Site 16 - The Tartarus Gate

by Journeyman

The O5 Council

The O5 Council

Doctor Sylar did not even stop for the guards just outside the Oracle Wing. Sylar’s mane, tail, and ID flew as he ran, providing Sylar could run faster than his arthritis would allow. He knew that it was a serious breach in protocol for an Oracle to abandon a field agent or mobile task force. Without support a a stable means of communication with the nearest Foundation hub, what were they to do?

Sylar was soon puffing. He was a scholar, not a soldier. He was never built with the stamina necessary for intensive work. Sitting in front of a monitor or desk was where his calling lay. His fountain pen cutie mark attested to that.

Sylar stopped at the walls of cubicles for a breather. A pair of ponies talking next to a water cooler ceased their dialog and eyed Sylar with surprise. Sylar took one of their glasses with his magic and greedily drank the liquid.

“You little shit, all you need to do is grab you own and – ”

Sylar was already gone, darting between griffons and ponies alike. He managed to avoid most, but his rapid pace would cause him to bump into researchers, spilling meticulously crafter documents.

None of the offenses he committed on his coworkers bothered him in the slightest. A single image plagued his mind: a starburst. Everypony with Level 3 clearance - like him - or above were required to know who that was. Twilight Faustina Sparkle, personal protege to Princess Celestia.

And she was right on Site-16’s doorstep.

“Oh,” Sylar moaned, “Celestia’s going to kill us.”

Sylar soon exited the office complex and entered an empty hallway lined with doors. Site-16 had what the Director called “modular redundancy”. The offices, conference rooms, and labs were scattered throughout the facility, but still clustered in groups. The Director’s own office was on the far end of the eighth floor, the floor he was currently on.

A door to one of the conference rooms opened without warning and out walked another researcher, causing Sylar’s hooves to slide against the tiled floor in an effort to halt his momentum. It didn’t help in the slightest; Sylar skidded across the floor on a direct collision course.

In a flash of red light, Sylar was propelled over the other researcher’s head and hung there. “Where’s the fire, Doctor? I don’t believe SCP-026 is in this facility.” Sylar recognized that strange drawl anywhere: Doctor Salizar, Director of Resources for Site-16.

Salizar was infamous for his ability to get into trouble and being too invaluable for anyone to do anything about it. He was thin to the point of gaunt, a lightly dappled gray coat, brown mane and tail, and what looked like a horseshoe cutiemark under his lab coat. What unnerved those he spoke to was his low, raspy tone of voice and odd stress on certain syllables. “I am quite certain such haste is not yet warranted, doctor. Unless...” Salizer held the ‘s’ longer than what was needed. “You know something I am not aware of just yet?”

He was not the Site Director, but he would do.

“Doctor! Set me down!” Sylar scrambled through the air uselessly. “I have something important to tell you!”

Salizar smirked. Although irritated that his trip back from D-Class orientation was rudely interrupted, it was most certainly not normal to have other doctors or agents nearly crash into others without some kind of emergency. No matter how careful or redundant containment procedures may be, there was always a chance a particularly dangerous SCP could escape and wreak havok. The very mention of the word “keter” was enough to make junior researchers tremble in their coats.

“Okay, okay, settle down. What do we have that’s put a fire under your tail?” Slowly but surely, Salizar set his underling down into his hooves. Sylar scrambled for a moment to regain his center of gravity. Salizar took the brief intermission to study the researcher: wide eyes, sweaty coat, and gasping breath. Salizar’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.

“I’ve got to tell you something. I just found someone just a few hours outside Site-16 You will not believe who it is...”

---

Salizar stood calmly by a closed door, slowly tapping a hoof to some invisible beat in his head. On the other side of the door was where world-changing decisions were made. Agents and researchers that walked down the pristine hallway - pony, griffon or other - gave the door a wide berth as if it were host to some contagion that wished to avoid. Two characters were printed on the door and acted as the barrier that kept everyone away.

O5

Contagions and infectious agents were four levels down, but that was beside the point.

Upon hearing the alarming news, Salizar alerted his colleague, Site Director Dora Belladona. She, in turn, alerted the ruling power behind the entirety of the SCP Foundation: the O5 Council. Omnipresent, unquestioned, and all-knowing, the Council was the highest Foundation authority and decision maker there was.

With a hiss, the pneumatic door opened. Salizar walked in without a word. A figure stood in the shadows to his left: short stature, charcoal gray coat, blinding white mane, and a book cutiemark identified the individual as Belladona. Lab coats at Site-16 were fairly uniform, so it was difficult to differentiate one individual from another at a distance, but Salizar knew those acid-green eyes anywhere.

It was not an appropriate time to chat, however. Salizar’s hooves echoed across the empty room and halted near the middle. It was only slightly larger than a standard corner office and the lights were dimmed, but size and light were not needed. At the other end of the room were two rows of semi concentric circles of pedestals. Atop of each was a single symbol, that of two rings with one inside the other with three arrows pointing inward. They were thirteen sigils of the O5 Council, one for each member, and all silently levitated on their pedestals in a dull blue light.

“Twenty minutes ago,” Salizar enunciated slowly, overriding his slight accent, “Mobile Task Force Beta-4 encountered SCP-284-N, otherwise known as Cerberus, mere hours away from Site-16. The capture was uneventful and the secrecy was not exposed to civilian settlements.

“However, SCP-284-N was not alone. The subject was being escorted to the Gates by another before Beta-4 arrived: a lone unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle.”

“The prodigal student?” a gender neutral voice rang through the room. Salizar could tell that the voice came from one of the sigils, but he could neither discern which particular one or where the speaker’s voice originated. The robotic voice betrayed neither interest nor concern, only a request for clarification.

“Correct,” Salizar replied. “Ms. Sparkle was escorting the creature to the Gates in accordance to its cover story. She is being escorted to this facility by Beta-4 as we speak and her fate can be decided upon her arrival.”

“This is not acceptable, Director,” another voice proclaimed. This one was slightly deeper, likely male. “Since our initial contact, Princess Celestia has made only one demand of us, and that is to leave her protege oblivious to Foundation affairs.”

“This is true.” Salizar said before remaining silent. The Council did not immediately respond. Salizar counted the seconds in the dark room, waiting for the O5 members to council with each other.

After precisely one hundred forty seven seconds, Salizar spoke, “Pardon the interruption, but this new turn of events may play well into our hooves and hands.”

“Explain, Director. Celestia has made it very clear what she intends to do if we show interest in Ms. Sparkle,” said a third.

The tiniest of smirks crossed Salizar’s face. Although nothing but sigils, Salizar was certain that the Council could still see him. Somehow. “Ms. Sparkle approaches Site-16. Let us use this time in order to gauge her emotional acceptance to the Foundation.”

Another member of O5 responded, “Such an opportunity, however desirable, remains out of even our considerable grasp. The risks of angering Princess Celestia and Ms. Sparkle’s possible refusal makes the risks insubstantial compared to the actual gains.”

“Not in the slightest, Council,” Salizar’s drawl started to return. “Of course, Ms. Sparkle may reveal no interest in the Foundation. Yes, Princess Celestia will soon learn of her pupil’s intended destination, but we have never had so many cards play in our favor before. Ms. Sparkle is alone, unprotected, and away from those that shield her. Her venture was spontaneous, so not even the Royal Court knows of Cerberus’ escape just yet. The cards are on the table and in our favor.

“If Ms. Sparkle refuses our offer or shows a general disinterest, we can wipe her mind with an amnesiac and declare to Princess Celestia that the entire situation was naught but a cruel hand dealt by fate. We simply deliver her to the princess, alive and unspoiled. The secrecy of the Foundation is maintained, and the princess gets her... precious student.” Again, Salizar emphasized the wrong word.

“However...if Ms. Sparkle shows an interest in the Foundation, we can use the experience to better groom her for the future. Just think of the possibilities!” Salizar’s eyes were wide, urging those only a sigil away from his line of thinking. “Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and a direct line to one of the most powerful entities this world has ever seen. An Element, an eye and ear of the Royal Court, unlimited access to the Royal archives, the sheer amount of possibilities are endless if she joins the Foundation.

"Such power... such influence... Ms. Sparkle has experienced as much paranormal activity as any agent. I know she has the capability to become one of the most powerful member the Foundation has ever known.”

The Council was silent once again. The floating thirteen sigils stood motionless, all wrapped in the identical magical hue. Salizar did not speak this time. Belladona had yet to speak at all. Her eyes pierced through the mild darkness and bored holes through the back of his skull.

“Agreed.” Salizar’s smirked widened. “We permit basic emotional and psychological testing to discover if Ms. Sparkle is susceptible to manipulation. Dismissed.” The magical aura surrounding each sigil vanished. The conference room had gone dead cold in both temperature and silence.

Without another word, Salizar turned on his hooves and pranced out the door, his smile still adorned on his lips. Belladona followed him out soon afterwards, quietly shutting the door behind her as she left.

Salizar had only just turned to return to his office before a fured form crashed into his. Belladona had pinned him to the wall with her own body and secured his limbs with her magic. Her horn was directly under his jugular. The sharp horn pierced his flesh, drawing a sliver of blood. Salizar was terribly thin and but slightly taller than the average pony, but he still towered over the diminutive director. Despite her small size, the glare she gave the doctor was hot enough to melt through his skull and the wall behind him.

“What are you playing at, Salizar? You know the dangers of Ms. Sparkle coming here.” Her musical soprano was as cold and hard as frozen iron.

“‘Playing at’? Director, certainly nothing.” Belladona pressed her horn harder against his throat. another rivulet of blood flowed through the groove on her horn and stained her cranium with a tiny dollop of crimson. Whatever researchers and agents that needed to pass through the hallway turned around and left, not daring to pass for fear of provoking Belladona or Salizar’s wrath.

“‘I ask of you so little. I now know of your existence, and I accept your deeds, both good and ill, for the benefit of the world. You have done much evil, but I accept that without your actions, the world would be reshaped by destruction. I will fund your research, provide you with resources in order to better help protect my kingdom from the monsters in the dark, and provide my own unofficial support. I ask of you only one boon: leave those I hold dear to my heart out of your affairs and in the dark. They are the wind at my sails, and I will fight a thousand bloody wars to keep them safe. I swear to you on this day: if the Foundation harms my friends and vassals, if they force them to dance on unseen strings, I will not destroy Foundation, I will silence them. They will be less than dust. They will be oblivion, the absence of all. I treasure my friends more than my rule, and if you harm them, I will devour you.’” Salizar smiled down at Belladona after his finished reciting the speech. Due to the awkward angle, Salizar only saw the tiniest sliver of her left eye. “Do you remember those words after Incident Report 213? When Celestia gave us her blessing and promise of destruction if we harmed those she holds dear?”

“I was there, doctor. What are you getting at?”

“I know exactly what she said, Bella. That is what I must impress.”

Belladona hissed. “And yet you indorse this mad plan. Princess Celestia is wise, but she is weak when those close to her are in harms way. Her love of Ms. Sparkle blinds her. Why are you so calm when bringing her here sends an axe over our heads? We are powerful, but she has the power to inflict serious damage to the Foundation and threaten its secrecy. She may not end us, but she will humble us.”

“Of course. I know what she will do. Recall, I am not the one who summoned Ms. Sparkle to Site-16. I am not the one who ordered the approach of the MTF and release of Foundation secrecy. I am not the one escorting her to the Gates as we speak. Do not fault me for Doctor Sylar’s foolishness. I know exactly what the princess will do; I am only making the best moves to salvage a difficult situation. Can Ms. Sparkle be converted? If she can, we can use that knowledge to gain a foothold on a global stage and access to one of the most powerful weapons this world has ever known. If she cannot, she will be dealt with accordingly.”

Belladona grit her teeth in anger. As absolutely infuriating as Salizar was, he was right, and he knew it; that same, calm half-smirk still adorned his face.

She growled in anger, released Salizar, and stormed off. His eyes narrowed and he brought a hoof up to his neck. His hoof was damp with a small splash of red. His pink tongue snaked between his lips and gathered the remains. The taste of iron burst into his mouth and he snickered. Soon his chuckling devolved into maniacal laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, this is going to be absolutely deliciously fun!”

---

SCP Foundation Homesite
Editors:

Comments

[sgtnolisten]

Ooooooh dear...

[Journeyman]

2342321
Oh, which part? Celestia's promise to hand the Foundation an assbeating, the O5 decision, their amoral stance, or the fact that Salizar may be a raving lunatic?

[sgtnolisten]

2342745 I will treat that as rhetorical.

[Candle_Jack]

Heehehehehee. I love how manipulative Salizar is, I think we may have found our antagonist.

[Dragon Turtle]

Thank God we're finally back to the fuckin' story.

[Journeyman]

4513270
Considering this story has been on hiatus for quite some time... no. No we are not.

[Dustchu]

I smell great evil... and I love it.

Nice job dude!