The Science of Empathy -63

Bruce struggled with his situation. After all, how does one explain to a child about a green gamma monster full of rage living inside oneself?

Not to mention, he didn't really know how to deal with children in general. Yet, looking over at Morris, she didn't seem about to offer him any help.

"No, not her. My friend is in here," He tried to explain and pointed toward his own heart.

1338 tilted his head, appearing slightly confused by Bruce's words. Still, he slowly reached his little hand out and placed it on Bruce's chest while closing his eyes.

None of the three said anything. Both Bruce and Morris waited with bated breath while 1338 did his thing.

Seconds slowly turned into minutes as the little hand rested on his chest while Bruce tried to feel for anything. Yet he didn't feel anything happening until suddenly 1338 jumped backward, looking up at Bruce and appearing slightly scared.

"No! He is angry and won't help him! Don't like him at all!" 1338 said as he continued to back away from Bruce. Whatever he had felt clearly had him off edge.

Bruce couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that the kid couldn't help him. Still, he didn't let it bother him too much, and he did file away the fact that the boy said he didn't like the Hulk. This could be some valuable data.

After all, if he could figure out what had caused such a reaction and what the boy liked, then he might be able to figure out something about the nature of the Hulk. After all, the boy had somehow been able to detect the Hulk since he knew that he was angry.

With how little was still known about the nature of the Hulk, every bit was, therefore, valuable. Even if it was merely why the boy disliked him, however, that would mean he had to know more about the kid.

"Well, no need to worry about the angry guy. Bruce here is as gentle as they come, real kind guy he is." Dr Morris quickly stepped up and tried to calm 1338 down again. Not wanting to scare him off.

She, after all, had her orders, and among those, it was very clearly stated that the object was not to be removed in any way, and she figured being scared off would count as well.

Morris's reassurance seemed to have a soothing effect on 1338, but Bruce could see the wariness didn't fully leave the child's eyes.

Bruce, however, didn't really know what to do in this situation. He was a scientist, not a psychiatrist. So he wisely just let Morris deal with the boy.

He was very impressed with how she handled the situation. In no time at all, she had him calmed down and started to converse with him.

Even though the whole thing was being recorded, Bruce still started to take notes as he watched Dr Morris expertly handling of the otherworldly child.

One thing he noted was the fact that the child didn't seem to have any idea about the Foundation or the cover story he had been fed the first time he was contained, which seemed to indicate that he didn't remember any of that.

As someone new to the whole Foundation side of the world, he didn't know much about the different K-class types of events.

He did spend enough time reading about them, though. Like the fearsome XK class, which just meant an end-of-the-world scenario. IK-type events which mean the end of civilization, the LK class species transmutation type of events, a type he was particularly worried about as it could be something like the whole of the human race turning into Hulk-like beings.

Then there were the CK class events, which involved reality itself changing in some way or another. Something which had apparently just happened not long ago. It was something that felt impossible.

Yet unless everyone was lied to, then his kid seemed to be living proof of the event having taken place. What that meant for the world at large, he didn't know, not yet, at least. However, his mind couldn't help but be drawn to the question.

What was reality like before it happened? Was it mostly the same as now? Or completely different? He really did want to study it in depth. Yet he didn't have any idea of how he could study it.

Maybe if he had higher security clearance in the Foundation, he would be able to read up about some possible SCP objects that could have caused it. For now, though, this child was all he had.

Not only for the CK class event but also something that might shed some light on the Hulk's more abnormal nature. That was why he made plenty of notes while Morris built up trust with him.

"Say, how long have you been living here?" Morris asked 1338 one of the important questions.

The boy seemed to think momentarily, looking slightly confused about something. "It feels like a long time, but also not…. But more long than not," he answered cryptically. Both Bruce and Morris felt that he didn't do that on purpose.

"I see; what about your parents? Have you seen them lately?" Morris moved on to the next question.

"Nope, been a while it has." He said without looking sad about it, while also not sounding overly happy, in fact he just sounded rather neutral about the whole thing.

For a normal child, that might have been strange, but when dealing with an SCP object, normal didn't mean much.

Bruce felt concerned hearing that while Morris didn't care much. She knew a lot more about this object given she had spent a lot more time preparing for the mission. So she was aware that "a while" didn't mean the same for him as it did for normal people.

After talking for a bit longer and informing him about the camp, asking if he would be willing to help them if someone got hurt, which he was happy to do. She bid him goodbye and brought Bruce with her as she headed back to camp,

"Is it really alright to just leave him out here on his own? I mean I know he isn't a normal child, but still." Bruce said as he looked back towards the direction were he figured the kid would be.

"We aren't allowed to even try to move him away from what he considers his home, and even if we tried, according to the data it wouldn't work." She just said as a matter of fact.

Bruce didn't like it, but he also knew that there was very little he could do about it. After all, the child clearly wasn't normal. And he wasn't in charge of things anyway. "I, I just don't like it, it doesn't feel right."

Morris stopped and looked at him. "Yeah I know what you mean, but just like we don't feel bad for a tree just because it's not growing in a greenhouse. We shouldn't feel bad for him either." She said, patting him on the shoulder before starting to walk back again.

As they made their way back to camp, Bruce found himself wrestling with Morris's analogy. The silence between them felt heavy with unspoken thoughts and concerns. Finally, Bruce broke the silence, his voice tinged with frustration and curiosity.

"But isn't there a fundamental difference, though? A tree doesn't possess consciousness and doesn't feel loneliness or confusion. That boy, he's aware, sentient. It seems... inhumane to draw such a parallel."

Morris glanced at Bruce, her expression thoughtful. "I see your point, Bruce. But in the grand scheme of things, we have to be pragmatic. Our primary concern must be the safety and well-being of the larger population. Sometimes, that means making tough decisions about individual cases."

Bruce sighed, understanding the logic but not fully convinced. "I suppose so. But part of me can't help but wonder if there's more we could do for him."

Morris nodded, acknowledging his concern. "Compassion is important, Bruce, and it's a good sign that you're thinking about these things. It shows you haven't lost sight of your humanity amidst all the science and secrecy. We'll do our best by him within the constraints we're given."

"Are you going to stick around here? Or do you have other missions waiting for you?" Bruce asked a moment later, trying to somewhat change the subject as it was clear that as a person that had been with the Foundation for long, Morris wasn't having it.

"Yeah I will be working on the containment for 1338 for at least another few weeks. He isn't the kind of object that needs much work. Mostly just here in the beginning to map out the containment area properly." Morris answered back as she effortlessly made her way through the forest.

"Do you think I can stay around for a few days?" Bruce asked after a brief moment. He remained both curious and worried about the child of trees. He figured that staying around close by might be helpful, plus he was interesting in knowing more about Dr Morris.

"I'm sure you can stay around for a few. It would have been a waste to send you all the way out here for just one day, after all." Morris replied without pause.

As they continued their track through the dense forest Bruce started to ask about what kind of other SCP objects she had worked with in the past. After all, she was a very different type of scientist than himself. So he was sure she had dealt with some interesting ones.

"I worked with quite a few ones other the years I have been with the Foundation, what's your clearance level?" She asked to make sure he was allowed to hear about her stories.

"Level 3, not the full thing, but got access to plenty of entries." Bruce answered truthfully.

"Ahh level 3 is plenty, I only got that kind of clearance myself after all. So one of the more boring ones I worked with when I first started out was SCP-1192, are you familiar with that one?" She asked while thinking back to those early days.

Bruce Shaked his head. "No, not gotten so far yet, barely even through the first thousand objects."

"Well, 1192 isn't that interesting object, though possibly quite a pitiful one. You see, it's a small bird. Looks normal enough and all. Yet, it is able to communicate by writing notes. Poor thing claims to have been a boy once." She started to explain about this object.

Bruce, for one, couldn't help but gasp in shock and horror when he heard about this possible bird, in fact, being a child.

"We haven't been able to confirm his identity, yet tests do show that the bird, in fact, does have the intelligence of a small child; behavior seems to match that as well." Morris continued with a sigh.

Bruce was just about to interrupt her with a barrage of questions but managed to hold himself back and instead just let her continue on her own.

Morris seemed to notice Bruce's brewing curiosity and paused for a moment, giving him a knowing look. "It's quite a lot to take in, isn't it? The idea that a child could somehow become a bird, or at least that the bird believes it to be so. SCP-1192, or 'Timmy' as we've come to call him, represents one of the more emotionally challenging cases we deal with. It's not just about containment or research; it's about understanding and empathy."

She continued, her tone reflective, "Working with Timmy made me realize that our role here isn't just about managing threats or cataloging anomalies. It's also about dealing with beings that feel and suffer and sometimes just need someone to listen to them. It's a delicate balance between the scientific and the humane aspects of our work."

Bruce nodded, absorbing her words. The complexity of their responsibilities weighed heavily on him, adding layers to his understanding of what it meant to be part of the Foundation. "I can see why you'd be drawn to cases like 1338, then. It's not just about the anomaly; it's about the individual behind it."

"Exactly," Morris agreed. "Each SCP object, each entity we encounter, has its own story. Some are tragic, others are bewildering, sometimes we get told these stories, other times its our job to figure them out."

"Just like what we are doing with 1338. We talk with him, trying to figure out who he is, where he came from, why he is here. All to understand his story, to understand the mystery behind him." Bruce Continued for her, feeling that her way of seeing things was refreshing.

"That's right, Bruce, some would call what we do by other names, but to me, it's all about learning the story of an object, to get answers to the unknown!" Morris exclaimed passionately.

A/N

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