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| SCP-197 after crystal removal. "Legs" begin to break down after 20 hours of separation from crystal |
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Item #: SCP-197
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Containment area of SCP-197 is to be kept filled with no less than 2.4 m (8 ft) of water. High-pressure water pumps are to maintain a constant circulating current, keeping SCP-197 on the surface and in the center of the water. Containment area walls are to be no less than 2.1 m (7 ft) of concrete, and any damage or accidental collision done by SCP-197 is to be immediately repaired. Should sufficient damage occur to containment area, resulting in a full breach of the walls, Emergency Response Team Sigma-8 are to evacuate nearby personnel, and contain any escaped SCP-197 in Liquid Containment Tanks (LCT).
Any requests to use SCP-197 for research or military application must be approved by O5 command, and overseen by Sigma-8 squad members.
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| SCP-197 crystal after removal. Crystals can be handled, but great care must be taken not to drop or tap the crystal. |
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Description: SCP-197 appears to be a small crystal with flexible, multi-jointed legs. 10.2 cm (4 in) tall, 3.8 cm (1.5 in) wide, and composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen, the crystals appear to be very high-grade diamonds at initial inspection. Closer examination shows a hyper-complex crystal structure that is still under research.
It is unclear how SCP-197 is able to move. No computer circuitry or any form of engine has been found. When not under containment, SCP-197 will walk, seemingly at random, and appears to be able to scale vertical walls, and walk upside down. Legs appear to be made of the same carbon-hydrogen crystal as the main “body” of SCP-197, and are formed by the main crystal over a period of several hours after creation or damage.
SCP-197 will “tap” solid matter with its crystal, causing all solid matter within 25.4 cm (10 in) of the point of contact to instantly transform into an SCP-197 crystal. This process is not yet understood, but appears to rely on the odd crystal formation and its vibration. This new crystal will form legs, and continue the cycle. Gasses and liquids appear unaffected. SCP-197 does appear to have some form of limited intelligence, on par with a crab, according to researchers. SCP-197 will attempt to “tap” any living thing that touches it, retreat from items that damage its legs or crystal, and group together when multiple copies are nearby.
Groups of SCP-197 will stay in small, tight places like ventilation shafts and crawl spaces until the group grows to a substantial size. They will then spread out en masse, converting all reachable matter. Living tissue will also be converted by SCP-197, usually resulting in either death by blood loss, or total conversion of living tissue.