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Representation of RPC-495.
Registered Phenomena Code: 495
Object Class: Beta-Orange
| Hazard Types:Additional Properties: |  Sentient |
 Bio-Hazard |
 Toxic |
 Aquatic |
 Organic |
Containment Protocols:
RPC-495 is stored at Site-0██, in West Virginia. Transfer is not recommended and should be limited to any sites far from swampland.
It is stored in a well-ventilated building on site with an independent HVAC system. The building is composed of the containment chamber, an observation room, a storage closet, as well as the entrance hallway connecting these three rooms. The containment chamber is a 5.5 x 7 x 5 meter room with a reinforced window 2 meter X 6 meter x 2 cm in size, giving a view from the observation room. Level-B HAZMAT protection is required for any non-CSD personnel entering the building, with Level-A being used when entering the containment chamber. CSD personnel are to be given Level-C HAZMAT protection in most cases.
Disinfectants can be used as a deterrent in case of attempted containment breaches or hostile behavior. Clean water acts as a weaker deterrent as well. Water that has been blessed can have a stronger effect if it is used on RPC-495 by someone who thinks the blessing makes it better at purifying disease. For most people, this effect is weaker than disinfectants.
As of ████████ ██, 20██, the containment chamber door is to remain locked each summer.
As of █████████ ██, 2022, CSD personnel suffering from terminal illnesses should be incorporated in recapture attempts.
Description:
RPC-495 is a humanoid with many spider-like legs extending from its waist. Its skin is dark grey and it wears a black burlap cloak. The two humanoid legs are proportionally double the length expected and have large, avian feet in place of human feet. The spider legs are thinner and end in hard keratin blades connected by an ankle. The blades average 15 cm in length, have a single edge that curves toward RPC-495. They can closed inward as a primitive form of grasping. The number of legs on any side of RPC-495 that is not actively being viewed will change at random. This doesn't include recordings but does include indirect live viewing, like with a camera or mirror. It would be 265 cm tall if it were to stand fully upright, but regularly stands crouched at a height of 220-230 cm. This is likely due to the length of its minor legs, as if it were to stand fully upright, they would not be able to reach the ground.
RPC-495 exhales a gas with immunosupressant effects. This effect can last for many days, with severity varying from person to person. Healthier individuals will usually be less affected and recover faster. Exposure to the gas gives some resistance to repeated exposure, with this immunity fading with time. The gas has an unpleasant, "rotten egg" smell and visually resembles a yellow-brown fog similar to nitrogen dioxide.
RPC-495 is able to detect disease in humans at great distances and is attracted to anyone suffering from disease. Although RPC-495 is not physically hostile to the sick, its gas will cause their symptoms to worsen. For terminal illnesses this will cause the disease's progress to accelerate, causing earlier than expected deaths.
When uncontained, RPC-495 shows a consistent pattern of behavior. It will emerge from a swamp in fall, slowly migrate west until it reaches the Appalachian mountains in winter, and then return to a swamp along the eastern United States by the end of spring. The swamp it enters in spring will be south of the swamp it left in fall, and the swamp it exits in the next fall will be south of the swamp it entered the previous spring. This migratory pattern will repeat until RPC-495 reaches central or southern Florida, at which point it will emerge in Maine the next year. Any area that RPC-495 migrates through will suffer from worse outbreaks of disease that year compared to its baseline. RPC-495 is energized by disease, and so this path is likely intended to maximize its ability to cause infections in those living in North America. When it enters a swamp it will submerge itself, swim out to the Atlantic Ocean, and then dive too deep to safely track.
Since the founding of colonies by British Settlers, accounts of a creature similar to RPC-495 have been recorded. It is consistently described as a hybrid of human and nonhuman body parts that is a bringer of disease, but has changed how it manifested these traits over time. It does not appear in any oral traditions of local indigenous tribes. Either RPC-495 came into existence as a result of the outbreaks of disease in North America at the time or it migrated there from some other location, perhaps the British Isles.
Timeline of Events Leading to Capture:
Date: █████████ █, 19██
Summary: The first attempt at capturing RPC-495. Personnel wore gas masks for protection and were armed with tranquilizers, throw nets, catch poles, and religious iconography.
Things Learned:
- Tranquilizers have no noticeable effect.
- Nets have little effect despite the many legs.
- Due to the physical strength of RPC-495, catch poles are ineffective.
- The level of PPE deployed was insufficient as it did not properly filter the gas.
- RPC-495 is not physically hostile unless attacked.
- Religious iconography appears to be ineffective.
Outcome:
- No personnel killed but most were left temporarily unfit for duty due to disease or injury.
- Accounts of RPC-495 retrieved from Authority archives for research.
Date: ███████ ██, 19██
Summary: CSD personnel were equipped with varying levels of protection and were made to approach RPC-495 to test protective equipment.
Things Learned:
- In outdoor environments, Level-B HAZMAT is sufficient.
- Level-A may be required for indoor interactions.
- Level-C is not as effective, but may be used by CSD personnel if needed.
Outcome:
- Level-B or higher is used in all later interactions with RPC-495.
Years: 19██ - 20██
Summary: CSD personnel tested various objects on RPC-495 to discover any possible methods of capture. This testing occurred over the course of many months, with RPC-495 being tracked between experiments. Many methods were inspired by previous accounts of RPC-495.
Things Learned:
- Mild aversion to clean water, somewhat stronger aversion to holy water.
- Other religious iconography such as a cross had no effect.
- Weapons had little effect.
- Chemicals used for cleaning or disinfecting had a strong repellent effect on RPC-495.
- Fire repels RPC-495.
Outcome:
- Construction begins on RPC-495's containment building.
- Initial plans drafted for specialized transport of RPC-495 upon its capture.
Dates: ████████ ██, 20██ - ████████ ██, 20██
Summary: RPC-495's containment chamber was completed in spring. Plans for the capture of RPC-495 were finalized in summer, and the operation was carried out in early fall. A controlled burn of the section of forest containing RPC-495 weakened it, and it was then forced into a refrigerated truck then driven to containment.
Outcome:
- RPC-495 successfully contained.
Post-Containment Events:
Dates: █████████ █, 20██ - ████████ ██, 20██
Summary: The first summer of containment. RPC-495 made many attempts to exit its containment chamber, but was ultimately incapable of breaching its containment.
Outcome:
- Update to summer containment procedures.
Dates: Late 2019 - Present
Summary: RPC-495 showed a strong reaction to the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It became more energetic than usual the month before the initial reports of the outbreak in China and became especially animated upon the arrival of the disease in the United States. During the peaks of the disease each winter, it became extremely energetic and continually tried to breach containment. Its average number of spider legs increased, with it approximately tripling its number of minor legs during the peak in winter of 2021/2022. The noise from the increased number of legs along with the increased energy may require the installation of noise proofing in its containment building.
Things Learned:
- RPC-495 appears to gain energy when humans are sick, even if it does not interact with them.
- RPC-495 appears to gain more energy based on proximity to a sick person. This would explain why it remained east of the Appalachian mountains when uncontained, owing to population density.
- Potential applications of RPC-495 for predicting pandemics.