This part takes place between some days and a week after the Incident reported last part.

Big warnings here tho: I decided to completely change the O5 Council, see notes at the end of the chapter for more precisions.

Hope you enjoy.


The tires of a car screeched inside a parking garage, and a door opened. A young woman stepped out. She was of average height and slim, with a soft face, short blue hair cut in a bob, a lock falling over her forehead, and yellow eyes that gleamed like nuggets of gold in the sun. She wore a white shirt, accompanied by a black tie, high leather boots, and black gloves, along with an elegant black suit that hugged her chest. The collar of the suit was lined with thin bands of golden fabric, and a golden button adorned the left side. A second golden button was fastened above her left breast, containing her identification codes.

Her outfit was completed by a necklace she wore around her neck, a fine golden chain with a dark blue lapis lazuli pendant that seemed to glow from within.

The young woman adjusted her suit and tie, lifting her head slightly. Once she finished, however, she continued to gaze at the ceiling for a few moments.

The pale lights of the room formed a circle, leaving a large space in the middle, exposing a symbol—one as cold as the place itself.

She let out a sigh, a small pale cloud slowly rising from her mouth… It was cold, certainly, but O5-8 'The Blue Rose', was not bothered by it in the slightest. She was used to it. Her gaze swept across the room. Various devices were scattered around—some entirely ordinary, others almost futuristic.

Two more doors opened from her vehicle, a large black armored SUV with tinted windows, and two men stepped out.

Both were equipped with high-tech gear, heavily protected, heavily armed—top-tier equipment from the Foundation, her personal bodyguards, handpicked from the best of Alpha-1.

She made a gesture, signaling her two men to follow her, and began walking toward the elevator on the other side of the room, which would take them kilometers below Site 01, where the main infrastructures frequented by the O5 Council were located. Meeting rooms, operation rooms, even offices and quarters for those of the council who lived there.

Though most matters were handled in the 'Room of the Thirteens', today the situation was so dire that the entire council had been called. And when it was the entire council, that meant all thirty-one O5s, from 0 to 29, with the thirty-first being O5-.

She pressed the button to call the elevator and drifted back into her thoughts.

The last time the council had gathered in this manner… According to the archives… It was… Damn… Nearly 197 years ago…

None of the current council members, except for O5-13, O5-0, and maybe Null, who were the oldest—though their appearances didn't suggest it—were present back then.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. O5-8 entered, followed by her two bodyguards. The inside of the elevator was empty, its walls black as obsidian. One might almost believe they were stepping into a void if it weren't for the pale lights casting faint reflections that made their images shimmer.

The elevator descended for nearly fifteen minutes, its three occupants silent.

Finally, it stopped, and a mechanical voice echoed from the speakers.

"Please enter your access codes."

A panel opened, revealing a sort of touch screen. O5-8 glanced at the speaker hidden in a corner and entered her codes.

Immediately, two turrets emerged from the ceiling, and her two bodyguards raised their weapons, ready to defend their assigned O5. However, before they could make a move, the turrets fired two darts that embedded themselves in the necks of the soldiers, between the plates of their armor, with surgical precision. They let out strangled, confused cries before collapsing unconscious.

O5-8 cast them a quick glance, her eyes lingering briefly on the needles, still visible, filled with a mixture of Class C amnestics and highly potent sedatives. The two would wake up in a resting room at the site's infirmary with no memory of what had transpired during that hour.

"Please provide your identification codes."

There was a beep, and the young woman's voice rose.

"O5-ALPHA-935xK-Delta!52", the bluenette recited without hesitation.

The speaker's voice remained silent, and O5-8 stood calm.

"Facial scan complete, retinal scan complete, fingerprint scan complete."

A compartment opened, and a mechanical arm fitted with a needle pricked her arm.

The young woman didn't make a sound, nor did she flinch. To be honest, she felt nothing.

"DNA scan complete.", the voice finally said, "Welcome, O5-8."

The doors opened, and O5-8 was greeted by four men dressed entirely in black, equipped with stretchers and various portable medical devices. They stepped aside as they saw her.

"Ma'am.", said one, bringing his hand to his temple in a military salute.

The young woman nodded in acknowledgment and stepped out of the elevator, leaving the men to retrieve her unconscious bodyguards behind her. Her footsteps echoed in the heavy silence that filled the cold atmosphere of this place, likely more secret than the American president's personal bunker.

Suddenly, a door opened, and two men stepped out. They looked remarkably similar, only their outfits allowing anyone to tell them apart. One wore an all-white suit, while the other donned a black one. Both outfits were complemented by fedoras matching the color of their suits. They had short black hair and eyes of emerald green.

"Ten.", the young woman greeted. O5-10 'Splitside' turned in perfect synchronization, and the two identical twins smiled simultaneously. It was a smile devoid of warmth. Truth be told, the current situation was catastrophic.

"Ah, Eight, good day.", the twins responded in unison.

It was rather… peculiar to be in the presence of O5-10. Disconcerting, to be more precise. The two of them acted with identical mannerisms, reacting at the exact same time to everything. In perfect synchronization, always.

Even O5-22 'The Clockmaker' could not determine if there was any delay between the reactions of the two brothers.

The trio continued walking in silence, and then the twins broke it.

"I have no idea what will be proposed during the meeting."

O5-8 sighed before responding.

"Neither do I. However, I fear the proposals of Thirteen, Twenty, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Nine, and 'Null'."

O5-10 crossed his arms. "Ah yes, those five. Honestly, I think Twenty-Five won't pick a side unless she finds something interesting... for her own plans, anyway."

O5-8 pondered for a few moments. It was true, but... those plans... nobody knew what they were.

The three of them continued their walk until they reached the entrance to the meeting room, then entered.

The room was completely dark, except for a dimly lit central area that barely illuminated the other O5 members seated around the room. Thirty-two chairs encircled a large round table made of solid oak. After a nod, O5-8 went to sit in her place, positioned between O5-7 'The Mercenary'—a man whose face was concealed by a balaclava, a black fedora, and a suit fitted with a leather strap and a brassard bearing the greek numeral 7. As the young woman knew him, for him, this was just a well-paying job. He almost looked like... a mercenary...

O5-9 'The Newcomer,' on her left, was a friendlier figure. She was an elderly woman who always dressed in white. It was likely she came from another dimension, as she brought knowledge no one else in this reality possessed.

Nine leaned slightly toward her and whispered a greeting. O5-8 returned it in the same low tone.

Then, silence fell over the room once more. After a brief hum, the last O5 member arrived.

Just to the left of O5-2 'The Scientist'—a woman with long black hair cascading down her back, sparkling green eyes filled with curiosity, and always wearing a white lab coat—a supercomputer powered on. An artificial eye blinked twice before finally, a bust and the face of a young man appeared: O5-3 'The Omniscient Eye' had finally arrived.

The silence lingered for another ten minutes. O5-8 couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek in nervousness. This meeting was not going to be easy…

Then...

"It appears we are all present. We may begin the session.", a cold voice rose, and the lights grew slightly brighter, illuminating each council member, casting them into sharp relief in this room that seemed to float in the middle of a void.

It was O5-1 who had spoken. The man was standing, his black irises scanning each person in the room, his gray skin making him appear like a corpse in the pale light, while the survival apparatus connected by cables to his imposing chair stretched out behind him. He continued after making sure all eyes were on him.

"As you know, following the complete failure of Protocol 110-Montauk, which was supposed to prevent SCP-231-7 from giving birth, we now face a significant problem. We are gathered today to decide what course of action we must take. Any suggestions?"

A hand immediately slammed the table with such force that Eight thought she heard the wood crack.

To her great surprise, it was O5-4 'The General,' whose outfit resembled that of an officer, accentuated by medals and the beret he wore, who had struck the table.

"We must make radical decisions, and we must do so today."

"I agree with Four.", came the voice of O5-20 'The Tempest,' whose imposing figure was complemented by a grim face and an extremely fiery temper. He adjusted his jacket and continued, "We're facing one of the greatest containment breaches in our history. Who knows what will happen? We must destroy it before it's too late."

"And what about the human lives at stake?", Eight protested, appalled by the radicalism of her two colleagues, although she was very surprised by Four's stance, "Do they count for nothing? May I remind you, dear colleague, what our mission is? We've never deliberately killed innocents."

Twenty's gaze fell on her, and she could already see his patience wearing thin like a lit fuse.

"What does it matter? Right now, the survival of the species is at stake."

Then, twenty-nine joined the debate.

O5-29 'The Martyr' was a man in his forties, dressed all in black like most of them, except his clothes were adorned here and there with strange blood-red symbols, while a crown of thorns was wrapped around his Fedora.

"I think you don't understand the stakes, Eight. If we don't act now, the Foundation will be revealed to the world, no matter the reason."

"It will be if you reveal it with a genocide of such magnitude.", replied O5-25 'Enigma,' apparently against the idea as it conflicted with her plans. The woman with the large hat sank deeper into her seat, her unreadable brown eyes fixed on Twenty-Nine, "Come now, dear colleague, don't be so… primal. Don't act like the GOC in certain instances."

O5-24 'The Mirror' took the opportunity to voice his opinion.

"If you propose that, have you thought about the consequences? This extermination is what could reveal the Foundation to the world. Think before you speak."

"We can do it discreetly, can't we?", purred O5-5 'The Black Cat,' leaping from his stool onto the table to sit, then licking his paw to clean it.

"That would require the governments' approval.", noted O5-15 'Shadow of the World', "And I don't think they'd agree to us annihilating nearly half the world's population."

"We can pressure them.", said Twenty-Nine, "We have the power to do so—over their economies, their lives, everything. If we threaten them, everything will go smoothly."

"If we do that, we're no better than some of the SCPs or major GoIs we despise.", Two interrupted, "I think you haven't understood one thing, despite all the reports coming from sites across the world."

Eight noticed Three glancing subtly at One, a glance heavy with meaning. She then saw the gray-skinned man return the look before raising his voice.

"Everyone, lower your voices and stop what is turning into a pointless brawl."

The room fell into a sepulchral silence, and after a few moments, O5-3's synthetic voice rose from the speakers of his computer.

"The phenomenon of quirks seems to be something that cannot be stopped. Even though some have not developed powers, it is still possible that their children will. However, how this will manifest remains unknown. If I may offer an extremely pessimistic view, I would say…"

"That the Scarlet King has won the long war… He's slow-cooking us…", O5-6 'The Cowboy' completed the thought. The old man raised an arm, lifting his cowboy hat to wipe the sweat from his brow, "So… we've lost, is that it?"

"To put it simply, yes. Our defeat is complete.", Three responded.

The room sank into a heavy silence, everyone lost in their thoughts.

"My visions can confirm this…", O5-18 'The Oracle' suddenly said, a woman whose fiery hair and milky eyes seemed to display the future she consulted through her abnormal abilities, "One day, this phenomenon will grow too vast, and the human body will not be able to handle it…"

"Then let's activate SCP-2000!", proposed O5-12 'The Mannequin,' a sentient mannequin that, at first glance, should have been classified as an SCP were it not for its usefulness.

"It's not that simple, Twelve.", replied O5-22 'The Clockmaker', a man in his forties who appeared completely normal except for his eyes, whose pupils resembled clock faces, "We can't afford to be off by even a nanosecond, or the consequences could be disastrous."

"Always so precise.", O5-11 'The Mechanician', a man with tanned skin and eyes hidden behind sunglasses, quipped, "I can fix that with no problem, whip up a little technological marvel, if Nineteen agrees."

O5-19 'The Architect', a bald man with blue eyes that always seemed filled with mathematical and geometric formulas, nodded firmly.

"We don't have time, Eleven.", Twenty-Two retorted, "We need to do something, and right now if this proposal is accepted."

"Wait a moment.", Nine interrupted. "I've seen too many realities where…", she swallowed nervously, "everything worsened because of such radical action."

"And what then? What do you propose? That we sit here twiddling our thumbs?", asked O5-27 'The Widow,' a woman who had danced with death more than once and against whom Thirteen held a particular grudge.

"No! Of course not! But we can't resort to this so hastily.", the old woman replied.

The room fell silent again.

"I propose we study them.", Two suddenly said. All eyes turned to her.

"Excuse me?", Twenty fumed.

"You heard me.", the woman replied, meeting his gaze, unimpressed, "Maybe some kind of those quirks can rewind everything, and make us avoid a possible disaster that can come with two-thousand."

A laugh rang out. It was cold and hollow.

"I'm so fed up… Look at you all, what has the O5 Council become… Once so powerful, now, when I look at you, it feels like I'm watching—like I'm watching a pack of dogs fighting over a bone. When we were united, we controlled forces no one else dared even imagine. We were architects, strategists, guardians of secrets so ancient they would make any man tremble. And now? We're reduced to these petty squabbles, these pathetic power games. Every decision we make seems driven by fear or greed rather than our commitment to the Foundation. Look at what's happening out there. SCPs are escaping, rival factions are regrouping, and we're sitting here, fighting over scraps while the abyss draws closer. Don't you understand? We're only delaying the inevitable, and this incompetence will cost us dearly. When I think of the sacrifices made to establish this organization, it makes me sick. We should be making bold decisions, but instead, we're locking ourselves in this vicious cycle of paranoia and rivalry."

One turned towards O5-0 'Eternal', a man who appeared to be twenty-five years old, with white hair but a drawn and exhausted face.

"Shut up, Zero, you've been of no use to this council for a long time. I even wonder why the Administrator keeps you around, you're nothing but trash."

"Show some respect for someone older than you.", intervened O5-13 'Death', with a warning tone. Eight had never understood how he worked. Apparently, everyone saw him in a different form. She saw him as a boy with pale skin and hair, with eyes as red as rubies, always draped in a long black cloak that seemed to float behind him. He also wore a sort of black crown on his hood, spiked, which seemed to sit precariously atop his head.

Thirteen turned towards Two and stared at her coldly.

"You're seeking to study a product of the Scarlet King.", said the child in a voice that resonated like a death knell, "The one leading us to… certain destruction… Have you lost your mind?"

Eight couldn't help but notice Thirteen shiver, and that his voice trembled when he uttered the word 'destruction'. That's how much they all feared what was coming. Even Death, the second most powerful force in reality, feared the Scarlet King. The first force, on the other hand… feared nothing, for nothing could destroy it.

And this force was about to speak.

"Calm down, Thirteen, it might be a very good idea… Or it could cost us the time we have left to act."

The overwhelming voice of O5-, silencing everyone.

"We stand before a double-edged blade—what will we take? The one that cuts? Or the one that doesn't? This is one of the most difficult choices we face right now, but think, use your brains, as Zero suggested. No matter what we do, everything will be destroyed eventually. Why delay our end?"

O5-28 'The Nomad,' the eternal traveler, always on the move, never in the same place, let out a laugh.

"You're rather pessimistic."

"Perhaps, but it was a radical decision that caused the fall of the previous council. It was quite painful, and I wish to avoid that again."

Eight felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"The Ethics Committee is nothing but a bunch of brainless idiots.", growled Twenty-Nine, "If they protest, we'll make them understand why we did it. They'll be forced to see that what we did was the only plausible option."

"Don't be so sure… They're more powerful than they seem.", Null replied in a dark tone.
The room fell silent once again.

"I remain neutral.", said O5-22 'The Cipher' suddenly, a man whose knowledge of the stars made him an eminent member of the council for his ability to read messages in the night, "As long as the stars tell me nothing, I will not change my stance."

It was somewhat random, but he wasn't the only one.

O5-17 'The Inquisitor,' who always sought the truth, O5-16 'The Whisperer', an eternal manipulator in the shadows, O5-26 'The Chronicler', a sort of archivist for the O5 council, and O5-14 'The Gate Guardian,' a man whose role was fully known to him, all expressed their desire to remain neutral.

Everyone then turned to O5-21 'The Phantom', about whom nothing was known, not even whether they were a single person, multiple people, or if that one right here was merely an emissary. At first, he did nothing… Then, with a deliberately slow motion, he raised the Fedora he wore, revealing pale green eyes, barely visible beneath his jet-black hair and the vocoder he wore.

"Neutral."

The word sliced through the air, and Eight couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

The rest of the council then voted, each laying out their opinions one last time before raising their hands to cast their final decision.


Some SCP fans out there shall probably scream and curse me for such heresy.

Alright, let me explain.

In my version of this Foundation, the previous O5 council got disbanded by the Ethic Comittee. I know, it happened once, but it's not for the same reasons here. And I won't dive further into it.

Some of you might wonder why I took some names from originals. Well... I mean... Such names are cool right? But they're not the same as the originals.

Now onto the whole O5-14 to 29, plus Null and Zero. Alright, here me out, I know there's many rumors about an O5-0, and some articles on the wiki actually mention him, but how about the others? Well, I fell on an article mentionning an O5-'Null', so I decided to use it and integrate it in the story.

Yes, in this story 'Null', is the most powerful thing existing, here it takes the form of a human because... Null well... Is Null, and he was just integrated in the council for the sake of having a powerful 'being' in the council, just like they did with O5-13 'Death'.