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A species of fungus which can control the mind. Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis [ex Animo]
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: This specimen is to be contained within fencing made of solid silver [Ag], with several poles in the centre of the fenced area also made of silver [Ag]. This is because the specimens' spores (known as SPC-XXXX-1) are attracted to the element silver [Ag]. Another property found is that the specimens' spores are repelled by sulphur [S]. Therefore when dealing with SCP-XXXX, all involved must wear garments and gas masks lined with sulphur [S] to prevent inhaling the spores. In the event of the inhalation of SCP-XXXX-1, the subject must be terminated immediately and the corpse cremated. The same applies to instances outside SCP procedures where SCP-XXXX is found in the real world; The affected civilian must be terminated and cremated and the civilian's family must be given a sufficient narrative to explain their disappearance.
Concerning the sample of SCP-XXXX currently held in the SCP facility, The room it is kept in is small, yet big enough to comfortably house at least one person. The sample of SCP-XXXX is kept in a silver cage in the middle, with a small door on the top of the cage to allow for smaller samples to be taken for examination. The walls and the door are lined with sulphur [S] to keep SCP-XXXX-1 in the room.
Description:1
This fungus looks like a regular mushroom that would be found in a forest, virtually indistinguishable from a normal mushroom apart from the transparent green spore cloud that surrounds it. After roughly 30 minutes of exposure, the subject is under the fungi's control and begins to exhibit behaviours such as walking around in circles, speaking in tongues, self-harm and eventually death. After the subject has died, the specimen begins to grow out of the corpse, releasing SCP-XXXX-1 to take control of another victim. O. Cordyceps Unilateralis [e.A.] usually takes control of smaller creatures such as birds and rodents, and so the fungus grows to be only a few inches tall, however if it were to take control of a human, the fungus could grow to be many meters tall (usually 50-60 meters) and so SCP-XXXX-1 could reach much farther. When the fungus affects very large animals such as bears, it would be expected that the fungus would grow to be even taller than the human-affecting fungi, however this is not the case, it still grows to be only a few inches tall, albeit slightly taller than it would be if it had affected a bird. There are theories based on this that the fungi feeds on sentience, and that because humans possess consciousness and are therefore far more sentient than a bear, bird or rodent, the fungi can grow incredibly tall. If the specimen were to infect a human, it would grow to be incredibly tall and spread its spores roughly across a mile radius where it remains still in the air until SCP-XXXX-1 is ingested by at least one subject. After this, SCP-XXXX-1 travels to the new fungus growing off of the subject's corpse and stays there until SCP-XXXX is fully grown. This continues, making a path that usually leads to some form of human civilisation. After this, assuming SCP-XXXX makes it to a town or city, many of the residents would inhale the spores and the cycle would begin again, except a large number of these fungi would grow, and at an incredible speed as well, with it reaching full length in 2-3 days. These fungi situated in a town or city would then spread their spores further, the cycle continuing to repeat until all life is dead apart from the fungi itself. It has found to be reactive to certain elements, it gravitates towards silver and is repelled by sulphur [S].
Report of contact with O. Cordyceps Unilateralis [e.A], as recorded by Dr. ███████.
The first known contact with the specimen was 21/06/████ in the small town of ██████, Russia. A very rural location, O. Cordyceps Unilateralis [e.A.]'s spores wouldn't reach to any other towns or cities, and so it was relatively easy to contain. the SCP was alerted by the Kremlin to a large green dust cloud hovering over and in ██████, despite there being a relatively strong breeze, the dust cloud stayed in place. at closer inspection, large organisms could be seen towering over the town and were identified by the scientists sent to investigate as 'incredibly large mushrooms'. D-Class personnel were sent in wearing air-tight armour and gas masks and found that the spores were clumped on the silver crosses found on some of the corpses. It was very quickly understood what had happened here, as the mycologist Dr. Baranov noted striking similarities between this fungus and and the fungus Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, which reproduces via its spores being ingested by small insects (usually carpenter ants), the insect then climbs up a plant stalk, bites into one of the leaves and dies. An Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis then grows from the corpse and spreads its spores to infect another insect.
A sample of a smaller fungus was extracted from the contact site and placed in a chamber lined with silver and sulphur [S], and was transported to the SCP facility for examination. The town of ██████ was wiped off the map, and is now surrounded by silver fencing, as well as security guards to prevent the situation surrounding ██████ being known.
Properties of SCP-XXXX-1, as recorded by Dr.███████
The spores seem to be affected by unseen factors, such as a present beings emotions, or state of mind at the time. When the spores are handled by a person who is very calm, the spores remain very still in the air, they do not move at all even if they are physically encouraged to move. When a hand is used to waft them, the hand moves right through them, as if they do not exist. When someone in the room with the spores is very agitated, the spores move around rapidly, creating a very opaque 'dust' cloud, giving the illusion that green smoke has just filled the room.
The spores also react to certain imagery, generally gathering around crosses, heart symbols and other symbols generally associated with love and positive emotions, and staying away from symbols such as swastikas, iron crosses, and other symbols conflated with hateful emotions. This would suggest that the spores are sentient, and can detect emotion. It is hypothesised that the reason why the spores are attracted to silver [Ag] and are repelled by sulphur [S] is because of the etymology behind both of these chemicals, silver [Ag] is associated with holiness and purity whereas sulphur [S] is associated with the opposite.
