Your Line comes into our territory uninvited, accompanied by an 
army of Camdorians, and then demand custody of our guests? Teyo 
hissed. You disrespect this Line, and the rule of Queen Cheyka. You 
will get nothing! 


The Hand agent held up a clenched fist, which then burst into a ball 
of crackling blue energy. 


"We will take them by force if we must." 


The cavern then briefly filled with the sound of chittering among the 
Oldomerites, but then stopped. 


So be it, Felkata... 


The cavern erupted into a thunder of gunfire as the Oldomerites 
attached to the surrounding cavern walls took aim on the 
Camdorians and opened fire. The Camdorians let out a chorus of 
blazing trumpet wails, and flew into the cavern to engage their 
insectoid foes. The sound of gunfire and crossbows firing was 
occasionally interrupted by sounds of shattering glass, grand pianos 
crashing down stairs, and the death chitters of Oldomerites crashing 
down the walls into the depths below. 


"Formation!" Wells barked over the din of combat. Eta-13 quickly 
rose to their feet, turned, and in turn, opened fire upon the Hand 
agents now attempting to cross the bridge. One of the Hand agents 
raised their arms, a bright red field appearing in front of them 
blocking the Task Force's bullets. Another Hand agent used a knife 
to slice his arm open, the blood that poured out quickly turning to 
purple electricity which he shot forward in a massive arc. While most 
of the task force was able to duck in time, a researcher and security 
agent were hit and sent screaming in pain over the side of the bridge 
and into the depths below. 


Klakata Teyo! Turner shouted within her mind as she reloaded her 
rifle. Throw me over their shield! 


The Oldomerite officer nodded, quickly scurrying forward, rifle in one 
hand, and grabbing Turner with the other. With a massive jerk, 
Teyo's skeletal arm flung the agent forward, her slender frame flying 
above the hand agents and over their defense. She landed with a 
acrobatic roll, turning as she landed and firing off a burst into the 
back of the Hand agent producing the force field. The Hand agent 
fell forward, dead. At this same moment, the last of the Camdorians 
was gunned down by the Oldomerites, its lower body violently 


cracking as it was sucked into a hole an Oldomerite marksman had 
made within its mirrored head. 


The two remaining Hand agents looked to one another, to the MTF 
that stood before them, and finally to Teyo. They raised their arms in 
surrender, and began to kneel. 


Once, long ago, when this Line was still bound to the string and 
stick, the Camdorians could push us around. Teyo lectured as she 
approached the would be invaders. But that was in the past, and the 
Camdorians have no more power here than you. 


The Oldomerites on the walls loaded their next shots in unison, then 
trained their rifles on the Hand agents. 


Keep that in mind the next time you wish to start wars between 
worlds. Now, be gone. 


The Hand agents remained motionless for several moments but 
then rose, and vanished in puffs of black smoke. 


Come now Klakatas, Teyo said, beckoning Eta-13 to cross the 
bridge. Let us get your Line to your Hill. Giving us the opportunity to 
put those Felkatas in their place was toll enough. 


The two Hand agents made their way through the depths of the 
Hydra's Spine in a fuming silence. Months of planning, acquiring 
supplies, gathering enough Camdorian volunteers had been wasted. 
It was unlikely they'd get quite as good a shot at the Jailors as this 
for a long time. 


"What do we do now?" One of the Hand agents asked in a guttural 
voice. 


"We go back to square one,” the other replied in a deep voice. "We 
spy, we stalk, we find out what we need to know, then we attack 
again. We rinse and repeat enough times, the Jailors will be driven 
out of the Spine.” 


"They'll be expecting future ambushes though," the first agent 
commented as he shook his head. "It'll get harder and harder each 


time." 


"It sure will, but it's all worth it in the end. This place deserves to be 
free from the Jailors and their oppression. The peoples of the 
Hydra's Spine deserve to be free, even if some of them don't want to 
be." 


The two agents then turned around a bend in the passage. Their exit 
into the Wanderer's Library was nearby. To their surprise, standing 
in the middle of the passage was another Hand agent dressed 
exactly as they were, waiting for them to arrive. 


"You two really screwed the pooch this time," said the third agent. 
"Unauthorized aggression against the Jailors... Getting a fellow 
member of the Hand killed... Leading a Camdorian invasion of the 
Oldomerite Hill... Oldomerite delegates to the Library have already 
petitioned for you to be banished." 


"They can't do that!" The guttural agent protested. "They have no 
authority in the Library. That's bullshit!" 


"They can, and have," the third agent replied. "You two were 
officially banished as of thirty minutes ago." 


"No..." 


"Yes," the third agent sighed. She then proceeded to hand out two 
bronze gears to her banished comrades. "Vance wanted me to give 
these to you. You can use them a few exits back to get back to 
Earth. Seattle to be specific. You're on your own from there." 


Without another word, the third agent stepped through the near by 
door, then vanished into the Wanderer's Library, leaving her former 
friends behind. The two banished Hand agents stood in shock for 
several moments, contemplating their next move. 


"So..." said the guttural agent as he examined the bronze gear 
"Back to square one?" 


"Back to square one," the agent with the deep voice replied. "Fuck it. 
Guess we have to do this alone from here on out." 


It was raining at Site-93 when MTF Eta-13 stepped through the 
Gate, and back onto Earth. Five weeks later, and eleven members 
fewer, they returned to little fanfare. Instead, they were greeted by 
the stares of construction workers, and the silent authority of the 
quarantine team. One by one, each member of Eta-13 was taken to 
their own quarantine cell. It would be another week before they were 
free. One week of nothing but relaxing in private cells, away from 
clockwork spiders, Razumite mind games, and the wrath of native 
inhabitants of hostile worlds. The members of Eta-13 could not have 
been happier. 


Baldric and Wells 


"Well, that could have been worse," Baldric said with a heavy sigh 
as he and Wells left Director Kauffman's office. 


"He yelled at us for nearly an hour," Wells commented, walking 
along side his friend as they headed towards the Site cafeteria. 
"Can't say that | blame him though, the whole incident could have 
been handled a lot better." 


"Also could have been handled a lot worse,” Baldric replied with a 
shrug. "We could have all died. Kaufman should be glad we didn't 
end up like Blaire. You got us through in mostly one piece." 


"Maybe..." 


Along the way they passed a small wall that was covered in bronze 
plaques. Each one had the name of a Foundation employee killed 
within the Gate Passage. Wells cringed as he watched one of the 
workers finish putting up the last of eleven new additions to the list. 
He felt Baldric put a hand on his shoulder. 


"If it's any consolation," said the anthropologist, "you'll probably get 
an approval on that security increase you proposed before we left." 


Baldric gave Wells a sad chuckle. 
Wells responded with a melancholy smile. 


"Come on," he finally said. "Lets get some coffee. We're going to be 


burning the midnight oil for a bit with all the paperwork this is going 
to create." 
Gonzalez 


Dr. Gonzalez sighed and hesitantly stepped into the Site-93 botany 
lab. There, a short, blonde, botanist named Dr. Cameron Hayes 
looked up from her desk as though she had seen a ghost. 


"Hey," she said. 
"Hey," Gonzalez replied. 
"You came back..." 


Gonzalez held up the tulip pendent that hung around her neck and 
grinned. 


"Tulips are perennials. They always come back." 


Within the blink of an eye, Hayes has crossed the room, wrapping 
Gonzalez into a tight hug. 


"| was so worried I'd see your name on the wall when Eta-13 finally 
returned..." 


"Wow," Gonzalez chuckled as she ran a finger through Hayes' hair, 
"thanks for the vote of confidence." 


Hayes laughed softly, grinning sheepishly at her companion. 


"I'm here now, though," Gonzalez added. "No place else I'd rather 
be." 


Hayes rested her head on the Gonzalez’s shoulder and softly 
hummed. 
Bell and Turner 


Joseph Bell stood alone before the wall bearing the names of fallen 


Eta-13 members. It was late into the night, and aside from the 
occasional custodial staff he was the only soul in sight. His eyes 
remained plastered on one particular plaque. 


James Candle 
Medical Officer 
33 Gate Entries 


"What part about it is eating you the most?" 
"Jesus!" 
Bell turned with a start to find Jia Turner standing beside him. 


"Do you ever stop doing that to people?!?" Bell asked. Turner simply 
laughed and shook her head. 


"Nope. But seriously, what's the part about the whole Candle thing 
that's eating you the most?" 


Bell sighed, and turned back to the plaque. 


"Probably the part where | made a decision to help the task force 
that resulted in me killing the closest thing | had to a friend. I'd say 
that's a thing that's really ‘eating me." 


"Don't waste your venom on me, champ," Turner replied. "And | told 
you before, you didn't kill Candle, he took that path himself. Guy had 
a thing for heroics." 


Bell shook his head. 
"If | hadn't accepted Lilith's deal..." 
"Candle would have offered up his own key instead." 


"Oh for fuck sake, just leave me alone!" Bell snapped. "Shouldn't 
you be stalking Wells, or Baldric, or something?" 


Turner sighed. 


"I'm going to let you in on a secret kid," she said. "How much did 


Candle tell you about his and Blaire's last run?" 


"Where is this going?" Bell gave a confused sneer. "How is that 
relevant?" 


"Just humor me, alright?" 


"Not a hell of a lot. Blaire's Eta-13 went to investigate Cronos, the 
team got slaughtered, Candle and Blaire made a run for a Gate, and 
Blaire got nabbed on the way. What's your point?" 


"Candle left Blaire for dead on that run," Turner answered. "I think 
I'm the only one he told. Don't know why. But that secret's was 
eating away at him, bad. Guess this move was a way for him to 
redeem himself. You didn't kill him, kid. The man has had a death 
wish for years." 


Bell's mouth hung open in shock. He sighed deeply, then slumped to 
the floor beneath the wall of plaques. Turner took a seat next to him. 


"Truth's a bitch, isn't it." 
Bell nodded. 


"Is that what happens to you when you stick with the Tourists long 
enough?" 


"| don't know. Maybe?" Turner shrugged. "Guess the only way to 
find out is to beat Candle's entry record." 


She got to her feet and offered Bell a hand up. 


"| bet you could do it, if you wanted. God knows you're about as 
brave and as stupid as Candle was." 


Bell gave a small smile and accepted the hand up. Turner gave him 
a satisfied nod and began to walk away. 


"Where are you going?" Bell asked. 


"Have to go stalk Wells, or Baldric, or something. You take care, 
kid." 


Bell nodded with a chuckle and watched her exit the building and 
vanish into the night. 


« What Happened Beneath Cronos | Hub 


Parable of the Wayward Prince 


Maria Jones looked at the draft on her computer. 


MEMORANDUM 

FROM: Maria Jones, Director, Records and Information 
Security Agency 

TO: Jack Bright, Director, Human Resources 

RE: Incident KB-615, events at Site 38 


Director Bright, 


As requested, all relevant information with regards to 
Event KB-615. On a personal note, Jack, please keep 
some of an open mind. | am aware of what your opinion 
of David was before this, and I'm sure this didn't help, but 
keep in mind what this cost him but please try to 
remember that he didn't intend for any of this to happen. 


—Director Jones 


She saved the draft. She would edit it more in the morning. 
Relevant Articles 


For background reading: 


SCP-877 
SCP-961 
SCP-1043 
SCP-1080 
SCP-1546 
SCP-1893 


Preludes 


In which relevant characters and concepts are introduced: 


SCP-759: Sourdough Starter 


Item #: SCP-759 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: All samples of SCP-759 are to 
be stored in wide-mouthed, airtight ceramic or glass-lined 
containers. Samples are to be kept at temperatures no lower than 
0.9 °C and no higher than 11.4 °C unless in active use. Once per 
week, the following procedure is to be observed by the assigned 
personnel for each active sample: 


- Record date/time of feeding, feeder name, and feeder emotional 
state at time of feeding 

- Open sample container 

- Record visual/olfactory condition of sample 

- Pour off and retain upper layer of liquid OR stir into main sample 
as assigned by Foundation orders 

- Remove 125 g of sample in an airtight inert container- retain for 
Ongoing analysis or other use as required 

- Add 125 g unbleached, unbromated all-purpose white flour and 
125 g pure distilled water 

- Stir with clean, unpainted wooden implement until fully 
incorporated 

- Seal container and return to cold storage 


All removed samples are to be tracked and accounted for. 


Description: SCP-759 is a 500-gram mass of sourdough starter 
composed primarily of wheat flour and water. The starter's active 
component is an ongoing culture of wild yeasts (including Candida 
milleriand Saccharomyces exiguus) in symbiotic balance with 
multiple strains of Lactobacillus and Acetobacter organisms. The 
original sample first came to Foundation attention after a sudden 
spontaneous outbreak of attempted murders motivated by 
apparently baseless jealousy in [REDACTED] County, Vermont. 


The Three Conversations series: Smilers, Omicron, 
Numberless, and Decommissioning 

Address to the Students and Faculty 

Stray 

The Red Woodsman 

Hephaestus 

Stare 


Sammart sat on the rock, contemplating the apprentice 
sitting in the dirt before him. This was how the ritual 
went. This was how it had always gone. One who sees 
little, one who Sees Over. This was how the apprentice 
would ascend. 


"lam satisfied." Sammart placed his hands around a 
small engraving on the rock before him, an engraving of 
an amulet with a blood-red ruby at its center. "The 
Judgement of Abirt is satisfied as well. Rise and assume 
your position." 


Suppressing his natural delight at having passed his final 
Trial, Potas rose to his feet before the High Librarian. 


"Potas of the Fourth Cietu, you are trained and 
knowledgeable in the histories of our people, in the tales 
of the Old Ones, and in the lessons of our tribe, the 
lessons our fathers learned from their fathers, and that 
our granddaughters will learn from our daughters. You 
are now a Novice Librarian. Step forward and present 
your Baj." 


Potas stepped towards Sammart, the High Keeper of 
Legends, removed his shirt, and turned to give the older 
man easy access to his upper left chest. Sammart 
dipped a sharp needle in a vial of black ink (a glass vial, 
clearly from Before, and thus an irreplaceable artifact) 
and began to add to the rectangular tattoo below the 
other man's clavicle. He poked the ink into Potas's skin 
rapidly yet gently, a practiced motion from the dozens of 


times he had carried out the action. A third arrow added 
to the Holy Seal on the upper left, completing the 
symbol. A third line added in the center. The tattoo now 
read: 


ESPY FONSHUN 
POTAS NAME 
LAVAL ||| RASHAR 


Space was left for two more lines, should Potas be so 
blessed. Sammart's own tattoo has those lines, though 
the wrinkles made it difficult to see them at his advanced 
age. There would be few more of these rituals for 
Sammart. Perhaps none.