Section 26
Section 26 or Defense Department Section 26, is a division of the Defense Department tasked with identifying, evaluating, assisting, and securing Different individuals. The Department was first created in 1963, it was named Section 26 in order to obfuscate it's role when appearing on budgetary line item reports. The name remained even after the Department became public following the revelation of Operation BlueHawk in 1965 . Through the 1960's and 70's, Section 26 worked primarily to monitor the United States populace for the appearance of Different individuals. When a possible Different was identified, Section 26 agents would contact the individual and work with that individual to evaluate and control their Differentiation. Section 26 agents would also evaluate the individual for possible use by the Defense Department. These meetings were largely held on a voluntary basis. The majority of Different individuals were confused and frightened by their abilities, and they were happy to receive any support.
With the onset and worsening of The Plagues, the role and size of Section 26 increased dramatically. The Department was tasked with tracking the terrorist Cabot in 1982. It was also granted broad powers to evaluate and detain suspected Different individuals, through a series of Executive and administrative orders, and emergency powers grants by Congress that same year. These powers were permanently codified into law with the passage of the Different Acts of 1986. That act provided Section 26 with the power, resources, and directive to evaluate and catalog all Different individuals. Any individual with reason to suspect that they might be a Different, was required to turn themselves in to Section 26 evaluation centers that were created in the newly formed Metro Areas. Failure to do so constituted a breach of federal law, punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
The Different Acts of 1996 further increased the size and scope of Section 26. It created a sub-division of Section 26 called the Office of Exceptional Cases or the OEC. The OEC is the only organization, both private and public, in the United States allowed to employ Differents in a law enforcement capacity. This allowance was made so that the OEC would have the resources necessary to engage Different individuals who posed a threat to the nation. The Acts also made the employment of Different individuals illegal by all private corporations besides Ultracorps. Section 26 was responsible for working with Ultracorps to evaluate Differents for employment possibilities and to ensure that the Different individual would be deployed in a safe fashion.
Amendment 12 to the Defense Spending Authorization Bill of 1999 charged Section 26 with the creation and management of the facility Great Basin prison. The complex was built away from population centers, so criminal and unstable Differents could be imprisoned and housed, while minimizing the risk to themselves and others, and while suppressing their abilities.
The Different Acts of 2005 made the GIS scan to determine if an individual was a Different, mandatory for the entire U.S. population. Section 26 was tasked with administering the exams. In addition, the Acts charged Section 26 with the housing and care of individuals who tested positive on the GIS exam but had not yet Differentiated. Section 26 created a series of housing/teaching institutions where young individuals who had tested positive on the GIS, could be housed, evaluated, and trained, while minimizing the danger to the populace. Further steps were taken to fortify the Section 26 facilities following the devastation of the Minneapolis Metro Area caused by the Different Danny Libdo while under Section 26 care.
