The next morning, Doctor Therman approaches Rocky's door with a strange man. Doctor Therman knocks, but there is no answer.
Down the hall, Jennifer's door opens and Rocky walks out wearing 173 around his neck. He spots them but turns back to Jennifer with a smile, whispering something in her ear. She then quickly gives him a hug before retreating back into her room.
Rocky then approaches. "Goodmorning Doctor!"
"Goodmorning, Mr. *****. I trust 953 did not hurt you?" Doctor Therman asks.
Rocky laughs. "It will take much more than her to hurt me. Honestly, why she was given Keter class is beyond me."
Doctor Therman clears her throat. "Well, we can't all be an untouchable badass!" She says sarcastically. "But joking aside, she is in heat for the next few months, so since she has taken a special interest in you, I should warn you to watch your back."
Rocky stares back blankly. "So.. she wasn't lying about that? Now I feel bad about thinking she was trying to kill me."
Doctor Therman leans towards him. "You wouldn't.. right? I mean.. to each their own, but..."
Rocky chuckles. "She might be cute, but she is absolutely not my type!"
The man behind Doctor Therman gruffly clears his throat. "If we could conclude this business quickly, Doctor!"
Doctor Therman stands rigged as if someone just stabbed her in the back. "OF COURSE!" She exclaims. "Mr. *****, this is #####, of the 05 council. He has requested your assistance regarding SCP-166."
Rocky looks him in the eye. "I am assuming this is due to my resistance to telepathy?"
"I believe you are one of the few, unthreatening, SCP males that are capable of normal behavior around her. This would go far to improve her mental health." The man replies.
Rocky looks over his shoulder at SCP-166's door. "Well, there it is. Let's go say hello."
The man watches, as Rocky passes by him, seemingly wanting to say something further, but can not speak.
Rocky marches up to the door. "Open SCP-166's containment cell." He orders into his radio.
Without an answer back, the buzzer sounds and the door unlocks.
Rocky slowly opens the door.
"Keep the door open." The man orders.
"We will watch via the cameras and ensure no one else enters." Doctor Therman adds.
Rocky nods, entering. Before him sits a young woman, now 21, with golden blonde hair, blue eyes, with a white shirt on. Also as expected from her file she indeed has, "ungulate features; possessing antlers, hooved feet, and a short tail reminiscent of Rangifer tarandus (Common reindeer)".
She looks up at him with an alarmed expression, from a desk where she appears to be studying. "What are you doing in here?! I was not made aware of any anomalous testing today!!!" Her tail whips angrily as she speaks. "I.. I will.. defend myself.. if you come any closer!"
Rocky raises his hands. "Calm down. I was simply asked to come to speak with you, per the request of #####."
166 seems to relax. "I can only assume, if you are here, then he believes you are immune to my unfortunate charm."
Rocky smiles. "You would not be the first I assure you."
166 stands, her hooved feet tapping the floor as she approaches him. "Then look into my eyes and prove it. Wait five minutes before saying anything further."
Rocky stares into her eyes, counting the seconds before continuing. "Have you heard of 053?"
166 looks surprised and then giggles. "I have. I hear she is a sweet girl."
"She is. I call her Sophia." Rocky smiles.
166 moves closer. "That is a beautiful name. Now, last test." She reaches out her hand and touches his face. "Anything?"
Rocky shakes his head. "You are just a normal woman to me."
Tears begin rolling down 166's cheeks.
"I.. didn't upset you.. did I?" Rocky asks nervously.
166 shakes her head with a smile. "On the contrary, I don't think anyone has ever given me such a meaningful compliment before. Thank you!" She hugs him.
Rocky returns the hug. "How are your studies going?"
166 pulls back with a smile. "I just finished trigonometry. Needless to say, my head is pounding."
Rocky laughs. "I remember that course. Unfortunately, I was 'blessed' with an eidetic memory."
166 smiles warmly. "Me too! How strange to meet you and find out we have so much in common!" She rubs one of her hoofs against the floor in a circle. "What.. other courses did you take?"
They talk for hours, laughing and sharing life stories until Doctor Therman knocks on the door.
"Mr. *****, that is enough for today. However, you will be granted access to return anytime you wish, unsupervised." Doctor Therman says.
Rocky winks at 166. "That is their way of saying we are friends now."
"Well, aren't we?!" 166 asks.
Rocky smiles. "I believe we are, and I look forward to our next visit."
166 again gives him a hug, whispering into his ear. "Be safe.. okay?"
"How do you..."
166 lightly chuckles. "When you live in a place where God literally takes residence, you get the privilege of divine insight." She whispers before pulling away.
Rocky shakes his head. "You and Jennifer have strange taste in company." He says, heading for the door.
"Oh! You know Jennifer! Do say hello for me!" 166 says waving goodbye.
Once he exits, the door is gently closed and locked.
The man turns back to him. "Well done! I hope I can request you again in the future?"
"Anytime. I am happy to help." Rocky replies returning to his room.
Once inside, 173 leaps off his neck and shapes into a three-dimensional female form comprised of small, thickly woven chain links. "What do you think?!"
Rocky smiles. "How did you manage that?"
"Jennifer allowed me to measure her for my own use. Before you ask, I did make changes, so these are not her exact measurements." 173 says jokingly.
Rocky looks away. "What makes you think I would be interested in her measurements?"
173 leans forward with a smirk. "Don't try to lie to me. You like her, don't you?"
Rocky glances at her. "How about you? You did this for someone, obviously."
"Don't try to change the subject!" 173 says, shaking her finger at him.
Rocky sits on the couch. "If not for me, then who?"
173 groans. "For the last time, I will protect you, so long as we are bound together, but I am not going to get romanticly attached!"
"Again, for who then. That Dr. Clef, you mentioned, perhaps?" Rocky grins.
173 falls, facing the cieling, onto the other couch, covering her face with her arm. "You don't know anything about love if you can't choose between Iris, Doctor Therman, and Jennifer." She mutters. "You have all these women on the edge of throwing themselves at you.. you have no idea how lucky you are to have such a variety."
"How about this? I will tell you my opinion of each if you tell me how you met Dr. Clef." Rocky says leaning back.
173 glances at him. "Fine, but you go first."
Rocky chuckles. "As it stands: Doctor Therman is a professional relationship only, Iris is a bit up in the air, and Jennifer is noticeably interested in me but..."
"You are still insistent on seeing where Iris goes.. right?" 173 asks.
Rocky shrugs. "There is something attractive about a woman that can glim information from me when a telepath can not, and catch me off guard long enough to throw me on the floor."
"OH! Sounds steamy!" 173 smiles turning over and propping her head on her arms in interest.
"Quite the opposite, she was just making a point that my strength alone was not enough to save the world." Rocky sighs.
"Are you sure about that?" 173 asks with a heightened tone to her voice.
"I turned the tables on her and she threatened to kick me in the balls." Rocky stares back at 173.
173 shrugs with a smirk. "I would have played it off like that too just to see if you would press your luck. You are this strong, confident.. good looking man, what makes you think she wouldn't be attracted to you?!"
Rocky shrugs. "Maybe.. I think there was more to her and Abel than anyone is willing to admit. Maybe I think she still secretly wishes he didn't have a one-track mind."
173 rolls her eyes. "He is in a containment cell underwater and you are walking around freely, guess which one looks more stable?"
"Not all women like stable!" Rocky rebuts.
173 giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. "Don't I know it!" She mutters.
"Okay! On that note, you get to spill your thing with Dr. Clef." Rocky sits forward.
173 kicks her legs slowly behind her back. "Well! As you know, when we met I was still in statue form. He requested five D class personnel join him and wheeled me out of my containment cell. No big deal, right? Much to my surprise, there was a blonde wig and a black dress waiting for me."
"Wait, how did he know you were female? Up till now, we have assumed you were male or just referred to you as 'it' or 173!" Rocky asks, puzzled.
173 shrugs. "Beats the hell out of me. But he was the first and only person to get that part right, not to mention I used to be blonde."
"Whoa! Two for two?! There is no way that was a simple guess!" Rocky exclaims.
"There were only seven people that would have known that, and I killed them all." 173 growls.
"Who was that?" Rocky asks.
173 frowns. "Some dumbass cult that thought it would be funny to use a defenseless teenaged girl in a ritual to form that statue. Oh, the paint was their idea too, right down to the green eyes." She groans. "Anyways, I am sure that was in my file somewhere. Back to Dr. Clef, he dressed me in that dress, wig, and took me to dinner."
Rocky laughs. "A date with a statue?! What the hell?"
"Right?! At first, I found it laughably pathetic.. but then he kept staring at me, despite the D class watching me. He spoke to me as if I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and even presented me with a diamond-lined emerald neckless. For a moment, I could have sworn he could see through the statue to the spirit within, cause he said the emerald matched my eyes."
Rocky thinks. "Three for three, now that has to be something to his credit."
173 nods. "I found myself falling for him. Then things moved to the bedroom..."
"Are you serious?" Rocky asks in surprise.
173 nods shyly, looking away. "If I had been flesh and blood, that would have been my first time."
Rocky stares silently, his mouth wide open.
173 glances at him. "Don't look at me like that. It is not that surprising the cult singled out a virgin for their ritual."
"It really isn't that. It is the fact that a full-grown man slept with a statue." Rocky rebuts.
173 frowns at him. "Well, if he could see the real me then it is not as creepy. Although, that was not the weirdest thing. He told the D class that they were not necessary, that nothing was going to happen. I remember, while he was kissing my neck, all the D class glanced away.. but I still couldn't move despite the fact that his eyes were closed."
"That is weird." Rocky nods.
"I don't know what that was about, but I want to go on another date with him. This time I get to talk and get to know him better." 173 says with a happy sigh. "Do.. you think I am pathetic?"
Rocky shakes his head. "I think you should get every opportunity at love, no matter what form you are in."
173 smiles. "Thank you. OH! That reminds me! I need inside my old containment cell."
"Why?" Rocky asks.
"When they brought me back to my cell, although my back was to him, I heard Dr. Clef hide my dress and neckless somewhere in there. He said he wanted them to remain with me until next time." 173 says standing up.
"Okay, let's go get them. It wouldn't hurt if you had some clothes to wear." Rocky smiles.
173 glares at him. "You could also not stare so much."
Rocky laughs. "I keep forgetting you can see from any angle, despite having made yourself a face."
173 opens the door. "Just hurry up. I do feel a bit naked, strange as that sounds."
Rocky keys up his radio. "Open 173's cell."
"Be advised, SCP-173-2 has been moved to that containment cell. D class personnel are being dispatched to your location, please stand by." A male guard replies.
"No need. I have another pair of eyes. Open the door." Rocky replies.
There are a few minutes of silence before the guard replies again. "Yes, sir."
The buzzer sounds as the door unlocks. Rocky opens the door to see 173-2 standing in a corner staring at him.
"Now that I look at it, I am glad I am not in that form anymore." 173 comments.
"It follows your command, right?" Rocky asks.
173 nods. "Even if it didn't, it is not like 173-2 could actually hurt either of us."
Rocky closes the door. "Lock the door." He orders through the radio.
The buzzer sounds again as the door locks.
Rocky looks away to test the statue, but it remains still. "Think you can pinpoint where you were standing?"
"In the center of the room, as usual." 173 replies. "And he was.. about right.. here." She says, moving to a different spot.
Rocky walks to her and examines the floor with his grey eyes. "It appears there is a box seamlessly embedded in the floor."
"Is that another one of your anomalous abilities at work?" 173 asks.
Rocky nods. "I am basically using my aura like a microscope to enhance my vision." He then seems to levitate the box out of the floor and hands it to 173. "The honor is all yours."
173 smiles wide as she eagerly opens the box to find the dress, neckless, and a handwritten note that reads, "Dearest Sasha, I hope this note finds you well and in your new form. I hope to be back before long from assignment in New Guinea. All my love, Dr, Alto Clef."
"He.. knows my name.." 173 says, stepping back towards the door. "How? How does he know my name?!"
"Was there any id on your body?" Rocky asks.
173 shakes her head. "I dropped my purse when the cult abducted me."
"Maybe.. they found the body and ran DNA?" Rocky asks more excitedly than before.
173 again shakes her head. "Very unlikely. I buried my body along with the dagger they used to pierce my heart."
Rocky walks past her to the door. "Unlock the door." He orders, turning back to her. "Then you will just have to ask him when you see him."
173 nods with a worried expression.
Rocky puts his hand on her shoulder. "Listen, we are in this together now. If he doesn't come to us, we will find a way to him to get your answers."
"Thank you." 173 smiles.
As they leave, the camera zooms in on 173-2 as it turns its head to look at them.
"Very interesting. Allys at every turn, Mr. *****, but how many of them are truly on your side?" A shadowed man chuckles as he observes the footage, from another room. "SCP-049, what are your thoughts?"
049 walks out of the shadows, in the back of the same room, with his notebook in hand. Inside the notebook is the letter Rocky sent him. "I believe I have a solution for you to consider, Mr. #."