Item #: SCP-3687

Object Class: Euclid1

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B are to be installed in an SCP-3687-1 instance, having dimensions 10cm x 10cm, and held within a heat resistant containment locker capable of withstanding a temperature range of -100ºC–500ºC. SCP-3687-A and B are to each have a digital thermometer placed near them within the container and wired to an alarm set to trigger if either thermometer reads a temperature outside a range of -50ºC–200ºC. When not in testing, SCP-3687-A and B are to be set to the lowest rate of energy transfer.

SCP-3687-B is to be stored in a heat-resistant, ceramic container with 20cm sides capable of withstanding a temperature range of -50ºC–1000ºC. This container is to be connected to two refrigeration units set to maintain an interior temperature of approximately 10ºC.

Following the events of Experiment-3687-5, SCP-3687-A is no longer containable, and as of 6/1/17, efforts to locate and recover the remains of SCP-3687-A have been discontinued.

Access to SCP-3687-A and B SCP-3687-B for purposes of testing is permitted only to personnel with level-3 clearance or higher. When interacting with or handling SCP-3687-A or B SCP-3687-B, all personnel involved are required to wear a Level C B heat-resistant hazmat suit and thermally insulated gloves, unless otherwise specified.

Description2: SCP-3687 is a pair of glass handle doorknobs designated SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B. Both door knobs are identical in design, each having a flat top and smooth, curved, octagonal sides that narrow down before meeting the back plate. The back plate of each doorknob is composed of circular section of brass with a protrusion in the center that connects to the glass portion, two holes on opposing sides for inserting screws, and a bolting mechanism on the back for attaching a spindle.

SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B exhibit anomalous thermodynamic properties, wherein heat energy is absorbed by SCP-3687-A and remotely transferred to SCP-3687-B through currently unknown means. This phenomenon occurs regardless of any distance separating the objects or of any physical or █████ barrier setup between them. Testing has shown that the rate at which energy transfer occurs between SCP-3687-A and B varies from approximately 20W–████W.

SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B possesses an abnormal resilience to both high and low temperature extremes as well as rapid changes in temperature. In one instance, SCP-3687-A reached -200ºC and SCP-3687-B reached 240ºC in █s with no alteration to their shape and without compromising their structural integrity. This thermal resilience does not extend to SCP-3687-1, nor do instances of SCP-3687-1 acquire any other anomalous properties.

Though resilient to the effects of temperature changes, SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B are not impervious to physical damage; the glass portions of each knob have been tested and proven to have the same hardness as ordinary glass3, while the metal back plates have the same hardness as alloys of brass4 commonly used in door fixtures. Care must be taken to avoid unnecessary damage to SCP-3687-A and B as this is known to cause rapid fluctuations in their energy transference rate.

If SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B are installed together in a suitable "door", as one would ordinary doorknobs of the same make, said "door" will become an instance of SCP-3687-1 until SCP-3687-A and B are removed. SCP-3687-1 does not need to be – or even resemble – an actual door, though SCP-3687-A and B do need to be able to function as doorknobs5 for the "door" to be considered an instance of SCP-3687-1. SCP-3687-1 may be comprised of any solid material and have any dimensions provided it is able to house SCP-3687-A and B and the appropriate fixtures.

When properly installed in an SCP-3687-1 instance, the rate that energy is transferred between the objects will stabilize and may be precisely controlled through the rotation of either doorknob. The rate of energy transfer will increase while SCP-3687-A is turned in the clockwise direction and decrease while turned in the counter-clockwise direction. The same effects will also occur if SCP-3687-B is turned, though the direction the knob must be rotated to achieve the same result is inverted6. How quickly the energy transference rate increases or decreases is dependent on the angle that SCP-3687-A or B is rotated from its default position. This occurs at roughly 9W/s per 10º.

Addendum-3687-1:

Recovery Log: SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B were recovered from the home of Kyle Hannigan on 1/16/17 after the outbreak and suppression of a house fire. Reports by on-scene firefighters describing a potentially anomalous object caught the attention of Foundation members monitoring the area, so field agents were sent in to investigate, posing as local police officers. In addition to being told of a "mysteriously cold room" and a "glowing doorknob that was burning everything", agents were also informed that Mr. Hannigan was apparently missing as no body had been found in the house and all attempts to contact him had failed.

SCP-3687-A was discovered attached to the inner side of the door to the house's only bedroom. SCP-3687-B was resting on the ground outside the room, having burned the surrounding wooden flooring and partially melting the concrete foundation. The immediate area was closed off until back up arrived with equipment suitable for dealing with extreme temperatures. Initial recovery of SCP-3687-A and SCP-3687-B proved unsuccessful until repeated attempts to move the objects incidentally resulted in their energy transference rate being lowered, allowing them to be recovered and moved to a nearby containment site. Witnesses to SCP-3687 were treated with class-B amnestics and a false story was given that a malfunctioning dryer unit was the source of the fire.

Mr. Hannigan has yet to be located, and is currently considered missing by both the Foundation and local law enforcement. A note inside of a fireproof lock-box was discovered in Mr. Hannigan's bedroom, reading: "Finally, I've done it. Here, you can have this one."

Addendum-3687-2: On 4/22/17, SCP-3687-A breached containment and became lost to the Foundation. The experiment that resulted in these circumstances has been recorded below in its entirety.

+ Please Input Credentials for Level 3 Clearance

- Access Granted

Experiment-3687-5:

Procedure: SCP-3687-A will be suspended within a vacuum chamber cleared of 99.99% of excess matter. SCP-3687-B will be suspended nearby above a 10L vat of liquid nitrogen. This will take place in a sealed, thermally insulated test chamber equipped with two infrared cameras directed at SCP-3687-A and B to monitor changes in temperature. SCP-3687 will be set to transfer energy at approximately 20W.

Objective: To observe how SCP-3687-A functions when isolated from sources of thermal energy.

Results: Once setup is completed, researchers observe a rapid decrease in SCP-3687-A's temperature, at a near constant rate of about 35ºC/s. Upon reaching -272.15ºC, SCP-3687-B experiences a sharp and erratic increase in temperature. At the same time, SCP-3687-A abruptly accelerates upwards, briefly making contact with the top of the vacuum chamber before breaking through and traversing upwards. SCP-3687-A shatters on impact with the test chamber ceiling, the broken pieces spreading out and pressing into it causing large cracks to appear. Seconds later, the floor space above the test chamber collapses from the upward pressure; SCP-3687-A's pieces are obscured from view by the debris, but are heard crashing through two more floors before exiting the facility through the roof.

Analysis: Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain the unusual results of the test; the foremost of which was proposed by Dr. Richards.

"Without SCP-3687-A to test our hypotheses, we can't know for sure why it reacted the way it did, but I think I have an idea that explains its behavior. As SCP-3687-A reached absolute zero, it wouldn't have had any thermal energy to absorb. In the absence of positive energy, the only way for it to maintain equilibrium with SCP-3687-B was to create negative energy. Having been "heated" solely by this "negative thermal energy", the atoms – and by extension the entire object – began to respond inversely to positive energy as well as applications of force. This would explain its unimpeded ascent; the force of gravity accelerated it upwards and any resisting forces – like friction – only increased its movement, causing it to tear its way through every obstacle in its path. As for why it didn't simply absorb more positive thermal energy, SCP-3687-B's sudden increase in energy output was likely enough to keep SCP-3687-A below 0K. If that is the case, SCP-3687-A may very well have left Earth and is now hurtling through space. Which, while alarming, amuses me more than anything."

-Dr. Richards

Since SCP-3687-A's breach of containment, efforts have been made to locate and re-contain any or all of its fragments. So far, these efforts have yielded no success.

In the absence of SCP-3687-A, the energy output of SCP-3687-B has become unstable and can no longer be controlled. This has increased the difficulty of containing SCP-3687-B and warranted the development of new containment procedures.

Addendum-3687-3:

+ Please Input Credentials for Level 3 Clearance

- Access Granted

As of 6/1/17, no fragments of SCP-3687-A have been located within its former containment facility or the surrounding area. SCP-3687-A is presumed to have left Earth orbit and has been reclassified as Neutralized.

"It occurs to me now that during Experiment-3687-5, SCP-3687-A may just as well have accelerated downwards from the force of its suspensions and sunk into the ground. I shudder to think what the consequences would have been if that had happened."

-Dr. Richards

Footnotes

1. As of 4/22/2017, this classification only applies to SCP-3687-B; SCP-3687-A is considered Neutralized

2. This portion of the document remains unedited from its original form. See Addendum-3687-2 and 3 for details regarding SCP-3687's current condition

3. 6.5 on the Mohs scale

4. 4.0 on the Mohs scale

5. i.e. rotating either knob must pull back the accompanying latch into the frame

6. i.e. turning SCP-3687-B in the clockwise direction will decrease the rate of energy transfer