"You'll be merely an observer today, assistant," Dr. Infuriatingly-Beautiful-Face told her.
"It's true, Miss Best," the head of analysis affirmed. "After all, this particular SCP is new to the foundation and we do not completely understand it. I trust you read the file?"
"Yes, doctor," the young woman answered, keeping a level voice. "SCP-049, commonly referred to as the 'Plague Doctor.' I've read up on the previous reports of attending doctors, particularly the instance involving its communication with one of them."
"Ah, yes," the man nodded sagely. "A curious event."
"Since then, has it made any attempt to communicate?" The green-eyed doctor inquired.
"No," was the answer. "It hasn't even acknowledged the presence of any of the doctors that come in to observe it. It's a fascinating case. Well," he said as they approached the door to the observation room, "go on in, Dr. Best. Dr. Lemurian will meet you at the end of your shift. A camera will be recording as per usual. See you in two hours."
With that the door hissed open, she stepped inside, and it hissed closed again.
Once she was in the observation room with a single layer of bulletproof glass separating her from SCP-049, she gazed at the unique profile of the creature. As expected, it fit its description perfectly: black hooded robe, metallic bird-like beak (suspected to be a mask), distinctly human-like eyes. It was facing perpendicular to her and seemed to be staring unblinkingly at the floor, utterly unaffected by her presence. She suspected that it was used to having a doctor come in at this time to watch it. No doubt, after three weeks, the schedule would become quite dry.
Well, it was time to change that.
First things first, she switched on the speaker system to his cell. She knew that none of the other doctors there introduced themselves to their subjects, but she didn't see the point in that if they weren't class Keter. If there was still more to be learned from them, then why not attempt basic communication. Despite the fact that she knew SCP-049 likely wouldn't respond to her, she deemed it worth a try.
She spoke into the sound system while she signed her name on her report sheet, keeping her eyes down for the moment.
"Hello, SCP-049," she greeted in a soft voice. She didn't wish to startle him. "I am Dr. Selia Best and I will be your observer for today. I understand that you have not been loquacious lately; that's quite alright. But I remind you that your response is always appreciated and that I shall be here to receive and answer any questions you might have."
She returned her eyes back up to the subject and gasped lightly in shock. Here she was, expecting no response from it whatsoever and, within the first minute of her observation, it turns its head and stares straight at her. Unsure of how to respond, she simply returned its stare, gazing into its piercing eyes for several moments before it rose from its seat. It walked towards her, keeping its eyes firmly clamped on her. When it reached the glass, Selia was dumbfounded. This was the first time she had gotten such a reaction out of a SCP. It simply stared at her for a moment more, before Selia had the good sense to switch on the "audio record" button, hoping for the best. It hadn't been a moment too soon.
"You're a doctor as well?" SCP-049's voice inquired clearly, its... his voice metallic and soft.
"Y-yes," she replied. "Are you surprised?" She wanted to keep a calm demeanor as well as urge him to continue the conversation.
"Indeed I am," he replied. His voice was distinctly British and had a very collected and moderated tone.
"Is it my age?" She guessed blandly. Everyone's a critic, even the SCP's, she complained silently.
"Not entirely." he began, pressing a gloved hand against the glass. "I... I wasn't aware that there were... members of the fairer sex employed here as doctors."
This surprisingly delicate statement caused an involuntary smile to spread across her lips. His vocabulary and phrasing were reminiscent of a much earlier time.
"Really? There haven't been any other female doctors in here?"
"None. Furthermore, I do not sense any of the disease in you either. How very curious," he hummed.
"You speak of 'The Great Pestilence?'"
"My dear, what else could I be speaking of?" He practically purred.
She considered her options for a moment. This point in the previous doctor's discussion is where he went wrong. Instead of speaking about his treatments, then, she would encourage the conversation to progress in another direction.
"I am curious, you say that you do not sense any of the disease in me either. Have you sensed it in anyone here?" She questioned.
"Oh, yes, my dear. Several-though not all-of those let into this cell of mine have had it. I dealt with their diseased bodies."
"So I heard," she responded grimly.
SCP-049 seemed to eye her carefully for a moment before speaking again.
"Ah, many here disapprove of my methods," he noted. "I see you are of the same mindset."
Staring directly into his grey eyes, she carefully chose her answer.
"It's hard for me to say when I don't know anything of the disease you treat," she responded admirably. "Tell me, doctor-for I assume you too are a doctor-what are the symptoms of 'The Great Pestilence?'"
"The Great Pestilence," he sighed, turning his eyes elsewhere. "It certainly has the doctors here occupied. Every new face that enters the room asks the same questions: What is the Great Pestilence? What are its symptoms? Is it the Bubonic Plague that you speak of? How very tiresome. I had hoped that you might differ from your colleagues."
She was worried that he would discontinue the conversation if she either pushed too hard or too little. So she took a deep breath and flickered her blue eyes away from his beaked mask, feigning meekness.
"Well, I haven't been a doctor for very long," she explained falsely, hoping to egg him on.
"Well, I suppose not," he responded, seeming to inspect her with soft eyes. "You do look a bit young." He moved a gloved hand up the glass nearer to her face and stroked lightly. Had the transparent sheet not been there, she was sure he would've touched her cheek. "Just how old are you, if I might ask?"
"You may not, I'm afraid," she answered, moving further down the desk to a cup of water. The SCP mirrored her shift from the other side of the glass, always remaining in front of her. "Women can be touchy about that subject, I'm sure you've encountered." He observed her silently. "But I am curious, how old are you?"
He closed his eyes and let out a soft melodic laugh, a surprising sound to hear coming from an SCP.
"Dear lady, if you are unwilling to give me your age, what makes you think I would be willing to give mine?"
She quirked her mouth slightly.
"That's fair enough, I suppose," she allowed. "Very well. I'm eighteen."
Cocking his head and metallic beak, he looked at her in silence.
"Eighteen?"
"Yes, I believe that's what I said."
"You lie. You are not a doctor," he stated, his eyes narrowing to glower at her. "You have not been alive long enough to have completed the necessary training. You have not taken the oath."
"If I'm not a doctor, then what am I doing here?" She questioned. He blinked in silence at this. "If I were anything but a doctor, then I would be in there with you, as a disposable test-subject."
She had just divulged classified information to an SCP and was certain to be fussed at, but she dispensed with the formality. 049 was intelligent and the classification only stood to limit the SCP's awareness; it was likely that he had already worked out what the class-D personnel were.
"Yet here we are," she continued. "On opposite sides of the glass. Now, just what do you make of that, doctor?"
He blinked at her silently.
"You are clever, I'll admit that. But I've yet to see you exhibit any signs of being an actual doctor. Tell me, young woman, what do you study?"
She smirked. That much she would not tell him.
"You," she answered, partially truthful.
"And what do your notes say about me?"
"Mostly, you're quite a mystery. But it's evident that you're highly intelligent and patient. You believe that you're serving a higher purpose, and so there is no need for you to worry about passing time or other such obstacles."
A chuckled reverberated from under his mask.
"You flatter me," he purred.
There was a minute or two of silence that passed between them after this. Their eyes still connected. For a moment, she wasn't sure how to proceed in a way that wouldn't be cliche or insulting to his intelligence. He had likely been interrogated many times before.
"Well, then," she sighed. "I am here to ask you questions if you're willing to talk." He seemed to scowl a bit from behind his mask. She laughed slightly. "But I'm certain that would be boring for you. What questions haven't you been asked? Or rather, what questions are we not asking?"
SCP-049 tilted his head.
"Now, that is an excellent question. Perhaps, you shouldn't ask what the Great Pestilence is, or why my treatment is the way it is, or what it is that I am. Perhaps, you should ask what would happen if spiders ceased to exist."
Her face screwed up in confusion.
"What?"
"Ask it. Ask it of yourself and deduct the answer," he encouraged.
"Okay," she submitted. "Uh... Well, there would be less cobwebs, I suppose, and an awful lot of flies."
"Precisely," he congratulated. "I will impart this information to you, my dear. I am merely a spider, one of many, striving to manage the population of flies, insignificant gnats."
She stared at him with piqued curiosity for a moment, her hand resting against the glass.
"Who are the flies?" She inquired slowly.
The SCP tilted his beaked head upwards imperiously and, if he hadn't been wearing a mask, the young doctor would have sworn he was smirking.
Then he pressed his gloved fingers to the glass so that he covered her smaller digits with his own.
"I will leave that answer to you and for the next time we speak," he told her. Pulling away from the glass, he began to back away. "Come see me again, young Selia Best. I find you most... Interesting. I'll leave you to your notes."
Then he resumed his seat and lowered his gaze to the floor languidly. The young woman was stunned and slowly retracted her hand from the glass in bewilderment over what had just taken place.
It seemed as though SCP-049 had just dismissed her, but it wasn't as if she could just leave. She was meant to stay in the observation room for two hours.
I'll leave you to your notes.
Perhaps the SCP had a point. There were definitely notes to be taken on this encounter and quite a lot of them. And so, withdrawing from the glass, she took a seat, extracted a pencil, and began to describe their conversation. She was completely oblivious to the pair of piercing eyes which watched her every move from behind a certain mask.
