Scp - 009 "Red Ice"
Object Class - Euclid
-----------------------------------------------------------
Site-██, SCP-009 Containment Wing – December 17, 2025
The hum of refrigeration units was a constant comfort to Dr. Lena Torres as she monitored the temperature readouts. The numbers glowed blue on her console:
-28°C. -27.5°C. -28.1°C.
Her assistant, Marcus, peered over her shoulder. "You ever get used to it?" he said, voice muffled by his environmental suit. "Working with something that could freeze your blood solid?"
Lena smirked. "You get used to anything if you have to. Besides, as long as the coolant holds—"
A red warning flashed.
COOLANT UNIT 2: FAILURE.
The temperature ticked upward. -24.9°C.
"Shit," Marcus muttered. "I'll check the backup."
Lena's hands flew over the controls. "Lockdown the containment chamber. Flood with emergency coolant!"
The intercom crackled. "Dr. Torres, this is Security. We're reading a pressure drop in the vacuum seals."
Lena's pulse spiked. "All personnel, full dehydration protocol! Marcus, get away from the door!"
But Marcus was already at the panel, wrench in hand.
The containment door hissed open just a crack—enough for a faint mist to escape. The air shimmered with cold, and a single bead of red liquid rolled across the floor, trailing a thin, bright line.
Marcus froze. "Lena… it's out."
She grabbed his arm, yanking him back. "Don't touch it! Suit integrity check—now!"
His visor fogged with panic. "I'm clear, I think—wait, my glove—"
A drop of red clung to his thumb, already spreading.
Lena's voice shook. "Marcus, get in the dessication chamber. Now."
He stumbled inside, sealing the door. Lena activated the chemical spray, her heart pounding as she watched the red frost creep up his arm.
Marcus's voice was calm, almost resigned. "Tell my family I love them."
Lena's eyes filled with tears. "I will. I promise."
Inside the chamber, Marcus sat on the floor, shivering. His breath fogged the glass.
"Describe what you're feeling," Lena said, voice steady for the record.
He managed a weak smile. "Warm. Like a fever. My skin's tingling." He looked down. "Frost… it's forming under the suit."
Lena watched as red crystals bloomed across his forearm, spreading in fractal patterns. The suit's insulation slowed the process, but not enough.
"Lena, I can feel it inside. My blood's—" He gasped, clutching his chest. "It's not pain. Just… cold."
She pressed her hand to the glass. "Hold on, Marcus. We're going to try—"
He shook his head. "No. You know what happens next. Don't let me out. Add me to the tank. Please."
Lena nodded, tears freezing on her cheeks.
The emergency teams arrived in full hazmat gear. Marcus's body was carefully dessicated, the red ice scraped into containment.
Lena filed her report, hands trembling.
Incident Summary:
Coolant failure in Unit 2.
Minor breach, one exposure.
Contamination contained, no further spread.
Recommendation: Upgrade to Keter class.
Later, as Lena walked past the containment tank, she paused. The red liquid inside shimmered, swirling slowly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered what universe it had come from. What kind of world could survive a sea of red ice?
She shivered, and made a silent promise:
Never let the temperature rise.
Epilogue
That night, Lena dreamed of a crimson blizzard, endless and silent, sweeping across a barren world. In the center, a single red drop fell—and where it landed, everything froze.