> "Apollyon-class SCPs are impossible to contain and extremely 'active' in causing world-ending scenarios."
Maria's calm voice carried through the air.
But with each word she spoke, the temperature inside S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to drop another degree.
By the time she finished, silence engulfed the entire room.
Nick Fury stared at the screen, his expression grim.
The word Apollyon had been spoken aloud.
---
The Apollyon class was not something to be taken lightly.
It wasn't just another designation like Keter.
No—Apollyon was reserved for anomalies that were not only uncontainable, but guaranteed to end the world.
An Apollyon-class SCP was essentially a death sentence for civilization.
Nothing could stop it.
So, the question was—what would Hughes choose to do?
---
On the screen.
> "The only thing that could prevent an XA-class scenario," Hughes said, closing the file and pinching the bridge of his nose, "is if something else—another Apollyon-class anomaly—destroyed the world first."
He looked across the table at the Overseers.
> "Their relative threat levels aren't measured by containment procedures, but by inevitable years. And when I calculated, the number I got was only a single digit."
His eyes narrowed.
> "Tell me… do we even officially have an Apollyon classification?"
O5-8 shook his head.
> "No."
"No?" Hughes frowned.
The Overseer's lips curled faintly.
> "At present, the Council believes that the Apollyon classification is essentially a declaration of defeat. It damages morale and fosters defeatist tendencies. For that reason, it has been removed. As it stands, Keter is the highest recognized designation."
He added coldly:
> "Any current Apollyon candidates will likely be reevaluated and reclassified as Keter within the next year. Beyond that… what do you think?"
---
Hughes stared at him.
> "You want containment procedures? We've had this conversation a thousand times."
O5-8 shrugged.
> "Let's assume we got it right the first time."
---
Hughes suddenly smirked, his expression grim.
> "Then here's the truth. We can destroy all intelligent human life. No intelligent hosts, no SCP-3125."
The room went dead silent.
Even the Overseers froze.
What did he just say?
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The audience watching could barely process it.
> To stop anomalies from destroying humanity… humanity should destroy itself first?
Were they insane?
---
After a long pause, Wheeler finally broke the silence.
> "You've mentioned this before, Hughes. But no one here can seriously believe you mean it."
Hughes locked eyes with her, his tone deadly serious.
> "I am serious. Completely serious. And it would work."
He scanned the room, his voice dropping into a low growl.
> "Our motto is Secure, Contain, Protect. Maybe it's about time we added, and keep as many humans alive as possible."
---
His words twisted uncomfortably in everyone's ears.
One Overseer snapped back.
> "It's self-evident that we want to protect humanity."
Hughes sneered.
> "Really? Then why does it feel more like: Secure the anomaly, Contain the anomaly, Protect the anomaly. Tell me, any other way to read it?"
The tension spiked until Overseer Lee interjected, trying to steer things back.
> "Enough. We are not going to exterminate all intelligent life."
The hostility cooled slightly, but Hughes wasn't finished.
---
After a heavy silence, he leaned forward.
> "Then we have another option. Terminate and suppress all memetic and antimemetic research worldwide. Shut it all down. Erase the field of science entirely. No research, no discovery… no SCP-3125."
He pressed on before anyone could object.
> "Shut down every lab. Erase every project. Wipe every researcher's memory. If no one digs deep enough, SCP-3125 will stay buried in the farthest reaches of idea-space, like radioactive waste."
His words fell like a hammer.
The room went quiet again.
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury's brow furrowed as he muttered to himself.
> "Just like the antimemetic bomb the Division once detonated… erasing SCP-3125 from memory altogether."
He leaned forward, stunned by the parallel.
> "Thirty years later, someone else comes to the same conclusion…"
---
On the screen.
Hughes's proposal was immediately shot down.
> "No," Overseer Four cut in sharply. "Avoidance won't solve anything. SCP-3125 can be introduced from outside—or worse, it could emerge naturally."
Wheeler's eyes hardened.
> "We all know this, Hughes. It's already happening. Look at the precursor anomalies. SCP-3125 is coming into our world whether we like it or not. We're already in the premonition stage. It's here."
Her words killed the brief spark of false hope.
Hughes sat back, silent, as the room fell into heavy dread.
---
SCP-3125 wasn't just another nightmare anomaly.
It was the nightmare.
A predator of minds.
Something that could twist human civilization into something unrecognizable.
And Hughes knew it.
He had memorized nearly the entire SCP database. He was one of the world's leading authorities on anomaly containment.
But when it came to SCP-3125… there was nothing.
Every attempt to understand it tore him apart.
It was unthinkable.
---
Finally, O5-8 broke the silence.
> "The Foundation's mission is to protect. Normally, that means secure containment, establishing procedures to ensure permanent safety. Destruction is a last resort."
He paused, ignoring Hughes's scornful look.
> "But Overseers have the authority to disregard that principle when necessary. I am exercising that authority now. SCP-3125 cannot coexist with humanity. We will destroy it—permanently."
He leaned forward.
> "Does that change your opinion?"
---
The live-stream audience froze.
Not even the Overseers on-screen reacted right away.
But for the ordinary viewers watching, it was stunning.
The Foundation… was willing to kill gods.
Cold, ruthless, unyielding.
And yet—noble, in its own terrifying way.
---
On the screen.
O5-8 spoke again.
> "Special Neutralization Procedures."
Houston looked pale, shaken.
O5-8 continued.
> "I know destruction is considered easier than containment. But that is the path we must take."
Hughes didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze drifted, and his expression softened into something almost nostalgic.
> "When I first joined the Foundation, I asked my mentor—he retired years ago—'What's the largest anomaly we've ever contained?'"
He let out a bitter laugh.
> "I meant it seriously. And so did he."
---
To Be Continued…
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