Chapter 13

Authors Note,

sorry for the massive delay, I just couldn't quite be happy with this chapter, even now I don't feel it's up to the standards I set for myself, but I can't think of any improvements, I don't like that this contains very little to move the plot except some information and an ability, sorry if it's below standard, thanks for reading

I couldn't help but smile wider as Dr. Bright asked, "Simple my good man, I'm assigning you as head researcher, there aren't any specific expiraments so for now you'll be assigned to SCP 272 for now, although you will be free to observe and give your feedback on any SCP we have contained here at site MU-1 as is your right as a department head." I said. Dr. Bright simply acknowledged his assignment before walking down the hall, I didn't know where he was going, though, since there weren't directions markers.

[Congratulations on recruiting your first Non-system-produced staff

you have unlocked the Staff Management Tab

You have contained SCP-963 Immortality,

please select from the options below

--Containment - 750 points per week

-- Research - 1500 points per week

-- Employ - 1000 points per week

Subject has already been Employed]

I smiled again. After all, I was now making well above what upkeep was, and in a few months, maybe even weeks, I could have this base in top shape. i let out a low chuckle as I began to craft the future of The Foundation.

---Several Months later -

I was in a sour mood. Jones and I had been following sign after sign attempting to track SCP-073 Cain. it felt like everything we got close. He would slip away in some tiny crack I had overlooked.

with a sigh, I began returning to base. I moved through the sewers quickly. the homeless population had increased over the last few months at a rapid rate. some arsonists had apparently gone into a spree burning several apartments and homes, leaving dozens of people displaced due to slow court action on insurance claims.

after pushing my way through a large group and making sure i wasn't followed, I pushed open a hidden panel, with so many eyes now I had installed a simple door facade a few yards from the actual entrance to keep away any wandering homeless.

as I entered the door and closed it behind me, the splendor of the outside of the base was revealed. while not too different, it now had scaffolding going up on both sides of the door, the scaffolding connected to catwalks that went around the entirety of the edge of the chamber. this allowed it so that any intruders could be attacked from any angle, allowing the enemy no real cover from the gunfire. two sentries stood guard on the catwalks, and in their hands, they held a rifle, with another slung over their shoulder. the first was a simple tranquilizer, for any homeless that wandered in, they'd simply be tranqed and then moved far away from the base, usually loaded onto the back of a bus or train and sent out of town. the second rifle was in case more lethal measures were needed, each was a unique LMG, modified from a Browning M2 they both had unique clips on the front of the gun where a bipod would usually go, this allowed their users to bolt the gun directly to the railing of the catwalk to increase accuracy, the guns also had a number of custom modifications to increase accuracy and stopping power, in the right circumstances they could stop an army.

I raised a small blue light and flashed it twice, while my title could identify me as 05-1 i didn't know if Skrulls could use it to pass through easily, so some degree of security was needed, even for me. one of the guards raised a walkie-talkie and spoke for a minute before the large door began to move. another revamp of mine was the door, while originally it was a large vault like door I had decided to raise that a bit, taking inspiration from the Fallout series, the vault door was now several meters thick with the only way of opening it being the console on the other side. it was unusually quiet though, while it did make some noise, it was reduced by an amount so that it wouldn't attract outside attention. walking inside, I was met with Dr. Bright, weilding a clipboard, he began explaining what had happened while I was away.

"Research has come to a halt with 272, and as per your orders, the little girl is still exempted from expirementation until further instructions, it seems Cain has moved towards the river but we've only got a few shots of him actually going in that direction, we still don't have any moles in any major corporations so there's nothing to report there, there's also a report of a large gelatness mass in the slums and and zombies near central park, Shield has stepped in to suppress the news according to camera footage their working excuse is a gas line break but that will only last so long."

I sighed pretty heavily. Sludge in the slums could be covered up later, but zombies in the park were an issue, especially if Hydra thought they could do something with it. and come on gas line break? there buildings all around Central Park, anyone with the initiative and a good pair of binoculars could see right through that.

I sighed, but now wasn't the time for that, I looked at Jones, "Alright man you've been a one man Stan for too long, by the end of the day you've got to select four people from inside the base for promotion to Alpha-1" I said, with a gruffle he mumbled something and walked away.

I looked at my points for a moment. a little over 50 thousand left, with a crack of my neck, I began my renovations of the rest of the base.

first, I used an abandoned warehouse on the surface as a garage and alternate entrance, I renovated it into a small car shop as a cover

then i bought more barracks for the base, increasing the amount of staff i could have on-site

I built myself the 05 office that the system suggested, there wasn't much but there was a top of the line computer as well as a small set of shelves for any trophies I collected, I personally added a bed though, cause while i may not need to sleep, sometimes you just had to escape the stress of running a secret organization.

next, I built a small nuclear payload, just in case, also to work on my mission

then I simply reinforced everything with steel, I also added doors to the ends of each hallway, not small doors either, massive blast doors hung from the ceiling ready to isolate hallways as needed, I had read so many stories in my past life about containment breaches or raids that just walked around inside unimpeded, now each hallway could seal itself off and flood the corridor with gas, once I had the gas anyway, toxic gas wasn't for sale on the system shop, but I had the perfect one in mind.

putting that aside for now, I finally turned my attention to the notification the system had thrown up

[Congratulations on setting up your first front business! front businesses will collect income for you based on how well they sell their product or service, money earned that isn't used for the upkeep of the front store will be converted into points, points can also be converted to money at a rate of 1 to 10 US dollars]

one to ten, I looked at my t-shirt and jeans, which had cost me 25 points to buy, each, as well as the spare sets folded on the shelf behind me before looking back at the screen

[Please choose a name for your front company. If anyone traces the trail of money, it will lead back to this company as a cover]

quite simple, I set it as Marshall Carter and Dark

I didn't have many points left, but I wanted to get something for me. so I scrolled through the powers section, past minor regeneration that was too expensive, past reality Manipulation that was really too expensive, and definitely past extreme hair growth, I finally settled on Sprinter

[You have acquired Sprinter

for the first 100 yards after you begin running, increase speed by up to 200%]

there, it wasn't anything special, but it was progress, and progress was progressive.