Even at this late hour, the Site Director was still buried in paperwork at his desk.
Site-19 never sleeps.
Watching the man work so diligently while he schemed behind his back made Luoshu feel a twinge of guilt.
But this was about his survival.
Sorry, boss. Needs must.
The real challenge wasn't getting in—it was getting out.
The Heist
Luoshu flipped open the Catalog to Page 1 and tapped the [O].
A blink later, he stood directly behind the Site Director, unnoticed.
Moving silently, he slid open the top-right drawer—inside, a small wooden box lined with velvet held a brass key with no teeth, just a smooth cylindrical shaft.
SCP-005 - "The Skeleton Key."
He lifted it carefully, then returned it.
The entire process took seconds.
On the security feed (visible only to Level-4 personnel), the drawer opened by itself, the key floated momentarily, then everything reset.
Just another day at Site-19.
Outside the office, IR1901 watched the key levitate and grinned.
Mission accomplished.
The Catalog updated:
[Page: 20]
[Item Number: SCP-005]
[Designation: Skeleton Key]
[Object Class: Safe]
[Anomalous Ability: Lock Manipulation]
[Status: Successfully Contained]
Now, no door could stop him.
But the Containment Specialist milestone didn't level up.
Guess it needs 50+ pages. Patience.
The Problem
Luoshu froze.
How do I get out?
He'd teleported in—but without a visible target, he couldn't teleport out.
The hallway was empty.
IR1901 was there, but invisible and unhelpful.
Damn it.
Perception Block was running out.
No spare charges of Unobservability either—both were spent earlier.
Options:
Wait for someone to pass.
Too risky. Perception Block expires soon.
Use Persuasion on the Director.
No Unobservability = he'll recognize my voice.
Mental Enslavement.
Overkill. The guy just got me C-class privileges.
IR1901, meanwhile, pressed his face against the bulletproof glass, baffled.
Why isn't Luoshu leaving?
The Site Director frowned, sensing two presences watching him.
He ran diagnostics:
Thermal scan: Nothing.
EM scan: Nothing.
Pressure sensors: Normal.
Sonar: Nothing.
Weird.
He sighed and returned to work.
Luoshu was panicking internally.
MOVE, YOU OLD MAN!
Then—a miracle.
The Director's phone rang.
"Yes? What? Now? Fine, I'm coming."
He stood, stretched, and walked out.
Luoshu bolted after him, slipping through the door just before Perception Block expired.
IR1901 blinked. "Took you long enough."
Luoshu resisted the urge to strangle him.
"Next time, be my exit strategy. "
Next Stop: SCP-914
With Lock Manipulation secured, Luoshu smirked.
"Now, let's visit the Clockworks."