Someone who understands
"Dr. Friedericksen´s proposal is approved"
WOW…
That was easier than she thought.
Usually, the idea of having SCP objects interacting with each other in some way was either reserved for specific experiments, termination attempts, or just flat out of the question. And this certainly did not constitute neither experiment of any sort, nor a termination attempt.
Her reasoning behind this idea was that this particular interaction could help little Luz to cope with her situation. The innocent 6-year-old had spent almost a full year in isolated containment, and in that time, many debilitating emotions and thoughts had eroded her psyche.
She began to feel like she had done something wrong, that her situation was her fault in some way. And it was not unusual for the guards posted at her door to report crying overnight.
It was her job to "ensure her mental health", but under such nightmarish living conditions, how the bloody hell was she supposed to do that?! For god's sake, most ADULT humans would have lost their mind 6 months in!
But one thing was working in her favor here: Luz was surprisingly resilient. Not just for her age, but even in comparison to most humans in general. Experiments in psychology utilizing subjects from all ages had concluded for a very long time that people who were subjected to such isolation for such extended periods of time would usually start developing symptoms of psychosis by the 6-month mark. And yet, here we have a 6-year-old who had been isolated for almost 12 months and the most she could tell had happened to her mental state was mild depression. Sure, a 6-year-old with depression was a massive problem, but compared to how bad she should be by now, it was nothing short of a miracle.
When she talked about this with Dr. Bright, his response was… well, very much the response of someone who knows more than you do:
"Well then, I guess it has to do with her… unique origins. It's really no surprise her mind can handle things the minds of others cannot. Solid work, Doc!"
Regardless, the containment was getting to her. And if nothing was done, things would only get worse. Her mind may be tougher than others, but it was far from unbreakable.
And since counseling was clearly not enough, and the very prospect of lifting her containment protocols in ANY way was out of the question without even needing to ask, options were scarce.
So Dr. Friedericksen thought of the next best thing: a confidant. Someone who lives in a situation very similar to hers, and that would be able to reassure her that she was not alone. Someone older and with more experience with being confined due to circumstances beyond their control, and making the best of what they have…
And also someone who it would be safe for Luz to talk to of course….
That left VERY few options.
However, after scouring through the endless files of the foundation, she finally found one particular character that was perfect in every way. She went ahead to present her proposal to the O5 council, and to her surprise, they agreed to go through with this idea without a hitch. She supposed they were not as heartless as they seemed.
The subject would be allowed into the particular "conversation room" that was reserved for Luz's mother and Dr. Bright once every week, and would be allowed an allotted time of 2-3 hours. While there were certain concerns regarding this particular subject's anomalous properties, seeing as it was a Keter class, so long as the security staff remained on high alert, everything should be fine. The project would be allowed to go on for 6 months, during which Dr. Friedericksen would asses Luz's mental health to check for improvement. Should the project find success, it would be extended indefinitely, barred particular circumstances, of course.
And better yet, when the subject was told of this idea, and learned of Luz's situation, he not only agreed, but seemed eager to help. It seemed like the first time he seemed truly motivated to do something ever since he entered containment, like his unfortunate existence was finally going to be of good use to someone in need.
…
…
…
Luz was nervous.
It would be the first time she would talk directly to someone other than her mom and that weird person/necklace thing (getting her to understand Dr. Bright's existence was a challenge). Before that person came in, she was talking with Dr. Anna to prepare.
"Alright Luz, he is going to be here any minute. Remember to be polite, and that you can talk with him about anything you want ok?"
"Ok. Is mom gonna be here?"
"I'm afraid not, it's not really… safe for other people to be around him a lot. You are definitely going to be fine, but most of us should avoid spending too much time with him."
"Is he nice?"
"He is very nice, probably one of the nicest people ever, honestly!"
"Nicer than Jack?"
"Uhhhhh… yes, definitely!"
JESUS BLOODY FUCK AND CHRIST, THAT'S HER STANDARD FOR NICENESS?!
"In any case, don't worry, Luz. You can trust him."
"Ok, I guess. Thank you Dr. Anna."
Luz could not pronounce Anna's last name no matter how hard she tried, so she just called her Anna.
"And one more thing: he may look…. A bit scary, but there is nothing to worry about, ok?"
After that, she logged off.
A few moments later, the door to the special room on the other side of the big glass on the wall opened.
Through the door came a big person.
A REALLY BIG person. About 4 meters tall more or less.
And he looked… well, not human.
He was green…
And had wings…
And had a squid face. Like, his head was just like a big, green squid, full with tentacles where the mouth would be.
Also, his hands had webbed fingers.
Other than that, his clothes were… kind of normal. Just a T-shirt, some jeans, a pair of sneakers and a hoodie.
They both stood in silence for a while.
"…"
"…"
"Sooooo…. Ummmm… hi kid. How's it hanging?"
Luz was so nervous she couldn't say anything. The guy clearly had no idea how to talk to kids.
"Ummmm…. My name is Cory, nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"…. L-Luz."
"…H-hey, Luz…"
"…"
"…"
IS THERE A BUTTON TO EXIT AN AKWARD SITUATION?!
He had spent so much time not talking to people he actually forgotten how to do it.
…
…
He had spent so long in here, he had no idea what life outside of here was like…
…
Just like she was…
…
How long have I been here?
I don't even know anymore.
It's like days pass in a blur.
They don't matter, they just come and go.
…
She is going to be like this too, isn't she?
…
…
…
"…Hey, Luz. How are you feeling."
"… good…"
"You feeling good?"
Luz nodded.
"… wow, you are amazing."
Luz seemed confused. Cory then sat on the chair and leaned back, looking up at nothing in particular.
"… Y'know, I wasn't good when I was locked up for the first year or so. I mean, I had people to talk to and stuff to do, but … I just felt bad. It was just the same room, day in, day out. Maybe some different game or whatever, but who cares? … Sometimes I would make friends with like a guard or a lab coat dude, but then they would have to leave because they can't stay with me for long… I … wasn't ok."
Luz didn't say anything.
"…"
"… It's not your fault y'know?"
"…it's not?"
"No…. not at all… trust me, I KNOW it's easy to think you did something… makes it easier to … make sense of it all… but it's not your fault. You just got unlucky is all."
"…Unlucky?"
"Yeah. Y'know luck, right? Things just kinda… happen and you go "Well, that's my luck!" or whatever… A lot of the time, life just kinda happens, and we are just along for the ride. Nothin' we can do about it, other than… deal with it, I guess."
Luz slowly got closer to the window.
"… They're not bad people."
"?"
"… They're not good people, really. But they're not bad… not most of them anyway. They just have a job to do. And that job helps other people live their lives… we are just… sorta… stuck in the middle of all this… that's life."
"… I didn't want this."
Cory could tell Luz was about to cry, but he wasn't going to stop her.
"I didn't want this either, but that's what it is."
"… Are you sad, mr. Cory?"
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna cry?"
"… I might… but I did that a lot already… I dunno…"
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The program would not be able to complete the full 6 months.