章 85: The Mysterious Cat Burglar -83
Locking eyes with those green ones, he completely froze as he saw that he wasn't alone, and it wasn't some of his guards. It was a woman, very much that. She was wearing some pretty tight clothing that showed off her curves.
He had to admit, she wasn't hard to look at, at all, dressed in that skin-tight bodysuit, which stood in stark contrast to her snow-white hair.
The woman had also frozen as she found herself caught in the act, "Guess that's where you hide all the good stuff, huh? And, shouldn't you be dead?"
"Oh, the news of my death has been greatly exaggerated," Alex said with a playful smile. "But you, my kitty cat, you really shouldn't be here." Then, he clenched the compass in his right hand, and with his left, he used flash forge to conjure a throwing dagger and threw it straight toward the intruder.
"Hey!" The woman yelled as she masterfully caught the dagger and threw it back at him while dashing towards him under the cover of the projectile.
Alex cursed in his heart that his bedroom was so well sound-insulated that the guards standing right outside wouldn't hear anything unless he opened the door.
Given that this was his personal room, he valued his privacy rather highly, so there were no cameras or sound recordings happening, allowing him to act without worry while in there. However, that was clearly also how a thief had gotten in.
With the compass still in his right hand, he could only use his left to defend himself. He quickly flash-forged a small sword to swipe away the dagger and block the woman's attack.
"Got nya!" She exclaimed as she used what seemed to be sharp claw-like nails on her gloves to block the sword and kicked Alex in the chest. Causing him to stumble backwards.
Yet the woman's eyes widened in surprise as she also found herself thrown backward through the air, though she did catch herself and landed on all four, much like a cat. "What was that?" She gasped.
Alex, shaking his head, walked out of the elevator. He flash-forged a handkerchief and dusted off the spot on his chest where her shoe had kicked. "To strike at God's chosen is to invite Divine Retribution."
It was the first time Alex had witnessed the power of the trait he had gotten when he first got SCP-900 contained. It was all but impossible to test outside of very real situations like this, but so far, he wasn't disappointed at all.
Getting back on her feet, the cat thief took a more cautious stance. "Really? God's chosen? You? I have heard plenty of rumors about you having a deal with the devil, never with God."
"Well if I told them the truth, they wouldn't believe it." Alex jested with her. He was feeling confident enough in his ability to take on this kitty cat that he could at least have fun with the situation.
"Yeah like anyone would believe that nonsense. But still, it's a pretty interesting ability you have. If I'm not wrong, he just reflects all the damage done to you right back, meaning that the only way to hurt or kill you is to get hurt and die yourself."
Alex was very impressed with how quickly she figured it all out. Clearly, this pretty cat wasn't all that simple.
"I'm impressed. Sadly for you, being too smart isn't going to help you here." He did feel somewhat sad about having to kill someone like this girl, he really did think she looked pretty sexy, yet it didn't stop him from flash-forging another throwing dagger.
Eyeing the dagger, the cat burglar couldn't help but click her tongue. "You really are full of secrets, aren't you? Any chance I can learn that?"
"Curiosity killed the cat, sweety." Alex said, threw the dagger, took a step to the side, placed down the compass, and freed up his other hand before quickly tapping his right index finger against the pin on his chest and getting enveloped by his suit.
It wasn't a moment too soon either, as the thief had caught that knife and sent it back towards him. Thanks to his new suit, it just fell to the ground at his feet before he unmade it.
"Now that's just cheating." The mysterious black cat complained seeing him suited up and getting an advantage in both offense and defense.
Alex, now fully safe from any attack she might be able to do and with both hands-free, flash-forged a revolver and slowly started loading it, one bullet at a time, taking his sweet time.
"Alright, that's just bullshit, that is. How about we both take a deep breath and discuss this as adults eh? I just came here for some trinkets. I'm not here to fight you to the death, even more after knowing that even if I could blow your head up, mine would get blown up as well, and I doubt I can get back up after that."
Alex, still loading his revolver, couldn't help but smirk at her attempt at de-escalating the situation—not that he allowed it to stop him. Well, you came for trinkets and instead found secrets, didn't you? Sadly, for you, I like to keep both my secrets and my trinkets."
Realizing her usual tactics wouldn't work here, decided to shift gears. She stood up, dusting herself off with a grace that was undeniably cat-like, and sheathed her claws. "Trinkets, secrets... seems I've stumbled into a vault more valuable and dangerous than I anticipated. So, what's the plan now? You keep pointing that toy at me, or do we actually talk like you civilized people claim to do?"
Alex almost felt bad for having to do this, but he simply couldn't allow something like this to stand. Not only did his woman somehow break into his secured bedroom, one of the most secure and guarded places in his entire mansion, a place defended enough to stop a small army from getting inside, but she had also seen him alive and knew that he had a secret elevator in his closet.
"I really wish I could do that, miss. You truly do seem lovely. Sadly, I can't allow my secrets to slip out, which means you can't slip out, so please, keep my secrets for me." He said, slotting the final bullet inside and finishing loading his gun.
Clicking her tongue against the black cat, she shook her head. "Be glad you are so handsome, or I wouldn't forgive you for this. Anyway, hopefully, you will be in the mood for talking next time. See nya about Tiger."
Alex got a feeling that she was about to do something so he quit playing around and just shot straight at her. Only to be surprised as she leaped backwards and just phased straight through the wall just before the bullets impacted it.
Staring at the spot where the mysterious cat burglar had just vanished, Alex was momentarily stunned. It wasn't every day someone managed to outmaneuver him, much less the entire security setup he had going.
Though if she were an SCP object, it would indeed explain something. Not that it was any excuse. He wasn't just some random rich guy; he was a member of the Foundation, and his security should take the impossible into account.
*boom*
The doors to his room burst open as the guards outside must have heard the gunshot and finally got around to doing their job. "Sir, what happened?" one of them quickly asked as they saw him in his suit and with a gun pointed towards the opposite wall.
"What happened is that someone was inside my room. A hostile unknown SCP object was inside my very chamber, alone with me!" Alex shouted and shot at the guard who asked the question. Thankfully for the guard, the gun wasn't powerful enough to harm him through his armor, and Alex only wanted to scare, not kill.
Yet even after being shot at with a deadly weapon, the guard did dare utter a word of complaint, even if his head was in his throat from the fright. Dismissing the gun in his hand, Alex glared at the guards with a cold stare.
"Well, what are you waiting on? An invitation? Put the SITE on high alert we have an active breach situation!"
The guards, spurred into immediate action by Alex's urgency, began to scramble, issuing rapid commands into their radios to initiate a lockdown of the SITE. They moved with practiced precision, their training kicking in to effectively address the breach situation.
Alex watched as the security protocols he'd painstakingly implemented began to unfold around him. The entire mansion, already a fortress in its own right, transformed into a hive of activity as guards and security personnel worked to secure every entrance and exit, combing through the vast network of rooms and corridors for any sign of the intruder.
Alex himself stood his ground and didn't allow himself to be moved somewhere more secure. He was waiting on his chief of security to come over, and with the state of alert he didn't have to wait long before Markus running with dozens of other guards.
Markus, the chief of security, arrived breathlessly with a contingent of guards at his heels. His eyes immediately locked onto Alex, assessing the situation with a trained eye. "Sir, the entire SITE is on lockdown. We're reviewing all surveillance footage, but the intruder's method of entry remains unknown. It appears she has capabilities that we haven't encountered before."
Alex nodded, his expression grave. "She's not just a regular intruder, Markus. She's something else—possibly an SCP object that we have no record of. She phased through the wall as if it wasn't there." His voice carried the weight of concern, not just for the security breach but for the implications of encountering an anomalous entity so powerful and unknown.
Markus's eyes widened at the revelation. "An SCP object, here? Inside your personal quarters?" The realization of the severity of the situation dawned on him. "Sir, we should fall back to SITE-001 at once for your protection."
Alex raised a hand to pause Markus's immediate reaction. "I will not flee from my own mansion because of something breaking in. because no one should be able to break in in the first place!"
Alex started shouting at Markus at this point. "This is the second time you have failed me, Markus. First, you allowed someone to kill me! Now you fail at keeping my chamber safe from rogue objects!"
Markus didn't argue back; he just stood there with his head hung low and allowed his boss to vent while hoping this wouldn't end with his death.
"It doesn't matter that it was a rogue object; this is the Foundation; the unknown is what we specialize in! There is no excuse for your failure. I forgave you last time, not this time, no Markus, you, you are demoted, you are no longer my head of security, you are no longer worthy of being my hand, of being Alpha-1!"
Markus's expression was one of utter devastation. The honor of being part of the Alpha-1 mobile task force was one many people fought and died for. It was for the elite of the elite, the best of the best. Being the head of security for any of the O5 members is an even greater honor, a recognition of his ability and talent.
Losing that was devastation, a blow to his reputation he would never recover from. Yet he knew that it was a light punishment; he could have been demoted straight down to D-class or outright killed for his failures. "I understand sir."
Sighing, Alex flash-forged a picture of the woman he had found in his room; while she was wearing a mask, it didn't hide much of her face. "This is the intruder, able to phase through solid matter in a controlled manner. I want her, dead or alive. Do not allow my secrets to slip out." He ordered and handed the picture over.
Looking at the picture briefly, Markus quickly looked back at his boss. "Who is in charge of the investigation, sir?"
Alex paused, not knowing who he should appoint to Markus's position on such short notice. "You remain in charge; this mission is yours; while you might never be Alpha-1 again, you can at least redeem yourself a little by completing this."
Markus nodded, accepting the immense responsibility he had been given. His expression hardened with resolve, as he understood the weight of the task at hand. The chance to redeem himself, even if slightly, was a lifeline he grasped tightly.
"I won't fail you again, sir. I'll begin coordinating with all security teams and use every resource at our disposal to track her down," Markus asserted, his voice steady with newfound determination.
Alex gave him one last look before turning towards his closet as the elevator opened up, and guards were excited, having checked the bunker to see if it was clear. "It's not me you will be letting down, but yourself this time." He said as he went back down, the compass once more in his hand.
A/N
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