Not Your Average Business Trip

[SpecialContainment]

Richard was seated at his desk, looking over a file when there was another thicker file plopped down on his desk.

"New assignment. You're getting to travel for once." The chipper female voice chirped the words as he dropped the file he was looking at just enough to look over the edge to peer at Veronica, a slight scowl pulling at his features.

"I'm busy."

"And so is everyone else. And you're in charge of a team. So you get to pick up the slack. Appoint someone to be in charge while you're gone and get packing." Her words were punctuated by the sharp snapping of chewing gum. Then her hands found the edge of his desk, and leaned in. "Plus I think you might enjoy this assignment. You'll get to catch up with an old friend."

"Only fair that I get more of a workload, my paycheck's higher." A snort rolled out of him, before pale hazel eyes lifted to find Veronica, and stay there. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is so. Read the file, Richard. You'll see." She grinned, and straightened from her lean. She fussed for a moment, making sure her clothes laid right, then ever so casually, sauntered away.

There's a squint that followed her form as she turned to leave, and his gaze didn't leave until she'd rounded the corner. She drove him mad in various ways, and she was well aware of it. Instead of pining after what wouldn't give up the chase, he set the file he had been looking at aside, and pulled the new one in close. What he hadn't been expecting within was not one SCP file, but two. One for a SCP - 0426 and another for a SCP - 0666.

"I'll be damned." Each file had a picture of the SCP attached. Richard was mighty surprised to see the face of his previous superior, and the little head Scientist he had made friends with. Both of which had made an escape from containment nearly a year ago.

Not much of of the files were different than they were a year ago, save for the addendums that SCP - 0426 had corrected shortly after escape. Except for SCP - 0666. There was a whole slew of new recorded information. Seems like her anomaly was only growing more and more out of control. Which meant that soon enough she'd draw attention to herself, if she hadn't already. Which, he realized was very likely by the time that he reached the end of the report. Apparently, Dr. Kinton could make her own anomalies now, with, from what field notes report, just a touch. They currently had the poor girl turned anomaly tucked into a cell for further testing and research.

Dr. Kinton had access to all sorts of horrors and anomalies during her time here. That alone made her a dangerous loose thread. The anomaly creation just seemed to be the icing on the cake that made the higher ups say that enough was enough. The high priority note on the folder made that much incredibly clear to him. So full of intrigue, he collected the file, tucked it away into his bag, and shoulder it.

He had an anomalous girl in a cell to interview concerning one Dr. Sibyl Kinton. And then he had to pack.

He had to travel for work after all.

[SpecialContainment]

2/14/2023 Tuesday 19:39


He watched as the woman he had been following for the past couple weeks left the little coffee shop she frequented called Pawfee Break. Intel said at some point not only she had lived above the shop, but she had worked there as well. As far as he was aware her boyfriend worked there now. Valentine's day. She had walked Wren to work, as he was covering the evening shift. He'd watched them do most of the typical cute couple stuff all day. Which is why he didn't immediately approach her. No he waited until her back was turned to him then moved to stand from the bench he had been perched on. Silent footsteps carried him after her as she rounded the corner up ahead, and continued.

He followed her for a few twists around corners, waited until it was just the two of them in a back alley, before he spoke.

"Dr. Kinton. A word if I may?"

He watched as her spine stiffened and she whirled around to face him, neon pink eyes wide with surprise and a touch of the paranoia he's observed progressing over the past week.

"Officer Dick." The scientist hissed the short form of his name and looked less than pleased. Satisfaction bled across his features as she took half a step back. "It's late, and I have to get home."

"Dr. Kinton, really just a moment. We need to talk." He moved to step closer to her.

She held her coffee close and shrank in on herself a touch. She was uncomfortable and absolutely didn't want anything to do with him. That much was clear. "I have animals that need fed, Dick. I don't have time."

She turned to start moving again, only to be stopped when he reached out to catch her by the wrist of her hand that didn't hold her coffee.

"Dr. Kinton, I don't think at this point you really have a choice in the manner."

"Heey-- let go of me. All you're going to get is one warning fuckface."

"Or what, Dr. Kinton? Are you going to use that uncontrollable anomaly on me? Like you did that poor girl a couple weeks ago?" Seconds later he could feel her tense as he pressed the barrel of his stun gun against her side. He took the effort to make it clear to the scientist that the conversation was non-negotiable.

There's confusion, fear and surprise that found her features as she froze. "I-I---"

"You what, Doctor?"

"I didn't do anything to a woman, I---"

"Are you sure? The night of the 27th of January, this year. Mmh, I do believe that date is also the anniversary of your sister's and father's murder-suicide." He stated it matter of factly, and found delight in the pain that struck itself across her face.

"I didn't mean to do anything to her. I swear. I didn't realize that I even did anything!" There's a beat. "Is she okay?"

"Okay as she can be, tucked away in a foundation cell as we try to figure out what exactly you did to her." He grinned a touch as he pulled the woman close. "You are a loose cannon, Zero-triple-six. It was only so long before you fucked up."

The scientist whimpered and tried her hardest to pull free of his grip, to no avail.

"You can either fight your recontaiment every step of the way, or make it easy. I'll give you a week to figure it out and get your affairs in order." A beat. "If you make this difficult I can't promise that it'll be me you deal with. So please, Dr. Kinton, think about it and make good choices. I know for a fact that there are old faces you'd much rather not see. Would be a shame if they're the ones that you deal with in containment over me."

"I can't go back." Her voice came strained, and she looked panicked. He notes with amusement that she looks very similar to a cornered animal.

He adjusted the position of the stun gun just to remind her that it was still very much there. "Why, Dr. Kinton? You're not the little thing full of fire that you were. Sibyl, if I may." He paused long enough to lean in close, his face a mere few inches from hers. "You always thought you were better than everyone. That you could do whatever you wanted because you could. Are you scared that you'll be greeted with the same? Mmh. The research team is very interested in you."

She started to hyperventilate, a sign of that anxiety he was well aware of her having. They both knew what the foundation did to anomalies, especially ones the researchers had an interest in. He'd read her files, including psych evaluation several times at this point, and fully intended to utilize every vulnerability he could to accomplish his task. He grinned at her, and released his grasp on her, before the stun gun was tucked away.

"I can't go back, please. I don't- I can't." Her voice was quiet and pinched by her panic. He watched as she backpedaled away from him.

"That's not for me to decide, Dr. Kinton. I am merely following orders. Yes, you are well aware of how that works, aren't you?" Pale hazel eyes came to narrow on her for a moment. "Of course you do."

He reached to pay her shoulder, noted absently the way she flinched. "Don't act like you didn't expect this to happen, Sibyl. Like I said, you have a week to get your affairs in order. Make good choices. Do not make this hard on you or your loved ones." There's a pause, and a malignant smile that curled Richard's mouth.

"Be a shame if that cat boy of yours ended up in a Containment cell. Or Prometheus, even. He's quite protective of you. Not sure why, but he is." It's without waiting for a response to anything else he said that he turned, and started to stride away from her.

He saw her stumble, heard as her hyperventilating devolved into sobbing, and felt an absolute delight in the way it accentuated the sound of his bootfalls on the cobbles as he left the scientist behind. She was an incoherent emotional mess desperately searching for the singular emergency Xanax that Wren did let her have on her.

He left her like that without remorse.