So allow us to begin by answering some basic questions.
Firstly, the supernatural, extraterrestrial, and divine do exist. This is clearly illustrated and will be explored further by the team in the future.
Secondly, behind the facade of modern society, the supernatural and the government battle constantly for control. Bureau 13, its sister organizations, and other conspiratorial groups (including the Masons and the Illuminati) struggle constantly with the elaborate societies of the vampires, the werewolves, the mages, the occult, and aliens. This fight has existed since the birth of Man and will continue until the government finds a “Final Solution” or the paranormal topple the mundane power centers.
It is because of this perpetual battle that the Bureau of Enforcement plan had been developed. During one of the conservative tides, the government of the United States had cleverly cracked down on the occult, exposing the darker side of it to the moralistic public.
The mundane American populace had reacted with disgust toward the gruesome sacrifices and rituals. The popular senator Francis Tarkin-Varkin (who had recently donated a huge sum of money the religious organization Opus Dei and was himself a prominent member of a certain NWO organization) suggested that the government form the Occult Tracking Conglomerate to arrest all supporters of the occult. The massive success of this arm of the government led to another suggestion.
Tarkin-Varkin proposed that the government create a group of agencies similar to the Occult Tracking Conglomerate that enforced certain laws across the nation. The public agreed without much opposition.
Thus came into existence the Bureau of Enforcement project. This program set up several 'Bureaus of Enforcement' to assist the local and federal government in enforcing law and order everywhere. Each individual agency specialized in certain areas of the law except for the most powerful one: The Bureau of Enforcement: General (commonly called “BEG;” no, it’s not connected to Bureau 13 in any way). With the BEG and its sister agencies, the government was able to create a massive strike force to fight the malignant parts of the supernatural (Bureau 13, which already did this, was finally allowed to take a break). Anybody that opposed the BEG was labeled a “revolutionary” and was imprisoned.
But perhaps the biggest flaw was that the agents themselves were never told anything about the supernatural. The BEG left them in the dark “for their mental well-being.” Ironicaly, this caused many cases of insanity and a high turnover rate.
This massive organization was divided into “Teams” that each covered a certain state or area (similar to the FBI). Agents in each area were allowed to enforce all laws in their region without question. Each agent was given standardized gear, taught at one of the many Agent Training Academies across the nation, and made to wear a uniform (the uniform was, of course, a black suit and tie; this agency was often called the “Men in Black” Bureau because of the outfit).
At the academies scattered throughout the United States, the agents were taught not only combat, interrogation, combat, investigation, combat, and other law-enforcement/military skills, but they are given a sort of bio-augmentation. Their muscles are exposed to extreme stress provided by cellular bombardment while agents sleep. The muscles reacted accordingly by tearing and rebuilding. They did this so much that they became as hard as rocks. This allowed an agent’s body to become somewhat like self-contained body armor. As long as an agent exercised regularly, they could maintain this toughness. This explains the toughness of the members of Team 13 and the rest of the agency.
But how does BEG have anything to do with Team 13? Simple. Team 13 is (or rather, was) a standard Team of BEG agents.
Although no one ever refers to the agency by name in the series of adventures, Team 13 did in fact work for it. So did Agent Marrari, Agent Deeter, and every hostage agent mentioned in that Chicago adventure.
Of course, the conservative tide in which the Bureau of Enforcement program was formed has lost much of its momentum. Recently, muckrakers have been pointing out certain “unconstitutional” programs that the agencies were conducting. Examples of these less-than-legal programs include the Yearly Ousting of Underworld Revolutionaries (a massive deportation purge), the Purposeful Arrest of Revolutionary Delinquents and Outlaw Nardo-wells (a huge apprehension purge), and the Serious Imprisonment of Revolutionaries (a large jailing purge). The populace began to see that they had created a near-totalitarian state.
The public’s discontent culminated in the Chicago Riots situation. BEG’s handling of the situation was rash, and thousands of civilians were killed. This resulted in the shutting down of BEG’s YOUR, PARDON, and SIR programs. It also greatly reduced the astonishing jurisdiction of BEG. However, this did little to quell the public’s outrage. Something more had to be done about BEG. It needed to be shut down entirely to stop a massive revolution.
The supernatural and BEG were not the only differences, however. The population of the United Sates is drastically higher. About a billion or so people live in Team 13's United States.
This population increase caused cities to be much bigger (Milwaukee, for example, boasts nearly two million people centrally as opposed to the real-world population of six hundred thousand). The population boom has created much urban fill in between cities, forming massive megalopolises. Examples of these near-infinite cities are the Milwaukee-Chicago area, the New-York-DC area, and the Los Angeles-San Fransico area.
The large population also allowed several megacorporations and supersects to come about.
One megacorp is mentioned throughout the series of adventures. Ensuringcare©, a massive insurance corporation owned by none other than Senator Tarkin-Varkin, erected hundred-story skyscrapers in every city with over a million people. One of these towers was stormed by terrorists during the Chicago riots, and all Bureau 13 agents are insured by this corporation.
A prominent supersect attempts to combat the supernatural with ultraconservatism. Opus Dei, having gained millions of followers in the US alone, surprised many with its secret aspiration to eliminate all threats to its preeminence. Now, secret orders like the Majestic 12 try to manipulate and use Opus Dei’s massive pull.
Another supersect promotes acceptance of all forms of life and utter tolerance. The Taoist/Buddhist movement known as Paclealct has attracted millions of followers worldwide and wishes to promote piety, self-sacrifice, peace, and tolerance. But this religion wasn't founded by forces of the light.
Between the government, the supernatural, the conspiracies, the revolutionaries, the corporations, and the religions, the world in which Team 13 resides is a place of extremes.
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