Work Text:
Dr. Jack Bright suddenly realized in a burst of clarity that he only had one consciousness. His own.
Whatever body SCP-963 was placed on had a suddenly empty brain. He wasn't filling in the empty spaces of someone else's, his signals underscored by another beings.
That wasn't normal. Or was, rather?
It would usually briefly disappoint the personnel director to realize this was yet another time a shock was what made him feel normal, except -
For the first time in what felt like a time past measure, things really were completely "normal," at least for him.
For /him/ is what he suddenly thought of. In every sense of the word.
"Oh my God." Was all he could say despite everything, staring down at them as he held his hands out.
White skin with only pink undertones, underneath.
For the first time in years, he was in his own body.
The man breathed as he stretched his fingers out & then back in. Back & forth he went, mesmerized.
Hit by a sudden urge brought on by realizing how distracted he'd become, he wiggled the digits instead.
Jesus Christ.
Jack went back to spreading his fingers and balling them up only to stop as another thought hit him.
What was wrong with 963 to stop its effect?
He reached up to hold the amulet up and then stopped mid-motion, pulling the entire necklace off instead.
Then he held it up in his hand, only to gasp at the difference.
The amulet in the center of the 963 necklace was shining, still.
Except with a dull, almost metallic grey instead of the usual dark, blood red. It looked empty somehow, like all the light it'd used to give off had withdrawn, somewhere.
He'd dreamed of something like this happening.
Actually, Jack had even prayed for the same and just wished for it, too.
Which left the Personnel Director and Doctor with just one problem.
This was amazing but what the hell was the cause?
----
Elsewhere, Dr. Francis Adam Wojciechesji - the infamous "Alto Clef-" was wondering the exact same thing for completely different reasons.
Not to mention with a completely opposite, negative emotional tone.
The only sounds he could hear were the ones in his own office, not the hallways outside and the halls around those.
Not only was his hearing dulled but that meant that as panic started creeping in, Clef was forced to notice that he could only barely hear his heart beating as he realized something else.
If the unnatural power of his 5 main senses had gone and he couldn't feel any 6th senses, either?
For whatever reason & or reasons, Clef thought. This "Type Green" now might as well be a Type Jack. As in Jack Dick. The usual throng of energies was gone from his veins and nerves.
Alto felt empty, mind staying on the thought of Bright. Imagine all the shuffling of back channels the poor overworked bastard would have to do, now.
After all, he had no third eye, anymore - literally or metaphorically.
Can't be the Foundations go-to for hostile Reality Warpers if you're not one yourself, anymore.
Or resonate with the rare ones like him that weren't complete tools. It's not like he made a point to harp on about his powers anyway - far from it - yet the O5's knew.
A few trusted people besides them knew, too & with others? The more clever people he worked with? It was obviously suspected.
The projections he put over his face whenever his hat was off in photographs could be a memetic, sure. Maybe attached to the Alto Clef card on the thing?
Yet Occam's Razor told everyone the real story, especially somewhere said razor was used enough to be a gear in the Broken God themselves.
All that meant that Bright would have a lot of paperwork to shuffle, "secret" or not. Internal memo on memo.
Oh fuck. /Work./
Oh, FUCK. Gods!
He couldn't project. Influence. Use any extra senses.
Extra reflexes & strength were gone.
He still had his regular military training from the GOC but he could feel the lack of his implants, to boot.
With all unusual things about him wiped away, "Clef" was "himself" - as in how he should've been born. For the first time in his life!
Which meant besides memory?
Despite all of that, he was NOT himself at all, anymore.
"Jesus Christ." Was all Clef could say at first.
"Jesus FUCKING CHRIST." He repeated.
When a small crowd of junior staff walked in, they were surprised to see Dr. Alto Clef looking shocked for once, the customized Clef note sombrero was thrown down unto his desk.
The man leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.
"Aloha." You pricks are the first ones who get to see this one! It's my face with no third eye & oh, I'm a Type Green who's now fucking de-powered, so everyone will be seeing a lot more of it!"
A lot of bets were about to be paid off but what was there to say? Sorry?
Do you know what happened, sir,?
There was that and Clef could guess what at least a few of the braver ones must want to ask;
Is this a good or a bad thing?
He wanted to die but thinking of THAT had made a better question reach him.
Leaning onto the desk with a sigh, Clef glanced back and forth.
"Anywho. Question for all of you. Think this is a "me problem-" or a reality shift?"
All of the Foundation personnel in the room looked at each other, one of their bosses watching them all.
Then the junior staff all turned to hurry out of the room, Clef rising up & pushing his chair back so he was right on their heels.
He stopped & did a perfect about face, though.
The Dr. shoved his hat on & turned to find a young brunette woman staring at him, expression nakedly curious.
"Forgot my hat." He said sheepishly, letting out a laugh at the stupid meme.
"Hey, want a mint? A few? I know I need one right now, Reality Shift or not."
Was what he said next, digging in his pocket for an Altoids tin as he halfway jogged alongside her.
"Sure, boss." She said. "Probably a good idea, actually."
"No kidding."
He said, passing the box.
He really, really hoped this was a him problem.
Those were always so much easier to solve.
"Now give me that back. I need to make a phone call."
---------------------------------------
And so the fall out hit across the Foundation, all over the Earth and throughout the Universe, as far as any Humans could peer into it.
The Wanderers Library was most likely unaffected yet no one could access it to check.
Meanwhile, Doctor & Personnel Director Jack Bright & friends participate in his assisted suicide now that he isn't immortal.
--------------------------------------
"Thank you for the group selfie, Konny. This came out great!" Bright said cheerfully, staring at Kondrakis phone with a stare so intense that he might as well be looking down at a black hole.
Kondraki just shrugged even though he was smiling himself, hand held out to take the damn thing back.
As Bright passed it he continued to talk, earning a preemptive groan from Dr. Rights.
"No, really. I'm pretty glad about that since it's the last one I'll ever take? So good job. We need to keep up with the times, anyway. Keep the junior researchers feeling nice & young." was what he added, warm smile becoming a smug leer as he looked between the other three Foundation staff.
"Jesus Christ." Was all Rights could come up with.
"This is the worst funeral I've ever been to & that's saying something." She added, trying and failing to hide how amused she was.
The smile was in her voice.
Clef looked between them both and said "Hey, if that's what you want, Bright? We could always upload the actual shot on the company TikTok if you wanted!" & then grabbed at his knees as he started to laugh.
There was so much that really, really was funny about this if you thought about it.
Or was amusing, at least.
All it was doing was breaking Benjamins heart, though. Which took a lot, at this point.
Jack was about to die & they were all talking like this.
It was as casual as any break or any night out for drinks.
Not here now that the poor bastard could finally kill himself and at least have some friends who were willing to be here with him for it.
Bright just wouldn't shut off, even with that fucking necklace deactivated.
Maybe he didn't know how to, anymore?
Or didn't want to?
Either way, Kondraki guessed that was the real reason why they were here and he couldn't blame Jack, either way.
He sighed.
Even suspecting that he knew the answer, he had to ask the question he had now.
Clef wouldn't touch one like it with a 100 foot long pole so it was up to him or Agatha and she looked like she wanted to die by now, too.
"How are you so happy about this, Bright?" Kondraki asked suddenly.
"Hell, how did you even smile in that photo?" He pressed before even getting an answer.
There was an instant shift in the groups energy, Clef & Rights joining in staring down a Bright that wasn't an O5 or in a torture induced coma.
"Honestly?" Jack asked quickly, eyeing Ben in a furtive way which told the other man he'd hit a very raw nerve.
"Yeah."
"I was going to think of my family but I thought of better times I've had with you three, instead. /Brighter/ ones, I guess?" The man added, a rosey smile on his face as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.
There was a pistol in one of them.
"No jokes for once, either." Jack went on to say, smile a bit more nervous now.
Clef was letting out giggles that wouldn't be a stranger to a girls mouth at the stupid pun even before Bright kept going.
Those two had been friends for a long time. All four of them had been, really.
"Especially times that I've /had/ with Rights!" Jack said, turning to look over at the woman in question as he leaned towards her just a tad bit too closely.
Then he fumbled and fell into a sidestep that had his arms failing which Rights deftly caught him from, both of them laughing at the same time Kondraki rolled his eyes.
All the way to the last, right?
Clefs giggles had exploded into a quick, booming laugh that had him feeling at his face for a few seconds before he clapped his hands together.
"I love you morons. I really do. We're like the fucking Kings of Clowns, I swear." He told them. "Too bad no one used THAT name for a GoI, huh?'"
He looked up to Kondraki from his doubled over position, who simply held his camera up in his hands and pointed it miled back as Rights was speaking to Bright.
"I could feel that on the way from the first part of your answer, Monkeybones. Be glad you're being sincere."
"I am."
"Good. I'll think of you when I kill myself too, then."
All things considered this wasn't a disaster but it felt like one.
Even Gears would be reacting to this shit, tonight.
Kondraki looked between the perverted & yet completely non-sexual grin on "Altos" face, posed like he was about to run down a football field.
Then over to the two deviants who were standing like a married couple, sucking face as hard as they could like their friends weren't there at all.
He had a son who was in a world twice, maybe thrice as safe as it'd ever been and he was still so, so fucking worried for the kid.
Even though Drevan was a grown man himself. Unbelievable.
"Jesus fucking Christ." Kondraki said, starting to laugh himself. "Clef, give me a hug."
"Don't you mean "SCP-343?" Rights asked from in Brights arms, smirking.
"Or "The Broken God?" Was what her counterpart asked, a bit more seriously.
"Mekhane, you mean." Clef said automatically.
"Anyway, God is dead now. Good job, Humanity! We've killed him three times over by now! Now that's a Holy Trinity."
Kondraki shook the smaller man a bit.
"How do you know that we were the ones that depowered all of the skips?" He asked.
"I don't but I'm sure it was our fault somehow. Cross-testing is prohibited for a reason."
"Right. So the lesson is that you DO cross the streams." Bright said, pulling Rights to his front and hugging her tightly.
"Thank you to the Jews & the Romans-" He added, inclining his head.
"You fine people over at the GOC," which got a
"You know it." from Alto.
"- and now, Tiny Tim & ALL the little people of the world. Great time to die."
"My ex-wife is dead now too, though. Or at least gone away, somewhere." Clef said suddenly, pulling himself away from Kondraki.
"We all know this is just the first time you CAN die. Can't you just stay around, Jack?"
He started to pull a cigarette out from the pocket of his dress shirt as his old friend started to speak, lighting it and starting to smoke.
Kondraki mirrored him, frowning.
"Fuck that." Was Brights instant answer.
"I've gone from body to body for decades now with my brain that only thing that stays and even that thing is watered down & filled in with crap I either didn't need to understand OR really didn't want to."
"All because of this fucking thing." Was his following indictment as he pulled 963 out of a pocket to stare at.
"Now I'm back in my own body with memories that aren't mine. Other peoples secrets and the Foundations to boot? With no anomalies to.. eugh. "Secure. Contain. Protect?" for ANY of it to be useful at all?"
"You could get into art." Rights suggested, turning from Brights one armed hold to face him. "Kondraki has photographs." She added, nodding over at Benjamin.
Jack actually visibly considered that and then shook his head. "Nah."
"You could write." Kondraki told him. "We're all pretty damn good at THAT by now."
"Oh, hell no."
"You could uplift all Human & sentient knowledge." Was what Clef offered.
"That's a lot of memories, Bright."
"Pft. Alto, how selfish do you think I am? I did that already. What'd you think I spent the last few weeks on? Vlogs, baby. On Youtube & as many websites as possible. This cheap piece of bling is the photo on every single one."
"Damn, that's awesome."
"Yeah. I want you to have the necklace, actually. Rights, you're getting the ruby. Gem. Jewel. Whatever."
She smiled. "It'll make a beautiful decoration, Jack. Thank you."
"You're welcome. ... AMULET! You're welcome for the amulet."
"Nice save."
Clef looked confused.
"I'd think it would be the other way around." He said simply.
"No way! A necklace that's been on animals? Beasts? Children, men, women & people - including deviants, killers, pedophiles and rapists? That has whatever your real name is written all over it, Ukelele Man. Pray to Artemis for me with it." Jack ordered, stepping away from Agatha to hold SCP 963 out.
It'd been a while since Kondraki had seen Clef look so serious.
He stared at Jack with suddenly wide eyes, then looked left and then right at the trees all around them before his gaze returned to his friend.
The four of them had been very, very careful when it came to choosing a spot for this.
America wasn't very good for privacy without a road trip and the Foundation was closed for business.
A lot of materials besides the last of payroll had gone to the GOC & it looked like that trend was about to continue.
"Will do." Was what came out of Clefs mouth as he grabbed the necklace and pulled his hat off with his left hand, throwing it down so he could adorn himself.
He stooped down to put the sombrero back on and then stood up.
"Hardest bastard who wore this thing was some guy I knew named Jack, though." He told Bright.
Now it was Dr. Brights turn to laugh.
"Thanks, man."
"His ex-girlfriend has the jewel that was in it." Clef added.
"Thank you, Clef." Rights told Alto, bringjng her hand up to her mouth.
The fucker really would wear it every day.
"You're welcome. Oh! Widow, I mean. Damn, Jack. I'll miss you."
"Nice save." Kondraki told him before asking "Now, what do I get to look after?"
There'd been so many chances for good photographs that he'd missed, so far.
"What'd you think, Konny?" Brights asked. "These two & Gears." He told Ben quietly.
"The four of you can have Iceberg & Glass, too. Make sure to feed and water them every day & make sure they get lots of sunlight."
There was a fit of laughter between the four of them that died out slowly & awkwardly.
For those with a heart, working in the Foundation - or any group that dealt with anomalies - taught you a lot about how all life was connected, in a lot of different ways.
Stupid jokes and insults were a good way to deal but the shit really wasn't very funny at all.
"If all of you could find a way to wake up TJ & make sure that he ends up alright, that'd be nice, too. My father will try his best but he's so old, now."
The three of them just stared. There was nothing else to say about "SCP 590."
He'd been one of many people and things that'd been in the back of their minds for years, now.
Jack sighed.
"I'm getting this over with, now." he told them.
He'd been standing in front of his own grave for the entire conversation. All of his time with 963, if you thought about it.
Wasn't that what everyone did, really?
"I don't expect you three to watch, by the way." The man added.
Kondraki found himself & Rights turning only for both of them to stop mid-step.
Clef had gone as still as a statue.
"I'm not letting you do this alone, Jack." Was all he said.
"Okay."
The pistol was out. NOW it was time to turn around.
Benjamin wondered if the other two were worrying about the possibility of Jack shooting them all and running for the hills as much as he was.
If he was Bright, he'd at least consider it.
"Tell me your last words are going to be better then "Okay," Jack." Rights prompted.
"Better then "Okay," Jack." Bright said instantly, which got Clef shrieking again.
"No, I've got it. As famous 21st century poet & philanthropist Ke$ha said, "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy" & uh. Damn. Let's see.. oh, fuck it.
"Keep looking at the "Bright" side?"
well,"
that just hurts my eyes"
& if you really cared, you'd"
simply LET me die." I am Crushed. The Vandals. You 3 could learn you something, looking up either of those.
Later, hopefully!"
A gunshot and then silence and a slow, slow turnaround as Rights and Kondraki moved to face the sight of Alto Clefs back turned to them.
Facing an open grave with his hat held in his hands and his head bowed.
Coming over to stand at his sides revealed that Bright had been thoughtful enough to close his eyes.
It was a beautiful sight, besides the fact that he'd also made sure to shoot himself in the side of the head.
"Hit the road, Jack." Clef said.
"His relatives are all so fucking miserable." Rights told the two men.
Kondraki looked over at her & Clef.
"At least his sister survived the wave. She's got a chance to live now that she's young again." He said quietly.
"Yeah but there's no way that she should stay with her father." Was Rights instant answer.
"I'm going to pull some strings with the other O5's & make sure she goes to one of her cousins. If they don't want her, I'm taking her."
"Epon would love that." Clef said suddenly, which had Kondraki do a double take.
"Epon is staying with you?"
"Of course she is." The other man said in confused answer, looking over at his squeeze with an expression of total bemusement.
"Why wouldn't she be?" he asked.
"Because she's in her 20's?"
"Oh, yeah! My daughter is in her 20's, I didn't know! She's also spent most of her life traveling with a nature goddess and being institutionalized, shithead. I'm not going to just throw her some money and right to the wolves. She's staying with me until she doesn't want to anymore."
Jesus Christ.
"So I've got another kid to worry about. Great." Kondraki told him.
"Yup."
Rights perked up suddenly.
"You two could hook her up with Drevan! They have so much in common. As horrible as that sounds, I mean? It's still true."
They looked at each other, both of them frowning thoughtfully.
It wasn't actually a bad idea.
"I don't know if I want Clef anymore in my life then I already do." Kondraki told her.
"Or having two Clefs in it."
"Our kids are probably going to end up fucking like rabbits now that she said that and you know it, man. Grow up and deal with it." Clef told him.
Well.
Eh.
"Now I don't know about YOU two but I'm going to enjoy digging someone elses grave instead of mine for once. Ciao." He said sourly, stepping off to head over to the shovels lined up a few feet from the other side of the grave.
The two of them watched Jacks best friend walking over mutely, already knowing he'd be back with all three.
Kondraki sighed as Rights looked to him, a pained smile on her face.
"You're stuck with us." She warned, reaching over to slap him on the back.
"You say that like I wasn't already, Rights. Or like I mind. Believe me, I'm not getting rid of old friends just because the Foundation is over with."
The other scientist stared at him for a few seconds and then glanced to Clef - now lab coat free & standing by the shovels with his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"I know that you two are having a moment, don't worry!" He yelled. "I won't interrupt."
"Good." She said simply. "I'd miss you, Ben. Swordfighting to swordfighting, huh?" Rights prompted, looking at Kondraki with bright eyes and a smirk on her face.
"Whatever. You assholes are stuck with me, not the other way around. Now move over so I can photograph this corpse."
"You could make a blush show up on the mask that Rorscach wears, man." She chided while stepping away and as he held his camera up.
"Me? I'm going to write stories about this disaster and I do NOT just mean this one."
"Send them to me. I'm always looking for new stuff to read when I'm fucked up." Kondraki said.
He raised his baby up and shifted in place, eyeing Jacks corpse down the view of the lens and then moving his head over.
"I will." came at him from a sense of hearing that was suddenly hazy.
The brunette was laid down like a vampire, arms halfway folded from when he'd fallen into the small grave.
It was the most peaceful that Kondraki had ever seen him besides when he was intoxicated or working.
right there.
perfect.
He compared the shot to the sight of Jacks corpse and nodded, satisfied.
Looking up and over from that got him the sight of Clef stepping back over to them.
A man in sombrero with an Alto note adorned card stuck in its brim and a bright red dress shirt & white-t underneath. Black dress pants that were rolled up slightly to show of a pair of army boots.
Three shovels all held over one shoulder and Rights looking to him with a fond smile.
Another perfect shot, Ben thought, raising his camera and freezing in place.
There.
"Hope you kids like Kesha." Clef said as he walked up to them and moved the shovels down into his arms to hold them out.
"Tik Tok"s opening was blaring from his front pocket, loudly.
Benjamin pulled his camera off and crammed it into his lab coats right pocket and pulled that off, tossing it aside.
Rights pulled hers off in one fluid motion and stepped over to meet Clef, her sleeves ready rolled up.
"Is it fucked that I'm kind of happy right now?" She asked them both while taking a shovel.
"No." Kondraki said as he grabbed one.
"Who cares, anyway?" was his rhetorical question, which got Alto to stab his into the ground.
"Don't ruin being happy for the kid, Aggy. We all tried to talk him out of it. Even Kon-trarian over here."
"Yeah.."
"Like you're one to talk!" Kondraki spit out.
"High shovel, bro." The other man said glibly, grabbing his and spinning it in his hand to hold it up, blade first.
Somehow, stupid intermet culture had managed to grab Foundation personnel and never gone away.
"Oh, nevermind."
He stepped over to Rights to start helping her shovel the dirt, scowling as he realized that she'd started without them.
This WAS a disaster.
"I'm buying the beer tonight, by the way." Clef told them as he stepped up to their backs.
"I'll buy mine." Both Ben & Agatha said, staring at each other for a moment and then standing up to look at Alto, who'd shouldered his shovel and stepped back from them.
"Have you both lost it?" he asked.
"The three of us, Gears & my kid are drinking to Bright tonight. That means that we're drinking at my place and THAT means that I'll buy the beer. ... and a bottle of Jack Daniels. We're all rich anyway. Come on and think, Jesus Christ."
That was true.
Kondraki shrugged and went back to shoveling as Clef walked over to the other side of the hole and joined in.
"So this means that we're free to work now?" Agatha asked.
"Yeah." Both Benjamin & Jack said shortly, not even looking up.
Kesha & the best of the 2000's & 2010's weren't half bad for burying a body.
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"With all anomalous beings & effects nullified, the SCP Foundation will shift its focus towards diplomacy with & study of examples of the previously two mentioned phenomenon which appear anomalous from Human societies current body of knowledge & readiness but which we already know to exist. ie; extraterrastrial & extradimensional beings and objects.
Instead of research on anomalous phenomenon, we will shift to general scientific research as well as space exploration and reapplying surviving Foundation technologies.
Eventually, we hope to create new entrances to known universes to see if this event is multiversal in scale.
All personnel who wish to retire are encouraged to do so & will be paid out for the duration of their agreed upon contracts.
Higher ranking personnel will be allowed to do so without the use of amnesiatic treatment.
Search. Contact. Provide."
- The O5 Council
---------------------------
"As all unnatural beings & effects have been ended, the Global Occult Initiatives focus will change towards working with the SCP Foundation & other trusted groups (ie; the Horizon Initiative, UIU, etc) on defense against & diplomacy with alien and extradimensional beings & threats which while obeying the laws of thermodynamics & physics in general, are still foreign to Earth."