It was the second day of training.
Echo Team stood inside the simulation hall. The room was large, with metal walls and a long obstacle course built through it. Lights flashed red above the doors.
Today's exercise was simple.
Run fast.
Don't get caught.
The simulation was meant to copy what it felt like when an SCP was chasing an MTF squad during a containment breach.
Lieutenant Ramirez stood near the control panel with his arms crossed.
"If the thing behind you catches you," he said calmly, "you're out."
One of the recruits raised a hand. "Sir… what exactly is chasing us?"
Ramirez gave a small smile.
"Something fast."
The lights turned darker.
A loud alarm sounded.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Clara looked over at Able.
"Alright, Red," she said, stretching her arms. "Hope you like cardio."
Able glanced down the long course. Walls, broken paths, hanging bars, narrow tunnels. The path twisted like a maze.
Then he heard it.
A heavy metal door opened somewhere behind them.
A deep mechanical growl echoed through the hall.
Able tilted his head slightly.
'So that's the hunter.'
Tanner swallowed nervously.
"Uh… guys?"
Heavy footsteps started echoing down the corridor behind them.
Ramirez raised his hand.
"Echo Team…"
The siren grew louder.
"...run."
Clara didn't wait.
"GO!"
Echo Team sprinted forward as the sound of something large began chasing them through the course.
Able ran with them, calm but fast.
Behind them, something crashed through the first metal barrier.
Able glanced back once.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'That thing is faster than the recruits.'
He faced forward again and kept running.
This was going to be interesting.
Clara ran ahead, boots hitting the metal floor as fast as she could. Her breathing was getting heavier when she suddenly saw a wall blocking the path.
"Great," she muttered.
Able reached it a second later. He didn't slow down.
He jumped.
His hands grabbed the edge of a hole near the top of the wall. In one quick motion, he pulled himself up and looked down at Clara.
"What are you waiting for?" he said. "Climb."
Clara nodded and jumped, grabbing the edge. Able reached down and helped pull her up.
Behind them, the rest of Echo Team rushed to the wall and started climbing.
Tanner struggled near the top, his arms shaking from the run. Able grabbed his arm and pulled him the rest of the way.
Tanner collapsed onto the platform, breathing hard.
"Thanks, Red," he said between breaths.
Able nodded once.
Then they heard the sound again.
Metal grinding.
Heavy steps.
The thing chasing them had reached the wall.
Everyone turned.
For a second, there was silence.
Then—
Crack.
A metal claw slammed into the wall.
One of the team members froze.
"…It can climb walls?"
Able watched the machine dig its claws into the metal.
'Figures.'
Clara didn't hesitate.
She turned and pointed down the next hallway.
"Everyone run again!"
Echo Team took off once more as the machine began climbing after them.
And this time, it was faster.
Echo Team sprinted down the next corridor. Their boots pounded against the metal floor as the alarm kept blaring above them.
The sound of the machine behind them was getting closer.
Too close.
Tanner glanced back while running. "It's gaining!"
Clara pushed herself harder. "Don't look back, just run!"
They turned another corner and reached a narrow passage. Pipes lined the walls and thick cables hung from the ceiling.
Behind them, the machine crashed through the last barrier.
CLANG.
Metal claws slammed into the floor as it climbed over the wall they had just crossed.
One of the Echo members—Jared—misjudged a step while jumping over a broken section of floor. His foot slipped.
He fell hard, sliding across the metal.
"Ah—!"
The others kept running before they realized he wasn't with them.
The machine's head turned toward him.
Jared scrambled backward, panic in his eyes. The machine moved fast, claws digging into the ground as it lunged forward.
Then Able stopped running.
Clara noticed and turned. "Red—what are you—"
Able didn't answer. He turned around and ran back toward the machine.
'Too slow.'
He grabbed one of the thick cables hanging from the ceiling and yanked it down with a sharp pull. The cable snapped loose from its clamp.
The machine lunged again.
Able threw the cable forward, wrapping it around one of the machine's front joints.
Then he pulled hard and hooked the other end around a metal pipe.
The machine charged.
The cable went tight.
CRACK.
The machine's leg jerked sideways as the cable tangled into the joint. It stumbled and slammed into the wall, metal screeching.
Able grabbed Jared by the vest and hauled him to his feet.
"Move," Able said calmly.
Jared didn't argue.
They ran back toward the others.
Clara stared for a moment before turning and running again. "Okay… that was impressive."
Tanner blinked while sprinting beside them. "Yeah… rookie my ass."
Able kept running, breathing steady.
Behind them, the machine tore the cable free and started moving again.
Clara glanced at Able.
"You're weirdly calm for someone being chased by a killer robot."
Able shrugged.
"Running is simple."
Tanner laughed nervously. "Remind me not to race you."
Up ahead, the next obstacle came into view.
Clara pointed forward. "Almost there! Exit door!"
Echo Team pushed themselves faster as the machine closed in again behind them.
And Able kept pace beside them, calm as ever.
Able kept running with the team.
'Why did I do that?'
His boots hit the floor in a steady rhythm. For a moment, he closed his eyes while he ran.
'I would never have done that before.'
In the past, he wouldn't have stopped. If someone fell behind, that was their problem.
But he had gone back anyway.
Ahead of them, another obstacle appeared. A thick rope hung from the ceiling, stretched across a gap in the floor.
Clara grabbed it first and swung across.
"Move!" she shouted.
One by one, Echo Team grabbed the rope and crossed the gap.
Able jumped last. The rope tightened in his hands as he swung forward and landed hard on the other side with a heavy thud.
He turned his head and looked back.
The machine reached the gap and paused for only a second before preparing to jump.
'That thing doesn't give up.'
Able turned forward again and followed the team.
But the thought stayed in his mind.
'Am I changing?'
He glanced at the others as they ran—Clara in front, Tanner right behind him, the rest of Echo Team pushing forward together.
He looked ahead again.
'Or did fusing with myself change things?'
Echo Team kept running.
The exit door was in sight now. A large metal gate at the end of the course, lights flashing above it.
"Almost there!" Clara shouted.
Everyone pushed harder.
Behind them, the machine reached the gap.
It jumped.
The metal frame slammed into the floor with a heavy BOOM, shaking the hallway.
Tanner looked back and immediately regretted it.
"It jumped!"
"No kidding!" Clara yelled. "Keep moving!"
Able stayed near the back of the group this time. His breathing was steady, his steps controlled.
'Still gaining.'
The machine crashed through another hanging pipe, sparks flying as it forced its way forward.
One of the recruits in front—Jared again—was slowing down.
His legs were shaking.
Clara noticed. "Don't stop now!"
"I'm trying!" he gasped.
Able glanced behind them again.
The machine was close enough now that he could hear the grinding of its joints.
Too close.
He looked up.
More hanging cables.
Able grabbed one while running and ripped it loose from the ceiling. Sparks flew where it tore free.
Tanner glanced over. "Red, what are you—"
Able swung the cable behind him and let it drag across the floor.
When the machine stepped forward, its claw hit the cable.
For a second nothing happened.
Then the cable wrapped around the joint again.
The machine stumbled.
Not stopped.
But slowed.
That was enough.
"Door!" Clara shouted.
The first members of Echo Team reached the exit panel and slammed the button.
The heavy metal gate started to rise.
"Go! Go!"
Everyone ducked under as soon as there was enough space.
Tanner slid across the floor and rolled through.
Jared stumbled but Clara grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
Able was the last one through.
The moment he crossed, the gate slammed shut.
BANG.
The machine crashed into the door from the other side.
The metal shook but held.
Silence filled the hallway as the alarm finally stopped.
Everyone stood there breathing hard.
Tanner leaned against the wall.
"…Okay," he said between breaths. "That was way too real."
Clara wiped sweat from her forehead.
"Training usually is."
Jared looked over at Able.
"Red… you saved me back there."
Able shrugged slightly.
"You fell."
Clara studied him for a moment.
"You know," she said, "for a new guy… you're weirdly calm when something is trying to kill us."
Able didn't answer right away.
'Because I've seen worse.'
Instead he just said, "Panic slows you down."
Tanner laughed weakly. "Remind me to stand next to you during missions."
Able said nothing.
But in the back of his mind, the thought returned.
'I stopped to help him.'
He looked at Echo Team again.
'Maybe… I really am changing.'
Lieutenant Ramirez stepped in front of the group.
"Echo Squad."
Most of the team straightened up. Even though they were still catching their breath, a few of them looked proud. They had made it to the exit, after all.
Able didn't share that feeling.
He stood quietly at the back.
'Something's coming.'
Ramirez looked at them one by one. His expression didn't change.
Behind him, a large screen on the wall flickered to life.
"Let's review."
The recording from the simulation appeared. It showed Echo Team running through the course.
Ramirez crossed his arms.
"You all made many mistakes."
The room went quiet.
Clara frowned slightly.
Ramirez pointed at the screen as it replayed the moment Jared fell.
"First mistake. Loss of awareness."
The footage showed Jared slipping and hitting the floor.
"If this were a real containment breach," Ramirez continued calmly, "that hesitation would have gotten him killed."
Jared looked down at the floor.
Ramirez pressed a button and the video skipped forward.
Now it showed the moment Able ran back.
He slowed the recording.
The room watched as Able grabbed the cable and tripped the machine.
Ramirez didn't react for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"Second mistake."
Several members of Echo Team looked confused.
Ramirez pointed at the screen.
"Breaking formation."
He turned toward Able.
"Reginald."
Able met his gaze.
"Yes, sir."
"You went back."
"Yes."
Ramirez studied him for a moment.
"That decision slowed the pursuer and saved a teammate."
A small pause.
"But it also split the squad."
Clara opened her mouth to argue, but Ramirez raised a hand.
"In real operations, that choice can go either way."
He looked around the room again.
"Sometimes saving one person gets the rest of the squad killed."
The words hung in the air.
Then Ramirez pressed another button.
The recording showed Able grabbing the cable again near the end of the chase.
Ramirez nodded once.
"That," he said, "was the correct call."
Tanner blinked.
"So… we didn't completely fail?"
Ramirez looked at him.
"You survived."
A small pause.
"That's the first step."
He turned back to the group.
"But survival isn't the goal."
His voice stayed calm.
"Containment is."
Ramirez shut the screen off.
"Take ten minutes. Then we run it again."
Groans filled the room.
Clara rubbed the back of her neck.
"You've got to be kidding."
Ramirez didn't smile.
"Next time the machine will be faster."
Able stood quietly.
'Of course it will.'
For the first time that morning, a small smirk crossed his face.
Now it was getting interesting.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy