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**Item #:** SCP-9088
**Object Class:** --Uncontained-- Euclid
**Special Containment Procedures:**
SCP-9088 is to be contained within an artificial freshwater lake measuring 244 m in diameter, enclosed by a reinforced steel dome. The interior roof of the dome is to remain 61 m above the surface of the water. Access to the containment chamber is granted through a secured hatch at the apex of the dome. Observation and research are to be conducted exclusively from the suspended catwalk network installed near the upper interior.
A GPS tracking unit has been surgically embedded into SCP-9088’s dorsal carapace to monitor its position at all times. Instances of SCP-9088-1 discovered within containment are to be terminated via conventional firearms.
SCP-9088 is to be fed biweekly. It may submit dietary requests to research staff; however, despite the entity's insistence, human subjects are not a valid request.
[[collapsible show="View archived containment procedures" hide="Hide archived containment procedures"]]
**Archived Containment Procedures (Pre-Containment Phase):**
Prior to successful containment, Site-9088 was established along the [REDACTED] River—SCP-9088’s native habitat. Personnel stationed at Site-9088 were instructed to maintain continuous surveillance of the waterway. Mobile Task Forces remained on standby for capture or containment operations.
A 3 km exclusion zone surrounding the river was established under the cover story of a restricted nature preserve. Any confirmed sightings of SCP-9088 or SCP-9088-1 required immediate action and neutralization of all SCP-9088-1 instances.
Following successful containment, Site-9088 was decommissioned, and SCP-9088 was transferred to its current enclosure at Site-██ for long-term study.
[[/collapsible]]
**Description:**
SCP-9088 is a massive aquatic arthropod resembling a scaled-up specimen of Ranatra chinensis[[footnote]] Water Stick Insect [[/footnote]]. SCP-9088 measures approximately 12.2 m in length from head to tail and maintains an average body width of 1.4 m. Each of its six limbs—including two raptorial forearms—measure up to 12 m in length.
The entity’s exoskeleton mimics the texture and coloration of waterlogged wood, enabling effective camouflage within its environment. SCP-9088 and its offspring (designated SCP-9088-1) are capable of full terrestrial locomotion. SCP-9088, however, demonstrates aversion to prolonged land exposure, becoming sluggish and visibly disoriented when removed from aquatic environments. Unlike their non-anomalous counterparts, SCP-9088 and 9088-1 are not capable of flight and do not have wings.
Despite its spindly appearance, SCP-9088 possesses extreme muscular density, particularly within its front most appendages, allowing it to lift or submerge vessels exceeding 20 metric tons. SCP-9088 exhibits advanced burrowing capability, capable of digging through large sections of riverbed, as well as use its forelimbs to excavate large quantities of sediment.
SCP-9088 employs ambush predation tactics, often assuming one of two primary hunting postures being floating horizontally on the water’s surface like driftwood, or submerged vertically beneath the surface, exposing only its snorkel-like respiratory appendage and its head and arms facing downward.
Recorded strike speeds have exceeded ████ km/h. Known prey includes any large fauna present within its habitat, including humans, large fish, livestock, large birds, other large terrestrial organisms, and Crocodylia species.
SCP-9088 demonstrates full sapience and the ability to vocalize fluent English. Its vocal tone is unnaturally high-pitched, consistent with helium speech, and method of speaking demonstrates limited emotional and intellectual maturity. SCP-9088 displays little to no moral comprehension regarding its predatory behavior.
Instances of audible communication outside Foundation containment are rare, with only two confirmed recordings since its discovery in 1962.
SCP-9088-1 refers to the offspring of SCP-9088. Instances vary in morphology but typically reach lengths of up to 1.8 m upon full maturation. SCP-9088 reproduces asexually once annually, depositing approximately 500 eggs within a one-hour period. During this process, SCP-9088 exhibits extreme aggression toward any organism approaching its nesting site.
Upon hatching, SCP-9088-1 instances enter a coordinated feeding frenzy, consuming any nearby organic matter. Newly hatched instances measure approximately 15 cm in length and are capable of skeletonizing a human-sized organism within 30 seconds when operating as a group. Within 72 hours, they reach adult size. In the absence of a sustainable food source, SCP-9088-1 instances engage in cannibalistic behavior.
Once matured, SCP-9088-1 instances display unwavering subservience to SCP-9088, either by bringing prey to it or offering themselves as sustenance. SCP-9088 refers to these instances as its “children” and will repeat affectionate phrases without emotional sincerity or behavioral consistency.
**Addendum 9088-A:**
SCP-9088 was initially discovered in 1962 by a team of independent researchers conducting a biodiversity survey along an uncharted river system in Southeast Asia. The group established a temporary base camp along the riverbank that was home to SCP-9088 and began observations of what they assumed to be an unusually large Ranatra specimen.
When the team failed to report at their scheduled extraction date, local authorities initiated a search, leading to the recovery of a destroyed encampment and numerous SCP-9088-1 instances inhabiting it.
Due to technological and logistical limitations at the time, SCP-9088 was not successfully contained in full until 198█.
The recovered field journal of the expedition’s lead biologist was retrieved from the campsite and is transcribed below.
>
> **Recovered Document 9088-A-1 — Field Journal of Dr. N. █████**
> (Recovered from Expedition Camp ██, Southeast Asia, 1962)
>
> **Entry 1 — May 3, 1962**
> Location: Upper [REDACTED] River Basin — Coordinates [REDACTED]
> Objective: Document biodiversity and survey of aquatic organisms native to the Southeast Asian river systems.
> We established base camp along the western bank of a large river. Depth measured at 21.8 m mid-channel. Water clarity is low due to sediment cloudiness and decaying organic matter. Ambient temperature: 31°C; humidity: 94%.
> Initial assessment shows remarkable insect diversity—Belostomatidae, Notonectidae, Nepidae, and various genera of Ranatra. Specimens collected for cataloging and study. Notably, locals at the nearby settlement of █████ refuse to enter this portion of the river. They referred to it as “the place where the reeds eat.” As of now, this description is unexplained. I dismissed the claim as folklore that originated from misidentification of predatory water fauna. Nevertheless, we will maintain safety protocol at all times.
>
> **Entry 2 — May 5, 1962**
> During routine net trawling, we observed what initially appeared to be a cluster of floating reeds approximately 4 meters downstream from one of our stations. When Reynolds attempted retrieval, the “reeds” moved. The structure unfurled—six elongated appendages visible, all articulated. Li estimated its length between 1.2 and 1.5 meters, far exceeding any known Ranatra species. It submerged before we could capture it.
> We were not able to get a clear photograph. We will reattempt tomorrow using baited line traps.
> If verified, this may represent the largest Nepid species ever recorded. The team is very enthusiastic. Updates will follow.
>
> **Entry 3 — May 6, 1962**
> Two traps were destroyed overnight. A 3 mm gauge wire mesh trap was bent inward; bait missing. One trap was completely pulled beneath the riverbank. Soil sample analysis suggests disturbance from underneath the trap—possibly burrowing behavior?
> Nadim reports hearing rhythmic “tapping” along the hull of the research skiff during the night.
> I thought that this sound would just be attributed to simple flowing debris, but his story was unusually specific.
>
> **Entry 4 — May 7, 1962**
> At 0520 hours this morning, Anderson sighted a surface disturbance approximately 40 meters upriver. Object drifted across the surface of the water with the current—brown, segmented texture. The object appeared inert and we were all about to resume our regular business until a heron attempted to land nearby. At that moment, the object erupted from the water, striking upward with two raptorial limbs. The bird was seized and submerged in under half a second. Li clocked the event on camera at 1/60s shutter speed, yet the strike was still motion-blurred beyond recognition.
> By my estimates, the limbs themselves were anywhere between 6 and 14 meters.
> I have temporarily designated the specimen Ranatra titana.
> On second thought, the local may not have been exaggerating after all.
>
> **Entry 5 — May 8, 1962**
> We discovered a dense clutch of what looks like eggs attached to submerged roots along the western bank. Each roughly 13–15 cm in length, translucent with a fibrous shell. Embryonic motion visible inside with segmented movement. I theorize these are the offspring of the Ranatra titana.
> We sampled the eggs for observation. Embryo morphology appears consistent with Nepidae but with uncharacteristic limb articulation. Incubation estimated at 7–10 days based on visible development.
> Nadim protested removal, citing “warnings” from the local guides. Up until this point we've had a few brave locals staying with us in our camp to help with familiarity. All of who have since refused further assistance and departed camp after seeing the eggs. Their words: “If the mother sees, she remembers faces.”
> Ominous, noted, and dismissed.
>
> **Entry 6 — May 9, 1962**
> The eggs hatched after only 37 hours at ambient temperature. The newly hatched nymphs measured ~15 cm each and immediately exhibited cannibalistic behavior—devoured weaker siblings until only four of them remained. Within 6 hours, they had doubled in size.
> By evening, Specimen B breached its containment jar by puncturing the lid with its forelimb. Puncture pressure estimated at >180 PSI.
> Li and Anderson recorded footage before transferring remaining hatchlings to reinforced aquaria. We have isolated tissue samples for RNA sequencing upon return.
>
> **Entry 7 — May 10, 1962**
> We discovered some tunnels in the riverbank adjacent to camp. Each measures approximately 0.8 m in diameter, extending laterally beneath the river and into the side of the river bank. The interior walls are smooth, lined with fine silk-like residue and small exoskeletal fragments.
> There is an odor of ammonia and decay throughout the area.
> At 1645, Reynolds went missing while refilling water drums. I organized a group and we all got onto the skiff to search downstream. Sure enough, we found his boot 20 meters from camp, torn cleanly in half. The research team departed following this discovery, and I don't blame them. I'm trying to get us out of here, but it will take a while to pack up all our equipment. Short story long, we have now prohibited solo excursions.
>
> **Entry 8 — May 11, 1962**
> Not much of the team got any sleep. The air feels heavy.
> Anderson fired a flare across the river around 0200 hours. The light revealed at least a dozen reflections beneath the water, moving in unison—like eyes.
> Radio contact with the mainland remains nonfunctional. I have no idea what the problem is.
> At dawn, we saw it clearly. Emerging partially from the river with a carapace coated in algae, limbs impossibly long—somewhere around 10 meters in total length. The head was spear-shaped with two large eyes that rotated independently.
> It spoke. The damn insect spoke.
> Along the lines of “Don’t take my babies" or something like that.
> Kovács screamed. The thing tilted its head, as though curious about such a noise. Then it said “You took them. That’s rude I think.”
> And then it disapeared beneath the water once more.
> We’ve began packing. We're getting the hell out of here.
>
> **Entry 9 — May 11, 1962**
> The river has expanded by at least 50 meters over the course of the afternoon. Our exit trail is gone- completely underwater. I believe the creature deliberately build a dam to keep us from leaving on foot. This isn't just a bug.
> At 1645, we attempted escape on the skiff. Packed up as much as we could and sped off. Something struck from below halfway through the ride. The hull groaned and creaked, before splintering off and being submerged under the water. I watched Anderson fall overboard. I expected him to resurface, gasping for air. Anything. Nothing. I sat there for what felt like hours before I came to. The rest of us had to swim back to shore. I think that was the longest and most exhausting swim of my life.
> Voices echo constantly from the water now—high-pitched, like someone who inhaled helium.
> The hatchlings are gone from containment. The tanks are shattered.
>
> **Entry 10 — May 11, 1962**
> We were at our campsite, but we were vulnerable at night. It started out small and subtle. First, small shiny objects like keys or tools were disappearing. Then our food. Then our research devices. Then our crew. I would hear screaming from out of my view, and I'd run to check- only to find a ripple in the water or a ravaged struggle site. Only Nadim and I remain.
> We’ve retreated into one of the bank tunnels for shelter. I don't know what I was thinking. I was following some footsteps and found this hole barely wide enough to crawl through on our hands and knees. It smells of rot and mud, but the surface feels solid. I can hear scraping and chittering above us. Nadim keeps muttering prayers.
> Every few minutes, the thing calls out, always cheerful and polite.
> “Are you doing the hiding?”
> “Come back. I still want food.”
> “My babies miss you.”
> Sometimes, smaller ones scuttle past the tunnel opening. I think they’re the hatchlings. They drag carcasses toward the water—animals. I think. I hope.
>
> **Entry 11**
> Nadim left while I slept. I don't know why. I don't-
> I tried not to look, but I saw him. They, the small ones, were… feeding him to the big one.
> It thanked him. In the most horrific, monotone, emotionless way.
> I can’t tell if it’s day or night. The tunnels are moving. Closing in around me. The air is so heavy it's like I'm breathing water.
> If someone finds this: do not disturb the nests. Do not speak near the water.
> It listens.
> The reeds are alive.
>
> **[END OF DOCUMENT]**
**Addendum 9088-B:**
Since containment was successfully established on ██/██/198█, SCP-9088 has demonstrated an unexpectedly high level of cooperation with Foundation personnel assigned to its care. For the first three months following the entity's introduction to Site-██’s aquatic enclosure, SCP-9088 remained reclusive and spent extended periods of time submerged beneath the lake floor and not responding to personnel. When the entity was emerged, it would frequently attempt to reach the catwalk with its arms or attempt to breach containment through the walls of the dome, to no success.
By the sixth month, SCP-9088 began initiating contact with research staff during feeding cycles, often surfacing beneath the catwalk and “waving” its anterior appendages. At first this was thought to be a threatening display. Subsequent observation revealed these gestures to be imitative rather than hostile—SCP-9088 had observed staff members waving to each other on the catwalk above the water during research and had begun mimicking the behavior.
SCP-9088 now frequently engages in limited conversation with personnel stationed above its enclosure, most notably with Dr. Harlan Deshrub, who was appointed as project lead in 198█. SCP-9088 consistently refers to him as “Dr. Shrub” and exhibits heightened vocal clarity and increased emotional tone when he is present.
Though still predatory and very capable of extreme violence, SCP-9088’s overall temperament appears less volatile during Deshrub’s observation sessions. Instances of violent outburst or wall strikes dropped from an average of 4.3 per week to fewer than one per month. It is presently unclear whether this indicates genuine emotional attachment, a way to associate food with a face, or a way for SCP-9088 to emotionally deceive personnel.
Dr. Deshrub has since reported several concerning but intriguing behavioral patterns
Testimony 9088-B/Deshrub:
“To start this off, I am well aware the creature is dangerous, its history makes that abundantly clear. However, I’ve noticed it’s beginning to differentiate me from everyone else. When I approach, it goes still. Not docile, not submissive, just… focused. Like it genuinely listens to me. It asks me questions. Crude ones, but questions nevertheless.
Last week, it asked, ‘Why you not swim away when I look?’
I told it I wasn’t afraid. That was probably a mistake if I'm being honest. Its tone changed, quieted. It said, ‘Then you stupid or brave. I don’t know which yet.’
It’s unsettling to say the least. Yet, in those moments, I feel like I’m speaking to something that knows. Something that is more intelligent than it wants to show.”
Security personnel have expressed concern over Deshrub’s continued proximity to SCP-9088 during active observation sessions numerous times. Despite multiple requests for remote study protocols, Deshrub insists that direct interaction yields more valuable behavioral insight on the anomaly.
The following interview was conducted as part of an ongoing series to evaluate SCP-9088’s cognitive development.
>
> **Interview Log 9088-02**
> **Date:** ██/██/198█
> **Interviewer:** Dr. Harlan Deshrub
> **Subject:** SCP-9088
> **Location:** Site-██, SCP-9088's containment unit
>
> Foreword: Dr. Deshrub was assigned to conduct a controlled verbal interaction to determine the anomaly’s cognitive and moral capacities. The interview was conducted from the overhead catwalk 200 ft above the surface of the water.
>
> **<BEGIN LOG>**
>
> (The recording begins with the sound of running water and mechanical hum from the dome’s filtration system. SCP-9088 can be seen floating near the surface, its elongated forelimbs resting just beneath the waterline. Dr. Deshrub speaks to SCP-9088 through a megaphone.)
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Good morning, SCP-9088. Can you hear me from up here?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Bubbling noises; voice emerges high-pitched and slightly distorted]
> Uh-huh. I hear. Tiny man voice! Way up high.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** That’s correct. I’ll be staying up here for safety reasons. You understand why, don’t you?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Tilts its head upward]
> You think I bite. You all think that. I don’t bite all the time.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** I imagine that depends on the circumstances. You’ve bitten people quite a few times.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Pauses; bubbles rise from water]
> Mm… people swim wrong. Too slow. Not watch water. Easy. You leave meat in river, fish eat it. Same, same.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** So, you see us as nothing except for meat. Food.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Clicks loudly, mimicking thought]
> They not swim like me. They scream when water cold. Meat don’t talk much after. [chuckles softly]
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** And that's funny?
>
> **SCP-9088:** Funny? Hm. Maybe little funny. Maybe not. [Pauses again, tilting its head as if thinking]
> You sound like them before the bubbles come out their mouth.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Drowning?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Nods enthusiastically, creating ripples]
> Yes! Drowning. Good word. Drowning like snack sink.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** I see. Let’s talk about something else, then. Your "babies." Tell me about them.
>
> **SCP-9088:** Babies, yes. Good babies. They make food for me. They bring things.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Do you care about them?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Long pause. The creature shifts beneath the surface, its limbs circling lazily.]
> Care? I say I love them. That’s what you say when you have things. “Love.” [Voice sharpens slightly]
> I love them when they don’t bite me.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Yet you eat them when you’re hungry.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Clicking noises]
> Yes. That’s normal, yes?
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** For insects, maybe. Not for humans.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Laughs — a shrill, distorted sound like water bubbling through a flute]
> Humans weird. You keep food in boxes. I keep mine in water.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Tell me, 9088 — do you ever feel guilty?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Head lowers slightly beneath surface, only eyes visible.]
> Guilty? Don’t know that one.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Like feeling bad about something. Usually somehting you've done.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Slowly raises one forelimb above water, dripping; tone quieter now]
> Oh. Hm. Maybe once. When babies bite each other too much. I told them stop. They didn’t stop. I eat them. Felt funny inside.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Funny how?
>
> **SCP-9088:** Not hungry. Not happy. Just… full. Then empty.
> (A moment of silence passes. SCP-9088 suddenly rises several feet out of the water, its limbs unfurling toward the catwalk.)
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Aye, what are you doing?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [In a singsong voice]
> Are you doing the hiding? I can reach you, I think. Long arms!
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** You’re very strong, and you do have long arms, but you won’t reach me. This dome was built to contain you. So you can't get out and bite more people.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Pauses, limbs retracting slightly]
> Contain. Like box? You made me a big water box. You live in air box. Same thing.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Perhaps. But I don’t drag people into the air and eat them.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Cheerful tone]
> You could! You’d like it. Warm. Fast. No more air-box.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** [Writing notes] You seem to have no sense of sympathy. As if a human and a fish have no difference.
>
> **SCP-9088:** There is difference. People taste better. [Giggling] Softer! Less bones!
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** [Flatly] Charming.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Rising slightly again, as if curious]
> Dr Shrub?
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** That’s Deshrub to you.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Bubbles surface; tone shifts to something almost… gentle.]
> You sound like the one I met first time. The one I talked to. You smell like him.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** You remember your first encounter with humans? Tell me about that.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Eyes narrow]
> They took my babies. That’s rude, I think. I asked for them back. They screamed.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** And you killed them?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Simple, bright tone]
> Yes! Then I was alone again.
>
> (Silence follows for several seconds. The only sound is water dripping from the catwalk.)
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** Do you ever wish you weren’t alone, SCP-9088?
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Quietly]
> Wish? Hm. Maybe. But water is full. Always something in it. Always food. Food don’t leave. People do.
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** [Clicking his pen closed]
> Thank you. That will be all for today.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Voice rises again, cheerful]
> You come back, Shrub? Bring people next time? I be good! Promise!
>
> **Dr. Deshrub:** [Turning to leave]
> We’ll see. Try to behave yourself in the meantime.
>
> **SCP-9088:** [Softly, as he walks away]
> You doing the hiding again. I can still see you.
>
> (Recording cuts off as Deshrub exits the dome.)
>
> **<END LOG>**
Closing Statement: SCP-9088 demonstrates rudimentary comprehension of moral concepts such as guilt and affection but does not appear to associate these with its own actions. Its mannerisms remain distinctly childlike, though it demonstrates an acute awareness of human fear and uses it conversationally. Dr. Deshrub has requested a follow-up session that is pending approval.
