| Item: | Biological Von Neumann Device |
| Size: | Current volume is 35.56 liters |
| Type: | Biological, unknown |
| Living: | Likely, currently under study |
| Sentient: | No |
| Potential/Current Hazards | Contact with living tissue results in rapid consumption and re-purposing of the affected area. While contact with fatal amounts is unlikely in accidental contact, due to its high viscosity and limited amount of material present at each site, full precautions are to be taken at all times. |
| Required Wear/Weaponry | Any personnel using the item is to be equipped with chemically resistant gloves and overalls constructed out of non-biological materials |
| Location: | Item is stored within 36 1-liter containers constructed of steel among several sites expected to make heavy use of it. |
| Reported Anomaly: | Rapid consumption and conversion of biological matter |
Usage
The item is to be considered generally safe for handling so as long as none of the item gets on any tissue, outside of the defined uses and testing. The item is inert when non-organic materials are used. Thus, plastics, metals, most rubbers, and stone have all proven to be extremely effective in containing the item.
To be used, the item must be applied, in any amount, to the bare tissue of an organism. Any sort of multicellular life seems to be suitable for this purpose, as tests have indicated everything from a Schmidtea mediterranea (a common form of planarian) to the trunk of Sequoiadendron giganteum (a Giant Redwood) have been found to be affected.
Report
The item is a thick fluid that ranges in colour from a nearly black, to a very light yellow, depending on what the item has recently come into contact with. When poured, the substance will move extremely slowly, with a viscosity equal to honey or similar thick compounds. In addition, the item displays a remarkable lack of adherence to other surfaces, with removal resulting in almost none of the item remaining after the even most haphazard of cleanups.
When it comes into contact with tissue with most organisms, it will quickly begin to 'eat' the organism, and consume the remains, adding to its own mass. The rate at which it does this is exponential up until a rate of approximately 15 cubic centimeters, the heat released by the process seeming to speed it up, along with the presence of additional material capable of consumption.
Byproducts of this process seem to be methane (42% of consumed mass), carbon dioxide (5% of consumed mass), and several trace amounts of other elements (0.8% of consumed mass). The remaining 52.2% of the consumed mass will be converted into the item. The converted mass will have a new density of approximately 12.3 to 13.3 grams per cubic centimeter. This reaction does not seem to adhere to known organic chemistry, and research into why this occurs is ongoing. This reaction produces a very large amount of heat, with the item often boiling itself before large-scale destruction can be achieved. The average amount of matter consumed is 500-700% the mass of the applied item before terminal heat are reached. The process of consumption can be slowed, and even brought down to levels that do not result in self-destruction, through the process of refrigeration. 1-4 degrees Celsius seem to be optimal for this process.
This has proven the item to be exceptionally useful for missions related to the eliminations of a person(s). Combined with the easy cleanup (often accomplished with a simple trowel, though any non-organic item could be used), the item has found its place in the arsenal of the Chaos Insurgency.
The item is to be stored in steel containers, clearly marked with the item's name, function, and appropriate hazard symbols, and stored in a refrigerated area until use is required. Any team wishing to make use of the item must obtain permissions and every team member must display competence in the usage of the item. Any team that brings the item out into the field must have the ability to properly contain the produced mass. Typically, containment can be achieved with several of the aforementioned steel containers.
The item is currently under research to determine optimization of the substance, with focus on increasing the resistance to heat that the substance has. Large scale production for the purposes of weaponizing by and sale to insurgency groups, particularly those within regions with high levels of biological matter (Central and South America are suggested candidates), has been considered.
