West Tek was founded in 2002, consisting of two divisions: Advanced Weapons and Biomedical Sciences Research. Its early projects included the X277 magnetic rail cannon. Although powerful, the cost of fielding such a weapon on a mass scale were considered too extreme and the project was shelved in 2044. In 2055, following the emergence of the New Plague, the company focused its biomedical research efforts on developing a cure for the contagion. Although unsuccessful, it would lead to West-Tek being chosen to develop a general immunity virion nearly twenty years later.

In 2065, West Tek joined the power armour research initiative. Although the early prototypes proved to be unworkable in the field, they paved the way for breakthroughs in other fields, military and civilian. The key achievement of the project was the creation of the first portable fusion cell in 2066 thanks to a collaboration with General Atomics. Bolstered by this discovery, West-Tek immediately began work on the ambitious T-45 power armour project. However, the invasion of invasion of Alaska by Chinese forces a few months later forced the military and participating companies to improvise and speed up their schedule.

West-Tek was the first to beat its competitors to the punch by developing the power armour frame and the first practical series of power armour, the T-45 model D. The first mechanized infantry units equipped with T-45d power armour were deployed to the Alaskan front less than a year later. Although lacking in mobility, they were effective in stemming the Chinese onslaught, thanks to their ability to carry heavy ordinance into battle with ease. West-Tek also developed portable, military-grade laser weapons, paving the way for industrial giants like Wattz Electronics.

In 2073, West-Tek was contracted to develop a general immunization agent against the New Plague and biochemical weapons used by China. Their viral research efforts from 2055 onwards played a major role in the selection process. This generalized immunity virion was designated the Pan-Immunity Virion Project and formed on September 15. Early experiments with the virion resulted in effective immunity to genetic damage or disruption of protein synthesis, thanks to the new quad-helix structure created by the PVP in affected cells. However, the side effects (increase in muscle mass and induction of replication even in normally non-replicating or slow replicating cells) attracted the attention of West Tek's military liaison, Major Barnett, who immediately ordered further experiments in that direction in March, 2075. Subsequent successful experimentation on flatworms and small mammals confirmed the viability of PVP as an evolutionary mutagen, now designated the Forced Evolutionary Virus.

 

The last attempt to continue the PVP line of experimentation was the Greenhouse Initiative, which attempted to use the mutagenic potential of PVP to create edible plants and vegetation that could greatly increase food production and combat the shortages that led to the food riots rocking the country. The town of Haworth was selected as the test site, resulting in an economic boom. Although the company would purchase test rights from local farmers as late as December 2075, the project was at an end.
On January 6, 2076, the military secured West Tek research sites in the name of national security. Among others, a military detachment under the command of Colonel Robert Spindel was deployed to the West Tek Research Facility, bringing it under military control. West Tek was effectively nationalized, and the development of FEV continued apace, with support from the military's own advisory teams. New genetic sequences were spliced into FEV, gradually turning it into a shifting-absorptive virus that had little in common with the original Pan-Immunity Virion. It did, however, result in increased intelligence, dexterity, muscle mass, and resiliency to pathogens and cancer. The Greenhouse Initiative was scrapped and the researchers reassigned to other projects as West-Tek decided to use its Wakefield branch to focus on experimenting with FEV to determine its practical limits, with Haworth used as proving grounds for low-level FEV exposure experiments and source of test subjects.

The Advanced Weapons and Laser Development divisions completed their own projects by the end of the year, resulting in the T-55 power armour being put into production after testing and further iteration by the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Strong.

In January 2077, the FEV project was nearing completion. All FEV research assets were moved to the newly constructed “Mariposa” Military Base, including a significant portion of West Tek's research staff, ignoring recommendations against human testing from the personnel. In the Wakefield branch, where human testing was already ongoing, advanced mutation experiments continued around the clock for the duration of 2077. While the Mariposa team perfected an operational strain, Wakefield researchers focused on experimental ones that would test the limits of the virus. Apart from numerous nightmare-inducting results, the experiments created stable mutations that would become known as the Grafton monsters, after Thomas Eckhart accidentally unleashed them on the world.