Chapter 29
The scout leading the mission clenched his fist, signaling a brief stop. He pulled out a flat device from his backpack, fired what looked like a laser, and repeated the process several times.
“Why?”
“There’s no defensive system detected at all.”
“Not picked up by the equipment?”
In response to the special operations team’s leader’s question, one of the operatives pulled a flashbang grenade from his belt and threw it. A loud explosion followed, and the hallway was momentarily blinded by a white flash, but F-49 remained as eerily quiet as ever.
“……”
Yet, they couldn’t afford to relax.
Task Forces were not summoned haphazardly. They were deployed by higher-ups with a specific mission: to eliminate the SCPs within F-49.
To ensure this, the targets were temporarily classified as Apollyon-level, indicating they must be destroyed.
“Phew.”
The scout, ready to fire at any moment, slowly advanced.
Clank.
Perhaps due to the emptiness, even the smallest noises echoed loudly. The operative maintained his vigilance and proceeded, passing the first room and reaching the second room, where, for some reason, the containment door was missing.
“There, there.”
Clank!
At the sudden presence, the scout aimed his gun in that direction.
“Don’t shoot.”
A woman in her early twenties emerged from the doorless containment area. Was she an SCP? According to their information, there were no anomalies like her. The scout’s gaze fell upon the serial number embroidered on the woman’s clothes.
D-1705.
A rank and serial number typically assigned to death row inmates or test subjects. However, the operative didn’t immediately trust this. Sometimes SCPs would kill field agents and assume their identity.
“My name is Marie. Marie Garcia.”
“…Wait.”
The one who blocked the scout’s gun was the leader of the task force.
“I know her.”
The woman, Marie, who had raised her hands above her head, swallowed nervously. The heavily armed man was very tall and robust, and his mask and goggles made him look even more intimidating. Recognizing her, he removed his goggles and mask to reveal his face.
“Ah.”
“It’s been a while.”
Marie was stunned and uttered a dumbfounded sound.
“Marie.”
The man was Kevin Harris, whom she had met in the E Section.
* * *
Marie was waiting for the special operations team. She had no place to run, and she clung to the hope that perhaps communication might be possible. Of course, she knew how futile this hope was. That’s why she had prepared her own contingency plan.
“Kevin?”
But she never dreamed she’d run into him here.
“How have you been?”
“Uh? Yes.”
Kevin’s smooth, habitual smile and his solid build. Though he had seemed like a soldier to her before, she hadn’t expected him to be in a similar profession.
Marie swallowed nervously. Now that she thought about it, the discussions they had back then were directly related to the current situation—like Thaumiel and the experiments. Realizing her own stupidity, Marie couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
“She’s D-1705. A test subject managing the F-49 area.”
“Is she under protection?”
The operatives’ gazes fixed on Marie. She stood awkwardly. Her demeanor was so harmless that the closest operative was ready to protect her the moment Kevin gave the order. However, Kevin issued a different command.
“She’s a target for containment.”
Marie’s mouth dropped open.
Now she understood what that meant.
“Wait, wait a minute.”
Marie urgently spoke to the people starting to surround her.
“I’m a person. I’m Marie Garcia. I’m twenty years old.”
“Marie.”
“Kevin, you know me. I worked with you in the E Section. The Foundation doesn’t pit SCPs against other SCPs.”
“You are indeed a person.”
“Then why……!”
“We don’t have time. To put it simply, you’re central to this project.”
“What…?”
“I mentioned before that there was an attempt to create a Thaumiel class. The project was led by John Doe.”
John Doe.
He was the one who had brought Marie to the Foundation.
“His project was a major failure, resulting in countless casualties. The Foundation ordered the project to be dismantled, but the faction supporting John Doe protected him, merely demoting him to Class B.”
As Kevin explained, he continued without pause. At his signal, the special operations team split into groups and pressed against the wall beside the containment door, attaching strange devices to the door.
“Our faction judged that the SCPs selected for the experiment needed to be eliminated. They were too dangerous. It was better to destroy them than to contain them. However, John Doe, who contacted the higher-ups, was granted one more chance.”
Beep, beep, beep.
An alarm sounded from the device attached to the containment door.
“How did he get that chance?”
Beep, beep, beep.
Marie stared blankly up at Kevin.
“Marie, have you ever thought that you’re strange?”
Beep—
Click.
The containment door opened. At the same moment, Marie’s memories began to unfold.
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