Hell — a place of desolation and depravity.
As the sinners were still recovering from the shock caused by that b**ch of a Hell princess, word spread that the next extermination would occur in six months. Everyone organized themselves as best they could. Some sinners tried to make pacts with various Overlords who were willing, securing, in a way, some protection. Others joined small demon cartels to gain access to the shelters provided for members of those networks. Others barricaded their homes—though they knew deep down that it wouldn't change much; it was merely a substance to reassure themselves about their supposed safety.
While everyone was wondering if the next exterminations would all be every six months and were calling the princess every name under the sun, a hologram appeared in the sky. To them, it meant one of two things: either Hell's leaders were taking measures (which, let's be honest, was unlikely), or Heaven had decided to begin its work even earlier — and that seemed far more plausible.
On their side, Charlie and Vaggie had reconciled after Charlie discovered Vaggie's secret of being a former angelic exterminator from when they were in Heaven. Charlie decided that after this, she would make a pact with Alastor. She knew nothing could be fixed with words anymore, so she resolved to defend her people and friends herself against extermination.
Angel: "Guys, not that I'm especially eager to interrupt your intense kissing, but there's a fking giant screen in the sky. And FYI Alastor is likely gonna fk whoever put it up, so come calm him down."
Vaggie: "What do you mean, a giant—?"
Charlie: "Do you think it's Heaven?"
Silence fell between Vaggie and Charlie.
Angel: "Look, I don't know how your little meeting in Heaven went, but judging by your faces, it must've been a mess. Alastor says it's not angelic energy, so maybe it's not them."
Charlie and Vaggie decided to go check for themselves, and indeed they found a hologram above the sky visible throughout the Pride Ring. They wondered whether it could be seen in other circles — and they were right to wonder, because the hologram was visible across the whole of Hell, and not only Hell: even Heaven could see it.
Meanwhile, Émile was still arguing with Sera about the exterminations when Lute informed them that they were potentially under attack from Hell and that Adam had taken precautions to evacuate civilians. Sera's expression showed panic and anger, but she told herself that if Hell truly tried to attack Heaven, she would have sensed it — after all, she could feel such things across light-years, which made her somewhat perplexed. Émile agreed: as seraphim, their powers and connections to Heaven were such that the faintest impurity would be detected. So they decided to see for themselves. All of Heaven's entities had their eyes fixed on the hologram.
---
[On the screen: a black-and-white logo]
"SCP FOUNDATION — SECURE. CONTAIN. PROTECT."
A deep voice, distorted by a filter, resonated.
Foundation (broadcast):
> "Urgent message to all sentient entities. This is not a simulation. An interdimensional breach has been confirmed. Anomalies known as SCPs have entered your reality. These entities represent a critical threat to your existence. Any unsupervised interaction may result in death or worse."
> "The SCP Foundation will deploy units for containment within a maximum of 30 minutes. Until then, follow our instructions."
<< HUMANITY HAS LIVED FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS AND WE ONLY KNOW 2,000 YEARS OF THAT PERIOD. WHAT DID WE DO DURING THE REST OF THOSE MILLENNIA? WE HID FROM THINGS WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND. WE WORSHIPPED THEM, FEARED THEM, CALLED THEM GODS, DEMONS. BUT WE CANNOT TOLERATE LIVING IN FEAR ANYMORE. THAT IS WHY WE EXIST. WE DIE IN THE DARK SO THEY MAY LIVE IN THE LIGHT. SECURE. CONTAIN. PROTECT. WE ARE THE SCP FOUNDATION! >>
Every sinner in Hell had one single phrase on their lips: "What the hell is this mess?"
The oldest beings — the Seven Deadly Sins, Lucifer included, along with the Seraphim and archangels of Heaven — were visibly confused at the unknown origin of the Foundation. Who were these beings they called gods and demons? What is an SCP? What could come out of this containment breach?
<< The first SCP anomaly to enter reality will be SCP-173 in Hell, Pride Ring. Good luck holding out until Foundation intervention. >>
The wording "entered reality" pricked the ears of the oldest and most powerful in Hell and Heaven. Perhaps this Foundation came from another world? That theory implied that God had either hidden the existence of other worlds from them or did not even know about them.
---
[The screen displays an official file.]
SCP-173
Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-173 must be kept in a locked container at all times. At least three personnel must maintain direct line of sight with it at all times. If no one is watching, SCP-173 will attack in a fraction of a second.
Description: A humanoid sculpture made of reinforced concrete and spray paint. Extremely hostile. Attacks by snapping the neck or strangling victims. SCP-173 moves ONLY when it is not being observed. Speed: extreme.
[Global chat — displayed to the side of the screen]
Charlie: "What is this thing? A statue?"
Charlie: "How is it possible that what I say shows up on the screen?"
Lucifer: "My dear Charlie, I think it's a group chat — that's why you can see and reply."
Adam: "Yeah no kidding, bastard, I'd never have guessed without you. Good thing you're as dumb as your daughter."
Lucifer: "For anyone who cares, did you know I'm the inventor of the threeway? ( ＾ω＾ )"
Adam: "Bastard!! E&%%@=/, son of <>:"
Adam: "Why can't I insult him anymore?"
<< An anti-swear filter has been integrated to keep everyone focused on intercepting anomalies rather than resolving personal conflicts. >>
Sera: "Adam, Lucifer, it would be better to set aside our differences and discuss resolving these… SCPs. As leaders, we must protect our subjects."
Random Demon: "Sure, =/6/_< and after that you'll just make us the next problem and exterminate us, you %@!#—"
Sera: "..."
<< It has been decided that only those with protagonist/antagonist significance and those with a secondary role in your fictional scenario will be included in the discussion group. >>
Everyone wondered why certain parts were unreadable and what the term "scenario" meant. Was this all a game for the Foundation or did it hide a darker truth? They didn't want to know the answer — but it added another layer of mystery about the Foundation's origin.
After a few moments, a statue appeared in Pentagram City.
Blitzo: "Wait… that's not normal."
Vaggie: "The voice said it attacks… but it isn't moving."
Alastor: "Oh, what a charming guest…"
Foundation (voice):
> "Warning: DO NOT BLINK. Maintain constant eye contact."
The demons before the creature laughed—then one of them turned his head.
[The image shudders: ultra-fast movement.] Two demons lie on the ground, necks broken. SCP-173 is closer to the camera.
Millie: "WHAT?! It… it moved!"
Angel Dust: "I didn't see it!"
Blitzo: "Damn, this is gonna be fun… or deadly. Probably deadly."
Loona: "Okay, this is…shit."
Satan: "Well, given that these filthy sinners are immortal and can only be killed by angel exterminator weapons, it's not as fun — but still bloody."
Adam: "I must admit this thing is dangerous, but a beam of light-power would be enough to make it disappear."
Lucifer: "I have to agree with Adam: for beings like the sinners, something that teleports when you break eye contact and snaps your neck sounds dangerous. But in truth it presents no danger to the somewhat powerful members of this chat."
Paimon: "Not that I care about the common folk, but haven't you noticed that the victims don't come back to life…? I don't think their resurrections are supposed to last this long."
Stolas: "..."
Alastor: "..."
Adam: "..."
Lucifer: "..."
Sera: "..."
Émile: "..."
Satan: "..."
Vox: "..."
Velvette: "..."
Valentino: "..."
Charlie: "..."
Angel: "..."
Asmode: "..."
Mamon: "..."
The entire group in the chat was speechless.
Adam: "Well, it looks like I'll take a vacation — my worthy successor will be a peanut."
Lute: "You're absolutely right, sir; we should give it some advice on the ropes of the trade."
Émile: "Adam, Lute, this is not a joke — these souls are going to die unjustly. We must protect them."
Adam: "Why bother? After all, our goal is to avoid overpopulation in Hell. Might as well let our friend Peanut do it."
Émile: "I don't approve. I have never approved of exterminations."
Asmode: "You know, I've got some interesting tips for anyone having erection problems."
Everyone: "...what?"
Asmode: "It was to shut you all up and get you to look at the show."
Mamon: "Yeah, you're totally insane."
Valentino: "I think the question is relevant."
Velvette: "Guess you both are crazy."
Foundation:
> "Containment in progress. Estimated time: 27 minutes. Keep your distance."
---
[Action montage: SCP-173 massacre]
Images flash: a giant demon beheaded, buildings collapsing after lightning-fast attacks. The creature teleports whenever no one is looking. People panic, run, and close their eyes… instant death. Reactions in the chat become frantic. Some hide but find themselves face-to-face with the creature, leading to inevitable stares-downs; everyone knows who wins those.
Chat
Angel Dust: "Okay, I don't wanna end up like that."
Alastor: "Fascinating… a blind hunt."
Moxxie: "Can't we just shoot it?!"
"SCP-173 is not affected by bullets. Maintain eye contact until our units arrive."
---
As the slaughter continued, an Overlord decided to intervene. Zestial could not tolerate the actions of this creature, since it had killed some of the demons with whom he had made pacts. Zestial was the first to realize that the creature could permanently kill a demon: he noticed the total disappearance of the souls of demons he had pact-ed with after they died from SCP-173 — concluding that their souls were likely gone along with their bodies.
Zestial tried to test SCP-173 by creating a giant spider 10 meters long and 7 meters high that tried to tear SCP-173 apart. The statue remained motionless under continuous visual contact; despite the spider's acidic magic and razor mandibles, the result was the same: as soon as Zestial and his spiders looked away, the summoned spider would automatically be killed and Zestial would have to summon another. He tried summoning different sizes to see if one would be fast enough to avoid SCP-173—of course the faster one was still beaten by 173. Zestial used his summons partly for experimentation and partly for entertainment, because he could have confined SCP-173 by himself — not because of raw power, but because of his nature: a mix between a bat and a spider on LSD after an orgy, he had enough eyes and patience to watch 173 for millennia.
Everyone in the chat watched Zestial's experiments with great interest — some for entertainment, the large majority to observe the creature's limits and concrete capabilities.
---
[Cliffhanger: Transmission partially cut]
<< The countdown is over. Deployment of Foundation forces. >>
The footage shows an MTF squad armed with automatic rifles and equipped with special goggles entering Hell.
After the containment procedure was completed, the Foundation disappeared into a dimensional fissure. Zestial received a military salute from what appeared to be the superior of that force; he was congratulated and told he would receive a reward for his participation. He was perplexed but said nothing, simply accepting it.
Sera: "I must say, the execution of the Foundation's containment work is truly incredible."
Alastor: "Their method was remarkably coordinated. You can tell they've done this many times."
Velvette: "And the only thing they had to do was keep looking at the statue. Nothing more to it."
Husk: "I have to admit, the Foundation freaks me out more and more. How can they move through Hell and the human world? With a helicopter?"
Lucifer: "I'm sorry, Charlie's friend, but it wasn't Earth — the energy escaping wasn't similar to Earth's."
Beelzebub: "So what was it?"
Lucifer: "I'm afraid I don't know."
Satan: "Yeah, quite a spectacle, all that."
Strangely, the image still showed Zestial; he thought the hologram would stop or that perhaps another creature would manifest. A few seconds later a message appeared:
Containment successful — Participant in containment: Zestial
Participation level: A+
Research level discovered about the anomaly by the participant: C+
Damage caused by the anomaly: Quite significant
Reward calculation
Skills granted: (Instant death) weakened