What... What was that? I heard a voice coming from inside my mind.
Yep, you did. Remember me? I’m your subconscious. Now that we are one, I can finally communicate with you directly, Whenever I feel like it.
I cringed. So, what, you can like, read my thoughts or something?
Read them and I can hear your inner dialogues. Think of me as... your little man on the shoulder, I guess. I’ll tell you if I have an opinion on something or I just feel like talking.
I sighed. ‘That’s just terrific. Do you have a name?’
Call me... Omen.
Cool name.
Thank you.
I looked to the main facility, still covering myself up. ‘Thank you for the compliment earlier, by the way... While you’re here, could you tell me what’s up with my skin? Will I just be stuck looking like a burnt mannequin or is there anything I can do to revert from this?’
No, unfortunately not. You'll just have to get used to looking like this going forward.
I sighed. ‘Figures.’
I made it to my cell once again and I was thankful that I still had spare clothes. Luckily, I kept a large wardrobe with a ton of the same clothes in case of emergencies. Safe to say this is one of those emergencies.
I finished getting dressed and thought about what I should do. I could maybe go check out that 3199 issue that Alex told me about in the aquarium. I don’t really have anything better to do and it's not like I need to be afraid of dying... Yeah, why not. I don’t have a weapon, but there are other ways to solve problems outside of fighting.
But if it came to it, I can always just use my newfound fiery powers... But that was only going to be a last resort. I still don’t know if I can control it.
Don’t worry pal. If you can’t, I can.
‘Yeah, thanks Omen.’
I headed out of my cell and looked toward the aquarium/cantina t-path. Man, I remember when this place was all peaceful. Oo SCPs on the loose, people going about their business... But that’s in the past now.
I walked down the path with determination. The mission isn’t over before it's over.
Upon reaching the aquarium, I saw the blast doors had been closed. That explains why the SCP-939’s haven't spread around everywhere inside the facility. Turns out they have been kept inside the aquarium behind this solid steel wall, and that was just as well. Those chicken monsters reproduce like fresh hell.
I pushed my palm against the keycard reader, and accidentally melted it when I accidentally pushed some fiery energy into it.
“Hot damn! I didn’t mean to do that...”
A thought then occurred to me. I could just melt the whole door down.
A sinister smile formed on my face, and I pushed my palms against the 20cm thick steel blast door. I focused the fiery sensation into my hands... and the door began glowing a bright yellow color. After just a few seconds a circle-shaped portion of the door just outright melted apart, flowing down to the floor in one smooth motion. I let go of the door and casually stepped through the hole I'd made.
Well that certainly makes keycards completely redundant.
I looked around the Aquarium, and there were tons of 3199’s. The glass of the aquarium was still intact, somehow, and the 3199 seemed to be oblivious to the fish swimming on the other side of the walls.
What they weren’t oblivious to, however, was me.
A baby SCP-3199 saw me and immediately cried out in distress. I rushed over to try and keep its mouth shut, but it was no use. The other 3199 already heard it and they turned their heads toward me.
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I let go of the baby and put my hands up in defense. “Okay guys don’t do anything rash now... I’m just visiting.”
The 3199 didn’t seem convinced, and one of the adults charged at me with a screech. I didn’t want to do this but if I had to... I would.
I channeled the fiery power once again but made sure to not overdo the flames to preserve my clothes for once. To my surprise, it worked, and only my exposed skin was burning.
I blinked and my eyes went from gray to glowing green and I prepared to redirect the 3199’s attack.
I bent down and just as the 3199 was about to headbutt me, I put my hands upon its head while dodging to the side, carefully sliding my hands across its body as it charged further into the wall behind me. It hit the wall with a crash, and I spun around to face the other 3199 who were in the room.
“Let’s go then.”
I felt a presence behind me, and I turned around just in time to see the 3199’s mouth almost bite down on my arm, and I dodged to the left. It fell down and hit the floor, to which I put my palm upon its hindquarters, and I fired a small blast of fiery energy. The 3199 was launched forward with its butt on fire and hit the aquarium glass with a smash.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way, but you left me no choice.” I bent down and positioned myself in a defensive position, waiting for the next chicken to come charging my way.
But... none of them did.
I raised an eyebrow but remained in my position. “Given up already?”
I panned my gaze around the room at the other 3199 but as my gaze hit them, they looked away. Seems they know who the boss is around here.
I let the fire subside and retreat back inside my skin once more. “It’s a truce then.”
I looked toward the 3199 that had hit the aquarium wall, and I carefully turned the creature around. Its face was smashed in, and it looked like it had drawn its last breath. I closed my eyes to look for its soul, but it was inside the aquarium glass. Wait. It was inside something...
I squinted further, sharpening the blurry water texture a tad. The body looked like a shark, but it was barely visible.
Did... Did SCP-1057 eat the 3199’s soul?
I opened my eyes again and looked inside the aquarium. Sure enough, there was an animated void inside the water in the shape of a tiger shark. I dropped the 3199’s body and sighed. “I would revive your friend, but it seems that a shark has consumed him. I’m sorry.”
The other 3199 didn’t seem to understand what I was saying and most of them had already completely ignored me.
Well... that’s a little insulting. While I'm here I guess I might as well check out the whole place.
I walked through one of the doorways and ended up inside the bar area. There was nobody manning it, unsurprisingly.
However, there was a very peculiar sight. A person was sitting at one of the tables, seemingly tinkering with something. I was immediately curious as to how he hadn’t been killed by the SCP-3199 and I walked over to him.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
The man was seemingly very shocked at hearing my voice and almost shot up from his chair in shock. “AHH! You scared the hell outta me! How... how did you get past the chicken- WHY IS YOUR SKIN COMPLETELY BLACK? And how can you see me?!”
I was shocked that he was shocked and recoiled slightly. “I was going to ask the same question! How can you be sitting there unharmed while there are 3199 on the prowl right outside that door?”
The man began sweating slightly. “I- I developed a very advanced cloaking field that makes me invisible to anyone... Which is exactly why I wonder how you can see me right now! Do you have infrared vision or something?”
I shrugged. “No, not that I know of. What are you tinkering with?”
He remained silent and returned his attention to the piece of metal. “How about you answer my questions first, then I'll decide if I want to tell you.”
I sighed. “The 3199 left me alone because of the same reason my skin is black. I am an anomaly, and they recognized that I am a very powerful one at that.”
The man’s eyebrow rose in intrigue, and he looked toward me again. “What are your powers then?”
I shrugged. “I can melt metal, turn my skin on fire on-command, and I believe I also can fly, but It's been a while since I last did.”
He hummed in intrigue and sized me up. “I suppose enhanced vision of some kind is also included in that package, since you can see me too.”
I nodded. “That’s a fair assessment indeed. I had never thought about that before now, though.”
We spent a few minutes talking to each other. I’d learned that he is attempting to construct a physical body for SCP-079 to inhabit and also that his name is Reptile. Curious name, but I won’t judge.
“You need any help with your project there, Rep? I can fetch you pretty much anything.”
Rep tightened one bolt on the torso chassis before putting it back down on the table in front of him. “Well, most importantly would be the HDD hard drive that SCP-079 is currently stored in. It should be a 6MB hard drive, you’ll find it if you just remove the plastic chassis he is inhabiting in his cell.”
I nodded. “Anything else?”
He chuckled a little. “A go-pro camera and a TV screen would be ideal.”
I smiled. “Sure thing. By the way, why do you plan on giving 079 a body?”
Rep shrugged. “I just think he’s pretty cool. And I'd like to play pong with him-”
I laughed a little. “That works for me.”
I left the aquarium bar, waving goodbye to Reptile as I went.
I walked past the 3199 who were all just moseying around, and we didn’t pay each other much mind.
I exited through the hole in the door I had made, and a curious thought came to my mind. I can heal living things, but can I restore inanimate objects to their original shape?
I put my hand on the door in curiosity.
That’s a really silly idea. I don’t think we can-
I focused my healing powers into the steel and closed my eyes imagining what the door looked like in its original shape.
Do that...
I heard metal bend harshly, and eventually it stopped. I opened my eyes slowly, and to my surprise the door was mended. The hole was completely gone as if nothing had happened.
What do you know? We can heal metal.
‘You sound surprised.’
I am. I didn’t know our powers could do that.
I hummed with an impressed tone and turned around toward the main foyer again.
Let's find Rep’s gear then.