Description: SCP-2497 are 785 identified Carnegiea gigantea’ 
which have been anchored to local reality by attachment of hand- 
knit Christmas stockings.2 When unanchored, SCP-2497 
manifestations are subject to spatial instability, materializing and 
dematerializing in random locations across the southwest United 
States. Instances primarily appear in enclosed spaces, namely, 
bathrooms, closets, and other small spaces.3 SCP-2497 is 
indistinguishable from non-anomalous Carnegiea gigantea under 
normal biological conditions, until its spines penetrate the epidermis 
of a human subject. 


SCP-2497's primary anomalous effects begin when a spine 
punctures the skin. Tissue surrounding the puncture wound will 
undergo rapid transformation into Plasticine,4 resulting in loss of 
sensation in the affected area. This effect will then spread outwards 
from the affected region, until either the limb/appendage is severed, 
or the organism has been completely converted. Complete 
conversion takes roughly 3 hours, and results in the creation of an 
SCP-2497-1 instance. 


SCP-2497-1 instances are promptly reshaped to resemble a 
standard synthetic Christmas tree, sprouting branches, and artificial 
pine needles. The legs are closed and fused together to form a 
central column from which the branches sprout. SCP-2497-1 
instances remain conscious throughout their transformation, and 
frequently manifest a number of fluorescent lights which they are 
able to control. These lights have been used for communication, 
albeit at limited frequency due to the amount of energy required by 
each SCP-2497-1 instance to use them. (See Interview I-2497-1). 


SCP-2497's secondary anomalous effect begins upon complete 
manifestation of an SCP-2497-1 instance. Upon complete 
restructuring, all prepared or bottled beverages within a 10 meter 
radius of an SCP-2497-1 instance are converted into juice from the 
Saguaro's fruit, laced with Lophophora williamsii.5 Consumption of 
this fluid initiates a series of actions normally practiced during the 
American Christmas holiday, including: 


¢ Decoration of the instance with stereotypical ornaments and 

lights. 

Prolonged singing of Christmas carols while encircling it. 

Expressing or showing regret at the absence of the individual 

used to create the SCP-2497-1 instance. 

¢ Placement of wrapped gifts beneath it. 

* Opening of said gifts on the following morning. 

* Continuous consumption of the aforementioned fluid under the 
belief that it is eggnog. 


Actions induced by the fluid will cycle continuously until affected 
individuals are subjected to detoxification, available liquids run out, 
or they expire from chemical overdose. 


SCP-2497-1s appear to destabilize local reality through some 
unknown means, resulting in a higher frequency of SCP-2497 
manifestations. This phenomenon resulted in an uptick of SCP-2497 
manifestations at Biological Containment Area 36 from 2 in 2013, to 
46 in 2014. 


Update 25/12/2014: 

SCP-2497-1-05 was observed responding to yes/no questions 
posed by staff working in Biological Containment Area 36's storage 
facility. The instance responded by blinking its lights once for yes, 
and twice for no. SCP-2497-1-05 was presented with a photo of 
Dave Sirling, and confirmed its identity when questioned. When 
questioned if such actions required energy, SCP-2497-1-05 
confirmed that it did indeed tire from frequent use of its fluorescent 
bulbs. 


Interview logs 
Show Interview Log I-2497-1 


The following interview utilizes letters and numbers 
attached to individual lights to answer more complex 
questions. Due to the taxing nature of such actions on 
SCP-2497-1-05, interviews were kept short, and 
questions were kept simple. 


Interview Log I-2497-1 
Interviewer: Dr. Carry Shawl 


Interviewee: SCP-2497-1-05, formerly Dave 
Sirling, Accountant for and 


Foreword: The following interview consisted 
of short response questions, where 
SCP-2497-1-05 had been equipped with 
letters, numbers and certain punctuation 
marks hanging from individual fluorescent 
lights. 


Dr. Shawl: Good morning Dave. 


SCP-2497-1-05: HELLO 


Dr. Shawl: Now that we have a more 
advanced method to ask you questions, do 
you think you can give us insight into what 
happened? 


SCP-2497-1-05: READY 


Dr. Shawl: Excellent, can you tell me where 
you were when SCP-2497 appeared? 


SCP-2497-1-05: CACTUS? 

Dr. Shawl: Yes, the cactus. 

SCP-2497-1-05: BATHROOM 

Dr. Shawl: What were you doing at the time? 
SCP-2497-1-05: TOILET 

[Dr. Shawl pauses briefly] 


Dr. Shawl: And where did the SCP-2497 
instance appear? 


SCP-2497-1-05: BELOW 
[Dr. Shawl pauses again] 


Dr. Shawl: Ok, thank you Dave. Do you know 
why SCP-2497 appears more frequently near 
you? 


SCP-2497-1-05: ANGRY 
Dr. Shawl: Do you know why they are angry? 
SCP-2497-1-05: MISSIT 


Dr. Shawl: Could you be more specific? 


SCP-2497-1-05: CHRISTMAS 
SCP-2497-1-05: TIRED 


Dr. Shawl: Ok, thank you for your cooperation 
Dave. 


End interview log 


Footnotes 

1. Colloquially known as the Saguaro Cactus. 

2. Containment teams discovered a stabilized SCP-2497 
manifestationon / / when an instance materialized in front of a 
fireplace, inadvertently pricking one of the stockings. 

3. Which appears to maximize the chance of sustaining a puncture 
wound. 

4. As determined by spectroscopic analysis. 

5. Colloquially known as "peyote". 


« SCP-2496 | SCP-2497 | SCP-2498 » 


SCP-2498: The Rainbow Body 


To Dr. Navidson: 


Your request has been approved. I've attached all we 
could salvage of Project RAINBOW BODY below. As for 
the other ASTRAS, it's all a bit of a mess at the moment 
— with all the moving we've had to do since those days, | 
can't say I'm surprised. At any rate, | hope it's enough for 
you and your team to work with. 


Wishing you all the best, 


Sabapathy V. 
Archival Department, South Asian Division 


P.S: Give my regards to Dr. K. She'll need it. 


> VIEW ATTACHMENT: SCP-2498 DOCUMENTATION 


Item #: SCP-2498 
Object Class: Neutralised (formerly Keter) 


Special Containment Procedures: The former Parapsychology 
Wing of Andhra Pradesh University has been designated Adjunct 
Site-2498 for monitoring and communications purposes. In 
accordance with Foundation radiation exposure safety guidelines, 
on-site staff are not to be stationed within Adjunct Site-2498 for 
more than 240 hours a year. 


The room containing the remains of SCP-2498 is to remain sealed. 
It has been lined with lead plates to a thickness of at least 20 cm to 
minimise the risk of radiation exposure. 


Communication with SCP-2498 is to take place from within 
observational room #B2-04a of the Parapsychology Wing. Due to 
the potentially sensitive nature of information provided by 
SCP-2498, communication is only to be attempted by personnel with 
Level 3-2498 clearance. 


Update: As of 1988/08/17, SCP-2498 is currently neutralised. Due to 
the levels of gamma radiation that continue to be emitted by room 
#B2-04b, the basement levels of Adjunct Site-2498 have been filled 
with concrete. 


Description: SCP-2498 is former E-class personnel Arjun 
Ramakrishna Rao, located in experimentation room #B2-04b of 
Adjunct Site-2498. Rao was classified as SCP-2498 following 
complications during the course of his participation as a subject of 
Project RAINBOW BODY. Despite the cessation of most of his 
biological functions on 1988/02/12, Rao continues to remain 
responsive and alert. SCP-2498 is believed to be capable of long- 
distance extrasensory perception and matter manipulation as a 
result of this event. The limits of its abilities are currently unknown. 


Update: As of 1988/08/17, SCP-2498 is currently neutralised. 
However, the room it was formerly contained in continues to emit 
gamma radiation at a rate of 90 mSv/h. Containment procedures 
have been updated accordingly. 


> VIEW ATTACHMENT: PROJECT RAINBOW BODY 
DOCUMENTATION 


Project RAINBOW BODY - Clearance 3 Brief: 


RAINBOW BODY was a mental conditioning regimen jointly 


developed by Foundation researchers and the Department of 
Parapsychology of Andra Pradesh University in 1975 as part of the 
RAINBOW ASTRA programme. The purpose of the regimen was to 
develop remote viewing abilities in psychonautically adept 
individuals for intelligence-gathering purposes, as part of the 
Foundation's contractual obligations with the Indian government 
during the Cold War. In its final development stage, it comprised 
administering a subject with a controlled dosage of scopolamine and 
a synthetic mescaline derivative under a combination of sensory 
deprivation, electroconvulsive therapy, and background exposure to 
Class-1 aural cognitohazards. 


Successful execution of the RAINBOW BODY regimen causes 
subjects to experience extreme disorientation and vertigo to the 
point of physical and mental discomfort. Improperly conditioned 
subjects display signs of overwhelming psychological distress within 
30-40 seconds. Prolonged exposure beyond this point risks lasting 
neurological damage. 


Less than one in ten subjects eventually attain an anomalous 
psychological state, hereafter referred to as the viewing state. 
During the viewing state, movement of most of the subject's 
voluntary muscles will be inhibited and their senses will be greatly 
dulled. Their heart rate drastically increases, while their breathing 
becomes quicker and shallower. Electroencephalogram (EEG) 
readings taken of the subject at this stage show increased theta 
wave activity and decreased alpha and beta waves. Despite this, 
subjects in this state remain fully conscious, being able to respond 
to verbal cues, as well as perform slight physical movements like 
twitching their fingers or toes. 


Throughout this state, subjects are able to decouple their field of 
vision from their physical location. They gain the ability to perceive 
objects beyond their supposed point of view, as well as access 
information previously unknown to them. Experimentation has 
proven that the range and strength of this ability correlates with the 
following factors: 


¢ The subject having had prior training in forms of meditation, in 
particular traditional Hindu meditation 
¢ The subject's ability to voluntarily enter a state of lucid 


dreaming 

¢ The subject's resistance to hallucinogenic drugs 

¢ The number of times the subject has previously undergone 
the regimen 


Approximately two in five participants failed to survive more than 
three executions of the regimen, expiring from various 
neurochemical complications or organ failure. The relatively high 
mortality rate led to the project being temporarily suspended in 
February 1985 under the investigations of the Ethics Committee. It 
was only restored following talks with the Overseer Council, who 
informed the Committee of RAINBOW ASTRA's importance to 
negotiations with the Indian government. By May 1985, research 
had continued according to schedule, on the condition of minimising 
subject mortality and prioritising wider subject recruitment from 
voluntary sources. 


In the beginning, RAINBOW BODY subjects were primarily D-class 
personnel from the South Asian experimental subject intake who 
had displayed high psychonautical aptitude and mental resilience 
during intake tests. Following the successful infiltration of the 
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 1980 by Foundation 
operatives, voluntary subjects under GONDOLA WISH! were 
incorporated into the programme as well. After the 1985 
investigation, the project began to recruit subjects from Foundation 
personnel with extensive experience in psychic phenomena, 
prioritising those nearing the end of their employment term. 


> VIEW ATTACHMENT: RB-S003 SUBJECT FILE 


Personal File of Arjun Ramakrishna Rao: 


Subject designation: RB-S003 


Name: Arjun Ramakrishna Rao 


Year of birth: 1928-04-19 
Participation status: Voluntary 


Originally posted as an esoteric containment specialist in MTF 
Theta-77, Rao was hastily transferred to the Foundation's South 
Asian operations following the total withdrawal of Foundation assets 
from the United Kingdom in 1965. After a period of time as Site-36's 
psychological training specialist, he was recruited into Project 
RAINBOW BODY in 1985 following the recommendations of his 
former colleagues. By then, he had amassed considerable 
experience in the fields of psychic research and mind-affecting 
phenomena, as well as a reputation for extraordinary mental 
fortitude. Rao immediately took a liking to the project upon his arrival 
and was dismayed at its sluggish rate of progress, going as far as to 
volunteer himself for accelerated acclimatisation under guided 
supervision. He successfully entered the viewing state on his first 
attempt after a record 40 hours of acclimatisation over the course of 
only a week. Surpassing his peers, Rao was able to provide concise 
descriptions of objects up to 100 metres away, as well as identify 
voices and general mental states of individuals within that range. His 
proficiency in undergoing the procedure was highlighted and brought 
to the attention of Regional Command, who gave permission to train 
and deploy Rao under Project RAINBOW BODY as a remote 
intelligence-gathering operative. 


Throughout his following tests, Rao continuously defied 
expectations. Within five executions of RAINBOW BODY, he was 
able to project his field of perception to an unprecedented distance 
of 12 kilometres. Rao was also able to remain in the viewing state 
for almost 2 hours at a time with negligible impact to his physical 
health, though he reported mild dissociative episodes occurring up 
to 15 hours later. At his peak, Rao was able to identify and provide 
descriptions of sights, sounds, and general mental states located up 
to 1,800 kilometres away, though he continued to claim that he 
could have gone further. Rao first entered active deployment in 
November 1987, where he provided remote intelligence support for 
MTF operations in Bengaluru during the containment of an SCP-584 
outbreak. Rao continued to provide support for a variety of regional 
MTF operations until his classification as SCP-2498 in August 1988. 


rotating perforated drums and coils providing different instructional 
input for commands of motion. A human operator working the 
controls essentially "shifts gears" to readjust the configuration and 
position of the control drums and coils which guide the rhythm of 
motion to the legs essential for moving SCP-278. 


Though the finer details that control SCP-278 are not fully 
understood, researchers are perplexed by the autonomy SCP-278 
displays when no human input is presented. It is not known how 
SCP-278 is capable of moving and performing complex tasks on its 
own without an operator, the most impressive of which is the 
construction of an elaborate "web" made from nylon tether, similar to 
bungee cord, with high tensile strength. The cords are constantly 
stored and reused since the discovery of SCP-278, the typical web 
having a diameter of about 41 m. 


Addendum: SCP-278 escaped confinement on the 2nd of 
September 2008 when SCP- breached its own containment, 
disabling the facility located at [EXPUNGED]. During the night, 
SCP-278 had traveled [EXPUNGED] km to Liverpool, England, 
where it was found, poised vertically upside down on the side of a 
building known as Concourse House. SCP personnel posing as a 
theatrical group introduced SCP-278 to citizens as "La Princesse,” 
the showcase of a theatrical production. With human operators at 
the controls, SCP-278 was paraded around the city under the guise 
of a show. 


« SCP-277 | SCP-278 | SCP-279 » 


> VIEW ATTACHMENT: INCIDENT 2498/19880212 


Archived Testimony from Franz Ziegler, RAINBOW BODY Head 
Researcher, dated 1989/02/01: