SCP-131:
The “Eye Pods”
THE FIRST TIME I saw them, I was walking down a facility corridor with the two researchers I met during The Clockworks incident. Since then, we’d formed a rather amiable relationship. I was helping with their work. On this particular day, I was carrying boxes of stuff they were going to use for an experiment.
Seeing as the SCP Foundation was a secret organization, they were always understaffed. That was especially true regarding work with the most valuable SCP objects, which could only be handled by personnel with high-level clearance. Merely divulging information to lower-ranked personnel was prohibited, making it difficult to find assistants for even simple tests.
They could always resort to using expendable Class D personnel or recruit random handymen and apply amnestics upon completion, but the preparations and cleanup were a hassle. While I had a certain degree of basic knowledge and a bit of authority as Iris’s accessory, I wasn’t so important that it would be a terrible loss if something did happen to me. All told, this put me in a rather convenient position.
It wasn’t as if Dr. Bright implemented experiments using me every day. With more time than I knew what to do with, I actively sought out such odd jobs as a means to kill time. I wasn’t sure if they took a liking to me or if they simply viewed me as a handy helper, but these two researchers in particular started calling on me rather casually to go help with their experiments.
“I can’t help but think when I see Young Girl that God put her on this world as an ironic testament to the violent nature of foolhardy men.” Dressed in soft, white clothing again today, Dr. Selkie made that scathing remark and sharply clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk, tsk!” More often than not, that tongue clicking was a warning sign she was in a bad mood. But as far as I could tell, she was almost always in a huff about something or other.
Donned in gold from head to toe (looking closely, I was impressed to find even his matching lab coat held a hint of gold), Dr. Goldman gazed lovingly at Dr. Selkie. He offered her a pleasant smile that revealed his shining white teeth. “Your theory is flawed, my darling Selkie. It’s not just men—women are affected by Young Girl as well. And when you say ‘God,’ to which religion or mythology are you referring?”
“Jeez, it’s not like you’re three years old! Can’t you comprehend abstract expressions?” Dr. Selkie snapped.
“May I consider that a discriminatory remark against three-year-olds or immature children?” Dr. Goldman quipped.
“You’re so quick to change the subject! Take my frumpy puppy death glare! Why do you turn tail and run the second someone finds fault with you?”
“Maybe because you don’t simply point out my flaws, you dig into them with a knife. Now, in short, you’re trying to say men are insufferably violent and foolish creatures. As a man, surely that means I am no different. Correct?”
“Don’t tie it into a neat package with that ‘in short’ crap! You’re getting under my skin! Oh, you drive me batty!” she howled.
The two researchers were having fun (I only just recently realized this, but their foulmouthed banter was actually a form of expressing their affection) chatting like usual. They soon realized I was straggling fairly far behind and turned back in unison to face me.
“Dear, aren’t we walking a bit too fast?” Dr. Selkie asked.
“I believe so. You’re falling awfully far behind, ███. Seeing as my masculinity is under fire at the moment, I would rather avoid emphasizing my brute strength—a symbol of manliness—by taking half of those boxes off your hands,” Dr. Goldman said smoothly.
“Unbelievable! You always have an excuse for everything!”
I hobbled along as the quarrelsome duo looked back at me. I was carrying a bunch of boxes of something or other at their request today. There were a total of six. None were all that heavy on their own, but they were a nightmare to carry when stacked. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could use some sort of cart, but I was stuck carrying them in my arms.
As a normal high school boy without any weight training, this was a pretty exhausting task. Not only were they getting heavy, they were so bulky that it was outright hard to walk—I could barely see around the stack.
The rule of thumb regarding anything related to SCP objects was “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” While I hadn’t asked about their contents, I couldn't help but wonder: What was inside?
“Nothing much. It’s not like we’ve got anything creepy stuffed in there,” Dr. Selkie said as if the question was written on my face. Unable to bear watching me struggle any longer, she stretched to grab the box on top of the stack with both arms as she said, “They’re full of toys, picture books, and—what else was it again?—to give Young Girl.”
“Four of the six boxes are full of candy and snacks,” Dr. Goldman answered. Grabbing two of the boxes, he said, “Look,” as he broke one open to reveal the contents.
Sure enough, it was stuffed with the brightly colored wrappers typical of foreign candies. There were hard candies, gummies, biscuits, and a variety of chocolates… It was loaded with the sort of candy that most kids would flip out over.
“Sweets are good for when you’re tired. Here, you can have one,” Dr. Goldman said.
Smiling pleasantly as usual, Dr. Goldman peeled off the silver wrapper of a chocolate bar he snatched from the box before unceremoniously stuffing it in my mouth. My mouth was filled with the sweet flavor. With a disapproving glare, Dr. Selkie once again clicked her teeth, “Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!”
“Is it wise to give him a piece on a whim, Dear?” she asked.
“Everyone is so scared of Young Girl right now, they’re increasing her treats in hopes of keeping her happy… One less is no big deal. Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Dr. Goldman assured her.
This had been bugging me for a while now, so I threw my question at Dr. Goldman while he was trying to assuage Dr. Selkie. I wanted to know who exactly this “Young Girl” the two researchers kept mentioning was… It was an innocent question, but their expressions instantly turned grave.
“Even among the SCP objects, it’s an extremely dangerous monster,” said Dr. Selkie.
“You must never go anywhere near it,” answered Dr. Goldman.
It was unusual for the two chatterboxes to come out so harsh and concise. I wondered what the deal was with this Young Girl… But when it came to SCP objects, it was quite literally best to let sleeping gods lie, so I didn’t press any further.
“Oops!” Due to grabbing the boxes and opening one while walking, a piece of candy slipped out and fell to the ground. It bounced across the floor. And just our luck, the candy—a piece of chewing gum, I thought—slipped right under one of the vending machines scattered throughout the corridors.
“Oh, jeez,” Dr. Selkie snapped. “Why must you be such a klutz, dear?”
“Why must you act like I did something wrong?” Dr. Goldman retorted.
I told the constantly bickering couple something along the lines that I would go get it. I put down the cardboard boxes and made my way over to the vending machine.
After carrying the heavy burden for so long, my back and arms were sore and tired. Grunting like an old man, I dropped down to peek under the vending machine. And that’s when I found them. No, perhaps it was the other way around and they found me.