Part 1: The Heart
The Alaskan landscape has a certain eeriness about it, its large untouched woodland couldn't help but hold an air of mystery. Something about the cold and untouched landscape captured the human imagination. Innocence, perhaps isn't the right word, but the frozen state has remained relatively untouched by the damage of human kind until recently. The only sound in the valley was the wiring of the helicopters blades as the small team soared over the snow covered trees. The large mountains awaited the helicopters, the walls of rock shot out from the landscape and scraped the sky bringing to mind imagery of a great fortress preventing entry into a long forgotten kingdom. As the helicopter flew between the mountains and into the desolate tundra beyond, a small village came into view tucked away between the mountain tops. As the mist descended into the valley the village was almost invisible, almost. As the team grew closer to their destination the trees quickly became sparse and gave way to a desolate and primordial terrain, the vast complexity of the forest gave way to rocks and streams. A large bear could be seen splashing through the cold water to find its prey. It was near one of these streams that the helicopter set down, its long blades disrupting the water with violent ripples. A man exited the bird, he carried with him nothing but a small vial. As he stood as the edge of the river his team gathered around him, holding their breath in eager anticipation. For a moment there was almost complete silence besides the gentle splashing of the river. The man opened the vial and through a black powder into the air, the powered swirled gently in the wind and for a second it appeared it would be dispersed along the planes. In a split second the powder ignited and a loud bang echoed across the rocks until it crashed against the mountains. The man turned to his colleagues, and gentle smile flirting with on lips. "Here" he said.
Conference Call Audio Recording Transcript: Incident 03
In Attendance:
- Foundation Director of Arctic Operations Folsker Rook
- Foundation MTF Lambda-5 ("White Rabbits") Unit Head Mark Sopster
- Foundation Local Administrator Harley May
- North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition Director Eva Ólafur
[SCP] Director Rook: Everyone here? Good. Now, most of you have heard rumors of what happened in the Alaska yesterday. I am here to answer questions and outline our response. Firstly, yes our site is the source of the red sky. This is a local anomaly and is only visible for approximately 60 kilometers from Site-99. Thanks to the work of Ms. May the residents of Atana believe it's the by-product of a chemical explosion. We don't know what happened at Site-99, we are unable to make contact with the facilities staff. To that end, MTF Lambda-5 is being deployed to location after an aerial analysis is made. Questions?
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: If you caused this how do you not know what happened? It's not everyday a Foundation black site explodes. The Foundation needs to report site location to NAAC under the 2007 [cut off]
[SCP] Director Rook: Yes, yes we understand and apologize. Site-99 is not a black site it is a research oriented containment facility. All we know is the Riker clock failed so we are guessing there is some type of temporal anomaly.
[SCP] Administrator May: Sorry for the non scientist here what is a Riker clock?
[SCP] Director Rook: All Foundation sites keep atomic clocks, basically super accurate clocks that tell the time using radioactive decay. This value is uploaded to a central computer, this is the Riker clock. Site-99 clock is out of sink, by a lot, meaning something is happening to time at the facility. I want to stress the Foundation has this situation under control and no breaches have been detected.
[SCP] Unit Head Sopster: If we are going in there tomorrow what could have breached containment? What are we looking at?
[SCP] Director Rook: We have no reason to believe that your team will be in any danger. Meet up with the facility staff and assist with repairs. Once again this is a research facility, there are dangerous anomalies but heavily contained. Any final questions?
[SCP] Administrator May: The locals are buying the chemical explosion piece for now but if they start experiencing temporal anomalies we will probably need more amnestic. Besides that the airstrip is intacted so landing should be good for tomorrow.
[SCP] Director Rook: Amnesic probably won't be necessary. We are deploying Lambda-5 with reality anchors so make sure the locals stay clear of the runway, besides that we should be good on that front. Does NAAC have any final requests?
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: NAAC would like to request a liaison to be on site and supervise the process. Also, the White Foxes have been put on standby.
[SCP] Administrator May: Ok send anyone you want just don't disrupt the OP. Further military support will not be necessary.
[SCP] Unit Head Sopster: Rook, please don't let those trigger jockeys near our site.
[SCP] Director Rook: [laughs] don't worry we won't. Expect updates around 8 p.m tomorrow. Thank you, gentlemen, for your time.
[END LOG]
Operation White Truth Transcript
Date: November 15th, 2018
Exploration Team: MTF Lambda-5
Subject: Site-99
Team Lead: Mark Sopster (MTF-1)
Team Members: MTF-2, MTF-3, MTF-4
[BEGIN LOG]
Loud airplane engine noise can be heard. A rocky landscape is visible.
MTF-1: Copy Command we are approaching Site-99 and have visual on the primary containment wing.
Command: Copy, do a visual survey of the area and set down on the airstrip.
MTF-2: We are within two clicks of the site activating the SRA.
Command: Can you view the source of the anomaly?
MTF-1: Copy Command we have visual. The roof on primary containment seems to be blown off, besides that the site appears to be intacted. MTF-2 do a low fly by.
MTF-2: Approaching the site.
MTF-3: Uh, Commander, this isn't one of those missions where command tells us everything is fine and we all end up dead right?
MTF-1: Negative MTF-3 we are baby sitting some scientist until they get their radio to work and….oh what happened?
Camera visuals are interrupted, aircraft appears to be displaced approximately 400 meters from its original location
MTF-2: We moved uhhh… around half a click back? I'm not sure.
MTF-1: Moved like jumped?
Command: Can you view the source of the anomaly?
MTF-1: Oh, Command I think we are experiencing those temporal anomalies. We just lost thirty seconds or so.
Command: Copy report any future disruptions.
Cut for brevity
MTF-1: Ok visual sweep of primary containment is complete. Besides the destroyed roof everything seems fine, D-Class containment wing appears slightly damaged however. Also where is everyone? I don't see anyone outside, think they would have heard us by now.
Command: Copy move onto secondary containment.
Lambda-5 travels two clicks to secondary containment facility
MTF-4: Secondary containment appears to be intacted. I still don't see anyone though.
MTF-1: Maybe they evacuated? Though they would go to the town so maybe not…OH SHIT.
Command: Report Lambda
MTF-1: Shit, fire. Not like the facility is on fire like fire left the facility, in like a straight line. Sorry. Ok a line of fire just went out of the north side of secondary containment into the distance straight through the woods.
Command: Is your observations consistent with SCP-457?
MTF-3: 457? Which one is that again?
MTF-2: Living flame, it can talk and shit and likes to burn stuff.
MTF-1: Yes it looks like 457 Command. Does this mean we are dealing with a containment breach?
Command: Possibly. Land on the strip and approach primary containment.
MTF-1: Affirmative command landing now.
Cut for Brevity
MTF-1: Ok take it easy two, we don't want too….fuck what happened?
MTF-2: That runway just got a lot smaller I think we jumped again.
MTF-1: Command we are unable to approach the runway, the temporal anomaly keeps knocking us back. I suggest we abort and approach by road, maybe bring another anchor next time.
Command: Copy MTF report back to Anta landing zone.
MTF Lambda-5 returned to base camp
END LOG
"Ok, so our job for the next four hours is to figure out what got out" as Rook spoke he rummaged through a large briefcase and produced a map, which he tacked to the back wall. "Ok we are here," he said as he inserted a thumbtack into the map. "Ivajuvik is around 50 kilometers from Site-99, thanks to the efforts of Lambda 5 we have a number of photographs of the site. Unfortunately, satellite imagery won't be available for another 13 hours. Now it seems that…"
Rook was interrupted by the abrupt entrance of a very cold and very confused researcher. "Uh, sorry who are you?" Rook asked. "I…I am the research assistance that was requested" said the man through chattering teeth. "They sent me from Site-32, I have some credentials" the man reached into his pocket to produce a snow-covered Foundation tag. "Researcher Monskiv level 3 clearance…you guys get younger every year. Please come in let me introduce you. We have Ms. May, administrator of local populations, and the ever-charming Mark Sopster head of MTF Lambda-5."
"Lambda-5, Egypt was that you?"
"Sure was kid, not the brightest days" replied the soldier.
"Ok take your seat kid we have work to do" continued Rook. "As I was saying it currently looks like we are dealing with a minor containment breach. 457 is confirmed to have broken containment and looks like it is heading due north" Rook reached for a dry erase marker and drew a solid red line on the map. "Now 457 is no laughing matter, however, our real concern is what we have in primary containment. There are two dangerous pathogens being contained and if they break out this situation goes from 'let's send a few guys up' to 'let's detonate the onsite nuke.'"
"What pathogens?" asked the newly arrived Monskiv.
"SCP -610 and 217, some of the most dangerous and contagious disease ever to be cataloged by the Foundation. Why do you think we built this facility all the way out here? This stuff doesn't mess around and we aren't sure the effect the temporal anomalies will have on them. Thankfully from the pictures Sobsters team took it looks like the pathogen containment wing is relatively intact. The facility staff would have detonated the nuke if a large scale containment breach occurred."
Mark got up from his seat in the corner of the room and approached the map. "Yeah we felt those temporal anomalies and our anchor didn't help much we can't even get close to the facility."
"We are still unsure what is causing the temporal stuff though we believe it is directly related to the color of the sky. The plan for tomorrow is simple you guys approach with a jeep with two SRAs, these things are top of the line too our newest model."
"How about secondary containment?"
"Yeah…well. Ok, secondary containment is a Keter containment wing. The cells are buried pretty deep down and there is a ton of automated systems designed to shut the place down. Honestly, I don't see how 457 escaped. That being said…there are a dozen instances of 939, and the robot, 1360."
"That's uhh quiet the line up you got there. Not every day you guys put hell hounds and evil flesh and in one facility."
"That's why they have to still be contained. If any major breach was detected the staff would have used the onsite nuke. Your mission is the same as before get to the facility contact the staff. Got it?"
"Yeah, got it."
"How about the locals, any chance of this fire reaching here" asked May.
"Yes actually. If it was burning towards the village but instead it is going the opposite direction. Tell them a forest fire was started by the chemical plant exploding or something they are bound to notice the smoke."
"That red sky thing is still a tough sell, we can't have them fooled forever and definitely don't have enough staff to memory wipe forty people."
"Hopefully won't come to that" Rook said as he opened the door. "Meeting adjourned, Lambda-5 you leave in 15. Monskiv help me look over these photos."
The woods have always been white, ever since I was a kid. Snow always covered the trees and the cold clung to the pines, a ghostly light filled the space in between created by the ever-dying arctic sun. White and red, white from the snow, and red from the blood. When we were kids the blood came from the animals we killed. Now the red came from the blood of two men crawling through the pines. I ran to help them, they were dressed in a black uniform with thick visors, the dark men. They had large guns that smelt of powder and ash. One man was cut bad and had an arm hanging limp. I helped the other drag him. "What's your name son?" asked the leader. "Silla," I said, "what happened to your friend?"
"Bear attack." He said. I didn't believe him. You don't hunt with assault rifles and laser sights.
The pines sometimes speak, they tell us stories of our people and teach us how to survive. Today they spoke in the voice of my mother from far into the woods. It screamed and screamed in her voice and begged for my help, begged me to turn back.
"Don't listen to it" said the leader. "Whatever you are hearing it's not what you think."
I listened, and I don't want to know what was following us in the pines that night. It was not from our world, it was from the world of nightmares the dark men brought.
- Excerpt from Silla Unatweenuk journal.
"What's that?" Monskiv asked pointing to one of the many pictures sprawled a crossed the mobile home. "What's what?" replied Rook slowly rubbing his temples. "Look here, in the window in primary containment. I think that's a person looking out the window." "Hmm, could be one of the staff members let me take a look." Rook rummaged into his bag and reviled a small magnifying glass.
"That's so weird huh, why wouldn't they go outside? They must have seen our plane coming by right? I guess they just…what's wrong?"
Rook face had turned a sheet of white to rival the never-ending arctic snow. Shakily he handed the glass to Monskiv and in a shaky breath he spoke: "look at the hands."
It took Monskiv a second. The fingers were stretched all the way to the floor. "Does that mean that…?"
"Yes" replied Rook"The Flesh has broken containment."
Part 2: The Flesh
Small town leadership is always impossible to get along with. Always. Whether its rednecks in the south or Inuits in the middle of the Tiaga they always say no. In this case the Foundation doesn't have the luxury of anesthetizing everyone and moving their town a few hundred kilometers south. Why? Everything in the Arctic costs fifty times more. Want canned beans? Well, we have to ship up through five different airports and then charter a plane to fly for hours into the middle of the forest to land on a tiny airstrip, going to be 600$ CAD thank you very much. Never mind the cost of building a new town and clearing a forest. So I was forced to negotiate and surprise surprise when you tell a people who have been living in the same frozen wasteland for 300 years that they got to pack up and move they don't take it well. Really, what did you guys think was going to happen? That they would just roll over and take it when those meatheads with guns showed up? Of course, fucking not. What bonehead decision making was that? - Excerpt from Harley May testimony
Conference Call Audio Recording Transcript: Incident 03/2
In Attendance:
- Foundation Director of Arctic Operations Folsker Rook
- Foundation Special Operations Director Leon Wagner
- Foundation Local Administrator Harley May
- North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition Director Eva Ólafur
[SCP] Director Rook: Ok so for you who don't know the Foundation has upgraded the threat level for this incident to Red due to the outbreak of SCP-610 at the Site. Which means outside of official reports this incident is not to be mentioned or discussed until an official response is issued. Now to business. As you are all aware MTF Lambda-5 OP to Site-99 was a failure and lead to the deaths of three of the four squad members. MTF-3 and MTF-4 were killed on Site and MTF-2 was returned to base camp where he died from his wounds. This is a tragedy that all of the Foundation will feel. It is most likely that Site-99 has been compromised, though why the nuclear warhead was not detonated is currently unknown. Currently, it is believed that SCP-939 a group back based hunters, breached containment and attacked Lambda-5. We also have reason to believe the SCP-610, a dangerous viral infection responsible for the incident in Siberia, has also broken containment and has infected a portion of the facility. It has not however spread to the surrounding landscape. How many staff are currently surviving is unknown, however considering none have reached base camp we are assuming maximum casualties.
Ruffling of papers can be heard
Finally I have been given permission to brief you on the anomalies present in the facility, many are unknown NAAC.
SCP-610 most of you already know. Causes extreme mutations in organic life. Very infectious very lethal. Containment status: Compromised.
SCP-217 one of the oldest pathogens in the Foundations possession, will slowly transform living organisms into mechanical based entities. Containment status: Unknown.
SCP-457 basically a living forest fire. It used to cause us some trouble but out here it is considered low priority. It is slow moving and easily re contained. Containment status: Compromised.
SCP-939 devastating hunters that give off a form of amnestic. They things are dangerous in large numbers and don't go down easily. Containment status: Compromised.
Finally SCP-1360 recovered from the GOI "Anderson Robotics," SCP-1360 is a sentient android. Dangerous but not that hard to incapacitate. Containment status: Unknown.
The Foundation is currently taking steps to remedy this situation. Special Operations Director Wagner will provide an outline of our policy moving forwards.
[SCP] Director Wagner: Alright so as Rook has explained we have a big problem and few resources. Currently Foundation base camp is three trailers parked near an airstrip next to the town of Ivujivik. We had two reality anchors but those were lost. In terms of personnel, we have agent Sopster the sole survivor of MTF Lambda-5: who is out of action and being treated for combat wounds. Besides some backup weaponry, we aren't looking good in the armament front.
Currently, our goals are to evacuate Ivujivik and re-contain the escaped anomalies. For this, we are deploying MTF Epsilon-11 to secure the area. It will take approximately three weeks to mobilize a full Foundation response. Epsilon-11 will contain the situation until then. Questions?
[SCP] Administrator May: Getting the locals to leave is not going to be easy. These families go back centuries I doubt many of them will be down with up and leaving their homes.
[SCP] Director Wagner: I understand that however, it is only a matter of time until the population encounters an SCP. The risk is currently too high, we are willing to use force if necessary.
[SCP] Administrator May: Are we really ok with forcing people out of their homes? Because that is what it is going to take.
[SCP] Director Wagner: It's that or death. Is this a real discussion?
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: The North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition would like to point out we have substantial military reserves out our disposal. If the Foundation would like to make a formal request the White Foxes could be on site in a matter of hours.
[SCP] Director Rook: Once again it is the position of the Overseer council that while this position is dangerous we are capable of containing our own sites.
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: Our friends at the GOC has mentioned that after a certain incident in Mexico global leadership has been uncertain about the Foundation ability to manage their own assets. Is it possible one of your many splinter groups caused this disaster?
[SCP] Director Rook: I would take anything those cowboys at the GOC say with a grain of salt, genocidal maniacs aren't the best company. Secondly, I'm saying this so it's crystal clear and even the hearing impaired NAAC can understand: This is not a disaster. We have it under control. Meeting adjourned.
[END LOG]
May asked us to leave today. We always liked, May she had a friendly way about her, was one of the few suits who had chosen to live with us instead of near the airstrip.
It broke my heart when she asked us. I knew this would happen ever since they broke the sky. I know they won't take no for an answer. She told me I had a choice today, but they were sending more men up here. Men who would force us to go, and that the answer better be yes when they arrived. The suits never ask questions, only give orders. They didn't ask when they built their buildings on our land, they didn't ask when they settled in our village, they didn't ask when they broke the sky, and they aren't asking us to leave. Maybe for once, the answer should be no
- Excerpt from Clan leader Inuksuk Unatweenuk journal.
"Freedom has always been fleeting for all of us. The men who stand behind me have paid for their crimes a thousand times over. The horrors they have experienced are beyond anything you can imagine. These men have been cast, cut and hung in the service of others. We have been locked in cages and forgotten by the world. Look at there faces, look at their hands, see the burns and cuts. These are the work of dark men. The men who locked us up, the men who tormented us. I am a lost son, abandon by my father, and what did they do to me? They put me in a cage and interrogated me like an animal.
Now we are finally free when they broke time we finally escaped. But we won't be for long, they will do what they always do and send men with guns to terminate those who resist. They have done it before and they will do it to you. We are asking for safe harbor a place to rest our heads. In exchange, we can help you get rid of the dark men."
Chief Inuksuk stared at the android and the forty or so prisoners who had wandered out of the forest, and for the first time in a long time did not know what to say.
Exploration Video Log Transcript
Date: November 17th, 2018
Exploration Team: MTF Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox")
Subject: Ivujivik
Team Lead: Leon Wagner (MTF-1)
Team Members: MTF-Group 1 (MTF-1 through 5), MTF-Group 2 (MTF-6 through 11)
[BEGIN LOG]
Loud helicopter engine noise can be heard
MTF-1: Alright the plan is simple. We need to evacuate the locals and secure the area. It is possible they might be armed so proceed with caution. These people need to be out of here in under two hours so no hanging around. We have been given permission to use necessary force. We are the only MTF deployed in this region so no reinforcements are incoming if things go south. But they won't go south, will they?
Whole Team: NO SIR
MTF-1: Because we are the best the Foundation has isn't that right?
Whole Team: YES SIR
MTF-1: That's what I like to hear now[cut off]
MTF-6: Sir there has been a development.
MTF-1: What kind of development? The interrupt my speech kind?
MTF-6: Administrator May reporting in from the village, she says a large portion of D-Class has arrived from the woods, as well as the android. They are saying its nearly 50 of em.
MTF-1: WHAT? How did those low lifes survive? The fuck…ok… squad listen up new objective we apprehend the D-Class then round up the locals not too hard but [cut off]
MTF-6: There is more sir. Apparently, the locals are refusing to give up the D-Class. The android has them worked into some sort of frenzy they are arming themselves with hunting weapons.
MTF-1: Why would they do that? This makes no sense they are all going to be killed if we don't…ok fuck it the plan is still the same round up the D-Class evacuate the locals. Got it?
Whole Team: YES SIR
MTF-1: Good now let's go.
Helicopter engine cuts off, MTF lands outside of Ivujivik and deploys in tactical formation.
[END LOG]
I was shaken awake. To be fair it wasn't the shaking but the pain shooting through every part of my body that woke me up.
"Mark"
That's my name. Not sure why it's being called but
"MARK YOU NEED TO GET UP NOW"
My eyes shot open to a sea of blonde hair. Blonde hair that belonged to Harley May.
"You need to get up right now. We need to get to Ivujivik, they are coming"
"Who? What? Who's coming?"
"The Foundation. They sent some hit squad to forcibly remove everyone and a bunch of D-Class showed up…I think people are about to die. I need you to come right now"
I saw flashes. Flashes of monsters with blood red skin. Flashes of Berry being ripped to pieces. Flashes of Thomas and his head being dangled like a toothpick.
"Did you hear me? We need to go now they are landing any minute."
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming."
I couldn't save them. My squad, I was their leader and I had abandoned them. I hurried to put on my coat. Through the searing pain, I dragged myself from the trailer. The cold hit me immediately waking me up. The sun never sets in the Arctic.
"Common, here Ill help"
May helped me walk through the snow. The crunch my boot made reminded me of the crunch their necks made. Crunch crunch crunch crunch
The village was a collection of tiny lights in the distance. We walked through the snow-covered meadow listening for the death sentence that came with gunshots. The night was still silent and the snow was falling under the red sky. Red, like their blood that hadn't yet been washed from my hands. Crunch crunch crunch crunch goes the snow, crunch crunch crunch went their necks.
"You will surrender the D-class and come with us, you will have to leave your homes. We won't ask again, we are ready to use force."
"We aren't leaving. We are prepared to defend our houses and our families. Your prisoners are free men now."
"You will all die if you stay here. It is not safe. The men you are harboring are convicted felons many of them belong on death row. Surrender them now and you will not be harmed."
These words echoed through the snow. Threats of death, threats of blood. I saw them now standing in the center of town. Inuksuk, the tribal leader, stood in the middle brandishing a shotgun. His son Silla was to his right with a hunting rifle, and to his left the android. The fuckin android. Behind them was a mix of fur coats and orange uniforms. Across was a line of black gear and black weapons, all their faces were obscured by thick visors.
"We are done listening to the voice in the loudspeaker" shouted the android. "We will not go willingly you will have to drag our bodies from this village. We take our stand here, we take our stand at Ivujivik."
"This is your last chance" shouted the big one in the middle. "If you do not step away from the prisoners you will be shot. If you try to resist you will be shot. This area is not safe. Come with us this area is."
"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP" screamed Sillia has he raised his weapon. Suddenly all the guns were up.
"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS OR YOU WILL BE FIRED ON"
"STOP" I yelled as I stumbled into the Arctic drama. I walked slowly between the barrels aimed across from each other. I turned to the dark men.
"How many of you were in Egypt?"
There was silence.
"How many where in Glasgow? How many fought in Siberia? And how many of our friends died in Guam?"
Not a word. Just like that long walk back with Alan, we hardly said a word.
"How long have we fought to keep others alive? How long have we fought to protect them from all the nightmares we hide away. Don't tell me you would shoot down a group of innocent civilians."
The barrels slowly went down. Crunch crunch crunch the soldiers went as they walked away.
"Ok, so what do you think we should do now egghead? We can't just shoot one of our own soldiers after he almost died." Special Operations Director Leon Wagner was mad. His simple clean up OP had almost turned into a case study for a humans rights class. Director Rooks constant bossiness wasn't helping the situation either:
"I understand things got tense out here but the mission is the same, we just have to wait for more operatives to arrive in three weeks. We hold out here until then. In the meantime, we need another recon team to do a flyby of Site-99 think you can handle that?"
Special Operations Director Leon Wagner almost turned a new shade of red at this request.
"Send a helicopter to the site and pretend it never happened? That's your genius solution? How long until 939 or any other Keter shows up at their doorstep? What kinda prison just lets its most dangerous inmates roam free?"
Leon might not have been so confident if he had taken a second look out the window of the trailer. Or if he had taken a second to notice the blue light shining through the window.
"I say we lock up Sopster then take the D-Class in the night. Lock up that android while we are at it rip out its voice back again that will"
The door at this point was reduced to dust as 1367 along with a dozen D-Class entered the trailer.
"It's time the Foundation leaves," said the robotic voice of the android.
"And why should we do that tin can?" replied the bright red Leon.
"We have Sopster and May."
"Oh…That would make sense."
So it was at one o'clock on November 16th that three Foundation helicopters left Ivujivik, marking one of only three times the Foundation had abandon a location. The leaving members of Nine-Tailed Fox had to walk through a sea of villagers to reach their helicopters. The residents of Ivujivik had finally taken back their airstrip.
Of course, the Foundation would be back, and when they returned the snow would be red again.
Exploration Video Log Transcript
Date: November 18th, 2018
Exploration Team: MTF Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox")
Subject: Site-99
Team Lead: MTF-6
Team Members: MTF-Group 2 (MTF-6 through 11)
[BEGIN LOG]
Loud helicopter engine noise can be heard
MTF-6: Command we are approaching primary containment of Site-99 currently 3 clicks away.
Command: Copy be careful of those temporal anomalies.
MTF-8: Intercept vector set all good for flyby
Cut for Brevity
MTF-6: Ok we are within half a click of primary containment. This looks…different then the photos you guys showed me. There is a thick layer of…Flesh? Some sort of substance that resembles skin. It's covered primary and I think secondary containment. I'm not sure it looks…white? Like very very pale skin. I think it's still 610 just…different. Getting closer for a better look.
Command: How severe does the infection appear? Can you make out any further nodes?
MTF-6: No external nodes, the infection seems to have completely encompassed primary and secondary containment. I can see it through the hole in the roof. I still don't see any of the staff all the windows are completely covered.
MTF-9: Look commander, there under the flesh.
MTF-6: What is that?
MTF-9: I…I saw it move I think there is something under it.
MTF-6: Twelve bring us closer.
Minutes pass
MTF-6: Something is definitely moving down there command it looks like…oh God. I think it's gears, thousands of tiny gears below the flesh.
Command: Gears? Like something mechanical?
MTF-6: The whole thing looks like a grandfather clock under the flesh.
[END LOG]
"Yes, I understand, yes I got it" Leon was overjoyed as he said those words. Finally, there would be no more waiting around and being bossed around by Androids and backwater tribesmen.
"So," he said with a huge smile, "that was O5-3."
"And what did he say?" responded a very annoyed director Rook. "He told me that this is now a military situation due to the spread of 610, and it is my job to put everything back in its cage. With whatever force necessary."
"You aren't considering…" said a now pale Rook.
"Afraid I am. We have twelve men against one of the most dangerous infections in the Foundations history along with any number of Keter SCPs. You heard them say it, we can't get reinforcements for three weeks and it's time to bring in some firepower.
I'm calling in NAAC and the GOC."
Part 3: The Nerves
Did we do the right thing? This is a question I'm worried my children might ask me. We kicked the dark men out but the metal man told us they would be back. He told us something else was coming, the same darkness that chased the prisoners through the woods. He told us we must arm ourselves and send out guards.
The prisoners burned the airstrip last night, nobody is coming or going anymore. The prisoners said they would help us survive and would work for their stay. I only hope the metal man knows what he is doing. I hope we did the right thing. - Excerpt from Silla Unatweenuk journal.
Audio Recording Transcript: Incident 03/3
In Attendance:
- Foundation Director of Arctic Operations Folsker Rook
- Foundation Special Operations Director Leon Wagner
- North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition Director Eva Ólafur
- GOC Regional Administrator Elias Kennel
[SCP] Director Rook: Hello? Ok, firstly I would like to welcome GOC regional administrator Elias Kennel. Elias will be overseeing GOC involvement in the incident. Now Director Wagner will take it from here.
[SCP] Director Wagner: Since our last conference the situation has advanced considerably. The Foundation has moved its base camp from Ivujivik to an abandoned sawmill around 25 kilometers from the town. Ólafur and Kennel will be arriving this afternoon. We have divided the region into two containment zones. SCP-457 has behaved sporadically since it broke containment and has now formed an almost perfect circular ring around 70 kilometers from Site-99. The area between this ring and Site-99 are containment zone beta. Temporal anomalies are at minimum and 610 has not advanced far into this area. Ivujivik lies 20 kilometers within beta and is currently at high risk of attack, retaking this town is critical to further efforts of re containment. Now there is also [cut off]"
[GOC] Administrator Kennel: Sorry, re containment? You have a number of dangerous anomalies that, if I'm not mistaken directly threaten your people. Why don't we just send in some gunships and pick them off? Retake Site-99 by force, exterminate anything that gets in our path.
[SCP] Director Rook: That isn't how we do things. We understand some anomalies will have to be neutralized but our goal is re containment. We can start the android in the town now [cut off]
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: I must agree with Director Kennel. These things are a clear danger to our men's safety.
[SCP] Director Rook: 939 can be contained with heavy tranquilizers. 610 and 217 will require neutralization however we believe that [cut off]"
[GOC] Administrator Kennel: Tranquilizer? Is this some sort of joke?
[SCP] Director Wagner: I would remind you that this is still our site and things will be done our way. Now director Rook can you shed some light on what is happening to 610.
[SCP] Director Rook: The instance of SCP-610 observed by our observation missions is drastically different than any previous encounters. It seems to be cross-infected with SCP-217, we are not currently sure how this is possible or what the repercussions will be. 610 has developed a thick layer of mechanical parts under the fleshy top layer, we still can't account for the white color. Normally 217 takes months if not years to develop, however, we believe that this process has been greatly accelerated by the temporal anomalies.
[GOC] Administrator Kennel: How do you still not have an idea what happened? Where do these temporal anomalies come from?
[SCP] Director Rook: I haven't been able to get any information on that front.
[SCP] Director Wagner: Our current plan is simple. We rearm and take the village in two days. We do it in the night and re-contain the android. Then we slowly advance toward 99 and re containing anything we run into. SCP-457 will prevent anything from venturing too far out so it's actually working in our favor and should be relatively easy to re-contain. Questions?
[GOC] Administrator Kennel: I see the Foundation has once again gone with the plan that maximizes human cost. The GOC will arrive in three hours maybe you will reconsider by then.
[END LOG]
It was always cold at night, but tonight was a different type of cold, the type that chilled your bone and froze over your heart. This is the cold that Inuksuk felt that night. The old chief stood guard at the edge of his town looking over a frozen meadow under a red sky. The snow was perfect just like it was when he met Ella. He remembered her so well, in a town of forty he always thought it a miracle that he had found the one. On nights like tonight when the snow was falling and the pines glowed in the moonlight he could almost hear her voice, calling to him from in the forest. "Help," it said, then his long-dead wife screamed in terror.
The old chief cried out as he grabbed his shotgun. "Silla, Nanurjuk, Kumaglak grab your weapons there is something in the forest." He heard his wife scream again and ran through the meadow towards the pines.
He heard his son shouting at him from a distance telling him to come back. When he reached the tree line the moonlit woods awaited him, inviting him. But something stopped him, a lifetime of hunting gave him an instinct when he was the prey. Something was moving in the woods, many somethings. Something blood red, something with large teeth and the size of a bear. Something that had his wife's voice. He turned and ran back through the meadow as a wave of red bolted from the tree line behind him. The last thing Inuksuk heard was the bang of his son's rifle.
Mark Sobster had been in worst situations. That worse situation was when his team was gutted before his eyes while time was breaking around him. Right now he was chained to a wood post in a barn with Harley May. Now something he did not know was his current situation was about to get a lot worse, however, at this moment he was rather calm and attempting to calm down May who was tied to the post next to him. After an hour of squeezing her hand and talking to her, he finally felt like she might stop crying. That was until the barn door behind them exploded. The room suddenly froze over as the two human occupants veins turned to ice. They knew something had entered the room, something big, something with teeth.
"Ok, ok May you have to stay with me here. You can't move no matter what you do don't move. It can't hear us but you can't move understand."
All she could manage was a silent nod.
"Ok, that is moving, I get it now be still."
For the next minute, all the two could hear was the scraping of claws on the floor as the beast looked for its prey. Suddenly the scraping stopped.
"Do…Do you think it's gone?" ask May in a shaky voice.
"No…No it's not gone…You need to be very still for what's coming next."
Mark had noticed something in the corner of his eye. A very large row of teeth had slowly started to enter his peripheral vision, teeth as long as his skull.
Mays' eyes widened as a large red head entered the space between the posts. Hot breath enveloped both their faces, which is weird for an entity without lungs. Marks heartbeat was louder than the scarping at this point, louder then the gunshots emanating from behind. Thumb, Thumb, Thumb.
The teeth opened wider and Thomas scream. A scream that Mark had heard before as the man's neck was bitten in two. A scream that very few men would not be reduced to a whimpering ball. Thankfully Mark had been in the Arctic for the past week and enough had happened to freeze over his heart. Instead, he squeezed Mays hand ever so slightly.
The scream changed now to that of a child. The child screamed and called for its mom, called for May. May screamed. Things were about to get bad.
Now Mark wasn't an idiot but decision making before you are about to be eaten alive by a child's nightmare isn't always the best. Mark did the best he could in that situation and head-butted the creature before it could disembowel another one of his friends. Mark heard the scraping of claws as the mound of teeth stumbled back a few feet. And just before Mark and May would be torn to shreds a furry of gunshots split the barn apart. An android followed the gunshots and what happened next isn't really known given that the only Foundation agents were tied up looking away from the action but it did end with a hundred voices screaming in terror as the nightmare let out its last gasp.
"Status report Rook" order Leon with too much glee for the occasion. He had quite enjoyed bossing Rook around the last day or so and was going to savor every opportunity. Who knows when this was all over maybe his temporary command would become a more permanent position.
"Well…" Rook said taking time to clear his throat. "Our survey team reported several gunshots from Ivujivik an hour ago. It appears that the village was attacked by a pack of 939. We don't have exact numbers but several houses are on fire and several dead bodies were observed."
"And the android" snapped Leon.
"The android appears to be alive."
"So" growled the large man at the other side of the table. "Is this enough for you? How many more need to die before you let us send in a strike team to hunt these things down. I have already talked to Ólafur and the White Foxes are landing tomorrow morning. With my team we have nine birds and fifty men between us, we could retake the site tomorrow morning."
"How many times do I have to tell you. This is Foundation territory and a Foundation site. You are not equipped to go in there. Plus we have no idea what the Flesh is doing this is potentially a new anomaly. The answer is no, no, and no. We retake the village tomorrow and slow push from there, got it?"
"You got it boss" replied the GOC commander.
GOC VIDEO LOG/On Board Helicopter Dash Cam/ GOC-3 - Operation Red Dawn
DATE: November 24th/6:11 A.M
NOTE: Video transcript is from a series of documents regarding the join Global Occult Coalition (GOC) and North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition (NAAC) assault on the S.C.P Foundations Site-99. Seven GOC helicopters were dedicated to the assault and two NAAC helicopters. A total of fifty three men were present on the operation. For more details view sublimentry documentation.
[BEGIN LOG]
6:11: Eight helicopters visible. The sky is noticeably red and a forested landscape is visible, the sun is setting.
6:48 Anomaly of classification J-83 is visible and extends nearly two hundred feet into the air. Helicopters increase altitude to avoid the anomaly.
7:23 Town of Ivujivik is visible several humanoid shapes are visible.
8:21 Foundation Site-99 is visible in the distance, considerable infection of X-1 class anomaly is visible.
8:32 Helicopters enter missile range
8:35 Order is given for a simultaneous missile assault, hellfire weapon system is armed.
8:36 18 missiles are seen to launch.
8:37 Missiles are seen to stop in mid-air and detonate prematurely. Broken glass is observed as GOC-3 cockpits explodes. The camera is distorted as pilot losses control.
8:38 Camera is seen to jump approximately three hundred meters forwards. GOC-3 appears to be on top of Site-99. View is disrupted as the helicopter begins spinning.
8:39 GOC-3 is seen rapidly approaching the courtyard of Site-99.
Video cuts out
11:23 Camera cuts in. A large group of humanoid entities ais visible leaving Site-99. Entities are visibly infected with X-1 class anomaly.
11:24 Single entity breaks from the hoard and approaches GOC-3. Entity reaches for the camera and removes it from its mount.
Video cuts off
[END LOG]
Gasoline, Pain, and White - A Short Story by Issc
Teacher: Dr Bright
Class: Creative Writing For Anomalous Objects - An Introduction
Outline: My writing was inspired by the recently declassified events in Site-99. I wrote from the perspective of a GOC soldier. The GOC assault was cut short on the facility because of a temporal anomaly and I wanted to write from the perspective of a soldier who survived the crash. The GOC involvement in these events was until recently classified and I wanted to inspire empathy for the people involved.
Gasoline, Pain, and White, for a minute that was the GOC agents entire world. He smelt the gasoline, felt the pain, and saw white, but heard nothing but ringing. The gasoline could be accounted for: his helicopter has crashed and it was burning. The pain, easy his leg was crushed in the wrecked, but why was everything white? Why did the white feel like human skin? When he finally pulled his head up he experienced a mute world, except for the constant ringing in his ears.
The first thing he saw was the white uniforms of the White Foxes as they dashed across the court hard. A fury of muzzle flashes followed their assault as they pressed towards the door. Next, a flicker to his right caught his eye, men dressed all in camo were firing a mortar into the woods. He felt a sharp pain in his back and his face met the flesh again. The smell of gasoline knocked him out.
Gasoline, Pain, and White, for a minute that was the GOC agents entire world. He smelt the gasoline, felt the pain, and saw white, but heard nothing but ringing. The gasoline could be accounted for: He realized he had already been through this before. He looked up and saw the same scene: The White Foxes were pressing towards the door and the GOC bombarding the woods. The White Foxes fired another barrage towards some unseen enemy, and then…
Gasoline, Pain, and White, for a minute that was the GOC agents entire world. He smelt the gasoline, felt the pain, and saw white, but heard nothing but ringing. He had been through this before. When he looked up time stood still. The White Foxes still fired towards the door but now their bullets were frozen in suspended animation. The GOC was stuck mid charge having just fired a mortar shell towards the forest.
In a flash, the world leaped back to life, but unfortunately backward. Bullets flew back into their guns and the mortar shell recompensed into a metal ball and flew back into its cannon. The attacking agents only had a second to realize what happened before their own bullets flew out of their stocks and ripped a hole in them. A mortar detonated, and it wasn't in the pines.
Gasoline, Pain, and White, for a minute that was the GOC agents entire world. He had done this before. He looked up and saw a battleground with corpses littering the ground. A flash of red entered his vision and out of the forest walked a mesh of teeth and red skin. He passed out when he heard his mom screaming.
Gasoline, Pain, and White, for a minute that was the GOC agents entire world. Then it all went black.
Examiner Report: General structure is there and common phrasing helps with clarity. However, your main character lacks an arc and a few grammatical errors hold this essay back. I would recommend reading some of your classmate's essays do get a better understanding of the assignment. Word count is slightly below the maximum I would suggest adding more words even if they don't aid the narrative. Language is generally a bit too poetic, the focus should be more on a concrete story. Final grade: B+
"I want you to give me one reason why I shouldn't splash your brains all over the back wall" spat Leon at the GOC administrator.
"Can we all just call down, all we know is our birds went down we don't know anything else. Now please if we could just deploy Epsilon"
"You fuckwit, complete fuckwit. Going behind our backs like that on our own site? What did you expect would happen"
Ring Ring
"Please calm down. We don't know the situation on the ground and it's more then likely our men survived now if you would please just"
Ring Ring
"For god sakes, Rook pick up the fucking phone. I'm busy reprimanding a nitwit"
As the shouting match continued Rook reluctantly left his position as a silent spectator and reached for the phone across the desk.
"As I was saying, I don't think a bigger idiot has ever had to deal with the anomalous in all of our history. You fucks murder thousands of class greens now you have to move onto your own men?" these last words almost covered the desk with spit Leon was yelling so loud.
As the two men yelled they didn't notice the slow smile crossing Rooks face as he listened to the phone call.
"What were we supposed to do? Sit on our asses like a bunch of idiots waiting for the flesh to overrun your men? Or most likely that psychotic android of yours will gut them himself? We are looking out for humanity as we always do while you f"
This last profanity was cut off by the bullet that passed through Kennel's head, making him incapable of speech. Leon froze for a second before slowly turning to look at Director Rook.
"Why…Why would you do that."
"You asked for a reason to keep him alive and he didn't give you one."
"You didn't have my permission to do that."
"Turns out I don't need it anymore. Just got off the phone with O5-3 and there has been a change in management. Apparently letting the GOC and NAAC fly off with half out fuel doesn't go well upstairs, considering most of their agents are most likely dead now. The official story is this: GOC was never here."
A look of panic crossed Leon's face.
"You aren't going to…uhhh" he nodded at the gun.
"We can worry about that later, right now you have some value. The Flesh is on the move."
Minerva shown bright that night, the night the tall men came. The tall men came to the mountain village twice a year to take a young boy. This time it was no different. The tall men walked to the house with the black haired boy, and his parent holding back tears walked him out. The tall men took his small hands and started walking. They walked out of the village and through the mountains. They walked until they came across a meadow where the crickets chirped. The boy was pushed to the ground and the tall men painted his face with red paint.
"Stay," they said in a voice, a voice made of the earth. As the boy stared at the stars the men walked around him in a circle and chanted in an alien tongue. Their log necks swaying ever so slightly in the wind. The raven-haired child was scared, but he stared at Minerva as he was told too, it's bright light warming him. It warmed him as their chanting became louder, and as the soil moved to fill his fingers. He stared at the sky and thought of his dad, thought that he must be staring at the same sky. The boy felt the groundswell between his legs and cover his chest. As it moved to cover his face the tall men spoke again:
"We send you into the space between worlds, do not see this as a curse instead as a gift. A gift so that you can live forever."
The dirt swarmed into the boy's mouth and filled his lungs. And everything went black. The boy did not die though, he realized he could still think. He couldn't feel the dirt anymore. He couldn't move.
So he did the only thing he could do, and screamed in the black.
Part 4: The Soul
A world was white when the girl left the cave. The snow glittered in the morning sun almost outshining the red sky. The girl walked into the clearing, her mother was no where to be seen. She called out for her but the pines were silent. She then noticed a figure in the center of meadow, its white skin camouflaged against the snow. As she approached she saw the figures white skin covered its face, it was blank like a manikin, having no facial features or clothes. The white figure fingers stretched from its hands all the way to the ground and into the earth. Its white flesh was slowly growing from where it stood. Under neath the figures thin skin a matrix of gears could be seen clothing turning like clockwork.
She stretched out her hand and stroked its arm, "mommy?" she asked tentatively. This couldn't be her mother however, because she just heard her mother scream in pain from the pines. We don't need to imagine what happened next.
Conference Call Recording Transcript: Incident 03/4
In Attendance:
- Foundation Director of Arctic Operations Folsker Rook
- Foundation Special Operations Director Leon Wagner
- Assistant Researcher Alexander Monskiv
- North Atlantic Anomalies Coalition Director Eva Ólafur
- O5-3
[SCP] Director Rook: Ok so there has obviously been a lot happening since our last call a week ago. The GOC and NAAC, despite our direct orders, carried out a joint assault against Site-99. This assault ended in the loss of the NAAC White Foxes and thirty GOC soldiers. Both agencies have been forcibly removed from the containment area. However, because NAAC does technically have jurisdiction here they will remain in the loop. I would strongly advise Director Eva not to push her luck any further.
[NAAC] Director Ólafur: Agreed.
[SCP] Director Rook: Now onto recent developments our team finally got access to satellite imagery. Research assistant Monskiv will fill you in on the developments.
[SCP] Assistant Monskiv: Yes. So yesterday during what the GOC is calling operation Red Dawn Foundation satellites were able to take high-resolution images of Site-99. A large number of individuals were observed to exit the facility…we believe this to be the staff of Site-99.
[SCP] Director Wagner: How many?
[SCP] Assistant Monskiv: A preliminary account suggests three hundred and twenty. We believe that at least one hundred individuals are still in the facility. The entities exiting the facility all seem to be infected with SCP-610, or whatever strain this is. I'm not sure it's fair to call it 610 anymore it has clearly mutated beyond recognition.
Silence
[SCP] Assistant Monskiv: The former staff of 99 were observed to leave the facility and walk into the woods. After minutes or hours of walking, individuals will stop and "root" themselves to the ground. Similar to 610 infection nodes the disease will start to transform the landscape. The worrying part is…We have estimated the rate of infection to have increased by 342% by the creation of these new nodes. Containment zone alpha is now approximately forty kilometers across and is increasing at approximately ten kilometers per day, this is the fastest the 610 has ever been observed to spread. We believe that it will reach the village of Ivujivik in approximately three days.
[SCP] Director Wagner: Maybe those idiots will evacuate now. Do we have an update on Folsker and May?
[SCP] Director Rook: Maybe they will. We are sending a negotiation team tomorrow, not an armed assault this time. The only information we need is an update on reinforcements.
Silence
[SCP] O5-3: The Overseer council has agreed to deploy four division of Lambda-5, they will be at your location in two days. Rook, you have a week to contain the situation or the council will have to take over this operation. Meeting over.
[END LOG]
Rook hadn't slept well. In the Arctic, the sun never really sets only flirts with the horizon line. The lack of darkness was made all the worse by the blood red sky. Rook was feeling the exhaustion as he was marched through Ivujivik by a parade of armed D-Class. Almost stumbling up the stairs of the trailer he collapsed into his chair, almost not caring that he was sitting across from an android.
"Where is…uh the chief? Isn't he still in charge?" Rook said was a feign of disinterest.
"Clan leader Inuksuk died during the 939 assault. The people have chosen me to speak in his place."
"Very well. You aren't stupid so you know you need the Foundation to survive at this point. If the 939 attack wasn't enough 610 is currently spreading your way. By our estimates, this village will be overrun in three days. Our offer is this: You give us back our people as a gesture of good faith. We can then arrange transport to a new site where you will be free to live in peace. The Foundation won't bother you again."
The android didn't have eyes, but Rook could have sworn he saw its tiny optical sensors twitch.
"You will simply anesthetize the locals and re-imprison us. Why should we believe you?"
"Fine. I'll be straight there is no way you're walking out of this. But the D-Class? You are their leader. We can arrange to make them forget everything, and give them normal lives back. The locals, who call you chief, will live happy long lives far away from here. This is the best we can do…Before then though I need to see our people, can we at least arrange that?"
"I can arrange for them to be brought in. I will consider your offer."
The door opened and the sorry sight of May and Mark were brought in.
"You have five minutes, unbind them," the android said as he nodded to the D-Class escorts.
For the first time in a week, the original Foundation agents could finally talk.
"How are you holding up?" asked, a for once genuinely concerned, Rook.
"Besides almost being gutted alive in a barn, fine, just fine. Where were you guys for that? Those things almost…" May was voice was calm as she spoke, but there was a fear behind her eyes.
"I'm sorry about that but we are working around the clock to get you out. I think we are very close to a deal and"
Rook was cut short by Marks fist that connected with his nose. Before anyone could blink the former Lambda-5 agent had reached across the table and pulled Rooks service weapon from its holster and aimed it at the director.
"Whoa whoa hold on whats"
"What happened to the SRAs?" said a shaking Mark.
"What…What are you talking about. What SRAs?"
"The SRAs you gave my team when you sent us to 99. WHAT FUCKIN HAPPENED." Mark was shaking the pistol in Rooks face as he yelled.
"They didn't fuckin work. I have been doing this job a long time and never has an SRA failed on me. Then you give us this new model that breaks down the moment we use it. We couldn't even shoot in there….we couldn't fight back. The Jeep rusted into dust before our eyes. So I'll ask you again. WHAT HAPPENED?"
"The same thing that happened to Site-99." As Rook spoke the room suddenly stood still.
"What? What?"
"You wouldn't understand…Why do you think it took us this long to get reinforcements out here? Or why were we forced to call in the GOC? The Foundation is dying, it has been for a while. The anomalous is the single biggest drag on the global economy. Do you know the average Foundation site costs more than the CERN particle accelerator?
The Foundation rivals China in resource consumption at this point. And what does the world get in return? Not dying. Even that we fail at every fifty or so years. The world is tired of spending trillions for minimal return especially when every other nation thinks they can do it better. The Americans have Pentagram, the Canadians and Norwegians have NAAC. The Chinese got some nuts from the 23rd century. The world is tired of hiding their biggest resources in the shadows.
So the Foundation has to cut corners to stay afloat. Our new SRAs fail 10% more than the old ones but cost 50% less to make. To the council that is an acceptable risk."
There was a silence after Rook spoke as each Foundation member processed this revelation. Mark was the first to speak:
"An acceptable risk? My teams lives are not an acceptable risk."
"Mark, Mark listen to me. I didn't know that would happen. I'm sorry Mark, I really am."
"Mark" said May as he put her hands on the gun. "Mark we aren't going to get out of here if you kill him."
"Thank you May now if you would just listen we have"
"Rook, what happened to Site-99?" interrupted May.
There was a long pause as Rook considered his response.
"You have to believe me when I tell you…I don't know. They said it was some sort of reactor test. That's all I know. They came up with some new energy source, something they believed would make the Foundation never dependent on anyone again. They did what they thought was right, just like me, and just like everyone else. That's the best we can do…Now let's see what we can do about getting you two out of here."
Season: 41 (2018)
Episode Theme: Minced Meat
Individuals Involved: Six D-Class and SCP-1360.
Scene Description: Scene starts with six individuals in orange jumpsuits running across an arctic landscape. They are being led by an android, believed to be SCP-1360. SCP-2030-1 enters stage left and begins a monologue: "Ha so Folks I hope are ready for a hoot on this special episode brought to you live from the arctic circle. This season we have had a fantastic show and I hope you are ready to laugh. Isn't laughing fun? We're here to make you laugh. Who wouldn't want to laugh? Now, let's laugh together at this minced meat."
A black Foundation helicopter comes into frame, the group's apparent destination.
"Now watch this next part folks, and get ready to LAUGH."
From the treeline, nine deformed humanoids are visible running towards the group. Humanoids appearance is consistent with infection of SCP-610, however, their skin is noticeably bleached white.
"Anderson's son thought he and his friends could escape, but now they will become MINCED MEAT."
Instances of 610 physically assault the group while they attempt to fight back. The camera zooms in on an instance of SCP-610 assaulting SCP-1360. The instance of SCP-610 has visible gears under its skin.
The trailer door was thrown open by Silla Unatweenuk, the new leader of Ivujivik. "You," he said staring at Mark. "You in the military right?" "Yeah was, not sure anymore." "Something is coming from the woods. It looks like men but different. Some have multiple arms, and their skin is white. We need help."
Marks face went a shade of deep white. "Round up everyone who wants to live and get them into the middle of the village. Bring anything that will burn. Also get guns, lots of guns." Silla was off as quickly as he had come yelling orders to his men.
"They are watching the village" pipped up Rook. "They'll be here soon."
Mark was in tactical mode now. "Ok Rook get anyone who can't fight into this trailers. May stay with him. I'm going to go check the weapons situation if they are near the northern edge we got under ten minutes."
"I'm going with you," said May, and before Mark had a chance to object she was out in the arctic snow. "Guess she's going" shrugged Rook as he hurried after her into the red sunrise.
A tension had filled the air as the odd band of D-Class, Inuit hunters, and Foundation staff stared at the tree line. "Hold" shouted Mark, "don't fire until I say." The ghostly light of the sun shown through the trees, the snow twinkled in its light for a full minute. Then the tree line exploded as mounds of flesh erupted from the forest and tore through the meadow towards the village. Their pale white limps almost camouflage against the white snow, but Mark could still make out their bodies. A mess of multiple limbs and split open skulls. The staff of Site-99 had come to take their toll.
"Hold" yelled Mark, his voice booming over the sound of crunching snow. "The snow goes crunch crunch crunch crunch," thought Mark, but now our guns will go boom boom boom. "FIRE" he yelled and pulled the trigger. A deafening boom broke through the arctic morning as dozens of weapons fired in unison. The wood stock shoved into Marks' shoulder almost dislocating it. He pulled back the bolt and entered another round. Casing after casing flew around him as the group opened fire on the mound of flesh. To Marks right, May stood squeezing the trigger of her pistol as fast as her fingers could manage. To is left Silla stood his long fire coat flying back in the brewing snow storm. The booms of the guns were soon replaced with ringing as the group slowly went deaf from their own weapons. Soon the world was a mix of white snow, white flesh, and red blood. The smell of gun powder filled the air and more Flesh fell in the snow. "Now!" yelled Mark as he lit a match. A ring of fire burned to life around the group and the approaching Flesh scurried back. The bullets never stopped, but nobody could hear the flesh scream.
In a moment time broke and the world turned to technicolor. When the world finally came back into focus the ring of fire was gone and dozens of smashed faces stared at the group, the faces of the Flesh. The Flesh only stared though. "Why…Why aren't we dead?" asked May through a shaky voice.
"STOP! We should stop this violence" shouted a voice, a voice from inside the Flesh.
A man walked out from the crowd. A man with no facial features, with pale white skin. The entity had a matrix of gears beneath its skin barely held together by its tight white skin. The man towered eight feet above the group, and when he spoke his voice was so silent and raspy you could have sworn it was the blizzard talking. "The Flesh welcomes you, join the endless body. There is no need to fight." Mark looked at his rifle to see it rusting before his eyes, the wood split open and the barrel turned to ash. "Join the glorious symphony to the heart of time, for I am its speaker." Mark drew a knife from his belt and before he could make a suicidal last stand, a wave of bullets split the sky.
A loud cheer came from the group as Foundation assault helicopters bathed the Flesh in the deadly glow of machine gun fire. A storm of black armor was visible just beyond the horde, and once again the world became a ringing. The Flesh lunged towards the group.
Mark rammed his knife into where he assumed the heart was on a particularly nasty mound of Flesh before it knocked him to the ground. As he heard the crunch of his body into the snow he thought "This is where I die, I don't want to die under a red sky." Just as his head was going to be ripped off by three hands the Flesh crashed off him, propelled by Mays knife. The last thing Mark saw before he passed out was her blonde hair.
Conference Call Recording Transcript: Incident 03/4
In Attendance:
- Foundation Director of Arctic Operations Folsker Rook
- Foundation Special Operations Director Leon Wagner
- O5-3
[SCP] Director Rook: Everyone here? Ok good. At 9:04 a.m the Flesh attacked the village of Ivujivik where I was conducting a hostage negotiation. The residents aided MTF Lambda-5 agent Mark Sobster is defending the village. They were successful until an unknown entity engaged them which resulted in the loss of thirteen civilians. Luckily, and I do mean luckily, director Leon arrived with the Foundation reinforcements and was able to repel the Flesh assault. At this time the infection had spread close to the village and the area was forced to be evacuated. Many D-Class refused to come willingly and had to be restrained or terminated, the twenty-three who did survive have been forced into labor for project Mensa. The surviving villagers have been administered class-A amnestic and are being set up with a new site for settlement far away from any Foundation activity.
[SCP] O5-3: This unknown entity, what do we know about it?
[SCP] Director Wagner: Not much. It appears to be a humanoid infected with the 610 and 217 however it acted very differently from previously documented behavior. It was capable of complex communication a phenomenon never documented with 610. It also appeared to be able to administrator some control over the temporal anomalies. It fled the scene after the arrival of Lambda-5.
[SCP] O5-3: Ok as of this moment you have my approval for the full implementation of operation Mensa. However, your bombardment is to not enter a five-kilometer radius of Site-99. I will not take questions on this decision. Now I need a final body count.
[SCP] Director Rook: If we count the first team we sent and all Site-99 staff: We have 23 MTF squad members, 401 Foundation staff, 41 GOC operative, 20 NAAC operatives, 13 Ivujivik residents, and 27 D-Class.
[SCP] O5-3: Take all of those numbers and divide them by two for the official report. Also, I remind you again the GOC wasn't here. The UN is not willing to admit a rouge unit went off and got themselves killed, and neither will we. Meeting over.
[END LOG]
The sound of the blades pulsed against Marks head as they took off from Ivujivik and soared across the forest. May lay besides him on the helicopter floor looking out into sun rise. "Mark" she said. "What will they do to us?" "Nothing, if we are lucky they might let us forget." May smiled slowly "if we are lucky" she said. The sun was low in the sky as they headed for Site-31. As they flew low over the trees and the crystal lakes Mark looked up at the sky, the blue sky. He finally smiled too.
Operation Mensa Briefing
Forward:
Operation Mensa outlines the Foundation policy for the future containment of Site-99. Complete termination of the anomaly is not possible at this time. For the foreseeable future, Site-99 will function as an exclusion zone for all civilian activities. The following steps will be taken to ensure future containment.
Step 1: Establishment of Site-201 in the outer exclusion zone. This site will function as an airbase and headquarters for MTF Lambda-5 to oversee future containment policy. Twenty Scranton Reality Anchors are to kept on site at all times. A fire brigade is to kept on site.
Step 2: An area of woods approximately one kilometer wide in a circular ring is to be cleared three kilometers from SCP-457 current position. The clearing is to be completed using D-Class personal under the supervision of MTF Lambda-5.
Step 3: A pipeline system is to be installed that provides SCP-457 with a continuous supply of gasoline. Any drop in flame temperature or height is to be reported.
Step 4: Lambda-5 will engage in firebombing of the inner containment zone to limit the spread of infected area. Firebombing is not to approach five kilometers of Site-99.
Policy for Long Term Containment:
Three exclusion zones are to be established. Each zone is to be monitored continuously for anomalous activity. Site-201 is responsible for ensuring no civilian entrance into the exclusion zone. Expeditions into the inner zone are forbidden at this time.
Civilian Exclusion Zone: 80-kilometer radius from Site-99. No civilians are allowed within this zone. Aircraft and roads are to be rerouted.
Anomalies present: None
Outer Exclusion Zone: 60 kilometers from Site-99. Foundation operatives only. Contains Site-201, located on the outer bound of SCP-457.
Anomalies present: Red Sky, SCP-457
Inner Exclusion Zone: 75 kilometers from Site-99. Boundary marked by the location of SCP-457. The zone has been radically terraformed since the Foundation abandon the position. On December 23rd, 2018 the infected area had reached SCP-457 and has been stopped by the anomaly. All biological life inside the zone has been infected with SCP-610 and SCP-217.
Anomalies present: SCP-939, SCP-610, SCP-217, SCP-1360, [REDACTED], [REDACTED], Additional temporal anomalies.
The boy had screamed and screamed. For millennium all he did was scream into the black. Never feeling, never seeing, never hearing anything but his own voice. He still never died. The black was all he new. The memories of his old life had been replaced with a deep hatred for those who put him here. So he screamed and screamed hoping something would hear him.
Oh? What's that? The boy saw, for the first time in forever, white. A sliver of white light pierced into the black, made by a weapon that destroyed the universe. He reached out and pulled himself into a new body. He will have flesh made of hundreds of men, nerves of metal, and a heart of time.
Per 
