Grin And Bear It

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"Congratulations, Junior Researcher Kim," said Coles. "You’re on babysitter duty."
"축하하네, 김 하급 연구원" 콜스가 말했다. "애돌보기 업무에 배정됐네"

Junior Researcher Benedict Kim looked up from the towering stack of paperwork on his desk. Dr. Coles was making a face like he was holding a frog in his mouth, which typically meant that he was trying not to laugh.
베네딕트 김 하급 연구원은 책상 위에 쌓인 서류 더미 위를 올려 보았다. 콜스 박사는 입에 개구리라도 물고 있는 것같은 표정을 짓고 있었다. 그건 일반적으로 웃음을 참고 있다는 뜻이었다.

"Babysitting?"
"애돌보기요?"

"The authorization just came through for 3009’s big field trip. Kind of. And you get to supervise!"
"3009의 견학 허가가 방금 통과됬다네. 그리고 자네가 감독이라네!"

Oh. Benedict grimaced. It was tough being the primary point of contact for an anomalous Snapchat account with the personality of a uniquely irritating fifteen-year-old girl. Honestly, Benedict regretted his admission of relative familiarity with the Snapchat software more and more with each passing day.
이런. 베네딕트가 얼굴을 찡그렸다. 특이한 방식으로 짜증나는 15살 소녀의 성격을 가진 변칙적인 스냅챗 계정과 지내는 것은 정말 힘든 일이었다. 솔직히 베네딕트는 스냅챗 소프트웨어와 상대적으로 친숙하다고 말한 걸 날이 갈수록 후회하고 있었다.

It was no wonder that Coles was acting as if his birthday had come early. A week prior, their research team had put in a request for authorization to take 3009 on monthly supervised "morale-boosting social expeditions", and Coles had been chortling over the idea ever since.
콜스가 생일이 일찍 찾아오기라도 하는 것처럼 구는 것도 이상한 건 아니였다. 일주일 전에 연구팀은 3009가 매달마다 감독하에 "사기 증진을 위한 사회 여행"하는 것을 허가해 달라고 요청했었고, 콜스는 그 아이디어에 대해 그 이후로 계속 껄껄거리며 웃고 있었다.

Right on cue, Benedict’s phone buzzed on his desk. He ignored it with an ease honed by weeks of practice.
때맞춰서 베네딕트의 전화기가 책상 위에서 울렸다. 베네딕트는 몇 주간 연습을 통해 간단히 무시했다.

Coles did not. "Aren't you going to get that?"
콜스는 무시하지 않았다. "그거 안 받나?"

Benedict sighed and flipped over his phone. He flinched.
베네딕트는 한숨을 쉬고 전화기를 뒤집었다. 움찔했다.

The screen was already on. He had received a grand total of five hundred and thirty two unread messages since noon that day, seven of which were from the past three minutes.
화면은 이미 켜져 있었다. 베네딕트는 그날 정오부터 총 500하고 32개의 읽지 않은 메시지를 받았다. 7개는 3분 전에 왔다

3009

ZOO
동물원

Z O O
동 물 원

ZOOOOOOOOO
도오오오오오물원

take me out take me out take me out 😢
내보내줘요 내보내줘요 내보내줘요 😢

BENNY PLS IM SO BORED
베니 제발 너무 지루해요

don't you want me to be less annoying???
제가 좀 덜 짜증나면 좋지 않겠어요???

🐶 🐱 🐭 🦁 🐰 🐹 🐻 🐼

"Well? How many texts did it send this time?"
"음? 이번엔 문자를 얼마나 보냈나?"

The pinched expression on Benedict's face said it all.
베네딕트의 초췌한 표정이 모든 걸 말해줬다.

"Oh, lighten up! Maybe it'll finally stop with the spam messages, now that we're giving it something to do."
"오, 기운 내게! 어쩌면 스팸 메시지 보내는 것도 결국엔 그만두겠지, 이제 이제 뭔가 할 일이 생겼으니까."

Benedict set down the phone and deftly changed the subject. He'd handle it… later.
베네딕트는 전화기를 내려두고 교묘하게 말을 돌렸다. 문자는 잘 처리… 될거다.

"What did you mean, kind of?"
"무슨 말을 하고 싶으신 거죠, 어떤? "

Coles laughed out loud. "Oh, they rejected the whole zoo thing flat out. Too many civilians — they think you might lose one of the SCP-3009-B phones and cause another headache for the Amnestics Department. We compromised in the end. You’re supposed to take the damn thing to Wilson’s Wildlife Solutions instead for a guided tour with… Alex Molina, I think?"
콜스가 웃음을 터트렸다. "오, 위에서 모든 동물원 같은건 전부 거절했네. 민간인들이 너무 많다더군. 자네가 SCP-3009-B 개체를 잃어버려서 기억소거 부서 골치 좀 썩일 수도 있다고 생각한다네. 우린 결국 타협했지. 자네는 그 망할 걸 윌슨 야생동물구제에 데려가야 하고 여행 가이드는… '알렉스 몰리나'라네. 아마도?"

"Got it. Authorisation went through for both of them? The 3009-C humanoid too?"
"알겠습니다. 둘 다 허가가 나왔나요? 인간형인 SCP-3009-C도요?"

Coles shook his head. "Just the account. Higher-ups responded pretty well to your argument about how there's no chance of it escaping now that we've got its log-in details, and the irrelevance of the the actual location of the phone. The humanoid, on the other hand, might get mauled by a lion or something."
콜스가 고개를 저었다. "계정만 허가됐네. 상층부는 어떻게 도주할 우려가 없냐는 자네 주장에 우리가 로그인 세부정보를 알고, 전화기의 실제 위치와 무관계하다고 꽤 잘 반박했네. 반면 인간형은 사자나 뭐 그런거 한테 상처 입을 수도 있지."

Though this was sound reasoning, Benedict thought it was unfortunate nonetheless. 3009-C was much more in need of morale-boosting than 3009 was, considering it had barely left its bed in weeks. "When?"
타당한 이유였지만 베네딕트는 그래도 유감이라고 생각했다. 3009-C가 몇 주째 거의 침대에서 나오지 않고 있는걸보면 3009-C가 더 사기 증진이 필요했다. "언제죠?"

"I told them tomorrow was best for you."
"내일 가는게 자네에게 제일일 것 같다고 말해뒀네."

And there it was. The real kick in the nuts.
그리고 이런 것이 있었다. 진정한 좆같은 일이.

Damn it, Coles.
망할, 콜스

Sunday was supposed to be his day off.
일요일은 원래 쉬는 날이었다.


"…and, I mean, with the penguins? Pretty out there, right?"
"…그니까 제 말은, 팽귄이랑 같이? 약간 돌은거 아닌가요?"

Alex Molina of the Wilson’s Wildlife Solutions Terrestial Team had greeted Benedict with a shockingly explosive high-five at the start of their guided tour, immediately launched into an anecdote about his Uncle Nico’s pet dog, and hadn’t stopped talking since.
윌슨 야생동물구제의 육상팀의 알렉스 몰리나는 베네딕트를 매우 격렬한 하이파이브로 맞이했고 여행 가이드 일을 시작했다. 그리고 곧장 니코 삼촌의 애완견에 대해 이야기를 하기 시작했고 멈출 줄을 몰랐다. 자동

The overall effect was a bit like getting pelted in the face by sonic bullets, if the bullets were being fired out of an automatic gun with a big, bristly moustache that twitched like an enormous caterpillar on his upper lip with every word.
전체적인 느낌은 얼굴에 소리의 총알을 맞는 것과 비슷했다. 그 총알이 말할때마다 입술 위에 큰 애벌레가 앉아 있는 것같은 크고 까끌까끌한 콧수염이 있는 자동 총에서 발사되는 거라면 말이다.

"Uh-huh," said Benedict, trying to hide behind his cellphone like it was a shield. It really was a blessing in disguise that he needed to send Molina’s monologue to 3009 in ten-second intervals. It meant, after all, that Benedict had an excuse to put a buffer between himself and this animal-loving, anecdote spewing whirlwind of a man.
"어-음", 베네딕트가 핸드폰를 방패삼아 숨으려 하면서 말했다. 몰리나의 일방적인 이야기를 10초 간격으로 보내야 하는 것은 사실 행운이었다. 그건 어찌됐던 베네딕트와 이야기로 몰아치는 이 동물애호가 남자 사이에 거리를 좀 둘만한 변명거리가 됐다.

The armoured suitcase he was dragging along behind him jerked violently, one wheel catching on a crack in the pavement.
베네딕트가 끌고가고 있던 장갑 여행가방이 난폭하게 덜컥였다. 한 쪽 바퀴가 보도의 틈에 걸려있었다.

Benedict winced. The suitcase contained the cellphone with the 3009 account installed on it, and he'd be in some real hot water if anything happened to it. He was only in his second year of working at the Foundation, and his shiny new postdoctorate in developmental psychology wouldn't protect him from the wrath of the Foundation higher-ups.
베네딕트는 움찔했다. 가방 안에는 3009 계정이 설치된 휴대폰이 들어있었고, 뭔 일이 생긴다면 끓는 물에 들어갈 처지였다. 재단에서 이제 겨우 2년차였고, 반짝이는 새 발달 심리학 박사후학위는 재단 상층부의 분노를 막아주지 못할 것이다.

"Anyway, we’re coming right up to Enclosure 8, home to an amazingly talented bear named Maya! Maya is a little shy, but she’s a lovely girl, really. A wonderful dancer, and singer too, though she doesn’t do that often. Do you smoke, by the way?"
"어쨌든, 저흰 지금 8번 울타리로 가고 있습니다. 마야라는 놀라운 재능을 가진 곰이 살고 있답니다! 마야는 약간 수줍음을 타지만, 정말 사랑스러운 아가씨랍니다. 훌륭한 무용수고, 가수이기도 한답니다. 그닥 자주 그걸 보여주진 않지만요. 그런데 혹시 담배 피우시나요?

"Smoke? Ah, no, I—"
"담배요? 오, 아뇨 전—"

Immediately, a string of push notifications flashed across the top of Benedict's phone screen with dizzying speed.
그 즉시, 베네딕트의 전화 화면의 위에 있는 알림창이 어지러운 속도로 반짝였다.

3009

omggg make a bear pun!!
우와왕 곰 재밌겠다!!
wait

did he just say the bear sings??
방금 곰이 노래한다 했어여??

"—can’t, um, bear smoking."
"—연기를 못 참거든요bear."

A long silence ensued as Molina stared at him, broken only by the vibrations as Benedict’s phone went off again and again. Benedict stared resolutely at the ground.
긴 침묵과 함께 몰리나의 시선이 베네딕트를 향했고, 베네딕트의 전화기가 계속해서 진동할 때까지 이어졌다. 베네딕트는 땅을 굳게 쳐다보고 있었다.

3009

AHAHHAA omg you actually did it
하하하하 와 이걸 하네요

Image depicting a cartoon version of Stacey Lee making a shocked expression, captioned: 'WHOA'.
you’re the BEAR-st, benny!!
베니, 최곰!!

Finally, Molina laughed, a little weakly.
마지막으로 몰리나가 약하게 웃었다.

"Ah, well, that’s good. She steals cigarettes, sometimes, that’s all. I’ll take you in to see her now. She’s very shy around new people, though, so let’s try not to disturb her too much, okay?"
"오, 뭐, 잘 됐네요. 마야가 가끔 담배를 훔치곤 하거든요, 뭐 그게 답니다. 이제 마야를 보러갑시다. 그녀는 처음 보는 사람이 있으면 굉장히 부끄러워하니까 너무 방해하지 않도록 합시다. 아셨죠?"

"Yeah," muttered Benedict, as they wandered in through the doors onto a walkway that stretched out above the bear enclosure. Down below, an enormous brown bear lay stretched out below a tree, basking in the sun. At the sound of their footsteps, it cracked one eye open to peer cautiously at them.
"네," 베네딕트는 중얼거리며 곰 울타리 위로 뻗어있는 통로로 들어가기 위한 문을 통과했다. 아래에, 커다란 갈색 곰이 나무에 쭉 뻗고 누워 볕을 쬐고 있었다. 발걸음 소리가 들리자, 곰은 한쪽 눈을 뜨고 조심스럽게 바라보았다.

3009

wow, she’s big!!
와, 마야는 엄청 커요!!

"Good-looking bear," said Benedict, a little awkwardly. It was hard to know how to comment adequately on a bear. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure what a bad looking bear would look like.
"잘생긴 곰이네," 베네딕트가 살짝 어색한 투로 말했다. 곰에게 어울리는 적당한 말을 고르기 힘들었다. 솔직히 말하면, 베네딕트는 못생긴 곰이란게 어떻게 생긴 건지도 잘 몰랐다."

Still, that seemed to be the correct response, because Molina grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Y’think? We had hell of a time getting her this healthy, you know. Maya was in a sorry state when we picked her up. Abused by the carnival, I think."
그래도 몰리나가 뒤통수를 문지르며 순한 웃음을 보인 것을 보면 적당한 반응이었던 것 같았다. "그래요? 그녀가 이렇게 건강해질 때까지 엄청 개고생했죠. 마야는 우리가 데려왔을 때 상태가 안 좋았어요. 카니발 때문에 학대당한거 같아요."

"Oh. That’s terrible."
"아. 끔찍한 일이네요."

They lapsed into silence once more, both now watching the bear. Maya, seeming to sense eyes on her, got to her feet and padded over to a small pool to lap at the water. It felt oddly like she was making a studious attempt to ignore them.
그들은 다시 한 번 침묵에 빠져들었고, 이제 둘 모두 곰을 지켜보고 있었다. 마야는 시선을 느낀 듯 두 발로 서서 조용히 조그마한 수영장으로 가 물장구를 쳤다. 이상하게도 마치 마야가 무시하기 위해 학구적 시도를 하는 것만 같았다.

"Well," said Molina. "Should I take you to the next enclosure?"
"그럼," 몰리나가 말했다. "다음 울타리로 가도 될까요?"

A notification. 3009 had an opinion on this, apparently.
알림. 3009가 할 말이 있는 것 같았다. 확실히.

3009

no way!!!
she’s not singing
can we stay till she sings??? 🙈
안돼요!!!
노래 안 했는데
노래 할 때까지만 있으면 안돼요??? 🙈

"We’ll stay for a little longer, I think."
"조금 더 머물려야 될 거 같네요."

Molina shrugged. "Okay," he said, and gestured to a small office at the end of the walkway. "I have some paperwork to do so I’ll just nip into my office for a bit. I’ll be able to see you out the window, so let me know if you need me, okay?"
몰리나는 어깨를 으쓱했다. "좋아요," 그렇게 말하곤 통로 끝에 있는 작은 사무실을 가르켰다. "처리할 서류가 있어서 제 사무실 좀 잠깐 가있을게요. 창 밖으로 보이니까, 필요하면 불러주세요, 알았죠?"

"Sure," said Benedict, and with that settled, Molina wandered off.
"그러죠," 베네딕트가 말했다. 그리고 결론이 나자 멜리나는 떠나버렸다.

Left alone and feeling slightly ridiculous, Benedict continued filming the bear doing, well… bear-like things. It finished drinking from the pool and then padded over to a tree, apparently to inspect the bark.
혼자 남겨지자 조금 어이가 없었다. 베네딕트는 계속해서 곰이… 뭐 곰이 할 짓을 하는 것을 촬영했다. 곰은 수영장에서 물 좀 마시더니

Can it really sing and dance? It seemed like a perfectly normal bear to Benedict. But maybe it just had no need to show off its anomalous abilities, now that it was taken care of here in captivity.
진짜 노래하고 춤출 수 있는 거 맞아? 베네딕트가 보기엔 완벽하게 정상적인 곰 같아 보였다. 그렇지만 어쩌면 그냥 지금은 갇혀서 돌봄 받고 있으니 자기의 변칙적 능력을 자랑할 필요가 없는 것 뿐일 수도 있다.

Thinking about the bear started Benedict out on a curious train of thought. Why on earth had 3009 made such an abominable nuisance of itself for something as minor as a "field trip"? It had been largely cooperative with their team so far. Hadn't it expressly stated that it needed them to return it to its "original body"? The logic didn't add up.
저 곰에 대해서 생각하고 있자 베네딕트의 머리 속에 궁금증이 뒤를 이었다. 도대체 왜 3009가 사람 미치도록 때를 쓰면서 정말 사소한 "현장 학습"을 가고 싶어했을까? 지금까지는 담당 팀에게 상당히 협조적이었다. "원래 몸"으로 돌아가기 위해 도움이 필요하다고 분명하게 말하지 않았던가? 논리가 앞뒤가 맞지 않았다.

He hesitated, fingers hovering over his keyboard as he tried to imagine himself prying answers out of an evasive 3009. It wasn't a pleasant mental image. 3009 could be as slippery as a barrel of vaseline-covered eels when it wanted to be, and even when it was making an effort to be compliant, Benedict struggled to cope with its personality.
베네딕트는 망설이고 있었다. 베네딕트는 대답을 피하는 3009에게 답을 캐내는 자신을 모습을 상상하며 키보드 위에 손을 올리고 있었다. 그닥 보기 좋은 모습은 아니었다. 3009는 원한다면 천년묵은 여우처럼 약삭빠르게 굴 수도 있고, 말을 잘 듣고 있어도 베네딕트는 그 성격과 맞지 않아 고생했다.

It would be so much easier to just let the matter drop, wait for the bear to do something interesting, and then return home with 3009 placated.
그냥 내버려두고, 곰이 뭔가 재밌는 걸 할때까지 기다리다가, 3009를 달래면서 집에 가는게 더 쉬워보였다.

But Benedict Kim just wasn't the type of person capable of doing that. Like it or not, this was a project he had been assigned to, and he would take it seriously.
하지만 베네딕트 김은 그렇게 넘어가는 사람이 아니었다. 좋든 싫든, 이건 배정받은 프로젝트였고, 이제 진지하게 받아드릴 것이다.

Inhaling deeply through his nose, he typed out a text.
코로 깊게 숨을 들이마시고, 문자를 입력했다.

Me

So. What’s the real reason that we’re here?
그래서. 우리가 여기 오게 된 진짜 이유가 뭐야?

The reply video came in an instant.
답신하는 영상이 즉시 왔다.

"What do you mean?" said 3009. The girl in the video cocked her head in apparent confusion. She looked innocent. Too innocent. If 3009 wanted to ham things up even further, "Stacey Lee" would have to start fluttering her eyelashes and threatening to faint.
"무슨 소리야?" 3009가 말했다. 영상 속 여자아이는 척봐도 혼란스럽다는 듯 고개를 가우뚱하고 있었다. 아무것도 모르는 것처럼 보였다. 너무 아무것도 모르는 것처럼 보였다. 3009가 더 과장된 연기를 하고 싶었으면, "스테이시 리"는 속눈썹을 팔락이며 기절한다고 위협할 거다.

"You didn’t drag us out here because you were bored. You got what you wanted. What’s your motive?"
"너는 지루해서 우릴 여기도 끌고 온 게 아니잖아. 원하는 걸 얻었지. 동기가 뭔데?"

He'd exceeded the ten-second time limit for Snapchat videos with his question, and it had ended up being split into two separate videos. Privately, Benedict cursed Snapchat and its creators. It really was an abomination of modern technology.
베네딕트는 그 질문으로 스냅챗 영상의 10초 시간 제한을 초과했고, 결국 두 개의 영상으로 분리되었다. 개인적으로, 베네딕트는 스냅챗과 만든 사람을 저주했다. 스냅챗은 현대 기술의 혐오스러운 수치였다.

Alarmingly, the bear in the enclosure below was now looking up at him, as if it could understand what he was saying and had recognised that the mood had changed. Could it do something like that? Did it possess sapience as well as anomalous performing art skills?
놀랍게도, 아래 울타리 안의 곰은 무슨 말을 하고 있는지 이해하기라도 하는 듯, 분위기가 바뀐 것을 알아차린 듯 올려다 보고 있었다. 이 곰이 그런걸 수 있다고? 변칙적 공연 예술 기술만 아니라 지성도 가지고 있던 건가?

3009's reply message was an infinite loop of Stacey Lee rolling her eyes, which Benedict recognised as a somewhat transparent effort to deflect. Time to play hardball.
3009의 답변은 스테이시 리가 눈을 계속 굴리는 루프였고, 베네딕트는 넘어가려는 뻔한 수작으로 받아드렸다. 강하게 나갈 차례다.

"Don’t do that," said Benedict into his phone. "Explain, or I’ll have the authorisation for these outings revoked."
"그러지 마," 베네딕트는 자기 전화기에 대고 말했다. "설명해, 아니면 난 외출에 대한 허가를 취소할 거야."

He didn’t actually have that power, of course, but 3009 didn’t know that. His phone stayed suspiciously silent — it wasn't responding. Was that a good sign or a bad sign?
베네딕트는 실제론 그럴 힘이 당연히 없었지만, 3009는 모르는 사실이었다. 전화기는 수상쩍은 침묵을 지키고 있었다. 답은 없었다. 좋은 징조인가 나쁜 징조인가?

He stared at the bear instead, in an effort to distract himself from his 3009-related anxiety. The bear had moved closer to the walkway, now, though it seemed to be trying to hide itself behind a large tree stump. Its dark, glossy eyes were trained directly on him with unsettling intensity. There was something strangely intelligent in the way that it was carrying itself.
베네딕트는 대신 곰을 쳐다보며 3009에 대한 걱정을 좀 떨쳐내려고 했다. 곰은 이젠 통로에 좀 더 가까이 와있었고, 그냥 큰 나무 그루터기 뒤로 몸을 숨기려고 하고 있어 보이긴 했다. 검고 광나는 눈은 불안할 정도로 강렬하게 그를 향하고 있었다. 무언가 이상할 정도로 지적인 것이 보내는 방식에 있었다.

God, it really was staring at him, wasn't it?
세상에, 정말로 그를 쳐다보고 있었다, 그렇거 같지?

I'm trying to use an intimidation tactic on a Snapchat account, and now a bear is judging me for it. Great. Just great.
스냅챗 계정한테 협박 전술을 이용하고 있는데 이젠 곰 한 마리가 날 비판하네. 완벽해. 정말 완벽해.

His phone vibrated again in his hand, startling him out of his thoughts. This time, 3009’s response was split into two videos.
전화기가 다시 진동하며 베네딕트를 생각에서 떨쳐냈다. 이번엔 3009의 답변은 2개의 비디오로 나눠져 있었다.

The first was Stacey Lee heaving a dramatic sigh. The next was unusually unpolished, for something generated by 3009 — Stacey Lee blinking at the camera for a few seconds, slightly out of focus. When she finally spoke, at the end of the second video, her voice seemed to waver almost tremulously.
첫번째 영상에선 스테이시 리가 과장되게 한숨을 쉬었다. 다음 영상은 3009가 만든 것치곤 답지 않게 아무 효과도 들어가지 않았다. 스테이시 리가 카메라를 보며 잠시 눈을 깜빡이더니 초점이 조금 흐려졌다. 마침내 입을 땠을 때는 두 번째 영상의 끝에 가까워져 있었고, 목소리는 떨고 있는 것처럼 흔들리고 있었다.

"It’s… you know. My body double."
"그… 있잖아요. 제 2번째 몸이요."

"3009-C?"
"3009-C?"

Another long pause. The bear had started using the trunk of a tree to scratch its back, still staring squarely at Benedict. It looked oddly judgemental.

3009 started to type something, stopped, and finally sent yet another video. Stacey Lee wasn’t in the frame this time. Instead it was just a shaky video of Benedict’s own feet, with Stacey’s voice playing over it.

"Look, I keep thinking about — about that conversation we had. In June. Remember?

"Yes. I remember," said Benedict, and then fell uncomfortably silent. The conversation between 3009 and 3009-C in June had been… well, scientifically necessary, but unfortunate in its consequences. 3009-C’s mental state had been extremely fragile ever since.

"I keep going back and re-reading the message log," said 3009 with Stacey Lee’s voice in the next video. "She… she was upset, wasn’t she?"

"Yes," Benedict said again. The words seemed inadequate, somehow. "Yes, she was."

"She’s not Stacey Lee. I know she’s not."

"You’ve said this before, 3009. We don’t yet have the evidence to prove that."

The next series of videos depicted Stacey Lee holding the phone but not looking into the camera — instead, she was hanging half-off the railing, watching the bear. And, though 3009 usually timed its videos to match the natural rhythm of its speech, it had seemingly forgotten to do that for this set. The end result was that each video ended exactly on the automatic ten-second cut-off, sometimes cutting off mid-sentence.

The first video began to play.

"No, that’s not what I— I just mean… I know—"

Stop. Start.

"—she’s not, well, the real one, but I just kind of—"

Stop. Start.

"—feel like I did something wrong, you know? So I kind of—"

Stop. Start.

"—wanted to do something to cheer her up somehow, but it didn’t work. I guess."

Benedict felt off-balance, like the ground wasn't quite solid beneath his feet. Had he been thrown off by the strange and disjointed rhythm of 3009's videos? Or was it something else?

"But 3009-C isn’t here," he said.

Hanging in the chilly October air, the words sounded bitingly harsh. Almost accusatory. But what was he even accusing 3009 of?

3009 wasn't his friend, even if it was essentially the only sapient entity that regularly communicated with him for social purposes, aside from his mother. Their relationship only existed within the cold space of clinical research. The same applied to 3009-C, to an even greater degree. So where had it come from, that strange heaviness weighing down his words?

But 3009-C isn’t here.

It was too much, in the end. He'd used a sledgehammer where he'd needed a scalpel, and it showed in the fact that no new videos arrived in the long, tense moment that ensued.

Finally, a notification blinked into existence on his screen. 3009 had sent him an image — but it was just a picture of the bear, zoomed in on its face. A complete non-sequitur.

3009

i used to go to the zoo in central park all the time when i was little
they got these grizzly bears when I was 11
from the bronx zoo
Betty & Veronica
cute names right??
they were my favorite exhibit

What was that supposed to mean? Benedict grasped desperately for rational thought. The data said that 3009 and 3009-C had been recovered in New York City, and Stacey Lee had grown up in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The zoo was a location significant to its childhood. But how was that connected to 3009-C?

And then, suddenly, it made sense.

"You were hoping that if we’d bring you out, we’d bring her out too. And that she’d like the zoo." The words tasted like an apology. He wasn't sure what he was apologising for. "You both have the same memories, so you thought if you’d like it, so would she."

One text in response:

3009

yes

Maybe it was the weight of the bear's stare on him. Or maybe it was the shock of seeing 3009 sounding so oddly like its more somber humanoid counterpart. There were surely any number of explanations for the thin, wispy tendril of pity unfolding tentatively within his cavernous rib cage.

Ridiculous — to feel sorry for a skip, of all things. And of the two, not even the truly unfortunate one.

There was no more time to think on the matter, though, because 3009 launched straight into a video. Stacey Lee was smiling again, and gesticulating wildly. If her smile was a little bit plastic, Researcher Kim did not point it out.

"Look at Maya!" said 3009, as Stacey waved a hand at the bear. 3009's videos were starting and stopping at all the right places, again, like a physical expression of proper punctuation. "Who wouldn’t feel better after seeing her? Look how big and powerful she is! Bears don’t have to be scared of what people think about them, don’t you think? They don’t have to be scared of anything at all."

Benedict frowned. Now that he had located his previously missing logical groove again, it sounded like 3009 was making some very questionable logical leaps of its own.

First of all, why would seeing something powerful make 3009 feel better? And, even putting that aside, a bear with a knack for the performing arts was definitely not particularly high up on the totem pole of power. Not in the world that they lived in.

What was a dancing bear against the horrors that lurked in the darkness, many of which could easily bring about the end of the world as they knew it? If Maya was sapient enough to imagine such things, then it had plenty to be afraid of.

The same thought seemed to have occurred to 3009, for it sent a follow-up video without bothering to wait for a response. "Well… I guess that’s not true, after all. Do you think Maya’s scared? Of the people who made her the way she is? Of the people keeping her in here?"

Was it afraid? Maya had a good life with Wilson's Wildlife Solutions: shelter from the elements, all the food it could eat, caretakers to look after it in the event that it fell ill. Was it satisfied with that? Or did it still jump at every shadow, and dream of freedom when the lights went out?

Benedict stared at the bear and tried not to see 3009-C reflected in its eyes, a little girl sitting all alone in a Site-17 humanoid containment cell.

Another message from 3009. A selfie, this time. Stacey Lee stared out from behind the screen with a mischievous smile. Maybe that was the true difference between 3009 and 3009-C. No matter what happened, it was hard for 3009 to stay serious for long. It always reverted back to its default, in the end.

3009

hey, i want to get a souvenir!!
Image of a cartoon version of Stacey Lee swooning in the arms of a confused-looking bear.
give the bear your phone!!!

3009's language wasn't particularly difficult to parse, but it took Benedict a good few seconds to process the message anyway, just because of its utter stupidity.

Give his phone to a bear? So that 3009 could get a souvenir?

Objectively, it was a terrible idea. It was so terrible, in fact, that he'd never actually heard a worse idea in all of his twenty-five year tenure on Planet Earth. Not even if he tried to think all the way back to his days as a sixteen year old freshman at Berkley with an aspiring fratboy for a roommate, and Dylan had been an extraordinarily chatty drunk.

Me

I’m not giving the bear my phone, 3009.


3009

come on… it’s not like you’re giving it MY phone
what’s the harm??
your phone sucks anyway!
& maybe they’ll buy you a new phone if the bear breaks it!!
don’t you want an iphone x?


Me

I like my phone, and that would be a waste of Foundation resources.

There. He'd given a firm, sensible response to 3009's ridiculous behaviour. He hadn't insulted its intelligence, or expressed his incredulity at the fact that it had even put forward something like that as a (presumably) serious suggestion. He'd simply denied the request, and given the logical reasons for his decision.

For a brief moment, Benedict let himself feel just a tiny bit proud of himself. There had been some rough moments during this little expedition of theirs, but maybe he was getting better at handling 3009 after all.

3009

always so responsible!! 😢
hey, does your mom have snapchat?
I bet we’d have sooo much to gossip about!
I’m going to tell her alllll about the kind of comics you keep at work… "the goddess and the princess locked in lust"?? 👸 💗 👰
😏 😏 😏

What.

Benedict Kim's fifty-eight year old mother, Somin Kim, was one of those young-at-heart parents who thought it was "hip and cool" to keep up with the trendy new technology of the day. She did, in fact, have a Snapchat.

His palms were suddenly very, very sweaty. The mental image of 3009 joining forces with his mother flashed through his mind in terrifying technicolor. His arm jerked in an aborted attempt to put some distance between his cellphone and his person.

And then, as if his day hadn't been traumatic enough already…

His grip slipped.

In stunned dismay, Benedict watched as his phone careened through the air in a graceful arc before hitting the ground with an alarming crack. Down below, the bear jumped at the loud noise, and then began inching closer to investigate.

His cheeks felt very warm. With no better solution in mind, he went to go fetch Alex Molina.


Incident Report: 3009-013
사건 보고서: 3009-013
Filed By: Junior Researcher Benedict Kim
작성자: 하급 연구원 베네딕트 김
SCP Involved: SCP-3009
관여된 SCP: SCP-3009
Date: 12/11/2018
일시: 2018년 12월 11일
Location: Wilson's Wildlife Center, Enclosure 8
Preamble: Researcher Benedict Kim took SCP-3009 on a supervised expedition to Wilson’s Wildlife Center and was given a guided tour by Terrestial Team Member Alex Molina. The relevant SCP-3009-B instance was stored in an armoured briefcase. Researcher Kim communicated with SCP-3009 via his own phone.

2:03 PM: The guided tour entered Enclosure 8 to observe "Maya", a Syrian brown bear, from the overhead walkway. SCP-3009 expressed moderate interest when informed of the bear’s anomalous ability to sing and dance.

2:16 PM: After thirteen minutes of observing the bear, 3009 initiated conversation. Researcher Kim subsequently dropped his phone off the walkway. It landed in the enclosure, causing severe damage to the phone. Researcher Kim alerted WWS staff about the problem.

2:18 PM: The bear approached the phone to investigate, appearing to navigate the touchscreen with its nose.

2:19 PM: The bear sat back on its hindlegs and began to dance.

2:22 PM: Researcher Kim’s mobile phone was recovered by Wilson’s Wildlife Solutions staff member Alex Molina.

The following messages were recovered from Researcher Kim’s Snapchat message history with SCP-3009, presumably sent between 2:16 PM and 2:22 PM.

  • Researcher Kim: jckxz v esj (sic)
  • 3009: HAHA. I can’t even access your browser history. Sucker. Don’t worry, I’ll save my messages myself! No secret correspondences here. I’m good, see?
  • 3009: BEAR. HI BEAR!!!
  • 3009: i hear you can sing!! can you read too?
  • 3009: one nose pic if you can, two if you can't!
  • 3009: i was wondering… can you sing a little bit, for me? ten seconds!
  • 3009: whaaaat…. you won't do it?
  • 3009: it’s important, y'know? a present for someone! I know it won’t sound as nice as in person, but seeing it in person’s not an option, you know?
  • 3009: no singing?? awww, why??
  • 3009: DANCING WORKS TOO OMG
  • 3009: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

The following media was recovered from Researcher Benedict Kim’s camera roll and Snapchat Memories, in the following order:

  • (x1) Video depicting Stacey Lee, audio: "Hi, Bear, I love you!" (4 sec)
  • (x5) Images depicting the bear’s nose.
  • (x1) Video of the bear dancing, no audio (10 sec)


Benedict looked over his incident report and sighed.
베네딕트는 사건 보고서를 보고 한숨을 내쉈다.

It had been a long, hard Sunday, and he couldn't even console himself with the fact that his suffering had ended now that it was Monday. If Coles laughed at him when he read this incident report, Benedict suspected that he might throw his coffee in the other man's face. Work superior or not.

At this point, being put on a disciplinary probation might actually be a relief. For the sake of his heart, at the very least.

From the pocket of his lab coat, his phone began to vibrate. It was probably 3009 again. It always seemed to be, nowadays.

3009

hey, benny?
sooo… the whole "take not!me to the zoo" thing didn’t work out…
but we did get to meet 🐻 maya 🐻
which was cool right??
anyway, don’t worry!!
i won't give up!!!
we'll try again next time, k?? 💕


|| Anomalous Teens Against Trilobite Schemes »

This was written for the Original Character Tournament. Thank you so much to PeppersGhostPeppersGhost for organising the contest, and to SecretCrowSecretCrow & Uncle NicoliniUncle Nicolini for the use of Maya the Magnificent!

Make sure to check out SecretCrow's companion piece here!

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