably continue responding to their human identity.

While blue matter exposure does not appear to cause psychological symptoms, SCP-3731 collectively display high rates of physical aggression, anti-establishmentarian tendencies, and other antisocial behavior compared to human beings. Non-anomalous symptoms of mutation (such as adjustment to new modes of sensory perception or telepathic input from other instances, trauma reactions to physical transformation, and situational stress related to the collapse of civilization) are hypothesized to contribute to this instability. Though communities of SCP-3731 have been observed to organize and self-govern with varying degrees of success, infighting and attacks by other SCP-3731 instances have consistently limited their growth.

Following the enactment of protocol ALABASTER and Foundation's withdrawal to the Orange Zone, SCP-3731 casualties to other breached/uncontained anomalies (some of which are themselves affected by thaumic mutation) have also risen to significant levels. Reconnaissance data suggest that the number of living SCP-3731 instances is no more than 5% of the baseline human population.

Field reports suggest that the thaumic innervation and polymorphic variance of individual SCP-3731 instances continuously increases over time, causing the instances to take on increasingly paranormal forms and capabilities. The resulting accumulation of anomalous activity has had catastrophic effects on global ecosystems and geology; earthquakes, firespouts, the appearance of mountains and sinkholes, "dead zones" incompatible with life for various reasons, and falls of animals from the sky have all been reported. SCP-3731 are projected to render the planet uninhabitable by 2024 if allowed to continue at the current rate.

+ Timeline of Significant Early Encounters:

- Hide Timeline

10/16/2018: First contact with SCP-3731 instances during containment of SCP-3396.

11/1/2018: Foundation, GOC, United Nations and Unusual Incidents Unit establish demilitarized neutral zone around SCP-3396 to prevent global warfare and lifted veil scenario.

"Miracles" and other anomalous events are reported across the country as thaumic infection begins to spread, requiring the amnesticization of over 70,000 civilians.

12/11/2018: SCP-3731 instances present on all 6 inhabited continents. Estimated 0.8% of global population infected.

SCP-3731 instance in London, England enables crowd at outdoor concert to fly by imitating a flapping motion with their arms, creating extremely visible display of mass anomalous activity. MTFs Tau-91 ("Mageslayers") and Eta-67 ("Bird Dogs") deployed for securing and containment. Amnestics administered by helicopter. All affected individuals found to be contaminated with blue matter, and later convert into SCP-3731 instances. Foundation casualties: 0. SCP-3731 contained: 314. Civilians amnesticized: approximately 9,000.

12/29/2018: Estimated 1.4% of global population converted to SCP-3731. All Foundation personnel trained in thaumaturgy are reassigned to the warding of Foundation Sites from symbiotic infection.

3 SCP-3731 instances in Paris, France use anomalous capabilities to rob an armored truck. Responding field agents are quickly overwhelmed, necessitating the deployment of MTF Omega-12 ("Achilles' Heels") to neutralize the instances. Foundation casualties: 18. Civilian casualties: 29. Civilians amnesticized: 447.

2/2/2019: Estimated 2.5% of global population converted to SCP-3731. GOC authorizes lethal force against SCP-3731 for all units worldwide, leading to a lifted veil scenario and widespread rioting.

O5 mandate 3731-Ov17 establishes Orange Zone in Sonoran desert, Arizona. City of Phoenix evacuated, thaumically warded, and commandeered for use as headquarters and staging area of zone operations. Approximately 1,420,000 civilians displaced. Approximately 30,000 SCP-3731 instances identified and contained through joint effort by numerous specialized task forces. Provisional Containment Area 1 constructed to house surplus population of SCP-3731.

4/7/2019: Estimated 11.3% of global population converted to SCP-3731. National, state, and local governments are largely unable to function. O5 mandate 3731-Ov76 (7 in favor, 4 opposed, 2 abstaining) authorizes use of anomalous methods in the containment of SCP-3731, including reverse engineering of paratechnology, use of necrothaumaturgy, and collusion with extradimensional entities.

6/19/2019: Estimated 38% of global population converted to SCP-3731. GOC neutralization efforts have failed and the Coalition no longer appears to be active. O5-7 converted to SCP-3731 instance; voluntarily enters containment.

8/1/2019: Estimated 56% of global population converted to SCP-3731.

City of Jaipur, India is almost entirely destroyed when an infant converted to SCP-3731 begins consuming nearby people and objects and incorporating them into its own body. Instance continues to grow and metamorphose as it seeks and assimilates individuals, food, and toys. Neutralization efforts are unsuccessful; instance is terminated by a coordinated effort from approximately 100 other instances, which engage it with their anomalous capabilities.

Foundation casualties: 206. Civilian casualties: estimated 2,400,000.

At this time, breakthroughs in antithaumic technology enabled the Foundation to develop weapons and other countermeasures effective against SCP-3731.

Technology
Description
Recommended Use

Controlled Innervation Gauntlets
Attachment for Infantry Combat Exoskeletons.
Used in close quarters to deliver weaponized thaumic invocations to targets struck by the gauntlet. Default charge causes target's skeleton to combust; can be loaded with more specialized invocations as necessary.

Spectral Emulsion Ordinance
Infantry equipment for ground engagements.
Manifests spectral activity in a directed stream in a manner analogous to a flamethrower. May cause residual haunting.

Thaumic Resonance Oscillator
Vehicle-mounted equipment for large scale engagements and crowd control. Incapacitates with lower fatality rate at low frequencies.
Uses tuned aetheric waves to stimulate blue-matter growths inside instances, causing uncontrolled bursts of anomalous activity. Effects of aetheric stimulation on blue matter are unpredictable; use only from safe distance.

Thanopenetrating Aperture Mortar
Long-range artillery for bombardment of fortified areas.
Causes large holes to open on surfaces within the area of detonation; groups of elongated, multi-jointed human limbs emerge from holes to detect sapient organisms and pull them inside, after which the holes demanifest. Effective for depopulating SCP-3731 instances while minimizing damage to infrastructure.

Autonomous Neutralization Drones
AI-equipped robotic aircraft dedicated to the tracking of uncontained SCP-3731 instances. Drones resemble wasps, and travel in swarms.
Released around borders of Orange Zone to supplement perimeter forces. Drones are programmed to tunnel into the bodies of SCP-3731 instances and disrupt internal blue matter formations; approximately 2% of instances survive this procedure and can be recruited as E-Class personnel following recovery.

Geometric Destabilization Artillery
Aircraft-mounted missile weaponry; causes spatial distortions incompatible with life (e.g. surfaces folding into themselves, objects occupying the same space at the same time) to become physical norms within the detonation radius.
Recommended only for emergency use against SCP-3731 instances that have converted to large scale non-humanoid forms. Renders area of effect permanently uninhabitable, as organisms entering the radius experience redistribution of the circulatory system and compression injuries from folding of body surfaces.

+ Timeline of Active TPK-Class Thaumaturgic Proliferation Scenario:

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8/24/2019: Estimated 77% of global population converted. O5 mandate 3731-Ov201 recalls all Foundation assets and operations to Orange Zone.

Development begins on the Lilac series of neutralization procedures. Lilac procedures use a combination of thaumic evocation, anomalous medical interventions, and radical surgery to restore SCP-3731 instances to human state.

9/19/2019: Estimated 89% of global population converted. Reclamation of Tucson commences. SCP-3731 instances are unprepared for newly-developed countermeasures. Foundation casualties: 39. SCP-3731 casualties: 842. SCP-3731 contained: 12,656.

O5 mandate 3731-Ov248 (7 in favor, 4 opposed, 0 abstaining) authorizes procedure 01-Lilac for use on contained instances. Procedure survival rate: 0.01%.

10/14/2019: Global population completely converted to SCP-3731. Humanity is extinct outside the Orange Zone.

O5-1 is lost during the destruction of Site-63; entire Site, and surrounding landscape, launched into space by SCP-3731 instances.

11/1/2019: Reclamation of El Paso commences. Foundation casualties: 124. SCP-3731 casualties: 599. SCP-3731 contained: 16,902.

Procedure 05-Lilac authorized for use on contained instances. Procedure survival rate: 6.1%.

11/10/2019: Reclamation of Albuquerque. Foundation casualties: 201. SCP-3731 casualties: 456. SCP-3731 contained: 13,219.

2/6/2020: O5-2's safe house located and attacked by group of 44 SCP-3731 instances; O5-2 and pair of bodyguards defend residence using prototype stealth-equipped combat exoskeletons. Residence becomes site of Battle of Latrobe. Foundation casualties: 3. SCP-3731 casualties: 43. SCP-3731 contained: 0.

3/8/2020: O5-4 converted to SCP-3731. Sends message to all Foundation-associated email and cellular text addresses simultaneously ("THRIVE") before disappearing.

Expedition to Santa Fe reports that entire city has become a dense forest of humanoid trees, with anomalous fauna and microclimate. City deemed irreclaimable. Bombing commences.

3/18/2020: Provisional Containment Area 9 undergoes supply shortages; area director is forced to ration electricity, limiting the provisionally-contained SCP-3731 instances' access to air conditioning. After two days of rationing, 37 instances have expired from heat stroke. PCA-9 is destroyed in the ensuing riots, resulting in the breach of approximately 14,000 instances.

4/27/2020: Reclamation of Las Vegas commences. Organized resistance to reclamation efforts forces retreat by Foundation military assets.

Foundation casualties: 5,379. SCP-3731 casualties: unknown; estimated 950. SCP-3731 contained: 0.

6/4/2020: Provisional Containment Area 7 is overrun by SCP-3731 using improvised military tactics, resulting in the breach of an estimated 17,500 instances.

7/17/2020: Reconnaissance indicates that communities of SCP-3731 have established independent governments and trade. Instances generally attempt to imitate human society. Natural disasters caused by the accumulation of anomalous activity (e.g. hails of biting skulls, sentient lightning storms) make travel and construction hazardous.

9/20/2020: Food and water shortages at Provisional Containment Area 11 result in the expiration of over 400 SCP-3731 instances over the course of the week. Area director Francesca Whitlark makes the unauthorized decision to shut down PCA-11's containment operations, resulting in the breach of approximately 11,000 instances.

1/4/2021: MTF Phi-00 "Loyalists" formed, consisting of SCP-3731 instances who retained allegiance to the Foundation post-conversion. MTF Phi-00 assigned to defense of Orange Zone borders.

Flora and fauna affected by thaumic mutation continue to take on increasingly dangerous forms. Travel outside the Zone is impossible without specially equipped military escort.

3/10/2021: Alvarado report confirms continuing increase in the thaumic strength of SCP-3731. Long-term projection indicates that continued thaumic proliferation will render the planet uninhabitable for non-anomalous life by 2027.

8/2/2022: Dr. Tilda Moose and MTF Sigma-3 "Bibliographers" are revealed to have been acting as agents of the Serpent's Hand for at least 2 years, aiding and abetting the escape of SCP-3731 instances to the Wanderer's Library.

7/2/2023: Provisional Containment Area 2 (formerly the city of Tucson) is overrun by SCP-3731 instances.

MTF A-00 killed in action after SCP-3731 instances hijack several Giant-class automated combat drones and successfully reprogram them to attack Foundation forces.

1/1/2024 SCP-3396 breaks pattern of inactivity and begins ascending into the upper atmosphere. All Foundation thaumic scanning equipment worldwide malfunctions simultaneously to display the reading "THRIVE."

Geographical data accelerates the timeline of the Alvarado report. Earth projected to be uninhabitable for non-anomalous organisms by April of 2024.

2/2/2024: O5 Council mandate 3731-Ov627 authorizes the use of Procedure 99-Lilac.

2 in favor, 1 opposed, 0 abstaining.

Procedure 99-Lilac Overview:

Thaumobaric Stratosphere Clustercharge Munitions will be detonated over each of the planet's remaining landmasses. The T.S.C.M. use coordinated hypercompression of orgone energy to create a destructive endothaumic reaction on a planetary scale. This process will cause the violent rejection of all blue matter formations, and the attached physical tissues, from the bodies of all SCP-3731 instances outside the Orange Zone. The projected survival rate for mutated beings worldwide is zero.

This action will prevent the imminent destruction of Earth, though at the cost of creating an אK-Class "Foundation Apotheosis" scenario: a state of affairs in which all humanity that remains exists within Foundation containment.

Following the decommission of SCP-3731, military and research assets will be moved out of the Orange Zone to resume previous operations. The Orange Zone will be used for the establishment of a functioning baseline society and repopulated with E-Class survivors of previous Lilac procedures. As Foundation policy and human normality will be one and the same post-apotheosis, the parameters of baseline reality will be adjusted to reflect the boundaries of the zone and the needs of its management.

Causing an אK scenario is the ultimate failure of the Foundation's mission, but it provides an unprecedented opportunity - the chance to start clean, to make a better world, shaped and regulated by the guiding hands of the overseers. It will not be their ascension. It will be ours.

The Zone will be secured. Humanity will be contained. Normality will be protected.

A New Age of Magic

Apotheosis Hub

Thrive

Footnotes

1. Thaumaturgy is the capability to consciously affect physical changes to the environment using non-physical methods. The level of thaumic innervation present in SCP-3731 allows instances to use cognition, visualization, speech, or gestures to cause events that violate physical laws such as cause and effect or the conservation of mass and energy.

2. Polymorphism is the anomalous alteration of physical anatomy. SCP-3731 frequently display morphology that would not typically be compatible with life.