"The Project" was founded in late 1944 by Professor Trevor Hoffman to combat a new and rising threat which he named 'The Artifact Anomaly'. This was a theory that remained proven only in horror and science fiction writing, that defied all that science knew about the existence of the paranormal and the impact this presence had on the mundane world around them. It was a also a theory that surfaced throughout history as religious hysteria, superstition and was recognized by Nazi Germany during the reign of Hitler.
After its rather costly development the "The Project" attempted to build links to the USAAF however due to the ‘unrealistic’ nature of their research the government refused backing and went so far as to bar the organization from their goals, which would require not only researching priceless artifacts but extracting them from the public as well, a decision that left a very bad taste in the mouths of those that had sunk considerable wealth into the development of the facilities and organization. It was then that the chair holders made a decision and the group sunk below the radars of legal research. The "The Project" became a private organization, receiving cash and other forms of untraceable funds from several major ‘shadow’ sources and more than a few false charities.
It was not until the 1950’s when the organization began to truly take shape into the massive and shady network that it is today. While a research member was scanning news articles for any possible Artifact activity she stumbled upon rumors of a supposed psychic in Egypt who had attempted to steal an artifact earlier that year. After some research the agent uncovered the facts. The criminal’s extraction had been flawless, only foiled due to a few minor miscalculations. It was this theory that began the process that would ultimately come to reshape The Project and would spin the scientific minds of the organization into an all new direction. Using the paranormal abilities of gifted minds to not only extract artifacts, but to track then as well was an idea that rang success through the minds of the chair holders.
The development of the psychic research party took only 6 years. The group sought out and obtained 12 individuals with potential psychic abilities and their research set into motion many theories more. It also accounted for the organization slipping deeper and deeper into the shadows. They were willing to do anything to obtain the artifacts. Theft, kidnapping…even murder were not out of the question. The concept of kidnapping became a realty when in 1961 research showed that younger minds, specifically those of teenagers, were more sensitive to the development of psychic powers and that if trained properly in the use of these powers they merely increased in strength as the subject aged. Arrangements were made and in 1967 the Organization broke ground on a new facility in a city roughly 4 hours outside of New York City.
In 1970, with the structure completed and the organization’s plans in place, the first group of ‘agents’ were extracted across the US and ‘Project Vigilance’ was officially underway.
