Per 
Most of those in the crowd ceased their quiet murmurings when Director Moose first took the podium, the rest following when the microphone turned on with a sharp, yet quiet, whine. Her usual pretense of confidence had been replaced by an air of sadness. The usual dark circles she wore under her eyes had been replaced by darker bags, a result of the added stress, the somber mood, and the late night. She stood uncomfortably at the podium, looking towards the cameras that would broadcast to the whole Foundation. She had always been an in-eloquent speaker and her nerves were still making her stomach turn, as they had all night. She steeled herself nonetheless and began.
“I’d like to thank everybody who was able to come or tune in… there are precious few hours outside our duties, but it is important we spend time remembering the ‘foundation’ of our Foundation… Death… Every day we work with death, to contain it, to cause it, to stop it… in this line of work, It's far too easy to become numb to this cold entropy… We are here today, so that even those who have grown numb, might feel and remember.”
he figured his turn would come up sooner or later. He had worked with the foundation for 63 years, he had fought anomaly and age alike so that he could continue to serve. But in the end death came for them all. He was lucky to go the way he did. He hoped those he had taken under his wing could die in a better world. ‘I'd do it all again. serve, fight and die.’
Andrew Brigand, Senior researcher, Died of natural causes. ‘Unwavering Commitment’
“For those new to our organization, on this day many years ago, we suffered our first containment breach, a young Foundation still learning of the dangers it stood against. In this breach we lost many great men and women, including a Dr. Keter after which the object class was named. Since then, on the anniversary of that day, every year we take time to remember those who have fought alongside the Foundation to push back the darkness we fight every day. To remember death.”
Before her podium and in front of the crowd was a large rectangular hole in the ground, akin to a grave. The cameras above the pit showed it was lined with metal and held dozens of carefully aligned black marble slabs. Each slab had inscribed on it, the names of every member of staff that had died in a given year. This year's slab hung patiently next to the director, ready to be lowered into its place.
“Sometimes we fight this darkness alone, sometimes we die alone. Sometimes we have one another, sometimes we die for one another… But we always stand and fight, because there is nothing else to be done. We few who know the true dangers of the world, the true grim face of Death, are its only line of defence. We know that failure is not an option. We know that we must succeed despite any odds… because if we don't stand for this… this vulnerable little world, nobody will.”
He could feel the anomaly, whatever it was, destroying his thoughts as well as his flesh. A creeping corruption that delved into him. He pressed his back to the door as his vision filled with blood and later black. He held onto one thought as his mind was flayed; ‘if the door closes it stays closed’. A slow second went by after the latch was clicked… then his torn body collapsed onto the floor, shredded muscles still tensed.
Jason Hernim, MTF, Killed during containment. ‘One tough bastard’
“Many of us have lost friends and colleagues, some of us husbands and wives. These losses will haunt us for the rest of our days. Some of us even see it happen, we see those we care about facing the odds with us, for better and for worse. We see those we love, face danger, face Death… and sometimes they don't return.”
She limped down the hallway towards the site command room. As far as she knew, she was the last living person with high enough credentials on site. She could hear it making its way down the hall when she finished putting in her codes. She'd rather not die from what it would do to her, so she overrode the countdown on the sites warhead. ‘I hope they can forgive me for not coming back’.
Grace Farlamb, Researcher, Killed in breach. ‘Loving mother of three’
“Those we have lost died protecting something they cared about, They chose to throw themselves in front of humanity, they put that purpose above their own life and left it to us to carry on their legacy. They faced Death, with grim determination. Just as those of the past Foundation have before, and just as we all may someday. We remember them with honor, respect, and pain. Just as we would hope to be remembered.”
He hoped that he managed to stop it. He was pretty sure he killed the thing that was doing this, but it managed to stick him here first. Fucking nowhere, infinite gray in every direction. He hoped his team could clear out the rest of the anomaly, but at least they wouldn't end up like him. Thankfully before he died of dehydration, he could have one last smoke. ‘They'd better give me a medal for this shit.’
Gary Milder, MTF, Killed during containment. ‘A true commander’
“Still there are those we cannot remember… We may have forgotten them out of necessity, they may no longer exist. They may have been… simply deleted by one of the many horrors we have to face. Death came for their name as well as their lives… Yet we will remember them too, we remember them by carrying on their work, by carrying on our work. Death can take our names, our lives… but our legacy is the one thing Death can never take.”
She couldn't help but cry. She may have remained unseen, unnoticed and unrecognisable; but she had been addressed all the same. For the first time since she ‘disappeared’, she didn't feel alone. She would continue her work, and eventually she would find a way back, even if it took her the rest of her life. ‘Death can take my name, I'll be Nobody if I must.’
Donna Orson, Researcher, Missing in Action. ‘Never gave up’
On queue the black monolith began its slow descent into its final resting place. Many in the crowd stifled tears, others looked as if staring at far away faces.
“It is easy to forget while working for the Foundation… why we work for the Foundation. We work to protect humanity, to protect normalcy, and to protect those who cannot protect themselves. These men and women we honor, never allowed themselves to stray from this purpose. They lived to shelter the world, to keep it from an uglier Death than it already knows.”
he led the small group of civilians to the evacuation point. They could still make it. He pushed past the pain for the girl he cradled in his arms. She would be amnesticized, she could live a normal life after this… she could forget. He left the group with one of the evacuation teams, he stayed behind, the medic telling him what he already knew. He was dead weight. ‘I hope she can be happy.’
David Cantron, Field agent, Killed during containment. ‘Wanted to protect’
“We can only hope that a just Foundation will follow the lead of those heroes that paved the way for humanity's future. We can only act in a way that honors those that have fallen. We must live to spite Death. We must carry on the legacy of those who have passed and carry the burden of their dreams for a better world. We will secure a better future for humanity. We will contain the darkness they fought. We will protect that which they died protecting.”
“It's not easy to keep your faith when working for the Foundation, I selfishly ask that those of you that have; pray for those we remember today… and when you're done, spare a prayer for us living, lest we suffer the same fate."
"I'd like to end todays ceremony with a brief note from O5-1:"
'To honor those that fought, we must fight. Humanity shall not allow itself to so easily die, not just for the living, but for the dead. We wage war against an insurmountable foe, and we must win.
Thank you… everybody. Secure. Contain. Protect. Remember.'
-O5-1
Director Moose turned to walk from the podium. She allowed a few errant tears to fall without raising a hand to wipe them. She hesitated a single moment, her face threatening to drop its careful mask, before forcing herself into a stern grimace. Then, she returned to their work.
