The knock at his door sent a jolt down Loshu's spine.
(Who the hell visits a D-Class at midnight?)
(And how did they unlock it?)
The voice outside was familiar, but muffled by the thick metal.
"I've been watching you. I know where you've been. What you've seen."
Loshu's grip tightened on the SCP Encyclopedia.
(SCP-055. Someone knows about Sublevel-5.)
(But who?)
He played dumb. "No idea what you're talking about. Piss off."
The visitor sighed. "I'm with the Chaos Insurgency. We want you."
(Bullshit.)
(If this is a Foundation loyalty test, failing to report it = guilty.)
(But reporting it = admitting I have secrets worth hiding.)
Loshu scoffed. "Chaos Insurgency? I'd rather lick 682's scales."
A pause. Then—
"You'll understand soon. I'll return."
Footsteps faded.
Loshu exhaled.
(Now what?)
The Dilemma
Option 1: Report it.
Pro: Shows "loyalty."
Con: Jack will interrogate me about "secret visits."
Option 2: Stay silent.
Pro: No awkward questions.
Con: If this was a test, silence = guilt.
*Option 3: Gaslight everyone.
Pro: Fun.
Con: Might get shot.
Loshu grinned.
(Time for Option 3.)
The Play
At dawn, Loshu stormed into Jack's office.
"Someone pretended to be Chaos Insurgency last night! Tried to recruit me!"
Jack's eyebrows shot up. "What? Who?"
"Dunno. But they unlocked my door. Check the logs!"
(There won't be logs. Because if it was Chaos, they'd erase them.)
(And if it was a test, they'll back my story.)
Jack radioed Security. "Review D-20915's door logs. Now."
Minutes later: "No entries, sir. System glitch?"
(Bingo.)
Loshu crossed his arms. "See? Sabotage. Probably the same bastards who messed with 035!"
Jack's face darkened. "Goddamn rats. I'll triple your guard."
(Perfect. Now I'm the victim, not the suspect.)
The Truth?
Back in his cell, Loshu pondered:
(Was that really Chaos?)
(Or something worse?)
The Encyclopedia buzzed.
[New Alert: Unidentified memetic agent detected near your quarters. Source: Unknown.]
(...Great.)
(Now even the Encyclopedia is confused.)
He flipped to Page 5—SCP-055.
The description flickered, revealing one new line:
[Note: The "visitor" may be SCP-████, a cognitohazardous entity that manifests as familiar voices to extract secrets.]
(Of course. Because why make anything easy?)