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SCP-4XXX translocating and emerging from an instance of SCP-4XXX-B

Item #: SCP-4XXX

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4XXX is to be kept in a 5mx5mx1m aquatic specimen tank filled with saltwater. The tank should be made of materials common in the immediate surroundings of the facility to increase probability of easy recapture in case of containment breach.

Any transparent or translucent materials used in the construction of the tank must be painted over with a thick, opaque coating. For ventilation, the tank's lid is to be composed of multiple layers with vent patterns cut such that there are no lines of sight from the outside of the tank to any point on the inside. The tank should be completely filled to the ceiling so that SCP-4XXX is always in contact with water.

The floor of the tank is to be instrumented with pressure sensors, and IR-spectrum and other non-visible spectrum CCTV cameras may be installed in the enclosure for monitoring. Under no circumstances should a visible spectrum CCTV camera be placed in the enclosure. A visible-spectrum camera that cannot produce a live feed may only be placed into the enclosure upon approval of the Site Director.

A feeding mechanism shall be provided with an airlock-type construction, into which materials for SCP-4XXX's consumption can be loaded without opening line of sight to the enclosure. SCP-4XXX should be provided with sustenance as needed once it has finished consuming its previous feeding. When selecting nutrition, preference is given to SCP-4XXX-C. Only personnel of Level 2 clearance or higher that work directly with SCP-4XXX may handle SCP-4XXX-C.

Description: SCP-4XXX is a crustacean of species Bathynomus giganteus (giant isopod), approximately 30cm (1 foot) in length.

The anomalous properties of SCP-4XXX manifest in a process known as translocation. When seen by a human, the creature will turn into a pile of material indistinguishable from the surface underneath it (hereby referred to as SCP-4XXX-A.) Simultaneously, SCP-4XXX will re-materialize out of similar material a random distance away (hereby referred to as SCP-4XXX-B.). How SCP-4XXX decides if a material is "similar" to its starting point is unknown.

The only known constraining factor to translocation is the availability of suitable material to rematerialize from, which is consumed in the process.

SCP-4XXX always materializes completely covered in water.

Translocation occurs in the following situations:

• SCP-4XXX is seen by a human eye, whether directly or through any translucent/transparent material
• SCP-4XXX is seen by a human watching it on a visible spectrum live video feed (no matter how many levels of cameras recording live feeds are between it and the human eye)
• SCP-4XXX is starving and cannot reach food in its immediate environment.
• SCP-4XXX has dried out and cannot breathe (as its physiology allows it to survive on land only if its gills are wet)

After translocating, SCP-4XXX will behave as a normal, non-anomalous Bathynomus giganteus for 5 to 60 seconds. After this "cooldown", SCP-4XXX regains its anomalous ability. If the material translocated onto puts SCP-4XXX in mortal danger (such as molten iron, ice, hydrochloric acid, etc.), it will translocate to a safe location immediately, with preference for sandy areas underwater.

If SCP-4XXX consumes SCP-4XXX-C, it's radius of translocation will be significantly reduced from [DATA EXPUNGED] to roughly 5 meters for a period of 1 to 2 hours. In the absence of SCP-4XXX-C, SCP-4XXX can consume any organic material, and must be kept fed to avoid hunting by translocation. If SCP-4XXX's life is threatened, and there is no safe area it can translocate to, it will translocate repetitively, ignoring the normal cooldown time and "hopping" to safety.

SCP-4XXX was discovered on 04/22/20██ swimming in a barrel of crude oil in [DATA EXPUNGED], Saudi Arabia. Genetic analysis shows that it is likely to have originated in the Gulf of Mexico. Upon seeing SCP-4XXX, it translocated to a pan of sample oil which was being examined by a technician. The technician proceeded to knock SCP-4XXX onto the floor of the lab facility, where it ran outside into a desert environment. The technician contacted plant leadership, who immediately called for the Foundation. SCP-4XXX was not captured for another ███ days owing to the large number of sandy places it could translocate to, but was finally captured by Foundation teams on 04/07/20██.

+ **WARNING: Level 2 Security Clereance required to proceed**

Credentials authorized. Security clearance: **Restricted**

SCP-4XXX-C refers to human remains fed to SCP-4XXX. The feeding of human remains to SCP-4XXX was discovered to control its translocation abilities during Incident 4XXX-[[REDACTED]. No human eyes may be presented to SCP-4XXX for consumption, as this is considered by the Site Director to constitute an unacceptable risk of inducing translocation.

Due to the regular termination of D-Class personnel, the relatively small amount of SCP-4XXX-C that is required to assist in containment, and SCP-4XXX's slow metabolism, the Foundation does not anticipate issues procuring human remains. D-Class personnel shall NOT be terminated for the express purpose of creating SCP-4XXX-C unless given explicit permission from the Site Director.

Due to the Restricted nature of the information, D-Class personnel should NOT be threatened with conversion into SCP-4XXX-C to motivate them, as this constitutes a security breach.

Up to ██ terminated D-Class personnel may be stored in [[DATA EXPUNGED]] for the purpose of feeding SCP-4XXX, as long as their eyes have been [[DATA EXPUNGED]].

In the absence of available human remains, SCP-4XXX is to be fed any other organic material available, and greater care should be taken to avoid a translocation event.

+ Translocation Tests

Upon realizing that consumption of SCP-4XXX-C will reduce the available translocation radius and thus allow translocation to be easily studied in a laboratory setting, a series of translocation tests were conducted. All tests were immediately preceded with a feeding of SCP-4XXX-C.

Test 4XXX-T1

Subject:
Two identical piles of sand equal in mass to SCP-4XXX, known as "P1" and "P2", and 8 drums each containing 100kg of sand.
Procedure:
P1 and P2 are placed 4m apart. Drums of sand are arranged in a circular pattern with a radius of 20m from P1. SCP-4XXX is placed directly onto P1 and looked at by researcher.
Results:

• P1: Doubles in mass.
• P2: Completely removed and replaced by SCP-4XXX
• SCP-4XXX: Feels around confusedly with antennae
• Sand drums: Unaffected

Analysis: Anomalous effects of consuming SCP-4XXX-C demonstrated: SCP-4XXX does not translocate to the vastly larger amounts of sand that it would normally be able to reach.
Follow-up: Test was repeated ████ times and the results were the same, making it statistically impossible for SCP-4XXX to translocate long distances under the influence of SCP-4XXX-C.

Test 4XXX-T2

Subject:
Two D-Class subjects known as "DS1" and "DS2"
Procedure:
DS1 and DS2 are blindfolded and restrained on tables 4m apart. SCP-4XXX is placed directly over DS1's sternum and looked at by researcher.
Results:

• DS1: Unharmed. An instance of SCP-4XXX-A made of human skin, a sternum, parts of a ribcage, heart, and lungs materializes where SCP-4XXX was prior to translocation.
• DS2: SCP-4XXX translocates into DS2's chest cavity, replacing the parts of DS2's body corresponding to SCP-4XXX-A. DS2 expires within seconds from massive exsanguination.
• SCP-4XXX: Begins to chew on DS2's cadaver.

Analysis: SCP-4XXX can cause lethal damage to biological entities.

Test 4XXX-T3

Subject:
A vat of molten iron.
Procedure:
SCP-4XXX is dropped directly into the vat.
Results:

• Vat: Not affected
• SCP-4XXX: Translocates to floor near vat immediately upon contact. Examination by remotely operated camera (no live feed) authorized by Site Director and reveals no burns whatsoever.

Analysis:
SCP-4XXX can translocate in order to save itself.

Test 4XXX-T4

Subject:
A volcanic crater located at Area ███.
Procedure:
SCP-4XXX is dropped directly into lava, such that all possible translocations within its 5m radius will put it on more lava.
Results:

• Volcanic crater: Unharmed
• SCP-4XXX: Translocates ██ times in █ seconds until it is located at the edge of the crater. Remote observation reveals no burns, as in T3.

Analysis:
SCP-4XXX has no limit to how often it can translocate if its life is in danger.

Test 4XXX-T5

Subject:
SCP-682
Procedure:
[[DATA EXPUNGED]]
Results:
Test cancelled by order of O5-3.

Message from O5-3:
"How exactly did this moronic proposal find its way to my desk?"

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