Title: Best Laid Plans
Author: Auzzie
Date: 11/28/2012
Fandoms: Inception, SCP Containment Breach
Summary: "Arthur and his partners moved to stand just inside of the chamber, waiting for the door to close behind them, and it did, but it slid back open not a moment later.
Trying to keep his eyes on 173 was going to be difficult if the operators couldn't figure out how to work the door properly, Arthur thought.
After a few halting metallic groans, the intercom crackled back to life. 'There seems to be a problem with the auto-close system, please keep your eyes on the SCP.'
And of course the lights would go out. Best laid plans, and all that."
Warnings: Minor character death, and the type of ending that I loathe.
A/N - So it looks like I wrote a short fic while tired. Well. Yeah. I don't know how it turned out, but I've never once written anything so short and not instantly deleted it, so here's to hoping I didn't ruin the fandoms. I just learned of SCP, oh, two days ago, I think. I downloaded the game and futzed around on it for longer than I should have and suddenly: fic inspiration. I don't even understand why I chose Inception characters for this.
The accuracy of the SCP employees is way off, I am quite aware, but I could't bring myself to care too much.
"This is hardly the time or place, darling."
Arthur lifted his wrist to check the last of his jumpsuit. The buttons were matched and none forgotten; he was ready to go. "I don't know what you thought I was insinuating, Mr. Eames, but I assure you it wasn't that."
Eames' grin widened. "Of course, Arthur," he said sweetly, and Arthur narrowed his eyes from where he was stood on the ground, just out of the platform's shadow.
"Will all personnel please get into position, the door will be opening," the intercom echoed overhead. "Remember not to take your eyes off of SCP-173, and inform your partners if you must blink."
"Won't have to worry about that, will you?" Eames teased, straightening from where he was leaned over the railing. "You're about as stoic as that statue in there."
"I think you mean deadly, Eames, not stoic." Fischer pulled the standard florescent orange cap over his hair, patting it down in search for uneven lumps.
Arthur had to force his thoughts to SCP-173 and their job to keep his mind on track. This was a serious task, and a small miscalculation could ruin it.
"If everyone is ready," sounded the operator over the intercom.
Eames snapped his visor shut and lifted his gun, prepared should anything go wrong. He nodded to the team below his vantage point, and Arthur returned the gesture with a slight jerk of his head.
With the team in place, the metal doors slid open, SCP-173's white walled and empty containment chamber revealing itself quick enough to make Arthur uneasy - the sound of the door locking into place always served to make him feel that everyone was horribly exposed to the SCPs.
173's waste stood out starkly against the rest of the chamber, but the SCP itself, more so. SCP-173 was leaned against the far left corner of it's room, facing the wall, it's stubbed rock arms leaning it there as if it were thinking that they wouldn't notice it if it ignored them. If only it were that easy. Closing one eye, turning your back, or even twitching your eyes nearly closed after moving too fast could draw 173's attention, and if that happened, everyone would suffer for it.
Arthur and his partners moved to stand just inside of the chamber, waiting for the door to close behind them, and it did, but it slid back open not a moment later.
Trying to keep his eyes on 173 was going to be difficult if the operators couldn't figure out how to work the door properly, Arthur thought.
After a few halting metallic groans, the intercom crackled back to life. "There seems to be a problem with the auto-close system, please keep your eyes on the SCP."
And of course the lights would go out. Best laid plans, and all that.
Before Arthur could back out of the room to find a new light source, the terrible and ominous sound of dragging stone reached his ears, followed shortly by a snap and a horrible scream as his partners crumpled to the ground around him. He could all but feel the stare of 173 on his face, and his own eyes almost crossed a few times with all the effort he put into keeping them open - to not react to what had happened - to what was happening.
But as terrifyingly quick as SCP-173 was there, it was gone, the silence broken abruptly by Eames' gunfire. And, Arthur would reflect later after the shock had worn off, it was highly likely that those drowned-out sounds coming from Eames vaguely resembled his name.
Arthur let himself blink and turned back into the outer chamber, finding the room devoid of sound once again, with the exception of his own breathing. "Eames?" he chanced.
There was more silence for a minute until a eerily loud sigh of relief escaped the nearest corner of the platform above, a dark outline of a man slumping forward from where he had hidden himself. "Bullets vs sentient stone. Not a proper match, eh, Arthur?" Eames spoke out, breathing haggard. "It seems to have left, though."
That was both the greatest and least encouraging sentence Arthur could think to hear. If the SCP escaped, then the force would have to hunt it down, and 173, paired with the people sent out to find it, would cause massive damage to the compound and its inhabitants. On the upside, Arthur could blink for the time being. When given the two, though, he would rather prevent the former.
"Are you alright?" Arthur called up to Eames.
The dark mass shifted again, and Eames' helmet light faded in, illuminating his face and casting even sharper shadows. "It seems like it. What about you, darling?"
"Fine."
They remained staring for some time, thinking of a possible plan. A Euclid class SCP had escaped, and one that wouldn't hesitate to snap a neck at that.
"I can't make that jump, Arthur," Eames spoke at last, gesturing to the floor Arthur stood on. "I'll snap my leg, and then what good would I be?"
Arthur nodded to himself; that decided it. "Let's meet up at the main office. We'll need to be together for this, not standing on different levels."
The two moved to their own doors, preparing to slide in their key cards. "Arthur, darling." Arthur peered up at Eames' voice, more serious than Arthur was used to. "Please don't do anything before we meet. Remember to keep your back to the wall."
Arthur nodded at Eames, not needing to remind him that Arthur knew exactly what methods worked to avoid 173's attacks. But he wouldn't begrudge the man of his need for assurance on Arthur's self preservation so he said, "We'll meet at the main office, and go from there."