Where do we go now?

SCP: Where do we go now?

Is a small personal project revolving around the after-effects of SCP:CB and what follows D-9341's recovery at the end of the Captured 106 Gate A Ending.

Chapter 1 takes place a week after SCP:CB and initial recovery attempts on Site 21.

All Chapters are a loose, rough Draft

+ Chapter 1: Amid the Ruins

Chapter 1: Amid the ruins [Draft]

“D-9341, tell us how you did it,” Site Director Rosewood slams her hands down onto the interrogation desk. But 9341 just peered back at her. I looked over at Austin, who’s sunglasses teetered on the edge of his nose. His cigarette sat suspended in lightly clenched teeth. I saw him look back at me behind the glasses.
“I’ve never seen her like that… I’ve barely even seen her,” Austin whispered. Me and Austin were behind the glass panel.
“Do you know…” Rosewood started. I looked back into the interrogation room.
“Do you know your goddamn name, 9341?” Rosewood pushed the table against D-9341’s stomach in anger.
“Benjamin Oliver Walker,” D-9341 replied. Austin’s jaw dropped, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. He grabbed it before it fell, but the lit part burned his hand, he dropped it as a reflex. The whole time his face was unmoving. I didn’t know how to feel, as I wasn’t there when Dr. Walker was demoted to D-Class. I watch as multiple Nine-Tailed fox MTF units pace through the hallway outside of the interrogation room. Some are carrying things, some of those things are body bags. I hear Rosewood yelling on the other side of the glass, and I decide to block it out.
“So… what was the body count on Site 21?” I quietly ask.
“God knows… If there even is a god. At this point I don’t know… We haven’t even recovered over half of the personnel that were stationed at site 21, which includes any corpses we’ve discovered,” He says. I look back at the hallway again.
“We also haven’t found numerous SCPs. This whole thing is a shit show for the foundation’s reputation,” He said.
“Which ones are missing?” Mark asked.
“Mark- I mean… D-3982. What are you doing here?” Austin asked.
“They told me to report to my nearest Security personnel for debriefing. I guess you count,” He said. He walked up and hugged Austin. Austin didn’t hug back like usual, and instead kept his head turned in Rosewood’s direction. Rosewood was red as a cherry, still yelling at D-9341 who looked completely stone-faced.
“It’s good to see you, Mark, but not now,” Austin said. Mark stepped back against a wall and leaned on it.
“You… survived?” I asked.
“Well, kinda. I was being moved off site, remember?” He said.
“What? I thought that wasn’t for another month,” I said.
“It wasn’t, but they moved it to a week ago for some unknown reason, lucky break for me I guess,” He said.
“Yeah, no kidding.” I said. He hugged me, too. I returned the favor without fear of Rosewood seeing us.
“You survived, too. How?” He asked.
“I was close to the entrance zone when the breach happened. I don’t know how… or why no SCPs came near me. I guess I was lucky, too?” I said. It was a bizarre experience. I had to wait by the entrance zone for what felt like hours before MTF Epsilon-11 arrived and brought me to safety.
“Rumor is it was the insurgency,” Mark says. I find myself darting my attention back to Rosewood. Austin glares confusedly at Mark.
“How..?” Austin stutters.
“Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything,” Mark says.
“How the fuck are there… Already rumors?” Austin prods.
“I heard from other D-class that they heard researchers talking about possible insurgency members,” Mark said. Austin didn’t say anything, he just pulled another cigarette out of his pockets, and put it in his mouth. He didn’t light it. I turned back to the interrogation room. D-9341 was now talking to Rosewood, but I couldn’t hear him for some reason.
“Is Bruno okay? Wasn't he on site 21?” Mark asks. I rack my brain for a moment.
“Yeah, he was relocated to Site-22, remember? Not 21.” I said.
“That’s probably where we’ll be staying in the meantime. Lord knows what we'll do with the SCPs that have been recontained,” Austin said.
“We’ll probably keep them here, since there isn’t any major damage to integral systems in Site-21,” I say. Dr. Harp comes through the door behind us and hands Austin a folder. We make sure he leaves the room before opening it and examining its contents.

Staff Recovered (As of now):
Site Director Rosewood: Rosewood was found outside of Gate A.
Dr. Harp: Recovered with Rosewood at Gate A.
Dr. L: Recovered from SCP-106’s containment chamber (outside of the actual containment chamber and next to the femur breaker button.) with considerable mental and physical damage. Under review.
Dr. Ramirez: Recovered near Gate B.
Casualties: Over 1,000 as of now.

SCPs Recovered(As of now):
SCP-173: Found near the entrance zone’s Gate B and repossessed by MTF Epsilon-11.
SCP-106: Found inside of it’s containment zone, it appears that the recall operation was performed by D-9341.
SCP-049: Found within his containment chamber, rather dismissive of the breach.
SCP-079: Found inside of it’s containment chamber. Access to the facilities of site-21 have been removed, however, the solution to this may be temporary as 079 was witnessed replicating the code that Dr. ███████ deployed to allow him to do this.
SCP-939: Successfully lured back into containment.
SCP-008: Recontained by D-9341.
SCP-012: Found in it’s containment chamber.
SCP-205: Found in it’s containment chamber.
SCP-895: Found in it’s containment chamber.
SCP-970: All on-site instances have been found intact, with the exception of SCP-970-06.
SCP-1025: Found just outside of one of Site 21’s storage units.
SCP-1048-A: Found near Gate A, successfully contained. However, SCP-1048 is MIA.
SCP-1499: Found on D-9341’s person.
SCP-066: Recovered in the cafeteria and recontained.
SCP-513: Found in it’s (Damaged) Containment cell.
SCP-860: Found on D-9341’s person.
SCP-1123: Found in it’s containment chamber.
SCP-148: (Partially) recovered embedded inside of a gas mask. 914 is suspected to be the cause.
SCP-294: Found inside the cafeteria.
SCP-429: Found on D-9341’s person.
SCP-500: four (4) units found on D-9341’s person. Thirty (30) pills were recovered throughout the facility. Leaving thirteen (13) MIA.
SCP-714: Found on D-9341’s person.
SCP-914: Currently unmoved in it’s containment chamber.
SCP-789-J: Currently unmoved in the employee WC.

"Rosewood…" I uttered. It was her who notified O5 of the A-class breach, and to send in MTF Epsilon 11.
“Without her assistance we would most likely have ended up in a XK-Class-End-Of-The-World-Scenario,” Austin says. It was also her who gave the order to contain D-9341, instead of the original plan of shooting him. Speaking of Rosewood, she walks out of the interrogation room, a bead of sweat falling down her left temple.
"So what're we gonna do with him?" Austin asks. Rosewood taps her foot with her hands on her hips, looking at a picture of herself on the wall.
"I don't know. I don't know, I don't know." She said.
"We'll probably contain him for now. O5 might need to get involved. For the time-being, I'll have you all relocate back to Site 22. If any of you feel unsafe, and that includes you 3982, then message O5 immediately." She said.
"O5?" Austin asked, astounded.
"Yes, O5. The foundation's integrity is at risk here. If you even suspect that there's suspicious activity, you are to notify me, or some other level 5 staff. Understood?" Rosewood says. I nod.
"Define: feeling unsafe." Mark says.
"If you see odd activity from a fellow staff member or if you notice something unusual about an SCP. This includes hunches, we can't let even the tiniest possibility of getting to the bottom of this go unnoticed." Rosewood says. I see Mark open his mouth to say something, but he doesn't. Austin glares at him.
"I'm gonna go talk to O5, you three stay out of trouble." she says, before walking up to the door.
"And… watch 9341 for me while I'm gone." She says. Austin nods.
"Yes ma'am." He says. Rosewood leaves the room, fast-walking like usual. Austin turns to me.
"We're in deep shit. This is some never-before-seen protocol." He says. He glances at Mark.
"Thanks for not saying anything. Rosewood would blow her top if she heard there was already rumors among D-class spreading, let alone staff." He says.
"Yeah, I don't want her any more pissed off than she is now." Mark said.
"I'm fucking starving, though. Haven't eaten since yesterday morning." Mark said.
"I could go for some food, too." I said.
"Bring me back something, guys." Austin said.
"Will do, babe." Mark said, gently grabbing Austin's chin and kissing his cheek. As me and Mark left for the cafeteria, Austin hollered for us.
"And uh… stay safe. Like Rosewood said, just… stay out of trouble, and report anything, okay?" Austin said.
"Okay, we get it." Mark smiles.
"anything." Austin repeated as we left.

It was almost completely silent on our way to the cafeteria, until halfway there.
"I'm scared, Maera." Mark blurted out. It felt slightly sudden, but at the same time it didn't.
"I've never seen anything like this. Anything. We've had plenty of breaches, but this…" He said.
"I know. I'm scared, too. But we'll make it through this, okay? This is just a minor setback." I said. I don't know if I was telling the truth, but Mark needs to hear it right now.
"I don't know… Did you see the way Austin said anything? I've never heard anyone say it like that." He said. I chuckled.
"I mean, yeah. He seems super serious about it." I said.
"Just… if anything ever happens to me, make sure Austin is gonna be okay, okay?" He said. I pouted.
"Sure, but what If I'm not okay?" I asked.
"You will be. I know you will be. But Austin might not be. I'm D-class, which is essentially a synonym for expendable." He says. My heart felt a little heavy hearing that.
"Well, if Rosewood thinks about-" I started.
"Yeah, yeah, If Rosewood thinks about the Delta-19 Proposition then I'll be C-class. I've heard it over and over but I have a feeling that not enough people will care. I'm just saying…" He said. I looked cautiously at his orange jumpsuit. All D-class were ordered to wear it, and were only permitted to remove it when not testing. Allows for easy identification, except for the most important part, who they actually are.
"Right…" I said.

When we go into the cafeteria, I spotted Dr. Harp from across the room.
"Oh, hey you two." He whispered. His voice didn't sound any different, but I could hear trauma behind it. I examine his bag of simple chips, which is far less extravagant than his usual order of the most expensive thing on the daily menu.
"Diet." He uttered.
"Right." Mark said.
"Do you need anything?" I asked him. He smiled and shook his head.
"No, Ramirez. Thank you, though. I have to go to a meeting soon, to discuss the whole incident and what we're doing next. I heard O5 would be there." Harp said.
"Damn. Why aren't I invited?" I playfully asked. Harp smiled, but then drew a blank face.
"I uh… I actually don't know. I think it's a researcher thing." He says.
"Oh, okay then. Pleasure seeing you well." I said. He nodded and darted out of the cafeteria. I walked up to the vending machine and unleashed a hail of quarters into it. I got a bag of chips, two nutrition bars for later, and then a soda from the drink vending machine. Mark watched me with the same expectant look of a 2-year old waiting for their mom to get off the phone.
"Can I uh… I left my wallet back at my quarters. On 21." He said. I sighed.
"What's that? your third or fourth time lunch leeching off me?" I said, yet as I said it I handed him $5.
"Thanks, Maera. I'll pay you back eventually." He said.

After eating our small assortments of snacks we called lunch, we left back for D-9341's interrogation room. Rhys stepped out of a room across the hallway from the interrogation room.
"Oh. Maera. And… D-3982?" Rhys said.
"Mark, sorry." He corrected.
"Yeah, what're you doing here?" I asked.
"I don't know. My job, I guess. Trying to help. But… Anybody we find is… just that. A body." He said, brushing past us.
"Oh, okay… Nice catching up with you." Mark said.
"Mark." I reprimanded. He just rolled his eyes.
"Shoot!" I heard when I entered the room, I briefly panicked, before I saw Austin with his palm extended out flat, facing the interrogation chamber. On the other side, D-9341 was holding his hand up in a fist, facing Austin. 9341 mouthed something but I still couldn't hear the other side of the glass.
"Are you guys..?" I started.
"Playing rock, paper, scissors? yes." Austin said.
"Okay. At least you're getting along… I guess." I said.
"Yeah. Rosewood came back while you were gone. She said there were rooms down the hall where we'll be staying. Apparently there's something going on at Site 22." Austin said.
"God, we can't fucking catch a break, can we?" I said.
"No, and I don't think we can expect one for awhile." Austin said. Mark walked up to Austin and looked him the eyes expectantly.
"Right. Sorry about earlier, I just-" Austin said, but Mark interrupted him with a hug.
"You don't have to say anything else, it's kinda funny hearing you apologize." Mark said. Heartwarming. I walked up to the glass and looked at D-9341. We we're keeping him here like he was an SCP. It was inhumane, wasn't it? Or was it? I don't know. He held up a finger pistol and smiled.
"I'm tired, I'm gonna go to sleep." Mark said.
"Same." I said
"See you in a little bit, babe." Austin said, kissing Mark on the cheek before turning back around to face 9341.

That night, I heard rustling outside the door to the quarters. I cautiously got out of my bed and grabbed my phone by my bed. I turned on the flashlight and moved towards the door. I slowly pushed the door open, and peered out into the dark hallway.
"Hel-" I started. A hand came out of the hallway and covered my mouth. I saw D-9341's face in the darkness. I screamed and bit his hand, falling onto the ground.
"Ow! Son of a fucking bitch!" He quietly shouted. He clenched his hand in pain. I felt tears flooding my eyes as I quickly tapped out 9-1-1 in my phone. And then I realized that's literally pointless because a) we don't get reception down here and b) the police can't get down here.
"Hey, hey, hey!" He whispers.
"Please, I'm not here to hurt you, I just…" He starts. I slowly nod and keep backing up.
"I need you to help me." He says, he looks panicked.
"Okay… But, why would I help you? Also, how did you escape?" I ask. I feel my hand along my dresser, and then to my laptop, opening it. I maintain eyesight on him.
"There was a ventilation system leading into my cell. I got out of it." He said, he stepped into my room.
"Woah, woah, woah. You still haven't given me a reason to not alert O5 right now." I said. He frowned.
"I can't give you one… But you're my only hope. Please, I can lie if they catch me. They don't have to know you even saw me, okay?" He said. My hand floated gently over my keyboard. A man I didn't know was trying to get me to betray the company I had worked with and been apart of since I was a teenager. Why did I feel compassion for him?

I remember reading the containment breach log for 542 and 347. I remember distinctly feeling bad for two anomalous creatures. But are they really any more anomalous than a human? What if humans themselves were anomalies?

I sighed.
"You're not with the insurgency, are you?" I asked.
"No, I'm not with anyone." He begged
I combed through my brain one last time. If I do this it could very well spell the end of my career here. But this is another human, pleading for my help. Who am I to deny his freedom? But what if he's done horrid things? he was demoted to D-class, after all.
"Why my help, specifically?" I asked.
"You have level 4 access, I had that before I was demoted. I can get back to my old office and leave, okay. I will be gone, you will never hear from me again." He said. I rubbed my eyes just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Again, I sighed.
"Okay. What do you need?" I broke.
"Oh my god, thank you so much. I just need your keycard, I'll bring it back and I'll be gone. Is 914 still on site?" He asks.
"Yes, and… my Level 4 keycard? why do you need that and 914?" I asked.
"Good point… How about a Level 1 keycard so I can upgrade it in 914?" He said.
"I don't have one, but we have some in… storage… Which requires a level 3 keycard. Fuck's sake." I said. He childishly smiled.
"I guess I'll… go with you." I said reluctantly.
"No, I'll just-" He started
"No, you won't. I'm coming with you. I can't trust you, yet." I said.
"Yet?" He asked.
"And I probably never will." I said.
"Hmmmm?" He… said? He onomatopoeia-ized.
We left my room and started walking quietly towards the downstairs storage facility.
"So…" he said.
"What? What more do you want?" I snapped back.
"Jeez, I was just wondering some things." He said.
"Like?" I said. We turned down a hallway. I was kind of surprised I knew where I was going given the dimly lit hallway setup of the modular project.
"Your Maera, right?" He asked. I nodded.
"I'm the psychologist, basically. At least, for Sites 20-22." I said.
"And that guard guy was your friend, August was it?" He said.
"No, Austin." I corrected.
"Oh, okay. Austin." He repeated.
"What's up with him and that D-class?" He asked.
"Well, Mark's not really a D-class. I mean, he is, but…" I started. I looked down at my feet as we walked, given the walls were to dark to stare at.
"He gets special treatment?" Benjam- I mean, 9341 asked.
"Oh, I guess. He deserves it, though." I said.
"I'm sure." He said.
"We're here." I said. I slid my keycard into the storage room's door and it automatically opened.
"Grab a keycard, that's it. And then get out." I said. He nodded and walked into the room. I carefully watched him.
Suddenly, there were footsteps from down the hall. I quickly slid into the storage facility and closed the door.
"God I would just… shoot him in the head." I heard Agent Patterson say from the other side.
"Which one, 9341 or 3982?" Another guard asked.
"Either, honestly. Their both annoying. That fucker 3982 has a better room than me!" He said. My jaw dropped. 9341 looked over at me, holding a keycard up, but his face read one of shock.
I slowly slid the door open and peered down the hallway. 9341 walked up to me.
"You're saving my life, understand? You heard them, right?" He said. I nodded.
"Y'know, you could always come with me if you want." He said. I shook my head.
"My friends need me here." I said.
"Yeah, sounds like it. Especially that D-class friend of yours." He said.
"Besides, where would we go? What would we do?" I asked.
"Well…" He said.
"Remember when I said I wasn't going with the insurgency? Yeah, they're the ones who are also giving me an opportunity to escape. It's one of you, too." He said.
"What? You fucking asshole!" I quietly shouted.
"Sorry, you wouldn't have helped me otherwise." He said.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Dunno. Spiral Gestalt or something." He said. What?
"Thanks for the help, I won't forget this. I'll always be there if you need me, okay?" He said. He left the storage room and closed the door behind him.
"Hey!" I said, running to the door and opening it. I looked through the halls and he was gone.

End of Chapter 1 Draft

+ Chapter 2: When It Rains

Chapter 2: When It Rains [Draft]

Three Weeks Later

We sat at the lunch tables. No one ever did ask me about 9341's disappearance, and I haven't told anyone about that night. We were on Site 22 now, sitting down to have lunch in the lightly crowded cafeteria.
"Would you rather… get bitten by a zombie, or watch someone you know get bitten by one." Mark asked.
"Get bitten. Without a doubt. I'd hate to see someone like one of you bitten." Minerva said.
"Hm…" Rhys whispered.
"Definitely watch someone. I'll miss you guys but I'm looking out for numero uno." Bruno said.
"Ugh, dude." I said.
"I'd rather watch, because who will tell their story?" Dr. Harp said.
"Yeah, I guess. I'd rather watch if I'm honest. Not that I want it to happen." I said.
"I'd definitely rather get bitten than watch one of you get bitten." Austin said.
"Of course it's only the two officers who say they'd get bitten, haha." Mark said.
"What about you, huh?" Minerva asked.
"No input." Mark said. Me and Rhys chuckled.
"Ugh, whatever." Maktoub said.
"I'm just saying, in an apocalyptic scenario, everyone would be out for themselves." Maktoub said.
"Really? You don't think we could stick together?" I asked.
"Not if Mark ate all our food in a stoned binge." Maktoub said. Austin snorted.
"What! I would not!" Mark said. Rhys rolled his eyes. Austin looked over at me and smiled.

After we finished, or more or less, when I finished, I got up and put my plate up to the dishwasher's window. I noticed Austin following behind me.
"Maera, I need to talk to you." He said. Never a good sign. He put his plate over mine.
"Yeah, what is it?" I asked.
"I was, uh… I need some help with something." He said. He didn't appear distressed.
"Okay… Yeah… What is it, though?" I repeated.
"I bought a ring, y'know. I uh…" He started. I smiled giddily.
"Like… a wedding ring?" I prodded. His face went pink.
"Maybe. Yeah. I did." He said.
"I don't know how to do it, though. I'm so nervous." He said.
"Well, don't be. You two have been dating for like, two years." I said.
"Three." He corrected.
"Exactly. You love each other, so just tie that knot." I said.
"Yeah, but… What if he says no?" He asked.
"What if he says yes?" I retaliated.
"Well, yeah, duh. I just… Don't wanna ruin this good thing I've got going." He said.
"C'mon. I know Mark, he would die for a chance at life with you." I said. Austin sighed, shook his head, and smiled.
"You sure?" He asked. I nodded.
"Okay." He said.
"Are you gonna do it now?" I asked.
"No, no. Definitely not. I still need to psyche myself up. But, maybe sometime this week?" He said.
"Okay, do it when you're ready. You, uh… Have my blessing." I said. I took off towards my room.

We wouldn't have anything to do for a couple more weeks. No testing was to be done until all facilities, areas, and sites were operational again, to reduce risk of another breach incident.

I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I was tired for some reason… A little catnap couldn't hurt. I closed my eyes.

I darted up when I heard a quiet ding. I looked over at my laptop. Specifically, Conversation Log B-22-0004, AKA my conversation log with Austin.

Damn. I got back into my bed and huddled under the blankets. I somehow drifted back off to sleep.

"Maera, get over here." Minerva said. I walked up to her side and sat down. A dimly lit fire sat in the middle of us, Jackson, Adam, Wendy, and Makayla.
"I was thinking spin the bottle." Jackson said.
"Ugh, so cliche. How about something more cathartic like charades." Wendy said. Makayla mocked her.
"How about truth or dare?" I suggested. Minnie smiled.
"I can get on board with that." Jackson said.
"Me, too." Adam said.
"Fine." Makayla said. Wendy looked at each of them, and sighed.
"I'll start. Minnie, truth or dare." I said.
"Um… Truth." She said. Jackson placed his hands on his hips and flapped his arms, mouthing the word "chicken."
"Do you like anyone here? Like, like like." I asked. Her face grew red.
"I don't know… maybe." She uttered.
"Ooooh" I said.
"Okay, my turn." Minnie said.
"Makayla, truth or dare." Minnie said.
"Dare." Makayla said.
"I dare you… to kiss Jackson. Jackson's face went red. Makayla quickly leaned over and kissed Jackson. Jackson's eyes lit up. Makayla pulled away and smiled.
"My turn." She cockily said.
"Adam, truth or dare?" Makayla asked. Adam still looked a little shocked after Makayla's lack of hesitance.
"Dare?" He said, slightly puzzled. Makayla's smile widened.
"Order me a pizza." Makayla said.
I looked down at the pizza, it spun and rotate. I ran across it. I had to run, if I didn't run the what would happen to me.
We all kept running, along the hamster wheel.
I melted, dripping down on the wheel and into a cup.
He drank me, and swashed me through his teeth. He then spit me out into the sink. I feel down the drain.

I awoke to an alarm. Not my phone's alarm, but a siren. I quickly sat up in bed. I yawned and grabbed my phone. I also grabbed my keycard from my desk, and walked out my door. Austin stepped out of his ate the same time.
"This is Site Director Rosewood, all personnel report to Gate A." Rosewood said over the PA system.
"Oh my actual god." Austin said. I walked across the hallway to Mark's quarters and opened it. He was holding himself up against a wall, holding his stomach.
"Holy shit are you good, babe?" Austin said, walking past me and holding his shoulders.
"Yeah, just… stomach hurts." Mark said. Austin put his shoulder around Mark's and started leading him down the hall.
"Let's get to the Gate." Austin said. I nodded. We only got a couple steps down the hall when I saw a security guard walk in front of us.
"Hey there… Agent…" Austin started.
A gunshot rang through the hallway, I screamed. Austin clenched his shoulder and fell over, blood squirting from him.
Another one rang, it missed any of us.
Another, it hit my thigh. I shouted in pain as I lost my balance and hit the wall.
I feared another one come, and it did, but not from the agent. Instead, the agent fell over, after a bullet pierced his neck.
Minerva ran up to us, assault rifle in hand.
"Oh thank fucking god. There you guys are. The whole fucking site is overrun with insurgency, so is 19, and 21." She said.
"Minerva, I'm shot, we need to go." I stuttered.
"Oh shit." Minerva said. She lifted me up and lifted me onto her shoulders. Holy shit, she's really strong.
"Austin, you gotta get up buddy." She said. Austin groaned and lifted himself. He grunted. I heard Mark vomiting.
Minerva carried me and led Mark through the halls, I heard footsteps that weren't ours, screams. I couldn't see much but the ground. Sometimes Minerva would stop and then start again, she'd tell us to be quiet.
"Look, we can't get to the gate, too much insurgency. But there is a sewer system we could get out from." Minerva said.
"Yeah, but what about Rhys?" I ask.
"He must've already evacuated, because he obviously wasn't back there with you guys." She says.
"We didn't check, we got intercepted by that guy." I say. She gently sets me down.
"Do you think you can walk?" She asks. I stand, but my leg is sore.
"Okay, good." She says. She grabs my shoulders and peeks down a hallway.
"The sewer tunnels are in the heavy containment zone, just take the elevator, you'll be fine." She says.
"It's too early for there to be any SCPs that would specifically go after you, but just incase." She says, handing Austin her assault rifle.
"I'll go check Rhys' quarters, you guys just get out of here." She says.
"Okay, Minnie. You'll be okay, right?" I ask. She nods.
"You sure?" Austin asks. Mark's passed against him.
"Yeah." She says. She takes off down the opposite hall of the heavy maintenance zone.
Me, Austin, and Mark hobble down the hallway. Austin makes me help Mark since he's holding the AR.
We get through the door, but the checkpoint is closed.
WARNING: Checkpoint closed due to potential SCP-008 breach. Level 4 Access required.
I look over at Austin, who looks at Mark resting on me.
"It can't be, he probably just did too much weed or something." Austin says. I unlock the checkpoint and go through the hall. We walk down a flight of stairs that leads down into the darker, scarier heavy containment zone. The pristine white of the light containment zone slowly fades into the dark metallic reddish brown of the heavy containment zone.
Like she said, a elevator off to the side that reads "Sewer tunnels". We step inside. I collapse against the wall, and gently drag Mark down with me.
"What're we gonna fucking do…" Austin says. He shakes his head and looks down at the floor.
"Well, first we're gonna get on out of here." I say.
"This is Site Director Rosewood, do not meet at either entrance zone gate A or B, this is not a drill." Rosewood says.
"Stay in your quarters until further announcement." Rosewood says.
I look up at the PA system, wishing it would take back what it said.
"Well, god damn." Austin says.
"Let's just keep going, Minerva knows to meet us there. We'll be fine." I say.
After a brief silence, Mark moans.
"I've always wanted to see the surface." He whispered.
"What was that, honey?" Austin asked.
"Since that day Wilson found me, I haven't been out of the foundation." He said.
"Well, I guess today's the day." Austin said.
The elevator stopped, and dinged. I lifted Mark back up with a grunt.
We stepped outside the elevator and rested. Smelt like sewage in here.
"We'll wait here for Minerva." Austin said.
"And… if she doesn't come back?" Mark asks, looking at me with weary eyes.
"Will give it an hour, and talk about it then." I said. He nods solemnly. I examine the gunshot wound on my thigh.
"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it? Sorry, pardon my french." Austin said.
"Yeah, sure fucking does. Don't we remove the bullet?" I asked. He chuckled.
"I was hoping you'd ask that. No, actually. Especially judging where that hit you? You'll probably have that bad boy in you for the rest of your life." He said.
"Huh." I said. Blood surrounded the wound and stained my jeans. I looked over at Austin and noticed he was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. Mark himself was only wearing pajamas and a tank top.
"You had time to change?" Austin asked.
"No, I uh… slept in this." I said.
"Hm." Austin remarked.
"Like I said, I need to get my life together." I said.
We waited a bit longer, about 15 minutes, when we noticed the elevator doors close.
"Oh shit. Hope that's her." Austin said. Mark had got up and moved over to him, passing out with his head on Austin's shoulder.
The elevator came back down, and the door slid open. It dinged.
"I found Rhys, and Dr. Harp." Minerva said, stepping out of the elevator. Rhys' eyes were… gone.
"Your eyes, Rhys…" Austin whispered.
"I take them out before sleep, I left in such a hurry…" He said.
"Damn. That sucks." I said.
"You kids okay?" Harp asked. I smiled and stood, my leg jolting with pain.
"Yeah. We aren't kids, though." I said. He smiled.
"I know." He said.
"The tunnels are dark, so stick together." Minerva said. Austin shook Mark awake, and lifted him to his feet.
"Watch your step." Minerva said as we manuever through the tunnels. It was dark, like she said. But too dark. I couldn't see. I just kept walking forward. Something brushed past me, I hope it was one of us.
"The ladder will have a light by it, a real dim one." Minerva said.

We walked for what felt like 20 minutes, before I saw a small light in the distance.
"Ow, god damnit!" Minerva shouted. A light blasted through the tunnel for a moment, and a loud gunshot accompanied it.
"You good, Minnie?" Austin asked.
"Yeah, just… Watch your step." She said again.
"Why'd you shoot your gun?" I asked.
"I panicked." She said.
"Okay then." I said.
I saw a shadow move through the dimly lit area at the base of the ladder, it started climbing the ladder. I don't think anyone saw it.

We kept walking until we got to the ladder.
"It'll lead out onto the surface near exit gate A. We'll be pretty far off to the side, though. Probably between buildings or on a street." Minnie said.
I hoisted myself onto the ladder, another shock-wave of pain jolting through me.
I started climbing up, slowly but surely.

The manhole was already removed. I pulled myself out and rested myself to the side. Rain poured onto my face. Austin pulled himself up next, and then Harp. Rhys and Minerva were the last ones out.
"Where's Mark?" Austin asked. I stood myself up and looked around. Rhys and Harp were panting, and Minerva was just sitting there. We were at a cross section between four buildings. Austin followed me to the leftmost buildings, where we saw Mark far ahead of us. He was standing out on the sidewalk staring up at the sky.

"It was raining the night Wilson found me. Huh, what a coincidence." He says.
"Wish I could see it clear out for once." He said. He must've been the shadow by the ladder.

"We'll be staying here, for now." Minerva said. She pulled out a walkie talkie.
"I grabbed one in storage, so when Rosewood is ready for a rendezvous or to reenter, we can use this.
"Man, I'm glad I was off-duty when this happened." Austin uttered.

Later that evening we were able to find a tarp nearby and set up a temporary camp. We even had a barrel fire like homeless people would have in cartoons. I sat next to Minerva, Austin and Mark sat on the opposite side of the short barrel, Harp sat on the left, and Rhys was already asleep, laying down off to the right.
"Man, this sucks." Austin said. Mark was, once again, passed out on his shoulder, with his arm wrapped around Austin's.
"Yeah… Really does." I said.
"How's that leg?" Minnie asked me.
"Still stings a whole lot. But I guess it's better than one to the head." I said.
"My shoulder is okay, by the way." Austin said, playfully looking upset.
"Are you sure? Still got a bullet in there." Minnie said.
"Actually, I think it went clean through." Austin said.
"Probably, he was really close to us." I said.
"Couldn't penetrate Maera's unstoppable thighs?" Rhys said, rolling over. We laughed.
"I'm bored." Mark whispered, gingerly opening his eyes.
"We should play a game." He suggested.
"How about… Poker." Harp said.
"Do you have cards?" Minnie asked.
"Nope!" He said. He laughed to himself. Minnie just rolled her eyes.
"How about… Eye spy." Harp said.
"I spy with my little eye… Something blue." Mark said.
"The tarp?" Austin instantly replied. Mark looked completely shocked.
"Uh. Yeah." Mark said. We heard a spontaneous explosion from under us, followed by numerous rumbles and more explosions.
"The hell?" Minnie asked.