SCP-1888

The existence of SCP-1888 was first brought to the attention of the Foundation on ██/██/9█, after investigating multiple reports of people and animals disappearing in the area. Agents investigating the location established contact with the native [REDACTED] tribe living outside of the infected zone who, when questioned, constantly used an unknown word to describe the phenomenon, which has been Romanized as Icthyeiagha (ICK-THYEE-YAYG-HUH). This word lacks any phonemic precedent in the language of the [REDACTED] tribe. Accounts given by individuals vary in details on what Icthyeiagha exactly is (it has been used to refer to the infected area, the temple itself, a creature living inside of the temple, and the name of an underworld connected to Earth via the temple). Consistent throughout all accounts, is the malicious nature of Icthyeiagha and its connection to eschatological beliefs. (Request to have SCP-1888 classified as a potential XK-level hazard denied. We need more to go on than tribal mythology, Dr. ██████).

Despite the warnings of the tribe, on ██/██/9█, a 24 - man expedition was sent into the area to attempt to reach SCP-1888. 6 hours after they departed, the following transmission was picked up from the team leader's mobile radio.

Expedition 1888-E1: This is agent ███████ requesting immediate extraction! You've got to get us out of here, now!
1888-E2: Calm down, ███████. Please report the status of your team.
Expedition 1888-E1: Calm down? Calm down!? They're all fucking dead! You bastards sent us in here with no weapons beyond machetes, we never stood a chance! They're coming for me, I know they're coming for me… you've got to get me out of here right now!
1888-E2: We cannot extract you unless we know your current position. Please try to remain calm and deliver a succinct report of your situation.
Expedition 1888-E1: Remain calm? Easy for you to fucking say! We just got - *sound of stressed breathing*. Okay, okay, let me just… I'm in a shallow cave, I was lucky to find it, it's provided a bit of shelter from them.
1888-E2: Them?
Expedition 1888-E1: The creatures - no, more like the entire ecosystem just attacked us without warning, even the fucking plants! It was like they were waiting for us to get far enough inside so we couldn't escape, they weren't normal, the ████ got ████████ and his body turned into - I, I don't know how to describe it, it was horrific, sort of like [REDACTED]. And the natives here - they aren't human! They look human, at least from a distance, but they've got [REDACTED] and they when they touch you you [DATA EXPUNGED] into the ground! Everything here is working together to kill us! I know that *faint rustling sound* Oh God they've found me! You've got to get me out of here now! Send Taskforce █████, armed with ████████! They've *sound of an animal scurrying across stone* Oh shit it's too *prolonged sounds of screaming, decaying into sound of tearing flesh and animal vocalizations, resembling [REDACTED]. Transmission lost*

After this incident, a small flight of Foundation helicopters were deployed to perform aerial napalm strikes on the affected area. One of the helicopters was destroyed by a swarm of birds and insects displaying ████████████ traits, but the operation was successful, incinerating 87% of the native flora and fauna. Ground teams equipped with hazmat suits worn over ████-class body armor as well as M16 assault rifles and flamethrowers were then dispatched to destroy all remaining instances of infected flora and fauna.

Cataloging various manifestations of SCP-1888-1

Subject: D-67982 (male, age 28, convicted jewel thief)
SCP-1888-1: A chest 0.5 meters in length and 0.2 meters deep, containing several hundred finely-cut precious stones, estimated value $9,570,000.00

Subject: D-66712 (female, age 77, former art collector)
SCP-1888-1: A painting of an elderly man, signed by Leonardo Da Vinci. Examination of the artifact before it decayed resulted in a date contemporary with Da Vinci's work, and visual records of the artifact submitted to multiple art experts revealed no signs of forgery. No such Da Vinci painting is known to exist.

Subject: D-67778 (male, age 55, former investment banker)
SCP-1888-1: A large suitcase containing $10 Million USD in $100 denominations.. The serial numbers of all of the bills were successfully cross-referenced with actual bills produced by the United States Mint, although some appeared to be duplicates of bills already in circulation.

Subject: Dr. ██████████ (male, age 48, Ph.D in nuclear physics)
SCP-1888-1: A miniature cold fusion reactor. Attempts to disassemble the artifact for analysis off-site resulted in it immediately decaying into SCP-1888-2.

Subject: D-66992 (female, age 19, known to have been obsessed with collecting miniatures)
SCP-1888-1: A 12cm tall solid platinum model of the character ████, from the television show [REDACTED].

Subject: Dr. ████ (male, age 29, formerly assigned to the research team experimenting on SCP-███)
SCP-1888-1: [DATA EXPUNGED]

Cataloging the effects of exposure to SCP-1888-2 infected ground

Subject: One Tulipa gesneriana
Procedure: Subject was transplanted into a small pot containing soil infected with SCP-1888-2
Result: Subject displayed no change within the first 72 hours. Samples taken after the 72 hour mark revealed a significantly more rigid and durable stem, leaf, and root structure. At 100 hours, thorns were observed to grow on the stem, leaves, and flowers. Human tissue pierced by these thorns resulted in inflammation and pain similar to the bite of Paraponera clavata, although no permanent damage was incurred. After 120 hours, exposure to the poison in the thorns proved fatal for 90% of mammalian test subjects, including D-class personnel. At 154 hours, subject displayed rapid plant movement, its leaves being able to extend into tendril-like forms and attempt to attack any non-infected fauna. At this point subject was terminated.

Subject: Male rattus norvegicus
Procedure: Contained in a terrarium coated with soil infected with SCP-1888-2. Regularly provided with food and water.
Result: Subject displayed no change within the first 48 hours. After the 48 hour mark, subjected displayed heightened aggressive tendencies. At 60 hours, subject would attack any non-infected fauna without regard for its own safety. Subject began displaying physical mutations around the 100 hour mark, including sharper teeth, a razor-like edge on its tail, larger and sharper claws, and increased strength and agility. At this point, the terrarium was reinforced with carbon steel alloy to maintain containment. At 148 hours, the subject breached containment via the use of a type of acid expelled from the nostrils (analysis of the substance indicated presence of [REDACTED]). Subject was terminated before it could cause any casualties.

Subject: D-66010 (male, age 49).
Procedure: Contained in a cell built on-site, with the floor coated in soil infected with SCP-1888-2. Regularly provided with food and water.
Result: Effects were similar to the previous test. At the 58-hour mark, subject lost the ability to communicate verbally, along with seemingly all higher reasoning abilities. Mutations observed at the 100-hour mark include a hardened carapace protecting vulnerable areas of the body, finger and toenails developing into sharp talons, and a ██████. Despite enhanced security measure, subject breached containment at 161 hours, causing 7 casualties before being terminated by assault rifle. Subject managed to survive 956 rounds before dying. Subject caused one additional casualty after its death.

NOTE: Contact with bodily fluids of mutated individuals, even after death, is strongly discouraged.

On ██/██/0█, tests using ground-penetrating radar revealed several subterranean chambers near the main structure of SCP-1888. Permission to excavate one of the chambers was given by Dr. ████, the former head researcher at the site. Upon penetration of the chamber at 1:12 AM on ██/██/0█, a local ██████ ██████-class event was registered, leading to the immediate deaths of all on-site personnel. Effects of the event continued to spread, and [REDACTED] was observed as far as 10.3km away from the pyramid. O5-█ authorized the use of emergency procedure Agni-delta (deployment of ██ megaton ██████-salted thermonuclear device) but before the procedure could be carried out, the event abruptly ceased. The infected zone around SCP-1888 had expanded as a result, though, and further extermination procedures were employed in order to contain the new extent of the area. All humans that had been caught in the affected area became hysterical, constantly shouting the word Icthyeiagha, until returning to normal approximately 48 hours afterwards. The only memories subjects retained of this period were the word Icthyeiagha and an intense fear of SCP-1888. These effects lessened upon application of class A amnestics.

All further requests for excavation on or around Facility 1888 are hereby denied - Dr. ██████