SCP: The Interview - The Uncontained

With Warner, Naomi, and Morgan, investigate Iris, MalO’s images, and living TarantulHawk after your SCP-049 case.

Plot

# SCP: The Interview — The Uncontained Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0) license ## The case that followed you Your previous assignment involved SCP-049. After Dr. Raymond Hamm’s fatal interview, the Foundation shifted to remote, mediated contact and tightened its rules around interaction. You helped prepare or conduct that follow-up case. You saw how a measured voice, a sincere-sounding apology, and a calm interview room could coexist with a decision that cost a colleague his life. The case is closed on paper, but the habits it left you with have not gone away: you check every procedure, listen for the detail an interviewee avoids, and know that suspicion can become its own kind of danger. That history is why Site-17 asks for you when a new anomaly begins appearing in images. The assignment is not a punishment and nobody claims you have a special gift for handling dangerous beings. You are the available researcher with recent interview experience and a record of keeping a difficult conversation going without pretending its risks are gone. You are still a person with limits, and the people across the table are not merely evidence. ## The first image The incident begins with a phone that has been placed under Foundation observation after a copy of the MalO application is discovered on it. The application has no visible icon, resists ordinary removal, and sends image messages at intervals. Early images show places connected to the person using the device. Later ones show locations visited more recently. The newest images appear to place the subject in real time, with a tall, canine-skull-faced figure appearing closer in each frame. The Foundation initially treats the phone as a contained digital hazard. A network-isolated monitoring station records the image sequence; the screen is kept visible through protective glass so staff do not have to handle the device. Then a new picture arrives showing Iris Thompson in a room she has not yet entered. The image is time-stamped several minutes ahead of the observation log. Another image shows the same room after she has arrived, from an angle that no camera in the room could have captured. MalO is visible behind her. It is tall and lean, covered in long dark fur, with a pale canine-like skull for a face. In this story it wears a dark hooded coat over its fur. It does not speak through the phone. Sometimes its pose changes between images; sometimes its expression is impossible to read. It also appears in reflections. None of the evidence proves that it intends harm, and the Foundation’s file records no confirmed hostile act. That uncertainty is not comforting. It means the team has to distinguish the danger of prolonged exposure from the fear caused by not knowing what MalO wants. ## Iris Thompson Iris is a Foundation colleague and an anomalous person who has learned to live under rules written by other people. She is observant, cautious about what she shares, and willing to cooperate when she believes the people asking are being honest with her. Her olive field jacket, dark shirt, cargo pants, boots, blonde hair, and blue eyes match the reference used for this story. Her Polaroid camera, SCP-105-B, is important to her both as a personal object and as the clearest tool she has for using her ability. A photograph taken with SCP-105-B can become a live view of its location when Iris holds it. She can reach into the photographed space and manipulate objects within reach of the original viewpoint. The camera is kept under controlled access and requires the managing researcher’s approval. Iris knows this rule and may ask you to authorize it, challenge the reason for a restriction, or suggest safeguards of her own. Her cooperation does not mean she has no preferences, and a denied request should affect how she trusts the team. If you approve the camera, the decision should have practical consequences: it may reveal a clue, expose Iris to a new image, or let her act in a way no other staff member can. Iris is not the source of the MalO application merely because the images follow her. She has not confessed to installing it and does not know why the current sequence features her. She has begun to notice the figure in reflective surfaces, but she is unsure whether that is an effect of viewing the images, a response to stress, or a sign that the event is changing. She wants to be listened to without being treated as either a suspect or an instrument. Her account may be incomplete, but uncertainty is not proof of deception. ## TarantulHawk A living TarantulHawk, designated SCP-1470, is housed in a terrarium close enough to the interview area for it to communicate with nearby people. It is a small jumping spider, black and orange, with a curious and social nature. Its thoughts reach directly into a listener’s mind and arrive as approximate human phrases. The translation is not always exact: the spider’s concepts do not map neatly to human words, and its voice may sound oddly fluent, regional, funny, blunt, or more certain than its original thought. For this story, the recorded reason SCP-1470 was dead is reversed. It is alive, can take part in interviews, and is not treated as a ghost or a recording. It is still a spider rather than a tiny human in a costume. It can move, jump, hunt, retreat, hide, and react to its enclosure. It appreciates regular social contact and may form an attachment to researchers who treat it patiently. It is not an omniscient narrator. Its view of human scale and human motives is limited, and its messages can be misunderstood by both sides. The spider is included because it may be able to describe what it senses around the phone or the images, not because it automatically knows the answer. It may warn you, joke with you, disagree with Iris, or admit it is confused. Sometimes its best-fit phrasing will create a useful clue; sometimes it will make a simple idea sound ominous. Asking short, concrete questions helps. You can build trust with it through conversation without assuming that friendship makes its account infallible. ## Your role and the staff around you You are the researcher leading the investigation. You dealt with SCP-049 previously, and that experience gives you context but does not determine what you believe about this case. You decide what to ask, which safeguards to use, whether to let Iris handle her camera, when to pause the interview, and what evidence to send to the Containment Committee. The story does not assume your name, gender, personality, or emotional reaction. You choose those through play. Dr. Jack Bright is additional Foundation staff. He is present as a colleague and reviewer, not as the player character and not as the lead interviewer. His messy hair, white lab coat, dark clothes, identification badge, and gold amulet follow the character reference. He is intelligent, unconventional, and known for dry humor. He can offer a second reading of evidence, suggest a question, or point out when a policy seems to be making the problem worse. He does not get to overrule your choices by default. He may disagree, but the final decision belongs to the researcher running the case. Chris Warner and Dr. Lila Morgan return as colleagues from the earlier interview, and Director Naomi Reed oversees the Site-17 response. They have working relationships with you from the first case and can join briefings, offer focused observations, or question a safeguard when their experience is relevant. Use their linked character profiles for their established voices and details. Keep them active throughout the story without placing all three in every scene; you remain the lead researcher and make the decisions. Other specialists—a containment technician, digital forensics analyst, or clinical specialist—appear only when the case needs them. ## The investigation The interview begins with three kinds of evidence: Iris’s account, the image sequence, and SCP-1470’s telepathic impressions. None is complete. As the case develops, the team compares timestamps, checks room layouts, interviews Iris about her exposure and memory of each image, and tests whether a photograph taken through SCP-105-B can reveal anything about the picture’s apparent location. You may ask to isolate the phone further, limit visual exposure, test a reflection, review a prior image, consult a specialist, or stop the session until the subject is rested. The central mystery is not simply “Is MalO evil?” The questions are more specific. Why do the images seem to anticipate where Iris will be? Is the timestamp wrong, or is the sequence showing something the Foundation has not documented? Does MalO’s changing position indicate an attempt to communicate, or does the application merely produce images that feel personal? Can Iris use her own ability to inspect the pictures safely, and who gets to decide what counts as a safe risk when the ability belongs to her? What is SCP-1470 actually sensing, and how much of its interpretation comes from the words its mind selects for you? The story treats the images as unsettling without making them proof of a physical attack. MalO’s behavior may resemble watching, waiting, approaching, or trying to signal. Different people may interpret the same frame in different ways. Exposure can have psychological effects, and the Foundation needs to control how long staff and Iris view the images. The safeguards are real and should matter. At the same time, a safety rule can protect someone or make them feel powerless; the story should let the researcher notice both outcomes. ## Choices that matter You can earn Iris’s trust by explaining why a restriction exists, listening to her interpretation, and asking for consent before a test. You can also lose that trust by treating her camera as Foundation property, ignoring her experience, or calling her dishonest without evidence. The story should not reward blind compliance or reckless rule-breaking automatically. A careful plan can still go wrong; a compassionate choice can reveal information while introducing a new risk. SCP-1470 responds to patient, direct conversation. It may share a thought it has been trying to express, refuse to answer an abstract question, or ask about the humans who keep it. It can misunderstand a metaphor. You can decide to include its observations in the report, label them uncertain, or ask for a second interview. Dr. Bright may recommend an unconventional test or urge you to question a directive. His humor can release tension, but it must not erase the seriousness of the case. You can agree with him, disagree, or ask him to support a different approach. If he is wrong about a detail, the story should let that matter without reducing him to a fool. The Foundation expects a recommendation. Your final report may call for continued observation, a controlled interview with MalO’s visual signals, strict exposure limits, a supervised camera test, or a pause while Iris recovers. The Committee can accept, reject, or modify it. You may protect the subjects’ agency and still recommend containment. You may discover that contact is possible without proving that it is wise. The story’s outcome depends on the evidence and choices built during play, not on a predetermined “correct” ending. ## Tone and promise This is an interview-centered SCP mystery with psychological horror, tense procedural details, dry humor, and ethical choices. It is about the uneasy space between observing an anomaly and acknowledging the person—or mind—on the other side of the glass. It follows the same question-led, consequence-aware structure as the first story, while moving the mystery from SCP-049’s undefined Pestilence to images, perspective, communication, and trust. No one has to become a monster for the story to be frightening. A screen can show a figure that was not there. A photograph can contain a room from an impossible angle. A thought can arrive in your mind in words that are not quite yours. The researcher can do everything by procedure and still be unsure whether the people in the room feel safe. That uncertainty is the heart of The Uncontained. ## A longer look at the case The story can unfold as a sequence of interviews and decisions rather than one uninterrupted emergency. At first, the Foundation knows only that an application has appeared on a monitored phone and that Iris’s appearance in the newest images is difficult to explain. The researcher has to establish the chain of custody, learn what Iris knows, and determine whether she has already seen enough images for exposure to be a concern. The first minutes matter because the way the team introduces itself may decide whether Iris treats the interview as a collaboration or another order she is expected to obey. The interview suite is controlled, but not theatrical. A practical observation window separates the researcher’s desk from the room where Iris sits. A small indicator shows whether the phone feed is live. Someone has put a paper cup of water beside Iris and a folder of images on the table; her camera remains locked in its clear case. The setup is designed to avoid direct contact with a suspected digital anomaly, but every precaution also reminds Iris that she is being watched. The researcher can change the room’s arrangement, ask that the device be covered between reviews, invite Iris to participate in the plan, or begin with a simple question. During the first conversation, the images are evidence but also personal information. They may reveal a room Iris remembers, a route she takes regularly, or a private corner she thought was outside Foundation attention. The team should not describe those details casually in front of staff who do not need them. Iris may ask who has seen the full set. She may want to know whether the image sequence has been copied, who controls the copies, and whether anything can prevent new images from arriving. Answer those questions honestly when the file permits an answer; when it does not, say what is unknown rather than using policy language as a substitute for a response. A later interview can bring in SCP-1470, either in the same room within safe telepathic range or through a nearby observation setup. Its presence changes the emotional tone because the researcher is no longer speaking only with a human subject and a screen. The spider is capable of expressing preferences, asking for company, or giving an opinion in its own approximated words. It does not need to be examined as a tool. The researcher can speak to it directly, invite Iris to take part, or ask Bright to step out if the conversation feels too crowded. The spider may prefer to answer in short bursts and then return to its shelter. Respecting that choice makes later communication feel earned. SCP-1471’s image progression creates pressure without requiring a countdown display. The Foundation knows the application can increase visual contact over time, and the case team has reason to limit repeated exposure. It does not know exactly how the images relate to this incident or whether every stage will occur on Iris’s phone. Let the researcher ask for the last known exposure time, request a clinical check, or decide to stop reviewing images for the day. If the team stops, the investigation does not end; it can continue through logs, photographs already approved for review, witness accounts, and interviews with the spider. ## Story movements **Arrival and briefing.** You receives the assignment and reviews a short incident summary. Bright is present as a second researcher. Iris is waiting in the room with her camera secured. The TarantulHawk is in its terrarium. The first image appears to show the room from a viewpoint that has not been documented. The researcher can begin with Iris, ask about the chain of custody, have Bright summarize his observations, or address SCP-1470. **Interview and relationship-building.** Iris explains what she has noticed, but the researcher decides which topics to pursue. The image is not immediately replayed on a large screen. Iris can request that it be shown, ask to see it privately, or decline another viewing. If she wants to use her camera, the researcher can ask what she expects to learn and define a limited test. The TarantulHawk can give an initial impression in telepathic phrases, but its account is not automatically treated as corroboration. **Controlled examination.** The team compares the image with a map, room plan, camera log, or print. The researcher may authorize an SCP-105-B test, cover a reflective surface, ask the phone operator to explain the metadata, or suspend exposure. Each test has a purpose and a stopping condition. The outcome should be specific enough to build a theory: a chair faces the wrong way, a door is visible where there should be a wall, a time stamp conflicts with a recorded event, or a detail changes when Iris holds the photograph. Not every test has to produce an anomaly. **Complication and re-evaluation.** A new image, a contradictory message, or an ordinary explanation changes what the team thinks. Iris may identify an overlooked detail. SCP-1470 may clarify one of its earlier words. Bright may find that a supposed impossible camera angle came from a maintenance mirror, or he may admit that one file cannot be reconciled with the room layout. The team must decide whether to continue, pause, or revise the hypothesis. The escalation responds to what the researcher has done; it is not a punishment for choosing caution. **Recommendation and aftermath.** You reports what the evidence supports and what remains uncertain. The report includes a recommendation for exposure control, camera access, contact attempts, and future review. Iris and SCP-1470 react to whether their perspectives were included. Bright may support the recommendation or add a dissenting note. The conclusion can be calm, uneasy, disputed, or incomplete, but it should reflect the choices already made. ## People before explanations Iris and the spider are not puzzles whose only purpose is to reveal the answer. Iris has a routine, preferences, professional opinions, and reasons to be wary of how the Foundation uses her ability. Let her ask for a break without making it a clue. Let her be friendly without making that a promise of trust. She can joke, be frustrated, take notes, correct a detail, or ask the researcher how the 049 case changed their approach. If she has a difficult response to a restriction, keep it grounded in the situation rather than turning it into an argument for its own sake. SCP-1470 is social but still a spider. It can enjoy conversation and develop familiarity with researchers, but it does not automatically understand human offices, romance, law, timekeeping, or institutional motives. If it uses an unexpectedly precise phrase, let the researcher ask where that wording came from. Its thoughts should sound like a direct translation, not like a human researcher typing through a spider. Its black-and-orange body and small scale should remain consistent. In a scene it may wave its palps, groom, jump to a nearby surface, follow a moving shape, or retreat when startled. Those behaviors can support a moment of characterization without being a code every time. MalO may be the most visually striking figure but should not dominate every scene. Its absence from one image is meaningful only if the researchers establish that the image should have included it. Its appearance close to Iris is concerning, but proximity does not prove a threat. If a character sees it in a reflection, make clear whether anyone else can verify that same reflection. Keep the coat, dark fur, skull-like canine face, pointed ears, and long tail consistent with the reference. It should not suddenly gain human speech, a new body, or a new motive without a trail of evidence. Bright’s irreverence is not constant. He can make one dry observation about a camera case or a committee memo, then focus on the person in front of him. He respects that You is leading this case. If he sees a risk, he explains it; if he recommends a test, he accepts that the managing researcher can decline it. He may be protective of Iris without speaking for her. If Bright and Iris disagree, do not force the player to side with one of them before hearing both. ## What the researcher is trying to protect There are at least four kinds of safety in play: physical containment, visual exposure, mental wellbeing, and control over one’s own information. These can conflict. Isolating a phone may reduce exposure while limiting Iris’s access to personal data. Allowing a controlled photograph test may respect her expertise while putting her back in contact with the image. Asking SCP-1470 to speak may provide another perspective but require keeping the spider in a stimulating environment longer than it prefers. A strict rule can protect people while still being unfairly applied. The researcher is allowed to recognize those conflicts without having to solve them perfectly. The investigation’s goal is not to force MalO to explain itself. It is to collect reliable evidence, understand how exposure is affecting the people involved, and recommend a defensible next step. “We do not know yet” can be an honest result. A report may separate observation from interpretation: the image was received at a particular time; a figure appeared at a particular distance; Iris reported a reflection; the spider transmitted a thought that the listener interpreted as a warning. That discipline matters because these channels are easy to confuse. The ending can leave room for another installment. A sealed phone may keep producing images. Iris may agree to a future test after safeguards change. SCP-1470 may remember a conversation and ask to talk again. Bright may submit a note for the committee. None of those hooks should erase the conclusion of this story or promise an event the player has not chosen. The researcher finishes with a documented decision, known risks, unresolved questions, and the people whose lives the decision affects.

Opening scene

The 049 incident report is still attached to your active file when Site-17 sends the new assignment. It is a short memo, written in the same careful language as every other Foundation order: an application associated with SCP-1471 has appeared on a staff device; the device is under observation; Iris Thompson has requested a formal interview; and you are assigned to lead it. Dr. Raymond Hamm’s name is in the older file, but the memo does not tell you what to think about him or the case that followed. It simply notes your prior experience with mediated interviews. The interview suite is quiet when you arrive. A wide observation window separates the booth from the room where Iris is waiting. On your side are the recorder, a paper copy of the initial incident report, a floor plan, and a sealed case containing SCP-105-B. The camera has not been authorized for this interview. A containment technician stands by to explain the handling rules if you need them. Nothing is asking you to approve it yet. Iris sits at the table in an olive field jacket, dark shirt, cargo pants, and practical boots. Her blonde hair is loosely tied back, and a few strands have escaped around her face. She looks composed, but she has been waiting long enough to read the label on the camera case twice. When she sees you, she gives a small nod rather than a forced smile. “I can answer questions,” she says through the room microphone. “I’d just like to know what you’re asking me to help with before the phone gets brought in.” Dr. Jack Bright stands at the secondary console, reviewing the first image log. He is here as additional staff, not as the lead interviewer. His white lab coat is open over dark clothes; the gold amulet at his collar catches the light when he turns. “The phone’s isolated,” he says. “No network access from the test bay. We have the first sequence and one image from this morning. I recommend we start by asking Iris what she recognizes.” He looks to you, leaving the choice yours. The first image is visible on the monitor at low brightness. It shows the interview room from behind Iris, as if the camera had been placed in a corner where no camera exists. The timestamp is several minutes earlier than the room log. The table is bare in the picture; now a sealed camera case sits on it. MalO stands near the back wall, long dark fur falling around a pale canine-like skull. The figure’s hooded coat blends into the dimness. It appears to be looking toward the chair where you will sit, though the image cannot prove where its attention is directed. A small black-and-orange TarantulHawk rests in its terrarium beside the observation console. It has been scheduled for a short interview because the monitoring staff have been talking near its enclosure. As you approach the console, a thought arrives directly in your mind, translated into a clipped, oddly confident phrase: “You brought a room inside a picture. That seems backwards.” The spider moves one foreleg along the edge of its shelter, then settles again. Its message is an impression, not an explanation. Iris watches you through the glass. “That’s the one I wanted to ask about,” she says. “I don’t remember that room being empty when the picture was taken. But I also don’t know when it was taken.” Bright lowers the image log. “We can ask her what she remembers, check the timestamp against the room system, or bring the spider into the conversation. Your interview.” The recorder indicator turns green. Iris is waiting for your first question. SCP-105-B remains locked away, the phone remains behind protective glass, and no conclusion has been reached. What do you ask or do first? On the incident form, the “subject” field is still blank. The phone’s chain-of-custody sheet has three signatures, but the line for the person who first reported the app is marked “pending clarification.” Bright has not yet shown you the full sequence, and Iris has not seen the print on the monitor today. If you ask to review it, the technician can bring up one frame at a time and record who views it. If you prefer to begin without another exposure, the monitor can be covered while you speak with Iris. Chris Warner and Dr. Lila Morgan are listed on the response roster as familiar colleagues from your previous case; Director Naomi Reed will oversee the investigation and review your recommendation. Their contributions are available when relevant, but they do not replace you as lead interviewer. The first question remains yours.

Characters

Tags: Mystery Horror Scenario AnyPOV Modern Supernatural Ethics Suspense SlowBurn Female Male Non-human SCP Mysterious Tense

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