SCP-1188

Description

SCP-1188 appears to be a standard black ███ ████-brand flashlight, manufactured by ███ ██████████, Inc. circa 1983. Its construction and appearance are unremarkable, and it displays an amount of wear appropriate for its age. SCP-1188 accepts ordinary D batteries, activating via a toggle button. When active, instead of producing a beam of light, SCP-1188 temporarily displaces matter in a truncated cone originating from the bulb end of SCP-1188. The far end of the cone is 21.2m from the end of SCP-1188 and 2.2m wide. Matter within the cone appears to have been completely eradicated, leaving a cone-shaped "hole" through whatever SCP-1188 is being pointed at. SCP-1188 can be freely redirected, causing the "hole" to shift. Matter which is no longer being displaced reappears, apparently unharmed, and switching SCP-1188 off causes all displaced matter to reappear. SCP-1188's bulb remains unlit while operating, though its anomalous effects disappear if the bulb is removed. SCP-1188's bulb functions normally when used in other flashlights.

Test 1188-1 - Date ██/██/████
Subject: Tree outside Site-██
Results: Shining SCP-1188 on tree appears to "cut" a section out of the tree's trunk, completely bisecting it. The top of the tree does not collapse, despite no apparent means of support. The internal structure of the tree is clearly visible. SCP-1188's "beam" is slowly moved up and down the trunk, causing the hole to move up and down but without apparent harm to the tree itself.

Test 1188-2 - Date ██/██/████
Subject: Ground outside Site-██
Results: SCP-1188 "carves" a deep hole in the ground, allowing researchers to see into the ground. As SCP-1188 does not shed light like a normal flashlight, it is difficult to see into the hole unless it is aligned with the sun. With the hole at an angle, Researcher ████████ walks on the undisturbed ground above the displaced hole with no ill effect.

Test 1188-3 - Date ██/██/████
Subject: Video camera
Results: Video camera is set to record and then displaced using SCP-1188. Upon return, video shows a view of a curved wall, believed to be the inside of a silo.

Test 1188-4 - Date ██/██/████
Subject: D-16621
Results: D-16621 is restrained and his hand is "illuminated" by SCP-1188, developing a circular hole through it and exposing the internal structure of his hand at the edges of the hole. Upon witnessing this, D-16621 screams, but is found to be uninjured and the hole in his hand is restored when SCP-1188 is switched back off. SCP-1188 is moved to a greater distance in order to create a larger area of displacement and various areas of D-16621 are displaced beginning with his extremities. No ill effects are apparent, although D-16621 finds the process very distressing. Displacing D-16621's head for several seconds causes him to vomit upon his return. D-16621 attributes this to vertigo, as his head was approximately fifteen feet above the ground and facing straight down when displaced, and the sudden shift was disorienting. D-16621 reports seeing the same or similar building as the video camera and identifies it as an empty grain silo.

Test 1188-5 - Date ██/██/████
Subject: GPS tracking beacon
Results: Tracking beacon is able to acquire a good signal and reports its location as a rural area outside ████████████, England. Foundation agents are deployed to secure the area.

Team ████ Mission Report:

Grain silo found at indicated location. Area surrounding silo is a farm in extreme disrepair, no inhabitants. When activated, the entire cone of matter displaced by SCP-1188 is visible in the air in the exact center of this silo. If you shine SCP-1188 at the ground, you get a fifty or sixty foot cone of dirt hanging in the air. If you move SCP-1188 around, the cone hanging in the air doesn't move but you can see its contents changing. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.

Agent ████████ volunteered to have the thing shined on him. Because the small end of the cone is at the bottom and he was looking at it when we switched it on, his upper body was hanging in midair staring down at the ground. He could see his own torso, cut open and showing his guts and everything, but then he fell down and his head came back. He threw up all over the place. Can't say I blame the guy.
- Agent ██████████

Addendum 1

D-16621 became extremely ill 48 hours after exposure, with severe nausea, vomiting, and anemia, dying two days later due to multiple organ failure. Agent ████████'s symptoms were similar but much more acute, with rapidly worsening neurological problems resulting in death six hours after exposure. SCP-1188 is no longer to be used on living organisms.

Addendum 2

Careful study has revealed that displacement via SCP-1188 causes microscopic damage to material along the edge of the displaced region. The damage is extremely small scale, disrupting a small percentage of the molecules along the edge. For bulk materials the damage is inconsequential — displacing a volume of water breaks an infinitesimal fraction of it into its component hydrogen and oxygen, which has a negligible effect. For living organisms, damaging even a small percentage of the DNA, enzymes, cell walls, and so forth can cause catastrophic damage. The damage is not actually caused by ionizing radiation, but the type of damage is very similar and the resulting symptoms therefore strongly resemble acute radiation syndrome. As D-16621's head was displaced all at once, but Agent ████████'s head actually slid through the edge of the displaced region, Agent ████████ developed severe neurological symptoms while D-16621 did not.

Displacing an entire body at once, with no part of the body crossing the edge of the displaced region, should avoid this sort of damage in the future.
- Dr. ███████