บท 196: All hands on deck -192
[SITE-009]
Alexander was quickly notified of the situation at SITE-019. It was, after all, an important class 5 SITE, and a containment breach there was a very big deal, more so since it was SCP-096 that broke it.
He had honestly hoped that given the short amount of time, SCP-096 was out in the wild before its containment that he had avoided any stray pictures of it out there. But it seemed that he wasn't so lucky, and some really unlucky poor fool had seen his face.
Still, it was most unfortunate that it had happened; after all, every moment SCP-096 spent outside his containment cell meant another moment where some camera could capture the image of his face.
SCP-096, the shy guy, was a funny one. While clearly capable of much more, he often didn't seem to put much effort or thought into his actions. The Foundation had carefully tested him, and he really didn't have any secrets they weren't aware of at this point.
He could move at speeds so fast it was nearly impossible to see him. Yet he often didn't move all that face, rarely faster than 60-80 kilometres an hour. While impressive in terms of running speed and over long distances and times, it wasn't all that impressive compared to other SCP objects.
He also had the ability to move around as he wanted. Sometimes, he would avoid an obstacle, while other times, he would waste time smashing through walls and buildings rather than going around them.
Due to this, the O5 council had at one point talked about moving him to a containment facility in Europe simply because the strong brick walls would slow him down more than the thin, weak buildings dotting around America.
In the end, it just wasn't worth it; while the bit of extra time was useful to ensure they had time to evacuate anyone in his path, the amount of time just wasn't truly worth it. After all, the most important thing was to get him back in containment as soon as possible.
So, they kept him at SITE-019, which was now suffering a major containment breach. Thankfully, many of the SCP objects stored there weren't that dangerous right now, or they just didn't have the ability to take advantage of the breach to escape or the desire for it.
No, the shy guy could move faster than he did now; he could dodge everything that stood in his path. Instead, he was jogging along, ensuring that the most amount of people possible had a chance to see his face.
It was annoying as hell and massively increased the cost of the operation. And worst of all, SCP-096 was charging straight towards some major population centers, meaning this was quickly getting out of control, forcing Alexander himself to act.
Forcing open a direct line of communication to SITE-019. "Director Moose, This is O5-1 of the O5 council; I am taking direct control of the situation; you will continue to direct the ground forces, and I will ensure the government doesn't slow you down." His obscured voice sounded in the command center of SITE-019.
Tilda Moose felt a mixture of relief and tension as she heard O5-1's voice. It was a rare occurrence for the highest authority in the Foundation to directly intervene, and it underscored the gravity of the situation.
"Understood, O5-1," Tilda responded, her voice steady despite the chaos around her. "We're already evacuating personnel from the affected sectors and deploying containment teams along SCP-096's projected path."
"Good," Alexander replied. "Ensure that an accurate path trajectory is calculated, and keep me fully updated on that; I need to know where the evacuation effort is concentrated."
Tilda relayed the orders, watching as her team worked with practiced efficiency. The room buzzed with activity, each member of the control team focused on their tasks, aware that even a small mistake could lead to disaster.
"Director, we've got the projected path," one of the technicians reported. "SCP-096 is heading southeast; if he doesn't reach his target before then, he will run right through Washington, D.C."
Tilda's heart sank at the thought of the potential casualties. She knew it was impossible to stop him from reaching his target, she could only hope that his target was on the path to D.C. and not within it.
Even then, as she looked at the map, she saw that a dozen other population centers were affected, possible targets or just unlucky casualties in this situation.
Alexander couldn't help but get a bad feeling hearing the news of the path. Washington, D.C. was undoubtedly one of the most difficult places to evacuate in the world, so it was unlikely they could succeed there.
No, it was clear that he had to do something to avoid the worst-case scenario. He quickly went with his gut feeling and got the coordinates for the Triskelion. "Does the path intersect with these coordinates?" He asked after sending them over.
The technician inputted the coordinates and quickly analyzed the trajectory. "Yes, O5-1, SCP-096's path intersects with those coordinates. It's highly probable it will pass through or near it."
Alexander cursed under his breath. He had a fairly good idea of the target for SCP-096. It was likely that someone within Shield was doing some research into possible Foundation or Bulwark operations and had somehow found a picture of 096.
This made this both easier to deal with and more difficult. Though he clearly needed to speak with both Fury, and likely also the President, he needed the ability to have mass evacuations happen and force Fury's hand if he wasn't willing to play ball.
"Director Moose, continue with the current evacuation and containment efforts," Alexander ordered. "I will handle the coordination with SHIELD. Ensure that all personnel in the path of SCP-096 are equipped with scramblers and blindfolds. We cannot afford any more exposures."
Tilda acknowledged the order and continued to direct her team. Alexander, meanwhile, closed his eyes and focused on his kingdom. He had risked the secrecy of one of his Shield spies to place a mark of the Foundation within Fury's office, allowing Alexander to project his mind in there.
Though for now he just confirmed that Fury was indeed there, he would first ensure that he had the support of the president, and then deal with Fury, though he feared that dealing with Obama would likely not be easy.
After all, someone like Fury wasn't hard to convince about some hard-to-understand threat. He wouldn't need much convincing at all, having seen both aliens and more, but the president might be more difficult to get to comply quickly.
Yet, the situation didn't allow for him to explain things carefully, the president had to agree, even if he would have to get rough with him.
[The Oval Office]
In a matter of moments, Alexander's projection materialized within the Oval Office. President Obama was in a meeting with his senior advisors, discussing national security matters when he noticed a presence in the room. The Secret Service agents reacted instantly, drawing their weapons, but Alexander raised his hand to signal that he meant no harm.
"Mr. President, I apologize for the intrusion, but this is a matter of utmost urgency," Alexander began, his voice calm but authoritative.
Obama's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"I am O5-1 of the SCP Foundation. We are an organization dedicated to containing and securing anomalous objects and entities that pose a threat to humanity. One of our most dangerous entities, SCP-096, has breached containment and is on a direct path toward Washington, D.C.," Alexander explained, keeping his tone urgent but respectful.
The President's advisors looked skeptical, but Obama held up a hand to silence them. He knew something about this SCP Foundation, even if only very little, he still knew enough to understand they had real power, and posed a real danger, so he was willing to humor them. "Go on."
"SCP-096 is an entity that will relentlessly pursue and kill anyone who sees its face, whether in person, in photographs, or even in videos. We have reason to believe that someone within SHIELD has accidentally come across an image of SCP-096, which has triggered its current rampage. We need your immediate authorization to mobilize all necessary resources for a mass evacuation and to assist SHIELD in identifying and isolating those who have seen the image," Alexander continued.
President Obama's expression was grave as he considered the information. "This sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. How can I be sure this is real?"
"With all due respect, Mr. President, we don't have time for skepticism. If we do not act now, thousands of lives will be lost. I'm asking you to trust me and allow us to do our job. SHIELD Director Fury is already aware of the situation an
d is prepared to cooperate," Alexander replied firmly.
Obama glanced at his advisors, who seemed just as conflicted. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, Alexander. You have my authorization. But I want constant updates on the situation."
"Thank you, Mr. President. Your cooperation will save countless lives," Alexander said before his projection faded.
[SITE-009]
Alexander had little time to mind that chaos his little visit had caused in the White House. He was sure that the personnel embedded there would ensure that anyone was given amnestics and would forget about it. Instead, he turned his attention back to Fury.
He had little time to go through any proper channels. He needed Fury to find the people who had seen 096's face and bring them out of the city toward 096 so he could kill them as soon as possible before the situation got further out of control.
Projection his mind, he found himself in Fury's office; he kept his eyes closed for his own safety and activated his black suit, and then allowed his illusion to appear inside Fury's office.
Fury was on high alert, his hand instinctively moving towards his sidearm when Alexander's projection appeared. He relaxed slightly when he recognized the figure.
"O5-1," Fury greeted, his voice a mix of surprise and irritation. "This is a rare visit. What do I owe the pleasure of this… meeting?" Fury was clearly not happy with having something potentially hostile and dangerous just appearing inside his office like that.
Though he also couldn't help but feel the desire to use this to attempt to capture him, after all this was the seat of his power, with countless loyal agents all around ready to assist him should he call. However, in the end, he didn't, knowing that it was unlikely to succeed due to not having a way to stop this man from just leaving the same way he came here.
"Fury, I'm afraid this isn't a social visit; there is a current situation that could cause massive loss of life and even the whole of D.C. to be destroyed." Alexander stated bluntly, his tone leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Fury's expression hardened, all traces of irritation replaced by a steely focus. "Alright, I'm listening. What's the situation?"
Alexander quickly relayed the details, explaining SCP-096's abilities and the current breach. He emphasized the imminent danger posed by SCP-096's trajectory through Washington, D.C., and the likely involvement of someone within SHIELD who had inadvertently triggered the entity's rampage.
He naturally kept things vague enough that it wasn't possible to track down the location of SITE-019, or at least he hoped to. While also keeping a few things about SCP-096 a secret, but he did tell Fury enough to make him understand the threat they were facing.
Fury absorbed the information, his eyes narrowing as he processed the gravity of the situation. "So, what you're telling me is that we have an unstoppable entity heading straight for Washington, D.C., and anyone who's seen its face is as good as dead. And it's likely someone in SHIELD triggered this mess?"
"Precisely," Alexander confirmed. "We need to identify and isolate anyone who might have seen 096's face and evacuate them to minimize further casualties. I need your cooperation to make this happen swiftly and discreetly."
Fury nodded, already planning his next moves. "Alright. We'll initiate a sweep of all SHIELD personnel and facilities to locate anyone who might have seen this image. But we're going to need support for the evacuation. The logistics alone are a nightmare."
"I've already secured authorization from the President," Alexander said. "You'll have the full support of federal resources for the evacuation. However, it is still impossible to evacuate D.C., which means you are on a clock, Fury."
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