Following the Impasse, a dead artifact resurfaces. As it jumps from hand to hand, Vanguard must face the ghosts of its past to protect the future.
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Info
VNP-8050: One to Rule Them All
By:Damian Thorne,
Diogene_s,
UNCGriffin and
WarriorofChaos
UNCGriffin's Author Page
Foreword: Vanguard was alerted to an unregulated spatial anomaly in a trailer park near Mercer, Wisconsin, reported to be centered around the trailer of one John Alger. Mobile Task Force Epsilon-6 (“Village Idiots”), alongside Thaumatologists Dr. Katherine Sinclair and Vera Keay1, were dispatched to ascertain the nature of the anomaly.
<View is from the dashcam of MTF-Ε-6’s transport vehicle. Up ahead, a large, multi-storied home can be seen, dwarfing the trailers in the rest of the park. The perimeter of the house is clear; its lawn dominates the lot, carving out a perfect green circle which leaves little room for the trailers.>
<The transport arrives at the gate to the household. A man, presumably John Alger, is mowing the lawn. A woman is absentmindedly swinging a broom back and forth on the porch, a vacant smile on her face. A child can be seen from the window, nose pressed up against the glass, eyes fixed on Alger.>
<The view changes to Dr. Sinclair’s body camera as she exits the van with Keay in tow. She stumbles.>
Dr. Sinclair: Whoa.
Keay: You alright?
Dr. Sinclair: Nope. It's like something's got me by the heart.
Keay: Think it's the anomaly?
Dr. Sinclair: Got to be. Only one way to know for sure, though.
<Dr. Sinclair approaches the gate. Upon stepping on the lawn, the grass becomes noticeably greener within its perimeter, the clouds seem fluffier, the sky more blue.>
Dr. Sinclair: Good morning, Mr. Alger! May we have a moment of your time?
<Dr. Sinclair waves to the man, who turns off the lawnmower and begins to walk towards the gate. He greets Sinclair with a friendly smile.>
John Alger: Good morning, missy! How are you…
<Alger's eyes wander to the van, and the Vanguard logo on its side. For a moment, his smile falters. Then, resuming his smile, he continues.>
John Alger: …how are you doing?
Dr. Sinclair: I'm alright, yourself?
<Alger gives a belly laugh.>
John Alger: Just peachy, miss. Now, what can I do for you today?
<As Alger laughs, Keay glances at the woman on the porch. Alger looks behind him, as if trying to see what's wrong.>
Dr. Sinclair: Mind if we take this inside?
<Alger's smile falters.>
Alger: Well. Well, I, uh…
<Alger looks down. He scratches his nose, considering his feet.>
Alger: …are you sure we can't handle this out here?
Dr. Sinclair: Well, sure-
Keay: We would really rather take this inside.
<Alger looks between the two, his mouth hanging open. Then, he sighs, throwing up his hands. A large gold ring is visible on his right.>
Alger: Well, sure. Not like I can stop you.
<Alger opens the gate and leads the two across the lawn. As they approach the porch, Sinclair speaks.>
Dr. Sinclair: Hello, Mrs. Alger! We're with Vanguard, we've just got a couple of questions for you and your husband.
<Dr. Sinclair shows Mrs. Alger her badge as Mr. Alger unlocks the door. Mrs. Alger continues to sweep the porch, unresponsive.>
Dr. Sinclair: Hello? Anyone in there?
<Mr. Alger watches the development as he opens the front door. He discreetly flicks his finger, the one with the ring. Keay glances at him as he does so, but is interrupted by Mrs. Alger.>
Mrs. Alger: Oh, hi!
<Mrs. Alger looks up from her work with a smile.>
Mrs. Alger: I can't believe it! We finally have some visitors! We haven't had any since, well, since we got married!
<Finished with the door, Mr. Alger walks over to share an embrace and a kiss with his wife.>
Mrs. Alger: Well, make yourselves at home, dears. I'll fix something up real quick!
<Mrs. Alger shuffles into the now-open door, Mr. Alger following wordlessly behind.>
Keay: Does anyone even talk like that anymore? She sounds like she was first recorded when VHS was still a thing. And that lilt.
Dr. Sinclair: You'd be surprised. There are people who choose to live like… that.
Keay: Yeah, if they're asleep. And ol' Johnny here's supposed to be divorced. No official record of remarriage, and he doesn't seem the live-in girlfriend type. Where'd the kid even-
Mr. Alger (from inside): What are you two yakking about?
Keay: Nothing!
Mr. Alger: Well, come on in! Let's get this over with.
<Keay and Dr. Sinclair cross the threshold into the foyer.>
Keay: Whoa.
<The two are confronted with a tall but cramped foyer. Two straight, carpeted stairways, each uncomfortably narrow, lead up to a balcony from which five single doors diverge. The main hallway, below the balcony, is segmented by five windowed doors for no apparent reason. One of these doors is open. Paintings, clocks, and small shelves for trophies are haphazardly scattered all over the walls: Some are even blocking the doors.>
<The floor is a mosaic of rugs in different patterns and shades of red, as if this home's designer had thrown whatever onto the ground to cover as much square footage in as little time and money as possible. The wall behind is adorned with the only two windows in the whole room, and beside them, the child. He is quiet: The synchronized ticking of the many mechanical clocks is the only sound.>
<Dr. Sinclair stumbles to the nearest wall to support herself.>
Keay: Hey, you alright?
Dr. Sinclair: Whatever it is, it's sinking deeper. It's like the Impasse, but… not. Like someone's sucking the magic out of me with a straw.
Keay: Yeah, I can feel it too. Here.
<Keay helps her partner up. The child remains still.>
Mr. Alger (from behind the five doors): Can you quit your lollygaggin'?!
Dr. Sinclair: Coming!
<Keay and Dr. Sinclair proceed through the five doors into another hallway, decorated with the same family portrait in different frames and on different backgrounds. Short corridors leading to dead ends branch out around them. Inside the hallway is an impatient Mr. Alger, already leading them into a study at the far end. The mages follow him in, and he shuts the door before facing them with a smile.>
Mr. Alger: I'm sorry for my outburst just now. I really shouldn't treat a guest like that.
<Mr. Alger sits on a plush chair behind an ornate wooden desk, and beckons the agents to a pair of wooden seats on the other end of the desk. The agents sit down.>
Dr. Sinclair: Do you know why we're here, Mr. Alger?
Mr. Alger: No, I can't imagine why.
<Keay places a picture onto the desk.>
Keay: This is what the average trailer park looks like. And this-
<Keay takes out a satellite photo of Mr. Alger's house.>
Keay: Is what your trailer park looks like. Notice the house.
Dr. Sinclair: One of those immersive map vans was taking pictures here when they noticed that there was a house here that, not too long ago, simply wasn't there.
Mr. Alger: Can't imagine it's hard to miss, missy!
<Mr. Alger laughs.>
Mr. Alger: Everyone's surprised by the fruits of my labor.
Keay: Yeah, money makes the world go 'round. It can even make houses spring up like duckweed!
<Dr. Sinclair gives her partner a significant stare.>
Mr. Alger: Sure was a quick renov job, huh?
Keay: Yeah. Impossibly quick. Some would say…
<Keay leans in.>
Keay: …anomalously so.
Dr. Sinclair: Vera, please. Quit it with the implications.
Keay: Quit it? Have you seen what he's done to-
Dr. Sinclair: Mr. Alger, we're just here to find out what we can about the appearance of this household to see if there's anything useful to our mission of normalization.
Mr. Alger: Well, I'm sorry to say, there's nothing "anomalous" about it! Just worked hard at my job, saved some money… uh… well, maybe the construction firm was anomalous, I'd be the last to know. All I know is, they promised a quick job, and there's nothing anomalous about keepin' your promises!
<Mr. Alger gives a belly laugh.>
Keay: What's the name of the firm?
<Mr. Alger stops laughing.>
Mr. Alger: …I can't remember, you know? Not like it mattered-
Keay: Do you have any proof of purchase?
<Mr. Alger freezes.>
Mr. Alger: What part of these financial minutiae is so interestin' to you two ladies, anyway?
Dr. Sinclair: Mr. Alger. We just want to know-
Mr. Alger: You know what?
<As he speaks, Mrs. Alger enters the room carrying a tray of mini-sandwiches, which she deposits on the desk. Her movements are stiff and absentminded.>
Mr. Alger: This is my property. Second Amendment. Look it up. No illegal search and seizure, and that includes you extrajudicial freaks.
<Mr. Alger points an accusatory finger at the Vanguard pin on Keay's lapel.>
Mr. Alger: You sure did a good job keepin' your little witch's kitchens on the down low. Even got our finest American institutions in on it. But someone picks up a few stray utensils to make some freedom pie? You roll up with your black vans and rip it all away.
Dr. Sinclair: We aren't here to take-
Mr. Alger: Of COURSE you aren't here to take my home! You're just here to "investigate," which'll turn into "confiscate," and then put me in with all the lazy criminals! For what? Workin' my ass off for years on end for a filthy trailer and an alimony debt? Never complaining? Finally getting what I deserve?
<Mr. Alger's face reddens. The gemstone on his ring glows a faint red as well.>
Mr. Alger: I don't know what country your circus act comes from, but this is American soil. And American values will be respected here, whatever those Demo-rats in Congress say. So: Stay out of my lane, and I'll stay outta yours. You get the deal?
Dr. Sinclair: …fine, as long as you tell us what your lane is-
Keay: And where that woman's lane is. Can you tell us that?
<Mr. Alger fumes. He flicks his hand, and a shotgun manifests in it. The ring on his finger begins to glow gold.>
Mr. Alger: I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
<Dr. Sinclair throws her hands up to form a barrier, but clutches her chest. Faint sparks shoot out of her hands. Keay moves to strike first — but her own spell fails as well. Mr. Alger fires a glowing white projectile that sparks like a firework. It strikes Keay in the chest and sends her flying through the wall to an empty room with a window but no doors.>
Dr. Sinclair: Vera!
<Another firework strikes Dr. Sinclair, sending her flying as far as Keay. Alger steps through the hole to reload his shotgun, and the wall begins to reform behind him.>
Keay: Dammit!
Dr. Sinclair: My barrier isn't working!
<As Alger walks up to them, Sinclair starts muttering in Latin. A flame grows out from her left hand, and she blasts Alger with it. He recoils, but seems unharmed.>
Keay: Retreat and regroup!
<Keay pushes herself off the ground and jumps out of the way of the next blast — towards her left, towards the window. Sinclair sprints back to the foyer, narrowly avoiding another strange projectile as she escapes the building. Outside, agents of Mobile Task Force Epsilon-6 "Village Idiots") pour out of the transport, approaching the household. The mages reconvene with them, out of breath.>
<The roar of an engine is heard from behind the building. A truck rolls into view, with Alger in the driving seat and his wife sitting next to him. Alger aims the shotgun at the Task Force through the window of the door. When he pulls the trigger, a shockwave sends the Vanguard agents sprawling on the lawn. The truck speeds out of view.>
Afterword: All Vanguard personnel hit by the shockwave remained paralyzed until John Alger was more than 5 miles away. The United States Census Office lists Alger's status as single, with no children.
ITEM №: VNP-8050
VNP-8050, image produced by Vanguard clairvoyants.
Specification: VNP-8050 is a golden ring with a black gemstone attached to it. It is currently in the possession of John Alger, who wears it on the middle finger of his right hand.
The origin and intended use of VNP-8050 are currently unknown. Readings made in the field indicate that Hume and EVE levels fluctuate greatly around Alger, which is likely caused by the object. This has resulted in reality restructurings near Mercer, Wisconsin, Alger's current place of residence.
Normalization Protocols: VNP-8050 is to be secured as soon as possible.
Details regarding the danger a wielder of VNP-8050 poses are being distributed to major American news networks alongside all small news outlets operating in Wisconsin. The next episode of Voice of Vanguard2 will be focused on how the average citizen can protect themselves from VNP-8050's wearer and other unstable reality-bending individuals. Lighthouse receptionists are to be briefed on the object to answer queries from the public.
FOREWORD: MTF Epsilon-6 and the two thaumatologists regrouped at the Task Force's transport, where they established video contact with Dr. Dan Daniels, Director of ETTRA3.
Dr. Dan: So, will somebody tell me what happened back there?
Dr. Sinclair: Mr. Alger is a powerful reality-bender, and also immune to our magic. I engulfed him in flames and he somehow absorbed it.
Dr. Dan: Did you have a reason to set him on fire? We aren't supposed to terminate anomalous people, we're supposed to help them.
Dr. Sinclair: He did threaten us. And he seems to have kidnapped a couple of people using his abilities.
Dr. Dan: I see. So this is like a small reality-bender testing what they can get away with. We get those fairly often. We're still drafting a protocol to deal with this issue, but these naturally occurring reality-benders are pretty easy to manage with a bit of diplomacy and understanding where their limits lie.
Keay: I think this looks like an edge case. From what we just saw, his abilities were sourced from some kind of enchanted ring he was wearing.
Dr. Dan: A ring? Seriously?
Keay: Yeah, he didn’t seem like the type of guy who would wear jewelry, but he had this big golden ring on his middle finger. And every time we did something, it glowed and then immediately nullified our spells.
Dr. Dan sighs.
Dr. Dan: So, you’re telling me he had a ring that made him both unaffected by magic and gave him insane Ontokinesis?
Keay: Yes.
Sinclair: Does that sound like something on the database, Mr. Know-it-all?
<Dr. Dan leans on the desk with one hand and uses the other to knock on his head.>
Dr. Dan: Come on, come on, come on… Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell. That adds a level of unpredictability to this. We normally know how type-greens work. But this is new. And I don't like it.
E-1: What is the course of action?
Dr. Dan: Step one: (Away from the microphone) Get me another cup, now! Step two: Put this under ETTRA jurisdiction ASAP. Step three: We bring PANOPTICON4 back online to track this guy. Step four: we catch him and his magic ring. Step five: We figure out how the object works and we give the guy a very stern look and tell him to not pull a stunt like this one ever again.
Dr. Sinclair: You make it seem easy.
Dr. Dan: It is easy! Our surveillance systems are already scanning every road in a hundred mile radius. We'll have him in no time.
Keay: Wait, I thought you - we weren't doing this authoritarian bullshit anymore.
Dr. Sinclair: That's a discussion for later. Right now we need to get that ring before it hurts anyone else.
Keay: This isn't what I signed up for.
Dr. Dan: Wait a second. The results are already coming in. (unintelligible voices are heard from Dr. Dan’s side of the call) What? Okay. This is bad. From what PANOPTICON tells us, he’s now on Interstate 39, going down towards Milwaukee.
Dr. Sinclair: What did you sign up for? Our goals are to protect people from the anomalous and the anomalous from people. No matter how you shake it out, this man is a danger to everyone around him. I'm sorry, but in this case, we're going to have to do some authoritarian bullshit. Because otherwise, people are going to get hurt. (to E-2) Come on, let's go. We have to catch him.
Dr Dan: That’s the thing, you can’t do that. He’s moving at an obscenely high speed, we're barely able to keep track of him as is. Thankfully the other cars on the road are moving away from his path, so there haven't been any accidents. Yet.
Dr. Sinclair: So what do we do?
Dr. Dan: We're trying to scramble our resources in Milwaukee to stop him. You can try to get there, but I highly doubt that you’ll arrive in time. Wait- Things just got more complicated. I'm sending you the feed.
(silence on recording)
Dr. Dan: I'm gonna need more coffee.
Foreword: The following footage was captured by security cameras of a gas station on Interstate 39. It was sent by ETTRA to MTF-E-6 as they began to follow Alger's trail.
<A silver car stands at the station, its driver glancing at the console while it refuels. A young teen, presumably his child, is crouched on the floor a few meters away, staring into their smartphone.>
<A truck veers into the gas station at high speed, careening into the car. The resulting explosion sends burning metal flying in every direction, grievously wounding the car's driver. For an instant, the truck appears unharmed, until a ring glowing gold bursts through the windshield. It falls next to the teen, who picks it up and dons it, watching their father in horror.>
Teen: You bastard! How dare you?!
<Lightning flashes in the sky. The youth's hair stands up on end as it turns a bright yellow. An aura of yellow energy appears around them, the ring shining brighter still. John Alger stumbles out of the truck, seemingly unharmed.>
Alger: What- What's going on? Where am I?
Teen: You'll pay!
<The teen lunges at Alger, closing the gap between the two in an instant. They drive their fist into the man's abdomen, knocking his body into the truck. Alger slumps forewords before falling on the floor. They stare at their hands, flexing their fingers.>
Teen: Holy cow.
Closing Statement: The youth, later identified as fourteen year-old Wisconsin resident Riley O'Connor, proceeded to take their wounded father in their arms and fly towards the nearest hospital. As he began to undergo intensive care, they took flight again and left the building.
Sinclair: Well, that's just peachy. Guess we're gonna have to fire up PANOPTICON again.
Keay: Yeah, you know, casually using a global surveillance system to find a minor. Does that sound okay to you? Moral? Good?
Sinclair: 'Moral' and 'good' aren't in our motto. Sheltering, Normalizing and Informing are! Listen, I was Hand too once, I understand-
Keay: Ah, pulling the turncoat card. Convincing.
Sinclair: Look Vera, we need to find this kid so we can keep them from hurting someone else or themselves. If you've got a better way to do that than what we have, you're welcome to propose it to the Board. But right now I'm asking you to postpone the idealist drama so we can do our jobs!
Keay: This 'idealist drama' is about the nature of this goddamned organization! If you're going to keep using Foundation leftovers, you're just going to be Jailors in green.
<Silence on recording as Sinclair gives the other woman a hard look.>
Keay: Fine, I'll write to the bloody Board. But if they bury me in paperwork, I'm going to show the whole world Big Brother Vanguard that's been watching them ever since they were born.
Sinclair: Good luck.
<Short pause.>
Sinclair: I'm sorry. I don't like the system either, believe me. Can you please just trust me?
Keay: I'll try.
On the order of Dr. Dan, PANOPTICON was put to work to locate Riley O'Connor. They were tracked flying across the United States until reaching New York, from where they left towards Europe. They were seen cutting through clouds above London, standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, and hovering above the Colosseum of Rome.
Riley O'Connor portrayed on CNN
Approximately four hours following their initial takeoff, they were detected touching down at their home address in Solon Springs, Wisconsin. As they were already nearby, MTF-E-6 and the two thaumatologists were dispatched to retrieve the artifact.
Foreword: Following these events, Watchtower-09, the main headquarters for ETTRA received a call from █████████5 through an exclusive channel. This call was forwarded to Dr. Dan and Dr. Moose.
Dr. Dan: We're in the middle of something, what do you want?
█████████: I saw the news and the new warnings you are putting out.
Dr. Dan: Yes, and?
█████████: I figured you might need some assistance.
Dr. Moose: And how can you help? You're officially retired from this business.
█████████: Well, do you know what that ring is? Do you know what it does? What danger it poses?
Dr. Moose: I have my theories. But I don’t know how accurate they are.
█████████: What about you, egghead? Do you know what this is?
Dr. Dan: Shut up.
<silence on recording>
Dr. Dan: Ok. I concede. No, I don’t have a fucking idea about what this is. It isn’t on the database, it isn’t on any of the anomalous items logs, and it isn’t on the tons of other random documents I memorized when I was in prison.
█████████: (lets out a chuckle) That’s because it was some kind of weird specific Thaumiel clearance. Well beyond both of your pay grades. In fact, most of the Council didn't even know it existed. It was something that we kept between Ten, Eight and myself.
Dr. Moose: That seems very serious. I don't like where this is going.
█████████: It was. You’ve already seen what it can do.
Dr. Dan: Did it have an SCP classification? Just so we know how to deal with it?
█████████: Yes. If you look up “SCP-8050” in the common database, it will come up as an empty slot. That’s because we had a couple of special deepwell databases within our neural implants before we removed them when the Council was dissolved. Well, some of us at least.
Dr. Dan: God dammit I knew I missed something.
█████████: So, if you’re able to retrieve those, the SCP file should be in there.
Dr. Moose: I think we have them stored in a locker somewhere.
AFTERWORD: The SCP-8050 file was retrieved from the archived Overseer deepwells. It is reproduced below.
Special Containment Procedures: When not in use, SCP-8050 is to be stored in a secure vault within Site-01. Knowledge and usage of SCP-8050 is to be restricted to O5-6, O5-8 and O5-10.
Description: SCP-8050 is a ring cast from an alloy made of gold, beryllium bronze, and a number of unidentified anomalous metals. Embedded in its center is a black, smooth gemstone of what is hypothesized to be condensed crystallized irrilite. Engraved upon the metal surface of SCP-8050 are a set of symbols of alchemical significance, alongside writing in an unknown language.
Studies from the Foundation-employed thaumatologists and the Alchemy Department suggest that the exact composition of metals and runes in SCP-8050 creates an alloy that can channel elemental forces into thaumaturgic and ontokinetic outbursts that seem to follow the wishes of the wearer.
SCP-8050 displays a mild compulsion effect on its holder to don and use it. Further research regarding the nature and extent of this effect is recommended. ~O5-6
Dr. Dan: Holy shit.
Dr. Moose: This sounds familiar. I think I heard some rumors about this thing back when I frequented the Library.
█████████: As far as we know it was a powerful artifact from an ancient civilization. But we didn’t care about its origins. We cared about using it. And we used it a lot.
Dr. Dan: I still don’t understand what it does, exactly.
█████████: It enables you. I’m still not sure how, but I distinctly remember wanting certain things and it helped me achieve them. Let’s say that I needed a concession to get my hands in more military-grade drones, or a new warship. I would just put on the ring, and everyone in the industry would bend to my will, to an extent. Sometimes, I needed to get to a meeting, and the car would just jump to the location. Or I needed to make a call, and a phone would manifest in my hand.
Dr. Moose: Alger manifested a shotgun out of thin air.
█████████: That tracks. When you have that thing in your hands, you don't have to conform to the rules of the world, the world has to follow your rules.
Dr. Dan: And that’s the reason you used the ring? To get stuff?
█████████: We used it to will the world into submission. More resources meant more power for the Foundation. And that translated into a firmer grip on the Veil.
Dr. Dan: You've gotta be kidding me.
Dr. Moose: Let me get this straight, you, who used to bury anyone who even thought of using anomalies in the field in mountains of red tape, you who aren't even supposed to be near anomalies in the first place, knowingly used an artifact you never bothered to fully understand on the daily? What the hell is wrong with you?!
█████████: You don’t seem to get it. You feel powerful when you wear that thing. It gets a hold over you, becomes addictive. Eight was obsessed with it; Ten and I had to physically restrain and wrestle it out of their hands more than once.
Dr. Dan: So how does such a powerful artifact end in the house of a conspiracy nutjob in Bumfuck Wisconsin?
█████████: I actually don’t know. SCP-8050 started losing its effects during the Impasse. Eight got very worried. They were running tests on it daily, until one day they just said that it was "gone".
Dr. Moose: And what does that mean?
█████████: I didn't give it much thought at the time, either the ring had lost its powers or had crumbled to dust, and regardless we had bigger fish to fry back then. But now it’s back. Maybe it's the same ring. Maybe it's some sort of reincarnation. But I recognized the effects as very similar to what I had experienced.
Dr. Moose: Well, thanks for the heads-up, this is honestly vital information.
Dr. Dan: That's true. Now go back to your retirement home.
█████████: I've done what I can to help you. That ring means bad news. I'm not proud of what we did with it. But watch out - if I could figure it out, you can be damn sure Eight will as well.
<The dash cam of the van shows the Task Force's surroundings as they drive through Solon Springs. They pull up to the O'Connor household.>
Sinclair: There's that feeling again. Like someone's pulling a needle that's stuck in my chest.
Keay: Ever get that feeling of déjà-vu?
Sinclair: Did you just-
Keay: Yes. Speaking of Overwatch, apparently Dan and Moose just got a call from an old overseer about this ring. Does that mean-
Sinclair: This is big, yeah. No new orders yet, but we should be even more careful. No magic if we can help it, and nothing that even resembles violence.
Keay: Obviously. Let's go then.
<An equipment malfunction causes the feed to black out for several minutes before the connection is reestablished. Keay and Sinclair are interviewing Riley O'Connor in the living room.>
Keay: And what do you plan to do with this power?
O’Connor: Crimefighting obviously. I’m going to become the world’s first real superhero! Right now I’m planning on how I’ll make my debut-
<E-1 speaks in Sinclair and Keay’s earpieces.>
E-1: E-1 to Sinclair, multiple units just manifested outside, in front of the porch. Not apportation, some sort of cloaking tech by the looks of things.
<O’Connor stops mid-sentence, likely by the change in the mages’ expressions. >
O’Connor: What?
E-1: Humanoid, armed, I count twelve. Look like MTF agents but there’s no insignia. Could be GOC or Insurgency. Permission to engage?
Sinclair: Not yet. Riley, do you have a back door?
O’Connor: Yeah. What’s going on?
<Sinclair stands up. Keay follows her example.>
Sinclair: We need to leave now.
O’Connor: Not happening.
Sinclair: Some bad and dangerous people just showed up-
<O’Connor stands up as well.>
O’Connor: Dangerous for you maybe. I'll take 'em out no problem.
Sinclair: Riley-
<They run towards the door, the ring beginning to glow with golden light. Their hair flickers from black to bright yellow before settling on the latter, standing up in large spikes. Both mages fall to their knees, gasping for breath.>
Keay: We’re not very good at this house visit thing, are we?
<O’Connor opens the door and steps outside, out of the camera’s view. Sinclair puts her head in her hands.>
Sinclair: God damn it.
<Feed shifts to the MTF transport’s dash cam. Riley O’Connor is seen exiting the house, an aura of yellow energy around them. They stare out at the half-circle of agents that surround the porch. One of them, armed only with a pistol on their hip, steps forward while the rest train their assault rifles on the teen.>
Unknown: Hello child. You have something that belongs to me. I’d like you to return it.
O’Connor: I’d like to see you try and take it, mister…
Unknown: You can call me Eight. Fire!
<O'Connor disappears just as the agents open fire, riddling the front porch with holes. They reappear midair behind one of the soldiers, delivering a roundhouse kick to the head that sends them careening into the ground. Dr. Sinclair speaks through E-1's earpiece.>
Sinclair: Engage! Don't let anything happen to that kid!
<O'Connor continues to battle the unknown militants, their arms becoming a blur as they deflect a rush of bullets. The MTF agents exit the van and open fire on the attackers, forcing a number to leap for cover. Amidst the chaos, 'Eight', presumed O5-8, approaches O'Connor calmly. >
O5-8: Come child, I hope you're not afraid of a real challenge.
<The teen enters a defensive stance, their golden aura growing in size and brightness. The ring blazes with light like a tiny sun on their finger.>
O'Connor: Come at me, villain!
<The former Overseer rushes forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. O'Connor gasps as O5-8's fist connects with their jaw. They stagger for a split second, aura flickering, before the O5 grabs their arm and violently yanks the ring off their finger.>
O5-8: Thank you. Was that really so difficult?
<O'Connor's hair turns brown, and they collapse on the grass. Camera feed switches to Vera Keay's body camera, which shows the two mages on the floor inside the house. She peeks through the broken window. Most of the hostile agents appear incapacitated, but O5-8 is seen donning VNP-8050.>
Keay: Oh no. That fucker took the ring.
Sinclair: You're kidding me, there's no way they beat an actual anime prota-
<Feed transitions to E-1's body camera. She is aiming her weapon at O5-8, and pulls the trigger. Immediately a dozen agents of MTF-A1 ("Red Right Hand") manifest in a circle around the overseer, one of them taking the shots to the chest and falling over. The rest attack the Vanguard agents, easily overwhelming them. E-3 and E-5 are incapacitated as the rest of the Task Force dives behind the van.>
<The roar of helicopter blades erupts from above them, drowning out the audio. Feed returns to Keay's body camera. She stands at the doorway, watching as O5-8 and their minions board the helicopter. Sinclair's voice calls out from behind her but she ignores it, whispering words of power while weaving her hands in intricate patterns.>
<Giant vines burst from the earth, grasping for the helicopter as it begins to take flight. It flashes suddenly with golden light, and the vines wither away to dust. Keay falls on her back and lies motionless. The camera shows the vehicle rising to the sky before flying out of sight.>
Following these events, the helicopter disappeared from Solon Springs without a trace. Vanguard began a more aggressive campaign to warn the public of VNP-8050's status. To this end, the Vanguard Outreach Team organized three press conferences to detail the current ways Vanguard is dealing with the ongoing situation.
Example of a VNP-8050 information poster.
Furthermore, informational posters were put up in all major population centers in Wisconsin and surrounding states alongside all Vanguard Lighthouses.
Additionally, descriptions and images of the individual currently identified as O5-8 were distributed among law enforcement. Multiple public posts on social media were made to attempt to explain the ongoing situation.
No developments related to VNP-8050 were made apparent during the next 36 hours.
Related Incident Report: On 9/13/22, at 19:45 a group of armored vans entered Yellowstone National Park, moving directly towards Watchtower-θ6. National Park Service rangers confronted the incursion, but were unprepared to meet the force of the aggressors. They believed that some of the weapons used by the group were anomalous in nature and contacted Watchtower-θ for assistance. For unknown reasons, Watchtower-θ Command did not respond, nor did they contact Vanguard at large.
According to the National Park Service, the armed forces arrived at Watchtower-θ at 21:05. Security personnel offered minimal resistance, and the facility fell into enemy hands in minutes. Later, at 22:12, a military helicopter arrived onsite, delivering an unknown number of personnel.
At 22:15 the National Park Service contacted both a Vanguard outreach team member and a GOC representative from outside the jurisdiction of the Park to ask for assistance or guidance. Vanguard Outreach immediately forwarded the information to ETTRA, and asked that the Service await further instructions.
FOREWORD: Dr. Dan called for an emergency Board meeting at Watchtower-09.
<Dr. Dan stands at the head of a round table, joined by various members of the Vanguard Board. Behind him is a wide whiteboard, and he holds a sheaf of papers in his hands.>
Dr. Dan: Hello, everyone, I'm glad most of you could make it despite having such short notice. I have very bad news. Something big is happening in Yellowstone; Watchtower-θ has fallen into an unknown hostile group's hands.
Dr. Moose: Do we know if it’s related to the ring business?
<Dan tosses the papers on the table.>
Dr. Dan: Well, the ring disappears in O'Connor’s house, taken by some Alpha-one grunts and one former O5. Now a heavily armored band of merry men waltzes right into a previously black-ops Foundation Site. Doesn't sound like much of a coincidence to me.
Dr. Light: But what are they looking for in there? It’s been on a downsizing trend since an incident back in 2020. There’s nothing interesting in there anymore.
Dr. Moose: Maybe it’s because of strategic value? It’s a big site, even if it’s mostly abandoned. And in a fairly central location of the country. Even facilities like these could be useful for all manner of hostile GoIs.
Ms. Harada: Maybe the personnel stationed there are sympathetic to the old regime? Maybe the director was in kahoots with these miscreants.
Dr. Light: Who? Director Avery? He can be standoffish and uncooperative, sometimes, but I highly doubt that he’s a traitor.
Dr. Moose: Traitor to who? He could hold true to the old ideals and think we are the traitors.
Alison Chao: So, what else could there be in Watchtower-θ that would be important to a magic-ring-wielding-former autocrat?
<Dr. Moose pickes up the files from the table, rifling through them until she finds the Watchtower's facility dossier.>
Dr. Moose: Ok, so it used to house a hundred nondescript anomalies. Around fifty of them were neutralized by the Impasse. Immediately after that, normalization protocols were drafted for the remaining ones. Thirty-four of them were released to the public, twelve were sent elsewhere, and the remaining ones are still on-site for security concerns.
Dr. Dan: Someone please remind me then why we're still keeping this thing around?
Dr. Light: Well it was for monitoring… Oh shit.
<Dir. Light and Dr. Dan share a knowing look>
Dr. Moose: What?
Dr. Light: Well.. Under dash-θ, there was an even bigger facility that was lost in a reality restructuring event at some point. In its place, we found a thing called “The Thorn”. I had to deal with it back in 2020, with Alpha-9.
Alison Chao: "The Thorn"?
Dr. Light: Some kind of reality-altering phenomenon. Poorly understood. Pending an entry in the database. Possibly neutralized. But, as far as I know, Yellowstone still has an army of SRAs to keep it in check.
Alison Chao: And just so we're clear. You think that they would be using VNP-8050 - God that's a mouthful - to rewrite reality to suit them?
Dr. Light: Yes.
<Silence on recording>
Alison Chao: And you didn't think to tell us anything about this?
Dr. Light: For all intents and purposes, it was dead. And we've had bigger fish to fry since then.
<Ms. Harada chuckles>
Ms. Harada: So, what do we do?
Dr. Dan: First, we need to know what's happening in there. Right now. I want a live feed of Watchtower-θ. See if we can grab some data from whatever systems we still have access to in the facility. And then, fire up PANOPTICON and keep track of everything that moves in there. If anything happens around the location, we will be the first ones to know.
Dr. Dan: So that covers the outside. Do we have a way of looking inside?
Aklerep: Yes. I have one. I think. I've checked and Watchtower-θ dropped off from VG.net the moment O5-8 took control of the facility. But there's still a way between that fortress's firewalls for me and other members of the Compilation Layer to sneak in and keep tabs on what's happening.
Dr. Dan: Great! What are you waiting for?
Aklerep: A greenlight from the rest of the Board, I suppose.
Dr. Dan: Then you have it, unless there's any objections.
Aklerep: I'll put my people on this.
Dr. Moose: What else can we do?
Dr. Dan: Not much, I think. We could try to Hammer them Down, but with that ring, O5-8 was able to take over an entire site. Sending in a heavily armed Task Force could mean losing military assets we can't afford to lose. It pains me to say this, but we'll have to wait until we get more intel.
Dr. Light: We should warn some of our forces in the general area, and keep them on high alert in regards to anything that O5-8 might want to try. Also, the other members of the Board need to be briefed on the situation immediately.
Ms. Harada: We need to evacuate civilians from the park, too. I'll contact the Park Service and get on with that.
Alison Chao: And we should disseminate as much information as possible, ASAP. The public needs to be aware of the danger these people pose, and they should know that we're doing our best to deal with it.
Dr. Light: That's true. As for the rest, I don't think we can do anything else except sit and wait.
<Dr. Dan lets out a long and drawn-out sigh. He sits down in his chair.>
Dr. Dan: I hate twiddling my thumbs.
Alison Chao: I'm going into the Library. I want to learn more about the ring, and this "Thorn".
Dr. Moose: I'm going with you.
Dr. Dan: I'm gonna keep monitoring the status of Watchtower-θ, and get Sinclair and Keay in here. Director Light, I will need your assistance as the only person here who has been onsite. I consider this meeting ended, we'll reconvene when we have more information, and more people.
AFTERWORD: The Board dispersed to perform their various duties. The Compilation Layer successfully accessed the Watchtower-θ without detection and began to transmit information directly to ETTRA headquarters.
The infiltration of Watchtower-θ by ten members of the Compilation Layer yielded the following information:
- O5-8 was the only O5 on site, with every other staff member seemingly under their complete control.
- They had focused all their attention on the lowest levels of the facility, looking for an entrance to “The Thorn”.
- On the 14th, at 06:59 (corroborated by PANOPTICON surveillance), a GOC heavy-strike team entered Yellowstone and attempted to breach the facility.
- At 07:12, O5-8 traveled to the location of the strike team, just outside one of the secondary entrances to the Watchtower.
- O5-8 engaged in conversation with the GOC Captain. The situation quickly devolved into violence, as the GOC agents wished to take VNP-8050, while O5-8 took on a defensive stand.
- At 07:21, a brief firefight broke out, with only one of the GOC agents surviving, teleporting away through unknown means.
- Between 07:22 and 07:41 O5-8 examined the wreckage of the fight. Then looked directly at a camera, where Aklerep is transmitting from.
- O5-8 returned to the facility, ordering the entire intranet system of Watchtower-θ to be scrubbed. The Compilation Layer members were forced to exfiltrate out to the world-wide-web.
Between 08:30 and 12:45 nine members of the Compilation Layer arrived at Cypher City. The last member to arrive, 01001101-00001010, informed that it had been caught, but had been allowed to leave if it transmitted a message back to Vanguard.
<O5-8 stands over the wreckage of the fight between them and the Coalition strike team. The camera focuses on them as they stare into the lens.>
O5-8: This is a message to Vanguard, their puny friends in the GOC, and the rest of the world. I am O5-8, the last of the O5 Council who still seems to care about Securing, Containing and Protecting. My life’s purpose was to keep the mundane and the anomalous worlds separated. But you had to tear it all down. Now, I, alone, intend to put the world back in its rightful place.
<The camera zooms out, showing the entire scene. O5-8 is in one of the outer chambers of Watchtower-θ. Debris litters the floor, alongside burnt corpses in GOC attire.>
O5-8: Before we went on different ways, Ten told me about this facility. And what it stored. You see, before this madness, under this very volcano, the Foundation had one of its biggest facilities, capable of bringing the world back from the worst of catastrophes. But then it disappeared. And what remained was a Thorn wedged in reality. Still pulsating with potential. Still eager to remake the world.
<O5-8 lifts their hand. The camera focuses on VNP-8050 as it glows on their index finger.>
O5-8: See this precious little thing? This is what gives me my power. This is what will help me in achieving my sacred mission. I still haven’t found the Thorn. But I'm close. And with this ring, SCP-8050, I'm going to bend it to my will. No one can stop me now. Not the Hand, not the Coalition, and certainly not this pathetic thing you call Vanguard.
<They gesture at the bodies around them.>
O5-8: Pardon my lack of tact, but I want this message to be clear. These idiots thought they could stop me. They thought they could take away my power and keep it for themselves.
<O5-8 points at the nearest mangled corpse>
O5-8: This was a Coalition battlemage. La crème de la crème of thaumaturges. But they have fallen all the same.
<The camera zooms out again, showing the whole room.>
O5-8: The world has had enough of your insanity. It's time for things to return to normal. And if you think you can stop me…
<O5-8 kicks the helmet of a Coalition agent, which dislodges itself from the rest of the body. O5-8 winces.>
O5-8: … look at what I did, and think twice.
<Recording ends.>
The contents of the previous message were uploaded to the internet, spreading quickly through various social media outlets. In response, the Vanguard Outreach Team published the following message on the social media website Void, which started a chain of messages around the subject of VNP-8050 during the following hours and days.
Vanguard
⁂VanguardOfficial
Hey folks. I'm sure you've already heard the deeply unsettling news coming from one of our facilities in Yellowstone. We, at Vanguard, condemn wholeheartedly the actions taken by this former SCP Foundation Overseer. We are in no way affiliated with them, and we intend to put a stop to this situation soon.
- ECHOES 5,104
- HUMS 76,321
04:01 PM September 14 2022
Allieme98
⁂amelieeee98
knowing the true face of the world changed my life for better. i've seen things i didn't believe were possible. and everyone i know has had similar experiences. i don't want all of this to go away.
#stopyellowstone
- ECHOES 12,012
- HUMS 14,023
05:10 PM September 14 2022
Little_Lebowsky
⁂small-lebowsky
⁂amelieeee98 Knowing about the anomalous altered my life forever. I'm a uni professor and it's staggering how much knowledge was hidden from our eyes. At my department, we have to change our fundamental understanding of science, and it's so exciting.
#stopyellowstone
- ECHOES 367
- HUMS 956
05:37 PM September 14 2022
Alice Unchained
⁂flowersunderground
⁂amelieeee98 omg same. I met my current SO while on a trip through the newly unveiled free ports. we have been together for over a year. my life would be shittier if I hadn't met them
#stopyellowstone
- ECHOES 1,621
- HUMS 9,450
06:56 PM September 14 2022
antigamer aktion
⁂lesbian_gengar
This whole situation is horseshit. We just got the veil lifted and some crummy asshole with a god complex wants to put it back in place? They should go fuck themselves. #stopyellowstone
- ECHOES 4,954
- HUMS 10,678
10:02 PM September 14 2022
John Alger
⁂LonewolfFreedomfighter
I had my doubts, but it's confirmed: I knew Vanguard was part of the deep state, but I never thought they'd come for me. Shame the state our country's fallen into.
- ECHOES 1
- HUMS 4
11:35 PM September 14 2022
HOGSLICE
⁂HOGSLICE
⁂LonewolfFreedomfighter DON'T BE A CRYBABY. A REAL MAN DOESN'T LET OTHERS TELL HIM WHAT HE HAS TO DO. WORK ON YOUR PRESENT SELF SO YOU CAN CONQUER YOUR FUTURE! GO OUT THERE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
— HOGSLICE
- ECHOES 21
- HUMS 156
11:36 PM September 14 2022
Tony
⁂skeptic-altruist
I think the world was better when we didn't know about these "anomalies". Before, there was peace and prosperity. Now, I have to be careful when I walk on the street because the boogeyman might want to steal my face.
I want the veil back. #standwithyellowstone
- ECHOES 102
- HUMS 27.125
01:24 AM September 15 2022
In addition, during the following week, various spontaneous protests began springing up in the United States, displaying discontent against the actions being taken in Watchtower-θ.
Protestors in Cheyenne, Wyoming
On the 15th of September, Vanguard, with assistance from local police departments and the National Park Service, dissuaded peaceful protesters from marching up to Watchtower-θ for fear of violent retaliation by O5-8 and their forces.
No further expeditions into the occupied location were organized, but all methods of surveillance at Vanguard's disposal were used to monitor the developments around the park. Kant counters, VERITAS resonance imagers, Akiva radiation counters and Pickman-Sinclair Narrative Fluctuation Detectors were placed around the park to gauge any significant changes in local reality, aetheric fields and narrative stability. Meanwhile, the Vanguard Board of Directors reconvened in Watchtower-09.
Board Members Present:
Allan J. McInnis, Director of Lighthouse-43
Tilda Moose, Director of Watchtower-19
Dr. Dan Daniels, Director of ETTRA
Sophia Light, Director of Project Resurrection
Alison Chao, the Black Queen
Angelica Harada, Elder of House Kurinuka
Matt and Aklerep, Agents of the Compilation Layer
Other Attendees:
Dr. Katherine Sinclair, Lighthouse-87
Vera Keay
Dr. Dan Daniels: Alright folks, this is as good of a full house as we’re gonna get. The Coalition’s done us a favor and shown us what won’t work, so now we better find out what will. Now.
<Vera Keay stands up from her chair.>
Vera Keay: Before we start, I want to use this opportunity to address something very important. PANOPTICON.
Dr. Dan: What about it?
Keay: It’s a downright dystopian system of mass surveillance that we should stop using immediately, if we ever really want the public to trust us.
Dir. Sophia Light: It's a necessary evil, always has been. We need it to know our enemies’ moves, to detect threats before they cause harm.
Dr. Dan: PANOPTICON is what makes my job possible. ETTRA uses it to save lives every day.
Dr. Tilda Moose: While I’m definitely not a fan of the system, we’ve yet to find a viable-
<Keay slams her palms on the table.>
Keay: Listen to me. You’re all still thinking like Jailors. I joined this organization because I believe everyone deserves a second chance, even you. I joined because I believed in the cause you proposed.
Dr. Dan: We don’t have time for this lecture! There are far more important things at stake!
Keay: What’s more important than the nature of our organization? We can’t let the shadow of the Foundation corrupt us, we can’t fall back on old solutions, and the time for change is now. The whole world’s holding its breath to see how we deal with this crisis. How will they react when they find out we’ve been tracking everyone without their consent?
Dr. Katherine Sinclair: She’s right about that. We will have to reveal this eventually, and that day will not be good for public opinion.
Dr. Dan: So what’s your solution, oh ethical one?
Keay: We already have hotlines for reporting anomalies. Expand them, spread the word. We need to show the public we’re just as dependent on them as they are on us. That’s how you build trust and make allies, and make sure that next time the Park Service won’t even think of calling the GOC.
Keay: Yes, it will be less efficient. But without public support, Vanguard won’t be able to function at all. And most importantly, we won’t lose sight of our mission.
Aklerep: Even the system’s name betrays its nature: to imprison the world. This isn't our way, I would be happy to see it go.
Alison Chao: Well said Vera. I support this wholeheartedly, and I propose we go even further - make the recording of this Board meeting public, and do the same for future ones.
Dir. Allan McInnis: I am in favor as well. We’ve taken steps in the right direction, but transparency is key.
Keay: All in favor?
<Murmurs of agreement echo around the room. All Board members raise their hands, barring Dan and Light.>
Dir. Light: Did you forget why we’re here? You want Eight to just open the internet and watch us plan to take them down?
Chao: No more secrets, that’s what we agreed on. If that comes at a tactical disadvantage so be it. Besides, I doubt Eight sees us as a real threat. They probably won’t even bother.
Dr. Dan: Fine! We’ll shut down PANOPTICON and release the recordings. Now can we please start focusing on stopping reality being reshaped in a pompous asshole’s image?!
<The room quietens down. Keay takes her seat while Dan stands up and steps towards the whiteboard.>
Dr. Dan: Thank you. Now, before we can talk solutions we need to talk problems. O5-8, what do we know about them?
<He writes “O5-8” on the board with a black marker.>
Dir. Light: Well for starters, they voted against Vanguard, but that should come as no surprise. I tried to see if we have any information about them anywhere, but the O5 anonymity protocols were thorough.
Keay: Do we know if what they said about Yellowstone was true? That the Foundation used to have something that could bring back everything hidden there?
Dir. Light: I've tried to figure that out, but our databases are lacking here. There are vague mentions of a "reset button" for reality, but that could mean a lot of things and we have no idea how accurate those sources are anyway. Whatever it was it's gone, and the Thorn is in its place.
Dr. Moose: Maybe Eight knows something we don't?
Dir. Light: Maybe, but any details should have been obliterated with the rest of the restructuring.
Dr. Dan: Hm. What else do we know about our lovely former overlord?
Dr. Moose: Six said they used to be obsessed with the ring. They used it all the time before the Impasse, and are definitely familiar with its abilities.
<Dan picks up a red marker and writes ‘VNP-8050’ to the left of ‘O5-8’.>
Dr. Dan: I noticed that even before they got the ring, they weren't baseline.
Keay: That’s right. When Eight attacked O’Connor, I could barely follow their movements.
Chao: They could be a reality bender in their own right, or enhanced some other way.
Dr. Dan: That’s what I assumed myself.
<Underneath ‘O5-8’, Dan adds ‘Cyborg?’ and ‘Type green?’>
Dr. Dan: Anyways, this brings me to our next problem. The ring. How did Eight bypass its power when they hit the kid? What does it let them do now?
Chao: Moose and I searched the Library with what little time we had. We couldn’t find anything concrete, mostly legends and rumors. This thing is downright ancient though, there’re records of it being used by the Daevites against Ion’s rebellion.
<Dan writes ‘Ancient artifact’ under ‘VNP-8050’.>
Dr. Moose: Which at least gives us a little hope, considering their fate.
Dr. Sinclair: I think I’ve got that figured out, actually.
Dr. Dan: Feel free to share with the class.
Dr. Sinclair: So first of all, we know it absorbs magic to fuel itself. I’ve had the folks at 120 do EVE scans in the areas where it was activated, and the readings look like whirlpools, thaumic energy being drained into a singular point. And it doesn’t just take it from full-on thaumaturges; it goes after everyone no matter how little talent they have.
Dr. Sinclair: So that’s the ‘how’, but the ‘what’ is more important. Six claimed it fulfills your desires, but that doesn’t line up exactly. O’Connor definitely didn’t want to lose their duel, so why did the ring make them fast enough to deflect a dozen assault rifles’ worth of bullets but still let them take Eight’s punch?
Dr. Dan: Maybe we underestimated Eight’s physical abilities?
Dr. Sinclair: Maybe, but I think it’s something else. See I live in Sloth’s Pit, where every day is a rollercoaster of narrative tropes, and after a while you get a sense for them. Alger, O’Connor and even Eight have all spoken in cliches, and they all fit into archetypes you see in popular media. It doesn’t fulfill a desire, not really. It makes your dream into reality, lets you live your power fantasy in the real world.
Dir. Light: I don’t follow. What’s the difference? How does this explain O’Connor getting hit?
Dr. Sinclair: ‘Desire’ can just be hunger or thirst. What we fantasize about, however, is heavily shaped by the media and stories we consume.
Dr. Sinclair: O’Connor’s power fantasy was being a character from shonen anime. That involves fighting your opponents and beating them, but more importantly - the battle is always hard, to keep the viewer on their toes. The bad guy gets a few hits, then the good guy, until one emerges victorious. Eight knew this, so they played along, set themself up as the antagonist, and surprised our hero with a quick hit.
<Director Light groans.>
Dir. Light: I hate pataphysics.
Dr. Sinclair: It’s not-
Dr. Dan: Don’t start. So Alger was the family man, standing up to Evil Big Government. That tracks. Where does that leave Eight?
Dr. Sinclair: Exactly where they started. The person in control from the shadows. The mastermind, the one who pulls the strings. Lots of henchmen around - that’s why they could summon Alpha-1 agents - and your people obey you, which is why Yellowstone fell so quickly.
Dr. Dan: Then we just need to figure out the weakness of this particular fantasy.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah, but well… That’s the thing. Part of it is being this untouchable person in power. I’m not sure how we can go around this.
Dr. Dan: There’s got to be something. If they’ve turned themselves into a Bond villain, maybe we just need the right hero?
Dr. Sinclair: But there’s no real place for a hero in Eight’s fantasy. Only soft resistance to be swept away.
Dir. McInnis: Actually, I think Dr. Dan is right. We need a hero, precisely because of what you said.
Dr. Sinclair: Huh?
Dr. McInnis: If there aren't any flaws to exploit in Eight's power fantasy, we simply need to bring a stronger one to the table. One that's fueled not by the desires of one Overseer, but by everyone's fantasy of being the hero in a story.
Dr. Dan: Any you have something like that just lying around?
Dir. McInnis: Yes. I'm surprised you don't recall. It was only a few months ago.
<Dan's eyes widen, and slaps his hand against his face gently.>
Dir. McInnis: The Leading Edge. The sword Delfina Ibanez used in the Library during the Impasse. It's an artifact of heroism. Isn't that exactly what we need?
Dr. Sinclair: I'm not convinced. This feels like a shot in the dark, and we can't afford to miss.
Dir. McInnis: That sword taught us that stories are magic. This ring seems to operate on the same principal. You said so yourself, even if you didn't realize it. It siphons magic from others for one person's story. The sword is its antithesis.
Dr. Dan: Anyone got any other ideas?
<Silence on recording.>
Dr. Dan: Then let's get cooking. McInnis, get the sword from forty-three over here.
Dir. McInnis: Of course.
Dr. Dan: Who's gonna be holding the sword?
Dr. Sinclair: Well it has to be either me or Keay, no?
Keay: Wait what?
Dr. Sinclair: We've interacted with the ring and Eight the most. We're in the protagonist role whether we like it or not.
Keay: Uh, yeah I guess so. So we'll be leading the attack?
Dr. Dan: Sounds like our only option. Go get some rest, we'll plan the rest of this operation and brief you in the morning.
<Dr. Sinclair is talking on the phone. Only her side of the call is audible.>
Sinclair: Monty please, listen. I have to do this alone. We both know how that sword works. I'll be okay! Vera will have my back. What can I say, I guess I'm a magnet for this sort of thing. "But it's weird that it happened twice." Yeah, I know.
Sinclair: I promise. I love you. Just hold on, I'll be back for the two of you. Kiss Phoenix goodnight for me. Love you.
Alison Chao: Hey. Vera. Wake up.
Vera Keay: Wha- who let you in my room?
Chao: Everything’s alright. I just wanted to say something, before they snatch you for the briefings and whatnot.
<Keay wipes the sleep from her eyes.>
Keay: Go ahead.
Chao: Last night, at the Board meeting, well. You left me kind of embarrassed. You shouldn’t have been the one to point out the hypocrisy of those idiots. I was- it was supposed to be my role, or at least that was what I thought a year ago. But I guess once you spend enough time in the system, those sorts of things fade into routine.
Chao: Sorry for not making a lot of sense, I’m not good at this. I just want to thank you for what you said back there. And I want you to have this.
<She gives Keay a tweed-wool newsboy cap.>
Keay: Oh, thanks.
Chao: Don’t wear it until you hear the briefing. Good luck Vera, you make the Hand proud.
Sinclair: So this is the Leading Edge?
Dan: Yeah. I want you two to hold it, see which one it likes better.
<Sinclair takes the sword from Dan’s hands. It immediately begins to glow softly with white light. Her red hair stands up slightly, as if touched by static electricity.>
Sinclair: Holy shit. This is like the Codex all over again. It’s a fountain of magic!
<She hands it to Keay. The glow of the blade doesn’t waver.>
Keay: Whoah. This is awesome.
<She swings the sword a few times, practicing the weight.>
Dan: Huh. So this is going to be a two-woman operation after all.
On September 16th, 2022, at 7:20 AM, a large force made up of Vanguard MTFs arrived at Yellowstone Park, joining ranks with agents of the National Park Service. The small army was ‘bolstered’ with illusory troops sustained by Vanguard thaumatologists from the Serpent’s Hand, led by Alison Chao, the Black Queen. Meanwhile, Vera Keay utilized VNP-268 to enter Watchtower-θ undetected.
As the joint forces breached the Park’s perimeter, agents of the defunct MTF-A1 (“Red Right Hand”) were observed leaving Watchtower-θ to meet them, outnumbering them four to one. O5-8 was not among the Alpha-1 agents, and they engaged Vanguard forces as they came in range, at 8:12 AM.
<View is from Vera Keay’s body camera. She is inside the Watchtower, passing through the lobby, the Black Queen’s hat keeping her invisible in more ways than one. A single security guard is present, staring aimlessly ahead. No other personnel can be seen.>
<Keay walks down a central corridor, and ducks inside a room to the left. It is a computer lab, and it is empty. She draws the sword from its scabbard, utters a word of power and makes a sweep in the air, cutting through reality like butter. An unstable Way opens for a few seconds, ejecting Dr. Katherine Sinclair, before closing behind the mage. Keay takes off VNP-268.>
Keay: And from the portal comes… Katherine Sinclair! You alright?
Sinclair: I’m glad you still have your sense of humor.
Keay: It’s the sword. It’s making me super energetic.
Sinclair: Come on, they know we’re here now. We need to move.
Keay: Right behind you. Let’s kick some fascist ass.
Sinclair: Technically authoritarian, but who cares at this point.
<Keay hands the sword to Sinclair. They begin to move quickly down the corridors, following the signs to Operations Control, the presumed location of O5-8. They encounter no resistance, though they do pass by several enthralled Watchtower personnel, who ignore them. They go down a flight of stairs, stepping through to the facility’s cafeteria. Five Alpha-1 agents await them with weapons drawn.>
<Keay raises her arms and a bubble of green energy manifests around the two. A hail of bullets slam against the sphere, ricocheting around the room. She groans in effort. Sinclair points the sword at one of the agents.>
Sinclair: Ignis Calumen!
<A pillar of flame erupts from the ground, turning the Red Right Hand to dust. Sinclair brings the sword around in an arc, and the inferno moves in kind, carving a black semicircle across the cafeteria. Keay drops the shield when the final agent disappears inside the fiery tornado. Her partner releases her own spell.>
Keay: Oh how I’ve missed having my magic actually work. Nice job.
Sinclair: You too. Here, that must’ve taken a lot out of you.
<Keay takes the sword, breathing a sigh of relief as her magic replenishes. She puts her hand to her heart.>
Keay: You feel it, right?
Sinclair: Yeah. We’re close.
Despite O5-8’s forces possessing far greater numbers, the presence of capable mages within Vanguard ranks allowed them to hold their own. Red Right Hand reinforcements were en route from the volcano proper in the form of ten military helicopters when a third party entered Yellowstone National Park.
<Alison Chao stands on top of an armored vehicle, surrounded by a protective barrier. She twists her fingers in a complex pattern, and a bolt of lightning bursts from her shield and connects with an enemy soldier, searing their flesh and arcing between four more. She releases her shield and jumps off the vehicle, narrowly avoiding an RPG rocket as it soars above her.>
<The rumbling of a large engine is suddenly heard, and the Black Queen looks in shock as a giant truck rolls into view, slamming into a platoon of Red Right Hand agents, while Judas Priest’s “Heading out to the Highway” plays on full volume. Driving the vehicle is John Alger, who draws a hunting rifle, leans out the window, and fires madly at the enemy agents. He misses every shot.>
John Alger: Give me my fucking ring back you deep-state motherfuckers!
<Sinclair and Keay enter Watchtower-θ Operations Control. The room is massive, far larger than it was before Eight’s occupation. Dozens of screens of varying sizes line the walls, the consoles attached to them glowing with LED green. On a heightened platform, sitting in a wheeled chair surrounded by computer monitors, is Overseer Eight. They are wearing an exquisite business suit. Behind them, the largest screen displays a black Thorn, stretching from top to bottom.>
O5-8: Ah, welcome. You’ve arrived just in time, little traitors. Just in time to witness the world placed once more on its correct path.
<The Overseer presses a button. A synthesized voice speaks.>
Computer Voice: All systems operational. Ritual primed and ready for initiation.
Keay: Sorry, we’re gonna have to cut that monologue of yours short.
O5-8: You can certainly try. But I’m afraid I’ve got one more Deus Ex Machina than you.
Computer Voice: Commencing ritual.
<Eight raises their hand, VNP-8050 begins to glow gold. Keay charges at the Overseer, sword burning with white fire. Sinclair follows in tow, biting her finger to prepare for a spell.>
<The floor warps and twists in its thrall to O5-8, rippling like a pool of water in a storm. The mages are flung backward by an invisible force, Sinclair's spell dying in her hands as a cry of pain escapes her mouth. They crash into the far wall.>
O5-8 You can't touch me. You can't even go near me.
<Keay stands shakily, leaning on the sword for support. Behind her, Sinclair struggles to rise from the floor.>
Keay: Then we'll just kill you from afar!
<She swings the sword at the air in front of her, each blow sending a bright disc of energy hurtling at the platform in the center of the room. But a flash of gold from the Overseer steers them off course, and they fly into the walls around them instead, detonating in a shower of glass and burning machinery.>
O5-8: Your resistance is pointless, though I must admit it's rather fun.
<Keay helps Sinclair to her feet, handing her the sword. Before the other woman can grab it, however, the two are blasted apart in an explosion of raw force. They tumble down to opposite corners of the room, the Leading Edge clattering to the ground next to Keay.>
Computer Voice: Reality restructuring imminent.
O5-8: Yes, very fun indeed. But all good things must come to an end.
<Keay grabs the hilt. Eight snaps their fingers. Everything goes black.>
A vast facility built within a massive cavern, rows upon rows of lifepods as far as the eye can see. A rose as red as blood, Blooming in the spring. A dark Thorn shrouded in mist, a needle of total blackness that encompasses all of existence.
Falling endlessly down a Bottomless Pit. Darkness quickly consumes the chromatic flames that blaze above. A newborn child’s cry echoes in her ears, drowning out all else.
Crying, alone within a twisting labyrinth of bookshelves that spreads in every direction. Her tears smear the book that is the floor, ruining the circle. A stranger’s shadow casts a deep primal fear that consumes every other thought.
A sword engulfed in white-hot fire.
<And then they are all back within the room. The screens on the walls have turned to static.>
At 8:42, all thaumaturgy within a ten kilometer radius of Yellowstone Mountain ceased to function. The illusory forces dissipated, and Vanguard mages were left drained and exhausted. At the same time however, approximately half of the opposing force spontaneously disappeared in a flash of golden light, including the reinforcing helicopters.
<Yellowstone rumbles. The two mages shut their eyes as VNP-8050 glows brighter than ever before, bathing the room in pure gold for an instant before dying down. They rise to their feet.>
O5-8: What? How- you idiots! I’ll take that fucking sword from your dead bodies!
Sinclair: Now, Vera!
<With newfound strength Keay leaps across the room, gripping the sword with both hands. O5-8 draws a pistol from their belt and fires three shots, the bullets streaking through the air like golden shooting stars. Vera cuts the air once, twice, three times, slicing each of them to stardust.>
<Sinclair finishes a spell and lobs a fireball at the Overseer, who jumps off the platform. Vera dives after them as machinery explodes behind her. She thrusts the blade towards Eight who disappears, reappearing instantly on the other side of the room.>
Keay: Get them!
<She throws the sword to Katherine, who grabs it from the air. She bites down on her left hand while swinging the sword in the upward arc. A colossal wall of fire climbs up from the floor and licks at the ceiling, forcing Eight backward, away from the exit and into the corner.>
<Katherine lets her blood drip onto the sword, the rush of power almost overwhelming. She slings spells like a madwoman, deadly lances of red fire homing on the Overseer as they duck and sidestep and roll away, desperately looking for a reprieve. She gives them no quarter.>
<Vera shouts something the other woman can’t make out, but the crackling spear of emerald lightning speaks for itself. O5-8 screams in pain, their suit burning away to ash. Beneath it, wires pulse inside metallic skin. Green sparks arc around their body, and they screech in a voice that’s still awfully human.>
O5-8: Your magic is mine by right. I’ll take it, along with your pathetic lives!
<The ring lights up as they raise their cybernetic arm. It shifts, pieces sliding away until their hand becomes the mouth of a cannon. Vera breaks into a sprint towards them.>
Keay: This isn’t just our magic. Katherine!
<Katherine tosses her the Leading Edge, and she catches it just as Eight fires. The beam of violet energy surges towards her, and she pours all of her strength and magic into one final swing. The beam splits in two, forking off into two separate blasts that streak into the walls, where they explode in a cloud of smoke. The whole room shakes violently.>
<O5-8 suddenly lurches forward, dropping to their knees. Katherine rushes to them and sees why. Rolling on the floor is VNP-8050, still attached to a piece of the Overseer. It had taken in too much, overheated with raw power, and melted the steel finger on which it rested clean off the rest of the hand.>
Coinciding with this exact moment, all Alpha-1 agents within Yellowstone lost consciousness. This is believed to be a result of their link to VNP-8050 being abruptly severed. Dr. Sinclair succeeded in opening a Way from within Watchtower-θ to Sloth’s Pit, where she collapsed alongside Vera Keay, the Leading Edge, and VNP-8050.
ITEM №: VNP-8050
VNP-8050 on display.
Normalization Protocols: VNP-8050 is currently housed in the Arcane Artifacts Wing of the Museum for Parahistory in Three Portlands.
A team of archeologists is currently trying to discern the origin and intended use of VNP-8050 through cross-examination with sources from the Wanderer's Library and similar objects encountered throughout history. Any discoveries made by the team will be published by Vanguard.
Nobody is advised to approach VNP-8050 or wear it.
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