SCP. There was that strange acronym that I’d observed multiple times throughout the site. Although I figured they stood for something, they rang new and unfamiliar to my ears. I was still struggling to grasp the gist of them.
Seeing me struggle, Iris offered a simple explanation. “Basically, the ‘S’ in ‘SCP’ stands for ‘Secure,’ the ‘C’ stands for ‘Contain,’ and the ‘P’ is for ‘Protect.’”
Thanks to the translation collar (was that what it was?), I heard the words in English but understood them in Japanese, making her explanation extremely easy to follow. “Right. The goal of the organization is to swiftly and safely secure SCP objects—anomalous occurrences and objects extending beyond human comprehension—to isolate them from the general public and contain them, then properly observe them, and protect them.”
Uh-huh. So, it was like a crossover between a spy organization for the supernatural and guards for a vault. Hm, that might not actually be a good analogy… I couldn’t think of a similar organization on the spot with my limited knowledge.
Whatever! Precisely because the SCP Foundation was isolating the eerie from conventional society, normal folk like us didn’t even realize they existed. Yes, anomalies existed in the world. But the SCP Foundation was hiding them from the masses as they thoroughly secured, contained, and protected them.
“We—it feels weird for me to say, ‘we,’ but anyway—we are a secret organization carrying out the mission to secure, contain, and protect anomalies, or SCP objects. Hence, in accordance, we are generally referred to as the SCP Foundation,” she said. The strand of difficult words made it hard for me to follow.
“The SCP Foundation, as implied by the name ‘Foundation,’ is built upon a foundation of massive financial resources, which serve as the substrate for its international operations. There are research sites like this one scattered across the globe, each heavily staffed with researchers and other personnel.”
While I strived to digest that information, Iris plowed right on. “There are countless agents who travel the world and blend into society to conduct investigations rather than remaining permanently stationed at any one site. I’m certain the Foundation has extended its reach to Japan and spread its roots there as well.”
It had? But seeing as it was a secret organization, there was naturally no way a normal high school boy such as myself would know. This was the sort of far-fetched conspiracy story that would make my occult-crazed upperclassman flip out. It was hard to believe…and yet, here I was, in one of the research facilities run by that strange organization operating behind the scenes in the world of the supernatural. It made me feel awkwardly out of place, like I’d stumbled into a movie.
Simply hearing about all of it filled me with such fear that I began to tremble. I wasn’t sure what she mistook the trembling for, but Iris poured more coffee into my cup.
“Really,” she said in a cute little voice, “You shouldn’t have too much caffeine, or you might have trouble sleeping tonight.” She stuck her tongue out. I found the sight comforting and relaxed a bit. I heaved a long, heavy sigh of relief.
It didn’t seem like she had anything to gain by deceiving me with absurd stories, so at least for the time being, I was going to take her words at face value. Besides, we wouldn’t get anywhere if I questioned every little thing.
The main thing I didn’t understand was how I wound up inside the research facility for such a creepy organization. Did I teleport here from the library? Everything pertaining to my arrival, from the how to the why, was unknown to me, filling me with unease.
Evidently not a fan of bitter coffee, I observed Iris drop several sugar cubes in her drink right before my eyes. She proceeded to stir it. As the Girl in the Photos, I sincerely doubted she was unrelated to the strange things occurring to me. I decided to be open about my concerns.
“We don’t have the answers to any of that ourselves,” Iris replied, her brows pinched in consternation. “In fact, my goal is to discover who you are, as well as how and why you appeared in our research facility. But you aren’t sure yourself, are you?”
No, I was totally clueless.
“I see. This could prove problematic… I subjectively—not objectively—perceive you aren’t a bad person. That is my biased, personal opinion. There is no saying how the other personnel will appraise you.” Iris folded her arms and grumbled to herself as she wracked her brain.
“Humans fear the unknown. Seeing as your identity is unknown, excruciatingly thorough and elaborate safety procedures will be enacted unless you are impartially deemed Safe,” she said.
Hmm… I bet this was an issue with the translation collar, which was probably altering her words to convey minor nuances in her speech. Whatever the case, the slew of difficult words made it challenging for me to wrap my mind around what Iris was saying. Honestly, it made the way she talked sound unnatural. I had no doubt she was talking perfectly normally in English, but that didn’t help me much…
“I suspect the standard SCP containment procedures will be put in place. Bluntly put, you will be locked in a completely enclosed room. If you try to leave, explosives will detonate, and chemicals will dissolve and sterilize everything in the room, or something along those lines.” Iris mumbled the details of the horrifying processes before closing her eyes and contemplating in silence for a moment.
“I’d hate for that to happen to you,” she said as she opened her eyes, offering an awkward smile. “As such, you’re staying in my room as of today.”
From my perspective, she’d just randomly blurted out the most insane idea.