章節 38: Christmas of Second Chances -36
[SITE-027 Norway]
Henrik Kristensen, the SITE director, found himself grappling with the aftermath of the Red Room's dismantlement—an operation that had quickly escalated beyond the capabilities of SITE-130 due to personnel shortages.
Now, as the responsibility fell upon his class 4 SITE, he was acutely aware of the operational and logistical challenges that lay ahead.
The task of rehabilitating a group of semi-brainwashed children and trained assassins was daunting, requiring resources and care that stretched the limits of what a class 4 SITE was typically equipped to handle.
Moreover, the directive to host an elaborate Christmas celebration for them added an unexpected layer to his duties. The intention, as explained by his superiors, was clear: to starkly differentiate the Foundation's ethos from the brutal indoctrinations of the Red Room.
The goal was to offer these young individuals a glimpse of kindness and normalcy, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Yet, the timing couldn't have been more challenging for Henrik, coming on the heels of a CK class event that had already put the entire SITE on high alert.
Henrik had initially envisioned a modest Christmas dinner for the on-duty staff, a simple acknowledgment of the season amidst the chaos. However, the Ethics Committee had other plans.
Their mandate was to provide the Red Room survivors with a comprehensive Christmas experience, one that mirrored the festive traditions of Norway, Henrik's homeland. This meant transforming the SITE into a place of celebration and warmth, a far cry from the sterile and guarded environment it usually was.
The directive included seemingly minor details, such as wearing Santa hats, which Henrik found both endearing and surreal in the context of their work.
While the younger children embraced the festive spirit with enthusiasm, donning the hats with smiles, the older girls remained cautious, their trust hard-won after years of conditioning. Henrik couldn't fault them for their skepticism; the leap from being treated as expendable assets to being cared for as individuals worthy of protection was immense.
The stark contrast between what these young individuals had been conditioned to believe about their worth and the new narrative being offered was profound. It pained him to consider the tacit complicity of governments in the operations of such a nefarious organization.
While relieved at its dismantlement, the responsibility of rehabilitating its survivors weighed heavily on him.
Efforts to delegate this responsibility to another SITE had been thwarted by logistical constraints, leaving Henrik to navigate the challenges of integration and care for these individuals. The suggestion of disclosing the reality of SCP-4255 to the girls sparked a recurring debate between him and Dr. Vinne, the primary caretaker.
"I still think we should let them know the truth about SCP-4255. They aren't innocent kids after all," Henrik voiced, his resignation evident. Dr. Vinne, however, championed a more cautious approach, advocating for preserving a semblance of innocence a while longer, suggesting discretion in revealing the harsher truths of their world.
Their debate had lingered unresolved for days. Henrik grappled with the notion of whether early exposure to the Foundation's realities was preferable to a gradual revelation, doubting his understanding of the psychological needs of the young survivors.
"If you really believe it's that important, then fine," Henrik conceded, albeit reluctantly. He stipulated, however, that he wouldn't impose silence on the matter; should the girls stumble upon the truth independently, so be it.
This decision, borne from a compromise, left Henrik hoping it would not spur further contention down the line.
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[Yalena Balova]
Yalena, seated on her bed, glanced around at the companions sharing her room. Despite being four in number, the room didn't feel cramped. "Has anyone learned anything?" she inquired, seeking any updates from her roommates.
Ana, lounging on her bed, responded, "Nothing new. I went and asked the other younger girls, and they also hadn't learned anything important. Though of the more… loyal girls are still isolated, doubt they know anything."
Sonya then added her own findings, "It seems they will be having the younger girls spend more time on Christmas stuff."
Ingrid, fidgeting with a Santa hat, remarked, "They really do like Christmas here, don't they? I would say if it wasn't clear that they don't care themselves, clearly they do it for us."
Ana, with a hint of sarcasm, noted, "Yeah, and the kids all love it. They really know how to win them over."
"They even treat us like little kids. Hell, I'm thankful for getting away from the red room, but I would rather just be free than kept here." Sonya said.
"Well, that isn't going to happen; they will want us to work for them. Who wouldn't? We even come pre-trained, just a bit of extra training, and they have skilled assassins. Even if being part of a mobile task force or whatever won't have us even do assassinations." Yalena complained.
"I'm thankful the younger kids don't have to suffer the graduation now. These people are at least not that cruel." Ingrid said.
"Yeah, be cold, not cruel seems to be their motto or something." Ava said while turning herself around onto her front and raising herself up by her elbows.
"Guess we can't do much right now but play along. Then, try and see if anything changes. I mean, I'm not against working for these people as long as they pay fairly. Don't really have many other skills able to bring in much money with." Yalena said after a short while.
Another reason she didn't say aloud was her sister. She knew that her sister had tried to destroy the Red Room but had failed in the end. Thankfully, someone else had taken over, and she had still been freed.
Hearing about Natasha, she wanted to go meet with her but wasn't allowed. Not yet, they had told her.
It seemed that there were plans to bring her into the Foundation at some point, so Yalena could only wait until then. At which point, the two sisters could be together again.
Then there was also the fact that many of the small kids saw up to her, almost like a leader among them. She didn't want to run away and leave them in a worse situation.
They didn't deserve that. Sure, the people here might try to make them forget about the massive change in their lives by throwing Christmas celebrations at them. But she was old enough to see that for the trick it was.
Yalena was not fooled by these attempts at normalcy; she recognized them for what they were—a distraction, a sleight of hand designed to ease the children into their new reality.
Yet, she had to admit, the strategy was effective. The daily excitement of the youngest over simple joys like finding toys or snacks in their stockings was a testament to that.
Their happiness was a balm, making even the older ones momentarily forget the darkness of the Red Room, as days filled with snacks and play unfolded before them.
Yalena anticipated that the Foundation might introduce training and schooling post-Christmas, once a semblance of routine and acceptance had been established among the kids.
Day by day, she witnessed the gradual fading of their old allegiances, their transformation back into just children—children spared from the Red Room's lethal regimen.
Yalena herself has seen hundreds of little girls appear in the red room over the year. Yet of many of those, only a few dozen remained now.
Only in the youngest few batches of Kids did the numbers swell. That stage wasn't deadly, it mostly just focused around brainwashing. This did mean that after their rescue they numbered two or three hundred girls as well as a few dozen fully trained assassins.
The very fact that dozens of fully trained widows had been caught, herself included, was shocking. The people here really knew what they were doing.
"So we are just gonna dress up and play pretend that everything is fine?" Ana's question broke into her thoughts.
Yalena, after a moment's consideration, responded, "Just treat it as an undercover mission; we will blend in while trying to gather as much information as we can. What we do with that information well that can depend on what we find out about our hosts and what kind of work they really do."
"I mean, I don't really believe in the whole saving the world from the shadows spiel they gave us when they first captured us and took down the red bastards. It might have worked on some of the younger girls, but I don't buy it."
consensus among the girls brought a sense of purpose, a mission that alleviated the tension they hadn't fully acknowledged they'd been carrying.
"Say, you think we will get any presents? Or will that only be for the little kids?" Ingrid suddenly asked, which drew everyone's attention. "Hey, I was just asking." She defended herself.
"We will most likely get something as well, properly just some clothes or something. I mean, they had already given us all the clothes we own now, I don't see why they would stop there." Sonya said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Makes sense. I would have liked a new gun through." Ingrid sighs.
"Ha! Fat chance they will give us weapons until they think they can trust us." Ana said with a snort.
The other girls just laughed and continued chatting for a while longer before tugging in for the night.
…
"I can't believe how much they have invested in all of this." Helen said while motioning to the large room to Yalena.
Yalena herself also looked around the massive room, as large as an indoor sports field, which was filled with Christmas trees and decorations. Tons of tables were also decorated to high heaven and filled the room. Lots of girls of all ages ran around, all excited.
Today was Christmas Eve, and they would all be holding it together; there were only a few dozen adults, not including the adult widows.
It had been hard not to try and take the chance to escape now that all the heavily armed and highly trained guards weren't around, more so since there were plenty of knives on the tables.
Yet there was no doubt that all the doors were tightly closed and probably all locked from the outside. Plus, there were a ton of cameras all around.
"I mean, I had one of the girls look around; she found 3 presents for me, and the younger ones have even more. This could not have been cheap." Helen said.
"Yeah, they surely aren't lacking money, not to mention this entire building we are in. It's newly constructed and all done in just a few weeks." Yalena said soundly, just as impressed as she was.
The idea that their new handlers had this much cash to splash was surprising. Even though the Red Room also had a lot of money, they couldn't afford to do something like this without feeling it.
"Another thing I noticed, all these people," Helen motioned to the adults. "Never seen them before, no one. I asked around as well, but no one has seen them. I think they are disposables, people they won't mind losing if we decide to make a break for it."
"Oh yeah, no doubt, asked one of them; they are criminals that disappeared from the system; those won't be missed." Ana said as she had snuck up on them, not that they didn't notice.
"So they still are being careful even if it doesn't look like it." Helen mumbled.
The other two nodded as they looked around the room. Dozens of roaring fireplaces lined one of the massive walls.
"Well, since we can't do anything, we might as well just enjoy the night; still, seeing how wealthy our handlers are, we can properly rule out them wanting to exploit us too badly." Yalena said after a pause.
The rest of the night went well. The little girls all had a blast, for a moment, completely forgetting all the dark stuff they had been through.
The meal was also way over the top compared to what they were used to. The few adults around tried to tell the younger kids to eat healthy, but with so many unhealthy options, it wasn't easy.
"Santa will arrive soon; after getting a present from him, you are allowed to open the other presents with your name," came a voice over a loudspeaker, which made all the little girls extra excited.
Only the discipline they had learned while at the Red Room had kept them from opening their gifts before now, so they could hardly wait at this point.
The older girls didn't believe in Santa and could only shake their heads at the idea that the people behind this place even bothered with something like that.
Still, they all thought that it was a nice enough thing to do for the youngest ones, even if they would learn the truth soon enough.
Yalena and the other girls looked around for which door this Santa would arrive from. Given that he would be bringing presents for everyone, that would be a lot indeed. So it wouldn't be easy to transport that, a possible weakness in the defense.
"HoHoHo!" An older male voice suddenly sounded, which was followed by excited squeals from the girls as they rushed him.
"He just appeared there, like I didn't see him enter from anywhere, once moment we just were there." One of the older girls at the table said. Yalena didn't have time to notice, as she was just as shocked at what she was.
The man, an elderly person dressed up like Santa, only had a small sack and some kind of machine, yet he was able to pull out dozens and dozens of presents, far more than should have possibly been in the sack.
"How is he doing that?" she asked in a shocked voice. Yet no one was able to answer her.
They all had trouble understanding how this was possible. Santa couldn't possibly be real, right?
Yet after having given all the children a present he just took a step towards the nearest fireplace and disappeared again!
"Impossible!"
"No way!"
"That can't be!"
"This must be a trick, right?"
All the older girls and adults gasped in shock as they just witnessed something completely impossible.
The older girls would soon learn that they had been witnesses to SCP-4255 and were some of the lucky ones who didn't have their minds wiped after the fact.
Something that scared them all quite a bit as they understood what it meant that a secret organization had the ability to mind-wipe the entire world like that.
Something that would make them all a lot less confident in their ability to escape these people anytime soon.
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