Chapter 182: SCP-4885 -178
[SITE-210]
Bruce was still feeling down after the whole ordeal; his best friend was dead, choosing to kill himself rather than join Bruce in the evacuation. He knew there had to be some reason for that, but he just didn't know what.
After arriving at the new SITE, he was briefly examined by medical personnel, who checked him over before he was led to a small waiting room. After that, he was led into a humanoid containment cell, where he has stayed on his own ever since.
Even his laptop, which he had carried the entire way over here, filled with data and other things that had once excited him, sat unused; he didn't feel like working.
He must have been left alone there for hours. Everyone was likely too busy dealing with the aftermath of whatever had happened to care about him. Not that he minded; he didn't mind being alone right now.
However, the rest of the world clearly wasn't happy with leaving him alone for too long. As soon enough, the door opened, revealing Director Trembley of SITE-160. "Hello Dr Banner.
Bruce looked up, surprised to see Trembley. "Director Trembley," he acknowledged, his voice flat.
The Director looked over at Bruce and then sighed. "Bruce, staying like this isn't good for you, and I sadly can't offer much counseling right now, but someone from up high wants to speak with you, so go to conference room 5; they will meet you there."
Bruce raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering through his grief. "Who wants to speak with me?"
Trembley shook his head. "It's above my clearance to disclose. But it's important. Please, just go to the conference room."
With a reluctant nod, Bruce stood up, feeling the weight of exhaustion and sorrow. He grabbed his laptop, out of habit more than necessity, and followed Trembley out of the containment cell. The walk through the sterile halls of SITE-210 felt longer than usual, the silence pressing in on him.
When he reached conference room 5, he hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open. The room was large; a big table filled most of it, and three dozen chairs were arranged around it. Clearly, this room was meant for large meetings.
Bruce entered and looked around for a bit, not willing to sit down just yet, not if he was about to meet someone important. Yet, as he stood inside the room facing the door, minutes passed by without it opening.
"Please excuse the delay, Dr Banner; I'm quite busy these days." A sudden voice said from inside the room.
Bruce quickly turned around to look in the direction the voice came from. It should have been impossible for anyone to sneak in without alerting him; after all, he had been watching the door the whole time, and he didn't think someone had been hiding under the table this whole time.
The person he saw was even more impossible; after all, there before him stood Alexander Ricci, someone who was supposed to be dead. His death had even made international news, not to mention made waves within the Foundation itself.
Bruce stared, his mouth slightly agape. "Alexander Ricci? How...?"
Alexander smiled faintly, a mix of weariness and amusement in his eyes. "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, Dr. Banner. There's much you don't know, and even more that I can't fully explain right now."
Bruce's mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. "Why are you here? Why the secrecy?"
Alexander wasn't truly there. Instead, he was merely projecting his thoughts and forming an illusion. Making it impossible for him to pull out a chair and sit down. As such, he remained standing and started to explain everything he could and would.
"I'm here to speak with you, and secrecy is very much the name of the game here. None can know that I still live, I show you since I figured in times like these you could use a familiar face."
Bruce was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Alexander was even still alive. Oliver had shown him the video of him getting the top of his head blown off. It was as famous these days as the Zapruder film.
"Banner, I'm guessing what you are thinking. But Dr. Bell is well and truly dead, even we can't bring the dead back to life, and even if we could, it would require the body, and Oliver Bell was vaporized together with the vast majority of SITE-160."
Alexander's words did indeed douse a spark of hope Bruce didn't even know had ignited in his heart. "What happened? What is going on?" Bruce asked.
Alexander's expression grew more serious as he began to explain. "The truth, is that even I know very little, even the O5 council is in the dark about what happened." His words sent waves of shock through Bruce's heart. After all, within the Foundation, the reputation of the O5 council didn't need explaining.
"What is known is that an emergency protocol was enacted by Dr Oliver Bell and that he killed himself shortly after. What we believe, is that it involved SCP-4885." Alexander continued his explanation.
Bruce's brow furrowed in confusion. "SCP-4885? I don't recall ever hearing about that one."
Alexander nodded. "That's because SCP-4885 is one of the most classified anomalies we have. Its existence is known only to a select few. The fact that Dr. Bell activated the emergency protocol suggests it poses an extraordinary threat."
Bruce leaned forward, his curiosity piqued despite his grief. "What exactly is SCP-4885?"
Alexander helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid I don't know, I can't know, the file about it is locked, even members of the O5 Council can't see it. The higher the rank, the harder it is to see."
Bruce's eyes widened in disbelief. "Even the O5 Council can't access it? That must mean it's something beyond dangerous."
Alexander nodded grimly. "Precisely. But that's why we need your help. I have been authorized to grant a single person access to the file, and since Dr. Bell was your best friend, I believe it would only be right that you, Dr. Banner, lead the investigation from here on."
Bruce felt a mix of dread and responsibility settle over him. "I'll do it," he said, his voice firm despite the turmoil inside.
"Excellent Dr. Banner." Alexander said, clapping his hands together. "Now, I will tell you what little I know about this Object to make sure you don't end up dying. Knowing where the object is means you are already dead. And please, try to find a way to neutralize this object, this is the wish of O5-1"
Bruce's mind whirled with the gravity of the situation. "Understood, Alexander. I'll do everything in my power to figure this out and neutralize the threat."
Alexander nodded, his expression serious. "Good. Then I will have you transferred to another SITE, and give you some personnel and resources so you can work. And Please, remember that Alexander Ricci is dead, and I don't want rumors saying anything differently."
Bruce felt a surge of determination mixed with unease. "I understand. I'll keep your secret."
With that, Alexander's projection flickered and disappeared, leaving Bruce once again surprised and amazed at the Foundation's abilities. He couldn't tell if that had been a hologram or something else at play.
------------------------
Bruce arrived at SITE-4885, a small Class-2 facility located in a remote area, hastily renamed and repurposed for this task. The journey had been swift and uneventful, with Foundation personnel ensuring his safe transport. As he stepped into the SITE, he was greeted by Dr. Elena Foster, a lead researcher assigned to assist him.
"Dr. Banner, welcome to SITE-4885," Dr. Foster said, extending her hand. "I've been briefed on your assignment. We're here to support you in any way possible."
"Thank you, Dr. Foster," Bruce replied, shaking her hand. "I need to see the file on SCP-4885 immediately."
"Of course, right this way," she said, leading him down a corridor to a secure room. Inside, a single terminal sat on a desk, isolated from any network to ensure maximum security.
Dr. Foster entered a series of credentials and stepped aside. "You have full access now. Take your time."
Bruce sat down, his heart pounding with anticipation. He entered his credentials and the file on SCP-4885 unlocked. As he began to read, a chill ran down his spine.
SCP-4885 was an anomalous humanoid resembling the main character from the "Where's Waldo?" books, known in the U.S. as "Where's Wally?" The entity wore the iconic red and white striped shirt, bobble hat, and jeans, but with a horrifying twist: its skin was pale, and it lacked eyes. If anyone discovered SCP-4885's location, it would phase into a nearby wall and emerge from within the discoverer, killing them in a gruesome manner and turning their body into an SCP-4885-1 instance covered in illustrations from the books.
Bruce felt a growing sense of dread as he continued reading. The containment procedures were strict, involving constant monitoring and specialized drones to handle any breaches. The knowledge of SCP-4885's location was a death sentence, explaining the extreme secrecy and security measures.
Finishing the file, Bruce leaned back, taking a deep breath. He understood now why Oliver had activated the emergency protocol. And why had he killed himself. He must have somehow found the location of SCP-4885.
Dr. Foster re-entered the room. "Dr. Banner, what do you think?"
Bruce was still shocked by the nature of this SCP. It felt like a bad joke, but one that the Foundation took seriously enough to detonate a nuke and Oliver to kill himself over it.
So it was clearly not a joke, though it was truly a horrifyingly dangerous SCP; no wonder that those in charge of the Foundation weren't allowed to know about it. The less one knew, the smaller the chance of accidentally finding him.
"This is indeed serious, and I'm struggling to figure out where I should even begin." He said, looking back at the Special Containment Procedures
Bruce Banner sat in the secure room, eyes glued to the screen as he reviewed the Special Containment Procedures for SCP-4885. The procedures were intricate, reflecting the extreme danger posed by the entity.
Special Containment Procedures: Currently, it is only theorized that SCP-4885 is contained. To further elaborate, SCP-4885 is contained within an unknown Class-17 Containment Chamber in an unknown site. In the event that SCP-4885 breaches containment, Procedure Invenient Eum is to be enacted, which consists of the following procedures:
Thirty-six Class-17 Containment Chambers are to be connected to an independent self-driving vehicle. At all times, 216 inactive Containment Chambers are to be readily available in case of sudden and unforeseen breach of SCP-4885's containment.One D-Class subject of stable mental health is to be submitted into the vehicle, and driven into the system. A cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator is to choose a random number between one and thirty-six, and the vehicle is to be transported to a Containment Chamber based on the number chosen.Each Containment Chamber has a single digital monitor that is capable of outputting video at 720p resolution. Once a D-Class subject is transported to a random chamber, a message is to be sent to every monitor simultaneously. This message consists of the current location of SCP-4885, delivered via an implanted tracking device. The GPS is only accessible by Level 5 Personnel or SCP-4885 containment staff on a need to know basis.After approximately two hours, each containment chamber is to be transported to a randomly designated Foundation site via self-driving trucks. The trucks are to be disguised as a packaging service in order to prevent suspicion. In the event an accident occurs during this stage, Procedure Invenient Eum is to be enacted again.
Bruce's thoughts raced as he considered the gravity of the situation. The procedures were stringent, and for good reason. Knowing SCP-4885's location was a death sentence, leading to immediate and gruesome consequences. The use of drones and autonomous systems was a clever way to mitigate this risk, but it also highlighted just how perilous the task ahead was.
He reflected on the encrypted data protocols. "We have to ensure absolute security," he thought. "Any breach in our system could lead to catastrophic results." The containment area, maintained by machines, was another layer of safety. It underscored the need for complete isolation of SCP-4885 from human contact.
Bruce felt a mix of admiration and dread. Admiration for the meticulous thought put into these procedures and dread at the entity's terrifying capabilities. He knew that any misstep could be fatal, not just for him, but potentially for many others.
Determined, Bruce steeled himself for the task ahead. "We need to find a way to neutralize this threat," he resolved. "Oliver's sacrifice won't be in vain. We will find a solution."
Dr. Foster entered, noticing Bruce deep in thought. "These procedures are intense, aren't they?" she remarked.
Bruce nodded. "They have to be. We're dealing with something that can kill us the moment we learn where it is. We need to be meticulous in our approach."
Dr. Foster agreed. "We've set up the drones and the encrypted data systems. Our next step is to start analyzing the data to find any patterns or weaknesses in SCP-4885's behavior."
Bruce stood up, a renewed sense of purpose in his eyes. "Let's get to work. We have a long road ahead, but we'll find a way to contain and neutralize this threat."
A/N
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