SCP-1428 – "Cortexichildren"
Chapter 14: The Beast Within
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… the shits… I do not give them. 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: Place your bets. In one corner with have Olivia Dunham, the girl with the Cortexiphan. In the other corner we have SCP-682, destroyer of worlds. Place your bets early now. I'm having fun with these. & I hope you're having fun, too.
[[ LEVEL 5 CLEARANCE EYES ONLY ]]
Transcribed Overseer Assembly 01428-2-XB13-Omega
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.
O5-3 : But we also can't afford any mistakes. The situation is grave, given the two subjects we're dealing with.
O5-6 : We've heard from the opposition for a while. Why not those in favor of sending SCP-1428-2 into SCP-682's chamber?
O5-10 : I'd like to make a stronger case.
O5-5 : Not more of that savior rhetoric again.
O5-10 : No.
O5-5 : Then by all means. Try to change my mind.
O5-10 : You're afraid. We're all afraid. The entire Foundation is afraid. And our fear is justified.
We have never come close to destroying SCP-682. The best we can do is fill a chamber with acid and hope it stays asleep. The best we can do is hope it's never provoked to rage. The best we can do is keep it locked away and pray for the best. We have nothing. Until now.
I am not asking for open combat. That is foolish and would guarantee the deaths of us all. I argue that we should deploy SCP-1428-2 to site [REDACTED] while SCP-682 is still submerged. While SCP-1428-2 is absent, we put SCP-1428-1 into a medically induced coma. Because if SCP-1428-1 were to experience another forced separation, it would trigger a massive empathic event. And we can't handle two potentially disastrous situations at the same time. I realize that-
O5-4 : But why go through even ONE disastrous situation in the first place? The motto of this foundation is to PROTECT, not bring about XK scenarios. We're supposed to be PREVENTING THEM, not initiating them.
O5-5 : And in the event that SCP-682 modifies itself after its exposure to SCP-1428-2… we will have nothing. There WILL be a XK event upon us.
O5-10 : You two interrupted me. Continuing from where I left off, I understand the risks. I realize the danger. But if we keep SCP-682 submerged, we can allow SCP-1428-2 to target and destroy it inside its containment chamber.
O5-8 : That's assuming that SCP-1428-2 would even consent to such an objective. And that's assuming that SCP-1428-2 would even value our objectives above its own. It might try to escape as soon as it's placed in the cell.
O5-10 : We'll simply have to persuade it.
O5-2 : But SCP-1428-2 is much too independent for that.
O5-10 : But we have to do SOMETHING. Keeping SCP-682 in its containment chamber isn't going to solve anything. This isn't détente. This is much more severe-
O5-4 : I'm glad you understand that. This IS much more severe.
…
O5-3 : I think we're ready for a vote.
O5-5 : I believe we are.
Personal Log of Dr. Jung Kwon:
They ruled in favor of it. I can't believe it. I just… if I had been on the O5… this would not be happening. But that's precisely it – I'm not an Overseer yet.
And if SCP-1428-2 is sent out for slaughter, I'll never become an Overseer. SCP-1428-2 is more than valuable to me; SCP-1428-2 has become everything. Cortexiphan and its hosts are my way to ascend the ranks. They are my future.
But all that's going to change. SCP-1428-2 is going to be destroyed, not SCP-682. And I'll only be left with SCP-1428-1, a subject that doesn't yield much of anything.
I'll start mentally preparing myself to change projects. It's all over.
Personal Log of Dr. Brenda Montgomery:
I can't believe they ruled in favor. I thought there was too much at risk… but I guess I was wrong. Again.
This is madness. Everyone here is mad. Innocent lives are at stake. HER life is at stake.
It was a mistake to come here. The SCP Foundation isn't about Protecting at all. It's about Securing and Containing POWER. Power that I'll never have. And power that I never want to have, if it drives you to such madness.
I'm going to apply for a position at Zoetics. And I'm going to…
After days of no contact whatsoever, one of the black guards entered their cell. And injected her. And pulled her up.
What was happening?
Olivia emerged from the haze, dizzy and stumbling. There were two guards helping her to a large metal gate, but as soon as they arrived at the gate, they were quick to retreat. She heard their heavy footsteps get farther and farther away from her. She heard the rustling and jumbling of their gear and their harsh, hurried breathing. They were frightened. They were terrified. They wanted nothing to do with her and more importantly, nothing to do with the thing that lay behind the metal gate.
Not this again. Not this kind of fuckery again, leaving her in front of another SCP's cell and hoping for her to come out of there alive. It was bullshit. She wasn't a lab rat. She wasn't an experiment. Not again. Not after all she had been through. She felt as if her life had gone a complete 360. She had escaped the perils of Jacksonville only to return to Jacksonville, although this time it was massive and underground. This time it was wretched and endless. And this time she couldn't escape. She couldn't escape the infinity.
She whipped her head back, glaring in the darkness, hoping to find a soldier to question. No one. She turned back to the metal gate, frayed blonde hair whipping around with her. No one. Not even Nick. No one. Just her and her tattered white clothes with SCP-1428-2 stamped across the chest.
The door had a similar stamp on it: SCP-682. It didn't matter. They were all the same to her. They were all the same to the SCP Foundation so why should she differentiate? They were all disposable. They were all subhuman. They were all prisoners and murderers. They weren't Nicks or Peters or Astrids; they were all anomalies, entities, subjects, and organisms.
The metal gate opened. She refused to step in. They could threaten her all they wanted; she would not go in willingly. She would not do this Foundation's bidding. She was not a puppet. She was not a soldier. She was Olivia Dunham and she wasn't just an anomaly for them to study. She wasn't just a subject to poke and prod. Not today. Today she had had enough. Today she was sick of being treated worse than the men in the orange suits, subject to die at the beginning of the month. She was sick of being treated anything less than the human she was. Today she would not submit to them. Today she would…
Fall into a haze. And step forward. Despite her intentions, despite her wishes, she would step forward. And she would lose herself within herself for only a moment.
But that moment had been crucial. Because now she was in a large enclosed room. And it was full of soldiers with their guns forever pointed at this monster in a tank made of steel. And yet even though it was made of steel, she could see it. She could peer past the steel and see the beast within.
But she couldn't describe the massive organism inside. It was beyond words. It was only fear. The thing in front of her was fear itself. It was every nightmare a person could have personified and multiplied twentyfold, fiftyfold, more than she could count.
She assumed the substance it was sitting in was acid. Because it had eaten away at the creature's flesh. She could see mostly bones and bits of what looked to be fur, but that only made the sight worse. Especially the skull pointed in her direction. The head of the creature alone was larger than her. And its teeth could rip her to shreds, if it so desired. She would die instantly, if it so desired. It made that SCP-173 yellow blob look like a mere house pet.
And now Olivia finally understood what this Foundation was built for. To keep monsters like this locked up away from the public. But no matter how heroic or how necessary it all was, that still didn't excuse the fact that they were locking her up, too. She was not the same as this thing in front of her. And that festered inside of her.
'I'm not like that. I'm Olivia. I'm human.' But wasn't the thing in front of her alive, too? Were they truly the same? Was Olivia really that dangerous?
But why was she here, if she was so dangerous? Why put two dangerous objects together? Was she expected to do something? Was she expected to kill it?
No. That had to be impossible. They surely didn't trust her with something as delicate as that… did they? She looked back up to the guards, the members of various forces; they hadn't said a word. She looked down at her dry and cracked hands and couldn't help but laugh. 'You're joking.' She thought SCP-173 was the end of their idiocy. Maybe Walter wasn't as calculating as his other two incarnates.
She was about to demand for her release. And they were about to demand for her cooperation. But something interrupted the two parties. Something stirred in that tank of acid. Something awakened and looked at Olivia. This brought on the panic of the soldiers above her, but they were oddly ordered to stand down. Those in power wanted to see what would happen. And Olivia wanted to see what would happen, too. Was this thing like SCP-173, capable of only motion and not sound? Capable of only movement and not action? Or was this thing just like her? A being fully conscious of its existence?
When it finally spoke, every hair Olivia had on her body stood on end. And a chill spread from the base of her neck reaching all the way to her Achilles' tendon. The voice was soft, yet it had such depth, such hatred burning behind it. It truly was a monster.
"What is this?" Olivia wasn't sure if it was referring to her or the larger ordeal involving the Task Force. It spoke slowly, like it was barely conscious. "What is… this?"
Olivia couldn't see its eyes; its head was so massive. She didn't know where to look. She didn't know how to defend herself if the thing were to break free. The door was shut behind her and with one false step from Olivia's feet, every last one of those agents would shoot her where she stood. She was trapped. She was dead.
"Another attempt… to kill me?" It laughed. It laughed at her, laughed at the Task Force, laughed at the entire organization. "It'll only end in failure. It always does."
Olivia felt its gaze rest solely on her. It could see her, too, through the steel. It knew that she was there. And she felt a growl rise up from the beast and hit her in the face. "You don't belong here."
Her eyes widened. "Wh-what?" Her pulse stopped. Her jaw hung open. "How do you-?"
"You are not like the rest." It laughed again, low and menacing. "How foolish of them."
"How am I not like the rest?" Against all better judgment, against every cell in her body screaming against it, she took a few steps closer to the tank holding the thing. It knew, didn't it? It knew what she was. But what was it?
"You are not from here. I am not from here. We are different."
Olivia sprinted up to the steel and placed her hands on it. "Yes! I'm not! What are you? Where are you from?"
"Step away from the steel, SCP-1428-2," came an order from above.
Her body tensed. She prepared to take action, but-
"I am having… a conversation. If you move… I will breach."
Olivia shuddered. And she assumed that the Task Force members did, too. She heard them relax their guns. She heard them inhale and exhale. She heard their pulses beat rapidly. She heard them grit their teeth in anticipation and terror.
"I am…" But Olivia could not decipher the words the beast was growling. It did not register in her ears. If Astrid had been there, she might have been able to salvage some insight. But she was alone.
After two minutes, Olivia finally heard intelligible speech again. "I am not from this universe. And you are not."
Olivia was fortunate that finally someone else on this side understood her. But she was unfortunate that their words were being recorded for the Foundation to study. Soon they would know all of the secrets to Cortexiphan and all of the secrets to Cortexichildren.
But in that moment, she threw aside their listening in. She had to know. Perhaps she could escape right there. Perhaps this was her chance at last. Perhaps she could finally go home.
"Which universe?" Her universe? The Other Side? Was this one of Walter's creations? One of his scientific masterpieces gone wrong? Had he been responsible for all of this the entire time? Or was SCP-682 linked with The Pattern? Was it linked with The Observers? Or was it even linked with David Robert Jones? Could this be a beast created by his own team of experts? Is that why it knew so much about her? Had it been sent here to collect her? It was the perfect opportunity and plan… Nick and Olivia trapped in an entirely foreign universe with no rules, no strings attached. But she doubted it. And yet it seemed like a likely possibility. She was paranoid. But it was hard not to be in front of a metal case holding a massive reptilian-like figure. "What are you and how do you know this?"
But it only growled at her. Perhaps it, too, wanted to keep secrets from the Foundation.
She pressed again. "Where did you come from?"
"Far away." The growling grew louder. And it was mixed with something that sounded like gurgling. And stirring. Like it was moving in its containment chamber – which made the guards above her antsy.
Olivia was horrified, being so close to it. But she swallowed her fear, swallowed her saliva, and uttered, although barely over a harsh whisper, "I'm not afraid of you."
It returned to laughing, instead of growling. Olivia took that as a good sign. Perhaps she would still be alive in an hour or two. "We want the same thing. To get out. You don't belong. I don't belong. Perhaps…" It took a long pause. Olivia clenched her fists that were now resting against the sides of her thighs and bit her lip, waiting for its next words. "Perhaps we could assist each other."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat at the offer. But before she could truly absorb and consider it, guards came in from all directions. And the blackness fell with one foul swoop.
They had made a mistake.
Where was she? Everything was white. Just blank, bleak, bright whiteness. White hopeless infinity.
Who was that body? Hooked up to the tubes? Was that Nick?
Where was this? What was this?
What?
Clarity.
She was in her containment cell. She was in her thoughts. There was Nick right beside her, sleeping soundly. She was safe and free to consider SCP-682's offer. Or SCP-682's demands.
This was difficult. Part of her wanted to believe the creature from another universe trapped in this universe against its will. But another part of her did not trust the gigantic creature encased in metal and acid to protect it from the rest of the world, perhaps the rest of the universes.
But cooperating with that SCP-682 could be the only way of getting out of this Foundation hell hole. They wouldn't allow her to breach again, not after her failure however many weeks ago. The best she could do at this stage was a series of micro disasters. She could cut the power. She could kill a few guards. She could burn a hole through a wall and run out. But that would be all. After that, nothing. After that, failure. And after such events, Olivia would be punished with unconsciousness and separation. There was nothing to gain.
That beast could be her only chance. They shared the same motive – to escape. They might even share the same location – the same universe – to escape to. It might even possess the ability to universe-jump. And in the event that she had not been activated far enough, despite all the hell she had experienced in the Foundation, that would be the only way for her to get home. And Nick. She hoped that the beast would allow Nick to tag along. Because she couldn't leave without him. Not after everything they had been through. She could never bring herself to betray another human being like that. Especially a human being that depended on her so much. She was his everything and if she were to abandon him here, in the Foundation… No. It was too grim.
But would they all have the time or space to attempt to leave? In the event that Nick and her failed – if they phased in and out of reality and then came back, and all of this had been caught on camera – they would only have more questions to answer. Their trump card would be revealed; their true potential would be exposed. The Foundation would know the true capabilities of Walter Bishop and William Bell's Cortexichildren.
So Olivia was still hesitant. Even if this was the only shot of her escaping, of Nick escaping, she did not feel immediacy. She did not feel comfortable making a split decision to trust a monster the SCP Foundation had taken such extremes to keep contained.
Because there was no denying it – the SCP Foundation wanted the thing dead. She was an anomaly, but SCP-682 was a threat. It needed to be destroyed immediately – and that's why they had sent her there in the first place, hoping that she was strong enough to destroy it. And they were likely to try again. Until it died, she died, or some unknown possibility much worse than the previous two. The death of that creature was likely one of the top priorities of the Foundation. And they would be correct in having such a priority. If she failed to destroy SCP-682, possibly dying in the process, and SCP-682 escaped, their universe would be in danger. And possibly even her universe could be in danger. The threat of every universe in existence could be in danger.
Or if she decided to trust SCP-682, she could escape with it. But after that… then what? This was assuming that they could leave on amicable terms. But was a creature like that capable of such feelings? Of not even compassion but cooperation? The SCP Foundation did not trust such a being. It was strong, yes, but it was also intelligent. SCP-173 was not capable of speech, to the best of her knowledge, but this SCP was. And it was capable of deception. Every single thing it had said could have been a lie. Who's to say that the SCP wouldn't kill her as soon as they escaped? She could only be a means to an end. She could only be a pawn in that monster's eyes. It was capable of using her just like the human doctors could. She just didn't know what its motives were.
Yet it was the enemy of her enemy. The immediate threat the both of them faced was the SCP Foundation directly imprisoning them. Working together to defeat their collective threat was a victory in and of itself. They could be able to cooperate, in theory. Yet the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" concept only worked in certain situations; it didn't exist in a vacuum and it couldn't be applied uniformly in reality. Olivia had trusted many in her past, enemies of enemies, and yet they had deceived her, too. They would always deceive her in the end. There was no one she could really trust – especially some likely alien monster eight times her size.
If SCP-682 were to betray her, she would die. End of story. There was no alternative. She would not be able to hold her own outside of the SCP Foundation. Even with Nick, there would be no chance for them. Or at least she assumed so, judging by its size and hostility. Maybe they did stand a chance, but she would rather not fight it.
She just had a feeling not to trust it. And her feelings had always been right, Cortexiphan in her system or not. She always had intuition. She always knew the only person she could trust fully was herself.
O5-4 : What. Was. That. Someone please tell me what I just watched.
O5-5 : Nothing short of a disaster. If the Task Force had not intervened, we could have had a DUAL breach. This is the exact OPPOSITE of what we wanted. Why did the rest of you vote in favor of such insanity?
O5-10 : I don't know what feed you were watching, but nothing happened. SCP-682 did not react to SCP-1428-2 –
O5-12 : I'd still classify identifying SCP-1428-2 as a kindred spirit and wanting to breach with it as a "reaction." But that's just me.
O5-4 : No, you're absolutely right.
O5-6 : Could we please have order?
O5-5 : How in the HELL can you always be so apathetic about these things? Don't you even CARE? We all could have DIED.
O5-7 : I'd rather us not devolve to the emotional state of D-Class personnel, please. Could we maintain some order? We are the OVERSEER class for a reason, are we not?
O5-5 : I'm sorry. I'll compose myself. I… I haven't been myself lately.
O5-3 : We are fortunate that nothing physical happened. Words were exchanged, but there were no actions. And as soon as SCP-1428-2 was removed, SCP-682's agitation started to diminish. It's calmer now. And SCP-1428-2 is observed to be calmer now, too.
O5-5 : But it's contemplating the offer. It's contemplating trusting it and we can't have that happen.
O5-2 : These are all valid observations, but I believe you are all missing the heart of the matter – the real gem to collect from all of this.
O5-9 : And that would be…?
O5-4 : That we've made an incredibly grave mistake.
O5-2 : No. Quite the opposite, actually. We've gotten more than we could ever want, more than we could ever gather. As soon as Dr. Kwon sees the footage, he will probably be the most pleased out of all of us.
O5-4 : How could someone be pleased after seeing such a response from SCP-682?
O5-2 : But I am pleased. Identifying it as a "kindred spirit" is just what we needed. We now know the true identity of our SCP-1428-2.
O5-3 : You BELIEVE that they're both from different universes? How can you? We all know that SCP-682 doesn't readily give information about itself.
O5-2 : But it wasn't sharing the information to us; it was sharing it to SCP-1428-2, knowing full well that we would receive it, too. To SCP-682, getting it to SCP-1428-2 was much more important.
O5-9 : And what exactly have we gathered from this incident?
O5-2 : SCP-1428-2 has been hiding more than we could have ever imagined from us. It can traverse universes. It is from a different universe. This opens up the possibilities to anything. It's endless. And it's exciting. This was the best thing to happen for the Cortexiphan project. We are going to make true progress.
O5-4 : As we're making process, what are we going to do about SCP-682? It's not like it's going to forget its meeting with SCP-1428-2. It's going to ask for it.
O5-3 : We'll address it when the time comes. I motion for this assembly to adjourn. Is there a second?
O5-12 : Second.
O5-2 : We're going to make excellent progress.
O5 Log 01428-00682-Z5B12-O2-1:
My O5 colleagues do not share my enthusiasm in light of the 1428-2-682 Incident. No matter. I possess the thirst for knowledge and I will make my own progress, if need be. I have done it before. I have for many years. I have for many rotations and combinations of the Overseer staff. And I have remained when so many have left or fallen. And for good reason.
Today's proceedings have only solidified my suspicions. My link between SCP-001 and SCP-1428-2 is become steadily justified. The more we learn from SCP-1428-2, the ever-stronger that link becomes. Especially now that SCP-1428-2 is an entity that can transcend universal barriers. It can pass through the potential fabrics of universes and it can already see potential futures. All these AND SCP-1428-2 can relate empathically to others, on levels I hope I will soon be able to understand. These abilities are probably more intricately linked than I can even predict, but they are linked. It will unlock the secrets to the universe / universes.
And yet no one else sees that. My colleagues are either too focused on trying to destroy SCP-682 [this is a necessary task, but we are losing perspective in the midst of things], trying to revitalize Project Olympia [it was doomed from the start, overambitious, and lacking focus; why must they even bother?], or trying to recreate Cortexiphan [the substance is not the important factor here; the hosts are. Dr. Kwon is going about this entirely wrong, although I do respect his vision and his commitment]. All of those goals are irrelevant; all of those motives are secondary. Instead we should be focusing on SCP-1428-2. We should be focusing on its unique factors that we have never seen in our universe because it is NOT from our universe. How are my colleagues not overjoyed at this discovery? At perhaps proof that there ARE other universes besides are own, thus explaining why there are phenomena for us to contain and study in the first place? Why are they stuck in their apathetic and aloof mindsets? Where is the passion for discovery?
Perhaps I should have never advanced up the Foundation's hierarchy. Perhaps I should have stayed a Doctor. Elizabeth always thought I made a better Doctor. Up until her death…
The host will tell us everything there is to know. I am sure of it. It will answer all of my questions, solve all of my problems. It will give the existence of our Foundation true meaning and true purpose. We will know what we must do and why.
And yet they'll call me crazy. But those who believed the earth revolved around the sun were first thought crazy. Those who believed that the earth was round, and rejected the edge of the world, were first thought crazy. Those who believed that there was a New World, a group of landmasses never before seen by European eyes, were first thought crazy. Those who believed in gods were first thought crazy and those who rejected such gods were first thought crazy. I am amongst these men before their time. I stand with these giants of existence. They held true to their beliefs despite their doubtful peers and I intend to do the same.
And I shall find the truths of our existence. No matter what it takes, there will be answers. Knowledge will prevail.