Chapter Text
You were in the middle of typing up a report on a SCP you had been observing a few days ago when there was a knock at your door. You opened it to find a young researcher standing outside your room, their eyes wide with fear and excitement. If you had to guess, you’d say they were about to encounter their first SCP.
“We have a new specimen coming in right now, your presence has been requested.” They informed you and you nodded.
“I’ll be right there.” You gave them a small smile and they took it as their queue to leave. Quickly, you grabbed your lab coat and ID, and locked your room behind you. You couldn’t deny that after all these years of working for the Foundation, you were still excited as well.
Most of the SCPs you had worked with had been docile or at least not overly aggressive unless prompted. All of them had been classified as Safe or Euclid, thankfully. You hoped you’d never have to work with a Keter class SCP, but you knew luck couldn’t be on your side forever.
As you approached the containment area, you saw more scientists and researchers gathered in the hall outside the chamber. To ensure the safety of all personnel, the research chambers were constructed in a certain way. A large chamber contained a smaller room, which then contained an even smaller box-like structure in which the SCP would be held. The type and make of the box was determined by a SCP's specific properties; among other things, how aggressive it was. Usually the box was made of solid steel, so the only way to look inside was via the cameras installed in the walls, and the large screens in the outer chamber.
When you entered said chamber today and looked down into the smaller room through the bullet proof glass, you were surprised to find a large glass cube in the middle. You exhaled in relief, since that meant that the SCP was docile enough to keep in this kind of containment chamber. From where you were standing, you saw a dark, gooey mass on the ground of the cell. You narrowed your eyes, but couldn’t make out any more details.
“Ah, you’re here. Good.” A senior scientist approached you. His name was Dr. Smith if you remembered correctly, although you doubted it was his real name. You turned to him and gave him a professional smile, which he returned effortlessly.
“This is a remarkable case in many ways, so I hope I can count on you to handle this with caution. We have come across this SCP, which we have named SCP-600, in the depths of Mount Ebott, or what is commonly known as the ‘Underground’.” He said, gesturing to the blob in the cell. “As far as we know some monsters had been aware of its existence for a long time and the SCP Foundation has been looking for it since the barrier was broken. We were finally able to retrieve and contain it, and thankfully it doesn’t appear to be harmful to humans, inadvertently or otherwise. We would like you to conduct some experiments to determine its heritage and make sure it has no long term influence or effects on humans.”
You stared at him wide-eyed. This would be your first job as a head researcher for an SCP! You tried your best to hide your euphoria and nodded determinedly.
“Yes, sir. I will work hard to make sure the test results are satisfactory.” You said.
“Good. Now get to work.” He nodded and a second later he had left the room, leaving the sole responsibility of SCP-600 to you. Well, not really, there were still about 20 other researchers and about 30 guards here, but still.
You decided to start by addressing the SCP directly, hoping it would react in some form. The other researchers had taken their places in the outer chamber, ready to take notes and you made your way down to stand in front of the large glass cell.
As you got closer, you saw the blob was moving slightly, almost like it was breathing. You also realised it was much larger than you had initially thought. The black goo was covering about half of the ground of the cell.
You came to a halt in front of the glass, heart hammering loudly in your chest. Slowly, you gestured for a guard to turn on the speakers and microphone, opening a connection between the cell and the outer chambers.
“Hello, SCP-600.” You said, carefully as not to startle it. You watched in awe when the black mass started moving upwards, slowly turning from what was effectively a puddle on the ground into a vaguely humanoid shape. It was larger than an average human, standing more than two metres tall. Where its face would have been was a white, mask-like, smiling face that had two large cracks running through it. Two equally as white hands appeared from inside the black goo. You noticed that both palms had perfectly circular holes in them as it settled them at its sides. Faintly purple pin pricks in the hollow black of his eye sockets met your gaze.
“Good evening.” SCP-600 said. Its voice was deep and its speech sounded sophisticated. You swallowed the lump in your throat as best as you could and gave it a reluctant smile.
“Would you mind if I asked you some questions?” You asked and it immediately moved closer to the glass.
“Not at all, my dear.” It said, “Say, are you a scientist working at this facility?”
You considered the question for a moment, unsure if it would be wise to answer. Finally, you nodded and introduced yourself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” SCP-600 said and its smile seemed to grow just a tiny bit wider. “Now, go ahead and ask your questions if you want.”
“Thank you. My first question is rather obvious: what’s your name?” You asked, keeping your voice purposefully neutral.
“I don’t remember.” It replied, its smile turning sad. “I know I used to have a name, but I… forgot what it was.”
“Do you know where you came from?” You continued.
“I only know I used to live in the Underground, but I was… different back then. The last few years I spent in a dark, soundless, shapeless space. A void of sorts. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific, it’s hard to remember and to put into words.” It grew quiet for a moment. “It was a dreadful place. I can’t even begin to express how glad I am to be here and not there anymore.”
“Thank you for trying to explain.” You said softly, sensing its obvious distress.
“You’re very welcome, my dear.” It said, brightening up again. “May I ask a question as well?”
You nodded reluctantly.
“Would it be possible to provide me with some books and a chair maybe?” It asked, moving even closer to the glass. You felt yourself take a step closer as well.
“This cell is only temporary, so you’re soon going to get a different one that’s furnished anyway. And I’m sure something can be arranged about those books.” You smiled. “I have one more question and I need you to be as frank as possible: are you in any way dangerous to humans, voluntarily or involuntarily?”
“I don’t intend to hurt anyone if that’s what you’re asking. Furthermore, I don’t believe my… body can in any way hurt humans, but you have my consent to conduct some tests to confirm that assumption.” It said and you were sure it was telling the truth.
“I appreciate it. Would you mind if we took a sample right now?” You asked.
“Not at all, my dear.” It said, smile widening.
A few minutes later, you had been stuffed into a hazmat suit, complete with helmet and moon boots. You waddled towards the cell, feeling more stupid than ever. You entered the tiny room through an air lock and when you suddenly came face to face with SCP-600, you were stunned at how tall it looked from in here. It had somehow seemed smaller from the outside. You gave it a reluctant smile and it returned the gesture, while slowly moving closer to you.
“Hey.” You said as you got closer. You raised the small container you had brought. “Do you think this will hurt you?”
“I don’t believe so, no, but even if it does, I’m alright with it.” It said, now standing right in front of you, towering over your small form.
“Okay, here we go.” You muttered, opening the container and reaching for the arm it was offering to you. You scooped some of its body mass up and closed the container.
“All done. Thank you.” You said. You were about to leave when the voice of Dr. Smith echoed over the speakers.
“One moment. There’s a test we would like to conduct and this is the perfect opportunity. Please take off your helmet.” He spoke in his cold demanding voice. You looked outside the window towards where he was probably standing.
Was he crazy? Yes, SCP-600 was probably harmless, but a test like this could kill you if you were wrong.
Your heart was beating loudly. You knew you had no choice. So you took a deep breath, reached up carefully and undid the clasps on the helmet. You could feel your breathing become more laboured, fear making your hands shake. A yelp escaped you, when a hand suddenly enveloped yours.
“I promise I won’t do anything malicious, my dear. Let me help you.” It muttered and you let it open the last clasp, grab the helmet and take it off your shoulders. You held your breath for a moment, then you inhaled.
Nothing.
The air just felt like regular air. Maybe a bit more stuffy in here than outside, but at least there was no obvious deadly neurotoxin in the air. You sighed in relief.
SCP-600 looked at you with a sort of longing you couldn’t place, but a moment later it had cupped your face with a white hand. You could feel a mixture of fear and embarrassment fill you, turning your cheeks red. Upon realising what it was doing, 600 retracted its hand.
“I apologise.” It linked its fingers awkwardly, fumbling. “I haven’t been able to touch another living being in what feels like forever, I couldn’t resist. I’m truly sorry.”
“Uhm, it’s fine, I think. At least we now know it seems to be okay to touch you.” You smiled encouragingly.
“All right, that’s all we need. You can exit the chamber now.” Dr. Smith's voice came from the speaker again.
“Thank you again. I’ll see you soon.” You said, waving goodbye to SCP-600. It gave a small wave back and retreated into a corner of the cell once more.
As soon as you were out of the chamber, you were taken to a small room, stripped and decontaminated, and someone took the sample to analyse it at the lab. You trudged back to your room, dressed in Foundation-issued sweats and thinking about what you had learned.
SCP-600 was definitely fascinating. It was the first SCP you had encountered that seemed to have the IQ of an average human or higher. The fact that it was capable of speech alone was amazing, but it appeared to be able to understand social norms and what was acceptable to say or do. And all of it despite not being human at all. It was mind blowing!
You thought about what it had said about its heritage, about being “different” before. Maybe there was a way for it to remember or simply a way to find out from people who might’ve known it before. Assuming 'before’ had been fairly recent of course.
Ideas for experiments and questions were flying around in your head. You were barely able to contain your excitement as you started taking notes as soon as you entered your room and sat down in front of your laptop.
This was going to be interesting for sure.