Item #: SCP-QW
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: No personnel with known cardiac conditions are permitted within 50m of SCP-QW's containment. Any personnel assigned to SCP-QW or a workspace within 50m are to submit to monthly physicals, and relocated should any cardiac condition be discovered. Major risk factors for heart-disease are to be considered a cardiac condition.
SCP-QW is to be held in a 3m x 4m cell sealed by a pair of locked doors composed of 3cm thick plexiglass, with a 3m hallway separating the two doors. The inner door shall contain a slot 15 cm wide and 2cm in height through which objects may be introduced into the cell. The two doors may not be opened simultaneously. A .5m x .5m x .5m box constructed from 3cm thick plexiglass and with a padlocked lid is to be bolted to the cell wall opposite the two doors. A security camera shall monitor the cell at all times from the hallway.
Whenever possible SCP-QW is to be contained within a D-Class personnel diagnosed with dextrocardial situs inversus, a mirror image heart on the right side of the chest. A D-Class hosting SCP-QW may be referred to as SCP-QW-1, and is exempt from monthly termination until such time as another D-Class with the condition becomes available.
SCP-QW-1 is not permitted to leave the cell, and is to be fed standard Foundation rations through the slot 3 times per day. As long as SCP-QW-1 remains cooperative books, CDs and DVDs may also be provided at staff discretion. SCP-QW-1 may also request non-toxic cleaning supplies as needed. Once per month, and upon any sign of illness, a medical team shall enter SCP-QW-1's cell to ensure overall health. No other personnel shall enter the cell while occupied by SCP-QW-1 except for purposes of experimentation authorized by at least two Level 4 personnel.
If vital functions of SCP-QW-1 cease, a response team of at least 3 D-class certified to be in good health will enter the room, cut SCP-QW from SCP-QW-1's chest cavity and place it in the wall-mounted box. If SCP-QW attempts to implant itself in a team member, other members of the team will not seek to prevent the attempt, on pain of immediate termination. After the implantation attempt has failed, the surviving team members will remove SCP-QW from the chest cavity of the fatality, and place it in the wall-mounted box. Only when the box is locked may removal of remains and cleaning of the cell occur. If no dextrocardial D-Class is available to contain SCP-QW, it is to be stored in the plexiglass box within the cell, which is to remain locked.
When SCP-QW is being stored in the box, every 3 months a D-Class personnel due for termination will be dosed with stimulants sufficient to induce heart arrhythmia and instructed to open the box containing SCP-QW. Two hours after the box is opened, a team will retrieve SCP-QW and return it to the box using the same procedure as on death of SCP-QW-1.
Description: SCP-QW was discovered in the Cardiac Unit of Saint ████ Hospital in ██████, Vermont by agents investigating what was believed to be the ritual mutilation and murder of ██ patients and █ staff, the entire population of that unit, on November ██, 20██. All patients and █ of the staff had gaping wounds in their chest cavity and were missing their hearts. Heart surgeon ███ ███████ had died in the Hospital's ICU earlier that week, and suffered post-mortem mutiliation similar to that of the cardiac unit patients. An autopsy confirmed ███ ███████ was missing his heart, and further that it had been on the right side of his body.
SCP-QW is an artificial heart which when inactive appears to be of typical 21st century design. It is however mirrored so that features normally on the right of the heart are on the left, and vice versa. Because of this mirroring, any attempt to implant the object in a typically configured human is invariably lethal, as it simply cannot connect to the circulatory system correctly. When implanted in a subject with dextrocardia, SCP-QW is a perfect match and functions identically to a normal heart. SCP-QW's material does not suffer expected damage from blunt force or heat, but may be cut or pierced.
When SCP-QW is not implanted, or is implanted in a deceased host, it enters a 'search mode' in which it monitors vital signs to a range of approximately 45m for abnormal cardiac conditions (arrhythmia, heart blockage, murmurs or excessively high or low pulse rate). Upon detection of abnormal vital signs 4 metallic 'legs' similar to those of an arachnid, but extremely sharp at the tips, emerge from [REDACTED]. SCP-QW begins moving toward the location where the signs were detected. SCP-QW moves at a top speed of approximately 12 km per hour, and is as mobile on walls as on the floor, but cannot traverse ceilings. If no route can be found, SCP-QW will attempt to bash through obstacles, or cut through them with its legs.
When SCP-QW in search mode comes within 5m of a subject with abnormal vital signs it will spray an unidentified fluid on the subject. Skin contact, ingestion or inhalation of this fluid results in total paralysis but does not dull sensitivity to pain. SCP-QW then positions itself on the subjects chest and cuts its way to the subjects heart using its legs. This process takes █ minutes. When the heart is reached, SCP-QW removes the heart and consumes it by [DATA EXPUNGED] a process which regenerates any damage it has suffered, then attempts to connect to the subjects cardiopulmonary system. Unless the subject is dextrocardial, this attempt will fail, but due to partial integration with the system death typically takes ██ minutes before the subject expires from blood loss, shock, or internal bleeding. It is believed that consciousness is maintained throughout this process. On three occasions, the paralytic has worn off before the subject expired, resulting in [DATA EXPUNGED]. If the subject is dextrocardial, integration takes █ to ██ minutes, and once the paralytic wears off, recovery is immediate, though severe chest pains and complaints of motion in the chest cavity are common for several months.
If any person interferes with SCP-QW's pursuit of a target SCP-QW will attempt to spray them with its paralytic and deliver several slashes to their body. Survivors of this attack often enter an abnormal cardiac state due to blood loss and panic and if still in range of SCP-QW when its current target expires, often become its new target.
If SCP-QW in unimplanted and has not consumed a heart for more than three months, it enters a more aggressive search mode, and becomes mobile even without detecting abnormal vital signs. It will attempt to break through any obstacles in its search for a heart with abnormal vitals, and react aggressively to anyone impeding it.
Addendum SCP-QW-1: On ██/██/20██, an activation of SCP-QW led to identification of an asymptomatic myocardial infarction (colloquially referred to as a 'silent heart attack') in Dr. ██████, likely saving his life. The increased aggression of SCP-QW in the presence of heart abnormalities rules out intentional use as an early warning system however. To avoid risk of future activation, Dr. ██████ was transferred to research on SCP-███.