Technology of the Brotherhood of Nod

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This page lists the technology used by the Brotherhood of Nod in the of the Command & Conquer computer games.

Contents

1 Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform

1.1 Origin
1.2 Game Involvement

2 Divination

2.1 Divination recipients

3 Project ReGenesis

Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform

CABAL

The Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform (CABAL) is an artificial intelligence used by Nod. Although gender-neutral, as it is an artificial entity, CABAL is always portrayed as male in both virtual appearance and voice.

His purpose is twofold: it acts as a console interface between battlefield soldiers and their commander, and collates intelligence and devises strategy of its own. He also knows how to translate the Tacitus, an object which holds all recorded knowledge of Tiberium, compiled by the Scrin. His function is parallel to GDI's EVA, but is superior; CABAL truly has a mind of his own and can act independently. EVA at best gives logically-formulated advice, having no will of its own.

CABAL's personality is that of the stereotypical "Insane AI" present in many science fiction stories. In Tiberian Sun there are hints of this, he 'praises' the Firestorm defence at GDI's Hammerfest base and then immediately points out an opportunity to trick someone with security authorization into shutting it down. His behaviour however, is that of a no-nonsense professional, and showed little to no warnings of turning into the omni-malevolent villain in Firestorm. The only exception known is the mission statement of one of Nod's early missions, where he remarks that the said mission is important "to my...! Your... movement". He could almost be described as a more blunt form of Kane, thinking like him, but avoiding the mysticism and riddles and getting right to the point. His amorality allows him to consider actions without concern for non-allies, including civilians and neutral forces. Indeed at one point, he responds to Slavik's queries about a mission's end-result for GDI as "They all die".

In the Firestorm expansion, he shows his true colours. CABAL's master plan forms the backbone of the game's initial missions, manipulating both GDI and Nod into helping him carry out his plans. His personality finally manifests, occasionally using poetic speech, mocking people, maintaining a heavy dose of sarcasm, speaking in a highly-patronizing tone, and having an air of superiority and arrogance. The "Insane AI" persona is complete in the last missions for both GDI and Nod; every once in a while he can be heard laughing maniacally.

It should be noted that his virtual appearance changes from the game to the expansion set. In the original, he is just barely a reddish-orange face maintaining a sinister appearance; a hardly-seen mouth, sharp and accented features around the eyes, and similarly-coloured pupils, iris and sclera. His new appearance in the expansion set is shown above; a blue head with fully-animated orbital shells for eyes.

Origin

CABAL's origin is unknown (Speculation places it to be Scrin technology). It was first acquired by the Brotherhood of Nod near the end of the . When GDI commandos stormed Kane's temple during the Sarajevo battle, it could be heard malfunctioning from the severe damage the Temple incurred from the Ion Cannon. Between the First and , Nod agents rehoused CABAL's core in Egypt. CABAL assisted Kane loyalists in the overthrow of the Global Defense Initiative's puppet Nod leader General Hassan.

CABAL's earliest known appearance, at the end of the First Tiberium War, was also at about the same time construction of the large Scrin ship seen in the Second was finished. Additionally in Renegade, within walking distance of the Temple housing CABAL is a crashed alien saucer, the door logo a triangle composed of three smaller ones. In Firestorm, CABAL's core is animated as a similarly-composed pyramid; seen from the sides, the resemblance is uncanny.

Game Involvement

CABAL's original face

During the Second Tiberium War, CABAL was used as Nod's AI and Kane's right-hand man. After the war, GDI forces stationed at the defeated Cairo base deactivated and disassembled the CABAL core, which was recovered by Nod's Black Hand forces. Upon reactivation, it immediately begins putting its plan into place. This results in the assassination of Tratos, the seizure of the Tacitus, the recovery of the Tacitus' secondary component, the collapse of Nod's Inner Circle, the intentional capture of a piece of CABAL by GDI, and so on. It was able to do all this without anyone's knowledge of the overall plan up to the point it openly severed contact with all involved parties, and revealed that it had built up a personal cyborg army. This lead to the unholy alliance between Nod and GDI to destroy CABAL which was successful. GDI received the Tacitus and Nod declared victory against the "single greatest threat to the survival of the Brotherhood".

After the final defeat of CABAL and his cyborg army, the ending shows Kane's body hooked into the CABAL interface and being kept alive in a cryogenic tube with life support systems while recovering from his injuries sustained at the end of the war. Several other humans are being kept alive in similar tubes, presumably for CABAL's cyborg production to continue, although their similar appeance suggests that they could be clones of Kane. The screen continually splices between CABAL and Kane, both referring to Kane's plan with their disjointed individual voices. Suddenly only CABAL's voice can be heard and it is very clear what is said ("Our priorities must be reassessed").

Concept art by a artist was found indicating CABAL would have a large role in before the project's termination at the hands of EALA; a concept artist (whose site is now closed) had created pictures of a CABAL Trooper, CABAL Puppet Master and CABAL Asymmetrical Hybrid to name a few. CABAL's units seemed to be the result of cyborg technology taken to extremes. Instead of complementing the human body, the robotic attachments serve to control it (for example - the Puppet Master's eyes were sewn shut and his legs had been attached to his back). See section below for further details.

Perhaps the earliest appearance or reference to CABAL in the Command & Conquer timeline takes place on the final level of . While infiltrating Kane's temple in Sarajevo, one can hear clips of a male Nod EVA unit malfunctioning. While most of these are simply amusing ("Intruder Alert. Alert Cancelled. Intruder Alert. Alert Cancelled. Intruder Alert. Intruder Cancelled. All intruders please report to the detention center," and "Attention: There's no business like show business. Don't throw stones in glass houses without proper protection. That is all.") One of them clearly says "Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform damaged. Please shut down all non-essential operations."

CABAL is voiced by Milton James.

Divination

Divination refers to the process of controlled tiberium mutation conducted by the Brotherhood of Nod, especially by Dr. Petrova, apparently based partly on Josef Mengele's horrific Nazi experiments during World War II.

Divination recipients

In Renegade, Dr. Ignatio Mobius and Dr. Sydney Mobius were forced to help the research by the brotherhood by Dr. Elena Petrova. Petrova was stopped by Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker, a Global Defense Initiative commando.
General Raveshaw, leader of the Black Hand of Nod was a completely successful subject of divination, with a mind more suited to taking orders and far improved physical attributes. In the words of Captain Parker, "At least he's taller", and "Great, you turned Raveshaw into a walking turnip".
Dr. Elena Petrova, the doctor in charge of Project Regenisis, helped mutate General Ravashaw. She later mutated herself, and was killed by Captain Parker in the Temple of Nod.
In Tiberian Sun, Oxanna offers Jake McNeil divination, amongst other things, in return for his support.
Umagon is subjected to divination by Kane, and Tratos believes he has found an anti-serum at the end of . However, it is later shown that his serum fails and Umagon mutates horribly before dying in Tratos' sanctuary. Dr Boudreau may find a cure in the Tacitus, which she decrypts.

Project ReGenesis

Project ReGenesis was a program centered around using Tiberium-assisted genetic engineering and early cybernetics technology in order to create supersoldiers. It used information gained from the research of Dr. Ignatio Mobius to mutate captured civilians, Global Defense Initiative soldiers and Nod volunteers. It was shut down by GDI and all remnants destroyed with Kane's temple.

In Command & Conquer: Renegade, Dr. Ignatio Mobius and his daughter, Sydney Mobius, are captured and forced to undergo "Treatment" by Doctor Elena Petrova, a former GDI researcher who joined the Brotherhood of Nod. Petrova called ReGenesis the route to perfection of the human race, and to that end underwent the process herself. Havoc eventually rescued Sydney from within the Temple of Nod in which she was being held, after he had eliminated Petrova. Sydney then reprogrammed the temple's Nuke to detonate inside the silo once the timer counted off.

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