IRIS

A rendition of the iris, the symbol representing the European branches of IRIS.

IRIS is an international underworld organization whose primary motive appeared to be to prevent Contractors from gaining "special attention" for being different than humans. The name takes root from the flower iris, named after the multinational people that associate themselves with the organization. Very little information is known about it, including how great its reach is, or how even how large the organization really is. Intelligence agencies who tangled with IRIS do know that the organization relies on deception to obtain its information for IRIS operations. Based on events suspected to be conducted by IRIS agents, intelligence agencies around the world have classified IRIS as a terrorist organization of the highest possible danger. They also suspect IRIS of pooling resources to find and obtain the meteor fragment.

History

It is unclear how long or how it developed, though it is hinted to have existed in France since AD 493: when Clovis I adopted the fleur-de-lis as the heraldic emblem of the French monarchy. From this, it can be presumed that IRIS had controlled France at one point in time, if not presently.

Hierarchy

Calligraphic kanji for abundance, the character representing the Asiatic based branches of IRIS.

"If you want to catch us, you'll have to hunt us, one by one. Even then, you'll never know how deep the rabbit hole goes."

―Unknown (attributed to Morpheus)

Even among its members, IRIS's top officials are unknown. A member of IRIS does not even know how highly ranked he or she is in the organization's hierarchy, and so leadership among IRIS members usually takes after seniority in terms of membership or from a proven track record. All members of IRIS have some sort of experience in the field of combat, many of them receiving extensive training either by a member of IRIS or through a military training regimen unwittingly provided by a country. Although there is no official language that IRIS members go by, they tend to understand and speak some level of English.

IRIS operatives are divided into cells that operate by region. Whomever was decided as the leader of the IRIS cell acts as the recipient of orders from someone higher up the ambiguous chain of command and decides cell priorities and operations based on the given orders. Due to this, a single IRIS cell may not be representative of IRIS's true nature. Although the leader receives the orders, he or she must also send a detailed account of cell activity back to command for intelligence purposes. Isolated networks are utilized for this form of communication, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop on an IRIS transaction.

Operations

Deception is considered the most important attribute to obtaining membership into IRIS. By deceiving others, IRIS was able to infiltrate the upper echelons of global society, to the point of posing as advisers to world leaders. IRIS infiltrators attempt to guide the political agenda to fit the goals of the IRIS organization, even if it meant low-profile assassinations. Public attempts to assassinate important persons are considered a move of last resort, when there is no other way to avoid events that may reveal important information about IRIS or its members.

Motives

IRIS was created as a long-term organization. The priorities of IRIS change when the global situation changes in a way that was not according to IRIS plans. Flexibility allows IRIS to adapt to the scenarios placed before them, and adjust accordingly. The possession of the meteor fragment has been considered a top priority for the progression of IRIS plans.

Recruitment

The iris symbol representing the branches of IRIS in the Americas

How IRIS recruits members is vague, though it has always been considered important to know whether a potential recruit is trustworthy enough to keep IRIS a secret. Some members go by alias to mask their true identities, though it has never been a requirement.

Known members

• Lyra Huxley (European cell)
• "Morpheus" (European cell)
• "Safe" (Asian cell)
• "Yin" (Asian cell)

Behind the scenes

IRIS takes its roots from the Korean drama of the same name, IRIS. In the drama, IRIS opposed the unification negotiations between North and South Koreas, and was seen as the primary antagonist organization of the drama series.

The iris holds many meanings all over the world, including a tribute to wish deceased women a safe journey in the afterlife in Greek tradition.