Chapter Text
It happened quietly.
You were sitting in front of your computer, typing in the results of the latest experiment on one of the Scps. They were the reason why you took this job in the first place. As one of the Scp foundation’s secretaries, it was your duty to sit in front of the computer and digitalize whatever a scientist threw in your face.
Yes, most of them were assholes, looking down on you from that huge horse because they had a medical degree, but everything was worth it as soon as you got handed another paper full of data about Scps. They came in so many different forms, shapes and beliefs, it fascinated you to no end. Some of them were humanoid, some of them were objects or some of them were too complicated too even begin to understand. Some could heal the greatest wounds whereas some could cause the entire world to collapse. An endless looping hallway, an unfinished symphony, a machine upgrading whatever you put into it... What couldn’t be more mesmerizing than learning more?
The hard-working atmosphere popped as soon as your computer turned off for no acceptable reason.
"Oh no, don't you DARE erase all the stuff I wrote!", you screamed, while repeatedly pressing the on button furiously. Luck didn't seem to side up with you today, because the light in your room flickered as well before finally dying, leaving you fuming in the darkness. No one will see me murder that thing in the dark now, you thought and approached the computer with an unreadable expression plastered on your face.
But to the computer’s luck, your intentions got interrupted by the sudden blaring of the alarm. You flinched and almost fell out of your swivel chair in the dark. You groaned, opening a drawer and fiddling out a flashlight.
These alarms were getting on your nerves. It was the third one this week and it was Wednesday. Practising evacuation is really important if you happen to work at probably the most dangerous foundation in the world, but still, it's ridiculously annoying at times. Once the alarm went off because the mechanism mistook a broken toilet for a broken containment chamber.
You got out of the chair with a grunt and turned the flashlight on to navigate your way through the darkness of your room to meet up with the rest of the employees at the meeting point. Just as you made your way to the door, something stopped you in your tracks. You had never turned your flashlight on.
Another light source was illuminating the room. Slowly you turned around.
"What the...", you muttered.
The source of the light was…
Your computer.
Your hand gripped the flashlight tighter. But that was impossible. Only the most important rooms received electricity during an emergency and your measely documentary office was in no way one of these. Taking small steps, you approached the computer. The light flickered. You rounded your desk and caught side of the screen. Files and documents randomly opened and closed almost at the same time without the use of keyboard or mouse, happening so quickly that you couldn’t see the name before they had closed again. It happened so quickly almost as if somebody was…
Searching...
For something...
An Scp immediately appeared inside your head.
Scp 079.
The old AI.
A living and talking (well it could only communicate via text messages) artificial intelligence residing inside a really ancient computer. Usually. But now it was making itself home inside YOUR computer. The one where you had just finished documenting the latest research.
There was important data about the Scps stored inside, you had to do something!
The cables.
Without electricity, the electronic device was useless.
You jumped for the plugs, throwing yourself over the desk and ripped them out violently. An ear-piercing static sound assaulted your ears and you realized it was coming from your computer. You turned your head and saw a disfigured pixelated human face on the screen, brows furrowed in anger, scowling at you. Words appeared but you couldn't read them fast enough. A shiver ran down your spine anyway. It couldn’t be anything good. The computer suddenly cut off, leaving behind a calming, black screen. Silence filled the room once more. Apart from the alarm. You let out a huff of air you instinctively had been holding back and took a few deep breaths.
This wasn't another goofy accidental test alarm.
This was real.
Scp 079 had gotten out somehow and who knows what that hostile super intelligent AI would do once it got access to the main hard drive. Then it had control over the entire facility. Over all the documents…!
You burst through your office door, determined to find others wo had the knowledge to deal with this. Well, more like authority to deal with this since your key card wasn't high enough to reach any of the significant rooms. Red emergency lights awaited you in the hallway, eerily flickering in the dimmed space, tinting the white walls in bloody red. You continued to follow the direction where the meeting point would be. Footsteps emitted from a corridor on the left, probably people like you on their way towards the same destination.
The people reached your vision, and you saw a few MTF units and two scientists, every single one of them with terrified expression on their face. In contrast to your leisurely stroll, they were sprinting. Alright an old Ai was scary but not that scary.
"What are we running from? Did Scp 079 found an android to possess?", you panted after catching up to one of them. The guy didn't react to your joke and continued to blankly stare forward while rambling on and on about something incoherently.
"Hellooo?", you tried again. You contemplated waving a hand in front of his face before suddenly his head snapped in your direction, making you flinch. His wide eyes starred at nothing in particular. Panic written plainly on his face.
"We did it on accident. How were we supposed to know? It was said that only one broke out! We were called to evacuate others and then we saw the scientists, and we weren't fast enough to avert our eyes, it was an accident, we never meant to see it and now we are dead!" His words were obscured by hysteric sobs.
You wanted to say something calming, everything would be alright once you reached the meeting point, they had weapons and safe spaces but suddenly you noticed that the stomping sound of footsteps was now overlapped by something else. Your blood ran cold. At first, you thought it had been the alarm growing louder and louder but the alarm didn’t scream, nor did it grow closer and closer with every second. Your heart dropped. It was obvious which Scp the guard was referring to now.
Scp 096.
Or more commonly referred to as shy guy. Euclid, extremely hostile when certain conditions are met. Which these people had.
They had caught a glimpse of its face.
A peek around the corner, reflexively looking up when hearing a sound… It was so easy to make one mistake. It wasn't fair at all that they were sentenced to death because of an accident. Only a hunch of Scp 096’s was visage to throw it into a rage. They probably just turned a corner to check up on the other members of the facility and that was it. There was nothing they could do now, other than preparing for their inevitable end. But that didn't mean you had to die. You still had a chance; you had not looked at it.
Yet. The first armed men began to shoot, signalising the arrival of the creature. You closed your eyes instantly. Don’t look. They had no chance. Screams filled the air and the smell of blood reached your nose. It was horrifying, to have no clue about what was going on. You had to keep your eyes shut. One glance and it was over for you as well. You heard screams and your imagination did the rest, painting the most gruesome pictures inside your head. You clenched your eyes deeply shut. So hard, it almost hurt.
Something bumped into you and you smacked against something solid. Smooth. The wall. You hit your head painfully but continued onwards, making small steps along the wall, pressing your hands against your ears to keep out all the horrible sounds. You had no idea when the tears started to flow, only noticed them as small sobs escaped your lips.
Step by step, you marched onward, don’t keep still, don’t wait and listen but you knew the sounds would never stop inside your head. Your side was starting to hurt more and more with every step you took. Had all the victims died, or had you gotten far enough to leave the slaughter behind?
You couldn't concentrate enough to listen for any sound. The next step was a stumble as the pain flared so much you clenched your teeth together. The pain from your side was becoming unbearable. This was no good. You had to look. Slowly, you dared to open your eyes.
Red liquid drenched the left side of your clothes.
Your stomach turned at the amount of blood.
A stray bullet must have hit you. It was a miracle on its own that you hadn’t died in the crossfire.
"Oh shit...", you muttered. This was bad.
Escaping would be impossible with an injury, especially since you had no clue how many Scps had broken out. The old AI must have unlocked all the containment chambers. Would you even be able to run from them? The pain was barely endurable while standing. Tears started to sting in your eyes again. Pain mixed with the feeling of dread and unfairness.
You would never make it out alive.
This was it.
Unless...
You rubbed them away angrily. You hadn’t escaped Scp 096 for nothing. You hadn’T worked in this job for nothing. You knew things. You had the vital advantage of knowledge.
Scp 714 the jaded ring, an item that was able to heal every injury. Scp 500 was an option as well, but the ring could make you invincible, a skill which was much rather needed to survive all these dangerous creatures.
Despite the waves of pain raking your body with each step, having a plan filled you with new found hope. You opened the first door you spotted with your measly level 2 key card and searched for a map on one of the computers.
Some time had already passed since your incident with the old AI so it had probably scoured every electronic device in the foundation. For now, it was the least of your concerns now. The thing couldn’t hurt you unless you were transformed into a computer. Between the files and files of data, you found the location of the ring. To your luck it resided on the same floor you were in. Blood continued to seep through your clothes. It had left a stain on the left side of the swivel chair as well. You felt strangely lightheaded after losing all that blood.
Huh… There had to be some kind of first aid kit around here...
After a quick search, you discovered one and managed to patch yourself up a bit. It still hurt, but at least it wasn't bleeding as much anymore, so you continued onward to bring the ring into your possession.
The route was burned into your mind, taking the right way was no problem, because it was either dying or living if you got lost. Or worse, running into 096 again... You had to function at peak, a small mistake could cause your death if you didn't sharpen your senses. Left, right, right after you took a left... Your head started to hammer similar to a headache. Every step was agony. The next turn greeted you with dead people, not the ones that Scp 096 killed. In your hazardous state, you couldn't comprehend the scene unfaltering before you. It was for the better. With a clear head you would have never had the courage. You stumbled forward.
There was one important thing about them.
Key cards.
You needed a key card of at least level 4 to enter the jaded rings containment chamber. You took a shaky breath, and searched for key cards. Don’t look up and see their faces. Your vision was blurred, making it hard to identify their authority level. Level 2's and 3's were a common sight, but luckily the scientist possessed a level 4. You were close to throwing up, quickly taking the card, and leaving the disturbing scene behind.
Time passed in a feverish hazard, it was impossible to remember everything, all that mattered was the ring. Your head hammered with each step, your wound burning at your side. If you did not have that goal, the ring, in your mind, you would've surely passed out by now. Finally, you stood before your destination. A sign with the Scp's name and picture proved you right. Your dull eyes filled with hope again. Not wasting a thought, you opened the door with the newly found key card, stumbling inside.
The jaded ring awaited you on a pedestal in the middle of the room. You managed to crack a smile for a split second, before it was devoured by another wave of pain. No time to waste any.
You grabbed the ring.