ADVENT: Organizations
The Special Response Division
"We keep Pandora's Box under ADVENT's control."
- Chief Responder Daisy Fox
Proposal 0311
Latest Revision: 3/12/2017
Designation: The Special Response Division
Program Type: Research and Development; Special Forces; Anti-Psionic; Peacekeeping
Authors: The Commander of XCOM; Moira Vahlen, Head of XCOM Research and Development; Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations; Elizabeth Falka, Director of ADVENT Intelligence; Akilah Kettani, PRIEST Program Director; Keith Watkins, Chief Overseer of the Oversight Division; Saudia Vyandar, Chancellor of ADVENT; Helion Weekes, Chief of Lancer Operations; Daisy Fox, Chief Responder of the Special Response Division
INITIAL PROPOSAL: The world as we knew it has changed significantly. There is more to reality now than existed before the invasion of the Ethereal Collective, and these fundamental realizations will not change. This war has brought forward new and radical technologies and powers that will forever change the course of society, warfare, and life itself.
These are in known terms the discovery of psionics, the continued propagation of nanotechnology by both the Ethereal Collective, ADVENT, and XCOM, and the development and utilization of artificial intelligence by both sides. All of these can be considered a series of Pandora's Boxes, all of which contain untold potential and danger.
The question that must be asked is what happens when these are turned against us – and more importantly – what happens when it gets out of control?
This is what the Special Response Division aims to answer.
UTILIZATION AND OBJECTIVE: The objective of the SPECIAL RESPONSE DIVISION (SRD) is to specialize in handling extremely irregular, dangerous, and otherwise catastrophic developments that other divisions and departments are not trained or equipped to handle. They are the ultimate contingency ADVENT has against the powers of reality and technology.
The SRD will be composed of an ultimately smaller, but highly trained and elite collection of soldiers, scientists, and individuals from across ADVENT, all focused on the containment, neutralization, or otherwise negation of threats to ADVENT caused by irregular circumstances or actors. This includes situations like nanite swarms going out of control; accidental psionic awakenings; rampant artificial intelligences, and many more.
These are domestic usages for the SRD. Responses to situations that will arise regardless of the outcome of the war. Scenarios that cannot be adequately handled by other groups without significant cost. The other practical arm of the SRD will be its research and specialized combat teams to deal with unique threats to ADVENT.
We have already noted such entities exist. XCOM has informed us of the Special Operators, footage from Paradise Station showcases an irregular psionic entity, and the Ethereals themselves can be classified as unique threats to ADVENT. There needs to be a dedicated division responsible for handling such entities in the quick and efficient manner.
I will reiterate that while the SRD is a contingency plan, that does not mean they will not be proactive elsewhere.
MULTI-DIVISION INTEGRATION: The Special Response Division is unique among the ADVENT Divisions in that it will make it a cornerstone policy to recruit from the top individuals in ADVENT throughout the organization. These individuals will hold unique positions within the SRD, and will be one of the only Divisions where psions can hold positions, or that has access to the Experimentation Labs along with ADVENT Research and Development.
THE LANCER CORPS: All combat personnel will be drawn from the Lancer Corps, as the operations they undertake will likely be dangerous and involve handling threats of an asymmetrical and unfamiliar nature. These threats could potentially include psionic actors, nanoweaponry, and other unfamiliar or unique aspects that pose a threat to the life of the soldier.
Lancers will be primarily assigned to the FIRST RESPONDERS, PSIONIC CONTAINMENT, NANITE CONTAINMENT AND EXTERMINATION, THE BREACH TEAM, and ALIEN CAPTURE AND EXPERIMENTATION departments within the SRD.
THE PRIEST DIVISION: Considering psionics is a major aspect that SRD looks to counter, this is impossible to effectively do without psions themselves to call upon. They will be able to hold specialized positions, and all of them will be no weaker than a MAGUS-class on the Trask Scale of Psionic Power. All disciplines will be accepted, and will primarily draw from the MILITARY BRANCH, RESEARCH BRANCH, and INTELLIGENCE BRANCH of the PRIEST Division.
PRIESTs recruited will primarily be assigned to the FIRST RESPONDERS, PSIONIC CONTAINMENT, PSIONIC RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION, the BREACH TEAM, and ALIEN CAPTURE AND EXPERIMENTATION departments within the SRD.
THE PEACEKEEPERS: As unique and unprecedented situations occur, many of which affect the everyday lives of ADVENT citizens, the SRD will have a peacekeeping role should such situations arise which put innocent lives at risk, be they psionic or normal in origin. As such a number of Peacekeeping forces will be recruited to assist in these tasks as they arise, and to properly ensure that the Peacekeepers are properly informed as to the actions of the SRD.
Recruited Peacekeepers will be primarily assigned to the FIRST RESPONDERS, PSIONIC CONTAINMENT, CYBER QUARANTINE, and NANITE CONTAINMENT AND EXTERMINATION departments within the SRD.
ADVENT INTELLIGENCE: Given the objectives of ADVENT Intelligence have a degree of overlap with the SRD, it is prudent to leverage the skills and assets of the agents and analysts within ADVENT Intelligence, specifically their expertise in the realm of cyberspace which is one of the most exploitable areas within ADVENT for dedicated opponents. Both the SRD and ADVENT Intelligence will maintain a symbiotic relationship, and provide us with immediate information on situations which demand our attention.
ADVENT Intelligence personnel recruited will be primarily assigned to CYBER QUARANTINE, NANITE CONTAINMENT AND EXTERMINATION, PSIONIC CONTAINMENT, and ALIEN CAPTURE AND EXPERIMENTATION within the SRD.
ADVENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: One of the largest aspects of the SRD is that they will be continually researching and theorizing to prepare for any scenario that can arise. To properly acquire this knowledge, they require a dedicated corps of scientists and researchers to do whatever is necessary to prepare the rest of the SRD for the unexpected. The SRD will draw from the best of ADVENT R&D for the most critical of projects that could be instrumental for the continued existence of ADVENT.
Recruited scientists will be primarily assigned to PSIONIC RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION, CYBER QUARANTINE, and ALIEN CAPTURE AND EXPERIMENTATION.
DIVISION DEPARTMENTS: The following departments listed compose the Special Response Division and all of them answer to the CHIEF RESPONDER of the Special Response Division, who is responsible for effectively managing the division and will continually keep the Chancellor and their Cabinet informed of all potential situations and developments.
THE FIRST RESPONDERS: The First Responders are the team responsible for first visiting the location or site of the disturbance to accurately determine the situation and what specific response will be needed. They will be responsible for collecting information, conducting interviews, supporting other ADVENT personnel and potentially participating in combat operations.
In the event that there is a designated military threat that has been identified that ADVENT is not properly prepared for, the First Responders will be sent to handle the entity on their own, or to isolate them for other departments to eventually handle. This division is commanded by the FIRST RESPONDER, who answers directly to the CHIEF RESPONDER.
PSIONIC RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION: This department is responsible for conducting highly specialized research on psionics and the effects they can elicit. This differs from the work done by the PRIEST Division in multiple ways, the most specific of which is that it is more focused on the military and psychological effects of psionics on Humans and aliens, and will heavily utilize the Experimentation Labs for their work.
This department will be managing and conducting the majority of experiments which are considered lethal in nature, and can and will result in the terminations of participants. It will also focus on determining weaknesses of psions and if they have adverse reactions to certain chemicals, elements, poisons, and technologies to serve as a basis for anti-psionic technology and other anti-psionic techniques which can be used in the field.
Psionic awakenings in prisoners will be permitted for experimentation purposes, with heavy Manchurian Restraint programming. All awakened captives in the Experimentation Labs are required by law to be terminated after six months of usage; this requirement will be followed in full by Psionic Research and Experimentation.
PSIONIC CONTAINMENT: In the event that there is a psionic incident of unknown or known origin, Psionic Containment will be sent to quarantine and later purge the situation. While thankfully the foresight of ADVENT has helped mitigate some of the downsides of mass psionic awakenings, the fact remains that awakenings can and have happened, and this department is responsible for finding and managing them.
Psionic Containment is composed of PRIESTs and soldiers specifically equipped to take down hostile psions and everyone connected to them. As these individuals in the past have been largely untrained, they nonetheless posed a threat to those around them, and as such de-escalation and mitigation are core aspects of this department.
There are also instances where psionic activity is determined in a specific location, usually caused by an alien infiltrator. The Zararch is suspected to be using Sectoids to leech off ADVENT personnel psionically, and Psionic Containment will be essential in making sure that nothing crucial is lost. Research into identifying effects of long-term psionic scanning and pinpointing psionic activity is notably crucial in this process, and serves as an example of how inter-connected each department is to the overall division.
CYBER QUARANTINE: Thanks to XCOM, we are aware that there is an extremely high likelihood that one or more of the Andromedon Unions has working artificial intelligences, and eventually those are likely to spread to Earth. The Ethereal Collective CODEX Network serves as the pinnacle of a machine intelligence that is continually attempting to penetrate our systems.
However, it is likely that in the future, the danger will come from a threat that ADVENT itself engineers. While the usefulness of AI cannot be understated, especially in this current situation, there will be issues that arise. One AI will inevitably fail or turn on ADVENT, and when that happens, contingencies need to be in place beyond programming.
Cyber Quarantine will be responsible for working to purge rogue AIs from our systems utilizing highly controlled machine intelligences, EMP devices, low-tech unhackable tools, and control over crucial ADVENT systems that allow machines to function. Despite high computational power, an AI will always have vulnerabilities, but those must be exploited as soon as possible for them to be fully effective.
We cannot expect this to not happen at some point, and that is what Cyber Quarantine will be prepared for, even if the rest of ADVENT is not.
NANITE CONTAINMENT AND EXTERMINATION: There are many threats which can threaten to exterminate us. An out of control nanite plague is among the worst. Similar to AI, nanotechnology presents a significant advantage both in civilian and military sectors, but the more it has become integrated into our infrastructure and weaponry, the greater the potential for failure.
The consequences of even a single nanite swarm that goes rogue cannot be understated. Consumption and replication ensures annihilation of not just our species, but aliens as well. All situations related to nanotechnology must be dealt with immediately and with extreme prejudice. It is better to be safe than sorry, even if the cost is high.
Teams from Nanite Containment and Extermination will be equipped with EMP weapons, chemicals, have access to network systems, and utilize controlled nanites to handle hostile swarms. In addition to potential accidents, they are also trained to handle alien-originated nanite swarms and neutralize them before they wreak catastrophic damage against ADVENT. As we have seen from the SPECTRE unit, this threat must be eliminated immediately or it will grow out of control.
THE BREACH TEAM: Experiments and projects go awry at times, and sometimes dangerous specimens and products become released. The Breach Team is responsible for ensuring that containment breaches never reach civilian centers and are either contained, or subjects put down. As of this date, containment breaches only remain in the single digits, and were neutralized before exiting the facility.
As the ambition and resources of ADVENT grow, this may no longer be a likely outcome. It is for this reason that the Breach Team will be maintained, and be appraised of all projects which could pose a threat to ADVENT citizens if accidentally released. This also applies not to genetically engineered specimens, but also bioweapons, diseases, and other products which may cause harm if released.
ALIEN CAPTURE AND EXPERIMENTATION: The aliens from the Ethereal Collective are not the only ones we will encounter in the future. While we wish that aliens would approach us peacefully, they ultimately will pose a threat to us, and their vulnerabilities must be understood and exploited. This department is a means of acquiring information on new and existing aliens, and cataloguing every single advantage and weakness that we can later exploit.
There are two aspects to this department. The first is teams specializing in alien capture. In times of warfare or preemptive discovery, they will capture alien combatants covertly and efficiently, before returning them to the second aspect of the department. They will be armed and trained, as well as appropriately briefed on the alien in question. These operations will continue until ADVENT is satisfied with the amount of information required.
The second aspect handles experimentation on aliens. This includes the actual cataloguing of strengths and weaknesses including autopsies, pain tolerance, structural weak points, psychological durability and traits, psionic aptitude and vulnerability, and physical capabilities. Tests on resistance to chemical agents, diseases, genetic manipulation, and Manchurian programming tests will also be conducted until the department is satisfied with the level of knowledge acquired.
All information will be shared with XCOM as per the shared alien research agreement.
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING: As stated earlier, the Special Response Division will be recruiting from all different divisions of ADVENT, including the PRIEST Division, ADVENT Intelligence, and others. The entry level for the SRD is high, and it is expected that due to the sensitive nature of this division, that personnel will be able to easily fit these high standards.
Training will not cover basics, and will further specialize the individual's already comprehensive knowledge of their previous position. Each department will have specific training that will be a combination of hands-on and academic. As new developments and discoveries emerge, more training will be developed.
AUTHORITY AND LIMITATIONS: The Special Response Division cannot conduct operations outside the territory of ADVENT without specific approval from either the Director of ADVENT Intelligence, or the Oversight Division. The Oversight Division will maintain permanent attaches to all departments to ensure compliance with ADVENT regulations.
The SRD cannot acquire subjects that are already in the process of being utilized by other departments, or those which have been requested by XCOM. They also cannot contermand ongoing military operations, which must be managed by ADVENT High Command. In operations strictly relating to the SRD, they have complete authority on how to proceed and execute their objective.
It is required that the SRD coordinate with appropriate divisions if necessary, specifically the Peacekeepers and ADVENT Army when conducting missions in civilian and hostile territory. The SRD is required to inform ADVENT High Command of all operations in uncharted or alien territory, as well as all research projects currently being undertaken.
RESEARCH POLICIES: Due to the high amount of research conducted by this department, there are a number of policies the Special Response Division will adhere to.
SUBJECT ACQUISITION PRIORITY: In the event that the SRD requests an unused subject for usage, it is to be turned over to them immediately. Unless the subject was requested for a Class-I project, then it will be provided regardless of if the subject has been claimed or not. In almost all instances the SRD will have priority access to all test subjects within the Experimentation Labs, both alien and Human.
LIVE SUBJECTS: All live subjects are required to be documented, as well as psionic confirmation of their identity. Once these are acquired, the SRD is free to use the subject however they require. In the event of pregnancy or other fetal development, the resulting offspring is to be removed and placed into the ADVENT Adoption System as unclaimed. No authorization is given to harm or experiment upon it. This applies to both Humans and aliens.
DOCUMENTATION STANDARDS: Due to the nature of the work conducted, ADVENT expects a high standard for all documentation from the SRD. To ensure compliance, all experiments must be heavily documented with video and audio evidence, as well as any academic information of note that was acquired. Failure to properly document all experiments and operations will result in investigation and prosecution by the Oversight Division for all involved parties.
COORDINATION WITH THE EXPERIMENTATION LABS: The Special Response Division will build and maintain a working relationship with the Experimentation Labs, who will provide the SRD with test subjects as mandated. In return, the SRD will turn over any excess alien captives or test subjects to the Experimentation Labs to utilize as they see fit.
COORDINATION WITH XCOM: As indicated above, through the Shared Alien Research Agreement, all information acquired by the SRD on alien biology, psychology, and other anatomy will be shared with XCOM to utilize as they see fit. In return they are expected to inform the SRD and ADVENT itself on any breakthroughs of their own relating to alien physiology and psychology. This agreement will be in effect until such a time as either party renegotiates or terminates the agreement.
COORDINATION WITH ADVENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: Due to the highly experimental nature of various departments of the SRD, the sharing of finished techniques, technology, and information between the SRD and ADVENT Research and Development is approved upon review by the Oversight Division and ADVENT Intelligence. In some instances, both the SRD and ADVENT Research and Development will work together on certain projects as directed by the Director of ADVENT Intelligence or the Chancellor of ADVENT.
CONCLUSION: The Pandora's Box has been opened for many aspects of reality and technology that cannot be taken back. It is through the Special Response Division that the negative effects of these developments will be contained and mitigated before permanent damage can be done to ADVENT or its citizens.
The nature of the Special Response Division is also such that when the next Box is opened, they will be prepared to deal with it accordingly. We cannot put this technology and knowledge back in the box, but we can ensure that it is harnessed effectively for the ultimate benefit of Mankind.
SPECIAL RESPONSE DIVISION INCIDENT REPORT #0125
Operation Location: State of Missouri, United States of America
Departments Utilized: First Responders; Psionic Containment
Incident Type: Psionic (Human)
Casualties: 27 hostiles; 0 allied
Operation Outcome: Success
Further Operations: Unnecessary
OVERVIEW: Continuing a string of irregular incidents, particularly in the Midwest of the United States, the Special Response Division was involved in the discovery, investigation, and ultimate termination of a psionic alien-worshipping cult. The growing frequency of these kind of incidents indicates that multiple groups may have been put into motion weeks or months ago by Zararch or other alien parties interested in sowing discord and chaos throughout ADVENT.
Full incident report is as follows.
ORIGIN: On exactly 2/24/2017 the local Peacekeeping department received several reports of missing persons and dispatched individuals to investigate. They eventually found nothing and the individuals – primarily aged between twenty and twenty-four – were presumed to have left voluntarily or severed contact as they were in the process of attending a local university and all incident reports came from parents.
This was seemingly confirmed when all individuals unexpectedly reappeared at their university several days later, and did not reestablish contact with friends and family outside of college. All suspects were brought in for questioning, and all of them could not recall what they were doing the previous nights, or had incomplete memories.
Several warrants were obtained for psionic questioning which were provided, and the local Peacekeeping department provided a series of incident reports which covered individuals acting suspiciously. These were not criminal acts or harassment, which was why few follow-up investigations had been conducted and several were suspected to be racist in origin.
Cross-checking these individuals or those connected to them revealed that there had been other missing persons reports that had been filed, and then later retracted when the person turned up alive and were discarded. Psionic questioning of the latest subjects showed clear signs of some unknown– and unskilled – psionic memory tampering.
First Responders coordinated with local Peacekeeping forces to immediately quarantine the area and bring in all suspects for questioning as Psionic Containment prepared to handle what appeared to be an alien or rogue Human psion operating in the area. Citizens were publicly informed of the situation and advised to report any suspicious behavior to their Peacekeepers.
OPERATION BREAKDOWN: As per protocols, all of the Peacekeepers who were not under Manchurian conditioning were subject to questioning by multiple teams of Inquisitors to ensure there was no psionic corruption that had taken place. Three officers became highly violent after questioning and were subdued and psionically interrogated.
From their memories we learned the name of the psion as well as some details of where he was hiding or had visited. Dan Phislot was a new and fairly young university professor who had been covertly recruiting his students into a cult centered around aliens – particularly the Ethereals. From their memories we determined that he was highly paranoid, had attempted to cover his tracks, and the extent of his backing by aliens was unknown.
All university staff were brought in for questioning and several of them were under psionic manipulation and became violent. One attempted suicide but was stopped. All were interrogated, but did not provide any additional information other than that Phislot had only begun openly acting strangely within the past month.
For safety reasons, all students he could have potentially interacted with were quarantined and subjected to standard interrogations. First Responders with Psionic Containment surrounded all locations that Phislot was known to frequent. His family was also quarantined and brought in for questioning.
Phislot was found in a warehouse which appeared to have been converted to the main headquarters of this makeshift cult. There were multiple crude statues of Ethereals, Sectoids, and several other unidentifiable things we can only assume were the crude delusions of Phislot. Purple and white were the dominant colors.
There was a significant number of high-quality, but mismatching furniture, which we assume was the result of Phislot using his psionics to acquire items free of charge. Within this headquarters were approximately forty individuals who were under the thrall of Phislot who declared that they must attack "At the command of the Elders" and through his initial monologue several times declared himself as an "Avatar of the Ethereals", while showcasing clear breakdowns in comprehension and speech.
While untrained, Phislot proved to be skilled enough to initially defend himself from several telepathic attacks, and First Responders and Peacekeepers opened fire on the charging crowd, terminating a number of corrupted individuals. The remainder were subdued and prepared for questioning. Phislot himself was brought in alive and there were no casualties suffered during the operation.
OUTCOME: All victims were interrogated and are now in the process of attempting to reverse the telepathic damage done to them. In the event they are unrecoverable, the option will be offered to their families (should any exist) of if they should be terminated, undergo a memory wipe, or be turned over to the Special Response Division.
Interrogation of Phislot confirmed that while there were – to his knowledge – no aliens he physically met, he insisted and raved about how he could speak to them and that they appeared to him in dreams. There is a high probability that the aliens are maintaining some kind of contact, or were initially the ones to drive him insane.
It also confirmed that the psionic threat was contained here, but for safety all citizens were encouraged to remain vigilant. No sufficient answer was concluded on the origin of Phislot's psionic abilities, and if there was alien involvement, the erasure of memories is a likely culprit. We are attempting to search the area and Phislot's belongings to determine if he found – or was given – an object that could awaken psionic potential.
Upon the confirmation of the elimination of the psionic threat, all unaffected individuals were cleared to resume their daily lives, while those affected were placed into psionic therapy programs until further notice. The victims who died were identified and their families were notified as to their fate. Dan Phislot was taken before an Arbiter the same day interrogation concluded who sentenced him to the Experimentation Labs.
He is now serving as a test subject for Psionic Research and Experimentation, and the Manchurian Restraints have been properly applied. Should an addendum be necessary, it will be added to this report. The operation was a complete success, and another psionic incident was contained.
It should again be reiterated that it is likely that ADVENT will face more of these incidents in the future as the Zararch keep awakening psionics in those who should not have them. A more aggressive push to locate and contain potential psions would be warranted.
Operation: Special Management
Division: Military intelligence
Report Author: Zar'icaris'vitiary
Authorization: Zar'Chon
To the Zar'Chon,
One of the most enigmatic divisions within ADVENT thus far which has recently been revealed to pose an unprecedented threat to our operations is the Special Response Division, which we initially believed to either be a highly classified special forces unit, both for peacekeeping or military operations, or a unit focusing on civilian incidents. As we have learned, it is an amalgamation of multiple different divisions with the sole focus of working to contain highly volatile situations and developments involving psionics and highly dangerous technology such as nanotech and artificial intelligence.
They are a contingency for ADVENT, and only recently have been given reign to operate 'normally'.
The recent actions in Beijing have put a large spotlight on the Special Response Division, as they were instrumental in purging China of all influence from the Bringer, and we have determined that they are the reason that the awakened psions we planted have been disappearing. They have been removed by the Special Response Division, which utilizes a collection of military, peacekeeping, intelligence, and PRIEST personnel.
This division appears to be extremely important to ADVENT, and we would do well to determine their operations. It would be incorrect to label them as a black operations unit when ADVENT doesn't specifically adhere to that term, but the Special Response Division is undoubtedly working on projects and operations hidden from the majority of ADVENT at large.
To get a better idea of what we can expect from the Special Response Division, we should look again to those who have been appointed to lead it, as well as individuals linked to it. Not every single aspect of the Special Response Division has been revealed, and there will be some assumptions made on the personnel listed, as well as their relationship to the division. Do not consider this list complete.
Please refer to Operation Surprise Response for a more complete breakdown of what we know of the Special Response Division's structure and hierarchy.
First Responder Natal Lucciano – The First Responders: As the First Responders are primarily a military unit deployed whenever the Special Response Division is utilized, it follows that the one in charge of the department would be a soldier. Natal Lucciano is an identified Lancer, and from what we have been able to find, served for several months in America, participated heavily in China, and was especially sought after by the Special Response Division.
Prior to ADVENT he was a top soldier in the special forces of Argentina, and defected to ADVENT when the invasion began. Since then he has proved to be a dangerous opponent, and now commands a mixture of soldiers, PRIESTs, and other military officials. He has made a deliberate point to find and shut down any psionic 'disturbances' that arise, and personally assisted in Beijing.
He is a hardened soldier with no spouse or children, but with parents who presumably still live in Argentina. Recommended that more information be acquired to gather additional information about Lucciano. While it is good that he is no longer on the front lines, he could likely have a greater impact disrupting our operations behind the scenes. His removal should be a priority.
Chief Psionic Specialist Jahvon Wilson – Unknown Psionic Research Department: This is a name that will likely be recognizable, as he was one of the first major Human academic professors to fully commit to the study of psionics. He's published several papers based on research he had conducted (prior to the PRIEST Division, and one of the few ADVENT allowed to research the subject), which largely relates to psionics and its effects on the Human body and mind.
He transferred to the Research Branch of the PRIEST Division, and no one heard anything from him since. As it turns out, he had been transferred again to the Special Response Division to work for their own psionic research program, the name of which we are still unable to identify. We are not entirely sure why Wilson is working with this division, or what he could be doing, as his specialty did not seem especially militant.
It is also unknown if he's managing this department, or if he is merely assisting it as a subordinate. This needs to be determined as soon as possible, as well as his objectives. It is possible that this is connected to ADVENT research to reverse psionic tampering, but without hard evidence we cannot say for certain.
What is certain is that this man is highly important to their efforts. His removal would set them back.
Chief Containment Officer Nicole Devillers – Psionic Containment: This is a blank spot in the Special Response Division. Prior to her announcement, Nicole Devillers was essentially a ghost. We could not find any social media records, official documents, or anything concrete that linked to this woman. She is suspected to be French in origin, but outside of that she remains an unknown.
She is however, heavily connected to the Research Branch of the PRIEST Division, and there were several sightings of her meeting with notably high-profile people including Amalda Stein, Elizabeth Falka, Akilah Kettani, and Kyong Suk-Chul. Why she was meeting these individuals? Unknown. Our best estimates are that she is an intelligence agent who was promoted for an equally sensitive task.
She and Lucciano appear to have the same goals, which are the purging of any psionic incidents. Both of them have been seen together in official and non-official meetings, and their departments are perhaps the two that coordinate the most. She also heavily participated in Beijing operations, and there are rumors that many of the individuals Psionic Containment encountered were not killed, but captured and are test subjects for whatever the division is doing.
It would not be unexpected, but interestingly Devillers appears more concerned with the possibility of artificial intelligence than psionics, and has reportedly gone on record saying so internally. How her concerns have been received is unknown.
Breach Team Commander Kiko Inugami – The Breach Team: While we are not entirely sure what the Breach Team is, exactly, we can make some logical assumptions based upon the woman in charge. Kiko Inugami is indeed a soldier, but one assigned to the personal guard of the President of Japan. She has served in this position for several decades, and was poached by ADVENT soon after Japan fell for the first time.
This tells us that the Breach Team is not necessarily a purely military unit, though it doesn't refute it either. What it does imply is that there is a degree of secrecy around it. Inugami is capable of keeping secrets, and expecting the same from those around her. If it were just another military unit, there are better candidates.
But if you need to ensure that they can be trusted with sensitive information? She fits the criteria especially well. It implies that the Breach Team is more of a cleaner team than military unit. When things become out of control, this is what the Breach Team is utilized for. Otherwise such a unit would be redundant when the First Responders already exist.
Chief Xenopsychologist Roman Von Weber – Unknown Research Department: One of the first Humans to truly specialize in xenopsychology, Roman Von Weber is another individual you may be familiar with, as prior to XCOM, he and Dr. Moira Vahlen worked closely together on projects for the German government, and he came with a recommendation from Vahlen herself.
He is the leading Human expert on xenopsychology, and even after recruitment to the Special Response Division he's continued to provide input and expertise to ADVENT. Every single basis for alien psychology has either been written, or refined by him. Having read several of his papers myself, he has an uncanny ability for accurately deconstructing non-human psyches.
It should not be a surprise that he was also heavily involved as a consultant for the AEGIS Division, and has been brought in to talk to Vitakara defectors, Mutons, and every Ethereal defector has at least spoken with him once. He's given ADVENT a worryingly accurate tool to continue understanding and exploiting our species.
Several intercepted documents reveal that one of his more involved plans to exploit the Vitakara involves division along racial lines – something the Zararch has noted as a vulnerability before, and that ADVENT now at least knows it is a possibility is disturbing. At best they will ignore it, and at worst they could embolden or support the Nulorian who would be more than willing to serve as tools for an alien invader so long as it fulfills their radical agenda.
His removal is recommended sooner than later.
Chief Responder Daisy Fox – The Special Response Division: The leader of the Special Response Division is an interesting choice, all things considered. She's had a very sporadic career, holding degrees in psychology, filmmaking, art, and writing. She has worked as an archeologist, with fortune tellers, for the CIA, and as an astrologist. She appears to have always had a fascination with the unknown and dangerous.
She is notably intelligent, and was one of the few individuals to be appraised of our incursion along with XCOM and other top government officials, and tasked with finding a means of communication – or to determine our threat level. Both proved elusive, and eventually she was moved to work with a specialized think tank to present solutions to protect Humanity.
What happened is not something we discovered the specifics of, but she reportedly was responsible for putting together a high-level list of detailed contingencies to supposedly ensure the survival of the United States in nearly any circumstance. ADVENT has reportedly taken significant inspiration from her work.
As a result, putting her in charge of what is a division solely devoted to act as a contingency plan for ADVENT is not far-fetched as it may appear. She is still not a known entity within ADVENT, and is solely focused on managing the division. With it becoming more public, we expect her to show herself more. She should be watched solely for her position, but it's likely that her greatest contributions to ADVENT have already been made.
SPECIAL RESPONSE DIVISION
PSIONIC RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
CONDENSED REPORT SUMMARY
Test Series: PSIHUM0921
Test Topic: Mental Durability and Psionic Detection
Subjects Utilized: 30
Casualties: 6 (Terminated after test complete due to biological failures)
SOUND TESTS: This test explored the utilization of sonic weaponry against psions to determine potential usefulness as anti-psionic weaponry. Four test subjects were utilized, each determined to specialize in a different psionic discipline. After Manchurian Restraints were confirmed to be stable, testing began. There were two kinds of sonic tools used – rifles developed as a result of the Atlantis Project, and high-powered sonic turrets. There are three settings to the turrets. Sonic rifles used the highest setting in all tests.
Dynamo: Subject was instructed to destroy a target while being assaulted with sonic weaponry. Usage of the sonic rifle resulted in noticeable discomfort, but did not significantly affect capabilities. Setting 1 of the sonic turret was enough to cause serious disruption, Setting 2 was enough to negate the psion entirely and was forced to move to attempt to destroy the target. This proved impossible when the turret followed the subject and continued firing.
Aegii: Similar to the first subject, the Aegii subject demonstrated no significant loss in control when the sonic rifle was used. Setting 1 of the sonic turret forced the subject to instead manifest a psionic shield around himself, which seemed to assist in mitigating the worst of the sonic blasts. Setting 2 elicited more dedication to this personal shield, while Setting 3 was powerful enough to force complete insulation, while providing noticeable discomfort for the subject. The subsonic vibrations were enough to rupture the eardrums of the subject and he eventually collapsed into unconsciousness with significant brain damage. Aegii are noted as being most resistant to this method of attack.
Telekinesis: The outcome of this test was similar to the first one, as the subject showed mild discomfort from the rifle, but upon Setting 1 of the turret being utilized, he was immediately distracted and his concentration lessened. Setting 2 negated his capabilities completely.
Telepathy: As this test demonstrates, telepaths appear to be the most vulnerable to psionic weaponry. Even sonic rifles were enough to prevent even a simple telepathic attack on other test subjects, while Setting 1 was enough to overwhelm the psion and in this case knock him out completely. A debrief afterwards with the subject revealed that the sonic weapon was 'loud' enough to drown out the minds it normally could access. Highly promising.
Conclusion: Sonic weaponry holds promise against psions – particularly Sectoids and untrained psions. This test appears to provide strong evidence for effectiveness; future tests will need to determine effectiveness against trained psions and psions wearing combat gear and specialized equipment. Research project is prioritized.
MENTAL DURABILITY TESTS: A theory that has not been tested is if psions have an innate mental durability due to their power, or if it has nothing to do with one's connection to the psionosphere. Furthermore, it was theorized if psions of different disciplines have firmer discipline compared to others. This series of tests had two groups. Non-psions who were subjected to the same tests, and the psions themselves. For this particular test we did not differentiate between different disciplines. Future tests will further refine information gathered.
Sleep Deprivation: Subjects were given a series of numbers to recite and were required to repeat the series whenever prompted by an officer. They were intentionally kept awake through a variety of methods including loud noises/music, water, electrical shocks, and physical intervention. After twenty-four hours subjects were questioned. Each one was able to successfully repeat the series.
This was repeated every twelve hours, with more intense iterations of the stated methods. At seventy-two hours both subjects were unable to form coherent sentences and failed to repeat the series. Throughout the experiment neither subject demonstrated a firmer resolve or mental focus than the other.
Interrogation: Prior to this test beginning, both subjects were informed that if they could outlast the other, they would be unconditionally released from the Experimentation Labs with a clean public slate. In order not to release convicted killers, we took care to select subjects which had done less-violent actions, and selected one who had released classified documents to the media, and another who attempted to sell information to the SAS.
This was done to provide incentive to cooperate without forcing Manchurian programming to restrain themselves, which would have defeated the entire purpose. Both individuals were told a specific piece of information and were instructed to not, under any circumstances, tell their interrogator what it was. The test began.
The interrogators were instructed to utilize whatever methods they thought would be most effective. Both subjects were chosen due to their identified vulnerability to pain, and both interrogators were instructed to lean towards those methods, though not specifically commanded to. Both identified pain as a pressure point, and began utilizing it effectively.
It was the non-psion that broke first, though the psion gave up information only fifteen minutes afterwards. While in this instance the psion showed greater mental fortitude, it was not significantly longer than the non-psion. The individual was released back into ADVENT with her memory of her time in the Labs wiped completely, though aware she had been involved.
Elemental Control: For this test both subjects were ordered to endure six hours without losing consciousness, and were placed into cubicles which altered between elemental extremes. Both were dressed appropriately, and the cubicle temperature was lowered to below freezing and kept there for two hours before it shifted to over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, before in the final hour moving back below freezing.
In this instance it was the psion who lost consciousness first, and in fact the other subject endured the entire six hours.
Conclusion: The premise that psions are inherently more mentally strong appear to be dubious at best. In one instance neither subject succeeded, and in the other two tests a psion and non-psion proved to be mentally stronger. Several more refined tests may be conducted to confirm this, but it does not appear that there is a significant link between the two. In short, assuming that psions are more mentally stable or stronger is a mistake, and ADVENT should not fall into this specific fallacy.
PSIONIC DETECTION TESTS: One of the more benign tests conducted was to determine if there is a reliable way to determine if an individual has been affected by a psion. A test subject has his memories altered by a psion, and another psion was tasked to determine first if the subject had their memories altered.
She was presented with two test subjects, both of whom did not know if they had been tampered with. One had been, the other had not. The psion correctly deduced the correct one that had been altered. Two more subjects were presented and she was tasked with the same question. She failed to correctly identify the correct individual this time. A third pair were brought before her, and she was once again able to correctly identify the tampered test subject.
This was repeated a few times more, with some pairs having both been tampered with, and some where neither had been. In approximately 72% of the tests, she was able to correctly determine if a subject had been tampered with or not. After a rest of several days, this same test was repeated, and instead of just identifying if a subject had been tampered with, she also had to say what had been tampered with. It could be a memory, personality trait, or something intentionally hidden in the mind for another to find.
While in this test she maintained her consistency in identifying if subjects had been tampered with, raising it to 75%, she was far less successful in determining what had been tampered. In only 31% of all identified subjects did she identify the correct issue, and afterwards she admitted that a large percentage of those were logical guesses.
In short, based on her own report, it is possible to identify if someone has been tampered with, but it is far more difficult to determine what was tampered in their mind. This is something to explore further, and exists as an excellent starting point to investigate.
BEHAVIOR ALTERATION TESTS: This test consisted of two parts, the first being to what extent psionics could be used to alter the behavior of others, and if psionic awakening resulted in altered behaviors of psions. For the first part of the test, a psion was given access to a test subject in a simulated environment who was unwittingly exposed to the psion.
Over the course of a week the subject demonstrated a completely different personality to what he had exhibited before, and to further drive the malleability home, the psion managed to largely revert the subject back to the personality he had exhibited before, though not with complete perfection. This appears to confirm without a doubt that personalities can be drastically altered by psionics – but are extremely noticeable if not done with any subtlety.
The second test had a more difficult question to answer, and the results are still ongoing as this has been designated as a long-term experiment. An individual was psionically awakened and placed into a simulated environment with monitors at all times. The intent is to determine if the power psionics provides (his previous memories were wiped and supplemented with false ones, and is under the impression that his abilities are a secret) will change an individual for the better or worse, depending on their disposition, or if it will change them at all.
Currently, the subject has not exhibited radical personality changes, though is notably fascinated by his capabilities, and is trying to master them as best he can. We will continue to monitor this subject, and start several similar ones to provide a greater testing pool. He has demonstrated notable restraint, and that is something to consider for future tests.
Different simulations may yield different results. This question is not likely to be even adequately answered for years, but until that point, we will do what we can.