A.I.M.

A.I.M. (short for Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a private think tank composed primarily of scientists cooperating for the development of new and radical technologies. While creating the front of a benevolent global NGO to cultivate brilliant minds and develop future technologies as part of the Space Race, they are in actuality an organization who's true purpose is violent insurrection of various governments.They focus on the development of arms and technology provded to insurgents and other terrorists for the purposes of fostering violent technological revolutions.

First Iteration: HYDRA subsidary
A.I.M. or Advanced Idea Mechanics, started out as a subsidiary of the terrorist organization HYDRA. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker ordered its creation as part of HYDRA's operations of expanding beyond their former affiliation with the Third Reich and to fill the power gap. While initially established to develop advanced technological weaponry, HYDRA's first major defeat, the establishment of Leviathan and the codification of the Cold War status meant the approach became more subtle. A.I.M's purpose was as a think tank and research facility, consisting of various scientific genius given large number of funds for the creation of technologies and theorems for illict purposes.The group of scientists grew in number over the years, and made great advances in various fields: robotics, bio-engineering, bionics, and physics.

Additionally, as HYDRA's shadow war with S.H.I.E.L.D., Leviathan, and other rival organizations continued on, A.I.M. would gain more and more autonomy, especially with the end of the 1950s and entering the 1960s. Eventually, many of the upper members would see that much like HYDRA outgrew their affiliation with Nazi Germany, A.I.M. no longer needed the aid of HYDRA. Much of this came from the growing friction between the favoritism between A.I.M.'s scientific minds between those of HYDRA proper alongside with growing generational differences and the failures that they saw with the autocratic means and ambitions of HYDRA.

Pre-Exposure (1966 -199X)
By 1965, Alvin Tarleton, founder and chief scientific officer, would lead A.I.M. into defecting from HYDRA. They provided the golden opportunity by exploiting HYDRA's war with Leviathan before arranging for S.H.I.E.L.D. to come in and confront the two weakened and battered organizations. HYDRA would survive the confrontation with S.H.I.E.L.D albeit extensively damaged, while Leviathan would be outright destroyed and dissolved. A.I.M. then swept in to recruit much of the scientific minds of Leviathan along with their associates to expand A.I.M.'s resources and prevent HYDRA from accessing them. In their crrippled state, HYDRA was unable to do anything to stop A.I.M.'s secession, with Tarleton even executing HYDRA loyalists within the organization, now independent as A.I.M.

Advanced Idea Mechanics was publically established as an independent organization; in the eyes of the public, they were a prviate think tank and NGO to assist humanity into reaching the stars and creating a better tomorrow.

Alvin's original loyalists were given top positions, serving as the board of directors while Dr. Lyle Getz, his former assistant chief scientific officer would be promtoed to "Scientist Supreme" of A.I.M. and establishing the position as the leader of A.I.M. Tarleton himself would grant himself the code name of A.I.M. Agent 001 to indicate his founding status (Getz having been Agent 002). Alvin Tarleton retired largely from the daily affairs of A.I.M. and leaving it up to Scientist Supreme Getz. A.I.M.'s affiliations and history with HYDRA was a carefully guarded secret among the upper echelons of A.I.M, at least during their period of time posing as a benevolent think-tank.

For the next 30 years, A.I.M. would go on to gain great influence with the U.S. government in its role as a supplier of cutting edge hardware and weaponry to governmental and quasi-governmental agencies along with several other nations and agencies. A.I.M.'s status was somewhat known to the open community though they worked to ensure to be more in the background to avoid suspicion from S.H.I.E.L.D. and other organizations. They would also establish various secret bases across the world and would even create their own artificial island to serve as their headquarters.

Despite their success, A.I.M. has been struggling with the greater difficulties in maintaining their public facade along with the rise of unexpected competition from companies like Roxxon. Additionally, with the end of the Cold War, the same generational gap and changing of ideology that led to the rise of A.I.M. as an independent group and cutting off from A.I.M. has been forming once more. The initial hopes of waiting for both sides to damage the other so A.I.M. may rebuild from the ashes would fail with the fall of the Soviet Union and the passing of time. As such, the radical technocratic elements of the group have been clamoring for A.I.M. to shed their public benign appearance and fully invest in the criminal underground, all to finally achieve the goal of technocratic dominance. As such, many of the upper heads and so on have been preparing for the eventuality of A.I.M.'s true purposes being exposed to the world.

Organizational Structure
A.I.M. has a relatively traditional structure, similar to most standard laboratories. Scientists work alongside research assistants, technicians, engineers and other assorted staff at the various sites distributed across the world or on the various structures serving as headquarters. Additionally, due to the secretive and illict nature of the operations along with the other criminal organizations, A.I.M. has their own operating agents for purposes of espionage or security. Each of the sites have an overseer that reports directly to the board of directors of A.I.M.

In charge of all of A.I.M. is the Scientist Supreme. The title itself represents the technocratic goals, ideals and ambitions of A.I.M.; the superiority of scientific reasoning above all else and not being restricted by morals or ethics beyond self-preservation and practicality. The Scientist Supreme is also considered the co-chairman of the board of directors alongside AIM Agent 001 though the Scientist Supreme has most control over day-to-day affairs.

There are also third-party groups that serve as A.I.M.'s recruitment arm; looking for young bright minds to sponsor and begin influencing or for disgraced amoral scientists looking for a place to conduct their work.

A.I.M. Island
Status: Active; Secret

Base Designation: Primary headquarters, meeting location.

Period of activity: 1966 - present (primary headquarters)

The traditional headquarters for A.I.M. is none other A.I.M. Island, an artificial island with the Caribbean Sea. A.I.M. conducts many operations across the world with various laboratories in major cities and rural outskirts, though serving primarily as the labs for the research done for their own ends or for their clients. Having been secretly created through controlled volcanic experiments (off the coast of the island of Barbuda), the island holds a massive research institution and where many of the higher-ups and larger equipment associated with A.I.M. come from, especially hidden in caverns within the island.

The island is in active usage and is not known to the outside world with the island hidden with a cloaking device along with A.I.M. special software buried in most telecommunications networks done to ensure mentions of the island do not spread. The island is roughly 150 square kilometres (almost 58 square miles) in area with the research institutions taking up most of the space, barring some beaches used for leisure purposes and patches of wilderness for ecological experiments. The facility itself also extends into the island itself.

Equipment
Advanced Idea Mechanics Uniform

The most notable equipment piece associated with A.I.M. are their uniforms. Made out of an unidentified material, the uniforms were designed to protect their wearers in any and all climates along with the modular design allowing for simple augmentations to handle being in extreme conditions (such as outer space, underwater, etc). It consists of a full-body suits with matching boots, gloves and helmets. There are also more specific designs and higher-tier models, such as a version functioning more like power armor, often worn by high-ranking members, especially the Scientist Supreme.

Given the yellowish coloration of the uniforms along with the shape of the helmets and netted visors, they resemble beekeeper costumes and in fact, A.I.M. agents are often called the "beekeepers" by those within the world of espionage who deal with A.I.M. agents.

Founders

 * Alvin Tarleton, founder and A.I.M. Agent 001, considered "zeroth" Scientist Supreme ("shadow leader" of A.I.M.)
 * Dr. Lyle Getz, first Scientist Supreme and A.I.M. Agent 002 (1965 - present)