School is starting back up so I want to get the second chapter published. It's a busy semester for me and I probably can't create a regular upload schedule.
All in all, I hope you continue to enjoy this series!
Disclaimer: The To Aru Series is owned by Kazuma Kamachi. SCP and its derivative works are under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Tajikistan, [March]/[23]/[2014]
Waiting at Khorugh airport, [Redacted] was at the very least - feeling uneasy. The airport was tiny compared to the more luxurious airports of the world's capitals, or even that of Dushanbe, but that didn't mean that [Redacted] had any less information to take in from it.
The symbols he experienced here appeared much larger than in Japan. Moreover, they would keep flashing in random intervals as if they were warning [Redacted] about approaching danger.
To say [Redacted] was an abnormal boy would be underselling it. While [Redacted] was fairly average stature for his age, he was much paler compared to the average 15-year old boy. Additionally, his irises were an unusual dark red. Together, these physical characteristics formed his albino-like appearance.
But, the most bizarre thing about [Redacted] was not what people could see about him; it was what only he could see. He wasn't sure when the floating symbols started appearing, but the first time they did, he nearly lost consciousness from information overload.
The symbols appeared in two types: numbers and arrows, and there were a lot of them. Over the years, he managed to control the information from frying his brain. Impressively, [Redacted] even managed to learn what they signified.
The numbers were magnitude: they showed how fast something was moving.
The arrows represented direction: they showed him which way something was moving.
Vectors. That was the mathematical term for the symbols that [Redacted] saw.
At first, he didn't know what to do with this new information. Who cared if he knew the exact speed of a semi-truck on the Toyko freeway? In general, the symbols served more as a nuisance even if they allowed him access to information no one else could see. Even more so, while his vision on these "invisible symbols" developed, his own memories started to slip away. The amnesia wasn't apparent at first, but over time, [Redacted] even forgot his own name.
[Redacted] spent much of his adolescent years attempting to shut off the numbers and arrows from his head. It wasn't until some nameless thug attacked him that he realized the potential of this ability. Before the knife was able to hit him, the numbers showcasing the force of the knife stab seemed to magically turn into its negative counterpart. The force of the knife was applied to the attacker instead of him. In shock, the attacker grabbed his wrist in pain, and [Redacted] quickly slipped away.
Later that night, in the kitchen of an unfinished Toyko suburb house, he practiced the entire night attempting to manually change the floating numbers. By the dawn of the following day, all he did was move a clipboard a few centimeters by tapping on it. Still, it was hard evidence that the symbols he saw could be manipulated to his will. While progress had started slow, by the start of his tenth birthday, he had complete control over the vectors within his touch.
Despite his newfound ability, [Redacted] attempted to live his life the same as he did the previous nine years. For the next three years, He continued to live in less than permanent homes, and while he wasn't starving by any means, [Redacted] was still only "scraping" by.
At the very least, his ability allowed him to be in control of any situation that might befall him. [Redacted] didn't have to worry about being mugged, attacked, or worse. This control brought him fragile peace. Unlike the rest of the less-fortunate children of Japan, he could afford to be apathetic to these scenarios the would permanently scar any other child.
Of course, he couldn't keep such power under wraps forever. Japan's underworld had already started to speak of a boy - as pale as a ghost - who was also impervious to any weapon man could think of. Many gangsters attempt to recruit [Redacted]. Just as many also attempt to kill him. Ironically, these encounters allowed him to develop his ability with greater proficiency.
When his ability changed, so did [Redacted]'s mindset. Most of the time, [Redacted] still appeared to be the reactive person he grew up as, staying in his tortoiseshell and hoping the world would just move around him. Of course, his experiences made him less trusting of others, and he became much ruder to anyone that "bothered" him. But the biggest change would occur when he "fought" someone. [Redacted] had become tired of the thugs that attempted to hurt him. Wanting to prevent any future incidents, [Redacted] became rumored as someone who personally went out of his way to hurt his opponent without remorse. The pale boy's dispassionate face would be replaced entirely: a new face that displayed a psychotic and wide smile bearing an equally wide showing of teeth. He would very much turn from a tortoise to a shark bearing down on pray. [Redacted] himself wasn't sure of the exact fight that he started doing so, but he vaguely recalled being especially anger at a would-be assassin, and breaking both the man's arms and back beyond repair. Not many underworld syndicates bothered to approach him after that incident.
Fine by him. [Redacted] was now a big fish in a small pond, and [Redacted] didn't necessarily have a problem with this lifestyle. It worked in his favor; but, there was always a nagging feeling in his head that he could be something bigger; do something bigger... do something helpful. No matter how much he pushed that thought away, it always came back- like the floating symbols that made his ability possible.
It was during his 14th birthday that he stumbled upon a young girl - appearing to be only 8 years old. "Last Order," the girl called herself. Like himself, she seemed to have a bizarre ability, and that ability made her a target to those wanting to use her. She pleaded for [Redacted] to help her. To shield her from "them" - whoever "them" was. As expected, he didn't agree at first, but he did relent eventually. Looking back, [Redacted] was exactly sure what complied him to help, but he agreed, and took responsibility for whatever happened afterward.
And on his 14th birthday, he would talk his first steps into the bigger anomalous world.
O5-4 had arrived at the airport shortly after. Despite having only met O5-4 for approximately two weeks, [Redacted] opinion on the man was very low, to say the least. For one, O5-4 seemed way too overzealous and immature for his position. The O5 council member was sprouting gray hair but still talked and acted like a restless child during a birthday party. Secondly, O5-4 had personally blackmailed him into joining the Foundation. He had reluctantly accepted the deal to keep Last Order safe, but that didn't mean he would fully comply with whatever O5-4 wanted. Sooner or later, [Redacted] would find out what O5-4 truly wanted with him, and he would be more than willing to throw a wrench into the bastard's plan.
O5-4 and Redacted walked a bit to a parking field. Before meeting the other members of the field mission, O5-4 had promised to personally introduced him to Captain Stuart - his caretaker for the mission. Much to his surprise, Captain Stuart seemed almost as pale as he was.
However, the similarities ended there. The captain was tall, and to some degree - buff. The captain also boosted a healthy smile compared to the consistently miffed-faced [Redacted].
"New member, huh?" The captain spoke while stretching out his hand. "No offense son, but you're kinda small. How old are you?"
[Redacted] took his hand.
"Around 15... I think."
"15..." Captain Stuart's smile turned into a slight frown before he murmured a few words to himself:
"A child? I thought they wouldn't try this against after the SCP-4051 affair."
Unfortunately for the captain, [Redacted] had overheard him. Unable to prevent himself from attempting a jab at O5-4, [Redacted] quickly questioned out the most mysterious part of the captain's statement.
"4051? Don't give a fuck about whoever that is, but I presume that some important bigwigs wouldn't be pleased to know that I'm here. hmmm?"
The captain froze while [Redacted] was giving an unpleasant leer at the O5 member. Ironically, it was O5-4 that had the blankest face of the trio. Unable to think of a way to talk himself out of the situation, Captain Stuart finally glanced at O5-4 in hopes of a solution.
O5-4 simply waved the captain off before mouthing at Stuart to explain SCP-4051 to [Redacted] later.
"Ah... it's nothing of much worry. The captain finally spoke. "If you are wondering, SCP-4051 is fine. I can explain more about him once we get on the car."
O5-4 checked his watch before entering the airport to a different plane.
"I must get going. Keep the boy safe at all cost."
"Yes, Sir!"
Once O5-4 had left, Captain Stuart returned his attention to the boy in front of him.
"You are aware where we are going, Yes?"
The walk that O5-4 and [Redacted] would have meant ample time for the senior Foundation member to brief [Redacted] on the mission. However, true to O5-4's restless style, the council member went on a different tirade after the first few sentences.
"No. The weird bastard talked too much on everything but the thing that needed to be done."
"Speaking of O5-4, I presumed? He's the one in charge of all MTF units and personnel. Kinda strange; even when compared to the bizarre things we deal with, but he is helpful. Trust me when I say he will eventually grow on you."
"Tch. Don't count on it. The less of him I see, the better."
The captain returned to his former smile, threw his head back, and laughed.
"You got spunk son. Before we head off, can I get a name?"
"I can't remember."
Captain Stuart made a puzzled face in response to [Redacted]'s answer.
"Beg your pardon son? Can't remember your name? They didn't use any amnestics on you, did they?
[Redacted] shrugged.
"I have a name, I don't think it's anything special, but somehow over the past few years, I forgot about it."
"Do you have any parents?" Captain Stuart asked, hoping to gather more information about the albino-like child.
[Redacted] mouthed the answer "no". He might have vaguely recalled his parents when he was younger, but he was also sure that he was an orphan all his life. Moreover, any memory of his parents probably went the same way as his name- lost.
"Well, that can't do." Captain Stuart thought for a moment." The boss said you could control vectors..."
Stuart snapped his fingers as if figuring out a Nobel-Prizing winning solution to the problem involving the boy's name.
"How about I introduce you to the rest of your comrades as "Accelerator? Fitting for your ability, No?"
As Captain Stuart led the newly christened "Accelerator" to the truck, Accelerator gave a few minor thoughts about it before silently shuffling down the captain's path.
Looking back to the past 15 years of his life, that name seemed to be the first one that stuck.
As promised, the captain had given him a brief rundown of the mission as well as the "SCP-4051 incident".
"So yeah, didn't follow Site Command's orders. Now, he's back in containment with the Ethics committee giving shit to everyone who was involved."
"How do you know about this? I presumed that the bastard told you in order to prevent "that" to happen with this mission?" Accelerator inquired.
"Smart. But yes, the boss hopes to have you avoid repeating what 4051 did."
Captain Stuart looked briefly at Accelerator before turning back to the road.
"4051 had a hero complex. He was homeless but decided to play into a vigilante role. I presume that you had a similar situation? I mean, you wouldn't be here if you had a normal family." The captain continued his assessment. "But, I think that's where the similarities end. No offense, kid, but you don't look like the person to have the same hero mentality."
"That's what the bastard wants? No?" Accelerator remarked. ""Don't worry captain. If the higher-ups want me to leave you behind to die, I will be in the next area faster than you can scream, "help!".""
"Well, you are certainly wittier full than 405." Captain Stuart laughed. "But, a lot more nihilist too."
"Didn't think that's a problem when dealing with incomprehensible monsters." Accelerator shot back.
"Maybe, but sometimes hope can be a wonderful thing... especially when dealing with incomprehensible monsters." Captain Stuart asserted.
"Anyways, speaking of incomprehensible monsters. What we are dealing with is exactly on that topic. Do you happen to be religious, son?" The captain asked.
Accelerator thought about it for a moment. There were plenty of churches that he came across in Japan, but he never went into any of them. Growing up without a permanent home meant that he had no business staying at any place for too long.
"Not really." Accelerator finally answered.
"Well, you do happen to know the main religions at least? Christianity, Buddism..."
"Hey! Stay on topic. I don't need a lecture about religion. If I want to lose my mind listening to someone drone about random things, I would have left with the old bastard."
Captain Stuart chuckled. "Anyway, the entity we are dealing with involves some "esoteric" religions. You will probably never hear of them if you're an ordinary person. The ones that are the focus of this field mission are the Mekhanites and the Sarkites. Ring any bells?"
Accelerator frowned. There was a thumping in his head as if his mind was trying to jog a memory. He possessed no memory of ever even hearing of said groups until now, yet his mind seemed to think otherwise. Eventually, the thumping stopped, which allowed Accelerator to finally give an answer. "No."
Captain Stuart sighed. While he liked the kid, he couldn't help but still draw parallels to 4051. While Accelerator might have seemed to be more mature than 4051, joining the anomalous world was a big step without any possibility of going back. It wasn't a decision that any child should make, especially without the proper knowledge.
"To give a quick run down, Mekhanities believe in human progression by changing their bodies into metal. The Sarkities are the opposite and worship the flesh as well as humanity's primal desires. They each have their own gods who they believe are in a large cosmic battle with each other."
Captain Stuart continued. "SCP-3221 is this weird entity that somehow was fused with both beliefs. The research teams stationed here are still unsure how this exactly happened. Currently, they think that some renegade thaumaturgists from both groups created 3221."
Accelerator glossed at the captain's summary. "Long story short, nutjobs created a bigger nutjob."
""Not the entire picture, but "nutjobs and bigger nutjobs" is a pretty good gist of the anomalous world.""
The captain drove the truck in relative silence after that. The boy was intelligent, just as O5-4 had exclaimed. Still, underneath the sarcasm, he could sense the anxiety that Accelerator had. It was the fear of the unknown, and Captain Stuart had seen such faces from many of the previous agents he was supposed to take care of. Captain Stuart wasn't joking with Accelerator when he stated that hope was needed in this line of work. Being reckless as a Foundation worker might lead to being under a tombstone, but so would being a complete cynic. The captain contemplated his thoughts about Accelerator before finally deciding on a single thought.
"Perhaps it's for the best that he does learn about this strange world."
Three other agents from the SCP-3221 containment site had gone on the truck before the captain drove to their target destination.
"Accelerator, these are Agents Zhang, Aziz, and Darlene." The captain introduced. "Guys, this is Agent-In-Training Accelerator."
The three agents gave Accelerator a polite smile and a small hand wave. Accelerator gave a quick glance at the new arrivals. While all the agents came from different backgrounds, he couldn't help but notice a somewhat "sickly" look on each of their faces. He had initially chalked the captain's complexion as a coincidence but looking at the other agents, Accelerator couldn't help but wonder if this type of tint would be present for everyone in this type of work. A tint that came by working side-by-side with Death. The already pale boy mused that he might turn transparent if he would ever become a veteran in this organization.
Putting away his thoughts, Accelerator turned back to looking forward, but not before noticing the different badges on Darlene and Aziz.
"Noticing a different badge, eh?" Captain Stuart asked as if reading the boy's mind. Agent Aziz and Darlene are part of MTF Nu-7 "Hammer Down. They are more heavily armed, but they are normal humans; not reality benders like us." The captain explained. "Nu-7 is sending heavier weaponry just in case."
"But you still have a pistol, as does the other guy. Don't I get one?"
"Sorry son, but no gun for now. O5 orders."
Eventually, they had arrived at the area of focus. Accelerator blinked. It was a small church about 15 miles away from the containment site. The church seemed ancient, but other than that, there wasn't anything that could be considered anomalous about it. Still, the other four agents were on edge, and they moved slowly to the front door.
Agent Aziz slowly opened the front door, and the five individuals were greeted with a low hum of organ music. The church was also dimly lit, and it was difficult for any of the agents to see ahead. Had it been anywhere else, the music, as well as the atmosphere, might have been soothing, but to the five individuals, it was clear that something was off. The instruments sounded more like grinding metal than in-tuned pianos. The agents could also hear a soft groan with everything note being played.
There were no attendees either. In fact, other than the five, there was only one other individual in the church. At the end of the building was a pastor standing at a podium.
Accelerator slowly followed the other agents who were approaching the pastor. As they got closer to the entity, it became apparent that the preacher was far from human. Where its eye should have been, were changed to clockwork gears and glass. Its legs had been replaced by metal prosthetics that more resembled wolf hind legs than human ones. Its body and face were also not spared from augmentation. The pastor's back sprouted wings shaped like a monarch butterfly, while both ears were cleaved off and replaced with the dentures of tiger teeth.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Accelerator couldn't help but yell.
"Our target." Captain Stuart replied before shushing Accelerator to stay quiet as if not to disturb the monstrosity in front of them.
"You made contact with the entity? Good. Approach it slowly. Confirmed?" Their radios had stated instructions from site command.
"Confirmed." Agent Darlene replied.
The agents were 4 feet away from the entity when they realized the pastor was introducing a prayer.
̷I̶̮͝n̴̺̍ ̷̱̄t̴̺͒ḧ̵̜́ë̸͚́ ̸͎̌n̸͈̍á̵̦m̸͛͜e̴̪͗ ̸̪̓o̴̘̊f̶̫̑ ̶̱͂t̶͔̾ẖ̴̿e̸̬͛ ̸̭͠F̷̖̑ȃ̵̩t̵͔̎h̷̘̚e̴͂͜r̸̃ͅ,̴̘̉ ̸̗̒a̶͎͂n̵̙͛d̴̘̈ ̷̡̌ǒ̷̮f̶̫̐ ̸̺̈́ṭ̶͐h̴͖́e̸̟͊ ̸̻͐S̵̠̿o̴̬͆n̶̛̼,̶̛̩ ̸̝̍a̴̰̾n̸̰̈d̵̰̋ ̸̘̃o̴̡͆f̴̪̊ ̸̛̻ẗ̵̹́h̷̬̏e̵͕̍ ̶͓̃H̴̳̍ő̶̢l̶̗̄ỹ̸̰ ̷͕͝S̴͙̈p̶̬̔i̸̼͊r̴̞̾i̷̝͝t̴͙̓...,̸̠͊
The two Nu-7 agents aimed their weapons at the pastor. Despite being in both a firepower and numbers disadvantage, the pastor continued his prayer as if the agents weren't there.
H̴̭͐ä̴̦l̵͎̀ľ̵̩o̶̢͋w̶͍̏ẹ̷͆d̶̢͐ ̴̊͜b̸̧͂e̷̥̅ ̷͇͂ṱ̵͒h̶̩̍e̴͇͋ ̷̘̇ṅ̷͈ǎ̸͕m̷̮̆e̵̞͌ ̷̟̅ò̸̱f̶̢̌ ̶̣̂t̷͇̀h̷̼̊e̵͙̐ ̵̞͝F̸̢͝a̴̤͋t̵͓̓ḧ̶̡ȇ̸͜ȑ̵͖,̵̣͝
̵̝͗W̶̪͠h̵͇͑ȯ̷͓ ̸͔͌ȧ̶̖n̵͚̋s̸̹͂w̷̦͂e̷̘͠ȑ̸̯s̴̹̾ ̷̳̇t̷̓͜h̸̤̀ë̶̩́ ̸̹͒c̶̖̊o̴̹̐m̴͓̀m̶̢̾o̷͈̿n̴̝̓ ̷̗̋p̷̨͛ṟ̵̑a̸͕̕ÿ̵͖́e̵̜̽ŕ̷͓s̶̤̔ ̷̢̅o̴̳͋f̶̬̍ ̸͔̑t̵͎̑h̷̢̐ḙ̶̿ ̸̪̈́m̶̩̂a̵͖͝n̴̮͆y̸͈̓ ̷̻̂w̸̘͛h̵̦̑ô̷̦ ̸̼͌c̵̛̦o̷͎͝n̵̡̚g̸̠̾r̴̦͑e̴͓͋g̸̟͑ă̸͔ť̷̩e̵̺͘ ̸̼̔t̸̗̕o̶͉͛g̴̝̎e̴̪͋t̵̥̏h̵̳͊ë̶̫́r̶̖͗,̴̧̌
̷͖̅W̴̩͘ĕ̵̠ ̶̘͆p̶̯̆r̷̲̎a̴͕͒y̴̬͆ ̸͈̀f̷̯̚ö̴͍́r̵̺̆ ̷̫̂ṯ̵͝h̷̜̆e̷̞̕ ̸̻̉c̴͔͌o̷̫̽m̴̭͆ǐ̶̧n̶̠̚ģ̷̀ ̵̫͆o̷̗̿f̶͙͠ ̸̰͆y̶̛̳ỏ̷̠u̵̯͒r̷͉̎ ̷̅ͅǹ̷̠e̷͕̔w̸̡̽ ̶̱̃w̸̨͛o̴͈̅r̵̹̋l̵̟͆d̷̮͊,̶̦͌
̵͙̌A̸̜̾n̸̹̋d̷͙͒ ̶͎̔f̵̙̑o̷͎̓r̴̤͝ ̵̢̍t̵͈̐ḩ̷̆è̸̯ ̷̥̋c̴͙͐o̵̺͠m̷̝̾i̶̺̓ń̸̪g̴͓͒ ̶͎͊o̸̢̽f̵̮́ ̵̬̚ỹ̵̠o̸̞͐u̶͎͘ṙ̷̫ ̶̩̉K̵̙̐ḯ̶͎n̶̖̉g̷̼̈́ḏ̴͒ó̶̰m̷̬̕,̶̖͒
"This speech feels demented." Accelerator thought. He looked at the other agents and guessed they obviously felt the same. The prayer sounded as if it was being played through a damaged audiotape, and none of the agents could make of the language being said.
Stuart was the first to muster his nerves. "State your name and reason for being here... immediately!" The Stuart ordered.
The pastor again ignored the agents and continued with the prayer.
Ä̶̟́n̴̜͝d̵͎͐ ̵̻̎t̵̯̏h̸̗̅ä̸̯́t̸͖̿ ̵͚͌o̶̘̊f̴͈̑ ̶̧͐ṯ̷̃h̵̬̚è̷͜ ̸̣̿O̶̭͑r̸̼͗ì̷̞e̵͍͗n̵̛̙ẗ̸͈́a̷̹͊l̵̪̂ ̴͙̃Ṁ̴͎ǒ̸̜n̴̮̚a̵͍̍r̶̙͒c̴̺͂ḧ̸̖́,̶̟̐ ̷̝͝ȯ̴͚f̵̜͆ ̸̬̅t̸̥̕h̸̭͘e̷̼̐ ̵̖̈́h̴̹̿ó̶̦l̴̝̚y̷̬͐ ̴͖̕P̶̯͑r̸͒ͅe̴̫͋s̸̭̍t̵̳̽ê̷͍r̵̡̆ ̶͕͌J̵̫͂o̷͙͐h̴̖̋n̷̯̚,̴̜̿
̵͎̀W̶̻̊h̴̃͜ò̶͈ ̶͇̇d̶͔͝w̵̭͝ẻ̸̞l̶̖̔l̴͖̋s̸͕̈́ ̸̥͌í̸ͅn̴͕̕ ̵̛͇t̵̡͂h̶̀͜ë̶ͅ ̷̹̑l̸̡͘i̶̺͝f̵͎̀ę̴̍ ̶̤̀ë̶̝́v̵͉̉e̷͉̿r̷̜̀ḻ̸̽ȧ̶̗s̷̨͊t̵͉̋i̸̡̔ṉ̸̆g̴̤̋,̵̢͌ ̵͈̓h̴̯͝i̴̻̋s̴̝̓ ̸̨́m̵͚͝i̸̦̒n̷̼̍d̴̻͘ ̸͉͊á̸̲t̶͗͜ ̸̬̔l̵̨͋ă̶̡ș̷͌t̴͈̂ ̶̟̓f̴̺̂ȑ̶̻ẽ̴̬e̵̘͗,̶̬͗
The agents of Nu-7 steadied their weapons. If given the order by the captain, they would turn the monstrous pastor into swiss cheese.
"I repeat, state your name and purpose."
W̶͓͐e̶̳͘ ̵̝̑p̷̰͌ŗ̷̊ạ̵̾ỹ̷̺ ̶̢̒f̴͉̍o̴̥̅r̷̥͝ ̸̯͋ỏ̶͖ŭ̶̺r̴͈̋ ̵̛͎k̶̞̈́ì̴̭n̵̲̊g̷̞̒ ̶͇͝ȁ̵̩ǹ̸͕d̴̦͝ ̴̭̚f̴̼̍ô̵̭r̵̼̓ ̴̬̑h̵̡̑ȉ̴̮s̸̘̄ ̶̤͒e̵͜͠n̵̩̅d̷͎̽l̶̼͂ë̶̲́s̴̛͕s̴̙̈ ̸̥̉f̶̒͜ẻ̸̩ȁ̶̺s̴̰̕t̷͉͆,̷̪̾
̶͙̃Ų̴͗n̴̬̑ẗ̸͚́i̸͉̓l̴̫̊ ̷̲͑o̴͜͝u̶̧͂r̴̡̐ ̷̪̈́w̸͕͂ô̵͎r̴̙̅l̴̳̍d̷̲́ ̷͖̕c̶̤̓a̷̛̯n̸͓̋ ̴̙̽b̶̛͎ȅ̵͚ ̷̩̕b̵͍̈́a̵̲͂t̷̖́h̸̝͗e̸͍̍d̴̯͘ ̶̬͊i̶̗͊n̸̥̈ ̸̮͠t̴͌͜h̶̳̑e̵̩̽ ̴͙̓h̴̜͗o̷͉͒l̷̤̚y̷͈͠ ̵̔͜l̴͎̽ī̸̩g̶̢͒h̷̞̿ẗ̷̙ ̷̟́o̶̺͛f̵͍̄ ̴͍͂t̸̛̪h̴͕̕é̸͍i̸̦̽r̵̰̋ ̵̯͑r̸̪͝i̶͎͘g̴̭̚ḧ̵͓́ţ̶́e̵̟̚o̸̖̚ù̵͈ș̶̚ ̵̦̿s̴̊͜w̶̫̔o̴͍̽r̷̯͑d̸͓̂s̸̢̀,̴̖̏
No response, except for the continuing of the prayer.
"Fire!"
Both Darlene and Aziz opened fire on the pastor. The bullets of the machine guns plastered the pastor's body with holes. The pastor crumbled into a bloody and metallic mess right on the church's podium... before instantly getting back up on his metal wolf legs and finishing his prayer.
̭̥̗̔͌͆͝I̷͇̫̰̪̺̘̱̓̈̇͒̍͝n̴̛͓̓̅̊ͅ ̵̡̘̪̗̟̖̈́́̉͒̚t̴̯͒̍ḥ̶͚̀͊͊͠ě̸͓̫̭̩̏̈́̃̂ ̴̧̝̫͈̬̖͋̚̚ṋ̸̱̞̼̥͙͖̽̃̇ā̴͚͕̺̠̉̽̿̀m̷̙̻̱̟̯͠e̷͎̾̓̀ ̵̜̟̝̱̫̖̼͋̆̈ợ̵̱̅͂̒̄̔̕f̵͔͉̲̺͇̤͑́̒͜ ̴̪͎͎̭͉͔̤͛̀͑t̷̨̛̞͕͗͆̽h̸̬̖͔͓͈̮̪̉̒̈̈̀e̶͖̫͛͂ ̶̡̢̹̗̘̭̓͛̚͝F̶̖̔͋͜l̵̢̞̭̻̩̖̰͗̏͛͘e̷̟̰̋̽̚̕s̴̪̦̗̼̙̩̎̿̚h̴̹̟͋̒́ͅ,̵̛̬̲̱̫̞̠͖̂̚ ̷̼̞̞̺̬̾ȧ̷͉̯̯̀̽̓n̷͙̾͒́̊͠͝d̴̢̥̦͎̪͎͆̽̐̒̊͘͠ ̸̝̥͕̂͐o̶̢̼̣̿̓̓̇͗ͅf̷̳̲͓̄̅́͜͝ ̸̛̻̣̗͗́̐̓̿̒t̸̡͍̭̙̽̍̈̎̄h̷̩̣̻̏͆͆̀ͅe̵͖͑̎̑̉͝ ̸̨͇̭͛S̶̪͔̯̉̉͂͒̂͂t̶̖̩̞͍̞͍͛͌̄ͅě̸̮̝̘͓̟̯͚̽̀e̵̹͉̠̻̝͛̓͌̓͑̐͜l̸̠̖̹̑̆̓̈̐̔,̵͓̘̓͒̕͘ ̷̘͇̯̂͒͛͗̌͜͝ạ̸̧̯͚͖͗ͅn̴̗̦̯̫̙͌́͆̇̽d̷̛̗͇́͊͊͒̌ ̸̳̳̦͚̈̀̄o̸͙̹̯̥̲͐̒́͗ͅf̸͈̩͓̩̄̃̕ ̶̼͈̈́͊̑t̷̖̙̠̬̦̺̬̐̈́̿̎ḩ̴̢̠̩͍̮̈e̵̡͖̣̟͛͛ ̸̥͇̙̿H̴͍͕̝̭̠̖͒̑̉̚͜o̴͕͈̟͔̮̒̉́̄͛̓l̴͇͕̩̽̈́͌̕y̸͔̜̽̇̓͂̇͘͘ ̷̨̨̲̱̲̏́̈́͝ͅČ̴̻̅ǫ̴͂̊̔̀͊͊͂r̸͓̬̯͔͓̺̚p̴̣̜͎̞̥̀̅̍́̕̕͝s̴̲̅̕e̶̟̠̹̟̺͆̉,̷̤̼̞̠͖̤̈́͊͌́̿̃̽ͅ
̶̹̰̄͝W̵̳̅o̷̘̻͚̎̿̊̕r̵̡̘̦͕̠͋̆̀̐͠l̴̮̬͍͎͈͖̗̄͛̉̈́̐d̵̢̪̳̙͕͈̃̈́͐ ̴̛͍̹͓̘w̵̫̠̠͇̙͎̮͌͛́î̴̩͈̌t̸̬̪̤̅͑̓̕ͅh̷̹̝͚̩͆̐̑̉̎͠͠ȯ̶̡͚͉̬̩̭͐̈́͝ư̵̦̽́͛͑̎̚t̶̢̩̪̬̱̱̿̀ ̴̧̫̹͗̽̒͗̄e̶̖̗͗̄̊͝n̶̡̛̗̼̣̥̽̂̋͘d̸͍̮̞͋́ͅ.̶̋̄̏̎̕͜
No sooner did the pastor finish reading the final word did the already dim lights of the church turned off.
The floor of the church shooked as if it was hit by an earthquake. Accelerator looked back at the podium and realized that the pastor had disappeared after the prayer. He wasn't able to contemplate how as the floor broke, and the agents were shallowed by the Earth below.
They didn't fall for too long. After 30 seconds, Accelerator could clearly see the ground below. Surprisingly, it was not dirt or stone that would break their fall but a large sand dune. While this might have sent Accelerator back to his usual apathetic self, the other agents had a much different reaction.
"Zhang!" The captain hollered. "We are still falling! Manifest something before we touch the sand."
Accelerator head whipped right to look at Agent Zhang. The middle-aged man seemed to be concentrating heavily. Sweat was pouring out of his head, and his eyes were clenched shut.
No sooner did Accelerator look back down, there was a massive piece of wood sitting where the sand dune orginally was.
"Your turn son. Captain Stuart shouted. "If you haven't noticed yet, you better use that vector power of yours; otherwise, we are all going to turn into splattered remains.
Accelerator stared blankly towards the sand dune. This was only the second time that he was using his ability to save another person.
The other agents managed to grab on to Accelerator's limbs. Like Zhang, he concentrated and attempted to reduce the speed of their descent. The numbers and arrows obeyed him, and he willed them to decrease. As they did, the agents started to softly drift onto the wood.
The other agents tumbled onto the plank. Each trying to catch their breath while also thanking their newest comrade. Accelerator showed his usual mild face, but the boy also felt a slight sense of satisfaction growing inside his chest.
Eventually, the agents rose up. Unfortunately for the field team, none of them could make out anything from their radios. It had appeared that the team had lost contact with Site Command. Slowly each Agent took a look at their immediate surroundings. All they could see were thousands upon thousands of sand dunes. The area seemed to stretch out limitlessly. However, much to Accelerator's surprise, he could see fish popping out of the sand as if it was water instead.
Finally, it was Captain Stuart that spoke... and cursed.
"Well, Fuck."
Sort of a cliffhanger. The next chapter will be the agents traversing SCP-3221 to its fullest. Once again, I'm happy to finish a chapter, but I still feel that his story is a little rough around the edge. Probably needs more detail. You might have noticed that Accelerator and Last Order have abilities, but they are not in Academy City. Well, in this story, Academy City or - Canon Academy City - won't exist, but I have different plans for it. In any case, think of Accelerator's & Last Order's power in this story as gemstones. I will write about Accelerator's year with Last Order in greater detail in future chapters.
A few questions that some people might have.
Q: Will Accelerator's real name be revealed.
A: Yes, but I don't think it will be anytime soon.
Q: SCP-4051 is mentioned a lot. Will he play a part?
A: Same answer as the last question: Yes, but I don't think it will be anytime soon.
Q: Is SCP-4051 Touma?
A: Lol! But, no. SCP-4051 and Touma both have "hero complexes", but SCP-4051's hero complex was purposely written to be a foil to classic comic book heros (Almost always good). Touma's complex is much more grey in morality. [shit summary I know]. SCP-4051 is still going to be Mr. Rainer, and I also have future ideas that I can write about. Touma will be in this story too, but as someone else. Hint: Someone who also sort of negates the supernatural.
Q: Accelerator's powers seem different.
A: Yes, since he never underwent the Esper program, I'm trying to write his powerset in a SCP style. The underlying power is the same, but Accelerator will be a bit weaker at the start. (He will grow stronger with each passing mission)
I think that covers about everything. Criticism and comments for the story are more than welcome! Take care everyone!