SCP-8240 - SCP Foundation

SCP-8240

As of ██/██/2019, this SCP has been reclassified as Safe. Testing has ended for the time being, and will resume following any change in SCP-8240’s status. The most up-to-date information regarding SCP-8240 can be found in Addendum 8240.2: Account of Event SCP-8240-beta. The following document has been archived for posterity. —Dr. Fournier

Item #: SCP-8240

Object Class: Keter Neutralized Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Containment and study of SCP-8240 is a joint operation conducted by the Foundation and the ██████ Agency, a clandestine organization centered on paranormal containment administered by the Japanese government. Due to the high turnover (i.e. casualties among containment staff) associated with this SCP, replacement personnel are often required on short notice; to this end, both the ██████ Agency HQ and the Foundation’s satellite location in Osaka retain a high reserve of both security and D-Class personnel. In the case of unscheduled termination of personnel during an SCP-8240-1 event, reinforcements shall be sought promptly, at the very least before the onset of the next day’s event.

SCP-8240 is to be monitored continuously by a containment team of no less than 75 trained individuals, all of whom are to be equipped with incendiary grenades. This containment team is to maintain a constant perimeter around SCP-8240 of no less than 3 km. No civilian is to enter the perimeter under any circumstances. The ward in which SCP-8240 is located, ████, has been evacuated and closed to civilians under the pretext of a chemical spill having permanently toxified the area¹. Research staff are to be kept off-site, for their own safety.

In advance of the onset of an SCP-8240-1 event, no fewer than 15 D-Class personnel shall be placed at intervals throughout SCP-8240. SCP-8240-2’s pursuit and ingestion of these subjects shall typically expend the duration of the event, ensuring that SCP-8240-2 does not feel predisposed to vacate SCP-8240. Any D-Class personnel still living by the end of the SCP-8240-1 event shall be recovered for use during a future SCP-8054-1 event.

Due to its close proximity to the active portion of Osaka—combined with the relatively low chance of SCP-8240-2 moving far enough away from SCP-8240 to pose a danger to civilians—it has been deemed impractical to maintain a perimeter around SCP-8240 large enough to make escape by SCP-8240-2 impossible within the time allotted by the SCP-8240-1 event. It should therefore not be forgotten that SCP-8240-2 is technically capable of exiting the perimeter. A large volume of redundant D-Class personnel are to be kept on-site for this eventuality, in which case contingency plan A-6 (“Chowhound”) is to be implemented.

Description: SCP-8240 is a three-story commercial building in Osaka, Japan, located in the ████ ward at ██████, ████████. SCP-8240 was previously owned by the ████████ Corporation, a global conglomerate targeting consumer electronics. Since its takeover by the Foundation, SCP-8240 has become vacant, and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

SCP-8240-1 refers to an anomalous event centered on SCP-8240 occurring every 24 hours at exactly 11:36 PM, JST. At the onset of an SCP-8240-1 event, all timepieces present within or around SCP-8240 will stop, and all electrical lighting will fail (with an area of effect of 1.2 km). Approximately 2.8 seconds later, SCP-8240-2 will spontaneously manifest within, and immediately emerge from, SCP-8240’s second-floor maintenance closet; it will then proceed to vigorously pursue any living creature in its vicinity. SCP-8240-1 ends at 12:22, 46 minutes after its onset, at which point SCP-8240-2 will vanish (demanifest).

SCP-8240-2 is a multipedal entity slightly over 6 meters in length. Outwardly, SCP-8240-2 resembles a human female in the form of a chilopod (centipede). It possesses a greatly elongated torso which is otherwise human in appearance. Joined to this torso at regular intervals are 25 pairs of human arms, which it uses to ambulate. Musculature is consistent with a human female aged 26-32; all fingernails are manicured and painted. The anterior end of SCP-8240-2’s torso terminates in a slightly oversized head with long dark hair, no eyes, and a persistent facial expression indicative of acute distress. The posterior end terminates in a pair of supine human legs, which do not appear to be functional, and which it drags behind it while ambulating.

SCP-8240-2 lacks both primary and secondary sexual characteristics. In place of genitalia, it possesses a secondary mouth, which vocalizes continuously at an average intensity of 119.4 decibels. These vocalizations are consistent with those of a human female in the 26-32 age range in a state of extreme pain or terror².

SCP-8240-2 is carnivorous and will consume any living creature (or almost any—see Addendum 8240.1: Abridged Test Log). It does not masticate, as it lacks teeth, and will ingest prey by using its foremost pair of arms—which are much stronger than indicated by visible musculature—to force the target into its primary mouth until it is completely engulfed. SCP-8240-2 is also capable of unhinging its jaw, giving it the ability to swallow prey many times larger than itself. There appears to be no upper limit to the amount of prey SCP-8240-2 can consume at a given time; however, SCP-8240-2’s speed decreases exponentially the more it consumes, which has proved an aid in containment. In the case of especially large quarry such as bears and horses, it will cease movement entirely until it has partially completed the process of predigestion.

Although its operational period is relatively brief, SCP-8240-2 is exceptionally dangerous, and possesses several properties which in combination with each other make it uniquely resistant to containment. SCP-8240-2 is capable of moving very fast (relative to a human), with a peak land speed of approximately 46.8 kph, and appears to have a very high threshold for fatigue. It constantly excretes a transparent mucus possessing strong adhesive properties, which allows it to affix itself to surfaces and move across walls and ceilings in pursuit of prey³. Finally, it is able to employ situational incorporeality at its discretion—phasing through most solid surfaces with ease—which property makes it impossible to physically restrain as well as invulnerable to damage.

To date, the following have totally failed to harm SCP-8240-2: high-caliber ammunition, thermobaric mines, vehicular impact, mustard gas, bladed weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft rounds, and expandable batons. Its only weakness appears to be a mild and purely psychosomatic aversion to fire.

It hunts by means of an innate awareness of living creatures in its vicinity; it is at all times able to locate the prey nearest to its own location, regardless of distance⁴. SCP-8240-2 has no interest in consuming deceased prey, and will always seek living prey, no matter how remote. It also evinces a marked preference for humans above other forms of life⁵.

Though SCP-8240-2 is only able to manifest inside SCP-8240, it is fully capable of exiting it, and will not hesitate to do so if it considers such an action to be in its best interest. E.g., in the case that no living subjects are present in SCP-8240 at the time of its manifestation, it will immediately phase through the wall and descend the building at a 90-degree angle using its adhesive properties, proceeding inexorably toward its nearest source of viable prey⁶.

It is hypothesized that SCP-8240-2 is totally blind, as it occasionally appears to have trouble navigating unfamiliar spaces (such as those located outside of SCP-8240). Upon being confronted with an unfamiliar (inanimate) object, it has been observed to ingest the object before immediately regurgitating it. It has been speculated that SCP-8240-2 somehow utilizes ingestion as a rudimentary form of perception.

Presently SCP-8240-2 is considered sentient, but not sapient. Study has determined that SCP-8240-2 lacks a tongue (in either mouth), making it uncertain whether it is capable of human speech, rudimentary or otherwise.

Origin and Discovery: On ██/██/1991, SCP-8240 was the site of the murder of █████ ██████ (hereafter POI-8240-1), a 28-year-old sales associate working for the ████████ Corporation. POI-8240-1 had stayed late in order to finish work on a large project, and was thought by her colleagues to have been alone in the building at the time. When staff returned to work the next morning, she was discovered to be absent; later that day, her corpse was discovered in the second-floor maintenance closet, stripped of clothing and partially [DATA EXPUNGED].

Autopsy revealed evidence of sexual assault and extreme forms of torture, including, but not limited to:

[DATA EXPUNGED]

ncluding the eyes, tongue, and teeth. It was also determined that death occurred between the hours of 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM.

The following night the first SCP-8240-1 event occurred, resulting in ██ deaths. In light of these facts, it has been hypothesized that SCP-8240-2 is some form of spiritual remnant of POI-8240-1.

+ Addendum 8240.1: Abridged Test Log

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Addendum 8240.1: Abridged Test Log

Note: from ██/██/2004—██/██/2006, test subjects were procured through the ██████ Agency. During a research audit by the Foundation following event SCP-8240-alpha, some of these test subjects were discovered to have been Japanese civilians rather than D-Class personnel.

Though permissible under the ██████ Agency’s statutes, this constituted a serious transgression against Foundation ethical guidelines regarding testing, and all research staff assigned to SCP-8240 were demoted or reassigned. As a result, Dr. Martin Bachman was succeeded as lead researcher by Dr. Julius Fournier.

Test 8240-91 — ██/██/2004

Goal of Experiment: To induce vomiting in SCP-8240-2 in order to shed light on SCP-8240-2’s biology.
Subject: D-997521, Caucasian male, age 26.
Procedure: Following the lab discovery of a chemical solution which produced an adverse reaction in the digestive enzymes found in SCP-8240-2’s mucus, research staff conceived a plan to use the solution to induce vomiting. It was assumed that this would answer many unanswered questions regarding SCP-8240-2’s digestive process, including the manner in which its prey were assimilated.

Approximately eight liters of solution were distributed into thirty-two 250-milliliter packets which were then strapped to D-997521’s back, chest, shoulders, neck, legs, and upper arms. Subject was sedated, constrained, and placed approximately 50 feet from SCP-8240-2’s site of manifestation.

Results: D-997521 was almost immediately consumed following the onset of the SCP-8240-1 event. SCP-8240-2 did not appear to react to ingesting the solution, and continued hunting for prey. 12 minutes later, SCP-8240-2 appeared to slow; 4 minutes after that, SCP-8240-2 commenced vomiting, which continued intermittently for the next 30 minutes. Altogether, SCP-8240-2 was observed to regurgitate:

• 7 D-Class personnel (including D-997521)
• 2 security personnel
• 1 Japanese male aged 14-17⁷
• 3 unidentified sets of human remains
• 1 domestic shorthair tabby cat

as well as a large volume of transparent mucus. Of the 14 specimens, only six were confirmed deceased. All others were alive and conscious to some degree, though they had been severely decomposed by SCP-8240-2’s gastric juices and died soon thereafter.

Three of the regurgitated D-Class personnel were determined to have been ingested more than 60 days prior, indicating that SCP-8240-2’s digestive process acted on a much longer timeline than previously anticipated, and that its gastrointestinal tract was somehow able to forestall the death of its prey. Of these three D-Class personnel, the two still living were retained for questioning and immediately put on life support. One slipped into a comatose state almost immediately, dying six hours later; the other would not respond to interrogation beyond repeatedly requesting its own termination.

Further testing of this variety seems warranted, considering the valuable data we were able to collect. Unfortunately, SCP-8240-2’s remarkable digestive system seems to have already adapted to our solution. —Dr. Bachman

Test 8240-186 — ██/██/2005

Goal of Experiment: To observe the reaction of SCP-8240-2 to objects holding importance to POI-8240-1.
Subject: None.
Procedure: Following an unofficial exhumation of POI-8240-1’s remains, the Foundation came into possession of POI-8240-1’s wedding ring, hereafter Item-8240-186. Item-8240-186 is 14-karat gold with a small diamond inset, and sports an inscription reading “FOR MY TREASURE”⁸ in Japanese Kanji characters.

Item-8240-186 was tied with string to the leg of a laboratory mouse, which was restrained and placed outside SCP-8240's second-floor maintenance closet. To increase the likelihood of consumption, D-Class present in SCP-8240 were made to keep a distance of at least 300 meters from SCP-8240-2’s site of manifestation at the onset of the SCP-8240-1 event.

Results: Item-8240-186 was consumed as intended. SCP-8240-2 appeared to react strongly to its ingestion, and quickly regurgitated the laboratory mouse. It then proceeded to deftly untie the ring from the mouse’s leg, re-consume the mouse, and place the ring on the fourth finger of its (foremost) left hand.

Following this test, Item-8240-186 was always seen to be present on SCP-8240-2’s hand.

Now this was a surprise. Maybe it would be worthwhile to pursue this line of questioning further. —Dr. Bachman

Test 8240-231 — ██/██/2005

Goal of Experiment: To observe the reaction of SCP-8240-2 to individuals familiar to POI-8240-1.
Subject: C-8240-231, Japanese male, age 58. Subject worked as a custodian at SCP-8240 from ██/██/1984 to ██/██/1993. Following POI-8240-1’s murder, C-8240-231 was prosecuted for and subsequently acquitted of the crime in a widely publicized trial.
Procedure: Subject was sedated, restrained, and placed approximately 50 feet from SCP-8240-2’s site of manifestation in advance of SCP-8240-1 event.

Results: On SCP-8240-2’s manifestation, subject was immediately consumed. No variation from standard behavior reported.

Test 8240-246 — ██/██/2005

Goal of Experiment: To observe the reaction of SCP-8240-2 to individuals familiar to POI-8240-1.
Subject: C-8240-246, Japanese male, age 20. Subject was POI-8240-1’s only child, and was six years of age at the time of his mother’s death. Homeless at the time of testing.
Procedure: Subject was sedated, restrained, and placed inside SCP-8240 in advance of SCP-8240-1 event.

Results: When encountered, C-8240-246 was immediately ingested. SCP-8240-2 was then observed to freeze and cease vocalizing; after 3.2 seconds, C-8065-246 was regurgitated. SCP-8240-2 was observed to catch C-8240-246 in its (frontal pair of) arms following regurgitation, setting him gently back onto the floor.

SCP-8240-2 then rapidly proceeded back toward its site of manifestation (despite the presence of other living subjects in the building), now vocalizing at an intensity of ~70 dB. Upon entering the second-floor maintenance closet, SCP-8240-2 demanifested and the SCP-8240-1 event prematurely terminated. Following a chemical shower, C-8240-246 was determined to be unharmed.

This test marked the first time a SCP-8240-1 event ended before its scheduled termination (21 minutes early). It also marked the first time that SCP-8240-2 was observed to abstain from consuming a live human. C-8240-246 was retained for further testing; however, it was discovered during subsequent SCP-8240-1 events that SCP-8240-2 would take great measures to avoid C-8240-246 while hunting for prey⁹. After several failed attempts by research staff to force an encounter, the subject was amnesticized and released.

Test 8240-252 — ██/██/2006

Goal of Experiment: To observe the reaction of SCP-8240-2 to individuals familiar to POI-8240-1.
Subject: C-8240-252, Japanese male, age 46. Subject was POI-8240-1’s work colleague at the time of her murder, and was observed to have a friendly if somewhat one-sided relationship with POI-8240-1.
Procedure: Subject was sedated, restrained, and placed inside SCP-8240 in advance of SCP-8240-1 event.

Results: Event proceeded as normal until SCP-8240-2 encountered C-8240-252. Upon ingesting C-8240-252, SCP-8240-2 appeared to deliberate momentarily. C-8240-252 was then regurgitated onto the floor, picked up by SCP-8240-2 using its foremost pair of arms, and carried back to SCP-8064-2's site of manifestation, SCP-8240-2 remaining silent throughout. Upon entering the maintenance closet, both SCP-8240-2 and C-8240-2 disappeared, and the SCP-8240-1 event prematurely terminated.

This test marked the onset of event SCP-8240-alpha (see Addendum 8240.2: Account of Event SCP-8240-alpha).

+ Addendum 8240.2: Account of Event SCP-8240-alpha

+ Addendum 8240.2: Account of Event SCP-8240-beta

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Addendum 8240.2: Account of Event SCP-8240-beta

On ██/██/2014, approximately eight years after event SCP-8240-alpha, SCP-8240 resumed activity. Artificial intelligences assigned to surveillance of SCP-8240 became aware of its revival beginning at 11:36:48 PM JST, when all electric lighting in the building spontaneously failed; the emergence of SCP-8240-2 was then detected via low-light camera. The Foundation was immediately alerted, and security personnel were quickly on the scene. 10 D-Class personnel were released into SCP-8240 promptly, with more D-Class to be transferred on-site.

However, it became apparent that SCP-8240-2 was no longer a threat. Rather than pursue living subjects as previously, SCP-8240-2 would steadfastly avoid them. When encountering humans, in particular, SCP-8240-2 would consistently avert its path, sometimes going great lengths to avoid engagement (such as escaping into vents or phasing through walls).

Following the termination of this SCP-8240-1 event, a response team was dispatched into SCP-8240 for inspection. In the second-floor maintenance closet, the remains of test subject C-8240-252 were discovered. [DATA EXPUNGED], disfigurements described by investigators at the scene as “disturbing" and "excessive." [DATA EXPUNGED] a slightly abnormal Humetic signature¹¹. Despite this, the remains were extremely well-preserved. Tissue samples indicated that at time of death C-8240-252 was approximately 54 years old, and that he had only expired around three days prior.

Since SCP-8240’s resumption of anomalous activity, SCP-8240-2 has been observed to engage in behavior which previously would have been considered highly uncharacteristic. When left to its own devices, it will appear to meander aimlessly through different rooms of SCP-8240, stopping frequently to rest or ‘think’. When nearing the end of the SCP-8240-1 event, it will usually return to its closet and demanifest there; occasionally, it will demanifest in place. It no longer vocalizes continuously, and its previously agonized facial expression has been described by security personnel as “just sad.”

Although SCP-8240-2 avoids humans whenever possible, in the face of persistence it will generally acquiesce to an encounter. In such cases it will avert its ‘eyes’ from the subject and display tonic immobility. It remains impossible to engage with SCP-8240-2 through violent physical contact, as the subject will merely phase through it. However, SCP-8240-2 will tolerate gentle physical contact.

As of ██/██/2023, there remains a small security detail posted outside SCP-8240 composed of approximately 10-15 personnel, and surveillance equipment remains active. The ward in which SCP-8240 is located remains off-limits to civilians.

Further testing is deemed unnecessary at this time.

Footnotes

page revision: 2, last edited: 01 Sep 2024 17:22

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