*YO, WHAT'S UP GUYS? I BRING TO YOU ANOTHER UPDATE OF C&B, ALONG WITH SOME QUESTIONS!
Questions!!:
-Who is your favorite Disney movie character(s)? (Mulan is the bessssst.)
-If you could marry a fictional character, who would it be?? (It's a draw between....all of my anime hotties. Let's see there's -- *a century passes*)
ENJOY THE CHAPTER, EVERYONE!!*
Stay Creepy, My Friends!~
Chapter 42
Jeff's POV
The streets were empty and quiet during the dark of night. A large facility stood in front of us with a big name at the top of its main wing for all to see: TIRACorp.
I left my bike a few blocks away to keep it out of sight. Elizabeth and I were crouched by the gates, in the cover of bushes. There were security guards patrolling inside, keeping watch of the fence on all sides. Because of the large perimeter, there were a lot of guards. Great, we have to figure out how to get through the gate while also getting through the guards. The front doors were ahead and the building was dark, instead of the lights that showed the company's name and a few along the sides of the building. The parking lot was empty.
"What do we do," Elizabeth whispered next to me. I looked at the fence. Iron fences all around and with their design it would be hard to climb them. The gate entrance was sealed and there was a toll booth. A security camera was watching the outside of the gate. No doubt there would be an alarm if anyone tried to sneak over there. The fence might also be rigged. I wasn't going to take the chance of trying to climb it or even touch it for that matter.
Elizabeth suddenly tapped my shoulder and I shifted my attention to a strolling security guard. The both of us noticed a figure silently sneaking up behind him until the security guard suddenly dropped his flashlight and was pulled into the shadows. There was the sound of quiet struggle and a muffled voice but it all died down. Elizabeth and I shared glances and kept watching for who was in the dark. The flashlight was picked up and pointed towards us. Elizabeth and I gasped and reeled back into the bushes but a whispering, smooth voice said, "There you are." I recognized it and the figure came closer to the fence until a blue mask appeared from the darkness. The flashlight was shut off and both Elizabeth and I breathed sighs of relief.
"Where's Ben," I asked Jack.
He pointed a gloved thumb behind him, towards the building. "He's inside trying to override the security," he answered, "he said he'd be able to open the gates and the doors in a little bit."
"What about the guards," Elizabeth inquired.
"Only knock out the ones that are in our way. We don't have to bother with the rest," Jack stated.
"Understandable," Elizabeth remarked.
"So," I started, "how long is Ben going to take?"
"He left five minutes ago," Jack said, "I'd say we have about two more minutes to wait."
There was an audible buzz to the left and we all turned to see the wide gate sliding open. The red light on the camera was off now. "Never mind," Jack mumbled. Elizabeth and I snuck our way to the entrance and slipped through. The gate then closed behind us. I spotted a guard that had noticed the noise and had started walking towards us. He hasn't seen us, yet. Jack was quick to sneak up behind him and choke him out. The guard was unconscious and on the ground in no time. 'Guy's a damn ninja, I swear.
We only had to deal with one more guard and Jack took care of him too. The three of us made it to the doors. We looked inside and saw that the lobby was dark and empty. Jack opened the doors for us and we quickly rushed in. The three of us groaned and stood up straight. Crouching gets uncomfortable after a while.
"Oh shit," Elizabeth muttered, and pointed to a camera overhead that had the red light. My heart beat faltered for a moment until Jack said, "Ben also mentioned he would watch us through the cameras. He ensured that he'd erase the footage with us completely and override it with different footage after we were done."
"Oh thank god," I said, letting go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Let's get going," Elizabeth spoke and started for the front desk. Jack and I walked forward and I noticed he still had a small limp in his step. Pursing my lips, I hoped he would make it until the end of this. All of us aren't in the best condition. If we don't get Ao back by the end of the night, I swear I'm gonna kill a bitch. Ben better not be around for that.
Elizabeth searched the front desk and pulled out a pamphlet. She handed it to me, saying, "This is a map of the facility. It might come in handy." I took the paper and opened it up. It showed the layout of the whole area. On the side it listed the departments within TIRACorp, like the offices, laboratories, and more.
"Twenty floors in this damn place," Elizabeth remarked, "Where the hell do we start?"
I looked at the map and decided. "We can start at the offices."
"I'll head to the labs," Jack said.
"You're not coming with us?" Elizabeth replied.
He shook his head. "Don't worry, Ben will be watching me through the cameras. We discussed this beforehand."
I stared at Jack for a few moments with a worried look. "Alright," I muttered, "just don't get yourself in trouble."
"I'll manage," he said.
"The labs are from floors seventeen through twenty," Elizabeth mentioned, "Good luck searching."
"Thanks," Jack said and headed towards the elevators. Elizabeth and I looked at each other and I said, "So, it's just you and me."
"Don't get any ideas, white Christmas," Elizabeth muttered and started walking. I was both baffled and offended but I said nothing as I followed behind with a frown on my face.
Elizabeth and I looked around the lobby to find anything of importance before we headed up for the offices. The whole place looked clean and futuristic. It was very quiet, which is good. There was a wall at the back of the lobby with awards and photos of people. I swept my eyes over the whole wall once and moved on but Elizabeth stopped to stare. I got five steps until I realized she wasn't walking with me. I turned and found her standing in front of the wall, look up and around at everything. She stepped closer and stared up at one wide photo. I walked back and stood next to her, eyeing the photo too. It was a panoramic of people in lab coats. Under the photo was a name tag that read: Genetic Engineering Team, with a list of names below. I looked closely at the picture and noticed someone who looked a bit familiar. It was a young, quirky looking guy smiling big for the camera. He had brown tussled hair and he wore glasses. I've never met him in person before but I do remember seeing him at some point. Who the hell was he?
Then, it clicked and I remembered his name. Sure enough I found his name on the list: Ian Harris. Wasn't he a friend of Elizabeth's? I looked at her and caught her still staring at the picture, never moving her eyes towards anything else. "Is there something wrong," I asked her. A single moment passed before she blinked her eyes and snapped out of her little trance. "What? Oh, um... No. Nothing's wrong. I just, uh...zoned out for a...," her voice trailed off. I waited for her to continue her sentence. Instead, she shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Let's keep moving." She started walking away and I stood in my spot for a second, wondering what that was about. I glanced at the picture one more time before moving on.
We decided to take the second elevator up to the offices. They were from the tenth to the sixteenth floor. I guess office jobs are pretty important here. We boarded onto the elevator and I selected the sixteenth floor with the press of a button. We'll work our way down. The doors closed and we started moving up. Above the doors was a screen showing the floors we would pass. The 01 just changed to an 02. This may take a while.
There was no snazzy elevator music to fill in the silence in the compartment. Elizabeth and I leaned against the back wall, staring at the metal doors or the numbers on top. It felt awkward just standing in silence despite how stressing this mission is.
"Hey," Elizabeth spoke up, startling me for a second. She was still looking forward but she kept talking. "I'm sorry about yesterday," she continued, "Ya know, for insulting you and being reckless."
"It's fine," I mumbled.
She turned her head towards me and said, "Also, I'm sorry for whatever I did after I freaked out. I was already aggravated that my arm was destroyed and the Corrupted didn't make things better. I just sorta snapped. All I can remember, though, is screaming and feeling pain and then everything went black. But...I still felt helplessness and rage. I kept screaming but it was always silent. I didn't feel like myself and it was terrifying. After that I 'woke up' with you by my side." She stifled a chuckle. "You looked more fucked up than I remembered. Then I knocked out."
"So, wait," I started, "...you don't remember anything while you blacked out?" Elizabeth shook her head and my shoulders slumped a bit. She doesn't remember me calling her Sunshine. Strangely, I'm both relieved and disappointed at the same time. I'm just glad she doesn't remember everything else she did. I grabbed onto my right arm, where she bit me in her monstrous form.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said suddenly. I looked back at her and asked, "For what?"
"For being there for me," she said, "and for pulling me out of that nightmarish darkness. I have a feeling it was you. I could faintly hear your voice. Everything else was garbled noise except you. I don't know what you said but your voice was recognizable. It was hard fighting myself to get to you but I made it. So, thank you. You saved me."
My heart swelled and I had to look away from her blue eyed gaze or else I would go crazy.
The elevator grew silent again. We've barely reached the eighth floor. I let out a rough sigh.
"Hey, Jeff," Elizabeth started.
"Hmm?"
She paused for a moment, probably thinking. Then, she said, "Who is it that I used to be?"
I froze, my heart pounded within my chest. I shifted my eyes to her but she was staring straight forward. Scoffing, I said, "I don't know how to answer that question..."
"You know how to answer it more than anyone else, right now," she remarked. "I've heard you talking about me behind the hideout's walls. I've seen that sad look in your eyes when you look at me. Just who the hell was I?"
I tightened my jaw and clenched my fists. Thinking about this stuff always gives me headaches. This is hard to talk about. I fear that if I try to explain anything I'll lose my voice and my composure. So, all I said was, "...You were a good person..."
"And I'm not now," she remarked and I started regretting my sentence. She huffed and added, "Everyone is so obsessed with the idea that I'm different now. Especially you. Why does everyone care so much about who I was? Why is it such a big deal? Everyone cares too much about my past self. What about now?"
I looked at her, seeing her frustration towards the subject, despite how cold she seemed to be right now. I hadn't realized this bothered her. Looking back on things now, I feel like a jerk. I was being selfish and failed to realize that Elizabeth felt so left out. "Listen," I started, "I don't ever mean to make you feel bad about yourself. I'm always concerned about you."
"Why? I'm not even a part of your group," she muttered.
"You're always a part of the group," I replied, "Even if you don't believe it right now."
She crossed her arm over her chest and hunched her shoulders. "Why do you care about me so much," she mumbled.
Because you're beautiful.
Because you're my love.
Because you're my fiancé.
Because you could've been my wife.
Because you're my Sunshine.
Because you're my everything.
I gulped and tried to control my breathing. "Because you're important," I said, "...not just to me, but to everyone else. Even if they don't show it sometimes."
I caught her hand tightening around her broken arm out of the corner of my eye. "I guess," she murmured quietly. I knew I fucked up my words, no matter how gracious I was trying to be.
"Jeff?"
"Yeah?"
Elizabeth paused and then asked, "What the hell did I eat yesterday?"
I knew she was talking about her upchuck scene this morning. I grew really uncomfortable just thinking about the answer to her question. Suddenly, there was an overhead ding and I looked up to see that we reached the sixteenth floor. "Something Indian," I answered quickly, before awkwardly stepping off of the elevator. Elizabeth followed behind.
The hallway was really dark and I could barely see my own hands in front of me. The elevator doors casually closed behind us, taking away any source of light. Just as soon as the doors closed, there was a light at the end of the hall, coming from the right. It got bigger and brighter and I finally figured out what it was. Quickly, I pulled Elizabeth and I flat against the wall and stood still. A guard passed by the hallway, strolling along nonchalantly. As soon as he was out of sight, I silently signaled for Elizabeth and I to move forward. We snuck our way down the hall and we turned the corner. I kept watch behind us as Elizabeth led the way.
Elizabeth passed a corner but quickly scrambled back and bumped into me. She raised a hand, signaling me to stop and be quiet. She peeked around the corner, quietly groaned and looked back at me. "There's another guard standing there in the middle of the hall. He's not moving."
I took a peek of my own and saw that she was right. He was standing in a way that would keep both ends of the hall in his peripheral vision. I bit my lip and backed away. "Let's lure him," Elizabeth whispered.
"What? And catch the attention of other guards?" I hissed.
"Trust me, I've got this," Elizabeth said, "All you need to do is choke him out once he gets to the corner."
I furrowed my brow and watched her as she knocked on the wall a few times. She reeled her hand away and the both of us waited until we heard footsteps. A light showed up and got bright and bigger the more the guard came over. I prepared myself and held my breath. Once the guard came out from behind the corner I lunged forward and wrapped my arm around his neck. I kicked one of his legs from out under him, making him stumble and lose his balance. I wrapped my other arm around and pressed against the back of his head, then squeezed. He struggled and tried to shout but it all came out as muffled gurgles. Soon his body went limp and he was snoring softly in my arms. I checked his pockets and belt for any keys or items of importance. Nothing.
I sighed and lifted him up onto my uninjured shoulder. There was a custodian closet nearby and I found it open. I set the guard down gently into the closet next to mops and other supplies. He was sitting perfectly until his own weight pulled him down and he bumped against the mop. Then other things fell on top of him and I quickly closed the door before the ruckus could escape out into the hall. Other things clattered inside and once it stopped I stood by the door quietly to listen for him. A moment later the guard snored and I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned around and saw Elizabeth sneaking up behind me. She gave me a thumbs up but I could only groan.
We snuck our way through the halls again, keeping an ear out for coming guards. We scoured the floor for a good ten minutes, only running into one guard and knocking him out from behind. Elizabeth was barely finishing up searching him when a door opened out in the hall. I quickly pushed her out of sight and dove for the shadows too. She glared at me but I ignored her gaze as I turned my attention to the open door. Light poured out into the hall and a shadow passed by it. Then, a man came walking out of the room. I hoped he wouldn't see the guard lying out in the hall.
To our luck, the man paid no mind to anything to his left, which was where we were. Elizabeth and I watched him as he turned the light off and closed the door. As he stood there, locking it, I got a good view of his face through the dark. He was Asian, with dark hair and he wore a lab coat. A suitcase sat by his feet with the company's name on it. There was a name tag on top of the suit case, next to the clasp. I just barely made out the name before he finished locking the door and picked up his case: Dr. T. Matsukochi. Isn't Blue's last name Matsukochi?
The man stood in front of the door for a few moments, hanging his head slightly. He breathed a sad sigh before walking away, his shoes clicking against the white floor. He seemed tired and upset. After the sound of his footsteps was gone, Elizabeth and I stepped out into the empty hall.
"Who the hell was that," Elizabeth asked.
I started thinking about the name on the suit case. "That was Blueberry's dad," I murmured.
"How the hell is that guy her dad? She doesn't look very Asian to me," she remarked.
"She's adopted," I muttered.
"Her dad seemed pretty upset," she mentioned.
"Yeah, it's most likely that he knows Blue is missing," I stated.
"Wait a sec," she said. I looked down at Elizabeth and waited for her to continue her sentence. She thought for a few moments until she said, "How would he not figure out Ao's whereabouts if she's being kept in the place where he works...?"
I stared at her for a few seconds, slowly realizing that she had a point. I looked down the hall and eyed the door from which Blue's dad came out of. "We need to get into that office," I stated.
Elizabeth replied, "No problem," and pulled out a set of keys. "Picked them up from the guard just in time." I smiled and the both of us quietly rushed to the office door. It took us a while to find the right key to the door but after various frustrating tries the door unlocked and we were in. Elizabeth pocketed the keys and we snuck inside. She was quick to turn on a desk lamp as I closed the door behind us. "We have to make this quick," I started, "people don't usually ignore an unconscious guard."
"Relax, I've got this. Just listen out for trouble," Elizabeth said as she started searching the shelves behind the desk. I stood by the door and listened intently, like she told me to. I watched her rummage through books, binders and other things. "Well, that was Ao's dad for sure," Elizabeth remarked as she showed me a photo of a younger Ao, the man and a woman, most likely Ao's mom. After she has finished with the shelves, she turned around and searched the desk. She skimmed through papers on top, sighed and crouched down to check the drawers.
I heard nothing outside of the door, which was good. Elizabeth rummaged through the first drawer, then the second and she came to the bottom, bigger drawer. She looked through files and papers only to groan and mutter, "There's nothing but paperwork. I bet a quarter of the friggin' Amazon is in here." She started to close it when she stopped and stared into the drawer. I furrowed my brow, wondering why she stopped so suddenly. Then, Elizabeth felt her hand under the drawer until there was a quiet click.
"I knew it," she chuckled.
"What is it?" I asked.
Elizabeth pulled out a small panel of wood with files on top of them. "No wonder the bottom of the drawer looked off," she said, "there was a secret compartment. That sneaky bastard."
"Are you shitting me?"
"I shit you not."
I smirked and watched as Elizabeth set the files down on the desk and opened the first folder. Her eyes read over the paper and her expression gradually changed into one of concern. "What the hell is this?," she muttered. "Look at it."
I left the door and walked over to Elizabeth's side. She slid the files over towards me and I read what it had.
SCP-•••
Object class: Euclid
Subject has shown no signs of aggression since its arrival at the facility.
Observation has shown that it has no exact sex as it holds no reproductive organs. The research team, however, continues to call it a "he".
Attempts to feed it regular foods has failed. It refuses to eat anything that is put in the cell. Although it does tend to stare at the server from the opposite end of the room.
Despite its lack of arms, it has incredible speed and mainly uses its feet.
Subject is also known as: B.O.B.
Further experiments shall be conducted.
With a confused frown on my face, I turned the page to continue.
SCP-•••
Object class: Euclid
Subject is very talkative and has a good understanding of the English language. It tends to taunt the staff.
Attempts to feed it have failed as it will not eat. The subject says it needs no food.
The research team have associated this creature with that of a Furby toy, because of its fluffy fur, large eyes and wide ears.
Subject has shown no signs of physical violence but is extremely manipulative. Dr. Andrew Kurt recently tried talking to the subject and reported he felt compelled to swallow his pen when the subject told him to.
The subject also seems to have an infatuation with children.
Subject is also known as: Mr. Widemouth.
Further experiments shall be conducted.
I skimmed through all of the reports, all of them describing these SCPs.
SCP-682: a.k.a. "Hard-To-Destroy Reptile"
SCP-173: a.k.a. "The Sculpture"
SCP-096: a.k.a. "The Shy Guy"
I stopped flipping pages and sighed. "What the hell is all of this stuff," I muttered. Elizabeth looked through other files and found one that answered my question. "The SCP foundation is an organization established for the study and containment of supernatural anomalies," I read, "This organization is the border that keeps the unknown away from natural law and order."
"Special Containment Procedures," Elizabeth read, "or Secure, Contain, Protect."
I set the files down and rested my hands on the desk. Reading these reports has made me confused but also concerned. What kind of place is this? Is TIRACorp SCP? No, everyone would know if it was. This company is a worldwide wonder. So, where is SCP? Suddenly, a chilling thought came to mind.
"You don't think Blue is in SCP...do you," I asked Elizabeth.
She stared at me for a good few seconds until the idea kicked in and she muttered, "Oh sh--."
A blaring alarm went off in the room and the both of us flinched from surprise. "Dammit, I thought Ben was handling the security system," Elizabeth shouted over the noise.
"Something must've happened," I shouted back. "We have to get out of here!"
"What about Ao?!"
"There's no time," I said, feeling a sinking pit of failure in my stomach, "we've just gotta hope Jack found her."
"And the documents?!" Elizabeth pointed to the SCP files.
"Leave them," I ordered.
"But--."
"We have to go," I exclaimed.
Elizabeth's eye showed hesitance but she nodded anyway. She quickly grabbed all of the files and crouched down to put them back into the secret drawer compartment. I turned away from her and opened the door. As soon as the desk lamp was turned off, she rushed past me and I locked and shut the door as it was before. The both of us started racing down the hallway, back towards the elevator. Just to our luck, it was shut by emergency protocol. "Take the stairs," I shouted and we sprinted for the stairwell. Elizabeth busted through the door like nothing and we rushed down the flight of stairs. My mind was so focused on running that I forgot we were on the sixteenth floor.
This is going to be a long trek down.
...
Jack's POV
Alright. The elevator was to my right. Laboratories are from the seventeenth to the twentieth floor. It'll probably be a long ride up. And...I think Elizabeth just called Jeff "white Christmas"...
I made it to the elevator and pressed the call button. After waiting approximately one minute, there was the subtle sound of sliding doors and I stepped forward into the compartment. I reached for the button pad on the left and pressed for the seventeenth floor, feeling the engraved numbers and Braille as I did so. I stood back and leaned against the back wall as the elevator made its ascent.
I waited in the compartment, listening to the elevator beep softly as it passed floors. I had expected elevator music since that's what elevators usually have but I suppose corporate companies take themselves a little more seriously. The only noise I could focus on was the low humming of the elevator as its mechanics worked to bring me to my destination.
"YOOOOOOOOOO," a cheery voice exclaimed and I flinched. There was static behind the voice, letting me know that there was an intercom in the elevator. I recognized the voice as well. "Jesus Christ, Ben," I muttered, holding one ear.
"Have you missed my sultry voice yet?" Ben said playfully.
"It sounds pretty pubescent to me," I remarked.
"Sh-Shut up. It's just this stupid intercom. Makes my voice sound...not good," he murmured. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. "So, how are you feelin'?" he asked.
"Can't say I'm thrilled about this mission," I replied, "and my leg still feels funny. But, if this all means I can get Ao back then I'll endure it."
"Oooooooh. Look who's being the knight in shining armor," Ben japed. I heard exaggerated sniffling and he added, "My boy is growin' up so fast...! It seems like only yesterday you couldn't get laid on Halloween night."
A hard blush spread across my face and I said, "Shut. Up. We promised never to bring that up again."
"I wonder what Ao would think of that juicy story," Ben taunted.
"Ben, I swear if you ever tell her about that, I will rip off your--."
The elevator emitted a noticeable ding, signaling that the ride up was over. "You have now arrived at your destination," Ben droned like a GPS. "All virgin passengers proceed to exit the elevator."
I frowned. "You suck," I growled.
"And you swallow," Ben said and laughed.
I stepped out of the elevator, listening out for guards. There are some here too. There's bound to be at least one on every floor. Carefully, I walked forward a bit more. It was awfully quiet though I knew not to drop my guard. As I continued taking silent steps, there was a loud exclamation of "Hey", followed by rapid footsteps. I cursed under my breath and quickly rushed back into the elevator. I didn't think I'd run into anyone this early.
Once I made it onto the elevator, I reached for the buttons but a weight tackled into me. I grunted and hit the back wall. Hands grabbed onto me and a man said, "Where do you think you're going, punk?" I quickly raised my knee and hit him in the stomach. He groaned but he didn't let me go. I began pushing against him, trying to get myself off of the wall. As I was shoving forward, the guard hit my injured leg and my effort gave out. I slipped, taking him down with me and in the process he hit something. The elevator doors whooshed to a close, and I realized the guard hit the button pad.
I stood up onto my feet and moved to the opposite side of the compartment. The guard shuffled up to his feet and I waited for him to move first. As soon as I heard him stepping forward, I raised my fist for a right hook. Nothing connected as the guard must've dodged. Quickly, I moved out of the way just in time for him to run into the wall instead. As his back was turned, I leaped up and wrapped him in a choke-hold. He shouted and shoved me up against the walls of the elevator. I grunted with each hit but never let go. The both of us fell over onto the ground and the guard struggled. It was harder for me to knock him out since he kept moving around.
"Is this a bad time to say something," Ben suddenly spoke up from the intercom.
"Yes!," I shouted.
"Hey, you might want to let go..! He's got a ta--."
There was a high pitched ringing that turned into sporadic crackling once I felt shooting pain run up my side. I screamed and let go as the shock spread throughout my body and made me shake.
"--ser," Ben finished.
I growled and suppressed louder screams as the electricity coursed through my limbs. I couldn't get up and this allowed the guard to grab a hold of me and pin my arms around to my back. "Got you, you son of a bitch," the guard panted as I felt him putting handcuffs on me. I growled as I was forced up to my feet, which tingled from the taser's effects.
Once I was standing straight, with as much strength as I could muster from my shaking body, I threw my head back. There was an audible, hard crunch followed by the painful screams of the guard. With the distraction of breaking his nose, I slipped out of his grip, turn, lifted my uninjured leg and kicked him right in the chest. I fell back against the wall without the balance of my arms but I knew the guard fell too. As I was getting back up, I heard the familiar high pitched ringing and knew what would come next. I dodged to the side, out of the way of the taser's electrified darts. The darts hit something else, causing loud crackling. I ignored the noise and went for the guard.
He was still on the ground by the time I stepped up and landed a kick across his head. A loud smack sounded throughout the elevator compartment and everything grew silent afterwards. The guard's soft, struggled breathing from his broken nose indicated that he was knocked unconscious. I panted and fell against a wall. After regaining my breath and waiting a few minutes for my twitching to stop, I searched the guard for the key to my handcuffs. With a few tries, I found them at his belt, tucked in a pocket. It was hard to angle the key to find the keyhole since the cuffs were behind me.
"Ben," I started, "how come you can't come over here and help me out?"
"I wish I could," he answered, "but this security system is super demanding. I can't keep my eye off of it for even a second. I've never seen this sort of tech before. I really like it but at the same time I don't..."
"Ugh, fine," I grumbled, still groping around to find an angle on the keyhole. Once I found it, I eased the key slowly until I heard a small click. I yanked my hands out of confinement and dropped the cuffs and keys. I rubbed my wrists for a few moments and sighed.
"Hey, Jack," Ben called.
"What?" I mumbled.
"A...A panel opened up on the button pad," he stated.
I contemplated what he just said. "What do you mean?"
"A panel opened below the elevator buttons," he explained, "Not fully but it's ajar. It wasn't there before. The taser hit it and I think that's what made it loosen."
Checking Ben's indication, I scooted over and reached for the elevator buttons. Sure enough, below all of the buttons, there was an open dent. It was barely wide enough to slip my fingers through. I began pulling on it, listening as the metal creaked and groaned. It was hard to pry away but luckily after multiple tries it came loose.
"Whoa," I heard Ben murmur, "Dude, there's a secret button!!"
"Seriously?" I muttered.
"Press it!!"
"Are you crazy? I'm not pressing it."
"You always have to press the secret button! They always lead to something juicy!"
I frowned. "Ben this isn't some spy film. The button could be dangerous."
"If you don't press the button, I'm telling Ao about the Halloween incident!!" he threatened.
I stayed silent for a few moments, scowling. Then, I reached up and pressed the button.
As soon as I pressed it, the elevator jerked and startled me. Suddenly, I heard its mechanics hum at a faster rate and I could feel the whole thing travel downwards. I grabbed onto the railing, feeling apprehensive.
"Okay, maybe you were right," Ben remarked.
"You bastard," I growled.
I waited out the ride and while this happened, an automated female voice announced, "You will be entering Site 16."
"That wasn't me," Ben retorted.
"I figured," I replied. What the hell is going on?
After a couple of minutes enduring the ride, the elevator came to a stop and the automated voice said, "Welcome to Site 16 of the SCP Foundation."
I furrowed my brow and asked aloud, "Ben, what is 'SCP'?" To my surprise, I was given no response. I called out to him again but he never said anything. I grit my teeth and stood to my feet. My body was still a bit twitchy from the taser shock but I was able to stand and exit the elevator. As soon as I stepped out, I heard the doors close behind me. It set me off a bit but I kept calm enough.
I took a step forward and listened as there was an echo. It went on for a good three seconds. The room must be a big and wide open area. It was also very quiet in here. I could barely hear a thing. No guards around. I started trekking further.
I have no idea what this place is. Ben and I went over the schematics of the building but there was never any mention of this area. I searched around the large room, coming across empty space. However I did find three corridors along the way. One was on the left from where I came in, the second was straight ahead and the third was to the right. I decided to walk down the second corridor. I only got a few meters in before running into a wall. I groaned and felt around at it. It didn't feel smooth like a wall and when I knocked on it there was a metallic thud. I had a feeling this wasn't a wall and I set out to make sure I was correct. I checked the sides for anything until my hand came across a button. Without hesitance, I pushed the button and there was a mechanical groan. I felt air rush against me and I knew I had done something. I reached forward only to feel that the "wall" was not there anymore.
I walked through, listening out for any persons around. It was still very quiet, which bothered me. There was another stretch of hallway ahead and I came across no walls. Judging by the echo of my footsteps, it went on for a quite a bit. I didn't want to waste my time walking down a hallway so I checked the sides for doors. I opened up the first one I found by pressing a button on the side and entered whatever room it had behind it. As soon as I walked in, a loud, boisterous roar rattled my head and I stepped back. I listened to whatever it was grunt and howl. At first I thought it might be a Corrupted -here of all places?- but I didn't hear the distortion in its voice and I couldn't smell the rot they always reek of. It was something else but I was not willing to find out what it was.
I left the room and shut the door. The creature inside kept howling, disturbing the silence. I kept backing away from the door until I bumped into a hard surface. Turning around and feeling at the wall, I found another door. I pressed a button on the side and it opened for me. I stepped in and this time there was no earth shattering roar to startle me. Instead I was greeted by a simple "Hello".
Despite the greeting, I tensed and reached around for a weapon at my belt.
"Relax, buddy, you're fine," the raspy voice assured. "I'm contained." Still feeling uneasy, I walked forward with a hand at my weapon. There was a hoarse chuckle that sounded like it could tear vocal cords and the voice said, "Well, fancy ssssseeing you here, Jack. At least, I think that'ssss your name..."
Frowning, I asked, "How do you know my name?"
"Oh right," the voice muttered, "we never really met in persssson. Although, I am sure you have heard about me."
"Who are you?"
Another scratchy chuckle came from them. "I am The Rake," they said. The name was familiar to me. If I recall, Jeff has met him, although he never said anything good about him. "I remember hearing about you," I admitted. "What are you doing here?"
"I should asssssk the sssssame of you," Rake hissed. "Did you get caught by those Tasssssk Force bassssstards, too?"
"No," I answered.
"Did you ssssself-ssssssurender, or what?" Rake chuckled.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, "What's going on here? Where am I?"
Rake sighed and said, "Well, you're in the besssst place on Earth! Notice my sssssarcasm?"
"Rake," I scolded.
"Alright, lighten up, would you?" He scoffed, making me grimace from the terrible noise. "Thisssss is the SCP Foundation. The place where monsssssters and anything remotely weird go to be sssssstudied and experimented on by teamssssss of eggheads."
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, for a few yearsssss," Rake answered, "but I tell ya, a day in thisssss place is enough to make you hate anything and everything."
"Sounds pretty crappy," I muttered.
"Tell me about it. Those fucking eggheads recently added a new SCP acrosssss from me," Rake growled, "that rag-face bassssstard won't shut up!!"
I realized he was talking about the creature I found before him. I also just noticed that the creature was still howling.
"I hate thisssss place," Rake muttered.
A thought came to mind. It was a long-shot but I had to try. "Rake," I called, "you wouldn't happen to know if a girl was sent here, would you?"
"Dependssss," Rake said, "are you willing to do sssssomething for me in return if I tell you?"
"I'm not letting you out," I muttered.
"Aw, come oooon!! Help me!!"
"No."
"Pleasssssse?"
"No."
"Pleaaaasssseeeeee??"
"I said no."
"Ugh, fine," Rake hissed. "I may have overheard a few eggheads talking about a girl that came in yesssssterday."
"What did you hear?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from showing my eagerness.
Rake hummed and responded, "It wasn't much but they did sssssay sssssomething about containing her. They have planned to run testsssss on the 'new subject'. I could tell they were reluctant to do ssssso but the sssssscreaming from down the hall must've meant they did."
"What..?!"
"Mussssst've been sssssome nassssty experimentssssss," Rake remarked nonchalantly.
"What room is she in?" I asked.
"How should I know? I'm ssssstuck in this cell twenty-four/ssssseven," he muttered.
I growled and stepped forward. Without hesitance, I slammed my fist on a hard surface. It sounded like glass but the bang was enough to earn a scratchy yelp from Rake. "Where. Is. She?" I growled.
Rake huffed then said, "I think the eggheads put her in containment cell fourteen. It should be three doorssss down from here. Not ssssure which sssside though. That'ssss up to you to check."
"Thanks," I said and turned to leave the room.
"Wait!"
I stopped and turned my head towards his raspy voice.
"Can you let me out?" he asked again.
"Bye," I said and continued walking, leaving the Rake to mutter to himself. I think Jeff will be happy with Rake's whereabouts. I left his containment cell and shut the door behind me. As soon as I stepped forward, there was a loud bang in front of me. More howling came from the creature I first came across, along with more banging. Slowly at first, I walked to the right, being wary of the creature's behavior.
I dragged my hand against the right side of the corridor, counting the doors as I brushed past them. Once I was three doors down, like Rake said, I pressed the button to a containment cell. I stepped inside and quietly called out, "Ao." There was no response. I sniffed the air. It smelled like an infirmary but behind the scent there was a sweet, flowery fragrance. It was the scent that always followed Ao, that lingered in her bedroom, her garden, that lounge room of hers. It was hers and it's here.
"Ao," I called out again, this time a little louder. Still no response. I walked further into the room and then something got in my way. I felt metal and cloth. Pressing down on the cushion, I figured it was a bed. My heart beat quickened slightly as I reached up and felt a figure lying on top of it. I found the figure's head and the first things I noticed were braids and glasses. It's Ao.
I pressed two fingers against her neck, waiting for a pulse. When it was felt, I tried gently shaking her awake. She wouldn't make any noise. I could just hear her steady breathing, and that was hard to concentrate on with the muffled banging from Rake's neighbor. Why won't that thing be quiet? Judging by her breathing but lack of response, she's unconscious. But, despite her current state, I was relieved. I found her. Now she can go home.
There was a sudden crash that caused my tension to thicken. An alarm blared loudly, making my head hurt. A seemingly victorious roar erupted throughout the area, followed by another crash. This one sounded louder and closer. I tightened my jaw and listened carefully, hoping what I thought was happening wasn't actually happening. There was heavy stomps and growling. It came from the hallway. "Crap," I whispered. The creature got loose. Of course this wouldn't be easy...
Hurriedly, I grabbed Ao and draped her over my shoulder. Even with this sudden motion she slept soundly. I ran back towards the door and stood behind it, listening out for the creature over the continuous alarm. Its stomping footsteps traveled to the right, away from where I needed to go. That's good. I waited for it to keep walking until it sounded far enough for me to open the door and sneak out. I kept close to the wall and moved fast. As I was going, a loud howl echoed behind me and heavy footsteps came closer. Without a moment to lose, I broke into a sprint. My free hand slid against the wall as I ran while I used the other to hold tightly onto Ao's limb figure.
My hand passed over multiple doors until I came across the gate from before. Once I crossed that threshold, I slammed a fist against the button that controlled it. I kept running as the gate closed behind me. To my luck, it closed just in time and there was a loud, metallic bang, indicating that the creature ran into it. It roared behind me but I never stopped for a second. I ran down the remaining corridor, keeping my hand against the wall like before. Eventually, my hand only touched air and I knew I made it out into the lobby I arrived in. Straight ahead should be the elevator. Just a few more meters and I'll make it.
A loud crash echoed from behind me and the creature's roar suddenly became louder, echoing all around me. Bounding steps kept going and I cursed. It broke through the gate...! That damn thing won't quit, will it?
I sprinted faster, feeling my injured leg burn much more than the other. I could already feel the urge to collapse but there's no way I can stop. Not when I've got Ao back.
Before I knew it, I made it to the elevator. I bumped into the doors and smacked the call button. The creature howled behind me and I urged for the elevator to hurry. My heart pounded hard in my chest and the apprehension grew stronger. "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up," I hissed. The creature roared again, it's voice bull-like. I grit my teeth and kept waiting for the elevator.
Finally, it opened and I dived inside. I found the first floor button and pressed it with more force than necessary. I heard the doors close and the creature's noises were muffled. I panted heavily as the elevator moved and worked to take me away from that awful place. I crouched and set Ao down for a while. My injured leg ached more than before and I hoped that I hadn't opened my wound in any way.
The alarm began to fade away and the only sound that was left was the elevator's humming, Ao's breathing and...the snoring of the guard I left in here. I must've knocked him out hard.
"JACK!," a voice exclaimed overhead. It was Ben's. "Are you alright?! What happened?!"
I sighed and answered, "I'm fine. What happened to you?"
"I don't know," Ben stated, "I couldn't speak through the intercom anymore. The system wouldn't let me. Where did you go?"
"I'll explain later," I said. "The mission is completed. I've got Ao back."
"Sweet! Sheba's coming home--!"
The elevator jerked and I quickly grabbed onto Ao. A low, muffled growl came from below and I frowned out of confusion.
"What the hell was that?" Ben asked.
Upon realizing what it was, I groaned and replied, "Something unfriendly." That damn creature is below the elevator! It must've climbed up the elevator shaft. Why won't it quit?
The bump wasn't enough to stop the elevator, luckily, but the creature's howls weren't pleasing. Eventually the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. I quickly grabbed Ao and the stupid guard and tossed the both of them out. As soon as they were onto the lobby floor, the elevator shook and was forced up. I shouted and leaned against the wall as the creature's growls grew louder. I walked forward on shaky legs, feeling around and found that there was a narrow space left. I got on my stomach and began worming my way through the opening. The elevator groaned and I kept hoping that it wouldn't get pushed up any further while I'm slipping out. I groaned and pulled myself out more and more until I went falling. I hit the floor lying on my side and growled from the pain. The creature's roar emitted from in front of me, it's hot breath brushing against me, and I scrambled out of the way.
I bumped into a figure and recognized that flowery scent. I held Ao close as I listened to the creature howl and howl until I heard it step onto the floor. A screeching sound echoed from the elevator and a few moments later, there was a faraway crash. The elevator dropped.
The creature was now in the lobby, near me. Low growling came from its throat and it took slow steps, like a prowling predator. Suddenly it roared and I heard a chilling crunch. I felt droplets land on my clothes and skin. There was more crunching, accompanied by slurping and tearing. The potent scent of blood was in the air now and I realized just what had happened. It's eating the guard... As much as I was concerned, my stomach couldn't help but grumble. I grit my teeth and tried to ignore the squishing and dripping and crunching and the satisfied growling.
When all of those noises stopped, the creature huffed and started walking again. Suddenly fur tickled my head. I inhaled a deep breath and froze as it sniffed me. The scent of the guard's blood was stronger now and my stomach grumbles again. The scent was so strong I could just taste it...
The unknown creature's sniffing traveled to my right, where Ao was. Pushing my previous thoughts away, I gulped and tightened my hold on her. I stayed calm as I listened to it sniff. It seemed like forever until it huffed in our faces and backed away. I couldn't feel its presence near me anymore and suddenly it raced away as its bounding steps indicated so. The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the lobby and an alarm followed a millisecond later. The creature's howls now sounded distant, outside, and I figured it had escaped the building. Great.
I released a big breath I didn't notice I was holding and loosened my grip on Ao. There was a dull ache at my temples now and my injured leg burned from the force I put it through. My shoulder also ached from the fall I took escaping the elevator. Everything just hurt but knowing that I got Ao back makes it all worth it.
I sat on the lobby floor for a while with Ao in my arms. She leaned against me, breathing softly, sleeping. Rake's comment about her screaming made me worry. Must've been some nasty experiments, he had told me. What happened to her while she was here? I hugged her closer to me and frowned. Just thinking about that makes my stomach churn.
"Jack!" I heard behind me. I turned my head and listened to multiple footsteps come towards me. I recognized the voice and the scents.
"You got Ao back," Jeff panted. I could also hear Elizabeth panting too. Were they running? "Are you okay? There's blood...," Jeff said.
"I'm fine," I answered softly.
Jeff began to say something but Elizabeth interrupted, "Good, then let's get out of here. It's only a matter of time before police arrive."
Jeff helped me up to my feet and I carried Ao again. "Can you walk," he asked. I nodded. "Let's go," I said. The three of us started running out of the building. Shoes crunched on glass that must've broken from the creature's escape. The stench of blood was replaced with fresh air when we made it outside. Elation washed over me at the fact that I had Ao back and as I ran I tried to forget the experience I had inside that god damned building.