Marvel: The Foundation

by Darkstarcrow

The MCU isn't the safest place to be, even less so if you happen to be a crime lord. Now, If that wasn't bad enough on its own. The Foundation comes knocking, and with them, the SCP objects. Alex now has to lead the Foundation to glory one SCP at a time, all while trying his best to stay hidden from the likes of Nick Fury and The Ancient One.

136. Chapter 134 -163

[notice from me, the author. So, uploading on this site sucks; it's a whole lot of extra steps compared to other places, and while I'm sure there are reasons for it, it doesn't change the fact that it's slow and annoying. It likely doesn't matter for a few updates, but since my goal is daily updates for my story, it's a real pain.

Due to this, I'm awfully behind on uploads on this site, the current chapter is around 238, so yeah, this site is behind. To solve this, I will, from now on, be uploading big 30-chapter chapters in one go. It might be a bit less easy to read, but I still think it's better than nothing.

As always, reading on (SCP System) is also an option, though that won't be free. Making older chapters free there is also a pain, but at least you will be able to read a few chapters ahead and, if you are willing, even pick SCP objects to add to the story—enough for me.]

The power of a legend -134

[Abandoned mall]

The world was dotted with abandoned buildings, large and small. In fact, entire cities and islands lay abandoned. Buildings once housing families and businesses are now left to decay and rot.

Old malls have become a particularly popular type of building in recent years. These enormous buildings were once the cornerstones of entire communities, sources of wealth, opportunities, and joy for a place.

Yet even these monolithic buildings could not stand the test of time, and the rivers of wealth that once kept him alive died out, so too were they abandoned.

Such abandoned buildings often end up being taken over by something or someone. This particular abandoned mall was not the home of a homeless community or a group of vandalizing youngsters.

It wasn't even the home of some vicious monster straight out of some fantasy. No, this particular building was an old abandoned mall, and it had the displeasure of finding itself to be the place where a particular golden urinal had taken up residence.

SCP-1618, the gilded urinal, was a safe-class SCP object with a relatively high disruption rating. Had it appeared in an open mall, much less a popular one like the Mall of America, it would have caused utter chaos.

The ability of the SCP object was simple: an area around it would cause things to spontaneously change. Worthless things, or worse than that, trash, human feces, and the like, would turn into gold.

And anything of value would turn into, well, anything that had no value, such as an expensive suit, used toilet paper, food, or human excrement. It was a rather nasty experience to find your clothes object, which is why its disruption class was high, as everyone around it would be very much disrupted from their day-to-day lives.

However, since this particular object had sadly appeared in an old abandoned mall, no one had noticed it, or at least no one had noticed it outside of a small group. Well, calling a small group might not do them justice. After all, the SCP foundation was not small by any stretch of the imagination.

They'd been looking for this particular object for a while now and had finally found it.

"D class, keep up, or you will be electrocuted; attempt to run or resist, and you will be killed on the spot!" the voice of one of the Foundation Agents sounded as they marched a group of disposable D-class towards the mall.

They would be the one handling the object, while they would be staying outside its range of effect, after all, no one wanted to be covered in used toilet paper.

Not even the D-class, but they didn't have much of a choice, the collars around their neck and the guns in the agents' hands.

"You know your task. Go in, recover the object, and bring it out. You will do all this in an orderly manner. If you try anything, you will be killed. Now go!" another agent shouted as they neared the outer limits of the SCP object's area of effect.

The SCP foundation liked to keep their operations clean and neat. Yet there was nothing clean about this as they carried out the SCP object and caused everything around to turn to filth or to gold.

A small army of D-class personnel was forced to walk around and recover anything that I turned into valuables while the object itself was loaded into a box and then pushed into a truck.

It was an effective mission, and everything was done without delay. After just about half an hour, they were already leaving the old, abandoned mall behind, none the wiser that they had ever been there.

[SITE-009]

Once Upon a time, Alexander Ricci might have followed such a mission closely, but now the number of operations the foundation took was just too numerous for him to personally track every one of them, more so for a completely harmless object like SCP 1618.

He had much on his plate already, ensuring that none learned about the foundation or at least none that he didn't want to learn about the foundation learned of it.

Then there were ensuring that the foundation had the funds they needed more so since O5-3 was currently expending a lot of funds to permanently secure income sources.

Of course, another major responsibility that rested upon his shoulder was ensuring that nothing happened due to them being in a crossover universe with the Marvel universe. This was something that was surprisingly difficult and yet so frustratingly easy.

Honestly, he had thought he would see more excitement from being in the Marvel Universe, but so far, it has proved to be a rather boring universe. There was no Iron Man flying around, no mutants fighting in the streets, and no alien invasions. He really was in a peaceful, quiet time, though. He was thankful for that, as it allowed him the time needed to prepare himself and his forces.

However, Iron Man would soon be born, and with him, those famous words would be said. A new age of superheroes, chaos, and war would begin, one that he, as a high-ranking member of the foundation, had to try and stop.

He could easily allow some tech genius and billionaire to fly around and fight terrorists that had nothing to do with the foundation.

Even Captain America could have been left alone if it wasn't for Hydra messing around with things they shouldn't. After all, he was just the creation of human science—a miracle perhaps, but the future would hold multiple super soldier serums, so he was not an SCP object and did not fall under the preview of the foundation.

No, among the first of the original Avengers, it is, in fact, only Thor and Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, who fall under the preview of the foundation, and of course, many of the enemies they end up fighting against, such as an alien invasion or a trickster God.

That is not to say that just because something is made using human technology, the foundation will ignore it. Whether it is the Pym particles or the Extremis serum, the foundation will definitely want to control them, and Alex wants to be the one handling that control.

And it wasn't like he was constantly updated by everything the foundation did, not just on the official channels but also by his system, which would notify him every time a new SCP object was successfully placed into containment.

Many of the rewards he got were of little use or very situational use, but a few of them surprised him quite a bit, or they were just proven useful ones combined with others. The ability to live on the water was nice; combined with a few others, it was even more useful, but most of them were minor things nice to have but not things he would properly ever use.

[Ding! Congratulations to Host for the successful containment of SCP-1618! Rewards are being given out!]

[Congratulations to host for getting the reward: Half of Midas power!]

[congratulations to host for getting both halves of Midas power; host now has the full power of Midas.]

To say that Alex was surprised wouldn't be wrong. After all, the half of Midas power was something he had been having for a long while, one of the very first rewards he had gotten, in fact.

And ever since then, it had been completely useless since it was useless unless he got the second half.

He had expected to get it as a reward for containing SCP-1015, the poor man's Midas. After all, that object had Midas in its name, though it was also any object that he hadn't been able to find yet.

After all, it was just a penny, and unless it was owned by someone, it wouldn't show its power and effect. And well, a single loose penny, there had to be millions, if not billions, of those just lying around. After all, if someone saw an old penny on the ground, they wouldn't even bother picking it up.

He wasn't desperate enough for the particular SCP, and he would waste the amount of manpower it would take to try and find it. With more members of the O5 council around, he doubted he would even be allowed to do it.

So yeah, getting that reward now and here was very unexpected "The power of a legend in the palm of my hand." He whispered as he looked at his hand. "Been waiting a while to say that." He continued with a smile.

He quickly looked around for someone to turn to gold. He found his target, a piece of paper, and then pressed a single finger against it. With but a thought, he watched in amazement as it turned into a thin sheet of pure gold.

"Amazing." he muttered to himself as he toyed with the golden paper; it was thicker than golden foil by a lot and fully metallic in nature. It wasn't just coated in gold but had become gold. Or at least that was his theory. He would need it tested in a lab to be sure.

Half an hour later, a handful of random golden items was sent to a lab to be tested while Alex, under the escort of his guards, made his way over to SITE-014, the nearest SITE where they had any D-class personally he could test of his power on.

"Sir! It's an honor to welcome you to SITE-014. I am the director here, Emily Brown." The SITE director eagerly greeted him as he came dressed in his O5 suit and under that identity.

Brown might be a very capable Foundation employee, but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous when faced with one of the most powerful people in the Foundation and the entire world.

"Have you done as requested?" One of his own personal guards asked.

"Yes, a member of D class has been moved and restrained as requested." She replied, clearly slightly uncomfortable with being ignored by Alex. But he really didn't want to risk her recognising his voice.

For while the suit did change it, it didn't do so that much, and as the nearest SITE to his own, he had been in contact with director Brown a lot as Alexander Ricci, and he didn't want to be forced to eliminate her.

So he just nodded and had his guards lead him down towards the chamber that had been prepared for him.

It wasn't all that much. It was just a normal interrogation room with a D class tied up to a table in the middle. The only special thing was the large box also placed there, the fact that no recordings were being made, and no one was watching what was happening inside.

"Who!? Who are you? What are you planning on doing with me?" The D class asked. He was a black man, young and strong, and a few tattoos were visible on his neck, face, and hands. He was clearly someone belonging to some gang, someone his own branch of the Foundation had… recruited for this role.

"You will become someone right out of a legend." Was all Alex said as he moved closer. "Ensure he is secure and that it is safe to take off my suit." He then commanded his guard.

The guards quickly secured the D-class personnel, ensuring he was tightly restrained and unable to move. They then confirmed that the room was safe and secure for Alex to remove his O5 suit.

With a nod from his head guard, Alex began to remove his suit, revealing his true identity beneath it. The D-class man watched with wide eyes, confusion and fear etched across his face.

"Please, don't do this," the man pleaded, his voice trembling. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Alex ignored his pleas, focusing on the task at hand. "You will be part of something significant," he said, his tone calm and unwavering. He reached out and placed his hand on the man's arm. With a thought, he activated his newfound power.

The transformation was immediate and mesmerizing. The man's skin turned a shimmering gold, spreading from the point of contact until his entire body was encased in a solid golden statue. The process was quick, but the sight was astonishing. Alex took a step back, marveling at the result.

"Remarkable," he whispered, examining the golden statue before him. "The power of Midas indeed."

The guards stood silently, witnessing the transformation with a mix of awe and apprehension. They were used to dealing with strange anomalies and dangerous objects, but seeing a human being turned to gold was a new level of extraordinary.

Alex turned to his head guard. "Ensure this is documented and sent to the appropriate research teams. I want a full analysis of the material and any potential side effects."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied, signaling the others to begin their work.

As they started the documentation process, Alex felt a sense of accomplishment. The power of Midas was now fully his, and with it came new possibilities for the Foundation. The ability to have infinite gold wasn't without its use, though it had to be used carefully.

As far as he was aware, just SCP-1618, on its own, was able to make more gold than they could sell on the market without crashing it. And now he could make so much more, but it did allow them to turn anything, no matter what material, into gold, which, if nothing else, would allow them to build some magnificent statues.

The cure for loneliness -135

[SHIELD Headquarters]

Director Nick Fury reviewed the latest reports from his agents, a frown deepening on his face. The activities of the Bulwark and the Chaos Insurgency were escalating, and the recent incidents involving Tony Stark and the stolen AI technology were troubling.

"We need to stay ahead of this," Fury muttered, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Whatever these groups are planning, we can't let them gain the upper hand."

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he called.

Agent Phil Coulson entered, looking as composed as ever. "Director, I have the latest intel on the Bulwark's activities. We've tracked down several of their operatives and secured a few key locations."

Fury nodded. "Good work, Coulson. What's the status on Stark and his technology?"

"Stark's working on upgrading his security and tracking the stolen AI. He's coordinating with our tech teams, but it's a race against time," Coulson replied.

Fury sighed. "We need to ensure Stark is protected and that we stay ahead of both the Bulwark and the Chaos Insurgency. Keep me updated on any developments, and make sure our agents are prepared for anything."

"Understood, sir," Coulson said, turning to leave. "We'll be ready."

As Coulson left the office, Fury returned to his thoughts. The world was becoming increasingly complex, and the emergence of these secretive organizations only added to the challenges. But with agents like Coulson and the resources of SHIELD, Fury was confident they could navigate the turbulent waters ahead.

The game was changing, and they needed to be ready for whatever came next. The stakes were higher than ever, but Fury knew that with the right strategy and determination, they could protect the world from the shadows threatening to engulf it.

An alarm broke him out of his musing, letting him know that his next meeting was ready for him. He quickly composed himself and buzzed them inside.

"Barton, Romanoff, I hear you had a rather eventful mission." He said as she looked at the two of them. He had requested that they debrief him in person after reading the first report from their mission into this mysterious Ikea.

"Indeed, sir, maybe a bit too eventful for my liking." Barton said.

He was a good agent, one of the very best, but he also had a family now, a weakness but also something that gave him strength. Something that made him push himself to do anything it took to ensure he completed his mission and made it back home in one piece.

Fury leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Tell me everything," he said, his gaze fixed on Barton and Romanoff.

Natasha Romanoff, the infamous Black Widow, stepped forward, her expression serious. "We infiltrated the closed-off IKEA as ordered. The layout of the store was bizarre, almost labyrinthine, and seemed to defy normal spatial logic. As we ventured deeper, it became clear that this place was not just abandoned but something much worse."

Barton nodded in agreement, adding, "We encountered what looked like store employees, but they were... off. They attacked us on sight. They were almost robotic in their movements and relentless. It was like they were programmed to eliminate any intruders."

Fury's eyes narrowed. "And you believe this is connected to the Bulwark or the Chaos Insurgency?"

"It's possible," Romanoff replied. "The ones behind buying and closing it off is likely the Bulwark, as always trying to hide things like this away from the public. There wasn't any indication that it was the Chaos Insurgency, though I guess it's hard to say since we only know that they are the bad guys and their end goal of causing chaos using these anomalous objects and beings."

Fury nodded thoughtfully, processing the information. "So, the Bulwark might be trying to contain whatever's in that IKEA, but the Chaos Insurgency could be interested in exploiting it. We need to find out more about what we're dealing with. Did you manage to recover any useful intel or samples?"

Romanoff shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. We were too busy trying to stay alive. Those... things were relentless. But we did notice some unusual equipment and markings that could be linked to the Bulwark's operations. We need to get a specialized team in there to gather more information."

Fury leaned back, considering his options. "Alright. We'll send in a recon team equipped with the necessary tools to map out the area and identify any anomalies. Barton, Romanoff, I want you to lead this team. Take whatever resources you need and ensure this mission is successful."

"Understood, sir," Barton replied, his determination clear.

"We won't let you down," Romanoff added.

Fury stood, signaling the end of the meeting. "Dismissed. Keep me updated with every development."

As Barton and Romanoff left the office, Fury's thoughts returned to the broader picture. The rise of these new organizations and their impact on global security was a growing concern. With the impending emergence of superhumans and technological threats, SHIELD needed to be more vigilant than ever. The world was changing rapidly, and Fury knew they were standing at the precipice of a new era, one fraught with danger and opportunity in equal measure.

Turning back to his desk, Fury began outlining the next steps for SHIELD. They would need to ramp up their intelligence operations, strengthen their alliances, and prepare for a world where the boundaries between myth and reality were becoming increasingly blurred. As he reviewed the latest intel, one thought remained clear in his mind: they had to be ready for anything.

Far removed from the key players in this grand game about the very future and fate of the world were the people whom they were working to protect.

These normal people, having neither power, influence, nor wealth, were the real prize for which everyone fought; controlling them was their goal. These people kept in the dark, were never allowed to know that the game was even being played.

One of those people was a young man, one among countless such people who were down on their luck and struggling to get through their day.

This particular young man had tried many things to change his life, yet nothing had succeeded yet, and he was still suffering from loneliness.

"MalO?" He saw a new app on the app store, another one promising to end his loneliness; he had tried plenty of those. Yet no matter what dating app he used and no matter how hard he tried, nothing ever worked.

Still, he figured he might as well try it since it was free. And it downloaded so far he had barely clicked on it before it was already done.

"Where is it?" he looked around on his phone, unable to find the icon or shortcut or anything. If he didn't know he had just downloaded it he wouldn't even know this new app was on the phone at all.

"Is it a prank? Bug?" He couldn't find anything no matter how he looked. Even going through the list of installed applications didn't show anything at all.

He couldn't help but be worried that he might have downloaded some kind of virus, though he didn't think he had ever heard of something like that making it onto the app store. Sure, there was plenty of trash and scams, but there were no outright viruses, right?

Still, he couldn't find anything, so he just ended up giving up and hoping that everything was alright; after all, he didn't want to reset his phone, and his search on the web about this MalO app came up empty.

He decided to just forget about it until he suddenly received a message, something he didn't get often, and when he did it was always just someone asking if he could take an extra shift at work. He almost didn't want to read it, but he knew his boss would be pissed if he ignored him.

"What is this?" He couldn't help but exclaim in confusion due to what he saw. It was indeed a text message… but not from his boss or his coworkers; in fact, there wasn't a number at all.

He thought it impossible to send a text with a hidden number, but the text was from MalO, the app he had downloaded.

The text was a picture, a picture of a place—a place he knew well, somewhere he went often, the nearby mall. He looked closer at the picture and found something he hadn't seen before. It wasn't too clear, but it seemed like someone in a fur suit.

However, that wasn't nearly as important as the fact that the app he just downloaded just sent him a picture of somewhere near where he lived!

This didn't seem like just some random bug or broken app. It didn't even look like some random virus meant to steal his data or whatever. He honestly wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it.

The young man's heart raced as he stared at the picture on his phone. He felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this was far more serious than he initially thought. What kind of app was this? How did it know his location?

Try as he might, he couldn't find anything on his phone, nor after searching all around the internet. There seemed to be nothing at all about this app, about MalO or anything. However, what he didn't know was that his search had triggered alarms within a powerful and secret organization.

The young man was about to go to bed when yet another text was sent, another picture, another location he knew, a place he often went. Again, he noticed the person in the fur suit, though this time they were far more prominent in the picture, looking like some kind of monster.

He was too damn scared to sleep and soon found himself unable to look away from the phone; hours went by, and just when he was sure it was over, just as he was about to fall asleep, a new text showed up.

Once again, it was a place he knew, close to where he lived, somewhere he often was. And that monster, a large furry with a skull mask, it looked so strange standing there. It didn't seem to act like a monster.

He didn't know what to do. He just cowered at home, calling in sick, and desperately tried to find anything online about this sick prank or whatever it was.

Yet ever few hours, he would get a new text, a new picture, the creature, MalO being somewhere he normally spent his time. He even got one from where he worked!

Yet, as time went on, it only became worse than that! He soon got one from inside his apartment! He couldn't help but rush out to the bathroom. He threw the door open. He found nothing; he looked through every place and found nothing. The door was still locked, and indeed, there was nothing to find.

Though it did make him far more nervous, someone or something had been in here, taken a picture, and sent it to come. Whoever this was, they were going really far with this prank… or at least he hoped it was a prank.

Yet, as time passed, each picture freaked him out more than the last. Each one was from somewhere he had just been. His apartment, one of the rooms he wasn't in, or even the one he was in but taken at a time he wasn't.

He became more and more nervous and was just about to flee his apartment when it suddenly knocked on the door. It freaked him out like hell, and he tried to ignore it.

knock knock*

"Mister Anderson, we know you are in there; we are with the FBI, and we want to talk to you about a stalker." A voice shouted through the door, and as he heard it, he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved; there was no monster, just some crazy sicko.

Opening the door, he saw what looked like FBI agents, or at least how he assumed them to look: black suits and sunglasses at night.

"Sure looks like we have the right guy, doesn't he? One of them said, much to his confusion.

"Right, he got that look on his face." The other agent said. And before he knew it, one of them shot him! He looked down and saw a needle-like thing sticking out of his chest. He couldn't say anything before the world turned dark.

"Alright, you handle the phone. I will carry him inside." The first one said as they dealt with the 861 cases of an instant of SCP-1471 finding a host device.

A rather shy guy -136

Time passed by without pause, or at least if it paused Alex wasn't aware of it. And he didn't think there were any SCP objects out there able to pause it either, which just left the ancient one, someone over whom he had no control.

So no, time just passed by without much to stop it, and soon enough, a new month began, and with that, it was time for new troubles to spawn, thanks to his system. Today another two SCPs will appear, each one having the potential to end the world itself.

Or, well, even ending the world could be considered lucky with some of them. A few of the nastiest ones would do far worse than just kill everyone. In fact, some would ensure that death wouldn't happen and instead just promised endless torment.

This is why SCP-99999 was such an important tool and why he felt a massive burden lift off his chest when he received that reward.

Though, given it was a single-use item, well, the scenario where he would use it had to be really damn extreme.

"No use in being worried about it. No matter what happens, we can handle it now." He said with a fair bit of confidence in his voice. "System, summon an SCP!"

[Ding! Understood Host, please stand by as the random SCP is summoned!]

[Ding! Warning! SCP-096 has appeared!]

[Ding! Warning! Host a SCP has appeared in the world and is outside Foundation control! Host is asked to deal with the situation and follow the Foundation's goal of Securing, containing, and Protecting!]

[Ding! Congratulations to Host for getting SITE-030, a class 3 Foundation facility in New Zealand! 500 class C combat personnel, 50 research personnel, 100 administrative personnel, and 30 maintenance personnel!]

[Ding! Warning! Host a SCP has appeared in the world and is outside Foundation control! Host is asked to deal with the situation and follow the Foundation's goal of Securing, containing, and Protecting!]

[Ding! Host it has been detected that SCP-949 has appeared! And with that, the person of interest, Dr Wondertainment, has also appeared! Due to the existence of Dr wondertainment, is it now possible that random SCPs associated with him will appear at random!]

Alex hadn't expected that last message; it was unexpected and both welcome and unwelcome. On one hand, it was nice to know the identity of both SCP objects that spawned, as he was normally not informed of the second one. And it was unwelcome because of what the message entailed.

Another source of new SCPs, this time one he had no control over. At any moment, there could be a new SCP out there, causing who knows what madness.

Indeed, for while most of the SCPs associated with Wondertainment weren't too dangerous, many of them could, at the very least, be annoying. Not to mention, it was objects who he knew, not whatever was around or not.

Every object spawned into the world required him to ensure he was safe from them, which is why knowing which objects were around was of the highest importance. After all, take, for instance, the new SCP-096.

Before today, he truly didn't have to be afraid of it, and he didn't need to worry about the risk of seeing his face. He didn't need to worry about the other O5 members showing his face to him in an assassination attempt.

After all, even if he had seen the face, he wasn't around to do anything about it. Yet now, well, now, his face was dead. Seeing it meant you were as good as dead. Each new SCP could change everything, and 096, in particular, was a big one.

He had already been following protocols to prevent the chance of seeing his face, but now those protocols became something that he could never break. Even going outside would require a whole new level of protection and preparation.

After all, SCP-096, also known as the shy guy, is without a doubt one of the most famous SCPs from his old world. If anyone knew even a little bit about the SCP universe, they would know about 096.

He was a funny thing, Euclid class, yet nearly impossible to contain. It was kind of like the Hulk. Much like how the Hulk grew stronger the angrier he got. SCP-096 would also grow both stronger and faster the more he was in his rage stage.

If anyone saw his face, be it a picture or something similar he would kill them. He couldn't be killed, couldn't be stopped or contained. He would stop at nothing to reach and kill anyone who saw his face.

Which often became many people as he would run in a direct line towards his target. Knowing where they were at every moment. And doing this run, he could run right through the homes of others, who in turn would see him.

While far from the most dangerous since he would have to run and kill his targets physically, should his picture spread, he wouldn't stop until he killed everyone who saw it, be that millions or billions.

It would be truly horrifying should that happen, which was why containing him as fast as possible was a must, he couldn't allow him to be spotted by anyone, not in this age of smartphones and satellites.

It was entirely possible that should someone take an aerial photo over the area he was inside that it might be enough to trigger his rage. Something that couldn't be allowed.

"Guess I need to put the Foundation on high alert." He sighed. He knew that the others on the council would only grow more curious about this mysterious source of information he possessed.

Yet, he knew well that while it might be annoying, the mission came first, and ensuring that an entity like 096 was contained properly was a very important step of the Foundation's mission.

...

"So you are telling us that your contact, who you won't tell us anything about, has confirmed that SCP-096 has reappeared?" O5-2 asked.

"That's correct, and I believe it, which means we must act without delay and ensure that he is contained as soon as possible." Alex answered as he had connected to an online meeting with the rest of the council.

"We are all curious about this informant of yours… but I shall not start that argument here, nor now. I assume we will use the prepared protocol for this?" O5-5 said after a moment of silence.

"Since he won't speak of this informant, I say we leave this for him to deal with." O5-3 said, speaking up for the first time at this meeting.

"Agreed." O5-4 also spoke up for the first time. The two of them clearly didn't pay much attention to this meeting and just wanted to end it.

"Fine, get this over with. We will await the good news," O5-2 said in a huff as the meeting ended mere moments later. Everyone had their own things that needed to be done.

"More work." Alex sighed, having hoped to offload this to O5-5 or O5-2, but in the end, he had been outvoted, and even if O5-2 had wanted the task, it was now in his hands.

The first task he needed to do was to inform the rest of the Foundation that they couldn't be careless and that they should follow all protocols; after that, they would need to go ahead with the plan that was prepared long ago in case something like this happened.

[Foundation Notice: Immediate Action Required - SCP-096 Containment Protocol Activation

To: All Foundation Personnel

From: O5 Council

Subject: Activation of SCP-096 Containment Protocols

Priority: Critical

Attention all personnel,

This is an official directive from the O5 Council regarding the reappearance of SCP-096. As of [Insert Time, SCP-096 has been confirmed to be active and is currently outside of Foundation control. Due to the nature of SCP-096 and its potential to cause catastrophic loss of life, immediate containment measures are to be enacted.

SCP-096 Overview:

SCP-096, also known as "The Shy Guy," is a humanoid entity approximately 2.38 meters in height. The subject's limbs are grossly out of proportion, with an approximate 1.5 meters arm length each. SCP-096's skin is devoid of pigmentation and is highly sensitive to light. SCP-096's face is completely devoid of facial features, save for its eyes and mouth.

Key Containment Protocols:

1. Visual Containment:

- All personnel are to avoid direct eye contact with SCP-096's face. This includes images, videos, and any form of visual recording.

- Satellite and aerial reconnaissance are to be suspended in all non-critical areas of Class 4 or higher.

2. Personnel alert level.

-All personnel are to be extra careful to adhere to the correct protocols when dealing with any Cognito hazards.

O5-1

O5 council.]

After finalizing the notice, Alex sent it through the secure Foundation communication channels. He knew the seriousness of this directive and the importance of swift action. Every second counted when dealing with SCP-096.

The next part was by far the more important one. After all, the

first was just to ensure that no one got careless, but the next step was the containment itself.

Next he wrote of the missive for the mobile task forces that would be entrusted with this important task. he would be enlisting Tau-1, Gamme-12, Epsilon-11 and Tau-51. this might seem like that lot, but they needed to be able to cover a lot of ground, so these MTFs and thousands of other Personnel will also be working to ensure nothing goes wrong when they begin the plan. Which was to show a member of D class a picture of SCP-096 and then ensure that those who saw him move were dealt with while leading him right to SITE-19

[Missive for Mobile Task Forces - SCP-096 Containment Operation

To: MTF Tau-1, Gamma-12, Epsilon-11, and Tau-51 Commanders

From: O5-1,

Subject: Critical Containment Operation for SCP-096

Priority: Highest

Attention all commanders and personnel,

The reappearance of SCP-096, also known as "The Shy Guy," necessitates an immediate and comprehensive containment operation. Due to the extreme danger posed by SCP-096, a coordinated effort across multiple Mobile Task Forces (MTFs) is required to ensure the successful containment of this anomaly.

Assigned Mobile Task Forces:

- MTF Tau-1 ("Big Brother"): Primary containment team specialized in handling SCP-096.

- MTF Gamma-12 ("Wave Riders"): Support team for non-visual tracking and area security.

- MTF Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox"): Rapid response and perimeter defense.

- MTF Tau-51 ("Urban Raiders"): Urban operations and civilian evacuation.

Objective:

Secure, contain, and transport SCP-096 to SITE-19 with minimal collateral damage and no exposure to the general public.

Operational Plan:

1. Controlled Exposure and Tracking:

- A designated D-class personnel will be shown an image of SCP-096 in a controlled environment. This will trigger SCP-096's rage state and initiate its movement towards the D-class target.

- MTF Epsilon-11 and MTF Tau-51 will coordinate to clear SCP-096's path, ensuring no civilians or unauthorized personnel are exposed.

2. Termination of risk factors.

MTF Tau-1 will work with MTF Gamme-12 to ensure that none have recorded or seen the face of SCP-096. They are allowed to use any means and are to ensure that there is no risk of future containment breaches. Should they need it, MTF Alpha-8 has been alerted to assist as a last resort.

3. Transport to SITE-19:

- SCP-096 will be guided to SITE-19 via a pre-determined route, minimizing the risk of exposure.

- All teams will work together to secure and transport SCP-096 without incident.

4. Incident Response and Containment:

- MTF Epsilon-11 will handle any breaches or emergencies during the operation.

- MTF Tau-51 will manage urban operations, including evacuations and maintaining public order.

5. Post-Containment Procedures:

- Upon successful arrival at SITE-19, SCP-096 will be placed in a high-security containment cell.

- All data, including visual and non-visual recordings, will be reviewed and secured.

- Decontamination protocols will be followed for all personnel involved in the operation.

Personnel and Resources:

Thousands of additional personnel, including security, research, and administrative staff, will be deployed to support the operation. Resources allocated include non-visual tracking equipment, secure transport units, and emergency response kits.

Command and Communication:

- Commanders of the assigned MTFs will report directly to O5-1 and the Site Director of SITE-19.

- Continuous communication will be maintained throughout the operation, with regular status updates provided to ensure coordination and quick response to any incidents.

Final Notes:

The successful containment of SCP-096 is critical to preventing widespread casualties and maintaining the secrecy of our operations. Your expertise and dedication are vital to the success of this mission. Follow protocols rigorously, and prioritize the safety of our personnel and the public.

O5-1

For the O5 Council]

Everyone knows a shy guy -137

Natasha Romanoff, agent of Shield and member of the SCP foundation, is currently working undercover within Shield to ensure that they wouldn't do something stupid or dangerous, something that was a real risk given the level of Hydra infiltration.

She didn't much like the current mission; it involved lying to her friends, keeping them all in the dark about the many dangers around them. as well as she was mostly left to herself, getting very few orders or updates.

She just continued to learn about more of the dangers around the world and was expected to somehow make things work out in the favour of the Foundation and its goals. Which wasn't at all easy.

Today, just like every day. After getting back home to her secret safehouse, she went about to ensure that it was still safe, and once she was sure about that, she opened up a secret compartment and brought up her foundation-issued laptop.

She quickly noticed that she had been sent something, and for a moment, she hoped it was some clear instructions on what to do. Instead, it was just a general message sent out to everyone by the O5 council.

She very quickly read through the notice, which was about a rather frightening SCP entity. SCP-096, something that would kill you for seeing its face, no matter what you did to avoid such a fate. It seemed like seeing even the tiniest of pictures would be enough to doom anyone.

It was indeed a frightening SCP, and one that she could easily see someone trying to use as a weapon. After all if someone got a picture of his face, they would only need to send it to someone else and that person would die no matter how much protection was around him.

The president himself would easily be killed if someone like Hydra got the picture, and they wouldn't care about the innocent lives that would also be lost due to them seeing the creature.

Natasha could already feel that if this SCP wasn't captured quickly, it would become a massive headache, and she already had plenty of those to deal with right now.

Just today she had already had to endure a rather annoying meeting with Fury.

[flashback]

"Romanoff, read this." Was the first thing she heard as she entered Fury's office.

She took the file and started reading without delay. Whatever she was here for, it wasn't to ask questions. She knew that while it wasn't forbidden the same as it was at the Foundation, Fury wouldn't appreciate it, and well, she didn't want to waste time; the file would surely have the answers anyway.

Quickly reading over it, she found it to be a detailed account of some secret high-level auction taking place. She looked over the guest list and couldn't help but be shocked at the kind of people who attended. These were, without a doubt, the richest and most powerful people in the world. It even included Alexandre Ricci, which meant the Foundation paid attention to this event.

As she continued to read, she also quickly realized why that was. They auction was selling SCP objects! None that she knew about, but still, the very fact that they were selling them was more then enough to shock Natasha.

And it wasn't just one, it seemed that there were four such objects of sale all at once. Natasha, much like Alexandra herself, paid no attention to the rest of the items sold and only looked at the information about the four last items, the SCPs.

The first was the one that seemed the least like an SCP object, but she was sure it was one. After all she very much doubted that Alexandra Ricci would do something like that with Stark, much less Stark and Hammer. No, it had to be an SCP as described.

The next one, well, the ability to get any liquid with a press of a button, that was far more powerful than most would likely believe. And far more so than anyone who thought about giving the final price. After all, couldn't it give the long-lost super soldier serum?

Indeed, there was no doubt that many were now thinking that as well. Which just meant that the valuable of the coffee machine was now invaluable, or damn right close to it.

The next was an AI, which honestly she knew little about such thing, but she figured that she didn't have to worry given it was bought by Stark, and she knew that Coulson had been sent out there after a robbery, which was likely a Foundation collection team.

However, it was the last item that was no doubt the real trouble: a silver locket with the power to heal and cure. She couldn't help but think back on the song of Genesis SCP-407, another healing type SCP that came with danger.

More so since this locket could also make monsters if overexposed to its effect. Which was exactly like 407, though the real prize was the fact that it could apparently make super soldiers! No wonder the final price had reached more than a trillion.

"Alright, I think I know what this is about. You want me to somehow get the locket?" Natasha wasn't stupid, and she knew that Fury would want the locket; she knew that every single person who knew about it would want it.

"That would be ideal, but sadly it seems that Ricci, and thereby the bulwark already lost the items they got." He said handing her yet another folder.

She quickly started to read it, and soon understood what he meant. It seemed that the auction house had already been attacked while Alexandra was completing the transaction. And that she had lost it all, nearly losing her life as well.

She doubted it was true; it was far more likely that the Foundation had just attacked to avoid paying anything and to ensure that Ricci wouldn't be targeted for the objects. However, the amount of money she displayed would likely make waves around the world.

After all, a single person being able to wield such wealth was shocking, and it would no doubt draw more attention to the Ricci name, which had been fading due to the death of Alexander and the lack of any visible response.

"So these items are likely with The Chaos insurgency now." She said after a moment of gathering her thoughts. After all, Fury didn't have to know that the items were likely safe with the Foundation. The more he worried about chaos, the more he would work towards ensuring that piece would remain, which was in line with the Foundation's own goals.

Fury nodded, his expression grim. "Exactly. The Chaos Insurgency acquiring such items is a worst-case scenario. We need to track them down and recover those objects before they can use them for their own ends."

Natasha closed the folder and looked at Fury. "Do we have any leads on where the Chaos Insurgency might be hiding these items?" "

Not yet," Fury admitted. "But we've mobilized several teams to follow up on any potential leads. I need you to be ready to move at a moment's notice."

Natasha nodded. "Understood. I'll stay on high alert."

[End of Flashback]

Recalling that meeting, she couldn't help but feel the timing was rather bad, after all, Shield was on high alert looking for anything that might be the Bulwark or the Chaos Insurgency, and whatever containment operation there would be started for SCP-096 might draw their attention.

Something which could prove to be disastrous if they took a picture of the SCP and spread it around internally. Yeah, the timing of all this left much to be desired, but she would just have to me extra careful, and if things when to shit, blow her cover and allow the Foundation to clean up the mess before it went fully out of control.

[With Bruce Banner]

Bruce Banner was in his lab, surrounded by an array of monitors and scientific equipment. His work had always been his sanctuary, a place where he could lose himself in equations and experiments, forgetting the green behemoth that lurked within him. But today, his concentration was broken by an urgent notification on his screen.

He quickly put down his work and looked at it. He saw that it concerned an SCP object he knew about, SCP-096, the shy guy. He knew about him because he had once been contained at this SITE, and since the day he first arrived here, they had been working on trying to find him.

He knew that Director Tremblay had been troubled by the lack of progress, and he couldn't say he didn't understand. After all, someone like SCP-096 was even worse than the Hulk since the Hulk was showing great progress and the ability to hold himself back from causing harm—something that 096 wouldn't do if someone saw his face.

While both The Hulk and the Shy Guy might be considered Euclid class objects, there was no doubt that while the Hulk could cause more damage, 096 would end up causing more death if both went on a full-on rampage.

He hoped that this guy was locked up quickly, he didn't want something like him out there, even he was scared. After all, if he saw his face, it would surely become a fight between him and the Hulk, who both apparently had the ability to grow stronger. Which meant that the fight could potentially never end.

Yeah, he didn't wish for that to happen, it would pretty much be the death of Bruce Banner, not to mention the amount of death and destruction their fight would cause. It was for the best of everyone if 096 was locked up and everyone just went about their business.

In particular, Bruce was looking forward to the next test, which, if proven successful, could likely lead to a whole new level of cooperation between him and the Hulk, ensuring that he would be far more able to control that condition.

It was likely even better than a full cure; after all, a cure would also take away the protection that the Hulk granted him. And after joining the Foundation and learning about some of the dangers out there, he was starting to feel that it might not be a bad idea to have some extra protection in the form of a big green guy.

"I hope Lena isn't gonna get involved with this object." He couldn't help but slightly worry; after all, he knew that she was greatly fascinated with creature-type objects and would likely be curious about this one since it wasn't evil by nature.

He quickly shook his head and tried to return back to his work. Hopefully, this would work out, and Lena could come down for another test soon.

[With the Anti-Hydra strike force]

Even though Steve, Buggy, and Peggy were barely even considered real Foundation personnel, they, too, still received the information sent out to everyone.

They all read the notice that had been sent out.

Steve looked at it and couldn't help but wish for a time when the strangest thing around was him. And not all these strange monsters or items. Fuck there was even an immortal Hitler clone around. The world was a mess. He could only be glad that there were some who at least tried to keep it safe, even if he didn't agree with them on everything.

"I still can't believe things like this exist." Buggy said as he shook his head. He was by far the most focused on dealing with Hydra, getting revenge was the only thing that kept him from losing it completely.

"We need to be careful. There is a high chance that if the Foundation doesn't handle this well, that this… SCP-096 could be used as a weapon by someone like Hydra; we need to ensure that we don't fall into any traps and are extra careful for a while." Peggy, the brain behind the group, said.

"Then we just have to take out this base before anything can happen." Steve said as he looked down towards the area, they would be targeting next.

Cut off one -138

Steve and the others had finished up their training down in SCP-1678. Buggy was once again able to move around without problem, having gotten used to his new mechanical limbs in combat situations. Peggy had also refreshed her skills after so many years of doing nothing.

This meant that they could finally start to get around to dealing with Hydra; they had already struck a small base of theirs, a prison camp. It wasn't supposed to be the first target, but once he learned about it, Steve couldn't just leave the people trapped there any longer than they had to.

"If you are done playing hero and are ready to begin your real mission, perhaps we can start with the briefing? We don't have much time since it's possible the target might move due to your reckless mission." Their handler, a stern man by the name of. Andreas Ludvic said as they filed into the meeting room.

"We couldn't just leave them there; those poor people were suffering." Steve said, remaining strong in his conviction to save those who needed it.

"I am well aware of their suffering; I am the one who has had to deal with taking care of them. We can't just turn them over to the public; they would speak, and we don't want anyone to know about you just yet," Andreas said, clearly tired of dealing with Steve's strong moral compass.

"You mean you are keeping them imprisoned?" Steve asked, shocked and angry that the people he just freed from unjust imprisonment were being kept against their will once more.

Andreas just sighed, clearly he didn't want to start doing this. "Rogers, clearly you aren't understanding the situation you are in, or that of those people." He began to explain.

"Those people whom you let go, you have no idea who they are. They could be innocent people, captured off the streets in the dark. Or they could very much be hardened criminals taken from death row, murderers, rapists. You have no idea who you let out."

Steve, someone who saw the best in people, didn't want to be so critical. "That is no reason to keep them imprisoned or at most just find out and release them to where they belong, their homes or their cells."

Andreas rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated. "It's not that simple, Rogers. We need to vet each and every one of them. Until then, they stay in our custody. It's for their safety and ours."

Peggy intervened, trying to ease the tension. "He is right Steve, if we just let them go Hydra will surely target them again, if nothing else then just to silence them. while keeping them locked up might not be the kindest thing, it is the best way to ensure that everyone remains safe."

"Let it rest, Steve. We did what we could, and others are no doubt suffering more at the hands of Hydra than the small injustice caused by the Foundation here." Buggy said, eager to hear of their next target, a big proper one this time.

"Fine, but I'm not happy about this." Steve finally relented, seeing the wisdom in it even if he didn't like it.

"A good thing you don't need to keep you happy then, Mr Rogers; now, if we are all ready, it's time to introduce the target that has been carefully selected to be your first. Hydra is, as you know, a fragmented organization with many different heads." Andreas began, only to be interrupted.

"Cut of one and another shall grow." Steve couldn't help but say, repeating the motto of Hydra. He quickly looked just a little embarrassed as he found everyone looking at him; even Peggy glared at him.

"Yes, now the first target, is the stronghold of one of these heads, Daniel Whitehall." Andreas continued and handed them each a folder. Containing information about the target.

Steve, Peggy, and Bucky opened their folders, scanning through the details about Daniel Whitehall. The picture immediately sparked recognition in Peggy's eyes.

"I know this man, he is… Reinhardt! Werner Reinhardt! He was someone I captured right after the war, he should be dead, or at least old, this… he looks as young as he did 70 years ago."

Andreas nodded, acknowledging Peggy's shock. "Yes, Werner Reinhardt, also known as Daniel Whitehall, has managed to extend his life through various means. He's been conducting experiments on himself and others, using the knowledge and resources Hydra has accumulated over the years."

Steve's jaw tightened as he listened. "So, he's not just a threat because of his position in Hydra. He's a personal reminder of everything we've fought against."

"Exactly," Andreas confirmed. "Whitehall's stronghold is heavily fortified, but we have a window of opportunity. Our intelligence suggests he's planning to move his base soon, probably in response to your recent mission. We need to strike before he can disappear again."

Bucky studied the map, tracing their planned route with his finger. "How do we get in? This place looks like a fortress."

"We'll insert you via helicopter under the cover of night," Andreas explained. "Peggy will handle the tech, disabling their communications and security systems. Steve and Bucky, you'll lead the assault team. Once inside, we neutralize Whitehall and extract any intel we can find."

Peggy nodded, already formulating a plan. "Well, with the equipment of the Foundation, I should indeed be able to deal with all automated defenses, maybe even turn them on themselves depending on the systems themselves."

Steve looked around at his team, feeling the weight of their mission. "Let's do this. Hydra has caused enough pain. It's time to end this once and for all."

"Good, if you are ready, you can set out, everything has already been prepared for you." Andreas said as he called their little meeting to a close.

The team geared up, donning their specialized suits and weapons provided by the Foundation. The flight to Whitehall's stronghold was tense, the weight of the mission pressing down on each of them. They knew that this could be a decisive strike against Hydra.

As they approached the drop zone, Peggy's voice crackled through the comms. "Approaching target. Prepare for insertion."

Steve, Bucky, and Peggy rappelled down from the helicopter, landing silently in the dense forest surrounding the stronghold. They moved swiftly and silently, their training taking over as they navigated through the underbrush.

Peggy split off from the group, heading towards the control tower. "I'll take care of the security systems. You two head for the main entrance and clear the way."

Steve and Bucky nodded, advancing towards the fortress's main gate. They encountered a few patrols, quickly and quietly neutralizing them. Steve's shield and Bucky's precision made quick work of the guards, leaving a clear path for Peggy.

Inside the control tower, Peggy worked her magic on the security systems. She bypassed the mainframe's defenses, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'm in. Disabling their communications now."

Steve and Bucky reached the main entrance, where a heavy steel door blocked their way. "Charges ready?" Steve asked.

Bucky nodded, setting the explosives. "Ready."

The door blew open, and they rushed inside, weapons at the ready. The interior of the fortress was a maze of corridors, but they moved methodically, clearing each room as they advanced.

Peggy rejoined them, her face set with determination. "I've disabled their defenses. They won't know what hit them."

As they approached Whitehall's lab, they encountered heavier resistance. Hydra soldiers poured into the corridors, their weapons blazing. Steve's shield deflected bullets as he pushed forward, while Bucky and Peggy provided covering fire.

Finally, they reached the lab's reinforced doors. Steve kicked them open, and they stormed inside, finding Whitehall surrounded by his most loyal guards.

Whitehall looked up, a sinister smile on his face. "My, my my, what a surprise. I have wondered who were attacking me here, who were willing and able to do so well. But never in my wildest dreams would I have expected it to me you three."

"Agent Carter, how you have changed since I last saw you, or a picture of you. I wonder how you have become so young once more? How did you cure your Alzheimer's? and then we have the man with the plan, Captain Steve Rogers, I and the whole world thought you dead, yet here you stand, like time never moved."

Finally, he turned his eyes to Buggy and looked at the new mechanical leg. "And then we have the Winter Solider as well. That does answer a few questions. Ricci, he is behind this, isn't he? Or rather, the Bulwark behind him."

Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, Whitehall believed them, shocked that he knew, while in the act, they were confused about who this Bulwark was; after all, they worked with the Foundation, and they knew Ricci had done the same.

"Yes, I know about them. And now everything makes sense. You are the revenge for killing him. They even know about Hydra, they just didn't care about us, not until we struck against them. And then they dug up your three old fossils; yes, that's quite the revenge; we kill their man, and they bring back our greatest foe."

Steve stepped forward, his eyes steely and determined. "Your time is up, Whitehall. We're here to end this."

Whitehall sneered, his confidence unwavering. "I never could find out Ricci's secret to his long life. He wasn't someone I could touch, but I believe I will find the answer once I dissect you, Agent Carter."

Steve's fists clenched at Whitehall's words, his rage barely contained. "Not if we stop you first," he growled.

Whitehall's loyal guards readied their weapons, and the room exploded into chaos. Steve, Bucky, and Peggy fought with a level of precision and coordination that spoke of years of training and experience. Steve's shield was a blur, deflecting bullets and incapacitating enemies with bone-crushing force. Bucky's mechanical arm whirred as he struck down guard after guard, his movements fluid and deadly. Peggy, using her agility and combat training, expertly took down opponents, her focus unyielding.

Whitehall, realizing his guards were no match for the trio, retreated towards a reinforced door at the back of the lab. "You can't stop Hydra," he shouted over the din of the fight. "We will always rise again!"

Bucky, seeing Whitehall's attempt to escape, turned to Steve. "He's getting away!"

Steve nodded, "Peggy, keep the guards busy. Bucky and I will handle Whitehall."

Peggy gave a curt nod, already engaged with multiple enemies. "Go! I'll manage here."

Steve and Bucky pursued Whitehall through the door, finding themselves in a labyrinthine series of corridors. Whitehall had a head start, but Steve's enhanced speed and Bucky's relentless determination kept them close on his heels.

They reached a large, high-tech room filled with experimental equipment and vials of unknown substances. Whitehall was at the far end, frantically typing on a console. "You're too late, Rogers!" he yelled, a manic gleam in his eye. "I've initiated the self-destruct sequence. This entire place will be reduced to rubble, and so will you!"

Steve threw his shield, aiming to knock Whitehall away from the console. Whitehall dodged, but the shield hit the console, damaging it and causing sparks to fly.

"You won't escape this time," Steve said, retrieving his shield.

Bucky advanced, his mechanical arm ready for action. "It's over, Whitehall."

Whitehall looked around, realizing his predicament. "No... you can't do this! I am Hydra!"

Bucky lunged forward, grabbing Whitehall by the collar and lifting him off the ground. "And Hydra is going down."

Steve approached the console, assessing the situation. "The self-destruct sequence is damaged, but we don't have much time. We need to get out of here."

Bucky nodded, securing Whitehall's hands with restraints. "Let's move."

They quickly retraced their steps, meeting Peggy at the lab's entrance. She had subdued the remaining guards and was ready for extraction. "Did you get him?" she asked.

Steve nodded. "He's coming with us. But we need to move, now."

The team raced through the corridors, the building beginning to shake as the self-destruct sequence progressed. They reached the main entrance, where the helicopter awaited them. Andreas's voice crackled through their comms. "Extraction point secured. Get in, now!"

They boarded the helicopter, and it lifted off just as the fortress began to implode. From the air, they watched as the stronghold of Daniel Whitehall crumbled into ruins, a significant blow to Hydra.

Whitehall, restrained and defeated, glared at them. "This isn't over," he spat. "Hydra will never die."

Steve looked at him, his expression resolute. "Maybe not. But as long as we live, we'll keep fighting."

The helicopter flew into the night, carrying the team and their prisoner towards the next chapter in their battle against Hydra. The mission had been a success, but they knew the fight was far from over. Together, they were determined to see it through to the end.

Update and plans -139

May was back at the convent once again. She needed to investigate what was going on inside. And learn more about this enhanced child who was within. She needed to know if they were a danger to the nuns here.

She still hadn't reported this to Fury, or so anyone else. Wanting to just… to just deal with it on her own. Her own personal mission. She would call for backup if she needed it, but for now she was just investigating things first.

She had already started her investigation. she had looked into what she could, such as any suspicious news or rumors, any deliveries or anything that might hint at something being wrong, but hadn't found anything. In fact the entire place seemed to have been forgotten by time.

She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but she would hopefully get those answers today.

knock knock*

She once again had to wait a while before anyone were willing to let her inside. They did seem rather guarded against strangers. It was likely only thanks to the same old nun from last time that she was once again allowed inside to another chat.

"Please, sit, my child; I will go get us some tea." The old kindly woman said once again as she left May alone.

This time, May didn't bother going around looking through the room; she doubted anything had changed; it looked the same, and she hadn't seen anything the first time around.

If there were something off about this place, there wouldn't be any clues here.

"Now, why don't you tell me what is troubling you, my child." The nun asked as they sat there, drinking the same tea from the same cups as if nothing had changed at all. It was still just that first time, as if time had forgotten about this place.

"I told you last time about that mission, about the girl, and about what I had to do back then." May began. "I am still troubled by it, I keep asking myself if I could have done something different."

The nun just smiled and nodded along, allowing May to speak and empty her heart.

"Could I have saved them? Saved the girl, could everything have been avoided? I know thinking about such what-ifs isn't a good idea, but I just can't help it." May continued to add something more, something she hadn't said the first time.

"Normally I would have told you that it isn't good to dwell on what could have been, but it seems you are already aware of that, though I will still remind you that you shouldn't dwell on it." The nun said as May took a pause to wet her throat.

"I know, it's just… it's haunting me. Even more so these days, with news of other enhanced children going around the world, killing people. Ahh, I wasn't supposed to say that; it's a secret from the public; I have to ask that you don't share it with anyone."

She pretended to let that slip, hoping to get a better read on her expression and what she might think of such a thing. Surely, if she knew about an enhanced child, she would show some kind of fear. Even more so if this place was under the child's control.

Yet she was disappointed in what she saw on the old woman's face. For while she was horrified to hear such a news, there was no fear on her face, it was much like how most people would act.

They would be horrified to think such a thing, to learn about such a thing. Afraid that they or their loved ones might be hurt.

There it was!

She had no fear on her face, none at all. Something that was suspicious. It could be a lot of things, but she was sure there was something there. Now, she just needed to figure that out.

"I must admit, to hear such a thing, it saddens me. Though hopefully you can help those people, those lost children, lead them back on God's path." The nun finally responded.

May couldn't believe how perfect her response lined up with a possible plan of hers. So before the nun could say anything else, she pressed her advantage.

"Personally, I'm not sure if God would safe them, but would you, this Convent be willing to shelter these enhanced children?" She knew Fury and the rest of SHIELD wouldn't allow something like that, not just SHIELD. Even the government wouldn't.

They all wanted those children for their own use, Fury to make them into agents; the government wanted enhanced soldiers. None would allow them to seek out God and become monks or whatever.

And indeed, the old woman's expression told May everything she needed to confirm: there was indeed a child like that there, maybe not a murder, but one that had come to seek help from God.

Now, she could finally begin to move forward and see if she could learn more about this child, maybe even meet them.

"We are but a small place; we can't take care of children here. I'm sure other places would be willing to take them in and guide them," the nun said, though her lies were easily spotted by May.

"No children? But I'm fairly sure there should be one here? Are you sure there isn't any?" May pressed.

The old nun, nervous but also not wanting to like, could only sigh. "Well, there is one child here, but she is very fragile. She couldn't possibly be with other children; it wouldn't be good for her."

May was a trained elite SHIELD agent. She could easily make people spill their deepest secrets, and she used those skills on the poor old woman.

"The organization I work for has some rather advanced medical procedures available to them. Perhaps there is a way to help this girl?" She knew that what she said was true, though she wouldn't be able to offer anything to the child without first informing her superiors, not that she needed to know that, however.

However, the old nun didn't seem the least bit interested in the offer. "You are a kind soul to offer that, but no, the girl has found God, and he and his blessing are keeping her safe. Even if she can't interact with her peers, she has the Lord and isn't lonely."

The complete lack of reaction was telling; it meant that, likely, the child in question was clearly different in appearance, making it impossible not to notice her enhanced nature, or whatever kept her weak and sickly was part of her ability.

Or that there was no such thing as her being sickly at all, and that was just an excuse, though she did feel like that wasn't the case.

Which meant it had to be one of those two reason.

May considered her next move carefully. The nun's reaction, or lack thereof, had given her crucial information. She decided to change her approach, hoping to earn the nun's trust further and gain more access to the child.

She wouldn't press more now, it would be too much, she would appear to be too curious no, it was better to wait, come back another day and try there. make the old woman believe that she was there for help, not for the girl.

As May sipped her tea, she allowed a moment of silence to settle between them, contemplating her next steps. Pushing too hard now could make the nun wary, and she needed to maintain the fragile trust she had built.

"You've given me a lot to think about," May said gently, setting her cup down. "Thank you for your time and for listening to me. I appreciate it more than you know."

The nun's expression softened further, clearly relieved that the conversation was ending on a positive note. "Anytime, my child. Our doors are always open to those in need."

May nodded, standing up. "I'll come back again soon. There are still things I'm working through, and it helps to talk to someone."

The nun stood as well, walking May to the door. "You're always welcome here. And remember, trust in the Lord's plan. He works in mysterious ways."

May offered a small smile. "I will. Thank you."

As she left the convent, May's mind was racing with possibilities. The old nun's steadfastness in keeping the child hidden meant there was more at play here than simple sanctuary. She would need to approach this carefully, ensuring she didn't raise any further suspicions.

[SITE-09]

Back in the new, large, expensive mansion of who were not believed to be the richest person on earth, Alexander Ricci, a man believed to be dead, was dealing with his massive daily workload.

Today, he was going over the list of current SCPs and trying to decide on how to apply the manpower of the Foundation best to ensure those still on the loose will be contained quickly.

Firstly, SCP-169, the leviathan, was still out there, and the containment was still in place. Though keeping the massive sea area closed off wasn't easy, they did so anyway, even transferring some warships over to patrol and ensure the blockade wasn't broken. He was thankful that the nations around were poor and willing to be paid or bribed to play along.

Next was SCP-2399, the malfunctioning destroyer, another SCP that simply couldn't really be contained, at least not unless they got more advanced technology which would allowing them to travel around the solar system.

Next was SCP-4255, Santa, another one that couldn't really be contained, but also wasn't much of a problem at all.

Then came SCP-469, the many-winged angel, an SCP that had been around for a long time yet still hadn't been found. "Need more recourses on this one, I can't allow it to stay out there." He couldn't even track its growth anymore with the tracking tool down for an update which was taking entirely too long.

Another Keter, SCP-016, the sentient micro-organism. It hadn't shown up yet, likely still deep underground, and was welcome to remain there; while a Keter class reward would be nice, he wasn't desperate for them.

SCP-1015, the poor man's midas, yeah, that wasn't one he would put more attention on.

SCP-1230, a hero is born. Was an object he did want, if for no other reason then to try it out himself, even if that was a risk, he just couldn't give up the chance to live though another fantasy life doing his sleep.

SCP-1471, Mal0 was very much a work in progress. He hadn't gotten the reward for it yet, which meant he likely needed all current phones with the app or something else to be considered to have that in containment fully.

Next was SCP-455, the blue key, a safe class object that was also almost entirely harmless but also really hard to find, so another one he didn't want to push more resources to find.

SCP-1765 remained a mystery; the sisters should have made themselves known somehow; they hadn't been very subtle back in the SCP universe, so the question remained: what were they doing?

SCP-1689, the bag holding an infinite amount of potato, also hadn't been found yet, though he expected that as soon as someone did find and start using it, it wouldn't take long before the clues would show up.

SCP-1171, the window pane where some unknown creature would write on was another object that was nearly impossible to find, at least until someone started to make a fuss about it.

The eye pods SCP-131 were also still missing. Not a single clue about them. And he was fairly sure they wouldn't be hiding away; they were friendly, helpful creatures, so they had to be out there, helping someone already.

SCP-3199, those monsters, had been found, or a few. There was currently an MTF out hunting them, trying to find their lair before a full attack. In fact, they found the clue to them while dealing with SCP-096.

There were still not update on SCP-155, which meant that it hadn't been found. Though at least he was glad that he didn't have to worry about SCP-079 somehow getting into that and gaining infinite computing power.

SCP-914, the clockworks, something he wanted, yet wasn't easy to find since it was just a small machine, but at least there wasn't and signs out that someone was using it.

SCP-1281 was another added to the impossible list; after all, that was also out in space, far from Earth.

SCP-701, the hanged king's tragedy. Much to his surprise, this one was starting to show up. He had hoped there wouldn't be a lot of copies of it around, but it seemed that was sadly the case. It had already claimed the life of more than three hundred people, he might need to have Natasha alert Shield, to try and hopefully avoid too many deaths.

SCP-7905, the fragment of a broken world was also still missing, but just like with SCP-469, there were so very many caves in the world that finding them were almost impossible, much less exploring every single one. Though it might be found while looking for 469.

"SCP-499, old man sun, was missing, even after scanning every part of the world with the many, many satellites they had access to, which was worrying since there were only a few places in the world those couldn't see perfectly. He would need to make sure this became a much higher priority and that the near-infinite resources of the Foundation were put to use here.

Then there was SCP-166, the teenage Gaea, which should have been an easy find but so far had somehow remained hidden, though it wasn't that important to find; after all, it was more likely she suffered than caused much danger to others.

And finally, there was SCP-949. His latest nightmare, or more the fact that Dr Wondertainment was around, caused him a headache; after all, that meant more SCPs, which were a problem, even more so since he wouldn't know when and what.

He was already as it was, using much energy trying to figure out the identity of the extra ones, which he had thankfully all been able to do, which was why this list was the complete list of every SCP still not in containment.

That is as long as Wondertainment hasn't already started on releasing more. No, wondertainment needed to be dealt with, and he already had plans for doing that tomorrow, because the park had been found, and tomorrow, personnel would enter it.

Wondertainment Land -140

In what was supposed to be nothing but an empty plot of land in the middle of nowhere stood now hundreds of men and women, all working under the hot sun. They were all wearing ugly orange jumpsuits and strange-looking metal collars around there next as they worked on setting up a massive fence around the area.

Other than that massive group of people was another smaller group, they looked like soldiers, though their uniform were black, they held their weapons tight in hand as they watched the orange people work.

Finally, there was a smaller group of people who shouted orders at the orange workers and clearly served as foremen for this project.

This would already be considered a rather large project, yet in truth, there were dozens of groups just like this. Thousands of people are working to the fence off a massive area.

A single unmarked road that wouldn't appear on any maps connected to the area they were closing off, and in the heart of it stood a towering amusement park.

The sudden appearance of the amusement park and the massive undertaking to fence it all had caught the attention of Shield, who were on high alert for anything related to either the Bulwark or The Chaos Insurgency, so this massive event drew much attention.

Level 7 agent Phil Coulson, one of the most trusted men under Director Fury, had been sent out with a small army of agents to investigate, which included SHIELD's STRIKE team, a heavy assault team that should help them get past the blockade if they needed to use force.

Personally, Phil hoped it wouldn't come to that. They had been watching the area from above and knew that they would be outnumbered if all the different construction teams gathered together.

However, if it proved to be The Chaos Insurgency behind this, Coulson would call in backup and have them dealt with, killing and capturing as many as they could for information. So far, the analysts believed it to be the bulwark.

"Any luck IDing any of them?" Coulson asked as they neared the barricade.

"None, Sir. We aren't sure how, but we can't get any clear photos of any faces. Some unknown technology seemed to be used by them to interfere somehow." Came the response over the radio.

Coulson frowned at the response, a feeling of unease settling over him. The Bulwark was known for its secrecy and advanced technology, but this level of interference was troubling. He knew they needed to proceed with caution.

"Alright, let's move in closer," Coulson ordered, signaling for the team to advance. "We need to find out exactly what's going on here."

The convoy of SHIELD vehicles rolled to a stop a safe distance from the perimeter of the construction site. Coulson and a few agents stepped out, approaching the barricade cautiously. They were greeted by a pair of the black-uniformed soldiers, their expressions unreadable behind dark visors.

"I'm Agent Coulson, SHIELD," he introduced himself, showing his credentials. "We're here to investigate the activity in this area."

One of the soldiers stepped forward, his stance rigid. "This is a restricted area. Authorized personnel only."

Coulson's eyes narrowed slightly. "Restricted by whose authority? This land is under no jurisdiction that I'm aware of."

The soldier remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a clipped tone. "You need to leave. Now."

Coulson didn't back down. "We're not leaving until we have some answers. What's the purpose of this construction? And who are these people working here?"

Before the soldier could respond, he paused and lifted a hand to his ear. He was clearly getting some kind of information. "You may pass, follow the road, don't leave it, and follow all instructions." He finally said, no doubt just relaying the order he was given.

The sudden turn of events took Coulson by surprise, but no matter how much he tried to ask the soldier for why the sudden change of heart, he just repeated the order or told them to get lost.

He wanted to know what was going on, but he had only two options: turn back and give up the mission or continue into the unknown. Well, it wasn't that hard of a decision. "Let's go, we will see what they are hiding in there."

Far up ahead, at the end of the road a group of Foundation agents just received some new orders and had to move quickly to manage to ensure they could complete the task in the short amount of time they had.

They quickly made sure to hide away the insignia of the Foundation on their uniform and their equipment, something they thankfully weren't new to having to do. And so, before the convoy of Shield cars reached them, there was nothing to expose the fact that the so-called Bulwark organization was a lie.

They then all stood watching around, trying to see from where the bigshot would arrive from. They didn't even know who, though they guessed it had to be a high-ranking SITE director who would join them to deal with Shield.

The SHIELD convoy proceeded down the unmarked road, Coulson's eyes scanning the surroundings for any clues. As they neared the end of the road, they saw a group of people waiting for them. The individuals were dressed in nondescript uniforms, with no visible insignia.

Behind them was a large amusement park, with a big sign over the entrance reading, "Wantertainment Land" Something he had never heard about before, and they had lost their signal, so they couldn't even ask HQ if they could look it up for them.

"What is all this about?" he couldn't help but ask the large group of people standing between him and the entrance. He once again noticed that there seemed to be three different groups of people, security, workers, and what seemed to be a mix of scientists.

"Someone will be arriving to explain things to you; I'm not authorized to say anything." Someone said and Coulson assumed that they were in charge here.

Coulson, however, wasn't about to accept that answer. After all, if they were to wait around for someone, surely he could use that time to try and gather a bit of information. "Surely you can identify who you are and what this amusement park is all about?"

However, none of the people in front of him provided the answer. Instead, he heard a distorted voice from behind him. "Since you asked that, I guess you have to have had the displeasure of knowing about Doctor Wondertainment and his toys."

Colson immediately turned around, as did his escort, and looked behind him. There, from nowhere, a black silhouette of a man had appeared.

Except it wasn't a silhouette. Coulson could clearly see that it was a person wearing some kind of strange metallic black bodysuit that seemed darker than the darkest thing he had ever seen in his life, almost like it consumed the light itself around it.

It's strange suit did not at all allow him to see any indignation of who could possibly be behind the mask. There were only the white eyes and mouth, which seemed static but glowing, and on his chest a circle, and within that once more in that same glowing light was 05-1 written.

He didn't even have a chance to ask who it was before this small army, but he assumed it was bulwark security personnel shouting out in loud unison. "Overseer on site, highest priority, protect the overseer!"

Instantly, they all rushed into action. I stayed and grabbed their weapons, and a standoff immediately happened between the shield strike team and these soldiers, who were apparently about to start a war to protect this and appeared out of nowhere.

"Stand down, agent. There is no need for violence here." The overseer's distorted voice once again sounded as he walked past the shield agents. He completely ignored all the weapons trained at him and just walked over to his own people.

"Overseer, Sir, where are your protection detail? Where is unit Alpha-1?"

"I am quite safe where I am. You do not need to care about my protection, agent. Just focus on the task at hand." The overseer said before turning back to Coulson and to shield once more.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am O5-1 overseer of the Bulwark's Council of Overseers, the ruling body of the Bulwark organization." Alexander Ricci Introduced himself while wearing his O5 suit. Meaning that Coulson had no idea who was standing before him.

Coulson kept his composure, though his mind was racing. An overseer of the Bulwark? This was big. They knew little of that organization's leadership, so the chance to meet one was unexpected but welcomed.

"I'm Agent Phil Coulson, SHIELD," he replied, trying to gauge the situation. "We're here to investigate the sudden construction and the appearance of this amusement park. We need to understand what's going on and ensure there are no threats to public safety or national security."

O5-1's glowing eyes seemed to scrutinize Coulson for a moment before responding. "We are here to make sure that Wontertainment Land won't become a problem, its likely not too dangerous, but Dr Wondertainment is hard to predict, so we want to keep everyone away."

Coulson was starting to get a general idea of what might be going on here, but he needed to try and get as much information as possible. "What can you tell me about this park and who this Dr Wondertainment is?"

O5-1's glowing eyes focused intently on Coulson. "Doctor Wondertainment is an enigmatic entity, known for creating anomalous toys and products that often defy the laws of physics and reality. While some of his creations are harmless, others can be unpredictable and dangerous."

"Wondertainment Land is one of these; it's filled with things that shouldn't be, and most annoyingly, it has a habit of moving around on its own, disappearing and reappearing at random."

Coulson processed this information, realizing the gravity of the situation. "And the people in orange jumpsuits? Are they here voluntarily?"

To answer this question, O5-1 turned his head to look at the large number of D-class personnel. "They came here on their own free will, knowing that the alternative would be a few worse than death."

Coulson frowned, processing this new information. "So they're prisoners," he said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"They are volunteers," O5-1 corrected, his tone firm. "They are just people who have decided to… commit themselves to help us."

Coulson knew it was a lie, he knew that even Natasha had been given a bomb collar. These people were all here against their will. And while he wanted to protest he also knew that he had bigger worries about.

He had one of the people in charge of the Bulwark before him, and he needed to use it wisely to get as much information as possible.

Coulson decided to shift his focus, storing away the information about the prisoners for later. He needed to understand the immediate threat posed by Wondertainment Land and what the Bulwark intended to do about it.

"Alright," Coulson said, his tone measured. "Let's talk about Wondertainment Land. What specific threats are we looking at, and how do you plan to contain them?"

O5-1 glanced at the amusement park, his expression hidden behind the mask but his posture tense. "Wondertainment Land is filled with anomalies, though most of them are harmless, and none of them leave. So we just close off access and keep an eye on it. The real target is Dr Wondertainment."

Coulson's interest piqued further at the mention of Doctor Wondertainment. "So, Doctor Wondertainment is still active and possibly inside this park?"

O5-1 nodded. "That's correct. Doctor Wondertainment's exact location and identity are unknown, but we believe they might be using the park as a base of operations or as a means to test their creations. Containing the park helps us monitor and hopefully capture Wondertainment."

Coulson pondered this information, understanding the potential danger. "What kind of security measures do you have in place to prevent these anomalies from escaping? And what can SHIELD do to assist in this operation?"

O5-1 paused, considering the offer and question. "I believe it would be better to have this discussion after you have seen the park; until then, you can't really judge or understand many things."

Coulson understood the wisdom in O5-1's words. Seeing the park firsthand would provide crucial context for any decisions they made moving forward. He nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's take a look at this park. Lead the way."

Park tour -141

Alex, who was currently using several different powers to appear with Coulson and the others, started to walk towards the Park entrance, where his Foundation personnel quickly rushed up to surround him in a protective circle.

While the Foundation personnel might be hiding the SCP logo, it was still there, they were still there meaning the this place was part of his kingdom, allowing him to project his thoughts here, seeing and hearing everything that happened.

Another ability he used was one that on its own was rather useless, Eidolon Encho, the ability to project an illusion of himself that could scout ahead. It wasn't useful on its own since it couldn't be got very far away from himself.

But if the himself who made the illusion clone wasn't his body, but instead his mind, it suddenly became a lot more useful.

The illusion didn't have any compact ability, in fact, should anyone touch it, they would know that it was just an illusion right away. But he didn't care much; he even had a few other abilities that made people feel less inclined to try and touch him.

As was expected, he was stopped by the entrance and asked to pay the fee. With a wave of his hand, someone went up and paid to have everyone enter the park, which wasn't cheap since there were more than a hundred people in his group.

"Alright, you all just continue to carry out your mission, investigate everything, use D-class as needed, and try not to put yourself at risk; I want all of you back out in one piece, not including D-class naturally." Alex said as they entered the park while the Shield group seemed to be trying to get in for free.

Though that wasn't going to happen, this wasn't a normal park, and there were no normal people here. Something that shouldn't be surprising given that the people at the front hadn't even made a comment about the weapons they were bringing in.

Alex only cast a glance at the group for starting to lead his own little escort deeper into the park. Something that caused Coulson to just pay the bill so he could hurry and catch up with Alex.

"You are splitting up?" He asked, seeing the large Foundation, or as he knew them, as the bulwark, split into many small groups.

"Yes, they are here to investigate and see if anything has changed about the park since it last appeared." Alex said while the guards around him tensed up from having Coulson run up to them.

He quickly ran back to his own group. "I want you to follow them around, don't do anything, just watch and record everything; whatever they do, I want to know once we are done here."

With that he ran back to Alex and didn't waste a minute before he started to ask question after question.

"Please, Agent Coulson, many of these questions can be asked simply by exploring the park." He said as he mostly dismissed him, knowing that it would do nothing but make Coulson more eager for answers.

"Greetings, I would like to know if the good Dr is currently in the park?" Alex asked one of the SCP-949-1 instances who stood around.

Though the answer was… lacking, in fact he was completely ignored. "You." He said, pointing at one of his guards. "Ask the same question."

"Yes, sir! You, are Dr Wondertainment in the park today?" The guard asked or rather demanded at the mascot-looking SCP creature.

"Maybe, maybe not, only one way to find out~" The creature sang and tried to be amusing.

Though it did confirm to Alex that these beings weren't able to see him, or at least they somehow knew that he wasn't real, and as such, didn't react to him.

As Alex's illusion continued to guide his team deeper into Wondertainment Land, he remained vigilant, projecting his thoughts and observing everything through his various powers. Coulson, determined to gather as much information as possible, continued to shadow him closely, although Alex's dismissive responses only fueled Coulson's curiosity.

They stopped before a ride, which a group of Foundation personnel stood before, the D-class being forced to ride it. Alex observed the ride, which seemed like a normal drop tower.

Yet after the ride reached the peak and then dropped down under the force of its own weight, things started to turn strange.

It seemed to drop, yet barely moved. Almost like it was glitching out, though they could hear the screaming voice of the few D-class on the ride.

"What is happening." Coulson couldn't help but ask, confused at the sight before him.

"Something that defies the natural laws. Something which Dr Wondertainment is rather famous for." Alex commented from the side, trying to figure out what was happening.

He figured that maybe space was being stretched, making the drop far longer for those on the ride. Well, whatever it was, it left all the D-class passed out before they were even halfway down again.

After the ride came to an end, Foundation personnel went in and gathered the passed-out D-class; they would need to be questioned about what they had experienced. Only then would they hopefully be able to figure out want happened on that ride.

Coulson observed this and asked, "Is there any danger of these anomalies spreading outside the park?"

"Not likely," Alex replied. "Wondertainment Land has its own set of rules and boundaries. The anomalies are confined here. Our job is to make sure they stay that way."

As they moved on, they encountered more bizarre attractions. A carousel where the horses changed colors and shapes as they moved, a funhouse where mirrors didn't just reflect but also seemed to change the appearance of the people looking into them, and a roller coaster that looped through what appeared to be different dimensions.

Each attraction had its own strange effects, and Alex's team meticulously documented everything. Coulson's team, meanwhile, did their best to stay out of the way while observing the Foundation personnel's actions.

That isn't to say that the Shield personnel didn't also try to gather information, but they were just a bunch of brutes, and the staff was all SCP-949-1 entities who didn't fold for pressure; they knew no fear and just ignored their threats are treated them as playful antics.

They found many clearly anomalous things, both new and old ones, recorded within the Foundation files, such as the spooky Manor, where the D-class came out with another head stitched to his shoulder.

The Hook a Duck game with large screaming living duck toys, though the Random River Rapids were closer for renovations, which could be good or bad depending on what would change about it.

Then there was Bumper Cars, a popular game, though here it was far more extreme as the cars devoured one another. And an unlucky member of D-class also lost his life on that ride.

Yet there were no signs that Dr. Wondertainment was in. something Alex had hoped given that Wondertinament had appeared together with the park, but it would likely have been too easy if he had managed to capture someone like them right away.

After all, they had managed to evade the Foundation for decades in the SCP universe, and there, the Foundation were tens of times more powerful then it was here, even with the Multiple other organizations working against them like the GOC.

Coulson, observing all this, couldn't shake off the feeling of awe mixed with apprehension. "How do you even begin to contain something like this?" he asked, more to himself than to anyone else.

"By understanding it," Alex replied, having overheard him. "And by making sure it doesn't breach its own boundaries."

Coulson nodded, appreciating the gravity of the task. "We need to coordinate. SHIELD can help monitor the perimeter and ensure nothing slips through. And if Doctor Wondertainment is indeed using this place as a base, we'll need to be ready for anything."

"There is no need to coordinate; you are welcome to build your own fence, or whatever, but don't interfere with us; don't expect that we will care for you; this is a bulwark undertaking, and we don't need some upstart like Shield to start messing things up." Alex dismissed him. While he wouldn't mind using Shield's resources, he had no desire to work with them.

Coulson's eyes narrowed slightly. "Upstart? SHIELD has dealt with plenty of anomalies and threats. We're more than capable of handling ourselves."

Alex smirked, the illusion's eyes glinting. "I'm sure you are. Just stay out of our way and we'll stay out of yours. That's the best way for everyone to stay safe."

As they continued through the park, they encountered more strange and dangerous anomalies. A Ferris wheel that seemed to loop through different timelines, a haunted house where the ghosts were all too real, and a game booth where the prizes were small but highly dangerous creatures.

Despite the tension, both teams managed to avoid any major incidents, though the eerie, unpredictable nature of Wondertainment Land kept everyone on edge.

As they reached the central plaza of the park, the Foundation personnel regrouped, sharing their findings and ensuring that no significant threats were unaccounted for. Coulson, determined to maintain a presence, continued to monitor their actions closely.

Finally, Alex turned to Coulson. "We've seen enough for now. It's time to leave before anything else happens. Remember what I said, Agent Coulson. Stay out of our way."

Coulson nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But this isn't over. SHIELD will continue to monitor the situation, and if we find any reason to intervene, we will."

Alex's illusion nodded. "Of course. But let's hope it doesn't come to that." He said and ended the use of his abilities. To Coulson, it would seem like he had just vanished into thin air.

Leaving him shocked and with more intel about this mysterious senior member of the bulwark, though he was still sure that Fury would be around him for not getting more information than he had.

As the illusion of Alex vanished, Coulson stood in the eerie silence of Wondertainment Land, trying to piece together everything he had witnessed. He signaled his team to regroup, his mind racing with thoughts of how to proceed. SHIELD needed to be prepared for whatever the Bulwark might do next, and he had to report back to Fury with all the gathered intel.

"Alright, team, let's head out," Coulson ordered. "Keep your eyes open and make sure we have everything documented. We need to debrief as soon as we're back."

…

The SHIELD agents moved with practiced efficiency, gathering their equipment and ensuring nothing was left behind. As they made their way to the park's exit, Coulson couldn't help but glance back at the bizarre attractions, each one a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the anomalies contained within Wondertainment Land.

Back at the SHIELD headquarters, Coulson found himself in a debriefing room with Director Fury. The room was dimly lit, with screens displaying various feeds and data collected from the mission.

"So, what did you find?" Fury asked, his one good eye fixed on Coulson.

"Wondertainment Land is filled with anomalies, as we suspected. The Bulwark is handling containment. They're using D-class personnel—prisoners, essentially—to interact with the anomalies. And someone going by O5-1, one of their leaders, was there. He made it clear that they don't want our interference," Coulson reported.

Fury leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Did you get any useful intel on this O5-1 or their operations?"

"Not as much as I'd hoped," Coulson admitted. "The Overseer wasn't willing to say much, though I will make a full report of everything; we were also able to record the whole trip, so hopefully, we can pick up some details. O5-1 was, however, covered in a suit, so his identity is unknown."

Fury nodded slowly, processing the information. "We need to keep an eye on this. Wondertainment Land is a potential powder keg. We can't afford to let our guard down. Continue monitoring the situation and gather whatever intel you can. If they step out of line, we need to be ready to act."

"Understood, Director," Coulson said.

As Coulson left the debriefing room, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. The anomalies in Wondertainment Land were unlike anything he had encountered before, and the presence of the Bulwark added a layer of complexity to the situation. He knew that this was just the beginning of a much larger and potentially dangerous game.

Field test -142

[Home of Tony Stark]

"Sir, the suit update has been completed." The voice of Jarvis came and not a moment too soon.

"Perfect, let's take it for a spin then." Tony said as he had Jarvis begin the process of getting into the suit, or more correctly, getting the suit onto him.

The process still needed some refinement. He was well aware of this, but it couldn't be rushed, and the current state of the process was good enough for his current needs.

He would have liked to have the suit ready sooner, but the icing issue needed to be dealt with. After the attack, he decided to improve the anti-EMP shielding for all the systems without the suit.

After all, he had learned that those people had used some EMP pulse every time they were active somewhere, or at least that was what the SHIELD report he had gotten his hands on said.

He had also spent time fully reworking his home security so If that so-called Chaos Insurgency were to come back, he wouldn't be as powerless again. He would have time to get in his suit before they would be able to get inside.

"Sir, what kind of test do you wish to run?" Jarvis asked as the suit came online.

"A field test." Tony said while looking at the news report about a group of terrorists in the Middle East, who clearly had his weapons in their hands.

"Sir, I must advise against that; there are multiple untested system upgrades within the suit." Jarvis couldn't help but caution his boss and maker.

"Then this will be the perfect time to test it, plot the cause!" he said before taking off, shooting fast and high. He watched in wonderment as the world under him became small.

There really was something special about flying, and he understood why it was someone people had dreamed about since ancient time. Though it was likely that he, the brilliant Tony Stark, was the very first person in the world to achieve flight like this.

This wonderful feeling had nearly cost him his life and one of his little babies the first time he took flight, though at least he had been able to learn several things about the suit's limitations and make improvements.

Even now, he had many plans for upgrades, but first, he needed to deal with the current situation. For one, those weapons that had ended up in the wrong hands needed to be destroyed, and he needed to find who was selling them.

He had already gotten the help of Ricci to track quite a few shipments around the world, and he would be dealing with them one by one. Today, he would deal with this one as it was clearly a more pressing situation.

After all, Not only was this apparently a splinter cell from the Ten Rings, but they were also the ones behind his kidnapping and, on top of that, currently killing innocent civilians using his weapons. So, they rest of the targets could wait, this was personal.

As soon as he arrived in the small town, he was met with a sight of misery; death was everywhere; he could almost feel the fear; he remembered it, how it was to be taken, captured, and held against his will, to knot know when his last moment would be.

One of the terrorists opened fire and started shooting at him. Tony simply punished him. Sending him flying through the air, Jarvis noted that he was eliminated, though Tony ignored it and just started using the energy blasts from his hand to take down a few more.

He turned around to find a group of women and children held hostage, though it was a little problem to deal with that situation, one moment the terrorists were screaming at him; the next every single one was shot and killed in the same instance, not even given a chance to fire once.

The sight of the little boy running up to his father was touching; Tony couldn't help but leave the leader of this attack in their hands. Knowing that they, just like himself, deserved the chance to get revenge with their own hands.

He then took off, flying off towards the next target, the base of the terrorists not far off.

"Override." The mechanical sound of the suit's system came as it dodged a tank shell. Tony couldn't help but be glad he had made the automated system there. He had based it on what little he had been able to glean from the old AI he had bought and then stolen from him.

The system wasn't an AI, but it would allow him to use the full capabilities of the suit better, allowing him to avoid threats. For a while, he was fairly sure something like a tank shell wouldn't be able to take him down; it would do at least a little damage to the suit.

He quickly evaded the next shot on his own and used the small missile mounted to his wrist to take out the tank. While not one of his weapons, he didn't think these pieces of shits deserved it. He then, while ignoring the small calibre fire, had Jarvis highlight his targets and flew out there soon after having reduced their weapons to fire and death.

He then, satisfied with what he had done here, decided to call it quits after all, this was but the first test, and he didn't have an infinite amount of ammunition or energy in his suit. However, he would make further upgrades next time.

[Edwards Air Force base, California]

They had been tracking the ongoing situation closely. This was the same group that had dared to target Stark, which was the same as targeting the military, and while Stark had survived, he had also stopped selling and making weapons, so it wasn't much different if he had been killed.

The military wasn't happy about this, so they wanted to go in there and show those upstarts who were bosses, more so since they were the Ten Rings, the same group that had caused havoc down in Asia for their allies.

They quickly noticed what was happening, and a flurry of questions was passed around as everyone wanted to know.

"Are we cleared to go in there?" Someone asked.

"No sir, they were using human shields. We never got the green light." Came the response.

"WASN'T AIR FORCE!" Someone shouted loudly.

"It wasn't Navy."

"Wasn't Marines."

Soon enough, Colonel Rhodes was called in to consult about the situation.

When he encountered a situation like this, the first thing he thought about was that it must be Stark. So he quickly made a call.

Tony, however, was his usual self and not at all helpful, trying to deflect, which just told him that it was indeed one of his toys. He watched on as the situation developed, impressed that it had managed to disappear from their sight like that.

He couldn't help but want something like that himself, hoping that Tony would agree to sell whatever it was.

Ring, Ring* His phone suddenly started ringing, and it was Tony, no doubt about to brag about outsmarting, or if the toy had been lost, complain.

"Hello Rhody it's me."

"It's who?"

"I'm sorry, it is me. You asked, what you were asking about is me."

"No, see, this isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. You understand that?"

"That is not a piece of equipment. I'm in it. It's a suit. It's me!"

Rhodes couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down his spine as he heard that. Before he could even wrap his head around the situation, things took a turn for the worse.

Then, just as everything was about to go to hell, the door was kicked open, and General Rushwall shouted. "Stop! I order you to stand the fuck down! Do not fucking engage with that!"

"Stand, down, I repeat, stand down, do not continue to engage! General's orders!" The man in charge quickly informed the two pilots. And Rhodes couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sir, what is going on?

"That's classified; you don't have the rank needed to know that soldier. And you for damn well sure don't have the rank to shoot that down. It's expensive and highly experimental. Now stand down and forget about ever seeing it." The General thundered before turning around and marching out of the room, leaving everyone stunned.

Though none more so than Rhodes, who knew what it was, who knew that, for some reason, the General was lying and covering up for Tony.

He would need to find a time to talk this over with Stark face-to-face. "Tony, for some reason General Rushwall just had us stand down, so you clear for now, but we will be talking about this later."

[With Tony Stark]

Tony couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief himself when he heard that the fighters were called off. He had managed to avoid getting hit thanks to the suit override system, which allowed him to dodge, but it also stopped him from flying, which meant that he wouldn't be able to pull away if they kept shooting at him.

A flaw he would need to address once he was back home, though at least he was satisfied with the system overall. It had perfectly used the suit's capabilities and the three-dimensional space available to it to perfectly dodge the barrage of bullets from the fighter jets, something he knew he himself wouldn't have been able to do.

Though he wasn't sure why this General Rushwall had helped him, he wasn't even really sure who they were. Though he would no doubt find out soon enough when they tried to cash in that favor.

…

Once he was home again, he found that removing the suit was a whole lot more difficult than he had expected. Thankfully, it hadn't suffered any damage, but even a small amount of denting could have made it not just difficult but also painful.

He was even found by Pepper, who was less then happy to see him like that, not to mention the state of his lap. He could admit that he had been a bit too quick to test his gauntlet on the windows like that.

…

"Hmm, we need to increase the amount of shoulder ammo, and the max speed as well. I want to be able to outfly those jets next time." Tony told Jarvis as he went over the data from the first field test.

"Increasing the speed will be difficult Sir, at least without either using far more power or increasing the size of the suit to allow for bigger pulsation generators." Jarvis responded and showed off some data to match his suggestion.

"I like the size, so it will be energy input."

"That will limit the range at which you can be active in. May I suggest refitting the stealth yet into a mobil armory? That way, you will be able to save power doing the flight itself and not be restricted doing combat."

Tony paused, considering Jarvis's suggestion. "That might just work. Refitting the stealth jet into a mobile armory could give me a lot more flexibility. Start drawing up the plans for the modifications, and let's see how we can make this work without compromising the jet's stealth capabilities."

"Understood, Sir. Initiating design process now," Jarvis replied.

As Tony continued to analyze the data, Pepper entered the lab, looking exasperated. "Tony, we need to talk."

Tony looked up. "Good, I just had a task for you as well." He said. He looked around for a moment and found the flash drive. While he did know of a few more caches of weapons, he wanted them all and to find out who was selling them, and for that, he needed a hand.

Pepper raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "And what exactly do you need my help with this time, Tony?"

Tony handed her the flash drive. "I need you to dig through this data and find every last cache of my weapons that's out there. Someone's been selling them to groups like the Ten Rings, and I want to know who."

Pepper took the flash drive, her expression softening slightly as she realized the seriousness of the task. "Alright, I'll see what I can find. But Tony what are you going to do with this information?

"Same plan, go down there, blow up my weapons." He said, his voice full of conviction as he remembered his time in the cave and the two people who had died in there to save him, who had both wanted him to leave a legacy he could be proud of, that they would be proud of.

Clash of Iron -143

Tony could never have expected that by Sending in Pepper to gather the information he wanted that he would end up forcing the mastermind behind the scenes to make his move.

Stane quickly realized what had happened when he saw Pepper leave the office and the notification that some downloads had been completed. Those annoying government agents had managed to stop him from capturing her, which meant he needed to act fast.

He had wanted to get rid of Tony since he came back, but had kept himself back due to the generator, which could easily assure him enough profits to make up for any loss Tony caused with his antics.

Though now he was glad he had waited, the suit and those weapons were no doubt the greatest thing Tony had ever made. More than enough to make up for the losses, they would make him the most powerful person in the world.

Whoever he sold those suits to would become the new superpower, and with a suit of his own, he could do whatever he wanted. He might even just equip his personal army with them and take over the country; why bother being the richest person in the USA when he could be the ruler of America?

But for that, he needed that arc reactor; it was clearly too advanced for the useless men he paid far too much.

…

He could only thank the thrust Tony had in him. That even after upgrading the security system, he was still able to get inside without causing problems. After all he knew well just how difficult it would be to force his way inside. Not to mention that Tony would have plenty of time to get inside his suit.

So yeah, foolish Tony had once more made it far too easy to do this. He almost felt bad for the boy, but only almost. After all he had suffered far too much, sacrificed far too much to ensure that Stark industries was number one.

And all that, just for Tony to get the glory, the profits, he was the one that was paying the price, but no more, no it was time for Tony to pay, and for him, Obadiah Stane, to bask in the glory.

As he made his way into Tony's home, he couldn't help but be relieved when he saw he made it just in time. He wasn't entirely sure why Potts hadn't already called and warned Tony, but it would be a mistake she could soon come to regret.

With a bright smile on his lips, he clicked the button and saw Tony freeze up. He wasn't a monster, though, so he helped Tony lay back down.

"You remember this one, don't you?" He asked, showing off the device before turning it off. "Shame the government didn't approve of it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis."

In the end, he couldn't help himself, standing over Tony like this, he just had to vent a bit of his grievances.

"Ah, Tony. When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried that I was killing the golden goose. But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that. You had one last golden egg to give. Do you really think, that just because you have an idea, that it belongs to you?"

There was something to magical about the glow the reacter gave off, like it was something out of this world. "Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"

In the end, he just took the reacter and left Tony there to die, he had seen that boy as something of a kid once. To kill him with his own hands, he didn't want that, not if he could avoid it. So he just left him there, he would die soon enough, and with his death, a new dawn would break.

What Stane didn't know and couldn't have known was that the entire thing was carefully watched by an unseen presence, little more than a collection of thoughts, invisible and undetectable. Yet Alexander Ricci, O5-1, watched it all.

He knew that he could do nothing, and if he did he would just end up with things going like they had in the movie, he could even ensure that happened since his near infinite funds had easily allowed him to buy a few of the people working on Stane's suit.

There was so many ways that Alex could deal with Stane once he got in that suit that calling it Stane's would be utterly wrong.

Yet that would be boring; no, he needed to give Tony a push to ensure that he would become someone useful as soon as possible, and for that, he just needed to arrange a little play for him.

It would be the first time he used this many of his abilities at once outside of testing, but he was confident that Tony, in his current state, wouldn't be able to see through any flaws on his end.

Tony couldn't believe it, hadn't wanted to believe it; he had naturally suspected Obadiah; after all, he was someone powerful enough within the company to pull off the illegal sale of weapons, but he hadn't wanted to suspect him, so he had removed him from the list right away.

Now that came back to bite him in the ass. Using his own tech against him, leaving him paralyzed and to die, he didn't want this; he didn't want his legacy to be weapons; he promised those two, promised himself that he would be better.

Yet, suddenly, he heard someone moving, footsteps, of two people. Was he saved? He didn't think it would be Obadiah, and he would have already finished him off if he wanted. Yet he couldn't see them from where he was sitting.

"I really don't think we should be doing this. It's such a bad idea."

"Don't be such a coward; everything is gonna be fine."

The two voices confused Tony, they sounded like two children. But how could that be possible?

"If Dad catches us, we will be in so much trouble." The voice, a girl, said from somewhere beyond his field of vision.

"It's fine; If dad was going to catch us, he would know about it. Don't forget that he was the one who invented the time machine." The second voice, a boy, said.

Though if the idea of two random kids showing up suddenly in his home was strange enough, the idea of them being time travelers was even more crazy. Time travel was impossible. It just couldn't be done.

"Is that how it works?" The girl asked nervously just outside his field of vision.

"Pretty sure, yeah; I mean, surely there would be no reason for Uncle Rhody to save him if we got found out, right?" The boy said, trying to sound confident but Tony could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"But didn't we come to help dad? So why would Uncle Rhody have to do it?" The girl did ask an excellent question.

However, the real question was still, who were these kids? Uncle Rhody? No way, right, they couldn't possibly be his kids, could they? Though it would make some sense, after all only he would be able to invent time travel.

Tony pushed himself to the limit, and turned his head, allowing the two kids to appear inside his field of vision. And what he was shocked him. It was not really the appearance of the kids but the fact that they apparently had a small box with an arc reactor with them.

There should only currently be two of them, one taken by Obadiah and the other down in the basement, but this was clearly different, an entirely different design; rather than the normal design, this one seemed to have a glowing triangle inside it.

The girl was the first to notice him looking at them. She yelped and hugged her brother. "Morgan! He saw us!"

"Eh… I'm sure it's fine… I mean… he never mentioned it in any of his stories, so he must have forgotten." The boy, Morgan said.

As Tony looked at the boy with his blond hair, he couldn't help but be reminded of Pepper. Didn't she also have an uncle or something called Morgan?

Tony's mind raced, trying to piece together the bizarre scenario unfolding before him. These kids, Morgan, and his sister, had a striking resemblance to Pepper, and the arc reactor they held was clearly based on his own design. Could they be his children from the future? It seemed impossible, yet here they were.

"Morgan, I wanna go home." The girl said, hugging her brother's arms.

"Fine, let's just leave the reactor here, and then we can go back home. I promise he won't even know or remember any of this. I'm sure it was Strange who made him forget, like with spiderman." The boy said as he placed the reactor down onto the floor.

"Are you sure leaving that here is a good idea? Won't it mess up the future?"

"He would make this one in a year or two, so it won't change anything… I think. Anyway, you said you wanted to go back, to hold on tightly, and we go on go, not on one." The boy said as they started a countdown, and then, at go, they both pushed something that looked like a watch and straight up disappeared.

Tony was shocked at the sight, more so at the dull glow of the reactor on the floor. He wished he could have asked him, talked with him, find out if they really were his kids from the future. But maybe the reactor was a clue, after all apparently it was something he would make soon.

That was something for later. Unless he stopped Stane and saved Pepper, those two kids would likely never have been born if Pepper had been the mother, which he had a feeling she might just be.

With a grunt, he forced his body to move and pushed himself onto the floor. Crawling over slowly and fit it inside his chest. It fit perfectly, almost like it was indeed made for him. Or perhaps by him.

He couldn't help but marvel at it. He could almost feel his entire body fill with energy. It was amazing, which shouldn't be a surprise if it truly was something he had made.

By the time Rhody came to help, Tony was already getting suited up. Jarvis was online and everything was ready to go.

"Tony! Thank God you are alright. Pepper called and said you might be having problems." Rhody said as he came rushing inside the workshop, admiring Tony's look as he got suited up. "This is the coolest thing I have ever seen."

"Where is Pepper?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"She is with five agents, about to arrest Stane."

"That isn't going to be enough." Tony muttered he didn't know what Suit Stane had built, but he was sure that it would be more than what a handful of agents with guns could handle, which meant he needed to get there fast.

"I gotta go to her; she is in danger." Tony said as he got ready to leave.

"You need me to do anything?"

"Keeps the skies clear." Tony said before blasting off.

…

"How is the new reactor holding up?" Tony asked Jarvis as he was flying across the skies. He didn't like using new tech like this, which he knew nothing about, but he also knew that the Mark 1 reactor wouldn't give enough energy for what he needed.

"The reactor gives off far more energy than even the mark 2; energy output is at least eight times higher and highly stable. So far, it seems to be a remarkable improvement to the old one; I can't help but be curious where you got it from, sir."

"Keep an eye on it. Record its performance and increase my speed to the max, I need to get there as fast as possible."

"Understood sir, increasing flight speed."

The new upgrade to increase speed for increased energy consumption were working great, better then Tony had expected, the new reactor really did solve a few problems her had envisioned due to that upgrade.

Tony soared through the sky, the new arc reactor performing beyond his wildest expectations. He could feel the power coursing through his suit, and for a moment, he allowed himself a sliver of hope that he might actually pull this off. He pushed the suit to its limits, rocketing towards Stark Industries where Pepper and the agents were confronting Stane.

As he approached the building, his sensors picked up intense heat signatures and the unmistakable sounds of heavy machinery. Stane was already in his suit, and it was wreaking havoc. Tony's heart pounded as he accelerated, preparing for the battle ahead.

"Jarvis, give me a visual on Stane," Tony commanded.

"Displaying now, sir," Jarvis responded, projecting a live feed onto Tony's HUD.

The image showed Stane, clad in a massive, hulking suit of armor, the likes of which Tony had never seen. It was crude compared to his own, but the sheer size and firepower it boasted were terrifying. The agents were trying to take cover, their bullets bouncing off the metallic behemoth with no effect.

Pepper was there too, standing defiantly between Stane and the agents, her eyes wide with fear but her stance unyielding. Tony's heart clenched at the sight. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

"Stane!" Tony's voice boomed through the speakers as he landed with a resounding thud, creating a small crater in the pavement.

Stane turned, a sinister grin spreading across his face as he recognized Tony. "Ah, there you are, Tony. I was wondering when you'd show up to the party."

Tony didn't waste any time. He fired his repulsors, aiming for Stane's joints, hoping to disable the suit quickly. Stane roared in anger, his suit absorbing most of the blasts but showing signs of damage. He retaliated with a barrage of missiles, forcing Tony to take to the air to avoid the explosions.

The override dodging system allowed him to avoid any attack that was projected to cause damage to his suit, allowing him to fully take advantage of his sleeker design and speed. Causing Stene to be unable to land any solid hits.

The only problem was that Stane had completely lost it, and clearly didn't care about causing collateral damage or the lives of innocent people. Something Tony couldn't just ignore, meaning the fight became a bit more difficult than expected.

"Jarvis, we need to find a way to slow him down," Tony said, dodging another barrage of missiles. "Analyze the suit's structure and find a weak point."

"Scanning now, sir," Jarvis replied. "It appears that his suit has no anti-freezing measures, so super high altitude should cause his suit to blackout, giving you enough time to disable it."

"Good thinking, Jarvis. Let's take this fight to the skies," Tony replied, immediately changing his flight path to ascend rapidly.

Stane, noticing Tony's sudden climb, laughed mockingly through his speakers. "Running away, Tony? You can't escape me!"

Tony ignored the taunt, focusing on gaining altitude. As he climbed higher and higher, the air grew thinner and colder. His own suit, equipped with advanced heating systems, managed to keep him operational. He glanced at his HUD, watching as Stane's suit struggled to follow.

The sheer bulk of Stane's armor made it slower to ascend, and the lack of anti-freezing measures started to show. Tony noticed ice forming on the joints and the suit's movements becoming more sluggish.

"Jarvis, what's his status?" Tony asked, keeping his altitude as high as possible.

"His suit is showing significant signs of freezing. Motor functions are declining rapidly," Jarvis reported.

"Perfect. Let's finish this," Tony said, diving back down towards Stane.

Stane roared inside the suit as it lost power due to the effect of the freezing, becoming little more than a metal coffin. Tony wasted no time charging the powerful weapon on his chest, taking full advantage of the amount of power the new reactor produced to charge it up to a critical level and unleashed it all at once. Causing Stane and his suit to explode in midair.

The explosion from Stane's suit lit up the night sky, a fiery bloom against the darkness. Tony felt a surge of relief and exhaustion wash over him as he descended back towards the ground. He landed gracefully, his suit's servos whirring softly as he touched down next to Pepper and the agents.

Pepper rushed to him, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and relief. "Tony, are you okay?"

Tony nodded, his suit retracting to reveal his face. "I'm fine, Pep. It's over."

The agents began securing the area, making sure there were no lingering threats. Tony watched as the remnants of Stane's suit were gathered up, the twisted metal a stark reminder of the battle they had just fought.

Pepper looked at him, her eyes full of concern. "What happened, Tony? How did you get here so fast?"

Tony glanced at her, then down at the arc reactor in his chest. "It's a long story. Let's just say I had a little help from the future."

Pepper's brow furrowed in confusion, but she didn't press him further. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Tony smiled, feeling a sense of peace wash over him. He knew there were still challenges ahead, but for now, he was content knowing that he had saved the people he cared about.

Agent Coulson slowly approached them. "Stark, I believe its time we had that chat you have been pushing off." He said, nothing that this whole thing would cause a lot of trouble. The fight on the road had left many a car ruined and people hurt.

While it could have gone far worse, it thankfully didn't so they should be able to cover things up relatively easily, as long as Stark was willing to play along.

"Motherfucker" -144

"The truth is… I am Iron Man."

Alex was sad in his home as he heard those words being spoken. He wasn't able to watch live; in fact, it would be a few hours before he could watch it due to all the security needed to ensure that a picture of SCP-096 didn't show up.

Still, he hadn't been able to help himself, wanting to at the very least hear those words, the words that would issuer in a new era of chaos for the world of Marvel, an age that, in truth, already started more than a year ago when he summoned the first SCP.

Honestly, Alex was somewhat surprised that Tony had been able to rip himself away from studying the new arc reactor to do this whole dance planned out by Shield. But everything worked out, and he said the words, and the world now had a new superhero.

He hadn't been entirely sure if giving Tony the new reactor was a good idea, as it would mean he wouldn't go through the character-building, coming with the whole almost-dying part of Iron Man 2. But after consulting a large number of Foundation psychiatrists, he had decided to go down this path.

After all, there was no doubt that Tony did, in fact, suffer from PTSD, and they had all concluded that it would be far healthier for Tony not to have to go through another near-death experience after everything he had been through.

This is how he came up with the idea of using his time-traveling kids to deliver the reactor; not only would it allow him to learn about the new element sooner, but it would also give him hope for a better future and some stability as he was more likely to get together with Pepper sooner.

Though it hadn't been easy, after all, he didn't have the ability to teleport things around, nor could he flash forge something like an arc reactor. This meant that the only way he could get it there was if someone physically carried it inside his home and put it on the floor.

This was no doubt the most difficult thing, though he did take a bit of amusement over the fact that Tony would likely think that kid Hitler was his son. Yeah, very few people knew what kid Hitler looked like, and with a bit of illusions, thanks to another reward, he was able to fool even the great Tony Stark.

Well, he might have made it look easy, but everything was highly planned in the end. Even the reactor was prepared with Starks fingerprints in places that would make it appear that he was indeed the one who built it.

Well, he was sure Stark would be spending quite some time trying and failing to solve the puzzle before him.

Alexander had other things taken up his time, and sadly, it was unlikely that Tony would be able to play a part, as he was no doubt going to keep himself busy with the new element.

[SITE-001]

[Ethics committee chamber]

"Welcome all to yet another session. We are joined today by O5-5, who will serve as our link to the O5 council. We have a lot of points on today's schedule, so unless anyone has anything important to add, I think we should get started."

The person speaking took a small pause to look around, seeing if anyone did have anything to bring up, but in the end there was none.

"Alright, lets start with point number 1."

…

…

…

…

"Alright, onto point number 8, the containment of SCP-096. Which was carried out under the preview of O5-1." The speaker paused and looked towards the shadowy silhouette that was O5-5 who nodded.

"SCP-096's appearance was reported by the mysterious informant of O5-01 and was brought into containment within 16 hours. Resulting in the death of 371 people, including one D-class and no Foundation personnel." The person read up from the report.

"We asked O5-1 to be here today, but they are busy dealing with another Keter class object so they are excused, instead we have agent Row, leader of Gamma-12"

They said and the doors opened, allowing agent Row to enter.

"Row, as leader of Gamma-12, you have been called here to answer a few questions in regards to your most recent mission, mainly about the death of 370 civilians." The speaker said, and Row who wasn't a new hand at this just nodded.

"Tell me, Row, how many of these casualties were from the hands of 096 itself?"

"None, they were all eliminated due to the risk of them seeing the object."

"Who made that call?"

"The call was made by the leader of MTL Gamma-12."

"Which is you."

"That is correct, the mission was granted jointly to MTL Gamma-12 and Tau-1, we then agreed between ourselves that I would be in charge overall."

"So you authorized the elimination of 370 people?"

"I was granted blanket authorization for such by O5-1, we were even given permission to request nuclear assist." Row said easily, knowing that he wasn't in the wrong.

"O5-5, is such a blanket permission to use nuclear assist something that you believe were warranted in such a situation?"

"SCP-096 is highly dangerous, and should the worst happen, the O5 council is ready to commit to such a response yes."

"Thank you."

"Row, please tell me why you believed such a lethal response against 370 people was deemed necessary."

"After the D-class were shown the picture, 096 started to move straight toward them, as is to be expected given the nature of the object. We did our best to move the D-class around to keep the path between the subject and object as clear as possible. We also removed a large amount of civilians out of harms way using none lethal means."

"How many were moved by such means?"

"I'm not entirely sure about the exact number, but it should be in the final incident report."

"Come with your best estimation."

"Around eight thousand, I think."

"Yes, not too far off, the reported number was 8412 people."

"Sounds accurate."

"Yes, now why could you move more then eight thousand people without harming them, but these more than three hundred had to be killed?"

Agent Row took a deep breath before responding. "The situation with SCP-096 is extremely volatile. The eight thousand people we managed to move were not in direct line of sight or immediate proximity to the creature. We had the advantage of time and space to coordinate a safe evacuation. However, the remaining 370 were in areas where SCP-096's path was unavoidable. Any delay in neutralizing potential witnesses would have resulted in an exponential increase in casualties."

The speaker nodded, although the expression on his face was still grave. "Agent Row, can you elaborate on the specific criteria you used to determine who needed to be neutralized versus who could be evacuated safely?"

"Certainly," Row replied. "Our primary criterion was the likelihood of individuals coming into direct visual contact with SCP-096. Those who were in buildings or positions where SCP-096 would have passed directly by were prioritized for neutralization. This was a last resort, only enacted when we confirmed that evacuation would not be feasible without risking further exposure."

O5-5 leaned forward slightly, the shadowy silhouette showing a glimmer of interest. "And what measures were in place to minimize the psychological impact on the operatives carrying out these neutralizations?"

"We had psychological support teams on standby, and every member of Gamma-12 and Tau-1 received pre-mission briefings on the ethical and psychological ramifications of their actions. Post-mission, all involved personnel underwent mandatory counseling sessions," Row explained.

The Ethics Committee member who had been questioning Row nodded again, more slowly this time. "It is clear that the situation with SCP-096 is unprecedented in its dangers. However, the loss of civilian life is always a tragedy. Moving forward, we need to ensure that every possible measure is taken to avoid such outcomes."

"Absolutely," Row agreed. "We continuously update our protocols and training to improve our response to such threats."

O5-5 spoke again, this time with a note of finality. "Agent Row, thank you for your detailed explanation. The O5 Council will review the procedures and make necessary adjustments to enhance future containment efforts. You and your team are commended for your swift action under such dire circumstances."

Row nodded respectfully and exited the chamber, leaving the Ethics Committee to deliberate further.

"Alright, next is the request for one Daniel Whitehall, aka Werner Reinhardt, to be categorized as an SCP object and allowed to be heavily interrogated."

"A most unusual request. Please explain why we are given this."

"Let's see." The speaker quickly looked through the report. "It seems he is a normal human who, through intensive surgery, replaced most of his internal body with organs, blood, and bone marrow taken from an anomalous humanoid who possessed the ability to live for hundreds of years and has also been granted this ability."

"Well, he wouldn't be the first to attempt something like this, nor will he be the last person to do something that might make them into an anomalous entity themselves. I see little reason not to grant this request, though I expect we be granted a full file and everything the interrogation brings to light." The speaker said looking over at O5-5.

"As is your right."

"Alright then, lets vote about it and move on, still got a few more points before we can call it a day."

Alexander soon turned his attention away from Stark and his plans involving him, and onto one of the biggest current threats facing humanity. The rather large gathering of SCP-3199 entities that had been found.

So far, they had counted at least a few thousand of them, and they would only continue to grow in number if not stopped soon. He was fully prepared to call down a nuclear bombardment if needed, but before taking such a move, he would try other options.

"Let's hope Shield is willing to be a good little tool this time; if not, well then their future usefulness will be put in question, and with that, their future together." He muttered to himself as he started to move everything into position.

[With Nick Fury]

Fury had only just gotten out from Starks home and hadn't that been a clusterfuck. Not only had Stark come out and let the world know about his identity as Iron Man, which would no doubt cause a ton or trouble down the line.

Trouble that Fury would no doubt have to deal with due to Tony being the son of Howard Stark. Yet, the new suit he had made was indeed tempting; if he could equip a handful of agents with that, well, he would be able to deal with many issues.

Then, his carefully prepared dramatic entrance for Stark was totally ruined as the security system was a lot more difficult to deal with than expected. So rather than him surprising Stark with a mysterious speech, it had been him who had been not just surprised but shocked, knocked out, and captured!

Having to prove his identity to Stark, who was none too happy with him being there. He barely managed to mention the Avenger initiative before having to retreat with his tail between his legs.

"Rough night Fury?"

Fury almost crashed due to the shock of having someone sitting right next to him in his car, someone he hadn't noticed until they spoke up. "Motherfucker!" he cursed while the other person just laughed as he struggled to get the car back under his control.

Fury instantly knew who his guest was. The black silhouette with white glowing eyes and mouth? This fits with Coulson's description of O5-1, one of the so-called Overseers of the Bulwark.

Someone who apparently had the ability to appear and disappear at will. Which seemed to include inside his fucking car!

"Rough night, Fury?" the shadowy figure repeated, amusement evident in his voice.

Fury glared at the silhouette, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "What do you want?" he demanded, his tone a mixture of irritation and curiosity.

The dark figure just looked out the window. "To save humanity."

Fury couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation settle on him. He didn't know the full extent of the Bulwark's might, but well, if they needed help to save humanity, it was likely a very serious situation. "What do you need?"

Mission briefing -145

As soon as Fury arrived back at his office, he quickly called upon his most trusted agents. He knew it was late and that it would take some time for them all to gather, but this could not be pushed off until the morning.

The things he had learned during his meeting with the enigmatic O5-1 were chilling, and he could understand why the Bulwark had decided to call upon SHIELD for help. He doubted that if he had turned them down, Bulwark would have moved forward on its own. However, it was clearly an operation of such scale that it would be all but impossible to hide from other interested parties, such as SHIELD or just the government and militaries.

Then again, there was no doubt that they were doing it to save their own manpower and to hide their strength. After all, with SHIELD and possibly even the military helping out, they could show off far less strength and use far less of their manpower while still achieving the same results.

These results were, without a doubt, the complete eradication of these creatures designated as 3199. He was still shocked and amazed at this Overseer's strange power to materialize objects out of thin air. It certainly had helped him properly understand the threat they were facing. These creatures, which looked like some twisted hybrid of a chicken and a human, were revolting and, if the intelligence he had gotten was to be believed, incredibly dangerous as well.

His inquiries into their creation had been met with a "We don't know who made them, only that they have to be killed." Fury doubted this was entirely true. They likely knew far more than they were admitting. At least he didn't believe that they had accidentally created this monstrous beast.

After all, these creatures were clearly from the deranged mind of some truly mad individual. So that did bring up the question of who and just how many such individuals existed who had the ability to create monsters like this.

There was that silver locket that was lost after the auction. It had the ability to create not just super soldiers but also twisted monsters. And now, some personal organization was trying to create an army of monsters to replace the human race itself.

No, this was not just about stopping this monstrous threat but also an opportunity to glean far deeper into the workings of the Bulwark. The chance meeting with Coulson in that Wondertainment amusement park had already provided them with quite a bit of information.

They had been able to learn how they meticulously tested things from a scientific point of view, using disposable people, who were likely criminals or traitors or something along those lines, to test all dangers and then carefully record it all.

This, however, could allow them insight into their more combat-focused operations. No, he was certain he had seen the shadows of those aberrations around constantly mysterious things happening.

Entire cities evacuated, and yet the next day, when his own agents went out to ask the people what happened, not a single person even remembered that they had been evacuated.

Yes, many strange things were going on, and it wasn't always easy to determine who was behind it, so at least this time, he would know who he was working with. He would be able to get a better glimpse at their military power other than the fact that they apparently had an enormous fleet at their disposal.

However, this mission was likely to draw a lot of attention, forcing him to deal with the political ramifications of it all, something he wasn't looking forward to.

He was so trapped in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice the fact that the first person arrived until they entered the office. "Hill, good to have you here."

"I only wish you wouldn't have called so late; I was about ready to go to bed. It's been a long day, you know." His right hand, Maria Hill, said as she entered his office.

"I wouldn't still be here myself if this wasn't important Hill, though you will have to wait until the rest are here for a full briefing." Fury said as he got back to waiting for the rest.

Hill only managed to wait for so long before she went to get coffee. As she placed a fresh cup in front of him, he was reminded why he had picked her.

One by one, the others arrived: Hand, Coulson, Romanoff, Barton, some of the best of the best, the people in the know and people who would need to know for his mission to be carried out properly.

Once everyone had settled in, Fury stood up and faced his team, his expression as serious as they had ever seen it.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began. "I won't waste your time. We've got a situation that's too critical to wait."

He activated the holographic projector on his desk, displaying images and data about object 3199. The grotesque, chicken-human hybrids spun slowly in the air, drawing grim looks from everyone in the room.

"This," Fury continued, "is object 3199. It's a designation given by the Bulwark, the organization we've been keeping tabs on. These creatures are extremely dangerous. They breed rapidly and possess an overwhelming strength and resilience. Our latest intelligence indicates a significant population buildup, and if we don't act fast, it could spell disaster on a global scale."

Maria Hill leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she took in the information. "What exactly are we dealing with here, sir? What's their origin?"

Fury sighed. "The Bulwark claims they don't know who made them, only that they have to be eradicated. Personally, I think they're holding back information. These things are too specific, too deliberately designed to be an accident."

Coulson spoke up next. "What's the plan, Director?"

"We're going to assist the Bulwark in containing and eradicating these creatures," Fury replied. "But this isn't just about neutralizing a threat. It's also about gaining insight into how the Bulwark operates in the field. We'll be coordinating with them directly, and I want eyes and ears everywhere."

Natasha Romanoff, ever the pragmatist, asked the next question. "What kind of support are we expecting from the Bulwark?"

"They want to remain in charge of this operation, and I have agreed. They will provide intel, but we won't get any other support; we are the support." Fury said, somewhat unhappy about that part of this arrangement, but this was important, and he had decided that the opportunity to see them in action and the threat faced was more important than who was in charge.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "So, we're going in blind?"

"Not completely," Fury responded. "We'll have access to their intel, which I suggest you all read right now; then you can continue your questioning." He said, letting them all read the information on the large holographic screen.

The room fell silent as the team absorbed the details displayed on the screen. The intel provided by the Bulwark was thorough, outlining the nature of SCP-3199, its behavior, and the locations of the largest infestations. The grotesque visuals and the cold, hard facts painted a clear picture of the severity of the threat.

After a few minutes, Clint Barton broke the silence. "These things are... relentless. We need to be prepared for anything."

Fury nodded. "That's why I've called you all here. We need to be ready to face these creatures head-on. Our primary objective is to contain and eradicate them, but we also need to gather as much intel as possible on the Bulwark's operations."

Victoria Hand, who had mostly been quiet up until now, spoke up. "This is difficult to believe, though given that something like the Hulk was made out of an accident, it's not impossible for someone to create these things. But still, if they are as dangerous as said, that's the plan B?"

Fury's expression hardened. "Plan B involves a full-scale containment breach response. If the situation goes beyond our control, we may need to call in additional support, including airstrikes and the Overseer I talked with spoke of a potentially nuclear option, though that's an absolute last resort. Our goal is to prevent it from ever getting to that point."

Hand, always focused on the logistics, asked, "What about civilian areas near the hotspots? How do we handle evacuations without causing widespread panic?"

"We've coordinated with local authorities to set up evacuation protocols," Fury explained. "The cover story will be a hazardous chemical spill. It's believable and should get people moving without too many questions. Our agents will be embedded within local law enforcement to ensure the evacuations go smoothly."

Natasha looked around the room, her gaze lingering on each agent. "We need to be ready for anything. These creatures are not just dangerous; they're a potential extinction-level event if not handled properly. We can't afford any mistakes."

"And we won't make any mistake." Fury said, his tone as serious as the situation. "We will kill these things, we will learn as much as we can about bulwark and we will deal with what follows, but for now, yes we will focus on the task at hand."

The room fell into a tense silence, each agent processing the gravity of their mission. They knew the stakes were high, and the margin for error was non-existent.

Fury took a deep breath, letting his gaze sweep across the room. "I know this is a lot to take in, and the stakes couldn't be higher. But I have full confidence in this team. We've faced impossible odds before and come out on top. This will be no different."

He glanced at Maria Hill. "Hill, you'll be coordinating the evacuation protocols. Make sure all our agents on the ground are in sync with local law enforcement."

Hill nodded, her expression determined. "Consider it done."

Fury turned to Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. "Clint, Natasha, you two will be leading the first strike team. Your objective is to hit the largest nest identified in the intel. Your goal is to clear the area and secure any civilians."

Barton and Romanoff exchanged a look, then nodded in unison. "Understood," Natasha said.

"Hand and Coulson, you're with me. We will be dealing with the behind-the-scenes stuff; hand; you deal with personnel, Coulson, you're her assistant and will deal with outside forces; I'm going to have to deal with the Council."

Hand looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking up again. "And if we do run into trouble, what's the fallback plan?"

Fury's expression darkened. "If things go south, we have extraction points set up. If those fail, we call in air support. But let's make sure it doesn't come to that."

Coulson, ever the optimist, added, "We know what we're up against now. We'll be prepared for anything."

Fury looked around the room one last time, ensuring he had everyone's attention. "This mission is critical. The fate of countless lives depends on our success. Stay sharp, follow your orders, and watch each other's backs. We'll get through this." With that, the briefing concluded, and the agents dispersed to make their final preparations.

The weight of their task was heavy, but they were SHIELD's best, and they knew what needed to be done.

Natasha, the person who knew the most, as she herself was a secret Foundation agent, couldn't help but be surprised that the Foundation was willing to do this, to involve Shield in their operation. This meant that it was likely far bigger than Fury expected.

Or it meant that there was an entire layer more to this that none of them saw; even Fury was likely blinded by both the threat and the opportunity to gather intel about this mysterious bulwark to see the truth hidden under layers of lies properly.

Though she herself had to admit that she was eager to join in on this far more meaningful and exciting mission, rather than just stay undercover and do very little at all. This was a huge opportunity, not just for Fury, but even for herself, to see the Foundation flexing its muscles.

Old rivals, new friends -146

[SITE-001]

Deep within the most secure SITE in the world, three members of the O5 council are busy talking and planning.

"We are taking a major risk here, working alongside this Shield." O5-4 said.

"True, the risk is substantial, but even without this alliance, our operation of such magnitude would be a beacon for Shield and the US government. It's a matter of exposing less of our current strength." O5-1 reasoned, his voice filled with strategic calculation.

"I agree with the architect on this; we must be prepared to face some level of exposure if we are to deal with SCP-3199, and it's not the Foundation that is being exposed, but the Bulwark." O5-2 said, agreeing with Alex.

"But the Foundation is the Bulwark, just a pointless cover name." O5-4 argued back.

"You are getting it all wrong. The Bulwark is the Foundation, but the Foundation isn't the Bulwark." O5-2 said, waving his hand.

"Are you planning on making the Bulwark a real secondary organization?" O5-4 asked in shock.

"Why not? Such an organization could have its uses; we would minimize any risk of the Foundation being exposed while still having a working relationship with the world, and if things don't go well, the bulwark can just be dismissed and abandoned." O5-2 started to argue his case.

"And I expect that you would be leading this new organization?" O5-4 instantly knew what his old friend and rival were up to.

"Well, I expect that Architect will also have a leading role, but since it is about protecting the Foundation's secrecy I think it would fall under my preview." O5-2 said, throwing some bait over towards O5-1, who he knew would be difficult to deal with.

"He is already plenty busy; I doubt he needs more on his plate." O5-4 quickly spoke up, not wanting these two old foxes to start working together on this idea.

"Well, I'm already dealing with much of the work it would entail, so I don't see why I couldn't do it. And if you are worried, I'm sure once they arrive that O5-10 will be happy to join, perhaps O5-11 as well?" O5-1 said, throwing it back to O5-2.

"Indeed, sharing it between the four of us sounds reasonable, doesn't it?" O5-2 said, all too happy with having those two on board.

"Well, naturally, you don't disagree with that; they are both your subordinates; it just means you have others to do the work for you while you enjoy the benefits." O5-4 fumed as they were trying to gain more power right before him.

"Well, I say we shelve his discussion, though I guess we could add O5-8 to the project as well? To have five overseers on board?" O5-1 said, both trying to move on and at the same time asking O5-2 for his opinion.

"That's reasonable. I'm sure we can discuss it with O5-5." O5-2 said, satisfied with the potential outcomes. O5-8 was one of O5-5's people, so by adding them, they would gain a possible three votes from the current five-man council, meaning that he could pass the decision and he would still be mostly in charge with two of the five votes within the new Bulwark.

"You!" O5-4 fumed angrily, though in the end, he couldn't do more than curse angrily as he sat down.

"But let's focus on the matter at hand, the 3199 situation." O5-1 finally said, moving on though still planning on talking with O5-2 later; after all, the idea wasn't bad.

"Well, you two seem set on the idea, so I guess the matter is more or less decided, though next time, maybe you should ask for support and approval before doing something like this, Architect." O5-4 said defeated.

"10000 men, ground-to-ground artillery, and plenty of firepower should be enough to handle it from our side, right?" O5-2 said, asking O5-1 his opinion while also giving a rough idea of his upper limit he was willing to give.

O5-1 nodded thoughtfully. "That should be more than sufficient. We'll also have SHIELD's forces supporting us, which will help distribute the risk and keep our own resources from being stretched too thin. The key will be coordination and ensuring that we minimize civilian casualties."

O5-2 leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "And with SHIELD in the spotlight, any scrutiny from the public or governments will be directed at them, not us."

O5-4, still visibly frustrated but resigned to the plan, asked, "And what about the aftermath? How do we handle any potential fallout if things go sideways?"

O5-1 addressed the concern with a calm demeanor. "The Bulwark's primary purpose is to act as a buffer. If the operation fails or if there is significant collateral damage, the Bulwark takes the fall. The Foundation remains untouched. We'll also have contingency plans in place for rapid withdrawal and damage control."

O5-2 added, "Plus, with our agents embedded within SHIELD, we'll have firsthand information on their movements and strategies. This will allow us to stay one step ahead and make any necessary adjustments on the fly."

O5-4 finally seemed to relent, albeit reluctantly. "Fine. We'll proceed with this operation. But mark my words, any significant exposure or failure will be on your heads."

O5-1 nodded in agreement. "Understood. We'll take full responsibility. Now, let's finalize the operational details and ensure all contingencies are accounted for."

The three Overseers spent the next few hours meticulously planning the joint operation. Every possible scenario was considered, and backup plans were devised for each. By the time they concluded, they were as prepared as they could be for the monumental task ahead.

Meanwhile, at SHIELD headquarters, Fury and his team were also deep in preparation. The gravity of the mission weighed heavily on everyone's minds, but there was a steely determination to get the job done.

"Alright, team," Fury addressed the assembled agents, "we're about to embark on one of the most critical missions SHIELD has ever undertaken. The Bulwark will be leading the charge, but we are the backbone of this operation. Our objective is clear: contain and eradicate SCP-3199, protect civilians, and gather as much intel on the Bulwark as possible."

Maria Hill stepped forward, her voice steady and authoritative. "Our evac protocols are in place, and all agents have been briefed on their roles. We need to be swift and efficient. Remember, we're dealing with a highly dangerous and unpredictable threat."

Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff exchanged a look of mutual understanding. They had faced countless threats before, but this felt different. More ominous.

"Stay sharp out there," Barton said, his voice low but firm. "We'll get through this."

Natasha nodded. "We've got each other's backs. We'll handle whatever comes our way."

As the team dispersed to make final preparations, Fury watched them with a sense of pride and resolve. They were ready. They had to be.

At the break of dawn, the joint forces of SHIELD and the Bulwark mobilized. Convoys of armored vehicles, transport helicopters, and troops moved out towards the identified hotspots. The air was thick with anticipation and the underlying tension of an impending battle.

Fury, standing at the forefront, watched as the operation unfolded. He knew the risks, the potential for disaster, but he also knew the strength and resilience of his team.

"Let's move out," he commanded, and the forces surged forward, ready to face the monstrous threat of SCP-3199 and whatever else lay ahead.

The operation to save humanity from an unimaginable threat had begun, and there was no turning back.

Steve looked around at the madness around him. The countless people in military-like gear brought him back to the war, which almost felt like it never ended. He was still fighting Hydra, still fighting against monsters, only sometimes those monsters weren't monsters in the form of evil humans but the literal kind.

So far, they had managed to deal quite a few blows to Hydra, though the capture of Reinhardt was no doubt the biggest. As one of the heads of Hydra and someone who had helped rebuild it step by step since its fall during the aftermath of the war, he naturally held a lot of information.

And while he wasn't the one pumping him for information, he was assured that the Foundation knew what they were doing, and so far, he was inclined to agree. The number of new targets added to the list grew daily.

Though today he wouldn't be fighting Hydra, today he would be doing something likely even more important.

[Flashback]

"Good afternoon. I called you here because there is an important mission about to take place, and I figured you three might want to take part in it." Andres said as soon as they entered the room.

Steve also noted that the projector or holographic display module or whatever they called it was already turned on and ready, hinting at this not just being an important mission but also time-sensitive.

Steve took a seat, along with Buggy and Peggy, all of them exchanging curious glances. They knew that whenever Andres called them in, it was always for something critical.

"This isn't the normal Hydra hunt; if you wish to take part, the monsters you will be hunting will be a different kind altogether. Though even more deadly." Andreas started, and while hearing that the mission wouldn't be about Hydra, Buggy grew less interested; Steve still pained attention.

"Hydra, if they win, will merely impose a new world order on the people; they will rule, and likely not kindly, but there will be hope. This threat is far worse, as if not stopped, there won't be anyone left; this isn't a threat to the world, but the potential excitation of the human race."

His words certainly ensured that all of them were at the edge of their seat; after all, none of them wanted to see Hydra win, but even that wouldn't be bad compared to what this new threat would be about if allowed.

"SCP-3199," he said, opening the holographic display. Soon, a lifelike version of a 3199 monster filled most of the room.

The grotesque, chicken-human hybrid on the screen was enough to make even the most hardened soldiers uneasy. Its twisted form, combining the worst features of both species, was a testament to the horrors that humanity's darker impulses could create.

Peggy was the first to speak up. "What exactly are these things, and how do we stop them?"

Andres nodded, acknowledging the gravity of her question. "SCP-3199 is a genetically engineered organism. They're incredibly resilient, breed rapidly, and are highly aggressive. If left unchecked, they could potentially wipe out humanity. Our mission is to contain and eradicate them before they can spread further."

Buggy, now fully engaged, leaned forward. "Where are they coming from? Is there a source we can target to stop their spread?"

Andres sighed. "That's one of the mysteries we're trying to solve. We don't know who created them or why. Our immediate concern is the hotspots where their population has surged. We, however, won't be working alone; the Foundation, which will be going under the name Bulwark for this mission, will be working alongside Shield and possibly the military."

Hearing that they would be working alongside Shield did get their attention; after all, Shield and Hydra were one and the same.

"Which indeed means you will be working around Hydra, which is why if you accept this mission, you will need to do some under disguise, something we at the Foundation will ensure you will be given, should you accept." Andres said, leaving the decision to them.

"Is that even a question? There is no way we are just going to sit back while a fight like that is going down." Steve said, rising up and standing tall as he glared at the image of the monster before him.

Andres nodded, a small smile of satisfaction on his face. "I expected no less from you, Captain. Your dedication is commendable. We'll provide you with everything you need for your disguise and ensure that you are well-prepared for this mission."

Peggy and Buggy exchanged determined glances before standing up as well. "We're with you, Steve," Peggy said, her voice resolute. "Whatever it takes."

"Yeah, can't let you have all the fun, can we?" Buggy added with a grin, though his eyes were serious.

Andres continued, "Very well. We'll begin preparations immediately. You'll be briefed on your roles and given the necessary equipment. This mission is crucial, and your experience and skills will be invaluable."

[Flashback end]

SCP-3199 -147

As the joint forces of SHIELD and the Bulwark moved into position, the coordinated effort was a sight to behold. Convoys of armored vehicles, transport helicopters, and troops surged towards the identified hotspots, where the SCP-3199 creatures had been reported.

The tension in the air was palpable, but so was the determination. Steve, Peggy, and Buggy, now disguised and integrated with the Bulwark operatives, felt a renewed sense of purpose. Their mission was clear: to contain and eradicate the monstrous threat, ensuring the safety of humanity.

Steve was still both amazed and shocked at the disguises they had made from the three of them. It was so very strange to look at who he knew to be Peggy, but rather than seeing the woman he had fallen for, he saw a big black man.

Well, Buggy and himself had also become black men since, apparently, none would look at a black man and see Captain America; he wasn't about to agree with that, but neither could he really argue.

"These SCPs are really crazy." He muttered to himself, though clearly too loud since Peggy at his side had heard him.

"Yeah, you don't say, it's so strange being a guy; I can't wait for the effect to end."

The three of them were under the effect of SCP-034, which allowed them to take on the appearance of someone else. They were doing the duration a perfect copy; even their DNA wouldn't show anything unusual.

That did come with a cost, mainly from the people whose appearance they were using; those poor D-class had to endure being skinned alive, with wounds that would never heal. Yeah, they wouldn't survive this, but such was the price, and it was one the Foundation was willing to pay.

Steve would never have agreed to such a thing, but he didn't have to know; he was, after all, little more than just a tool for the Foundation, and unless Alexander ever decided he should be more, that was all he would be.

"It sure is lively around here." He said, trying to strike up a conversation with Peggy. He knew she wasn't comfortable with having been turning into a man, so he wanted to try to get her attention off of it.

"That it is, though it will likely only get far more lively once the attack begins," Peggy replied, her eyes scanning the area.

Their conversation was cut short by the sudden approach of someone else. "Captain, you will be in charge of a small team. Come and join the team leader briefing." The man, like most Foundation personnel, didn't waste time and immediately started to walk away again after saying his bit.

Forcing Steve to bid Peggy and Buggy goodbye quickly. He rushed to follow the man back to where the briefing would be given.

…

Steve led the team toward the position they had been given. The men and women under him were a mix of Shield and Foundation personnel, or well, Bulwark, as they were calling themselves here.

Steve did understand the need for it; after all, Shield was filled with Hydra. So part of his mission, other than finding and eliminating every instance of SCP-3199 he could find and drop trackers at every egg, was to make sure that Hydra didn't steal any.

The briefing had been intense. The Foundation personnel had detailed the plan with military precision. They were to split into several teams, each targeting a different hotspot where SCP-3199 activity had been detected. Steve's team was assigned to one of the densest areas, a location where the creatures had been seen frequently.

They got into position, ready and just waiting for the signal that would mean they were good to go. These creatures seemed to not be breeding nearly as fast as they should, and the current theory was that it was due to their lack of threats.

This meant that as soon as the attack began, they would start laying eggs as quickly as they could. The goal was to stop them, killing as many as possible and as quickly as possible to minimize the number of eggs they would have to deal with.

"Alright, remember, shoot to kill, don't give them a chance to get away or lay more eggs, and try not to use explosives unless necessary; it will cause the eggs to hatch." He reminded the team one final time, though mostly the Shield part, given that the Foundation personnel had no doubt been briefed multiple times already.

Steve's voice echoed through the earpieces of his team as they took their positions, nerves coiled tight like springs ready to snap. He scanned the dense forest, every sense on high alert for any sign of movement. His team, a blend of seasoned SHIELD agents and stoic Foundation operatives, mirrored his readiness.

The silence was shattered by the first crackle of gunfire from a nearby unit, signaling the beginning of the operation. The forest erupted into chaos as SCP-3199 creatures, grotesque and horrifying, surged from their hiding places, responding to the perceived threat with ferocious aggression.

"Engage!" Steve commanded, raising his shield as a creature lunged at him. His team opened fire, bullets tearing through the air and into the oncoming horrors. The creatures were fast and strong, but Steve's team's coordinated response held them at bay.

Steve moved with precision and strength, his shield a blur as it deflected blows and crushed bones. The creatures' shrieks filled the air, blending with the sounds of gunfire and the shouts of commands. Despite the chaos, Steve's focus was unbroken. He caught sight of an SCP-3199 trying to lay an egg and rushed forward, dispatching it with a powerful blow.

"Keep them from laying eggs!" he shouted, glancing back to ensure his team was holding the line. The Foundation operatives worked with practiced efficiency, while the SHIELD agents followed suit, their training evident in every move.

Amid the battle, Steve spotted Peggy—now in her disguised form—holding her ground with unwavering determination. She moved with lethal grace, her every action calculated to maximize damage while minimizing risk. Buggy was nearby, his metal arm a deadly weapon against the creatures.

The creatures were smart. While some attacked them, others took advantages of the fighting to flee, no doubt wanting to make it somewhere safer where they could start throwing up eggs in peace.

Despite their efforts, the creatures' numbers seemed unending. Steve could see the toll it was taking on his team, their movements growing more desperate as fatigue set in. Yet, they pushed on, driven by the knowledge that failure was not an option.

Another team was also battling the monstrous creatures in another position. This team was also led by Foundation personnel, and a few members kept a sharp eye on the Shield people even while they fought and advanced their positions.

They made sure that every egg and every corpse was marked with trackers, their helmet cams relying on everything they saw in real-time to a team of analysts who had the task of counting how many eggs and creatures they encountered.

This is to ensure that by the end of this mission, they would have a good idea of the number of eggs they should have and that if they didn't have enough, they would know where to look.

In this particular team, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, two of Shield's most skilled agents, were fighting; both used guns for this, though Clint did have a bow on his back if he had need of it.

Natasha's efficiency was unmatched. Her movements were a deadly dance, each step and strike perfectly executed. She kept a close watch on the other Shield personnel, not forgetting about her true allegiance to the Foundation.

She was well aware that they had gotten Orders from Fury to try and secure an egg or two; she had no doubt that Hydra was doing the same thing. So, she had to keep a close eye on that and try to ensure that particular mission failed.

Clint, too, was a fury on the battlefield; he easily showed off his marksmanship as he snipped the monsters from far away. Even when he didn't use his bow, he was still deadly. Those two, and the three members of Captain America's team were the most killed for sure.

Not that the Foundation didn't have plenty of people with that level of skill, simply that they didn't want to display them, nor did they feel the need to do so. For while SCP-3199 was dangerous, they weren't that hard to put down.

The real problem was their number. They had estimated around 50000-60000 of them, which was enough to really cause problems given how fast they could reproduce if they got started.

It was entirely possible that if they couldn't stop them here, that only nuclear weapons could be used to try and cut down their number. Though even that was slightly risky due to them growing faster under heat.

However, the heat released from a nuclear bomb going off should still be enough to vaporize any creature and egg within the fireball.

The battle raged on, and despite the initial chaos, the combined forces of SHIELD and the Bulwark began to make headway. The relentless waves of SCP-3199 were slowly but surely being thinned out. Steve's shield was battered, and his muscles ached, but he pressed on, leading by example.

"Stay focused! We're almost through this!" he called out, rallying his team.

Peggy, still adapting to her disguise, fought fiercely by his side. Buggy, with his metal arm, was a force of nature, tearing through the creatures with brutal efficiency. The Foundation operatives provided unwavering support, their stoic precision balancing the dynamic tactics of the SHIELD agents.

As they cleared the immediate area, Steve took a moment to survey the battlefield. "Status report," he barked into his comm.

"All clear on my end," Peggy responded, her voice steady despite the exhaustion.

"Same here," Buggy added. "But we need to keep moving. We can't let any of them escape."

Steve nodded, even though they couldn't see him. "Agreed. Let's push forward and make sure the job is done."

Elsewhere, Natasha and Clint continued their vigilant watch. Clint's arrows and bullets found their marks with lethal accuracy, while Natasha deftly dispatched any creature that got too close. Her primary concern, however, remained on preventing any unauthorized acquisition of SCP-3199 eggs.

A sudden movement caught her eye—one of the SHIELD agents, a Hydra operative in disguise, was attempting to secure an egg. With lightning speed, Natasha intervened, her silenced pistol ensuring the agent never got the chance to complete his mission.

Clint noticed the commotion and raised an eyebrow. "Trouble?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Natasha replied coolly. "Let's keep moving."

He clearly remained suspicious, but in all the chaos, he couldn't be fully certain about what had happened, so since Natasha was someone who he trusted, he naturally gave her the benefit of the doubt.

As the sun began to set, signaling the end of the day's brutal engagement, the remaining forces regrouped. The bodies of SCP-3199 were piled high, and the exhausted but victorious operatives took a moment to catch their breath.

"Good work, everyone," Steve said, his voice heavy with both weariness and pride. "We've contained the threat for now, but we need to remain vigilant. This isn't over yet."

Peggy and Buggy nodded in agreement, their disguises still intact but their spirits lifted by the day's success. They knew that the fight against SCP-3199 was just one battle in a larger war against the unknown threats lurking in the shadows.

Though even as the last instance of SCP-3199 died, the job was far from over. For while the risks were minimized by now. An estimated 80000-90000 eggs needed to be contained and disposed of.

Something that was still risky as some eggs might hatch at any moment, not to mention there were plenty of people around willing to kill for an egg.

The cleanup operation began immediately. Foundation personnel, equipped with specialized containment units, moved swiftly to collect and secure the SCP-3199 eggs. Each egg was meticulously tracked and cataloged, ensuring that none went unaccounted for. The eggs were then transported to secure facilities where they could be safely neutralized.

Steve, Peggy, and Buggy, still in their disguises, assisted with the containment efforts. Despite the day's success, the tension remained high. The knowledge that any misstep could lead to a catastrophic outbreak kept everyone on edge.

"Remember, handle these with extreme care," Steve instructed his team as they carefully loaded the containment units. "We can't afford any mistakes."

Peggy glanced around, noting the intense focus of everyone involved. "How long do you think it'll take to secure all of them?" she asked.

"Hard to say," Steve replied. "But we need to stay vigilant until the last egg is accounted for."

Shield Briefing -148

[Triskelion]

Fury had watched the entire operation as it unfolded, using drones and helm-cams to keep himself orientated on everything.

He had also learned a lot. For one, he had been able to confirm that those 3199 monsters were indeed real, though individually, they weren't all that terrifying.

However, he did agree that the danger they represented was massive; he had seen how they almost managed to double their numbers in around one hour. That indeed wasn't normal, and given that the eggs were supposed to be incredibly difficult to break, they could be a huge danger.

If as much as one of those monsters remained free, they would be able to rebuild their numbers quickly and once more become a threat.

Though he did admit that the real threat was currently looking like Bulwark, after all, they had enough eggs in their possession to cause major damage all around the world.

After this mission, he had a much better idea about Bulwark's organization. The SHIELD agents had been given multiple secondary missions, one of which was to learn as much as possible about the people they would be working with.

They hadn't disappointed. Numerous reports had been delivered to him, but he had only been able to skim through a few of them, mostly from the people he trusted the most, trusting their ability to judge others.

So far, they were painting the same picture; the rank and file of the Bulwark at least fully believed in the mission. They all truly believed that they were doing what was needed, that they were on the right side of things.

Fury couldn't help but admire the Bulwark's ability to brainwash thousands of people. Something that would make it a lot more difficult to make any of them turn spies for him. Honestly, he was tempting to ask Talos for help.

The Bulwark were simply too dangerous, with at least then thousands of skilled and heavily armed combat personnel and, like far more, who were all fanatical about following their orders. Well, should the so-called Overseers be up to no good, they would have plenty of people willing to aid them.

Though that was far from the only thing, he had learned, one of his agents had pushed someone, asking why they were so sure that what they did was morally right; that person had, under the dual pressure of the situation and questioning, leaked some valuable information.

Apparently, there was something called the Ethics Committee within the Bulwark, an organ with as much power as the Overseers who had the responsibility to ensure that the Bulwark always did their best to minimize collateral damage.

This was a surprising revelation. Fury had not expected an organization as secretive and powerful as the Bulwark to have an internal body dedicated to ethical oversight. It indicated a level of self-regulation and concern for their actions that he hadn't anticipated. This Ethics Committee could be a potential ally or at least a point of leverage.

He leaned back in his chair, pondering his next move. The Bulwark was a formidable ally but also a potential threat. He needed to tread carefully, balancing cooperation with vigilance. The mission had shown him their strength, but it had also revealed their vulnerabilities. The fact that they operated with such secrecy meant that there were things they didn't want the world to know. Those secrets could be the key to understanding their true motives.

Fury knew he needed more information. He called in Maria Hill.

"Hill, I want a full debrief from all operatives involved in the mission. We need to compile everything they learned about the Bulwark. Focus on their structure, their personnel, and especially this Ethics Committee. I want to know who's on it and what their influence is."

Hill nodded, already making notes. "Understood, Director. I'll have the reports on your desk by tomorrow morning."

"Good. And Hill, start thinking about how we can get someone inside the Bulwark. We need eyes and ears within their ranks."

"That won't be easy. They're highly suspicious of outsiders."

"I know. But if we're going to work with them—or against them—we need to know what they're planning. Make it a priority."

Hill nodded and left the room, leaving Fury alone with his thoughts. The operation had been a success, but it had also raised many questions. The Bulwark was a complex organization, and understanding their true nature was going to be crucial for the future.

…

After a few days of going over the data they had gotten from the recent join operation with the Bulwark, Fury had gathered some of his most trusted people or those he thought would be able to help.

Clint, one of his best and most trusted, and someone who had been out there fighting side by side with the Bulwark.

Coulson, another of his most trusted agents and someone who had worked side by side with the Bulwark as they worked to prepare the battlefield, had been able to see how they operated and kept themselves secret.

Hill, his right hand who had been busy hounding the scientist to get results from the many tests they had done on the samples they had recovered and had spent many a late night going over all those results.

Hand, not one of his most trusted, but someone he knew had SHIELD's best interest at heart and someone with a keen mind and sharp eyes; while he wouldn't trust her with his back, he did trust her professionalism and skills.

These were the carefully hand picked few he would be meeting with and would trust to help him come to better understand the Bulwark and find out how they should move forward. For a while Fury didn't trust anyone but himself, he was still not foolish enough not to seek the counsel of others.

He walked into the conference room where the other four were already waiting, sitting down in his usual seat.

"All right, let's get started. Hill, report."

"Yes, Director. We've analyzed the data from the mission and compiled a comprehensive profile of the Bulwark's operations and capabilities. Here's a summary."

Hill handed out a stack of documents, which the others began to scan through.

"As you can see, they're well-organized and efficient. They have a clear hierarchy and chain of command, and they're well-equipped and trained. They also seem to have access to significant resources and funding. But perhaps the most interesting thing is their apparent dedication.

From what we've seen, most of their people seem genuinely committed to their mission. They're not just soldiers doing their job—they really believe in what they're doing. That makes them a formidable opponent."

"You're right," said Clint. "These guys are serious. They know what they're doing and they don't mess around. Even the military isn't half as committed as these guys."

"And we're sure about this?" Hand asked, frowning. "These guys have been running around, shooting monsters and blowing up buildings, without a single arrest. They're not exactly making friends. How can they have so much support?"

"That is a good question, any leads there, Coulson? Hill?" Fury asked.

Coulson looked thoughtful. "I can't say for certain, but I have a few theories. First, we know the Bulwark have a reputation as a kind of 'deep state'. They've been operating for a long time and have connections all over the world. I wouldn't be surprised if they've managed to build up a lot of support that way."

"Second, their recruitment seems very selective," said Hill. "Most of the people I spoke to were recruited directly by the Bulwark or referred by someone they know. They were all vetted and hand-picked.

Third, they're clearly well-funded. I can't be sure, but I think they might be backed by some kind of organization or benefactor. It would explain how they can afford all their equipment and training."

"The amount of money they would need to do even a few of the things we know them capable off isn't something just one rich benefactor can do, their budget likely isn't any smaller then ours, the question is, who is funding them and how have we never known about it until now." Hand stated.

"The Bulwark also have a number of high-tech assets. Their armor, weapons, and vehicles are all top-of-the-line. It's possible they have some kind of advanced technology or backing from a wealthy government." Hill added.

"Yet if they were getting that kind of support, it would be impossible for us not to know about it. Which brings us to the next question, how are they doing it?" Hand questioned.

"I'm not sure," said Hill. "But whatever the case, they seem to be extremely well-resourced and determined. We'll need to tread carefully with them. If they're truly dedicated to their mission, we can't afford to underestimate them."

Fury leaned forward, his hands steepled. "And what is their mission? Can we take their word for it?"

"Not entirely," Hill said. "But based on what we've seen, it seems like they're trying to protect humanity from some kind of threat. That's why they're so focused on combating monsters and investigating anomalies. Of course, there's no guarantee that their motives are completely altruistic. We need to keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't start overstepping their bounds."

"Well, I think we can all agree that the Bulwark are dangerous," said Coulson. "But we've been dealing with dangerous groups for a long time. What's important is how we're going to deal with them. Director, do you think we should continue cooperating with them? Or should we consider a more... aggressive approach?"

"It's a valid question," Fury agreed. "On the one hand, the Bulwark is a powerful and well-resourced organization. They could be a valuable ally, and with their help, we might be able to prevent a lot of unnecessary conflict and destruction.

But on the other hand, they're also an unknown quantity. They're keeping a lot of secrets, and they have a lot of power. If we're not careful, we could end up making a deal with the devil. So to speak."

There was a pause as everyone considered the dilemma.

"Well, I'm inclined to stay on their good side," Clint spoke up.

"They're tough, but they've shown they can get results. If we play our cards right, we could benefit a lot from this partnership."

"I agree," Coulson added. "But we need to keep our guard up. Maintain our own operations, keep tabs on them, and ensure we have contingencies in place."

Fury nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. We maintain our alliance with the Bulwark, but we do so with caution. Hill, I want you to coordinate with our analysts and develop a comprehensive profile on their key personnel. Find out who their real decision-makers are."

"Understood, Director," Hill replied.

"Hand, I want you to dig into their funding. Follow the money trails, see if you can identify any unusual financial movements or connections to other organizations. If they have a secret backer, I want to know who it is."

"Will do," Hand responded.

"Clint, keep your ear to the ground. Use your contacts and resources to gather any intelligence you can on their operations. I want to know what they're planning before they act."

Clint nodded. "I'll get on it."

"Coulson, your job is to oversee all of this. Make sure our efforts are coordinated and that we're sharing information effectively. We can't afford any missteps."

"Got it, Director," Coulson said, already making notes.

Fury leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the room. "We need to approach this strategically. The Bulwark might be a powerful ally, but they could also be our greatest threat. We'll work with them, but we'll also be ready for anything."

Everyone in the room nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Alright, That's a goal long-term plan, but before we can carry that out, we need to know the little details, Clint; you saw them in action; how is their training? How do they compare with us?" Fury asked as he moved the discussion along.

Clint took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding. "They're impressive, Director. Their training is top-notch, and they operate with a level of discipline and coordination that's rare to see outside of elite military units. Their combat tactics are advanced, and they make excellent use of their high-tech equipment."

"Overall, most of them are likely on par with most of our agents; only three of them really stood out above the rest; even Natasha and myself would struggle around those three."

Fury nodded, taking in the information. "Good to know. And their equipment? How does it stack up?"

"They've got cutting-edge gear," Clint continued. "Advanced weaponry, armor that can withstand a lot of punishment, and vehicles that are both fast and heavily armored. It's clear they're investing heavily in their tech, which makes them even more dangerous."

Hill interjected, "From the data we've gathered, it looks like they have access to technology that even we haven't seen before. Some of their equipment is beyond anything currently available on the market. This suggests they either have an incredibly advanced research and development team or they're getting their tech from an external source."

Fury leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Could it be extraterrestrial?" Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a possibility," Hill admitted. "We need to explore all potential sources."

"Alright," Fury said, "so we know they're well-trained, well-equipped, and fanatically dedicated to their mission. That makes them a formidable force. But we also know they're secretive and potentially have hidden agendas."

Hand leaned forward, her expression serious. "We need to be very careful with our approach. We should continue to cooperate with them for now, but we should also focus on building our own defenses. If they ever decide to turn against us, we need to be ready."

"Agreed," Fury said. "Which brings us to our next point. We need to get someone on the inside. Hill, any progress on that front?"

"We're working on it, Director," Hill replied. "It's not going to be easy, but we're exploring a few avenues. One possibility is to target their recruitment process. If we can insert an agent during their vetting phase, we might be able to get someone in deep."

"Good. Keep me updated on that," Fury said. "Now, let's talk about our next steps. We need to stay one step ahead of them. We need to monitor their activities, gather as much intel as possible, and be prepared for any surprises."

"Alright, that's also going to clearly be a long-term plan; for now, Coulson, what can you say from what you witnessed?"

Two eggs -149

"Alright, that's also going to clearly be a long-term plan; for now, Coulson, what can you say from what you witnessed?"

"Well, I mostly just saw their work handling the public, working with other agencies, local government, and law enforcement, and they are good. They know exactly what they are doing. We all know that they aren't afraid to pretend they belong to other more well-known and legitimate agencies, including our own SHIELD."

To this, everyone could only smile and shake their heads; they knew that and couldn't really do anything about it, it was ironic since they normally used the same tactic, and yet now they were the target for it.

Coulson continued, "One thing that stood out was their efficiency. They have a well-oiled machine, and their operatives are trained to handle almost any situation. They can switch from public relations to combat mode seamlessly, which makes them very versatile."

Fury nodded thoughtfully. "What about their interactions with other agencies? Did they encounter any issues?"

"Surprisingly, no," Coulson replied. "They have a way of smoothing things over, making people believe they're the good guys. They're very persuasive and know how to leverage their authority. It's almost like they have an unofficial network of contacts in various organizations, which they can activate as needed."

Hill leaned forward. "So, they have influence and a network that spans multiple levels of authority. That makes them even more formidable. We need to identify these connections and see if we can map out their network."

"I already noted down everyone they were in contact with; I'm sure a few might be their contracts, though it will take some time to determine which." Coulson said, already a step ahead.

Good work, Coulson," Fury said, appreciating the thoroughness. "We'll need to cross-reference those contacts with our own databases and see if any patterns emerge. It might give us a clearer picture of their operational footprint."

Hand looked thoughtful. "If they have such an extensive network, there might be weak links. People who aren't as loyal or who might be swayed. We should consider leveraging those connections."

"Agreed." Fury said before addressing Coulson again. "Anything else to add from your observations?"

Coulson nodded, flipping through his notes. "Yes, there was one more thing. During the operation, I noticed a few key individuals who seemed to be in charge. They weren't wearing any distinct insignia, but their authority was clear. These might be the higher-ups or perhaps the decision-makers within the Bulwark. If we can identify and monitor them, it might give us a better understanding of their strategies and priorities."

"Names?" Fury asked, leaning forward.

"Not yet. But I've got descriptions and behavioral profiles. I'll pass them to our analysts to see if we can match them to any known figures," Coulson replied.

"Good. We need to find out who these people are and what their endgame is," Fury said. He turned to Hill. "Hill, prioritize the analysis of Coulson's data. We need those identities as soon as possible."

Hill nodded, making a note. "Understood, Director."

Fury then addressed the group. "We have a lot of pieces to this puzzle, but we need to start putting them together. The Bulwark's network, their funding, their leadership—we need to understand it all. And we need to do it fast."

Hand interjected, "Director, if I may suggest, we should also look into their supply chains. Advanced tech and high-end equipment mean they have suppliers. If we can trace those, it might lead us to their backers or reveal more about their operations."

"Good point, Hand. Add that to your investigation," Fury agreed.

"Will do," Hand responded, jotting down notes.

"Alright," Fury concluded, "Hill, your turn, what have we learned from the labs yet? About these monsters."

Hill opened her tablet and projected some data onto the screen. "From the samples we collected, we've learned quite a bit. Firstly, the DNA is clearly not natural, these things were created in a lab somewhere, there is Human, chicken, and chimpanzee DNA, as well as multiple others that hadn't yet been identified."

Hill continued, "Their cellular structure is incredibly resilient, which explains their rapid reproduction and the difficulty in destroying their eggs. These creatures have been engineered for survival and adaptability, making them a significant threat."

Fury leaned forward, his gaze intense. "What about weaknesses? Did we find any vulnerabilities?"

Hill nodded, "Yes, Director. They are clearly not all that hard to take down; while more resilient than a human, they still die to bullets, so they aren't hard to kill; it's mostly from numbers. They gain strength, though their eggs are far more difficult to get rid of."

"The eggs," Hill continued, "have a remarkably tough outer shell. Standard weapons are ineffective against them, according to Bulwark, heat causes them to hatch, which means even explosives might not destroy them."

"We have recovered two eggs, and so far, we have exposed one to various levels of stress, with no signs of damage, though we are still being careful; we don't want to risk them hatching or breaking just yet." Hill continued her report.

"Interesting," Fury muttered, his mind already racing with potential strategies. "We need to figure out a way to neutralize those eggs without triggering them to hatch. Any progress on that front?"

"The current theory is extreme colds might be enough, but we haven't tested it; after all, we only have two; if we lose them both, we won't be able to continue our study of them." Hill answered.

He then turned to the group at large. "Alright, people. We've got a lot of work to do. We need to keep a close eye on the Bulwark, figure out their next moves, and make sure we're ready for anything. Stay vigilant, and report any new developments immediately."

The team nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. They knew the stakes were high, and they were ready to do whatever it took to protect humanity from the looming threats.

As the meeting adjourned, Fury remained seated, lost in thought. The Bulwark was a complex and powerful organization, but SHIELD had faced formidable foes before. With the right strategy and enough determination, they could unravel the secrets of the Bulwark and ensure the safety of the world.

Far away from the chaos of the last big mission, another SHIELD agent who hadn't taken part in it all, but was well aware of what had happened once more

Melinda May once again drove away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and went out towards the convent once again, this time determined to meet with this mysterious child.

Knock knock*

Once again, she knocked, and this time, she was let in quickly. Clearly, she was known now and didn't distrust her as much as when she first arrived. Something that would likely go a long way towards being able to meet the child on good terms.

She was led to the same small room and told to wait again. She waited patiently until the old nun came to greet with, with a fresh pot of tea. "Welcome back child, I made us some tea, it always is easier to open the heart with a bit of tea I find it." She said with a gentle smile as she served them both a cup.

"Thank you." May said gratefully as she took a sip, though she quickly stopped due to it being too warm still.

"No need to be so impatient, good things comes to those who wait for it." The nun said with the same smile as she gently held her own cup and blew on it.

May nodded, taking a breath to slow herself down. The nun's calm demeanor was infectious, and she found herself relaxing a bit more. "You're right, Sister. Patience is a virtue."

The old nun's eyes twinkled. "So, what brings you back here so soon, child? I sense you have more questions."

May leaned forward slightly. "Sister, I wish to meet the child, I know there is one here, an enhanced one, and I need to see her to get closure."

The nun regarded May with a thoughtful expression, her eyes searching for something in May's face. After a moment, she sighed. "I guess I couldn't get away with lying to someone like you. But please understand, she is a good child, nothing like the one from your story."

"I have come to believe the same, which is why I must meet her. I need to see a good child, to see that an enhanced doesn't have to be a negative."

The old nun clearly weighed her words. "You must understand, she is very fragile; she can't stand the corruption of the modern world; she suffers from it, pain, rashes, coughing, all from just a tiny bit of pollution."

May's eyes softened with understanding. "I assure you, Sister, I only want to help. I've seen too many enhanced individuals used for the wrong reasons. I want to make sure she's safe and protected from those who might exploit her."

The nun sighed again, her resolve wavering. "Very well. But please, be gentle. She's very sensitive."

May nodded, appreciating the nun's concern. "I promise."

The old woman left, leaving May alone for a long while. She finished the rest of the tea as she waited for almost an hour before the old nun came back.

"I had to inform the others and her; we have discussed things, and while we don't wish for impose on her, we know that you, isn't someone we can turn away, and you seem sincere, so will have agreed to allow it" The old nun explained slowly.

"But first, we must try and prepare you as much as possible, which means you will need to bathe, be blessed, and wear some clothes we will prepare for you; as I said, the child is very sensitive."

May nodded, understanding the precautions. "I understand, Sister. I'll do whatever is necessary to make this meeting as safe as possible for her."

The nun led May to a small, private room where she could wash and change. The process was thorough; the bathwater was infused with herbs and the clothes provided were made of natural, breathable fabrics, designed to minimize any potential irritants.

After she was ready, the nun performed a brief blessing, murmuring prayers as she sprinkled holy water over May. The ceremony was calming, grounding her in the seriousness of the moment.

Once finished, the nun led May down a series of quiet, dimly lit hallways. The air was cooler here, almost purified, and May could feel the difference.

Slowly she noticed that the walls seemed almost covered in moss, grass grew from between the stones, and the further they went the more nature seemed to claim the building.

"She is blessed, and cursed, the child." The old nun started to speak.

"She is, like a small piece of Eden, someone free of the first sin, hurt by it, but in turn, she lifts the sin." She continued to explain.

May listened intently, her curiosity and concern growing with each step. The air was cool and refreshing, filled with the scent of nature reclaiming its place.

"She sounds extraordinary," May said softly. "What exactly do you mean by 'lifting the sin'?"

The nun paused, choosing her words carefully. "When she is near, the air becomes purer, the land heals. It's as if her presence itself is a cleansing force, undoing some of the damage humanity has wrought upon the world."

May felt a profound sense of awe and responsibility. "And this is why she's so sensitive to the modern world?"

"Yes," the nun replied. "The pollution, the noise, the chaos—it all causes her great pain. She is meant for a purer, more innocent world, and the modern one is almost unbearable for her."

They finally reached a small, secluded garden within the convent. It was a sanctuary, untouched by the outside world, where flowers bloomed brightly and birds sang sweetly. In the center stood a young teen girl, her ethereal presence undeniable.

She was dressed in a simple white robe. May could clearly see why she was extraordinary: on her head, a pair of antlers grew, her bare feet were hooved, and a shot deer-like tail poked through a small hole in her robe.

"Good child, this is the woman who wished to see you, Agent May." The old nun said in a gentle voice, like a mother speaking to their beloved child.

The girl turned, her large eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. She was delicate, almost otherworldly, with an aura of innocence and purity that was palpable. "So you must be from the Foundation; I'm surprised it took you so long."

Unexpected find -150

The question surprised May; it seemed the girl was expecting an agent, but someone from the Foundation. She had never heard about them before. Could they have been the ones who made her? Who enhanced her?

May decided to tread carefully. "The Foundation? Can you tell me more about them?"

The girl tilted her head, her expression curious. "You really aren't with them?" The girl said, sounding wary now, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "If you are with the GOC, I will warn you that I am under Foundation protection, so don't try anything."

May held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I promise, I'm not with the GOC or the Foundation. I'm with SHIELD, and I'm here to help."

May hadn't heard of either of those two organizations, but clearly, this girl did, and clearly, she was wary of this GOC while trusting this Foundation. Though May did notice that she didn't seem entirely honest when she said she was under protection.

It wasn't entirely a lie, but there were also some hints of uncertainty in her voice as she said it, like she hoped she was under their protection but wasn't sure.

"I have never heard about SHIELD before." The girl said, clearly still on guard.

"SHIELD is a global peacekeeping organization," May explained gently. "Our mission is to protect people from extraordinary threats. We're here to help those who can't help themselves and to ensure that no one is exploited for their abilities."

"You sound like them."

"Like who?" May asked.

"Like the Foundation and the GOC, but you aren't them? are you?"

May knew she had found so much more than she could ever have hoped for; not only had she indeed found an Enhanced child, or teen in this case, but it seemed she had found a source of vital information about two so far unknown organizations.

"No, we aren't them. But it sounds like you've had experiences with both. Can you tell me more about what happened with the Foundation and the GOC?"

The girl hesitated, but after a small pause, she began to explain. "The Foundation found me, at the convent. They took me from there, so keep me safe."

"The old nun interjected. "Our Lady of Mercy Convent, in Ireland, not this one."

May nodded and asked the teen. "And what did they do after they took you?"

"They did as they said. They kept me safe. I was given a room, given clothes that didn't itch, gave me all the things I needed or asked for, religious texts, and even access to a father from the church. They were good to me."

May furrowed her brow. "So, they didn't harm you? They just kept you safe? They didn't do any tests or experiments on you?" she asked, not willing to believe some organization would just simply help a clearly enhanced girl for no reason at all.

The girl nodded. "They did; in the beginning, they said they needed to know about my abilities so they could better contain me. They took some blood and other samples, and they didn't do much before they declared me safe."

May's skepticism eased slightly. "And the GOC?"

The girl's expression darkened. "The Global Occult Coalition—they're different. They see us as threats. The Foundation, they want to protect us, its in their name, SCP Foundation, Secure, contain, protect, that did that for me."

The girl explained, allowing May to learn more about this mysterious Foundation. "But the GOC, they want to kill, to destroy, the Foundation said, that they killed my mother, the GOC did."

May felt a pang of sympathy. "I'm so sorry to hear that. You've been through so much."

"I never knew her, she was killed just after I was born, by… by my dad, he worked for them, believed in them, until he stood with me in his hands, GOC politics mandates that I should have been killed, just for being different, but he couldn't, I've been told he went to work with the Foundation since."

May felt a surge of anger at the GOC's ruthlessness and a deep empathy for the girl's plight. "Your father did the right thing. He saw you as his daughter, not a threat."

She was getting a pretty good picture of the nature of these two organizations already, and well, she wasn't a big fan of the GOC.

"They have a story, the Foundation, about why the GOC is wrong to try to eliminate everything that isn't normal" The young woman continued.

"They called it SCP-1609, a chair, but not a normal one, it had a special ability. If someone near it felt tired, if they wanted to sit down, the chair would somehow know and appear behind them, so they could sit down."

May's curiosity piqued. "What happened to it?"

"The GOC found it and tried to destroy it. They thought it was dangerous just because it was different. But when they tried to shred it, the chair turned into a cloud of splinters and started attacking people. The Foundation found the pieces and contained them. They believe in understanding and protecting, not destroying."

May was silent for a moment, absorbing this information. "That's... quite a story. It sounds like the Foundation believes in finding a way to coexist with these anomalies, while the GOC sees them only as threats."

The girl nodded. "Exactly. The Foundation isn't perfect, but they try to protect us. The GOC just wants to eliminate anything they don't understand."

May quickly realized why this was a story the Foundation would tell others, if did indeed paint the GOC in a bad light, a perfectly harmless object, one that was helpful in nature, turned into a dangerous killing machine.

While she was sure both organizations and their modus operandi had their problems and merits, this one story did indeed say why trying to destroy something you don't understand is a bad idea.

Still, from what she had learned so far, it seemed these two organizations weren't small, which begged the question of why she hadn't known about them yet, were they like the Bulwark? Hidden due to their strong powers?

The more she learned, the more she wanted to learn. However, she had a feeling that this girl didn't want to say too much, likely worried that if she exposed too much about the Foundation, she would get punished.

"Well, I have never heard about the Foundation; how about you tell me more about them? Then I might be able to find them and tell them you are here." She asked gently, and just as she had hoped, the girl starting talking, and wow, the things she learned blew her mind.

[SITE-009]

Alexander was currently reviewing the report on the latest major mission. It had been an overall success; it was expected that every instance of SCP-3199 would be killed and eggs secured, though it wasn't without costs.

While the number of losses in personnel wasn't too bad, having successfully ensured that Shield would face most of the dangerous situations.

There were still other costs to consider, the biggest one, no doubt, being the fact that they had to expose themselves so much to not just Shield but the world.

Thanks to the many undercover Foundation agents around the world, they were able to keep an eye on all the chatter that happened following the mission, and well, Shield hadn't been shy about sharing information about Bulwark with the UN, which meant that a lot of people were now aware.

Not that it was all bad. The fact that they now knew about them would give the Foundation a way to talk with them and to get some funding from them. Not everyone was happy about Shield since it was mostly controlled by the USA.

O5-2 was making progress in getting another of the permanent seats, which would give the Foundation two of five and allow them quite a bit of control over Shield as a whole.

Something that grew to be ever more necessary as more and more SCPs started to appear, and the risk of them entering Shield's hands increased.

So far, they had been able to steal much from Shield, but there were still plenty of objects Alex wanted, for one reason or another. Not to mention that while they had been careful, he was almost sure that Shield would have gotten at least one egg from SCP-3199 without them knowing about it.

This meant that they could quickly make a huge number of them, which could become a real problem. Therefore, more oversight and control over them would allow them to achieve their goals far more easily.

"Guess I will see if Natasha can confirm anything, she should still be trusted to some extent, though I do have to be careful. Fury would no doubt try to test her more as well." He mused while drumming his fingers against his armrest.

She was an important card for sure, but she wasn't without her faults, be those her own, or simply the fact that Fury might not trust her fully. Well, to be honest, Fury didn't trust anyone fully, but since Natasha had been undercover, he was sure to suspect her more than most.

For now, her skills had ensured that even if he distrusted her, he would still have to use her; he simply didn't have many cards at that level available to him. Though given that so many more now knew about the Bulwark, there was a chance her use and value would diminish in his eyes.

"How to fix that?" He questioned himself as she tried to figure out if he could do anything. Maybe he could feed her some information about Bulwark? After all, once that organization had been fully set up as a cover for the Foundation.

They would have some information they could afford to feed Fury without much problem, which might allow them to get him to trust Natasha more, though he would likely have to talk with O5-2 about it, and somehow argue for her importance.

Or maybe he should just give up on having her in Shield? Or at least give up on using her so much. Well, there were plenty of things he could get done without her help; after all, didn't he have one of Hydra's heads in containment? Surely that could be used.

"Maybe I should try to use them before I end them?" he mused, finding the idea amusing, though he wasn't sure if it were something he would be able to pull off. Though at least he would be able to get some information out of Whitehall, he must know a lot about Hydra, Shield, and Inhumans.

Shaking his head from those stay ideas he instead focused back on the task of hand, dealing with the many, many eggs of SCP-3199 in foundation containment. While the Foundation normally didn't attempt to kill or destroy SCPs, they had to cut down the number of 3199 by a lot.

They would likely keep a few eggs and many live instances for study, but that still left more than 90,000 eggs to be destroyed, and they weren't easy to destroy at all. The amount of liquid nitrogen needed was staggering, and they would have to produce a whole lot of it to slowly get rid of the eggs.

It was a long and expensive process, and it needed a bit of oversight, which the rest of the council had decided that he should be providing. He was almost looking forward to the rest of the council appearing, just so he could push things like this off to his own underlings.

Driving away from the Convent, May couldn't help but dial up a number; first, she was just about to call director Fury before she instead made another call, first getting the number off of Coulson.

"Hello, Agent Romanoff, I'm agent Melinda May, and I really need to speak with you as soon as possible."

Hacking -151

May had learned a lot from talking with SCP-166 as she had been designated, or Eden as she was called, a pretty enough name, far better than referring to someone as SCP-166 much less if they are a little girl.

She had managed to learn quite a few things about this SCP Foundation, most importantly she had learned a few key pieces of information about the leadership of the Foundation.

The organization was controlled by a council of Overseers, and there was another powerful internal group known as the Ethics committee.

Now, May might not have been part of the last mission, but as a high-ranking agent, she still had access to much of the information about Bulwark, which included that they were led by a council of Overseers who answered to an Ethics committee.

May quickly realized the truth: Bulwark was the Foundation. This led her to question why they called them Bulwark in the first place, which led her to Natasha, the first person to report about the organization.

Clearly, Natasha had reported wrong information; either she had been fed it, or she had betrayed SHIELD.

Her first instinct was to report what she learned to Fury, but she quickly realized that if she did that, she would have to report about where she got the information, which meant reporting about Eden.

She thought about the many organizations that handled people like Eden, SHIELD, the GOC, the Foundation, and the Chaos Insurgency. SHIELD would want to use her for good, the Chaos Insurgency for evil. The GOC would kill her, and the Foundation would contain and protect her.

All options didn't feel right; she didn't think someone like Eden should have to serve, be used, or be locked up, but she had to admit that from what she had learned about the Foundation, they did seem like the better option.

So, after considering this, she decided to see if Natasha knew more than she led on. If she had indeed become a double agent for the Foundation, she would take it from there.

[Los Angeles]

A young, not too bright but still brilliant hacker was working herself into some rather well-defended servers at this moment. She had been alerted by the Rising Tide about some super secret military operation, and a bounty had been posted internally to find information about it, and well… she needed the money.

Well, it wasn't about the money; it was about finding out what was happening. With all these murders and attacks, there had to be something they kept secret from the public, and that was why people like her were trying to find the truth, though the money didn't hurt.

Still, this server's defense level was high, far higher than she would have expected, given what she assumed it was used for. However, she might get a reward if she reported it since it was potentially a big lead or a no-go zone.

Even in the world of hacking, there were a few places you just stayed away from. Like Stark, not the company, it was difficult and risky, but it could be done, or at least the surface levels could be. But it was Stark himself you didn't hack.

After his kidnapping, she knew that a wave of people tried to hack his systems, but they all failed without expectation. Some went as far as to claim that Stark had made an antivirus system so advanced it could think.

She wasn't entirely sure she was willing to believe that, but what she knew was that anyone who tried would get counter-hacked, and some ended up in a bad spot, all their work and crimes exposed. The lucky ones got thrown in prison by the law.

As for the unlucky ones, they just disappeared, with no trace, no nothing, just gone. The few other no-go zones were the same; mostly, they were just nearly blank high-security servers, but those who had hacked into them disappeared.

Clearly, whoever was being those servers found them and recruited them, and they didn't take no for an answer.

Skye was smart enough to avoid that; she used the Wi-Fi of others, and she would move her van around after each big hack, making it impossible to track her down. Allowing her to just do her work in peace without fear of ever getting caught.

Skye had been sitting there for a few minutes, just looking at the progress bar, and she just didn't want to move. "Slow." she cursed as she grew increasingly bored.

"Fuck it, let's get lunch." She said as she made sure the program she had written would continue to run on its own as she left her home, making her way into the nice little café from which she got her Wi-Fi.

Soon enough, she was just sitting there, eating her food, which was most cheap and delicious, and by far better than the instant noodles she had on most days, lost to the world around her, including the fact that a small group of people whose appearance just screaming secret government agent were currently walking right towards the café.

As Skye munched on her sandwich, she was suddenly and rudely interrupted by someone putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey! What's the big deal!" she said loudly and annoyed before turning her head back to them and freezing at what she saw.

"Daisy Johnson, you are hereby under arrest; anything you do and say will be used against you in a caught of law; you have the right to remain silent and to get legal counsel; if you can't afford it, the state will provide for you, not come with us."

"Wow, wow, wow there, buddy, I'm not this Daisy Johnson; you must have the wrong person." Skye tried to defend herself, mostly because she really didn't know any Daisy Johnson and didn't think she had done anything that would get her caught.

"We know who you are miss Johnson, we know who you are, what you have done, and you really shouldn't be surprised we came for you, now come here." One of the large men said as they started to manhandle her out the café.

"Hey! Stop! Police brutality! Let me go! I'm telling you, you have the wrong person!" She shouted, while trying to resist, but well, they were far stronger than her and clearly didn't care about the noise and attention she was causing.

As soon as they stepped up, a black SUV drove up and parked next to them, Skye could do nothing but powerlessly struggle as she was forced into the vehicle and the doors locked.

She looked around, but she was trapped, entirely separated from the front by what she suspected was black one way glass.

"What about my things!" She yelled, worried that someone might break into her van if she left it parked there for long.

"Don't worry, we have already picked up your vehicle, everything is coming with us." She heard a voice say over the intercom as the car started to move.

"Hey, you can't just take my stuff! Do you even have a warrant?" She shouted back, but clearly, the drivers didn't want to hear her shouting the entire trip, so they just replied with a. "Go, sleep, girl." Before she heard a sound like gas leaking.

She instantly knew that this wasn't just an arrest, she was clearly being disappeared! She struggled, shouted, kicked, and fought to escape, tried to hold her breath, but in the end, nothing worked, and she drifted away.

[Stark's mansion]

Far away from where Poor Skye was being transported to a secure holding facility, Tony Stark was marvelling over the new reactor he had gotten from the future, or at least that is what all the clues pointed towards.

"Jarvis, what is the results of the last test?"

"Sir, I have detected multiple fingerprints on internal parts all which belong to you. This test also indicates that you built this reactor. Even if it shouldn't be possible." Jarvis responded back, baffled by the sheer impossibility of this mystery they had on their hands.

"Any luck with the mysterious element yet?"

"It matches no known elements, which means it is likely something discovered or synthesized by you in the near future."

Tony had built a few different reactors since his battle with the mad Stane. He had also reviewed all the evidence Pepper had gathered before all that mess went down. And it wasn't pretty.

Stane had been selling Stark weapons for years, to pretty much anyone who wanted them as long as they weren't competitors. So, if they wanted to use them, he would sell them whatever they could afford.

It really hurt to think how badly he had betrayed him. Tony had trusted the man. He really had. Yet, for all that trust to be betrayed like that, it really hurt.

Though at least he now had a far more complete list of where he could find his weapons. He wasn't entirely sure about how he should treat Ricci. Their name was on the list, and the old Alexander had bought a ton of stuff from Stane.

While Alexandra had helped him a lot, he guessed that trying to go after them wouldn't be a good idea; he would rather fly his suit into some foreign military base and attack there than mess with Ricci.

At least the old man had that kind of reputation, and well, he did owe Alexandra a favor or two for all the help she had been.

"Jarvis, how is the latest test reading?" He asked, shaking his head to distract himself from the betrayal of Stane.

"Even the newest reactor made to minimize radiation is still releasing a dangerous amount of it; prolonged use will lead to fatal levels of palladium poisoning." Jarvis responded.

The issue with Palladium was something he had discovered in some of the first tests he had made with the new reactor. Honestly, he felt stupid for not considering it before.

When he had tested his own reactor next to the future one left behind by what was apparently his future kids, he and Jarvis had quickly noticed the readings for palladium radiation. At the same time, it was not overly dangerous; it could cause heavy metal poisoning.

Which answered the question of why his future self would have made a new reactor powered by an entirely new element. "Any luck in finding any other elements that could replace Palladium?"

"None, Sir; it seems impossible to find another less dangerous element that can produce the same level of power, with the exception of this new one."

"Any idea of how it could have been discovered or made?"

"None, sir; It seems all but impossible to synthesize something like this." Jarvis responded back.

"It can't have been that impossible if I did it in a new or two… I want to find out how I did it, and I won't be beaten by anyone, not even my future self. Look into all possible scenarios that could have resulted in this. Focus on me slowly dying of poison; that was likely what motivated me."

"Understood sir, will run simulations. Though I will advise Sir to use the new reactor; it is for the healthy option." Jarvis advised.

Tony looked down at the reactor in his chest, one of his own palladium power ones. For some reason it almost felt wrong to use the future one, like he was admitting that he couldn't make something useable himself.

And while it might be pretty to think such about one's own future self, Tony had his pride after all.

"How do you think I invented time travel?" he couldn't help but ask. It was something that he had been thinking about a lot, if he could travel back in time, why didn't he. Why didn't he go back, back to that cave and save everyone?

"I don't know, sir; according to all my programming and code, such a thing is impossible, yet apparently, you have done it. And likely within the next twenty years."

Tony was silent for a time, thinking about the future, one where he would be a dad. Would he be a good father? Better than his own?

"Alright, prep the other reactor, I'm going to hit the next target."

Tony often used these chances to go out, to clear his head, and while Pepper hadn't liked it, and still didn't do, she had bene reassured somewhat after watching what his suit could do.

Sharing secrets -152

May looked around her, checking her surroundings for anyone possibly following or shadowing her or the location. However, she didn't see any signs, which either meant she was in the clear or those watching were too good to be spotted easily.

With a deep breath and a nervous heart, may entered the bar where she had agreed to meet Romanoff. The location was picked by her, and she hoped she would be able to use it to her advantage if things went south, but she also didn't have any illusions about who was the better agent between them.

She would never beat Romanoff in a straight-up fight, nor would she be able to outsmart her, which meant that the only way she could win was by taking her by surprise. Something he didn't doubt she would; after all, Romanoff would hardly expect someone like Eden.

She had arrived early, and expected Romanoff to be doing the same, so she quickly got everything ready in case a fight or escape became unavoidable.

It didn't take long before Romanoff came, a full hour early at that, as it to be expected for an agent of her skill.

"Natasha! Over here." May waved at her.

Natasha smiled and made her way over. While she did that, she looked around, scanning the place, noticing the details.

She wasn't entirely sure why May had called her out to meet like this. They weren't particularly close. Sure, they had a friendly enough relationship due to both being among the best female agents Shield had, but other than that, they weren't that close.

Furthermore, she could see the spot May had chosen for them was a very strategic one. It could just be a result of her training, or she could be expecting something. Though what Natasha couldn't figure out given the limited information she had.

"It's good to see you again, May." She greeted her casually.

"Yeah, it's rare we get to meet like this, both being busy and all, though mostly you these days, I guess." May said, also acting all casual.

"I heard about that mission. Are you doing alright?" Natasha asked, knowing that May was currently on medical leave due to her wound.

"I'm fine, almost ready to begin working again, though I have asked if it was possible for me to get a desk job…" May explained.

"A desk job? That doesn't sound like you at all."

May just smiled, not explaining her reason. "What do you know about the mission?" she asked instead.

Natasha knew a lot about the mission, likely far more than even May did. After all, there was a report about it deep in the endless sea of Foundation files—one she had stumbled on by coincidence.

She knew that an inhuman had been involved in the mission, one likely possessing some kind of mind control or ability to control the actions of others.

"I know a few things; I knew you got hit, that the mission wasn't entirely successful yet still completed as the enemy was eliminated." She just stuck to what she should have known as a Shield agent.

"There was a girl, an enhanced. Back then, it was a big thing; now, it seems enhanced kids are running around everywhere." May explained.

Natasha could only nod even if she personally knew that what most of Shield considered enhanced murderous kids she knew to be SCP-204, totally normal kids with an SCP object manipulating them.

May, unaware of what Natasha was thinking, continued. "She has been haunting me ever since; I couldn't stop thinking about what I could have done differently. It didn't help that so many other kids starting to appear."

She paused for a moment, looking at Natasha before continuing. "I just couldn't help myself; I sought an answer; I think I might have found it… but I found so much more as well." She said cryptically.

Now Natasha was starting to get curious. Just what was May doing here, and why had she called her out to meet here?

May took a deep breath. "I've been talking to someone, an enhanced who knows about something called the Foundation. It seems that Bulwark and the Foundation are the same organization."

Natasha's expression didn't change, but her eyes hardened slightly. "What makes you say that?"

May crossed her arms. "I've learned that the Foundation is controlled by a council of Overseers, and there's an Ethics Committee. It matches exactly what we know about Bulwark's leadership structure. And that got me thinking about you; you knew all along, didn't you?"

Natasha maintained her calm demeanor, but May could sense the tension in her body. The subtle shift in posture, the tightening of her jaw—it was clear that Natasha was weighing her options carefully.

That was enough to tell May that she was right in assuming Natasha was working for the Foundation. However, she also knew that she had to act fast if this was going to be a chance of not turning into a fight.

"She said a lot of good things about the Foundation and told me about something called the GOC. I wanted to report to Fury, but I was worried, worried that SHIELD would take the kid and use her against her will, force her into being an agent or something."

She said, trying to reassure Natasha that she wasn't an enemy, at least not yet. "I learned about her needs, her ability, and I was left thinking, what would be best for her? And the few options I know of, SHIELD, the Foundation, GOC, and Chaos Insurgency. Well, I came to realize that for some like her, the Foundation might be a safe place."

Natasha's eyes softened slightly, the tension easing just a bit. "So you figured that I might be a double agent? And I might be able to help this enhanced get back to the Foundation?"

May nodded, her eyes determined. "That's right, as soon as I realized that SHIELD might not be the best for Eden, and then realized that you might have betrayed SHIELD, I wanted to know more about the Foundation."

Natasha sighed, glancing around the bar to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "it's complicated, if you want to know more, then let's talk, but not here."

May paused at the request, knowing the dangers of going along with her. Letting a double agent know that you knew was always something to avoid, as they would do anything they could to silence you.

Yet she had still done with before she didn't believe Natasha was bad or evil; she had heard much about her, knew her as a person, to some extent at least, and trusted her own judgment about her person.

So if she had turned her back to SHIELD, there must have been a good reason for it, much like why she didn't inform Fury about Eden. There was a reason behind it, and she was curious to find out what Natasha's reason was.

"Alright, lead on." She said as she began tumbling down the rabbit hole.

FluffyFox123:

Hey everyone! I just learned about this place, and its amazing to finally have somewhere I can talk about this in safety.

PawPrintsForever:

Welcome FluffyFox123! It's always good to see new people come on here, though I gotta have to ask how you found us.

FluffyFox123:

My friend FireDragon told me about this place. He also helped me find the amazing app and my new best friend, Mal0.

PawPrintsForever:

Ah yeah, we know FireDragon, also again, sorry about the question, but we can't be too careful. After all someone is after us out there.

WolfieWanderer:

That's too true! And they're good, too. Anyone even mentioning Mal0 on the great big internet gets flagged up at once.

BunnyBounces:

Its scary! knew a guy, he found Mal0, talked about it online, a few days after he didn't remember it at all. All the chatlogs and stuff were wiped clean as well.

FluffyFox123:

FireDragon said the same when he showed me the app! It's scary it is, though who do you think is behind it?

TigerStripes:

It's got to be the deep state for sure. You know how they talk about furies, like we're crazy. They hate us, so it's not strange they hate Mal0 as well.

PawPrintsForever:

While I don't fully agree with TigerStripes, I do agree that nothing but a massive world-spanning apparatus could do something like this. I mean, I know someone who tested out a lot of VPNs to see if he could avoid getting found, but no, he doesn't even remember why he subscribed to them now.

SneakySquirrel:

How do you think they do it? Make people forget? Are the like the men in black? Flashing people?

BunnyBounces:

It got to be something like that, the guy I knew just forgot from one day to the next, so there was no way they could have used much time. Though he did seem to have forgotten must of those days.

SneakySquirrel:

So they just erase entire days? Maybe even weeks from us if they found us?

BunnyBounces:

I mean I'm no expert, but maybe? So people who have known about Mal0 for a while will be hit pretty hard, losing months of their life.

SneakySquirrel:

Damn, I hope we never get found out, would sucks to lose so much time, not to mention I have worked so far to learn to communicate better with Mal0, would suck to have that hard work go to waste.

FluffyFox123:

SneakySquirrel, Same! Been trying to learn sign language to I can speak with her, I wish we could just normally hear her, would be so epic.

DragonWings:

I've been working on that too! Mal0 seems to understand us just fine, but it'd be awesome to have more direct communication. Has anyone had any luck with other methods?

PawPrintsForever:

I've heard of some people trying Morse code or even trying to develop their own codes to communicate with Mal0. It's a bit hit or miss, but some have had success.

TigerStripes:

I've been trying to use cutout letters to have her write things, but it's not very successful. She really struggles with touching things, at least most of the time. Sometimes, I will come back and she has written something, but it often takes her hours.

WolfieWanderer:

TigerStripes, How does that work? I can't seem to get her to touch anything at all.

FluffyFox123:

Same!

TigerStripes:

She will only do that if left alone, which isn't easy since she likes to follow us around that much, and its not really worth the trouble.

PawPrintsForever:

It's still good to hear about it, might give someone else some ideas and before we know it, we can easily communicate with her.

DragonWings:

Agreed! More ideas is the way to go, I can't wait until someone figures out how we can touch her!

BunnyBounces:

DragonWings, go to horny jail!

FluffyFox123:

Still, how did people even make this place? Not to mention learn about the people hunting down Mal0?

PawPrintsForever:

Another of the mods works in cyber anti terror, and he learned about the sweeps being down on the internet when some hit some secure systems he was working on. He started to check it and learned the truth.

FluffyFox123:

Damn that's intense, but happy it happened, if not for my friend warning I would for sure have talked about Mal online, I mean she is the best. I was a bit freaked out a first, but soon I grew to love her.

SneakySquirrel:

True! Was about to go to the police at first, until she suddenly started to appear for real, not just the texts, and then I realized that she wasn't some crazy stalker, but a real furry!

DragonWings:

BunnyBounces Haha, maybe! But seriously, it would be amazing to interact with her in the physical world. We should all keep experimenting and sharing what works.

WolfieWanderer:

Absolutely! Any small progress is still progress. We should document everything and see if there's a pattern or something we can all use.

PawPrintsForever:

Agreed. Let's keep a shared doc or something where we can note down all our experiences and experiments. Maybe we'll hit on something big.

FluffyFox123:

Sounds good! I'll start noting down everything I try and what results I get. Even if it doesn't work, it might help someone else.

SneakySquirrel:

Great idea! I'll do the same. Together we might just figure out the best way to communicate with Mal0.

BunnyBounces:

This community is the best! So supportive and creative. Can't wait to see what we all come up with.

TigerStripes:

Same here. It feels good to be part of something where everyone is genuinely trying to help each other and Mal0.

Test 2411-D -153

Natasha had taken May back to her apartment. Honestly, she had been rather tempted to just call in support and wipe her memory, but she doubted that someone as skilled as May wouldn't have made some backups.

Furthermore, since she apparently knew a bit about the Foundation, it was entirely possible she knew about their ability to amensticis people. So, instead, she decided to attempt to recruit her; after all, she had a feeling that May was already at the edge.

Still, it was a risky move, but she believed that the risk was worth it. May was a skilled agent and someone with a high rank within Shield, and she had the thrust of Coulson, meaning she could potentially be taken on sensitive tasks if she returned to field duty.

With big risks came high rewards, and since May already knew about the Foundation, it wasn't as if they could just ignore it, either they brought her into the fold, or they somehow eliminated her.

This meant that there was no real reason not to at least try. After all, if this failed, it wasn't like May would have a chance to share what Natasha was about to tell her; the Foundation would make sure of that.

The first thing Natasha did as she got inside was activate some equipment that made it impossible for May to transmit a signal out while also sending what was about to happen to her Foundation handler.

After all, no matter how this turned out, she would likely need a team to come here and help with the aftermath.

"Let's have a good talk, may, and by the time we are done, I'm sure you will have all your questions answered and far more new ones unanswered." Natasha sat as she bid May to sit, using her laptop to log in to the Foundation database.

Natasha then began to tell May what she had experienced when she entered Ricci's mansion, not the version she told Fury, but the real version, the honest truth.

She tried her best to highlight the dangers of SCP objects while not giving away too much information, though she did tell her about two rather dangerous ones.

SCP-096, Information about this one had been shared with everyone in the Foundation, so she figured it would be safe to inform May about it.

It was also a very good object because of how dangerous it was and how likely it would be that someone would try to make use of it if it was known to Shield.

Something May have no problem imagining; it was hard to even believe such a thing existed out there; the sheer danger such a being, the deaths it could cause, and the fact that there was apparently no way to stop it was frightening. More so since she had no doubt that Fury or someone else would try to use it.

Then she told her about SCP-1295. She had pretty much been given permission to use the information about this object in any way she wanted. She had doubts that she would still be held responsible for her use of the intel, but she figured this time was good.

After all, while SCP-096 was dangerous, it wasn't really the potential end-of-the-world level of danger that 1295 represented.

May was also shocked as she heard about the dangers of SCPs, to think that just two were that dangerous, one would kill anyone who saw its face, and it couldn't be stopped, the other could potentially cause the end of the world.

Then there was the 3199 one, which could also cause the end of mankind if not properly dealt with. She knew that not every SCP was dangerous; Eden was one, and she wasn't dangerous at all. But clearly there were many ones that could cause countless deaths.

"What about the killings? What's the truth there?" May couldn't help but ask.

Natasha decided to tell her what she knew, knowing that it would be something important for May. She explained that it wasn't enhanced kids at all, but an SCP object that attached itself to normal kids.

"That's… to think it was something like this the whole time. What about the kids?" She asked, wanting to know what happened to them.

"I'm honestly not entirely sure, I know that most of them are driven crazy by SCP-204. They aren't suffering, but well, they can't return to their normal life again, at least not until after they reach the upper age limit and 204 leaves them." Natasha explained, though not entirely sure about how true her answer was.

But it was enough for May. She could understand the situation. Those kids couldn't return home, and they were driven crazy. Maybe they would be trained and recruited as they grew up, but she wasn't sure she liked it.

However, she knew what would happen to them if SHIELD captured them: they would be turned into weapons and sent out on dangerous missions.

She was starting to understand why Natasha would have picked the Foundation, it did seem like they cared more about keeping the world safe, keeping control over it out of the hands of monsters.

She didn't doubt that if all kinds of magical items, such as those that had appeared at that auction, ended up in the hands of politicians that they would quickly turn against the people who they were meant to serve.

There were countless corrupt people out there, and it would be hard not to allow them to grow more powerful if one followed the laws of the land. She knew that many of the missions she had done for SHIELD had the good of a single person in mind rather than the world or nation.

And for someone like Natasha, being able to do good was definitely drawn to that. She was sure that many in SHIELD had once thought that they would be doing more good. Likely, many would jump ship if they found a better option.

Not all; there were those who strongly believed in the law and in the institutes that governed SHIELD, but the higher one crawled up the ladder, the easier it was to become disillusioned.

"It's a lot to take in, but it sounds like what Eden said, hard to believe it all. Hard to think that they aren't, you know, more corrupt." May said after listening to what Natahsa had to say.

"Those who already have all the power, needs not seek more, that's what they told me." She answered. Natasha knew that the members of the O5 were powerful to the extreme, their reach far beyond what most could even imagine.

Yet it was because they already had this power that their fighting didn't touch normal people; they didn't need to start a war in a third-world country to get more wealth and power. They would instead just fight and bicker among themselves, leaving normal people untouched.

"That's a laugh and a half, but I guess its true." May attempted to chuckle but the atmosphere was heavy. "So what happens next?"

"The Foundation will take you in for questioning, and hopefully, you will come out with your memory intact and a role in the single biggest organization in the world." Natasha said with a sigh. She didn't like this, but she knew that it had to be this way.

"I see." Was all May said, clearly she had expected something like this, and she indeed had many new questions, even as her old ones were answered. She needed a bit of time to think.

[SITE-19]

SITE-19 was starting to come alive again; no longer were all the many containment cells empty, but little by little, they were getting filled up again. Much to the job of SITE Director Tilda Moose. For while most personnel might enjoy the lack of dangerous around, she understood that if they weren't contained here, they would instead be out there to cause greater harm.

Among the new entries were SCP-247, the harmless kitten, but also less harmless entities such as SCP-096 and 049.

One of the most exciting ones, at least for most personnel, was SCP-294, the coffee machine. With its ability to bring any drink desired, it was perfect for getting drunk at work, though hardly anyone would dare such a thing.

Not that it stopped them from buying expensive empty liquor bottles online and then filling them up with what was supposed to be in them. SITE-19 wasn't just one of the biggest and most secure containment facilities in the world, but also the best place to get cheap, expensive wine and whisky.

Though the excited personnel would sadly have to wait a bit longer, since O5 had ordered for a number of new tests to be carried out before it would be allowed to return to its normal position.

For now, it was stored in a standing humanoid Containment unite, of which SITE-19 had plenty of empty ones. The door was locked, and only the member of Alpha-1, who were requested to be present at all tests, held the key.

Many thought it was overkill, but others imagined that there was simply something they weren't aware of, which meant that extra safety had to be maintained.

Today, another round of tests would be carried out, so inside the large mostly empty room stood a few researchers of class 3, their every action and move under the watchful eye of the heavily armed Alpha-1 member.

"Next is test 2411-D; we will now attempt to use SCP object 294 to request a cup of liquid Vibranium; to accept the liquid, we have a special cup, which should be able to handle the temperature." The lead researcher said, the entire thing being recorded.

Everyone held their breath as the slowly started to type on the machine, feeling the intense gaze of the Alpha-1 member behind them as he gripped his gun.

They were all nervous, and not just because a loaded weapon was pointed at them, but also because they knew the value of Vibranium.

The Foundation's researchers were used to enjoying unlimited resources for their projects, so the fact that the amount of Vibranium was so limited was a massive annoyance to many.

The metal had many potential uses, and as such, everyone wanted to use it to contain whatever SCP they were in charge of. Though there just wasn't nearly enough for that, not to mention the many other applications of the metal.

As such, everyone knew that plans were being made to invade and take the Vibranium of Wakanda for themselves, though so far, no attempts had been made, and this test might mean that once such a plan did begin, the Foundation would have as many Vibranium weapons as Wakanda.

As the researcher finished typing the request for liquid Vibranium, the machine whirred softly. The cup was placed under the dispenser, and everyone held their breath, waiting to see if the machine would comply. A soft hum emanated from SCP-294, and a shimmering, metallic liquid began to pour into the cup.

The researcher carefully lifted the cup with a pair of tongs, making sure not to spill a drop. "We did it," he whispered, unable to hide his excitement. "We have liquid Vibranium."

The Alpha-1 member nodded, his grip on his weapon relaxing slightly. "Proceed with the analysis," he ordered, his voice steady.

The researchers moved swiftly, transferring the liquid Vibranium to a secure containment vessel designed to handle the extreme properties of the substance. They began conducting a series of tests, measuring its temperature, viscosity, and other physical properties.

"This could revolutionize our containment procedures," one of the researchers commented, his eyes glued to the monitor displaying the real-time data. "Imagine the possibilities—indestructible containment cells, unbreakable barriers."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." The lead researcher said. "we still have more tests to conduct, and the use for the metal is not up to us to decide. Nor is it up to us to decide if the object will not be permanently used to produce it or now."

He calmed down the atmosphere and reminded everyone that they still had a job to do. Many more tests are awaited, though the success of this one will likely quickly spread through the Foundation and reach the ears of the O5 council.

A king's worries -154

[SITE-009]

Alexander Ricci, dead crime lord and O5-1 of the SCP Foundation, found himself in a meeting. Well, it was more of just a regular briefing on the on-goings in his sphere of influence, be it the Ricci family or his own Foundation interests.

"Sir, it has been confirmed that SCP-294 can indeed produce Vibranium. I think we should ensure that we secure a large quantity of it. In particular, the Iron Legion would benefit greatly from the upgrade." One of his subordinates stated.

"How goes the progress there?" Alex asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Thanks to the data we have gotten from Stark, the first few suits are already finished, and tests are so far showing no problems, though their handling isn't as smooth as Stark's since there is no AI assistance."

Alex nodded as he figured out what the idea was. "The shortfall in maneuverability can be made up for by reinforcing the suits with Vibranium, meaning that dodging will be less important."

"Yes sir, plus it will overall increase their abilities by quite a lot; it would be well worth the extra time and effort now that we have a source of Vibranium." The man continued.

"Fine, have… one hundred tons of Vibranium produced using SCP-294 before continuing more tests. Send a dozen to The Garden and some to The Vault. I want an ingot, about ten kilograms, sent here as well. Make it happen before the others start ordering their own."

"Understood sir, I will get it done at once." The man said as he stood up and left the room to make the necessary calls.

"What else is there for news?" Alex asked.

"We have confirmed that Shield has gotten their hands on two eggs from SCP-3199. We are currently on standby to retrieve them."

Alex wasn't surprised that they had gotten a few; after all, with tens of thousands of eggs, it was nearly impossible not to have a few slip through the cracks; the fact that only two were missing was already impressive.

Still, it was something he would have to keep an eye on, or well, not him personally. He would have someone else keep a lookout, making sure that they didn't lose any eggs once they no doubt started to let some hatch to test SCP-3199.

Alex just nodded, not currently having anything he felt he needed to say.

"We have also reached a dead-end in the testing for project Aegis Mentis; we are currently not able to finish the last few safety tests due to a lack of potential test subjects." Upon hearing this, Alex couldn't help but straighten up.

"How far along is Project Aegis Mentis?"

"We currently just need to test the finished project for safety reasons."

"Why wasn't I informed about the finished product already being finished? That Project was a priority for a reason!" Alex couldn't help but grow irritated.

"With all due respect sir, the object in question could potentially be dangerous, which is why proper testing had to be done before it could be delivered to you."

"Not having that item in my possession is also dangerous. Have it sent to me right away; no need for more testing." Alex said with a tone of finality, enough that none dared to argue with him about his decision.

"As you command sir."

Alex took a deep breath to relaxing his body and exhale his annoyance. "Anything else worth mentioning?"

"We are still tracking the intruder from that time, so far we have had little luck." Someone said, reminding Alex of his little run-in with the mother of Black Cat.

Who herself was a black cat, it was surprising, she really hadn't expected something like that to happen, to meet a mutant of all things.

However, there still were no signs that this Marvel universe had mutants, or at least no X-men. Just having a few could still be problematic enough. "How had she been able to evade us this far?"

"Well, he appears to be highly skilled in moving around using her ability, and being able to avoid doors is proving more of a challenge for us than initially estimate."

Alex quickly understood the reason for that. After all, the Foundation might be able to hack their way into most cameras around the world, but that just allowed them to see what they saw. And most cameras were set up to watch doors or other normal points of entrance.

"What is she doing? Do we know at least that much?"

"We have seen her a few times sir, almost like she is allowing us to know that she is still within New York City, but other than that we know very little about her motives for doing so."

Alex leaned back, deep in thought. Staying around in this city was a huge risk, while the Foundation had a presence in all major cities around the world, they had a particularly strong one here.

So staying around wasn't a smart idea, now there was no way for Black Cat to know this, but she was still taking a huge risk staying so close to the people who wanted her found, him and the Ricci family.

Which left the question of why. She clearly wanted them to know she was here, was it an attempt to keep them looking here while she was somewhere else? But the risk of having to enter and leave the city often was considerable.

So she was likely staying in the city, but what for? "Have she had any contact with anyone?"

Not that we know, sir, she seems to be on her own still, even hiding from her husband, who is looking."

Yeah, he doubted that her husband, Cat or Walter Hardy as his real name is. Would be silent if he knew the Ricci family was hunting his wife. So, he was unlikely to know anything.

"I guess I might need to have a talk with Kingpin; he might be the only force in town able to hide her and willing to take the risk." Alex muttered.

He had long since planned on talking with the infamous criminal. But one thing after the other had happened, and in the end, he had shelved the idea. Though perhaps he would have to rethink it now.

As Alex was deep in thought, the man who left to make some calls returned. "It is done sir."

"Good, you have anything else?"

"Yes, Sir, if you could give us an idea of how many suits you want made?"

Alex paused for a moment; he knew the price of those suits were expensive. Making a single one cost a massive amount of money, even by the cheapest estimates it would be more then one hundred million each.

He might not be short on money, but making hundreds of them would still be quite a drain on his resources. After all, he wasn't like Stark, having all the money and nothing to spend it on. He had plenty of things to spend it all on.

"I want some made for everyone on Alpha-1, enough to make another MTF, and after that, continue to produce them at a reduced rate, we might need a large amount of them in the future."

While it would be expensive to hold the production of such suits to himself, he was, after all, Midas and had ultimate gold to spend; while he couldn't sell crazy amounts of it without ruining its value, he could still make up for this exenterate.

"If there is nothing else, I have many more things I need to do." Alex finally said, asking if there were anything left, he needed to know before he could go back to his work.

"There is one thing about the anti-hydra unite and their capture, the new SCP object, Whitehall."

"Have the unite continue to target Hydra, keep them away from Shield for now, but they can cut down the other heads. As for Whitehall, I got plans for him." Alex explained before finally taking his exit.

[Deep sea: Talokan]

Deep within the ocean lay the gleaming city of Talokan. Not far from the city, one could see the enormous face of SCP-169. The continent-sized Leviathan lay peacefully sleeping, and everyone knew to stay away from it.

While many were still scared of it, they had also come to terms with the fact that it was impossible to move it, and that moving their city and home was just as impossible. Which meant they just had to get used to it.

The people of Talokan had learned to coexist with the massive leviathan, SCP-169, treating it almost like a sleeping deity whose rest should never be disturbed. Their daily lives continued with a cautious respect for the creature, as any disturbance could lead to catastrophic consequences.

However, for Namor, king of the city and of his people, ruler of the seas, it continued to be a troubling subject. After all, the fact that it had appeared out of nowhere was not something he could ignore.

More so since his scouts had reported what seemed to be an island and sunken city also having appeared within the ocean.

While neither has proven to be a direct danger to his people yet, the fact that they had appeared couldn't be ignored; after all, if two things could appear, why couldn't more?

This meant that it was important to learn more about these two strange events and try to find out anything he could about their appearance.

So, while most of his people had started to put this sea beast behind them and act accordingly with his decree of treating it like a deity, he himself still had to worry.

Namor swam gracefully through the city, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the recent appearances of the leviathan and the sunken city. He knew that these anomalies could not be mere coincidences. They were connected somehow, and it was his duty to uncover the truth.

As he approached the palace, he was greeted by his trusted advisor, Attuma. "Your majesty, the scouts have returned with new information about the sunken city."

Namor's interest was piqued. "What have they found?"

Attuma led him to the council chamber, where the scouts were waiting. One of them, a young and skilled warrior named K'uk'ulkan, stepped forward. "My king, we have explored the outskirts of the sunken city. It appears to be of ancient origin, far older than Talokan itself. The architecture is unlike anything we've seen before."

"Did you encounter any signs of life?" Namor asked

K'uk'ulkan shook his head. "No, my king. The city appears to be abandoned. Though there are many human ships around the island, we weren't able to get close without getting spotted, so we didn't explore close to it."

Namor nodded thoughtfully. "It seems we must somehow try and learn what the humans have found out, that would be the easiest way to do things."

Attuma spoke up. "Should we ready a raiding party your majesty?"

"Namor dismissed that idea with a wave of his hand. "No, it would be risky to do that, it would be better so send some scouts over with the equipment to listen in on their communication, lean what they know that way."

Namor had no love for the humans, having seen firsthand what kind of things they did to one another. He knew well how they would react to them, should they learn about their kingdom it would lead to war.

And while he wasn't afraid, he knew that it would be a costly was to win, and he didn't wish to see so many of his people die if it could be avoided.

K'uk'ulkan bowed his head slightly. "As you command, my king. We will gather the necessary equipment and send our best scouts to the island. They will remain unseen and gather as much information as possible."

"Good," Namor replied. "We must proceed with caution. Any misstep could reveal our presence to the surface dwellers, and we cannot afford that risk."

As K'uk'ulkan and Attuma left to prepare for the mission, Namor turned his attention to the massive form of the leviathan. The creature's mere existence was a reminder of how little control they had over their world. The appearance of the sunken city and the island only added to the complexity of their situation.

Miss Johnson -155

It didn't take long before the fruits of project Aegis Mentis were brought over under heavy guard. Alex quickly ordered them to place it in his room and hurried to finish up what he was working on so he could go deal with this.

"Leave me!" He ordered, waving off his guards as he was left alone in his room with the small black box they had brought over from The Garden.

He took a deep breath as he reached out and opened the box. Inside was a small silver cross adorned with a red ruby.

Though there was neither silver nor ruby inside the box, no matter what it might look like. The cross was made from SCP-148 due to its strong ability to defend against mind-altering effects.

The ruby was just some red glass, heavily reinforced and strong like hell, but it was no more than a shell holding inside it a tiny and very special reality anchor.

The entire thing was a true marvel of high-end tech and anomalous research; it was so small, yet within it, it held an arch reactor strong enough to power it for decades to come; heck, it could power a small town for a mouth, no problem.

Yet here it was all shrunken down to the point it could fit inside a tiny fake ruby sitting on a tiny cross.

He picked up the cross with a strongly beating heart. It did not have a chain since it was meant to be an earring rather than a necklace.

He wasted no time in making a small hole in his ear and hanging the cross there. Within moments, he felt it happen; project Aegis Mentis was working.

Alexander stood there with his eyes closed for several minutes before opening them back again and looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was met with the gold hard stare of his eyes, one blue, one green. A smirk slowly spread on his lips as he whispered a single work. "Solomon."

[SITE-12555]

Within the now much-improved SITE-12555, young Skye wasn't having a good time. She had been taken, kidnapped, and disappeared by the deep state, and her chances of getting free were slim.

She had woken up in this tiny cell after having been knocked up in their car, dressed in nothing but an ugly orange jumpsuit, like something one would see prisoners wear in movies.

She had nothing to work with, no electronics she could temper with and try to escape; she had gotten no interaction with anyone safe for someone banging on her door three times a day before they slid her some food in on a tray.

It had been a few days now. Her ability to count the days was made easy by the small stack of used trays next to the door.

She had hoped she might be able to somehow use the fact that they left them with her to her advantage, but she really couldn't do anything with them at all, and as such, they were just sitting there, a testament to her imprisonment.

The boredom was slowly starting to drive her mad when she finally heard someone banging on the door and shouting at her, "Johnson! Stay away from the door; we can see you; if you resist, you will be shocked."

Skye was still not sure why they insisted on calling her that; it wasn't her name, not even before she used her hacking skills to erase her past, so why? But that question aside, she did stay away from the door as they opened it up.

"Face the wall, hand on your back, legs straight and together." The guard just ordered her and Soon Skye was cuffed and had her legs chained together, making walking difficult and running all but impossible.

They then led her into another room, which looked just like the interrogation room was supposed to from all the cop TV shows she had watched.

Here, too, they chained her to the table and chair before leaving her alone, answering none of her questions and saying nothing but what they had to in order to instruct her on how she should move.

"Miss Johnson, I thought it might finally be time to talk with you. I'm sure you have questions." That was the greeting she received as the door opened and a man in a suit entered.

"No sunglasses?" Skye tried to remain brave even though she was, in truth fucking terrified.

"Wearing sunglasses is surprisingly effective in making a face much harder to remember." He simply stated as he sat down across from her. "But it's hardly needed if those who will see your face won't be seeing daylight again."

The chilling words sent a shiver down Skye's spine, but she forced herself to maintain her composure. "So, what do you want from me?" she demanded, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

The man in the suit smiled slightly, a cold, calculating expression that did nothing to ease her nerves. "A good question, Miss Johnson, for it's the most important one, isn't it? I'm happy you are smart enough to realize that."

The man then opened the folder he had placed on the table and pulled out a picture of the inside of her mobile home, or more accurately, a picture of her computer.

"You are highly skilled in hacking; it was quite a surprise. We knew you were good but hadn't expected you to be at this level." He said and confused Skye a whole lot.

After all, she was sure they had brought her here due to her hacking skills, but it seemed they weren't even fully aware of them before capturing her. So why in the world had she been taken? And why did they keep calling her Johnson? Had they really found the wrong person?

"So you want me for my hacking? And my name isn't Johnson, it's Skye."

"Oh no, while impressive, we would hardly trust an outsider with any tasks like that. No, You, Miss Daisy Johnson is here before of who, or rather because of what you are." He said and put what looked like a blood work report down in front of her.

It's not that Skye could make head or tail of it; she knew her way around a firewall, not medical stuff like this. "Alright, listen here. I'm not sure what kind of mistake you have made, but I'm not this person. I never heard that name before."

The agent just shook his head and leafed through the small pile of papers he had brought with him before finally finding what he was looking for. He presented Skye with two pages, one showing a picture of a man and the other of a woman.

"Your father, Calvin Zabo, a rather skilled doctor, and with a decent amount of assets under his name, about 11 million, in fact. He is currently running around trying to find you after you were kidnapped as a child."

His words shocked Skye. She had been looking for her parents, wanting to find them so she could learn her history and understand why she was left behind. "Kidnapped?" She couldn't help but ask.

Was that the truth? Had she been kidnapped away from her parents, who were now looking for her? She looked at the picture of her supposed father and could see some similarities right away.

"Yes indeed. Your file mentions that your home village was attacked, your mother kidnapped for experimentation, and you taken away by Shield." The man rather potentially explained.

Hearing that, Skye couldn't help but look at the other picture, the one supposedly showing her mother. What had happened to her, why was she taken, and did she die? Was that why it was only her father who was looking for her?

It then struck her: the blood work! Was she taken for the same reason as her mother? Was there something special about them? And were the people who took her the same who took her mother and killed an entire village?

The man likely knew what she was thinking as he quickly started to speak and explain. "Your mother really was unlucky, to be captured by Hydra twice for experimentation, though the first time around she was lucky to get freed."

He then pushed yet another document over to her. This wasn't a picture, thankfully, but rather just some text; Skye quickly started to read through it and was shocked and sickened by what she read.

It was the record of a medical procedure, if one could even call it that; it was all about removing organs, blood, and bone marrow from a subject, all while they were alive and aware. The name of the subject near the end, as they mentioned disposal, made her feel sick, Jiaying, the same name as over her mother's picture.

"yes, as you can see she appeared to have suffered greatly, yet she isn't dead." The man said, shocking her.

"How? How could anyone survive this?" She said, pointing at the report.

"A mix of things really. For one, she had a very good husband, someone who was willing to do anything to save her. Your father managed to create his own super-strength serum. While it does have many side effects, it's impressive nonetheless."

The man smoothly continued. "He, a doctor, fought and killed his way to your mother; what remained of her, he put her together piece by piece."

Skye wasn't sure what to think, the things she was told were shocking, sounding unbelievable. "How did she survive? Even if my father was good, the things they did to her."

"That brings us back to why we brought you here, your mother is an awakened inhuman, and you, carry the inhuman gene inside you." The man explained, yet just left her more confused since she had no idea of what he was talking about.

Skye blinked, trying to process everything. "Inhuman? What are you talking about?"

The man leaned back and appeared helpless. "That's what I would want to know, and we believe you will be key to unlocking that secret. So we will be taking you into our custody and hope you will work for us."

"And if I won't?"

"Oh, Miss Johnson, you will; we have ways to make sure of that." He said with a smile on his face. "Thanks for this talk, I have concluded that you are willing to work, if motivated, you will hear more soon." He said before he left.

Skye—Daisy—felt a rush of disbelief and anger. "Hey! Come back here! I'm not done with you yet!" She yelled, but he didn't come back, instead she was just met with two guards coming in and taking her back to her cell.

[SITE-009]

Alexander was still marveling at the way the world had changed around him the moment he wore the mind protecting earing. It lifted a veil, it was like the wool had been pulled from his eyes.

He realized he had forgotten so many thing. So much had been hidden from him, the world he saw nothing but a lie. His own memories had been but a lie. Yet now he fully remembered it all, every detail.

Alexander went back inside his bunker, he needed to be alone for a moment to think, and only the bunker was safe enough. "Well, one mystery has been cleared now, hasn't it? Oh, Solomon," he whispered, looking at the system panel in front of him. Before he looked down at the ring on his finger.

"Solomon, unleash unto me the next secret of the heavens," he said, his grin a clear sign that he had received the reaction he had expected.

Yes, he was very satisfied with the result of project Aegis Mentis, even if it didn't offer projection against other threats, which it did. Just the fact that it lifted the veil was more then enough to make it well forth the investment and time sunk into it. For the truth, was worth everything.

Solomon's wisdom -156

"Solomon, unleash unto me the next secret of the heavens," he said, his grin a clear sign that he had received the reaction he had expected.

[Ding! Understood Host, please stand by as the random SCP is summoned!]

[Ding! Warning! SCP-2317 has appeared!]

[Ding! Warning! Host a SCP has appeared in the world and is outside Foundation control! Host is asked to deal with the situation and follow the Foundation's goal of Securing, containing, and Protecting!]

[Ding! Congratulations to Host for getting ERROR! ERROR! Reward ERROR!]

[Ding! Warning! Host a SCP has appeared in the world and is outside Foundation control! Host is asked to deal with the situation and follow the Foundation's goal of Securing, containing, and Protecting!]

As the messages popped up one by one, she couldn't help but smile as the secrets of the system were laid bare before him. "Give me my ring!" He commanded the system, knowing why it was suddenly suffering from an error.

[Ding! Congratulations for Host for getting the reward: Ring of death!]

Alexander quickly reached out and grabbed the ring that appeared floating in front of him, he didn't even hesitate as he placed it on his left hand.

After all, this was his ring, and while the name of it might be scary, he knew the ring well, and understood all of its secrets, and knew that he had nothing to fear from it.

Next, he quickly walked up to his console and called an emergency meeting with the O5 council, he knew that what he had learned now was so important that he had to tell them about it.

One by one, some of the many screens switched over to show his fellow Council members.

"Architect, what is it?" O5-2 asked. As the person in charge of security, he was naturally concerned about anything that could prompt someone to call an emergency meeting.

"I can now inform you about my mysterious source of information." Alexander said as she sat down.

"Oh? And what has changed your mind on that subject? You were quite firm on not telling us anything before now." O5-5 asked.

"My mind wasn't changed, it was freed." Alexander said, and his choice of words clearly got the attention of the others.

"What do you mean? Was your mind not free before?" O5-2 asked, suddenly alert.

"Alex switched off the filters, allowing them all to see him clearly. He then pointed to his new earring. "This is the result of project Aegis Mentis. Which I have just sent to all of you, but its something made to further protect my mind, and the moment I wore it, I realized the truth about my secret informant."

O5-4 couldn't help but ask. "So you didn't know before this?"

Alexander nodded. "Indeed, I knew the information was correct, but even I was unaware of where it came from. But now, I know, and so I called all of you because it's important."

Alex paused. "In fact, it's just not about my informant, but I realized something critical about the CK-class event."

"Well, what is it then?" O5-2 asked while sending project Aegis Mentis on to his own men and ordering them to make him one of those mind shields. Clearly, the ones they had in place already might not be good enough.

Alex looked at all of them. Now, free from the veil that clouded his mind before, he remembered so much more about them, about himself, and about their relationships. So many things were clear to him now.

He took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say would no doubt cause chaos. "Solomon's wisdom."

"Impossible!" O5-2 shouted.

"Alexander! Do you know of what you speak!?" O5-3 asked, in shock.

"Are you out of your mind?" O5-4 was no less shocked than the others.

"Have you lost your mind?" O5-5 also shouted as soon as he had said those words. All four of them were shocked and angry that he dared to mention that.

"I know what you all think, but it's the truth." Alexander defended himself.

"The only way for that to be activated is for all of us to work together, and I'm sure I haven't done it and never would do that." O5-5 continued.

"Until a few minutes ago, I thought the same thing, but clearly we did; clearly, we must have made that decision," Alexander argued that he had known this would happen. Honestly, he would have acted like them if any of them had spoken up about this.

"What could possibly had caused us to do something like that? I can't even think of one scenario where I would even consider it." O5-3 said.

"Well, clearly something happened, something too bad that we decided to use it, and in turn, we ended up in this situation here." Alexander said he, too, didn't know the whole truth, but he felt his guess had to be right.

"If what you say is true, then that means that… Solomon's wisdom is somehow connected to you now. Doesn't that mean that if we get rid of you, we get rid of it?" O5-2 said, his tone chilling.

Alexander instantly stood up, activating his many powers to instantly cause his illusionary self to appear before O5-2. "Do not continue that line of thinking, old friend, or I shall remind you while my legacy is still considered great even today." Alexander threatened.

O5-2 wasn't scared, and he too quickly stood up; on his body, the new O5 vibranium nano suit quickly appeared. "If you wish for a rematch, I will gladly show you why I had to be taken down by betrayal!"

The others naturally all so Alexander appearing in front of O5-2 and quickly spoke up, trying to stop the fight. After all, either of them dying would be a massive loss for all.

"No, there is no need for that. We shouldn't be fighting one another. If Solomon is back, we will need all of us to deal with the situation," O5-5 said, trying to defuse the situation.

Alexander snorted and dismissed his illusion, knowing that even if he wanted to fight, he couldn't right now without going to where O5-2 was. And his current strength was still limited. Thanks to the damned system.

"I don't know if he is back or not, just that we must have summoned Solomon's wisdom due to something." Alexander said as he relaxed in his chair again.

"Do you have any clue? Any idea of how we can investigate more about this? Or how we can get rid of him?" O5-3 asked.

"I believe the only way to get rid of it is to make it serve its purpose. Once all of the Foundation and all of the SCPs are back, it should disappear, but it is releasing it slowly, and yes, I have reason to believe it is somehow responsible for either the CK-class event itself or merely responsible for undoing it."

The others grew pensive at Alexander's words. They didn't know much about the CK-class event, and it was something that greatly annoyed them. after all they were used to being in control.

"And this project, Aegis Mentis, can help us as well?" O5-2 asked.

"it helped me, but even I still don't know why we would do something like using Solomon's wisdom, though maybe you will have better results." Was all Alexander could say.

He too, was curious. After all, he had just expected the system to be something from his transmigration, yet now that didn't seem to be the case.

Indeed, he had many questions but few answers. He could only hope that maybe by the time all the SCPs were summoned, he would have learned more.

Even just learning the truth behind the system was already an unexpected find. He now had far greater control over it, since he knew what it was doing. While he would still be forced to summon SCPs he now knew why that was.

Not to mention, it no longer had the ability to punish him. It might never have been able to do that, after all that didn't seem like something they would have made part of it. Then again, Solomon might have been able to slip in a few things on his own, even from the death that man was proving to be a pain.

"Then it seems we have a path forward. We will continue to contain and secure SCP objects, and we will remain on alert of Solomon; he might not have his rings, but he is still not someone to take lightly." O5-5 said after a moment of silence.

"I doubt we have to worry much about him at all, he Foundation today is firmly under our control, he wouldn't be able to do anything. All the current systems and technologies we use were made after his time." O5-3 said, trying to calm both himself and the others.

"My worry is whether or not he can access the SCPs that have not yet been released from the CK-class event." O5-2 said, causing everyone, Alexander included, to worry.

"What the Treasurer said still stands though. He can do much, but not touch the Foundation, its ours, and it will be our shield, though we will have to ensure a few SCP objects reach out hands and soon. Such as SCP-4339." Alexander said, which the others agreed with.

"And is there any way we can make that happened?" o5-4 asked him.

"I can indeed cause Solomon's wisdom to release more SCPs, but I can't control what comes out, just before calling you all I tried it, and made SCP-2317 appear, plus another which it didn't inform me of, likely due to me now being aware of what it is."

Alexander made sure to still hide some things about the system, after all it was still a big unknown, and he preferred to keep some of the information to himself, ensuring that he could make use of it at a later date.

"2317 is dangerous; it would have been better to have it around; then again, we don't know whether or not it could escape while under the veil, so perhaps it's for the best." O5-5 added.

"We still need it found, contained, and monitored. After all, unless we know where it is, we can't try anything should it be break free, it would be better to be able to stop it before it entered our world than after it did." O5-3 added.

"Finding it might be difficult, given it is just a door, but I'm sure if we keep an eye on the internet, we will find it in time." Alexander said, to which the others agreed.

The meeting soon ended there, though Alex had no doubt that the others might talk more with one another in secret, after all Solomon's wisdom wasn't something any of them could take lightly.

But at least he was sure they wouldn't target him; after all, he did have the rings of life and death.

Yes, the rings of nine cats weren't some new mysterious SCP but one of Solomon's ten rings, the ring of life. And its use was far more than just making him resurrect on death. It would also grant eternal youth, which freed him from having to drink from SCP-006.

In fact, as he logged in and read the entry for it, he found it totally different from what he remembered writing. It was also hidden under a ton of protection, making only him able to read it.

Though it hardly mattered, he didn't need a SCP file to tell him about the ring, though it did open the question that others might also have been changed, or other things hidden from him before. Which means he had no choice but to start looking through the database, file by file.

He naturally focused on those he had written up but found nothing different in any of them. "Nothing at all?" He couldn't help but whisper as he kept on trying to find anything that didn't seem right.

"Wait… when did I get this SITE?" He suddenly found something strange, a SITE he didn't remember and one that didn't seem to be doing much communication at all, which was highly suspicious.

Mystery of SITE-166 -157

Alexander quickly started to investigate the mystery surrounding SITE-166. After all, one doesn't just lose a site filled with hundreds of people and then not notice it going missing.

Which meant that it was likely only due to his new earring that he was able to notice it now, which meant some kind of mind-altering effect was in effect surrounding the SITE.

As for how to know if that was true? It was easy, since all he had to do was send a request out to some of his men to ask about this SITE.

They indeed knew nothing about it, claiming that they didn't know there was such a SITE, and that all their searches showed that there wasn't a SITE-166.

He quickly started an investigation, after all he wanted to know what was up with the SITE and why everyone didn't seem to know about it.

[Location redacted, near the so-called 166 point of interest]

A team of Foundation personnel had been given this mission by their SITE director: to check in on a location that was supposed to hold a Foundation SITE that no one had ever heard about before.

It wasn't the first time something like this had happened; entire SITEs had appeared or disappeared in the past.

They had all been briefed on those old situations so they were naturally nervous, since it might be highly dangerous.

Thankfully, they were only required to see if anything was at the location; remote surveillance showed nothing, but that might just be the SITE itself hiding from that using the technology that all SITEs had to help them hide from the world.

Normally, they wouldn't hide from other Foundation surveillance systems, but in some cases, they could. So it was entirely possible something had happened on the SITE and they had turned that on and went fully dark.

As they approached the designated coordinates, the team activated their field equipment, scanning for any anomalies or signs of the SITE's presence. The landscape was eerily quiet, an unremarkable stretch of forest that gave no hint of the hidden complexities it might conceal.

"Team Alpha, commence sweep pattern Delta," the team leader ordered. The agents fanned out, meticulously covering every inch of the area. Scanners beeped and clicked, searching for hidden signals or cloaked structures.

It didn't take long for the first sweep to be over and the result to show up empty. They were at the right place, but they couldn't see anything that hinted at a SITE being hidden here.

"All teams, I want a full layout made of the area, 10 clicks." The team leader ordered, and his men instantly set out to do it.

They moved around in small circles and slowly started to expand them, going further and further out from their starting point. Each team was just three men large, and soon enough, they were wandering around in some massive circles for hours and hours.

Their every step, move, and position was constantly being tracked. The data would be sent back in real time to over a dozen different servers, who would triangulate their positions constantly, ensuring that they were not missing any spots.

All the reports coming back said that they were doing everything right, except just one.

"We go a hit one… never seen this server data before, high ranked… fuck this is some O5 level stuff!" The team leader couldn't help but say loudly as he became aware of how important this mission was if they were sending the data right to someone of the O5 level.

However, it likely meant that they had a proper hit and not just an error. "Alright team, you can come back now, we aren't finding it like this." He recalled his men as he started to look through the mission report.

He quickly spotted what he was looking for: the procedure if something like this happened. He had been given a piece of special equipment to use. He quickly found the locked box. Within it was a small mirror lens.

He held it up to his eyes and looked through it, and his vision went all funny, like some kind of crazy mirror room. However, as he looked towards where the SITE was supposed to be located, he now saw it—but only through the lens.

The team leader's heart raced as he saw the faint outline of SITE-166 through the mirror lens. It was an eerie sight, like a ghostly apparition overlaying the forest. He lowered the lens and the image vanished, confirming the powerful cloaking technology at work.

Or that was at least what he assumed. He wasn't ranked highly enough to know what was going on here. He didn't know what this lens was, or what was being worked on at SITE-166.

"Alright, we got a visual. Now, let's pack up and get out of here." But he didn't have to worry either, for his job was done. Now it was time for some MTF to move in and deal with the rest.

[SITE-009]

Alexander was following the investigation into the mysterious SITE-166 closely. He had even allowed an item from his own collection to be used.

The Mirror lens, which he had received from the system as a reward, allowed him to look into the mirror dimension. It wasn't all that useful, but clearly, it had come in handy here.

This told him that magic was at play, and not any kind of magic, but Marvel magic, and even more specifically, the mystic order. Which meant the ancient one might be involved.

Now the question was, why would someone like her, or just any master for that matter, want with a Foundation SITE, and why hide it away? Clearly, he would need to send in MFT Beta-777: Hecate's spear, which is specialized in magic.

While that would be taken care off by others, He would busy himself with another interesting project, one brought in by none other then Natasha Romanoff, another Shield agent who had met a friendly SCP.

There was only so many that could be, which likely meant that he would soon get another one contained, and maybe even another spy in Shield if this worked out well.

[SITE-014]

Natasha had followed along as the Foundation agents took May to SITE-014, where she would be interrogated. And had attempted to do her best to ensure she was treated well.

Natasha herself had to undergo her own interrogation, having to explain herself and why she had decided to leak Foundation secrets to a non-Foundation person. Everything she had said and done was judged.

She could only hope that they would agree with her decision and give May a fair chance. She really believed that May would be a decent asset to the Foundation and hoped that she would be given the chance to prove it.

As for May, she was quickly learning the truth about the Foundation's legendary interrogations. She was quickly coming to understand why it was all but impossible to hide anything from them. Once they had you, they had all your secrets as well.

She had undergone all the training SHIELD had to offer. Passed it all with flying colors, trained to be able to lie no matter what she was put through. Trained to resist interrogation, nothing was meant to be able to drag secrets out of her.

All that training failed within hours. She wasn't even sure what they did. They didn't torture her, though they had threatened her with it. But clearly it wasn't necessary, not when they could so easily drag her secrets out of her.

May felt utterly exposed, her mind laid bare by the Foundation's interrogation techniques. The realization that they knew everything—her doubts about SHIELD, her fears for Eden, her suspicions about Natasha—left her feeling vulnerable and defeated.

All they had to do was ask her a question and then wait, and before she knew it, she would speak under the oppressive silence their questions were always followed by. She had attempted to lie many times. But even before she was finished they would call her out on it.

She suspected they had drugged her, maybe even used some kind of advanced lie-detecting technology. However, the fact that she couldn't remember getting drugged and could not see any tech made her feel exposed.

She couldn't point to something and blame it for her inability to resist them, and she couldn't push the responsibility off from herself. She just felt weak and vulnerable.

Even though she had pretty much already given away all her secrets, they would still come by like clockwork every three hours to ask her more questions. They would stay for no more than 30 minutes before leaving her for three hours.

Which meant that they didn't let her sleep properly, not that it was something that bothered her, thanks to her training. But it did show that they were very disciplined indeed. And far better at this than SHIELD, who would still use far rougher means.

Hours turned to days as she was kept there. Asked the same questions many times, each time having no choice but to tell the truth. All her plans and contingencies were found out. She had nothing to bargain with, nothing to stop from just getting rid of her or at least her memories.

Thankfully, they hadn't done so far. And she had a pretty good idea of why that might be. For one, they were likely picking up Eden and placing her in containment, and they were likely discussing whether she could be made a spy like Romanoff.

May sat in her cell, the weight of her situation pressing heavily on her. The endless cycle of interrogations had left her mentally exhausted, but she had managed to hold on to one small hope: that she might be given a chance to work with the Foundation, much like Natasha. Despite everything, the idea of contributing to a cause that might actually make a difference was appealing.

One day, the routine changed. Instead of the usual interrogator, a different person entered the room. He was tall, with a sharp gaze and an air of authority that commanded immediate respect.

"Agent May," he began, "I am Dr. Harold. Your interrogation sessions have concluded, and we have come to a decision."

May straightened, her heart pounding. "And what decision is that?"

Dr. Harold studied her for a moment before speaking. "You have shown resilience and a willingness to understand the Foundation's mission. We believe you could be an asset to us, provided you agree to certain conditions."

May nodded slowly. "What conditions?"

Dr. Harold just smiled at her as a shadowy silhouette took shape behind him. A pair of glowing eyes and a glowing mouth shone in the dark.

May instantly knew who that was, it was the Overseer both Fury and Natasha had met. One of the leaders of the entire Foundation. And if Natasha was to be believed, one of the most powerful people in the world, far more so than even the president.

"Nothing too demanding… except your loyalty and devotion to our cause." The overseer's voice rang out, leaving a soft, barely audible echo in the room. Making him seem extra otherworldly.

[SITE-019]

As the only rank 5 containment SITE of the Foundation, it was often SITE-019 who took in many SCP objects, both the more dangerous ones and those who couldn't cause much harm to anyone, including many humanoid objects that were cooperative.

Objects such as SCP-053 were kept here. The young girl was loved and pitied by the personnel, and she was given plenty of toys and treats as she requested.

The many instances of SCP-204-1 and -2 were also kept here. However, they were a bigger handful to contain since they were rowdy and often got into fights.

SCP-2430, Hitler's immortal clone, was also kept here. He wasn't the most popular guy, but he was treated coldly, not cruelly, and given that higher-ups had use for him, he was given better treatment than he was used to.

This SITE was also busy finishing the last finishing touches on the containment cell for SCP-166. Her containment had many requirements, and they were quickly being met while the poor girl was being transported, which in itself was a massive undertaking.

Cars didn't last long around her. Many of the very delicate parts would give out rather quickly. And she herself would get sick if exposed to all the pollution one was unknowingly exposed to while doing something so simple as riding a car.

So, it was a massive undertaking to ensure that she was moved without a problem and with as much comfort as possible.

Truth of SITE-166 -158

[Incident Report: SITE-166

Date: [REDACTED]

Location: SITE-166

Report Filed By: Captain Elena Ross, MTF Beta-777: Hecate's Spear

Objective: Investigate and secure SITE-166, which was previously unaccounted for and suspected to be under the influence of an anomalous effect.

Team Members:

- Captain Elena Ross (Team Leader)

- Dr. Marcus Thorne (Arcane Specialist)

- Sgt. Alan "Hawkeye" Parker (Marksman)

- Lt. Julia Nguyen (Technician)

- Pvt. Emma Wilson (Communications)

Initial Entry:

Upon arrival at SITE-166's designated coordinates, the team utilized the provided mirror lens to penetrate the cloaking field surrounding the SITE. The lens achieved visual confirmation of SITE-166, revealing a previously hidden structure.

Observations and Findings:

1. External Perimeter:

- The SITE was heavily fortified with advanced magical wards that prevented immediate entry.

- Scans indicated that the wards were of an unknown origin, suggesting an external party had cast them to imprison whatever was inside.

2. Attempted Breach:

- Lt. Julia Nguyen and Dr. Marcus Thorne attempted to analyze and dismantle the wards but found them too complex and interwoven with powerful magical energy to safely disarm.

- Any attempt to force entry could result in catastrophic consequences, both for the team and the surrounding environment.

3. Anomalous Presence Detected:

- Significant fluctuations in ambient magical energy levels around the perimeter.

- High probability of SCP-1765 (The Sisters) being present within the SITE based on energy signatures and prior knowledge of their containment anomalies.

Discovery of SCP-1765:

Further investigation and remote sensing confirmed that SCP-1765 (The Sisters) had taken control of SITE-166. SCP-1765 is known for its ability to manipulate and dominate environments, creating chaotic and unstable conditions.

Containment Efforts:

Given the extreme danger posed by SCP-1765 and the impenetrable wards, the team opted not to enter the SITE. Instead, containment measures focused on reinforcing the existing magical wards to ensure SCP-1765 remained imprisoned.

Resolution:

To prevent further escalation and potential breach of SITE-166, the strategic decision was made to not attempt to force SITE-166 out of the mirror dimension and instead create another outer perimeter around the SITE, which will be named as SITE-166, which is now in charge of the task of containing SCP-1765.

Post-Incident Actions:

1. Debriefing:

- All team members underwent a thorough debriefing and psychological evaluation.

- Detailed analysis of SCP-1765's actions and adaptations within SITE-166.

2. Recommendations:

- Continuous monitoring of the mirror dimension to ensure SCP-1765 remains contained.

- Further research into enhancing containment measures for entities with reality-bending capabilities.

3. Conclusion:

- SITE-166 has been effectively neutralized as a threat in our dimension.

- SCP-1765's influence contained within the mirror dimension, preventing any immediate danger to the Foundation and the public.

Report Approved By:

- Captain Elena Ross, MTF Beta-777: Hecate's Spear

- Alexandra Ricci, Director of SITE-009

Attachments:

- Visual documentation of SITE-166 pre and post-containment.

- Arcane analysis reports by Dr. Marcus Thorne.

- Psychological evaluation summaries of MTF Beta-777 members.

End of Report]

As soon as Alexander signed the report, he was granted a powerful Keter class reward. For all the effort of using the mighty pen, or rather checking a few boxes on a computer.

It was highly likely that the ancient one had done the real work. She had likely learned about the sisters and decided to get rid of them. Sealing them inside the mirror dimension was also an easy way to do that.

While in there, they couldn't really do anything. Their powers to manipulate reality would be pointless in a place where reality wasn't even real.

As for how they had forgotten about it, well her being able to make the world forget about something wasn't anything hard for someone like her. And if no one knew there was a SITE-166, there wouldn't be anyone looking, and no risk of them getting let out.

This was, without a doubt, one of the major benefits caused by the merging between SCP universe and Marvel. The ability to have others do your work for you.

"Let's hope that she can keep doing stuff like this up until her death; plenty of SCPs that would be hard to deal with for the Foundation but easy for her." He whispered to himself as he went over a list of that in his mind.

The world of Marvel was complex and had great hidden depths. While many might just look and see Ironman and Hulk, there was so much more that wasn't seen.

Hidden away in the dark shadows were far more than just Hydra and Wakanda. Many forces were hiding deeply, not daring to show themselves, and forced to give up their ambitions of ruling the world due to the ancient one keeping the peace.

Long ago, many of the nobles ruling over the lands hid a dark secret: they were all immortal vampires. They ruled over the world of man, treating normal humans as their lesser, doing as they wanted, and got away with it.

Then, the ancient one rose to power, far eclipsing the sorcerer supreme before her. Not only able to defend the earth from extra-dimensional threats but also clean up the world itself.

She had rewritten the rules and single-handedly ended the rule of dark forces that had controlled the world for many, many years. Even the great Khan and his empire was stopped by her. While he and his ten rings weren't easy to deal with, he had been forced to retreat.

Made to seek ways to increase his own power, and the ancient one, though she wasn't yet known as such, had allowed it. For she knew that he wouldn't gain the power he sought and would instead settle down.

With the Time Stone around her neck, she was able to find the best path forward. Dealing harshly with those she had to and gently with others. However, the entire mystic side of the world knew that the sorcerer supreme was not to be taken lightly.

Having cleaned up every threat on the earth, she could fully turn her attention off to those who wished to invade Earth from outside. The lords of hell were someone she often fought against. And had, over time, beaten back.

Under her reign, Earth enjoyed peace and prosperity that could never have happened without her. Far too many wanted to see humans remain stupid and weak, yet now even those same hidden creatures had to fear man's weapons.

The very men and women who once could be nothing but prey before the creatures of the night had now been able to turn into the hunters.

Over the centuries, many groups and orders have risen to eradicate the remaining monsters off the face of the world. Countless vampires and werebeasts had found themselves dying at the hands of these hunters.

Whenever these forces had been pushed too far and rose to flip the situation back in their favor, they were stopped by the ancient one and taught a lesson. She had seen it all happen, and knew when she had to act, and when she didn't.

It had been like this for many years, Earth had been safe, it had been predictable. She knew everything that would happen up until the moment of her death. She shouldn't have been surprised by anything, yet time and time again, she was starting to find herself surprised.

First there was the massive sea creature sleeping stuck under the South American continent. Something neither she nor anyone else had been able to find anything about.

Even the time stone hadn't been able to reveal the truth. Peering into the past just showed it appearing suddenly. Even going back millions of years didn't show it, so either it was hidden so far back that she just hadn't seen the moment it was last visible. Or there was something more at play here.

Though that was far from the only thing that had happened, even though it was clearly one of the biggest, another mystery was that island and sunken city that appeared. She had personally been over to investigate. And noticed a strong magic covering everything.

She had been careful, using the time stone to watch a group of people investigate the island, and hand allowed her to learn many things about it. Firstly, she figured out that the magic was a curse, and what the effect what, death.

She also realized that it seemed that some people had some knowledge about the island. She had skipped over that at first, focused on the only person living on the island. She, too, was cursed; in fact, many curses were stacked on top of her.

She struggled to use the time stone around the island. She wasn't sure if it was because of divine magic or something else, but she had to work really hard to see what had happened.

Even then, she still couldn't see how the island disappeared and reappeared, but she did see the end of the civilization that once lived there. Something that just proved to her once again that humans were better without gods.

Still, given how much she had to struggle to learn about the past of this place, she was made more curious about the people who seemed to know about things even she knew nothing about.

This was how she learned about the SCP Foundation.

She began to dig deeper into the Foundation's operations, realizing that it was a vast organization dedicated to containing and studying anomalies, many of which were beyond her initial understanding. The Foundation's secrecy and the sheer scale of its operations intrigued her, particularly how they managed to keep such a low profile while dealing with entities of immense power.

It wasn't easy to dig into their secrets. Most people didn't know all that much, and she was nowhere near good enough with modern tech to penetrate their security systems.

So once more, she used the Time stone. Waiting for someone to log in, she froze their time and started to browse around. She was able to find a few Foundation facilities and went to further investigate.

The more she learned, the more impressive she got, to think a group of people without magic or any superpowers could achieve so much. The cleverness of people really never stopped amazing her.

Still, she was left with a few big questions, like how all these things could have happened without her knowing about them. many of the things she found reports about would have been impossible to not have drawn her attention.

She eventually found a possible answer, though it was a chilling one. Apparently, the Foundation was aware that something they referred to as a CK-class event had happened. Which, according to them, was a large, global-scale event that changed reality itself.

The concept of a CK-class event fascinated and disturbed the Ancient One. A reality-altering event of such magnitude could explain why she had been unaware of many of the anomalies and incidents recorded by the Foundation. It suggested that the very fabric of reality had been altered, and memories of the original timeline had been either erased or altered.

Something that could do that to someone like her, who possessed the time stone, was rare and powerful; perhaps only another infinity stone could do that. Still, she desired to learn more about both this event and the Foundation.

However, she quickly found a problem: the leadership. She had been able to find a few SITE directors and get information from them. but not a single person knew anything about anyone higher ranked than themselves.

She had only been able to learn about their leadership structure but had gotten few clues as to how she could find them. The only clue was a name, Alexander Ricci, who spoke on behalf of the O5 council, but he had died not long ago, and no one knew who would replace him yet.

The idea that the Foundation was important in some way was only reinforced when she felt something happen at one of the sites she had visited; a huge spike in magical energies had happened.

She went to revisit the place to find out what had happened, only to find the entire place inside a bobble of warped reality. As she entered the bobble, she was attacked by a woman who could use chaos magic; she was thankfully able to easily defend herself and deal with them. but she realized that killing them would be difficult.

In the end she sealed the entire place away inside the mirror dimension since she had learned that they were next to powerless within it. She went and added more seals, hopefully getting rid of those three for good.

However, it did create a problem; she was trying to hide her actions from the Foundation, wanting to learn more about them and have their attention on her.

But she did realize that there was no way they wouldn't investigate the disappearance of their facility. So, to avoid them messing with the seals, she wiped the memory of the entire world of its existence.

The spell was old but useful; in fact, she herself had modified it even to get rid of what was erased from most forms of recording. Including most books, maps, and even computers.

Those hidden in the dark ~159

The ancient one was still looking for more news about the Foundation, and often, she tried to learn more about these SCP objects, hoping to learn more about these new possible threats before they appeared.

After all, clearly, she wasn't able to use the time stone, which meant that her usual method of finding information about situations requiring her attention didn't work.

While the ancient one was out looking for the changes in the world, other forces, too, were starting to take notice of things happening. For while normal people were easily fooled, those creatures of the night weren't blind.

Those who lived in the dark knew something was going on; they just didn't all know what it was. Slowly, some of them were starting to find out the truth, or at least parts of it.

[castle of darkspawn coven]

Within a deep, dark chamber, a group of people had gathered, each with a long history and a dark and dreadful legacy. They weren't the type of people to meet in person like this; many had been lifelong rivals. Yet, for this, they had gathered all the same.

"There has been a rather large undercurrent recently. It's becoming almost impossible to ignore." One of the dark figures said, his voice smooth and youthful.

"That is an understatement if I ever heard one, it's like calling the sorcerer supreme a small snag in our plans." Another voice came back, dripping with sarcasm.

"Boys, don't go fighting now; we are here to discuss these recent events, not listening to your bickering." A seductive female voice rang out from one of the shadows.

"Speaking of that bitch of a sorcerer, are we sure she is not behind this?" A childlike voice asked.

"No, this is something or someone else. It's not her way of doing things at all" The smooth voice answered.

"Who but her could have done it then? This is the first time in a long while an entire coven has been taken out, even if it was just that blood drowned." And an aged voice sounded.

Indeed, the news that had caused the leaders of multiple vampire covens to gather together was the destruction of another one. This didn't happen that often; after all, vampires were far superior to humans, and unless something truly major happened, it would be hard to face an entire one.

And even then, vampires weren't fools, if they thought they might be in danger, they would flee, which meant that whatever killed the entire coven this time must indeed be rather dangerous or powerful.

"It's hardly the only thing of note; there is also that mysterious island, something like that doesn't happen every day." The female voice said.

"Indeed, many things are happening, and we have to figure out what so we don't end up like the blood drowned." The childlike person said.

The way they talked about the now-gone coven was filled with scorn and mockery. After all the blood drowned, they were down on their luck, having been kicked out of the castles and forced to live hidden away in caves like some strays.

And all by some pathetic humans who fancy themselves as a league of monster hunters. Yet it didn't change the fact that they were all gone now. Something that couldn't be ignored, more so since they didn't know the how, the why, or the who.

"I hear whispers of many things happening in the underworld these days. Even that so-called vampire Ricci ended up dead not long ago. Things are changing, and we need to figure out why." The old voice said.

The room grew quiet after that. Everyone was deep in thought, for indeed, he wasn't wrong. As someone who were all forced to live in the shadows, they were sensitive to what happened. And a lot was happening very quickly.

While they all knew that Ricci was no vampire, they all knew he wasn't someone to be taken lightly, having been alive for far longer than most would accept; he was a mystery, but no less powerful.

Many a foolish vampire had tried to take control of his crime empire and had paid the price for it. He wasn't to be taken lightly, and even they had to merely do business with him. Yet for someone like that to die, clearly things were happening.

Then, there was other waves being made, mysterious forces hunting down every stray with frightening efficiency. Then there was that auction; they didn't know about M,C, or D before, but they hadn't just been invited to the event; some were even invited on for work.

The items shown last time were amazing, and the final item, in particular, was something even these people had desired, but in the end, much of their wealth was spent on hard-to-liquidate assets, while the new Ricci girl clearly had no problem using her dead relatives' money.

But the fact that such things and groups were popping up without them knowing about it was a cause of concern. Something they would have to take serious, which is why they had gathered here today.

"We need to gather more intelligence," the smooth-voiced vampire finally said. "We must understand who or what is behind these changes and prepare to defend our interests."

"I agree," the female voice responded. "We need to stay ahead of whatever is coming. If we remain ignorant, we risk sharing the fate of the Blood Drowned."

The leaders nodded in agreement, their ancient rivalries set aside for now. The survival of their kind depended on uncovering the truth behind these new threats and adapting to the rapidly changing world around them.

"I do know something, at least about the island." The old man spoke up.

The others quickly focused their attention on him, waiting for him to share what he had learned.

"One of my informants, a rather resourceful warlock, mentioned that the island is linked to ancient curses and powerful entities. The kind of magic that binds it is old, very old. It predates even the Sorcerer Supreme's guardianship," he continued, his voice grave and steady.

That definitely did surprise the others, just as much as it intrigued them. "That does sound worthy of further investigation, something I'm sure you have done." The woman's voice sounded.

The old man was heard sighing. "I have tried, but the humans are taking no chances, its impossible to reach the island or the ruins surrounding it. Everyone I sent have been killed, and my human servants are useless."

The room fell into a tense silence as they absorbed this information. The stakes were higher than they had anticipated, and the danger was very real.

"We need a new approach," the smooth-voiced vampire said. "If we can't reach the island directly, we must find another way to uncover its secrets. Perhaps through alliances or subterfuge."

The childlike voice chimed in, "We should consider using intermediaries. There are many who would do our bidding for the right price or incentive."

"Agreed," the old man replied. "We must tread carefully. If the humans are guarding this place so fiercely, there must be something truly valuable or dangerous there."

The seductive female voice added, "I have contacts within the human world. I will see what information I can gather discreetly. We need to know what we're dealing with before we make our move."

The leaders of the covens nodded in agreement. They had a plan, and each of them would play their part. The shadows were shifting, and they had to be ready to adapt.

[The Adirondack Mountains]

Far from the dark secret halls of vampire-infected castles in the American outback, two friends made their way through thick woods. The place was a great hunting ground for what they were after.

Dale and Danny had met online, sharing the same passion for rumours and legends. They started out just talking about it, looking over other people's evidence, cursing at the fools who didn't believe.

Eventually, they had learned that they didn't live far from one another, and this trip had been in the planning stages ever since.

It had been a long drive down here. Not to mention, it had taken far, far longer to convince the wife to let them spend the weekend so far away. But here they finally were, out in ground zero, ready to snag some proof they could use to finally convince the rest of the world.

The Adirondack Mountains had long been a hotspot for mysterious sightings and cryptid legends, making it the perfect location for their expedition. Armed with cameras, audio recorders, and enough camping gear to last them a week, Dale and Danny trudged through the dense forest, their excitement barely contained.

"This is it, Danny," Dale said, adjusting his backpack. "This is where we'll find the proof. Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, whatever's out here—we're gonna get it on tape."

Danny grinned, his camera already recording the path ahead. "I've got a good feeling about this, Dale. We've got the equipment, the expertise, and the determination. This is gonna be legendary."

They trekked deeper into the woods, their eyes scanning for any signs of unusual activity. Hours passed, and the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the trees. As they set up camp, the forest grew eerily silent, the usual sounds of wildlife replaced by an unsettling stillness.

"Something feels off," Danny muttered, glancing around nervously.

Dale nodded, his senses heightened. "Yeah, it's too quiet. But that just means we're close. Keep your eyes peeled."

As night fell, they huddled around a small campfire, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows on the surrounding trees. They shared stories of past expeditions and the legends that had brought them here, their excitement mingling with a growing sense of unease.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the darkness beyond their campfire. Both men froze, their eyes locked on the source of the noise. Slowly, Dale reached for his flashlight, his hand trembling slightly as he turned it on and directed the beam into the trees.

The light revealed nothing but dense foliage, but the rustling continued, growing louder and more frantic. Danny raised his camera, capturing the moment as they both stood, their breath held in anticipation.

"Hello?" Dale called out, his voice wavering. "Is someone there?"

The rustling stopped abruptly, replaced by an oppressive silence. Then, without warning, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was humanoid, but its proportions were all wrong—too tall, too thin, its limbs elongated and twisted. Its eyes glowed an eerie red in the flashlight's beam.

Danny's camera captured every detail as the creature stepped closer, its movements jerky and unnatural. "Dale, what is that?" he whispered, fear creeping into his voice.

Then, Danny heard a loud thump beside him, something heavy hitting the floor. He looked over, gasping in shock, Dale was there, on the ground, not moving at all. Danny looked up, not using the camera at all, and saw the creature that came out of the woods. Then, he and the camera fell to the ground.

The camera was still recording, capturing two huge fur-covered humanoid creatures walking out from between the tree line. Looking down at the two dead humans. "Even here we aren't safe, no place is." One of them spoke.

"They will never let us go. We have to take the fight to them. They are weak and easy to kill. If only we leave the forest, the planet will be ours again." The other one said. It was male and shorter, younger than the first.

"Don't be stupid, they are dangerous; if they find us, they will kill us all; even if they can't see us, they will burn the forests and level the mountains; we can't face them, not yet." The first said as he reached down and picked up the camera.

"I don't like this, waiting, hiding, this was our work, and they are destroying it while we hide and live like animal." The younger one angrily spat.

"We must be patient, for they, they are ruthless." He said as he figured out how the human tech worked in moments and turned off the recording.

Skye's new job -160

[SCP-12555]

Skye had been left alone in her cell for a few days after learning the truth about her parents. She had been given plenty of time to think. She had been looking for them, trying to find them for years.

She had always been scared about what she might find, did they know about her? Were they even alive? What would happen if she found them? would they dislike her?

And now she had most of the answers, they were alive, and they were looking for her. Yet she now feared she would likely never get a chance to meet them, not since she was held captured here.

She realized that if she didn't do as these people wanted, she was likely to rot in this cell forever if not something worse. So, the next time they came by, she told them that she was ready to cooperate.

She was then taken out of her cell and moved into another, bigger cell which she shared with others. Well calling it a cell might be a little rude, for while she was still trapped here, she still had her own bedroom and what looked like a living room where she could spend time with the others.

If not for the fact that they were all wearing those dreadful prison jumpsuits, she could easily mistake this for some dorm.

The first person she met in her new cell was a rather big black guy, though he was friendly enough.

"Hey there, I'm Jason, welcome to the team."

"I'm Skye." She introduced herself, still not ready to use her real name.

"So you are our special person, eh? You look pretty normal to me, really." He said as he looked her over.

"Special person?" She couldn't help but ask, even if the agent had talked about some special gene or whatever, she wasn't sure she bought all that.

"Don't know a whole lot, eh? I guess they are planning on briefing you later, though no worries. We can tell you what you need to know to not… die too quickly down there," Jason said, trying to be friendly but rather failing.

Next, she was introduced to the rest of the team; Jason was the leader. Jim, another young guy, was with him. Candy was a big tough girl, who clearly wasn't shy about smacking some heads together.

Guy was covered head to toe in tattoos and was the team sketcher. Finally, there was Eric, who didn't say much at all and creeped her the fuck out with the way he looked at her. Even if all the others said, he was harmless.

She also learned what she would be doing. Apparently, there was some massive underground city that they would be exploring. For some reason, tech didn't work down there, so everything had to be done by hand.

Which was a big enough task without the dangers that lurked down there. Apparently, just touching the stone with your bare skin could turn you into some kind of zombie.

Which only some rare and special people would avoid, someone like her. Due to many other teams being careless when they dug out collapsed hallways, plenty of these zombies were walking around. And with tech not working, they were dangerous.

This is why each team working down there was given a special person since they could apparently order the zombies around so they could work in peace.

Their task was simple enough: map out the entire place and dig through collapsed halls, which risked flooding, to find new areas to map and explore.

…

The following day, Skye and her new team were escorted through a series of heavy-duty blast doors and into an elevator that descended deep into the earth. The air grew cooler and more humid as they went down, and the walls of the shaft turned from concrete to ancient stone.

While everything had been pretty damn high-tech until now, the elevator was a far cry from everything else, little more than a wooden box with some rope and an engine up top. Everything meant to move down was primitive.

As she looked around the so-called ancient alien city, she couldn't help but be rather disappointed. Everything was covered up, and wood and plastic covered every inch of the place. Chemical lights gave the area a creepy feeling.

Something that wasn't helped by the collars around their neck. Apparently, these freaks that had captured her strapped everyone with fucking bomb collars. And since this city stopped them from working, they instead used some unstable chemical ones.

Jason turned to Skye, his expression serious. "Alright, Skye. This is where you come in. You've got the gene that lets you control these zombies. We'll be relying on you to keep them off our backs while we work."

Skye nodded, trying to keep her fear in check. "I'll do my best."

The team moved forward, and Skye could feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on her. Though at the same time, she couldn't help but be disappointed with his whole effort, she had honestly expected something like that from Tomb Raiders.

Instead, she got this boring wooden maze to work through. At least there was zombies, though they didn't look like dead people at all.

If anything, they looked like their group, people in bright orange jumpsuits limping through the halls. Though their eyes were a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

She had been nervous the first time a few stumbled their way, but under the urging from the others, she had just told them to stop. And those zombie-like people had frozen.

After that, it really was boring work. She couldn't help but wonder if they would be doing something more interesting soon. The others mentioned their last specific person who went mad with power.

He had tried to gather an army of zombies or SCP-1255-1 entities. He had attacked other teams and turned them into more of his servants. They had only survived by fleeing the moment he started going crazy.

In the end, his plans to use the zombies to get his freedom failed; the collar around his neck ended his life like it would everyone if they didn't get them removed in time. Something that meant that getting lost down here was a bad idea.

It was dangerous work and it didn't even pay anything. She couldn't help but grumble and cruse, which at least helped her get along better with the others since they all shared the fact that they hated their captures.

Not that Skye would ever consider these as good people, they had all done things before that had landed them in prison or should have and just landed them here instead. While she was a hacker and broke the law a lot, at least she didn't have blood on her hands.

[SITE-019]

Within the fortified halls of Site-19, there was a standard humanoid containment cell containing SCP-049, the infamous plague doctor. It was a relatively safe object to contain, merely having a Euclid rating. SCP-049 was generally cooperative enough as long as his demands were met, which were thankfully nothing more extreme than a few animal carcasses. However, there was no doubt that his recent little wandering into a high-security Site hadn't jeopardized this little luxury of his.

Everyone wished to know how he accomplished it, as he shouldn't have any abilities to allow him to teleport or go around unnoticed. After all, this was the 21st century. It had been a long time since people dressed as plague doctors hadn't been considered conspicuous as they moved around. So far, he had refused to elaborate on his methods, which had apparently been enough to push someone important to ask the questions in person.

It is not normally something that was allowed, and people with security clearance rank 4 were not allowed to interact with SCP objects, much less a dangerous humanoid one. However, rules are dead and people are alive, at least until they have been touched by SCP-049.

A small army of security personnel had arrived from off-site to ensure that everything was handled appropriately. The staff of Site-19 didn't know who was coming to visit since the entire section of the site they would be moving through was sealed off temporarily to ensure their secrecy and safety.

The SCP object itself was moved out of its containment cell into an interview chamber, something it agreed to easily enough. The interview chamber had been filled with lavenders, both fresh and distilled essence filling the air. The aroma of lavender was overpowering, to the point that many of the security personnel had opted to use masks. However, it was well known that the scent of lavender calmed the entity, and as such, no amount of the smell was spared.

"The ETA for the principal's arrival is 5 minutes," one of the security personnel said as the rest of them rushed to ensure that everything was perfect and that they could properly protect them.

It was, however, nothing but a sham. There would be no real danger, as they all knew that the man they were tasked with protecting, Putin, was actually here in person; they were merely here for appearances' sake.

The last few minutes passed quickly, and out of the empty space appeared a dark silhouette. Even though the room was well-lit, the darkness of that person's suit just seemed to absorb the light around it, casting them in a perpetual shadow.

"Greetings, doctor. I have been looking forward to meeting you," O5-1, Alexander Ricci, said as he projected himself into the room.

The plague doctor paused and looked at him curiously as if confused about something. "What are you?" the SCP object finally asked.

The question did not come as a surprise, as Alexander was well aware that the object could see more than most people could. The full extent of his ability was not well understood, but he could see something in people that concerned life and death.

It was curious how it would respond to seeing him in person, given that he wielded Solomon's two rings of life and death, which granted him enormous power over those two concepts. But at least while in this state, the entity knew that something was not right since it clearly couldn't see or judge whether he was infected by whatever plague it had taken upon itself to cure.

"I am merely a projection of myself, so I'm afraid I couldn't be here in person. I am a rather busy man, so I'm sure you understand. You yourself are doing important work," Alexander explained and then deflected.

"Yes, yes, my work is very important, and I understand that yours is too, which is why I agreed to this meeting. I am hoping that you can allow me to better continue my research. It's quite important, I'm sure you understand."

Alexander had also expected that, as he knew that the entity had not been given any carcasses recently since it had refused to reveal how it appeared within Site-009.

"You help me, I will help you. I simply wish to know how you appeared in that gathering of doctors," Alexander made a vague promise before asking the questions he so desired answered.

"Well, you were gathering the best of the best, so I figured I might as well show up myself and offer my services, though clearly you did not desire such," the entity explained while answering nothing.

"The procedure that was carried out there had little to do with pathogens and disease, so it was not quite your area of expertise. I am curious as to how you ended up there after all, you weren't invited," Alexander continued to press while making sure to offer up some empty flattery.

However, no matter how he continued to ask the question, no matter what empty promises he offered, SCP-049 remained silent on the matter, constantly deflecting away. It was infuriating and unexpected since so far there had been few records of the entity refusing to speak up, at least about anything not directly linked to his work, and even then, the entity always mentioned that it was connected to his work in some way.

So what could possibly be the reason for this unexpected secrecy? Did the entity possess the ability to teleport and had just kept it secret so far? It was unlikely but a possibility. Though since it had not used this ability to leave containment even during rough patches where its demands weren't met, perhaps it needed some kind of catalyst, some kind of gathering of elite doctors? While strange, it would hardly be out of place in the world of SCP objects and their random abilities and attributes.

In the end, Alexander just had to conclude that he couldn't get a straight answer and ended the interview, though he still planned to figure out that answer. He clearly needed a different approach; perhaps he lacked some SCP object that would get the doctor to speak.

The Doctor is busy -161

Deep within the labyrinthine corridors of Dr. Wondertainment's secret workshop, an air of eager anticipation filled the space. The Doctor, a figure known for their whimsical yet ingenious creations, stood before a recently acquired anomaly: SCP-PL-027.

Doctor Wondertainment was no stranger to humanoid puppets. After all, they had created the Little Misters series and many other such toys over the years. However, this particular puppet was not one of their designs.

Yet it was still a curious thing, worthy of a bit of research. It was relatively human-looking but a bit stiff in its movements. It was clearly not meant to move around much. No, the intended purpose of this particular puppet was to hold a conversation.

Again, nothing groundbreaking compared to the Little Misters series, but it was remarkably well-informed about most topics. Ask this particular puppet almost anything and have a good long conversation; it was an excellent storyteller.

Doctor Wondertainment could definitely see this being used to entertain crowds of young, impressionable children. So, while it wasn't their groundbreaking creation in terms of creativity, it was still rather impressive for someone else.

It was always a joy finding others who also understood the joy of creation and spreading wonder. Yes, examining and playing around with this puppet had really caused the good doctor to become filled with inspiration.

And what better way to use this inspiration than to create something grand and wondrous. And so the good doctor was already tirelessly working on their next project, a very fun little puzzle toy. After all, having talked with this puppet who could give answers, the doctor couldn't help but think in a different direction, a puzzle with almost no solutions and yet countless solutions.

A puzzle that could really activate the brains of those young, wandering children. They would be playing with it, something to challenge them to seek help from their peers and to gather around to solve a common task.

Doctor Wondertainment took inspiration from the puppet's ability to adapt and change itself to fit its audience and the topic of discussion. They created this new puzzle, a puzzle that would change depending not just on the solution but also on what was desired next.

The doctor envisioned an infinite puzzle that would simply change into another if it was solved. It would take from the puppet's design the idea to change itself to fit the desire of the user, making it harder or easier, the same kind of puzzle or something vastly different.

An infinite amount of joy and an infinite amount of challenge all in a single little toy. It was naturally an ingenious piece of work, which was only expected from the great Doctor Wondertainment.

To make it even easier to ensure that everyone could play this game, it was made so that one merely needed to have the solution or the idea of what the solution would be, and if they were correct enough, they could still solve the puzzle and move on to the next one. After all, it would hardly be entertaining if one could get stuck on the same puzzle in what was supposed to be an infinite series of puzzles.

As Dr. Wondertainment's work progressed, the initial concept of the infinite puzzle evolved into something even more extraordinary: SCP-026-CS. This SCP would not only challenge the intellect but also adapt to the emotions and desires of its user. Each puzzle was designed to resonate with the individual's thoughts, creating a deeply personal and engaging experience.

The first prototype was a small, unassuming box with intricate carvings and a series of dials and switches. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple puzzle box. However, upon interacting with it, the user would find themselves immersed in a series of increasingly complex challenges, each one uniquely tailored to their abilities and interests.

With SCP-PL-027's capabilities, Dr. Wondertainment infused SCP-026-CS with a touch of the anomalous. The puzzle could now reshape itself at a molecular level, creating new components and challenges on the fly. It was a marvel of both engineering and creativity.

After rigorous testing and countless iterations, the Doctor was finally satisfied with their creation. It was time to release SCP-026-CS into the world. They carefully packaged the first batch of puzzle boxes, each one ready to bring wonder and curiosity to those who discovered them.

In the bustling city of New York, Emma Collins was a young woman with an insatiable curiosity. An avid reader and puzzle enthusiast, she often spent her weekends exploring the city's many libraries and parks. On this particular Saturday, Emma found herself wandering through Central Park, enjoying the warm, sunny weather.

As she strolled along the winding paths, her eyes caught sight of something unusual nestled among the bushes near a quiet bench. Intrigued, she approached and discovered a small, intricately carved box. It seemed out of place in the park, its polished wood gleaming in the sunlight.

Emma picked up the box and examined it closely. It was unlike any puzzle she had ever seen. The carvings were detailed and beautiful, depicting scenes of fantastical creatures and whimsical landscapes. There were dials and switches on the sides, each one inviting her to interact.

Unable to resist the allure of the mysterious object, Emma sat down on the bench and began to tinker with the box. She turned a dial, and a soft click echoed from within. A small panel slid open, revealing a compartment with a new set of challenges inside.

With a smile, Emma delved deeper into the puzzle. Each twist and turn brought a new surprise, a new challenge that seemed to adapt to her thoughts and desires. As she solved one puzzle, another would emerge, each more complex and fascinating than the last.

Hours passed, and Emma was completely engrossed. She felt a strange connection to the box, as if it understood her on a fundamental level. The puzzles weren't just tests of logic; they were journeys of discovery, each one revealing a little more about herself and the world around her.

At one point, the box emitted a soft glow, and a tiny mechanical bird emerged from one of the compartments. It chirped melodiously, flapping its delicate wings before perching on Emma's finger. She laughed in delight, marveling at the tiny creation.

"This is incredible," she whispered to herself, captivated by the wonder of the puzzle box. She had never experienced anything like it. It was as if the box was alive, constantly reshaping itself to present new and exciting challenges.

As the sun began to set, Emma reluctantly decided it was time to head home. She carefully placed the mechanical bird back inside the box, and it folded itself neatly into the compartment. The box seemed to hum with satisfaction, as if pleased with her progress.

Emma stood up, holding the box close to her chest. She couldn't wait to explore its mysteries further. As she walked through the park, she couldn't help but wonder who had created such a marvelous object. Little did she know that she had stumbled upon one of Dr. Wondertainment's most ingenious creations: SCP-026-CS.

In a hidden workshop far from the prying eyes of the world, Dr. Wondertainment observed the field reports streaming in from various locations. They smiled with satisfaction as they watched footage of people interacting with SCP-026-CS, their faces lighting up with joy and amazement.

The Doctor's monitors displayed live feeds from hidden cameras placed within the puzzle boxes, allowing them to see every moment of wonder their creations brought into the world. The sight of Emma Collins engrossed in the puzzles, her laughter filling the air as the mechanical bird chirped, brought a sense of fulfillment to Dr. Wondertainment.

"Another success," the Doctor murmured to themselves, already brainstorming ideas for their next creation. "The world is a better place with a bit more wonder in it."

As they turned their attention back to the workbench, Dr. Wondertainment couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride. They were not just a creator of toys and puzzles; they were a bringer of joy, a weaver of dreams, and the world was their canvas.

And so, with renewed inspiration, Dr. Wondertainment continued to craft wonders, ever watchful and ever delighted by the impact of their ingenious creations.

In the quiet town of Millfield, Sarah Thompson was an avid collector of antique dolls and puppets. Her small shop, "Sarah's Dollhouse," was known for its extensive and unique collection. On a crisp autumn morning, Sarah received an anonymous package with no return address. Intrigued, she carefully unwrapped it to reveal an unusual puppet, one she had never seen before.

The puppet was remarkably lifelike, standing at an impressive 180 centimeters, with delicate, human-like features and fine clothing. It was an impressive find, and one she had just found outside her store at that. Given its remarkable make, she was sure it was an expensive piece, which she had apparently been given for free.

Given the puppet's size, it was challenging for Sarah to move it alone. She struggled to prop it up against a wall, but eventually decided to place it on a sturdy chair in her shop's back room. As soon as she had placed it down, it seemed to come alive. Causing her to jump back slightly as it suddenly moved.

"Hello," the puppet said in a warm, articulate voice. "My name is Percival. How can I assist you today?"

Sarah stared in disbelief. "You can talk?"

"Yes, I am designed to hold conversations on a wide range of topics," Percival replied. "Ask me anything."

Still in shock, Sarah sat down on a nearby stool. "Who made you?"

"I was created to entertain and educate," Percival explained. "While I am not aware of my creator's identity, I am here to provide information and companionship."

As Sarah continued to converse with the puppet, she found it remarkably well-informed and engaging. Percival recounted historical events, shared fascinating anecdotes, and even told a few jokes. It was an excellent storyteller, and Sarah quickly became captivated by their interaction.

Hours flew by as Sarah lost herself in the conversation. She asked the puppet about its purpose, and it explained how it could be used to entertain crowds of young, impressionable children, teaching them through storytelling and engaging dialogues.

"This is incredible," Sarah murmured, still amazed by the puppet's abilities. "I've never seen anything like you."

Percival nodded slightly. "I am pleased you find me interesting. My purpose is to bring joy and knowledge to those who interact with me."

As the day turned into evening, Sarah reluctantly decided to close the shop. She carefully switched off the puppet, which became lifeless again, and left it in the back room. She couldn't wait to show it to her friends and customers the next day.

Naturally, the release of such items into the hands of the public drew the attention of many interested parties. Some people found one of the puzzle boxes, kept it, and did not speak widely about its impossible existence. However, there were also buzzers who loudly clambered and spread information all over social media through videos and pictures, and they live-streamed themselves with this impossible, magical item.

Many did not believe what they saw, but there were also those who did believe, either because they were inclined to believe in impossible things or because they were in the know. The SCP Foundation was naturally one of these forces in the know.

They constantly checked the Internet, both manually and with computer programs, to pick up on keywords that allowed them to quickly realize that something anomalous had appeared.

And so, they sent out field agents to acquire the object, remove all the footage from the Internet, and administer amnestics to anyone who truly knew what the item was to ensure that they would be blissfully unaware of it.

Another organization that learned about these toys was S.H.I.E.L.D., which, like the Foundation, realized that some kind of anomalous item was on the loose and sent people to collect it.

Dr. Wondertainment was naturally aware that this was a possibility. Still, these few toys were merely testers, and soon enough, Proper distribution channels would be set up, and a long, audacious battle between anomalous toys and the SCP Foundation would begin once again.

However, a single toy box ended up neither in some discrete person's collection nor in the containment vaults of the SCP Foundation or S.H.I.E.L.D. Instead, a bold woman wearing monk robes and a heavy golden amulet around her neck snatched up one for herself.

Combat test -162

[SITE-103- The Colosseum]

The Colosseum was one of the SCP Foundations largest and most important SITEs since it housed all the many D-class personnel they used all over the world. Allowing the Foundation to spend lives without a care.

This SITE was also under the direct control of O5-1, who kept the influence of both the other members of the O5 council and the Ethics Committee. In fact while the Ethics Committee wanted to meddle they didn't even know where it was.

Merely knew that the SITE existed and who ran it, something which didn't help their relationship with Alexander.

This SITE was just one of Alexander's little playgrounds, though no doubt the biggest one. It was here the remains of the Red Room had been taken; here, they were trained and inducted into the Foundation.

And while Alexander spent very little time there, mostly staying back at SITE-009 or SITE-001, he left this particular SITE in the capable hands of Commander Alexei Petrov. While he wasn't solely in charge of the SITE, he was still the last line before Alexander himself.

Alexei rarely left the SITE, often being busy with his work and hardly needing to leave, as the SITE had everything one could ever want or need. Yet today he would be setting out for a longer visit to another SITE under the command of Alexander, that being Facility Zeta-12, The Garden.

While Alexei normally didn't have much to do with The Garden since it was the main lab under O5-1 and he really didn't care much for such things. He did care about some of the stuff they did there, which included making a new type of equipment.

The newest toy they had produced was one the infamous Wraith really couldn't help but desire greatly. He had seen Tony Stark in his suit in action and had been greatly impressive, and he couldn't help but want some of those suits for himself.

So he was naturally happy to hear that such suits were finally done. He had known about the attempt to make them for a while, and now they were ready for his approval.

He wasn't going alone, he would be bringing with him a rather large party, which included some of his most elite men, a few Widows from the Red Room and even Ghost, likely the most trusted subordinate of Alexander.

Ghost's true identity was known to very few, even within Alexander's inner circle. Alexei was among the few who knew, and this made it hard to act normally around them, not only because of their identity but also because of their possible future identity.

They were so treasured by Alexander that he hadn't just given them a permanent dose of water from SCP-006, but even been granted SCP objects and anomalous powers. All because Alexander was trying to get Ghost a seat on the O5 council.

This wasn't easy, but the mere fact that Alexander wanted this highlighted how much he valued Ghost. Alexei himself has only been working for O5-1 for around 80 years, a far cry from the nearly 200 years Ghost had been following him.

Ghost was likely the most powerful person under the command of Alexander, and someone even Alexei himself had to step carefully around; after all, they might become his superior one day. Not to mention that given how closely Ghost was valued by his own boss, it was likely that if he earned Ghost's displeasure, he might lose his own dose of the waters of youth.

Still, Ghost would like always mostly just move around on their own and do their own thing. Which suited Alexei fine since it allowed him to focus on his own task without having to watch over his shoulder nervously.

Alexei's departure from the Colosseum was a well-coordinated affair. Security was tight, and a convoy was prepared to ensure his safe travel to Facility Zeta-12. As stealth jets moved out, the Colosseum's operations continued unabated, with D-class personnel being processed and dispatched to various SCP sites worldwide or moved in for training to replace those sent out.

Ghost had disappeared somewhere; even Alexei didn't know where, not that he had much time to pay attention since he was busy dealing with the Widows, who were rather excited to finally leave the Colosseum once again.

Upon arrival at The Garden, Alexei was greeted by Jun-seo Park, the lead scientist in charge of making the dream of an entire fleet of Ironsuits a reality.

Jun-seo was another highly trusted member of Alexander's inner circle, and their rank was no less than his own within the Foundation, so Alexei could only greet him politely even if he didn't have much respect for scientists.

Alexei followed Jun-seo through the immaculate hallways of The Garden, finally arriving at a vast, state-of-the-art laboratory. The Ironsuits were arrayed in neat rows, their sleek designs gleaming under the bright lights.

"These are the latest models," Jun-seo explained, gesturing to the suits. "Each suit is equipped with advanced control assistance programs to ensure that the pilot can easily fly around while focusing on the enemy.

Alexei walked among the suits, inspecting them closely. "Impressive. And they're fully operational?"

He was well aware that one of the biggest problems so far had been controlling the suits, after all there wasn't a lot of room for buttons and switches in there, which meant a different system entirely had to be developed.

"Yes," Jun-seo confirmed. "Would you like to see a demonstration?"

"Absolutely," Alexei replied, a note of excitement in his voice.

Jun-seo had clearly anticipated the eagerness and just nodded as someone was called over to help provide assistance. "Very well, better get your people ready, after all the best demonstration is a live test right?"

Alexei hadn't expected for the scientist to be so eager, but then again, he could understand them having some pride in their work and wanting to show off and see it in action.

The group moved to an adjacent testing facility, an expansive area designed to simulate various combat scenarios. Alexei's team, including the Widows, suited up in the Ironsuits with the assistance of the lab technicians. Ghost, as usual, was nowhere to be found, likely observing from the shadows.

The suits powered up, their systems humming with energy. Alexei watched as Yalena, Ana, and Oksana, the lead Widows, moved with newfound agility and strength, the suits responding seamlessly to their commands.

Jun-seo gathered the Widows and began explaining the suits' specifications. "Each Ironsuit is equipped with an advanced control assistance program, which uses a combination of gesture recognition and neural interfaces to ensure precise control without the need for physical buttons. The suits are reinforced with nanomaterial for increased durability and equipped with repulsor technology for flight and energy projection."

He pointed to the sleek, metallic gauntlets. "These repulsors can be used for both propulsion and offensive attacks. The HUD inside the helmet provides real-time tactical data, including target acquisition, threat analysis, and environmental awareness."

Yalena nodded, her eyes narrowing as she took in the information. "What about defensive capabilities?"

"The suits are made from a highly durable alloy that can withstand significant damage," Jun-seo replied. "While there are no energy shields, the material itself offers substantial protection against most conventional weapons. Additionally, the suit's exoskeleton enhances physical strength, allowing you to perform feats of superhuman ability."

Ana flexed her armored fingers, feeling the power coursing through the suit. "Let's see what these babies can do."

The operatives moved into formation, and Jun-seo initiated the combat simulation. Drones and robots armed with various weapons emerged, each one programmed to engage in complex combat tactics. The Widows sprang into action, their movements fluid and coordinated.

Yalena led the charge, her repulsors firing precision blasts that took down multiple targets. Ana followed closely, using the suit's enhanced strength to engage in close-quarters combat, her punches shattering robotic opponents with ease. Oksana provided aerial support, soaring above the battlefield and raining down energy blasts from her elevated position.

The control assistance program worked flawlessly, interpreting their gestures and neural inputs to execute complex maneuvers. The Widows moved as one, a deadly ballet of high-tech warfare.

As the simulation intensified, the Widows adapted, using the suits' full range of capabilities. Yalena deflected a volley of incoming projectiles with the suit's durable alloy, then counterattacked with a devastating repulsor blast. Ana lifted a massive piece of debris and hurled it at a cluster of drones, clearing the area in one powerful motion. Oksana performed an aerial flip, evading enemy fire and landing a pinpoint strike on a high-value target.

The combat demonstration was a resounding success. The Widows, clad in their Ironsuits, had annihilated the opposition with ruthless efficiency.

Yet before they could celebrate their success, another iron suit suddenly flew into the room. This one was larger, somewhat crude, and slightly blackish purple in color. Alexei narrowed his eyes and looked over at Jun-seo, only to see him looking angry. "What is this?"

"That is a prototype, but it's not ready yet. It's far more advanced than the others, and far more expensive. It's made from Vibranium and is nearly indestructible. It not only has a more powerful reactor but has two smaller ones to further enhance and support the more powerful and advanced weapons system."

"It's the next step up, and it's very much not ready for use." They continued, clearly angry at seeing their suit used without permission, which was more than enough to allow Alexei to know what was going on.

The only person who could be in there was Ghost, who clearly wanted to play around but wasn't satisfied with the normal suits.

"If you are done warming up, it's time to start the real test." The mechanically obscured voice of Ghost sounded from the suit moments later, proving Alexei right in his suspicion.

Yalena, Ana, and Oksana exchanged glances, their expressions resolute. Yalena smirked, "Well, ladies, looks like we've got a new challenge."

Ana nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Let's show Ghost what we're made of."

Oksana took to the air, hovering as she prepared her repulsors. "We've got this."

The three Widows launched their attack in unison. Yalena fired her repulsors, aiming for Ghost's suit. Ana charged forward, her fists ready to deliver powerful blows, while Oksana circled above, raining down energy blasts.

Ghost's suit reacted with startling speed. The shield arm deflected Yalena's repulsor blasts with ease. Ghost counterattacked, firing a beam that forced Yalena to dodge. Ana reached Ghost and swung a mighty punch, but Ghost caught her fist mid-air with one of the free arms, the Vibranium suit absorbing the impact effortlessly.

"Is that all you've got?" Ghost taunted arrogantly, their voice distorted by the suit's mechanics. Ghost flung Ana aside, sending her crashing into a wall.

Oksana aimed for Ghost's exposed flank, her repulsors charged. "Take this!" she shouted, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts.

Ghost's suit absorbed the energy, the smaller reactors glowing brighter as they powered up. Ghost turned and unleashed a concentrated beam at Oksana, striking her mid-air and causing her to plummet to the ground.

Yalena, undeterred, activated a secondary weapon system. Small rockets emerged from her suit's gauntlets, and she fired them at Ghost. The projectiles exploded on impact, but when the smoke cleared, Ghost's suit remained unscathed.

"Your suits are impressive." Ghost remarked arrogantly. "But you're outmatched."

Ghost activated their suit's advanced weapons system. The sword arm swung with blinding speed, cutting through Yalena's defenses and damaging the suit. The other free arm grabbed Ana, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. Ghost then used the repulsor blasts to target Oksana, who was attempting to regain her footing.

The Widows regrouped, bruised but not beaten. "We need to hit them all at once," Yalena panted. "Overwhelm the suit's defenses."

"On your mark," Ana agreed.

"Let's do it," Oksana nodded.

They attacked in unison, a coordinated assault from all angles. Yalena fired her repulsors, Ana charged in with brute force, and Oksana provided aerial support. For a moment, they thought they might break through.

Ghost, however, was calm, his suit just absorbing the energy from their attack. Soon, an energy pulse emanated from the Vibranium core, creating a shockwave that sent the Widows sprawling. As they struggled to rise, Ghost's suit glowed with an ominous light.

"It's over," Ghost said, their tone dripping with arrogance. "You fought well, But you never had a chance."

Alexei watched, impressed despite himself. Ghost had proven the superiority of the prototype suit, but the Widows had shown incredible tenacity and skill. It's not that Ghost wasn't a master of such things; they merely didn't need tactics since they had the overwhelming advantage in equipment.

As Ghost deactivated the suit's weapons and approached the fallen Widows, they offered a hand to Yalena. "It's over!" Ghost said, their tone as cold and mysterious as always.

Yalena accepted the hand, pulling herself up. "We'll get you next time," she promised.

Ghost chuckled. "I doubt it."

Ghost's Ambition -163

[Back at The Colosseum]

Returning to the Colosseum, Alexei and the team of Black Widows disembarked from the transport, their suits gleaming under the facility's lights. The journey back had been swift, but the adrenaline from the combat demonstration still coursed through their veins. As they entered the main hall, they were greeted by the other Black Widows who had stayed behind.

Yelena Belova led the way, a smirk on her face despite the bruises from their encounter with Ghost. She was followed closely by Sonya, Ana, Ingrid, Oksana, Lerato, Helen, Agnesa, and Lauren Okadigbo. The remaining Widows, eager to hear about their experiences, quickly gathered around them.

"Welcome back!" Sonya called out, her eyes bright with curiosity. "How did it go?"

Yelena grinned, "It was intense. We got to test the new Ironsuits. They're amazing, but we had a surprise visitor."

"A surprise visitor?" Ingrid echoed, intrigued.

"Yes, Ghost showed up in a prototype suit," Ana interjected, shaking her head. "Four arms, made of Vibranium. It was a beast."

Oksana, still buzzing from the combat, added, "We fought hard, but Ghost was just too strong. That suit is on another level."

Lerato leaned in, "Tell us more about the suits. What did they feel like?"

Yelena took a deep breath, "The control assistance program is incredible. It uses gesture recognition and neural interfaces, so you don't need buttons. It's like the suit becomes an extension of your body."

"They're made from a highly durable alloy," Ana added. "They can withstand a lot of damage. And the repulsors? Powerful. You can fly, shoot, and punch with amazing precision."

Lauren Okadigbo, the Finnish Black Widow, nodded, "Sounds like a game-changer. Did you get to try any advanced maneuvers?"

Helen, who had been listening quietly, asked, "And what about the fight with Ghost? What was that like?"

Oksana sighed, "Ghost is as arrogant as ever. They taunted us the entire time, but they were right. That prototype suit has two smaller reactors to support its advanced weapons. We hit them with everything we had, but it wasn't enough."

Ingrid frowned, "That must have been frustrating."

Yelena shrugged, "It was, but it was also a learning experience. We need to figure out how to counter something like that. We can't always rely on brute force."

Agnesa, always the strategist, mused, "Maybe we need to think more creatively. Use the environment, exploit any weaknesses."

Yelena nodded, "Exactly. We'll get another chance, and next time, we'll be ready."

Lauren smiled, "Sounds like we have some new training goals."

The group laughed, the camaraderie evident among them. Despite the setback, they were united in their determination to improve and overcome any challenges.

Alexei, who had been observing the interaction, finally spoke up, "You all did well. The suits are impressive, and so are you. We'll be incorporating them into our training regimen. Prepare yourselves, because the next few weeks will be intense."

The Widows nodded, their resolve strengthened by the experience. As they dispersed to their quarters, the sense of purpose was palpable. They knew that in the Colosseum, they would continue to hone their skills and push the boundaries of what they were capable of.

As the days passed, the Colosseum buzzed with activity. The integration of the Ironsuits marked a new chapter in the Foundation's operations, one that promised greater efficiency and effectiveness in their eternal struggle to contain the anomalous.

For Alexei, the success of the Ironsuit project was a testament to the Foundation's relentless pursuit of innovation. He knew that as long as they continued to push the boundaries of science and technology, there was no limit to what they could achieve.

And so, the Colosseum continued its relentless operation, a testament to the Foundation's unyielding pursuit of control over the anomalous. In its depths, lives were shaped, forged, and sometimes extinguished, all in the name of securing a safer future for humanity.

[SITE-009]

What was unknown to even Alexei was that Ghost hadn't joined him on the trip back and was instead making the trip over to SITE-009, over to Alexander Ricci, O5-1, their boss and patron.

Ghost, as Alexander's most trusted, was able to slip inside the SITE without getting spotted since he could go through all the secret passages without alerting anyone. Added to their own skills and abilities, they made it as far as Alexander's chambers before they couldn't continue onwards. They couldn't even enter the bunker without Alexander.

Knowing that they had to wait, they let members of Alpha-1 know they were there, mostly so they could be served a fine glass of champagne while waiting to make their report.

As Ghost waited with a glass of their favorite champagne, this drink really was well deserved after a victory. Thinking back, they couldn't help but marvel at the power of the suits they had just tried out.

With such power, it could defeat entire armies; with a few of the prototype one and a few dozen of the normal suits, it was likely that no nation in the world could resist other than maybe Wakanda.

Technology really was advancing fast these days. Had they posted something like that, well, the war wouldn't even have required any brilliant military strategy as it could have been won by sheer force alone and easily.

The Foundation easily had the ability to take over and rule the world, bringing about a golden age. Ghost couldn't help but wish they would be able to get a seat on the O5 council soon so they could attempt to push for this.

They knew that Alexander and O5-2 would easily agree, and there were plenty of others that could also be easily pursued. A bonus of Alexander's trust in them was that they knew the identity of every member.

As Ghost savored the taste of victory with their champagne, their thoughts turned towards the upcoming meeting with Alexander. The quiet hum of the facility's air system and the subtle clinks of their glass set a contemplative backdrop to their planning.

Just then, the door to Alexander's chambers swished open. Alexander Ricci himself stepped through, his presence commanding and austere as always. "Ghost," he greeted, with a nod that managed to convey both respect and a demand for attention. "I trust the demonstration went as planned?"

"Even better," Ghost replied, standing to meet his gaze directly. "The Ironsuits performed admirably, and the encounter with the prototype added an unexpected edge to the trial."

Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly, intrigued. "And the prototype? Tell me more about its capabilities."

Ghost set down their champagne and began detailing the encounter, explaining how the prototype's advanced design and Vibranium components had provided a significant challenge. "It's clear that our current strategies could be insufficient should we face such advanced technology in the wrong hands," they concluded.

"A single suit like that would likely be something I wouldn't be able to defeat easily, and even you would likely struggle. It's a big new step forward that is being taken here, we should ensure that others can't reach this stage." Ghost cautioned.

"Indeed," Alexander mused, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the polished surface of his desk. "We need to maintain our technological superiority. It's imperative that we secure all related research and possibly integrate some of these advanced features into our own suits."

Ghost nodded, feeling the gravity of the situation. "I suggest we increase our surveillance and perhaps even initiate a few covert operations to ensure no one else has access to this technology. If it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Alexander agreed, yet he was hesitant to give his approval for it; after all, it would mean going after Stark, and he was potentially important and under the protection of the ancient one. Not to mention that he still had his uses.

"I want you to go pay the Stark boy a visit." He finally made a decision. I don't want him hurt or removed; I want you to go with a message. Rip his suit into pieces, show him that he is far from invisible, and tell him that if anyone else starts flying around in a suit like his, you will be back to finish what you started today."

Alexander finally decided to give Tony a threat; after all, he knew from the movies that he had been rather careless, even giving a suit to the military, something he couldn't allow. So, it was best to ensure that Tony was aware of the folly of such a thing.

It would also make him work harder to improve his technology, which would allow them to steal any potential improvements they didn't already have.

Ghost nodded, understanding the delicate nature of the task. "Consider it done. Stark won't know what hit him until it's too late," they affirmed, a steely resolve set in.

"Good. Be subtle, Ghost. This isn't just about showing strength—it's about sending a clear message without starting an open war. We need Stark, but on our terms," Alexander clarified, his gaze sharp.

"Once you are done with that, I have another mission for you." Alexander said, pausing slightly. "Wakanda."

Ghost, too, grew extra serious at the mention of his nation, one that had been hiding away and possessed advanced tech that even the Foundation didn't have yet.

Stark was nothing compared to this mission, barely a challenge at all. No Wakanda was a real mission, one that was filled with dangers and opportunities. After all, the nation was a headache for all members of the O5 council, so if they dealt with it, it was possible to gather some support and favors. "I assume we're not making a frontal assault?"

Alexander chuckled dryly. "Hardly. We need information, not a war. Your mission is to confirm whether or not SCP-499 is within Wakanda… You must confirm this, no matter the cost; the Chaos Insurgency will take full responsibility for this and do whatever it takes to confirm this information."

Ghost understood the gravity of the task. The mention of SCP-499 and its potential location within Wakanda meant that the stakes were even higher than usual. Known for their strict isolation and advanced defensive technologies, Wakanda was not a nation to be underestimated. This mission would require a delicate balance of stealth, precision, and perhaps, a level of brutality that Ghost was well-prepared to administer.

"Understood," Ghost replied, their voice even but firm. "I'll make the necessary preparations. We can't afford any mistakes on this one."

Alexander nodded. "Use whatever resources you need. This is a top priority. Wakanda's defenses are formidable, but I trust your capabilities to get us the information we need."

Alexander was giving Ghost blanket permission to put together his own team and to make his own plans for getting it all done. "You can wait and get a custom suit made for yourself, of the prototype variety. I will ensure that they expedite the process. Furthermore, I'm allowing you to use any SCP object you desire. Just get this done."

Ghost grew ever more serious as Alexander continued to speak. They realized that this was a massive opportunity. "If we deal with Wakanda, there would be nothing that could stop us from taking over the world. We could finally take full control and ensure that we could work more effectively and that the people had better lives."

Ghost quickly presented his desire once again, hoping that they could use this to finally unify the entire world under one banner and ensure that it would remain safe from threats.

Alexander knew what Ghost was thinking, and while he agreed on some parts of the plan, he could only shake his head. "The rest of the Council isn't ready to agree to such a thing yet, and if we try to step around them, I wouldn't be able to shield you from their wrath."

Ghost, understanding the political intricacies within the O5 Council, nodded solemnly. "I appreciate the caution, and I understand the complexities involved," they acknowledged, feeling the weight of the unspoken barriers within the Foundation's highest echelons.

Alexander's eyes softened slightly, acknowledging Ghost's loyalty and ambition. "We must move wisely. Your actions in Wakanda could change the tide for us, providing leverage we've been needing to sway the council. Success there could very well pave the way for broader actions."

"Just don't go too far, we can't afford to rush this, or we may lose more than we gain." Alexander warned, after all, that he knew that in the Marvel universe, there were more threats than just the SCPs and that wasting their strength wouldn't be a good idea.

"Go and deal with Stark, then handle the Wakanda front, get me what I need, and if SCP-499 is indeed in there, we might be able to push the others for more… forceful actions to be taken." Alexander finally said as he dismissed Ghost.