Chapter 98
Léonard slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry as he adjusted to the sterile white glow of the room around him. He realized he was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines that beeped rhythmically, with several tubes connected to his body. He sighed, the memories of his fight with SCP-096 flooding back in vivid flashes.
Just as he was piecing it all together, a familiar system notification appeared before his eyes, its text floating in the air.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the primary objective of your tribulation: surviving.]
[Ding! It has been detected that the host has also completed the secondary objective by defeating SCP-096.]
[Ding! Calculating rewards. Please wait.]
Léonard exhaled deeply, a mixture of relief and exhaustion washing over him. "Great… more surprises from the system," he muttered, waiting for the next message.
The door creaked open, and an unassuming nurse stepped into the room, her attention fully absorbed in the stack of documents she carried. She didn't notice that Léonard was awake, still flipping through her notes as she approached his bedside.
"Good morning, miss," Léonard said with a warm smile.
The nurse jumped, startled by his voice, and let out a sharp cry of surprise, fumbling her papers and dropping her clipboard onto the floor.
Not even a millisecond after her cry, the door was slammed open, and a squad of Resh-1 operatives stormed into the room, their weapons raised and scanning for threats.
Léonard's sharp eyes caught the familiar armbands they wore. With a calm chuckle, he raised a hand and said, "Easy there, boys. I just startled the nurse."
The operators hesitated, then relaxed as they processed his words. Realization dawned on their faces, and a wave of relief swept through them. Grinning broadly, they lowered their weapons and rushed toward the bedside.
"Boss! You're awake!"
"Finally! Do you have any idea how worried we were, Boss ?"
"Boss, you scared the hell out of us back there!"
"How are you feeling sir ? Anything broken ? Need more morphine or something ?"
"Don't ever pull a stunt like that again, Boss. We can't handle losing you."
Their words overlapped, creating a cacophony of relief and excitement, as the normally stoic operators showed rare glimpses of unfiltered emotion. Despite his exhaustion, Léonard couldn't help but laugh at their energy. "Calm down, guys. I'm still here, aren't I ?"
One of the operators pulled out his radio, a broad grin on his face, and declared, "To all stations, the Administrator is awake. I repeat, the Administrator is awake."
The previously quiet corridors of the facility came alive in an instant. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the halls, growing louder as people raced toward the room.
Moments later, a flood of doctors and additional Resh-1 operatives rushed through the doorway, their expressions a mix of concern and relief. Among the crowd, a commanding voice cut through the chaos:
"All Resh-1 operatives, clear out! Give the medics space to check on the boss. First Detachment, Team One, you stay."
The operators who had been crowding the bed quickly exchanged nods and began filing out, though not without sneaking a few final glances and words of reassurance toward Léonard. Those designated to stay behind formed a protective semicircle around the room, their sharp eyes scanning the area while the medics set to work.
Léonard, watching the sudden commotion unfold, couldn't help but smirk. "All this just because I woke up ? You guys are making me feel like a celebrity."
One of the medics, already checking his vitals, looked up briefly and replied, "You are, boss. To us, anyway."
Léonard smiled faintly, touched by the concern radiating from everyone in the room. His gaze shifted toward the group of Resh-1 operatives stationed at the edges of the room. Among them, he spotted Graves and Alexei, both sporting wide grins as they stood at attention.
"How long was I out ?" Léonard asked, his voice slightly hoarse but steady.
One of the doctors, busy adjusting a monitor by his bedside, glanced up and replied promptly, "Forty-four hours, twenty-eight minutes, and sixteen seconds."
Léonard raised an eyebrow. "You counted the seconds too ?"
The doctor chuckled lightly. "When Resh-1 is pacing outside your door every secondes, you tend to keep track."
Alexei laughed, his thick accent cutting through the room. "What can I say, boss ? We were bored and worried. You scared the hell out of us!"
Graves nodded, his grin softening into a more serious expression. "You took a beating, but you pulled through. We knew you would."
Léonard smiled wryly. "Hey, I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment for beating up 096, or an insult since it beat me up too."
The room erupted in laughter, easing the tension that had hung thick in the air moments before.
One of the doctors stepped forward, adjusting his glasses as he addressed Léonard. "We've completed the final checks. You suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries that could have been fatal if we hadn't acted quickly. Your recovery was accelerated thanks to the combined efforts of several thaumaturgists, artifacts from SCP-001-01, and medications from SCP-001-09. You'll need to stay in bed a little longer for final assessments and to recover mentally. By tomorrow, you should be back on your feet."
He then turned to his colleagues and ordered them to leave the room, giving Léonard some peace. Finally, the doctor faced him again and said, "Sir, I've finished your checks and will return in a few hours."
Léonard gave him a nod of gratitude. "Thank you, doctor."
Léonard waited for the last of the doctors to leave the room before turning toward Graves. "What's the status of 096 ?"
Graves straightened, his demeanor turning professional. "Contained. It's been transferred to Site-Beth, the closest secure location."
Léonard nodded, his memory still hazy but vivid enough to recall certain moments. "I remember making quite a lot of noise during the fight."
Graves confirmed, "You did. Even our radars picked up unusual readings, massive Hume activity, an intense concentration of Aspect Radiation, and an energy signature we've never seen before. This energy contained a strange mix of dark energy, dark matter, and even a trace of gamma rays toward the end of the fight. It's still under investigation."
Graves continued, "We've cordoned off the area, but as expected, several GoIs and governments noticed the activity. Thankfully, no civilians were present. The zone is now teeming with various GoI teams, including the GOC, Serpent's Hand, PENTAGRAM, ORIA, Yeda Zoher, and even some groups we've had no prior contact with, like Prometheus Labs, IJAMEA, Myrmidon International, La Spada di Cristo, and others.
"We had to deploy several detachments urgently to maintain control of the area, but surprisingly, there haven't been any conflicts. Instead, the GoIs seem to be using the opportunity to reveal themselves and establish diplomatic ties with each others. We've sent teams from the DEA, IA, and other specialized diplomatic departments to engage. Site-55 is buzzing with activity right now."
Graves continued, "We're also in the process of cleaning up the area because of SCP-4112's effects, turning a part of the desert into a forest…"
Léonard smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
Graves replied, "No worries. We've deployed several SRAs to reset the Hume levels in the area and erase the forest. During your extraction, we also retrieved SCP-066-DE and SCP-4112. Both are secured in a containment cell here at Site-01."
Léonard immediately sat up, his expression shifting. "Site-01 ?! I thought I was transferred to Area-01. Wait, what about the SCP-008 incident ?"
Graves looked confused. "What incident ?" He turned to Alexei. "Have we had an SCP-008 incident recently ?"
Alexei shrugged. "Negative. I haven't received any reports on that. However, according to the file, we've got several boxes containing SCP-008 at Site-Aleph, though how they got there is unknown."
A wave of confusion swept through the room before Léonard said, "Forget it. I've got bigger concerns. Anything else I should know about ?"
Graves nodded. "Well, several Foundation agents have gone missing, and a number of our teams are incomplete. We have no idea why or how, but the search is ongoing."
Suddenly, a voice cut through the room. "That's because we activated the Ennui Protocol."
All heads turned toward the doorway, from which the voice had come. A middle-aged man with jet-black hair and a matching beard, dressed in an elegant suit and holding a cane crafted from wood and gold, stepped into the room. He fixed his gaze on Léonard and offered a courteous smile.
"Good day, Boss," the man said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am your assistant administrator, The Duke, though you may simply call me Franz."
All the Resh-1 operators in the room said, "Greetings, TA-A."
Franz said, "There's so much I want to tell you, but given what the doctor said, I'll wait until tomorrow. And seeing how your eyes are focused on something that seems invisible, I guess you just received something interesting from the system. So, I'll be heading out with the rest of the guards to give you some well-deserved rest. Have a pleasant day, Boss."
Léonard smiled, a bit embarrassed at being so easily read by someone, and replied, "Good day to you too."
Then, everyone left the room, closing the door behind them.
Léonard looked at the system notification in front of his eyes:
[Ding! You have several unclaimed rewards. Would you like to claim them ?]
Léonard replied: Yes.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving the following rewards:
Pack "Heavy Duty"
Pack "O5 Command"
Pack "Ethic Committee"
Pack "Foundation School"
Pack "German Branch"
Pack "Biohazard"
Pack "Cognitohazard"
Pack "Internal Security"
5 spins of the Lucky Wheel
380,000 gold]
Léonard's eyes widened, and his entire body trembled with excitement.
His voice, barely containing his excitement, said, "Open the 'Heavy Duty' pack."
[Ding! The host has decided to open the "Heavy Duty" pack.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining AMTF Nu-7 "Hammer Down" and all its subordinate units.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Eta-5 "Jäeger Bombers."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving SCP-5514 "The Dragonslayer."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the "nuclear bomb" technology.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving the heroic unit MTF Tau-5 "Samsara."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking MTF Omega-45 "Street Samurai" and the technology of SCP-6952.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Titan-1 "Off the Books."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Site-78.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the legendary Site-19.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Armed Bio-Containment Area-14.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Dimensional-Site-172.]
Léonard felt every hair on his body stand on end with excitement at the sight of all these new units and resources.
Léonard thought to himself: Damn, why didn't I get these before ? The demon invasion and the battle against the Sarkics in Germany would've been handled in just a few hours.
Then he pressed a button, and a Resh-1 operator responded, "How can I assist you, Boss ?"
Léonard said, "Bring me my work phone."
The operator replied, "Yes, Boss," before leaving the room. Léonard refocused on the system and said "System, open the 'O5 Command' pack."
[Ding! The host has chosen to open the "O5 Command" pack.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-1 "Eve" and her office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-2 "The Nazarene" and her office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-3 "The Kid" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-5 "The Treasurer" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-6 "Cowboy" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-7 "Green" and her office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-8 "Dogwood" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-9 "The Secret Keeper" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-10 "The Mad General" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-11 "The Liar" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-12 "The Physician" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining O5-13 "The Persian" and his office.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Alpha-1 "The Red Right Hand."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Site-02 ]
Léonard suddenly jumped out of his seat, his eyes wide open, and shouted: "OH DAMN!"
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a multitude of Resh-1 operators stormed into the room with their weapons raised.
Alexei asked, "Boss, are you okay ? We heard a scream."
Léonard waved them off and said, "It's fine, you can go. It's nothing."
The operators exited the room, closing the door behind them.
Another guard entered the room to hand him his phone, then quietly exited.
Léonard scrolled through his contacts and dialed Franz's number. After a few seconds, Franz picked up:
"Boss ? How can I assist you ?"
Léonard said: "Alright, as you know, I decided to activate the system rewards. And among them, the entire rest of the O5 Council and their offices appeared at Site-02 ? By the way, what is Site-02 ?"
Franz replied: "Well, actually, the headquarters of the Council and the Ethics Committee is just a façade for the real Site-01. To everyone else, Site-01 is where the Council resides. Our true site is… 'nonexistent.'"
Léonard responded: "Ah, I see. So, where is it located ?"
Franz answered: "In Switzerland, near the Rheinwaldhorn mountain."
Léonard nodded: "Got it. Also, I'm in the middle of organizing things through the system. All the new units, Sites, and projects will remain under my office's administration until we hold a meeting with the Council members. You and I will head to Switzerland next week."
Franz replied: "Understood, Boss."
After exchanging a few jokes, Léonard hung up and grinned: "Alright, time to go shopping."
Léonard continued: "System, open the 'Ethic Committee' pack."
[Ding! The host has chosen to open the "Ethic Committee" pack.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the entirety of the Ethics Committee!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Omega-1 "Law's Left Hand"!]
Léonard said: "Of course, it was obviously them."
Léonard, intrigued, leaned forward slightly. "Alright, let's see what next. System, open the "Foundation School" pack."
[Ding! The "Foundation School" pack has been opened.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the "Instructor" unit (Customizable)!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the site/area extension: "Academy."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the recruitment of personnel native to this world. Caution: They will not possess the "Absolute Loyalty" trait like system personnel, and their attributes and traits will be entirely random.]
Léonard chuckled. "Interesting… So, a training facility and some unpredictable recruits. Sounds like fun."
Leonard grinned widely as he read the next notification:
[Ding! You can now fully customize personnel from the system by adding traits, powers, and more. Keep in mind that the more powers and advantages you add, the more expensive they will be.]
"Ah, perfect," he said, rubbing his hands together. "I can literally create my own super-agents… but at what cost, that's the real question."
He paused to think for a moment. "System, show me the available options to customize an instructor."
Then, a page appeared before him, displaying several categories: Identity, Backstory, Appearance, Personality, and Skills. Without hesitation, Leonard clicked on Skills.
Another page opened, revealing a vast array of abilities, powers, and areas of expertise. The boxes for Martial Skills and Marksmanship were already green, indicating they were unlocked.
As he scrolled down, Leonard's eyes widened at the options: Reality Manipulation, Cognitive Resistance, Psychic Talent, and countless others. However, most of these had a lock icon next to their names, preventing him from selecting them.
"Tch," Leonard muttered, leaning back slightly. "Of course, the good stuff is locked. I wonder what I need to unlock these…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before continuing to explore the page.
Leonard said: "System, open the 'German Branch' pack."
[Ding! The 'German Branch' pack has been opened.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the entirety of the German-speaking branch of the Foundation. This includes 25 Sites, 40 MTFs, 1 RTF, 4 Research Groups, 3 Special Programs, and 3 Naval Fleets.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the international Site Concordia. This is a very special site that hosts personnel from several branches and, at times, even members of other GoIs.]
Leonard froze in place as the notifications flashed before his eyes. His mind raced, trying to process the sheer scale of what he had just unlocked. "Wait… the entire German branch ? All their sites, MTFs, and even a special international site ?" His voice trembled slightly, a mix of excitement and disbelief.
He slumped back into his chair, his eyes glued to the notifications. "This is insane," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Forty MTFs ? Naval fleets ? And what the hell is Site Concordia ? An international site for cooperation between branches and GoIs ?!"
For a few moments, Leonard just sat there, overwhelmed. Then a grin slowly spread across his face. "Oh man, this is a game-changer. It's practically a whole army now, hell no, the Germans don't play around."
He leaned forward, his fingers steepled in front of him as he started planning. "Alright, Leonard, time to figure out how to use this… because if the German branch has this much firepower, I can't wait to see what the Chinese Branch or the Main Branch can offer out there."
Leonard sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, I'll deal with that later," he muttered to himself, waving away the previous notifications. "System, open the 'Biohazard' pack."
The familiar chime echoed in his ears.
[Ding! The host has decided to open the 'Biohazard' pack.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Site-234.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring MTF Beta-7 'Maz Hatters.']
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring MTF Chi-7 'Plague Tamers.']
Leonard smirked as he skimmed through the rewards. "Hazmat specialists and plague handlers, huh ? Figures a pack called 'Biohazard' would focus on containment and cleanup."
He tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Beta-7 is famous for dealing with biohazardous anomalies, and Chi-7 is practically tailor-made for handling outbreaks. This'll definitely come in handy."
After a pause, he chuckled. "But Site-234 ? I don't think I've even heard of that one. Guess I'll have to look it up later."
Leonard leaned forward, eager to keep the momentum going. "Alright, system, let's get to the next one. Open the 'Cognitohazard' pack."
The now-familiar chime echoed once again:
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the SCRAMBLE goggles technology.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring MTF Eta-10 'See No Evil.']
Leonard raised an eyebrow, nodding in approval. "SCRAMBLE goggles, huh ? Perfect for dealing with those cognitohazard nightmares. And Eta-10…the masters of the unseen and unspeakable. This is going to be useful."
He leaned back in his chair, a small grin spreading across his face. "With all these new toys, the Foundation is starting to look unstoppable. Let's see what else we can pull out of this system."
Leonard leaned forward, anticipation clear in his voice. "Alright, system, open the 'Internal Security' pack."
The familiar chime echoed again:
[Ding! The host has decided to open the "Internal Security" pack.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Beta-1 "Cauterizers."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Epsilon-11 "Nine-Tailed Fox."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining MTF Rho-9 "Technical Support."]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Internal Security Department.]
Leonard shot up from his chair, practically shouting, "Epsilon-11, FINALLY!"
He began pacing excitedly, his hands gesturing wildly. "Nine-Tailed Fox, the cleanup crew! No more waiting for external teams to handle breaches. I can mobilize them directly, finally some real firepower on standby!"
He stopped, taking a deep breath to calm himself, though the grin on his face remained unshakable. "This just keeps getting better and better."
Leonard leaned back in his chair, staring at the glowing interface of the system. "Alright," he muttered, rubbing his hands together with a mix of anticipation and excitement. "Time to test my luck. System, use my five Wheel of Fortune tickets."
The familiar chime echoed in the room as the system responded:
[Ding! The host has chosen to use 5 Wheel of Fortune tickets. Spinning now…]
On the holographic screen in front of Leonard, a colorful wheel appeared and began to spin rapidly.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 500,000 gold.]
Leonard spurted. "WHAT, SO MUCH MONEY."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Storage Site-77.]
His eyes lit up. "Site-77 ? That's in Italy if I remember."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the Paranormal Technology: Xyank-Anastasakos Constant Temporal Sink.]
Leonard blinked. "Temporal…what ? Oh, I'm going to have a field day with that. Time-related tech ? The possibilities!"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for gaining the ability: Tier 9 physical strength .]
Leonard froze for a moment, then grinned ear to ear. "Tier 9 physical strength ? Mmmmh isn't that the strength of a super human ?."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving SCP-343 'God.' (No canons)]
Leonard stood up so fast his chair tipped over. "WHAT ?! No way. No freaking way!" He paced the room, running his hands through his hair. "I just got 343 ? The literal SCP nicknamed 'God' ? Oh, this is insane. Absolutely insane."
He leaned on the table, staring at the screen with a manic grin. "This system is either the best thing to ever happen to me or the start of a massive headache. Either way…I'm loving it."
Suddenly, a sheet of paper appeared in front of Léonard. Surprised, he picked it up and read the words written on it:
I have gone to explore this fascinating new universe. I will return later.
The sheet wasn't signed, but Léonard immediately understood that it was from SCP-343.
Léonard stared at the paper for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and fascination.
"What… ? 343 ?" he murmured, his mind racing to piece it together. "But why leave like this without saying anything else ?"
He shook his head slightly, still a little incredulous, before placing the paper on his desk. His fingers nervously tapped on the wooden surface as his thoughts raced.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath.
Léonard stood up, reaching for the metal bar on his bed to steady himself. Suddenly, the bar crumpled under his grip as though it were made of soft clay.
He froze, staring at the mangled metal in disbelief.
"Shit," he muttered, looking down at his hand, then back at the ruined bar. "I think I'm going to need to learn how to control my strength."
Shaking his head, he let out a small, exasperated sigh and flexed his fingers, already mentally preparing for the adjustments he'd have to make.