Item#: SCP-016

Item SCP-016 is to be kept in an hermetically sealed chamber, reinforced with at least 16.4 cm of iron alloy [C 0.997, Mn 0.346]. The only entrance must be a triple airlock with decontmination procedures including ultra violet bombardment, benzene disinfection and heating to the minimum of 386.4K. At any sign of a breech, Containment Protocol Alfa (CPA) is to be initiated. The decontamination chambers and the whole first safety perimeter (SP1) must also be disinfected with flamethrowers.

If samples are needed, at least two personnel must enter. They must both have level 4 hazard equipment clearances and wear NBC-suits with the flame thrower add-on. No personnel may be in the room if not CPA is activated. Upon entering, one personnel must constantly watch the chamber for any sign of SCP-016 reforming. If reformation begins, the personnel is to open fire and keep firing until all personnel has gone through the airlock. The second personnel is to take the sample following standard safety protocols.

SCP-016 is an organic organism of unknown origin. It is composed of RNA-bacteria and the science team has seen evidence of unknown safeguards that keep the mutation level down. The bacterium seems to perform some kind electromagnetic communication when within ~0.136 mm distance of each other. The communication pathways resemble those of a neural network and the specimen seems to get rudimentary motor control when about a fifth of the chamber's bacterium communicates. When the whole colony is assembled, the specimen shows clear signs of sentience. To the naked eye, the assembled colony looks like a semi-transparent, constantly shifting, grey mass. All attempts to communicate with the specimen so far have failed.