Home sweet home

Roughly in one hour, the group could outline a mountain ahead, an entrance of a long dark cave was visible. They were close back to their reality now.

"Hey, Lich. Can I ask?" Iris says.

"Sure, anything." Hassu replied.

They kept walking, and Hassu could tell Black and the rest were starting to get a little tired. Scorn was talking to the guards, Black was ahead of them, leading the way.

"Can you bring people back to life?"

Hassu was surprised. He knew well he couldn't, not at least in this state. And Lich's in fantasy world could actually do it, but he had no idea how.

"No. Why? Is there someone you want to resurrect?" he said.

Iris's mind flashed to his little brother Tommy getting hit by a car. And how she cried a lot in those times, and Anthony, her ex, was there for him. And only him. (Anthony is the name of the boyfriend in Iris's files that wasn't mentioned as far as I know.)

"Yeah… some people close to me." She meant both Anthony and Tommy. She loved them both.

The Lich was silent, he was staring into the direction of the cave.

"Do you want to take pictures? It's a good scenery here." The Lich replied, hoping to lighten her mood.

Iris became happy when she heard that, she looked around and there, a sea of grass stretched to a forest and pass a mountain. It was a good one.

"Yeah, stop right here…" she trailed off. Looking at Black, hoping he'll let them.

"You guys can take pictures as much as you want. I'm a little tired." He says, sitting down.

Scorn went near him and extended a ball. They went into a conversation as The Lich looked at the direction Iris pointed.

There was a click, and another click.

"Ugh, I can't get the damn pictures to go out." She says, tapping the Polaroid lightly.

"Does it not work in this reality too?"

"Yeah, it's annoying. I think it'll work again when we get back."

"Alright, is that all the pictures no" The Lich asked.

"Yep." She says.

They continue walking. Eventually the silence was becoming too awkward, even for The Lich. Black broke it by asking how Iris got into the foundation. It was more detailed than The Lich had read in her file when he was still human. Scorn and his guards were clicking, they wouldn't understand us.

Iris told them about how Anthony had died from her, and how she tried to protect him by yanking the gun from a robber from his hands through a picture.

It shot by accident and had accidentally hit Anthony in his chest. She felt guilty just remembering it all. First her brother died by accident and now her boyfriend died by her hands, indirectly.

"You tried your best to save him, no need to feel guilty." Black said.

"You know damn well I will." Iris replied.

There was silence again.

"So what happened after that? If … you don't mind." The Lich eventually said.

She told everything, to how she rushed over to his house and called the cops. How they found the gun in a ditch near the house with her finger prints, and then being guilty in the court.

Only her cousins from 4-11 were her support. But it wasn't much, it was at least a little help.

She told them how her parents weren't even present at the trial, and how a murderer girlfriend killed her boyfriend would be a nice headlines in the newspaper. The Lich was confused at that part.

'newspaper? Huh? What is this, the 1990's?' he thought. 'Somethings off, Iris is 15, shouldn't she be 25 or am I missing something…'

Her story came to a halt when she tried to utter the word guilty. We stopped moving. The Krekel's stopped and looked at us, then Scorn approached Black.

He explained a little story to them and Scorn just nodded, patting his shoulder.

They continued walking when Iris resumed her story.

"The foundation at least could've made me say goodbye to my family…" she said.

"Goodbyes are luxuries." Black said.

The Lich gave him a nasty look and Iris had a saddened expression.

"Sorry…" he added, "out of habit."

After that, Iris finished her story as she was finally taken by the foundation. At some point, Iris asked about how Black was recruited.

He told them that he investigated a lot about the Bismarck. He went so deep that it involved occultism and global occult coalition. And when he wrote an essay to his professor about it, he was called a madman and ramblings of a crazy.

Eventually, the foundation picked it up and told him if he could join them or have his mind wiped.

The Lich chuckled at that, "So how did you become an MTF anyway." He asked.

"I was a guard before, I managed to survive the bear with razor blades for hands. That's how I got this scar." He said, pointing between his eyes and to his cheeks. "I was the only one that survived and got promoted."

The Lich and Iris nodded and continue their trek.

"I've never heard your story, Lich. How did you get into the foundation?" Iris asked.

He thought for a moment, then an idea came to him.

"The land of Ooo is a very far world." He lied, "I left it, in search of a new world, hoping to live in peace or have fun. But, you know the foundation."

'I thought he was a primordial being. I watched his interview log, something's strange with his story…' Black thought.

"I was part of the team that extracted him. He was a comet approaching from our atmosphere. We found him frozen in some sort of rock." Black replied. Other scp's that are safe or have enough clearance logs can check the interview logs. Depending on their own clearance level.

Iris was intrigued, "Aren't you strong enough to escape the foundation, Lich?"

"Yes… but I don't know where to go." He replied.

'And I don't want to get captured by other organizations, the GOC would try to kill me, the CI are insane, and Serpent's hand's seems nice, but no, I don't like those magic lunatics. Scp's should be contained, magic does more harm than good.' He thought. 'And even if I go out there, who's to say I would actually know what to do. I cant eat, sleep or anything. I think I'll find entertainment in serving the foundation for a little while, always wanted to be in the military.'

"Wait, Iris, can you take a picture of me?" Black suddenly asked.

"I don't know, Black… it's against Foundation rules to take pictures of agents." She said hesitantly.

"Oh come on. You were calling me out about how I followed MTF protocols earlier, so what's the problem now?"

"Fine." She says.

The Lich stops moving and Black stood there, the background was a bunch of trees and mountain behind. The moon was starting to go low. But there was still time.

Click. The camera vainly slid out a picture as Iris pulled it out.

"Why don't you take a picture too, Lich?" Black recommended.

"No thank you, I don't like pictures. And Iris's legs are in pain, I can't let her down for now."

"Its fine, Lich. It won't hurt for a little while."

The Lich sighed in defeat and kneeled down for her to step down.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this for you."

The Lich did the same as Black and stood behind the forest. When Iris looked through her camera, the Lich's face was uncanny. There was no smile, just a muscle and dead flesh hanging and set of teeth.

"Can you, uh smile? Never mind." Iris said.

She took the photo and pulled it out to show to The Lich.

He is standing there alone, his face betrayed his thoughts as they look like he was staring into their souls, his green glowing eyes deep into the picture.

"I thought I was actually smiling here." He said.

Black and Iris had gotten a little used to his appearance at this point. Sure he looked scary but he gave off a friendly aura, and his voice was calm and deep that made it a bonus points.

"Can we take a picture with the Krekels as well? The foundation might need that too, but also because the photographer in me wants to. It's probably our last day here with them." Iris said.

Black nodded and approached Scorn. They talked and Scorn nodded as the three of them positioned for a camera, Scorn was in the middle as the camera finally clicked.

Iris showed it to them and Scorn was satisfied. The two guards seemed to enjoy it too.

…

They finally arrived at the cave. The entrance looming over them as the moon was behind the mountain, sinking.

"We might have to stay inside the cave for a few hours." Scorn said to Black. "I wonder where the other operatives are, they should've been here."

"Well, lets just make this fast."

As they trotted inside, they could see a bunch of wrapped up cocoons in the walls up in the ceilings. Black goo coming out from time to time.

Scorn immediately stopped Black as everyone halted.

"The operatives are dead. Something's here."

"What how?"

Scorn pointed to the ceiling.

"Those are cocoons, inside are ours. Their being digested as we speak now."

Black looked up, and so did everyone.

"What did he say?" The Lich asked.

"Those are cocoons with Krekels inside. Their being digested." Black replied.

Iris felt her stomach churl. Their being melted by those things.

"Well, can we at least get back now? I don't want to stay in this cave longer." Iris said.

"Same here, but what about these guys? They came all the way here and the sun is going to rise soon." The Lich spoke, looking at the cocoons.

Black looked at Scorn and spoke.

"We're going further. Do you guys want to stay here near the entrance?"

"][][]]["

"very well." He turns to Lich. "Lets go, this is as far as they can escort us."

They moved forward, The Lich looked back. Scorn and the guards were talking to each other as they hurriedly hid to a corner to sit and converse. Their own version of MTF would probably pick them up later.