"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
Alex was sad in his home as he heard those words being spoken. He wasn't able to watch live; in fact, it would be a few hours before he could watch it due to all the security needed to ensure that a picture of SCP-096 didn't show up.
Still, he hadn't been able to help himself, wanting to at the very least hear those words, the words that would issuer in a new era of chaos for the world of Marvel, an age that, in truth, already started more than a year ago when he summoned the first SCP.
Honestly, Alex was somewhat surprised that Tony had been able to rip himself away from studying the new arc reactor to do this whole dance planned out by Shield. But everything worked out, and he said the words, and the world now had a new superhero.
He hadn't been entirely sure if giving Tony the new reactor was a good idea, as it would mean he wouldn't go through the character-building, coming with the whole almost-dying part of Iron Man 2. But after consulting a large number of Foundation psychiatrists, he had decided to go down this path.
After all, there was no doubt that Tony did, in fact, suffer from PTSD, and they had all concluded that it would be far healthier for Tony not to have to go through another near-death experience after everything he had been through.
This is how he came up with the idea of using his time-traveling kids to deliver the reactor; not only would it allow him to learn about the new element sooner, but it would also give him hope for a better future and some stability as he was more likely to get together with Pepper sooner.
Though it hadn't been easy, after all, he didn't have the ability to teleport things around, nor could he flash forge something like an arc reactor. This meant that the only way he could get it there was if someone physically carried it inside his home and put it on the floor.
This was no doubt the most difficult thing, though he did take a bit of amusement over the fact that Tony would likely think that kid Hitler was his son. Yeah, very few people knew what kid Hitler looked like, and with a bit of illusions, thanks to another reward, he was able to fool even the great Tony Stark.
Well, he might have made it look easy, but everything was highly planned in the end. Even the reactor was prepared with Starks fingerprints in places that would make it appear that he was indeed the one who built it.
Well, he was sure Stark would be spending quite some time trying and failing to solve the puzzle before him.
Alexander had other things taken up his time, and sadly, it was unlikely that Tony would be able to play a part, as he was no doubt going to keep himself busy with the new element.
-------------------
[SITE-001]
[Ethics committee chamber]
"Welcome all to yet another session. We are joined today by O5-5, who will serve as our link to the O5 council. We have a lot of points on today's schedule, so unless anyone has anything important to add, I think we should get started."
The person speaking took a small pause to look around, seeing if anyone did have anything to bring up, but in the end there was none.
"Alright, lets start with point number 1."
…
…
…
…
"Alright, onto point number 8, the containment of SCP-096. Which was carried out under the preview of O5-1." The speaker paused and looked towards the shadowy silhouette that was O5-5 who nodded.
"SCP-096's appearance was reported by the mysterious informant of O5-01 and was brought into containment within 16 hours. Resulting in the death of 371 people, including one D-class and no Foundation personnel." The person read up from the report.
"We asked O5-1 to be here today, but they are busy dealing with another Keter class object so they are excused, instead we have agent Row, leader of Gamma-12"
They said and the doors opened, allowing agent Row to enter.
"Row, as leader of Gamma-12, you have been called here to answer a few questions in regards to your most recent mission, mainly about the death of 370 civilians." The speaker said, and Row who wasn't a new hand at this just nodded.
"Tell me, Row, how many of these casualties were from the hands of 096 itself?"
"None, they were all eliminated due to the risk of them seeing the object."
"Who made that call?"
"The call was made by the leader of MTL Gamma-12."
"Which is you."
"That is correct, the mission was granted jointly to MTL Gamma-12 and Tau-1, we then agreed between ourselves that I would be in charge overall."
"So you authorized the elimination of 370 people?"
"I was granted blanket authorization for such by O5-1, we were even given permission to request nuclear assist." Row said easily, knowing that he wasn't in the wrong.
"O5-5, is such a blanket permission to use nuclear assist something that you believe were warranted in such a situation?"
"SCP-096 is highly dangerous, and should the worst happen, the O5 council is ready to commit to such a response yes."
"Thank you."
"Row, please tell me why you believed such a lethal response against 370 people was deemed necessary."
"After the D-class were shown the picture, 096 started to move straight toward them, as is to be expected given the nature of the object. We did our best to move the D-class around to keep the path between the subject and object as clear as possible. We also removed a large amount of civilians out of harms way using none lethal means."
"How many were moved by such means?"
"I'm not entirely sure about the exact number, but it should be in the final incident report."
"Come with your best estimation."
"Around eight thousand, I think."
"Yes, not too far off, the reported number was 8412 people."
"Sounds accurate."
"Yes, now why could you move more then eight thousand people without harming them, but these more than three hundred had to be killed?"
Agent Row took a deep breath before responding. "The situation with SCP-096 is extremely volatile. The eight thousand people we managed to move were not in direct line of sight or immediate proximity to the creature. We had the advantage of time and space to coordinate a safe evacuation. However, the remaining 370 were in areas where SCP-096's path was unavoidable. Any delay in neutralizing potential witnesses would have resulted in an exponential increase in casualties."
The speaker nodded, although the expression on his face was still grave. "Agent Row, can you elaborate on the specific criteria you used to determine who needed to be neutralized versus who could be evacuated safely?"
"Certainly," Row replied. "Our primary criterion was the likelihood of individuals coming into direct visual contact with SCP-096. Those who were in buildings or positions where SCP-096 would have passed directly by were prioritized for neutralization. This was a last resort, only enacted when we confirmed that evacuation would not be feasible without risking further exposure."
O5-5 leaned forward slightly, the shadowy silhouette showing a glimmer of interest. "And what measures were in place to minimize the psychological impact on the operatives carrying out these neutralizations?"
"We had psychological support teams on standby, and every member of Gamma-12 and Tau-1 received pre-mission briefings on the ethical and psychological ramifications of their actions. Post-mission, all involved personnel underwent mandatory counseling sessions," Row explained.
The Ethics Committee member who had been questioning Row nodded again, more slowly this time. "It is clear that the situation with SCP-096 is unprecedented in its dangers. However, the loss of civilian life is always a tragedy. Moving forward, we need to ensure that every possible measure is taken to avoid such outcomes."
"Absolutely," Row agreed. "We continuously update our protocols and training to improve our response to such threats."
O5-5 spoke again, this time with a note of finality. "Agent Row, thank you for your detailed explanation. The O5 Council will review the procedures and make necessary adjustments to enhance future containment efforts. You and your team are commended for your swift action under such dire circumstances."
Row nodded respectfully and exited the chamber, leaving the Ethics Committee to deliberate further.
"Alright, next is the request for one Daniel Whitehall, aka Werner Reinhardt, to be categorized as an SCP object and allowed to be heavily interrogated."
"A most unusual request. Please explain why we are given this."
"Let's see." The speaker quickly looked through the report. "It seems he is a normal human who, through intensive surgery, replaced most of his internal body with organs, blood, and bone marrow taken from an anomalous humanoid who possessed the ability to live for hundreds of years and has also been granted this ability."
"Well, he wouldn't be the first to attempt something like this, nor will he be the last person to do something that might make them into an anomalous entity themselves. I see little reason not to grant this request, though I expect we be granted a full file and everything the interrogation brings to light." The speaker said looking over at O5-5.
"As is your right."
"Alright then, lets vote about it and move on, still got a few more points before we can call it a day."
---------------------------
Alexander soon turned his attention away from Stark and his plans involving him, and onto one of the biggest current threats facing humanity. The rather large gathering of SCP-3199 entities that had been found.
So far, they had counted at least a few thousand of them, and they would only continue to grow in number if not stopped soon. He was fully prepared to call down a nuclear bombardment if needed, but before taking such a move, he would try other options.
"Let's hope Shield is willing to be a good little tool this time; if not, well then their future usefulness will be put in question, and with that, their future together." He muttered to himself as he started to move everything into position.
---------------------------
[With Nick Fury]
Fury had only just gotten out from Starks home and hadn't that been a clusterfuck. Not only had Stark come out and let the world know about his identity as Iron Man, which would no doubt cause a ton or trouble down the line.
Trouble that Fury would no doubt have to deal with due to Tony being the son of Howard Stark. Yet, the new suit he had made was indeed tempting; if he could equip a handful of agents with that, well, he would be able to deal with many issues.
Then, his carefully prepared dramatic entrance for Stark was totally ruined as the security system was a lot more difficult to deal with than expected. So rather than him surprising Stark with a mysterious speech, it had been him who had been not just surprised but shocked, knocked out, and captured!
Having to prove his identity to Stark, who was none too happy with him being there. He barely managed to mention the Avenger initiative before having to retreat with his tail between his legs.
"Rough night Fury?"
Fury almost crashed due to the shock of having someone sitting right next to him in his car, someone he hadn't noticed until they spoke up. "Motherfucker!" he cursed while the other person just laughed as he struggled to get the car back under his control.
Fury instantly knew who his guest was. The black silhouette with white glowing eyes and mouth? This fits with Coulson's description of O5-1, one of the so-called Overseers of the Bulwark.
Someone who apparently had the ability to appear and disappear at will. Which seemed to include inside his fucking car!
"Rough night, Fury?" the shadowy figure repeated, amusement evident in his voice.
Fury glared at the silhouette, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "What do you want?" he demanded, his tone a mixture of irritation and curiosity.
The dark figure just looked out the window. "To save humanity."
Fury couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation settle on him. He didn't know the full extent of the Bulwark's might, but well, if they needed help to save humanity, it was likely a very serious situation. "What do you need?"
A/N
If you want to read up to 10 chapters ahead or even get the chance to pick what SCPs get summoned, or just support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / SCPsystem