Scp - 006 "Fountain of youth"
Object Class - Safe
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Astrakhan Oblast, Russia – June 9, 2025
Dr. Elena Petrova adjusted her Class VI BNC suit, the rubberized fabric clinging uncomfortably to her skin as Commander Viktor Romanov barked orders.
"Submersion test in three," he growled, his voice muffled through his helmet. Elena stepped into the chlorinated pool, heart racing. Around her, technicians watched for air bubbles—a single leak meant failing clearance.
Why such theatrics for mineral water? she wondered. The briefing—Material SCP-006C—had warned of "high toxicity," but her virology training screamed inconsistencies. Toxicity required containment, not secrecy.
"Clear," Viktor announced. Elena emerged, dripping, as a lab assistant handed her a tablet.
File SCP-006: Classified. Liquid exhibits corrosive properties. Personnel exposure results in rapid fatality.
She glanced at the spring's live feed: a crystalline pool, innocuous behind reinforced glass.
Specimen 006-72A," droned Dr. Gregor Ivanov, the facility's lead researcher, as he passed Elena a Quad-Sealant Container. "Run the usual pathogen battery. And don't touch the seals."
Elena nodded, gloved fingers hovering over the vial. The liquid glimmered—a deceptively ordinary aqua.
"Why the VI suits?" she asked abruptly. "If it's just corrosive, IIIs would suffice."
Gregor froze. "Follow protocol, Doctor."
Later, in the archives, she scrolled through decades of logs. Terminations: 47 personnel. Cause: Incineration. A pattern: exposures occurred during "accidents," but no toxicology reports. Only one file remained locked: 006-TerO5.
A crash. Shouting. Elena spun as a junior technician slipped, his suit tearing on a jagged pipe. Liquid from a shattered container sprayed her visor.
"Procedure 006-Xi-12!" Viktor's voice boomed. "Evacuate!"
Chaos erupted. Elena stumbled, expecting searing pain—but felt nothing. Her cracked visor dripped liquid onto her lip. Sweet. Metallic.
That night, she stared at her reflection. A cut from the accident had vanished.
"You're playing with fire," Gregor muttered in the break room, avoiding her gaze.
"It heals, doesn't it?" Elena hissed. "All those terminations—they weren't accidents. The Foundation's hiding immortality."
Gregor's eyes hardened. "Walk away, Elena. You'll live longer."
She didn't.
At 0300, she bypassed security, reaching the spring's core. Sensors blared as she dipped a vial into the water.
"Stop!" Viktor's squad surrounded her, rifles raised.
"It's a miracle," she pleaded, clutching the vial. "Why kill people for this?"
"Because miracles are chaos," Viktor said coldly. "And chaos is a threat."
The incinerator roared. Elena's suit was stripped, her skin already knitting from a guard's parting bullet.
"You could end disease. Suffering," she spat.
Viktor lit a cigarette. "And dictators? Tyrants? Wars over a puddle?" He nodded to the technician. "World's not ready for forever, Doctor."
The flames consumed her.
In the control room, Gregor archived her file.
Addendum 006-87: Test Subject Petrova confirmed full cellular regeneration pre-termination. Amnestics administered to staff. Containment upheld.
He poured himself vodka, toasting the feed of the silent spring.
"Za vechnost," he whispered. To eternity.
Final Note: The Foundation's secret remained safe. But in Astrakhan, rumors persisted of a factory where workers never aged—and where firelight flickered, endlessly, in the dark.