This was no time to wallow in my sorrows. I needed to fulfill the request she asked of me. She wanted me to look after her family and help them if I could…
“That would prove difficult. In fact, it would be outright impossible to accurately carry out her request,” Dr. Bright said with a wry smile. “The photo you entered was actually taken decades ago. Her parents already died of old age, but her younger brother is still alive and well.”
Decades ago? Not only did I enter the photograph, I traveled back in time…? This was getting weirder and weirder.
“That is what makes you an SCP object,” Dr. Bright pointed out, seductively brushing back their glossy hair. “The exact nature and capabilities of your powers are still unknown, but I would like to explore them. I’d appreciate your continued cooperation on these tests.”
“I’m against it,” Iris weakly contended, but Dr. Bright wasn’t the least bit shaken.
“Of course, you have no right to refuse. Your cooperative behavior with the SCP Foundation has earned you a certain degree of freedom, but you are fundamentally test subjects. You cannot defy us if we wish to use you in an experiment. You’re free to turn me away if you truly don’t want to work with me, but we would probably implement changes in your containment procedure,” they threatened, before plowing right on.
“On the other hand, I will guarantee your safety as long as you are cooperative with my tests. You’ll be under the great Dr. Bright’s wing! I don’t think it’s a waste of time for me or either of you to learn about your powers and their unique characteristics.” As Dr. Bright said this, they checked their watch (the type with cartoon characters little girls in Japan flip out over) and sighed in satisfaction.
“At any rate, it’s gotten quite late… You may call it a day. We can discuss this in detail at a later date. ███ appears absolutely exhausted. Try not to push yourself too hard,” they said considerately, but their eyes were shining with intellectual curiosity. I was struck with a sick, sinking fear they were going to grab me and gobble me up.
“Come to my lab again tomorrow. We can hold off on the nitty-gritty stuff until then… Good night, you two! ♪” Dr. Bright span back around in the chair. They began typing something furiously into the PC, so I hastily threw my question at them.
Not so fast! There was one thing I wanted to know. It was about that woman soldier’s brother who was still alive. Where was he now and what was he doing? At the very least, I wanted to pass on her final words. I wanted him to know how desperately she tried to make it out of that hellish theme park to return to her family… If I could tell someone in her family at least a little about the bravery and kindness she demonstrated, I felt it would give meaning to the time I spent wandering through that theme park in lost confusion.
“I see. It’s just as I predicted. You entered a mysterious photograph found at the site of a massacre where there were no survivors and caught a glimpse of what happened during the incident… I had high hopes you would be able to unravel some of the secrets surrounding SCP objects that no amount of legwork could hope to uncover.”
Dr. Bright spoke seriously before popping out with the most outlandish comment.
“And for the record, you don’t need to ask about her brother. You’ve already met him! When you very first met me, Dr. Bright, I was a black man—her brother! Having lost most of his original personality, he’s practically a completely different person now. I don’t see much point in going to tell him what happened.”
What were they talking about…? Come to think of it, Dr. Bright was a completely different race and gender from when we first met. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the mystery shrouding this person.
“I’m sure he’d be grateful. The death of his sister always weighed heavily on him. The entire reason why he decided to become a researcher here was to uncover the truth of how she died. I’m sure you’ve made him happy just by uncovering what his sister did and said before she passed,” Dr. Bright said, a shadow of grief crossing their face. They sighed.
“With your help, we could draw just a little closer to unlocking the secrets behind SCP objects shrouded in mystery, just like with the Carnival of Horrors. It would reduce the number of lives lost or destroyed from encounters with the unknown, if only a little. Would you help me to that end?”
Once again switching to a terrifyingly serious expression, the strange researcher said, “███, all of the SCP Foundation’s researchers are welcoming you with open arms.”
In all honesty, I wanted to go home right that instant.