P.S.I. – PARAPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES INSITUTE
HISTORY
More than twenty years ago, Dr. Sebastian Poe established a research facility for the study of the unique mutations categorized as super-powers (referred to as metahuman powers after the discovery of the metagene). The facility was named the "Parapsychological Studies Institute", or P.S.I. for short. Finding volunteers for his research was initially difficult, but the Dr. Poe hit upon the idea of recruiting children who were showing signs of psionic and psychokinetic powers. Poe convinced the childrens' parents to enroll their children at his facility by promising to provide tutors to provide the children with the best education while also allowing them to understand and control their new powers.
Because of Dr. Poe's research methods, which were often painful and pushed the test subjects to the point of exhaustion, the institute's financial supporters began to pull out. In need of alternate means of funding P.S.I., Dr. Poe approached Chicago's notorious crime families to back his research. P.S.I. became more and more entangled with the vicious criminals until finally they began to control Poe and the Institute. For his part, Dr. Poe saw what was happening as an acceptable means to an end. He kept the source of the new funding secret from most of the researchers, outside of a few he felt he could trust. Anyone who discovered the truth, or who voiced opposition to the more ethically dubious experiments, tended to disappear or fall ill with a mysterious ailment that left them comatose.
Finally, a decade ago Dr. Poe made the breakthrough he had been striving for, a means to artificially induce metahuman powers, specifically ones categorized under the broad heading of psychic abilities. Poe used himself as the first test subject, and within 48 hours he began to develop mild empathic and telekinetic powers. Poe then used the procedure on his wife, Madeline, and she developed what would eventually become powerful psionic abilities. Realizing that he and his wife were genetically pre-disposed to psionic mutation, Dr. Poe theorized their offspring may have even greater potential. Without his wife's consent, Dr. Poe performed the procedure on his son, Simon, who immediately to the treatment and developed powerful abilities.
Poe began using the procedure on individuals with existing powers and those who showed a genetic potential. Through this means Poe created several powerful psionics and psychokinetics and, with them backing him, Poe was able to sever all ties with the Chicago mob, a move culminating in the death of crime bosses he had been indebted to. The underworld leaders were found slaughtered in an underground parking garage, the coroner determining that their brain tissue had been scorched and melted.
With his independence assured, Poe redoubled his research efforts. Needing to focus on his experiments, Dr. Poe hired a personal assistant, Nicholas Drake, to help run the institute. He also hired a security manager to organize and maintain PSI's corporate protection. The institute began hiring top scientists and within a few years, at least on the surface, P.S.I. became known globally as a leader in psionic research while in secret it was also a powerful criminal organization. With things seemingly operating smoothly, Dr. Poe turned his attention to his most daring endeavor yet.
Some five years after his initial breakthrough, Dr. Poe began begins a major experiment, code named Project: Trinity, to induce psionic mutations in normal humans. Most of his test subjects were unwilling "volunteers" who were lured to the institute with promises of shelter or help with some problem. Over the next couple of years most of the test subjects had died or been driven insane, but a handful showed signs of developing psionic abilities. The results impressed another researcher and sometime colleague of Dr. Poe, Dr. Shiro Uchida, to use similar techniques on his daughter Kyoko. Uchida had previously used other techniques to enhance the child's neural pathways, techniques developed for P.S.I.'s earlier efforts; something his wife had vehemently opposed, leading her to become one of the first victims of the mysterious coma-inducing ailment that plagued so many opponents to Dr. Poe.
Of the Project: Trinity subjects there were two groups of four that were proving to be the most successful. These were the test groups code named Delta and Epsilon. The Project: Trinity experiment ended when there was a massive explosion of psionic energy that destroyed the lab and apparently killed all the test subjects. In reality the explosion was caused by the Epsilon group, who had developed powers far greater than Dr. Poe had suspected and had used those powers to escape and flee. The Epsilon subjects, now referring to themselves as the Scions, went into hiding to continue developing their abilities. At least two Delta test subjects are also known to have survived, though both suffered amnesia. Both ran and adopted new identities and more recently have, independent of one another, started using their powers to help others in heroic secret identities as Nightmare and Psiren.
Despite the setback of the apparent failure of Project: Trinity, the Institute became known globally as a leader in psionic research. In partnership with the government, they also maintained a facility for incarcerating and studying psionic-powered villains; one of their more notable prisoners being the psionic entity called Mindshadow. The Institute also had a strong presence in the criminal underworld and P.S.I.'s criminal activities covered a wide spectrum, including the control of part of Chicago's organized crime activity, scouting potential recruits, robberies to help finance the Institute, and using several of the powered members as mercenaries for hire (handling industrial espionage, terrorism, and even assassinations for the right price.)
Behind the scenes, things were not as smooth as Dr. Poe would believe. Drake had slowly been consolidating power, going so far as to seduce Poe's wife Madeline and form an alliance with her and her son, Simon against Poe. Drake learned of the possibility that Nightmare was one of the Delta subjects and saw an opportunity to get rid of Dr. Poe. Drake dispatched a team to grab Nightmare (who was in hospital at the time under his new civilian identity of Paul Maxwell), but secretly arranged for the retrieval mission to be sabotaged.
Maxwell was successfully captured, but one of the P.S.I. agents was left behind. One of Maxwell's friends was none other than Alicia (Kyoko) Uchida, and she was also a member of the heroic Enforcers of Justice as the hero Orchid. She and her teammates tracked the P.S.I. agents to the Institute in Chicago. In the meantime Drake had deliberately ensured that the P.S.I. operatives loyal to him were off-site, including Madeline and Simon who had also been secretly moving much of P.S.I.'s black funds to other offshore bank accounts under their control. Unknown to Drake, however, was the fact that the Scions had been continually monitoring P.S.I. since their departure two years earlier and had their own plans.
Orchid attempted to infiltrate the Institute in her secret identity, unaware of her and her father's previous history there. She was recognized, placed under surveillance, and prevented from locating Maxwell. The rest of the Enforcers staked out the Institute, but were reluctant to act without firm evidence. The decision was made for them when Maxwell tried to use his powers to free himself, triggering an incident that gave the Enforcers reason to step in, where they were confronted by Institute security and by P.S.I.'s costumed agents, leading to a pitched battle. Inside, Orchid was able to evade the surveillance and change into costume. She was able to join up with Maxwell, who had managed to free himself, and together they found the secret lab facilities where Poe was conducting his illegal experiments.
It was at this point that the Scions made their move. They made mental contact with Drake and took control of him. At the same time they mentally contacted Orchid and Nightmare and revealed the pair's respective histories with P.S.I. and Project: Trinity. This included revealing to Orchid that her comatose mother, whom she had believed to be dead, was in reality being held there at the Institute. The Scions, having identified Nightmare are one of the Delta subjects, tried to persuade him to join them and to reveal the name and locatio n of the other Delta subject he had become aware of. Maxwell refused to join them and was able to keep them from learning anything about Psiren. The Scions broke off contact and Orchid and Nightmare joined with the rest of the Enforcers.
The P.S.I. agents were eventually defeated and they were taken into custody, as were Dr. Poe and many of the other Institute staff; though it was discovered that Drake, Madeline, Simon, and several other key members of the Institute were not present and had escaped or evaded being captured. It was also discovered that during the commotion the prisoner Mindshadow had managed to escape. With the revelation of the illegal experiments and criminal activities being conducted there the government took control and shut down the Parapsychological Studies Institute for good.
The story of PSI did not end there, however. Drake, still secretly being controlled by the Scions, was reunited with Madeline, Simon, and the other operatives who had not been captured. They have gone underground, rebuilding until they are ready to emerge again as a potent force in the criminal underworld. Of course the Scions have plans of their own for the organization and plan to use their control of Drake to make sure things go the way they need them to.
PERSONNEL
These were the key players in the P.S.I. organization:
Dr. Sebastian Poe
Dr. Poe is the scientific genius behind the institute. He has mild empathic and telepathic powers as a result of experimentation he performed on himself. Due to his single-minded obsession with research he left the day-to-day running of the institute to Nicholas Drake. Poe was completely oblivious to Drake's efforts to get rid of him and take over PSI for himself, and is currently incarcerated after the Enforcers of Justice exposed his and the Institute's activities.
Nicholas Drake
Drake was hired by Sebastian Poe to help run the Institute after it broke from the control of the Chicago mob. As Dr. Poe devoted more and more time to research Drake was given more control over the running of PSI. Seeking to remove Poe from the picture entirely, Drake seduced Poe's wife and formed an alliance with their son Simon. His plan involved leaving clues for the authorities that would implicate Poe in the institute's darker activities. Drake is secretly hiding equipment and sending key personnel on missions so they wouldn't be caught when the authorities finally came after Poe and PSI. Drake made sure to be far away from Chicago when that finally happened. Unfortunately for Drake, he has fallen under the control of a group more powerful and cunning than he could ever hope to be.
Simon Poe (aka Psymon)
Simon is the only son of PSI founder Sebastian Poe and his wife Madeline. Simon was a classic brat and became more malevolent as he grew older. When Simon was 26 his father used an experimental procedure on him to granted Simon powerful psionic abilities. Simon was given a position of authority in the PSI organization, which he still holds today. Nicholas Drake knew he couldn't take over PSI without Psymon's help and used his influence over Simon's mother to recruit him. Psymon and his mother are now working with Drake to rebuild the organization, unaware that Drake is secretly under the control of the Scions.
Madeline Poe (aka Mother Medusa)
Sebastian Poe's experiments granted his wife, Madeline, powerful mental abilities. She relished the power her position grants her, but was angry with her husband for putting his research before her and for experimenting on their son without telling her. She had been having an affair with Nicholas Drake for several years and is supported him in his effort to take control of PSI from her husband. Now that Drake's plan has apparently succeeded she and her son are helping rebuild the organization.
