Day in the life of an object -289

[SITE-019]

SITE-019, being one of the biggest Foundation SITEs, was also one of the most busy. Hundreds of researchers ran about doing their work, trying to understand the ununderstandable, knowing the unknowable.

Here, they weren't afraid to push boundaries. They very much did that on a daily basis; they almost took pride in daring to do that which no one else dared to do.

Though they would never be quite as daring as Dr. Bright, he was legendary in his own right, in a league of his own.

However, that didn't mean that the good people of SITE-019 didn't get things done. They were simply not as reckless as Bright; after all, not everyone was immortal.

It was at this SITE, that the Foundation's newest tenant was sent. The hard-to-destroy reptile, SCP-682. He had always been kept at this particular SITE, well, when he wasn't escaping and had to be captured again.

He was one of those tricky guests who didn't like the Foundation's hospitality, even if he was given his very own acid pool to live in.

The SITE personnel wasn't all that happy with having their reptile tenant back. After all, he was rather dangerous, and had racked up quite the kill count of innocent Foundation personnel doing his many, many attempts at escaping.

Yet, even so, they didn't complain about having him; they knew well enough that as a Keter class object, such risks were just part of the job description.

Many would think that it was a bad idea to keep so many SCP objects in one place that it would be much better if they were all kept separated in their own SITEs. Such a thing would indeed stop mass containment breaches.

Yet instead, the Foundation preferred to keep as many objects as possible at as few SITEs as possible. Not many knew the reason for that, but keeping costs down was a good a guess as any. As even a single SITE designed to keep a Keter class object contained could cost a truly mindboggling amount of money.

Yet, the SITE contained many objects that weren't dangerous, or at least were not nearly as dangerous as 682.

One of those objects was SCP-105 "Iris" Well, her name was, in fact, Iris Thompson. And she was perfectly harmless. As an object, she was far from the most interesting one; she barely had any researchers visit her these days.

Everything about her special ability was understood, well with the exception of just why she had the power in the first place, or just how it worked. But what she could do was very well understood.

Though Iris Thompson, known to the Foundation as SCP-105, wasn't dangerous, her presence at SITE-019 still carried weight. Unlike SCP-682, whose containment was always fraught with risk, Iris lived in relative comfort—at least as comfortable as one could be within the walls of the SCP Foundation.

Her ability to interact with the world through photographs was an anomaly that had fascinated researchers early on, but now that its function was well-documented, interest had waned.

She was no threat, and that made her less of a priority in the chaos of daily containment efforts. Yet, her powers held an eerie allure. While other SCP objects could wreak physical havoc, Iris' ability was more subtle—something that could warp reality through seemingly innocuous means. Despite her cooperation with the Foundation, she was still very much a part of the strange and dangerous world of anomalies.

However, the Foundation held true to being cold, not cruel and as such, they allowed Iris to live a decent life within the SITE. Allowing her to go around freely in the low security parts of the SITE.

And what a SITE, SITE-019 was. There were thousands of people working here full time, people living at the SITE, and as such, the SITE needed all the amenities for such.

Iris could spend her time working out at one of the many gyms; she could eat with others in the general canteen or in one of the private restaurants where the food offered was of a higher quality.

She could also waste time shopping around in one of the many on-site stores or sit down and look through the countless catalogs of wares she could order from outside the Foundation and get delivered.

Iris Thompson, or SCP-105, moved through the halls of SITE-019 with a sense of familiarity. Though she was technically an anomaly under containment, the Foundation allowed her more freedom than most other SCPs. Her movements were restricted to low-security areas, but that still gave her plenty of room to interact with the staff, many of whom treated her with a certain degree of respect.

Today, as usual, she started her morning in the canteen, sitting at a corner table with a modest breakfast—eggs, toast, and coffee. Across the room, researchers bustled, engrossed in discussions about experiments and containment procedures. Iris listened to the hum of conversation as she sipped her coffee, enjoying the rare feeling of normalcy. It wasn't uncommon for personnel to nod or greet her in passing; they knew her well enough by now, and she was far from being considered a threat.

"Morning, Iris," said Dr. Harper, a researcher she had gotten to know over the years. He sat down across from her with his own breakfast tray. "How's everything today?"

Iris offered a small smile. "Same as always. You?"

Dr. Harper shrugged, digging into his food. "Busy, as usual. We had a containment breach in Sector 14 yesterday, but everything's under control now."

"Was it serious?" Iris asked, not particularly surprised. Containment breaches were par for the course in a place like SITE-019.

"Not too bad," Harper replied. "Nothing like the last time SCP-682 got out, thank God."

Iris winced slightly. Even hearing SCP-682's designation was enough to make her skin crawl. The reptile was infamous for its sheer destructiveness and the number of personnel it had killed over the years.

As they ate, more personnel drifted in and out of the canteen, some stopping to chat briefly with Dr. Harper or greet Iris with a wave. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed, considering they were all working in one of the most secure and dangerous places on Earth. But that was life at SITE-019. Despite the dangers lurking behind every reinforced door, people still found time to be... people.

After breakfast, Iris decided to visit the on-site gym. It was a small luxury afforded to her, one of the few places where she could burn off energy and clear her mind. The gym was relatively quiet when she arrived, with only a few Foundation personnel lifting weights or jogging on treadmills.

Iris found an open machine and began her routine, focusing on her breathing and the steady rhythm of her movements. As she exercised, she couldn't help but think about her past life before the Foundation, before her ability with the camera had changed everything.

Once finished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and made her way back toward the main corridors. On her way, she ran into a junior researcher, Nicole, someone she'd spoken to on occasion. Nicole, balancing a stack of files, smiled when she saw Iris approaching.

"Hey, Iris! Heading somewhere?"

"Just finished at the gym," Iris replied, matching her pace. "What's up with you?"

Nicole gestured to the files in her arms. "More reports. Always reports. But hey, I'll take this over getting too close to SCP-106's containment chamber."

Iris shuddered at the thought of the "Old Man." She had read the reports about him—his ability to corrode anything he touched, his tendency to pull people into a pocket dimension. She was grateful she'd never have to be in close proximity to that particular SCP.

"Yeah, I think I'll stick to the safer side of things," Iris said with a laugh, though it was tinged with unease.

The two chatted briefly before Nicole had to return to her duties, leaving Iris to continue her own routine. She decided to stop by the site's library, a quiet refuge where she often spent time browsing through research materials or reading fiction. The library was sparsely populated when she arrived, but it was a peaceful space, far removed from the more chaotic areas of SITE-019.

She picked out a novel from the shelves and found a quiet corner to read. As she flipped through the pages, her mind wandered. She wasn't ignorant of what was happening outside the walls of the Foundation—world events, conflicts, natural disasters.

She wondered sometimes what the world would think if they knew the truth about SCPs, about anomalies like her, and what the Foundation did to keep it all contained. But that wasn't her reality anymore.

At some point, she'd get called for a routine check-up or test, but for now, she was content to enjoy the calm. In a place like SITE-019, peace was a rare commodity, and Iris had learned to savor it while it lasted.

By the end of the day, Iris returned to her private quarters, tired but content. The routine might seem monotonous, but it was better than what some other anomalies experienced. She didn't have the luxuries of the outside world, but in a strange way, SITE-019 had become her home. And for now, that was enough.

A/N

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