In 1943 experiments began on the first group of Noxidium volunteers at Bellamy Labs consisting of a group of military personnel stationed on the island. Two months later, there was one survivor, Viktor Brennen, becoming the first Mimic. After Viktor, only a few dozen more subjects survived out of the hundreds injected. Though visibly no different than a human, a Mimic’s bodily chemistry is much more complex and completely irreversible and on a molecular level. They were treated like lab rats, seeing to what extremes they could survive, and what they were capable of. Though their ability to take on the appearance of others showed promise and could be useful, however the time it took between changes and the biological byproduct left behind were less than desirable. In the end, the gains did not support the means, and Bellamy had to move onto a second serum. A cleaner, safer one with a higher survival rate. Mimic’s and their further creation were all but fully abandoned. 

 

The night of the strange fire could not have come soon enough for the disregarded and jailed creatures. Seeing the opportunity he was given, Viktor ran into the chaos rather than from it, risking his own life to grab the Noxidium formula, remaining serum vials, and any correlating notes he came by. Before the fire broke out, Mimic numbers had barely hit the sixties, and he wasn’t going to let this be the end for them. They deserved answers and, more importantly, a secure future. The Basement was the place where the first experiments had taken place, and where the answers he needed were kept. However, when Viktor made it to the basement, there was a scared, caged girl left behind. Unwilling to leave anyone to die, Viktor released the Vampyr. She in return, helped bring both him and his found items to a more secluded area of the island, giving them both the opportunity to escape for good.

 

A year after the island was ‘shut down’ and everything was settled, Viktor spent time tracking down and contacting any other surviving Mimics he could find. Many of them shared his thirst for knowledge and were eager to combine their information. The assembled group moved back to Bellamy Island on the 2nd of March in 1960, merging among the locals. Magdelena Short, a former Bellamy Labs researcher who made further Noxidium enhancement possible. Having fallen in love with one of her former subjects, Magda had extra incentive to help the Mimic’s cause. They studied the Noxidium formula tirelessly, finding out exactly what it had done to their bodies, and what it could do. The secluded nature of Bellamy made it the perfect place to do this. Eventually, they began their own production of Noxidium aiming for a more stable version with higher survival rates.

 

When the Reemergence of Bellamy Island was released to the public in 1994, along with the plans to turn it into a bustling city, the Shadows Alliance was founded by Viktor's son, August. In an abandoned sewer-turned-bombshelter hidden beneath the island grounds, The Shadows was made a place for Mimic’s to safely become efficient in their abilities and protect one another. It was their home and a place where they could belong. Through word of mouth, Mimics across the globe began to hear of the race's presence on the island, and many chose to come themself. 

 

In the present day, the Shadows Alliance still stands strong as many supernaturals continue to be drawn to the island. Its leadership has been passed down many times over the years, and is still ever changing and growing. Though aware of some of the other races on the island, those within The Shadows try to remain neutral, fading into the background unless otherwise provoked. Being unseen, and remaining a ‘fly on the wall’, has become second nature to Mimics over time and possibly their best defense.