LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 2: Chapter 2 - Retrieval
Atlanta, USA
31st of August, 2012.
The roof of an unknown building, 6:43 AM.
Luther was already up as he couldn't sleep all night. He made sure the roof was safe, and he was able to see the horrors of the streets down below, he could see a lot, and the building was around 7 stories high. He wandered through the roof, at one point he even called his father and he assured him that rescue would come at 8 AM. One thing that made him worry was that his father wasn't still safe and that he should be on the Site soon. Luther couldn't avoid wondering that his father could die, and that was something he was preparing himself mentally for.
It pained him that he thought that, but in this new world, he quickly concluded that the situation had become extreme. If he wanted to survive, he had to fight or be killed. Simple as that, now there was no moral compass, no police to stop criminals, no church to fight evil, and nothing stopped people from revealing their personalities. Now, nobody was subject to anything.
He hoped he could be part of the organization that keeps the morals straight, and that with an unstoppable force, could restore partially the old civilization. As he sat on the edge of the building, he even pondered about ending it all there. He had to think about the entire situation, as now he was found in an end-of-the-world scenario, and he could not make any moral or logical mistakes.
Luther was calmly sitting near a ventilation vent, resting on it, as he heard Amy's soft voice speaking.
"Luther. I need to go. Andrea- She needs me!" Amy said as she woke up from the place they were sleeping at. Walking up to Luther, who was still in the black hoodie.
Luther pondered throughout, then spoke. "I don't know Amy. This Helicopter comes specifically for us- and I doubt they can mobilize it for non-crucial missions." Luther explained, to which Amy replied in annoyance.
"Non-crucial? What's more crucial than another human?" Amy angrily asked, how could Luther forget about his sister? "It's not that. We don't know what happened to Andrea, and those men won't go out to rescue someone they don't have the certainty that they are alive." Luther explained, which seemed to calm her down a bit.
...
They both just kept arguing around, talking about the end of the world and how it all happened. Luther also explained to her what he knew about the SCP Foundation and the origin of SCP-008, she was dazzled and confused, as, how could an organization of such scale be hidden in plain sight? Luther didn't give her any explanations, as he didn't know anything either.
Suddenly, throughout the air could be heard as if it was being chopped numerous times, Luther recognized it as the sound of a helicopter approaching. Luther scanned the air together with Amy and managed to spot a dark-painted UH-60 approaching their location. Zombies rattled below as they looked up at the armed vehicle approaching the building Luther and Amy were on.
Luther looked at Amy who had an impressed look, as the helicopter approached, 3 words could be seen painted on the left of the chopper, Secure, Contain, Protect.
The helicopter reached an adept distance to the building and the sliding door slid open, revealing 3 men in full tactical gear except for one that didn't have any gear. Black vests coupled with full black uniforms and heavily modified rifles, gave them a scary look that intimidated the pair of friends a bit.
The maskless man jumped out of the helicopter onto the roof and prompted Luther to jump in, Amy had a bit of complication, but in the end managed to enter the helicopter and took off.
"I'm Captain Logan from Mobile Task Force Omega-1. We directly serve your dad's organization within the foundation, he sent us here." The now-identified Captain sat down in one of the chairs inside the helicopter. He received a nod from Luther who identified him.
Logan was a tall man with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked around 30-ish years old and was an average man.
"Where's my father? Is he okay?" Luther asked in a loud voice that was barely heard by the Captain. "That's a good question, " the captain said and proceeded to activate the radio on his shoulder. "Alpha Detachment to Site Overwatch. Status on Inquisitor and Beta Detachment?"
"Zz... Site Overwatch to Alpha Captain. Inquisitor presumed KIA, Inquisitor enacted Article XVI section A.1 Code 2 of the Emergency scenario handbook. He designated the kid." The radio buzzed, stating that Luther's father may have been killed in action.
"What do you mean with KIA? And my men? Captain Temaji?" Logan worriedly asked through the radio. "Negative Captain. The last thing they communicated with us was that they were ambushed by an unknown enemy and that a horde was approaching." Site Overwatch finished.
"What do you mean my Dad's fucking dead?! Shit!" Luther cursed heavily as he scratched his head. He wouldn't break down crying because of the pride he had, but he was deeply affected by the loss. He still had hope, but in this situation, hope wasn't useful at all. "I'm sorry kid. I lost friends there too- I know this is not the time, but you must know what Article XVI means." Logan started explaining.
"Article XVI means that the Chairman/Chairwoman has the right to designate an emergency Chairman in case of imminent termination. In this case, you. This was created in situations where the Committee was in grave danger, and that there might be untrustable personnel within the High Ranking of the organization."
Luther sank all that information in as he stared blankly at the now-infested streets of Atlanta. Memories of his father flashed through his mind like a tremendous storm. Amy comforted him as she hugged him tightly.
...
The helicopter began its descent on a helipad outside the Site. Another helipad was there with another Blackhawk helicopter. Luther could see the entrance. Around 40 men guarded the outside with a surveillance post that protected a massive gate that could fit in at least three SUVs at once. That was the entrance to the site itself. Being relatively hidden and disguised as a government facility, no one could tell who owned the place.
As the helicopter nicely landed, the doors were opened by the 2 soldiers accompanying Logan, and they exited the vehicle. When Luther stepped down, he was received by a man in a coat who looked around the age of 31 and was greeted by him.
"Sir. Pleasure meeting you. I'm Andre, the Site Director. What happened to your father was unfortunate." Andre extended his hand to the Site Director, as they walked down to the Blast gates of the site.
During the walk, Andre explained everything he should know about the foundation and the EC. Amy, who was there and silent as a lamp, carefully listened to the explanation of the man in front of him. As Luther walked around, he saw some of the men protecting and working around looking at him with judging eyes. No wonder a 23-year-old boy became the leader of the organization they had worked for years.
The massive blast gates opened and they were met with the main reception, where there were 30 or around so many people. Andre guided them through and toured the site, it was well equipped, with many rooms for entertainment, generators, an armory, and so on. It was decently equipped. Luther looked around the area they were entering, now, a more serious aura was giving off, with people running around with reports and soldiers walking on and off. Until they reached a room called "Site Overwatch" where the main communications and plans of the committee were executed and scheduled. A big room with a map of the USA in the middle, marking all the secret foundation sites and numerous screens depicting different information.
"Hello. I'm Lieutenant General Erwin, leader of the Omega-1. It is a pleasure meeting you, Chairman. And sorry for your loss, sir." A 25-ish-year-old-looking man interrupted the tour, who received a formal salute from Luther and continued with his duties.
Erwin was recently promoted since the previous General died traveling to Site-02, he was an inexpert kid who looked above average, with a towering height and blonde hair, he looked like an elite soldier, but in reality, he previously was a Captain of the Charlie Detachment of the Omega-1. Andre then signaled some stairs where there was the hall that led to the High Command quarters, where he was left in his quarters. Amy had been split up at the entrance and was now in the common zone of the Site.
"That is it, sir. If you need more information, there are documents and manuals about the Foundation and the committee in your quarters, as well as common information regarding your position. We need your presence in a meeting of the High Command at 3 PM. I recommend you get your thoughts straight and analyze the situation. I know this is hard, but we need you, sir.
Luther didn't utter a word and was left in the average-looking quarters. It looked quite luxurious to any normal person who lived on the Site, but to Luther, it didn't look that good. Luther then showered, dressing in some of his father's clothes. He now wore a casual outfit, with casual shoes and elegant clothes. He sank in the bed, as he spotted the mini library, and began reading information about the foundation.
...
Within a room adjacent to the Overwatch room, there was a big table with around 9 seats, each with a special name tag to identify them, there was from "Chairman" to "Engineer General" each seat being filled with a person respective to their role. Present, there was General Erwin, Captain Logan, Director Andre, and the other 5 important personnel for the functioning of the site. At the last chair, which was empty, the tag described that the Chairman was to sit there.
The room was pitch silent, with 2 Omega-1s guarding the simple metal door. In an unexpected rush, Luther opened the door, entered the room, and met the High Command members. As he walked to his seat, he stared at the pictures on the walls that depicted several foundation historical events, but this wouldn't last long as he quickly managed to sit down.
"Hello- Gentlemen. I know my presence here has come in a rush and a sudden shock, and that many of you have doubts about my place here. I do so too- But there's nothing left rather than going forward. I'm here to address the current situation, respond to any questions, and steer the direction of this ship." Luther said nervously as he stared at some of the intimidating men- who looked at him with judging eyes.
"Hello, sir. As you have met me before, I'm Site Director Andre. And, I have some doubts about the direction this organization will take, and as we may know, the foundation in itself has been dissolved, with the O5 council disappearing alongside The Administrator." Andre spoke in a strong tone that gained nods from everyone in the room.
"Okay, let's start with that." Andre muttered "Well, yes, you're correct. The foundation will no longer exist under the traditional banner, instead, we will denominate and act upon the name of the Foundation, in hopes of mildly restoring what the world was. It's been around 3 days since the infection began, and we need to decide what will we do." Luther ended.
"Sir, if I may suggest." Lieutenant General Erwin raised his hand "These early stages of the virus are deadly. The muscular tissue of the infected personnel is still intact due to the recent infection, and the undead personnel are extremely deadlier, considering SCP-008 also increases the host's strength. I suggest that for now, we retain Isolation for a good enough time. We have supplies, according to the quartermaster, for around 6 months."
"I like that observation. We will do that, but first, I need to know we're on the same page, you all acknowledge that humanity has now collapsed and that the human beings that remain will not always be friendly." Luther paused "That's why I propose that we arm ourselves until we come Army level. What's the status of our weapon supply?" Luther asked.
"Well, sir. I'm Quartermaster Lorenzo, let me tell you about that." A short Italian man in his 30s spoke, raffling through some documents. "Up until now, we have over 300 small firearms, which range from pistols to submachine weaponry. Over 140 of those are used by the Site Security." He paused, reading some of the documents. "To our more capable force, we have the Omega-1. We have around 87 SOPMOD style weaponry, and several high caliber snipers and DMRs." The quartermaster explained. "Apart from that, we have over 12 capable vehicles, 6 undercover armored SUVs, 4 MRAPs, and 2 LAV-25s used for Site Defense." Lorenzo ended.
"Those are relatively good numbers. We can defend ourselves, but the issue is that other people or groups will end up stealing high-grade technology such as armored tanks or helicopters. We must acquire such tools before they do. The military is still actively fighting the infection, so now jumping at the army would be a mistake our best bet is that we steal it after the military falls. Another concern is the other sites, the probability of people attempting to secure the sites for refugees is high. They won't know about the anomalous creatures." Luther thoroughly explained the situation. "We must move and secure the nearest site once we have enough strength. We need to make sure the anomalies keep off the general public." Luther finished as he stood up, gaining the attention of the room.
"Plan will be the isolation. Keep ourselves safe, and avoid other groups. We must assume we're the only lawful people left in the country." Luther solemnly explained as everyone stood in attention. "Very well then, sir. I will order the men to bring in all the external vehicles and to bring in the birds. Thankfully they're the variant that can be easily stored in tight places." Andre openly said as he fidgeted with a pen that was on the metal table "I will make sure nothing is left outside that can give us away, and when you order, we expand on the outsiders."
"I like that idea. The birds are a great addition to our overall schematic, only massive organizations will have the capacity to have those, and until now we will only face smaller-scale groups and our air power will result deadly." Luther explained, sounding like a true war tactician.
...
After the meeting, Luther decided to go to the common room, where most of the survivors were eating dinner, as it was late at night. He decided to walk around the survivors, where he received stares of respect and doubt. He looked at the people around him, he could tell they had hope, and he was not going to defraud them. He kept looking around, until he found his friend, Amy, who was arguing with a guard.
"You need to let me go! I need to find my sister!" She yelled, to which the guard simply did not budge. Holding his P90, simply told her to back off, both of them after spotting Luther, decided to stop arguing for a moment and decided to greet Luther. Amy greeted him more warmly, but the guard, as a soldier he was, saluted the man.
"Before you say anything, Amy. I need you to understand you're here for YOUR safety, but If you truly wish to leave, you can. But we won't help you. As simple as that." Luther said straightly and coldly, receiving a face of surprise and sadness from his friend, who only stared until she could utter some words.
"You may be right, but you must understand that is MY sister!" Amy yelled, causing a fuzz within the dining hall. She was pulled to a room apart by Luther, who gave up trying to convince her. He understood her reasoning, and if she truly wanted to leave, she could become an issue for the Site later on. "Alright. Amy, I will let you go. But please, keep yourself safe."
Luther understood the risks of letting her go, but she had a good reason, her sister, she had to even try to find her, the only piece of her family that was left was out there, and she had to know where, or if she was alive or dead. At last, Luther accompanied her to one of the emergency exits of the Site, before saying goodbyes, Luther gave her a pistol in case she ever needed it. And she was gone, in the blink of an eye.
Luther sat down in one of the many chairs of the Overwatch room and stared at the screens. The site counted with satellite and antenna communication in case of any emergencies. With the help of a Cyberwarfare specialist, they were able to see the feed of the cameras of Atlanta. They could see hundreds of people fighting for their lives, some were even part of the military that was sent to deal with the outbreak.
The scene was chaos, and by order of Luther, commanded the Overwatch screens to tune in other important information. Luther kept meeting other leaders and important people on the site, and slowly gained the trust of some of the High Command, and as night fell, everyone headed out to their quarters.
As Luther sat down on what was his father's desk, in his quarters, he stared at the map of Georgia. Deciding where or what to go for after the 1-month period was over. He stared at the two nearest cities, which were Athens and Columbus. Athens was closer, but Columbus had Fort Benning, a place where they could find all the necessary equipment to ensure supremacy over any of their adversaries.