EXPEDITION LOG EXCERPTS ANTUCO OUTSKIRTS

π3-ALPHA - VALENTINO SCIPIONI (SOURCE)

π3-BETA - PEDRO CASEROS

π3-GAMMA - ALEJANDRO PETROCCHI

π3-DELTA - DAMIÁN GARLÉS

«BEGIN EXCERPT»

[All four troopers are breaking through the foliage when they crest a hill.]

CASEROS: There, you can see the rooftops. We're nearly there now.

PETROCCHI: Speak for yourself, this fog is ruining my visibility. Could be a village or an army, I can't make it out.

GARLÉS: I see it. It can't be more than an hour from here if we keep the pace.

SCIPIONI: Alright. Let's not waste any time.

[They continue through the brush. Several minutes pass.]

CASEROS: Hey, Alejandro?

PETROCCHI: Yeah?

CASEROS: Can I ask a weird question?

PETROCCHI: Uh, okay?

CASEROS: Do you believe in God?

PETROCCHI: Um… not really? I don't know, it's complicated. I don't go to church, but I like to think that there's something up there looking out for us. Y'know?

CASEROS: Yeah, I know what you mean.

PETROCCHI: You're not turning into a Bible thumper, are you? [Laughter.]

CASEROS: Heh, yeah. I don't know. Just curious.

PETROCCHI: What about you?

CASEROS: What about me?

PETROCCHI: Do you believe in God?

CASEROS: I don't know.

PETROCCHI: Uh, what do you mean?

CASEROS: It's… nevermind. I'm fine. Let's just get this over with. This stupid fucking fog feels like it's choking me.

GARLÉS: It has a way of getting in your head.

«END EXCERPT»

Recovered photograph.

«BEGIN EXCERPT»

[Troopers are progressing through the farms on the edges of Antuco. Thick fog inhibits visibility to a few meters, forcing troopers to move slowly and unsurely. All have rifles out and safeties off.]

CASEROS: [Mumbling.]

GARLÉS: [Whispering.] Whoever that is, shut up.

[Silence.]

CASEROS: [Mumbling.]

GARLÉS: [Whispering.] I said, shut up.

PETROCCHI: You're being dramatic, kid.

GARLÉS: We don't know what's out here.

PETROCCHI: Look, I understand the first-mission shivers, but this is as tame as it gets. This village has been abandoned since the war started. I guarantee you this is just some failure of the sen-

SCIPIONI: No. No, greenhorn is right. We don't have any intel, we need to be cautious. Overconfidence kills. Everyone, quiet.

PETROCCHI: Alright, alright.

[Silence as team progresses, feeling their way through the fields and farmhouses.]

CASEROS: [Mumbling.]

SCIPIONI: That was an order, Pedro. What's gotten into you? You've been acting strange this entire mission.

CASEROS: [Mumbling.]

SCIPIONI: Speak up, what the hell are you mumbling for?

CASEROS: We need to… stop. Now.

SCIPIONI: What?

PETROCCHI: You were all fired up about getting here as fast as possible, what's wrong?

CASEROS: We have to protect. It. Protect it.

GARLÉS: [Quickly.] Protect what?

CASEROS: It-it's not what you- you don't want to protect it!

PETROCCHI: Pedro, you're not making any sense.

CASEROS: It- he's not who you think he is! He's lying, he doesn't want to protect her, he just wants to bomb and destroy and kill and-

SCIPIONI: Stop. Now.

CASEROS: This is our fault! We need to fix this. Protect! That's what we do, Valentino! Secure, contain, protect! We must!

[CASEROS raises the rifle and fingers the trigger, pointing it at SCIPIONI.]

SCIPIONI: Pedro, put your gun down.

CASEROS: No! I need to stop him! We need to go to the center, where it's coming from, the fog, the fucking fo-

[Three gunshots in quick succession. CASEROS topples over, a red stain spreading across his chest.]

PETROCCHI: Fuck!

SCIPIONI: Motherfucker! What the hell, Damian?

GARLÉS: I had to! You saw him, he was insane! He would've shot any of us!

SCIPIONI: You didn't have the authority to do that! Fuck!

[Silence.]

PETROCCHI: [Quietly.] No pulse.

SCIPIONI: Son of a bitch.

PETROCCHI: I've known Pedro for years. That wasn't him.

GARLÉS: He was compromised.

SCIPIONI: By what?

[Silence.]

SCIPIONI: Okay, look, I don't know what happened to him, but the last thing he said was about the center of the town. He said that was where the fog was coming from. That's where we're going.

GARLÉS: No.

SCIPIONI: What did you say to me, soldier?

GARLÉS: We're not going to the center of town. We're going to the observation post on the edge, seeing if anyone is alive, and then we're going back.

SCIPIONI: I'm your commanding officer and you just killed one of my men. You're treading on thin ice.

GARLÉS: I was hoping it wouldn't come to this.

SCIPIONI: What?

[GARLÉS removes a gold badge and security card from his pack and hands it to SCIPIONI.]

SCIPIONI: General Clearance Level… Five? What the fuck?

PETROCCHI: What? Let me see that.

[Silence.]

PETROCCHI: It's real. Jesus.

GARLÉS: I'm taking command of this mission effective immediately.

SCIPIONI: Who the fuck are you?

GARLÉS: Your new commanding officer. Captain Scipioni, we will be progressing to the observation post at the edge of town. That's an order.

SCIPIONI: What's at the center?

GARLÉS: That's classified.

SCIPIONI: Is the fog dangerous?

GARLÉS: Not as long as you don't go near the source. If we follow a wide path to the post, we-

SCIPIONI: What's the source of it?

GARLÉS: That's classified. Please, hold the questions. I'd rather not waste what daylight we still have.

SCIPIONI: Fine. Lead on. Fuck.

«END EXCERPT»

Recovered photograph.

«BEGIN EXCERPT»

[GARLÉS enters a small mud and wood hut. The one-room building contains a bunk bed, two flipped chairs, several steel lockers, and a table covered in defunct communication equipment.]

GARLÉS: Get in.

SCIPIONI: What the hell is going on? How do you have Level-5 Clearance?

GARLÉS: I'm on your side, I swear. But for now, we need to get away from that fog. You saw what it did to Pedro.

[GARLÉS shuts the door once all three have entered. He moves to the table, inspecting the equipment.]

SCIPIONI: Can you explain what the fuck is going on here, Damian?

GARLÉS: With all due respect, Captain, that's classified. All you need to know is that people much higher up than you have very specific instructions about what is going to happen here. You are obligated to help me stop this mess.

PETROCCHI: We saw the fog's source, it was coming from the center of town. Why are we all the way out here?

GARLÉS: This is the best spot to get a signal out. A minor weakness in the anomaly's structural integrity, exploited using paratechnology.

[GARLÉS reaches into his bag and pulls out a small spherical device with a blue light.]

SCIPIONI: What is that?

GARLÉS: It is a radio signaller, amplified using thamaturgy. Just enough to punch through SCP-5227.

PETROCCHI: Who are you signalling to?

GARLÉS: Fifty-seven. More specifically to an air squadron stationed there on standby. Once they get the signal, they'll give us a small delay and then bomb this hellhole to kingdom come.

SCIPIONI: Why? What are you trying to destroy?

GARLÉS: That's classified.

[GARLÉS turns away to the table to begin setting up the device.]

SCIPIONI: Okay. All I know is that suddenly the greenhorn is claiming to be a Level 5 secret agent, one of my team members is dead in the dust by your hand, you won't let us even investigate what's causing this. Our job. I don't know who you are, but

GARLÉS: I'm afraid this is a matter of internal Foundati-

[Gunshot. GARLÉS' calf spurts blood and he crashes to the floor, dropping the device.]

GARLÉS: FUCK!

SCIPIONI: Sorry… sir, but you've killed a Foundation operator and are hindering the proper investigation of the anomaly. I am hereby relieving you of command. We're finding out what's causing this. The wound's not lethal, and there's a first aid kit in the locker.

[PETROCCHI advances and takes the transmitter from the floor.]

PETROCCHI: And we're taking this.

GARLÉS: You… you two don't know what you're doing. You're going to ruin everything. I'm ordering you to stop-

SCIPIONI: I'm sorry, Damian. We'll be back.

[SCIPIONI and PETROCCHI exit the hut, closing the door behind them.]

«END EXCERPT»