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Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Due to the size of anomalous region, popularity with tourists, and proximity to population centers, complete containment is impossible. Instead, the area has been designated a nature preserve and several "endangered" species of plant and animal have been manufactured and introduced to the area. Development is forbidden. Ranger stations and visitors’ centers are to receive regular updates on “hot zones” and dissuade campers and hikers as best as possible, using cover stories including rock slides or even excessive yellow jacket proliferation (provided nests are not visibly anomalous). Purchase of additional land for nature preserve and complete containment is currently stalled due to proximity to high-value real estate.
Containment is no longer an option. Elimination protocols are under consideration. Largest or obviously anomalous nests are to be plugged with concrete. See addendum.
Description: SCP-XXXX-1 is ████████ ████ Mountain located between North Carolina and Tennessee. It is one of one of numerous "rumbling" mountains in the Great Smoky Mountains range.1 It is located in ███████ ████ state park and a frequent sightseeing destination.
SCP-XXXX-2 are individuals resembling Vespula squamosa (Southern yellow jacket), a burrowing, social, venomous, and territorial species of hornet resembling the more docile honeybee and common to the region. These individuals differ from most in that even the adults consume meat (normally a trait only of larvae) in addition to sugars, and have been known to “hunt” small animals, with the largest colonies observed consuming cats and small dogs. SCP-XXXX-2 colonies on SCP-XXXX-1 display abnormal frequency, size, and aggressiveness. Captured samples show a marked genetic similarity, to the point that all SCP-XXX-2 instances are likely part of a single large colony.
Attempts to capture queens for study in the lab have been ineffective, as they also burrow abnormally deep and protect the queen within the bedrock. No queens have been found to date. No further attempts to capture queens are to be made without O5 approval.
SCP-XXXX was brought to Foundation attention by an agent embedded within the forestry service, who noted abnormal yellow jacket behavior on ████████ ████ mountain. It was designated SCP-XXXX when a large nest built into a bare rock cliff was observed deliberately attacking and devouring a raccoon. Study is ongoing as to just what causes the abnormal behavior and ability to burrow through rock. No further study warranted barring relevancy to elimination protocol.
Addendum 1: A group of campers were attacked by an abnormally large nest of SCP-XXXX-2, resulting in five hospitalizations and one death from anaphylaxis. Victims claimed that the nest must have opened up overnight, since there was no nest when they made camp. It is highly unlikely they would not have noticed a nest of this size. Further investigation is warranted.
Addendum 2: A nest was observed “opening up” by campers, who reported the incident to a ranger station. Campers were given class C amnestics, and agents dispatched to investigate. A field roughly 2500 square meters was observed with multiple nests, one of which spontaneously generated while agents watched. New nests observed opening at a rate of one per hour. Yellow jackets were observed digging up through the dirt to create the nests. Alert team dispatched, spraying area with insecticides and capping nests. Study of SCP-XXXX reclassified high priority.
Addendum 3: Seismic refraction/reflection survey of SCP-XXXX-1 showed that the mountain is primarily hollow, with an internal structure resembling a dormant volcano. Magma chamber and pipe instead filled with relatively low density material. Material is presumed to be composed of very tightly packed SCP-XXXX-2. Material reacted violently to ground waves, moving to open multiple new nests/vents across the area. Multiple human attacks were reported, leaving seventeen people hospitalized and two dead.
Data gathered estimates an increase in pressure underground, and reports of new "vents" appear regularly. Release of SCP-XXXX-2 in event of an “eruption” would cover an area comparable to the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. Much of the continental United States would be covered in a dense cloud of SCP-XXXX-2. Reclassification to Keter requested. Approved. O5-7
Note: I’ll be frank with you: this is the nightmare scenario. Short of an XK event, this is exactly as bad as it gets. Even in its current state, due to its location and size this skip is uncontainable. We can't even keep people away from it, and the "best" we can do is keep them from realizing how screwed they really are. Elimination protocols are in order, but not until 100% sure that they will work and not just blow the lid off this thing. We’ll only get one shot. O5-7
