Zoo Line
The Zoo Line is a network of remote surveillance and research stations operated by the North American Federal Republic (NAFR) in the alternate history of Dimension Delta Zeta 17-46. Named after animals in rough alphabetical order, these outposts were strategically selected for their vantage points, isolation, and natural defensibility. Originally constructed as early warning radar installations during the mid-20th century amid escalating tensions with the British Empire and other global powers, they provided critical monitoring of potential aerial, naval, and metahuman threats. As geopolitical dynamics shifted—particularly following the October War (1962)—their roles evolved into hubs for groundbreaking scientific research, often classified and tied to Super Force operations. This included studies in extreme environments, arcane energy suppression, metahuman abilities, and advanced technologies to counter Imperial incursions.
Intended to follow a unique, one-to-a-letter naming convention, operational realities in the mass construction program resulted in both duplication of letter uses and omitted letters. Later plans for Zooline expansion were scrapped as space-based surveillance systems became militarily superior, but the older existing stations were repurposed.
The stations' locations span NAFR territories from the Arctic to the Caribbean, emphasizing dramatic and forbidding natural beauty that enhances their seclusion. While speculative in design, each station typically features subterranean bunkers, radar domes, helipads, and fortified perimeters, blending military utility with later scientific adaptations. Below is a comprehensive list of known Zoo Line stations, including their geography, original construction type, and post-surveillance usages.
Stations
Antelope
Location: High on the North Slope of Alaska, carved into the permafrost of the Brooks Range foothills, overlooking the vast, treeless expanse of the Arctic tundra and the Beaufort Sea.
Scenery: A landscape of endless rolling hills, segmented by braided rivers and countless thaw lakes that shimmer under the endless summer sun or lie frozen solid under the long winter night. Towering, snow-capped peaks of the Brooks Range dominate the southern horizon. The air is often crisp and still, broken only by the cry of Arctic birds or the distant roar of ice floes. In winter, the aurora borealis dances across the sky, a silent, breathtaking spectacle. The immediate vicinity of the station is a stark, utilitarian complex, starkly contrasting with the immense, wild beauty surrounding it.
Original Station Type: Early warning radar station with long-range over-the-horizon radar arrays for detecting Imperial aircraft and missile launches from Eurasian vectors, supplemented by seismic sensors for submarine detection in the Beaufort Sea.
Later Usage: Primary research hub for extreme cold-weather engineering, permafrost geology, and clandestine atmospheric testing related to arcane energy suppression. It hosted Super Force experiments on cryokinetic metahumans, leveraging the natural isolation to contain volatile power manifestations, and served as a staging point for Arctic infiltration missions.
Condor
Location: Blasted and built into the sheer, rugged cliffs of the "Lost Coast" of Northern California, specifically a remote, extremely difficult-to-access promontory just south of Cape Mendocino, or potentially integrated into a larger, uninhabited rock formation offshore like the Needle Rock or the sea stacks near Punta Gorda. This area is characterized by its dramatic, undeveloped coastline where the King Range mountains plunge directly into the Pacific Ocean.
Scenery: A landscape of raw, untamed power. Towering, dark redwood forests abruptly give way to crashing waves on rocky, black sand beaches and jagged sea stacks that rise like ancient teeth from the surf. The cliffs themselves are windswept and often shrouded in dense, rolling fog that can descend suddenly, creating an oppressive sense of isolation. The air is perpetually cool and damp, heavy with the scent of salt and pine. Condors (often seen soaring high above the rugged terrain, giving the station its name) and other raptors nest in the inaccessible crevices of the cliffs. Access to the station is notoriously perilous, relying on a combination of treacherous winding roads, helipads built directly into cliff faces, and a small, often storm-battered landing strip or a discreet sea cave entrance. The station itself is heavily fortified and largely subterranean, designed to withstand the constant battering of the Pacific and occasional seismic activity.
Original Station Type: Coastal radar and signals intelligence station with cliff-mounted radar domes for monitoring Pacific naval traffic and potential amphibious assaults from Manchu or British fleets.
Later Usage: Advanced environmental monitoring, seismic activity prediction, and highly sensitive studies into geo-kinetic metahumans or abilities tied to natural earth energies. Its deep bunkers became an ideal discreet staging point for Super Force Pacific coast operations, with rumors of experimental energy containment fields for suppressing metahuman anomalies.
Eagle
Location: High in the mist-shrouded peaks of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, deep within the remote jungles of what was once southern Mexico, now NAFR territory. The station is integrated into a system of ancient, repurposed pre-Columbian ruins.
Scenery: A world of dense, emerald-green cloud forests where perpetual mist clings to ancient, moss-covered trees. Hidden waterfalls cascade into deep, clear pools. The air is thick with humidity and the calls of exotic birds and unseen jungle creatures. The stone structures of the station blend seamlessly with rediscovered Mayan or Olmec pyramids and ceremonial platforms, giving it an otherworldly, timeless feel. The constant threat of jungle encroachment and its challenging terrain made it one of the more difficult stations to resupply.
Original Station Type: Mountain-top radar outpost with elevated antennas for early detection of aerial incursions from Central American vectors, integrated into ruins for camouflage.
Later Usage: Unique facility for xenobotany, geo-acoustics (monitoring seismic weapons), and Super Force's Special Studies Command (SSCOM) research on ancient arcane energies and ley lines, drawing on the site's mystical indigenous history for metahuman artifact studies.
Falcon
Location: Blasted into the upper slopes of La Soufrière, the active volcano on the NAFR-controlled island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles. It overlooks the island's lush, volcanic landscape and the deep blue expanse of the Caribbean Sea.
Scenery: The immediate surroundings are stark and volcanic, with grey ash and rugged lava flows contrasting with sudden bursts of vibrant tropical vegetation where the earth allows. Below, the island descends into a riot of rainforest and banana plantations. The air often carries a faint scent of sulfur, and steam vents occasionally hiss from the mountainside. The station itself is a concrete and steel fortress, built to withstand seismic activity and tropical storms, with panoramic views of the entire island chain.
Original Station Type: Volcanic radar installation with heat-resistant radar domes for monitoring Caribbean naval and aerial approaches from British-held islands.
Later Usage: Seismological research, atmospheric chemistry (volcanic gases), and secure training ground for Super Force operatives with pyrokinesis or geothermal abilities. It doubled as a listening post for southern Caribbean naval movements, with labs for testing heat-based metahuman countermeasures.
Heron
Location: Situated on a desolate, storm-battered barrier island along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, accessible only by a long causeway or sea. It stands amidst shifting sand dunes and vast, brackish marshes.
Scenery: A landscape defined by the relentless Atlantic Ocean, wild, windswept beaches, and towering dunes that constantly shift with the wind. Extensive salt marshes lie inland, teeming with migratory birds and the ceaseless roar of surf that echoes the perpetual vigilance against eastern threats.
Original Station Type: Coastal radar station with dune-integrated antennas for early warning against Atlantic submarine and aerial threats from Imperial fleets.
Later Usage: Coastal erosion and avian ecology research, later adapted for Super Force aquatic metahuman training and storm-based power experiments, utilizing the dynamic environment for resilience testing against metahuman-induced tempests.
Iguana
Location: Perched on the arid desert cliffs of the Baja California Peninsula, where sun-baked rock meets the restless Pacific.
Scenery: A barren expanse of sun-scorched sand and towering cacti, interrupted by dramatic sea cliffs that drop precipitously into churning waters teeming with unseen marine life. The relentless sun casts long shadows over the skeletal forms of desert flora, while the distant crash of waves serves as a constant reminder of the border's unforgiving edge.
Original Station Type: Cliffside radar outpost with solar-powered arrays for monitoring Pacific naval incursions and potential Manchu amphibious operations.
Later Usage: Desert ecology and solar energy research, with Super Force facilities for arid-environment metahuman operations and experimental energy harvesting technologies to power remote NAFR defenses.
Jaguar
Location: Deep within the Yucatán Peninsula's labyrinth of jungle and cenotes, amid the humid heart of NAFR's southern frontiers.
Scenery: Dense, impenetrable jungle canopy pierced by crystalline cenotes that plunge into abyssal depths, surrounded by the vine-choked remnants of ancient Mayan ruins. The air hums with the incessant drone of insects and the sudden cries of hidden predators, where sunlight filters in rare shafts to illuminate forgotten stone carvings.
Original Station Type: Jungle-camouflaged radar installation with elevated platforms for detecting aerial threats from Central American Imperial proxies.
Later Usage: Hydrology and bio-luminescence studies, serving as an SSCOM site for researching ancient artifacts and metahuman energies tied to subterranean ley lines. Staging point for Sector-14 Special Tasking Groups in the Guatemalan and Honduran Wars.
Kingfisher
Location: Nestled in the temperate rainforest fjords of Vancouver Island, where the northwest frontier meets the storm-tossed Pacific.
Scenery: Towering cedars draped in moss rise from mist-shrouded fjords, their reflections dancing in waters occasionally broken by the sleek forms of orcas. Heavy rain lashes the landscape in sheets, turning the air into a perpetual veil of gray, where the distant rumble of thunder mirrors the ever-present threat of naval incursions.
Original Station Type: Fjord-based radar outpost with acoustic buoys for detecting northwest Pacific submarine threats from British or Russian fleets.
Later Usage: Marine biology and advanced acoustic submarine detection, adapted for Super Force underwater metahuman training in the labyrinthine inlets.
Loon
Location: Amid the pristine lakes and boreal forests of the Boundary Waters, a vast wilderness guarding the northern continental heartland.
Scenery: Mirror-like lakes stretch between stands of ancient pines, their surfaces broken only by the haunting calls of loons at dusk. Boreal winds carry the scent of pine resin, while fleeting glimpses of the northern lights paint the night sky in ethereal greens, a fragile beauty amid the encroaching shadows of war.
Original Station Type: Lakeside radar station with portable arrays for northern border surveillance against aerial incursions from Russian or Manchu territories.
Later Usage: Freshwater ecology and remote sensing research, serving as a wilderness survival training ground for Super Force agents preparing for prolonged isolation missions.
Mongoose
Location: On the pine-forested swamps of Isla de la Juventud, a strategic NAFR holding in the contested Caribbean theater.
Scenery: Vast pine barrens give way to treacherous swamps haunted by the low growls of crocodiles and the labyrinthine karst caves that swallow light whole. The humid air clings like a shroud, alive with the rustle of unseen threats, where the island's isolation breeds both sanctuary and peril.
Original Station Type: Island radar outpost with concealed antennas for monitoring Caribbean Gulf naval movements and potential British smuggling operations.
Later Usage: Invasive species control and karst geology studies, functioning as a covert operations base for Super Force interventions in the volatile Caribbean.
Nightjar
Location: Within the cypress domes of Big Cypress Swamp, Florida, a humid bastion in the southeastern lowlands.
Scenery: Towering cypress trees rise from brackish waters, festooned with orchids that bloom under starry nights pierced by the eyeshine of alligators. The swamp's primeval silence is broken only by the nocturnal calls of unseen creatures, a realm where darkness conceals both refuge and ambush.
Original Station Type: Swamp-hidden radar installation with low-profile emitters for southern aerial threat detection amid the humid haze.
Later Usage: Wetland conservation and bio-acoustic monitoring, with facilities for testing stealth technologies tailored to metahuman infiltration specialists.
Otter
Location: Concealed within the vast, dense pine forests of Andros Island, near the edge of the "Tongue of the Ocean," a deep oceanic trench.
Scenery: Seemingly endless pine forests interrupted by thousands of blue holes—deep underwater sinkholes—and twisting tidal creeks that vanish into the abyss. The eastern coast plunges into immense depths, where the water's acoustic properties amplify the whispers of submerged secrets, and the air carries the briny tang of the eternal sea.
Original Station Type: Coastal radar station with hydrophone arrays for Bahamian channel surveillance against Imperial submarine deployments.
Later Usage: Oceanography and unique acoustic properties research, adapted for underwater infiltration training by Super Force divers and aquatic metahumans.
Manatee
Location: Tucked deep within the intricate, nearly impenetrable maze of mangrove islands and shallow bays of the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Scenery: A sprawling aquatic wilderness of interconnected waterways, dense mangrove tunnels, and small, muddy islands where the air hangs thick with humidity and the ceaseless calls of seabirds. The labyrinthine channels twist like veins, concealing both bounty and betrayal in their shadowed depths.
Original Station Type: Mangrove-concealed radar outpost for Gulf of Mexico threat monitoring, with shallow-water sensors for detecting covert landings.
Later Usage: Aquatic navigation and mangrove ecology studies, serving as a training ground for shallow-draft vessel operations in Super Force coastal raids.
Nightingale
Location: A secluded, camouflaged outpost nestled deep within the vast, ancient Okefenokee Swamp, bordering Georgia and Florida.
Scenery: A primeval landscape of blackwater rivers, cypress forests draped with Spanish moss, floating "prairies," and dense thickets teeming with wildlife. The environment's rich biodiversity provides natural concealment, where the humid twilight echoes with the symphony of hidden life amid the ever-encroaching fog.
Original Station Type: Swamp radar installation with elevated masts for southeastern border monitoring against Imperial saboteurs.
Later Usage: Primeval ecology and natural concealment research, adapted for bio-diversity studies on metahuman adaptations to wetland environments.
Osprey
Location: A robust, low-profile structure on a desolate, storm-battered barrier island along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, with a prominent observation tower.
Scenery: A landscape defined by the relentless Atlantic Ocean, wild, windswept beaches, and towering dunes that constantly shift with the wind. Extensive salt marshes lie inland, teeming with migratory birds whose cries carry over the ceaseless gale, a vigilant sentinel against the eastern horizon's shadowed fleets.
Original Station Type: Barrier island radar station with a prominent tower for Atlantic surveillance and early detection of transoceanic threats.
Later Usage: Coastal erosion studies and avian monitoring, with facilities for researching avian-linked metahuman abilities and aerial reconnaissance tactics.
Puffin
Location: Built into the towering, erosion-sculpted cliffs on the rugged western side of Grand Manan Island, overlooking the churning waters of the Bay of Fundy.
Scenery: Sheer, rocky cliffs plummet into the turbulent, frigid waters of the bay, famous for its extreme tidal range and powerful currents. The island is often shrouded in dense, impenetrable fog, lending it a mysterious, isolated feel where the roar of the tide drowns out all but the whisper of conspiracy.
Original Station Type: Cliff radar outpost for Bay of Fundy naval detection and monitoring of British Atlantic approaches.
Later Usage: Tidal energy research and fog navigation experiments, providing mysterious isolation for Super Force covert operations in the northeastern seas.
Quill
Location: Integrated into the rugged, forested cliffs of the Gaspé Peninsula, overlooking the vast Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Scenery: Dense boreal forests climb steep, rocky slopes that plunge into cold, deep waters. The coastline is wild and unyielding, with dramatic sea stacks and a sense of profound solitude broken only by the mournful cry of gulls and the distant thunder of Imperial warships.
Original Station Type: Peninsula radar installation for Gulf of St. Lawrence threat monitoring, with cliffside emitters for enhanced range.
Later Usage: Cliffside geology and gulf surveillance research, offering profound isolation for high-security Super Force experiments on maritime metahuman capabilities.
Raven
Location: Carved into the majestic, fjord-cut mountains of northern Labrador, at the edge of the Arctic tundra.
Scenery: A breathtaking landscape of immense, U-shaped valleys, dramatic peaks, and deep, cold fjords carved by ancient glaciers. The treeless tundra stretches inland, while icebergs drift silently offshore, their calving echoes a grim prelude to the frozen wars of the north.
Original Station Type: Mountain radar outpost for northeastern Arctic aerial and naval approach detection.
Later Usage: Glacial studies and tundra ecology research, adapted for Super Force Arctic fjord operations involving cryomantic and glacial metahumans.
Seal
Location: A small, heavily fortified station on one of the remote, rocky Button Islands, guarding the entrance to Hudson Bay from the Arctic Ocean.
Scenery: Barren, windswept islands composed of ancient rock, constantly battered by icy currents and polar winds. Surrounded by frigid, grey waters often dotted with sea ice, it embodies the epitome of bleak, strategic isolation where survival is a daily defiance against the encroaching freeze.
Original Station Type: Island radar guardian with ice-resistant arrays for Hudson Bay entrance surveillance against polar incursions.
Later Usage: Arctic gateway surveillance and ice navigation testing, serving as a base for extreme cold endurance trials for Super Force operatives.
Tern
Location: Tucked deep within a remote, glaciated fjord on the eastern coast of Baffin Island, possibly a lesser arm of the Cumberland Sound.
Scenery: Surrounded by towering, ice-covered mountains that rise directly from the narrow, deep water of the fjord. Glaciers calve into the sea, and the air is perpetually cold and still, broken only by the crack of ice and the faint, ominous rumble of shifting bergs.
Original Station Type: Fjord radar installation for eastern Arctic monitoring of Russian or British polar expeditions.
Later Usage: Glaciology and cold-water immersion research, providing silent isolation for metahuman containment and glacial power experimentation.
Urchin
Location: A research and observation post largely subterranean on the vast, desolate, and mostly ice-covered Devon Island, one of the largest uninhabited islands in the world.
Scenery: A polar desert landscape dominated by rock, permafrost, and a permanent ice cap. Stark, monochrome vistas stretch endlessly, punctuated by sparse, hardy vegetation in the brief summer, where the wind howls through canyons like the lament of forgotten outposts.
Original Station Type: Subterranean radar facility for polar aerial surveillance and metahuman anomaly detection.
Later Usage: Polar desert research and subterranean operations, simulating extraterrestrial environments for Super Force deep-space metahuman acclimation.
Vole
Location: A remote, mostly subterranean facility on Axel Heiberg Island, known for its unique fossil forests and extreme northern environment.
Scenery: A high Arctic desert with rolling hills, ice caps, and peculiar geological formations. In summer, low-growing Arctic plants provide a brief burst of color, but winter brings endless darkness and biting cold, where ancient fossils whisper of worlds long buried under ice.
Original Station Type: Ice cap radar outpost for northern threat detection, buried to withstand polar blizzards.
Later Usage: Paleontology and ice cap studies, with facilities for extreme environment metahuman training and fossil-derived arcane research.
Walrus
Location: One of the very northernmost stations, dug deep into the permanent ice cap of Ellesmere Island, facing the Nares Strait towards Greenland.
Scenery: A landscape of immense glaciers, vast ice fields, and towering ice cliffs. Polar bears and muskoxen roam the sparse ice-free valleys. It is a land of ultimate isolation and extreme cold, with months of polar night and continuous daylight, where the horizon blurs into an endless white void.
Original Station Type: Ice cap radar installation facing Greenland for northernmost surveillance against European polar thrusts.
Later Usage: Northernmost surveillance and wildlife ecology research, providing ultimate isolation for classified Super Force projects on hyperborean metahumans.
Xenops
Location: Located on a tiny, ice-free coastal strip or nunatak (rocky outcrop within an ice field) along the far northern coast of Greenland.
Scenery: A land of exposed rock, permanent ice, and the immediate proximity of the Arctic Ocean's permanent ice pack. The rare flickers of life—tenacious lichens and seabirds—defy the desolation, where access demands the fury of icebreakers or the endurance of long-range aircraft.
Original Station Type: Coastal radar sentinel for North Atlantic approaches, perched on precarious outcrops.
Later Usage: Rare life studies and icebreaker-dependent access, serving as a desolate base for arcane suppression experiments in the polar fringes.
Yak
Location: A deep, subterranean research facility buried within the vast, unchanging interior of the Greenland ice sheet, possibly located near a subglacial lake.
Scenery: An utterly featureless, immense dome of ice and snow stretching to all horizons. The silence is profound, broken only by the wind or the hum of the station's machinery. It represents absolute isolation and extreme environmental conditions, a frozen vault guarding secrets from the world above.
Original Station Type: Subterranean radar buried in ice for polar monitoring and seismic anomaly detection.
Later Usage: Subterranean ice research and hardiness testing, offering absolute isolation for high-risk experiments on metahuman endurance and subglacial arcane phenomena.
Zebra
Location: Positioned on the northeastern coast of Greenland, acting as the final sentinel against threats approaching from the North Atlantic and European theater.
Scenery: Glacial landscapes, immense icebergs calved from nearby glaciers, and a coastline battered by the cold North Atlantic. Its icy isolation makes it one of the most challenging stations to maintain, where the grind of ice against rock serves as an eternal dirge for the unwary.
Original Station Type: Coastal radar acting as a final sentinel for North Atlantic and European threats, with reinforced structures against glacial advance.
Later Usage: Emergency response and glacial research hub, featured in stories like Operation Deep Freeze for Super Force Arctic missions involving catastrophic events and metahuman interventions.