A/N: For those of you who have read this before the 26th of September, 2015, chapter one was been updated. The storyline has the same basic outcome, but it'd be good if you went back and re-read it.
Doctor Reed stared in disgust at the vat of acid before him. Well, the vat of acid in the deep pit behind the thick glass before him.
"That's just... cruel," he let out finally. A man dressed in a white lab coat glanced up from his computer screen and stared at him.
"We do what we must. Believe me when I say this was our last resort. We tried talking to it, tried containing it comfortably. It's a danger to humanity and has to have such drastic protocols because of its numerous breach attempts. Cruel as it may be, this creature brought it upon itself." Doctor Reed grunted, clearly dissatisfied. The man in the lab coat, Professor Jenkins, sighed, itching his receding white hair.
"What?" Doctor Reed demanded.
"Look. I've seen this thing when it breaches containment, and I consider myself the damned luckiest man on Earth to be able to say that. You better pray to god that you don't live to see the day as single one of these SCPs breaches containment. Especially not this SCP. 682, at full strength, is un-killable, unstoppable and unable to feel remorse or compassion. It can shed or gain mass by consuming matter and regenerates constantly as a result. The nickname 'hard to destroy reptile' doesn't even begin to express how hard it is to even immobilise this thing. And this is just one god-damned SCP! So please, promise me you'll never sympathise with these... things ever again, okay?"
Doctor Reed sighed and nodded. Professor Jenkins smiled reassuringly and handed him a clipboard. "Now, this is your first day on the job, so I'll give you a brief run-through of this place's protocols. Should this acid pit ever begin to drain without you having been notified prior, check this... what the fuck?" Professor Jenkins stared out the window as the acid began to drain from the pit.
He rushed over to a rack of computers and electronic devices linked up to levers, buttons, dials and gauges. He checked the acid intake pipe. The lever was on 'OPEN'. He checked that the pit hadn't lost structural integrity. The display told him that approximately three cubic centimetres had been corroded away since the last time maintenance had been performed on the pit. The dial on the drains was set to 'CLOSED'.
All console checks having failed; Professor Jenkins brushed past a confused Doctor Reed and performed a visual inspection. The pipes that normally carried fresh acid into the pit were shut tight and the last of the acid was disappearing down open drains. The mangled and rotted form of SCP-682 lay in the middle of the chamber, its body slowly expanding and contracting with every breath.
"Shit shit shit shit shit," Professor Jenkins mumbled. He jumped when the intercom suddenly crackled to life.
"This site is experiencing multiple Keter and Euclid level containment breaches. Full site lockdown initiated." Professor Jenkins could see the large, heavy duty doors that allowed access to SCP-682's containment chamber creak open through the window. It didn't look like the bloody place was being locked down! The professor spun to face his colleague.
"Doctor, I'm afraid to announce that we're fucked." He gulped. A message on his computer screen was flashing insistently, but he could see it from where he was standing. He slowly read the content out to Doctor Reed. "According to this message, every SCP capable of escaping has breached containment. Simultaneously."
There was a loud grumble from beneath them. "We've got to get out of here," Professor Jenkins stated, staring at the disgusting mass of muck that was slowly taking shape. Doctor Reed nodded, fear clearly written all over his face. "This way." Professor Jenkins led him out past the stairs that led down to 682's containment doors and out into a corridor that would eventually link up to the main bulk of the facility. They stopped at a T-intersection. "Right, we've got to get to the elevator. I think I know where the closest exit is from there."
"My my, another victim of the disease." Both scientists jumped at the words spoken in the voice of a demon. Jenkins screamed as he was grabbed from behind by a figure in a black cloak and a huge beak-like mask. Reed wasted no time sprinting away from the terrifying figure as fast as possible, passing an open containment area labelled 'SCP-049'.
He found the elevator Jenkins had been talking about and quickly hit the 'up' button. He trembled in the flickering light of the elevator as it hummed away softly. The doors whirred open and the barrel of a gun was shoved in his face.
"Identify yourself!" a voice commanded. Doctor Reed fumbled to fetch his ID Card from his front pocket, stammering the whole time.
"D-D-D-Doctor Jack Reed!" He finally managed to retrieve the plastic card, but it slipped out of his trembling fingers. A gloved hand picked it up off the floor. Reed took the time to stare past the gun and right at an MTF Soldier's helmet.
The MTF Soldier studied the picture on the card. Long, messy, dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes. It matched the person standing in front of her. She nodded and handed the scared scientist back his ID.
"Okay. Jack, may I call you Jack? We need to get you safely evacuated from the facility. We'll probably get the situation under control in a couple of hours, but it's best to be safe." Jack was still trembling in fear. The MTF decided taking a more friendly 'human' approach might help him. "My name is Kate, and I'm gonna get you out of here, okay?" she told him soothingly. He nodded, swallowing his nerves and doing his best to put on a brave face.
Jack followed the MTF down a few corridors, silent as possible. She held her gun in front of her; seemingly letting it led the way. Her radio buzzed.
"Lieutenant, are you there?" a voice on the other end inquired. Kate paused and pressed a button on the side of the radio.
"I copy. What is it Sir?"
"Good. You're speaking to Doctor Garrett here. This channel went down temporarily. We did a manual reboot, and it seems as though someone inside the facility has taken control of everything. And I mean everything. They were blocking our comms, and they're probably the ones who opened all the containment cells."
"I'm sorry Doctor, can you repeat that?" Kate asked, not believing her ears. "Did you say all the SCPs have breached containment?"
"That's right Lieutenant. Be on your guard, and call me if you see anything. I've been temporarily granted unrestricted access to all SCP files, so I'll keep you in the loop if you see something you can't identify."
"Roger that. Over and out." Kate adjusted her body armour and turned to Jack. "Let's keep going." They only managed to pass through two corridors before they encountered a SCP. A crocodile-like creature padded right past them into an office block. "Stay here," Kate ordered. She jogged in after it, still taking care to be silent.
She started talking into her radio again as she started walking. "I just saw a weird crocodile thing walk past," she informed Garrett.
"You mean like a lizard-crocodile thing?" Doctor Garrett asked.
"No, it was a fucking crocodile thing!" Kate snapped.
"Hey! You don't have to be so rude; I'm trying my best here."
"Yeah... yeah... I know but –"
"And I just thought with 682 out of containment he'd probably be heading your way, but –"
"Hey, just shut up for a second?" Kate cut him off. "Okay. I realise 682 is out of containment, but this thing wasn't 682." She stopped walking and just listened.
"Well, it was probably SCP-939 then. Those things are quite aggressive and inquisitive; it would be just like them to go 'exploring'."
"939? Yeah... yeah that sounds about right."
"Also, they mimic people's words – their last victims' in fact."
"Wait, mimic people?"
"Yeah, so... just be careful, okay?"
"Okay, I'll be careful," Kate assured him. "Requesting radio silence while I pursue it. Over and out." She sighed, then continued on her way. She followed 939 around, shadowing its steps, trying to find the opportunity to strike. The foundation wanted these things back alive preferably, and Kate thought she could manage it if she was careful.
Eventually, they came to another containment area, the containment doors not surprisingly wide open. She read the reference number. "Garrett, give me the details on one SCP-914."
"Er... let's see... ah yes! Here we go. It's safe, non-sentient. Its door won't even be open, since only Euclid and Keter class SCPs have been released so far. I mean, what's the point in releasing something that can't move right? I guess a better question to ask would be what is to be gained from any of this?"
"Garrett, the door's wide open," Kate told him. "And the crocodile just went inside."
"Lieutenant, stop it right now before it –"
"KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!"
"Shit, Jack. Garrett, I gotta go. I'm abandoning the SCP for a more important objective." Kate sprang to her feet and ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to where she left Jack. The corridor was empty, but the open door to her left clearly told her where the young scientist had gone. She ran in, pulling her P-90 out in front of her and flicking the safety off. Preservation of human life was more important that preservation of Foundation assets in her mind.
There was a crash of shattering glass nearby.
Kate rounded the corner and gasped at what she saw.
Jack was backing away from a pitch-black figure waving a fire axe around. Kate ran past the red case that had held the axe and ignored the crunch of glass under her feet that would be giving her away. Jack had now backed up onto a catwalk suspended at least fifty metres above a pit of pipes and other mechanical devices. The black figure was dripping a weird black substance onto the ground behind him, leaving spots of mould-like stuff on the mesh of the catwalk.
Kate levelled her gun and fired of three rounds at the figure, horrified when not only did they do nothing, but they passed right through it! The bullets ricocheted off support beams and railings, causing Jack to cry out and cower, covering his head with his arms.
Suddenly, two of the stricken support beams snapped just as the black substance melted through the mesh, causing the catwalk to break in two. The two halves swung down towards the abyss, stopping at a wavering hundred-degree angle. Kate tumbled down, only just managing to thrust her fingers into the holes of the mesh, jarring her arms but halting her fall.
She was forced to watch her gun spiral down and get swallowed up by the blackness below. She then turned her eyes up to where Jack was still being forced back by the black figure, swinging his axe. But this time, his axe struck a support. Once, twice, three times... twang, the support snapped. He turned to the support parallel to the first one. Bang, bang, bang, twang. The second support gave out. This, combined with the corrosive substance the black creature was secreting, sent another section of the catwalk crashing down towards the drop.
This time, the black figure was shaken off and fell down to the deep dark below. Kate let out a sigh of relief when her eyes locked with Jack's wild blue ones. She heaved herself back up onto the stable part of the catwalk and stared at the giant gap separating her from her charge.
"I'll find another way around," Kate assured him. "But for now, you'll have to go on without me. It's not safe here."
"W-will do!" Jack called back to her.
"Oh! And here, use this in case of an emergency!" Kate carefully tossed him a Frag Grenade. "You know how to use it?"
"I'll figure it out." He turned and opened the door next to him. Kate watched him disappear into another corridor, then walked quickly away, not stopping until she was off the catwalk. Here, she stopped to un-holster her M1911 pistol and cock it.
~~~~~~~~~~(Jack)~~~~~~~~~~
Jack studied the explosive weapon in his hand, familiarising himself with its layout, having already figured out how to use it. Squeeze handle, pull out pin, throw away. Simple. He wandered into yet another intersection.
"Jesus. How do people memorise the layout of this place? So many intersections and so little signs," he grumbled aloud, which proved not to be a very clever idea at all. A crocodile-like creature rounded the corner. Eyeless, sharp red teeth. That was the thing Kate had gone to chase after. Or maybe a different one. He didn't really care. He shrieked and hurled his axe at it. The creature caught it in its teeth, then applied pressure until it snapped with a sickening crack.
The pin made a slight tinkering sound as it hit the floor.
Roaring filled his ears and bright light assaulted his eyes seconds after he threw the grenade, throwing him down a corridor. His vision was blurry and his ears were ringing, omitting any other sounds that he might have otherwise been able to hear. He watched half-consciously as the roof caved in silently down the end of the corridor where he'd thrown the grenade. Then everything went black.
