Department of Paranormal Activities

The , often called the DPA for short, is the base of operations for Nathan Dawkins, Cole Freeman, and, initially, Jodie Holmes. It is the sole driving force throughout Beyond: Two Souls.
==History==
Its origins are not described. Though much of its described research appears to primarily focus on the study of the Infraworld and its denizens, it likely also investigates other paranormal phenomena. In "First Interview," Nathan's office contains several news articles and investigative papers about ghosts and paranormal activity. Jodie can interact with one of them, which details an experiment performed by Nathan in which a table was recorded over time and observed to have moved 13cm from its original position.
Jodie's biological mother, Norah Gray, participated in a research program where she presumably met Jodie's father, Jonathan Nichols. When Norah became pregnant, the DPA scientists were excited at the possibility of a child born to two gifted individuals. Norah was convinced that it was for the best if she surrendered her child to the DPA, but she changed her mind after her daughter was born. The baby was taken from her, and Norah was administered a drug that destroyed her psychokinetic abilities and rendered her comatose. Jodie was adopted by Philip and Susan Holmes, a couple that had recently lost their son. The Holmes were told to contact the DPA in the event that Jodie exhibited any paranormal abilities.
The DPA runs Saint John's Hospital, a high-security psychiatric hospital. Norah was interned in the asylum there after giving birth to Jodie, and Aiden can interact with several patients that appear to have similar abilities.
==Known Personnel==
Nathan and Cole are both members of the DPA, who worked with Jodie when she was younger. After Jodie is recruited by the CIA and leaves the custody of the DPA, Nathan is given government funding to continue his research and is promoted to Executive Researcher. Cole conducts his own research into the nature of the various Infraworld Entities in an attempt to identify and classify races.
It is assumed that, like Norah, Jodie's biological father was also being studied by the DPA.
==Resources==
The DPA appears to liaise closely with the U.S. military in addition to the CIA. It is likely the military and CIA utilize the DPA's research and technology for their ends versus the DPA pulling the strings. It is not entirely clear if the security personnel deployed in "The Condenser" are DPA specific, or otherwise units assigned from the CIA or military.
==Trivia==
* Early concept art displays the acronym "DTRC" (Defense Technology and Research Center). This is likely an early name for the DPA that was used during development.
* All of the DPA's known facilities appear to be in the Virginia area.
** The facility in which Jodie was raised is near Camp Peary, a CIA training camp near Williamsburg, Virginia.
** The Black Sun condenser was constructed beneath the Pentagon campus in Arlington, Virginia.
** Cole has a Virginia address (shown in "Epilogue").
** The park Jodie meets Cole in in "Old Friends" also appears in "Epilogue" and bears a resemblance to Burke Lake Park in Fairfax County, Virginia, suggesting it is also in this area. Saint John's Hospital appears to be some distance from the park, as Jodie and Cole leave at sunset and it is dark when they reach the hospital.
es:DPA
ru:Департамент Паранормальных Явлений
Category:Organizations