In The Shadows

Continuing back to the Gulf of Mexico, the battleship passes through the Atlantic Ocean. Members of the crew keep watch over the containment cells via camera footage. As one of the observers looks away from Mary's cell her shadow moves on its own. Mary instantly grabs hold of her sides, screaming in pain, as she rolls off her bed and across the floor. The shadow slithers out of the cell, makes its way to the main deck, and overboard. As it enters the water it grows and becomes solid, morphing into a sea serpent.

Meanwhile, Rocky sits across from Cain as they play checkers in their cabin.

Rocky looks out the window. "Cain, how come you hate flying but being on a boat you're fine?"

Cain moves one of his pieces. "Because I can swim.. not fly. I would rather drown than fall."

Rocky moves one of his pieces. "What would happen if you were drowning? I mean.. you can't drown the water in your place."

"I would rather not find out." Cain replies jumping three of Rocky's pieces.

Back in the cell, Mary's screams continue as Dr. Clef rushes to check on her. "Mary! What's wrong?"

"My.. insides are.. BURNING!!!" Mary screams through clenched teeth.

Dr. Clef opens the door and picks her up off the floor. As he places her on the bed, he pulls out a syringe and injects the contents into her shoulder. After a few more minutes of screaming, Mary falls slowly asleep and becomes silent.

Dr. Clef then rushes to the main deck only to come face to face with a towering black and red sea serpent. Dr. Clef's eyes narrow and his smile grows. "If you came looking for a fight..." He pulls a remote from his back pocket and hits a button.

The cannons, on the battleship, quickly turn and fire on the serpent, and it falls back into the water.

"... Then it will be short-lived!!" Dr. Clef exclaims.

At the sound of the cannons firing, Rocky and Cain leap up and run outside.

An extremely loud alarm sounds, red lights flash, and an announcement booms from a loudspeaker. "Code Black, this is not a drill! All personnel prepare for acceleration!"

"What is going on?!" Rocky asks excitedly.

Dr. Clef holds out his hand. "No time to explain. Hang on to something!" He keys up his radio. "FULL AHEAD!"

Rocky and Cain grab hold of a nearby railing as the battleship rockets forward. Dr. Clef presses another button as a massive explosion soon follows where the serpent fell back into the water.

"What was that?!" Cain asks.

"That was a weaponized SRA with a nuclear core. If that thing could change its shape, mass, or physical makeup before it most certainly died in that explosion." Dr. Clef smiles, putting his remote away and keying his radio back up. "Resume normal speed."

The battleship gradually slows until it is cruising at its original speed.

"That.. thing was no doubt linked, in some way, to Mary. I found her riving in pain just before it manifested." Dr. Clef says calmly. "It would be best if we attach a reality anchor to her as soon as possible. Luckily, the captain has an emergency supply on standby."

"Not a weaponized version like that.. right?!" Rocky asks.

Dr. Clef pauses for a moment. "They are just like the collar Abel wears but fitted with an SRA. If it is removed forcefully.. it will explode. Otherwise, it will not detonate."

Rocky steps forward. "What if she is being controlled against her will?!"

"Then the collar will protect her.. perhaps we should fit the children with one each.. just in case." Dr. Clef says, heading up to the bridge.

Rocky follows quickly. "Clef, please remove the nuclear cores first! I have a terrible feeling that if we don't that innocent family might die!"

Dr. Clef turns around quickly. "I will remove the automatic detonator and replace it with a remote on. That is as far as I am willing to compromise, Mr. *****!" His expression slowly changes from one of seriousness to regret. "I want to believe they are innocent just as much as you, but I am not willing to endanger personnel lives further. If they make one wrong move I WILL do my duty, however much I might regret doing so."

Rocky sighs looking away sadly. "That is good enough for me. Thank you."

"They will also not be able to manifest their anomaly with the collars on. If they are indeed innocent they will be defenseless. So.. for the time being, we will be rotating guard duty between the four of us." Dr. Clef orders. "I will take first watch."

Rocky nods silently.

Cain steps past Rocky, putting his hand on his shoulder as he passes, and follows Dr. Clef.

Within moments Dr. Clef has the automatic detonator replaced. "Good thing I watch Dr. Gears when he was working on these."

"What now?" Cain asks.

Dr. Clef turns to Cain, handing him the collars. "We go put them on, dumbass."

Cain reluctantly follows Dr. Clef back to the cells. Strangely the children continue to sleep soundly despite the noise from before.

"This is exactly why I am weary of these children. They have not awoken since being trapped in Rocky's aura." Dr. Clef says putting each collar on, carefully lifting the children's heads. "However, when I was a child I could have slept through a nuclear bomb going off. Perhaps I am just being overly cautious.. all my GOP experiences wearing on my nerves." He turns and exits the last child's cell.

"If my experiences have taught me anything, it is better to try to see the good in someone rather than judge them." Cain says, handing him the last collar.

"You are also invulnerable. You have the luxury of being stabbed in the back. I, however, have a daughter to watch over." Dr. Clef makes his way to Mary's cell and puts the collar on her.

Mary slowly opens her eyes and sits up, touching the collar. "What.. going on?" She asks sleepily.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Clef asks.

"Much better.. but what is this around my neck?" Mary asks with a worried, almost cute, expression.

"A reality anchor. It will protect you from being used by the cult, but the downside is you are completely defenseless. We will be guarding you and your children for the duration of this trip to our facility." Dr. Clef says, trying his best effort at a gentle smile.

Mary quickly wraps her arms around his neck in a hug, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you!!!"

Dr. Clef returns the hug lightly. "I would do the same for my daughter if she could wear such things without harming her."

"She is lucky to have a father like you." Mary says gently.

A genuine gentle smile takes the place of the forced one. "Thank you.. Mary."

Dr. Clef steps out of the cell moments later and locks the door behind him. He then checks his sidearm and replaces the magazine with blue tips rounds. "Make no mistake, Cain. These bullets are the same technology as the SRAs. If I was to shot you with them your anomaly would not protect you." He then cocks the pistol. "So don't get trapped by something that might enthrall you." He hands a similar magazine to Cain. "If you see anything, you shoot to kill. Understand?"

Cain looks sadly at the rounds as he loads them into his pistol. "Yes, sir.."

Dr. Clef then hands him two additional magazines. "See that Sasha and Rocky also load these. I am not playing games anymore. These cultists will either learn or be whipped off the face of the earth."

Cain nods and leaves.

Dr. Clef pulls up a chair and sits backwards in it. "While we have a moment, Mary, how about we talk about our spouses?"

"What would you like to know?" Mary asks.

"Is your husband still alive?" Dr. Clef asks.

Mary frowns. "You are very blunt, sir."

Dr. Clef looks at her questioningly. "I have a lot to protect. Wouldn't you do the same, if you were in my shoes?"

"I suppose you are right.." Mary says as she takes a seat on the floor. "He is.. I.. don't know. He disappeared into some kind of portal shortly after the children were born. Before leaving he kissed each of our foreheads while mumbling something in a language I was not familiar with. That was when he told me to take them and run."

"How long did you know each other?" Dr. Clef asks.

"Since I turned 18 years old. I had been on one of my many walks through the forest when he began following me in his hawk form. I had originally shrugged it off as one of my people's animal spirits watching over me, but I soon found out those 'animal spirits' were more than just a tribal fairy tail." Mary says with a thoughtful smile.

"What do you mean?" Dr. Clef asks.

"It was a few weeks before he worked up the nerve to introduce himself, in human form, to me. It was then another month before he told me his true identity, the spirit that watched over our tribe. He was not the only one, but all those shapeshifters had their own tribes to look after. He often spoke of your wife as his queen, telling me how she had been both beautiful and wise."

Dr. Clef smiles. "She most certainly was.. is.." He sighs rubbing his head through his hat. "It is complicated."

"Sounds like it. I would do anything to see my husband again, but I know it would be equally as complicated." Mary says softly. "How about it. When did you meet your wife?"

"I was a young officer in the GOP. I had been scouting ahead for a particular SCP when I ran across her. She had subdued the SCP I had been tracking, as it had been causing her people trouble. We spoke for what seemed like days, and before parting ways had agreed to meet again. Night after night I sneaked out to meet her, and after a few months, the higher-ups decided to move the mobile units out, myself included. I was frantic to discover our new assignment, to let her know where I would be, but before I could tell her we moved out that night. I thought I would never see her again, but lucky for me she had ways of finding me. Months turned to years as we fell madly in love with one another. A few nights of passion later, she informed me that I was to be a father. I was overjoyed and frightened at the same time."

"That is how my husband was. Though there was the widest smile upon his face his eyes still spoke of fear." Mary nods.

"When I first held my daughter in my arms, all those worries flew away and all that remained was us three at that moment." Dr. Clef says looking up at Mary. "I have done awful things to protect what I love."

Mary stares back into his eyes. "You know I have too."

"I will get your family safely to our facility, after that it is up to you to cooperate with the staff. If at any time you feel you have been mistreated I want you to request me by name."

"What.. was your name..? I forgot if you had told me before or not." Mary asks.

"Doctor Alto Clef." He answers.

Mary nods with a smile. "I will! Thank you!"