The Monster's Room - Chapter 6
<Didn’t you read the terms of the contract we provided?>
“I could have died.”
<It was you who signed the agreement stating that we wouldn’t be liable for accidents.>
“So, I’m just a lab rat?”
<Well…>
John Doe shrugged and smiled with his fingers interlaced.
<You’re just D-1705.>
“……”
It seemed she was indeed a lab rat. Marie struggled to calm the anger boiling in her chest. She needed to be objective.
What mattered was practicality.
“There’s not enough information.”
Society runs on transactions. Marie calmly squeezed her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and spoke.
“At the very least, I’d like detailed information about the SCPs I’ll be managing.”
<The information access level for D-1705 should already have been upgraded.>
Marie had heard this during the exams and confirmed it through the provided tablet. But it wasn’t enough. She still lacked access to most of the information and didn’t understand the significance of the Euclid classification.
She needed an intuitive explanation.
<That information is unnecessary for D-1705.>
“Then maybe you should kill me and find another test subject.”
<…….>
For the first time, John Doe fell silent.
It was understandable. Marie could sense it. The instruction to evacuate immediately if the transparent jelly eraser moved meant it was dangerous, yet she was unharmed. Although she had endured an experience that felt straight out of B-grade porn, it hadn’t been as shocking as expected.
She had actually felt extraordinarily good. Despite the circumstances, the creature hadn’t harmed her. Compared to the neighborhood boys who used to grab her arms roughly and leave bruises, it was, regrettably, quite gentlemanly. No unpleasant smells, nothing.
Feeling conflicted as it seemed the situation was improving rather than worsening, Marie shook her head to clear her thoughts. After all, if the situation were truly dire, the researchers in protective suits wouldn’t have been so enthusiastic about pushing her into various testing devices.
So, how would the Foundation handle such a special test subject?
Marie stared at the flickering screen, while John Doe crookedly smiled.
<Alright. I’ll lift some security restrictions for information limited to Area F-49. However, you will need to pay extra attention to managing SCPs.>
Click.
The screen went dark.
‘I won.’
Usually, the one who leaves in frustration first is considered the loser.
* * *
<Please proceed with the next procedure.>
Was this a step forward or a retreat? Marie clutched her throbbing head and let out a dry laugh.
<Please proceed with the next procedure.>
She hadn’t expected to be deployed on the next mission immediately after receiving the IV.
With a mix of confusion and resignation, Marie alternated between the screen and the tablet. Despite the apparent erasure of her rights by the transparent jelly eraser, the tablet displayed whether the information access level she requested had been properly upgraded.
[Fluffy Cotton Doll]
Serial Number: SCP-▉▉▉1
Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures:
Keep in a room decorated as a toy room. Hug it once a day until desired. Care must be taken not to shock SCP-▉▉▉1.
Description:
A stuffed toy that hugs back with the same force as the received impact. Although its danger level was increased to Keter from Euclid after Incident 1, it was found that it is safe as long as it is hugged with appropriate force, so the classification was adjusted.
…
The mission was simple. Just hug it once a day.
But Marie couldn’t easily lower her guard. If she considered ease, the transparent jelly eraser was supposed to be simple as well.
A task that should have only required 10mL of water had turned into a sci-fi porn scene just half a day ago. With her eyes tightly closed, Marie glanced at the classification.
After negotiating with John Doe, Marie finally understood the meaning of these classifications. The grades measure the support and risk associated with containing SCPs.
The Fluffy Cotton Doll had a Safe classification. This means it can be contained easily and safely by the Foundation.
Earlier, the transparent jelly eraser that had involved her in tentacle play was classified as Euclid, one level above Safe. Euclid typically includes entities with autonomy, perceptual abilities, or intelligence.
No wonder it had a high level of intelligence.
With a click of her tongue, Marie stood in front of the door to SCP-▉▉▉1’s room.
<SCP-▉▉▉1 door opening.>
Marie hesitated as she looked through the open door.
The scene was markedly different from the previous room. The room for the Fluffy Cotton Doll was decorated in bright, colorful patterns, and toys were scattered all over the floor. In the center, there was a pile of stuffed animals, robots, and blocks that children would likely love.
Distinguishing the SCP among them wasn’t too difficult.
Tap.
The stuffed toy that stood out was the one that seemed to ‘automatically’ rise and open its arms. It had an ambiguous appearance—whether it was a puppy or a rabbit was unclear—but it was adorably fluffy with stuffing. Its size was about knee-height, and it looked like it would fit perfectly in Marie’s arms. Staring at the doll, Marie recalled her mission.
“…Excuse me.”
Though it wasn’t strictly necessary to say, the toy’s childlike gesture as it opened its arms made Marie speak softly as she carefully picked it up.
Immediately, the stuffed toy embraced her neck with an equal force.
