SCP-941

Lot of recovered vehicles infected by SCP-941, seized during initial containment operations.

Item #: SCP-941

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: All objects afflicted by SCP-941 are kept in a secure garage within the motor division of Site-77, disassembled to individual components when not being tested. A science team supervised by Assistant Director of Medicine Vayl has been assigned to investigate SCP-941 from an epidemiological and behavioralist perspective, with special attention paid to cases indicating potentially novel strains or actions taken by SCP-941 infected vehicles.

Any research indicating SCP-941 being capable of crossing over to diesel vehicles is to be treated as a Class V Biohazard threat, and any potential vectors for cross-infection are to be destroyed immediately. Mobile Task Force Psi-7 "Home Improvement" has been assigned to assess and secure structures identified as infection vectors.

Because SCP-941 was already widespread in certain regions at the time of its initial discovery, it currently continues to exist in small numbers in the general vehicle population. As such, containment field agents are focused on suppression of information regarding SCP-941 through previously utilized disinformation techniques.

Foundation-owned vehicles are to be, whenever possible, diesel-fueled or electrically powered. SCP-1894 has been demonstrated as being immune to SCP-941, a fact discovered during accidental contact, as such it has been earmarked as a potential failsafe vehicle in the event of a mass-containment failure resulting in widespread infection.

Description: SCP-941 is a viral phenomenon affecting gasoline-powered automobiles designed for human transportation. Infected machines will indicate a variety of malfunctions, typically manifesting over a period of three to five days, then fading over a similar timeframe. SCP-941 afflicted devices are permanently contagious following infection, even after the symptomatic phase ends.

Although no actual mechanical errors have been known to manifest in SCP-941 infected machines, drivers will report hearing unusual noises and changes in the 'feel' of the vehicle during normal operations. In addition, when affected machines are tested in harsh terrain, climates or used for more than three hours, they may cease operations entirely without apparent cause.

Electronic systems such as GPS, or screen-based control consoles in newer vehicles, may exhibit unusual graphical and auditory glitches. Navigational equipment will attempt to steer the user away from highly-trafficked areas or the aforementioned extreme terrain and change the user's destination to car washes, high-end parking garages or auto dealerships.

SCP-941 spreads to other automobiles through direct contact and proximity. Foundation research has shown that automobiles kept in adjacent space to SCP-941-positive machines may begin displaying symptoms which fade over time, or occur intermittently. This phenomenon has only been shown in controlled experiments and has not been observed in the wild.

Biological matter is currently believed to be a factor in the expression of SCP-941's effect, as testing of vehicles directed by non-human elements such as automaton crash-test dummies and SCP-1872 have shown SCP-941 activates only if directly or indirectly controlled by human drivers.

Although the only Foundation-known means of detecting SCP-941 infection is the ability of one vehicle to infect others, it is known that there must be another means of detection. SCP-1727 will refuse service to any SCP-941 afflicted vehicle, giving a message reading ' NO BREAKS, FAKES OR PHONIES '.

History: SCP-941 was first observed by quality-control engineers employed by the DeLorean Motor Company(DMC) during initial engineering of the gull-wing doors used in their product. Notes from this period mention a distinctive semi-organic compound secreted during manufacturing, as well as frequent breakdowns and failures on the assembly line.

Foundation assets first became aware of SCP-941 after collated traffic reports involving the DMC's vehicles were flagged as being potentially anomalous in nature. Follow-up operations confirmed this suspicion, and all known infected vehicles were impounded by Foundation agents through the guise of multiple recalls. Disinformation campaigns against the DMC centered around ties to organized crime combined with the recall efforts resulted in the shuttering of the corporation.

As of the present date, no other production line has been observed to carry SCP-941, and the initial infection source is unknown.

Addendum: During testing on 1/27/2019, Assistant Director Vayl was conducting an experiment in SCP-941's ability to spread through non-contact means. During inspection of the third-party GPS system, a control vehicle initiated direct communications. This effect has not been found in any subsequent experiment, nor had it manifested in previous ones.

Following this interview, the vehicle was re-tested and showed no trace of SCP-941 infection.