The Company's world status has changes little in the years that have passed. They still reign supreme, fighting a war in the shadows that the public will never, and can never, find out about. Today the Company provides for it's Agents on a Salary basis. This makes allocation of equipment and supplies easier as the Grey Date approaches. All missions are run on a strict budget; a strict and small budget. Ranking is done on a scale of one to five, with five being senior. Actually a sixth rank exists but that is the department head. This ranking is only for equipment purposes; the old agency informalities remain and the most qualified agents still run the show. Agents are trained to provide for themselves, and being relatively resourceful persons, they do quite well. Sometimes this leads to eccentric agents in both dress and living style, but they still get the job done.
Argus has also lowered the status for entry and training as things hit the panic stages. There are nearly twelve hundred active agents now. With nearly four hundred being new agents that are 'sub'-standard. Nearly all the new agents have gone into Combat and Intelligence. These two Departments have cornered the lion's share of missions and details.
Technology is one department, while not growing in numbers, has grown exponentially in influence. Late in 1997 they first developed working augmentative cybernetics, and several agents simultaneously developed cybernetic augment implants. These range from dermal armor, to muscle augments, to wired reflexes, to retina implants. "Geeks" have also made stunning breakthroughs in computing and 'gadget' technology. Napkin computers and 'The Matrix' are also their newest creations.
The Matrix gets a section all it's own. In early 1998 industry conglomerate Microsoft-IBM in conjunction with HP-Raytheon and Lockheed-Northrop-Martin-Grumman introduced the Ultra-Net. This was a plant technology by Dynatronics and Tech. Department. This UNet has grown into every technology imaginable, nearly standardizing protocols and interfaces. While mundanes were limited to 3D icon interface on flat plasma screens, the Techies had developed new brainwave technology and neural interface jacks. With lightning fast computers and neural interface, two new fields were incorporated into the Company. Science took the new field of Rigging, or melding of mind and machine; robots, cars, trucks, and aircraft. Intel of course grabbed the new field of Decking, or netrunning. Decking in neural interface with a virtual computer world representation of data and 1's and 0's. With 2000 upon us, more and more everyday items contain interfaces to allow them to appear on the UNet. Buildings and highways appear on the UNet, as do child day cares and hospitals. Likewise, less and less are net-un-friendly.
The politics of the new millenium are far different from those of early 1998. Jaret Stevens was elected as the new Independent President into the New Century. As a America's first independent in nearly one hundred years he has rampaged onto the American and World political scene. By confronting everything from big business and the environment to international terrorism and organized crime. The young and gregarious new president is loved by much of the American population but has made few friends in the power circles of the influential. Plant Protective Agents inside the US SS are very worried about his security and safety. With terrorism erupting around the globe and new threats coming from small splinter groups and factions from countries that most of the public couldn't find on a map the Company has made a few additions to it's arsenal. All the States Governors are under their thumb now, and the National Guard Armories are now used as storage bases that house extra supplies and armaments. These are open for agents use, and contain some interesting creation by intel ops. The second addition is a retainer of mercenaries that are kept in Brazil and Poland. These are on call for muscle and are drawn from the men world the growing militaries pass over, but are quite competent, suggestible, and very skilled. Usually they are to free willed to work for small nations, and are the pool for most of the combat and Intel ops. These mercs are some of the best paid and provided for in the world. Only some corporate armies are better funded. There are roughly a combined arms battalion at each with helicopter and logistics support, plus VTOL jet aircraft.
Medical technology is one other area that has leaped forward disproportionate to the amount of time that has passed. Dynatronics and the Science Department have kept most of these on their shelves and in their labs for Black Ops, and not released them to the public. But the Black Ops are pretty happy about it. Anybody brought into their labs is nearly assured to live. Having passed through TL8 in but ten years they're now in the border of TL9. Cloning is in the works and all agents have donated tissue, blood, brain, and marrow samples. Methods such as protein vat tanks and even nano medical bots are in now in the labs. New drugs are available for dozens of applications, but they are experimental and there have been some backfires. But drugs like Neurovine and Superstim are proven and trusted but others like Suspend, PainAway, Analgine, Antirad, Ascepaline, and Quickheal are new toys for the agents. Now for protective agents death either occurs instantly or not at all. Agents can look forward to living to be 175 on average if not for Grey Blasters and brainbugs. The rest of the world sits at a even Tech Level Seven, if not worse, depending on location.
Computer Technology is another area where the Company excels, thanks to tech and science ops. Company Technology pushes tech level nine, while the rest of the world is an early tech level eight. Company computers and technology are all compatible with the outside world, and even the rest of the world has standardized to a great degree, much like auto parts and nut and bolts. A brief Synopsis:
Company Technology: Computers and Cyberdecks are on average 10 Ghz. with upwards of 100Gb of ROM and 1 Gb of RAM. Discs are 3" Magneto Optical (shaped like a big 3.5" disc) or 3" DVD holding 5Gb and 30Gb respectively. Monitors, speakers, and keyboards are flat, 1/4" thick. Personal computers are now the size of laptops.
World Technology: Computers are on average 1Ghz. with around 10Gb of ROM and 100MB of RAM. Discs are 120Mb MO discs and 13Gb DVD with some 3.5" magnetic and 4" CD-RW hanging around. Monitors are flat.
UNet: Ultra-Net and computer jacks are everywhere. Most consumer items are set up with IR and radio remote control and jacks to make implementing into homes and business easier. Access to UNet is either by old modems (now up to 248Kbaud) or by T3 or better lines.
The largest change for the Company has been in it's internal politics and working. The agency decentralized after the big mole hunt of '97, as it came to be known. A small group of resourceful and inquisitive agents dug out a series of Grey penetrations of the Company. These moles were hiding behind a contrived new enemy. That race of Anthamorphic Lizardmen were engineered by a group of corporate scientists who worked for a sub group inside Science. Agents Shadow, Sun Set, Gypsy, Paterson, Deacon, and Xerox discovered this after several successful missions. They were the first group to recover a Alien Craft, then the first to recover an operational one, and finally to recover one they could operate. After their successes that even entailed the destruction of two Grey bases, the powers that be were getting worried that the team would uncover their deception. The team was sent on a suicide mission, unfortunately, from the power point of view, it only killed Sunset and Shadow. Their deaths sent the remaining members into a blood thirsty rampage that was lead by Paterson and Xerox. These agents went on to purge the Company of the treacherous and traitorous agents lead by one named Jacques; all the defilers died.
After the housecleaning and reorganizing, the Company still stood but it had been changed. Agents and Teams were decentralized. No longer required to live on Bases agents were given a certain amount of freedom to move among the populace to better get the feel of events. While agents were decentralized, leadership was centralized and streamlined. The Academy had a new building added; a headquarters building. This black steel and glass edifice stood as a reminder of what happens when a shadow organization has too many shadows. Research, production, training, intelligence, and mission planning are now centrally controlled by members of Security and Intelligence for Argus and the Department heads. This improves the Companies effectiveness and overall quality of their operations. With more agents in the field and more teams operating abroad, this enhances command and control. Overall, Agents really enjoy the changes, which in itself improves their effectiveness.
