Inside a dim, sealed room, the flickering screen of a laptop cast ghostly light on Wheeler's face.
She stared at her diagram—a strange, five-fingered structure, symmetrical but unsettling. The figure was hand-shaped, yet it had no wrist or arm. Five elongated fingers stretched outwards, almost like tendrils, reaching toward unseen dimensions. In the center was a dark pentagonal void, most likely a mouth. The image was replicated in the background of the video, plastered on a green wall mural that spanned two full meters, dense with intricate patterns and abstract lines.
Around the hand were spore-like drawings, detailed renderings from different angles—as if someone was documenting an alien species. The creature's limbs curled protectively, and it sat like a grotesque idol, its mouth eternally gaping.
The moment this diagram hit the screen, a silent wave of horror swept across the Marvel Universe.
---
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One stood frozen. A silent rumble of thunder echoed in her ears, though there was no storm.
She stared, eyes locked on the screen. Though she had never seen this entity before, a name carved itself into her thoughts uninvited:
> "The Cosmic Starfish."
Also known as:
Holy Starfish
The Walker of the Fifth Dimension
The One Who Dreams Above the Stars
A dread equal only to her first glimpse of the Crimson King gripped her soul. It felt... older than reality, stranger than thought itself.
She whispered, "No... it cannot be."
But it was.
And it was here.
---
The Far Edge of the Universe – The Watcher's Domain
Watcher Uatu had just sealed a rift—a minor 0.13° deviation between the observer's realm and physical space. But when he turned to the screen and saw the shape Wheeler had drawn, he froze.
Even with all his knowledge, one concept slammed into his mind without resistance: SCP-3125.
Then came the fear. Not just dread—but primordial fear. Fear of an idea that didn't belong. An infection not of the body, but of thought.
> "If this thing enters reality fully," Uatu whispered, "it will devour all meaning, all abstraction—everything that makes us us."
He stared at the shape, knowing that its presence would ripple through the concept-space, destroy identities, collapse civilizations, and distort the fabric of the multiverse itself.
---
Back to the Video Feed – Wheeler's Journal
Onscreen, Wheeler spoke directly into the camera.
> "How do you fight an enemy you don't even know exists?" she asked.
"How do you win a war you don't realize you're fighting?"
Her voice was calm but heavy with despair.
She began to explain.
> "Seven years ago, there were over 400 antimemetics research teams around the globe—government agencies, militaries, academic groups. Most are gone now. The last one vanished in 72 hours."
She paused, her face pale.
> "Three years ago, our own Foundation Antimemetics Division had over four thousand members. Today, there are only ninety."
The room fell utterly silent.
> "We didn't lose in battle. There was no fight. We simply... lost. This is the aftermath. The cleanup."
> "All we've done since then is run. Run and forget. Amnestics, alcohol, trauma—it doesn't matter. We remember again eventually."
Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile.
> "It patrols our minds. It watches us. And it always comes back."
---
Live Broadcast Room – Worldwide Reactions
The live chat exploded.
> "So it's over? The Antimemetics Division is done for?"
"Site-41 is the last refuge... and even that's failing."
"Wheeler is giving up?!"
The despair was spreading.
---
S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters – Nick Fury's Office
Nick Fury sat silently, fists clenched, watching Wheeler's video. His jaw tightened with every word. Natasha Romanoff stood beside him, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
> "We're exposed," Fury said finally. "We're completely exposed to SCP-3125."
---
The Wheeler Loop
In the video, Wheeler looked broken—haunted by failure.
> "I could erase my memory," she muttered.
"I could leave myself a note, saying this path leads to ruin. But I'd question it. I'd look deeper. And then it would all start again."
The live viewers watched in agony as Wheeler broke down.
> "We are the last. There is no one after us," she whispered.
"I'm going to forget everything… and become you, Wheeler. And you'll start over again."
She walked out of frame.
The video ended with a sudden glitch—distorted sound and light, like something had just... arrived.
Wheeler stared at the dark screen.
She said nothing.
Just breathed.
---
Nick Fury's Analysis
Natasha frowned. "So… she made that video for herself?"
Fury nodded grimly. "She discovered SCP-3125. Erased her memory. Then rediscovered it. Again and again."
> "How do you fight what you can't remember?" he echoed Wheeler's question.
"How do you fight what doesn't want to be known?"
---
The House of Paradoxes
Wheeler looked around the strange base.
> "How did we even build this place?" she wondered aloud.
She realized something horrifying:
> "Hughes must've discovered SCP-3125 by accident. Built this containment zone as a refuge. Others found it. Left notes. Added equipment. Created a kind of strategy bunker without fully knowing what they were doing."
But another thought crept in...
> "What if there are other rooms? Other hubs?" she whispered.
"Are we even the first?"
"Are we the plan... or just part of it?"
The viewers could feel her doubt, her fraying memory.
Yet suddenly, she froze.
> "Thirty-eight antimemetic agents remain. Forty-two days until the next breach. No time to evacuate. No time for another plan. This... is our last stand."
And then, she stood tall.
> "We are the last group in the world. There will be no one after us."
---
A Warrior Reborn
Fury stared in awe.
> "She's a fighter," he said quietly.
Wheeler was old, tired, worn down—but in that moment, she was glorious.
---
The Betrayal
As Wheeler exited the containment room, she collapsed, gasping.
The guard approached. "We need to check you," he said.
Wheeler nodded but remained on the floor. Then, he reached for something on his belt—a Swiss army knife.
> "Wait—what are you doing?" she asked.
His eyes had changed. Cold. Empty.
He stepped forward, blade glinting.
> "You're infected. We have to act fast."
He lunged.
But Wheeler was ready.
She caught his wrist mid-swing. His eyes were no longer his.
> "You're not... Kim," she whispered.
He snarled.
She twisted her legs and kicked him across the hall. The blade skittered across the metal floor.
She scrambled up and ran. Behind her, she could feel SCP-3125 watching.
---
The Collapse
From somewhere inside the facility came a loud crash.
> The ceiling gave way. Debris rained down.
But Wheeler didn't look back.
---
To Be Continued...
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