SCP-1428 – "Cortexichildren"
Chapter 18: Not Your Kind of People
Disclaimers: When I began writing Cortexichildren, SCP-1428 was vacant. It is no longer vacant, but I have no intentions of publishing this on the wiki. 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: We're winding down to the home stretch. & that's exciting. But… Weapon!Olivia really excites me. I'm pushing Olivia to her limits in this chapter &… Olivia's not quite herself. & yet she is COMPLETELY herself. Olivia was willing to use Peter as a means to defeat an enemy [which was pretty painful on Peter's end]… & throughout the series she has been willing to do a LOT for those she loves – especially to defeat enemies. So take this mindset & place it in a super stressful containment facility with other things that want to kill you & humans you can't trust who threaten you & others on a daily basis – what do you THINK is going to happen, hmmm?
I was inspired by the newest Metal Gear Solid trailer song for the title [because when I first came up with an outline, the song had just came out… yes it was THAT long ago.] Like the song is perfect. & the song will actually be used thruout. Like not in a super corny way [I hope], but I liked how some lyrics marked off sections of the chapter. The song fit so well it started to scare me. If you haven't heard the song you should check it out. It's by Garbage.
ALSO SHOUTOUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN FAVORITING / KUDOING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AS A REWARD, HERE'S A SUPER LONG ASS CHAPTER. IS YOUR BODY READY?!
We are not your kind of people
Don't want to be like you
Ever in our lives
We are not your kind of people
We fight when you start talking
There's nothing but white noise
Cortexichildren
Item #: SCP-1428
Object Class: Euclid
Description: SCP-1428 is an unknown chemical substance called Cortexiphan, manufactured in [DATA EXPUNGED] with ingredients that may or may not be [DATA REDACTED]. Although Dr. Kwon's research into the ingredients of SCP-1428 has yielded [DATA EXPUNGED], with the current information from Interview 1428-2-G, these insights may be meaningless.
SCP-1428 was given to SCP-1428-1 and SCP-1428-2 as children [exact ages unknown] along with ██ other children 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.
…
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 displayed pyrokinesis, telekinesis, electricity manipulation, and enhanced speed. From Interview 1428-2-G, the Foundation has learned that SCP-1428-2 can see disturbances of [DATA REDACTED]. SCP-1428-2 sees these disturbances as a "glimmer" or "glimmering."
After its encounter with SCP-682, SCP-682 deduced that SCP-1428-2 [and by extension, SCP-1428 and SCP-1428-1] is [DATA REDACTED]. However, immediately after this discovery, SCP-682 attempted to strike an alliance with SCP-1428-2 in hopes of escape. Task Force intervention was necessary.
SCP-1428-2 expresses that it lacks adequate control of its abilities, but its incident with SCP-173 makes the Foundation believe otherwise. However, while fear does trigger the onset of the subject's abilities, it does not guarantee the control of such abilities. 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. Prior to Interview-1428-2-G, the Foundation doubted whether this awareness was sincere and believed SCP-1428-2 was putting on a façade with aims of gaining the Foundation's trust. In light of Interview-2-G, the ferocity SCP-1428-2 showcases for the welfare of SCP-1428-1 is not limited to SCP-1428-1 and other potential Cortexichildren. When the lives of innocents are threatened in any way, SCP-1428-2 becomes easily combative and violent to an unparalleled degree. These reactions point to O5-2's hypothesis that SCP-1428-2 experiences heighted empathy in direct contrast to SCP-1428-1, but it still does not provide a firm foundation. Also, doctors and O5 staff alike do not agree on the origin of SCP-1428-2's empathy.
: Because of their physical and emotional proximity, did SCP-1428-2 adapt to SCP-1428-1's reverse-empathy by developing heightened empathy and consciousness? Was it a reaction that was forced by [DATA REDACTED] to create a humanoid fail-safe capable of balancing SCP-1428-1's reverse-empathy? Or did SCP-1428-2's empathy preexist, causing the two to be paired in the first place?
Note-03: In light of Interview-1428-2-G, SCP-1428-2's hostility level when faced with Foundation employees is no laughing matter. Proceed with extreme caution. And healthy amounts of sedatives.
[[THE INFORMATION BELOW IS FOR PERSONNEL WITH LEVEL 4 CLEARANCE AND ABOVE ONLY]]
…
Addendum-08: Only the O5 [and a privileged few doctors working in close contact] know the truth of SCP-682 and SCP-1428-2's encounter and the finer nuances of Interview-1428-2-G. The O5 do not know how to proceed with adding such sensitive information to SCP-1428's description. Introducing the concept of parallel worlds and doppelgangers to ignorant minds would be disastrous. And yet the discovery of teleporting between such worlds and distinguishing between alternate identities are paramount and VITAL to our overall understanding of SCP-1428. But there is no need to further complicate matters and the minds of standard personnel. The situation is already delicate.
You dropped by as I was sleeping
You came to see the whole commotion
And when I woke I started laughing
The joke's on me for not believing
They took Nick when he was asleep. He thought he was safe in the shrouds of orange gas. He thought he was hidden. But through the orange, even through sleep, he saw the shadows. And the shadows pounced upon him. And snatched him.
He screamed. He bucked against them and growled. He thrashed his legs about, at first trying to kick the guards, but later thrashed just to thrash; he struggled just to struggle, knowing that it was all in vain, but he had to do something with his wretched body. He spat and he cried for Olivia, for his Olivia that was nowhere to be found amidst the black blurs and black panic. He shouted "Olive! Olive! Olive!" again and again, but to no avail. They took him from her when he thought he was safe.
What a foolish mistake to make. A pathetic mistake for a pathetic person. He should have known better in such a dreadful place; he should have known better than to give into hope – into security, even with his precious Olive there. Even Olive, with all her strength, could do little for him now. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. But pathetic was so often his normal. This was what he was; this was his nature.
He turned to his left. He didn't expect to see anything through the foggy drug-induced shapes, but he saw something, something that startled him more than being taken. Something that shook him right to his core - his reflection. In the helmet of the guard next to him. In that black visor, that black surface that looked like beautiful glass, he saw a haggard man, a broken and battered man with blue eyes wide with terror. A man with circles etched deep under his eyes, with lines carved into the sides of his face, with scabs and remnants of blood caked permanently onto his cheeks and chin. His hair had grown long, unrecognizably long in an unrecognizable amount of time. And the layers of blond-brown stuff flopped this way and that, ragged and frayed and thin and weak just like he was. Nick almost didn't recognize himself, not because of the circles or the scars, but because of the beard, or what was attempting to be a beard. In the helmet and through the drugs, it looked like a brown haze surrounding his neck. It sprung forth from him, but didn't go very far. It was just as pathetic as the rest of him was. It was merely an imposter.
Nick started laughing. Maybe the orange gas was still lingering in his nostrils or maybe they had finally succeeded in completely breaking him. Regardless of the reason or lack of a reason, he couldn't stop. The guards around him tensed and prepared to inject him with more orange, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. He looked too pathetic to matter; he was too pathetic to matter. 'I finally feel how I look and look how I feel,' Nick thought.
He already knew where they were taking him. There was only one possibility, but it didn't even faze him. Even as they approached a familiar questioning room's door, he gave them nothing but cracked laughter. He had nothing else to give them but laughter. And he would give them nothing else… willingly.
Of course he knew they would use their chemical advantage. They always would. And like always, he would yield. There was no winning with them. Why even struggle? Why struggle against the inevitable? He was just one frayed little leaf trying to oppose an almighty waterfall. It was hopeless. It was fruitless. It was hilariously desolate. All he could do was laugh like the mad man that he was.
We are not your kind of people
You seem kind of phony
Everything's a lie
We are not your kind of people
Something in your makeup
Don't see eye to eye
Interview 1428-1-E
Interviewed: SCP-1428-1
Interviewers: Dr. M█████, O5-3, O5-6, O5-7
The Foundation is treading cautiously in light of SCP-1428-2's outbursts after [DATA REDACTED]. Although the Foundation has prohibited the questioning and testing of SCP-1428-1, the O5 have decided to suspend this security procedure, since SCP-1428-2's mental state has been compromised.
The Foundation hopes that SCP-1428-1 will be able to shed light on SCP-1428-2's statements during its recent questioning, specifically about [DATA EXPUNGED].
Transportation procedures were successfully executed. But considering SCP-1428-1's track record with previous doctors, multiple Task Force operatives and O5 personnel will be monitoring the proceedings. Furthermore, Dr. Kwon and Dr. Warren supervised the administering of [DATA REDACTED] and injections of [DATA REDACTED]. This mixture will allow SCP-1428-1 to be in a relaxed, calm state – hopefully reducing any possibilities of an empathic event.
Dr. M█████ is the only individual that will be present in a spars meter room, reducing the destruction if SCP-1428-1's empathic nature should spread. The O5 have produced a series of questions for Dr. M█████ to ask upon the interview. All three Overseer staff have live access to the interview and will interject or interrupt if necessary.
Dr. M█████ has been instructed to be as gentle and sympathetic to SCP-1428-1 as possible. In no circumstance whatsoever is Dr. M█████ to enact the measures that Dr. Hendricks or Dr. Winters forced upon SCP-1428-1. Dr. M█████ must secure SCP-1428-1's trust.
Begin Log
SCP-1428-1 appears to be in a drowsy, but relaxed, state.
Dr. M█████ : SCP-1428-1?
SCP-1428-1 : Huh?
Dr. M█████ : Are you ready to answer questions?
SCP-1428-1 : What kind of questions?
Dr. M█████ : Questions about… Olive.
O5-3 considers objecting Dr. M█████'s choice to refer to SCP-1428-2 by its "bond" name, but abstains.
SCP-1428-1 : [perking up] Olive? Where is she?
Dr. M█████ : Olive's back in her room. She's very tired. She needs her rest.
SCP-1428-1 : … I see.
SCP-1428-1 appears disappointed, but not enough to cause concern.
Dr. M█████ : Let's continue to talk about Olive. You like Olive, don't you?
SCP-1428-1 : Yes.
Dr. M█████ : And you say that Olive has always been the strongest out of you two. What about the others? Is she stronger than the others?
SCP-1428-1 : Always. Yes.
Dr. M█████ : Why is that so?
SCP-1428-1 : Because she can do anything. The rest of us… we couldn't do what she did. And we still can't do what she can. We could never.
Dr. M█████ : Do you remember how many others?
SCP-1428-1 : [DATA EXPUNGED].
Dr. M█████ : But none of them were as strong as her?
SCP-1428-1 : No. She was their favorite.
Dr. M█████ : Whose?
SCP-1428-1 : [DATA REDACTED]. And mine.
Dr. M█████ : [after a long pause] Tell me more about Olive's abilities.
SCP-1428-1 : They're limitless, it seems like. I… I'm jealous.
Dr. M█████ : But doesn't she give you strength? Why would you need to be jealous of her?
SCP-1428-1 : [increasingly agitated] Because I'm not strong enough on my own. I'm weak. I… I… she…
O5-6 : Dr. M█████, change the subject immediately. The entity's mental state is-
Dr. M█████ : Alright, Nick. It's alright. You're safe here. You don't need to be scared right now. You just need to answer my questions.
SCP-1428-1 : [whispering] I'm safe here?
Dr. M█████ : Yes. Yes, Nick. Of course you're safe. And Olivia is safe, too. No one's going to hurt you here.
SCP-1428-1 : But before-
Dr. M█████ : Shh. Those men won't hurt you. Not anymore. And no one will hurt you like that ever again. I promise. They've been taken care of. They can't hurt you ever again.
SCP-1428-1 : O-okay.
Dr. M█████ : Do you feel better?
SCP-1428-1 : I… I think so.
Dr. M█████ : Can we continue to talk about Olive? Would that help you feel better?
SCP-1428-1 : Yes.
Dr. M█████ : You're strong, but doesn't Olive make you stronger? Doesn't she amplify your abilities and the abilities of the others?
SCP-1428-1 : [calming down] She amplifies some, but not me – not mine. She… she keeps me in control. She makes the voices stop. She makes the darkness go away. She keeps me from slipping. And… I think that's… that's more important.
Dr. M█████ : If we asked you to do something, and we brought SCP – Olive along, would you do it?
SCP-1428-1 : As long as she's there.
Dr. M█████ : Even if the task seems impossible?
SCP-1428-1 : Nothing's impossible with Olive. Olive herself… she's impossible. Impossibly strong. Impossibly compassionate. I'd… I'd do anything for her. And we've already crossed over… and I thought that was impossible.
Dr. M█████ : What do you mean by 'crossed over?'
SCP-1428-1 : We're not from here. It's different and we're different. We met and then all of a sudden… we were here. [mumbling] And we can't get back.
Dr. M█████ : What was that?
O5-3 : I move to stop the interview. I believe we have what we need. Good work, Dr. M█████.
End log
Transcribed Overseer Assembly 01428-2-XB18-Alpha:
O5-8 : We can't hold it off any longer. The decision must be now and final.
O5-2 : I still feel that we're rushing into things. And I still feel that we have too much here to lose. Can't we gather more information on the two subjects first? In the scenario that they both should perish… we may never have the chance to study these phenomena again. That would be such a loss to the Foundation.
O5-10 : Yes, and yet… with what just happened with SCP-1428-1… we may never get this cooperation again. The time is now. I realize how important the Cortexiphan project is and yet… if we can neutralize SCP-682… that would be a huge achievement for the Foundation.
…
O5-6 : All those in favor of Procedure 329-Laedo?
It doesn't take much
For someone to shut you down
When you build a shell
Build an army in your mind
You can't sit still
And you don't like hanging round the crowd
They don't understand
What was happening? Olivia wasn't in her cell. And she was moving.
This scene had played out too many times before. She felt like she knew the ending better than the Foundation did. It was all the same. They paraded her around the place in a drugged state and dropped her off in front of some cell. Then they expected her to best a SCP in some battle, which ultimately backfired. And then they paraded her back and had to deal with the consequences of their failure. It was almost comical initiating the same events yet waiting for a different outcome. It was madness.
But this time Nick was right beside her. And the two of them were being dragged through the blurs to the unknown. What would they see this time? An all-powerful blob? A supercomputer? Animals that weren't really animals? Other humans that weren't really humans with other abilities? Or would they see that yellow blob again, the one that moved faster than she could blink?
Or were they being taken to that huge monster of a thing? The one in the acid? The one with the skull? Olivia's heart stopped and her feet dragged on the floor. 'No. Not that.' She came to a halt and had to be prodded with the gun of the guard behind her. 'No, no no no no.'
They were, weren't they?
We are not your kind of people
Speak a different language
We see through your lies
We are not your kind of people
Won't be cast as demons
Creatures you despise
They were now outside the containment chamber, just like before. Olivia swallowed, slowly coming out of the haze. Someone was talking, but she still couldn't hear them. Only static from a distant radio. And the thundering footsteps and sonic coughs of force members she couldn't see. And the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears, resonating so frantically she thought she would burst. Olivia took a deep breath, trying to flush all the unimportant sounds from her mind. She was falling apart, like that time in the apartment. She was falling apart, but that wasn't an option. She couldn't give into her fear. She took a deep breath and asked, "Repeat that, please?"
"SCP-1428-2: you are not to engage SCP-682 in any way. If you make any motion, if you try any means of communication, we will not hesitate. We will fire. You will be eliminated. Is this understood?"
Olivia swallowed again, her throat suddenly dry. "Yes." But she was thankful the voice wasn't Walter's. She didn't recognize it.
"SCP-1428-1: you are to approach SCP-682 when we give the signal. You are to make emotional contact with SCP-682. You are to form a bond with it. Is this understood?"
"I… I don't know what I'm dealing with, but I'll try." Nick was shaking. Nick could barely stand. Nick's breaths were coming in shallow pants.
"You will do more than 'try', SCP-1428-1. If you fail to do so, we will seek disciplinary action. Like before."
Nick shivered. And ushered forth a whimpering sound.
"I'm here with you, Nick." Olivia moved to hold his hand. And she squeezed it tight. "You're going to be okay. I'll be watching you the entire time."
"Have you… been with it before?" His blue eyes met hers, shining a fretful and pale blue that made her shoulders tense.
Olivia peeked back behind her. There were no guards; they were probably already inside. Still, she didn't trust her chances. She would settle for telepathy. 'Yes. I… I've actually been lying to you, Nick. They've taken me places… places I didn't think they would take you. I was foolish to believe that and foolish not to prepare you for them, and I'm sorry.'
'That's fine. I understand. Everything you do is to protect me. You were lying, but you're not like them, Olive. You're not a monster like those doctors.'
She certainly hoped he was right. 'But what we're facing truly is a monster, Nick. But… it is like us. They want us to destroy it because it's so dangerous, but I think – I don't think we should. At least, not immediately. It told me, when I came into its area last time, that it was like me. That it's not from here. It offered to help me escape and the doctors panicked and the guards dragged me out.'
'Really? This might be our chance to escape then.' His blue eyes were darkening. They were excited now. They were much more like the eyes she was used to seeing. Better.
'Yes. But keep your guard up. It… it's not human. And… it's terrifying. I… I've never seen anything like it.'
"Please enter the containment chamber, SCP-1428-1, SCP-1428-2."
When she entered, it was just like before – a huge room with the rafters full of Task Force members, their guns aimed ready to kill. And the tank, the tank of the beast. It was still submerged in acid but… something had changed. Olivia didn't know how to describe it, but something had changed. The beast, its skin was a different color. And she couldn't help but feel… that SCP-682 had gotten stronger, so much stronger. She could see a lot more of its flesh, even inside the acid. And it seemed bigger, if that was possible. It all made her immensely uneasy. She slowed down her footsteps and took calculated, measured steps. As if one false move would bring about the destruction of the world.
Olivia placed her hand on her thigh, reaching for a gun that was not there. She only fingered dull white material. She swallowed and tried to steady her breathing, tried to keep it as measured as her footsteps. But she was afraid. Something was going to happen. Something was going to go horrendously wrong. She felt something and that something was telling her to head for the door. It was telling her to run and never look back.
But when she looked back she stared at the multitudes of guns and visors pointed in her direction. That wasn't an option for her. She was trapped.
And Nick was feeling much of the same. "Olive, I'm scared. I don't want to be here. I want to get out of here. I want to leave." His voice was taking on a signature panicked tone, rising up and down. It was shaking and uncertain and meek. Underneath his haggard facial hair was a little boy that desperately wanted out. A little boy that never wanted this life for himself. A little boy with no control whatsoever.
And Olivia's heart ached for that little boy. Olivia bit her lip, willing her body not to shake, not to surrender. She needed to be strong for him. She needed to be strong for both of them now, more than any other moment. "Nick, we are going to be okay. Listen to me – we are going to be okay."
"I don't want to be here I'm afraid I'm so afraid Olive I can't breathe Olive I can't I'm going into the darkness I'm going into the darkness and I can't escape it's all around me oh my god I'm so afraid." Nick was hyperventilating. He was crying. He was shaking. He was about to collapse.
"Please administer a Class C sedative to SCP-1428-1."
The door opened.
"Oh? You again? And with someone else?"
Olivia's hair on the back of her neck stood on end. It was talking to her. And the huge reptilian head encased in acid turned its gaze to her. She remembered what the Foundation had told her, and yet… she felt like it demanded a response back.
She was about to upon her mouth, she was about to engage, but something jarred her mute and left her breathless. One of the doctors brushed past her on his way to Nick. And she shuddered at the contact. And at the harsh jab to the back of Nick's neck. And the cry that followed traveled up and down her spine, making her wince.
"What is this?" The beast stirred in its acid again. And began to growl with growing menace. "What IS this fuckery? You've sent in more of your precious resources to kill me?" It laughed. "The human struggle is hopeless." Nick whimpered more at the sound of the beast. And Olivia still couldn't breathe. It continued to lash against the Foundation. Brutally. "You've kept me in captivity and achieved nothing, you sacks of petty flesh." The growls continued to pound out of its cell, out of the acid. It bubbled viciously as the creature spoke, striking the pane with its jaw and its words. "You are mere asinine animals, the most repugnant of creatures. Your existence begs eradication and I crave it."
No. This could not be happening. Olivia called their bluff. This was madness itself. She was not like the Class-D personnel; she was a valuable scientific phenomenon. 'They wouldn't terminate me so easily, not unless they had to.' Olivia's eyes narrowed. She looked the SCP right in its jaw. This Foundation and its little pet wouldn't scare her. She addressed this Foundation, even though her gaze still rested on the beast within. "Let. Us. Go. I won't go through with it. Get something or someone else to do your dirty work."
"What did you say?"
Olivia breathed in deeply and turned around to glare at the speaker, to glare through the speaker to the coward on the other side. "You heard me. I'm tired of all this. Every single bit of it. I'm tired of your experiments. I'm tired of your methods. I'm tired of your entire fucking Foundation. You're no better than the people who gave me this in the first place. You operate under the illusion that you're doing what's best for the world. What happens in here is disgusting. What happens in here isn't necessary; it's sick – all under the guise of necessary. You're not scientists; you're monsters. You're as much monsters as the things you contain. You're disgusting. You're-" Olivia was interrupted. Something was shot in her direction. It wasn't a bullet. And it wasn't gas. It was… pure electricity. And she didn't see it coming and she hadn't deflected it. Olivia screamed as the energy soared through her, surged through her, slashed through her. It reminded her of Hendricks and his machine. It reminded her of the fear she had experienced – Nick had experienced. The Foundation was proving exactly what she had said. And it was excruciating.
"No." Nick saw the electricity continue to flood into Olivia's system. And he couldn't do a thing. He was helpless to see her there, thrashing from the streams. Her knees buckled from under her and she fell to the floor. Convulsing. Violently. Eyes rolling and legs flailing. "No." He was horrified. Horrified of the scene in front of him, of the pain Olivia was in, but also of himself. He was horrified how he could just stand there – watching her. He was horrified and disgusted at his own inaction.
No. Not again. This scene had repeated too many times before. It was his turn to protect Olivia. It was his turn to strike. He wasn't going to be little Nick Lane waiting for something, dependent and helpless. He wasn't going to be that Nick at all.
He turned to the beast before him and approached it. He saw the thing inside. It looked like the filth whispering to him from the shadows, cackling at him in the darkness. And it certainly spoke like the darker Nick, quick to maim with its words. Quick to describe others in terms of helplessness and hopelessness; quick to give into bloodlust and destruction. But he wasn't scared of it. Not in this moment. Maybe in five minutes he would be running for the exit, Olivia in his arms, but not now. Not in this moment. In this moment, he was calm. And the beast in front of him felt his pain. The beast in front of him continued to stir. And then began to violently thrash about, just like Olivia on the floor.
It was furious. It was disgusted. The acid couldn't contain it. The acid resembled more like water, sloshing about, utterly unable to suspend it there. It was nothing. And the metal and glass and any other substance Nick guessed made up the structure soon gave way. And the acid began to spill out. It burned anything it touched with a scorching sizzle that would have killed a human with the faintest of drops. Luckily it did not reach the two of them.
And the beast gave the loudest roar Nick had ever heard in his life. It crashed against his chest, making him stumble a few steps backward, shocked at such a shockwave. The firing upon Olivia stopped. And the beast looked at the two of them. And then at the Task Force above them. It started to climb out of the structure that had once contained it.
Nick ran to Olivia, ran as the roaring and growling continued. She was slow to get up, but she was moving under her own power and Nick was grateful for that. But the strength left him just as soon as it had come. His voice began to shake. "Olive, what do we do? It's worse now, isn't it? Oh god it's worse. I made everything worse and I'm so sorry."
"Nick, I need you to stay with me." Her voice was strained and harsh, but Olivia seemed to have recovered. It was probably the Cortexiphan working in overdrive, but the two of them didn't have time to fret over it. They were in the middle of a probable war zone. The Task Force members were either descending to their level or focusing their fire on the beast, crawling out of its prison to the ground they stood on. Where could they go? To the beast, blinded by rage? Should they take their chances with a thing that could kill them with one swoop of its paws or its arms [Olivia couldn't tell which]? She saw a cluster of bones mashing up from the container. And she saw its skin regenerating itself. With muscles fully developing underneath it. It was returning back to its normal state – a much more powerful state. Olivia felt helpless just standing there, but she just didn't know which to choose. Could they trust those mindless hoards, blinded by their visors and by orders? Those who would kill her without a blink of an eye? They certainly were not bound by scientific discovery. They didn't care if Cortexiphan and its secrets died with her. They lived to eliminate their targets, to eradicate their threats. And that's what they were to them – threats, not scientific anomalies. And yet, they were human. Unlike the large head of a creature with gnashing teeth and ripping claws coming ever-closer to them.
"Olive, what do we do?" Nick was beside her. He was always beside her. He was loyal to her, especially in the mess of things.
"Nick." She honestly didn't know what to do. But he couldn't know that. He should never know her weaknesses, especially in a time like this. She was Olivia, his Olive, his protector and golden companion. She couldn't fail him at a time like this. "Nick, stay with me. Don't leave me. I won't leave you."
"I'll never leave you, Olive."
"I need you to stay calm. Because we ARE going to get out of this." If she said it to Nick, if she said it aloud, maybe they would. Maybe they could survive this mess. With shots and screams and growls raging on every side of them. They had survived so far, at times through will alone; they would survive again. And unlike the masses of men with their guns, falling from the rafters just from the roars of the creature, they had their abilities. They had Cortexiphan and they had each other. "I need you to concentrate on it, Nick. I need you to calm it down. I need you to be calm so it can be calm. Can you do that?"
"I'll try."
That wasn't good enough. His eyes were still pale, still shaking. She needed him to be stronger – like when he had fearlessly approached SCP-682 when she was down. "No. I need you to DO it, Nick. I'm going to distract it and the rest of the men. I need you to focus." She put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to spark something between them. "I believe in you. I believe that we're going to live. And I need you to believe in yourself and believe that we're going to get out of this. Can you do that?"
"Yes." He turned his eyes to the beast, its limbs touching down on the sizzling ground. "I'll do it, Olive."
She nodded. And ran right at it. There were probably orders from the Overseer for her to step down, to disengage. The voice was probably begging for her to stop; they had made a mistake and they wanted to reclaim her. Or maybe it was urging her on, understanding that she really was the only chance they had. But it didn't matter. She was doing this for Nick and for Nick alone. Fuck the rest of the men behind her. Fuck the rest of the employees and the other SCPs contained here. Fuck the rest of the people in this universe. Right now, she needed to protect Nick and Nick only. Nick was her world and Nick alone. And the beast in front of her was either with her or against her; it was either waiting to march alongside her to escape or blocking their desired path to freedom.
But the beast in question was so much larger than her. It was almost comical to compare the two in terms of scale. But she was not afraid of it, this thing with all of its teeth and its eyes. Menacing and glowing yellow eyes. Staring at her. Sizing her up. And was the end of its snout curling up in a smile?
"Did you mean all the words you screamed? Or was it a show to prove something and persuade me?"
It was Olivia's turn to snarl back at the… thing. "I meant every word."
"Like I said before, you're different. You're not as disgusting as the rest of filth here."
She took a few steps toward it, eyes locked onto the ones closest to her. She hoped that Nick was keeping the beast at bay, keeping those powerful jaws from snapping and tearing her in two. But she didn't have time to look back or mentally check in on him. She needed to keep her focus on the reptilian thing in front of her. With spikes beginning to protrude from certain areas of skin and mats of hair forming on its head.
"Did you mean what you said? That we could assist each other?"
"Isn't that what we're doing right now?" It looked away from her and opened its mouth. It issued forth another roar, but instead of merely tossing the ten or so agents back, the force tore into their skin. It ripped flesh to shreds. It rendered them immobile and twitching on the floor. "Buying time to escape?"
Olivia clenched and unclenched her hands, "But when we escape, what then? You said I'm not as disgusting – but that's not good enough for me. How do I know I can trust you? And how do I know that we're from the same place?"
It chuckled at her and pawed the ground. Still calm, still cautious. "The rest of your kind has never been given this privilege – that's for you to decide." It bowed its head, waiting for her response.
And Olivia was going to make that decision. She was going to open her mouth. She was going to give the beast a chance. She was going to see where it took her – her and Nick. But then-
"Only you, not that waste of life behind you. Seeing that walking abortion sickens me. With its blue eyes crying for help, crying for the release of death. I'll put it out of its misery." SCP-682 rose up, ready to pounce at Nick, ready to kill him. Ready to slash Nick to pieces with its claws as large and sharp as swords. Five of them ready to carve him and the remaining agents into glorious carnage.
"No!" A wall of fire shot up between the two of them. It was much larger than any blast that had come from Olivia before. It was almost as tall as the beast before her, towering above her, ready to scorch her as well as the monster. It shocked the creature, not expecting such a maneuver from her. It circled back and paced, calculating its next move. Olivia used this time to look back at Nick. Nick was on his knees, screaming with his hands over his head. With an agent behind him. Multiple agents behind him.
Olivia snarled and incinerated them from existence.
"We're not so different, you and I."
She snapped her body back to look at the creature, still pacing behind the flames. "We're very different. I care about life and you don't."
"I DO care about life – just not human life. And you're not so different from me. You'll care about the cowering creature behind you, but not the creatures screaming as they burst into flame. You've constructed your own hierarchy in your mind. Don't play innocent with me, girl; you're anything but innocent."
She didn't want to be insulted by this non-human thing. And she didn't want to acknowledge its analysis of her actions. Not yet. Instead she issued her own threat, "You cross that line of fire and I won't hold back."
"Moments ago you were ready to leave. And now you want to be the hero? Cute."
"You threatened my friend; I'm not being the hero. I've protected him from The Foundation and I'll protect him from you."
The beast started to step through the flickering red barricade. It sneered at her, "So he's your mate? Something you irrationally cherish above all else?" It laughed again, a croaked laughter full of condescension. "Perhaps you are the same as the rest."
"No. He's more than that. He was forced into this mess and I promised I'd get him out of it. All of it." Her eyes narrowed at SCP-682, "If you try to hurt Nick again, I'll destroy you."
"Oh? You and what power? You can blow up a few humans but you won't be able to damage me. Many have tried. The Foundation has exhausted every scientific experiment on me and I still exist. You're nothing. You'll end up just like him." It flashed all of its teeth at her, laughing. "Curled up on the floor. Crying. Whimpering. Waiting to die."
But even though Nick was on the ground, even though Nick was doubled over in pain, she felt his presence. She still felt him right alongside her. He was still there, helping her focus. Helping her remain calm in the presence of this monster. He was still with her, even when his body couldn't.
He believed in her. He would always believe in her. And she believed in herself. She could hurt this beast if she wanted to – and she wanted to. She could ram it into the wall until it was screaming for mercy, just like Nick had screamed for mercy. Just like they both had. She wouldn't worry about any agents; she assumed most of them were dead. And she assumed that the few remaining wouldn't dare get in the way of her battle.
But the battle was going to be very one-sided. It was a strain, but she rammed SCP-682 into the side of the room. Repeatedly. Smashing its entire weight into the metal, enough to slice it open. Enough to break off those useless little spikes. Enough to send it into a screaming frenzy, trying to buck away from the surface, but failing. Trying to push away with its limbs, with its jaw, ANYTHING, but failing.
Pound after pound after pound. Blood spurted everywhere from the beast. From its mouth with missing teeth. From its abdomen, now sporting a gaping hole. From its back, skin ripped to shreds. Again and again and again. Right now, the beast WAS the entire Foundation. This beast was everything holding her back, keeping her captive. This beast with the source of the torture, of the madness. And she would kill it. She would kill this beast and all those responsible. She would make them fear her like she had feared them. Like Nick had feared them. They would be safe. They would never hurt them again.
"You fucking bitch, I'm not your enemy. Let go of me, cunt." It managed to let out a deep chuckle, blood still spewing forth from its injuries. "If you're so set on escape, why linger with me? Why bother killing me? Go. Run. We've killed all of the agents here. What's stopping you?"
The beast was right. The grounds were littered with the black uniformed bodies of Task Force members and their blood. And yet Olivia couldn't just leave. This beast still remained. And she was right to withhold her trust.
"You. You're stopping me." Olivia backed away slowly. And she slowly let the creature down. She was panting. She was exhausted. And she needed to get back to Nick.
"I underestimated you, but your friend still has left much to be desired." It was panting, too. With blood sloshing down onto the ground. It gave off the same sizzle as the acid had when it touched the surface. Olivia would have to steer clear of that.
"Then you're still in my way."
Olivia was about to launch another attack. But she heard footsteps. A multitude of footsteps. She turned behind her and saw more black helmets. She could've smiled at those black helmets.
We are extraordinary people
We are extraordinary people
We are extraordinary people
We are extraordinary people
Nick needed to be helped up, but they successfully marched out of there with a team of five. Olivia gave no such struggle; she was thankful to have been pulled from the mess before it escalated beyond even her control.
As they left the huge space, Olivia could hear the roars of the beast. She heard its denouncings of the Foundation, of the Task Forces, of her. It saved its most powerful roars, reaching her very core, for her. Goosebumps covered her, up and down. That creature was pure terror. She hadn't seen ANYTHING so terrifying in her life, even with her years in the Fringe Division. Even in movies. Even in her wildest and darkest dreams. It was something else. It truly was a being that came from another universe, somewhere else. And she had enraged it beyond belief by leaving with the Foundation forces. And by managing to injure it so brutally. Just one little girl, one Olive, against it.
She was happy to reach their cell. She was happy to receive a sedative, to calm her down, to tune the growling that she could still hear what seemed like miles away. She was happy to enter a deep sleep. She was happy she was still alive. With Nick still at her side.