Belltower Associates

Belltower Associates, also known as Belltower Group, is an umbrella group of private military contractors who provide a maximum spectrum private military/security solution in the year 2026.

Background
The company was founded by Roger St. John-Ffolkes, a British Army officer. The company was incorporated in 1996 beginning life as a security consultant and close protection agency. By 2027, it is a registered United Nations contractor, offering specialist security and risk management solutions to counter extreme threats, along with exfiltration, K&R, threat neutrality operations and quick react symphonic defenses.

In the aftermath of the 2014 scandal involving the previous leader in private security; Bluewater International, caught dealing with Afghan insurgents and subsequently disbanded, Belltower filled the vacuum of the need for private security and set a new and highly regarded standard for the business. Belltower, with several sub-divisions, grew considerably and became the world's largest private security company.

In 2019, Belltower started their augmentation program named Plan Infinity. Under the terms of this plan Belltower offers their soldiers immediate augmentation while deferring payment for as long as they remain active employees of Belltower. Despite critics' claims that this amounts to little more than indentured servitude, the program is a great success and is adopted as standard procedure.

In addition to the augmentation program, Belltower uses several sprinkling ways to recruit personel; from taking advantage of national military cutbacks; to standard recruitment drives; to recruiting the foot-soldiers of defeated adversaries.

Sir Roger St. John-Ffolkes officially stepped down as CEO in 2024, giving joint control of the company to his sons Luther and Andrew; in reality, he had served only as a figurehead in this post for the last decade.

Their headquarters in the United Kingdom is a skyscraper with all the capabilities of a military base and situated in the London Sink. Other key facilities include a maritime base on the US Gulf Coast, a training facility in Bangalore, India, and the black site Rifleman Bank Station in the Pacific Ocean. As of 2027 the company has offices in: Afghanistan, Bahrain, China, Iraq, Kenya, India, Panama, Australia and United States with a group of soldiers deployed in Hengsha and Panama City. In 2026, Ben Saxon is the squad leader of Belltower's Strike Team Six deployed in Australia. Belltower is a registered and active contractor for the UN.

2027
Belltower is a major enemy faction in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Not only are their elite Spec Ops soldiers part of the force that attacks Sarif Industries in the beginning of the game, but Spec Ops squads hound Jensen throughout the game, and he will regularly run into their normal soldiers as well.

Belltower is co-lead by President/Co-Managing Director Andrew St. John-Ffolkes, who personally corresponds with Pieter Burke regarding the OCM Project being under development at Rifleman Bank Station and field-tested in the Australian Civil War.

Troops
Belltower's typical operatives come in three varieties: light, medium, and heavy. They can be easily identified by their gear and weaponry.

The light troopers wear caps and uniforms emblazoned with the Belltower insignia, and are typically equipped with pistols and machine pistols. These men are commonly employed as low-risk security guards and street police.

The medium troopers wear combat vests and utility gear, and light head guards. They typically carry shotguns, combat rifles and machine pistols. They are deployed in combat operations.

The heavy troopers wear full combat armor, including heavy head guards. They carry heavy rifles and are slow moving as a result. Deployed only in situations that require the heaviest of firepower.

Belltower snipers wear balaclavas and no armor. They are armed with sniper rifles and pistols.

Belltower also employs elite Spec Ops troopers. These men are equipped in advanced infiltration suits with red shoulder guards, and use shotguns, combat rifles, sniper rifles, and machine pistols. The rank and file Spec Ops wears a distinctive black kevlar balaclava, but unlike the rank and file medium troops, it offers little to no protection from headshots. All Spec Ops variants are deployed in secret operations; such as supporting Tyrants, or manning black sites.

Some Spec Ops squads are supported by Shifters. These troops remove the balaclava and instead wear a cap and sleeveless version of the uniform. They exclusively utilize sniper rifles for long range combat, and use pistols when confronted up close.

Another version of the Spec Ops is the Sneaker. These advanced covert agents can be easily identified by their augmented legs and high-tech infiltration helmets. Sneakers not only move faster then generic Spec Ops, but can cloak for brief periods in a manner similar to Jensen's own cloaking augmentation. They are typically equipped with machine pistols.

Another elite version of the Spec Ops is the Ogre. These brutish augmented soldiers wear the same outfit as the normal Spec Ops troopers, but are easily identified by their size. While they move more slowly, they have subdermal armor much like Jensen's own augmentation, and can take more damage than any other human enemy in the game (barring bossfights). They exclusively carry heavy rifles, and along with Belltower Heavy Troopers and Harvester Heavies are the only ones to do so.

Trivia

 * Belltower had a viral marketing website.
 * Spec Ops soldiers support the Tyrants during the Sarif Industries attack.
 * Belltower's combat gear, especially the medium trooper's, strongly resembles medieval armor.
 * The viral marketing website 13311tower.com suggests that part of the name is 1337speak and refers to the numbers 11, 13, and 33 which frequently appear in Illuminati and Masonic apocrypha.
 * The website features an image of a desk with various pieces of speculation about Belltower and its link with the Illuminati. A book seen on the right hand side of the desk features an of the word "Illuminati". This ambigram was commissioned by Dan Brown for his book Angels and Demons which also features the secret society. Just underneath this book is an image of a man who appears to be Jaron Namir. This document belongs to Interpol based on the logo on the lower left hand corner.
 * Their name, logo, business type, and founding year suggests they are based on the real life private military company Blackwater. In fact, according to an eBook in the Jefferson Drive Police Department, private contractor companies such as Belltower formed in the wake of Blackwater's disintegration.

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