“ ...but I like having that beacon of hope illuminating your face in the dark. There's something heroic about that! - Calvin McManus, about the SHD Brick worn by Division agents”
Calvin McManus is the sitting Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States and the acting leader of the Hunter Program. He was formally introduced during Hidden Alliance through one of the obtainable audio logs, in which he holds a short conversation with Black Tusk CEO, Natalya Sokolova.
More information about Calvin McManus was uncovered through many intel recovered from NSA servers in the Descent Combat Simulation Program when Descent mode was released as well as comms from Y5S2: Puppeteers and Y6S1: First Rogue.
Biography[]
As of time of writing, the story of this man is unknown. However, it can be assumed that at some point in their life he stepped into the political scenario of the United States and gained enough influence to be appointed as Secretary of Homeland Security, and therefore member of the Cabinet of the United States, much likely having established contact with President Waller, who would have appointed him personally before the outbreak.
McManus was heavily involved in the various projects that Ortiz Robotics developed, as he and Natalya Sokolova were interested parties. He helped Claire Ortiz in developing the Combat Simulation Program using an underground NSA bunker to make it inconspicuous. Furthermore, he was impressed by how Mobile SHD Servers performed in the simulation as he was skeptical of them at first.
Additionally, he requested Ortiz Robotics to develop a backdoor protocol so his specialized Smart Watch can keep an eye on organizations using ISAC, ANNA, and DIAMOND. This protocol was to be used by his Hunters as well. At some point, McManus contracted Vikram Malik and his sister Birdie to build autonomous power systems for bunkers that are custom-built depending on the region. Those bunkers would happen to be used as bases for his Hunters.
McManus was prodded over and over by an NSA analyst about the threat that Gordon Amherst posed, but he refused to take the matter seriously, which allowed Amherst unleashed his Green Poison. While this could be seen as criminal negligence, it can be concluded that McManus looked the other way as certain elements in the United States government supported Amherst's plans and saw them as means to power.
Through unknown means, McManus became the one in charge of the secret "Hunter Program", responsible for selecting suitable operators and training them to become "Wolves"/Hunters as watch dogs. At some point, he formed a secret alliance Natalya Sokolova, formi, where the two could often times borrow "resources" (operatives) from one another to use in their operations.
Shortly after Brian Johnson's arrival to Washington, D.C, the agent met with McManus after he mysteriously disappeared. Because of Johnson's association with the secretary in the past and his loyalty to Cal's ideals, McManus recruited him into the Hunter program.
When Bardon Schaeffer was having trouble handling his team of Rogue Division Agents (because of their distance and their difficult relationship), Sokolova contacted Calvin request for support, to which he sent the "Deceit" Hunter to "clean up the mess" (assassinate Shade, Wraith, Dusk and Belfry). Calvin also asked if she trusted Faye Lau with their operations, with Sokolova saying she didn't, but Faye didn't really give her a reason not to, so she's fine for the time being.
The Hunter sent by Cal to kill Schaeffer's rogues had the unwilling help of a Division Agent, who was also hunting them down at the time. When said agent discovered Schaeffer's whereabouts at Coney Island, the Hunter was dispatched there to protect him, as well as to kill the group of Rikers present there as to prevent any witnesses. After both having faced the Rikers, the Agent and the Hunter engaged each other in a 1 versus 1 combat, with the Division Agent managing to kill the Hunter operative after a very tough battle. Schaeffer would then be put into a coma and apprehended by said Agent.
The next day, Calvin would be contacted again by Natalya, this time, to thank him for the support (sending the Hunter). In turn, Calvin explains that his Hunter Program is hard to find suitable new recruits for, and because he lost one of his men the previous night at Coney Island, he wanted her to send one of her Black Tusk operators as a replacement for his deceased Hunter. Natalya lists Felix Sokolov (her own brother), Bridgette Douglas, Dustin Xavier, Alicia Coswald and Jack Bonney (despite his very young age) as potential candidates for the Hunter Program, with McManus choosing Bonney as their new recruit.
After that event, McManus tasked Brian Johnson to be The Recruiter to train and observe potential recruits for the Hunter program.. Later, he presented The Recruiter to Natalya and requested her to have her Black Tusk refer to him by that moniker.
Sometime later, Bonney would start his initiation into the Hunters, receiving a special SHD Smart Watch with "Classified" Agent Status, as well as a Brian Johnson (simply reffered to as "The Recruiter"), who watching and observing Bonney to see if he was suitable for the unit. Bonney would later be killed by the very same Division Agent at Jefferson Trade Center during one of his "training sessions".
Prior to the Cleaners attack on Meret Estate, the high-ranking commander Wright asked Sokolova for a loan of SHD tech from McManus to his colleagues "The Lovebirds" and to avoid any suspicion. Calvin agreed to loan some of the SHD tech to the Cleaners, giving a convenient cover story. Despite the attempt, a team of four Division agents were sent and managed to secure the estate and eliminate the Cleaners, as well securing intel that implicates Sokolova's involvement in the attack.
When the Division rescued four more civilians from Black Tusk and set their eyes on The Recruiter, they'd learn that he's one of their own. Despite the tough fight, they succeeded in eliminating the Hunter before he could extract with the Mobile SHD Server. Cal wasn't heard, but Sokolova did mention that he'd very disappointed at The Recruiter's demise, especially given the Hunter was a special project of his.
As revealed in the Descent comms in First Rogue, McManus activated a Hunter cell several months ago to go to [redacted] to set up Forward Operating Base over there and secure the roster from the SHD database in the bunker. Agent Zabala, one of his Hunters, informed Cal that Agent Melanie Hoskins is in [redacted]. McManus deduced that Hoskins has been manipulated by Aaron Keener and that he's after the Hunters roster. He demanded Zabala to wipe the roster off the database and secure it in a flash drive.
In the conclusion of First Rogue, after Aaron Keener was allowed entry to the White House in incarceration as per Manny Ortega's terms, Keener shared a bit more intel about McManus. There, it is revealed that McManus is an associate of a powerful shadow organization called The Cabal. Despite Cal's aspirations to become a member, he lacks the money and legacy.
Trivia[]
- Through acquiring the Descent comms, it is revealed that McManus wears a unique SHD Smartwatch with access to all three operational systems, including ISAC (used by the Strategic Homeland Division), ANNA (adopted by the Aaron Keener's Rogue Network) and DIAMOND (used by the Black Tusk). His watch also does not include a brick to go along with it, as Cal finds it way too bulky to wear.
- Curiously enough, in a different comm, it's revealed that his watch would initially change colors upon switching from one AI system to another, but this functionality was later removed in favor of a single color because Calvin felt uncomfortable being called a "disco ball" by someone once.
- Throughout a number of comms, McManus prefers to be called Cal rather than sir or Secretary.
Missions[]
- Jefferson Trade Center Manhunt: Captain Lewis (Mentioned Only)
- Camp White Oak: The Recruiter (Mentioned Only)