SCP-1428 – "Cortexichildren"

Chapter 9: Breach Protocol

Disclaimers: During the writing process, all of the SCP number selections I have used were / are vacant. I don't intend to publish this on the wiki, so if the series number is now taken… no1curr. This is mainly a crossover fic, not a SCP event log that will go on the site.

Forever reminder that I do not own anything. Fringe belongs to J.J. & co. Each SCP belongs to their respective individual author. The SCP universe belongs to that collective on that site. I do not own anything. I am a fan.

Forever reminder of how I handle alt!characters: Over There: Bob. Over Somewhere Else: Bob.

Author's Notes: This chapter is hella more game-based I won't even lie. Also there will be a change of pace that I'm not going to disclose here. Read up, motherblubber.

Altho referring to things as "SCPs" is incorrect in the SCP-verse, Nick & Olivia & the Fringe team don't know that. So I'm going to keep that up. So don't kill me.

Thanks for the review, nire47. :D

Sirens were screaming all around her. They were deafening and obnoxious.

Olivia was surprised at how empty the facility was. She had expected the place to be crawling with doctors. And she had expected a platoon of armed forces to jump out at her as soon as she walked out. But there was no one. Perhaps she was used to the constant flow of people, like in Massive Dynamic, but… this seemed more like an underground secret bunker more than anything.

"This side is experiencing a Euclid level containment breach. Initiate lockdown procedures. I repeat! This side is experiencing a Euclid level containment breach. Initiate lockdown procedures. All Alpha-2 units are to target and secure SCP-1428-2. Alpha-2 Task Force will then transport both specimens to Armed Bio-Containment Area-14."

The facility was mainly a series of empty tunnels, hollow halls, and sparse corridors. It looked… deserted. Perhaps the lockdown procedures had rendered the place a wasteland, or perhaps there were fewer people here than Olivia first assumed.

Navigating through the place was actually very simple - although the rooms DID look very similar. Olivia understood now what Dr. Montgomery meant as she passed down three round and darkened tunnels, two forked areas, and four white-walled rooms. The walls were mostly white tiles and the floors a slick grey surface; everything was white on grey or grey on white. Until she got to the corridor with darkness on every side, suspended by a metal bridge with a matching metal floor. As soon as she started stepping forward, black gas flooded in from every direction. Olivia panicked. Olivia sprinted. She hoped it was more of a poisoning system than an alert system. Her lungs, luckily, seemed to be alright, but her eyes were watering and stinging. She didn't have time for this.

When she could finally see again, Nick's series of numbers still hadn't popped up on her screen. How big WAS this place? It was MASSIVE for being so empty. And to think that she had been transported all over this place, without even being conscious. Olivia shook her head.

No sign of anyone so far still. Olivia certainly didn't want to run into this Alpha task force. At the moment, she was more concerned with getting Nick and leaving as soon as possible. Killing special team members was not high on her priority list. But if any of them were to get in the way of her goal - in the way of Nick or their escape - she would not hesitate to snap their necks. Or hopefully recreate that firestarter moment back from when she was still in her cell. Olivia still had no idea what had triggered her. Was it anger? How much anger? And was it a specific anger?

'Can't think. I just need to keep running.' Olivia wished she had shoes on. The metal flooring was not kind on her bare feet. But at least she was wearing clothes. A horrid white sheet of a jumpsuit, but she was still clothed. And this madness was still better than trying to escape a facility from the Other Side while in a hospital gown, slightly sedated, and hyped up on adrenaline.

More running. Now Olivia was passing abandoned computer-lab type rooms. Just desk after desk after desk. And screens. Multitudes of screens. If she had more time, she would've tried to gain access to their database. Or better yet, if she had access to Astrid... she would've had access in no time.

'Note to self: buy Astrid something nice, too.' Olivia had taken for granted their amazing R2 unit for far too long. 'Strudel for Walter and a day off for Astrid. I'll give her some money for dinner. She can go out on a date. Have a normal life - for once. She deserves it, too. No. Don't lose focus. You can plan when you're actually free, Olivia; you're not out of this mess yet.' She looked back down at the S-Nav. Nick was finally in range for his numbers to appear, but there was no circle. Olivia was still far away.

How long had it been? And where was the team sent out to collect her? Was she taking too long? Olivia kept punching the buttons for the doors to open again and again. 'I hope to fuck they aren't on the other side of one of these doors. Even I can't react fast enough to that.' But so far she was in the clear.

A large red circle appeared on the S-Nav. Nick was near. But with this came a sudden realization, a thought process Olivia should have had when she first bolted out of her cell and blindly followed Dr. Montgomery's programmed course. 'Will there be guards stationed outside his cell? Probably. But what do they think I'm doing? Do they know I'm making a run for Nick? Or do they think I'm going the heartless route, sprinting for the exits?' Olivia swore, 'Shit. This is probably a horrible decision. I bet they're camped out waiting right by Nick. They KNOW how much he means to me. That goddamn Dr. Montgomery set me up, didn't she?' But it was too late to turn back.

'Damnit I haven't been closing the doors behind me. It's going to be obvious.' Olivia doubled back and closed two of the doors. 'I'm losing time no matter what I do.'

'Fuck.' Now she came to another fork - three tunnels. And the S-Nav thought it was the perfect time to malfunction. There was no red line traveling to a certain tunnel. She was in the dark.

Time to focus. 'Focus on Nick, Olivia. Just like you did in the park. Find that "feeling." Find Nick.' Olivia knew that she was leaving herself vulnerable, standing there in the middle of the tunnel, closing her eyes and hoping for the best. If one of their agents saw her, she'd be an easy shot. Right to the neck; Olivia wouldn't suspect a thing. But she NEEDED to find Nick. If she didn't find Nick, all would be lost.

Something said middle tunnel. There was no time to doubt it. This was all she had; just a feeling at the bottom of her stomach. How far Olivia had fallen – from being logical and tactical to relying on sheer whispers of feelings, low probabilities of insight. 'Keep going,' that something told her. 'That's the way.' And the red line reappeared on the S-Nav. And Nick was only ten feet or so away.

But there was something right behind her, too. Another SCP that she had just passed. 'That's not important,' Olivia told herself. 'Whoever that SCP-173 is, it isn't important. You're so close now. Keep going. Don't you dare lose focus now.'

These next two hallways were tricky. The doors and opening mechanisms had been designed to trip her up - anything escaping or fleeing up. The first was a timed mechanism. With a flat screen picturing, what she assumed, the room inside looked like. And from the screen, the room was red and there was foreboding black gas emitting from all of the corners. And Olivia observed that the automated door would close in seven seconds. She could do this.

Never had her heart pounded harder. Olivia knew that if she didn't make it... she would be stuck in this room. And she would die of asphyxiation. And Nick would be defenseless against those voices in the speakers and the individuals like Hendricks and Winters, and possibly even worse, the voices in his head. And Walter and Peter and everyone she cared about would never see her again. Everything was riding on this moment. Every. Single. Thing.

But she did make it. And she walked right into another room. With the button all the fuck down this other mini-hallway. And luckily the door locked automatically behind her. She had been very fortunate during her run. But she knew it wasn't going to last. Especially now that she was in the home stretch. The S-Nav told her that Nick was immediately in range.

When she opened the last door, she found herself in a long hallway with what looked to be five passageways. She could hear their collective electric hum, even though she couldn't see the energy that deceptively lay between them. She would have to time her way through the black barriers. And the guards beyond that. They had spotted her.

But Olivia didn't have time to wait for these timed gates. Olivia didn't have time for these darts and bullets being shot at her. Olivia didn't even have time to think. Again, just like before in her cell, sensations bubbled up to the surface. Perhaps the trigger was necessity. Or perhaps her abilities could be triggered just like instincts. But she didn't care.

Olivia sprinted through the gates, ignoring the fact that they were charged in the first place. She wasn't electrocuted to her death or to a grave injury. And the bullets didn't even reach her. They seemed to stop in mid-air. And then they just fell in front of her, trickling down at her feet. Olivia's brow furrowed - SHE was doing this, wasn't she? 'Don't question it. Just keep going.'

If she concentrated harder, she could send the bullets and darts back. She aimed for the guards' knees and legs. She didn't want to kill them. Not now. Getting to Nick as fast as possible was more important.

There was a slot, something you could put a card through, but she didn't have one of those. Olivia seriously suspected that Dr. Montgomery, if she really WAS trying to help Olivia, hadn't thought it all through. Perhaps it would keep her slightly in the clear, but Olivia doubted it.

"Fuck!" Olivia pounded up against the panel. It opened. But it couldn't have been through sheer strength; that would've been impossible. Olivia had generated something – some energy – that had short-circuited the unit and allowed her to pass. And she still had no idea how.

She was just as surprised that Nick was awake, but that was all the better to escape. Carrying Nick and trying to navigate through all the various obstacles would NOT have guaranteed success.

"Olive!" His face lit up, just like it had many times before. "You came for me! You came to rescue me!"

"I found you Nick, and I'm happy you're happy, but now we have to go."

Why hadn't Dr. Montgomery programmed an escape route? Had she assumed that Olivia would fail? Again, suspicious thoughts flashed through her mind. If she ever saw that Dr. Montgomery again, she would have to confront her – either to kill her or to thank her. Actually, she hoped she would never see Dr. Montgomery again. Because seeing her again would mean that Olivia had failed to escape.

"Nick, do you see anything on that map?" At this point the two of them were running aimlessly – although in the opposite direction of where Olivia had come from. But even this plan was flawed; what if the Task Force had been stationed at one of the exits and was now working their way to their current position? "Anything at all?"

"Just other SCPs, Olive. Unless THEY could help us." But Nick shuddered, "I don't think we should mess with them. It would just slow us down."

Olivia was fortunate that Nick was focused on the task at hand. But he looked battered, bruised, and gaunt. She didn't want to think about what they had subjected him to. Especially that Hendricks character.

"This side is experiencing multiple Euclid level containment breaches. SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2 have breached together. All Alpha-2 units must target and secure both-"

"They wanted to take you away from me," Olivia confessed. In the event that the two of them had to fight, Olivia couldn't count on her "instincts" or her "feelings" to trigger her powers again. She needed a motivated Nick – an incensed Nick – if she wasn't already. "Dr. Montgomery warned me if I didn't save you in time, they were going to transfer you to another facility, while I would stay. I couldn't let that happen to you."

"Olive I…" Nick was first touched, and then she got the needed response. He was furious.

And just in time. When Olivia opened the door, there were six heavily armed men. Tall Navy SEAL like men.

"You can do it, Nick," Olivia whispered to him. "I believe in you. I'll help you focus on them."

Nick nodded. And together they targeted the members of the team. And forced them to shoot each other. Quick and painless, but still disturbing.

Olivia had winced when it all happened, but Nick didn't even bat an eyelash. Dr. Montgomery had been right; Nick HAD been responsible for plenty of deaths. The sight of this didn't even faze him. In fact, it excited him.

"C'mon, Olive!" Nick slid through the slick blood puddles forming on the floor. "We have to keep moving we-"

There was another team stationed behind another door. Perhaps the team dead on the floor had been a decoy.

Because now Olivia was on the floor. And so was Nick.

Their lives were over. Everything was over.

'Oh Peter I'm scared. I'm never going to see you again, am I?'

Blinding light. Burning light. Olivia scrunched her eyes. Her voice came out bitter and rough. "Oh good; you haven't killed me yet." She rapidly blinked. And she struggled inside her own limbs. She couldn't move. "Where's Nick?"

There was no one else in the room, only speakers. With that cruel SCP logo and its stupid slogan underneath it.

The apathetic female voice from before. "SCP-1428-1 is in its cell."

"Is he safe? Have you done anything to him?"

"No human contact is allowed. The subject is still given food and water. The subject is kept calm from the gas."

Olivia cringed – better than the injections or worse? And her disgust and fear turned to anger, like usual. "Why have you brought me here? What do you want from me now? I've already told you all I know."

"But you haven't, SCP-1428-2. You've showcased abilities we didn't know you had. Why don't you care to inform us what you REALLY are?"

No. No no no no, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

Olivia couldn't breathe. Olivia couldn't even swallow.

'That voice. That's Walter's voice.'

"How are you feeling, Walter?" His father didn't have the same energy coming out of the FBI building he had coming in. "Is everything alright?" Peter already knew the answer to that question, but he asked it anyway.

Walter kept looking down at his shuffling feet, crestfallen and crushed. He swallowed and was able to force out, "I wasn't able to help Olivia, Peter. I wasn't able to tell Broyles anything of use." He paused, stopped walking, and kept glaring down, "I've failed her. I have failed Agent Dunham."

"Walter, no. Listen to me." Peter placed his right hand on his father's shoulder. "You did everything you could. Don't you dare try to blame yourself. This isn't your fault." Peter needed to get his father out of the dark cloud he was in. And an idea popped into his head. "How about we go to that new bakery? Get your mind off things for a bit. I heard Roses has the best bear claws in town now."

Walter brushed the idea aside. "I don't want any pastries, Peter; I want Olivia. Food is not the answer today."

Peter sighed, "I know. But you still need something to eat."

But food had been the answer today. And the healing properties of food never ceased to surprise Peter – or at least the healing properties of food on Walter. Peter felt much of the same. Still empty, still lost.

It had been a week now since he had last seen Olivia. And no progress whatsoever had been made. Even Astrid had been called out into the field with Lincoln, actively sweeping and sweeping and sweeping again not only the Eastern Seaboard, but the entire United States. And even hot spots Jones might have fled to in Europe. Because the only logical explanation for this HAD to be Jones. Only Jones could have the ability and the power to completely hide Olivia from the face of the earth. Only him.

And when Peter found the fucker that took his Olivia, he would have the man, men, women, or team begging for mercy, wishing that they had never been born. But he doubted he would even get that opportunity at this point. Olivia had been gone for so long. Even the always motivated Broyles was losing focus, losing hope. And the Bureau was on his case about wasting resources over the likes of just one agent. Crimes were happening every day and teams of men that COULD be used for those issues were still being used to comb the streets for Olivia. It was only a matter of time until the search would be called off.

Of course the US government didn't know how important Olivia truly was, but Peter knew. And Broyles knew. And Walter and Astrid and Lincoln. But not even the most sincere of pleas would be able to win the higher-ups over. Olivia was still one agent and one agent she would remain.

And then Peter would never see Olivia again. That would be that. Olivia remembering Peter, Peter coming back into existence, all of it would have been for nothing. She would be gone and he didn't have the Cortexiphan in his system to bring her back. It was too damn cruel for it to end this way. Just when things were getting back to how they used to be, back to how they should always be…

Peter was so entranced in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized how many bear claws Walter had actually eaten. They had gotten a dozen [Astrid and Lincoln deserved some when they came back], but Walter had already eaten half of that dozen. And he showed no sign of slowing down.

"I must say, Peter," Walter took another large bite of the sticky dough and moaned, "This truly is one of the better bear claws I have had. It reminds me of the attempts Belly and I made one night when we had a rather aggressive case of munchies."

"At this point I'm really not even surprised. Do continue, Walter." And even in his low state now, Peter couldn't help but smile as his father went on an animated tangent, explaining in great detail the proper proportions of almond paste to dough. The ranting kept Peter from his darker thoughts and he was okay with that. Walter probably would have gone for hours, and Peter would have stayed for those hours listening to him, if it weren't for the interruption.

"And the secret for perfect almond paste is to use ample amounts of- what is it, Peter? Is something the matter?"

A figure stepped into the room from the rippling fabric of time behind him. He took off his fedora and looked at the two of them. "Hello."

Peter dropped the pastry in his hand. "Walter, I think we have company."

Walter spun wildly around, "Oh, my. Do you want a bear claw, too, my good man?"

Peter would have rolled his eyes at his father's antics normally, but Peter's eyes were focused solely on September. "Walter, I don't think September is here for pastries." Peter's pulse felt like it had stopped altogether. Peter felt like his whole world had stopped altogether. "Are you here to talk about Olivia?"

September nodded, then turned his head to the side a few degrees, "Yes."

"Excellent! Finally, we have answers!" Walter shoved an entire bear claw in his mouth in great anticipation. And then replied, bits of dough and filling firing out in all directions, "I might be able to tell Broyles something of use after all!"

Peter rolled his eyes and groaned, "Walter, please. I…" He didn't even have the mental effort to scold Walter's inappropriate behavior. All he wanted was answers. All he wanted was Olivia. The time was now and it was finally happening.

"It has come to my understanding that," September spoke softly, yet gravely, "Olivia and the one called Nick Lane have traversed into another universe."

"Wait, Nick Lane?" Peter shook his head, "How could that be? Where did she find him?" Peter continued to shake his head – he did not trust Nick Lane. The man may have had a bond with Olivia, but the man was still a walking time bomb for those around him. And if he were ever to infect Olivia with his so-called moods… no, Peter wouldn't think about it. He was so concerned about Nick that he didn't even have time to properly absorb the "another universe" bit September had stated.

"While out on her walk, Olivia spotted Nick Lane on a park bench. There they traveled to the other universe's park bench. And now they are trapped."

Now it hit him. "Trapped? They can't just come back? How is this possible?" Peter's pulse was now rising, rapidly. "If they could go there in the first place, how in the hell can't they come back?" This all seemed so much worse than Olivia being trapped in an unknown Jones bunker. This was a matter much more delicate, much more severe. This was a completely separate universe, which explained why Lincoln had come back empty-handed. He had the right thought, but not the right universe. And in his defense, it's not like they knew about this new universe. This was the first time Peter had known about it… ever. This discovery would have excited him any other instance, but now it only terrified him. With the Other Side, there was still the unknown, the unfamiliar, but this Somewhere Else… this was a whole new world for them. This was a whole new universe of unknown possibilities. It was almost too much for Peter's mind to handle.

September blinked, not knowing exactly how to continue with the human's escalated heart rate and state of panic. But he continued nonetheless. "The softspots between this universe and the one Olivia and Nick traveled to are uneven and subject to open and close at indistinct periods. The universe the two of them are now in is also subject to time distortions. It will be difficult for the both of them to travel back under their own power."

Peter clenched and unclenched his fists, "But you're here to help us, right? You can help get them back?"

September blinked, "I cannot fetch them for you, but I can give you both insight as to how to save them. This insight alone is interfering to a dangerous degree. I cannot linger here much longer."

"Okay. That's better than nothing. Fire away."

"The softspots between what you have labeled 'Over There' and the universe Olivia is in now are much more stable. By the time you are able to build another device that can safely transport you and an armed team over, I will have secured the necessary coordinates for you to proceed."

"Wait did you just say an ARMED team?" The situation kept getting worse and worse. "Where exactly ARE they?" Peter needed to know precisely what they were getting themselves into – what exactly his other half was facing right now. Was she still alive? Was she going to be okay for the time being? Would she be safe?

"In this universe, Peter Bishop, there is no Fringe Division and there are no Fringe events. There is the SCP Foundation that studies scientific anomalies. Unfortunately, Olivia Dunham and Nick Lane are, themselves, scientific anomalies."

"And they've been captured," Peter concluded. "And what else?"

"To the best of my understanding, the Foundation is attempting to perform tests on them. They want to see what the cause of their powers is."

"But we must save Nick and Olivia before that happens," Walter finally spoke. The bear claw was gone from his mouth, save for a little icing on his upper lip. And his voice matched September's in seriousness, "I cannot let another universe get their hands on Cortexiphan, especially a universe that has no idea what they're getting into. It's all too dangerous. We must start immediately. I will secure the necessary materials and I'll go-"

"Wait, Walter. Don't you think we're rushing into things?" As much as Peter wanted to just jump into a softspot and run after Olivia, they couldn't. There were steps, processes, people involved.

Walter looked at Peter as if he were daft, "Didn't you hear what the Observer said? We NEED to act immediately. We need to act now! Before it's too late!"

"Well we can't just start up on a new science project without Broyles knowing of it. Or Astrid. Or Lincoln. And you think they're all just going to let us waltz into the Other Side without any clearance? Without any plan? And do you think the Other Side is just going to be perfectly okay with us constructing a machine there or bringing a machine through the bridge? We're still on shaky terms with them, Walter; they may not even let us in. And even if we lie to them, it's only a matter of time until they find out and war breaks loose between us – something we do NOT need right now. We all need to take a deep breath and think before we can continue."

"Y-you're right, Peter." Walter pulled the instruments he was hastily sticking into his coat pockets back down on the counter's surface. "But the more we wait, the less time Olivia and Nick have."

Walter was completely right and that's what worried Peter. They still didn't have enough information to continue on with a device. Putting things up to chance and hoping Walter could remember the exact specifics of something was not the best option. And even if Walter COULD recreate the machine he used to steal Peter – steal him – from the Other Side, would it even work? This was another universe entirely; it vibrated at a completely different frequency – a frequency none of them even knew. And this new universe may be even more delicate than Over There and as a result, the instruments they need to use may have to be more precise, but to what degree? They were further in the dark now than they were two hours ago.

"September what else-" But he was gone. The Observer had stepped back into his rippling curtain of reality and had disappeared from sight.

Peter sighed, "Great."

The two of them were almost at the FBI building. Again.

"What's going on in there, Walter?" His father had been noticeably silent on the car trip over. Which was peculiar. Because usually Walter found something – anything – to talk about. On the car ride back it had been the attendant with the "rather large piercings in her ears." Walter had marveled on and on about how much the ear lobe had stretched, almost to its very extremes, to fit around this cork of an object. He wanted to very much go back just to talk to her. Because she was pretty, too. But now, silence. And a sustained silence that Peter knew too well. "What's on your mind?"

"I swore that I would not interfere with another universe for the sake of someone I loved."

"Walter-" Normally this would have been a time to pull over the car and have an extended heart-to-heart chat, but they were running against the clock and Peter really didn't want to anyway. "I understand that, but-"

"I know that it's Olivia." He voice suddenly fell to a faint hush of itself. "I know that. But… to rip a hole in another universe… to cause havoc to their world and to the Other Side's… I'm not sure I can do that again." Walter shut his eyes and winced, "I'm not that kind of person anymore. I don't want to put other people at risk just for my own selfish desires, Olivia or no Olivia. I don't want to go down that path again."

"Well you may not have to." Peter frowned, "We still have to go through Broyles and Walternate. They may not even agree to this rescue mission."

"Maybe it's better that way," Walter muttered hastily under his breath.

"Did you say something, Walter?"

"No. Nothing, Peter. Oh! Look at that poodle over there. Such an odd animal, poodles."