Inside his office, Dr. Bright reads the new directive.
Sigh.
"At least they're still treating him as friendly, but… I don't think we can keep him away from certain anomalies."
Massaging his temples, he mutters:
"If he asks to meet 343, then what? Refuse him? I mean… he doesn't seem like the type to get mad over that, but…"
He exhales.
"Let's look at the positives. I got a new PC."
On his desk sits a high-end gaming computer.
As requested, his old setup was replaced while preserving all his files.
Testing it, Bright smiles—no more freezing just to open a file.
"Now, next task…"
He flips to the second page.
Phase 3 Testing: Offensive Capabilities
"...Start with contained anomalies… then escalate…"
Closing the document, he stands.
"Alright. Let's go meet the man of the hour."
Destination: Rob's Room
—
Before he can knock, the door opens.
"...Do you always monitor your door? It keeps opening on its own, so I'm guessing that's you."
"Ah, don't worry. I made it so the door opens when someone approaches."
"...Did you just modify Foundation equipment?"
"No, no—you misunderstand. I modified reality around the door so it responds to people approaching."
"...That's worse. You altered reality to make an automatic door."
"Don't worry, it's just the space around it."
"...You—"
Sigh.
"Alright, fine. Let's go. We have another test."
"Ooh, finally. Some action?"
"Yeah. We'll be testing your… firepower."
"Nice."
—
Rob, Bright, and several guards head toward the testing site.
"As you know, each SCP has its own containment chamber, so we'll be walking for a while."
"Want a ride?"
"What? We're inside a facility."
"Don't worry. Look."
With a snap, the entire group lifts a few centimeters off the ground.
A transparent interface appears in front of Bright.
[Select destination:]SCP-001SCP-002SCP-…
"...How do you even kn— you know what, fine. So I press a number and we teleport?"
"Nope. We fly there."
"Why not teleport?"
"Even I have some restraint. Think about the guards."
"...Right. Because flying is completely normal."
Not even bothering to argue, Bright presses:
SCP-173
The group accelerates, gliding through the facility.
In under a minute, they arrive.
"That was… smoother than expected."
"So, what now?"
"First, we go to the control room. Then you enter while we monitor 173. After that, we begin testing."
"Fine."
—
Rob enters alone.
The containment door opens.
The statue stands still.
"Ah… nostalgia. I remember this one."
As he steps closer, he feels the observation from the control room.
"We're ready, Rob. Since this SCP is a special case, we'll disable the cameras. Listen carefully."
"Test your defense, perception, and analysis. Try to understand its nature. Avoid destroying it."
Rob nods.
"Turning off cameras in 3… 2… 1…"
—
The moment observation ceases—
He feels something behind him.
Crack.
The statue's arm breaks.
Rob turns slowly.
"Heh."
Then he shifts his perception—removing himself from the statue's "awareness."
SCP-173 begins to tremble.
As Rob moves, the statue repeatedly appears behind him—attacking, failing, glitching.
It "knows" it should attack.
But it cannot "find" the target.
"...Interesting."
"What if I remove it from my perception as well?"
—
SCP-173 disappears.
"...Oh shi—"
WARNING. CONTAINMENT BREACH—
"Nope."
With a simple motion, time rewinds.
173 is back.
Still glitching.
"That was close."
—
"Now… let's see what you are."
Rob's vision shifts.
Fire. A red world.
The statue stands unmoving, engulfed in flames.
Then—
A forest.
Unobserved.
Movement.
Speed.
A farm.
Cracks.
Bodies fall—human and animal alike.
...
Time passes.
Containment.
"...Damn. So it was true."
—
"Right. I should write this down."
Crack.
Rob sighs.
"Can you stay still? I'm working."
With a snap—
173 freezes completely.
Its arm reattaches.
"...I don't need to test damage. Passive defense already broke it."
"Let's go see Bright."
—
He disappears.
—
"Hello there."
"WHAT THE—"
Bright nearly jumps.
"What happened to not scaring people?!"
"Right. Sorry. Faster this way."
"Wait—if you're here, then—?!"
"Relax. I froze it."
"...You need to warn us before doing that."
"Noted."
"...Moving on. How did it go?"
"Here."
Rob hands him the notes and looks around while Bright reads.
"Right. Before we move on, I want to show you something useful."
As Bright finishes reading, he looks up at Rob, who is pointing at a red button on the console.
"...And that button is for…?"
"Freezing it and unfreezing it. Press it, and 173 stays frozen until you press it again."
"Another reality-warping trick?"
"Yeah."
"...That's actually helpful. I'll add it to the report."
—
Some minutes after—
The team is gliding again.
A transparent interface floating reads:
[Destination: SCP-096]
...
Shortly after, the team is inside the control room.
"SCP-096 is one of the most difficult anomalies we have. We can't destroy it—not even with advanced ballistic methods. The only option left would be nuclear, but the drawbacks outweigh the benefits."
Bright speaks while watching the screen.
In the corner, a pale figure sits, covering its face… crying.
"Your objectives are similar: sensory testing, defense, and most importantly—damage."
"Teleport to the room when ready"
"... what happened to not teleporting?"
Rob rolls his eyes—and disappears.
—
Inside the chamber—
Rob appears behind 096.
"Hello there."
Crying.
"Let's start with sensory testing."
Rob removes himself from 096's perception.
Standing in front of it, he observes quietly.
"Excuse me…"
He moves its hands away—
And sees its face.
"...You're more normal than I expected."
A pale, human face—crying, but without tears.
"Why do all the pictures of you are ugly? You are just a normal person"
—
"Now, defense."
Rob re-enters 096's awareness.
"aaaAAAAH—"
The scream erupts instantly.
096 rises, clutching its face.
"Woah, that startled me, now i know why they say you are ugly"
Seconds later—
It charges.
Its claws slam into an invisible barrier.
Rob glances at the camera
"Be right back guys, gonna test if he can follow me to the other side of the solar system. I'll be taking the camera"
He disappears.
—
Inside the control room, Bright is watching the empty room on the screen, seconds after, it shows a completly blue planet
"...What—"
Before he finishes—
096 bursts through the containment roof.
Then another.
And another.
It launches upward—toward space.
"...They're going to kill me for this, aren't they?"
Bright exhales slowly.
On the screen, glowing text appears above Rob:
[Don't worry. Testing range and defense.][I'll fix everything when we return.][Also modified its perception—no one else will trigger it.]
"...How... considerate"
Bright's eye twitches.
[Relax... look, here it comes. Faster than i tought]
Rob gazes at 096 who is now running at him at speed so high that it only took him 2 minutes to reach from Earth to Neptune
It slams into Rob's barrier.
Its arms tear apart.
Its body burns—
It melts
Only a charred skeleton can be seen
Rob remains still
Completly fine
'Not bad, its still alive'
'Lets go back, gonna test damage control with you'
With a tough—
They return
The camera goes back in place
The roof repairs itself, as if time is being rewinded
The entire cell starts heating
096 is still melting
*snap*
Fully restored
*snap*
Slowly its body reduces to dust
Before he can completly dissapear—
*Snap*
Restored again
Now, instead of attacking
It stays in a corner
Curling and trembling
it seems understands the concept of death, not consciously, but enough to feel fear. Its first time nearly dying
Now it doesnt want to attack anymore, it just want that man to leave
"Interesting, it seems that he really can feel fear"
"Now, its origin"
Rob closes his eyes.
He starts to look deeper
—
At first, nothing.
Then—
Red.
A place
Endless and silent.
The ground is cracked, dry, stretching infinitely in every direction.
The sky—
Doesn't exist.
Only a heavy, oppressive red pressing down from above.
—
Something moves.
No—
Something is.
Not a form.
Not a shape.
A presence.
—
It stands there.
Tall.
Unnaturally thin.
Its limbs hang loosely, too long for its body.
Its head is lowered.
Completely still.
—
Then—
A shift.
—
Its hands slowly rise.
Covering its face.
As if hiding something that should never be seen.
—
Time passes.
—
Then—
Something changes.
—
A flicker
—
Everything breaks.
—
A distant place.
A human.
He is looking.
Not directly.
Not even intentionally.
A fragment of an image.
—
That is enough.
—
The entity freezes.
Then—
It trembles.
—
Its hands tighten against its face.
A sound begins.
Barely audible.
—
Then it grows.
—
A distorted scream.
Something… wrong.
—
And in an instant—
It starts walking
—
First slow
Then faster
Until its running
—
A remote mountain range.
Snow.
Wind.
Silence.
—
A man adjusts his equipment.
A camera.
He checks the lens.
—
Behind him—
Something appears to be approaching.
—
Tall.
its hands reaching towards him
—
Then—
The man turns.
—
His eyes lock onto it.
—
The camera falls.
—
And the screaming begins.
—
—
By the time the Foundation arrives—
There is nothing left.
—
Just Fragments of equipment.
A broken camera.
—
Recovered.
Analyzed.
—
The image is incomplete.
Distorted.
Barely visible.
—
But it is enough.
—
Another incident follows.
Then another.
—
Patterns emerge.
—
Survivors: none.Witnesses: none.Triggers: visual.
—
Containment procedures are drafted.
Too late.
—
Tracking begins.
—
Eventually—
They find it.
—
Deep within an isolated area.
Unmoving
Crying
Its hands covering its face.
—
No reaction.
No aggression.
—
Observation confirms:
Passive state.
—
Then—
A controlled test.
—
A single image.
Viewed under supervision.
—
The result is immediate.
—
Screaming.
Movement.
Death
—
Termination of subject: instant.
—
Confirmation achieved.
—
Containment revised.
—
And from that point forward—
It is no longer unknown.
—
SCP-096
—
Rob opens his eyes.
—
"...Yeah."
He exhales slowly.
—
"...That confirms it"
Waving at the camera, he makes a 'ok' signal, and then teleports
—
Inside the control room, Rom hands Bright the notes
"Good work today. We'll send this up, and we'll contact you for the next tests."
"Sure. Want to grab something to eat?"
"Sorry. I still have work to do. If you can, just send a burger to my office."
"Already done. See you."
—
Rob leaves the room alone.
Bright remains.
—
Silence.
—
He looks down at the notes.
Then at the monitors.
Then back at the notes.
—
"...Right."
—
He exhales slowly.
"Let's send this up."
—
He turns toward the system.
'Let's hope this doesn't spiral out of control.'