The Air Assault Company that had deployed into the area quickly began clearing SCP-939 offspring from the forest with support from aerial firepower, AMV7 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and Hunter Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected Vehicles.
The forest terrain was complicated, but both the AMV7s and the Hunter vehicles were equipped with infrared thermal detection systems.
The SCP-939 offspring had nowhere to hide.
Ethan personally led one of the squads through the forest as well.
Whenever possible, he used the Foundation Agent Service Pistol to kill and absorb the SCP-939 offspring.
Every specimen provided the living weapon with a considerable amount of energy.
Through the weapon’s connection with him, Ethan could even sense its satisfaction.
The Foundation’s aircraft and ground vehicles possessed terrifying firepower, but the soldiers of the Air Assault Company were no less impressive.
They were exceptionally well trained.
Every soldier moved like an experienced combat veteran, and their infantry coordination was so practiced that their tactics could practically have been taken straight from a textbook.
Their morale was also extremely high.
The individual equipment worn by each soldier differed from Ethan’s own gear only in the absence of a tactical exoskeleton.
Even without the exoskeleton, a complete set of their equipment would cost at least one million dollars if supplied through official U.S.
military procurement channels.
On the black market?
Something of this level would practically be priceless.
If someone somehow managed to sell one, it could easily command four or five million dollars.
Seeing a force like this caused Natasha and Skye to raise their assessment of the Foundation’s strength by several levels at once.
If the goal were merely to create one extravagantly equipped experimental unit, the United States federal government could probably build something comparable to the Foundation’s Air Assault Company.
But creating an experimental force was one thing.
Keeping it combat-ready and repeatedly sending it into real operations was something else entirely.
Training the soldiers was only the beginning.
There was also ammunition expenditure.
Medical support.
Logistics.
Replacement equipment.
Maintenance.
All of it added up to an astronomical cost.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
could theoretically build a force like this and maintain it as a standing combat unit.
But operating one the way the Foundation apparently did would be extremely difficult.
A unit alone was useless without sufficient manpower, resources, technology, industry, and logistics to support it through repeated combat deployments.
And the Foundation’s forces weren’t fighting ordinary enemies.
They were fighting anomalies.
That meant dramatically higher operational risks and potentially horrific casualty rates.
Yet when Natasha and Skye saw the Foundation’s troops arrive, everything—from their vehicles and personal equipment to the soldiers’ physical condition and morale—was in peak condition.
That was what made the situation truly frightening.
It suggested the Foundation possessed at least several units of this caliber that could rotate through combat deployments on a regular basis.
That was something S.H.I.E.L.D.
currently couldn’t match.
After all, even S.H.I.E.L.D.’s technology was generally only around a decade ahead of conventional American military equipment.
And Natasha’s and Skye’s understanding of the Air Assault Company’s combat power continued to rise.
Infrared thermal sensors were installed not only on the vehicles but issued broadly to personnel.
And the technology was astonishingly advanced.
Then there was the destructive power of every rifle round they fired.
As someone with considerable command experience, Natasha gained an entirely new appreciation for just how absurdly expensive this force must be.
Every shot was money.
Even the most basic assault-rifle ammunition they were using would be considered experimental laboratory-grade technology by the U.S.
military.
A single round could easily cost at least $1,000.
Natasha had originally been considering suggesting that Director Nick Fury create an experimental S.H.I.E.L.D.
combat unit after they returned.
Now?
She had already abandoned the idea.
At best, S.H.I.E.L.D.
could probably afford to field a heavily downgraded version of a company like this.
The battle on the surface ended shortly after the Air Assault Company finished deploying.
Under the Foundation troops’ coordinated advance and continuous aerial fire support, every SCP-939 offspring active above ground was eliminated in roughly twenty minutes.
SCP-939 was undoubtedly a dangerous anomaly.
However, most of the creatures they had encountered were merely offspring rather than the true parent organism.
The actual SCP-939 parent was an entity similar to a queen within a hive.
Only that entity could truly be called SCP-939, “With Many Voices.” The offspring eliminated by the Foundation would merely be designated in official reports as specimens such as SCP-939-1, SCP-939-2, and so on.
Tony, Natasha, and Skye watched as the Foundation Air Assault Company cleared every visible SCP-939 offspring from the forest in less than twenty minutes.
None of them understood anomalies well enough to know that, for this particular group-type anomaly, the parent organism was the real SCP-939.
After witnessing the Foundation’s overwhelming storm of firepower, they assumed the operation was already over.
Tony was even beginning to consider suggesting that he and Ethan celebrate with a couple of burgers once they got back.
But then he noticed something.
The Foundation soldiers weren’t relaxing.
Not even slightly.
Tony finally asked, “Wait.
The fight isn’t over?” Ethan shook his head.
“No.” “According to the gunship’s radar scans, SCP-939’s nest is located near the place where you crashed.” He looked down.
“In other words…” “It’s directly beneath us.” Tony froze.
Cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
“What?” “You’re telling me those monsters have a nest?” “And it’s under our feet?” “That’s right.” As he spoke, the Air Assault Company commander approached Ethan.
“Sir.” “We’ve located the entrance to SCP-939’s nest.” “Are we authorized to begin the assault?” Ethan answered without hesitation.
“Prepare to enter the nest.” “I’m going with you.” Natasha immediately tried to stop him.
“Agent Ethan—or should I call you Commander Ethan?” “You’re seriously planning to send your men into a complex underground nest like this?” “Once you enter, you’ll lose all aerial fire support and ground-vehicle support.” “Your soldiers will be forced to confront those anomalies with nothing but their own bodies and whatever weapons they can carry.” Her expression tightened.
“Your entire unit could be wiped out.” “Why not wait for S.H.I.E.L.D.
reinforcements?” “Or wait until additional Foundation forces arrive?” Ethan smiled and shook his head.
“You’re right, Agent Romanoff.” “We know perfectly well that going in could cost us dearly.” He looked toward the Foundation soldiers advancing toward the nest entrance without hesitation.
“But that’s what the Foundation is.” Natasha fell silent.
She stared at the Foundation soldiers as they marched forward without fear.
For a long moment, even her usually composed eyes trembled with emotion.