The moment the truth was revealed, not just the live stream viewers but even the extraordinary chat group exploded into conversation.
[Deadpool]: Damn it, I actually thought that ritual was legit! I was gonna study it—just in case it turned out useful in the future.
[Steve Rogers]: It's best to stay away from anything involving the Crimson King. Seriously—don't go poking the eldritch hornet's nest.
[Tony Stark]: Hold up. The Devourer of Worlds was actually contained by some ancient cultists using only mysticism and no tech? That's insane! I refuse to believe that!
[Ancient One]: Mysticism isn't the opposite of science, Mr. Stark. It may simply operate under universal laws that we have yet to comprehend.
[Hulk]: What I want to know is—what's James going to do now that he knows the truth about SCP-2317?
[Hawkeye]: Good question. What's his endgame?
The chat group buzzed with theories and speculation.
On screen, the voice of the supervisor rang out:
"At the same time, preparations are underway to ensure the survival of the human species in the event of a containment breach…"
Her voice abruptly cut off.
A flicker of panic crossed her face. She had clearly said more than she intended.
What bothered her even more was James's expression—utterly unreadable. No surprise. No panic. Just those cold, deep-set eyes, like dark still water that swallowed everything.
She inwardly cursed. Dammit. She tried to steer the conversation in a safer direction.
"So," she said hastily, "can you tell me why you're interested in SCP-2317?"
James answered with a cryptic smile, "If I give you the answer you want to hear, does that mean I don't get dosed with a Class B amnesiac?"
That caught her off guard.
The audience in the live chat gasped.
Class B amnesiac?
[S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters]
Tony blinked. "Wait. Is he saying she planned to wipe his memory all along?"
James had Level 4 clearance. Technically, revealing high-level secrets to him was against Foundation protocol. No doubt the supervisor had fully intended to erase his memory after the conversation.
"Huh?" Natasha Romanoff squinted at the screen. "If she did erase his memory… then how are we seeing this?"
Nick Fury gave her a sharp glance. She'd just caught something important.
In the footage, James's breathing shifted slightly. His expression now carried traces of doubt and confusion.
He stared at the supervisor in silence. Finally, in a low voice, he spoke:
"I think I've lost some memories."
The supervisor narrowed her eyes. "Everyone loses memories, James. It's possible you were exposed to a memory-wipe after encountering classified information."
James chuckled dryly. "You mean like the Yellowstone Mountain Incident?"
The moment he uttered those words, the supervisor visibly stiffened.
"You… remember that?" she asked in disbelief.
James gave a wry smile. "Actually, when I first joined the Foundation, my memory had already become immune to ordinary erasure methods."
Her face darkened.
"Then maybe it's time the Foundation conducted an internal review on you," she said sternly.
James was unfazed. "Whether it's Type Blue or Type Green, I'm still human. It's just… my ability works differently."
The supervisor leaned forward. "Back to your earlier point—you believe there's something important you've forgotten. Something related to the Supreme God?"
James nodded. Then shook his head slowly. "I can't say for sure. But… whatever I lost, it's important. Very important."
The supervisor fell into silence, fingers tapping the table rhythmically. The hollow sound of her nails hitting the wood echoed through the chamber.
Da. Da. Da.
James watched her quietly, waiting.
The tension mounted. It was nearly a full minute before the tapping stopped.
She finally looked up. Her expression was unreadable.
Then she said something completely unexpected:
"I have a plan… and I might need your help."
James said nothing, waiting.
She spoke a single phrase:
"The Rebirth Plan."
And the screen cut to black.
The live chat erupted in chaos.
"What?! What's the Rebirth Plan?"
"Can someone lock up all these Foundation Riddlers already?"
"James forgot something again? What is it this time?!"
"Put the supervisor in the same cell as 096!"
[S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters]
Natasha nearly threw something at the screen. "The O5 Council are all Riddlers!"
Nick Fury just shrugged.
He was too seasoned to get worked up. In fact, he found himself mildly amused.
If you can't explain something clearly… best not to explain it at all.
Then, just when everyone thought the feed was over—it resumed.
This time, the screen showed Dr. Kondraki's cluttered office.
"Damn it!" Kondraki shouted. "I didn't even get a heads-up from O5?!"
He looked up at James. "Didn't you use your Level 4 clearance to access the SCP-2317 files?"
"I did."
Kondraki scratched his head. "Strange. They didn't even let me investigate you. Usually, they'd be all over that."
"Investigate?"
Kondraki shrugged. "You know the usual suspects—Chaos Insurgency, Serpent's Hand, the Black Queen. All of them would kill to get their hands on high-risk SCPs."
The audience watching the stream froze at the names.
Thankfully, James asked what everyone else was thinking.
"What do they do?"
Kondraki stared. "Seriously? You don't know?"
He looked at James like he had three heads.
"They've been a thorn in our side for decades. Just yesterday, Chaos Insurgency hacked one of our sites and made off with multiple SCPs."
Even James seemed taken aback.
Kondraki chuckled bitterly.
"What, you thought the Foundation didn't have enemies? That we operate in a bubble?"
He leaned forward.
"Let me break it down for you. Chaos Insurgency is an offshoot of the Foundation. A rogue faction that split off in 1924. Took several anomalies with them when they defected."
"Traitors..." James muttered.
"Exactly." Kondraki nodded. "They operate mostly in unstable countries. Use the locals as disposable test subjects. They manipulate governments, start wars, and treat people like lab rats. Just like the Foundation uses D-class personnel."
He smirked grimly.
"If the Foundation leaders are cold-blooded, then Chaos Insurgency are full-on monsters."
His tone darkened.
"We don't even know who leads them now. They've killed our personnel, stolen anomalies, and compromised data. We've even found their spies in our ranks."
Across the multiverse, viewers were shocked.
"So Chaos Insurgency is just terrorist scientists?"
"And they used to be part of the Foundation? What the hell?!"
"Why is this universe so messed up? Can't people just stop betraying each other?"
[S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters]
The agents murmured amongst themselves.
Nick Fury folded his arms, nodding slowly.
He could relate.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra, and they were constantly dealing with anti-human organizations, supernatural threats, and mega-corporations with god complexes.
But what the Foundation dealt with?
It was on a whole different level.
Back on screen:
Kondraki gulped down water and waved lazily.
"There's a lot more—Serpent's Hand, Black Queen. Each with their own twisted agenda."
He looked at James thoughtfully.
"Oh, and by the way, I've been assigned a new mission. You wanna help?"
James raised a brow. "What kind of mission?"
Kondraki smirked. "A termination project. Keter-class."
James blinked. "You?"
Kondraki glared.
"What's that supposed to mean? Just because that nutcase Clef gets all the glory doesn't mean I can't handle a termination mission!"
He shoved a file into James's hands.
Project Name: Duke
Item Number: SCP-083
Object Class: Keter
The audience lost their minds again.
"Another Keter? Are you kidding me?"
"I swear, these Keter objects multiply like roaches!"
[S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters]
Natasha groaned. "How many Keter-level SCPs does the Foundation even have?!"
Everyone else was just as exasperated.
Nick Fury's face turned thoughtful. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Was this Keter really a world-ending threat?
Then the screen revealed the containment procedures:
SCP-083 must be kept locked between 07:00 and 19:00. During off-hours, he is allowed to roam other facilities under supervision by at least 12 Level 2 personnel or higher.
Subject has expressed no intent to escape and has even said: "I love it here, I pretty much have everything I want."
The audience blinked in disbelief.
That was a Keter?
"That's the chillest Keter I've ever seen."
"Does he knit and play chess too?"
"Why is he just vibing at Site-19?"
The profile continued:
SCP-083 appears as a Caucasian male in his early twenties, with black hair and brown eyes. He prefers to be called 'Duke' and is generally friendly to staff.
More text detailed how "Duke" often chatted with researchers, hung out in the rec room, and didn't seem hostile at all.
But then came Addendum 083-D-1.
And with it, the truth.
The audience would soon discover just how horrifying Duke truly was...
!
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