SCP - 028 "Knowledge"
Object Class - Safe
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Site-██, SCP-028 Containment Room
Dr. Alice Monroe stood at the observation window, clipboard in hand. The room beyond was plain concrete, save for a yellow line marking a 2.1-meter cube in the center. D-4537, a nervous man in an orange jumpsuit, shuffled his feet at the threshold.
"D-4537, please step into the marked area," Alice said into her mic.
He hesitated. "What's supposed to happen, Doc?"
"You'll experience… a sudden insight. It's harmless, just knowledge. We'll talk after."
D-4537 took a breath and stepped inside the cube. Three seconds passed. His eyes widened.
D-4537 blinked, then laughed. "I know where my old dog's buried. I haven't thought about him in years."
Alice made a note. "Anything else?"
He frowned, rubbing his temples. "I… I know how to tie a bowline knot. Never learned that before. And… wait." He shuddered. "I know how to… build a bomb out of fertilizer and—"
"Stop," Alice said quickly. "Step out of the area, please."
He staggered back, clutching his head. "My brain hurts. Like I read a thousand books at once."
Later, in the observation lounge, Dr. Monroe debriefed with Dr. Patel.
Patel shook his head. "That's the third one today who got something dangerous. We need tighter screening."
Alice nodded. "But think of the potential. Imagine what we could learn—"
Patel cut her off. "Or what someone could do. Remember Agent Miller? After his exposure, he knew every Foundation codeword."
Alice's hand trembled on her mug. "Knowledge isn't always a gift."
That night, Alice lingered at the observation window, staring at the empty cube. The urge to step inside gnawed at her.
She whispered, "What would I learn?"
Her hand hovered over the door lock. She shook her head, stepping back.
Some knowledge, she realized, was better left unknown.
End of Log