delspecial

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is inert and poses no risk of escape or harm as long as it remains undisturbed. SCP-XXXX is to remain isolated behind a chain-link fence or similar physical barrier in its current location, a 50-meter by 50-meter area at Provisional Site XXXX. The fence must be inspected for damage every 2 hours to ensure SCP-XXXX remains undisturbed. Because of Provisional Site XXXX's remote location in northern Canada, which experiences severe weather, extended hours of darkness, and limited access to infrastructure, automated solutions for monitoring and inspection are considered too unreliable; containment fence inspection is to be performed manually. See Containment Note below for related details.

Description: SCP-XXXX is a cognitohazardous, non-functional, partially destroyed alien spaceship ray gun. Its design resembles a parabolic dish with a large antenna spike projecting from the center; the spike measures approximately 12 meters in length, and the dish approximately 4 meters in diameter. Metallurgical analysis of the device has \been inconclusive thus far. At the base of the dish is a set of unidentified power components and mechanical connections, presumably where the device was originally connected to the larger structure. The dish and other unidentified components are usually partly or fully buried in snow, but much of the spike is easily visible year round.

The item possesses a cognitohazardous element that affects personnel who approach it, usually manifesting at a range of 3 to 5 meters. The affected personnel report an overwhelming desire to touch one of the larger components near the base of the dish, a semi-elliptical object of unknown function. When personnel have managed to touch the component, whether barehanded or through gloves, they have immediately suffered from cardiac arrest, leading to death.¹

Containment Note: Provisional Site XXXX is located approximately 1100 km from Site 94, the nearest fully-staffed Foundation facility, and is effectively isolated from nearby communities; personnel will arrive and depart via helicopter and remain on site for the entirety of their detail. Staffing at Provisional Site XXXX should include at least six class C containment specialists. Because of the remoteness and austerity of the facility, details to Provisional Site XXXX should be limited to 21 days.

Note to Researchers: Further proposed tests to neutralize SCP-XXXX will be summarily denied. I do not doubt that, with sufficient energy and expenses, we could dismantle this thing, or at least melt it into slag. However, the current containment procedures are cheap, effective, and relatively painless. I understand that this is not a convincing argument when you are assigned three weeks walking around fifteen acres of near-empty Nunavut in November, but please consider that the current containment procedures have been in place now for 16 months as of this writing, and site personnel have suffered exactly zero injuries or fatalities in that time — even a polar bear sighting is rare. Applying high explosives or, as has been repeatedly suggested, a multi-kiloton warhead in an age of accelerating climate change is an expense and a security concern that is not even remotely justifiable.

This subject is secured, contained, and protected. The Foundation has no shortage of examples teaching us that when an subject is in this state, we should focus efforts to keep it in that state, rather than disturb it further.

I understand it's boring. Bring a book and load up on extra socks. It's not changing anytime soon.

With respect,
Dr. Kehl
Director, Site 94

Footnotes

1. Four casualties recorded as of [redacted date]. Further D-class testing with various forms of personal protective equipment is pending Site 94 Director approval.