Social Welfare Agency

## Overview

The Social Welfare Agency is an Italian government-funded organisation originally proposed as a means to provide a highly advanced form of medical care to those on the verge of death. In reality however it becomes a facade for the government exploitation of child soldiers. The only patients who get admitted and brought back from the brink of death, are specifically adolescent girls. The reason for this is the use of Conditioning, a process that involves brainwashing, in an attempt to turn the girls into a blank slate, making them a lot more susceptible to training. The process also involves creating Memory Blockers designed to make them forget their past, and to become desensitized, giving them a distorted sense of right and wrong. As part of the conditioning the girls are to become Cyborgs, implanted with advanced artificial muscles, tendons, bones and tissue, making them essentially into super soldiers forced to do the bidding of the Social Welfare Agency. The girls are then put through rigorous training in the use of weapons, CQB techniques, fitness, languages and knowledge of equipment and tactics used by military and police forces. With the intent of using them as assassins, security personnel, soldiers and spies, to perform standard secret service jobs as well as removing and containing people and organisations deemed enemies of the state, acting with government authorization to perform their jobs by any means necessary, no matter what laws are broken and who is deemed collateral damage.

Handlers are adults tasked with the training and operation of the Cyborgs, they typically tend to be men, because they are made up of ex-soldiers and police, jobs normally performed by males.

Section 2 are made up of 2 man units known as Fratello, meaning "Brother", or "Sibling". Each Fratello are are up of one Cyborg and one Handler. It is up to the Handler how they treat their Cyborg, in training and on missions. The Handler is also responsible for large parts of their respective Cyborg's upbringing, some choose to perform this role as a father or older brother figure, some as a superior commanding officer. In training, some Handlers choose to use their Cyborg simply as an asset, as a tool or weapon like any other in their arsenal. Some Handlers choose to, or can't help but, befriend their Cyborg, this type of handling seems to create the best results. The problem being that Handlers may become too attached to their Cyborg and may not want to put them in the danger required to complete a mission.

## Section 2

### Cyborgs

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Cyborgs are cybernetically enhanced adolescent girls used as assassins by the Social Welfare Agency.

#### Henrietta

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Henrietta was found dying, after her family was massacred, although it is never directly specified, but it is insinuated that she was raped by her attackers, as it mentions that she was "assaulted", and Henrietta mentions that she had her uterus removed, likely due to severe damage. She was left suffering from intense psychological trauma, giving her suicidal tendencies. As is standard procedure, she was given her Conditioning, this involved installing memory blockers to help her forget the traumatic events she experienced. She was pared with her Handler Giuseppe Croce (although he is almost exclusively referred to as "Giuse", often written as Joze). She absolutely adores Giuse, a sentiment that he mutually shares for her. She seems to have confused feelings for him, looking to him as her protector and mentor, but gets jealous when she feels he's paying attention to other women. She shows keen interest in music and astronomy, the former of which she tries to share with Rico, and the latter of which she shares with the other girls. Out of fear of her losing her personality, Giuse gives her a camera and a diary, to document her interests, and key events in her life.

#### Rico

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Rico was one of the only girls not to have been administered to the SWA due to a life threatening injury, she was born with severe birth defects and confined to a hospital her whole life. On her eleventh birthday she was knowingly signed over to the SWA by her parents. Rico lives each day enjoying the little things, always living on the bright side of life, never taking anything for granted. She loves life at the SWA, waking up each day making sure her new body still works. Due to the fact she needed no memory blockers, Rico appears to be the only Cyborg with a memory of her life before the SWA. Rico's interrelationship with her Handler Jean often appears cold. Jean is seemingly apathetically towards Rico, treating her harshly whenever she makes mistakes. Rico wanting to follow everything the SWA asks of her out of fear they will take away her body, accepts her treatment by Jean without question, even why she knows it's wrong. Jean has also chosen the boys name "Rico", likely in an attempt slightly to dehumanize her, making it easier for him to justify using her.

#### Triela

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Triela was born in Tunisia, where she was kidnapped by the Mafia and smuggled to Amsterdam, for a taping of a snuff film. She was rescued by Victor Hilshire and taken to the Social Welfare Agency for treatment for the severe injuries she sustained. Where she underwent Conditioning and conversion to being a Cyborg, becoming the second ever girl to do so, however she is likely the oldest one of the girls by age. Pragmatism being at the core of her personality, and her Conditioning kept to a minimum, Triela has a lot more of her wits about her than most of the other girls, being one of the only girls to follow orders more because she chooses to, over being forced by her Conditioning. She is also one of the only girls to challenge her handler and talk back. Being the oldest girl there, she takes the role of a mentor or big sister to the other girls. She is smart enough to know what **the Agency** does, retaining a realistic outlook on her situation, however she knows that the other girls are unaware. However she often speaking openly against Conditioning, especially with her Handler, who is also opposed to it.

#### Handlers

Handlers are the trainers of Cyborgs and their commanders when in the field.

#### Giuseppe "Jose/Giuse" Croce

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Giuseppe "Jose/Giuse" Croce

#### Jean Croce

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Jean Croce

#### Victor Hilshire

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Victor Hilshire

#### Marco Toni

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Marco Toni

#### Lauro

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Lauro

#### Alessandro "Sandro" Ricci

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Alessandro "Sandro" Ricci

#### Bernardo

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Bernardo

#### Earnest

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Earnest