An invisible fear loomed over both worlds.
In the Marvel world, a long silence in the livestream chat was suddenly broken by a flood of messages.
"FK! FK!! F—K! I've completely lost the ability to think!"
"So... this is how it ends? The brother who was murdered by Cain gave up his hatred and chose to save the world?"
"Don't forget, Abel was part of Pandora's Box too. Maybe only someone like him could complete a mission like this."
"I'm totally confused now..."
It wasn't just the regular viewers who were stunned. Even the extraordinary chat group erupted.
[Deadpool]: I take back everything I said. This world is a nightmare. Honestly, our universe doesn't seem so bad now.
[Tony Stark]: Whew~ Every time something like this happens, it just highlights how terrifyingly powerful the Foundation really is.
[Natasha Romanoff]: Honestly... I don't get it. What just happened? What about James?
[Steve Rogers]: Same here. If the Flower was destroyed and the timeline merge was stopped, then why is the timeline still broken?
Just as confusion reached its peak, the screen lit up again.
[One month later — the four members of the Overseer Council meet in Ten's office.]
[Only one knows about the "thorns"… though Ten insists on still calling them "flowers."]
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha frowned as she read the caption. "Thorns? Why did the flowers become thorns?"
Nick Fury sighed. "It's the result of a broken timeline."
Seeing Natasha's confused look, he continued, "I've said before: the existence of the 'Flower' was erased at a causal level."
He turned to her, his voice heavy. "That means that, narratively, the Flower no longer exists. No records. No memories. Nothing."
Natasha was stunned. "So… everyone forgot about the Flower—and the entire incident?"
Ten spoke next, appearing grim on the screen. "According to my research, there's a 95% chance a TK-class event occurred. Almost all members of Omega-7 were killed."
He pointed to a strange symbol on a whiteboard. "The official reports blame SCP-076-2. But the survivor timelines don't match up—and 076-2 has provided no explanation."
The livestream viewers went silent.
"SCP-076-2 responsible? That's insane!"
"He saved the world! Why blame him?"
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha slammed her fist into the table. "They're slandering him!"
Nick Fury remained calm. "Didn't I just say… this is a result of causal erasure."
Natasha stared at him, eyes wide. "You mean... the memory alteration is so complete that even the Foundation believed their own false report?"
Nick nodded. "Even the Foundation doesn't know the memories have been altered. That's the terrifying part."
Natasha shook her head. "This is so unfair. 076-2, 073… they all fought and died to protect the world."
Her frustration was met with silence.
In the scene, Ten continued speaking.
"There's also an anomaly in the records. A mysterious agent listed only as 'AA.' His full name is missing, corrupted in every database. Conflicting reports describe shapeshifting, memory loss… the sequence of events around him is completely unclear."
Viewers in the livestream recognized the implication immediately.
"Adrian and Beatrice…"
The doomed couple, erased from history like they never existed.
But one question still echoed across the chat: What about James?
"There's a vague record of a low-level researcher," Ten continued, his tone cautious.
Yi silenced the murmuring crowd and looked to Shi.
Ten's voice grew heavier. "All the evidence points to a CK-class reality restructuring. The timeline didn't just fracture—it was broken, then crudely repaired. It's like gluing a shattered vase back together. Sure, it looks fine, but the cracks remain."
He paused. "Events seem unconnected, things happen without cause, and mysteries remain unsolved. It's not that we lack answers—it's that we've forgotten what questions to ask."
The Marvel audience felt a wave of helplessness. They wanted to blame the Foundation for their false assumptions—but how could they, when memories themselves had been rewritten?
Ten's words stunned the Overseer Council.
Finally, Shi asked, "So you're saying all this was triggered by the activation of the 'Flower'?"
"No," Ten replied. "The Flower didn't repair the timeline—it reset it. If the broken vase is thrown away and replaced, it's still a vase, but with subtle differences."
Shi frowned. "But if we didn't do it, then… was it Able?"
Ten froze. "What does Able have to do with this?"
The viewers shouted in their hearts. Able entered hell! He was there at the site!
Shi explained, "Since the Omega-7 event, SCP-076-2 hasn't summoned his sword—not once. My current theory is that the thorns and the sword share the same origin. Perhaps the thorns were once the sword."
Ten considered this. "You're saying… Able is responsible for transforming the Flower into Thorns?"
"Not just Able," Shi said. "SCP-073 was also found at the massacre site. The weird thing? He was last reported six hundred miles away at Site-17. No one can explain how he got there."
The pieces fell into place.
The Flower was destroyed by Able's sword, transforming into the Thorns.
The timeline shattered, then stitched back together, erasing everyone involved.
When the Foundation arrived at Yellowstone, all they saw were corpses, a destroyed containment unit—and a silent, motionless Able.
Naturally, they blamed him.
Cain—SCP-073—had already returned to Site-17, safe and untainted by suspicion.
Back in the meeting, One finally spoke up, interrupting the debate.
"No."
"B—" Shi began, but One raised a hand.
"When the wire reaches the middle, that's when swordplay begins," he said cryptically, before standing and addressing the room.
"SCP-2000 will be activated within the next month. RAISA has already begun deploying Series 4. The Foundation is overwhelmed just trying to repair this reality—let alone others."
He turned to Ten.
"You are to be bound by oath. No further investigation into SCP-073, SCP-076, or the Flowers—or Thorns. Understood?"
Ten hesitated, then nodded. "Understood."
"Meeting adjourned," One announced. "All documentation from today's session is now classified as cognitohazardous. Submit your notes to RAISA for containment."
Adjourned.
Two simple words closed the chapter on this TK-level catastrophe.
No justice for the dead. No recognition for the saviors. Just silence—and forgetting.
The livestream audience felt a weight on their chests.
It was over... but one question remained unanswered:
What about James?
Was he dead? If so, why was there no record?
If he was alive, where was he?
Then, as if the screen had heard their question, it flickered—then lit up again.
The audience gasped.
It was James.
In the image, James stood hesitantly outside Dr. Kondraki's office. He raised his hand and knocked.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in," came Kondraki's familiar voice.
Still wearing his off-white coat, the doctor was tinkering with his beloved camera.
Seeing James, he smiled. "Your vacation's not over yet. What brings you back so soon?"
James hesitated. "I was wondering… is Iris okay?"
"Iris? You mean 105?" Kondraki blinked. "You don't have any projects involving her. How do you know her?"
James froze.
The chat exploded.
"What? Didn't Kondraki send James to retrieve 105?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Wasn't James inside the site during the event? How did he survive?"
Natasha muttered, "Has… has this part of history been corrected too?"
Nick nodded. "Looks like it."
In the image, James recovered quickly. "I heard someone say she'd been brought back…"
"Brought back?" Kondraki interrupted. "What are you talking about? She's always been in her holding room."
James's pupils dilated.
Kondraki, growing annoyed, pulled a photo from his desk and tossed it over.
"Someone gave 105 a photo again. They really need to stop doing that. She hasn't tried to escape this time, thankfully…"
James picked up the photo—and froze.
It was a blurry image, snapped in a hurry. The entrance to the Yellowstone site was visible.
Dozens of figures should've been in it.
But now... they were gone.
Erased. Like they never existed.
Including James.
He walked out of the office in a daze, photo in hand, eyes hollow.
Memories swirled in his mind.
Of what had happened.
What was forgotten.
And what was yet to come...
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