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SCP-6491 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-6491
Expected annual
$906K
One-time setup
$450K
Annual recurring
$896K
Personnel
11
One-time startup costs are approximately $450,500 for containment construction, equipment, and initial R&D; recurring annual costs are approximately $896,000 driven mainly by staff wages (security, animal caretakers, researchers), veterinary/health monitoring, and a 10% contingency reserve.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $450K
Facilities $225K
[#1] Containment enclosure construction (acid-resistant reinforced small-animal dragon suite).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $122K
[#11, #13] Microscopic recording R&D (implantable/in-food cameras) (#11) and initial sequencing/equipment calibration for sample analysis (#13).
Equipment $75K
[#3, #5, #18, #21] Capture & transport equipment and vehicle (#3), backup UPS/generator installation (#5), CCTV installation (#18), emergency response kit one-time purchase (#21).
Legal Cover Setup $12K
[#22] Initial legal/cover-story setup, front-company creation, identity management startup costs.
Rustle Relocation Settlement $10K
[#9] One-time relocation/settlement for Mr. Rustle (moving/initial housing stipend).
Behavioral Furnishings $6K
[#24] One-time behavioral enrichment and furnishing purchases (perches, substrates, feeding systems).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $896K/yr
Staff Wages $490K/yr
[#6, #7, #10] Security personnel (6 guards, 3 shifts × 2) (#6), animal care staff/handlers (2 FTE) (#7), research staff (1–2 researchers + 1 tech; budgeted) (#10).
Contingency Reserve $76K/yr
[#26] Contingency reserve (approx. 10% of operating budget) for unexpected repairs, replacements, and experiments.
Facilities Maintenance $72K/yr
[#2, #4, #17, #18] Facility space overhead/amortized infrastructure (#2), HVAC/environmental energy and ventilation scrubbing (#4), corrosion-resistant fixture maintenance (#17), CCTV/storage maintenance (#18 recurring).
Research And Monitoring $66K/yr
[#13, #19, #20, #23] Ongoing lab analysis and per-sample testing (#13 recurring), IT/software/licenses and data analysis tools (#19), sterile/microbiology lab supplies and facility time (#20), staff health surveillance/bio-monitoring (#23).
Veterinary Care $65K/yr
[#8] Veterinary retainer, routine exams, diagnostics, emergency treatment and specialist fees for exotic-animal care.
Rustle Housing And Monitoring $60K/yr
[#9] Ongoing housing, stipend, counseling, and monitoring for Mr. Rustle (human subject costs).
Supplies And Consumables $37K/yr
[#12, #14, #16, #24] Consumable microscopic recording devices (#12), feeding and diet consumables (#14), PPE and decontamination supplies (#16), recurring replacement for enrichment/furnishings (#24 recurring).
Cover Story And Legal $20K/yr
[#22] Ongoing legal/cover story and administrative cover-up costs, counter-information operations.
Emergency Drills $4K/yr
[#21] Periodic training/drills and refresh of emergency response procedures/equipment.
Logistics And Transport $3K/yr
[#25] Sample transport and chain-of-custody fees for offsite analyses.
Waste Handling And Disposal $3K/yr
[#15] Hazardous disposal, neutralization chemicals, contractor fees for Byproduct-6491 disposal.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $896K/yr
92.0% probability / year
Normal, uneventful year with scheduled research, regular husbandry, and no containment incidents.
routine_operations scheduled_research normal_byproduct_rate
🚨 Minor Incident $946K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$50K vs baseline
Small escape or localized corrosive damage requiring overtime, contractor disposal, and moderate repairs.
small_escape increased_byproduct_production overtime_repairs
🚨 Major Breach $1.2M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Significant containment breach or injury, major repairs/rebuild, investigations, possible temporary shutdown of research and replacement equipment.
structural_damage medical_treatment_and_liability facility_repair_and_replacement
🚨 Research Scale Up $1.1M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Research breakthrough or discovery that requires scaling imaging R&D, expanded lab capacity, or BSL upgrades for byproduct work.
successful_imaging_development need_for_higher_biosafety expanded_experimental_program
👥 Personnel 11 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#6] Continuous 24/7 guard coverage (3 shifts × 2 guards).
Animal Caretaker 2 [#7] Full-time exotic-animal caretakers/handlers (feeding, enrichment, daily husbandry).
Research Scientist 2 [#10] Dedicated behavioral/lab researchers to study SCP-6491 and Byproduct-6491 (1–2 FTE budgeted).
Lab Technician 1 [#10] Technician support for sample processing, sequencing prep, and routine lab tasks.
📋 Confidence Notes
Reasonable line-item detail exists in analyst notes (staffing, containment, consumables) so estimates are middlingly constrained; uncertainty remains around byproduct frequency/hazard and potential need for BSL upgrades which could multiply costs, hence medium confidence.
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