SCP-219

Description

SCP-219 is a mechanical device consisting primarily of an array of pistons, driven by an electric motor which can be powered by attaching it to a separate generator. The entire machine is supported by a thorium alloy frame. The outer frame of each of SCP-219's pistons are also made primarily of the same thorium alloy. Attached to the outside of SCP-219 is an ████ IBM Desktop PC, keyboard, and monitor, all shielded with shock-absorbent foam to prevent damage to them by SCP-219's vibrations.

When SCP-219's computer is turned on, it automatically runs an "Earthquake Generator" program. Using the keyboard, a user can select up to twenty items from a list of commonly used construction materials, including multiple varieties of stone, soil, bricks, concrete, steel, iron, [DATA EXPUNGED] and glass. Selecting the "Other" option from the bottom of this list brings users to a different screen, enabling them to select other substances, including several types of wood, plastics, papers, and bone. A user may also choose to describe the properties of a material that is not currently on the list, name it, and save it to the list for future use. After selecting a given material, the user is asked to estimate the objects' mass, volume, and select a general shape to describe it. It is not possible to key in the composition of SCP-219 into SCP-219; any attempt to do so results in the computer displaying an error message and shutting down.

After materials have been selected, the user is asked to specify a range of effect, from fifty (50) feet (distances are given in English units) to ██████ (██) miles, and set two timers: one to determine how long SCP-219 will wait before activating once the program starts running, and one to determine how long it will run after it has activated. When all criteria have been filled in, the user may select "Run" to start SCP-219 or "Start Over" to enter a different set of criteria. SCP-219 cannot be shut down once a program begins running without being dismantled or damaged.

When activated, SCP-219's pistons oscillate and begin creating vibrations in the air to match the resonant frequency of the materials selected by the user. Different sets of pistons create distinct resonances. These materials begin to vibrate in turn as they are struck by air waves, eventually shattering or otherwise coming apart from the strain put on them by the oscillations. The waves created by each oscillator do not seem to have any effect on each other even when they are traveling through the same media, enabling SCP-219 to resonate with many materials simultaneously. Studies of how this is possible, or how the effect might be duplicated, have been inconclusive.

SCP-219 was recovered in ███ █████████, California, after an incident in which a heavy earthquake hit a city suburb without any prior warning from seismic geologists. Eye-witness reports gathered from survivors indicated the seismic disturbance had effects similar to that of a quake registering at 8.8 on the Richter scale, over a space of only 20 kilometers. Examination of the surrounding area showed far more subtle structural damage than should be possible for a quake of any magnitude, and the bodies of multiple people who died of massive internal cranial trauma, including several cases where the entire skull had apparently exploded. Foundation Agents found SCP-219 in the rubble of a collapsed house, along with some packaging materials and spare parts. The house's previous owner was one █████████ ██████████████, who was later found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in a hotel in Boulder, Colorado.

Included with the remains of the packaging was a diagram of a large funnel-shaped object attached with a complex of tubes to SCP-219, and instructions for how this "Resonance Focuser" was intended to be used. Its intended purpose, according to these instructions, was to channel the resonance-waves generated by SCP-219 on a much more linear trajectory, increasing the range of the machine in a single direction by ███%. The instructions suggest several applications for this attachment, including a makeshift offensive "wave cannon," a tunnel-carving device, and a "Resonant Annihilator" function created by turning the Focuser downwards¹ and keying the composition of the Earth's core into SCP-219. The search for this missing attachment is still ongoing.

Addendum: For those who wish to use SCP-219 for demolition purposes, note that SCP-219 will work most effectively if it is on level, solid ground. Also note that for buildings utilizing an internal metal frame for support, SCP-219 is better used to target the frame than the materials built around it. If SCP-219 is still running but the vibrations appear to have stopped, disconnect the power supply and check to see if the oscillators have ground away the surface underneath themselves; they may not work properly if the ground the machine is set on is also shaking. You may need to move SCP-219 to a more durable foundation to ensure that it works properly. Consult User Manual 219-01 for more information. -Dr. Chung

Addendum: Despite the obvious similarities to Nikola Tesla's earthquake machine (see SCP-███-█), SCP-219 clearly must have been built at least ██ years after Tesla's [DATA EXPUNGED]. Given what we know about [DATA EXPUNGED] it is most likely that whoever built SCP-219 simply took Tesla's designs and expanded on them. -Dr. Chung