As soon as Alex was done talking with the Ethics Committee, he stormed towards the quarters of O5-5; she would learn of his displeasure at being unable to control her people properly like this, wasting his time like this.
Getting to meet another council member was perhaps one of the only few times someone could block his path. Their guards were loyal only to them and could block even other Overseers.
So it took a while, far too long for his taste, before he was shown into her personal conference room. "Ahh, there you are; here I was thinking you were trying to stonewall me." Alex said as he went inside.
"It's good to see you as well, Alexander; yes, thank you, I'm doing great." She mocked as she saw how he made himself at home.
Alex took a seat, scanning the room. Finding it to be hard different from his own, or for most other rooms in the Foundation, rather than the sleek, clean, and rather minimal style the Foundation used, O5-5 had clearly decorated her quarters after her homeland.
Then again, she did stay around SITE-001 more than most others, so it was no wonder that she made it feel like home.
"I'm not here for small talk," Alex stated flatly, his voice low and controlled. "Your committee wasted my time today with accusations and threats that they can't back up. This isn't the first time your oversight has slipped, and I'm not inclined to let it pass unnoticed this time."
O5-5 leaned back in her chair, her expression unchanging, composed. "Alexander, the Ethics Committee operates with a certain degree of autonomy for a reason. Their independence is what allows them to do their job."
She said before sighing. "I know they tend to forget themselves in their work, but we gave them all that authority for a reason, if we don't allow them to act as they see fit, why even bother having them around?
Alex's jaw clenched at her response. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced. "Autonomy within reason, O5-5," he replied sharply. "Their job is to monitor ethical boundaries, not to overreach or obstruct operations with groundless accusations."
O5-5 paused, regarding Alex with a measured look. "Their concerns aren't without merit, Alexander," she countered calmly. "You do keep a lot of secrets from us, and not small innocent ones, but some rather important ones."
Her tone softened a bit. "What if something happened to you again? If you died for real next time? And we don't know where you get this information from? We will be completely in the dark about many risks out there, major risks if your words are to be believed."
Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sometimes, there are just things that can't be said, secrets that can't be shared. You know me, I normally share much, but this time? This time, I need you all to just trust me, just as you did back then."
He left it be unsaid what time he referred to, but between the five of them. There were plenty of possible times when they trusted the others, and everything worked out great.
"But I tire of this old song and dance, we spent hours discussing this the other day, I'm not willing to start again." Alex quickly added, making it clear that he wasn't interested in continuing that topic.
Sighing O5-5 just nodded. "Then what did you come here for? Just complain about this committee you helped build up back then?"
Alex's gaze hardened, and he shifted slightly in his chair, ready to address the core issue. "No, not just to complain," he replied, his tone firm. "I just want to make sure that this doesn't happen again, not while this situation we are in is ongoing."
"I take it you are aware of why I am even back at SITE-001? SCP-049 somehow got into SITE-009! Here I am dealing with an emergency, and they have the gall to call upon me to waste my time."
O5-5's expression grew more serious as Alex brought up SCP-049's breach, the lines around her eyes tightening. "Yes, I am aware," she responded, her voice laced with concern. "It's an alarming development, and it should indeed have been the priority."
Alex didn't hesitate to press his case. "Which is why I urge you to keep a tight grip on the committee at least until the current state of emergency has been declared lifted."
O5-5 Seemed to contemplate his suggestion. "That could take, yes, if not longer. I am not certain I can keep the committee restrained for that long while ensuring that it is performing its primary duty."
Alex simply shrugged at her concern. "I am sure that dealing with the current situation is far more important than the Ethics Committee and its job. I am certain you agree with that."
O5-5 released a long, deep sigh. "I really do not understand why I was ever foolish enough to take on the responsibility of leading the Ethics Committee; here you are, the master of dark operations, the secret leader of the chaos insurgency."
"An army of loyal followers chanting your name while I have to deal with a group of people that think they actually have some kind of power over me." She complained.
Alex's lips curled into a wry smile, the tension momentarily lightened by O5-5's frank admission. "Maybe because you thought having the highest-ranked subordinates would be a big advantage over the rest of us?"
O5-5 snorted at that. "And what a useless advantage, when you guys ignored my committee like that, making them useless for anything big I couldn't already just do myself."
"Maybe I should just promote someone else to the council. Don't we need a fourteenth member?" she joked, as they both knew that the chances of adding more to the council would be nearly impossible.
"Yeah, why don't you try and sell that idea to the rest of them? I'm sure they won't mind you promoting yet another subordinate and adding another vote to your block."
Yeah, that was never going to happen, not since O5-13 was already one of hers. And such a subordinate at that, Alex himself knew he had wanted her for himself, even if the reason for that was somewhat unclear to him.
O5-5's chuckle was soft, barely audible. "You know, I do appreciate your perspective, Alexander. It's always... enlightening." She stood up, smoothing her jacket, a clear signal that the meeting was drawing to a close.
"But let us be honest, we both know you came here to complain, and I agree that wasting your time was their mistake; I will make sure they don't just expect any of us to come if called, and they arrange a meeting ahead of time." She conceded to him this.
"But, I do want you to make some kind of protocol in case something happens to you; we will need to know your secret information source then." She quickly added just as one of her own Alpha-1 guards opened the door.
"Fine, I will look into doing that, but I hardly expect to die anytime soon, not with this new suit of mine." He said as he stood up, preparing to leave.
"Ah yes, I must say, I'm very impressed with it, though maybe it's a bit too form-fitting for us women, but yes, I will send the committee on the task for dealing with Wakanda, that should keep them too busy to bother you or the others again." She adds as she got the idea.
O5-5's suggestion about engaging the Ethics Committee with a new task elicited a nod from Alex. His eyes narrowed slightly, pondering the implications. "Wakanda, huh? That's a significant move. But if it keeps them occupied and out of my hair, I'm all for it."
He honestly had paid too much attention to those people for a while now, so many other important things had been happening. And it just felt like one of those things that was easy to push back a little.
But maybe he had been pushing it back for too long? Well, the Ethics committee could enjoy that headache. It was important that the Foundation got access to not only their land but also their resources.
They would no doubt resist, which meant that it might be necessary to use force. The whole case seemed perfect for the committee, and his own celestial protocol should keep them busy.
Alex paused at the threshold, looking back with a mix of resolve and caution. "Just make sure the committee understands that they are not to do anything without O5 approval." He said.
"Please, I'm not an amateur; I know what to do." She said dismissingly and Alex finally took his leave, ready to put his attention back to more important matters, like the situation with SCP-049.
---------------
[SITE-009]
Dr Strange and the others were left to themselves for a few hours. Every minute felt like years due to how nervous they all were. No one came for them, not even bring them anything to eat and drink.
They weren't sure who to be most angry at, the people who kidnapped them, or that guy dressed up in a plague doctor costume for causing all that trouble.
Sure, being kidnapped wasn't nice, but if it wasn't for him, they might already be done with the first so-called test and on their way home with a fat paycheck in their pocket.
Sure, they would probably be spending the trip knocked out and drugged, but it's better than risking death here.
If it wasn't for the many watches they all wore, they would probably have lost sense of time by the time someone finally came for them.
"I'm very sorry about that; this situation was definitely not planned; we wish to treat you all with the utmost respect as someone of your skill deserves." Another strong-looking soldier type said, making them wonder if there was anything but that.
But at least it wasn't that woman from before, and she didn't seem to care much for them at all. If anything, she seemed more likely to have them all shot and then sent back home and paid.
"Now, as you are well aware, there has been a slight change in plans, and you will likely end up staying here a bit longer than intended; we will do our best to ensure the least amount of delays from this point forward." the soldier added, his tone both apologetic and firm.
Dr. Strange exchanged a glance with the others, their faces a mix of frustration and resignation. "We appreciate your transparency, but can you at least inform us about what's going on? We're professionals, not hostages," he pointed out, his voice steady but edged with irritation.
The soldier nodded, understanding their concerns. "yes, I believe my superior was about to explain to you what your task here involved. Before the sudden interruption."
"What was that about? Who was that man?" Dr. Robert Montgomery couldn't help but ask, feeling like this man here was far more friendly than the woman before.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you about that; all I can say is that he very much wasn't supposed to be here and that he is dangerous, very, very dangerous. We apologize for the danger you were all exposed to by being near him."
His answer didn't really answer many of their questions, though they were all very curious about how dangerous that man could possibly be. That they were willing to use a nuclear bomb to deal with him just seemed so overkill.
But it was also clear that they still wouldn't get any answers there, at least not yet. The man then continued.
"The operation you will be doing is simple, and the first task even easier. You will be given three torso dummies, made to perfection to represent the human body, with two being male, and one being female. Your task." He paused and looked around.
"Alright, gather up here. You will need to see this from up close." He said and called them to stand around him.
"This here." He said, holding up a small blue credit card-like thing. "Your task is to place this inside the chest cavity of the dummies, without any mistakes, and with no adverse effect to be felt were the dummies, real people."
He then passed the card around together with a picture of where the cuts should be made and where the card-like item should be placed.
Strange also got to hold the item, turning it around in his hands sightly before passing it on to the next. "So Are we essentially practicing a form of implant surgery here?"
The man nodded to his question. "That's correct, the first test is to see if you can add something of this size to the body without causing any harm. And may I remind you that should you pass this test, you will receive 900 thousand dollars "
The reward was indeed tempting, though many complained, Strange included that this wasn't their area of expertise.
"Please, everyone, you are here due to your skills; we are certain that you should be able to pass this test without a problem; on an additional note, due to the recent incident, none of you will be able to leave until the entire process is done."
The room filled with a tense silence following the soldier's statement. The group of professionals, each skilled in their own right, shared uneasy glances. The high stakes of the situation were not lost on them, and while the promise of a significant payout was enticing, the conditions under which they were to operate were far from normal.
A/N
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