DELPHI

First seen in "Lunch Hour In Lawndale," DELPHI is a covert United States organization that acts as the aegis for several programs within the U.S. Government and the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus. The primary focus of DELPHI appears to be the collection of information from any and all known sources, the examination of such information to assess any possible threat to United States interests and the creation of any necessary countermeasures to those threats, primarily through the use of technology and 'specialized human assets'.

Named after the site of the fabled Oracle in Greco-Roman mythology, the agency's motto is, Forewarned is forearmed, or Praemonitus, praemunitus in Latin.

There are several programs and agencies involved with DELPHI. Known operations and agencies beneath the DELPHI aegis include:


 * DELPHI Secretariat. The administrative arm of DELPHI.


 * D.O.M.A.: The Department of Magical Affairs. Actually considered separate from the rest of DELPHI operations, D.O.M.A. is responsible for action as a liaison agency with what is known as 'the Wizarding World', as well as enforcing all laws applicable to U.S. citizens who fall into that category. D.O.M.A. has several branches, foremost of which is the 'Bureau of Spell Registry' (also known as the 'First Registry' in public.) 'First Registry' Special Agents are, for purposes of departmental stratification, listed and considered as FBI Special Agents; they identify themselves with the designation 'FBI - First Registry.' Under special circumstances, D.O.M.A. falls under the direct jurisdiction of P.O.G.O. command.


 * P.O.G.O.: Arguably the most well-known of the organizations aligned with DELPHI. Short for Paranormal Oriented Global Operations, P.O.G.O. teams are six- to fifteen-man special units that are deployed around the globe as needed, with the primary focus being on discrete, extended-duration reconnaissance missions in hostile areas (The flexible nature of the terms 'discrete', 'extended-duration' and 'hostile areas' has ruffled the feathers of some friendly intelligence agencies that have stumbled upon their operations, as P.O.G.O. tactics, in some theaters of operation, are nearly identical to running intelligence networks.) All P.O.G.O. troopers are equipped with advanced mil-spec tactical, surveillance and communications gear, and most (over 75%) have metahuman abilities. Unlike any other facet of DELPHI, P.O.G.O. has the authority to immediately acquire (for limited durations and under special circumstances) resources and personnel from any other organization for the use of the P.O.G.O. teams. The motto of the P.O.G.O. teams is 'We observe and strike in silence'.


 * Project Fast Forward: The research and development arm of DELPHI, located in Niagara Falls, New York.


 * Project Nightbreed: An ultra-secret, code-word access only program within Project Fast Forward dedicated to locating and/or creating, and the active deployment (within various government and military groups) of specialized enhanced humans or metahumans specifically designed for small-unit combat operations. ‘Project Nightbreed’ was begun in 1918 (and brought under the aegis of ‘Project Fast Forward’ in the late 1970’s) after special interests in the post WWI U.S. military decided to pursue the concept of extraordinary abilities in soldiers as a force-multiplier.

To date, Project Nightbreed has located four individuals with the abilities considered suitable for them to be ‘adapted’ so that their abilities could be duplicated in others; the project has specifically identified metahumans with vampiric- or pseudo-vampiric abilities as the most suitable for enhanced small-unit tactics. The transformation is performed with the use of a mutagenic known as the 'Nightbreed solution'. Roughly 3% of those exposed to the Nightbreed solution have an immediate allergic reaction which results in massive seizures, extremely high body temperatures, coma and death within 24 hours. (Persons of Asian descent, primarily females, are the most susceptible to an allergic reaction from a high-level exposure.) The victim can be saved if the solution is removed from their body by a special solution known simply as 'flush'.

Nightbreed are divided into five classes:


 * Alpha - metahumans born with their abilities who have undergone special gene-therapy to produce the Nightbreed solution in their bodies. Kyle Armalin is the last of the four known Alpha Nightbreed.
 * Beta - receive their abilities through blood transfusions or 'mixing' of blood and the Nightbreed activation solution. Betas are generally not subject to any psychological inhibitions on their abilities that Alphas possess. Considered the most powerful of the Nightbreed. Transformation to Beta class is referred to as 'being sired.' Franklin Davers is a Beta Nightbreed.
 * Gamma - receive their abilities through the Nightbreed solution. Their power levels are typically far less than those of Alphas or Betas, and are limited to physical enhancements of ten to twenty times their pre-boost state. Unlike Alphas or Betas, Gamma Nightbreed cannot produce the Nightbreed solution in their own bodies. Transformation to Gamma class is referred to as 'being turned'. The majority of Nightbreed operating at present (at least 90%) are Gamma Nightbreed.
 * Delta - individuals who have developed trace amounts of the Nightbreed solution in their bodies due to long-term intimate contact with Nightbreed. They do not develop powers, but have a vastly increased resistance to disease, a higher rate of healing, and are less likely to develop negative medical conditions as they age. Most Delta Nightbreed are unaware of their status. Erin Danielson-Chambers is an example of a possible Delta Nightbreed.
 * Omega - individuals who already have metahuman abilities, or the potential for them, and have been exposed to the Nightbreed solution. These individuals usually possess some of the typical Nightbreed abilities, but are usually an intermix of Nightbreed and the original abilities. It is unknown (at present) if Omegas can pass along their powers. Stacy Rowe of the Legion of Lawndale Heroes is an example of an Omega Nightbreed.


 * SABRE: A select group of U.S. military personnel, taken from all seven branches of the military; unlike the P.O.G.O. teams, SABRE forces are tasked and trained for strategic military response.  Short for Special Activities Battalion/Response/Extranormal. One of the first SABRE units created is the Exterminators, which is commanded by Brigadier General Franklin Davers and composed of rescued survivors from a Mantoid slaver vessel (following the events of "Behind Enemy Lines").


 * Special Assignments Division: Essentially a real-life version of the Impossible Missions Force. Operatives are given specific assignments considered of vital and immediate importance to DELPHI. Mistaken at first for a special-response section of the United Nations Secretariat, the Special Assignments Division was first mentioned in "The Sun Will Come Out, Tomorrow."


 * Special Assignments Oversight Committee (U.S. Department of Defense): The organization's command section and its dedicated administrative/support group.

Known DELPHI operatives and persons associated with the organization include:


 * Kyle Armalin
 * Robert Bakeson
 * Lynn Cullen
 * Franklin Davers
 * Anita Isakson
 * AP McIntyre
 * Hanley Phillips
 * Paula Trainor
 * Max Tyler