Water Sprout

The water levels were rising slowly. The tangle of roots and branches they had to worm through seemed to have no end. And they had to move fast, otherwise, they would drown or worse.

WR-627, more commonly known as a Water Sprout is a one-of-a-kind plant-based Wrong, possessing mutagenic and matter-generating properties.

Properties

Hydrotropism and DNA Manipulation

If placed at most 10 meters from at least 1dm³ of water, the first two properties of the Water Sprout manifest.
First, the Water Sprout will try to move towards the water, either by rolling or sliding. The movement is always done in a straight line and as such, it can be easily blocked by walls, fences, or other obstacles. However, caution needs to be taken as the Water Sprout will not give up its movement no matter what, constantly applying pressure on the obstacle. In case of obstacles that are weak structurally, this might prove disastrous.

Second, the Water Sprout makes it easier for the genetic code to be modified by stabilizing the changed sections of DNA and fixing any errors that would either rend the mutation useless or kill the affected organism. This is a double-edged sword as any negative genetic modification, such as the insertion of virus DNA into the host cell's ones. As such, anyone suffering from viral infections should keep away from the active Water Sprout as the Wrong may accelerate or worsen their sickness drastically.

Self-replication

Once the plant makes any contact with the water that takes up 1dm³ of space, it starts to rapidly grow into a tree, almost completely filling said space, no matter its volume, and up to 20 meters above the surface. The rate of growth is fast enough to always counteract the rate at which the Water Sprout is sinking. Additionally, the growing roots change their structure depending on the depth of the water, counteracting the water pressure. The process of growth can only be stopped if the original "core" (the Water Sprout itself) is found inside the trees and removed from them. At that point, the rest of the plant lets out all the water it has absorbed, withers, and turns to dust.

Liquid replication

Once the Water Sprout fills and absorbs about 70-80% of the original volume of the water, it will start to produce more of it at a growing rate. When the process starts, the water normally contained within the seed of the Water Sprout starts to overfill. This increases the rate at which the plant grows, creating an accelerating loop. According to estimates, Water Sprout would need only a month of continuous activity to completely cover the planet with water and itself.

Mutation Inducement

Any body of water in contact with the Water Sprout becomes a very strong mutagen. Any plant-based organisms that come in contact with it are turned into more of the Water Sprout's growing "body". As such, if the Water Sprout is removed, they will wither and turn to dust like the rest of the growth.
Non-plant organisms go through a different process. For them, coming in contact with the affected water induces fast, seemingly random mutations. Tests on affected tissues revealed the manifestation of completely new genes within its DNA, even ones coming from different organisms. Those mutations are permanent and even stopping the Water Sprout's growth doesn't undo them.

First encounter

The first encounter with the Water Sprout happened during the "E Overgrowth" incident.
Megacity E wall security noticed an unusual floral movement happening in the Outside. A never seen before grove showed up in the area. In about an hour, it doubled the surface it occupied and slowly started encroaching on the walls of the megacity. Both the wall security and the cleaners have been dispatched. About half of them were either turned into mutated monstrosities or were killed by said monstrosities.
In the end, it took 4 hours for the 10th Branch to finally contain the Water Sprout by removing it from the jungle around it. During that time, the Wrong managed to breach the walls of Megacity E. Some lesser Weirds used the growth and the chaos to also breach the walls, however, they have been quickly exterminated.
10th Branch sold the Water Sprout to the genetic lab located on one of the platforms on the Lake Szepty as both the power source and something to enhance the research done there.

by Revyera

Appearance

Water Sprout is a 30 by 12 cm plant seed similar in its appearance to the ones produced by sunflowers. Similar to them, it has a brownish-grey shell marked with white stripes going along its sides. The shell is cracked open at the top (normally it would be the flattened side). The inside of the shell, instead of being filled with endosperm, is filled with water. Said water doesn't spill no matter the angle at which the seed is placed unless certain conditions are met. From the middle of the water sprouts out a 10 cm long bright green stem adorned with two cotyledons.

Containment procedure

The easiest way to contain the Water Sprout is to simply keep it away from any sources of water. However, thanks to the easiness with which it can be contained, it has been chosen as one of the Wrongs that can produce high amounts of energy. It can be done quite simply by putting it in a strong enough harness, close enough for its DNA manipulation properties to activate.

Destruction

As of yet, no means of destroying the Water Sprout have been found.

Reproduction

The only known way of "reproduction" of the Water Sprout is through mutating other plant matter into itself. However, as the "new" plants become a part of the main body, instead of being considered a reproduction, it is seen as an assimilation.