//------------------------------//
// Scouting Mission #727 
// Story: SCP: Breakout 
// by Happy2343 
//------------------------------//

Drone 2257 peered over the snowy ridge. “We are going to freeze if we take any more time.” She heard 2534 say under his breath, “What’s even out here anyway?”. He never was the brightest of the bunch, but then again, neither was she. She shivered in the cold, ‘I really need to stop...’ She sighed, ‘being myself.’ there were only ever two reasons anychangling would be scouting this far North of the hive, they’re an idiot or punishment. ‘I wonder which is 34’s reason?’ She asked herself sarcastically. 

“Cut it out 34,” their leader, 1998 said to them, “Queen’s orders just came through, she wants any information on it.” He began to walk toward them.  ‘I wonder what he did to get stuck with us?’ She thought, ‘Must’ve been bad.’

“I’m surprised you even got any orders from the hive,” 34 said, “We’re about 50 miles away from her.” He was looking away from her and 98, at the creature they were watching. 

“It was hard to hear, but I got them,” 98 said, he walked up to 34, “Now we do them, understand?” His tone was far from pleasant. ‘Scratch that, he didn’t do anything, he was just unlucky.’

“Yes, sir.” He seethed through his teeth, it came out as more of his than a reply. 

The three of them trotted up to the ridge, each peering over the edge. “There it is,” she said, turning to 1998, “Just a bit to the-” 

“I see it, 2257,” 1998 said, cutting her off, “I’m not blind, drone.” She shook her head and turned back to the creature in the distance. 

2257 eye’s blinked. She saw the beast in front of them at least a mile, just barely though. It was all white minus its forelegs, which were red. “Red forelegs are probably due to the cold.” She stated. 57 peered again, this time just below the head, “And something around the neck, a collar?”  

“I see it too,” 98 said, “34, move forward for a closer look.” 34 looked at 57, rolled his eyes, then looked at 98. “Yes, sir.” He hopped over the ridgeline and took flight. 57 fell below the ridgeline and shivered, there was only so much a Changeling shell could take before it began to freeze, and flying in the sub-zero temperatures for well over five hours seems to be it for hers. She closed her eyes and began to run her magic to keep herself warm. She smiled at the warm embrace of warmth.

She was finally able to feel her forehooves, “57,” she heard her leader say, making her tense up, she stopped her magic nearly instantly. 

“Yes?” She asked as innocently as she could. ‘What have I done now?’ She opened her eyes and looked at 98. ‘I literally did nothing!’ She thought to herself. He was looking at her. ‘Wait, was I not listening?’ 

“If you are going to warm yourself up, try to project it so we can all feel it,” She nodded her head, ‘Of course, just use more power then popped it back over the ridge.’ 

She rested her head on the white and icy ridge. She squinted her eyes, and looked at 34, he had just landed in front of it. She got up and stood on the ridge, looking at the giant hill below. She remembered a memory, one of her and her clutch sliding down a snowy hill just like this, “Not anymore.” She idly said to herself. 

“Stop talking, 57.” He also got up onto the ridge and looked down on the hill. Probably thinking of the same thing she was. “Unless it’s an idea or suggestion, I don’t want to hear it.” He looked back at her, “Understood?” 

She again nodded, “Yes sir…” She said to him. She breathed in and out, the air was cool, crisp and damp. She looked forward, 34 had disappeared, most likely behind the creature, “Should we go check on 34?” She asked.

“Hm, sure, 57, it’s not like we’re doing anything,” Her team leader said, “let’s go.” He jumped off the ridge and spread his wings. Drone 2257 jumped off the ridge and began to follow her leader, but her rear right leg got caught on something, making her tumble.

“WOAH!” She yelled as she nearly began to tumble down the snowy hill. Right before she hit the white substance, however, something grabbed her, stopping her fall. “Huh, wha-?” She looked up and saw 1998 looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a lit horn, “Eh… bad luck?” She felt 1998’s magic release her, she started to flap her wings, this time, it worked. 

“Yeah, bad luck.” He said, “Com ‘on, let’s go. We probably shouldn’t have left that little… *Grumble*” He shook his head, his sentence petering off into a bunch of mumbles, “It’s been long enough,” he said abruptly before walking to the edge of the ridge. He regarded her one again and took off toward where 34 flew to. 2257 picked her self up and followed him. She caught up with him fast enough at her pace, not wanting to disappoint any more higher-ups.

She flew alongside 1998, looking at him periodically. He was always facing forward, concentrating on the mission. ‘Unlike me…’ She thought, ‘I really need to stop mind rambling, it really is a distraction,’ She sighed, ‘Maybe it’s how something always goes wrong when I’m involved, I’m just always too distracted.’  She shook her head, ‘That can’t be it though! I mean, seriously how does-’ She finally looked in front of her and saw, too late, a bird. She nearly ate the darn thing. She spent the next few seconds spitting feathers out of her mouth.

She looked back at 1998, he was still looking forward. She relented and did the same.

‘This mission is easy. It should hopefully help them regain some trust in me…’ She thought to herself, ‘Maybe then I won’t have to go on these stupid missions anymore and get back to building things.’ She looked forward at the ground, she saw 34 in the distance, he was signaling with one of his black hooves. 

“Hey!” She heard 1998 call to her, ‘GREAT!’ She turned to her left and saw him looking at her, “Stop daydreaming, we have a job to do.” 

“Yes, sir.” She said. 

She looked and saw the creature up ahead, but 34 was nowhere to be seen. “Ugh! Where is that idiot?” Her leader asked as they landed. He looked around, “Stay here, I’ll try to connect with him through the hive.” 

She nodded again and turned around. The creature was curled up in a fetal position on the ground. She thought she could make out crying. ‘Maybe one day…’ She finished her thought form minutes earlier. She looked back at 1998; he was concentrating, trying to reach him through his mind, a skill that few outside the queen can do. ‘They can read any changeling’s mind and thoughts whenever they please…’ She looked back at the creature, ‘Kinda…’ she cocked her head, ‘Weird… if,’ She took a step forward.

‘Is that red?’ She took another step forward, then another. “34?” She asked. She blinked a couple of times, then shook her head. There was red snow around the creature. She galloped toward the creature, earning the attention of her leader. 

“Drone 2257, get your flank back HERE!” He said, “Dro-” He cut himself off, “Dammit.” She heard him say just loud enough for her to hear.

As she neared the creature it’s cries had grown in volume. ‘Is it sad?’ She thought. She reached out and touched the pale creature with her magic. She shivered, ‘That… can’t be right,’ She heard the hooves of her leader stop behind her. ‘No emotion?’

She idly noted the metal on the back of its neck. It went around the entirety of the neck. And it was christened with a shiny blinking, red light. She touched it. It wasn’t hot nor cold, just… there. ‘How is it making light without heat or magic?’ She thought. 

2257 looked around the creature, quickly losing interest in its metal collar and blinking light as she noticed something else, the thing that originally brought her over here. She looked to the creature’s cradling forelegs, there was red all over them. Dripping red. She smelled the irony-metal smell in the air. She gagged.

“Now do you want to-” She could feel 1998 looking at the creature, or specifically, around the creature, “34?” He asked with a sigh of disappointment and dreading his voice. 

“Y-yeah, I-i think so…” She replied. She could cold. Colder than the air that was around him, it felt like her entire body was made of ice. 

“We a… we should report this…” 1998 said, “Let’s uh… let’s go.”

She took a step back and prepared to take flight. ‘Did it eat him?’ She shook her head, ‘No, of course not, only griffons eat other creatures,’ Her mind told her, ‘Then where’s the body?’ She took another step forward. ‘What does this creature look like?’ She closed her eyes, then opened them again, the world was sideways. And her head hurt. 

She took another step forward, this time putting a hoof on the pale skin of the creature. She had to fight to keep her eyes open, and nearly collapsed on the creature. She could feel the shudders and shivers of the being. They felt real… She reached out with her magic again, ‘No, there’s nothing here.’ The creature was emotionally neutral in everything. 

It wasn’t happy nor sad, worried nor content, nervous nor calm, just… there. She took her hoof off, of the creature, then proceeded to fall backward. There was no change in temperature, its skin was like ice. ‘No fur, no clothing, no nothing, just… naked.’ She was about to move again but was slapped across the face. She felt weak, her wings refused to flare.

“2257!” She was shaken out of her trance-like state. She looked back at 1998, “Let’s go before we get into even more trouble.” His tone was terrified, he was terrified. 

“What?” She asked, still coming to terms that something actually ate a changeling, ‘We can’t taste that good. Can we?’ She shook her head, “Huh?” 

He was looking in the sky, “WE NEED TO LEAVE, NOW!” She looked up in the sky. There were giant beasts in the sky, something was thrown out of the backs of all of them. ‘A rope?’ Her eyes widened. She flared her wings and took flight, or tried to. As she and 1998 jumped into the air, her wings refused to flap, unlike her leaders. 

1998 looked back, then turned away. 

She groaned, she felt tired, anxious, nervous, and scared at the same time. She was sweating and shivering. She looked up and saw another creature, this one wasn’t pale, she couldn’t tell, it was wearing what looked like a mask. It was looking down at her. “Yo Sarge,” It said, “What do you want to do with this one?” She tried to get up, only for something to come down on her back, pushing her into the snow. 

Her face was angled to look at the pale one, they put, what looked like a sack over its head.

“I don’t know, put it in the chopper,” Another voice said, “I’ve never seen this kind of creature before.” She looked up, “Plus, this one shouldn’t give us any trouble, it’s too scared.” 

Ther was a pause, “Knock it out then bag it.”

Drone 2257s eye’s widened, finally snapping out of the transe-like test. She began to get up; she snapped at the appendage holding her down. “Don’t think it liked the sound of that boss.” The creature said. Another one came up to her and kneeled in front of her. “You think it understands us?” The second one said.

She whipped her head and, with her teeth, bit into the meaty appendage, she was quick. He pulled back and pulled it up. The one kneeling in front of her was quick too. Another appendage came and connected with her face. Then she saw black. 

“Com ‘on,” Something said, “Grab her, the lab boys are about to have a fun day.”