History of Manticore:
Manticore, a covert government operation to develop super-soldiers using recombinant DNA, was once one of the most secretive and dangerous government branches. Their goal was to prevent the loss of soldiers and create highly-trained, highly-successful assassins.
''Instead of sending ten thousand soldiers into battle and losing five thousand of them... we could send ten into battle and lose none.'' --Lydecker
The training of the Manticore's most versatile series, the X-series, was left up to Colonel Donald Lydecker. For the most part he suceeded, except for the twelve Xs that escaped in the winter of '09. Most of them were never found or located again.
In 2019, Renfro, also known as Madam X, was made director of Manticore. She did not work to Lydecker's liking, however, and ended up killing Tinga in an 'experiment'. Renfro was killed the night Manticore was destroyed, leaving a mysterious message to Max about ''finding Sandeman.'' (then pronounced Sandman).
Manticore was thought by the transgenics of Seattle to be gone forever, but in the story of the siege at Terminal City, we find that that is not the case. It is not the case at all.