"Word's come down from higher up, Billy," Maria said. "They want 
another shot at Omega-7. Calling it 'Project Resurrection’. A new 
team. MTF Alpha-9. 'Last Hope'." 


Billy smiled, half sardonically, half sincerely. "Remind me later that 
you ain't the only person not allowed to name shit from now on. Who 
else is getting tapped for this?" 


"High-ranking agents, the best of the best. William Lopez is on 
board." 


"Heard of him, vaguely. Don't give a shit. Who's getting tapped that | 
know? | know this ain't the first visit you made today." 


Maria sighed, resigning herself to the absence of information control 
at this point. "We have Noah, Pete, and Effy. Iris agreed to another 
go, too. Believe it or not, she was actually how the idea first got 
passed around." 


Billy stuck his tongue out at the first, shrugged at the second, and 
smiled at the last two. "You talked Fatima into this pigshit? I'm 
impressed. Ain't you just the luckiest." 


"You get what the mission is, Billy," Maria said, locking eyes with the 
towering giant. "You know several of the people. You're obviously in 
the sort of physical condition we need. The world is in some —" 
Maria stopped again. "We're in deep shit, Billy. You're one of the 
best we've got. Can you save our asses again?" 


Billy shrugged. "The club's doing fine. Rafael can take over 
management. My regulars will miss these unbelievable legs, but 
worse things have happened to better people. And | do miss my girl 


Iris." Billy reached back onto the stage and grabbed a leather 
satchel. "Sure, Maria, you've got yourself a deal. I'm a sentimental 
guy. Let's go blow shit up again." 


Folly 


"| was once assigned to SCP-058," Karlyle said. "Back then, it 
would rage throughout the day and the walls of the 
containment cage would bend until they would buckle and 
break, and new walls would be erected. There was talk of a 
possible breach, that they could not keep up with the beast 
indefinitely. There was discussion of terminating it. | was 
asked to intervene because of work | had done elsewhere. In 
this instance, | took a direct approach to the creature; what 
best can sedate it, one who only functions to eviscerate all 
that it can perceive?" 


"So | visited the site where it was held, and suggested they 
offer it a cow. The documentation describes this behaviour as 
feeding’, but it is not exact. No, the creature desires only 
mutilation. We offer the creature a cow, something it is 
capable of mutilating with no detrimental effect to our staff." 


"We fine-tuned this mechanism, over time. At first, it was cow 
every day. This proved to be too often; the blood-lust of the 
creature would whip it into a frenzy. Additional cow would only 
make the creature more destructive. So, we make the 
creature wait. Condition it to expect cow every other day, then 
every three. Soon, the creature spends its time waiting, 
knowing the moment will come. We have struck a balance 
with the creature, an exchange has been made. The creature 
is now controlled." 


Shirley Gillespie nodded slowly. "The creature could be 
trained." 


Karlyle smiled. "The creature could be utilized." 


"It is done, then. We are set on our path." 


Karlyle studied the message he had received that morning. The 
results of Council votes were secret, known only to those most 
directly affected. He had been surprised when he had received this 
one, before realizing it would have been strange if he hadn't. 


"It is," Joshua said. He stood in the shadow of Karlyle's office at 
Site-19, silent but for a few words. "The vote concluded last night." 


"You were there?" 
"No. That was not part of my assignment." 


Karlyle raised his eyes. "Very well. | assume this to mean that we 
have a new assignment, then?" 


Joshua nodded. 


"You do not seem overly enthused with the Council's decision." 
Joshua was a blank slate, but Karlyle had learned to read where 
lines had once been. "It there something bothering you, Joshua?" 


Joshua's eyes cut across the room like a sabre. "No. The actions of 
the Council are my actions. All that matters is the objective." 


"And yet, | received this notice early in the morning. You did not 
arrive until the afternoon, and | have never known you to be late. 
You were not with the Council during their vote, yes? You have not 
informed me of any other assignments, and | believe that | am your 
only, so where else would you be?" 


Karlyle could feel the heat off of him, even from across the room. "l 
am assigned only to ensure your safety, and make sure that you 
complete your assignment," Joshua said. 


"Even after all these years, do not think | cannot still read you, 
brother," Karlyle said, his spine tingling as he saw Joshua's eyes 
tighten. "| have known you for too long." 


Joshua lingered a moment more, and then was gone. Karlyle 
examined the paper in his hand for a moment more, and then began 
to gather his belongings. 


"| don't care for it, Karlyle," Shirley Gillespie said, a thousand miles 
away. Her voice crackled through the telephone. "It's very poorly 
understood." 


"Every SCP is poorly understood, director," Karlyle said, rubbing his 
temples and attempting to ignore the jolting pain in his back 
whenever the vehicle he was in struck a hole, "that is why they are 
SCPs." 


"Even still, there's a potential danger here that you may not be ready 
for. What happens when it isn't what you're expecting it to be?" 


"Then | have Joshua." 


Shirley made a sound in the back of her throat. "Right. Trusting the 
safety of one of the Foundation's top doctors to some mercenary 
fool that the Council dug up. Wonderful." 


Karlyle smiled despite himself. "| am not concerned, Shirley. Nor 
should you be. You remember the time we spoke about SCP-058?" 


| do." 


"Then you will remember what | said then. Even animals can be 
understood and controlled. But Pan Hun is no animal. Indeed, it is 
by all accounts a human being, and human beings are capable of 
reason and intellect." 


"Karlyle, it leveled a small town." 


"Yes, that is what we are told. But perhaps it is no different than any 
other humanoid entity, powerful beyond its own control and afraid, 
likely to lash out at those things it does not understand. Who knows 
what it is capable of? Can you see the potential that might pose for 
Alpha-9?" 


"Fine. I'll forward you all of the information | have on the entity, but 
that's all the help you'll be getting from me today. | had better not 
hear about you dying, Aktus, or I'll be upset with you." 


Karlyle laughed. "I will hold you to it." 


A plane took Karlyle to Site-23 on the Hudson Bay, and then a ship 
took him to SCP-1864. Joshua was already on the docks when he 
arrived, and escorted Karlyle to a Foundation encampment outside 
of the entrance to the anomaly proper. 


"Director, welcome to SCP-1864." The man who greeted them was 
in his fifties, with greying hair and a neatly groomed goatee. His 
jacket identified him as Tom Bradford, doctor. 


"Dr. Bradford," Karlyle said, extending a hand. "Thank you for 
meeting with me. We have much to discuss." 


The two entered in a tent that provided a meager reprieve from the 
storm surging across the bay. On the wall were various printed 
readouts and images. Karlyle stopped to investigate one, a depth 
reading of something within the anomaly. The result of the test was 
inconclusive. 


"| don't know what you're doing out here, Director," Bradford said, 
pouring a cup of coffee. "| was unaware they sent Site Directors to 
check up on remote, dangerous skips now." 


Karlyle smiled. "This is not a typical check up, | am afraid. There has 
been an incident recently which has expedited the need for such 
visits, and | just so happened to be passing through." He took the 
coffee as Bradford handed it to him. "| do hope | am not causing a 
disturbance." 


"Not at all. What exactly are you looking to do while you're here?" 


Karlyle handed him an envelope. "The Classification Committee is 
regularly charged with examinations of Safe and Euclid class 
entities, to determine if their classification requires reevaluation." 


Bradford squinted at the papers now in his hands. "Is there not 
somebody you could've sent in your place? This seems like an awful 
lot of trouble for you." 


"The examination was expedited," Karlyle said again, his face 
unwavering. "There really was no time to waste." 


The other doctor flipped through the pages quickly, and then 


shrugged. "Fair enough. My boys will get you in to see it, and they'll 
get you out. Not sure if this was the best time, though. Dr. Boff has 
been a little agitated lately." 


Karlyle nodded. "I have no doubt that this will be nothing more than 
routine, doctor." 


A security team carried Karlyle into the depths of the SCP-1864 
labyrinth on the back of a transportation vehicle. Joshua had not 
been with them when they departed, but every so often Karlyle 
would catch a glimpse of him, barely visible in the darkness, 
following closely behind them. As they rounded a final corner, the 
vehicle stopped and Karlyle disembarked. 


"We're going to pull back to the hundred meter point," one of the 
security agents said. "Our orders are to hang back there until we 
hear from you. If anything happens, start running.” 


Karlyle gave his thanks and made the final length of the journey 
himself, which put him within a large, carved stone chamber. In the 
center was a pool of dark water, and across from him was what had 
one point been a human being, but was now SCP-1864-1. 


"Guten Tag, Doktor Boff," Karlyle said, his accent slipping through 
the new language like a glove. "My name is Dr. Aktus, | am with the 
Foundation." 


The face of the hulking, rooted half-human twisted into what might 
be described as a smile. It slowly ambled across the room towards 
him, its singular long, coiled arm extending as a greeting. 


"It is good to see a fellow scientist again," Dr. Boff said, his words 
eternally muffled behind his impeded jaw. "So often | only see 
agents with their guns. Rarely do | see researchers anymore." 


"Unfortunate, indeed," Karlyle made note of his surroundings, his 
eyes catching Joshua hidden within a shadow to his left. "Perhaps 
we will make amends for the absence today, doctor." 


Boff nodded his grizzled head. "Let us hope. What is it that brings 


you to me today, Herr Aktus?" 


Karlyle motioned towards the pool of water. "| was hoping to speak 
to SCP-1864-2, Dr. Boff." 


Boff's expression sharpened, his eyes slanting and his hackles 
raising. "Pan Hun," he spat. 


"Yes, Pan Hun." Karlyle kept one eye on Dr. Boff's arm, which 
swung idly and dangerously overhead. "There has been a change, 
doctor. The world is growing more dangerous every day, and our 
leaders seek to challenge this danger by—" 


"Challenge it?' Dr. Boff laughed timidly. "| do not understand. | feel 
as though there is little of value for you here, for such an endeavor." 


"A task force, Dr. Boff," Karlyle said. "For some time now, our 
administrators have been assembling anomalous entities which we 
could implement against the dangers that threaten our world. |am a 
member of the group attempting to identify which entities would best 
suit—" 


"Oh, no no no, doctor," Boff said, his smile wavering and his eyes 
growing tight. "| understand now, yes, but | must insist, there is 
nothing that will aid you here." 


Karlyle sighed. "It is the belief of our administrators that SCP-1864 
might be intelligent, reasonable, and possibly misunderstood. We 
have encountered a number of seemingly hostile anomalous entities 
who simply were not capable of controlling themselves, and meant 
no harm to others. 


"We believe that a chance to speak with Pan Hun might reveal its 
true intentions, and if they are benign, perhaps it would be excited at 
the chance to leave its prison in order to keep the world safe, and—" 


Dr. Boff reared back and away from Karlyle, his arm slamming 
against the sidewalls of the chamber. "You think this was a 
misunderstanding? You wish to make safe the world by releasing 
Pan Hun?" 


"Not necessarily, no," Karlyle said, adjusting his glasses. "We have 


become very good at containing dangerous entities, doctor. If we 
discover Pan Hun is truly hostile, then we have ways to manage it. 
Our goal is to utilize the anomalous traits of SCP-1864-2, if possible, 
in order to better prepare for something worse." 


"Something worse? You think there is something worse ?' Dr. Boff 
roared, his body flailing and writhing against the chamber. Karlyle 
took a step back to steady himself, carefully looking for an 
opportunity to get a word in edgewise against the torrent of insults in 
German that now flowed freely from Boff. Before he could make his 
case, Joshua appeared beside him. 


"Joshua," Boff said, his body immediately and noticeably growing 
tense. Karlyle peered into Boff's wild eyes, and saw recognition 
there. Why would Dr. Boff know who Joshua is? 


"You must allow Dr. Aktus to see Pan Hun, Dr. Boff." Joshua's voice 
was cold and controlled. "It is the will of the Overseers." 


Boff hesitated, carefully eyeing Joshua with his distorted gaze. 
Beads of sweat began to form on his brow, and his eyes shifted 
frantically between Karlyle and Joshua. Finally, Boff sighed. 


"| will not be able to keep you both safe,” Boff said. 
"You won't have to," Joshua replied. 


Boff nodded, and with a single motion his long, curled arm began to 
descend quickly into the pool of water before them. It continued to 
descend long after Karlyle thought that the pool or Boff's arm would 
run out, and then longer still. Finally it stopped, and began to pull 
back out of the pool. 


With it came a head of black hair, and then a body. Pan Hun looked, 
by all measures, to be a normal human child. Asian descent, light 
skin, no older than eight or nine years of age. Karlyle studied the 
body as Boff laid it on the stone floor, noting that Boff would not take 
his hand off of Pan Hun's neck. 


There was a moment of silence, and then Pan Hun opened its eyes. 


They were dark, and Karlyle was careful to avert his gaze slightly 


behind his own dark glasses. A wide grin appeared on Pan Hun's 
face, and when it spoke, it sooke with Karlyle's own voice. 


"Hello, Director Aktus. My name is Pan Hun." 


The words sent a chill through Karlyle's body. "Hello, SCP-1864-2," 
Karlyle said. "You are familiar with me?" 


"lam familiar with a great many things, Director." 


Karlyle nodded slowly. "Then you are aware of the nature of your 
containment?" 


Pan Hun's eyes rolled back in its head and its neck twisted 
backwards until it was staring at Dr. Boff. "Oh yes, the pit. Very 
clever. Dr. Boff has done a wonderful job. He is, after all, at the top 
of his field." At the sound of his own name, Boff's grip on Pan Hun 
tightened slightly. 


"Good," Karlyle said. "| am here today because—" 


Pan Hun's head jerked back to face Karlyle, its smile undiminished. 
"| Know why you're here, Director Jean Karlyle Aktus, Site-81, SCP 
Foundation, son of Anna and Gregori, brother to Jeremiah and..." Its 
eyes flicked sideways as it trailed off. "The pit is dark, but all manner 
of words echo within it. It is one of those places in the world that sits 
between and... beneath things." 


"Very well, then," Karlyle said, the hairs on the back of his neck 
rising. "Would you be willing to participate in a preliminary 
examination to determine the extent of your abilities?" 


Pan Hun's eyes darted back towards Karlyle, but then rolled 
sideways to look at Joshua. "This one should have told you, | think," 
the voice hissed, "told you about the dark things in the world and 
what happens when you pick at them like a scab."