SCP-1428 – "Cortexichildren"
Chapter 13: Nostalgia Before the Storm
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… aw welp. 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: Writing this chapter was especially hard. It was just stuck beyond belief. Then I read a review & I got that needed spark. The chapter turned out being a little longer than I had first planned it… but it's out. It's written & it's done.
College is starting to kick my ass, leaving me just exhausted & all that… so production will wind down until I get to spring break. But we're hopefully reaching the half-way point in the story? Maybe?
Cortexichildren
Item #: SCP-1428
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: The two humanoid hosts, SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2, are to be contained in a seven-by-seven meter room and must be sedated at all times. A constant flooding of Class A sedatives in gaseous form will be used to keep the subjects in a docile, non-violent state. Direct and sustained contact from unauthorized personnel with either subject is prohibited. Violators will be immediately terminated to prevent further deaths via the subjects. Food and water must be provided three times a day through the airlock tubes installed in their cells. Separation of the two humanoid hosts is prohibited unless authorized unanimously by O5 Command. Cross-subject research must be authorized by at least 7 members of O5 Command.
Transportation Procedures: Under no circumstances is SCP-1428-1 to be transported individually. And under no circumstances is SCP-1428-1 to be removed from its containment cell unless SCP-1428-2 is in close proximity.
While SCP-1428-2 is being transported from its cell to a research facility, the highest sedatives must be used at all times. Upon entering the cell, Class A sedatives must be administered immediately and must continue to be administered until the subject is docile and cooperative enough to move without incident. Those transporting and those having any other form of contact with the subject must have Class A sedatives on them at all times. Once the subject has been successfully transferred to a secure research room, sedatives given will be lowered to Class B. Once questioning and research have finished, repeat transportation procedures.
Description: SCP-1428 is an unknown man-made chemical substance called Cortexiphan. Dr. Kwon's research into the ingredients of SCP-1428 has yielded [DATA EXPUNGED].
SCP-1428 was given to SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2 as children [exact ages unknown] during the drug trials [DATA REDACTED]. The administering and activation of SCP-1428 spawned the abilities SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2 now possess. However the way of administration, amount needed to trigger the onset of such abilities, and the specifics of the activation process are unknown. According to SCP-1428-2, the activation process varies from host to host.
SCP-1428, according to SCP-1428-2, acts on the host's perception, allowing for the control of the reality around it. It widens the possibilities and awareness of each host's mind uniquely, which may explain the stark differences between SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2. Although despite their differences [or perhaps because of them], during the drug trials, SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2 were paired together, forming a strong psychic and emotional bond. The strength and specifics of this bond are unknown, but SCP-1428-2 can sense SCP-1428-1's presence and emotional state, especially in times of heightened stress. SCP-1428-1, before dual containment had been granted, expressed a frantic desire to be reunited with SCP-1428-2, since being in the presence of SCP-1428-2 gives it security. Likewise SCP-1428-2 harbors aggressive protective feelings toward SCP-1428-1, desiring to always shelter SCP-1428-1 from harm. When SCP-1428-2 learned that SCP-1428-1 was going to be moved to an armed containment facility, it breached, successfully negotiated its way to SCP-1428-1, and attempted to escape with SCP-1428-1. When both hosts are separate from each other, the two frequently demand to know where the other is and express great concern in the other's welfare. Since dual containment has been reinstated, the two hosts seem calmer and less prone to violence.
SCP-1428-1 is a white male of average height with blond hair and blue eyes. It refers to itself as "Nick." SCP-1428-1 is a reverse-empath, with the capability of transferring its emotions to those around it. SCP-1428-1 is emotionally unstable and highly suicidal. It is prone to self-hatred and self-harm, which are highly dangerous when they are transferred to innocents around it. The violent manifestations of SCP-1428-1 are varied, ranging from [DATA REDACTED] to even the most brutal displays of [DATA REDACTED]. The range of these abilities and whether only negative emotions can transfer to humans around it is unknown. So far SCP-1428-1 has been responsible for ██ Foundation deaths.
SCP-1428-2 is a white female of average height with blonde hair and hazel eyes. It refers to itself as "Olivia." SCP-1428-2 is the stronger of the two humanoid hosts. Prior to its containment breach, SCP-1428-2's known abilities were: abnormal acute hearing; the power to manipulate certain metals; and the ability to see different outcomes and potential futures. SCP-1428-2 has now displayed pyrokinesis, telekinesis, electricity manipulation, and enhanced speed. SCP-1428-2 expresses that it lacks adequate control of its abilities, but its incident with SCP-173 makes the Foundation believe otherwise. So far SCP-1428-2 has been responsible for ██ Foundation deaths. Yet in spite of this statistic, SCP-1428-2 repeatedly expresses concern for the welfare of innocent people. During the event that led to its containment, SCP-1428-2 was seen trying to calm SCP-1428-1 down from its suicidal state. However, SCP-1428-2 failed, resulting in the deaths of those in the midst of an empathic event. During questioning sessions, SCP-1428-2 is always conscious of threats to innocent life. Whether this awareness is sincere or a façade with the aims of gaining the Foundation's trust is unknown.
Note-02: All unauthorized contact is prohibited. SCP-1428-1's empathic abilities are too great and our understanding of SCP-1428-2's abilities has only just begun.
[[THE INFORMATION BELOW IS FOR PERSONNEL WITH LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE AND ABOVE ONLY]]
…
Addendum-07: The Foundation cannot afford to have another breach of the two hosts again. That is the top priority, followed by controlling empathic and telekinetic events. There have been too many fatalities. SCP-1428-1's effects on people have been… disturbing. And SCP-1428-2's growing hostility and increasing instances of violence is a topic of great concern.
The last thing she remembered was the armed team saving her from SCP-173. Saving wasn't the correct word, but she had been saved nonetheless; one more minute with that monster and she would've been dead.
Olivia groaned and shifted on the stiff mattress. She was sore and exhausted. It felt as if she had been hurled through the windshield of a car… again.
"Olive?! You're awake!" Nick's voice came from beneath her.
She strained to open her eyes. She saw a mass on the floor, huddling next to the bed. "N-Nick? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. You've been out for a while now. They brought you in and I was… I was worried." Even Nick, Nick with his endless amounts of hope and faith in Olivia, doubted that she would make it. When they had brought her in and threw her carelessly on the floor, she was a shell of herself. She was pale and frail. She looked too much like him. She looked too weak and worthless to be Olivia. It hurt him just to see her in such a wretched state. It pained him so much to see Olivia forcibly lowered to his level. "But you're okay now." And that was all that mattered. Olivia was Olivia again. And he could be Nick again.
Olivia winced as she struggled to sit up. "Has anyone come in here?"
"No. Well the gas comes in every now and then, but no people." Nick turned to the food tube immediately behind him. "We still get our meals… but that's the only thing we get. I haven't seen them since they brought you in. It's… suspicious."
It was. Maybe they were doing something about Winters and Hendricks. Maybe the two of them had acted out of turn and were receiving some much needed discipline. Or maybe they were constructing a new torture device to try out on them. Or maybe they finally got their hands on an isolation tank and were prepping it to do their bidding. Whatever it is, Olivia didn't like the wait. She hated the calm before the storm. It made her uneasy, especially when the lives of people she cared about hung in the balance.
Of course Nick wasn't Peter or Ella or Rachel to her, but she would be lying if she said that they hadn't bonded during this experience. Sure they hadn't had a true heart-to-heart chat, but she had trusted Nick with her life countless times, and vice versa – and quite honestly she valued that more. They were linked, linked in a way she knew that she would never fully understand. And perhaps the fact that she would never fully understand made it all the more important. He was important to her, not as a lover or a friend, but something less and something more at the same time. He was Nick, the soul forever bonded to her by cruel circumstance. He was special. They were special.
And that's why there were here – because the two of them were special. But the two of them would escape. Eventually. It would happen. It had to happen. Seeing Nick again only invigorated Olivia's will to resist. That SCP experience may have taken its toll on her, but she had moved on. Fixating on it wouldn't help her. Hopefully she would never see that thing again. And even if she did, it was only an obstacle blocking her way to escape. It would fall just like the rest of the Foundation.
"Have you been sleeping alright, Nick?" She addressed him with a gentle tone to her voice. She figured that Nick needed some comfort, after being alone for so long. In that moment, she felt like a mother. And it felt…
"Better – now that you're here." He smiled. And he heaved up and sat down on the bed next to her. "I don't remember a thing."
"That's good." She looked down at her cracked and bruised hands. There were bits of dried blood caked into the wrinkles of her knuckles. "I… I'm sorry I haven't been able to really protect you, Nick." She felt like a defeated mother, a failed mother that couldn't provide enough for her child in any sense of the word.
"No, Olive! Don't you dare apologize. You've tried-"
"But that's just it, Nick; I've only tried… and that's not enough. They've hurt you. And they've hurt me. I could've gotten us out of here earlier, but I just wasn't strong enough. Hell, we wouldn't have even been captured by this goddamn Foundation if I had just gotten us back home. But I failed at that, too." She put her head in those battered hands and heaved a sigh. "I'm so sorry, Nick."
Nick's heart was breaking, seeing Olivia so much like himself. So defeated, so down. No. Olivia didn't deserve to be like this. He took her into his arms and wrapped himself around her, voice wavering, "Olive, you've done so much for me already. We're together again and that's all that matters. And I haven't done my best to protect you, either. I depend on you too much – because it's easy. Because I'm weak. But I have to challenge myself, too. I have to help you, too." He was crying now, sobbing into her frayed yellow hair. It looked like straw, not like the golden locks he was used to seeing. It only made him cry harder. It only made him all the more guilty. He was just as responsible for the tattered Olivia in front of him as the Foundation was. "I promised you… back in your apartment… that I would protect you. And I failed you, too. I've failed you countless times. You wanted me to be strong and I wasn't. They took me away because I wasn't strong enough. I'm vulnerable and they've exploited me. I'm vulnerable and they used me against you. And I don't want that to happen anymore, Olive. I don't want them to hurt you anymore. I don't want any of us to hurt." He kept heaving and sobbing into her hair, into her bony shoulder. "Especially you. I don't want to see you hurt ever again because of me."
"Nick…" She couldn't say anything. She was touched by his emotions. She was touched by his sincerity. "We're going to get out of here… I know we will."
He wanted so desperately to reveal the secrets of his heart – the full extent of his love – but he was still much too scared. And it made him feel even worse. Here he was, hoping to be her strong protector and soldier, but he couldn't even say three simple words. He was so pathetic. He was so weak.
The orange gas enveloped them. Nick actually celebrated its arrival. Maybe it would deliver him from his failures.
[[ LEVEL 5 CLEARANCE EYES ONLY ]]
Transcribed Overseer Assembly 01428-2-XB13-Omega
O5-5 : The status of SCP-1428-2-
O5-4 : Has already been established. I see no reason to change its status from Euclid to Keter. And there IS no reason to change its status.
O5-6 : Your voice is one of many. We have all come to debate the status of SCP-1428-2. Let us begin. You can start with your assessment of the matter, O5-4, if you so wish.
O5-4 : SCP-1428-2 satisfies the qualities a subject must be to be labeled 'Euclid;' it does not exceed them. SCP-1428-2 is sentient and we do not know its true motivations. Our understanding of SCP-1428 and its relationship with SCP-1428-2 is very limited. That is the true danger. SCP-1428-1 was the one that caused the deaths outside of the Foundation, not SCP-1428-2.
O5-8 : But as you said yourself, our awareness is very limited. SCP-1428-2 could have caused events that we are unaware of. The two subjects had gone unnoticed until very recently. We have just become aware of their existence in the past month and a half.
O5-4 : But there hasn't been the data. Our Foundation has received little on any such empathic events, or any event causing massive self-destructive behavior in a public setting. They could have only recently been activated. And even in an activated state, they do not pose a grave threat to humanity unless they are directly threatened.
O5-5 : And haven't we directly threatened them? Especially SCP-1428-2? We have exposed the subject to SCP-173, high voltage shocks, and Class A sedative gas, among many things. SCP-1428-2 is growing more and more hostile to the Foundation day by day. Who's to say that it won't later extend to the entire planet? We could be provoking it to Keter hostility.
O5-10 : So what's your solution, then? Set them all free? Destroy them all? Neither of those are viable options. If you're so eager to reclassify SCP-1428-2's class, then what do you suggest its vigorous containment procedures be modified to?
O5-5 : The containment procedures are already drastic. The Foundation cannot afford for the host to reach full consciousness at any time. It needs to be bombarded with Class A sedatives at all times. It needs to stay in a secluded room with little human contact. The two hosts need to be kept together for their safety and our safety. Those with suicidal tendencies, as we have learned with Dr. Hendricks, should be kept away from SCP-1428-1. And those that can be easily swayed must be kept away from SCP-1428-2, as we learned from the unidentified doctor helping the subject breach. Actually anyone should be kept away from SCP-1428-2. It has the power of persuasion, whether by pure charisma or using its telepathic powers.
O5-10 : But I don't find those rigorous enough. It's nowhere near Procedure 110-Montauk-type extremes. Just flood the two with gas, keep them away from others, and hope for the best; that's trivial even by average Euclid standards. They're not encased in some special type of metal to keep them from reacting with anything. They're not suspended in a plastic case raised however many feet above the ground. And they're still kept relatively conscious.
O5-7 : Although we have contemplated placing SCP-1428-1 in a coma.
O5-10 : But it didn't… no I actually see what you mean. But even placing the subject in a catatonic state requires little relative effort. And subsequently Class-D personnel wouldn't have to be changed out. And little guards would have to be stationed outside their containment cells. It's not Keter-type extensive protocol.
O5-5 : Fine. But we cannot deny that SCP-1428-2 is capable of significant destruction, with its arsenal of traits – especially in a breach. It breached before and it showcased abilities to such degrees that we had never seen in any specimen or entity before. What if it were to breach again? What then? What kinds of destruction could ensue?
O5-4 : I find fault with this. From what we've come to understand, SCP-1428-2 does not mindlessly kill for killing's sake. When it breached, instead of mindlessly slaughtering the Task Force squads, it settled to injure, if not maim. It was not concerned with killing first. It was more interested in its objectives: securing SCP-1428-1 and escaping the facility.
O5-10 : The way you described the subject almost makes it sound like it's one of us.
O5-2 : I believe that there is more complexity to SCP-1428-2 than meets the eye.
O5-7 : Expand upon this.
O5-2 : I am having a special force run background checks on SCP-1428-2 as it lived in the outside world. Results have not come in, but I wouldn't be surprised if SCP-1428-2 had previously worked in a government agency, or perhaps in a rival organization.
O5-6 : What makes you so certain?
O5-2 : SCP-1428-2's ability to handle situations and to reason in the midst of danger is astounding. It's something that an ordinary human being just doesn't possess; they don't experience the heightened situations enough to develop those needed skills and mindsets necessary to function.
SCP-1428-2 is always aware. It is always aware that we are aware. It is calculating and logical. To label it only as "sentient" is an insult to its persistence to resistance. I believe that there is so much more to unlock from the subject.
O5-6 : But what is your stance on the reclassification?
O5-2 : I maintain my stance. Although SCP-1428-2 possesses almost dangerous potential, and all the more dangerous because it is unknown, it is not Keter. It is neither hostile nor destructive enough to warrant such a designation. Before it was contained, it showed the opposite of hostility to civilization and human life. It cared for the innocents around it. SCP-1428-1 showcases reverse-empathy but I argue that SCP-1428-2 experiences heightened empathy, a vital component to their bond. SCP-1428-2 did not want SCP-1428-1 to affect the people around them. And it consistently showcases that mindset even in containment. When Dr. Kwon and Dr. Hendricks tried to gain access to its knowledge of SCP-1428, the subject refused. It did not want others to become like it – to become a Cortexichild. And it did not want the knowledge gained from it, SCP-1428-1, and SCP-1428 to adversely affect human life.
And all that aside, objects are labeled as Euclid because of the uncertainty surrounding them. That is why they are the most experimented upon. That is why we work to solve them, in order to reclassify them as Safe. We are in the arduous process of identifying SCP-1428-2 and we must persist. We cannot label it as Keter and hope to merely contain it. We must work to fully understand it.
O5-5 : But can't you see the threat that SCP-1428-2 poses to this Foundation? And especially in light of the SCP-682 talk, which we haven't even started yet.
O5-7 : That will be next on the agenda. But let's put the reclassification or maintaining of Euclid classification to a vote.
…
O5-3 : That is 8 in favor of maintaining SCP-1428-2's Euclid classification and 4 against, with the noted absence of O5-13 in light of [DATA EXPUNGED].
O5-5 : Or 4 in favor of reclassifying SCP-1428-2 and 8 against.
O5-10 : Just accept defeat and move on.
O5-7 : With that we shall adjourn for lunch.
"Nick?"
"Hm?"
Her lips were chapped. Her throat was dry. Her body was weak. But she needed to know. Even if it hurt, even if it triggered her to extremes, she needed to know.
"What do you remember?"
It was a vague question, but he knew. It was vague enough for those watching the feed of their cell to scratch their heads and turn to each other and question the vagueness of it all, but he knew.
It was nearly painfully obvious. Only one thing, one place, popped into his mind – Jacksonville. Everything revolved around Jacksonville. That one town, that one daycare, had changed Nick for the rest of his life. It had scarred him and cursed him and marked him as a target and a soldier all at once. Because he remembered. He could never forget the sights that had haunted him. And he could never forget the reason he was able to survive, through every single struggle in his life, not just in Jacksonville – Olive. His Olive. He was fortunate to have been paired with that first day, all those years ago. They were so much younger then. And yet things were so much the same.
"Everything," he answered back. It was a vague answer to a vague question, but she knew. She had told them that answer however many days or weeks back in those torturous "questioning" sessions. Nick was haunted by the past, by everything and anything that had happened to him. He couldn't let go, but she had been so eager to. As a result, he had his demons plaguing him on a daily basis. And even by letting go, by forgetting, Olivia still had demons of her own. Even she couldn't fully escape the clutches of Jacksonville, of William Bell and the Walter Bishop she hoped Walter would never revert back to.
This failure to escape Jacksonville made her feel inadequate. And it made her place the blame on herself for going through such an ordeal in the first place. But then she stopped such thoughts. 'I've been going through this alone. I've been trying to forget my struggles instead of facing them – with someone else who's also gone through them. Fighting alone can be a losing battle, but fighting with a comrade… that's different.' It was hard for Olivia to accept help, even from someone going through such a similar haunted experience, but she had to. She had to realize that the two of them didn't need to fight their battles alone. They deserved better. As much as she hated herself sometimes, and especially as much as Nick did, they deserved better. They didn't deserve to suffer alone in silence; they had each other for a reason. And right now they needed each other. And now was the perfect time to face their past and hopefully heal. Because Nick couldn't go on with the demons eating him inside out. And she couldn't go on as a hardened shell of a soul. She shouldn't have to distance herself to feel safe and regardless, she wouldn't be able to do it for long. Something would give. Something would break her down.
"Tell me everything you can, Nick. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. Always."
It had taken a while for Nick to start. But he did, in time. In his own time.
He had shuddered. She figured that he had to summon up the strength. And he eventually did, after looking up to the whiteness that functioned as a "ceiling." It was actually hard to distinguish where the ceiling began and where the sidewalls ended. And he had seemed to be caught up in that limbo, still trying to muster the ability to speak. Or to convey his thoughts, in this case. But the limbo didn't last forever.
Because it happened. He took a shaky breath and looked at her with those bright blue eyes. They were wide and shining and full of everything a being could be full of. They only took on this appearance when he looked at her. She knew that by now. He knew that by now. He had to know by now. How much he loved her. Even if he didn't admit it, she knew.
'I just had a feeling… the first time I saw you. You were seated down at one of the tables, on the complete opposite side of the room, but I just knew. And eventually so did the rest of them. We fit together. I don't exactly know why, but we did – and we still do. And I owe a lot to you. I don't know what I would have done all these years without you, Olive. I could never forget you. I would never forget you.'
She was that important to him. She couldn't help but feel a bit shaken. Nick sounded a lot like Peter, whenever he wanted to confess parts of his soul to her. Or John Scott. Her mind had reluctantly jumped to him. And she forcefully jumped away from him. No more. No more of that or him.
'It started off small. Like a 'normal' daycare. They gave us things to color and toys to play with. They made us trust them. They numbed our minds. And they gave us the injections.' Nick shuddered, as if he had been injected right there before her. 'They were small, but I knew there was something behind them. They weren't average injections. They were full of a bright liquid, a bright substance, that I had never seen before. But I kept my mouth shut. Because I was scared. I couldn't be like you and try to swat the injections away. You hated them.'
Olivia wasn't really surprised. 'How many did we get?'
'I lost count. But after a while, they stopped. It was a waiting period – like they were waiting for it to take to our systems. Because then the tests started. And they were the hardest things. They were obscure. They were challenging what we had been taught in the "false world." It was the first step for forming recruits. They needed to free our minds of the restraints institutions had placed upon us… something like that.' He laughed. 'And you were the only one that could make consistent progress. Week after week, you would pass them all, while the rest of us struggled. You tried to help me, give me answers to things that couldn't truly be answered, but it didn't help. But thanks anyway.' He gave her a smile. 'You always succeeded.' But it was tinged with sadness. With jealousy. With anger despite all the love he held for her. 'You were the golden child. Dr. Bishop especially took to you. He'd treat you the best out of all of us. He'd pull you aside and run special tests on you. And sometimes on me.'
'What kind of tests, Nick?'
'I…' He faltered.
'Nick?'
'It wasn't like… the SCP Foundation. But… it still wasn't good. Seclusion rooms… threats… we were just children. And… I wasn't ready for…' He winced. He shook his head. He recoiled and scrunched his blue eyes tight. 'I… I… don't think I can do this, Olive. Maybe later. I'm tired. I want to sleep. I'm going to sleep.'
'Yeah. Okay.' Olivia was a bit shaken herself. What had happened? They were making such quality progress and then all of a sudden… nothing. Nick had been so confident, so in control, and then something hit him. He remembered something harsh. And the clarity was over. Now he was huddled up against his bed in the corner, curling up into a ball. All in the matter of mere moments… he was reduced to a childlike state.
What was truly haunting Nick? What had caused the demons to spawn in that tortured mind of his? What had happened to them all? What was he hiding? What was he hiding from? Olivia was a bit reluctant to continue. But she couldn't just stop now. There was no turning back from it all now. She had resolved to continue on this path with Nick together – no matter the costs to heal. But Nick… his hesitance told her that it was something serious. What had happened?
Did she even want to continue?
O5-6 : Shall we continue?
O5-10 : Yes.
O5-3 : The conversations linking SCP-1428-2 and SCP-682 are unsettling for some.
O5-11 : Especially the fact that those with relatively lower clearance are talking about a supposed 'death match' between the two of them. How are they gaining access? How does the JANITORIAL STAFF know that some have entertained the notion of using SCP-1428-2 to destroy SCP-682?
O5-5 : I think the most disturbing is the sensationalizing of the imagined event. This Foundation is not based on petty 'death matches.' That kind of Winters-related behavior needs to be purged immediately. We are not a Foundation based on gratifying revenge or childish desires to see a "Godzilla on steroids" versus "that hot X-Man girl" battle. Even throwing the term "battle" around irresponsibly is infuriating.
O5-4 : And why should there even be a meeting between the two of them? Our previous debate shed light on how little we know about SCP-1428-2, which is why it is so dangerous. But now people – respected doctors in our midst even – want to disregard those valid points just to see a proposed fight? We cannot even begin to predict what kind of consequences could arise from such a situation. Dr. ████ shed light on what we could possibly expect and I agree with every statement made.
O5-10 : And yet I can see where they – the Class-D and lower-level staff – are coming from. All of us are on edge when it comes to SCP-682; we have been for years now. And for years, we haven't come any closer to destroying it since it first appeared in our facility. SCP-682 sits in its tank of acid and every once and a while, it breaches. And we send out various teams to try to recontain it. And then it kills our valuable agents and any innocent lives caught in the crossfire. It's a vicious cycle that seems like it'll never stop; it's endless. It seems like a fruitless, pointless battle.
But now, even the Class-D personnel have hope. Because this new SCP-1428-2 seems like it has a small ounce of a chance of facing SCP-682 – which is better than no chance and better than any of the methods we have tried on SCP-682. They're latching onto it and it's becoming more than hope; it's becoming their reality. They are so desperate to see SCP-682 destroyed that they believe ardently that SCP-1428-2 will prevail.
O5-5 : Which is dangerous. They're latching onto SCP-1428-2's charisma and persuasion. They're all falling subject to what could be an empathic-based event. SCP-1428-2 might be able to feed off of that strength and faith they have for it. These emotions might fuel it to breach. These emotions might fuel it to warrant a Keter rating.
O5-6 : Stay on the topic at hand, please.
O5-5 : Fine. The point is that SCP-1428-2 is a scientific anomaly, not a beacon or angel of salvation.
O5-2 : But we don't know that, do we, O5-5?
O5-5 : I'm not quite sure I follow you, sir.
O5-2 : We don't know exactly what SCP-1428-2 is. We haven't unlocked its potential. And perhaps that potential is similar to salvation, and perhaps it isn't.
O5-10 : We won't know until we try?
O5-2 : Yes, and yet I am hesitant – as are naturally many of you. We don't KNOW exactly what SCP-1428-2 is and how it will react. The Class-D personnel are overestimating its chances to even survive exposure to SCP-682, in any form. And that comes with being a part of Class-D personnel as opposed to the Overseer class.
And I won't lie to you all – my hesitance is bathed in selfishness. I don't want to lose a very valuable specimen, especially just on the whim of some doctor that shouldn't have even been given clearance. SCP-1428-2 could unlock the doors for many questions, not just for SCP-682. We have the opportunity to explore a substance that alters the reality formation of the recipient. We have the opportunity to see how many different manifestations of SCP-1428 there could be in a multitude of hosts.
O5-11 : We have the opportunity to perhaps use these hosts in the stagnant Olympia Project. And perhaps create more projects with the discovery or creation of new hosts.
O5-2 : Yes. And the opportunity to observe host-based bonds and bond dynamics. And yet… this may be the only chance we get of destroying SCP-682.
O5-6 : After this chance, there may not be another. SCP-682 might adapt to anything SCP-1428-2 unleashes against it. And SCP-1428-2 might, as you mentioned, perish. It's a gamble.
O5-7 : Are we willing to take that gamble?
O5-5 : I am not.
O5-4 : And for once, I actually agree with you. But that's only two of us.
O5-10 : Is it too early to call for a vote?
O5-8 : Yes. I speak for the conflicted, seeing truths and faults with both sides. We need more time.
O5-7 : But we may not have more time. We can contain SCP-1428-2 into the far foreseeable future, yes, but not SCP-682. We do not have any luxuries with SCP-682.