Date: 12/3/2012 (updated 1/30/13) (updated 10/22/13)
Name: The Guard
Founded: Unknown 1/30/13: est. 1970s 10/22/13: est. 1980s
Age: Unknown 1/30/13: est. minimum 30 years, maximum 50 years 10/22/13: est. 25-30 years
Place of Examination: Data compiled at Chandler/Hammett Investigations offices
Classification: Troubled cult
Observations: Though we have no direct observational evidence as to the structure and hierarchy of the group which calls itself the Guard, the indirect data available at this time merits a closer look at the attitudes and stated goals of the group. All members of the group wear the maze tattoo or a variant thereof, usually but not always on the inside upper left forearm. It is believed that while all members of the Guard have the tattoo, not all who wear the tattoo are members of the Guard, as we lack clear evidence to support the latter. (Subject PT-TR-#### may be considered an exception rather than a mark against, as he was deliberately attempting to gain membership in order to further his knowledge about the group, a member of whom was believed to have abducted Audrey Parker and killed multiple victims.) As far as known members, we have Jordan McKee (see file TR-BD-####), along with several unnamed members, all male. Max Hansen, the biological father of subject PT-TR-####, is known to have worn the Guard's tattoo, though his position within the group after over two decades in prison will never be known due to his death. Additionally, many members of the Glendower family wear the tattoo, though their Trouble prevents them from easily taking part in any meetings or discussions regarding the order of the Guard.
All known members have histories of deception, betrayal, and violence, both done to them and perpetrated by them on others. While it can be argued that Haven itself breeds such things due to the most common instinctive response to the Troubles, the members of the Guard have a particular bent for keeping secrets in the spirit of knowing what is best for others; they have adopted a confrontational us-versus-them mentality and honed it to a fine art. Due to this predilection, we have no firm data on the internal workings of the group, but we may make several surmises. First of all, the name itself indicates that they encourage all members to think of themselves as protectors and protected. They are important, even special, and this helps insulate them against the rest of the world. Secondly, with every member of the Guard being Troubled, we may assume that the internal workings are complex and nuanced, relying perhaps on an honor system as far as using Troubles on each other goes. These rules are undoubtedly unwritten, probably unspoken, and used to establish a hierarchy based on seniority in the organization and/or familiarity with the greatest number of rules. (Though these two things often coincide, they may not always; precocious newcomers who are capable of social engineering may find themselves targeted by the leadership either for advancement in one or another faction of The Guard or for providing a warning to others.) Third, we know they want to see an end to the Troubles, and the only way they know to do that is accomplished when subject IN-#### enters the barn. They are content to, in essence, hit the snooze button on the Troubles rather than look for a long term solution; this may be deliberate on the part of the leadership which fears losing control or it may be that they truly know of no other way. Regardless, this rationale leads to a long period of relative inactivity followed by several months of frantic attempts to bring subject IN-#### and the barn together. This likely forces all members to run themselves to the point of exhaustion, and perpetuates an atmosphere of alternate lethargy/lassitude and frenetic, unthinking energy, preventing them from considering other aspects of or finding better solutions to the Troubles. It also seems plausible, based on limited data from IN-####'s prior incarnations, that the duration of her stay in Haven varies widely. This, then, leads to a lack of certainty as to when the Troubles will lift each cycle. Combining all of these together, we have the perfect alignment for an abusive, self-perpetuating system that few members escape from.
We know that one member did escape, within the current cycle, though subject WR-#### has not removed the large tattoo on his upper back. As it is easily concealed, it seems likeliest that he lacks the funds to do so or prefers a physical reminder that the Guard is now in his past. An alternate possibility is that he wishes to retain some marginal ties to the group without being beholden to them; since he appears to be on barely civil terms with subject TR-BD-#### this is on the outer edge of possibilities but must be noted regardless. Subject WR-#### has also been noted on multiple occasions removing Troubled individuals and their family members from Haven, contrary to the Guard's apparent goals of bringing all Troubled individuals to Haven. Furthermore, his motives seem driven by the best interests of a Troubled individual and/or their family, rather than the Guard's desire to acquire new members.
Currently, the leadership of the Guard is unknown, though it seems unlikely in the extreme that there is no leadership. I would rate this possibility at no higher than 15%. At least one member designated SR is also highly probable; this may be the openly acknowledged leader or may be the person the leader listens to.
Updated 1/30/13: Leadership confirmed as Vince Teagues, see file TD-BD-#### for details specific to the subject. His second in command, arguably the daily operations manager, is a man named Kirk about whom we currently lack any significant data, though he appears trained in military or militia-style hierarchy. Teagues also appears to have retained WR-####'s services as an asset external to the Guard's hierarchy, probably pursuant to the death of Garland Wuornos. It is unclear at this point in time to what extent Teagues controls the day to day operations of the Guard, though it is clear that whatever control he exerts extends directly to Kirk's loyalties and likely to that of several other members (though notably not to TR-BD-####, who was unaware of his identity until the confrontation at Kick 'Em Jenny Neck). We may, however, safely assert that Teagues is in control of the greater purpose of the Guard, which is to ensure subject IN-####'s departure from Haven via the barn with every cycle.
Updated 10/22/13: Pursuant to the destruction of the artifact known as the Barn and the subsequent increase in Trouble-related crises within Haven, up to and including the restoration of the town post-meteor storm, the Guard appears to have relegated itself largely to day-to-day operations rather than any overarching pursuit of its prior goals. This is despite the reappearance of subjects PT-TR-#### and IN-####. Until her death, subject TR-BD-#### seems to have withheld knowledge of and theories on the workings of the Barn, the Troubles, and her goals regarding Wade Crocker and Audrey Parker/Lexie DeWitt from the rank and file of the organization. Subject TD-BD-#### seems to have stepped down from almost all daily organizational activities, preferencing research and datamining with his brother and Hendrickson. As a result, he has lost much of his original authority and power within the Guard, and with McKee's death there would seem to be a substantial power vacuum within the organization. Who is capable of filling that gap is an open debate at this time, though of the potential candidates subject WR-#### would be most stable and subject TL-BD-#### would be most knowledgeable (and, probably, most dangerously unpredictable). There has been a dramatic increase in willingness to work within the public eye, or at least not to curtail their activities from public view, probably due to many of their current activities being benevolent toward most of the town's residents.
History: A full history of the Guard is as yet unknown. However, the Glendowers are believed to be one of the founding families of Haven; it is a working hypothesis at this point that they also founded the Guard and may in fact be in a position of power during the 27 years the Troubles are inactive. If so, then we may further assume that they were forced to hand leadership during the Troubles over to another family. Likely candidates from Haven's history include the Crockers and the Rasmussens, with a rift occurring somewhere prior to the Sarah Vernon incarnation. Still, this is pure speculation. We do know that the Guard goes back far enough to be aware of what the barn is for, and that they were active in 1983 when Lucy Ripley reportedly refused to enter the barn. It is therefore safe to assume that the latest possible date of their founding is in the 1950s.
Updated 1/30/13: While there may well have been a Guard prior to the version which this profile covers, the Guard in its present form appears to date to sometime between 1956 and 1983. Structured by subject TD-BD-#### in an attempt to prevent Haven's destruction and ensure subject IN-####'s compliance with the necessity of her entering the barn, its mandate expanded at some point to include targeting Troubled individuals for recruitment and relocation both voluntary and involuntary. It is unclear what form this relocation took, though presumably it is decided on an individual basis once a Troubled person's control over and manifestation of their affliction is clear and is done with the Guard's best interests in mind. It is also entirely possible that operations are no longer wholly under TD-BD-####'s control, due to the enormous geographic footprint of the Guard. Further surveillance and datamining in order to determine regional leadership is in order. Finally, we believe that these are the people Lucy Ripley feared were pursuing her when she encountered the original Ripley.
Updated 10/22/13: Pursuant to TD-BD-####'s recent information, we believe that the Guard was founded in response to his activation of Simon Crocker and said subject's subsequent addiction to Troubled blood and violent acts in pursuit of same. This would place their founding between 1981 and 1983, when the Troubles were active and prior to subject IN-#### designation Lucy Ripley's arrival in Haven. If the Guard was formed during that time of crisis, this makes both their current disorganization as a result of insufficiently robust hierarchy understandable as well as their own problems with insufficient data dispersal within the organization. It would furthermore account for the fact that there appear to be so few factions within the group; the power struggle and schism between subjects TR-BD-#### and TD-BD-#### was likely the first major instance of its kind.
Recommended Action: Shift to Peter for datamining, pull Alan and Aisling in for initial surveillance. A & K will take follow-ups.
Recommended Action 1/30/13: Leave Peter on datamining, with particular focus on the 1983 iteration of the Troubles and Lucy Ripley's relations with the brothers Teagues. Alan, Aisling, and Kitty will take over surveillance in rotation until such time as A returns from her surveillance duties for subject IN-####.
Recommended Action 10/22/13: Alan & Aisling and Kitty & Adsartha remain on shift duty with this group, with special attention given to any members capable of holding leadership and the shifting power lines. Though we expect subject TL-BD-#### to assume control of the Guard, it is entirely possible that a new player may enter the picture, and we have every reason to believe this organization could continue to be a powerful force within Haven.
No comments:
Post a Comment