It took a hefty amount of time offering Iris words of comfort and reassuring physical contact such as holding her hands to get her to stop crying. But through it all, I finally came to understand the situation. This was what I gleaned between sobs…
The Foundation restricted growing too attached to SCP-131, also known as the “Eye Pods.” There were a variety of reasons for this, which included an SCP object I still didn’t have any dealings with (she mentioned something about an SCP-173…) that went right over my head. Oblivious of the Foundation’s regulation, I displayed strong affection for the Eye Pods. In order to contend with this problem, Iris acted under Dr. Bright’s orders and followed the semi-standardized protocol on how to terminate amiable relationships with the little guys.
The protocol was essentially ensuring the Eye Pods absolutely never got near me. With temperament akin to domestic cats, they were quick to bond with people who treated them well or played with them, but would lose all interest in the bonded individual if ignored for roughly two weeks.
Come to think of it, I didn’t so much as hear the unique sound of their wheels once since I woke this morning, let alone catch sight of them. I guess they lost interest in me…probably.
They moved at rather high speeds—from what I heard, they averaged anywhere from five to thirty meters a second, but could go even faster—so Iris was constantly on high alert to ensure they never got anywhere near me. That took so much focus, she was evidently too preoccupied to chat. All the questions weighing on me melted away.
“That was part of it. At the time, I was also trying to squeeze in any paperwork—whatever I could complete over my PDA—so I simply didn’t have time to talk,” Iris said, looking dejected. She was such an earnest girl, she probably tried to stay on top of her work as best she could rather than taking time off from her usual duties.
“Plus, I was basically ordered to ignore you as much as possible. I’m not really sure why, but that is what Dr. Bright instructed. That’s right, this is all Dr. Bright’s fault,” she spat.
I felt that was too harsh—not that I blamed Iris for dissing that depraved researcher. In fact, I had a hunch I knew where Dr. Bright’s true intentions lay. This was a threat. If I didn’t learn my lesson after enduring this hell and still sought to befriend the Eye Pods for temporary solace again, Dr. Bright would enact this protocol to tear me from them once more. They would throw us into another war of frigid silence. They was warning me never to befriend the Eye Pods again if I didn’t want that to happen… That was the nature of the threat. No, it was more like punishment.
I didn’t feel alive these past two weeks. Simply being unable to chat with Iris made my heart gradually fall into decay. I never wanted to go through that again.
I felt like a prisoner who’d committed some sort of crime, received his sentence, and was thrown into the slammer… I was to reflect and mend my ways, resolving never to act in defiance of the rules again. That was the nature of this threat, punishment, and mandate.
Henceforth, I would adhere to the rule I learned though this incident. As I promised that to myself, Iris gave me a strained smile and said, “It’s okay, ███. I realize it is truly sad and upsetting to push away something that likes you… I felt the exact same way these past two weeks.”
Huh? By any chance, did Iris think of me as some pet along the lines of an indoor dog…? Even if it wasn’t intentional, that was how it sounded.
“I will bury the space—the hole—in your heart that you used the Eye Pods to fill,” Iris said as she drew her face close to mine, her proclamation making my heart go pitter-patter.
She pulled a rope out from somewhere. I recognized that rope! It was the one I used when playing with the Eye Pods.
“Here, you take that end. I’ll hold this end,” Iris said happily, back to her usual chipper self. Wrapping her fingers around the rope, her eyes sparkled adorably.
“We tug over the rope, right? And that’s supposed to be fun? I don’t really get it myself, but I’ll do my best!” she declared and began yanking at the rope… The sight of that alone was enough to blow the dissatisfaction and depression accumulated in me to smithereens.