Breakout

Meeting The Bear

Minx had found multiple unlocked doors, giving her access to key cards and a gas mask, but had found several that even her level 3 card couldn't get open.

"Come on, you stupid thing! I don't want to go back!"

She groaned, giving a final, futile yank on the door. There was nothing she could do but try and find another way. Lots of soldiers were hunting the area behind her, so it was far from appealing. But it seemed she had no choice.

Just as she started walking away, the door screeched. When the SCP whipped around, she found it was because a guy about her age had ripped it open. He looked human, with thick dark hair and a beard to match, and was wearing an orange jumpsuit like her. He stared at her in surprise. Minx put up a boxer's stance, wings snapping open behind her.

"What are you?"

Minx didn't relax, but did answer his bewildered question.

"SCP 2579. Mangaminx."

The guy nodded.

"I'm SCP 2034. Cinnamontoastken, or Ken to my friends. You wouldn't happen to know where the exit is, would you?"

Minx relaxed, though she was still ready to take off the instant Ken stopped being friendly.

"If I did, I would be gone by now."

"Really?"

Minx flashed to the end of the hallway, stopped long enough for Ken to see her there, then ran back to her original position.

"Wings and super-speed? Cool. I have strength, as you saw, and invulnerability. Can you really fly with those?"

"Yes."

Ken glanced behind him and said almost hesitantly, "There's nothing back there but my cage. If you want, we could find another way together. Safety in numbers, right?"

Minx stared at him, then smiled slightly. She nodded, grin widening as Ken walked down the hallway, keeping pace with her.

"So how did you get caught?" Minx asked, looking him over, "You don't look anything but human."

Ken shrugged, saying, "You can only go through so many situations that should have killed you before people take notice. The fact that I could toss a car like a softball didn't help."

Minx nodded sympathetically, remembering her own first few years of trying to hide her wings and speed. The harness she had to put on to keep her wings down had been painful and left abrasions. It was her speed, ultimately, that ousted her. She had tried to catch something, something inconsequential, and had shot like a missile to do it.

She caught whatever it was, but also revealed to an entire room of people that she could move faster than most people could see. That had been the end of her freedom. She had barely been a teen.

"You have super speed. Couldn't you just run around and map this place out?"

Minx shook her head. "I have speed, not stamina. This facility is huge, and I would exhaust myself before I could find an exit, never mind trying to avoid whatever else may have gotten loose along with the roaming groups of soldiers."

Ken nodded, frowning disappointedly. Minx glanced at him.

"Do you know what caused the breach?"

Ken shook his head in a so-so motion.

"I heard there's a technopath in this facility. Recent transfer, along with something else, but that's all I know. It may involve him, it may not. Who knows what else was held here."

Minx nodded, feathers prickling in unease. A technopath would have total control over the facility, and by proxy everything and everyone in it, with their mind. Those with the strange ability to control machines were often insane.

She hoped whatever was at the helm of the facility wasn't.