Chapter 179: Julian Cross -175
[SITE-009]
Alexander was in his command bunker, a place he felt he had spent far too much time, hidden away from the rest of the world. It was almost sad that someone with so much power at his fingertips couldn't even enjoy it all and instead had to hide away in a bunker.
The amount of work on his plate just seemed to endlessly increase. Even with more members of the O5 council around who should be sharing the burden, he really didn't feel that at all.
Countless projects and missions needed his attention. New SCP objects constantly requiring his personal touch not to mention the many other Marvel-oriented projects that he had to deal with himself.
The progress of dealing with Hydra was looking good. More and more of their facilities across the European unions' territory were falling swiftly. Day by day, he was weakening them, all without the Foundation having to invest too much since he had three capable servants.
He did hope we would be able to continue to utilize the three of them for other things once Hydra was dealt with. It really would be a great loss to lose those three, though then again, he had amble blood from Steve, and his researchers were trying to find the secrets of the serum.
In particular he was looking forward to seeing what would happen if someone was given both a super solider serum and the extremis formula. Another thing that was taking a bit of his attention, after all if he didn't personally handle things there was the chance that the others would step in.
And while he wasn't again sharing such things with the others, he preferred to have control of it himself, able to ensure that he had the largest number of enhanced subordinates under his command.
The latest report stated that the extremis formula was coming along nicely and wouldn't be long before it reached a stable phase, which was in part thanks to the D-class personnel tirelessly sacrificing themselves for scientific advancement.
Personally, Alexander had more faith in the formula than he had in the super soldier serum since that turned bad into evil, and good into saints. And he really didn't want to risk using it on too many of his personnel.
Sure, there might be some good subjects for it, but unless the mental effect could be mitigated he was left with a limited pool of potential subjects, while the extremis formula didn't have this side-effect.
Even if one were to disregard the combat effects of the formula, just the added survivability it granted was a massively valuable advantage. Giving it to all researchers at a certain level would make it far more likely they would survive a mishap with an SCP object.
It was both time consuming and expensive to replace highly educated and skilled scientists. Far too often, a brilliant mind has been snuffed out far too early due to an accident with containment.
Already, the Foundation, while just a small fraction of its original size, was starting to eclipse it in power. So far, the Ironsuits were already ready to start being deployed, and Vibranium was adding to the overall strength of the Foundation.
With the ability to enhance personnel on mass using non-normal means, the Foundation would soon become able to handle far more threats than even the original version.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host for the successful containment of SCP-5151! Rewards are being given out!]
Alexander felt something snap inside him as the system rang out, feeling new powers appear inside him. At least the system, which was the form that Solomon's wisdom had taken, didn't continue to try and pretend that it was giving him this power.
No, now he was well aware that it was merely unsealing some of his own powers. Of which he had plenty, after all, he had been in possession of countless SCP objects over the centuries and had used them unsparingly.
Even thinking about Solomon's wisdom still annoyed him to no end. He had honestly hoped that the so called system would prove itself to be a powerful asset, something that could push him much further.
After all, he had plenty of memories of stories with such systems that could help their hosts become godlike beings. And while the greater amount of memories and experiences of Alexander, O5-1 and one of the founders of the Foundation itself had mostly overshadowed the personality of the other Alex who had joined in the mix of transmigration and world merger, had mostly taken full control of this new life, there was still a treasure trove of memories for him to use.
He was well aware that he had no doubt inherited other traits of the mysterious Alex from another universe. Still, in the end, under the memories of thousands of years, he had been buried once the protections offered by the system failed.
Another reason he was angry at Solomon was how dare he try to get him replaced like that. However, Alexander was still very curious about how he had ever done such a thing. He knew Solomon well, better than anyone else.
He had been the mind behind the betrayal of him, he had carefully planned his death, and in doing so, he naturally had accounted for all of his abilities and powers. And this seemed far beyond him, more so since it was just Solomon's wisdom at play.
He still had memories about what had caused them to use such a desperate move; he didn't know what had happened to the original SCP universe or how they ended up here. Many questions remained unanswered, and just thinking about it made him grit his teeth in anger.
Then, without warning, he was pulled out of his internal musings when every display in front of him suddenly turned red. Large warning symbols covered every screen, and alarms started blaring.
Honestly, he was starting to think he could permanently relocate to SITE-001, given the number of emergencies that plagued SITE-009. "This better not be another intruder, or I will replace the entirety of Alpha-1." He cursed as he started clicking away, trying to find out what was going on.
Though he quickly found himself stumped, not a single console responded to his inputs. Even his phone and holopads were locked, just showing the warning that protocol Zeta-12B14 was in place.
This was incredibly annoying since he couldn't even look up what this protocol was all about! He was completely cut off from the entire Foundation, so with an angry expression on his face, he took the elevator up to ask someone for some answers.
"Sir! Please return to the bunker at once, total information lockdown!" Was the words that greeted him as soon as the doors opened, guards standing ready to force him back down into his bunker.
Alexander's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. The guards, tense and ready for action, had their weapons at the ready. Their orders were clear: keep everyone, including him, in the dark. It was an unprecedented security measure, and the gravity of it wasn't lost on him.
"Information lockdown?" Alexander growled, his voice dripping with frustration. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
The lead guard, a seasoned MTF operative, didn't flinch. "Sir, we have strict orders. Protocol Zeta-12B14 has been enacted. No one is to leave their designated secure locations, and no information is to be disseminated."
Alexander took a deep breath, trying to quell his rising anger. "Fine! Let me know as soon as the state of emergency ends!" He commanded as he went back down into his bunker, not wanting to force things.
He was well aware that anything that could force him to be in the dark was a massively dangerous situation. Something that could prove a threat to even himself, merely by knowing about it. Something that reminded him of SCP-4885.
Still, since he was cut off from the outside world, he had plenty of time to go into the secret wing of his secret bunker, where he both contained useful, safe class objects and a large room filled with paper files.
[Emergency Protocol Zeta-12B14: Blackcurtain]
[Level 2 Clearance Required]
[Description: Protocol Zeta-12B14, codenamed Blackcurtain, is a last-resort containment and neutralization measure. Activated in response to an imminent existential threat, the protocol involves the following steps:]
[1. Immediate lockdown and evacuation of all personnel.]
[2. Activation of on-site nuclear self-destruction mechanisms.]
[3. Total information blackout for all personnel, including O5 council members, to prevent the spread of classified information and potential memetic hazards.]
What shocked him was the low clearance level needed to activate it, meaning that it was something so dangerous that pretty much anyone had to be able to use it within a moment's thought, no need to ask their superior for confirmation.
Clearly, given that even the O5 council were to be kept in the dark, it involved a huge memetic threat, and it even involved the nuclear self-destruction of the SITE. Something that would cause immense backlash.
Thankfully, though, it didn't seem to be SITE-014 that had issued this protocol since if that SITE, placed within New York City, was to self-detonate, then SITE-009 would have been deemed unsafe, and he would have been urged to evacuate to SITE-001.
Still, plenty of Foundation SITEs were within nuking distance of a large population center, and if any of those were the ones, well, once the blackout was lifted, they would be facing a major headache after something like that.
Even now, being unable to respond and give orders to cover up a nuclear detonation was already a massive problem. He could only hope that someone in charge of this protocol could deal with these issues. The file he had on paper contained only the most basic information about it, most of which was so sensitive that it was all redacted.
------------------------
[London]
[O5-2]
Alexander wasn't the only member of the O5 council who was busy with work. Each of them was making themselves busy in this new reality, from O5-3, who was busy getting funding, to O5-4, who was busy getting a proper logistic network set up.
O5-2 was also busy. He was not just trying to ensure that the Foundation remained safe in the face of new threats as well as old ones; he also continued to push for one of the permanent seats on the UN's World Security Council.
This was the very body that controlled Shield, a powerful global organization that was a potentially vital asset or a thorn in the side. This world didn't yet have something like the GOC, and he, along with the rest of the Council, didn't want to see Shield turn into that.
This was why he wanted to secure a seat. O5-1 had already secured the Chinese seat after dealing with SCP-10000, and now he wanted to get the British seat for himself.
Today, he had arranged an important meeting with a rather influential British politician, an ambitious woman named Pamela Lawton, who had a good chance of becoming a future prime minister.
O5-2 had taken up the identity of Julian Cross and had, over the past few months, been spending huge amounts of money bribing everyone he could and building up a reputation as an avid supporter of the political ideas the woman and her party were shouting about.
Pamela Lawton was known for her sharp intellect and no-nonsense approach. She had a reputation for cutting through political red tape with ruthless efficiency. Julian Cross, O5-2's current identity, had worked meticulously to position himself as a key ally.
Their meeting took place in a discreet, luxurious private club in the heart of London. Pamela, as always, was impeccably dressed and exuded an air of confidence. Julian greeted her with a warm smile, masking the calculated precision behind his every move.
"Mr. Cross, it's good to see you again," Pamela said, extending her hand.
"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Lawton," Julian replied, shaking her hand firmly. "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me today."
Pamela sat down, her eyes never leaving his. "You've been quite the supporter of our cause, Julian. I'm curious to hear what you have to propose today."
O5-2 knew that he had so far built about enough good will that it was time to ask for something in return, and putting forward a name for the position he was after should now be within what they would give him in return for further support.
Yet just as the meeting got underway, his Foundation phone suddenly went crazy, and the door burst open as his guards, members of MTF Alpha-1, rushed in, weapons drawn.
A/N
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