Soulless: Part 1 - SCP Foundation

Trevor pushed open a sliding door and entered the darkened room, looking around. A grey-haired man sitting at a conference table snapped his fingers impatiently and gestured for Trevor to join him. Trevor felt his heart rate increase as he inched closer to the table; he noticed a row of neatly arranged document folders. What's got him so worked up? Is it his cancer? I hate this feeling so much. I hate waiting.

"Mr. Castle?" Trevor said.

"Trevor, sit. I am not happy." The man said.

Despite the growing sense of dread, Trevor chose not to ask any questions. He figured that nothing was more frightening than Castle's rage. He briefly glanced into his boss's eyes, but he instantly diverted his gaze. What is it about those narrow, calculating eyes? Those cold eyes.

The door behind Trevor creaked open again, making him turn around in curiosity. Two men stepped into the room and joined him at the table. One man wore a balaclava that obscured his entire face except for his eyes, which were green. The other man, who was quite tall and thin, wore a metallic mask that had glowing, orange lenses.

"Boss, what's up?" The green-eyed man said.

"Trevor, these two will work with you for your next assignment: guests from our cartel associates. The tall one is Emil. The other one: Alex. Simple enough, no?" Castle said.

"Yes, Mr. Castle." Trevor said.

"If a single word leaves this room, I presume that I don't have to explain what would happen to all of you. This is strictly confidential, understood? "

"Understood, Mr. Castle." Trevor said.

"Got it, big man." Alex said.

Emil simply nodded.

Castle sighed in frustration then flipped open the first folder. The folder contained a set of photographs and documents; the majority of the documents were heavily redacted with black lines. Leaning in closer, Trevor scrutinized the photos. A giant blood splatter against a wall; a collection of limbs gathered near a dumpster; a skull with its jaw hanging off. The images didn't phase Trevor, so he wondered why his boss was so worked up. Nothing new here.

Castle pressed his hand against another folder then slid it across the table to the others. Trevor noticed that the file was labeled "September 7."

"Open it." Castle slammed his hand against the desk. "This material was taken from local police. It was supposed to be a routine transfer, and the nearest patrol was chasing a car thief 2 miles away. So why the hell were my assets turned into Halloween decorations? No one survived despite the fact that I had a squad of my finest guards there."

The room fell silent. Trevor looked around, expecting someone else to respond. Perhaps it was a rhetorical question?

Alex held a photo with both hands and turned it sideways, intrigued by the carnage. "Maybe… it was the work of a rat? An insider job, chief. It looks like a wild animal could've done this, too."

"That wasn't a question that I needed answered by the likes of you, you idiot. Your job is to listen and shoot." Castle scoffed. "The best investigators available are handling the question of who was behind it and why. You three will track down the culprit and make them regret their birth. I encourage you to make the most of your creativity. Remember: always make it slow, and make it symbolic. Those are the two guidelines for your job. If I can't guarantee the security of my transactions, that would be catastrophic for business. And more importantly, our partners will lose confidence. I cannot allow that to happen, so this job is more so deterrence than punishment.”

"What's the first step, boss?" Alex said.

"If you'd allow me to finish…" Castle produced a folded map from his jacket and showed it to the others. "There's a graveyard near the intersection between Carpenter street and South 5th Avenue. Arrive there around 3:00 am and walk along the route marked on the map. Then, look for someone walking alone who will drop two quarters as you pass by."

Castle stood up and snapped his fingers, and his minions exited the room together.

Red flipped open his burner phone and quickly dialed a number, leaning toward his window. As he awaited the caller on the other end, he checked his rear view mirror, side mirrors, then visually scanned the area around him. Good. They're alone.

A disguised voice began to speak.

“Agent Red, status?” The voice said.

“Three potential PoIs spotted, heading southbound. They appear to be males in their late 20s to early 30s of varying build and height—light-skinned and of indeterminate phenotype. All sporting dark hoodies and running pants. Possibly armed and dangerous, but they seem unaware of my presence.” Red said.

“They might just be prowlers—typical street thugs. Have you detected the anomaly yet?”

“Negative.”

“Initiate the active phase of investigation. If you detect the anomaly, record as much evidence as possible before withdrawing; maintain a distance of at least 50 meters at all times. Do not take unnecessary risks, as this is a low-priority object.”

“Noted. Will there by any backup?”

“You're alone, Agent. No forces are currently on stand-by at your location. Be careful.”

“Of course. Just another walk in the park, right?”

The call ended, and Red surreptitiously pushed the car door open and stepped outside. He double-checked his utility belt, inspecting his holstered Glock 19 and radio. Once the group turned the corner around a liquor store, Red began to slowly pursue them.

“You think the big boss is trying to get rid of us? It kind of hurts that he'd send us on this wild goose chase. What did I do wrong, huh?” Alex said.

“Shut up. Let's just keep following the route since we're halfway to the end. Keep your eyes peeled for our liaison.” Trevor said.

Emil stopped in his tracks then turned around, seeing nothing. His glowing lenses focused as he surveyed the area. In rapid succession, his visual system switched between night vision, thermal, and ultraviolet modes before he continued walking.

“What was that?” Trevor said.

“Being followed. Highly probable.” Emil said.

“Let me show you how it's done.” Alex said. “Oops, I dropped my wallet. Looks like I have to check behind.” Alex pulled out his wallet and threw it onto the floor, then walked past it. He made an exaggerated expression, then turned around to retrieve his wallet, discreetly looking down the street in that moment.

“Stop being a clown, Alex. If anyone's following us, they'll know for sure that we're onto them thanks to you.”

“Anyways, they'll need a lot more than a single goon.”

“For all we know, it's just the wind. Or Mr. Castle keeping tabs on us.”

Emil shook his head disapprovingly. He reached down for his handgun and pulled back the slide to ensure that a round was chambered.

Trevor continued walking along the route, passing a myriad of abandoned establishments and apartment complexes, along with the occasional shelter. He kept a keen eye on anyone of interest, but to his frustration, he only encountered vagrants begging for money or masked strangers trying to peddle narcotics.

What's the point of this? Is this really just a mission to nowhere? What if Castle put a hit on me? Did I say something wrong? Did he know…? Trevor's mind raced as he evaluated the possibilities of his situation.

As one of the men turned around, Red ducked behind a bus stop, hoping that he wasn't spotted. He continued to follow the trio from the opposite side of the road, using other pedestrians and street objects as visual cover.

His phone buzzed, so he opened it to check his notifications. He received a single message:

POTENTIAL PoIS HEADING TOWARD LOCATION OF ANOMALY. NEARBY SURVEILLANCE DRONE CONFIRMED UNUSUAL ACTIVITY. GROUP OF INTEREST LIKELY INVOLVED. STAY SHARP. SECOND FIELD AGENT DISPATCHED.

The plot thickens. Guess I might have to leave early.

As the group passed by a night club, Red saw one of the men retrieve change from the sidewalk and hand it to a security guard, who wagged his finger. The masked man was seemingly reprimanded by his associates.

A few moments later, the incident repeated itself. Red rubbed his eyes to ensure that what he was seeing was real. As the trio walked toward a convenience store, a young woman dropped two shiny coins in front of them. To Red, it seemed that she was counting money. However, the woman joined the group after several words were exchanged. The woman glanced in Red's direction briefly, but she didn't seem to spot him, causing Red to breathe a sigh of relief. As Red drew nearer, the group took a sudden turn into a gas station.

“What do you mean that you can't tell us? Can't or won't?” Trevor said.

“I can't. Castle must have utilized some sort of hypnotic effect to prevent me from uttering those words.” The woman said. She had introduced herself as Amy moments ago.

“But the point is that what we were told doesn't match your story, whatever it is. So I have a bad feeling about this.” Alex said.

"We all do." Amy said. “By the way, about that… guy.”

“Yeah, we got him. Just a little detour, then we'll head toward the fireworks. Like a moth to a flame.” Alex said.

"What…?" Amy said.

A bell rang as an individual in a trench coat pushed open the door, entering the cramped store. He zipped through the metal detector and immediately turned down one of the aisles. Trevor looked at Emil, who nodded.

Trevor took a turn and entered the aisle parallel to the stranger, and Emil circled around from the opposite direction. The newcomer froze when he realized that he was surrounded, but he tried to appear unbothered.

As the stranger slowly brought his hand down toward his belt, Emil pulled out his firearm and aimed it directly at the man's head. I barely even saw Emil move. That must've been a tenth of a second.

Trevor, Amy, and Alex also drew identical Beretta pistols, aiming at the man, who backed up against a refrigerator.

“I know why you're here… just listen.” The man said.

As the man reached for his wallet, the group of four unloaded their weapons on him. Emil shot the man through the head with several precise shots, while the others riddled him with bullets, striking his torso, legs, and arms. The refrigerator's glass door shattered and liquids sprayed everywhere from the stray bullets. A pool of blood quickly spread out from the body and crept down the trashed aisle.

Amy approached the corpse then searched it, finding his wallet and other equipment; Alex found the man's gun—a Magnum revolver—which he greedily pocketed. With a confused expression, Amy examined the man's ID.

“What's wrong?” Trevor said.

“I don't recognize this badge. And his 'ID card' is just a blank piece of paper with gibberish. How strange.” Amy said. “At least he's not a Fed, though. So, that's one less thing to worry about.”

Trevor headed toward the exit and slammed several stacks of cash onto the counter. The cashier, who was trembling uncontrollably and on the verge of tears, reluctantly accepted the money.

“Our guys will perform any clean-up duties. Just tell the cops that you didn't see what happened, and couldn't make out any faces, alright?” Trevor leaned in and narrowed his eyes. “Go home and see your family. Don't forget who we work for.”

“Y-yes, sir.” The cashier said.

Poor kid. But, I didn't have a choice. It's better to be cautious, anyways.

"I can't say that I'm surprised. This is the perfect place to do something that you wouldn't want your parents to know about." Amy said.

“This is it? Just some stupid old alleyways. And all these apartments are collecting dust.” Alex remarked.

“Stop complaining. Look around: why are there so many cars?” Trevor said.

“I don't know. But that guy we killed got a text 10 minutes ago. Apparently, he was supposed to bail out, and the situation became 'urgent.' I guess that happens when bullets start flying, eh?”

“It might be due to another reason.” Amy suggested. “Well, it was nice knowing you all…”

“Three sedans. Two SUVs. Two armored vans. Dubious.” Emil said.

A black sedan with tinted windows pulled up to the group, and several gunmen dismounted who had weapons slung over their shoulders. Two men carried MP5 submachine guns, while the third guard had a tactical shotgun with a drum magazine. They also wore ballistic helmets with night vision goggles and were covered in thick body armor.

“Damn…” Alex said.

“You're Castle's group, huh? Well, it's your lucky day. All of you are to investigate the alleyways until you catch the little fox who whacked our guys, but don't worry: we'll be waiting safely outside in case you need backup.” The guard said in a deep voice.

“You can't just use drones?” Amy said.

“They can easily be jammed or hacked, don't you know?”

“Of course. I'm sure that our safety is the number one priority here…”

Trevor shrugged, and his group entered the alleyway at gunpoint. Damn it. There was so much that I wanted to do. I wanted to get away from it all. Damn it. Damn it.

After about 15 minutes of walking, Trevor was practically surrounded by darkness, as the derelict city block barely had electricity. He noticed that his flashlight dimmed with each passing moment, making him worried that it would die soon. The other flashlights also continued to dim gradually. However, worse than the light issue was the growing stench of something rotting.

Turning to his left and right, Trevor noticed that everyone was slightly shaking except for Emil. Alex's eyes darted around nervously while Amy clutched her weapon way too tightly, but Emil showed no sign of worry. Only pure determination, composure, and focus. I bet this bastard has a resting heart rate right now. That is, if he has a heart. Doesn't he know that we're probably going to die?

A sharp squeak echoed through the alley, causing Alex to jump back. Directing his flashlight to the ground, Trevor caught sight of a rat scurrying behind some trash bags. Chicken. Above the pile of trash was an imprint in the brick wall in the shape of a person. The imprint, which was several centimeters deep, was full of congealed blood. As Trevor reeled from the putrid sight, he noticed the others turn their attention elsewhere.

Everyone halted. Alex cursed under his breath, then laughed for a moment. Trevor looked at him in annoyance.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a bronze statue of a bull rolled toward Trevor—a brazen bull. The statue had two primitive axles and made a squeaky sound as it moved along. Without notice, a pillar of steam shot out from the bull's nostrils, creating a horrible sound, which was a mixture of agonizing screams and a low-pitched bellow.

“That sounds like some twisted brass instrument.” Trevor said.

“An instrument from the depths of hell, perhaps.” Amy added.

“Someone inside. Still burning.” Emil said.

There was a crash as a nearby dumpster overturned. All at once, the alleyway seemed to come to life as several mechanical abominations emerged from the shadows. The clattering and grinding of metal came from all directions. Trevor nearly fainted from the sight, hoping that this was just a horrible nightmare.

A humanoid statue, whose chest cavity opened to reveal long, jagged spikes, made its way toward Trevor. It moved with great weight behind each step, yet it traveled deceptively fast. The entity's metallic face was contorted into a permanent expression of torment, but what stood out the most was its eyes. Its sunken eyes were piercing and inhuman, but conveyed no expression, just machine-like tenacity. I've seen those eyes before, haven't I?