The UnLondon Account (SCP 1678)

Chapter 16 | At the Steps of Parlaiment

I couldn't move, my body was completely paralysed. I don't remember how much time passed when Donald finally moved away. "Fuck" he swore to himself.

I remained motionless, not by choice. It was as if my brain had been separated from my body or my soul was floating just a few feet above my body.

"Police! Halt, criminal!" Three words was all it took for Donald to leave. After those three words he ran off into the night, leaving me alone and defenceless with my pants down.

I heard a Bobby approach, "Police! Halt, criminal!" And by the time it was mere metres away I had resigned myself to death and waited for it to kill me. Death was surely better than living.

The Bobby moved closer until it was a mere foot away.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

There was a loud crack, and slam as something g heavy fell beside me. Then arms helped me up into a sitting position. Slowly, my eyes opened, dim light poured through my pupil. In front of me was the body of a broken Bobby and above it was another Bobby.

The Bobby still stood up looked at me for a few seconds before reaching for its head. Tears poured from my eyes as the bandages fell from the Bobby's head. Beaten and bruised with a slightly crooked nose, was the face of Aiden.

"Hey" Aiden croaked our in little more than a hoarse whisper.

I couldn't rise my head to face him, but I didn't need too. Aiden kneeled beside me and wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed into his shoulder. As I cried my arms snaked around his back, reciprocating his hug.

"How are you alive?" I squeaked through the hug.

Aiden smiles warmly and replied, "well do you remember my story about my encounter with SCP-217 and SCP-500?" I nodded in response. He gave small grin, "good to know you listened, well it seems that a man with a metal skull can survive a beating from a Bobby."

I gave a half hearted and short live laugh. "Well I'm glad you're here" I whispered.

"Same here."

We sat in silence for about two minutes. I didn't want to move, Aiden's cool warmth was soothing. "We need to leave, the exit will be open in about an hour" I eventually whispered back.

Aiden pulled away slightly and looked at me a little saddened. "I don't think that's going to be possible" his words hung over us like an icy spike.

"Why?" I replied fresh tears poking from my eyes like needles.

"Well after the Bobbies beat me I was dragged away and left in a pile of bodies. I waited for the Bobbies to leave and snuck away grabbing this" he motioned to his Bobby uniform, not yet answering my question. "After disguising myself, I noticed that all o the Bobbies headed for the exit. So eve if the exit does open, we can't get out of it" Aiden solemnly continued.

Silence smothered us as it consumed the world around us.

"The Bobbies all went to the exit?" I spoke up.

"Yeah."

"If they're all working under a unified control, maybe it's like a hive mind. Maybe the Bobbies follow orders like a machine. We've only ever seen the Bobbies patrol and attack when they see an intruder. They don't have self autonomy, they're essentially puppets, meaning that something must be giving them new orders." I rambled my mind racing to avoid dredging up memories.

"But why now? And who?" Aiden replied.

I thought for a second. "The monarch. Josephus warned us about the monarch, but why now we've known about UnLondon for years now so what's changed? Bryson's! We found Bryson's and then Josephus warns us about the monarch. Maybe someone from the foundation activated the monarch, so if we want to get out of here..." I trailed off, waiting for Aiden to understand my current thinking.