Matthew

My day started with an emergency alarm going off, blaring through the facility, which jolted me awake and almost resulted in me getting a concussion when my head damn near hit the ceiling of my cell. I quickly scrambled out of bed, my head twisting around in a panic while I was trying to get a grasp on what was going on. It took me a full minute to fully comprehend the situation, and when I finally did I released a flurry of insults and curses, all directed towards the mysterious dickheads in-charge of the Foundation. I am truly grateful no guards were around to hear what I said, because I wouldn't want any human being to have to hear any of the vile things I said. After I had finally let my anger flow out of my system through that river of insults, I took a deep breath, and got myself off the ground. The alarm was a drill, and I was a moron for forgetting something like that was supposed to happen. Knowing what would happen if I wasn't ready by the time the guards came, I threw on the standard issue jumpsuit and stood at the door. Back straight, eyes forward, I knew the drill. At some point while I was waiting for them to arrive the alarms finally shut off, so for the first time that morning I got a chance to truly gather my thoughts.

My mind began to race, trying to recall what was scheduled for that day. Due to my being half asleep, it took me a second to drag it out from the back of my mind. 'Okay, so yesterday I dealt with the Sculpture, so it was probably Wednesday. So unless I'm stupid and forgot how days work, it's Thursday, meaning…' It was at that realization that the full scope of my situation dawned on me. I felt my heart stop and the blood drain from my face. A wave of dread crashed over me as I realized who I was going to be dealing with. 'Oh okay, so… fuck', I thought. 'Okay, good news bad news, mostly bad news. Good news is, I'm pretty much guaranteed to survive today. Bad news, today is probably going to be one of the worst days of my life, and the results of my interview might make me a person of interest for the Foundation, which is its own kind of death sentence if you really think about it' I was scheduled to do an interview with Scp-049, otherwise known as the Plague Doctor. The Foundation tended to only use people with medical backgrounds to do tests and interviews with Scp-049, as they had the best chance of making it out alive and extracting some information from him. I was one of the D-class they selected for that purpose, however, up until then the Foundation was still unaware that I had a prior connection to Scp-049, or at least I thought they were unaware. So if I slip up, or if 049 says anything even slightly off, they could find out, and when that happens there is no telling what they would do.

As the dread of the upcoming interview continued to seep in, I was snapped back into reality as the cell door began to open. I stiffened up, preparing myself to deal with an overly aggressive guard, but when I saw who was standing on the other side, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Jack. I thought you were on leave, I didn't know you had a shift tonight." At first he didn't react, instead he motioned for me to step out of the cell, not even acknowledging my previous statement.

"D-3895, step out of containment. Keep your hands out in front of you and away from your body", he said in a tired, almost robotic voice. He was clearly extremely sleep deprived. His eyes were half open and when he talked his words were slightly slurred together. I could immediately tell just by the way he looked that he was probably in repetition mode at that point. I stepped outside the cell, knowing the usual routine, and waited for him to put the cuffs on.

"Alright, now that that's done and over with, Morning dude. Sorry about that, but you know the drill. Can't really talk to ya' proper until I get the usual bullshit done and dealt", he finally said.

"Oh no, don't worry 'bout it. More importantly, are you alright? You look like you haven't slept in days. You were supposed to be on vacation. What the hell happened?"

He hesitated for a second before he answered, " Well, my vacation starts next week technically. In order to get the time off I had to get a couple people to cover my shifts, which wasn't really a problem. What was a problem was that one of them wanted to cash in a favor immediately. So now I have to work his shifts for this week before I go."

"Jesus, he couldn't have waited until you got back at the very least? I mean I get it, but at the same time, come on"

"Ah, it's fine, today's the last day anyway. Tonight I'll get a full night's worth of sleep and hit the road tomorrow."

"That's good to hear man. Make sure you bring me back some photos."

"I'll do more than that, I'll take ya with me next time."

I was confused, "What do you mean?"

"You've been here for years man, which is honestly impressive. Most inmates don't really make it this long. That's especially true for those under similar circumstances. You've been as cooperative as you can be, and as far as most people in the foundation are concerned, you shouldn't have been here in the first place. It was pretty clear, even during your trial, that you were wrongly convicted. A few of us got together and took it to some higher ups. The paper works is already being processed now but it's pretty much official, in a few days you'll have your life back, or at least a chance to start over. Of course with what you know you wont be permitted to leave the Foundation so you'll start training as a junior researcher."

I was stunned, I had been here for years, used as a lab dog under the assumption that I was a monster no better than the entities captured here. They treated me not like a man but like a tool. I was useful be replaceable. All for a crime I didn't commit. Just like that, I was given my freedom. Not only that, but my jailers had been the ones to give it back to me. I got my life back in the blink of an eye. I almost couldn't back the tears. Almost.

"Cry later, not here, not in front of the cameras. They'll still be off ya given the excuse. I'll celebrate with ya tonight, but let that sit on your mind when you're talking to him. You have hope, no matter what happens today, don't let go of that.

Then it was clear why he said that. He knew that 049 was waiting for me. I was grateful, because if I'm being honest I needed the push. I'm not sure if I would have been able to steal my nerves without that drive.

Another guard began to walk towards us, presumably to escort me to 049's cell. Judging by the look on his face though, he was about ready to drag me there by force. I told Jack I would talk to him later, and I walked over to the other guard. The guard, clearly annoyed, grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door.