บท 126: SCP-99999 -122
It took another two days before a decision was made. Countless tests had been conducted, and many of the patients went through grueling tests and experiments to ensure that there was no problem.
Many of the patients had also died doing these tests, as everything was pushed right to the limit, and then beyond to fully test every possible limitation and risk.
Then, hours and hours of discussion had taken place to decide on the final person who would be in charge of the surgery.
"He performed the best."
"But he is an outsider."
"He is also on the list, so it's too risky."
"We were tasked with finding the best, and he proved himself."
"But he only barely scored over some of the others. Are we really going to pick him?"
"That is our mission, but we can prepare others in case the leadership turns him down."
"That sounds best, so he is the first choice? And who is second?"
"Then we have reached a decision; I shall deliver it to the boss. Our job here is done. Let's all pray nothing goes wrong."
---------------
"Dr. Strange, If you would please come with me." Someone came and asked, making him nervous as he followed along down another series of corridors.
"Inside here, please." The person finally broke the silence after stopping in front of a metal door.
Strange nervously stepped inside the room. within, he found what looked to be a medical board. Much like the type he had faced when he first got his medical license.
"Please take a seat."
"Allow me to congratulate you. From all the many very skilled doctors, you stand apart as the best, and as such, you have been chosen."
"With that role comes a great amount of responsibility, a great burden; we wish to inform you of this so that you can prepare yourself."
"Indeed, while you have tried the operation many times by now and proven yourself skilled, so far, there has been no pressure."
Strange almost couldn't help himself back; he was very much feeling great pressure the entire time.
"Should something go wrong, and the patient dies, there would have been no problem; they were D-class."
"Correct, failure meant little doing the tests, but failure, a tiny mistake will mean everything doing the real operation."
"Now, we want you to fully understand the risks involved here."
"Yes, the patient will have implants, connected to the heart, much like those you just operated on doing the third test."
"That device is a dead man's switch, which means should it be damaged or the patent die, it will go off."
"Should that happen, the nuclear self-destruction device at this facility will go off, willing us all, and many, many more."
"We know that this information will make you nervous, but we need you to know what is at risk here, that it is also your own life you will have in your hands."
Nervous was a massive understatement of what he felt; he was downright terrified.
"Here." One of the people on the panel pushed a laptop across the table and towards him. "Hold everything you need to know, go, prepare, and we will call you again later for the surgery."
-----------------
Alexander Ricci, O5-1, looked down at the information sent to him. "So it was him in the end? Dr Strange, is this fate working against you? Or against me?" He couldn't help but whisper.
He had known there was a chance but considered it minimal. Yet here he still was, with the best surgeon, who was also the most troublesome one.
After all, Dr Strange had the backing of The Ancient One, someone he wouldn't want to look his way. Someone who he couldn't deal with, given the current arsenal of SCP objects in his hand.
He knew Strange couldn't die here, if that were to happen, The Ancient One would surely intervene and put a stop to it.
This was also something he might be able to use, as if put in a situation where failure meant death, it was entirely possible she would act to prevent the failure and Strange's death as well.
"Fine, we will do it, any risk is worth the value of 99999." He said aloud as he made his decision.
----------------
Strange felt incredibly nervous as he stood in the operation room. This was far more advanced than anything he had seen before. He wasn't even sure what much of the equipment was. He only knew that it looked expensive.
Around him stood an army of doctors and nurses, everything that could probably be needed for this, and another army, this one the heavily armed kind, stood around, ensuring that nothing happened.
"Attention! The Overseers assistant is here!" someone yelled out, and suddenly everyone stood up straighter, even Strange couldn't help but follow their example.
The large double doors then opened. And in came a man, a face Strange, knew. Not personally, but not long ago, he had been all over the news, a rich, generous man who had been killed. A bullet to the head.
Strange had even seen the footage available about the attack to see the amount of damage, and it was total; survival had been totally impossible. Yet here he was, Alexander Ricci, walking briskly into the room, his presence commanding the attention of everyone around.
Ricci approached the operating table with a steady gait, his eyes scanning the setup and the medical personnel, including Dr. Strange. "Dr. Strange, I presume?" Ricci's voice was calm but carried an intensity that filled the room. "Your skills have been highly spoken of. Today, they will be put to the ultimate test."
Dr. Strange nodded, his throat tight with anxiety. "Yes, Mr. Ricci. I'm prepared to proceed."
Ricci gave a brief nod and turned to address the room. "Let's be clear about the stakes today. The operation you will perform on me is not only critical for my survival but for the safety of everyone in this facility. Dr. Strange, doing the third test, you worked with patients who had similar implants to mine; it is part of a linked system integrated into my cardiovascular support. Any error could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction."
The gravity of Ricci's words weighed heavily on Strange. The responsibility was immense, far beyond any surgical procedure he had ever contemplated. The room's atmosphere was thick with tension, every eye watching his every move.
"Now, the item I need you to place within me is ever so slightly different from what you have tried so far; we simply weren't able to produce better copies." He continued and reached into his breath pocket.
Strange gasped in shock as he saw the object he had produced. "What is that!?" he exclaimed.
"Important and immensely precious, and you are too under no circumstances to touch directly; my guards will shoot you if they believe you are attempting it without hesitation, even at the risk of hitting me."
Strange swallowed a lump in his throat at that. He still wasn't sure how it was even possible that this man was alive here now, but clearly, if he could survive having his head exploded, a few bullets probably weren't all that frightening to him.
Alexander placed the object beside the operating table and laid down. "We can begin."
As Dr. Strange prepared for the surgery, the tension in the room was palpable. He glanced at the object Ricci had placed next to the operating table. The very appearance of it suggested that it was no ordinary medical implant. Strange pulled on his surgical gloves, his hands steady despite the nerves.
"Everyone, please ensure full sterility and focus," Strange instructed his team. The nurses and surgical technologists nodded, understanding the gravity of the operation. They began their preparations, laying out the necessary tools and double-checking the medical equipment.
Strange took a deep breath and approached Ricci, who now lay sedated on the operating table. The monitors beeped steadily in the background, tracking Ricci's vital signs. Strange examined the setup one last time before making the initial incision. His hands moved with precision, guided by years of experience and intense focus.
The surgery in itself wasn't all that difficult; simply cut him open, open the chest, and carefully place the object behind the ribs, which could be done without having to remove them if one was careful enough.
The most difficult thing was ensuring that he didn't accidentally push it into the other implants, as doing that could harm both the implants and the patient. He really wanted to avoid triggering any of the catastrophic outcomes Ricci had mentioned.
The room remained silent except for the occasional murmur of a nurse confirming a successful step or the soft beep of a monitor. Finally, after several intense hours, Strange completed the integration. He stepped back, allowing the team to close the incision as he watched the monitors closely.
There were no signs of any of the feared possible reactions from the old implants. "Vitals are stable." Announced one of the technologists, relief evident in her voice.
"Well, Dr. Strange, while you may not know it, you have done tremendous things today. We will ensure that you are properly compensated. Now, if you would please follow me, we will take it from here."
Dr. Strange, visibly fatigued but relieved at the successful completion of the surgery, nodded his acknowledgment. The weight of what he had just accomplished—and the stakes involved—had not fully set in, but he was aware of the intense scrutiny under which he had been placed. He removed his surgical gloves, his hands slightly trembling from the adrenaline and stress of the procedure.
As he followed the attendant out of the operation room, Strange could feel the eyes of the armed guards on him, their presence a stern reminder of the security and secrecy enveloping the entire operation. He was led through a series of winding corridors and back to the place he had stayed at the last few days.
Once inside, he sat heavily in the chair. His mind raced with the possible implications of today's events: the impossible survival of Alexander Ricci and the strange, almost otherworldly nature of the object he was to place in his chest.
But at least he was finally done here; he would be able to return home and put all this behind him, and with ten million, he could even just retire and live out the rest of his life in the lap of luxury.
-------------------
The next day, Dr Strange was delivered back to his home, just as the other doctors had been.
He was carefully placed on top of his bed, fully clothed, still unconscious from the drugs and with a small envelope in his arms.
Yet suddenly, a bold woman wearing yellow robes appeared next to him, looking curiously at the envelope. Slowly, she reached out and gently took it from his arms.
Within it was a small note that read.
[Thank you for your hard work, Dr, as agreed upon, the full payment of ten million US dollars is attached by check. We apologize for the small gap in memories over the past few days, but our secrets couldn't be leaked.]
And just as stated, the check was there; she looked at it and a large number of zeroes. Then she tugged everything back into the envelope and stuffed it into her robes. "I will hold on to this for you, Dr., but no worry, since you will become the future sorcerer supreme, your money is the money of Karma-Taj."
She said, and with a flash of golden energy, she was gone, as was the envelope and Strange's plan for an early retirement.
---------------------------
Back at SITE-009, Alexander was already up and about again; such a small matter as surgery wasn't enough to grant him a vacation from admin word. Which today included making an entry for SCP-99999.
[SCP- 99999]
[object class – THAUMIEL]
[Special Containment Procedures: The object is currently surgically inserted into the chest cavity of O5-1. It should always be within a person of equal Security clearance to ensure that in the case of a containment outbreak, the object can be used immediately and without delay.]
[Description: SCP object 99999 is a small rectangle with dimensions similar to a standard ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard credit card. Following the specifications of Length: 85.62 milimeter. Width: 53.98 milimeters.
The object appears to be made entirely of a soft blue light and has no weight or mass. While it is possible to doubt this, the object is unaffected by other forces, such as gravity. If the object is let go, it will stay in that exact same position, just in the air without moving.
Being in direct contact with the object enables one to use its anomalous ability, which is that any being, no matter which is, will be sent into a deep sleep by the user's will. This sleep is one that it is impossible for the being to wake up from without outside help or interference.
The object is a single-use item; as such, its use is left only to avoid the most dire of Xk-class events.]
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