GET UP! Lilith screamed in Gonzalez's mind. GET UP YOU 
STUPID BITCH! FIGHT FOR ME! 


The roaring suddenly stopped. Gonzalez blinked several times and 
looked around. Lilith floated a few feet away, her form having 
changed from an orb to the pink silhouette of Dr. Cameron Hayes. 


Sandra... the silhouette whispered. Fight for me... 


Lilith then slowly drifted above the group and disappeared with a 
loud pop, the MTF's minds filled with the sound of a blaring tuba. 


For the next several moments the entire MTF was silent. Each 
member taking in the proceeding incident with various combinations 
of exhausted sighs and worried murmurs. Turner helped Gonzalez 
to her feet. The xenobiologist removed her hand from her pocket. 
Three small trickles of blood ran from where the pendant had dug 


deepest into her palm. A few seconds later, Baldric and Wells 
approached. 


"Sandra," Baldric said in transit, "I'm so sorr..." 


The anthropologist didn't get to finish his sentence. As soon as he 
was in range, Gonzalez slammed her bloody fist into his face. As 
Baldric fell back, the crowd descended into an incoherent jumble of 
shouting. 


"You bastard," Gonzalez shouted. Turner held her back to prevent 
any follow up punches. Tears ran down her cheeks as she once 
again violently shook her head, the sticky feeling of Lilith's presence 
still lingering in her mind. "I told you that this is exactly what was 
going to happen! Now that thing is going to alert the natives! You're 
leading us right to the slaughter!" 


Gonzalez attempted to shake herself loose from Turner's grip, her 
eyes bloodshot as she hissed at Baldric. Before she could get loose, 
however, Wells approached from behind and forcefully gripped the 
woman in a tight bear hug, lifting her off the ground and beginning to 
carry her away from the rest of the group. The sergeant grunted as 
Gonzalez attempted to kick him, but he persevered. Gonzalez's 
struggle soon died down as she was carried away. 


"Candle, with me," Wells shouted. The medic quickly followed 
behind, the trio eventually coming to a stop several dozen meters 
away from the rest of the MTF. Without a word the medic proceeded 
to bandage Gonzalez's hand. 


"You going to punch me too?" Wells asked as he watched the medic 
work. "Cause | don't think you're going to lay me out as easily as you 
did poor Johna." 

Gonzalez didn't respond. Wells sighed. 

"Lilith sounded like Dr. Hayes to you, didn't it?” Wells continued. 


Gonzalez nodded. 


"Yeah... | thought so," Wells mumbled. He then turned to Candle. 
"What did it sound like to you, James?" 


Candle shook his head and chuckled. 
“It sounded like Blaire, sir.” 


"That's twisted..." Wells gave the medic a small smile. "It sounded 
like Director Kauffman to me." 


"Wow!" Candle laughed. "That's wrong on so many levels." 


"It sure is," Wells replied. "You see, Gonzalez, that's how Razumites 
operate. They get inside your head and move shit around. Needless 
to say they aren't delicate about it. You did a great job handling 
that..." 


Gonzalez closed her eyes, and turned her head away. 


"You have every right to be mad, scared, angry, what have you. | 
don't blame you for that. But, before you sprint back to the group 
and start taking Baldric's teeth out, | need you to remember three 
things. First, he's a good shot, so we'll need him when we finally 
arrive at Cronos. Second, if you're going to get mad at him, you 
might as well get mad at me; | helped mastermind this idea. Third, if 
you're so gung-ho on kicking Johna's ass, you need to wait until we 
get back to Site-93. Even then, you're going to need to wait your 
turn. I'm first in line." 


The sergeant gave both Gonzalez and Candle a small nod before he 
began to walk back towards the rest of the MTF. 


"I'll leave you here with Candle. Take five to cool off. Once you 
return, the only thing you are allowed to do to Dr. Baldric is 
apologize." 


Without another word, Wells walked off, leaving the medic alone 
with his silent patient. 


Candle finished applying the bandage and smiled. “Good as new. 
Come on, Wells wants us to get going before we lose any more 
time.” 


Gonzalez nodded, and began to fall back in line. Along the way, she 
caught Turner’s eye, mouthing Thank you to her. The agent nodded 


and gave a small smile in return. 


Eta-13 then proceeded to move on, Cronos Outpost still far away. 


« We Boldly Went | Hub | What Happened Beneath Cronos » 


What Happened Beneath Cronos 


"He's going to find out," a young Joseph Bell sighed as he walked 
alongside Jeremy Walsh through a forested path on their way home 
from school. "And when he does he's going to kick our ass." 


Joseph and Jeremy had grown up together close as brothers, 
sharing interests in invention and science. By the time they had 
reached high school, few could recall seeing one without the other. 
Co-president's of the schools A/V club. Stage Manager and 
Assistant Stage Manager. Joseph and Jeremy seemed attached at 
the hip. 


"We covered our tracks," Jeremy replied with a confident smile. 
"Trust me. This time we won." 


Unfortunately, in addition to sharing interests, the two also shared 
tormentors in the form of Gregory Henry and his band of friends. 
From elementary school onward, the lumbering burnout had pushed 
the two of them around. Now, having had enough, Jeremy had 
managed to plant a package of his mother's cigarettes in Gregory's 
locker and left an anonymous tip to the vice principal. By the end of 
the day, their bully had been suspended. 


"You just need to relax." Jeremy continued his attempt to erode his 
friend's pessimism. "Appreciate the fact that our foe has been 
vanquished." 


Joseph nodded, his worried frown slowly turning up into a smile, 
which then turned into a laugh. 


"How'd you even get the pack of cigarettes into his backpack?" 
"It was easier than you might think." Jeremy replied, "First I..." 


Jeremy was cut short by a rock crashing into the back of his head. 
Joseph turned to see Gregory Henry step out of the woods and onto 


the trail. 


He knew. 


Within a violet sky, an unfamiliar sun rose above distant pine forests, 
as Researcher Joseph Bell brushed a grimy lock of his messy dark 
hair out of his eyes and looked ahead as one might look upon a 
cemetery. Around him, the surviving members of MTF Eta-13 
behaved similarly. The ruins of Cronos Outpost stretched out before 
him, beside a large lake surrounded by pristine meadows and 
scrublands. 


"So..." said Bell to the tall, lanky medic who stood beside him. "Here 
we are?" 


"Here we are," James Candle sighed. 


Eta-13 continued to look on in silence. Fourteen separate sets of 
eyes scanned the burnt-out buildings below. A large hill sat at the 
center of the outpost, with a concrete bunker built into its side. Its 
open blast door gave Bell the impression of a gaping mouth. The 
sound of Sgt. Darren Wells clearing his throat broke the spell the 
ruins seemed to cast over the task force, and all at once the group 
faced their tall, stocky commanding officer. 


"Welcome to Cronos Outpost, ladies and gentlemen," Wells said. "If 
all goes according to plan, we'll be back within The Gate within the 
hour. From there Site-93 is a hop, skip, and a jump away." 


The members of Eta-13 gave a short unanimous sigh of relief. It had 
been a hard and unexpected journey, but now the end was in sight. 
A short anthropologist standing next to Wells adjusted his glasses 
and looked towards Candle. 


"You and Blaire were the last ones here, James," Dr. Johna Baldric 
asked the medic. "Any idea if we should be expecting anything 
inside?" 


Candle gave a tired chuckle and shrugged. 


"We barely got out of the Gate when the natives attacked, so we 


scheduled study sessions with Dr. English and Dr. Sarlin. -O5- 
Note: Yes, there is academic speculation about whether or not 
current translations of religious texts match the original messages of 
the same text. No, SCP-758 will not be used to find out. It just 
doesn't matter that much to us, so stop asking. - O5- 


Research Log 758 


/ /19 - thas now been three (3) weeks since | was assigned to 
research SCP-758's ability. To date no progress has been made as 
the subject is either unwilling or unable to interact with my staff. - Dr. 
English 


/ /19 -Wehave begun leaving texts in SCP-758's quarters in 
hopes he will happen upon them in his own time, rather than 
attempting to coerce him. - Dr. Sarlin 


/ /19 -SCP-758 has begun making corrections to the texts we 
leave in his quarters and is also beginning to show some signs of 
recognition and trust towards Dr. Sarlin and myself. This is currently 
the limitation of his interaction. Thus far we have only provided the 
subject with modern terrestrial languages. - Dr. English 


/ /19 - Yesterday the subject was provided computer coding for 
the first time. Not sure of his abilities with a computer, the coding 
was printed on normal paper. The Subject simply stared at it with a 
confused look on his face. Today he was placed at a computer 
terminal with the same code on screen and after a few moments he 
began correcting errors in the code. - Dr. English 


/ /19 - Today tests with dead languages and languages 
suspected to be of extra-terrestrial or extra-dimensional origin 
began. SCPs with knowledge of such languages, including SCP- 
and SCP-_ were asked to provide us with two samples of each 
language for comparison, one that was, to their knowledge, properly 
written and one that had a number of technical errors with a varied 
spectrum of subtlety. All SCPs complied with our request without 
resistance. SCP-758's ability once again proved effective. - Dr. 
Sarlin 


/ /19 - Today the idea was brought up that SCP-758's ability 


really didn't get a good look at what was left around. There could be 
supplies in the bunker, then again there could also be a trap. | 
honestly have no idea." 


Both Wells and Baldric looked to each other and frowned. 


"Security, stick to your researcher. Turner will take point. | want all of 
you to be ready for a fight if it comes to it," Wells ordered. 
"Apologies to the tourists in the group, but we're cutting a line 
straight to the bunker. Get in, get out, go home." 


The task force silently took their positions, and began to descend 
into the awaiting ruins. Bell tightly held his pistol as he took several 
deep breaths. He could hear Candle chuckle next to him as they 
walked. 


"How you liking your first trip into the Gate?" Candle asked. 
"Everything you hoped?" 


"Scenery was beautiful, but | got attacked by mechanical spiders, 
and pestered by a rude thought monster," Bell replied with an 
exhausted smile. "Zero out of ten, would not recommend." 


A few years before he had joined the SCP Foundation, Researcher 
Bell and a few of his college friends had taken a brief trip to New 
Orleans. There, he had gone on a few guided tours of the old 
cemeteries within the city. The experience had left him with the 
feeling of all his actions being watched. Now, as he walked among 
highly trained task force members through the charred ruins of what 
had been a relatively fortified outpost, that feeling returned. 


We're almost there... Bell thought to himself. His hands held his 
pistol tightly and his eyes constantly scanned the surrounding 
environs for any sign of the mirror headed natives. Almost there... 
Almost... there... 


The agent who had taken point, a slender woman named Jia Turner, 
arrived at the open blast door. In a fluid motion, she activated her 
flashlight and scanned down the dark tunnel within. Eventually she 
gave a Satisfied nod, and signaled the task force to proceed. Within 


moments the entire group was upon the threshold. 


From his position in the formation, Bell could overhear Baldric speak 
to Wells in a hushed voice. 


"We even going to bother trying to get the power back on?" 
"Is it necessary?" Wells asked in response. 


"It will make moving through the confined concrete corridors safer. 
Not to mention if any of the interior doors are sealed... | mean, this 
is why the task force has engineers, isn't it?" 


"Would you even know where to look?" 
"| have a rough idea, a lot of these bunkers have similar layouts." 
"So be it then. Just do it quick." 


Baldric and Wells then turned back to the rest of the task force. 
Baldric's eyes scanned the many faces before he finally called out a 
list of names. 


"Bell, Gonzalez, Murphy, Harris. You're with me!" 


Joseph sat on his bed in the dark, his breathing heavy as he tried to 
remember the events of the last hour. 


He remembered a rock sailing through the air and pelting Jeremy in 
the back of his head, knocking him down to the trail floor. He 
remembered Gregory Henry stepping out of the forest with several 
friends, a stream of slurs directed at Jeremy and Joseph leaving his 
mouth as his friends threw rocks of their own. He remembered 
getting hit in the leg and shoulder, his body turning and starting to 
run, but then everything went blank. The next thing he remembered 
he was sprinting up his street and into his house. No Jeremy. No 
Gregory. A pang of revulsion struck him at that moment as he 
realized he had left his best friend behind. Joseph proceeded to 
vomit, and then crawled to his bed. 


"Coward!" 


A voice from the front yard prompted Joseph to look out his window. 
A battered and bloody Jeremy stood on the lawn below looking 
back. 


"You fucking coward!" Jeremy yelled again. 


Joseph slinked away from the window and back onto his bed. He 
closed his eyes and waited as Jeremy yelled three more times at his 
house, and eventually limped away. Joseph felt tears of shame roll 
down his cheek. 


"I'm a fucking coward," he repeated to himself in the dark. 


Agent Turner watched with an amused smile as Baldric, Bell, anda 
handful of others descended into the dark confines of the Cronos 
Bunker. Their flashlights were visible, bouncing in the dark, until they 
disappeared around a corner, leaving the rest of the task force just 
inside the bunker entrance to stand guard. 


"In Cronos, no one can hear you scream,” Turner joked in a 
monotone voice as the crew sent to turn on the power finally 
vanished. Candle rolled his eyes and shook his head. 


"First off, that joke doesn't make sense," Candle replied. His hand 
held his rifle tight as he kept his eyes on the surroundings. 
"Secondly, that's pretty low hanging fruit. How do you do it?" 


"Trade secret, sorry," she answered, smiling as she got Candle to 
smile. "Think it will take them long?" 


Candle prepared to answer, but then froze. In the distance the 
sound of blaring trumpets could be heard. Candle quickly pulled up 
his binoculars and looked out over the lake. A swarm of twenty 
beings rapidly sailed towards them, each covered in a brownish- 
green cloak with no feet dangling beneath them. A spherical mirror 
took the place of a face beneath their hoods. Each carried a black 
crossbow. 


The natives had arrived. 


"Not long at all, | hope!" Wells responded to Turner's inquiry as he 


grabbed a walkie-talkie on his person. "Baldric, get your ass in gear! 
We got company!" 


"| think its worth mentioning that I'm not an electrical engineer," Bell 
told Baldric as they moved through the darkness. 


"I'm an anthropologist, Gonzalez is a xenobiologist, and the others 
are skilled at punching holes in things with tiny bits of metal," Baldric 
replied without looking back. "We're all out of our element here." 


"Right..." 


"We'll be fine," Baldric continued, "The kind of generators they have 
in these places are idiot proof. You'll figure it out." 


"I'm sure," Bell replied. 
"Baldric, get your ass in gear! We got company!"