Milestone:
Mirror World
LATER THAT DAY…
After we finished our mysterious breakfast, we relocated to Dr. Bright’s lab. I wasn’t sure if it was because I ate the emotionally soothing soup from SCP-348 or if Dr. Bright’s excessively cheerful disposition was rubbing off on me, but my entire body felt warm and fuzzy. I wasn’t in the best of spirits, though. Dr. Bright’s earlier statement nagged at the back of my head.
“Excuse me, Dr. Bright.” Apparently of a similar mind, Iris hesitantly spoke up, while the researcher lined the paper bags of souvenirs off to the side. “May I ask what you meant by your earlier comment? What did you mean when you said that…███ isn’t a resident of our world?”
“Oh, I’ll be sure to go all over that; don’t you worry. I don’t like being enigmatic for the heck of it. I’m afraid that for better or worse, I’m not all that great at picking up on the mood, as anyone will tell you.” Dr. Bright elegantly sat on a chair and turned to face us, a surprisingly serious expression on their face.
Iris and I were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the bed in our usual spot, putting us directly across from the mad scientist.
“Now then, where should I begin?” Dr. Bright mused, a contemplative expression clouding their face as they made a show of seductively crossing their legs.
“███, we—if I may be so bold—we, the members of the SCP Foundation, have kept you under observation to identify your special characteristics, while simultaneously investigating your origin to the point of obsession.”
Well, I guess that was a given… After living in this SCP Foundation research site for as long as I had, I didn’t bat an eye over the revelation. Such was their purpose as the SCP Foundation. It was their goal to investigate, research, secure, contain, and protect anomalies that extended beyond the realm of rational thought.
Within the course of the very first day I strayed into this research site, all of my personal possessions, including the clothes on my back, were confiscated and analyzed through and through. Everything I said and did was watched and observed. I’d had to undergo countless physical exams as well. Analyzed to the DNA level, everything about me was laid bare.
“That’s what you’d think, isn’t it? It’s completely within the power of the SCP Foundation to do that. We possess the necessary knowhow, experience, and drive. You were rather compliant and honestly divulged personal information, making you an easy test subject to work with in those regards.” Dr. Bright frowned, as if they thought there wasn’t any fun in that.
“Based on the investigation’s findings, we’ve learned that true to your appearance, you’re an overall unspectacular, normal boy. Aside from your unique ability to enter photos, there is nothing particularly special about you. You’re the painfully average type of guy—from average intelligence to physical capabilities to appearance—I’d never want you for my boyfriend,” Dr. Bright said, adding their unnecessary personal opinion.
Their face turned serious as they continued, “That was what everyone thought. Even I was starting to lose interest in you personally, if not in your abilities. But just to play it safe, I searched for supporting evidence regarding your investigation…and came across an incredible fact.”
Dr. Bright suddenly thrust their face up close to mine and smiled impishly.
“A field agent went to the city in Japan where you lived, according to the statement you gave. Seeing as you were worried that your family would be upset over your disappearance, it was necessary to at least inform your parents of your wellbeing. Of course, this was all heavily motivated by the ulterior motive of conducting a background check,” Dr. Bright said.
“Were ███’s parents worried about him…?” Iris asked, trying to be considerate of my feelings, but Dr. Bright shrugged with a grin.
“Not in the least! No one even noticed ███ was missing, not even his own parents, school teachers, or anyone else who knows him in any way. No one was worried as they went about their normal, everyday lives as if nothing had happened,” Dr. Bright answered.
That…was actually a bit shocking. In reality, I wasn’t all that special of a person; it wouldn’t matter whether I was around or not. But I never doubted that at least my parents would freak out and search for me if I suddenly went missing.
Did people hate me more than I realized…? Was I a pathetic loser, unloved by everyone?
Seeing me wallow in self-pity, Dr. Bright laughed merrily, “Sorry! I phrased that poorly. It was only natural for those associated with you to act normally. For you see, you never went missing.”
Huh…? What was that supposed to mean?