SCP 1471 [An anomalous life]

XXVII

Iris refused to give us any more information about our supposed first mission, only telling us to continue training as we were doing now.

Almost out of breath I asked her if she didn't have to train as well, but she shook her head.

-I usually train in the morning, after getting up.

-...
-I understand. -I nodded.

Was she a strong anomaly like Mal0?
To have the willpower to train in the morning must be something anomalous for sure.

Mal0 seemed happy to keep training, but I was suffering with every step I took.

...

__________________________________



We continued to train with Mal0, occasionally we did it alone, as the other one was on a test or something similar.

I never thought I could like exercising so much, I'm sure it must be because of Mal0's presence.

The more the days went by, the easier it became for me to finish my routine, although a couple more exercises and repetitions were added to it.

I could never catch up to Mal0 in strength, speed, endurance or any physical quality.
Although she always motivated me to do my best whenever she saw me falter, so it was impossible for me to hold a grudge against her.

I found it kind of strange and adorable that when she was agitated she would stick her tongue out, like a dog.

...

(I'm tired.) -I thought, yawning as I settled into the waiting room chair.

-How much longer will he take? -Mal0 sighed, somewhat impatiently.

Even with our perfect behavior, the foundation was still not confident enough to let us walk around alone, so we always had to go out accompanied by some scientist or guard.

Hurried footsteps were heard behind the entrance door and we turned at the same time with Mal0, to see the Alpha-9 scientist enter the waiting room.

-Hello Brandon. -Mal0 greeted, waving at him.

I still had trouble calling him by name, but I guess Mal0 had a little more confidence in him.

-Oh, hello, hello. -He greeted, out of breath.
-I was a little later than expected because we had a small meeting with the members of Alpha-9.

-...
-Why weren't we invited? -I asked, curious.

-Yeah!
-Aren't we part of the same group? -Mal0 asked, cocking her head to one side.

-...
-I'm afraid you don't have enough authority to attend our team meetings yet, you're just recruits.

-Even though we are a team of less than ten people?

-...
-Yeah.. -The scientist answered after a few seconds, realizing the problem.

-I see. -I sighed.

-Don't worry, it won't be a very complicated mission anyway.
-Since the superiors know that we don't have enough members to send you on operations, they relegate less important missions to us.

-I understand. -Mal0 nodded, waking up.
-So it won't be dangerous?

-...
-There's always the slightest chance that something could go wrong, Mal0. -The scientist explained.

-...
-And when will it take place? -I asked.

-Tomorrow.

(Tomorrow?!)

-...

A small silence flooded the waiting room, as I forced myself to keep my eyes open and not fall asleep on the spot.

-You should go back to your room. -The man muttered, scratching his head.

-Mhm.

-I agree.



__________________________________



I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep because of tomorrow's anxiety, but I was so tired that I simply fell asleep the instant I touched the bed. Leaving the stress and anxiety for when I woke up.

...

-You don't have to sleep there. -I said, still sleepy, looking at the phone, with Mal0 inside it.

-The bed isn't big enough for the two of us. -Said a voice from the speaker.
-Besides, you looked quite comfortable... -She added.

-It must not be comfortable to sleep in there. -I muttered.

-I got used to it.
-In fact, it's like I'm lying on the floor.

-That doesn't sound comfortable, Mal0.

-Well--

The chamber door opened, revealing Iris and Brandon, the scientist.

-Good morning. -Iris murmured, her gaze lingering on my tousled hair.

-Good morning, Iris. -Mal0 replied, materializing next to the table without a sound.

-...
-Are you ready? -The scientist asked, clasping his hands together.

-I'm ready!

-I think so. -I nodded.
-Are we really going to a battlefield without even informing us about anything?

Iris looked down at the ground, visibly exasperated, shaking her head.

-...
-Alpha-9 is hanging by a thread... -She muttered almost inaudibly.
-They won't send us to any battlefields, Quentin. -She sighed.
-Look at is as a test, to check your performance.

-...
-Ah, I suppose that's comforting -I murmured, sighing.

-All right.
-...
-Here, put this on. -She said, offering me a set of folded clothes.

They turned out to be the same clothes I had on the day I entered the foundation, albeit much cleaner.

-Is this too casual? -I asked, looking up from the clothes in my hands.

-Not at all.
-Change, we'll meet in five minutes, be ready.
-Both of you. -She said, looking at me as well as Mal0.

-...

When the door closed quickly I changed my clothes, after Mal0 got back into the phone.

When I reached into my pocket, I felt that the scalpel mom had given me was gone.

It was just a metal tool, I really had no reason to be so sad.

I picked up the phone from the table, unsure if I should take it with me or not.
I put it back on the table, I didn't want them to get mad at me if I took it without permission.

A few moments later, Scientist Brandon returned to the bedroom, leading us to the elevator to the surface.

-Oh, here, take this. -He said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to me.

A phone with a cracked screen, the one I had been given before I was assigned the mission to capture anomalies.

-Let me go over a few things with you, before you screw something up.

-Okay. -I nodded, nervously.

-You must respond to the orders of your superiors, in this case. Iris.

-Understood.
-Understood. -Mal0 repeated.

-1471 must not be seen by any person under any circumstances, otherwise she will be contained again.

-...
-I understand. -The anomaly repeated again, a little more depressed.

A silence filled the small space in the elevator as we ascended.

I could see from the corner of my eye how the man looked at me from time to time, as if he was going to tell me something, but instantly regretted it.

Was there something they weren't telling us about this "mission"?

...

The elevator finally stopped after a few moments and we stepped out of it, into a spacious place, with several catwalks and a circular glass ceiling.

What caught my attention the most, was the sign above a huge metal door that read:

"Entry Zone : A".

Several soldiers were standing next to it, uniformed and rather more heavily armed compared to the soldiers on the lower floors.

Most were wearing black masks to cover their faces, although some wore a gas mask, most likely the higher ranking ones.

They all carried an assault rifle in their hands, which terrified the hell out of me.
I felt that if I breathed too hard, or walked too fast, they would open fire on me.

-Your pulse is unusually high, Quentin.
-Are you all right? -Mal0 asked, turning to look at me as we walked.

Mal0's voice made me jump a little on the spot, quickly turning my head to look at her.

-...
-I am fine. -I lied, while nodding my head.

-I'm glad. -She said, happy.

We walked until we reached what seemed to be a vehicle route, through the entrance area and down a couple of stairs.

-...

Iris stood right besides a black vehicle, looking at us as we got closer.

-Get in. -She said, gesturing to the seats in the back.

It looked like the cars they had previously used to take me to the foundation, that it felt strange to get in one of them to get out of here.

I opened the door and let Mal0 go through first, which hit her head on the roof of the car, letting out a small squeal.

I got in behind her, a little worried.

-Are you okay?

-Yeah, yeah. -She mumbled, rubbing her head with one hand.
-I'm a little big. -She laughed nervously, feeling the roof of the car with her hands.

Iris got into the driver's seat and quickly started the vehicle, the engine roaring to life.

-Are we not expecting anyone else?

-...
-No, no one else was assigned to this mission. -She said, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
-It's supposed to be a test for you two. -She added, emphasizing the last word.

-I understand.

Without another word, she began to accelerate, pulling out of the entrance area and away from the foundation building.

-...

I looked out the window in amazement, as Mal0 was pressing her face against her own window.

I had never seen this place from the outside, it was really huge, it was a miracle that it is not known.

Although I suspected that the foundation was enormously larger than what I was seeing, both physically and figuratively.

I watched the landscape change as I gazed lostly through the window.

Mal0 turned to see me and stared at me for a few seconds.

-I think I should get on the phone.
-No one should see me. -She added.

-Yeah, I think so.

-In fact, we have a long time until we get close to a city. -Iris said, looking at us through the rearview mirror.
-She can stay like this for a few more hours.

-...

-Oh, all right. -Mal0 nodded.

-Can we open the window? -I asked, settling into the seat.

-You don't have to ask me. -She muttered, shaking her head.
-I was about to turn on the AC, but it doesn't matter.
-...
-You make me feel like a babysitter, we're supposed to be on a mission....  -She sighed.

-I'm sorry. -I apologized, genuinely.
-...
-Can I ask you where Cain is? -I asked, looking at the empty passenger seat.

Iris gave a long sigh, before answering.

-He's in his containment chamber, he couldn't come with us anyway. -She explained.
-I am the only one authorized to go out on field missions.
-...
-I guess you are, too.

-Ah, I understand. -I nodded unconformably as I leaned against the window again.

Alpha-9 had only two people and only one of them was allowed to go out on missions?

That made me doubt about the importance of this mission.

Hadn't they said they were afraid this team would be disbanded at the end of the month?

I didn't want the only chance I had to leave the foundation to be dissolved as soon as I joined it.

(...)

I was starting to get a little worried about our current situation, quite a bit in fact.

I turned to look at Mal0, to confirm my doubts, but found her busy with other matters.

She stood with her face outside the car window, her fur being tossed by the wind and her long tongue hanging out.
Her tail was wagging vigorously behind her, tapping lightly against the back of the seat.

She later realized I was watching her, moments later and closed the window again, somewhat embarrassed.

-I just wanted to see how it felt. -She muttered, averting her gaze to the side.

-I wasn't going to say anything, Mal0...

-It felt good.
-...
-I felt... free, you know? -She said, nodding her head, her ears bouncing.

I just nodded my head, smiling a little.

Maybe I was thinking too much about all this, we still had time to relax a little, before whatever had to happen happened.

I rolled down the window on my side a bit, so the wind would hit my face, and closed my eyes.

It felt comforting, except for the fact that we had no idea what we were doing.

It reminded me of a trip I had taken with mom, I think we went from one end of the country to the other, just to visit some relatives.

In fact, I still remembered some stories with my grandfather, which I'm sure Mal0 would love.

...

(I'll tell them to her later.)




_________________________________






I woke up with a jolt when the vehicle finally slowed down.

Somewhat sleepily I looked out the window, the sun was almost setting over the horizon.

We were in front of a...
A junkyard?

At least it looked like one, piles of junk and trash everywhere I looked, this place was really huge.

-...
-It was time for you to wake up. -Said Iris, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

I did the same and got out of the car, some of my bones creaking from the bad posture I had slept in.

I looked for Mal0 for a few seconds, but remembered that she might have gotten into the phone I had on me.

I looked at Iris, who was examining our surroundings with a serious expression on her face.

-Where are we? -I asked.

-A garbage dump, at the edge of town. -She explained, without giving it much importance.
-We received reports from the police about some very strange behavior.
-Possible anomalies.

-I see.

-Understood. -Said Mal0's voice, from the phone in my pocket.
-I'll be alert. -She added.

-Let's go. -Said Iris, gesturing for me to follow her.

I picked up my pace to catch up with her and started walking beside her.

-Sorry for falling asleep on the trip. -I apologized, lowering my gaze a little.

-Actually, I let you fall asleep.
-They told me a bit about the stone platform, and I wanted to see if I could be of any use on this mission.

-Ah...
-...
-Sorry, I couldn't see the platform this time. -I apologized, again.

-Never mind.
-Eyes straight ahead. -She said, her expression turning serious for a few moments.
-You mustn't let your guard down.

I nodded, squinting, watching for any anomaly I might see.

-Anything we should watch out for?

-...
-There isn't much information.. -Iris replied, shaking her head.

Even though everywhere I looked I only saw junk and trash, I felt myself becoming paranoid.

-Do you notice anything, Mal0? -I asked, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

-...
-No, nothing, except your accelerated heart rate.

-Shhh... -I whispered quietly into the phone, turning to see if Iris had heard that.

I laughed nervously as we continued walking with Iris, stepping over empty cans, metal sheets and a myriad of discarded things.

We went all the way around the place, but didn't find any anomalous objects, except for a particularly large rat.

Iris pulled a flashlight out of her pocket, illuminating the ground in front of her after a small click.

I did the same, shining the flashlight on the  phone in front of me.

I was surprised the foundation hadn't given us any special equipment, considering we were part of an abnormal squadron...

(Maybe they wanted us to fail.)

...

I would have liked a flashlight, at least.

We ended up inspecting the whole place, including the house of the man who worked here, but we found nothing out of place.

I could see Iris's expression changing to one of frustration with each passing quarter hour.

-There must be something, surely we didn't look hard enough. -She said, shaking her head.

-...
-Perhaps the anomaly is in the perimeter..? -Said Mal0, making the phone vibrate in my hands.

-Oh, maybe that's it. -said Iris, almost jumping on the spot.

We hurried out of the place, turning off the lights and walked around the whole dump.

I was a little scared that there was so little light in this place.

I didn't recognize if we were in my city or any other city in the country, but we were definitely in a central area.

The urban streets looked like horror, being illuminated only by moonlight.

The facade of some buildings looked almost abandoned, graffitied and unpainted by the passage of time.

From the corner of my eye I could see how a silhouette walked from behind a broken streetlight and began to walk towards us head on.

Iris noticed this and stopped, watching the figure carefully.

That silhouette walked until it was a few meters in front of us and stopped.

-Good evening. -A male voice greeted us.
-You don't seem to be from here, did you come from far away? -He asked, curious.

-...

I looked at Iris, waiting for her to say something, but she simply remained silent and observant.

She took out her flashlight and turned it on, illuminating the man in front of us.


He turned out to be a languid, gangly man with his hands in his pockets, his clothes completely dirty and with various stains.

-I don't want to cause trouble, you don't have to be like that. -The man said, coveting his pale face with his hand.
-I just wanted to ask you something, something simple.
-...
-I know you are not from here, so I wanted to ask you, if you had a good childhood.

-...?!

Visibly confused, I looked at Iris, who seemed to be just as confused as I was.

Of all the things I expected, including the worst, I would never have seen that coming.

-...
-I guess? -I replied, nervously.

-Ah, great.
-Wouldn't you mind sharing it with me a little bit? -He said, taking his hands out of his pockets.

He pulled out two small, square, light blue candies or pills and shoved them into his mouth.

Iris immediately became alert, changing her posture and clenching her fists.

His expression seemed to relax, his pupils increasing in size considerably.

For some reason my body was unresponsive, I couldn't stop staring into the eyes of that nasty man.

-Iris! -A distant voice exclaimed, but I couldn't concentrate on it.

I tried to react, but I felt as if I was disconnected from my body, being forced to look into the eyes of that man.

Quickly a figure next to me jumped towards the man and rammed him to the ground.

The instant I lost sight of his eyes I felt my body react again.
A sharp pain in my head made me stagger a little, holding my head with one hand.

-Don't look him in the eyes! -I exclaimed, holding back the urge to vomit.

Iris nodded and quickly subdued the man by shoving his face into the dirty pavement, and placing both hands behind his back.

-...
-Are you all right? -She asked, concerned.

-Yeah, yeah...
-That thing he ate... -I started, before closing my eyes because of a strong migraine.

-I understand. -She said, reaching into the man's pockets with one hand.

She pulled out a small plastic container and examined it before handing it to me, quickly restraining him with both hands again.

It had a single label on it, which read "Vic" along with a company logo, consisting of a square with eight dots inside.

-...

It had several pills inside, identical to the ones I had seen the man consume.

-Some kind of drug? -I thought aloud as I put the container in my left pocket.

-We don't know what the effects are, we'll call for help. -She said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

_____________________________________



She had called the local police, who wanted to perform a narcotics test on him, after putting the man in their patrol car and blindfolding him.

It seemed that the foundation teams had some power over the police.

My head still hurt quite a bit, and I had a strange feeling that I had forgotten something somewhere, but I couldn't remember what exactly.

We were back in the foundation vehicle, parked in front of the dumpster.

-Are you all right? -Iris asked, turning to look at me over her shoulder.

-I'm fine, I just have a headache. -I lied.

I handed the box of pills to Iris, who received it and put it back in one of her pockets.

-...
-Do you have any side effects?

-Something like that...
-I feel like I've forgotten something. -I said, thoughtfully.

I started digging in my pockets and found a small crumpled paper bag, at the bottom of it.

I pulled it out and it turned out to be half of a polaroid photo, the one I had taken with Mia that day.

It was a picture of her, hugging someone tightly inside what appeared to be a house.
I couldn't tell who it was, the photo was forcibly cut in half.

-...
-Do we have another target? -I asked, looking up.

-No, no.
-Our mission was to find an anomaly near this area.
-It was a success.
-...
-I'm just waiting to see if you're okay, or if we should rest.

-Ah.
-No, not at all.
-I'm fine, we can go back.

-...
-I've already reported our findings, you don't have to rush.
-It will be a long trip, are you sure you want to go back? -She asked.

-...

I could spend at least one night away from the foundation, but I didn't feel comfortable being in an unknown city.

-Let's go back.

-All right. -She said, before starting the engine.

I spent a few minutes staring out the window at nothing, trying to focus in my own thoughts.

That guy had asked about our childhood, for some strange reason.

I doubt he had a good childhood, living around those parts, but it didn't make much sense.

Then he said something about sharing it...

...

Could that drug be used to see someone else's memories?
Had that man stolen my memories?

I felt a shiver run through my entire body.

-Are you cold, Quentin? -Said Mal0's voice from the phone in my pocket.

-A-a little. -I lied.

Seconds later, Mal0 materialized next to me, hugging me with her warm, fluffy fur.

I was a little comforted to know that nothing bad had happened, but I was more worried that I had forgotten some important memory from my childhood.

...

I still remembered the first times I rode a bicycle, the times I had spent with my grandparents, and many more stories....

-Your pulse dropped a lot when that man looked at you. -The anomaly explained
-I was so afraid that something would happen to you, I wanted to go out and help you, but I couldn't.

-Nothing happened, Mal0. -I said, forcing a little smile.

-...
-I want to believe you, but you look like you're in pain.

-...

There was no point in continuing to lie and worrying my team even more.

-Whatever that man did with that drug, I feel that...
-...
-Made me forget some things?

-Hah?

-What? -Sighed Iris, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

-It sounds strange, I know.
-But -

-Quentin, you're next to an anomaly right now.
-There's nothing in the world you can say that sounds strange. -Said the woman behind the wheel, hiding a small chuckle under her breath.

-I'm just used to being with Mal0. -I explained, laughing a little.
-I feel like I've forgotten something, but I don't think it's easy to remember something forgotten.

-...
-Wouldn't it be easier to tell us everything you remember? -Mal0 asked, cocking her head to one side.

-We'd be doing that for a long time. -I replied, shaking my head.

-I'd like to know more about you. -Said Mal0, cheerfully.

-We don't have much more to do, Quentin. -Said Iris, tapping her fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
-If it makes you feel better, I'd like to hear you too.

-...
-Okay.
-Just let me know if I start to bore you...

___________________________________



-What?! -exclaimed Mal0 in surprise.

-Did he really do that? -Said Iris, laughing under her breath.

-Mhm.
-We were on Christmas, and we were using the roof of the apartment building to celebrate as a family.
-I was only six, seven years old. -I added.
-And someone from the floir from below threw a firework up to shut us up, and one of the sparks burned mom.

-Oh... -Sighed Mal0.

-My grandfather was furious and went downstairs only to return a couple of seconds later, with a toilet in his hands.

-H-Huh?

-He stood on the edge of the roof and threw it down onto the balcony of the guy who had thrown the thing at us.
-...
-They didn't bother us again that night. -I added.

Mal0 was howling with laughter, while Iris tried not to make her laughter audible.

-From everything you've told us, your family has a tendency to.....
-Take things to the extreme. -She said, trying to find the right words.

-You can say they like a bit of violence, you wouldn't be lying. -I said, laughing a little.

-But they always did it defending a loved one. -Mal0 jumped in to defend me.
-They never did it just to cause harm.

-That's true. -I nodded.

It felt like I was taking a weight off my shoulders, remembering so many anecdotes I lived with my family.

-Luckily I didn't turn out as... active as they did. -I sighed, shaking my head.

I looked in the rearview mirror and could see Iris's eyes fixed on me, but she quickly averted her gaze.

Her eyes were slightly puffy, as if she had been crying.

-Is something wrong, Iris? -I asked, concerned.

-No, nothing. -She said, shaking her head and focusing on the road in front of her.

-...
-Are you sure? -I insisted.
-It's not fair that only I get to speak.

-Quentin... -Iris began, looking for the words to express herself.
-...
-Do you know why I was so opposed to your inclusion of Alpha-9?

-...
-Because of my age? -I said, remembering.

-You are too young for all this.
-You remind me of me, way back when I was intercepted by the foundation.

-...

I didn't know what to say to her, I wanted to ask some questions but it would be disrespectful.

-Nothing may have happened today, but being on this team is being in constant danger.
-...
-I don't want what happened to me to happen to you. -She added, almost in a whisper.

-Im sorry, Iris. -I apologized, not quite knowing what to say.
-I'll try my best.

I stared out the window next to me, watching the dark landscape pass by, illuminated by the moonlight.

I thought I had been hostile initially because I didn't want it to be a burden to her, but....



_____________________________________




We didin't speak much until finally arriving at our destination, waking up in Mal0's warm embrace.

We quickly got out of the car and re-entered the foundation, down that elevator to the labyrinthine white corridors.

We walked down to what looked like a meeting room, where Iris prepared to make a report of the mission, asking me and Mal0 for information from time to time.

Remembering that event with that man made my head hurt again, but I tried not to let it show too much.

After several minutes, Iris finally stopped writing, letting her pen tap against the table.

-...
-You may go, if you like. -She said, waking up.

-Usually a scientist or a soldier comes to accompany us to our room. -I said, turning to look at Mal0, who nodded her head.

-Thanks to this, the foundation can trust you. -She said, waving the sheet of paper in her hand.
-As long as you go directly to your room, I don't think there will be any problem.
-Although I suppose you'll have to ask someone to open your door. -She added.

-Ah, all right.

We walked out of the room, looking warily at our surroundings.

We were to go straight to our bedroom, and that's what we were going to do.
I was a little tired and with a slight headache still–

The light went out for a few seconds, leaving us completely in the dark.

A loud alarm made us jump in place, at the same time that the lights came back on, illuminating with a little less intensity.

Mal0 got closer to me, as I looked around panicking.

Iris quickly came out of that room and saw us standing on the spot, like a deer on headlights.

-Go now! -She exclaimed, pointing to the hallway behind us.





_______________________________














4777 words, and to think I started out writing 600 per chapter.
I can't wait to smack a 10k words long chapter over your heads.

I hope you liked it.

As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting, you make my day.

UwU.

By the way, the scp for this chapter is 484.