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Rockwell, New England, had humble beginnings, before developing into one of the fastest growing cities in the united States. In 1939, FDR approved the formation of a new federal district in the northeast, dedicated to research and development, after he was approached by a small coalition of scientists and manufacturers, who promised a new weapon, something that could change the tide of the war - and humanity itself.

Lead by Dr. Samuel Rockwell, this group of scientists began putting down roots to begin their research. What Rockwell and his scientists hadn't told the president, or anyone else, was what they planned on researching, and what sort of weapon they would be producing. They certainly made no mention of the human experimentation they planned on conducting.

After finding and capturing two individuals with enhanced capabilities (referred to as 'anomalies' by the scientists) Dr. Rockwell became obsessed with replicating these anomalies, and creating a human that was completely beyond 'ordinary' capabilities, the perfect weapon. The two enhanced individuals, known only as Patient X and Patient Y were experimented on for three years, before they died in Rockwell's custody.

Unable to let go of his research, and unsatisfied with the blood and results he did have, Rockwell employed a new group of individuals - mercenaries, bounty hunters, former law enforcement - to find more individuals with anomalies for him to research. By this point, the group of scientists had grown significantly, and had formed the Department of Neurophysiological Advancement (D.N.A.). The scientists hardly knew what they had their hands on, but they knew what they were studying had massive potential.

Eventually, the D.N.A. field agents managed to bring back some more enhanced individuals. Though the war was over, the United States found itself in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. As the nation desperately grasped for an advantage, eyes turned to Rockwell and D.N.A. Though all of D.N.A.'s research was kept secret, it was assumed that their department would eventually produce the weapon that would give the United States the upper hand.

The discovery of human DNA in 1953 paved the way for new developments in Rockwell, New England. However, by that point, a subgroup of scientists had discovered a new, curative purpose for the research gathered on the enhanced individuals. This subgroup had figured out how to use the enhanced blood to heal. Without Director Rockwell's permission, the group began manufacturing vaccines. Following on the heels of Salk's polio vaccine, the group administered the vaccines, sending out thousands, across the nation. They hadn't yet realized that this vaccine would alter the DNA of the recipient, making anyone who received a vaccine, enhanced.

Director Rockwell, when he discovered what had been done, murdered the scientists in charge of the vaccine, sparking outrage among some in the Rockwell research community. The question began to spread like wildfire: what was the true purpose of D.N.A.? The department became more militant, employing more field agents, sent to try and retrieve everyone who had been given a vaccine, but it was a near impossible task, especially given the general unease and whispers of rebellion back home in Rockwell.

In 1970, a small group of scientists managed to break some of the highest level enhanced humans out of the cells, including William Ziegler, a man capable of creating powerful force fields. Once they were out of the research facility, the enhanced individuals quickly abandoned the scientists, wanting nothing to do with those that had experimented on them - even if they had good intentions in the end. The enhanced, under Ziegler's guidance, managed to escape to the military base that the Rockwell scientists had used during the war, but abandoned after the new research facility was built, shielded by Ziegler’s powers.

One by one, the scientists that had helped the prisoners escape were hunted down and killed, some of them brought back to Director Rockwell for interrogation. Eventually, only two scientists remained, Maxwell and Harriet Carlisle, a married couple. The couple knew they were quickly running out of time, that the Department could find them anywhere in the world. However, what the D.N.A. scientists hadn't realized was that while they were locked away in their isolated ivory tower of scientific research and development, the world had crept into Rockwell. A community had sprung forth, an odd conglomeration of a younger generation looking for the space to express ideals of freedom and passion, and more traditional families and individuals, looking for a new urban landscape.

The Carlisle's used this encroachment to their advantage. Both of them had come from considerable wealth, and they threw everything they had into creating a highly public institute: the Carlisle University of Rockwell. Touting it as a premier university with experts in all fields serving on faculty, the Carlisle's were thrust into the public eye, and thus kept safe from the wrath of the Department.