SCP-2406

Description

SCP-2406 is a mechanical automaton, 93 meters in height and weighing approximately 210 tonnes. Research indicates that SCP-2406 was not sentient and required at least six operators to properly function. It is hypothesized that SCP-2406 was piloted via 160 different valves and levers within its interior. Limbs were controlled through the application of pneumatics, hydraulics, and clockwork, and powered by a nuclear reactor located within the torso.

SCP-2406 was discovered on August 7, 1985 in the Aralkum desert, formerly the eastern basin of the Aral Sea¹, during an effort to track the unusually high levels of radiation in the water. Initially contained by GRU Division "P", SCP-2406 would be transferred into Foundation custody following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite the location of its recovery, SCP-2406 is believed to have been built somewhere in the Aegean Sea.

Most of SCP-2406 is composed of an alloy consisting of 75-80 percent copper, 15-20 percent zinc, and smaller percentages of nickel, lead and iron; the admixture responsible for its bronze appearance. Inscribed upon the posterior of the exterior torso is the Aegean numeral for 9, suggesting that SCP-2406 may not be an entirely unique construction. However, as of to date, it remains the only of its kind known to the Foundation. The anterior of the exterior torso is engraved with a stylized hammer and anvil.

The right arm was equipped with a nozzle attached to a 20,800 liter tank. Although the tank was discovered empty, chemical testing revealed pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, calcium phosphide, and sulfur within its interior.² The left arm appears to have been torn from SCP-2406 and was not initially recovered with SCP-2406. See addendum for details.

Human skeletal remains, six in number, have been removed from the interior of SCP-2406 with radiocarbon dating placing their deaths at cal 1200–1000 BCE (1σ). All were found to be attired in armor that, while roughly Mycenaean in design, is composed of material never used in ancient warfare - a lead and copper alloy with an inner lining composed of asbestos fabric. The helmet would have completely covered the head with a green, tinted glass visor over the face. Tubes, constructed from goat intestines, fed outside air directly into the mouths of the pilots. Valve #136 would have caused a momentary release of water into these tubes, allowing those within to remain hydrated while operating SCP-2406. A similar system of tubes attached at the crotch and were presumably used in the expulsion of urine.

SCP-2406 is currently disabled (but could hypothetically be repaired) and displays extensive evidence of combat related damage. The head, torso, and left leg were discovered impaled by organic spines. These spines appear superficially chitinous and, despite showing strong structural similarities to coral, contain human DNA. It is believed that these objects functioned as projectiles, employed by an unidentified anomalous organism. Indentations around the torso are suggestive of constriction by a large, flexible and prehensile appendage. Originally thought to be caused by natural corrosion, SCP-2406's outer layer was damaged by a strong acidic substance likely associated with the previously noted unidentified anomalous organism.

Physical evidence suggests that the reactor core melted through the posterior torso, penetrating the earth and continues to burn at more than 1200 °C. It is estimated to be presently located at approximately 820 meters beneath the surface. The reactor, when intact, has been hypothesized to have functioned in a manner similar to natural nuclear fission reactors³, deviating significantly from modern designs. It is possible that the creators of SCP-2406 were aware of such phenomena and attempted to mimic the process.

Several scrolls were recovered from a watertight cylinder within SCP-2406. Most appear to be of a religious nature and associated with the Followers of Mekhane - the historical precursor to the modern Church of the Broken God. The scrolls are written in a unique script derived from Mycenaean Greek. It required 10 years of research for Foundation linguists to decipher this system of writing.⁴ These documents included a variation of The Book of Pieces, Chapter 12.

Addendum: On December 12, 1998, the left arm of SCP-2406 was uncovered 32 km from its body. Evidence of impact suggest the object had been hurled to its location shortly after being severed from SCP-2406's torso. The arm is equipped with what has since been hypothesized to be a weapon of non-terrestrial origins and anomalous manufacture, design, and capabilities. Due to its singular nature when compared to the rest of SCP-2406, this weapon has been separately classified as SCP-2406-1.

The actual purpose of SCP-2406-1 is unknown, the apparatus so foreign as to render it beyond current Foundation knowledge. SCP-2406-1, possibly due to damage, warps spacetime in its vicinity. Kafka counters have registered the object at a difference of 30 humes in relation to its surrounding environment. Despite this, there has been no observable effect on reality.

It has been hypothesized that the use of SCP-2406-1 would cause considerable damage to local reality. It remains unknown if SCP-2406-1 was ever used prior to the destruction of SCP-2406. Personnel are not to attempt activation of SCP-2406-1 unless authorized by Site Command.