SCP-096-A

by Pikdude

SCP-096-A hardly remembers life outside of containment. She dreams of adventure, but dreads leaving- for any human being who sees her face, will most certainly die. However- what will she do when a mysterious, otherworldly creature known only as Slender brings the adventure to her? (Femme Slender. Inspired by a deviantart picture of 096 and Slenderette.)

Imagine.

Going through your whole life fully sentient, fully aware of the terrible danger.

Not to yourself- but to anyone around you.

The merest glance at your face and they die.

And you're responsible.

That is the fate of SCP-096. Fully sentient, fully aware- and completely helpless to stop its own nature.

Any person who views the face of SCP-096 will die. Even if they only see it for a second, or in a video, or even a picture. You see the face, you die.

SCP-096 is normally very docile, but when someone sees its face... It changes. It flies off the handle and tears towards the one who saw its face, breaking through anything that stands in its way, and... Well, let's just say it isn't pretty.

096 is well aware of its anomaly. And its powerless to stop it.

SCP-096 has given up. It is just marking time until it dies- which it isn't likely to do anytime soon. It slipped into insanity long ago and feels nothing for its actions.

I don't blame him. The memories haunt me, too. But I refuse to slip like he did. I will remember who, what, I am.

I'm SCP-096-A. That's what they call me, anyways- the Foundation. They contain me, which is probably for the best. I've killed twenty-three people already, and I remember the faces of all twenty three.

I remember what it was like before my anomaly manifested. I remember what it was like to be able to look into the eyes of another human without wanting to kill them.

They've given me books, let me watch TV. I know how normal people live. I miss that. But I can never have it.

I'm no longer one of them, I guess.

No longer a human.

I'm SCP-096. And this is my story.

The nightmares come regularly, nightly. They usually feature the faces of those I've killed, the memories of me ripping, tearing at them as the Other takes over.

This time, there was something new. A girl, a young girl, maybe about my age. She hovers at the edge of the shadows, a dark form barely visible. I can see her long black hair, can sense that she is impeccably dressed. I can't see her face, and that unnerves me.

She just watches. She appears at the edge of my vision, and is gone when I try to look at her. She just watches the nightmares, watches as I relive my past over and over again. I wake up from the nightmares with the usual sadness and panic, but also a new paranoria that I'm being watched.

The Foundation has plenty of things contained- and knew of a few more uncontained- that could do things like this, but none were near me. I'd requested to be contained where there was almost no chance of exposure, and my wish had been granted. I had no idea where I was but I knew I was the only SCP in the site.

So what was she?

An SCP?

A punishing spirit for me?

Or something different?

A week passed like this, my paranoria mounting higher with each night, each nightmare. She never changed position, but I saw a little more of her every time- her hair, some sort of shadow tentacle things behind her, but never her face. Never the face, why never the face?

It went on like that for a week, maybe two. I lost sleep, a lot of sleep, so much that the Foundation took the risk of sending someone into my cell to talk to me about it.

"SCP-096-A?" The voice came from over the intercom. I rolled out of my bed and reached under it, withdrawing the only thing that stopped me from killing everyone who saw my face- a burlap bag. They made me wear a bag over my head. I hated it, but it was necessary.

"I'm coming in now, alright?" I grunted in response. I heard the door swish open and the footsteps of the doctor.

"Good morning, SCP-096-A," Dr. Malhousen said cheerily. "How are you?"

I answered the same I had for years.

"Trapped but safe." I heard a soft sigh.

"Okay, 096-A, we're just going to do a routine physical, alright?"

"Fine," I said, used to their continued attempts to figure out my physiology. I heard the doctor press a button and remembered his favourite toy, a voice recorder that he took notes on.

"Subject SCP-096-A," He muttered to himself. "Routine physical examination. Subject appears healthy and has been consuming all provided food and water. Subject exhibits none of the malnutrition exhibited by SCP-096."

Subject. SCP-096-A. Thats what they always called me. I hated it. Those weren't names. People deserved names, real names.

But then, in the eyes of the Foundation, I am not, nor have ever been, a person.

There was a sharp tap on both of my knees, and I jerked in response.

"Subject demonstrates normal reflexes, albeit slightly superior to human baseline. Please stand, SCP-096-A." I stood. He measured my height, the length of my limbs, and other things, I didn't know what.

"Subject is significantly taller than normal human baseline for females, standing at six feet, five inches tall, but still does not approach the heights achieved by SCP-096-A. Subject demonstrates slightly extended arm length, mimicking SCP-096, but on a much smaller scale. Length appears to be proportional to SCP-096, although the exact ratio is unknown. Please step onto the scale, SCP-096-A." He extended a hand to help me find the scale. I hated not being able to see, hated it with every bone in my body- but unless I wanted to kill the doctor-and I didn't- it was something I'd have to live with.

"Subject weighs approximately two-twenty, which does not match up with physical appearance and hints at reinforced bone structure as well as regenerative qualities." There was a click. I guess he turned his recorder off for a moment.

"Do you know how lucky we were to find you, 096-A?" He asked. That was the closest he got to finding me a name-dropping the SCP designation from my number. "You're cooperative, healthy, and in full control of your mental faculties. SCP-096 is not any of those. Thanks to you, we've been able to learn so much more about your... Anomaly." He paused for breath and composed himself. The recorder clicked back on.

"Physical examination complete, moving on to psychological examination. SCP-096-A, please have a seat." I navigated my way to my bed and sat down.

"So," the doctor began conversationally. "How do you feel about your current living conditions?"

I shrugged. "They're good enough, I suppose. I would like to feel some fresh air. Can I visit the surface?"

"I'll submit the idea to my superiors," he said smoothly. In other words, no. "The pressure sensors have detected you've been a lot more active at night than normal. Are you losing sleep?"

I snorted. "Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer, doctor." He acted surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I don't know you read my journal. It gets obvious after a while- one of your men drinks way too much coffee." The first time, I thought I'd been imagining it. The second time, I was positive the coffee smell wasn't my imagination.

"Then you must know we're concerned for your health. We need you here, for the sake of our research on how your body regenerates. If we can crack the genetic code, we can help many people who-"

"Cut the crap, doctor, I know why I'm here," I snapped. "I'm the only hope you have of figuring out how to kill 096."

Which, incidentally, I had thought about and decided that it would not be a bad thing. 096 was too dangerous to be left alive.

Of course, that argument could apply to me as well. But I didn't like to think about that.

"If you choose to believe that, then you may," the doctor said mildly. "However, we are still concerned. Is it insomnia? Nightmares? Do you require some form of sedative?"

I laughed. "The nightmares have always been there, doctor. They never leave. Have you ever killed anyone?" The silence told me no.

"I have. Twenty three people, in fact. I still see their faces at night. Every night. So no, its not the nightmares causing me to lose sleep."

"What is it, then?"

I drew my knees to my chest, an automatic gesture.

"Her."

"Her? Who is 'her,' 096-A? Another SCP? A person from your past?"

I shook my head. "I don't know her. I couldn't know her. She doesn't have a face." At this, I heard the doctor stutter. I could imagine him looking very pale.

"N-no face?" I nodded, perplexed. The doctor swallowed nervously.

"Well, that completes our interview for now," he said, and practically bolted from the room, his footfalls heavy. I waited for the sound of the door shutting, then took the bag off of my head and flung it away in disgust.

"No face?" Came a voice from nowhere, and I realised that the Foundation had left the intercom on- definitely against procedure. Whoever this faceless girl is, she must be bad, I thought.

"096-A described it as a her. We've got no reports of it manifesting as a female."

"We have barely any reports on it at all, damnit. Only a couple of real sightings and an undocumented number of faked ones. You know how many have been lost to it. If there's even a small chance..."

"What would we do? There's no way to contain the damned thing. You know what it did to that retrieval team."

"This needs to be booted upstairs."

"Agreed." The voices receded and I guessed they'd rushed away. The intercom crackled and I realised they'd broken basic SCP protocol and left me alone.

I decided to take a nap. For years, the nightmares had come only at night. My power naps were safe.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I woke up in a solid white room. There was nothing, no furniture, or even any walls, so far as I could see. A totally blank room.

What was this? Some form of new containment? Or was it just a dream?

Well, it was better than the nightmares. I warily looked around, ready for... Something. A monster to pop out, doctor to try and take me away, something besides this eternal white.

"Hello?" I called out.

Hello, a voice within my head responded. I started, scrambling back from where I'd been sitting.

"Who's there?" I asked, an edge of panic to my voice.

Just me, the voice responded. I looked around wildly. Nothing.

"Who are you?" I asked, definitely starting to panic. Was this insanity?

Thank you, the voice whispered. I paused, puzzled.

"For what?"

For saying who, not what. The ground beneath me cracked and crumbled, dropping me into a pit of blackness that rushed by, faster and faster until- I woke up, popping awake in my bed breathing hard.

It took me a while to settle down and go back to sleep for the night.

That night, the nightmares were worse than ever. The images were more vivid, the feelings more sickening. The whole time I felt like there was someone right behind me, and that shattered my nerves. I woke up in a sweat and fell back asleep several times.

Finally, a screen switched on in my cell that showed the sun rising. That was as close as I ever got to the outside world. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes.

I felt a soft touch on my cheek, an intimate gesture.

My eyes flew open and my hands covered my mouth, my cheeks blushing scarlet. This was a new feeling for me, by the way.

There was a girl sitting across from me, a shadowy tentacle thing stretching from around behind her to caress my cheek. She was impeccably dressed in a suit with a short skirt. Her legs were covered in black leggings; under her suit she wore a white shirt and a slender black tie. Long, black hair flowed from her head, framing her face and flowing down her back, lying neatly on the floor. Her head was tilted slightly, her hair framing her face nicely.

That is, if she had a face.

She had none. Her skin was a pale white and very smooth. It stretched unblemished across where her face should be. She had no eyes, ears, or mouth- nothing but the smallest hint of a nose, the kind of nose that disappeared if you turned your head too much.

Hello there, said the voice in my head, and I realised that was her. She was blushing ever so slightly, the merest hint of pink colouring her cheeks. She raised a hand halfway, and I realised her sleeves were far too long for her arms, falling on the floor in a tidy pile. Her whole manner was impeccably tidy, the only deviation being her tentacles.

At that first meeting, she had four of them, solid black and shadowy in nature. They slowly waved through the air, as if they weighed nothing. The one that had touched my cheek slowly retracted, and the girl seemed to blush a tiny bit harder.

Apologies. Her voice was very formal and spoke in a soft English accent. About the nightmares, I mean. I needed you to sleep so I could talk to you again.

"You were responsible for that?" I asked, slightly indignant. She shrugged.

I can't manifest physically right now. I can only visit you when you sleep. Your nightmares dominate your night, and I didn't know any other way to get you to sleep during the day. I apologise.

I thought about what she had said. Then something I'd been overlooking the whole time occurred to me.

"I don't want to kill you," I said delightedly. She tilted her head.

Come again?

"You can look at my face!" I almost shouted in excitement.

Of course. She sounded amused. You are quite beautiful.

I ignored the compliment.

"How are you safe when others have died?" She tapped the place where her eyes would be.

No eyes.

I stopped, confused. "Then how can you see me?"

Just because I don't have eyes doesn't mean I can't see. She still sounded amused, but she took on a hint of sadness.

"Have you seen the outside? What's it like? How does it smell?" I asked excitedly. Someone who had been outside!

It looks like the outdoors, she said. Have you not been outside?

"They won't let me out. Its probably a good thing they don't, but... I really want to see it out there."

Here. One of her tentacles extended, touched the tip of my forehead. Images flashed behind my eyes- a forest, people in the forest with flashlights, the sharp smell of fear overlaying the scent of pine and damp...

She quickly retracted the tentacle and looked down. I pondered what I'd seen.

"Thank you," I said honestly. She nodded.

Of course. You'll be waking up soon. The doctors are going to- she disappeared and my world dissolved in pain. I woke up screaming, a sharp pain in my stomach. Across the room, I heard a metallic click. There was a gunshot, and another white-hot pain burrowed into my shoulder. Anger took over. I could take bullets- hell, I was invincible as far as I knew- but I was mad. I rose from my bed, covered in blood, and saw a man with his gaze averted, holding a gun. Suddenly, a patch of shadow pooled under him, and the girl rose from the floor. A look of pure terror crossed his face as her tentacles, now huge and looming, enveloped him and he was dragged into the shadow. His eyes met mine as he disappeared.

Well, there was nothing to be done now.

I let out a bloodcurdling roar and leapt across the room, plunging into the shadows.

I fell into a large, large space that smelled of pine and fear. I recognised it as the forest I'd seen from the girl.

I wanted to stop, to enjoy being outside- or was I inside something?- but the man had seen my face, and that meant he died. My feet dug into the forest floor and I took off, guided by whatever force hated me and wanted me to become death.

I'll spare the details about what happened when I found him, but just before he died he was screaming and crying about the faceless man, the static, and a bunch of other really strange stuff. "No eyes, always sees," that sort of thing.

Once I regained control of myself, I stumbled a distance away and collapsed against a tree. I drew my knees to my chest and buried my head between my knees, fighting not to cry. I lost.

Eventually I looked up and realised she was standing in front of me, her featureless face blank.

"You!" I screamed at her, my throat raw. "Why did you do that to him?"

You would have killed him anyway. He was shooting at you. I tried to get him away before he saw you.

"And that worked really well," I choked out before my vision blurred again. I hated myself with a burning passion. I hated everything I am- my anomaly, my nature, even my supposed immortality. I hated it.

Still do, a little bit.

"Damn the Foundation to hell," I muttered. They'd known the man couldn't kill me. They just wanted me to suffer more.

You have to go back.

Back to where? My containment? No thank you, I'd prefer to stay right here.

You'll go mad if you stay here much longer.

I didn't care. Better mad wherever I was than out there.

Are you afraid of it? Your nature?

Yes. Yes, I was. I hated it and I feared it more than anything. I looked up and realised she could see my thoughts. She was standing there, her head tilted and her tentacles arrayed behind her.

Thank you. She came closer, her tentacles coming around to bring me closer, enveloping me in-

I came to in my cell. There was no evidence of anything happening. The blood was even gone from my clothes. Everything was how I'd left it. But I could still feel her presence in the room.

"Where are you?" I called out. I jerked as I felt the sensation of a chin on my shoulder. When I looked, there was nothing there, but the feeling stayed.

I am your shadow.I looked behind me, looking. It was just an ordinary shadow.

Trust me, I'm there. I could feel a presence over my shoulder that must have been her.

"What are you doing?"

Helping.

"What?"

You want to see the outside?

"Yes, but-"

Then let's go outside.

I walked to where I knew the door to be.

Visualize yourself on the other side of that door.

"That doesn't help."

Trust me.

I sighed and closed my eyes and thought of myself on the other side of the door. There was a lurching feeling, and I felt air rush past my face. It stopped after a moment.

Look.

I was outside the door. I looked at my hands. Black shadows streamed off of them. I clenched my hands and felt power stream through my veins. It went to my head, gave me the giddiest feeling.

I laughed maniacally and took off through the corridors.

Left.

I hung a left at an intersection. The base seemed deserted, so far. She guided me through the hallways.

Left. Right. Straight. Right. Oh, bollocks.

"What?"

Hang on. There was a rush of air and something solidified over my face, like a mask of sorts that left me able to see, albeit in some kind of dark, black-and-white vision. I could see through walls from a short distance and spied some kind of dark blob running towards me. I realised that was a person.

"Is this how you see?"

Yes. Keep moving, I can't manifest like this for very long. Stay away from people, if you can.

Sound advice. I hurtled over the man, his stunned look making me laugh. Whatever it was that she was doing, it worked, as I felt no desire to kill the man I'd ran past. The rush of air happened again and my vision returned to normal. An alarm rang out. Now the entire base was on alert. Great.

Left. Right. We're almost out. One more turn.

She slotted the mask down as I rounded a corner and came face to face with a dozen men with guns. They all had strange looking helmets on. I guessed they thought maybe their technology would help them against me. I remember hearing they tried that against 096. It didn't work then.

I instinctually threw out my arm and one of her tentacles materialised, wrapping around one of the men's ankles and jerking him off his feet. His gun went off, causing panic. I teleported (teleported? Transported? I don't know) to the other side of their barricade. One more teleport and I was outside.

The mask faded away, and her voice sounded weaker.

Run.

I ran. My legs worked harder than they ever had before, muscles coming into play that had never been used. It was exhilarating.

I stopped after what must have been at least a half hour of running full tilt, winded from the experience. Then I looked around to take my bearings.

I was in a forest of some sort. The trees were all pine and the air was crisp, but not yet cold. I assumed that would come later, and I was terribly under equipped for it. I was wearing the tank top and shorts I normally slept in. That wouldn't do at all if it got cold.

For the first time, I began to contemplate what I'd done. I'd breached containment.

The Foundation did not take kindly to SCPs who breached containment. They'd be working harder than ever to recontain me- or to find a way to neutralise me. Either way, my options were very limited, and I wasn't going to last long without supplies.

My thoughts turned to my partner in crime.

"Hello?" I said quietly.

If you'd like to speak, you're going to have to come to my end.

"What?"

Close your eyes.

I did. I found myself in that same dream-room where we had met, but this time it resembled a rustic log cabin with basic furniture. She was sprawled in an old-fashioned armchair by a roaring fire place, looking tired.

I'm sorry, but its terribly taxing to speak to you out there when I'm like this. It was strange, hearing her voice but seeing nothing.

"Taxing? What do you mean?"

She sighed and slumped lower in her seat.

You require sustenance to live, correct?

I nodded. It wasn't entirely true- they never fed 096- but if I wanted to stay... Sane, I had to eat and drink like any human.

So do I. I live from fear.

Everything clicked into place. That's why she had abducted that man, why I'd found him a gibbering wreck, why she had mentioned my fear.

"Wait," I said as a thought occurred to me. "You said something about me fearing my nature."

Yes. Your fear gives me a home, a place to live. You-she swept her sleeve-covered hand across the room, and I realised that somehow, the room was me- are my host.

"So can't you feed off of my fear?" I said, impatient. There were things that needed to be done.

If you were living on a piece of bread in the ocean, would you eat the bread?

I conceded the point.

"So... What do we do now?"

I've bonded myself to you. I can only manifest in your world when I'm strong. You need to find someone, alone. My instincts will guide you from there. She paused, then sounded a bit uneasy. Just a warning. My feeding is not... Pleasant to behold. If you want no more to do with me after it, I would understand.

"After the things I've done? I doubt it," I returned darkly.

We will see, she replied doubtfully, but a little more brightly.

I surveyed the room- er, myself. I wasn't sure I wanted to know how this all worked. The paranormal was beyond me.

"So how do I get back to... Realness?"

Open your eyes.

I opened my eyes and found myself standing exactly where I had been, as if no time had passed at all.

A feeling of elation exploded through me, despite the grim outlook of my situation.

I was free.