Item #: SCP-6738

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: No direct physical contact may be made with SCP-6738 for any reason. Anyone making physical contact with SCP-6738 must be contained in quarantine immediately. SCP-6738 must be handled with nonliving macroscopic matter at all times. Any transportation of SCP-6738 must be done in a container capable of preventing its escape. Any and all subjects infected by SCP-6738 must be [DATA EXPUNGED] before SCP-6738 can mature and multiply.

Description: SCP-6738 appears to be a small watermelon only 0.3048 meters (1ft) in diameter. It is much harder than that of an ordinary watermelon, being able to remain in one piece even if shot at with a [REDACTED]. It is revealed to endure a limited amount of damage before collapsing, after which it breaks into multiple inert pieces. Attempts to damage SCP-6738 using environmental hazards such as height, radiation, or fire, have been met with [DATA EXPUNGED].

SCP-6738's true nature is revealed upon direct physical contact with a living, macroscopic, organic entity, such as a human, a bird, or another organic SCP besides itself. SCP-6738 infects a host by generating a burst of electrical sparks that act as a means of entry; no clothing or hazard suit can prevent this. Hosts infected with SCP-6738 slowly turn a greenish color, while humanoid hosts appear to [REDACTED], becoming shaped like a watermelon. After a brief incubation period, the host explodes into [DATA EXPUNGED] before materializing between two and five new instances of SCP-6738.

SCP-6738 lacks higher intelligence or even aggressive impulses, but has a volatile method of locomotion, as if an internal system was bouncing within SCP-6738, being the source of its unpredictable movement. Dr. ████████████ conducted research on SCP-6738's inorganic movement compared to its organic life cycle, but was terminated after a [DATA EXPUNGED].

SCP-6738 interacts differently with various SCPs, and Dr. ███████ is responsible for recording each interaction SCP-6738 has with them. Dr. ███████ was fortunate to survive over [REDACTED] observed encounters between SCP-6738 and another SCP. Notable interactions exhibited by SCP-6738 and [REDACTED] include but are not limited to:

• SCP-6738 appears to provoke SCP-173 without a suitable reason, causing SCP-173 to bounce SCP-6738 everywhere within its container. SCP-6738 can not infect SCP-173.
  
• SCP-6738 can infect SCP-106. However, SCP-106 cannot die from the infection, but will still burst melons from himself, only to be reinfected once more. Instances of SCP-6738 spawned from SCP-106 exhibit [DATA EXPUNGED] before disintegrating.
  
• SCP-6738 was once used as a means of terminating SCP-682 on ██-██-████. However, SCP-682 [DATA EXPUNGED], apparently controlling the melons that spawned from its [REDACTED] to "melon-ify" enough biomass to reform its true self. SCP-682-controlled instances of SCP-6738 were retrieved before [DATA EXPUNGED], as well as [DATA EXPUNGED] anyone infected. After reforming, all traces of SCP-6738 were removed from its body.

Due to [DATA EXPUNGED], SCP-6738 shows immunity to the effects of SCP-409, as if the volatility of both SCPs cancel each other out. More research is needed.

In case of a SCP-6738 outbreak, infested facilities are to be thoroughly bombed, as explosives appear to be a weakness to SCP-6738. However, if an explosion leaves a few surviving instances of SCP-6738, it can be launched at new hosts without [REDACTED].