#picking on the serpent's hand instead of the chaos insurgency today

[arctic-shard]

Outer Child, chapter 1

( Trying something different, gang.  After drawing that silly picture of 035 and 049 as toddlers, the idea wouldn’t let go.  ‘[Character] gets turned into a kid’ is generally a fluff trope, but I do enjoy taking fluff tropes and playing them serious.  Also it’s a low-stakes exercise to get back into writing regularly again.  This is probably just going to be short chapters since I plan on just banging it out without thinking too hard. )

Outer Child, chapter 1

Warnings: none

Words: 750~

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  "The Serpent's Hand had discovered an anomalous object," said Dr Colin Combs, the researcher currently studying SCP-049 and related phenomena.  "Which our people took from them.  Then the Serpents Hand sent their own strike force to get it back."

  Dr Victoria West, these days contained as SCP-049-3, knew there had been an attack three nights before.  The alarms had gone off but the trouble hadn't reached Light Containment.  This was the first time she was getting any details, even when she asked.

  She stood beside Combs, in the observation room of a small testing chamber, hidden from the entities inside by a one-way mirror.  The chamber was divided in half by a transparent barrier, 049 on one side and 035 on the other.  They were ignoring each other - 049 seated on the floor, glancing about nervously while 035 danced around, singing to itself.

  Victoria said nothing.  Combs cleared his throat and continued.  "In the confusion, 035 breached containment.  It then went to breach 049.  We don't know if they planned to find you next or just attack the Serpent's Hand agents."

  It was probably the only reason the Foundation tolerated Victoria's relationship with 049 and 035 at all - it kept 035 somewhat under control.  Regular visits with 049 and Victoria kept 035 and less inclined to mayhem, and when it did breach, it wouldn't cause lasting harm to Foundation personnel.  Victoria had no control over 035, it just knew that it had to compromise if it wanted her to love it.  She had to make her own compromises as well.

  She didn't look away from the testing chamber.  "And then?"

  "035 and 049 ended up in the middle of a skirmish between our agents and the Serpent's Hand," Combs continued.  "The object the Serpent's Hand were trying to steal back from us activated, catching three of our agents, four of theirs, 035, and 049 in its effect.  The affected humans were taken to another Site to try to help them."

  Now Victoria looked over at Combs.  "Why wasn't I told earlier?"

  "Because you're not a Foundation researcher anymore," Combs reminded her flatly. ��Becoming anomalous wasn't an automatic firing, but an intimate relationship with an SCP entity was.  Victoria hadn't intended for things to go so far with 049 when she started talking to him afterhours, but they had, and later 035 invited itself along because it and 049 were, as 049 put it once, bound and together.  She'd ended up marrying them both, sort of, because she'd come to realise she needed them both, and they'd needed her.

  Except now, both of Victoria's spouses had been anomalously transformed into toddlers.

  "We ran some tests," said Combs as Victoria returned her attention to the two small entities.  "Physically, 049 still has a keratin mask and his robes are part of his body and all his other unusual traits are there, and 035 is an exoskeletal other-dimensional alien filled with black goo.  However, their effects are weakened - 049's touch no longer kills, it just causes unconsciousness.  He might still sense the Pestilence - he would start crying around some people for no discernable reason.  035's acid can't burn, it's about as dangerous as lemon juice now.  They seem to think like the three-year-olds they appear to be.  We haven't been able to get much information out of them because, well, they're toddlers and they don't trust us."

  "The only reason I was told of this was because the Foundation wants me to try to interview them," said Victoria.  "You hope they'll remember me enough to trust me."

  "Yes.  049 seemed to accept me as a safe adult more than he did the others, but we don't have a connection."

  "I don't know how to deal with children, Combs."  Victoria had the maternal instincts of a witch in a gingerbread house.

  "But you do know how to deal with 049 and 035."

  This time she rounded on the man fully.  "I am - was? - married to them, Combs!  And now they're goddamn toddlers!  That's weird even by Foundation standards!"

  Combs took a step back - he'd never developed the unflappable poker face most researchers had.  "Look at it this way - do you trust anyone else to look after them properly?"

  That pulled Victoria up short.  She'd been a Foundation researcher for twenty years before being fired.  She knew how the Foundation operated and she wasn't going to leave her anomalies to them while they were helpless.