Tell me something: have you read Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle? First of all, you should. And secondly, you'll discover that reality has no problem surpassing fiction when it sets its mind to it. Aliens, Yetis, Baba Yaga, Christmas monsters, they've all passed through here. Stories, legends, books... lies and fantasies used to encapsulate the truth. Every night we rest our heads on a pillow, trying to ignore the fact that there are fundamental horrors out there that devour, mutilate, and murder... or that could end the world without effort.
Sometimes, those horrors have a simple form, or aren't even aware of what they do. It's simply part of their nature, and they'll never change. Many here believe that containment is simple in those cases. Once their behavior is analyzed and neutralized, the rest is... putting it in a box. But you and I know well that's not the case. There's always something that can fail, be ignored, escape. Unexpected variables, human error. Chaos.
SCP-009
SCP-009. We discovered it just in time, you know? Only the rock and the cold managed to limit its contamination. It all started with a remote tribe in Alaska, and the report that its members had found a group of seal hunters "trapped in red ice". The MTF Beta-7 guys went to the site and recovered samples. Now we have hundreds of liters stored in a special tank. 2 by 2 by 2 meters, no more than that, and always at sub-zero temperatures, with redundant refrigeration systems.
The lab brainiacs have analyzed it until they're tired, and all preliminary results say that SCP-009 is water, with a red tint. The problem is that it laughs at the laws of physics. SCP-009 stays in its liquid phase between 0 and -100 degrees Celsius. Beyond -100 degrees it becomes gas, and at any temperature above 0°C it solidifies immediately. Anti-water, anti-ice. How can something gain temperature and freeze at the same time? It makes no sense. One of our doctors in the Xenospace Physics department believes that SCP-009 came from another universe, with different laws. After seeing it in action, it doesn't sound so ridiculous.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "It's water that heats up and freezes in opposite directions, what's dangerous about that?" The answer... is that it contaminates any solution it comes into contact with. No matter how small the trace of moisture. Ice, tea, coffee, fruit juices, blood... the speed of the process depends on temperature and chemical composition, but sooner or later, SCP-009 manages to transfer its properties to other liquids.
As you can imagine, the Foundation did "live tests" with some Class D. At first they only feel a little heat. Then, crystal formation begins, larger and sharper every time. The third phase triggers a chain reaction: the higher the temperature, the faster the conversion. But the agony lasts hours, and blood loss is minimal due to crystallization. Finally, crystals burst from every orifice of the body... natural or not.
Can you see it now? SCP-009 reaching sources of drinking water, the ocean. The initial conversion would be slow, but once started it would be impossible to stop. Every thing with moisture on this planet, pierced, mutilated, and trapped in red ice crystals, agonizing until SCP-009 finishes its work. We found it less than ten meters from the coast. A whole pond. Some in the Foundation want to explore its potential for developing cold fusion. Others demand raising it to Keter and letting it rot in a corner. The O5 Command ordered to do nothing for now... but that could change soon. If a single drop gets free...
