Anomaly Operatives (AOs)

Anomaly operative is a somewhat broad term for a large amount of people. Within the government and each other, they refer to themselves as "AOs" for short. Or just "operatives".

They are all human aligned anomalies. They protect most areas of Paradiso from demons and potentially harmful spirits. Anomaly operatives are known for their usual brutal displays of violence and their automatic loyalty to authority.

Uniforms for anomaly operatives are slick and minimalist. Smooth material of a black long sleeved shirt with an asymmetrical zipper and buttons on the right side, combat boots, and black combat trousers. These are bulletproof, cut-proof, and resistant to all forms of weather. All clothing includes a temperature regulating heating and cooling system, so these clothes can be worn in the harshness of heat and snow alike.

When in public, AOs always wear black dust masks over their mouth and nose. Due to a need to keep all information of this operation under more secrecy, (and to look more official on documents), the general public is not prived to much information about the AOs, and they are seen by most as another part of law enforcement that they will never understand.

Qualifications
The bar to becoming an AO is very low, though you have to go through rigorous training and reshape your physical and emotional self. It's intense.Career Progression

Pre-Op
An operative begins in the Pre-Op phase. This includes lots of paperwork and a full history that needs to be documented. After this comes the re-education, where an AO is sent to a mental treatment facility. This treatment involves a vigorous and relentless breakdown of the AOs psyche, custom made for their personality type and their history for the quickest results. This re-education encourages obedience and complacency, along with honoring the commands given from those above them. More about re-education in mental treatment facilities can be read here: *link*

After education is finished, the AO undergoes gnosis (a soul awakening), and hopefully survives. Some manage to slip under the radar and avoid falling for re-education, but these are few and far between the thousands.

Training
Any AO who makes it to this phase is now eligible for training! A year of waking early, exercising, and fighting are all part of this regimen. While conditioning the minds of trainee's is important, most of the hard work has already been done before training begins.

In the current age, training groups are packed to the brim and usually for the best of the best, so they're full. You'll most likely be left to learn under someone who is an AO, but isn't training certified. This means the route most go on is the route directly to regular Operative groups. Training is a rigorous process from start to finish. This process was made to train as much as possible as fast as possible, so the pipeline of "Trainee --> AO --> Dead" could be rushed to the second step quicker.

Though a majority do, not everyone fights. Some are trained to be medics and handle emergency tasks, and those study under other group medics (they're also referred to as healers). They don't see much of the action, but most of the gore. It gets nasty and they have to be prepared to make hard decisions, sometimes deciding if someone should or shouldn't die. Not for the faint of heart. Read more about healing here: *link*

Congrats!

Ranking
The lowest rank are trainees, who aren't 100% battle ready.

The next rank is fully trained infantry. This is the biggest group of AOs.

Second highest rank within groups is the co-captain, who helps handle scheduling, and consults the captain for almost all decisions the captain makes. They give out orders that have passed through the Captain. They also function as highly valued and skilled fighters. They lead most raids.

The highest in the group captain. Usually only one person, but sometimes there are two. The captain gives out orders, rules their group with absolute power, and holds everyone's lives in their hand. It's the pressure of carrying the entire group and getting enough confirmed demon kills for funding as a collective. This is a very stressful job that will... probably kill you! Fun times.

Extra Stuff
Most operatives live in groups, but some have been approved to work with research development or to work out of their own personal housing. This is rare, can take a year or more to be approved for. Many get rejected.

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Police operatives are in every police department under Paradiso as mandate They are not only skilled AOs who are monitoring their suspects for supernatural behavior, but policemen who join investigations and contact nearby AO groups for help when needed. Depending on the system of the region, the PAO could be in a cycle of different people each week or so. Sometimes, when it is required, the designated PAO calls in AO groups for assistance with crime fighting. There are one to two PAOs in each department, though some have more. PAOs, and hell, operatives tend to hold most police in disdain for various reasons. Many in groups spend time shit-talking them, and also permanently assigned PAOs.

Most police don't like working with the PAOs either since they consider them fucking terrifying in their mysterious nature. Police are only partially debriefed on what exactly an AO can do, so the amount they don't know keeps them on their toes. Some PAOs use this to their advantage.

PAOs are also in charge of detecting anomalous humans in the population, and capturing them.

Payment & Reimbursement
Operatives make around 1400 credits an hour as an average. For those AOs who live outside of groups, this is below living wage, and if they don't have raises, they have to get another job.

Group life pays 1000 credits an hour. This 400 credit deduction is used for group housing, food, repairs, water, electricity, and other such things. This is generally seen as the best option, financially, since all leftover money can be used for anything else the AO would want. (1000 credits = roughly $11.50 in today's USD)

Other Benefits
For those who live in groups, they get shelter, food, water, etc. as long as they work. As well as this, they also get to go on group outings. When in uniform, an operative gets a sizable amount of respect from the human population.