SCP-853

Item #: SCP-853

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-853 is currently confined in a 5 kilometer by 4 kilometer area built around an abandoned power plant and populated with feral plants. Security personnel are to patrol the perimeter and prevent SCP-853 from escaping.

Description: SCP-853 is a population of approximately 2000 living creatures resembling insects, approximately the size of common housefly. SCP-853 moves in groups of ten to around 100 at any one time; given its constant migration throughout the area, it is difficult to estimate a true number. The individual members are capable of independent movement, but most often appear in homogenous mass.

SCP-853's specific biological composition is unknown; samples have proven resistant to temperatures of 2,500 degrees Celsius and pressure greater than 5 gigapascals. They are able to consume varying amounts of thermal energy from ambient heat sources, and seem to metabolize low-temperature organic compounds and plant matter poorly. SCP-853 can also excrete large quantities of partially digested material from its anus when surprised or cornered.

SCP-853 does not possess eyes or any other organs, instead communicating by means of pheromones. When directed through vocalization, SCP-853 will advance on objects or individuals in an attempt to olfactorily "smell" them. The group itself is capable of self organization, although most instances will flee from danger. Further communication between SCP-853 instances has yet to be observed.

SCP-853 normally travels in groups, usually migrating towards a particular source of heat and/or nutrition. During this process, it will occasionally come into contact with human activity such as industrial plants or farms, causing minor damage in the process. It appears that SCP-853 is largely unintelligent save for its destructive capabilities; it will ignore objects that it perceives as being harmless (such as abandoned vehicles), and will attempt to avoid larger animals at all costs, preferring to flee rather than attack larger prey regardless of their size (as evidenced by the large scale death of the ██████████ anomalous creature).

SCP-853 is only naturally active during daylight hours and seems to require high temperatures and/or large quantities of food to sustain itself indefinitely. Long periods without available food cause SCP-853 to enter an inactive state which causes loss of scent and presumably reduced energy output; this state can persist for several days at a time before SCP-853 senses nearby warmth again and resumes normal behavior. As such, the minimum required distance from the nearest object capable of providing sufficient heat is roughly 9000 kilometers.

Addendum 853.1: Incident Report

On ██/██/████, SCP-853 was observed to have entered the ████████ power plant, an abandoned industrial facility housing large quantities of crude oil. The group was spied in place over several days; on ██/██/████, SCP-853 was seen to be carrying a large amount of crude oil with it in its abdomen.

The following day, SCP-853 was observed to have entered the plant's main control room, where it proceeded to open the fire suppression system valves and turn on the fire suppression sprinklers. The resulting flood killed all personnel in the control room and surrounding areas, and produced a large hole in the roof of the building. SCP-853 was then observed to retreat and rejoin its group, which departed shortly thereafter.