Chapter Text
Site-7h had just finished being constructed, and it’s first tenets were not in good shape. Furthermore, Mumbo had just been tasked with handling the most difficult one. Of course. He was pacing just outside SCP-161’s new cell, from which he could still hear it screaming. It’s restraints were tight, but he still couldn’t help but worry. Though he was told they gave the most dangerous one to Etho.
But none of this was helping with his assignment. He was told to be chaotic, to do something unexpected and save 161’s life. And he was on a time limit. No one knew quite when it would up and die from lack of chaos, but it was apparently soon.
Oh, no big deal. Just do something unexpected. As close as possible to the screaming mess in the room that he hadn’t even dared to go in yet. Should be a piece of cake.
“Hey, Mumbo. What are we working on again? I think I missed the briefing.”
“Ah, yes, please come in” Mumbo opened the door to the containment chamber with confidence he did not feel and ushered Iskall inside. 161 was… not what he had expected. It looked just like a normal blonde teenage boy, struggling against heavy chains and screaming through tattered lungs. He wanted to be sorry for it, but they didn’t have time. The way that he could help it right now was to be chaotic, so that’s what he was going to do.
“Um. Is that the SCP?” Iskall said, clearly very worried.
“Oh no that’s just part of the containment. Very standard really. No… “ He looked around for anything else in the cell that could possibly be taken for the SCP. The room was filled with all sorts of strange items, which he could only assume were others’ attempts at creating chaos in the Foundation, but none of them looked quite right for his ruse.
“How is that part of containment?! And what’s all this about?”
“Oh this?” Mumbo picked up a few strangely cut gems and considered them for a moment before continuing, “Also part of containment. Very important.”
“What? How-”
Mumbo cut him off, continuing, “There’s these,” He picked up a few blinking red LEDs, “Also part of containment.”
“How is it this complex?”
His eyes fell on a pot with 12 stalks of bamboo growing in it. Good enough. He picked it up and presented it to Iskall “This is the SCP!”
“What? How is that anomalous? It’s just bamboo!”
“Oh can’t you tell?” He desperately tried to hide how little he had thought this through.
“I’m here to help you study an SCP! A difficult SCP!” By now Iskall was fuming.
“And here you go!” Mumbo pushed the large pot of bamboo into Iskall’s hands.
“What? But-”
Mumbo just shooed him towards the door.
“You’re so annoying. Fine. fine.” Iskall left the room in a huff, the potted bamboo still in his hands.
Mumbo looked over to 161, to see if his plot had worked at all, and he noticed that it was no longer screaming, and while it was still struggling, it seemed less desperate. He could only hope that that was a good sign.