"Hey, you good?"
I looked up to see who spoke to me, and saw my CO looking at me with concern and what looked like a bit of fear etched into his eyes. His name was Jason, callsign Morningstar, and was an African American man with green eyes. He was wearing the same thing as I and the rest of our squad: a standard, black MTF uniform with an M4A1 rifle and HK45 sidearm.
We were currently prone in an abandoned building overlooking an empty street in Bengaluru, India. The time was currently around 1300 hours and our mission was to recontain the escaped SCP-2059, or as it was more colloquially known, the Wall of Flesh. Well, "wall" wasn't exactly accurate, more like Blob of Flesh since it had been gorging itself on innocent bystanders after reappearing in India 2 weeks after it broke containment and escaped the facility it was in, Site 36.
As per usual with containment breaches like this, a couple detachments of Omega Orange had been authorized to act as the front line of the recontainment force as we were the most expendable. I was in Jewel Team, the other two being Onyx Team and Iron Team, each containing 5 members.
I don't know who were in the other teams, but mine consisted of Jason, our leader, Margaret, callsign Evergreen, Candice, callsign Candy, and a new friend of mine, Julius, callsign Smoothie. This was my first op with the elusive Foundation, and I while I had no special allegiance to them, I wasn't going to shirk my duties. This was serious, and we all knew the stakes.
"Yeah, I'm good, just a little nervous is all." I responded, my hands shaking slightly. I wasn't spooked easily, but my time spent in the Foundation lately has led me to learn about many anomalies, monsters, and other such creatures that had made me question just what I thought I knew about the world, and this monster was no exception.
Ever seen the movie "The Blob"? Well, imagine that, but not as malleable and omnipresent, and you've got SCP-2059. It gave me jitters just thinking about it, but there was at least one saving grace to it. Given that it is just a massive blob of flesh, it is highly conductive and high amperage is extremely debilitating for it. So, each squad was given a single, massive taser gun that can pump around 0.5 amps into a target in a single pulse. It was designed by the Foundation specifically to incapacitate large, monstrous anomalies and is more than capable of killing a human. The hope is that it is strong enough to push the current somewhat evenly across all the separate organs inside of SCP-2059, but tests have yet to be performed.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Jason reassured me,"All we gotta do is coordinate with the other teams and get a good pulse on the bastard, at least long enough for the containment team to swoop in from behind it and enclose it in the containment box."
"I still don't understand how we're gonna get it in the box." Julius said to my right, looking down at the street with his binoculars.
"That's for the containment team to know, Smoothie," Jason responded before continuing,"But from what I can gather, their plan is to use an MRAP to push the thing into the containment box while it is stunned. Then, the one open side will shut like a cage and trap the bastard before he can recover from the pulse."
The aforementioned MRAP was located in a parking garage in the building we were hiding in, and the containment box was a large, steel box about 1.5 inches thick in the parking lot of a supermarket right across from us.
"Wouldn't that mean that the MRAP will get all that current when it hits?" Margaret asked while crouched and peering out from behind a wall, also overlooking the street with binoculars.
"Supposedly, they've taken precautions so that the MRAP and the occupants will be fine, but be careful NOT to make contact with the MRAP or the anomaly at any time during this operation. Got it?" Jason answered and finished with a warning that really should go without saying. We've all read the document on SCP-2059 and we've all perused the mission dossier.
"When did the containment team say the target would be arriving?" Margaret asked.
"About 10 minutes, which are coming close to passing." Jason said before sighing."Candy, get in touch with the containment team, see where they're at."
Candice was behind all of us with the radio and had been communicating with the other teams for a while now. Onyx team was across the street from us in a building just to the left of the parking lot, and Iron team had the unlucky job of being the ones to set up and monitor a blockade to keep the target from leaving the AO.
With a nod, Candice went to contacting the containment team.
"Come in containment team Lima-13, this is Jewel 1-4, requesting an update on the status of the target, over." she spoke into the radio. We all listened in very closely, but after about a minute of listening, there was no response.
"Jewel 1-4, this is Onyx 1-1, we have lost contact with Lima-13. How copy, over?", we heard the CO from Onyx team say over the headset.
"Solid copy, 1-1, no luck on our end, either. I'm going to get in touch with command and see if they have any news for us, over." Candy spoke over the headset to Onyx team.
"Come in, command, this is Jewel 1-4. We have lost contact with Lima-13. Are we to continue with the mission, over?" she asked.
"Copy, 1-4, Lima-13 stopped sending updates about 6 minutes ago. We are still verifying the situation, but you are to continue with your mission if the target appears in the AO, over." was the response we received.
"10-4, over and out." Candy said before switching off the radio. "Son of a bitch…How the hell do we even know that the target is still coming this way?" she said to herself.
"Typical command. Giving vague and impossible objectives since it's inception." Julius joked.
Just then, we all heard something that made our skin crawl.
It started slow, a dragging sound accompanied by squishy, wet plops. Then, we saw a massive blob of flesh come around the corner several blocks down and begin approaching the AO.
"Welp, guess we're in luck, fellas." Julius joked as we stared in morbid fascination. It seemed to undulate down the street at about 5mph, and while it didn't exactly look like a sphere, it seemed to be almost 28 feet in diameter at it's longest point.
"Oh my God, it's got the containment team!" Margaret quietly exclaimed as we watched it. Upon closer inspection, it did indeed have have a few arms and legs sticking out of it that bore the same black uniform that we were wearing. Some of these appendages were still moving.
"Shit, attention to all MTF personnel." Jason spoke over the headset,"The containment team is KIA, I repeat, the containment team is KIA. Command wants us to finish our objective regardless, so we're gonna have to contain it ourselves."
A sigh could be heard over the headset before someone spoke,"Roger, Jewel 1-1, mission will proceed as planned." I recognized the voice as Onyx 1-1. I don't know anything about the other team members, but it seems like we're gonna have to work together to get this done ourselves. We know the general plan, so we should be fine as long as we don't panic. Just stay calm, Isaac, stay calm.
"W-Well, whatever you do, you better do it fast, Goddammit! Our blockade isn't going to do much!" the voice I recognized as Iron 1-4 spoke over the headset. Guess some people just can't manage to stay calm.
The mass of flesh seemingly realized that where he was headed led to a blockade, and instead of turning around to retreat, it suddenly became openly hostile and began to move faster towards Iron team.
"Shit, it's coming!" Iron 1-4 screamed into the headset in fear.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do." Jason said into the headset."Onyx team, we'll stick with the original plan of incapacitating the target with the tasers. Then, one of my guys will man the MRAP and ram the bastard into the box in the parking lot next to you."
"But how are we going to use the MRAP or close the box? The containment team were the ones with the remote and the keys to the MRAP." Onyx 1-2 said over the headset.
"We'll have to improvise." Onyx 1-1 responded before continuing."Jewel 1-1, anyone over there know how to hotwire an MRAP?"
"Affirmative." Jason responded.
"Alright, send them and have another guy shoot the lock on the box. You're the ones with the best vantage point for it."
"10-4, 1-1, and Iron team, keep the target's attention on you guys." Jason finished.
"Wilco, but if guys fuck this up, I am so coming back to haunt you." replied Iron 1-1. With that, Jason turned to all of us who were now fully alert.
"Smoothie, you know how to hotwire, so you're going down to man the MRAP. Evergreen, go with him." Jason ordered.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Julius responded, obviously apprehensive about the whole ordeal.
"Lightning, you've got the best marks, so you're on box-closing duty." Jason said while looking to me.
"Got it." I answered.
"I've got the taser. Candy, update command on the situation. Let's go, people!" Jason quietly exclaimed, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves.
Julius and Margaret ran out of the room and down the parking garage where the MRAP was. Meanwhile, Jason and I readied our respective weapons and began to take aim. It had been about 30 seconds and the mass was getting closer and closer.
"Jewel 1-1, this is Onyx 1-1. Target is almost within range, you ready?" the Onyx CO asked over the headset.
"Ready as I'll ever be. Smoothie, Evergreen, Lightning, you ready to go?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, God, I can't believe I'm doing this..."
"Yes, sir."
"Affirmative."
We all gave our respective affirmations before the plan was finally sprung into motion. I only loosely paid attention to what was happening so that I could maintain focus on the latch holding up the open side of the box
A pop could be heard from the large taser Jason held in his hands as he fired at the target. Thankfully, both his own and Onyx teams aims were true as the large barbs embedded themselves into the Wall of Flesh. As the pulse was activated, a loud ticking sound could be heard as the target immediately slowed and screamed out in pain. The smell of burning flesh was palpable in the air as smoke began to rise from the target. After just a couple seconds of electrocution, the mass stopped right in front of the entrance to the parking garage as planned.
The roar of an engine could be heard as the MRAP leapt out of the parking garage at surprising speeds and rammed into the target head on. Thankfully, the electrocution also had the intended effect of stiffening the blob so that it couldn't morph around the MRAP. As it was struck, however, the barbs were knocked loose from the flesh and it stopped being electrocuted.
It didn't take long, thankfully, for the MRAP to reach the containment box across the street and stop just before in order to launch the blob straight into the box with a resounding bang. Immediately, Julius began to back the MRAP up as the blob began to recover and get out of the box. However, it couldn't do so in time.
The second that the target hit the walls of the box, time seemed to slow for me as I deeply inhaled and steadied my shot. As I exhaled, one round was all it took to hit the large latch holding the box open and caused it to fail, resulting in the box closing with a loud bang and automatically sealing itself with extremely strong magnets. While steel itself normally isn't a magnet, Neodymium, which was used to reinforce the side that opens and closes, is very magnetic. And expensive. The foundation really doesn't mess around, huh?
With that, the target was contained successfully and we all let loose one big sigh of relief.
"We-We did it!" a member of Iron team yelled out over the headset as his entire team started celebrating. I'm sorry, there's no "we" in this, fucko, Jewel team did most of the work.
Still, I guess I can excuse their excitement seeing as they did just come pretty close to dying.
"Candy, call it in. The rest of you, get back up here." Jason yelled to his team."You did good, all of you."
"Command, this is Jewel 1-4, the target has been recontained. I repeat, the target has been recontained, over." Candice spoke over the radio.
"Solid copy, 1-4, great work. Have you confirmed the status of the containment team, over?" command asked.
"Affirmative, command, containment team is KIA, consumed by the target, over" Candice responded in a low, almost somber tone. I don't know why.
I mean, yeah, people dying isn't good, but we barely knew anything about those guys except for the fact that they are dicks to us for being a part of Omega Orange. I honestly couldn't care less that they bit the dust.
"Copy, 1-4, extraction is en route to your position. Have all remaining MTF personnel standby for debriefing, over." command ordered.
"10-4, command, 1-4 out." Candice said before relaying the news to all of us."Extraction's coming to pick us up, everyone."
"Alright, we can finally get out of here." Julius said with another sigh of relief as Margaret laughed at his expense.
"Good job, guys, drinks are on me to-" Onyx 1-1 began before a loud bang from the containment box cut him off. Then another, and another. As it happened, we began to see dents forming in the steel.
"Holy shit, is that thing denting the box!?" Margaret yelled in disbelief as, in one final bang, the side I closed on the box flew off and into the building we were in, just above us. We were lucky the building didn't collapse on us right then and there.
The mass began to ooze out from the box before rushing into the MRAP and swallowing it whole. The last thing we heard from Margaret and Julius was there screams as the MRAP disappeared into the Wall of Flesh.
"N-No...this can't be right…" I muttered to myself as a large, yellow eye on the blob looked dead at me as I shook in place. Just then it seemingly lunged into the floor of the building I was on, knocking me back against the back wall while eating both Jason and Candice right in front of me. I could hear as their bones snapped and blood poured from their bodies as multiple mouths with rows of teeth each tore into them and flayed their skin from their bones.
"God, no… this isn't…" I continued to mutter and shake in fear as I had noticed I began to wet myself. The blob slowly approached me, seemingly savoring my fear before it finally lunged at me.
"This isn't how it happened!" I screamed in abject terror.
Wait, how it happened?
That was my last thought as the Wall of Flesh finally collided with my body.
"AHHH!" I screamed as I immediately sat up in my soft bed, shaking like a leaf as I hugged myself with eyes wide open and teeth chattering.
Wait, soft bed?
I immediately snapped out of my stupor and looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was in a small, stone room in a bed that was seemingly in a back corner with myself now facing towards the only door to the room. The room was lit by a single candle on a small, wooden table with a chair on the other side of the room.
"Ugh, a nightmare…" I mused to myself as I brought my palm to my face. "But it was so...real." I said as I thought about my nightmare, still fresh in my head. The scenario was almost identical to Operation: Takeout which was my first op with the Foundation. The differences only started at the end of the nightmare, after we had recontained the Wall of Flesh. In reality, the target never broke out of the box and was successfully transported back to Site 36. Aside from Lima-13, no casualties were suffered and we all lived happily ever after. Well, as happily as one can after being transported to another fucking world.
After a deep breath to fully calm myself down, I noticed something else. Moving my left hand away from my face, I found that, much to my surprise, my left arm was not broken. That made no sense, I distinctly remembered it getting broken in that fight with Elizabeth.
Oh yeah, the fight. Guess I lost. I wasn't too beat up over it given that she WAS superhuman and didn't violate me...I hope.
All my clothes were still on, but my helmet and balaclava were sitting on the table with the candle. As I made to get out of bed to retrieve them, the door open and in walked a familiar face.
"Hey, Isaac. Heard a scream, you alright?" Roland said as he entered the room.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bad dream is all." I assuaged him. Although, for someone who apparently just heard a scream, he seems rather calm about it.
"Ah, that's what I thought. You seemed to be distressed in your sleep when we were healing you." he responded.
So they healed me, guess that explains my arm, but now that I think about it, my leg also feels better. Moving into a sitting position and rolling my pant leg up, I could see that my leg looked good as new. No scars, stitching, or anything else.
"...You wanna talk about it?" Roland asked as he looked at me with concern.
"Hmm?" I responded as I looked up to him, "No, that's okay. I don't want to talk about it." I said. More like I CAN'T talk about it, but he doesn't need to know that.
"Suit yourself." he responded before continuing,"In any case, why'd you pick a fight with Elizabeth? You do know she's a Salamander, right?"
"First off, she picked a fight with me, and second off...I may have gotten a little angry at her insults." I responded with an annoyed tone.
"Whatever," he said with a sigh,"She did want to see you after you woke up, though."
"What does she want now?" I asked, irritation evident in my voice.
"Don't know, but she seemed pretty worried she hurt you." he said while turning back towards the door. "Want me to fetch her?"
"I guess…" I droned out with a sigh.
With an indifferent, almost tired nod, Roland walked out and shut the door behind him.
Reaching over, I picked up my balaclava and helmet and put them both back on as I waited for Roland to come back with Elizabeth.
I swear to God, if she starts anything else, I'm gonna put a bullet in her skull.