Reality Critical

Reality Critical (RC) is a piece of terminology used by Raven to indicate an asset (such as either something tangible or a piece of information) that is theoretically capable of causing a high-class calamity (i.e. PD-Class or higher) if misused. RC assets are afforded the organisation's highest security protections, and are usually stored within the Sigma Unit at Black Mountain. The designator is also used to indicate the potential impact of a current situation or crisis in general (for example, "The incident is now reality critical") or access control policies for an area (“the control deck of a bridge laboratory is a Reality Critical area”). RAC-III is the only method of encryption authorised to protect reality critical information, and all such information must be Sigma-classified. Not all Sigma information is reality critical, but all reality critical information is Sigma.

Examples of RC assets include the master algorithm for targeting computers and the Raven keys used to sign experiment packets; exophysical weapons such as Excision; strategic assets such as the Null Driver and its authorisation keys; certain contained anomalous entities and artefacts; and certain extremely virulent infohazards. Some Black Research anomalous operatives are treated as living RC assets.

Examples of reality critical areas include:

• The control deck, targeting computer, FTS components, DMS vaults, and CCS bunker in a bridge laboratory
• The Sigma Unit at Black Mountain
• Black Research containment areas at Black Mountain and many other Sigma zones
• Specially designated areas at non-Raven facilities, for example specially licensed areas at IRTO laboratories and RML holder corporations