The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) maintains an agreement with the FBI, US Marshals Service, DHS, and the BSI (Bureau of Special Investigations) to handle transport, confinement, and if necessary execution, of any “supervillains” taken into custody by the US government, or an allied government requesting US assistance.

Other than regular prisons, there are currently four facilities specifically designed and built to house supervillains. The first two are “Supermax” facilities. One’s located in Nevada, near the US Dept. of Energy‘s Nevada Test Site , the other’s in the Black Hills of North Dakota. Both are primarily used for the non-powered, or low power level villains.

Both facilities maintain large, well trained security staffs. In addition, BOP Special Operations Response Team (SORT), BSI tactical response units (Special Response Teams - SRTs, STOP teams, and SLAM units) are on standby to respond to any security incidents that may arise. There’s been some discussion about having BSI’s Office of Detention and Transportation form some sort of tactical unit (its working name is the Detention Response Unit) to relieve BSI’s already over taxed SRT and STOP teams. The main debate is over how to fund the unit within the current budget.

The other two facilities are “Ultramax” (nicknamed “The Pit”) and the Special Containment Facility (SCU, or “Deep Freeze”). Ultramax is located on a small island off the coast of Alaska, and the SCU is located on a small atoll in the South Pacific. Both facilities are constructed deep underground.

Ultramax is currently home to some the more powerful villains such as Graviton and the villain team “The Disciples “, while the SCU currently houses a number of classified subjects in “cold sleep”. It’s believed that the alien entity, “He Who has No Name”, is one of the beings housed there.

Unlike the Supermax facilities, both Ultramax and the SCU have a military detachment assigned to them from the DOD’s Joint Meta-human Special Security Task Force. Their job is to study the abilities of the villains currently confined there, and come up with defenses against them. They also have a military Special Security Unit (SSU) that handles perimeter security, and would respond to any attempted escape or security related incident.

The overall military commander is Brigadier General John T. Hazard, a hard as nails former infantry officers (his troops like to joke he’s as hard as woodpecker lips). The staff for both facilities is assigned there for a one year tour, and then they rotate out to a less stressful position. No more than 25% of the staff will rotate out at any time, that way there is always a “seasoned” crew on hand for emergencies.

The Pit was constructed on what was a Cold War early warning radar site. The site is only accessible by air, with all sea passages being monitored by a series of highly sophisticated acoustic and magnetic buoys, surveillance satellites, US Navy and Coast Guard vessels. In addition, several Alaska Air National Guard fighters are maintained on “Strip Alert” ready to respond at a moments notice.

“Deep Freeze” is located on Atuu Atoll. It’s exact located is classified. It’s a former US government bio-warfare research facility, that was closed down in the early 80’s, only to be reactivated in 2001 and converted into a super prison. While most of the facility is constructed underground, the facility has a dozen buildings above ground (Air Traffic Control tower, aircraft hangers, boat dock, maintenance buildings, etc.) along with an airstrip capable of receiving C-17 transport aircraft.

What’s unknown to most of the staff is that in the event of a successful security breach, both facilities would be destroyed by small nuclear charges planted during their construction (Codename: Project Failsafe). As a second failsafe measure, USAF B-1 and B-52 bombers, based in Guam and Diego Garcia, have the atoll’s location programmed into their navigation computers, and several nuclear equipped Tomahawk cruise missiles have been pre-positioned for easy access.

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