SCP-418

Item #: SCP-418

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-418 is currently contained in a large, specially designed dry containment chamber located within Site-19. The chamber is equipped with a force field that prevents any liquids from entering the chamber. In addition to this, all entrances to SCP-418's containment must be equipped with pressure sensors. The pressure sensor outside the chamber will trigger an alarm if any liquids are encountered, and both entrances will shut down and lock automatically. The force field prevents any liquids from entering the chamber, excluding water.

Once every two months, SCP-418's containment chamber must be inspected for abnormalities in its surface. Any changes or additions that remain after the inspection date must be removed by staff before the next inspection date. SCP-418 remains in a dry state at all times. If a water source was not specifically removed from the premises, it will be assumed by security staff that they were missed during the inspection and will be added to the list of missing items in inventory until it is found again.

Any personnel found to be directly touching or interacting with SCP-418 are to be terminated immediately following an investigation into possible deviation.

Description: SCP-418 is a large piece of obsidian, approximately 2.6 meters tall and 4.8 meters wide. The material of which the object is made has been found to be consistent with known obsidian deposits in the Kuznetsk Basin. The item's anomalous effects manifest only when it is wet and the water source remains in contact with it for at least 30 minutes.

Under normal conditions, SCP-418 resembles an ordinary piece of obsidian with no unusual features. Any efforts to photograph or otherwise document SCP-418 have been unsuccessful, as no image has managed to remain after exposure to water. Efforts to chemically alter SCP-418 to reveal its base material have also failed, as the chemical changes it undergoes are not permanent.

When exposed to water, SCP-418 becomes a liquid similar to that of the water source, except that it appears opaque (under normal lighting conditions) and emits a corrosive substance. The corrosive agent causes injury or property damage at roughly 0.05% the rate of normal saline solution; no deaths have recorded so far as a result of interaction with SCP-418's corrosive agent. Given the fact that most injuries inflicted by the corrosive properties are minor enough that they do not require medical attention and are easily remedied by cleaning agents, this is unlikely to be a major issue for Foundation personnel at this point in time.

While submerged in liquid, SCP-420 will disappear from view under normal lighting conditions if any human being attempts to look at it directly from below (under normal lighting conditions). When observed from above, however, SCP-420 hovers in place, unaffected by gravity and suspended only by its base until the end of its effect duration. If a person attempts to move their head away from SCP-420 while it is dry and unoccupied, they will gain a sense of vertigo for a few seconds before their vision returns to normal - SCP-420 will then reappear on whatever surface it was situated on before disappearing.

If put into contact with another liquid when not already covered in one, SCP-420 will become coated in said liquid within 23 hours of being exposed to it again; this process repeats until any remaining liquids are removed or until completion of its effect duration (see further information below). It has been theorized that the consumption of any liquid other than the water source leaves some sort of residue behind on their skin or clothes which allows them to "smell" it once they become coated in it. However, no such substances have been detected nor identified thus far - if there was something present in SCP-420 similar to this "residue", then we would likely be able to identify it with our usual means

Addendum: The following information was provided by Dr. █████████, an original researcher on SCP-418 who was demoted from Level 3 to Level 4 after being caught using the object to spy on a colleague.

When Dr. █████████ first began researching SCP-418, he noticed that it appeared to be made of normal obsidian and began testing its properties. He used a water source so small that it was only able to maintain a surface level of dampness, and found that SCP-418 would remain in this state indefinitely if left alone. He then set out to test the effects of SCP-418 in a more controlled environment.

Upon his arrival at his new office, he discovered that he had been placed in as the new head of the Department of Environmental Containment\'s research department. A search was performed on his desk for any previous documentation or notes concerning SCP-418, but nothing of note was found. After several days of searching, Dr. █████████ realized that he had not been given access to all of the necessary items he would need to perform his research in earnest. He therefore requested the items from his immediate supervisor, who instead informed him that SCP-418 was a Class 3 Mobile SCP and that he would have to wait until further notice before he could receive supplies for it.

Dr. █████████ proceeded to request the item from Site Command, who in turn denied his request as SCP-418 was still classified as Mobile and not yet accepted into Foundation possession. When Dr. █████████ tried to appeal his case, an Ethics Committee hearing was scheduled on the topic and he was informed that if it went against him then he would be demoted to Level 4 staff with no pay raise or credit for staying at the Foundation for so long - perhaps the committee had known about this "residue" all along?