SCP-1428 – "Cortexichildren"
Chapter 12: Eyes Wide Open
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… [DATA REDACTED]. 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: I know on the SCP-wiki, stories / references / anything relating to SCP-173 or SCP-682 is really frowned upon. It's considered cheap & an obvious ploy for attention. & a lot of the time plugging them into your story / wiki article just makes everything go to shit. But the two of them are the most well-known & canon. I don't feel comfortable writing about something that MIGHT fit Fringe, but only has like a tentative rating on the wiki. Plus I think the two of them will really work out in the context of the show. Fringe likes to go big or go home in terms of the horror & scares. & SCP-173 & SCP-682 really give you that fear factor. Or least I hope they do. I hope this doesn't come off as gimmicky. That's like the opposite of what I want.
Again I will refer incorrectly to SCP-173 as "the SCP" or stuff of a similar nature sometimes because this is Olivia's POV & she doesn't know the Foundation's labeling protocol.
Personal Log of Dr. Isaac Winters:
They're bringing in Hendricks for questioning. I don't think Hendricks is coming out of there unscathed. I'm not sure if termination is on the table, but demotion… most definitely. But don't worry, old friend; you'll have your revenge.
It seems that your containment will work to our advantage. Most of O5 Command will be questioning you, giving me an opening to act. This will be my last opportunity… since my fate is most likely sealed. After questioning you, they'll come for me. But we'll get our revenge. I promise.
"Prep the subject for transport."
Olivia heard Winters' voice echo from outside the orange-hazed room.
Olivia was on the fringe of consciousness and unconsciousness, but she still heard him. And she still questioned why they would take her out – again. After all she did the other day. After the stunt she pulled and the spark of chaos that spread like wildfire through the Foundation. Coming into her cell, let alone transporting and further questioning, was a big enough risk. What were they planning?
She was walking with them. The route felt familiar. Even through the dancing double vision of tunnels within tunnels next to additional tunnels, she felt… like she had been there before. Maybe when she was attempting to rescue Nick?
The feelings of guilt and failure washed over her again. If she had just succeeded... Nick wouldn't be off in another remote location drowning in the orange gas. And she wouldn't be walking to some unknown location with her fate in question. They would've been free. They probably would've returned back to their universe by now. But no. She had failed.
'I'm beginning… to sound like Nick.'
Olivia must have zoned out. Because she didn't remember how long it took to get to the door they were standing in front of now. And she didn't even know which door it was. It was like she blinked and then she was there.
The guards shoved her through the opening from behind. And she came into an expanse. There was a metal gate with a sign attached to it. And there was seemingly endless space extending out. There were guards stationed on a metal second floor that looked down onto the space. They had their heavy guns, aimed right at her. They followed her every movement. What was this?
She turned behind her. Dr. Winters wasn't there. No one was there. Even behind the closing doors, no one was there. It was suspicious. She turned right and approached the large metal gate in front of her. This was suspicious, too. It was such a massive structure – much more massive than the thing that contained her or Nick or the two of them together. It concerned her; what was behind this door? Why was she here? What exactly did they want from her?
And soon that door started to open, creaking and sliding and giving way to an area she hadn't been in before.
Dr. Winters' voice blasted from the speakers stationed somewhere near the ceiling: "Enter the containment chamber, SCP-1428-2."
"Is this an experiment or a threat?" Or was it both? Fear surged through Olivia's body, burning away the drugged haze. "What happens if I refuse?"
"This is an offer you don't want to refuse, SCP-1428-2. Enter the containment chamber."
Reluctantly, Olivia stepped inside. It was much larger than the cell she was given - or at least it looked that way because the entire room was empty, apart from the SCP and the foul-smelling brownish-red stains on the walls and floor. The stains were numerous and they looked corrosive, but Olivia didn't have the time to be Walter Bishop; she wasn't here for scientific analysis.
The room didn't need any furniture because what was being housed inside wasn't exactly human. Olivia didn't even think it was remotely humanoid. It was... a yellowish-green mass just huddled up against the wall. And it was coated with that same brownish-red substance on its "head" and on its "arms."
Olivia continued to make her way through the room. It still didn't face her. It remained huddled up against the wall. She could've sworn that the figure was even floating. Or maybe it was still remnants from the drugs.
"What do you want with me?" Olivia shouted. She didn't see any technology immediately in the room, but she knew that Winters could hear her. "What do you want?"
The metal door slammed shut in response. Olivia refused to blink; she refused to let her guard down. She kept looking around, looking for answers in a blank room.
"What the HELL do you want with me?" Olivia was roaring now. "Answer me, damnit, Winters!"
"Enjoy your playtime with SCP-173, Olive."
Hearing a doctor-type authority say that name sent chills down Olivia's spine. It sounded all too Jacksonville. But this figure in front of her, still perched in the corner, was not Jacksonville; it was much worse than Jacksonville. There were no words for the creature in front of her. And she didn't know what to expect. She didn't want to go near it. She didn't want to speak to it. Olivia huddled up in the corner farthest away from it and sat down. Then she finally blinked.
The figure moved. She knew it. It wasn't a large amount, but it had. Because now it was facing her. And it was terrifying. The things that Olivia would tentatively label as eyes... were nothing short of horrifying. Black and green spheres wider than anything she had seen on a specimen. And more of the redness on its "face." And strange black markings that might function as a mouth. Walter would have killed to have a chance alone with this thing... but Olivia was seriously considering that Winters had locked her in with this creature to kill HER instead.
"Winters - who put you up to this? The Foundation or Hendricks?" Olivia blinked again. The creature was closer to her - or SCP-173 was closer to her. She had even seen it move a little bit, floating down into place. Standing just a foot in front of her. She did not like this.
"Winters?!" Still no answer. She could feel her rage building up inside. If only she knew where Winters was... she would kill him herself.
"Fine." Olivia stood up and blinked. The SCP was only a few inches away from her face. But she wasn't deterred by it. "I don't have time for you right now. I need to get out of here."
She turned her back to it. That was a bad idea.
SCP-173 came in from behind. It grabbed onto her neck. Olivia grabbed hold of its arms, trying to loosen the thing's grip on her. But it was too much. It was too strong. It had the strength of what felt like twelve men and then some. It was choking her. She was going to die. She was going to die, alone, in this cell with the stains on the floor. She assumed it was blood - the blood of those prisoners they used as pawns, little more than bait to appease these monsters locked away in their cells.
But she was a monster, too, wasn't she? She couldn't end up like those men whose blood and other bodily fluids covered the ground and floor. No. She was a SCP, too. She could be feared just like the thing standing, or maybe floating, menacingly behind her. She'd put on a show for all of them – this SCP and all those little doctors watching every move she made from behind their cameras and their screens. She knew they were watching – Hendricks and Winters. Olivia knew they craved the satisfaction of seeing her die. They were men swollen with hubris; they wouldn't pass this up. They wanted to relish the moment this SCP-173 snapped her pretty little neck and returned to sulking in its corner. That was their game plan. That was their end game for revenge.
But not today. Olivia was able to pry the thing's iron-clad grip from her neck. She spun around, keeping her eyes on the yellowish menace, coughing and rubbing where it had grabbed her.
She assumed it wasn't capable of speech. And even if it was, Olivia wouldn't have been interested in what it wanted to say. She assumed it would just repeat "I want to kill you" or "You're going to die" or some other generic threat since Olivia was trespassing on its territory. It was probably enraged with its containment, too. Maybe it assumed that Olivia had put it there; she didn't know. But reasoning with it was out of the question. It was a kill or be killed scenario. And she had been in plenty of those. But she usually had her gun. And a partner. And a larger space to work with. This was some enclosed little white room with nothing for her to use as an improvised weapon. And all she had were her mysterious Cortexiphan abilities that still weren't fully under her control. Even in this moment, with all the adrenaline and fear racing through her body, with her pupils dilated and her pulse racing, she could not spit fire or start a fire or do anything with fire against this thing. She couldn't send electrical sparks from her fingertips or wherever they were supposed to come from. She couldn't move the thing with her mind against the wall repeatedly. She couldn't do anything. She only had her fists and her legs.
She reluctantly blinked, but luckily she saw where it was coming from. She tried kicking it in the abdomen. But nothing gave way. It was like the object was made of concrete; it felt rock solid. The thing wasn't sent flying back or back even an inch. It just stayed there, staring menacingly back at her with its blank eyes. And it still hadn't said anything. Or even grunted or growled. It was silent. It was nothing short of a nightmare.
"Winters?" If she couldn't reason with this SCP-173, maybe she could try again with the actual humanoid figure. "Winters, what do you want? Tell me. Let me help you. Just get me out of here."
"No can do, Olivia." She was surprised the man kept referring to her by names instead of numbers. "Hendricks and I want to keep you in there. With your new friend."
"Stop treating me like a child." Olivia started to pace around the room, glaring at the thing stationed in the center, glaring at the SCP-monster as if it were really Hendricks or Winters instead. 'Stop treating me like a goddamn child. You're not William Bell and you aren't Walter Bishop. And even THEY were… better than this.'
Winters gave her a dry laugh. "It's going to be fun seeing SCP-173 rip you in half."
That was it. Olivia saw red. She lunged at SCP-173, hoping to claw its "eyes" out. But it wasn't there in the middle of the room. It was behind her. Olivia was, fortunately, able to dodge it, but it followed her to the other side of the room.
So Olivia just kept running, around and around the room. The opposite of where it was. If it appeared in front of her, she would turn or swerve around it. She was always on the move. Stopping, even for a second, was not an option.
And then it felt like she wasn't running anymore. She was just moving. And the SCP moved with her. She would have it cornered up against the wall and then it would have her cornered. One moment they'd be near the metal door, the next in the middle of the room. And they always faced each other, keeping their eyes on each other. It never had the chance to get around her again. And she never had a chance to get around it.
And the movements were instantaneous. She appeared, it appeared. Olivia, then the SCP-entity. Olivia - SCP. Olivia - SCP. She didn't know what was happening - again a familiar feeling throughout this Foundation freak show - but she didn't stop. She never lost her focus; she couldn't afford to. She had to keep moving. She had to keep ahead of its teleportation.
And it was fast. She could just barely move beyond it. She was just barely ahead of it. And Olivia didn't know how long she could keep this marathon up. And she didn't know how long it had been since she had first stepped in. She feared only five minutes, even though it felt like five hours.
"Why don't you just give up, Olive?" If she ever got out of this mess, she would shove one of the guns the guards had down his throat and shoot the trigger repeatedly. Until the clip was done. "It's futile. It's faster than you. Just admit that to yourself. It's alright. Nick will be proud of your effort."
"Don't. You. Dare. Mention. Nick."
That was it. No more taunts. She would outlast this thing. She couldn't die. If she died - Nick was done for. If she died - her universe was done for. If she died - everything was done for. She would outlast this SCP-fuck just like she had outlasted every single dark episode of her life, every single chapter of her life. She outlasted the abuse of a parent, the betrayal of a lover – multiple lovers, the corruption and deception of a person she held dear, and the disappearance of the best thing to happen in her life. She outlasted forced imprisonment in a cell with no food, no water, no light, barely even air. She outlasted the drug trials. She outlasted years of being all alone in the world, with a gaping hole in her heart. She outlasted seemingly everything the universe could hurl at her that was hurled at her. And after everything, after every single hiccup and endless valley alike, she was still here, still fighting. It had been a struggle – with buckling knees and flowing tears and moments of utter hopelessness - but she was still alive. She was still a fighter.
But her aim was still off. The fireball hadn't encompassed the SCP in flame. It burnt the wall opposite them a chilling charcoal color, but SCP-173 still remained unscathed. If it were human, it probably would've laughed at her.
But she would try again. And again. And again. But the yellowish blur moved too fast - she kept losing sight of it whenever she hurled her flames.
So she gave up on the fire-starting. It wasn't working. She changed tactics. She tried to sneak up behind it for a change, try to use its strategy against it. Maybe it had a blind spot or a weak point at its spine or its neck - or what should or could be a spine or a neck, since it still looked like a concrete blob.
That fight went on for a while. It was fruitless.
All Olivia accomplished was exerting energy. She was panting. She was winded. But SCP-173... it gave no such cues of exhaustion or pain. It just moved. Nothing else. No sounds, except for the shifting of what sounded like concrete blocks scraping against each other. And sometimes when the two of them got close to each other, she could hear a high-pitched growl, sounding more like a frequency than something an animal would call out as a battle cry. But that was all. It was stoic. It was the perfect killing thing.
Winters had chosen wisely, but not wise enough. The two entities were stuck in a stalemate - and Winters hadn't foreseen that; none of the doctors had foreseen it. He hadn't addressed the two of them and he hadn't sent any guards to come in to intervene. Probably because the guards would just be outmatched; they would just get in the way. Olivia wouldn't target them unless they shot first, but she had no idea how this SCP-173 would respond. She didn't know if it was ruthless, or just territorial. Again, it couldn't speak. She just didn't know.
'What's taking him so long to make a move?' It was unlike the Foundation to wait so long. And why hadn't she heard Walter's voice or that apathetic female's or any other voice from the O5? Where were they? Where were they if this wasn't their doing? Were Winters and Hendricks working on their own - again? They hadn't been disciplined? What kind of a Foundation was this?
All the while, Olivia was dancing out of the way of SCP-173's various lunges, hoping to snap whatever bone she left unguarded. This anomaly was persistent. Of course it didn't help that their arena was so small, but even if they were outside with the entire Foundation as their battleground, Olivia knew that the SCP would not stop targeting her.
She couldn't help but have a bit of respect for the thing. And even see her own drive in this moving... blob.
Olivia had no idea how long it had been now. But her movements were slowing down, getting sluggish. In the past twenty minutes or so, she had had five close calls. Five times the SCP was within inches of killing her. Something had to change. Her energy levels were low, so she couldn't just throw caution to the wind and try to blast the thing out of existence. She needed an intervention from outside. She needed the guards to come in with their orange gas or the orange-suited personnel with their orange injections. She needed something or someone to get her out of there. She wasn't going to last. She had the will, but her body was fading. She was fading fast.
"We've just received word of an unauthorized accessing of SCP-173."
"Who is responsible?"
"It's Winters, sir."
"Has SCP-1428-2 been accessed, as well?"
"Yes, sir. How did you kno-"
"Retrieve SCP-1428-2 from SCP-173's containment chamber. Terminate Winters."
"But sir-"
"I agree with O5-2. He should be terminated immediately. He may have gotten wise to the Hendricks' reassignment and this is his course of action."
"All the more reason to dispose of him. We can't trust the man. Even Hendricks is cooperative and dependable… when his emotions don't get the better of him. Winters is a standard doctor at best. He's not worth saving."
"WHAT SHOULD BE THE METHOD OF TERMINATION?"
"Firing squad. Or better yet, when The Mailmen secure SCP-1428-2, they can simply kill Winters in the process."
"Or better still, we just lock the man in with SCP-173."
"That would certainly look better. A bullet to the head looks… suspicious. But given Winters' actions as of late, it is entirely plausible that he went into SCP-173's containment chamber for his own fieldwork. He had a lapse in judgment and he lost eye contact. Naturally SCP-173 killed him. We'll turn off the cameras and say that he was working in secret – because he has, for the most part. Simple."
"But what do we do with the footage Winters is receiving from SCP-1428-2 and SCP-173, sirs?"
"That's assuming there IS any footage. SCP-1428-2 is most likely deceased after being exposed to SCP-173 for so long. Even with its telekinesis, it is no match for SCP-173's speed and ferocity."
"What a shame."
"THESE TWO MEN HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MUCH WASTE. TOO MUCH."
"We acted much too late on these matters."
"Extra precautions must be taken, as well. Only a select few should have access to the remaining SCP-1428 project. We must mitigate any further internal mishaps. Starting with the Class-D personnel…"
She had never been so happy to see a bunch of masked guards with guns aimed directly at her in her life. And she had no idea how they got her out of there without leaving themselves vulnerable to SCP-173, but they had. To the best of her knowledge, none of them had blinked during the entire operation. And that was impressive.
She was free – of the immediate danger. Olivia was free of SCP-173 and whoever had forced her into that mess. But now she was going back. To the hell she knew and was so accustomed to.
The team didn't even have to give her sedatives. She was exhausted. As soon as they had closed the first red-buttoned door away from that monstrosity, her knees buckled. She didn't touch the floor; two of the anonymous guards caught her much before that. A third directly in front of her turned around and asked, "Can you stand?"
Olivia could barely shake her head at him.
That man heaved her onto his back and they all continued moving.
These men… she couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. Back when she was in charge of a team. Back when she was infiltrating sites and initiating objectives for the greater good of society. It was almost comforting to be with them.
And it was hard not to see a bit of herself in them: they were soldiers for the SCP Foundation and a lot of the time, she was a soldier for the Fringe Division. Especially with Jones around, she felt more like a soldier than an agent. Or at least they wanted her to be more of a soldier than an agent. Follow out your directive, Agent Dunham; kill Jones before he can kill others. Don't reason with him, Agent Dunham; it's not your directive. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment, Agent Dunham; just shoot to kill.
But she couldn't just be their soldier. She couldn't even be their agent. She was an anomaly for the Fringe Division, too. She WAS the kinds of things they had to solve and stop, and she was grateful less people knew about it.
And then it all hit her. Maybe she belonged here with the rest of these anomalies and threats. She wasn't normal – she wasn't like those guards or the prisoners. And was especially not like the people this Foundation was protecting – the normal people. She wasn't normal. She was flawed. She was a freak. She was a science experiment with stunted emotions. She was the very thing the Fringe Division needed to subdue and solve, much like the secure-contain-protect procedures initiated here. Perhaps their organizations weren't so different after all.
Maybe she should stop fighting. Maybe this was all… necessary.
Log 1428-2-12:
Dr. J. Kwon:
The O5 have authorized dual containment again, which I believe is best after the stress SCP-1428-2 has endured. But by enduring that stress – and surviving that stress – we have received keen insight that we had only dreamed of.
If I had known that SCP-1428-2 responded to situations – real situations and not machines and injections – I would have tried this method a long time ago. From the start, even. I would have started experiments as soon as the subject came through the door.
But what we've gathered from its meeting with SCP-173 is extraordinary: SCP-1428-2 can move faster than SCP-173 – for short bursts. SCP-1428-2's speed is not sustainable, but it is speed nonetheless.
SCP-1428-1 was exactly right: SCP-1428-2 is the strongest. Now we just need to see its true strengths and limitations.
Personal Log of Dr. Jung Kwon:
If I can unlock SCP-1428-2, I can unlock my potential at the SCP Foundation. If I can unlock its secrets, I am guaranteed success.
No one will stand in my way.
SCP-1428-2's skill is out of this world. It's unfathomable. It's incredible. And that's why we need to tap into it – to stop SCP-682. There haven't been any solid leads to destroy it for months now. But SCP-1428-2… it's an entirely new being for SCP-682. We might have a chance here.
All I'm asking is one meeting between the two of them – because that's all we're going to get before SCP-682 adapts. And I'm confident in SCP-1428-2's abilities. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Am I alone in this? – Dr. ██████
Luke, you advocate for EVERY new SCP to be exposed to SCP-682. This isn't some monumental discovery; this is you being you. – Dr. Greggory
But this time it's different. This time I KNOW that it's going to work. Just look at SCP-1428-2's body of work. Look what it's done in such a short amount of time. That doesn't mean ANYTHING to you?
Okay fine. If you don't think that SCP-1428-2 can do it herself, why don't we have SCP-1428-1 enter in as well? We could have the both of them be in SCP-682's containment chamber. It'll be a duo fighting the undefeated. – Dr. ██████
I want whatever he's been smoking. Because this sounds more like a movie idea or a tv pilot than an actual experiment.
SCP-1428-2 has been reluctant and hostile the entirety of its time held here. How do we know that it'll agree to even kill SCP-682? How does that benefit it? In most cases, it will stubbornly refuse – say that it is all OUR situation and not its. And in the worst case scenario, what if it sees something in SCP-682 that it values? What if it finds something to gain? What if the two of them breach together? What if all THREE of them breach together, since you've been quick to factor in SCP-1428-1? Oh but you didn't REALLY factor in SCP-1428-1, did you? Because in the absolute WORST scenario, what if SCP-1428-1 has an empathic event with SCP-682? What if the two of them are able to connect? Can you IMAGINE the bloodshed that awaits us? Can you imagine the madness? Can you even COMPREHEND THE XK EVENT THAT YOU WILL HAVE SPRUNG ON THE WORLD? Have you given this much or ANY thought at all?
Fine. I'll entertain it. Let's assume that we just drug SCP-1428-2 and plop it into the room with SCP-682, because that's probably your plan of how to proceed. How do we know that SCP-1428-2 will be in control of its abilities, regardless of whether SCP-1428-1 is in there with it or not? Sure we can assume that the stress from the situation will trigger some sort of a response, but we don't know for sure. And we can't even guarantee what kind of response will be triggered. Because it seems like it's a game of chance when it comes to SCP-1428-2's abilities. One day you'll get fire spewing out of nowhere and then another day you might get supersonic hearing and then the other you'll get nothing. And only recently have we seen the tiniest fraction of SCP-1428-2's abilities. And I'm not even confident that they're enough to overwhelm SCP-682. Regardless of how many abilities SCP-1428-2 may have… I don't think it's enough.
SCP-173 is one thing, but SCP-682 is another. SCP-173 is fast. That's all. SCP-682 is everything else and more. SCP-682 has survived this long for a REASON. The fact that we NEED to destroy this subject, instead of adhering to standard secure-contain-protect procedure, exists FOR A REASON. This is not a game, Luke.
But fine. I'll continue to entertain your little fantasy. Let's assume that we want the two to fight – like you so desire. In order to do so, we're going to have to remove SCP-682 from its primary containment procedures. I am not comfortable with that kind of a situation. SCP-1428-2 AND any task force teams we're able to secure for the operation may not be enough to secure SCP-682 again. And that's only if SCP-1428-2 is able to judge that it doesn't stand a chance alone and joins with the task force. In the most likely scenario, SCP-1428-2 perishes and the task force is left on its own. Of course I do not doubt the abilities of the task forces, but SCP-682 has just gotten that much stronger. And with its strength, it'll slaughter them all and run across the world killing everything in its path.
So I'll have whatever you've been smoking, Luke. This sounds like a great idea for a movie and if you're having this movie in your mind all the time… that sounds like a fantastic experience.
But in all seriousness, have you been exposed to SCP-███ by any chance? Because that's the kind of madness this all sounds like. – Dr. ████
O5 Log 01428-00173-X9B4-O2-1:
There's been talk amongst the doctors about exposing SCP-1428-2 to SCP-682. Quite frankly, I do not know who gave Dr. Luke ██████ access to the Cortexiphan project, but his seeds of supposed madness have spread. And it's becoming quite a popular idea, especially with those with lower clearance levels.
The O5 will have to give it thought, but most of us will side with Dr. ████.
And I see no need to throw SCP-1428-2's life away. Especially after all of this. SCP-1428-2 is more important than that. It is MORE than a key to SCP-682's destruction.
I am starting to believe that SCP-1428-2 is the key to everything. But only time will tell. I don't have much to base my beliefs on.
But I've been re-reading the SCP-001 literature. And I've been re-reading the old archives of SCP-1428-2's first interviews. It downright states that it can see outcomes and possibilities – possible futures. These doctors are caught up on the subject's speed and power, but what it truly has is INSIGHT. That has more value than an instance of supersonic speed or pyrokinesis.
Or maybe I'm just as mad as Dr. ██████.