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Registered Phenomena Code: 555
Object Class: Alpha-White
Hazard Types: N/A
Containment Protocols: OL-Site-555 has been established at RPC-555's location, and is composed of two buildings:
- OL-Site-555-A, constructed at RPC-555's entrance to conceal it under the guise of a visitor's center. Maintained in tandem with the America's National Parks nonprofit.
- OL-Site-555-B, a repurposed warehouse within Middlesboro used for storage and testing of RPC-555-2.
All objects and organisms exiting RPC-555 should be cleaned of any possible RPC-555-2 contamination. In the event that samples of RPC-555-2 are discovered elsewhere, personnel should follow standard procedure for the collection and transport of anomalous liquids, and all retrieved material should be sent to OL-Site-555-B for study.
Description: RPC-555 is a cave underneath Cumberland Gap National Historical Park1. It consists of a single chamber approximately 3 kilometers long, 2 kilometers wide, and 1.5 kilometers tall.2 RPC-555 is accessible through a vertical tunnel connected to the ceiling of RPC-555's southwest corner. This tunnel is 10 meters in diameter and 800 meters high, and possesses smooth walls indicating it was artificially constructed.
Embedded below the entrance to RPC-555 is RPC-555-1, a cylindrical object 11.5 meters in diameter with an exposed height of 28 meters. RPC-555-1 is composed primarily of chromium and ruthenium along with trace amounts of cesium and phosphorus. All attempts to determine the object's full size have failed, as RPC-555-1 extends deeper than any currently measurable distance. RPC-555-1 does not display any other anomalous properties.
RPC-555 contains a deciduous forest typical of the surrounding area, with fauna consisting primarily of deer and various rodents. Animals within RPC-555 exist in a mix of living, dead, and reanimated states. While it was originally unknown how such an environment could survive in the absence of light, water, or soil, further examination led to the discovery of RPC-555-2.
RPC-555-2 is a dark red liquid present on the walls of RPC-555. It is not excreted from any specific source. Rather, it continuously manifests on the walls of RPC-555 as well as around RPC-555-1 and flows downward, pooling into a lake at the cave's center. RPC-555-2 is entirely composed from the blood of various animals, including but not limited to: Bos taurus,3 Ursus arctos,4 and Crotalus horridus.5 RPC-555-2 functions as the primary source of energy and nutrition for the inhabitants of RPC-555. It is capable of sustaining life independently and indefinitely, and organisms that consume RPC-555-2 will grow at rates of up to 20% faster than those that do not. RPC-555-2 is also capable of accelerating the closure of small wounds, though it cannot restore lost mass in the case of larger injuries.
The most notable property of RPC-555-2 is its effect on deceased animals. Animals that have previously ingested RPC-555-2 (henceforth RPC-555-A) will continue to move after brain death. While not hostile, RPC-555-A are devoid of any brain function and will wander aimlessly until their body decays or is damaged to a point where movement is no longer possible. This effect also occurs if RPC-555-2 is applied after death, provided the affected mass contains a means of locomotion.
Discovery: RPC-555 was brought to the Authority's attention following a livestream from YouTube user ███████████████6 documenting the exploration of a "bottomless pit" within Cumberland Gap National Park. While descending, the streamer loses his grip on the tunnel wall and falls ███ meters into RPC-555, dying upon impact with RPC-555-1. His camera continues to record and captures footage of ███████ █████ reanimating due to the effects of RPC-555-2. He then crawls deeper into RPC-555, leaving his equipment behind. An Authority disinformation campaign was enacted shortly after involving the release of multiple videos "debunking" the livestream. While ███████ █████'s equipment has been recovered, his body has yet to be located.
Since the discovery of RPC-555, additional samples of RPC-555-2 have been discovered at various locations around the world, all completely enclosed at depths between 450 meters and ██ kilometers below the surface. However, RPC-555 remains the only location where a continuous stream of RPC-555-2, an instance of RPC-555-1, and a developed ecosystem have been found.