SCP-1178

Description

SCP-1178 is a Soviet era RT-2 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (NATO reporting name SS-5 'Skean'), manufactured sometime between 1962 and 1967. SCP-1178 is suspended exactly 1.34 kilometers in the air above █████, a former Soviet missile base. SCP-1178's rockets will activate intermittently, however it has never been observed to move outside of breach events.

If any vehicle or mammalian organism approaches █████ or SCP-1178 from a distance of 200 kilometers or less, or if a broadcast contrary to standard SCP-1178 broadcasts is made in SCP-1178's range, it will begin to slowly accelerate itself from its position above the base. SCP-1178 moves very slowly, with the highest speed ever obtained being an estimated 1.6 kph, achieved during its initial activation event. SCP-1178's acceleration is to be considered a breach event, as it will cause SCP-1178's secondary effect to initiate. The initiation of the Pretia Protocol must to be done within 3 minutes of SCP-1178's acceleration in order to be effective.

SCP-1178's secondary effect will initiate in the event that the missile is able to accelerate to a speed greater than 0.2 kph. The early nuclear detection systems of any former Soviet state will begin to indicate an imminent nuclear strike. Starting with radar stations, all equipment possessed by these nations will begin indicating a massive nuclear strike coming from any nuclear capable NATO nations. When these states have gone on alert for the possibility of a nuclear strike, the equipment of any nuclear capable NATO nations will also begin to indicate an imminent nuclear strike from any country currently affected by SCP-1178. Note that SCP-1178 will only affect the early detection equipment of these countries, and does not affect the actual launch devices or the commanders in charge of said devices.

The Pretia Protocol calls for sleeper agents within nuclear detection organizations in various NATO and former Soviet states to sabotage the early detection systems of the countries they are working for. This is to create a plausible explanation for why these systems showed false readings. Once this has been achieved, personnel are to ignore or cast doubt on any readings detected by equipment affected by SCP-1178. In the event that one nation launches a nuclear attack, the response systems of the recipient nation(s) are authorized to be disabled by Foundation agents, to minimize the damage created by a nuclear strike and avert an XK scenario.

Prior to SCP-1178's containment, several incidents of near-accidental nuclear strikes by world powers were reported to the Foundation by assets integrated in the Soviet GRU and the American CIA, leading to the discovery and recognition of SCP-1178 as an anomaly. A partial list of incidents caused by SCP-1178 has been included in this report.

Object History: On ██/██/████, SCP-1178 was launched, which was reported as a test by the Soviet Union. During the launch, GRU Division "P" reports say that SCP-1178 ceased to accelerate and unexpectedly detonated once it reached a height of 1.33 Kilometers. At the same time, early warning nuclear detection equipment in the USSR began to display an imminent nuclear strike by the U.S. It is not known why the USSR did not retaliate in response to these readings. Approximately 6 days after the incident occurred, the GRU evacuated and then demolished the base, and established a permanent observation center.

Recovered records indicate that SCP-1178 was launched at an object present in the atmosphere over Siberia, but the appearance and properties of this object are unknown, as all information on the object was destroyed in 1991.

After an unknown period of time, SCP-1178 began affecting the area around the base, leading to its second activation event. Following this event, the area of exclusion that currently exists around it was established. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, GRU personnel began broadcasting the signals currently used by SCP personnel to contain SCP-1178. It is believed that research with SCP-1178 had led them to create an elaborate "post-war" hoax, in order to keep SCP-1178 pacified.

Research notes recovered from the GRU theorized that SCP-1178's only motivation to activate was to irradiate the earth through nuclear war, and if such a war had already occurred it would remain inert until another civilization capable of conducting a nuclear war arose.