{ Day 7 - January 19th, 2010 - Foundation Personnel - The Administrator }
{ 11:00 }
The message had been sent the day prior to the personnel of Site-01-Lunenberg for 'Mnestic deployment and cognitive cohesion, although sudden to the personnel, it came as a precaution from a notification he had received. Opening his System, The Administrator[1] reviews the sudden — and concerning — notification.
[ SCP System - Emergency Quest! ]
[ S.H.I.E.L.D. has detected rapid energy spikes from 'SCP-002' and the Scranton Reality Anchors! Work to prevent the discovery of the Foundation and its anomalous activities in Lunenburg! ]
[ Rewards:
- x30 SCP Tokens
- (new!) x1 Foundation Outpost ]
Reading the description, The Administrator ponders the next course of action. S.H.I.E.L.D. investigating the town would threaten the mission of The Foundation, and ultimately compromise the containment of SCP-002. In the worst-case scenario, the containment would fail, and the thaumaturgic properties of SCP-002 would run rampant across the town and beyond.
And where there is S.H.I.E.L.D., a parasite of a bygone era follows close behind, like a disease multiplying within its host before activation.
Deep in thought, he makes his way into the entrance zone, greeting Security Officers along the way. Entering the initial airlock, he heads towards a security post, opening a drawer to reveal a unique handheld radio.
Grasping the radio, he pushes a small button on the side, a faint crackle echoing from its speaker as text appears reading 'Encryption Active'. He begins to speak, articulating every word to emphasize the critical nature of the message — beyond the severity of a personal communication from his position in The Foundation.
"Field Agents,"
The Administrator pauses briefly.
"... A potential Broken Masquerade[2] risk has been identified. I am declaring all personnel placed on high-alert until further notice... A Group-Of-Interest has suspected some form of anomalous activities in this region, and are enroute to Lunenburg."
He pauses again, contemplating his next order.
"You have authority to do what you can to divert the attention with emergency Level Four clearance, most resources currently available to the Foundation are now at your discretion. Mobile-Task-Force Epsilon Six[3] will be available upon request if direct confrontation is the only option. And remember: The few for the many, for we die in the dark so humanity may live in the light... Overseer, out."
With the final transmission, The Administrator turns off the radio, and sends a command through the terminal on the security post connected to the Site.
[][]
{ Day 7 - January 19th, 2010 - Foundation Personnel - Field Agents}
{ 11:05 }
The town of Lunenburg remained as it had been for years: calm, quiet, and a steady stream of activity among the residents. Shops opening early and selling their wares, workers jogging to start shifts on time. However, Disrupting this subtle routine was an inconspicuous black van entering the town, slowing gradually as it passes shops. An odd, but not an outright concerning behaviour.
From a distance, two individuals: A man and a woman in casual clothes, watch on as the black van parks at the local gas station. A group exit the van, all donning black suits and tinted sunglasses. One of the individuals points to the others and barks orders, dispersing the group into the town.
"Stereotypes of a secret agent, if I've ever seen one." One of the Field Agents mutter, as the second takes out a small camera, snapping pictures of the group.
As they observe the van, a muffled beep is heard from the pocket of one of the agents. The agent, her attention captured, turns away from the black truck and takes out her radio.
[]
"- we die in the dark so humanity may live in the light... Overseer, out."
The transmission ends as both the Field Agents looking towards one another, slowly comprehending the message.
"Broken Masquerade?..."
One mutters, glancing back to the black van, already planning a response to the new situation at hand. A diversion? Or an investigation gone wrong, chalked up to chance...
[][]
{ Day 7 - January 19th, 2010 - Foundation Personnel - MTF Epsilon 6}
{ 11:05 }
Back at the Site, four individuals were checking their equipment, from cleaning the barrels of their firearms and sharpening the blades of their daggers, to verifying the integrity of the filters on their gas masks.
A faint crackle came from the intercom above them, as the voice of the Site A.I[4]. cut through the silence of the room. All four of the individuals pause, listening for the message coming through the intercom.
"Attention. Epsilon-Six report to Entrance-Checkpoint-Alpha. Attention, Please. Epsilon-Six report to Entrance-Checkpoint-Alpha for briefing."
Briefly looking between one another, the team of Epsilon-Six begin making their way out of the barracks towards the Entrance-Zone Sector, fastening helmets and performing last-minute checks to their equipment, Researchers and Security-Guards alike clearing a path as the squad passes.
Reaching the checkpoint, they scan their keycards, opening the gate with a groan of hydraulics. As it reaches the extent of its opening, pressurized air releases from corners of the gate, briefly clouding the entrance to the facility: The ladder[5].
As the squad of Epsilon-Six step through the gate of the Entrance-Checkpoint, a voice appears behind them with the faint beep of the keycard scanner and groan of the gate closing.
"Welcome, Epsilon-Six. You're right on time for briefing."
Turning, the squad places their hands on their firearms by muscle-memory. Facing the individual, they note their uniform: Black SCP-BDU with various pouches, Gas Mask with a single filter, and a sidearm at his hip. And the most glaring feature, a Clearance Level-5 keycard attached to the breast-pocket of the BDU. The Administrator.
"Apologies, Administrator." One of the MTF responds, taking his hand off his holstered firearm.
"No apology needed. We have a critical mission you are being deployed on. A Broken Masquerade scenario has been confirmed at risk of a becoming reality. You will be working alongside a team of Field-Agents to address this." Replies the Administrator.
"Suspected agents of the GOI, 'S.H.I.E.L.D' have been identified. Field-Agents are currently observing their actions as they search the town, likely for evidence of anomalous activity in some form. You will follow human-combatant rules of engagement, lethal force is authorized if capture is impossible, avoid firearms when you can. We don't need to panic the local population with gunfire." The Administrator states to the MTF Team, pacing between the squad.
"Due to the nature of this mission, you will be supported by our two available Raven-Surveillance Drones[6] with integrated thermal capturing to assist in tracking the movement of the SHIELD operatives. Alongside this, you will each be provided with field-grade Class-G amnestics[7] to use on any captured SHIELD operative... That is all, perform last-minute checks and return at 12:00, you will be provided your equipment for the operation." The Administrator dismisses the MTF Squad, turning to walk back towards the Checkpoint, scanning his keycard.
Stepping through the gate as it groans open, The Administrator makes his way back to his office in the Entrance Zone, scanning another keycard scanner and retinal scanner to enter.
Once inside, he removes his gas mask, sighing briefly as he places it down.
"Menu... Shop."
He commands, the System slowly manifests in front of him. Glancing across the menu, he scrolls down to the Clearance Level Two menu, and begins reading through the options.
[SCP System - Administration - Resources - Clearance Level Two ]
[ Class-A Amnestic (1) - 1 SCP Token ]
[ Class-B Amnestic (1) - 1 SCP Token ]
[ Class-C Amnestic (1) - 2 SCP Tokens ]
[ ... ]
[ Class-G Amnestic (1) - 4 SCP Tokens[8] ]
"Purchase four Class-G Amnestics." The Administrator states, as a small container of four vials appears in front of him on the ground, each encased in a glass tube capped with metal.
[ Verifying Purchase... Confirmed! ]
[ Sixteen (16) SCP Tokens Deducted — Twenty-Three (23) SCP Tokens Remaining.[9] ]
Grabbing the case of Class-G Amnestics, the Administrator takes them out of his office, and begins to make his way back to Checkpoint-Alpha in preparation for the deployment of Epsilon-Six. Reaching the security post, he takes each of them out, and places them side-by-side, and takes a seat.
Glancing at the terminal, the screen reads {11:15}. Leaning back into the seat, he waits for the arrival of Epsilon-Six. Waiting, for the first direct confrontation of The Foundation against a Group-Of-Interest.
[1] "The Administrator", or "The Overseer", is the title for the head of the SCP Foundation. With access to all resources of The Foundation, they make decisions that may save or compromise the future of humanity.
[2] "Broken Masquerade" is a scenario in the Foundation for when coverups are at risk of becoming an impossibility, either for the general public, or against opposing groups of interest... Or in rare scenarios, the public has already become aware.
[3] "Epsilon Six" ( ɛ-6 ), or "village idiots" are a task force that specializes in urban and rural environments, being at the forefront of general responses to situations in towns and cities. They are not a small task force, and frequently have multiple units across the globe at Sites and Facilities that are near population centres for rapid deployments, often disguised as Special Weapons units for law enforcement or units in a military exercise.
[4] All Foundation Sites come with an integrated Artificial Intelligence; never as intelligent to the likes of A.I. seen in the MCU, and closer to that of basic "Virtual Intelligences" that provide assistance to operations. — in other words, think of the A.I. heard in the PA System of SCP: Containment Breach as it directs security teams to parts of the facility, or delivering messages to high-ranking personnel in the site.
[5] Re: "The Ladder" is the entrance to the facility; the facility is hidden dozens of meters underground beneath a warehouse in the town of Lunenberg, with a thick metal hatch opened through a keycard and retinal scanner as the way in and out, after the Alpha Checkpoint. This makes it difficult for invaders to gain entry to the facility, but likewise is a double-edged sword that slows the movement of personnel entering or leaving.
[6] Fixed-Wing drones that can be deployed by hand. Equipped with an electric motor and high-resolution video camera, it is used for surveillance operations by military and few law enforcement agencies.
[7] "Class-G" are a grade of amnestics that leads to affected individuals doubting the authenticity of their memories, and permits the removal of anomalous memories through the derealization of aforementioned memories. This provides opportunity for implantation and suggestion of false-memories to take their place.
[8] The price is substantially higher due to SCP Mythos reasons. There is no "true lore" in SCP, but most tales and articles I can find that reference Class-G has it as an experimental form of amnestics. For this, I have it cost more to be a fully-effective variation of the amnestic without severe drawbacks like I have seen in tales from the experimental nature of the amnestic.
[9] The MC had 14 tokens remaining from his last purchase of the Class-D uniforms on chapter 5 "The First Class-D", then he received a reward of 25 tokens from the Foundation testing on SCP-002 for the first time... 39-16 leads him with 23 remaining tokens.