SCP-1512
Irrational Root
Special Containment Procedures
At least eight members of Task Force Omega-8 are to be assigned to Site-166 at all times, with no fewer than three members of the task force concurrently conducting Procedure 1512-Alpha at any given time. Members of Omega-8 are to be rotated on-station and off-station every 10 hours as appropriate to mitigate stress. On-station members of Omega-8 are to be equipped with hearing protection and Class IV environmental protection suits with integrated closed-circuit breathing air. Task force members are to be provided with sufficient quantities of pencils, writing paper and dextroamphetamines. The monitoring instruments that observe and report the position and orientation of the point of origin are to be inspected and calibrated daily to ensure accuracy of the Procedure 1512-Alpha computations.
In order to conduct Procedure 1512-Alpha, the on-duty task force members must compute, manually and in real time, the differential pseudo-Riemannian topology of the asymptotes of SCP-1512's point of origin. Although the variables upon which the computations are based are derived from mechanical and electronic instrument readings, the computations themselves are to be conducted without the aid of mechanical or electronic computing devices. The speed and precision with which the calculations are performed have been shown to directly affect the efficacy of the procedure in retarding the growth of SCP-1512. Moreover, the procedure has been shown to be ineffective unless the individual performing the calculations simultaneously maintains negative epistemology with respect to the computational work—that is to say, the individual must disbelieve the results of the mathematical computations.1 The computations are to be performed within Site-166 within 6 meters of the point of origin.
Description
SCP-1512 is a root-like organic structure with an estimated mass in excess of 80,000 metric tons at present. It consists of a dense and knotted network of long branches or tendrils. Each tendril is several hundred meters in length, with additional branches every few meters, and coil or zig-zag in various directions with no discernible pattern. The tendrils have a diameter ranging from three to five centimeters. Their outer surface is reddish-brown in color, with hairless, mottled skin. The tendrils secrete a corrosive, foul-smelling, grey thixotropic slime that is capable of causing chemical burns on flesh; additionally, humans who are exposed to the slime experience altered brain chemistry which manifests as feelings of disorientation and vertigo. The tendrils subtly pulsate as if by means of internal circulation or respiration, but do not otherwise move except for growing in length during breaches in the performance of the containment protocol. SCP-1512 radiates heat as if it were a similarly-sized mammal with a high rate of metabolism, and produces loud sound tones that are perceived as brown noise.
The point of origin of SCP-1512 is located on the campus of ███████ University. Site-166 has been constructed around SCP-1512 (under the cover story that the facility is part of the university's physical plant) to contain and study it. The tendrils emanate from a specific point of origin, the position of which was formerly the location of a point within Unit 38A of the university's graduate student housing. That dormitory unit had been occupied by Niels Meyer, a PhD candidate in mathematics at the university. Meyer's remains were recovered from the location, and forensic analysis suggests that the point of origin was within Meyer's cerebrum. A notebook recovered from the dormitory unit suggests that Meyer had been studying a hyperbolic non-Euclidean geometric problem when the structure came into being. The containment protocol was developed by Foundation researchers after analyzing the notebook: before the containment protocol was instituted, the structure's growth resulted in Meyer's death and significant structural damage to the dormitory building.
Despite SCP-1512's apparently organic composition, it has an unmeasurably high Vickers hardness and has proven immune to damage by cutting, burning, lasers, corrosive acids and similar substances, and other means. During breaches in the performance of the containment protocol, various tendrils of SCP-1512 increase in length. The growth rate of tendrils appears to accelerate for the duration of any suspension of performance of the protocol, and has been measured at rates of up to 8 meters/second; the source of the additional mass is as yet unknown. When growing, the tendrils are capable of displacing or breaking solid obstructions including concrete and naval-grade steel plate.
The original dormitory building has been destroyed by SCP-1512's growth to date, and it is not clear whether Site-166 will be sufficient to contain any further growth of SCP-1512 despite reinforcement of the walls, ceiling and floor. Due to the size and potential growth rate of the structure, and the catastrophic environmental damage that could result from the slime emanations, maintenance of the containment protocol has been classified as a Level A priority.