Family Disclosure Protocol - SCP Foundation

Family Disclosure Protocol: Revision 90

Jeremiah Cimmerian, Phillip Foster, Jeffery Jacobs

Abstract: Humans, by our very nature, are social creatures. We gather, we find partners, and we form families. This is no less true for members of the Foundation than it is for any other group. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our work, such relationships create the potentials for massive breaches of security, and in several cases, have required the use of amnestics. By granting the loved ones of specific Foundation personnel a special class of Level 0 clearance, not only does one decrease what could be considered a potential security breach, but also reduces amnestic use, and in many cases, helps alleviate the stress and physical/mental strain constant deception of loved ones has upon Foundation personnel…

"But when you get down to it, Ed wasn't just a good friend. He was a good person. Kind, compassionate, and thoughtful, he poured his heart and soul not only into his own work but also in helping those he worked with."

Site Director Sasha Merlo looked around the crowd at all the faces lost in thought as she spoke. She stood under an umbrella in the spring rain, as part of a semi-circle of roughly fourteen formally dressed men and woman that had gathered within Portland's Forrest Park. At the semi-circle's center was a simple metal urn, inside of which was the remains of the SCP Foundation Site-64's former Site Director, Edgar Holman.

Sasha recognized most of the faces there. There was Edgar's son and daughter-in-law: Ted and Karen, his grandchildren, Researcher Jacob Conwell and his wife, Assistant Director Clarissa Shaw, a small menagerie of other former and current Site Directors, and a representative of the local branch of the Unusual Incidents Unit. She had always pictured Holman's funeral to be much grander, but in the end, living a life in the shadows made your friends few and far between.

"I'm going to miss you, Ed," Sasha finally finished, tears had formed in her eyes. "I really am."

She felt her husband, Gabe, put a hand on her shoulder as she dried her eyes and looked to Holman's son with a nod. Everyone else had already said what they wanted to say. Ted nodded in return and gently picked up the urn and carried it to a pre-dug hole. Without a sound, he deposited his father's ashes within and planted a sapling on top.

Edgar Holman was put to rest.

Activation of this protocol requires fulfillment of the following criteria:

* Approval of Site Command.

* Approval of Site Ethics Committee Liaison.

* The Personnel holds a minimum of Level 2 Clearance or Higher.

* The Personnel is not actively serving on a Mobile Task Force or similar project.

* The Personnel is not actively serving on a project featuring an anomaly featuring a cognitohazard, memetic, or biological hazard of BSL-3 or higher.

* The Personnel has passed their last two Routine Mental Health Screenings.

* The Subject be a minimum of 18 years of age.

With Ethics Committee approval, Site Directors may include additional requirements for protocol activation. Subjects that are activated by personnel who meet these requirements at the time of activation, but then become ineligible, through assignment change or otherwise, do not face revocation of their active status…

"I never know what to say at these things," Gabe Merlo mumbled to Sasha as they attended to funeral's reception.

"Perhaps it's for the best," Sasha replied. "You don't exactly need a social butterfly for these things."

The various attendees stood in small clusters, quietly speaking among themselves. Occasionally a small melancholy chuckle would rise above the low clamor before vanishing as suddenly as it had arrived.

"That was a beautiful speech you gave," Gabe continued. "Fitting you should get the last word on Ed."

"Ed probably would have thought it was far too sentimental." Sasha smiled softly. "But hey, you don't get to choose how people praise you at your funeral."

"I'm sure my dad would have loved it."

Sasha turned to see Ted Holman standing behind her, having made the rounds from the other clusters before stopping there.

"I know I did," Ted went on, stopping to give a sad, tired chuckle.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Sasha gave him a hug. "I meant every word. Your father was one of the best men I ever had the pleasure to meet."

"Thank you," Ted replied. "It means a lot to hear so many people say that."

"Of course." Sasha ended the hug and looked over at Karen Holman as she and Edgar's grandchildren spoke to another guest. "You have a beautiful family, by the way; what are your kid's names?"

"Arthur and Laura," Ted said with a smile. "Twins. Both are off to college in the fall."

"We have a daughter getting to be that age," Gabe commented. "Things really do move fast don't they."

"Like a blur," Ted chuckled. "It’s a shame because they just now have reached the point where they don't mind hanging out with me again."

"Speaking of daughters, where is Linda?" Sasha asked.

Ted's smile vanished.

"My sister and my dad had a huge falling out when my mom passed," he explained. "She always saw him as someone who put work first, even when his wife was on hospice. He made attempts to reach out to her, but no dice. I wish she came today and heard all the things all of you said about him. Maybe… I don't know, maybe she would finally stop being so bitter."

"I didn't mean to open old wounds." Sasha frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Ted said with a sad smile. "Not your fault. You didn't know."

Ted sighed and looked around at the other guests.

"I should move along. Thank you again for the kind words."

"Any time," Sasha said, looking thoughtfully down at the ground as Ted walked away.

Her mind began to wander to her own daughter, Jessie.

At no point should any personnel feel pressured to activate a loved one should they feel the benefits of maintaining the Veil Protocol outweigh the benefits of activation. In the event of a dispute between multiple parties as to whether to activate a loved one, maintaining the Veil Protocol takes precedent…

Two days later, Sasha Merlo found herself on the couch in her apartment living room, hair tied back and glasses on her head, typing on her laptop. In the chair next to her sat an uncomfortable looking young man Jessie had introduced to them as Desmond. Occasionally, Merlo would look at him out of the corner of her eye, and smile to herself as he would awkwardly avoid her gaze.

"We'll be back before curfew," Jessie Merlo said as she walked into the other room, clad in skinny jeans and a flannel. Like her mother, her brown hair was also tied back.

"Have fun," Sasha replied as she watched Desmond casually scramble for the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Yeah, no," Gabe called from the nearby kitchen. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Can do," Jessie said as she rolled her eyes, and departed with Desmond in tow.

"That boy is waaaaaaaaay too intimidated by us," Sasha said aloud as she resumed typing on her computer.

"I kind of liked him, actually," Gabe said with a chuckle, emerging from the kitchen with two bowls of stir-fry. "Seems like a decent kid."

"We'll see…" Sasha put her laptop away and accepted a bowl with a smile. The two proceeded to eat in silence for several moments before she then blurted out. "I want to activate Protocol FD90 for Jessie."

Gabe stopped mid-bite.

"You… what… why?"

"Just… seeing what happened with Holman and his daughter," Sasha began, "I can't bear the thought of that happening to you or me. Besides… as a Site Director I've basically got a bulls-eye on my head, and for better or worse you and Jessie do through association. One way or another, our world's going to catch up to her. Might as well choose the option that requires fewer amnestics. She more than qualifies for the clearance."

Gabe sighed.

"Don't you think this is a little reactionary?" he asked. "It’s a cliché to say this, but you know for a fact that ignorance is bliss here."

"We both agreed when we got married," Sasha returned, "that if we had kids, and if either of us wanted to activate FD90, we would. I'm playing that card. If something happened to me, or you, wouldn't you want Jessie to know the sacrifices we made?"

Gabe nodded.

"Of course," he agreed, "I just… I don't want to bring someone to our side of the Veil recklessly. Let alone our daughter. "

He then sighed.

"You haven't steered us wrong with these decisions before… so I trust you, but please before we move forward, can you at least talk to others who activated FD90?"

Sasha nodded with a sheepish grin.

"I know a few people…"

Personnel are to complete the following steps prior to completion of activation:

1) A script for the activation is to be completed by the Personnel.

2) The activation script is to be submitted to Site Command for approval.

3) Upon approval of Site Command, the activation script is to be submitted to the Site Ethics Committee liaison.

4) Upon approval of the Site Ethics Committee liaison, a requisition for Class A amnestics is to be acquired, and a training course on their proper use is to be completed.

5) Personnel are to activate the Subject according to the activation script.

6) Immediately following activation, a representative of the Ethics Committee is to provide the FD90 Orientation, explaining the rights and restrictions of Level 0 clearance.

7) One week following completion of Orientation, the activated Subject is to undergo a mental health screening. If the Subject passes this screening, activation is considered completed until a renewal is required. In the event a Subject fails this screening, Class A amnestics are to be used, as per the protocol's Reset procedures…

Follow my light

Follow my lead

Never listen to me

Never listen to me

Fall by my side

I only needed to see

Never listen to me

Never listen to me

The sound of music carried through the office door when Site Director Sasha Merlo poked her head into the PI Office of the Site-64 Anomalous Materials Lab. Therein, a gangly man with messy blond hair typed away at a keyboard, humming along to the tune. Sasha watched him for several moments before clearing her throat. The man gave a start, realizing he was being watched, and quickly turned off the nearby iPod.

"Director Merlo," he said, getting up from his chair. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you come in. If you're here for the results on the 2849 pheromones, I'm going to need a few more days to…"

"Conwell," Sasha held up a hand as she spoke. "I'm not here for any of that, relax. You always meet your deadlines."

Conwell nodded and gave a relaxed sigh.

"Ah… well then, uh, what are you here for? No offense, but we don't see a lot of people from the admin offices on this sub-level."

Sasha didn't respond. Instead, she stepped into the office, and approached the desk, grabbing a framed picture that from its surface. The image was of Conwell on what looked to be a backpacking trip. Next to him was a short woman with long red hair, with an arm wrapped around his waist. A teenage boy dressed all in black, despite what appeared to be warm weather, stood between them, by his side was a preteen girl dressed in an eccentric array of bright colors.

"How are Kate and the kids?" Sasha eventually asked, putting the picture down with a smile.

"Can't complain," Conwell replied, raising an eyebrow. "Zach's going through a bit of a brooding phase. Carrie is… not. Still, they are good kids… but not why you're here. Seriously, what's up?"

"I'm planning on FD90-ing Jessie," Sasha said with a sigh. "I know you did the same for Kate, so I wanted to ask you about that."

"You're going to un-Veil your daughter?" Conwell shook his head. "Why?"

"Why did you un-Veil, Kate?"

"Because I couldn't stand lying on a daily basis to someone who only tells me the truth. Also, as a spouse to the PI for a major Foundation Lab, Kate qualified for the clearance. You?"

"Because, if anything happened to me and Gabe, I want Jessie to at least know we didn't just bail on her. I don't want her to end up like Holman's daughter."

Conwell nodded in understanding, he gestured to a spare chair in front of his desk and returned to his own seat.

"Have you asked anyone else about this before me?"

"Gave Ralph a call out at 77, also a few other people around the site here."

"Then you'd know the whole thing isn't cut and dry," Conwell sighed. "A lot of people don't take being un-Veiled well. I talked to Kate shortly after I returned from the leave of absence Holman sent me on. Upon learning that I had essentially been lying to her for the first seven years of our marriage, she socked me in the face, broke my nose, took the kids and left. I didn't see her again for four days. Thought amnestics might come into play. Eventually, however, she called, we met at a coffee shop, and things were slowly patched back up from there."

Conwell paused for a melancholic chuckle.

"Bringing people onto this side of the Veil changes how they view the world and changes how they view you, for better or worse. If your plan is for this to alleviate stress for you and your husband, that is not happening. It certainly isn't going to alleviate stress for your daughter. There is a reason that they don't allow active duty MTF agents to have FD90 as an option. All it's going to do is put all of you in the same boat. But hey, sometimes that's just what you need."

"Do you regret doing it?" Sasha asked. Conwell replied by grinning and shook his head.

"Not for a second."

Unlike typical Level 0 personnel employed by the Foundation, who typically fill clerical, janitorial, maintenance, health care, and minor administrative positions within Foundation Sites, the rights and privileges of Level 0 personnel created through this protocol are much more restrictive. Those activated through this protocol:

* Have a basic understanding of what the Foundation is and does.

* Have knowledge as to their activating Personnel's position in the Foundation.

Additional disclosure beyond this level generally is neither necessary nor desired…

All sites within the Foundation had a resident Ethics Committee liaison. Site-64 was no exception, and so Sasha found herself in the office of Dr. Lily Campbell, a pale woman with thick glasses and short, curly, blonde hair.

"Well… this is certainly one way to tear down the Veil," Campbell chuckled as she looked at Sasha's FD90 paperwork. An Ethics Committee signature was all that was left before she and Gabe could enact their plan. "I take it you've read all the required materials?"

"Of course."

"Then you know once we start this, there is no turning back or stopping halfway. In the end, your daughter will be technically considered a Level 0 personnel and subject to all the restrictions thereof, or will be subject to amnestics," Campbell went on. "You're basically at the point of no return."

"I understand."

"Very well," Campbell signed the form, sliding it back with a smile. "Godspeed, Director. Please let me know when you plan to activate. After you are done me or another EC rep will need to do our spiel."

"Tomorrow," Sasha replied. "Around 6 o'clock. What, uh, what exactly is the EC's spiel here?"

"Nothing fun, I assure you," Campbell sighed. "We get to explain why the Veil exists in the first place and the consequences of breaking it. Nothing gets people more excited about a world of eldritch horrors and horrifying magic than brutal honesty, which reminds me…"

Dr. Campbell quickly typed something into her computer. A few moments later, the nearby printer shot out a form that she proceeded to sign.

"Requisition for standard issue Class-A amnestic spray," Campbell explained. "You'll need it in the event things go south, as I'm sure you know."

Sasha nodded and collected the form, looking it over before giving a sigh.

"Well, here goes nothing."

"Like I said before," Campbell smiled. "Godspeed, Director."

Due to the sometimes-unpredictable nature of civilians upon disclosure of the Veil from a loved one, 'Reset' protocols have been established to allow for those deemed unsuitable for Level 0 clearance following disclosure, or those wishing to opt out on their own volition.

Automatic activation of the Reset Protocols is to occur during any of the following situations:

* Subject fails their mental health screening at the completion of activation.

* Subject fails a renewal mental health screening, and a follow-up screening.

Reset Protocols may also be used per subject request during activation, should they wish to opt out of the clearance. Activating personnel may not interfere with this process…

The following day came and lingered, the hours before the activation of FD90 creeping away at a glacial pace. Eventually, however, the evening came, and the Merlos sat down to dinner as they would any other evening that didn't require Sasha to remain at Site-64. It was halfway through the meal that a knock came at the door. Sasha and Gabe looked to one another, the former giving a confident nod. It was show time.

"I'll get it," Gabe said, standing up and moving out of the kitchen with a quickened pace.

"Are we expecting someone?" Jessie asked, watching her father leave and raising an eyebrow.

"Several someones," Sasha replied with a grin.

"… who?"

"You'll just have to see."

Jessie looked curiously towards the front door. A series of four low voices could be heard in the entryway. A few moments later, Gabe returned. Behind him was someone Jessie had met before: a scruffy, lanky gentleman whose face was covered in dark stubble named Daniel Navarro, or Uncle Dan as Jessie had grown up calling him. He gave her a small smile as he took a seat beside her.

"And I thought I needed a drug problem before the intervention took place," Jessie joked as she looked over her parent's friend. "What, uh, what's going on?"

All eyes turned to Sasha.

"Well Jess," she began. "There is something your father and I are going to tell you."

Sasha then pulled out her Foundation identification card and placed it on the table. Gabe and Daniel all did the same, the familiar SCPF logo standing beneath the laminate like a brand.

"Turns out," Gabe picked up where Sasha left off, "we may not have told you the whole truth about what we do for a living these past 18 years."

Jessie looked at the various badges curiously, her brow furrowed as she looked at the various titles.

Special Agent, Level 3 Clearance

Head Accountant, Level 2 Clearance

Site Director, Level 4 Clearance

"All of us," Sasha continued, "me, your father, and Dan, all of us work for an organization designed to contain and study phenomena that exist outside the purview of modern scientific understanding, or as we call them, anomalies. Think 'Cabin in the Woods,' but instead of using the monsters to commit ritualistic sacrifice of college students to a dark god, we contain them to keep people safe, and seek to understand them on a scientific level."

Jessie looked over her mother's badge for a while, taking in the words before finally tossing it down onto the surface.

"So, what, you guys are the X-files?" Jessie snickered. "Fox and Dana Merlo? I appreciate how elaborate this joke is, but I don't get what the punchline could be."

Daniel stifled a laugh at this comment. Gabe and Sasha both sighed.

"This isn't a joke, Jess," Daniel butted in. "As hard as it is to believe, this shit is as real as it gets."

"Alright, let’s say you are telling the truth," Jessie rolled her eyes. "Why tell me? Why now?"

"Because you're 18, and we're finally allowed to," Gabe sighed.

"With your parents in the position that they are, eventually this all would catch up to you," Sasha added. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a bit of a big wig for our organization, as my daughter that makes you a person of interest. If anything happened to us, we'd want you to know the reality of things. What kind of world we actually live in, so that you'd be ready. People living on military bases know that their family is part of the military. Same concept."

Jessie shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you guys. Sorry. I don't believe you. The joke isn't funny."

"We brought proof," Gabe said. "You want to see that?"

"I.. sure…" Jessie sighed. "Show me what you got."

Gabe proceeded to pull a penny, showing both sides to Jessie then sliding it to her.

"Go ahead and flip that, I don't know… ten times?" he instructed.

Jessie complied. Her expression switching from annoyed to baffled as the coin landed heads up each and every time.

"Always lands on heads," Gabe commented. "Forever and ever."

"So, you have a trick coin…" Jessie shook her head. "That's not exactly a lot of proof."

Sasha responded by handing Jessie a pocket watch.

"Try this one on for size," she said with a smile. "Notice its six minutes behind. Go ahead and try and adjust it."

Once again, Jessie did what she was told, winding the watch, only to find it continue ticking six minutes behind. Sasha gestured for her to place it down on the table.

"Now we wait…"

Sure enough, six minutes later, the clock adjusted itself on its own volition. Jessie looked at the watch in shock.

"It’s stuck six minutes in the past," Sasha explained. "Neat, right?"

Jessie shook her head.

"Or it's just broken…"

Before Jessie could finish, Daniel pulled out a small razor blade from his jacket pocket and ran it along the palm of his right hand, a small blue flame appearing as he looked at her with a sly smile. He proceeded to twirl the magic fire between his fingers before allowing it to dissipate with a dull crackle. Jessie's mouth hung open in amazement.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Daniel explained as he quickly placed a bandage on the cut on his palm, "since you were a little kid actually, but 'You can't show civilians magic, Navarro,' and 'We don't want to amnestitize our five-year-old daughter, Dan.' But hey, here we are now."

"H-how…" Jessie looked from Daniel to the watch, to the coin, to her mother and father, then started the circle over again.

"Daniel is what we call a thaumatologist," Sasha explained. "Or in technical terms, a wizard."

"Do you believe us now?" Gabe asked.

Jessie fell silent, then nodded. Her face became pale as an invisible weight of realization sunk down upon her. She looked as though she was going to be sick.

"Wh… where does all this leave me then… I'm… I'm not a…"

"You're now a special type of what we call 'Level 0 personnel'," Sasha answered her stuttering daughter. "Basically, you know the way things are but are still technically a civilian. There are a couple of guidelines you'll be taught, but other than that not a whole lot will change."

"Not a whole lot will change?!" Jessie snapped. "You just showed me my whole life to this point's been a lie, my understanding of the world is wrong, and nothing will change? And what the hell are these guidelines you talked about?"

"Those are for Dr. Campbell to tell you." Sasha grabbed her daughter's hand only to watch as she yanked it away.

"Who the hell is Dr. Campbell?" Jessie's voice continued to rise, "Do you have another friend lurking around here who’s going to make fire shoot out of their hands, mom?"

"Ahem…"

Jessie spun around to see Dr. Campbell standing in the kitchen entryway. The Ethics Committee liaison gave an amused smile and a small wave of her hand.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite as gifted as Agent Navarro on that front," she said. "Evening everyone."

She then extended a handshake.

"Dr. Lily Campbell, Jessie, it’s nice to meet you. I'm a special kind of representative for the organization we are all a part of. Now that you've been briefed on the way of the world, as it were, I need to talk to you about some ground rules. Will you please come with me? We can speak privately in your room. I can answer any and all of your questions."

Jessie cautiously accepted the handshake and nodded. The two then departed for Jessie's room, leaving Sasha, Gabe, and Daniel alone in the aftermath of their little show.

"I thought that went rather well," Daniel commented with a small chuckle. "Though you guys need to get some better props. A statistically locked coin and a temporally displaced watch are a bit lame."

"It went well? How so?" Gabe asked, raising an eyebrow. "She looked like she was going to vomit."

"Yeah, but she didn't flip the table, or throw a spoon at Sasha's head, or punch you in the throat. My point is it could have been a lot worse."

"It could have been a hell of a lot better too though…" Sasha sighed.

"Certainly," Gabe agreed. "But we have to deal with these things as they come. Dan's right. Could have been a lot worse, and hey, at least there was some healthy skepticism."

The room fell silent for several moments before Sasha sighed again.

"Do you guys want to open a bottle of wine or something?"

Individuals activated through this protocol are eligible for employment within the Foundation, provided they meet the requirements for the position of interest. Additional conflict of interest training is to be provided in such cases as deemed suitable by Site Command…

Sasha woke with a start at the sound of fumbling keys, her body snapping up while her hand reached for a sidearm she no longer carried. Standing by the doorway, frozen mid-motion, was Jessie, a stuffed pack on her shoulder.

"So, this is your solution then?" Sasha sighed as she stood up and approached her daughter. "Run away? You were listening to Dr. Campbell during her orientation, right? Someone would come looking for you. I'd come looking for you."

"So what?" Jessie hissed in return. "Your secret's finally out and now you are going to threaten me? I'm not afraid of you, mom."

"And I don't want you to be," Sasha said, slowly shaking her head. "But there are things out there to be afraid of. Things out there I'm afraid of. The whole point of all this was so you'd know about them."

"So I could live my life in fear?" Jessie returned in a harsh whisper. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I was happy with things the way they were? That I didn't want that kind of burden, or to get tangled in your covert web? You and Dad said you wanted me to know about things so that if something happened to you two I'd know why… but Christ that's a pretty selfish reason don't you think?"

"We told you so that you could go on without living in ignorance and face the fear," Sasha snapped back. "We mulled this moment over since the day you were born, and I hate to break it to you, sweetie, but you've been tangled up in our web about that long as well. My position paints a pretty big bulls-eye on your head, and I don't know about you, but I'd personally like to know that such a target was there so I could take actions to ensure no one saw it!"

The two women looked at each other in silent anger for several moments before Sasha shook her head again and returned to the couch.

"Where the hell were you even going to go?" she asked.

"Desmond's outside," Jessie answered. "He was going to drive me to Leanne's."

"Go on then."

"What?" Jessie did a double take.

"I said you can go," Sasha explained. "I'm not going to force you to face this if you don't want to. You're 18. You can make the decision yourself."

Jessie looked at her mom, then to the door.

"What would happen if I did leave?"

"You're scheduled for a mental health screening in the near future, as Dr. Campbell said. If you miss that, you'd officially be considered AWOL and would be tracked down by an operative who would treat you with a special compound that would make you forget the last two weeks. Same for anyone you were staying with. After that, well, everything goes back to normal."

Sasha then held up the small can of amnestic spray.

"If turning back the clock really is what you want, though, I can save us both a lot of time and grief. I have some of that compound here."

Jessie looked at the can with curiosity, then turned away and began to open the front door.

"Just…" Jessie sighed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner. Why didn't you trust me…"

"18's the age minimum," Sasha said sadly. "I have wanted to tell you for a long time. We both have."

"That's fucking bullshit!" Jessie replied. "I've been 18 for 6 months now! You two sure were in a hurry!"

"Fine!" Sasha snapped back. "You want to know what happened? I went to one of my colleague's funerals two weeks ago. There I watched as his daughter didn't show up because she had grown to hate him. Saw him as a man who was more interested in his work than his family, even though the reality of the situation is that he was the one who had my job before me! Never told his family what he did, and one of his kids grew to resent him for it, and… I couldn't stand the thought of that being me and you… You want your mom to admit she's a selfish woman? Alright, Jessie. Here you are. People don't want their families caught up in this world, Jessie, not unless they absolutely need that support. It's one of the most selfish things you can do."

Jessie closed her eyes, her hand still on the door handle as she froze for several moments.

"I'll see you and dad real soon," she said, and exited into the night.

Sasha watched the door close, and let out a sigh, placing her head in her hands. It was then she felt a familiar arm draped over her shoulder.

"Should we go after her?" Gabe asked. "Leanne's house is not that far."

Sasha shook her head.

"Give her time…" Sasha mumbled. "We fucked up, Gabe. We really fucked up. I really fucked up."

"What family involved with the Foundation doesn't?" Gabe replied, gently squeezing her shoulder.

Conclusion: There is simply no escaping that Foundation personnel will form families, and potentially have children. The very nature of these relationships would typically force the strain of constant deception onto numerous Foundation Personnel, resulting in all the associated negative health effects. As the above protocol denotes, however, there is a better way.

Those living on military bases around the world know their loved ones are serving in the military. Families of FBI, CIA, and other intelligence services typically know the type of security their loved ones are required to keep. The Foundation need not be different in this sense and stands to save an approximated 1.8 million USD in Class A amnestics, and 0.6 million in Class B amnestics annually following widespread implementation of this protocol.

There is a saying popular among some of the old guard. "We died in the dark, so you may live in the light." At a certain level, for Foundation personnel this is true. However, we do not necessarily need to enter the dark without support…

When Sasha Merlo awoke the next morning, she was still on the couch, the early morning rays hitting her through the blinds with what felt like a violent intensity. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she proceeded to shuffle into the kitchen, where the sounds and smells of a coffee machine awaited her.

"I don't know about you," Sasha said to the lump sitting at the kitchen table in her peripheral vision, "but I barely slept. Today is going to be hell at work."

Sasha finished pouring and preparing her cup of coffee, taking a sip and turning to the figure. When she saw it was an equally sleep-deprived Jessie, and not Gabe, she nearly dropped her mug.

"You always make a pot in the morning before work…" Jessie said softly. "I figured you'd like it if someone else made it for you for a change."

Sasha immediately placed the mug down, and crossed the room, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry…" Jessie said. "That was just… too much to take in… and I was scared…"

Sasha didn't reply. She maintained the tight grip on her daughter, as tears began to roll down her cheek. As she took a deep breath, she heard Jessie make one more comment.

"Does this mean I get one of those neat ID badges too?"

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