SCP-6374

Sometimes, its dreams became nightmares about the nameless ones, but mostly it dreamt of the cave.

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The Dreamer had not stirred in aeons. Sometimes, its dreams became nightmares about the nameless ones, but mostly it dreamt of the cave. Dispersed though it was, it still sometimes focused on a single plant or animal. Its incomprehensible attentions settled on a single glow-tree by the dark wall, and the ancient portal. Mindlessly it gazed, staring without thought. Suddenly, unexpectedly, something changed. The ancient portal creaked and cracked, and opened. Through it came strange apparitions, unlike any in the cave. But the Dreamer recognized them anyway: life.

Item #: SCP-6374

Object Class: Euclid Keter

Special Containment Procedures:
Provisional Site-581 encompasses SCP-6374, the access tunnel connecting it to the surface, and 25 acres immediately surrounding the surface entrance of the tunnel. Human development and activity around Provisional Site-581 is to be discouraged under the guise of preventing habitat loss in the Amazon rainforest. Outside flora and fauna are not to be introduced to SCP-6374 without authorization from Dr. Wells. Likewise, native organisms are not to be removed from SCP-6374 without authorization, and direct interaction with fauna should be avoided during exploration. To facilitate ease of access, the tunnel between SCP-6374 and Provisional Site-581 has been lined with concrete and reinforced.

Description: SCP-6374 is an extensive natural cave system located in the Amazon rainforest approximately 30 kilometers north of Manaus, Brazil. SCP-6374 is home to multiple unique species of flora and fauna, and has an ambient Hume count as high as 300 Hm. SCP-6374 strongly influences background Hume levels in the surrounding area, with steadily-rising counts detectable from more than 40 km away.

cavecreature2.jpg

An SCP-6374-1 instance, specifically Specupiscis viridis.

SCP-6374 is accessible via a spiral tunnel leading approximately 20 meters below the surface. This tunnel was, prior to Foundation exploration, sealed at the border of SCP-6374 by an artificial stone wall and a thick door composed of desiccated plant matter. Species native to SCP-6374 have not been observed attempting to cross the threshold and exit the cave.

All multicellular species found in SCP-6374 so far are unique, and found nowhere else on Earth. Most are not technically anomalous, but several display traits or abilities that seemingly violate known laws of physics. For the sake of simplicity, SCP-6374-native flora and fauna are collectively referred to as SCP-6374-1.

SCP-6374 primarily consists of long, meandering passages connecting multiple larger chambers and shafts. Each chamber generally connects to at least three passages, but some passages branch off between chambers. Several shafts are mostly filled with underground lakes, which may be connected to each other via submerged conduits.

While a complete map of SCP-6374 is still being devised, as several passages are unexplored and the center of the cave (as defined by Hume levels) has not yet been reached, extrapolation of the mapped layout suggests the existence of a massive cavern located in the center of the system, possibly connected to the rest of the system by as few as one passage.

SCP-6374's atmosphere is composed of approximately 68% nitrogen, 29% oxygen, 2% water vapor, and 1% other gases, primarily argon. This leads to low visibility and extremely humid conditions throughout the majority of the cave.

Addendum 6374-3
Multiple personnel who have performed repeated explorations of SCP-6374 report vague feelings of being watched while in SCP-6374 for longer than ~15 minutes. Teams have also reported auditory hallucinations, although these are in fact physical phenomena due to native species and the acoustics within SCP-6374.

The Dreamer turned in its sleep. The apparitions were worming their way ever deeper into the cave. Each was an alien mass of energy, warping and distorting everything around them. But sometimes they resonated with the cave, and new creatures formed from fragments of their nature.

A sour yellow note slipped through the dream, penetrating ever closer to a place the Dreamer didn't remember. An apparition moved deeper into the heart of the cave than any had before, bleeding thought and emitting strange beams of low-energy light through the walls. Eventually, it came into the heart, and memories came rushing back. The Dreamer remembered its sanctum, the hiding place that had become its prison and even its grave. It remembered the nameless ones, and the nightwalkers that had sealed it away from the world. Most importantly of all, it remembered itself.

Addendum 6374-4: SCP-6374-A and -B
SCP-6374-A is a humanoid skeleton with a partially-cervine skull and large antlers located in the centermost chamber of SCP-6374. SCP-6374-A possesses multiple anomalous attributes, most notably a constant diffuse glow that interferes with photography and a Hume reading of ~600 Hm. SCP-6374-A is in a slumped-forward sitting pose atop a grown wooden stump resembling a chair. Flowering vines growing from the structure are entwined in SCP-6374-A’s ribs and long bones in place of connective tissues, and wrap around its antlers.

Due to its high Hume reading, position in the cave, and possible influence over the behavior of flora and fauna in SCP-6374, it is believed to be the source of the anomaly.

The floating rib recovered from SCP-6374-A has been designated SCP-6374-B. SCP-6374-B retains the visual and physical properties of SCP-6374-A, but it is presently unclear what, if any, effects it has on the surrounding area. SCP-6374-B projects a Hume level up to 530 Hm in a short radius around itself, which can be reduced but not completely cancelled by proximity to Scranton Reality Anchors.

Until additional properties can be confirmed or disproved, SCP-6374-B is to be contained in a 3x3x3-meter non-humanoid containment chamber.

Addendum 6374-5
Since 15/10/2018, SCP-6374-1 organisms have attempted to breach containment twice, each time demonstrating a high level of coordination between species and a mutual focus on escape. Both attempts have been turned back by security personnel, but a larger or better-equipped security force may be required if the new behavior persists.

The Dreamer lashed out. It did not yet remember its name, but it remembered that it had once been whole, and that the apparition that had awoken its memories had degraded it further. For now, it desperately tried to return its sundered piece, hoping the missing fragment that would let it rest at ease again.

Addendum 6374-6
Due to frequent and repeated breach attempts via SCP-6374's primary access tunnel, it is to be indefinitely sealed by a steel barrier. An object class upgrade to Keter has been suggested.

Frustration. The Dreamer could not peer far beyond the ancient door, but it had sent its cavern-spawn, its own creations, out to seek its fragment. Each attempt had been a failure, as the apparitions from beyond sullied and destroyed the life of its creations. But now the apparitions were gone, sundered behind an impenetrable wall. The fragment was still out there, past the wall, but the sharpest claws could not scratch the wall, and the strongest growths and muscles alike could not move it. The Dreamer wondered if the cave's own walls were as strong.

Addendum 6374-7
In light of Incident 6374-25, the barrier has been removed from SCP-6374's primary access tunnel, and it should be kept unblocked at all times except during breaches. Any side-tunnels found being dug by SCP-6374-1 instances should be collapsed or filled with concrete as quickly as possible, to encourage SCP-6374-1 instances to solely attempt breaches via the primary access tunnel. SCP-6374's object class has been upgraded to Keter.

Addendum 6374-8
SCP-6374-1 instances display a degree of gestalt intelligence and collective memory; successive breach attempts involve changing tactics and group compositions in response to how prior attempts were stopped. SCP-6374-1 instances are also becoming increasingly aggressive towards Foundation personnel during breach attempts, resulting in four injuries and one hospitalization. Breach attempts will instead be handled remotely via chemical agents to render tactics and group composition irrelevant.

Nothing worked. The Dreamer would adapt, in time, as all life did, but for once its limitless patience was being tested. Its dream never really left the cave, but when the cavern-spawn slipped past the portal, it could feel further. It felt the aliens that had once resonated with its dream, it felt incredible masses of life-energy all around, and it felt what was taken. Silently, endlessly, the Dreamer called out.

Addendum 6374-9
SCP-6374-B displays the same properties as SCP-6374-A, albeit on a smaller scale. Fungi are rapidly building up on surfaces in the containment chamber, and several species of insects frequently emerge from mushroom-like pods in areas of larger fungus concentration. These insects have lifespans under six hours, but reproduce quickly and may interfere with cleaning efforts.

Instinct guided that which was not aware. A growing nursery of unremembered organisms bloomed from a cast-off shard of life. Despite confinement in an unnatural maze of cold, sterile chambers, it thrived. And while the shard had no mind of its own, it did not have to think to act. It just did.

Addendum 6374-10
All surfaces in SCP-6374-B’s original containment cell are almost completely covered in fungi and moss, and large swarms of insects constantly fly throughout the cell. SCP-6374-B has been transferred to a specialized incinerator-equipped cell, which is to be sterilized via incineration once daily and then cleared of ashes.

Addendum 6374-11
SCP-6374-1 produced by SCP-6374-B's effects are displaying growing resistance to incineration, requiring higher temperatures and longer exposure to completely reduce them to ashes. Regrowth rates also appear to be accelerating, with fungal growths reaching maximum density only seven hours after incineration.

Fauna in particular are almost completely resistant to fire of the temperatures used in sterilization of its cell, and have repeatedly played dead to attack workers attempting to clean the cell. Disposal of fauna via neurotoxin is being considered.



Amidst the desolate soil of a strange world, the Dreamer heard its own cries repeated back to it. At last, it had awoken the stolen fragment. Unsaid information flickered between them, like twins long separated. And as the Dreamer prepared a great host of pawns to bring it home, the fragment itself knew a single, new goal: return.

Incident 6374-B-2
On 11/6/2019, SCP-6374-B exhibited a sudden and unexpected change in behavior that constituted a major containment breach. Simultaneously, Provisional Site-581 experienced the single largest attempted breach by SCP-6374-1 instances, including 12 species that had not been observed previously. While Provisional Site-581 was able to neutralize the attempt, Site-66 experienced a rapid escalation and significant damage throughout the containment unit. A transcription of events at Site-66 can be found below.

[BEGIN LOG]

[00:00] SCP-6374-B is believed to begin produced biomass and SCP-6374-1 instances at roughly octuple its previous rate. This change in behavior is not immediately noticed, but instruments register a slight increase in Hume levels near the cell.

[00:11] Site-66 technicians notice a problem when the cameras monitoring SCP-6374-B are blocked by biomass.

[00:13] Containment staff are alerted of the blocked cameras and activate the built-in incinerator.

[00:19] The biomass covering all cameras in the cell is fully incinerated.

[00:23] The incinerator is deactivated.

[00:25] Technicians note that SCP-6374-B is suspended from the ceiling by several vines that were not present prior to camera blockage.

[00:26] The incinerator is reactivated at maximum temperature.

[00:29] The incinerator is deactivated.

[00:30] Continued presence of vines is confirmed; containment staff are mobilized to physically sever the vines and retrieve SCP-6374-B if needed. Rapid-cooling measures are activated to lower the temperature in the cell.

[00:36] The cell is cool enough to safely enter. Containment staff attempt to open the door, but are initially unsuccessful.

[00:41] Containment staff report spontaneous growth of mold in the hall outside SCP-6374-B's cell.

[00:42] The cell door is successfully opened, revealing a thick layer of moss and several vines on the inside surface. The doorway is blocked by several wooden branches.

[00:44] Containment staff break through the branches blocking the doorway. SCP-6374-1 instances of several species rush out and attempt to escape.

[00:45] SCP-6374-1 instances are terminated. Containment staff report the growth of several tree-like plants inside the cell, as well as several large gestation blisterpods.

[00:46] Containment staff attempt to sever the vines suspending SCP-6374-B. The intact blisterpods immediately burst open, disgorging two juvenile specimens of Panthera amphibia and fill the air with pollen and spores. The two specimens attack containment staff and cause moderate injury before being terminated.

[00:49] Two injured personnel are removed from the cell. SCP-6374-B is successfully retrieved and placed inside a sealed container for relocation.

[00:51] SCP-6374-B's containment cell is resealed.

[00:53] Injured containment staff are given medical attention.

[00:55] Mold outside of SCP-6374-B's cell begins to produce insectoid SCP-6374-1 instances. These are initially not noticed, as containment staff are transporting SCP-6374-B to another cell.

[00:59] SCP-6374-B is contained inside a new cell.

[01:26] Local Hume levels near SCP-6374-B rise as high as 580. Activation of a Scranton Reality Anchor is able to reduce this effect at range but fails to suppress the elevated levels within the cell.

[01:28] Blisterpods containing SCP-6374-1 instances begin rapidly growing on all non-living organic surfaces within a 20-meter radius of SCP-6374-B’s new cell. Moss and fungus continue spread throughout the hall outside of SCP-6374-B’s original cell.

[01:30] The rapid growth of biomass in both locations is reported to Site Command. Site Command issues a lockdown order for Bio-Containment Unit 2. Onsite elements of MTF Beta-7 "Maz Hatters" are mobilized to neutralize the breach.

[01:33] SCP-6374-1 instances, particularly specimens of Panthera amphibia and Hadrurus titanicus, begin emerging from blisterpods. Immediate activation of the cell’s incinerator reduces biomass and injures or kills most live SCP-6374-1 instances, but the Hadrurus titanicus remain apparently unharmed.

[01:35] SCP-6374-B's container bulges outwards.

[01:36] Several holes are punched through SCP-6374-B's container. Prehensile vines emerge from the holes and begin pulling the rest of the container apart.

[01:38] SCP-6374-B’s container breaks apart completely. SCP-6374-B is revealed as integrated into a plantlike organism resembling an octopus with a humanoid torso at its “center” and braided prehensile vines instead of arms. Once free, the organism grows to a maximum height of approximately 3.5 meters and legspan of up to 7 meters.

[01:39] Provisional Site-581 reports the beginning of a breach attempt from SCP-6374 itself.

[01:44] SCP-6374-1 instances throughout Bio-Containment Unit 2 attempt to gather outside of SCP-6374-B's containment cell, although most are stopped by sealed doors.

[01:50] MTF Beta-7 enters Bio-Containment Unit 2.

[01:53] SCP-6374-B's "host" organism, in conjunction with SCP-6374-1 instances inside and outside of the cell, breaches the cell with a combination of brute force and caustic secretions.

[01:54] MTF Beta-7 encounters a small group of SCP-6374-1 instances attempting to breach a sealed door within Bio-Containment Unit 2. All instances are terminated by small-arms fire. SCP-6374-B’s host organism begins attempting to force its way out of the local block.

[01:57] MTF Beta-7 reaches the block SCP-6374-B is attempting to enter. They are alerted to its escape and impending entry.

[01:58] MTF Beta-7 enters the block and takes up positions to fire on SCP-6374-B’s host when it enters.

[01:59] MTF Beta-7 unseals the block containing SCP-6374-B. It immediately enters their block and is fired upon. SCP-6374-1 instances move to attack MTF Beta-7 directly while SCP-6374-B’s host organism attempts to escape, using its vines to move at speeds exceeding 15 kph. Four members of MTF Beta-7 are injured.

[02:00] Multiple exceptionally large Hadrurus titanicus instances enter the block and attack MTF Beta-7, forcing members of the team to ignore SCP-6374-B in favor of protecting injured personnel. The remainder of the team continues to engage SCP-6374-B’s host organism, which proves partially resistant to bullets but is affected by sprayed chemicals. It continues moving quickly, making neutralization difficult.

[02:03] The remaining SCP-6374-1 instances are neutralized. All capable members of MTF Beta-7 pursue SCP-6374-B’s host organism.

[02:05] SCP-6374-B’s host organism’s main body is incapacitated by a combination of gunfire wounds to its vines and caustic agents. MTF Beta-7 converges on its location. Portable Kant counters report the radius of elevated Hume levels around SCP-6374-B shrinking.

[02:06] SCP-6374-B’s host’s torso splits open, releasing SCP-6374-B with large butterfly wings growing out of it. It takes flight, evading small arms fire and almost instantly regrowing any damage done to its wings by fire or chemicals.

[02:08] A portable Scranton Reality Anchor is activated, suppressing Hume levels further and weakening SCP-6374-B’s regenerative capabilities, slowing its flight and causing it to drop to the ground entirely twice.

[02:09] B7-3 catches SCP-6374-B and tears its wings off before placing it in a container filled with highly concentrated lye solution.

[02:18] MTF Beta-7 partially sterilizes the hall outside of SCP-6374-B's original containment chamber.

[02:25] MTF Beta-7 moves SCP-6374-B to a larger tank of lye solution.

[02:58] Provisional Site-581 reports that SCP-6374's breach incident has been neutralized.

[05:34] All traces of biomass produced by SCP-6374-B are incinerated or removed to be dissolved in lye solution.



The sour yellow note returned, slipping through the cave and resonating. With it came a strange aura of tranquility that eased the aching void. Moving ever closer, it retraced the path it had taken before. But when it finally came to the Dreamer's sanctum, something changed. The apparition was almost drowned out by a sudden, new glow. An old glow. The Dreamer's own glow.

In seconds, the void was filled, and the gnawing pain vanished. At last, the Dreamer could rest in peace again. And it remembered another thing: contentment. Whole again and satisfied, it returned to its dream.

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