Specimen 724

Specimen 724 attempting to interact with facility researchers during testing.

## Description

Specimen 724 is to be kept in 4.4 meter tank filled with saltwater to allow it to keep alive, the tank is made of acrylic plastic to combat the corrosive fluids it creates. Manual checks for any cracks or damages in its containment cell are to be done on a weekly basis. Personnel are to not interact with Specimen 724 unless required for testing. The temperature of the cell is to be constantly kept at 14°C. In the event of Specimen 724 breaching containment personnel are to enter Class-3 infectious breach procedures.

Specimen 724 is a sculpture of an octopus with tentacles resembling human arms that appears to be made out of clay and wax. Specimen 724 is animate and is capable of doing so by crawling around with its limbs and can even on wall like surfaces due to the help of a sticky substance it creates from its palms for said purpose. Specimen 724 creates a corrosive mucus (Noted as HAS-724) whenever it comes into contact with water of high level salinity (usually around 50 psu or more) it'll then cover itself in this substance and will use to keep itself "moist" and "sustained" as said its own words. Individuals that are contaminated with HAS-724 will then have their skin covered in tumorous growths in appearance to reef rocks, the outcome of these growths usually result in the infective deceasing or being used as "food" were it will use the deceased infective's remains as apart of its process to survive by crushing the subjects remains and grinding them up and mixing them into its body until it eventually forms into HAS-724 although the exact way it converts its infectives into HAS-724 remains unknown. Specimen 724 seems to have a degree of intelligence and is capable of making basic gestures and signals with its hands along with even writing words and signs out of HAS-724 although its communication with staff are usually attempts for it to create more infectives of HAS-724 as noted in Log-724-A.

**Containment Breach Overview**

When Specimen 724 had escaped containment it had infected multiple personnel with HAS-724 causing them to grow the tumor like growths as noted previously. One subject of interest was Researcher *█████████* who had been contaminated with HAS-724.But unlike the already noted symptoms, Researcher *█████████* was still for the most part alive except for the various growths resembling crude tentacle like structures similar to Specimen 724 itself. *█████████* was alive in this state for a few minutes until succumbing to the infection and his remains along with the rest of the infectives of Specimen 724 have now been taken for examination.

### Log-724-A

*The following is an interview and overview of Specimen 724 breaching containment and infecting Researcher █████████ In this interview Dr. James writes to Specimen 724 in an attempt to get it to give a reason for its attack towards Researcher █████████.*
Dr. James: Can you understand me?

(Specimen 724 proceeds to crawl up to Dr. James and then points to itself)

Dr. James: Why did you hurt █████████ what the hell was all of that for?

Specimen 724: (excretes HAS-724 on its cell wall and writes) To feed

Dr. James: Feed what? You don't eat, or feed or do anything like that. All you're doing is being some weird almost parasitic abomination. Did you start all of this on purpose or something, like do you REALLY do this for a method of survival or is this all for fun? Since you seem to be a bit of a trickster

Specimen 724: Must keep feeding to live and prosper and to keep moist and sustained. For life must continue, I am alive, so must keep alive.

Dr. James: Well consider this 724, we're not letting you get your grubby hands on a single soul here buddy. You're here so we can find out what you are and maybe, who you are. But that's not gonna happen if you keep your little antics up and plus we given you all the saltwater you'd need to keep "moist" as you put it, so you going this far shouldn't be happening.

Dr. James: Well, care to explain why a bunch of rocks shaped like arms and tentacles came out of him and uh, not to mention the fact that he started walking around like some mindless hive minded drone?

Specimen 724: That upright is a perfect one. It is my prototype, my child who will see life as I do

Dr. James: So is this your way of reproducing? Is this like some sort of hivemind?

Specimen 724: It is, to create a new way and type of life. One where beings like me are widespread

Dr. James: Well 724 like I've said we've given you all you need to stay alive so this whole thing of your to create this "new life" is not gonna get out of hand got that?

Specimen 724: Well, for now imperfect upright.