When Expectation Breaks

I flew across the city skyline, high above everything as a bright, green streak of light. I could see how there were masses congregating into a single colossal one larger than any I've ever encountered, larger than anything even below ground.

It must've been comprised of close to ten thousand corrupted humans.

I then saw the vehicle. The heavily armored vehicle barreled down the street, plowing right through the stopped cars like a knife cutting through the water.

More of these fusions of molten human flesh gathered at every possible street exit, forcing this vehicle down towards the colossal mass.

I dipped.

The air screamed and burned around me with the speed I was traveling. I was sheathed in a ball of fire heated by friction as the air in front of me couldn't move quickly enough out of the way and was subsequently compressed.

I crashed into that colossal amalgamation of corrupted humans. In the millisecond before I went right through that thing I could see clearly in almost slow motion of its cells being burned away, ripped into molecular dust by the coat of superheated air around me.

I moved so fast that everything appeared still before me. I went right into the mass like a needle, the ripples that came from my entrance wouldn't have time to reverberate across this amorphous mass before I reached the ground, and from there, a lance of plasma shot up directly into the sky from where my fist came into contact with the ground.

The plasma was hotter than lightning. The insides of the almost skyscraper-sized mass were almost instantly vaporized until only its outermost skin remained before the force from an explosion disintegrated the rest.

The ground around me was a lake of molten rocks, and further beyond those molten rocks were carbonized remains of human meat now completely dead. My own body was veiled in a plumb of a dust mixture comprising of asphalt, ash, and debris.

With a single will using Quetzalcoatl's Authority over the wind, the curtain of dust parted to allow me a full view of that vehicle.

I saw a wave of liquified human gore about to fall on that wheeled vehicle. It came from all three sides.

I figured given how that vehicle looked really sturdy as plowed through many cars, it could definitely stand in the presence of my plasma.

So energy gathered all around me as the air grew even hotter. Three cores of plasma orbited around me before sending out coherent streams of ionized gases, appearing like lasers to any observers.

One at the wave to the left of the vehicle, one at the right, and the last one up top for those behind.

Those streaks of plasma stopped those waves of fused tissues dead in their tracks. The plasma aimed at the top curved around the vehicle to hit those behind it. What corrupted meat that wasn't immediately vaporized was burning.

Those things screeched their horrible death cries. They pleaded and begged and urged before their soundboxes were burned away.

All around the moving vehicle was now a sea of burning flesh emitting a foul smell.

A single application of my plasma and all the threats to this strange heavily armored vehicle were neutralized.

That vehicle screeched to a halt 200 meters away from me. I couldn't hear anything coming from the inside, making me realize that this thing was probably airtight.

Who are these people? Who could possibly have access to such a vehicle in the middle of the apocalypse?

Do they belong to the Foundation?

The vehicle didn't move. Its occupants are probably talking it over amongst themselves. Or maybe they're just suiting up and preparing to come outside.

I'll freely admit, I look pretty intimidating right now. A single unknown, coming out of the sky and wrecking the largest group of these sun-corrupted humans with the same ease found in a child picking up flowers, now floating above a small lake of lava. Though the lake may be a bit of an overstatement. It's more like a pond of molten asphalt and concrete that are steadily cooling.

Nonetheless, I guess my blasting some very loud and very hot plasma at them also didn't help calm their nerves.

I waited for them. It wasn't until five minutes later that movements occurred with what I can only assume to be an APC.

A single figure walked out. Their gender was indistinguishable from the full-body-covering armor that was over their form. Their hands were held high and I couldn't spot any form of visible weaponry on their person.

"Greetings!" The figure said, their broadcasted voice disguised their gender as well. They bowed and said, "We mean you no harm nor offense, O' Goddess Kukulkan."

Instantly, a sense of wariness overcame me. There's an information imbalance between me and them.

I looked up and down their armor. It looked like it belonged as the props for a science fiction film about a super-advanced galaxy-spanning empire fighting against invaders from other galaxies.

"Who are you?" I called out to them.

My voice was carried by the wind and it didn't appear as though I was shouting, but instead right beside them.

It must've surprised them, given how the figure looked startled as they looked around themselves.

There was a long silence. The figure must be talking with someone back in the vehicle. I couldn't hear any extra emissions on the electromagnetic spectrums though, so maybe they're using telepathy?

I figured telepathy was how those blobs communicated. It could also be in another medium unknown to me but that'll be just grasping at straws.

"We are the SCP Foundation, O' Goddess. An organization created with the goal of preserving normalcy and humanity. I am Irantu of Mobile Task Force Tau-5 'Samsara', at your service. May this lowly one please know if your exalted self created that mighty storm over this city five days ago?"

Huh, no wonder there's an information imbalance. This is the Foundation—

Wait what? Tau-5? The motherfucking power rangers? The same fearless group that descended into the horror show that is SCP-1730 and rescued almost everyone in it? What's possibly the most elite Mobile Task Force of the SCP Foundation perhaps barring MTF Alpha-1 Red Right Hand?

Although…

Is this guy seriously going to continue talking like that? I don't remember from reading any of the tales involving Tau-5 that any of their members talked with so much theatrics.

My annoyance must've shown on my face as Irantu quickly backpedaled, "Please forgive this lowly one for any offense he may have caused, O' Goddess. I merely wished to be granted the knowledge—"

"Alright stop." I raised a hand, "It's getting too much."

Irantu froze as I could see what resembled panic course through his body.

"Goddess Kukulkan—"

"Can you talk normally?"

If I'm going to work with the Foundation I'm not going to have them speak in such an inefficient manner.

Irantu stilled in his motion for a few seconds before standing tall. "As you wish, Goddess Kukulkan. Still, may I please know if you are the creator of that storm five days ago?"

The storm? Ah, that storm. The giant storm I used to blanket all of New York.

"Yes, what of it?"

"We of the SCP Foundation ask for your help. The world has gone to hell. The sun has become a source of corruption, sending forth ions that mutate humans into monsters."

The sun is doing what? Ions are the source of corruption?

I vaguely recalled ions having something to do with Sarkicism, but I couldn't quite put my hands on it.

"You, Goddess, are clearly someone who values an unchanged human. Unlike us, you stand in direct sunlight completely unchanged. With the power of a Goddess on our side, we of the Foundation can save so many more people than before."

I brushed a hand through my hair, "... How long have you been spying on me?"

"Only one day, but please understand, Goddess, the SCP Foundation is stretched to its limit. A third of our containment sites where we house things that threaten humanity are suffering from catastrophic breaches. We cannot afford to take any unnecessary risks."

Damn, a third of all Sites are suffering from catastrophic containment breaches? No wonder the Foundation took so long to investigate what happened in New York.

"I see. What can I do to help?"

"Please Goddess, we need your— wait what?"

Both of us spoke at the same time.

Even with the helmet, I could hear how dumbfounded Irantu was when I casually accepted his request. The face he must be making…

Heh.

"I accept. How can I help?"

Irantu raised a hand and said in a much more casual manner, "I'll be honest with you, I was not expecting this."

I let out a few chuckles.

"If you've been spying on me for a day then you know how much I value humans. I… love them." Because I used to be one of them, "I want to save as many as I can, and the way I see it, working with your Foundation, the preeminent power within the paranormal world, is the quickest and most efficient way of doing that."

I intended to make contact with the Foundation soon enough. I didn't really imagine they would make contact with me first.

"That's wonderful Goddess Kukulkan—"

I raised two fingers, "But I have two requests."

Irantu stayed silent for a few seconds before asking, "And what would those be, Goddess?"

"One. Those whom I saved are granted safety within the bounds of a secure Foundation Site." I dropped a finger when I finished, "Two, the SCP Foundation is going to start rescuing any survivors remaining in the world."

Irantu stayed silent for much longer this time.

Then, he spoke in a careful and curated tone.

"I do not have the authority to speak for the whole of the SCP Foundation, so I could not grant your second request. However, I can guarantee those you saved are given housing within a secure Foundation Site."

I thought about what Irantu said. He and his team may be powerful but they're probably no higher than a Level 4 in the SCP Foundation. O5s are probably those who are making the Foundation-wide decisions.

Since the Foundation is pragmatic as all hell, I'll need to convince them and by extension the O5s that my help is worth more than the resources they'll lose in rescuing and housing any survivors they find.

How should I go about this…?

"Disappointing, but understandable. I'll just have to prove to your Foundation why my help is critical to their success."

Irantu tensed up.

"Where are you going? I imagine the Foundation won't just send their best unit just to make contact with me."

The Foundation probably would send Mobile Task Force Pi-1 'City Slickers' who are specialized in dealing with anomalies in urban environments to just make contact with me.

"... We are headed towards Site-17 off the coast of Bermuda. They sent a distress signal and we are to relieve some stress off them or to determine if the Site is officially lost."

Bermuda? That little tropical resort a bit over a thousand kilometers off the East Coast? My memories brought up images of white sandy beaches that stretch for as far as the eye can see, and colorful and boxy houses dotting the small island like mushrooms on a rotten log.

Really? The Foundation made a containment site off the coast of Bermuda.

"I'll help you guys with that. Have two of your men protect those under me while I'm gone and I'll aid you in the liberation of Site-17."

"Goddess Kukulkan, that's not really necessary—"

"I insist. I'll work with you guys on a permanent basis only if you accept my two requests. Given how you only accepted one, think of this as a trial run for what happens when I am in your arsenal."

I'm like a marketer and I'm marketing myself as the product. Here, the Foundation is my customer and my price is those two requests. By giving them a taste of what I can do, I'm effectively using the same tactics of those free samples you'd find in supermarkets like Costco.

I'm trying to get them addicted to my product (me).

Irantu looked back at the vehicle probably looking for directions.

He then turned back and looked at me, "Very well, Goddess Kukulkan. Munru and Onrun will stay inside your fortress and guard protect everyone inside."

Over the past few days, I've reinforced the warehouse dock whenever I had any free time. Multiple layers of metal over all the places where windows used to be. The garage door I go in and out of is reinforced to such a degree it's comparable to vault doors. Beyond that though, I used more streaks of plasma to further enlarge the moat until a river barge can effortlessly pass through without any risk of collision with the edges.

You'd need a full army battalion to breach it.

But with enough mass, those things can breach it. Everything, the moat, the metal, was all to slow those things down enough that I could come back and deal with them. The moat will force these things to awkwardly swim across it. The metal will require much more mass to break than wood or glass.

I am the cornerstone of that fortress of no holes. In my absence, members of Tau-5 will become the cornerstones in my stead.

Although… Site-17… There are honestly so many Sites within the SCP Foundation that I only really know of Site-19 since that's in the name of the largest SCP Shitpost subreddit. What kind of SCPs are inside Site-17?

It can't be that bad, can it?