Despite finding no concrete evidence, Barbie—armed with both feminine intuition and reality-bender instincts—refused to give up.
She knew Luoshu was hiding something.
So she took matters into her own hands.
After diverting Peter with a fake task, she slipped into Hammer Down's barracks and tampered with the surveillance outside Luoshu's room.
Little did she know—
She was messing with one of Luoshu's surveillance drones.
The moment Luoshu returned to his quarters, the drone eagerly reported:
"Barbie altered the feed. Should I fake footage of you sleeping while you go out?"
Luoshu smirked. "Perfect."
(Living machinery with autonomous intelligence was a beautiful thing.)
But caution was still necessary.
Achilles' Heels weren't ordinary MTF operatives. Every member was a reality bender—no normals allowed.
Fighting them was like facing a squad of mini-"Gods."
One misstep, and Luoshu was finished.
The Limits of Antimemetics
SCP-055's Unobservability was near-perfect—but could reality benders counter it?
"God" couldn't, but others might.
(Actually, "God" had shown some resistance—using spatial barriers to bypass SCP-126's Sensory Blockade.)
SCP-126's ability was crude: just blocking the five senses.
SCP-055's was conceptual: You can't observe, lock onto, or remember me.
But what if Omega-12 had a hard counter?
Like SCP-035 (The Mask)'s mental corruption—it didn't care if you were observable. Hear its voice, and you're doomed.
If any Omega-12 member had AOE abilities, Luoshu would be in trouble.
Gathering Intel
Solution? Leverage his spy network—and Peter.
Peter trusted Luoshu completely and, as Area-14's liaison to Omega-12, knew their movements.
At dinner, Luoshu steered the conversation:
"How long is Omega-12 sticking around?"
Peter groaned. "No idea. I was just supposed to fetch them by helicopter, but now I'm their babysitter."
Standing near Barbie was torture.
As a potent reality bender, her aura (read: environmental Hume suppression) was unbearable.
Barbie's tier: Likely 3 or 4 (individual Hume 270–500).
Effect on surroundings: Hume levels below 50.
Peter, stuck near her all day, had his personal Hume crushed to <50—meaning his connection to reality was half-gone.
"I feel like I'm fading out of existence," he muttered.
(And that was just passive suppression. If Barbie actively used her powers, he'd be paste.)
Omega-12's Setup
Peter's venting revealed key details:
Omega-12's temporary barracks were 1 km east of Hammer Down's.
"Too close. I might vanish in my sleep."
Area-14's layout:
South: Functional zones (labs, housing, storage).
North: Keter containment units.
Hammer Down's post: Near the southern entrance, ready to respond to breaches.
Omega-12's spot: East, away from main roads—minimizing disruption.
(The security director had wanted them in Area 51's housing, but Barbie insisted the reality bender might strike again tonight.)
Peter joked: "Might as well lock them in a spare containment unit. They're anomalies anyway."
He laughed, oblivious that the very reality bender Omega-12 hunted was across the table—plotting his next move.
The Plan
Armed with intel, Luoshu finalized his strategy:
Since you expect me to sneak out tonight... I'll oblige.
But not where you're watching.