Chapter Text
Oh god, I feel like I barely even slept. That harsh, white fluorescent light in my office does not help at all!
I look at the clock on the wall, still seven twenty-two. It feels like time isn't even at all here. I wouldn't be surprised if the Foundation has some kind of time dilation stuff hidden somewhere in its facility.
First day on the job and I'm here complaining my ass off early in the morning, not a good sign. But hey, let's look at the bright side of things; I got my very own quarters, a dedicated office, a water dispenser, some uh, fake plants, a erm, bookshelf, and a chair and desk. Everything I need for this new life of mine going forward… A new, bountiful life.
Oh who am I kidding? This is basically just an over-glorified office job so far. The magic and mystery sure wears off fast, huh?
My fingers tap on the hardwood desk as I swivel around my chair. My eyes wander around the room, looking for something interesting to lay on, but all I see are these white walls that surround me.
With nothing much to do, I opened the document file once again, hoping to pass the time. The Director gave me a copy to prepare myself. The first two papers are the introduction, both the front and back of the paper; the purpose of the so-called MYTH Project, future plans, and so on and so forth.
The other half of the document is where the interesting texts lie, the meat of the whole project. I had a quick look at it before going to bed, might as well read through it again to pass the time.
“ANMLY-GR-0397 is an anomalous humanoid creature found on the shores of ███████ , Greece on the ██ of June ████ …”
Right, secrecy and all that. Looking at the whole document a handful of words have been painted over with black ink, if I have to guess it would probably be locations, dates, people, and specifics. I guess I'm not that high up the ladder just yet… And probably never will be any higher.
“Previously awaiting official registration into the Foundation database…”
“This anomaly has been chosen as the inaugural SCP for the MYTH Project… Henceforth, the anomaly will be officially classified as SCP-001 MYTH.”
This anomaly must've been stuck in limbo for a good three months. It seems no one is truly safe from the slowly moving hands of bureaucracy. A yawn suddenly escapes me as I stretch my back and throw my arms into the air. I really should get myself a cup of coffee.
Where’s the cafeteria located again? I’m pretty sure I walked past it yesterday, unless that's a different room.
My office is located in the high security area, close to the Security Headquarters, near the archives containing highly classified documents, and a few turns away from the Director’s office. Walking down the hallway and passing a checkpoint, I eventually encounter a crossroad. A four-way intersection drives me to a grinding stop.
Hmm, the lines at the bottom are color coded: left is green, ahead is blue, and right is yellow. Shit, I knew I should've taken a closer look at what the colors meant yesterday.
Let's see, maybe the color is a clue itself. Blue is often associated with uhh, cool things, maybe that's where all the laboratories and research facilities are located. Now, the yellow is most of the time connected with electricity so maybe it's pointing towards the generators, yeah, that sounds about right. Then the green, that's obviously about plants and plants can be food so the most likely conclusion is that's where the cafeteria is located, bingo!
Hang on, green can also be associated with health too, what if it's pointing towards the medical facilities? Blue is a common color in the Site, maybe it indicates common areas, and the cafeteria can be considered a common area.
Wait! No, I'm overthinking this, I just need to pick one and be done with it or else I'm gonna pass out from sleepiness. I put a finger on my chin and began choosing, may fate be kind to me today.
Eeny, meeny, miny, mo,
Catch a tiger by the toe,
If he hollers let him go,
Eeny, meeny, mi–
“You look a bit lost there.”
“AH!” The sudden voice made me jump. Quickly turning around, I find myself facing a completely new person. This woman wears the usual lab coat, white and pristine, under it is a gray undershirt and a black skirt that reaches to her knees. Her hair is black in a wolf cut, and hairpins on her right side. Her eyes, a shade of light yellow, eerily stare back at me.
“Sorry! I didn't mean to scare the living crap out of you!” The woman apologized profusely, even going as far as giving me a quick bow.
I composed myself and replied, “It’s fine, don't worry about it too much.” Our eyes meet again, the girl still looking sorry for almost making my soul jump, “Hey uh, do you know where the cafeteria is? I'm kinda new around here.”
“Oh, of course! I was just about to go there myself too, just follow me.” The woman, who I presume is a researcher from her clothing, guides me through this labyrinthine structure.
Our footsteps echo throughout the hallway. I walk beside her at the same pace, I shoot quick glances at her, picking out a few details that standout. In her left pocket is a book, which looks like a hardcover too, she must be quite an avid reader. This woman also seems to be into goth aesthetic—other than the dark shades of her underclothes—her nails are painted black and the presence of a choker. She wears a bit of silver jewelry too like her silver rings, a pair of earrings shaped like crosses, and a piercing located between her clavicles.
“You must be the new kid around here that everyone is talking about.” The woman said as she turned her head towards me.
“Yeah.” I replied, “This is my first day–”
“Amelia H. Watson, was it?” The woman cut me off before even letting me finish. I gave her a surprised look and she only gave me a small chuckle in return.
“H-how–”
“I may have overheard a few of my seniors talk about it last night, words travel fast.” Again, she started talking before I could even get the chance to blurt out my question. “I'm Shiori Novella, by the way. If I'm not mistaken, you rank higher than me, right?”
“What about you? What's your standing in the Foundation?” I threw the question back at her.
“I'm just a Junior Researcher, been stuck with that title for over nine months now.” The gothic woman pouted, “Apparently they said that little old me still needs supervision.” Her pitch shifted upwards as her head bobbed side to side as if to mock.
We pass by a few laboratories and a couple of researchers sipping their morning cup of coffee. Even seeing some of the security just chatting with the lab coats. So far, it really feels no different from an office job. We eventually arrived at the cafeteria, it’s not nearly as crowded as I thought, there's still a few vacant tables around. Over by the counter it looks like today's breakfast involves the usual combo of omelets, bacon strips, sausages, and the likes. They definitely didn’t cheap out on the food variety here, I was half expecting things to just border on the edge of edibility. I’m pleasantly surprised that these smell fresh, even from here.
Shiori and I go in to get our eats, an omelette and two sausages for me, and there looks to be a coffee vending machine on the side here. Walking towards it, I intend to get myself a cup of espresso to give myself a boost.
“Hey,” Shiori called out in a whispery voice, “did you know a coffee machine managed to put someone in medical care for almost a month?”
I look at here probably the most concerned face I could muster. My finger hovers over the button of the vending machine, “Like… having it crushed them because they shook it too much?”
Shiori chuckles, “No, it’s designated as SCP-294. Apparently that person was feeling a bit tired and saw a coffee vending machine like this one, but with a keyboard instead.” The junior looked at me for any reactions, “That person typed in ‘a cup of joe’ and then dispensed his bodily fluids and into a cup."
A bead of sweat drips down my face as I glance at her, "A-and what happened to him?”
“It turns out, that same person was named Joseph.” The yellow eyed researcher whispered into my ears. I pull my fingers away from the keys and Shiori lets out a laugh, “Did I scare you? I’m sorry~”
“If it makes you feel any better, 294 is located on a different site entirely. If I were to guess, it's probably Site-19.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified when she told that story. With relief, I resume and pick the espresso option from the machine. The machine vibrated with a low hum before dispensing a cup and the liquid. Thinking things are gonna quiet down now, I blow at the hot coffee and take a quick sip.
“Ms Novella!” I stand corrected. A male voice called to the junior researcher. Just as we’re about to take a seat at our tables, I see to my right a man with black hair, a stubble, and subtle eye bags under his glasses, “Thank god, I thought you were sneaking off into areas above your clearance again.”
“Sneaking off?” I blurted out a little louder than intended, causing the man to look at me.
“Ah, you must be Dr Watson.” He said, adjusting his glasses. In return I give him a nod, “I’m Dr Howards, you must’ve already met my assistant here, Ms Novella. I really hope she didn’t cause you any umm… inconveniences.”
“No worries, she’s been helpful actually.” I told him.
Dr Howards exhaled a sigh of relief, “That’s a relief."
The junior glances to superior with her chin resting on her hand, arm on the table. Shiori expresses a playful grin, “Jeez, you're such a worrywart. Can't a girl get some freedom around here?”
“It wouldn't be a problem if you just stop breaking standard rules for a week or two.” The doctor shot back.
Judging from their interaction, I can confidently conclude that Shiori here is a handful. Hearing the phrase “breaking standard rules” is not a good indicator. Giving Shiori another look, she doesn't really seem malevolent, I mean she did help me out. A little rebellious? sure, I can see that, but that's not enough to reasonably mark her as incriminating.
Dr Howards adjusted his glasses, “Look, just be back at my office before noon, we have to prepare for a meeting with the Special Containment Division.”
Ms Novella waves her hand nonchalantly, “Okay okay, I will. It's not like I’m a dog that needs directions constantly.”
As Dr Howards leaves, the junior researcher grabs her fork and knife and begins munching like she didn’t just get scolded. It feels kinda awkward trying to restart the conversation now, Shiori looks busy with her meal to have even small talks. I guess it’s time for me to mind my own business. I've been craving to fill my stomach since I arrived here. The background noise turns to the forefront. The clang of the silverware and metal trays, the chatter of researchers sitting a table over from us, and the sound of footsteps on the tiled floor.
These taste just as good as they smell great. I prepared for an assault of chemicals and artificial flavorings on my taste buds, gladly these tasted like they came fresh from the source. Almost too good to be true. This facility is located smack dab in the middle of nowhere, getting ingredients up here would be both a chore and very expensive.
Eh, I'm still eating it anyway.
“Hey, Watson.” Shiori’s voice called out. I look at as I swallow my food, “How does it feel having knowledge that’s unattainable by other people?”
I lower my utensils to the table, looking a bit skeptical at what she meant. I guess she's referring to me being higher ranking than her? That's the best guess I have right now.
“Well, this is my first day here so I can't really tell you much about that.” I told her.
Shiori smiles accompanied by a snicker, “Forgot about that. Well, may I suggest reading through the documents in the Archives.” The junior whispered to my ears, keeping as low as possible, “you’ll find a lot of interesting stuff there that I’m certain will tickle your fancy.”
How does she know all of this? I look around, making sure there's no eavesdroppers. Returning to her, Ms Novella’s eyes remain the same, full of mischief.
I return a gesture to her, a small smile, “Thanks, I'll… keep that in mind.”
The day goes by quickly…
Shiori and I parted ways a few hours back, a meeting with Dr Howards if I remember correctly along with the Special Containment Division. Man, as much as meetings can drag on I'd definitely choose that than whatever this is I'm doing.
The clock hits two fifty-three in the afternoon, my eyes wander around my office as I revert back to my original position in the morning. Usually I’d spend my spare time taking Bubba down for a walk to a nearby park, but I guess I have to find a way to pass the time one way or the other. Staring at a wall for another hour is an obvious no.
Hmm, I haven't really explored the place much, after the junior researcher I'm back where I started my day. I mean I could always ask random people here, but surely they're too busy to even consider.
A thought from earlier crawls back into the front, Section H-III of the Archives. The way Ms Novella worded it made it look like she was recommending books in a library.
Well, I guess it beats sitting here all day. Lifting myself off my chair, I proceed to the destination that’ll hopefully make today not mindnumbingly boring.
A minute later, I arrive at my destination, the only thing blocking me now is a security door and a card scanner with ta label that states “Level 3 Clearance Required". Perfect. Putting my card in front of the scanner it beeps before a soft woosh follows as the security door slides open. It’s what I expected it to look like, rows and rows of filing cabinets that’s far taller than me, reaching the ceiling by the looks of it. I walk forward, wondering at the towering storage units.
I chose my pick, Section A-IV. Pulling the drawer located about my height and just randomly grabbing a folder without a second thought. Without wasting a second, I peek into it's contents.
“Experiment Log: 173.CONT-0019-2010
Attempt of Immobilization of SCP-173 in Concrete”
Interesting title.
Quickly sifting through the file I feel like I got the gist of the whole thing. This one seems to date back a decade ago too. In an attempt to find a newer and safer containment for SCP-173, Dr Mallohe proposed to submerge the anomaly concrete in hopes for a cheaper and safer solution that’ll reduce the need of Class-D. Wait, 173’s movement is based on whether or not it's in someone’s line of sight? Am I reading this right? I don’t know why I’m surprised to be honest.
Okay, continuing. According to the paper, all that’s needed to immobilize 173 is it being half submerged in concrete. Though showed promising results, 173 multiplied and… huh? Multiplied!?
“After five hours since SCP-173 was contained in concrete, SCP-173 multiplied and created a perfect clone of itself. The brand new instance of SCP-173, now labeled as SCP-173-6, caught the observing team completely by surprise which resulted in a total of ██ deaths.”
“An hour after the first multiplication event occurred another instance appeared, now labelled as SCP-173-7… Researchers theorize that SCP-173’s immobility triggered it’s multiplication and a Security team is sent to free SCP-173.”
“Upon destroying the concrete shell, no more multiplication events occurred… SCP-173 is promptly sent back to Site-19 while SCP-173-6 and SCP-173-7 are sent to Site-60.”
I close the folder, giving myself the time to process it all. A real-life Weeping Angel that can multiply, never thought that by simply having the ability to multiply could crank the fear factor up by a lot. Nonetheless, this got me hooked to reading the rest of these.
Returning the folder to its original drawer, I delve deeper into the Archives. Anything that piques my interest is an instant selection.
“Experiment Log: A-90.EX-0890-1991
Exploring Effects of Amnestics in Various Doses”
This one’s really old, let's see. Ten Class-D personnel were selected, each of them being subjected to different doses of amnestics. This experiment hopes to understand the needed dose to wipe one's specific memory from their brain without harmful side effects.
The first was subjected to ten percent potency. The Class-D was first tasked to memorize a specific order or colors on the screen. After issuance of amnestics, they experienced minor memory loss that they quickly recovered. The next two Class-D had similar results with the only difference being in recollection time. The third and fourth had better results but after asking them specific questions the memory resurfaced.
The researchers finally got the result they wanted at sixty percent potency. According to this, after the Class-D fell unconscious for an hour, they woke up completely oblivious that an experiment was done on them, successfully erasing a chunk of their memory that day.
Still, the researchers continued the experiment on the remaining four Class-Ds. At seventy and eighty percent the test subjects fell into day-long coma, the latter forcing a Class-D into a three week coma and wiping some fifteen years of memory. The potency is upped to ninety, the subject fell into a year long coma and woke up with severe brain damage. At full potency, Class-D fell into a coma and died shortly after, autopsy reveals that the cause of their demise was brain death.
…
I need to remember these Class-Ds were inmates that were already on death row.
Despite how morally questionable this one was, it didn’t deter my curiosity in the slightest. I began digging even more, this place gave me a taste of mystery and morbidity and now I want more of it. I rummage through another filing cabinet, its drawers, and then its contents; reading all of it and getting my fill.
“Proposal #00755/2017 - Operation Bloop”
Judging by the big red letters stamped over the front, this entire thing got rejected. According to what's written, they were gonna use sonar to map out the entirety of SCP-169 and hope to give the Foundation a more accurate depiction of the anomaly. Interesting to note is that the planned area basically encompasses almost the entirety of the Atlantic ocean.
I had my fair share of experience in the dark web, especially ever since I became a Field Agent, but even this makes that feel so shallow in comparison. To be able to solve mysteries and uncover secrets, isn't that what I always dreamt of when I was a kid?
Hours have passed by, how many exactly? I've lost track. I take a look at another folder in the drawer, after that I browse another sector and do the same thing. I'm stuck in a loop that I created myself, my need to know more is biting every bait that my eyes set upon.
One file pertaining to a proposed experiment done on an SCP that's described as an airplane suspended in midair. The researchers proposed another incursion in the interior of the stratofortress. It got pretty far into development before being met with a giant red text that read "REJECTED" and shelved indefinitely.
Another is an incident report about an attempted incursion by a group called the Chaos Insurgency, whose name really doesn't leave much room for interpretations. The assault was ultimately repelled but, not without a redacted amount of casualties. It was sort of recent too, the report dated back to twenty-eighteen, roughly two years ago. I guess this sort of confirms that there's more groups outside the Foundation, I should read up on that.
Some of these papers that I looked at dates back to the Cold War era that includes a lot of espionage, plenty of sabotage operations, and what I could assume is the Soviet equivalent of the Foundation.
There was another experiment log about the Bismarck—or an entity that’s housed inside it—where it's about reestablishing communications with the entity but ultimately led to nowhere. Then there's another log that talks about neutralizing an SCP, multiple of them actually, like almost an entire drawer dedicated to it, which all end in failure. In all honesty, those were probably the most terrifying things I've read so far.
By this point, I also lost count of how many files I've looked at. I should at least check the time on my phone every now and then, let's see here…
6:54 PM
Aw shit, and it looks like I have a notification that was sent to me three hours ago, from the Director no less! It's a meeting at seven, I need to get there quickly, I do not want to be late on the first day.
As fast as I can, I return the files currently in my hands back to their respective containers and bolt out of here.