Chapter 67 Global Broadcast—The Foundation Has Always Protected the World!

This was a live global broadcast.

Whether on FCN, CNN, BCN, BBC, or every major video platform controlled by American media conglomerates, the same image appeared.

Ethan stood before the camera in the uniform of a Foundation general officer.

He adjusted his cap and looked directly into the lens, his expression radiating confidence.

“People of America, greetings.”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ethan, the current Supreme Commander of the Foundation and Director of the Strategic Homeland Division.”

“Over the past week, the United States has suffered a terrible disaster.”

“The federal system in which we once took such pride has proven remarkably fragile.”

Ethan calmly held up a dollar bill.

“Before the Black Friday incident, this was a symbol of wealth and power.”

“Now, the system it represents stands on the brink of collapse.”

“And the culprit responsible for all of this is merely a single anomaly designated SCP-008.”

“Throughout human history, the appearance of anomalies has caused countless horrifying disasters.”

“The powerful technological civilization humanity takes such pride in is as fragile as paper before these terrifying anomalies—entities that disregard both reason and the laws of physics.”

“Yet a group of brave individuals came together and resolved to contain every anomaly threatening our world.”

Inside a cafeteria at Fort Redstone Military Base, barricades and defensive structures sealed every entrance.

Natasha, Skye, surviving National Guard soldiers, and countless civilians watched the television without blinking.

Inside a Humvee, Gwen, Elivise, and Catherine crowded around a phone and focused intently on its screen.

At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury turned on his television and listened to Ethan’s speech.

Inside a helicopter, Coulson and Agent May followed the broadcast over the radio.

In the medical ward at the Foundation’s Paradise Island Headquarters, Pepper was feeding Tony from a boxed meal while the live broadcast played on a nearby screen.

As Ethan finished speaking, the broadcast transitioned into a carefully edited compilation of containment operations he had personally commanded.

The first images showed an Afghan village destroyed by SCP-939.

Uncensored footage revealed decomposing human skulls and SCP-939 offspring attacking people.

Across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LINE, and countless other platforms, viewers throughout the world reacted in horror.

“Holy shit! What are those monsters? Do they really exist? Is this footage real?”

“Oh my God! Those creatures slaughtered an entire village! Humans are nothing but lambs waiting to be butchered in front of them!”

Countless shocked comments flooded the screen.

Not everyone believed what they were seeing.

An Indian viewer questioned the footage.

“Is this really what the world is like? How do we know it isn’t fake?”

An American viewer immediately responded.

“Are you insane? How could this be fake? FCN, CNN, BCN, and BBC are all broadcasting it simultaneously!”

“The Foundation of the United States has been enduring all of this in silence and protecting the entire human race!”

A Chinese comment soon appeared.

“Holy shit, what am I looking at? Ethan is Chinese, isn’t he? The leader of America’s Foundation is actually Chinese?!”

Another comment followed.

“No, you’ve got it wrong. Ethan is obviously Korean!”

A Japanese viewer immediately replied.

“You shameless Koreans claim everything belongs to you. Even we can acknowledge that he’s Chinese!”

The footage then showed SCP-939’s first attack on the Atala militants.

A brief text summary appeared, explaining the characteristics and abilities of SCP-939, “With Many Voices.”

“SCP-939 is horrifying! Is that thing actually real? It wiped out an entire unit of Atala militants with ease!”

“Is this what the Foundation has been fighting all along?”

The brutally realistic footage began showing Mobile Task Force operators wearing the Foundation’s insignia.

The screen faded to black.

White words appeared against the darkness.

We have always protected you in silence.

The footage changed again.

Countless Mobile Task Force operators charged into battle against anomalies, one group following another without hesitation.

Ethan appeared inside SCP-939’s underground nest, personally leading the containment force.

One operator after another fought desperately.

Despite suffering catastrophic casualties, no one retreated.

Only after an appallingly bloody battle did the surviving Mobile Task Force personnel finally contain SCP-939’s mother entity.

When the containment operation ended, the battlefield was covered with the bodies of fallen operators.

Everyone watching across the planet was left profoundly shaken.

The world in which they lived had never been safe.

Humanity had always faced terrifying threats from anomalies.

Yet an organization of unknown heroes had quietly protected them from the shadows.

The next section showed the operation to contain SCP-096, the Shy Guy.

It began with the terrible disaster caused by SCP-096 and the deaths of countless civilians.

Americans quickly connected the footage with the large-scale disappearances that had occurred not long ago.

Countless explanations had circulated at the time, but the federal government had ultimately suppressed the incident.

Now, the truth finally made sense.

Because the footage depicted a tragedy directly connected to their own lives, Americans recalled the string of recent disasters and immediately empathized with its victims.

The video briefly explained SCP-096’s anomalous properties.

It then showed S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military deploying heavy weapons against the Shy Guy.

The battle was far more terrifying—and more real—than any blockbuster movie.

The American military unleashed enough firepower to destroy a small city.

Yet it couldn’t stop SCP-096 from advancing.

When a mushroom cloud rose into the sky, the comments fell silent for several seconds.

Then the screen was flooded with reactions.

“OMG!”

“Rest in peace!”

“Dear God, this is horrifying!”

“They used a nuclear weapon?!”

The footage transitioned once more, this time showing the Foundation’s Mobile Task Force attempting to contain SCP-096.

“Are they insane? They’re confronting that monster with their own bodies!”

Countless viewers became anxious.

They watched those fearless operators face an anomaly comparable to a god with nothing but mortal flesh and unshakable courage.

People throughout the world began praying for the operation to succeed.

The containment team managed to pull a hood over SCP-096’s head.

Yet the anomaly continued attacking the operators who had already viewed its face.

Tens of millions of people were watching the broadcast, but the atmosphere became eerily silent.

The footage showed Major Marcus Hale wearing a specialized protective visor as he examined a photograph containing SCP-096.

Knowing that he had little time left, Hammer desperately used a pencil to destroy every trace of the anomaly in the image.

Once the photograph had been destroyed, he removed his visor.

Relief appeared on his face.

Then SCP-096 appeared behind him.

Countless people across the world wept for the heroic Mobile Task Force officer.

A handful of pixels in an ordinary photograph taken during a sightseeing trip had caused a horrifying tragedy that killed tens of thousands.

The screen turned black and white.

Three lines appeared before the audience.

We walk in darkness so that others may live in the light.

Secure! Contain! Protect! Until death!

I swear to become humanity’s shield, defending its glory with my mortal body. I will stand as humanity’s final line of defense and march willingly toward death.

Overcome with emotion, Natasha entered a comment beneath the broadcast.

“Salute those who marched to their deaths!”

Tony Stark copied the message from his verified account.

“Salute those who marched to their deaths! +1”

Skye followed.

Then Ophelia and her adjutant, Leah.

Gwen and Elivise.

Coulson and Agent May.

The message rapidly spread throughout the comments.

Even S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury joined the trend, liking the original post before adding one of his own.

“Salute those who marched to their deaths.”

At that moment, humanity finally understood the terrifying threat posed by anomalies.

The revelation caused widespread fear.

Yet the Foundation’s existence prevented that fear from descending into uncontrolled panic.

The broadcast returned to Ethan.

“Anomalies have always threatened human civilization.”

“Until now, the Foundation has operated under a policy of absolute secrecy, doing everything possible to erase all evidence of our existence.”

“After each operation, we removed the memories of relevant witnesses to preserve secrecy and prevent unnecessary panic.”

“However, the threat posed by anomalies has continued to intensify.”

“The present crisis was caused by a mutated virus derived from a daughter strain of SCP-008, the Zombie Plague.”

“It has created a massive outbreak and transformed its victims into zombies.”

“After careful consideration, the Foundation has concluded that remaining hidden no longer serves any purpose.”

“Humanity must understand the threats it faces.”

“We have therefore activated the defense mechanism established decades ago to counter SCP-008—the Strategic Homeland Division.”

“Tens of thousands of Division agents will fight to prevent the destruction of the United States.”

“On behalf of the Foundation, I hereby declare that we will complete the containment of SCP-008 within seven days.”

“I believe what awaits humanity is not an apocalypse, but a future filled with courage and limitless possibilities.”

“I believe that humanity’s hymn is the hymn of courage.”

“Humanity will never surrender to the threat of anomalies.”

“Once the Foundation has successfully contained SCP-008, I formally request the opportunity to address the United Nations.”

“Together, we must discuss how humanity will respond to anomalies in the future.”

“Even as I speak, the Strategic Homeland Division has returned to operation.”

“Its courageous agents are already fighting to reverse this catastrophic situation.”

“We will face rioters.”

“We will face zombies.”

“We will face monsters.”

“But we will never retreat!”

The broadcast ended, leaving countless people throughout the world too moved to speak.

Not everyone was inspired, however.

Pierce was furious.

He stormed into Nick Fury’s office and slammed the door open.

“Director Fury, those bastards at the Foundation are playing dirty!”

“They exposed federal secrets! They dragged what belonged in the darkness into the light!”

“This is a serious threat to national security. Does Ethan have any idea how much panic this could cause?”

“And what is the purpose of a broadcast like this?”

“If this continues, the Foundation will become impossible to restrain!”

“We need to strike back, Director!”

Nick Fury looked at Pierce with displeasure.

“Pierce, don’t say anything that undermines our unity.”

“The Foundation and S.H.I.E.L.D. are currently comrades fighting in the same trench. We both face an enormous threat.”

“Don’t say anything that damages that cooperation—and don’t take any actions that might damage it either.”

“Arguing about secrecy is already meaningless.”

“This crisis can no longer be hidden. Too many facts have reached the point where they must be made public.”

“If we waited until the crisis ended, the public would blame us for concealing the truth.”

“Supreme Commander Ethan chose the best possible moment to reveal it. His decision kept us from being forced into a defensive position later.”

“This isn’t the time to compete for power and influence.”

“This is a matter of survival.”

“If we fail to resolve the crisis caused by SCP-008, we don’t even know whether the United States will continue to exist.”

“If this country collapses, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s strength and influence will suffer just as badly.”

“Surely you can understand something that simple, Pierce.”

Despite his lingering anger, Pierce took several deep breaths and respectfully lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Director Fury. My perspective was too narrow.”

“But the danger I mentioned still exists.”

“If the Foundation gains the public’s support—if it acquires enough influence to shape the United States and even the other major powers of humanity…”

“We’ll discuss the future when it arrives.”

“Learn to distinguish what matters most, Pierce.”

Pierce turned and left the office.

Nick Fury watched him go and sighed.

In the end, he had chosen to trust the Foundation.