Chapter Text
- SCP Foundation Site-19 - Containment Wing D
Agent Ulgrin steps in. Adjusted the collar of his tactical vest, His Alpha presence was a subtle but constant thing a low thrum of authority that kept the more clumsy personnel in line and the D-class from getting any bright ideas, literally. He was escorting a fresh batch of D-class to their new assignment, a mix of hardened criminals and desperate souls. His eyes, however, weren't just looking for escape attempts: they were scanning for scent.
"Alright, you degenerates," Ulgrin's voice was acutting through the nervous chatter. "Oh, and by the way, we're authorized to kill any disobedient test subjects, so don't try anything stupid."
His face covered balaclava and yellow tinted visor eyes landed on a young man, D-6754, who was sweating profusently. The scent wasn't just fear: it was the sweet, cloying smell of a pre-heat Omega. Ulgrin's internal instincts screamed at him. But he shoved those instincts down with practiced ease anyways. This was the Foundation, not a mating run, he thought. "Well, anyway, let's not waste any more time. They're waiting for you down in the chamber." Agent scoffed. Upon arrival, Agent Ulgrin simply handed them D-class a information about SCP-███ on a piece of paper and stepping back.
Just as Agent Ulgrin about to head out, he heard a voice call out along with footsteps of tactical boots: "Hey Ulgrin," familiar tone as always, it was just one of his colleagues who wore the same outfit as Agent Ulgrin. "Heard you drew the short straw by yourself." he snorted, a Beta with a perpetually neutral demeanor, approached from the opposite direction.
"Someone's gotta do it. Keeps me on my toes. Besides, it's like herding cats. Annoying and occasionally piece of shits, but occasionally you get to see one walk into a wall." Agent Ulgrin replied, really dry chuckle as both began walking each other's side, then the Beta began to elbow Agent Ulgrin while speaking:
"Had to break up a fight between two Alphas in the cafeteria last week. They were arguing over whose turn it was to use the... microwave? The smell of posturing was so thick I thought I was going to suffocate."
Ulgrin rolled his eyes, "Oh, speak for yourself. That D-class? I'm still disappointed I didn't get to punch him in that face or put up a fight, but whatever."
"Seriously? Be serious for once, you want to punch all of them." the Beta replied, unamused and mildly irritated, but then patted Ulgrins back, "Besides, the height of evolution at work. How's the new Omega recruit handling things? That D-class, right?"
"That idiot is scared. He's trying to hide it, but his scent is screaming. I've already put a note in his file. He gets assigned to Beta-only teams for the foreseeable future. Last thing we need is a panic-induced heat breach during a containment procedure. It's already making my job harder than you think." Agent Ulgrin replied.
"Good call," The Beta chuckled through his black Balaclava, "You're not just a brute with a gun. You're a brute with a gun who's also a glorified babysitter."
"Shut the fuck up."
"Hey! Hit a nerve there?"
"Listen here real close Beta or whatever, I protect, It's what Alphas do. Even if the ones we're protecting are dumbest test subjects, usually scheduled for termination by the end of the month. It keeps the job interesting." Agent Ulgrin grunted.
"Well, speaking of interesting..." the Beta looked up at Ulgrin, "I'm interested on today's cafeteria food, well– it's pizza day right? Jeez, I've been starving all day long."
"They better have. The only reason I still come here is for the pizza. I don't know what it is about that pizza, but it's delicious. Tuna casserole, on the other hand, is a disgusting abomination, and it should be locked up in here with the rest of these freaks." Agent Ulgrin replied, as if that certain food seriously offended his bloodline.
"Uh, Okay." The Beta slightly tensed, looking straight at the hallways again. "So, see you... later?"
Agent Ulgrin just nodded, watching his own colleague finally depart as he finally let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in so casually, now heading straight to other hallway later on, passing multiple D-cells.
When lunch comes around, the scent of a hundred different personnel, all layered with their own unique pheromonal signatures, hit Agent Ulgrin like a physical wall the moment he stepped into the cafeteria. It was a chaotic maelstrom of anxious Omegas, steady Betas, and posturing Alphas. To a new recruit, it would be overwhelming. To Ulgrin, it was just another tuesday. He navigated the crowd with an easy confidence, his own Alpha scent a clear signal that he wasn't to be trifled with.
He passed under a large, stark sign that read 'OMEGA SECTION' The air here was noticeably sweeter, calmer, and the tables were arranged with more space between them. Further on, the air shifted again, losing the sweetness and becoming more neutral, more grounded. The sign overhead read 'BETA SECTION' This was the largest area, a sea of grey tables and efficient, quiet conversations. He saw his same beta colleague waving at him from a table with balaclava off and everything, but Ulgrin just gave a chin-jerk in acknowledgement. He wasn't heading that way today.
Finally, he reached his destination. The 'ALPHA SECTION' The air here was thicker, spiced with the subtle, competitive notes of dominant pheromones. The noise level was audibly higher, The tables were heavy-duty metal, bolted to the floor, and the chairs were larger, more... robust.
"Son of a gun... I ain't mood for this damn shit." Ulgrin mumbled under his breath, "Oh, who am i kidding?"
Ulgrin snatched the tray, reached the food counter. Today was pizza day, a sacred institution (for his fatass? yes.) The smell of melted cheese, pepperoni, and dough was a welcome, non-pheromonal scent that cut through everything else. Ulgrin loaded up his tray with three thick slices of meat lover's pizza, a breadstick, and a bottle of water.
He sat down at the table, joining others and a couple of other Alpha agents from Mobile Task Force Epsilon-11. "Look at him," one of the Agent that is sitting on opposite side where Ulgrin is sitting, gesturing with his slice of pizza at Ulgrin, "All happy because it's pizza day. You'd think he was an Omega who just got presented with a nest made of money."
"Look dude, I have no problem putting this bottle right up your ass." Ulgrin snarled, biting a chunk of pizza, helmet off and balaclava pulled all the way to his forehead. "I like simple pleasures. Good coffee, a clean rifle, and pizza that doesn't taste like cardboard. And you over there grinning like a fucking–"
One of them interrupted: "I had to escort a D-class to SCP-106's containment cell this morning. The smell of his fear nearly made me lose my appetite. Permanently. We all had a rough day."
"Sounds like a you problem." Ulgrin replied, sipping water straight from his bottle. "Bet you stood right in front of the glass, didn't you? Playing the big, bad protector piece of shit."
"Watch your tone Ulgrin, you'll just mess up your reputation over some, uh, junk." one of them gestured at piece of pizza Agent Ulgrin is holding.
Agent Ulgrin, still talking back with his mouth full: [muffled] "So what? We got bigger fish to fry, dont act like your desperate bullshit had sexual intercourse with a scientist next door."
Silence.
"What?–"
Agent Ulgrin yet interrupted, "Yeah, those thin white office walls? You're not fooling anyone buddy. Maybe try sounding more like, uh, Alpha male than D-class getting his rectum obliterated by SCP-████."
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the Alpha section a familiar backdrop. One of them was about to speak up, but Agent Ulgrin just so happens to sit up, crumbled bottle, bread crumbs with three pizza crust. "Yeah, look, no offense, but I've already lost interest in what you're talking about."
"But i haven't even...–"
Ulgrin is already walking off, pulling his balaclava back down to his neck and grabbed his helmet in one go, the collective groans appearing as soon the footsteps became distant.