Chapter 8- November, 2008

November 7, 2008

Gears is not happy. Not at all. In fact, it seems the whole foundation appears to be against our friendship now. I thought their opinions would change for the better, but I hear nothing but vicious lies and rumors. Dr. O'Reilly and Cool both tell me not to listen, but they aren't the ones being called a whore, a slut, and all kinds of inappropriate names. I've hardly wanted to leave my cell…why couldn't I just have one night?

Why couldn't I be allowed to feel beautiful and happy with someone I love without the blowback from being labeled as his whore? We didn't do anything but dance and talk. Why does everything always have to go wrong for me?!

So of course word has reached Gears and now he's vouching for my termination! It's looking bleak, but I've done nothing wrong. I know, Cool knows, and God knows I'm innocent of any and all wrong doing.

Cool is also being punished. Not only is he forbidden to see me until all of this is worked out, but Gears has been dumping all kinds of work on him keeping him busy.

But he still sends me small notes and letters, so I know he still thinks of me. It's good, but I don't think it's helping our cause, or at least mine, any. I don't care if they kill me, but I don't think I could live in a world where he no long exists. Life would be miserable. I don't really think it'd be life at all. I guess, when you love someone that much, you start to see that life wasn't all that great before them.

Yours,
Caddy

November 14, 2008

Now I've pretty much been put under cell arrest! Dr. O'Reilly even has been banned from seeing me! All of my books and notebooks have been confiscated, but I managed to hide this journal and keep it.

Gears is isolating me. He's cutting me off from everything I love and stripping away my freedom slowly and painfully. Cool is fighting it, at least that's what I've heard. I just can't believe that he's actually fighting his mentor, his teacher, for me! He really is my very own prince Valiant.

My testing has gotten much more dangerous. They've started testing me on more Keter classes. Carlisle was one of these, as about two days ago, he was having his yearly "Incident" which no one really knows what triggers it. Iris has tried to ask, but he still won't talk to her.

Anyway, I was sent to subdue him, which I really didn't have to do too much, just cover his cell in quartz. A simple enough task on the surface, but Carlisle is also a reality bender. Yes, so it really isn't all that easy. But when it's finally done, his power is negated. I feel bad, but I know it's for the good of everyone here.

I just wish somehow I could see either of my doctors. Everything's just so lonely. It doesn't feel like home anymore…

Yours,
Caddy

November 21, 2008

Cool had one of his soldiers leave me a note with food. I knew it was from him by the handwriting as he didn't sign it this time. He actually is trying to fight Dr. Gears for me, but with only Dr. O'Reilly on his side, the situation is bleak.

It was the same soldier from before, who helped to pull me out of 106's pocket dimension. When I asked, he introduced himself as Paladin Night.

"I suppose…you wouldn't remember" he admitted.
"I remember, you helped me get away from 106"
"But we met a long time ago. Much sooner than that".
"What?" I asked, "When?"

He looked a little saddened at my confusion. "You were just a little girl…trapped in that hell house-"
"You helped me out of that house?!"
"It was one of my first missions" he told me with a somewhat shy smile, "To retrieve you".

I tried to remember but I guess I had chosen to block most of it out along with most of my foster family's abuse. But he seemed so kind, despite a man of his size and strength. I felt shame for allowing myself to forget.

"I'm sorry" I apologized, "For not remembering".

Paladin shrugged. "Some things are just best forgotten. But I want you to know that Dr. O'Reilly and Cool aren't the only ones fighting for you, contrary to what he might think. I am, most of the MTFs are backing him too. Kondraki at Site 17 is also vouching for your life. You have a lot more friends here than you think Cadence".
"And you even call me by my name".
"A name I never forgot. You've touched more lives than you think too".
"Are you a friend of Cool's?" I asked.
"We work together. He asked me to come check on you".
"Where is he now?"
"Gears has been keeping him crazy busy with his Keter studies. But behind the scenes he's working with Dr. O'Reilly to build your case in your defense. I have a feeling the O-5s will want to keep you alive".
"Why?"
"Because you've helped with a lot of research with 106 and 409. On top of that, your crystal is the only thing that can stop 3030's episodes every year. They won't kill you. You're too valuable to the Foundation…and to Cool, believe it or not".

I shouldn't have been taken back by the last one, but I was. I knew Cool valued me, but I wasn't sure just how valuable I was to him. I'm still not entirely sure. Before I could ask anything else, Paladin excused himself and had to leave.

At least now I know I have someone else on my side that, hopefully, I can trust.

Yours,
Caddy

November 28, 2008

My case has been taken all the way to the O-5 Council! They surprisingly seem to agree with Paladin, as well as Dr. O'Reilly, that I've done much to aid in the research of some of the most dangerous SCPs the Foundation has collected. Faced with my friendship with junior researcher Dr. Cool, the Council appears to be split. They can't kill me without the threat of too much backlash, so they won't risk it. One side argues our friendship has potential to be dangerous, while the other half seems more open to the idea, albeit for research purposes.

I just don't get why two people just can't be friends anymore. Do others have to be nosy and try to use meaningless assumptions to back up their insignificant points of view? If it's not hurting them or effecting them in any way shape or form, why do they care?

Because they're the O-5 Council, leaders of the Foundation, and I, supposedly, am a threat to their existence. But there's one thing about this obscure council that I have: They don't know me. The council is typically forbidden from interacting with anomalies, something about them being too valuable or some other nonsense. But therein lies the problem.

How on God's green earth do you know what, or in some cases, who you are containing? Yes, you can have information on paper, statistics, and all that other good jazz but how can you contain or keep something safe that you don't entirely know?

Dr. O'Reilly knows me like his own daughter. Dr. Cool knows me probably about as much as I know myself. Paladin Night, whom I only just met, knows me better than they do. It's like a king trying to rule a country he knows nothing truly about. Reading about it isn't enough. Interaction with what you're containing helps one to learn more about what they're doing. That's why they fail to see us as people. The truth of the matter is…is they don't know us. They never have, and if this kind of attitude keeps up, they never will. And that only spells trouble for future Anomalies everywhere.

Yours,
Caddy