"When will this nightmare end". An Agent muttered to himself.
"Sigh"….. "We've got at least two more of these anomalies. Hopefully, that's the end of it". Agent Hill said, trying to comfort herself.
Nick Fury on the other hand thought otherwise. It's possible that the amount of SCP's contained by this Foundation exceeds the three digits. I doubt this is over, perhaps there's even more to come. But he did not voice his thoughts, so as to not cause any more panic.
He turned his attention back on the light curtain, at the newest anomaly being inventoried.
...
[ Inventory of The Top Ten Special Contained Objects In The SCP Foundation. ]
[ Special Containment 073. Cain! ]
[ Object Class: Euclid! ]
...…..
Seeing the name of this new Anomaly, Nick Fury was taken aback. "Cain"?! "As in…. "The Cain"?! "The father of Murder"?!
He was not a religious man, but the name Cain was all too familiar. The brother of Abel, and the son of Adam, the First Man. He was a biblical figure who was believed to have committed the first Murder in the history of Mankind.
"If Cain is an SCP, does that mean Abel is also an SCP"? "Or is this merely an Anomaly named after him"? Nick fury could feel a headache coming on.
He immediately ordered the SHIELD Agents to gather as much information as they could on these biblical figures.
But suddenly, he realized something.
"Wait a minute"!
He remembered the Experimental video shown during SCP 096's inventory. There was an Anomaly named, "GOD". SCP 343.
"If this Anomaly really is Cain, then there's a possibility it might have a connection to that SCP 343".
Agent Hill came to the same conclusion as she nodded. "But, if that seemingly omnipotent anomaly has connections with this one, then how powerful is this new anomaly"? She wondered.
"I doubt SCP 343 is Omnipotent, or anywhere near it". Nick Fury said. "If it truly was, then SCP 096 would've long been erased".
As they were discussing about these anomalies, new information appeared on the Light Curtain.
......…..
[ Description: SCP-073 appears to be a heavily-tanned male of Arabic or Middle Eastern descent in his early thirties, 185 cm tall and 165 lbs, with black hair and blue eyes. ]
[ Arms, legs, spinal cord, and shoulder blades of the subject appear to have been replaced with artificial versions of unknown make and metal. ]
[ Subject only takes notice of this when it is pointed out, and states that it has no knowledge of how, why, or when these replacements took place, stating it had had them as long as it could remember. ]
[ There is a symbol engraved into the forehead of the subject, which appears to be of Sumerian origin. Symbol has of yet been untranslated, and subject appears distressed when the symbol is mentioned at all, refusing to speak on it. ]
.......
"Wait! This time the anomaly isn't some weird looking creature or object". "It's just….., a regular dude"?…. "Granted, he looks straight out of a sci-fi movie".
"Oh my! He's quite handsome". "You think those metallic limbs are cold to the touch"? "I'd love to test them out"!
"A cyborg"?! "That's so cool"! "But…. He wasn't sent by an overly aggressive AI from the future to destroy humanity, right"?
"Sigh". "You watch too many movies".
"Guys, are we just gonna ignore that his name is Cain"? "As in the son of Adam"? "The first ever Murderer"!
"Yeah, what happens if he turns out to be some psychotic killing machine of an SCP"?
"Maybe they just share a name…. There's no way Cain, one of the first humans is still alive, right"?
....
As they argued, more information appeared on the Light Curtain.
........
[ Subject does need to eat and drink on a regular basis, but is strictly carnivorous owing to its effect on plant-based items.]
[ SCP-073, who refers to itself as "Cain", is generally polite and genial to all who speak to it, though it has been described as being cold and somewhat mechanical in its speech. ]
[ It is very helpful, and enjoys aiding personnel in their daily actions, whatever they may be. ]
[ It has highly detailed knowledge of ancient to recent events in history, and most commonly spoken languages in the world, including ones that have since died out. ]
[ Subject has professed to having a photographic memory, remembering word-for-word all text in an eight-hundred-page dictionary that was flicked through in a minute and a half. It has scored above average in all intelligence tests given to it. ]
...….
Kamar-Taj, Inside the Sanctum Santorum.
"A photographic memory…. Huh"? "From what I recall, that previous anomaly had a photographic memory as well". "And so does Strange. I wonder…. Would he be considered an anomaly once he becomes Sorcerer Supreme"? Her inner monologue was cut off as she heard some of her students speaking.
"The Ancient One must have a photographic memory as well, how else could she have mastered so many spells".
"Yes, you're right. I'm sure in terms of knowledge, she wouldn't lose to anyone".
The Ancient One let out a sigh as she returned to her inner monologue. "These idiots. It took me centuries to gain all this knowledge. But even then, it pails in comparison to what that cursed Mask was capable of given enough time". "But, I suppose they needn't know of such things". She turned her attention back on the Light Curtain, but the information displayed on it left her speechless.
.......
[ SCP-073's presence is inimical to any and all life grown in soil, causing death to any such life within a twenty meter radius. ]
[ Any land SCP-073 has walked on (and any within the twenty [20] meter radius) becomes barren as all anaerobic bacteria dies, rendering the soil incapable of supporting life until new bacteria are introduced. ]
[ Anything that is derived from soil-grown life, such as wood and paper, immediately rots and disintegrates upon touch of SCP-073. Further affected derivatives include anything hydroponically grown. ]
...…..
Somewhere in New York.
Bruce Banner was headed to a secluded bar when he saw the information on the Light Curtain.
"Incredible. Is it some sort of virus that only targets soil grown life"?
"This is a complete violation of the laws of nature".
"But then again, these anomalies all seem to violate human understanding one way or another".
As he was distracted by the Light Curtain, he didn't notice the few men surrounding him. Seconds later, feeling the looming shadows behind him, his gaze finally left the Light Curtain as he noticed the men surrounding him.
"Sigh".
"You guys really don't wanna do this".
"Shut up"!
"Hand over everything you've got"!
"Okay okay".
"Here, take this".
He pretended to hand over his bag, but as soon as the man got close, he hit him over the head with it and took off.
"Go after him"! One of the men yelled.
Bruce was running as fast as he could. Not for his sake, but for theirs. His eyes glowed green for a moment. He could feel the anger boiling up inside him.
"Nooo! Not now, Hulk"!
He forced down his anger through sheer willpower.
"Whew, whew…. I guess this meditation techniques are pretty effective, for now at least".
Feeling breathless, and finally losing those men, he found the bar he was looking for and breathed a sigh of relief.
Entering the Bar, he sat at a corner and ordered a drink. Then, he turned his attention back on the Light Curtain.
........
[ Violence directed towards SCP-073 reflects any damage inflicted on SCP-073 directly back onto the attacker, although SCP-073 visibly remains unharmed. ]
[ This applies to any damage directed at SCP-073. ]
[ Attempts to get tissue and blood samples have proven futile: when the procedure was initiated, personnel carrying out the action felt the sensation of whatever was applied to SCP-073, and wound up with a sample of their own blood or tissue, despite the fact that ''all actions were directed solely at SCP-073''. ]
[ Indirect damage through a medium also results in the person perpetrating the action receiving the wounds caused. ]
[ Although SCP-073 receives no actual harm from damage to its person, it has stated that it still feels the pain of the action, and has politely asked researchers to abstain from overly harmful actions to its person. ]
....
"What kind of ability is this!?…. Is this guy invincible"?
"Holy shit! Is this the strongest anomaly we've seen so far"?
"I doubt it. And from this latest information, he seems like a pretty chill guy".
"I wonder what would happen if he saw a picture of SCP 096. If all attacks just rebound off of him, would SCP 096 give up and cry in a corner like it did with that Indestructible Lizard"?
"Man, I'm jealous of this guy. I wish I had a power like that"!
"Wait a minute, if every action rebounds off him, does that mean he can't…. You know"...
"That's a great question"! "And suddenly, I don't envy him anymore".
......
Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters.
…..
"A power that rebounds all forms of damage"? "Seems…. Almost conceptual in nature".
Charles thought back to a mutant he once knew, Sebastian Shaw. With his power to absorb all forms of energy, including kinetic energy. However, Sebastian Shaw seems to pale in comparison to this Cain. Seeing as how his ability seems to be passive.
"I wonder, would young Darwin be able to adapt to this kind of ability"?
...….
Los Angeles, California.
Stark's Mansion.
…..
Tony stared at the Light Curtain and fell into deep thought.
Colonel Rhodes on the side looked at him puzzled, "Tony, what are you thinking"?
"I'm thinking... Is his ability some kind of advanced Technology"? "If so, then where does it come from"?
Colonel Rhodes shook his head. This power seemed far from what any kind of technology could achieve. "Maybe it's Magic, like that Sorcerer we saw in the previous inventory".
"I don't believe in Magic, Rhody. Those so-called Sorcerers probably manipulate dimensional energies through some sort of advanced quantum mechanics".
Colonel Rhodes just rolled his eyes. "You've got an answer for everything, don't ya".
"Hehe…. I thought you'd know me by now, Rhody".
.......
SHIELD Headquarters.
…..
Nick Fury fell silent for a moment. "With this kind of ability, it would be nearly impossible to contain him forcefully. Not to mention, if he was to appear in a farming area, the losses would be catastrophic".
"Fortunately, from the information given, Cain seems to be very friendly to others. Though, it's still unknown if that friendliness applies only to The Foundation".
Suddenly, additional information appeared on the Light Curtain.
........
[ Additional Notes: SCP-073 was found in the New York Police Department in 19██, having been taken in after subject had been found amidst the bodies of several violent gang members. SCP-073 told police members that the gang had attempted to make sport of it, but became angry and attempted to kill SCP-073, resulting in their own demise. SCP-073 was incarcerated, and was deemed a "John Doe" when NYPD could not find any information on it. SCP-073 came to the attention of the Foundation through a routine inspection of "John Does", and was subsequently released into our custody. ]
[ Addendum 073-1: Examination of the unidentified metal on SCP-073 has suggested that it is beryllium bronze, a metal that has been documented as being utilized by various anomalous cultures and entities. Most notably, beryllium bronze is a component found in SCP-1216, SCP-1427, SCP-2481, and SCP-2711. ]
[ In light of this discovery, the Foundation began working in an attempt to trace the origin of beryllium bronze and how it initially spread throughout the world. ]
[ When prompted, SCP-073 was able to provide information that suggests that beryllium bronze originated in the Middle East, though the exact point of origin has yet to be determined. Further research into the origin of beryllium bronze is currently ongoing. ]
[ Addendum 073-2: In light of SCP-073's indestructible nature, photographic memory, and general will to please, high command have deemed that all information is to be "backed up" on SCP-073, ensuring it is not lost in the event of a catastrophe. ]
[ While this action has met with mixed responses, SCP-073 has agreed and sworn itself to secrecy on its part. ]
...…
Seeing this last bit of information, Nick Fury's shock was prominent.
If this information was correct, then the number of anomalies contained by this Foundation was now in the four digits.
"How did they even manage to keep these anomalies a secret for so long"? Natasha asked no one in particular.
Nick Fury gave an order. "Find every bit of information about Jon doe's arrested in New York for the past 50 years…. No, make it the past century"! "And make sure to record every bit of information on this Light Curtain".
As for beryllium bronze, It's an industrial element used in electronics, medical, and even musical instruments. There doesn't seem to be anything special about it. Unless, there's an unknown element mixed within it.
…..
Suddenly, the words on the Light Curtain disappeared, and a new live video began.
Everyone's eyes were glued on the screen as the video showed the outside of a bar in the outskirts of New York.
...