SCP-064: Flawed von Neumann Structure

SCP-064: Flawed von Neumann Structure SCP-064 is one brick that can build a structure around itself, provided nobody leaves anything substantial in its way. Place it on suitable earth and more bricks begin forming beside it. They arrange themselves into a building with floors and ceilings, fitting together well. Researchers suspect microscopic structures are drawing the necessary material from the soil. There's a consistent orientation to the growth: the original brick stays at the northernmost point of the lowest level. Observations suggest the completed structure might resemble an enormous twelve-pointed star, but that remains a projection. Nobody has seen that finished shape. A significant obstacle stops the growth. Removing the original brick starts the entire structure crumbling back into dust. Put it back quickly enough and the process can be interrupted; wait longer than twenty minutes and the decay becomes irreversible. The Foundation is considering deserts and salt flats where it can watch the pattern develop without obstructions. This one leaves room for curiosity. Something designed, or at least highly organized, is trying to emerge from ordinary ground. The challenge is finding enough space to see what it becomes, without losing the unremarkable object holding it together. https://t.co/NZ8T1S0FH5