SCP-4297

Item #: SCP-4297 l4.png Object Class: Keter
Level 4 Clearance Threat Level: Red
emus2.jpg

A mob of emus with SCP-4297 instance present (circled in red).

Item #: SCP-4297

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The Australian government is cooperating with the Foundation to contain SCP-4297. SCP-4297 containment efforts are currently divided into monitoring of emu colonies for SCP-4297 activity, and extermination of active SCP-4297 colonies.

Foundation cover story F91-11314 ("Poacher Proof") is to be disseminated to local Australian news media following skirmishes between SCP-4297 instances and Foundation personnel. Additionally, following the termination of any SCP-4297 colony, Class-A amnestics are to be distributed to civilian populations within ten kilometers.1

MTF Kappa-5 ("Pecking Order") is to cooperate with MTF Nu-7 ("Hammer Down") in carrying out OPERATION INVISIBLE FACE. Details of OPERATION INVISIBLE FACE are available to Level 4 personnel and above only.

[02 JUN 2013] UPDATE: The town of Morgan has been designated a protected wildlife preserve (designated Biological Site-730). The perimeter of Biological Site-730 consists of electrified chain-link fencing 1.8 meters in height. Two members of MTF Kappa-5 are to patrol the perimeter of Biological Site-730 to monitor for covert SCP-4297 activity and inspect the perimeter for damage.

All personnel involved with OPERATION INVISIBLE FACE have been administered Class-A amnestics and reassigned.

Description: SCP-4297 is the designation for an unknown number of D. novaehollandiae, commonly known as emus.2 Instances of SCP-4297 are intelligent and capable of communication,3 and display a high level of adaptability and situational awareness. Instances of SCP-4297 typically utilize their beaks and feet to grasp and manipulate objects, often in conjunction with their claws (such as when firing a rifle).

Instances of SCP-4297 are capable of reproduction with other SCP-4297 instances or non-anomalous emus, generating eggs (designated SCP-4297-1). Similarly to non-anomalous emus, SCP-4297 instances can each lay between 20 and 50 eggs per season, about 30-40% of which hatch new instances of SCP-4297.4

The remaining instances of SCP-4297-1 contain weapons, ammunition, and other related supplies, including parts of larger objects, which SCP-4297 mobs5 assemble using tools acquired in the same manner. Foundation ornithologists hypothesize that this is accomplished via a spatial anomaly affecting the eggs' interior, allowing them to contain objects larger than their size would otherwise permit. However, this hypothesis has not been confirmed, as "hatched" SCP-4297-1 shells are invariably inert and non-anomalous.

SCP-4297 instances are capable of coordinating egg production to accelerate the manufacture of larger machinery and ordnance; in one case, over ████ instances coordinated to produce and manufacture an LGM-30 Minuteman-III missile over the course of a single night.

SCP-4297 instances, both male and female, show hostility towards Foundation personnel and humanity in general. During laying season, a mob of SCP-4297 may actively prepare for and engage in acts of warfare against nearby human settlements; however, during the off-season, SCP-4297 instances typically only lay eggs when threatened.

SCP-4297 show great resistance to Foundation containment and extermination efforts. More recently, however, SCP-4297 instances have adopted guerrilla tactics, blending in with non-anomalous emus for protection and using their natural speed to escape if disarmed or wounded. Additionally, attempts at nonlethal containment or imprisonment typically result in retaliatory guerrilla-style attacks by groups of SCP-4297, often with much higher casualty rates than deemed acceptable. As such, particularly due to the potential widespread existence of SCP-4297 throughout the Australian continent, containment efforts have focused mainly on extermination of SCP-4297 instances.

Discovery: Following World War I, returning Australian soldiers were given land within Western Australia for use in farming; this was made difficult by the presence of a large number of SCP-4297 instances.8 Australian Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, was tasked by the Secretary of Defense to cull the emu population. Two men, two Lewis guns, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition were deployed in late October, 1932.

Military involvement was delayed until 2 November following heavy rainfall. One Lewis gun was mounted on the back of a truck in order to keep pace with the fleeing emus. Upon approaching a group of SCP-4297, the emus mounted a pincer attack from the surrounding brush consisting of multiple birds armed with Lewis guns. Maj. Meredith managed to radio for assistance before transmission cut out. Foundation assets within the Department of Defense intercepted the transmission, resulting in the immediate deployment of Mobile Task Force Apollo-3 ("Game Wardens") to Western Australia.

The ensuing conflict resulted in heavy Foundation casualties due to harsh terrain and intense guerrilla tactics by SCP-4297; however, ten instances of SCP-4297 were successfully contained and the remaining SCP-4297 force was exterminated.

Incident 4297.5: On 21 October 1953, Foundation operatives detected high levels of radiation in an uninhabited region ██ kilometers northeast of Lake Maurice. Aerial surveillance revealed a previously undetected colony of SCP-4297 numbering over 6,000 instances. In addition to small arms and ammunition, Foundation reconnaissance teams discovered roughly 40 Sherman tanks, 25 North American Aviation P-51 Mustang fighter planes, and one Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, all in varying states of completion.

In light of the imminent violation of the Veil Protocol, O5 Command voted 12-1 in favor of eliminating the SCP-4297 colony using a 10kT yield nuclear bomb. Operation FLIGHTLESS BRAVO was conducted with the cooperation of the GOC and the Australian government under the guise of British nuclear testing.

The population of SCP-4297 in the colony was estimated to have been reduced to below 100, with all vehicles and aircraft confirmed destroyed by aerial reconnaissance. Foundation MTF Nu-7 ("Hammer Down") was deployed to terminate the remaining SCP-4297 instances via artillery strikes and sniper fire, in cooperation with GOC Strike Team "Floating Fire."

The following sequence of events is unclear. At approximately 0700 local time on 27 Oct 1953, a second nuclear device was seen to detonate from the previous construction site.9 The resulting blast resulted in the termination of all members of "Floating Fire," as well as the deaths of nine members of MTF Nu-7.10 Further reconnaissance determined that the second blast had eliminated all remaining SCP-4297 instances in the area. It remains unknown how any instances were able to survive the original blast.

Addendum 4512-1: SCP-4297 Containment Attempts Log

The following lists all proposed and attempted containment procedures as well as their outcomes. Additionally, the date of the proposal and recorded SCP-4297 population11 are included.

Addendum 4297-2: OPERATION INVISIBLE FACE After-Action Report

Revised containment procedures are currently under review.

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