[A/N] And we are back into the dark shit, ladies, gentlemen, and icons! Warning for almost drowning.
Alita POV
I woke up today to the email. The bad email. I had gotten a bad email a week ago, but the worse email has come. I'm being transferred. To Site-19. The MTF I had seen in my dream, the one the O5 Council was discussing, it's real and they want me for it.
Not sure for what, it was classified. I can't tell anyone about it. I'm going to miss this Site. They told me to prepare to move permanently, even though it might not be permanent. So, I've got my laptop, clothes that aren't Foundation-provided, my books, and all my other personal items.
I wonder how we'll be getting to Site-19? Plane? Car? Helicopter? I've got no clue. I'm just waiting in the central area of Site-17 with SCP-105. Iris. She's the other selection for Omega-7 from here.
"I'm so fucking nervous.", she comments, holding only a small bag. "Let's hope this'll be not too bad.", I reply. Will I still get to research? The email was really vague. But it was from an O5, so it's scary because the O5 Council is scary.
"You two, right this way!", a gruff man in guard armor says to the two of us, and we follow him. "Relax a bit. You don't want to seem weak, so ya?", I say to Iris. I don't think it helped.
We arrive at an oversized black van with tinted windows. "Both of you, inside.", the guy says, and we follow his orders. A panel separates us from the drivers and guards. Not like it'd do much good in my case, but it would defend against Iris.
This'll be the first time that I can remember being out of the facility. I can't remember being brought to this site. The door shuts and locks. Mentally, I scoff at the futility of locking me in. Unless this car has a reality anchor, there is literally nothing except my mind stopping me from leaving.
I pull a book from my bag and start reading. "They let you have books here?", Iris asks me. "They don't let you have books?", I ask her. "Funny story, I insulted a guard so they took them away.", she replies.
"That'll do it. Uhh, here, have mine.", I say to her. I dig through my bag, pulling out a book I've read like fifty times before. The Martian. If you couldn't tell, I love sci-fi. Maybe it's a Researcher thing?
I hand her the book. "Thank you.", she says. The car is silent after that. I look at my traveling companion more closely. I assume I'll be working with her when we arrive. She has blonde hair, and she looks rather nice in the uniform we all wear. Except for me when I'm on the clock, then I wear a lab coat.
The view is nice. Beautiful cloudless blue sky, grass, and no cars. There's so much out there I haven't seen. It's so beautiful. Well, when I'm out there kicking anomalous ass, I'll see all of it. Time to be badass, while still not being an idiot. Arrogance gets you killed here.
Iris hums as we drive. It's not annoying, the background noise is rather nice. I'm caught between thriving in chaos and needing dead silence to focus. I'm both and none at once. Soon, the scenery becomes dusted in a fine layer of snow, plains as far as the eye can see covered in the glittery white powder.
I think we're in southern Illinois right now. I'm not sure, however. We've been in this car for hours now. The drivers alternate so the other can sleep. Wouldn't want this car to crash with such precious cargo inside it. I doze off to Iris humming and the low vibration of the car's engine.
"Wake up! We're here!", Iris shouts, jostling me from my slumber. "Thanks.", I say, deadpan. Ugh, my eyelids feel so heavy right now. All I want to do is sleep for a thousand years. Sadly, I can't do that.
This must be Site-19. A looming mass of concrete tucked inside a snow-covered forest. Well, that's the walls at least. We're driving in right now. "We'll be heading to the Task Force training center first, as both of you have no combat experience.", one of the drivers tells us, as the car lurches forward into a parking bay.
Several agents make way for us, before takings guard positions around the ways of escape. Our doors unlock, and we step out. The sun sort-of blinds me, me having not seen it in a while. A cold breeze slams into me, instantly making me uncomfortable. I hate the cold, I hate the heat, I hate extreme temperature changes.
"We'll be handcuffing you guys for safety. If the Site Director finds out we didn't, it's all our necks on the chopping block. She's looking for ways to stop this program.", one of the agents says to both of us. We put our hands behind our backs to be cuffed. I'm used to it, not sure if Iris is, however.
We're walked to an area with a bunch of lockers, where we're told to drop our stuff. "Before we get to guns and ammo and cool stuff, we have to do basics. Gotta prepare you both for anything. Swimming, dodging, running, that sort of thing. Tactics comes after you get your teams.", a young-looking guard tells us. Iris is taken into a different room, leaving me with a woman with a scarred face.
"Let's go.", she says, rather sternly. I'm uncuffed, and thrown a short-sleeved wetsuit. I'm unsure of what to tell her. I can't swim. Oh well. I assume they'll teach me.
The wetsuit fits rather nicely. I wasn't expecting it, with how thin I am. I stand at the edge of the pool, looking down into the water. "Uhh, I don't know about this. It looks deep.", I say, trying to mask my nervousness.
"Nonsense. It's fun!", the Agent replies, before shoving me in. The cold water shocks my system, first. I touch the bottom, and flail to try to get up. 'Copy what they do in movies', I think, and slowly start to kick up. I'm running out of air. I have to do this.
At the last possible second, my head breaks the surface. I can only hear the frantic beating of my heart. I end up at the side, where I cling for dear life onto the wall. "You did perfect. Now, swim to the other end and we can get this over with.", the cruel Agent says, checking her watch.
I want to get out of this water. I suppose I'll have to do this. Again, copying what I've seen in movies, I start to kick myself over to the shallow end. At least I can stand here. Congratulating myself for not dying, I climb out of the pool.
The agent starts clapping. "At least you did it quick. Can't believe I was fucking transferred here. Try to play Russian Roulette one fucking time and this is what they do? I didn't even get to play.", she says, the last part to herself.
I pretend not to hear. "It's really fucking late, I'm bringing you to your cell now. Get your shit, get changed, and let's go.", the agent says, tossing me the clothes I was wearing before this ordeal.
Compared to the wetsuit, my sweatpants and t-shirt are absolute heaven on earth. I pass the Safe-Class containment wing, entering the Euclid-Class one. New Site, same kind of cell.
Putting my laptop and books on my desk, and my clothes on the shelf, I collapse on my new bed. I'm glad I survived today.
YOU ARE READING
The Anomalous Researcher
Fanfiction-IF YOU SEE THIS UNDER THE SAME TITLE ON AO3, DO NOT WORRY. IT'S ME REPOSTING IT THERE- Don't leave a site without authorization. That's the only rule. Well, there were once other rules as well. But those other rules went out the window when she...
