The first verifiable incident of hyper-intelligence was recorded in Berkley, California. An exchange student by the name of Riku Sato had accidently hacked both the DoD and NYSE computer systems in a single night, resulting in a DEFCON 2 status and a 15% drop in the stock market. When questioned by authorities in both Quantico and Tokyo, he replied he was simply trying to finish a homework assignment on shipping routes. Not long after, other cases began popping up around the world. In a matter of months, governments around the world discovered the link between the mutation and country of origin- Japan. Children and adults with at least one Japanese parent resulted in the possibility of an acquired enhancement to cognitive activities. Despite the treatment death rates, the Japanese government was intent on building up a class of hyper-intelligent individuals to help them battle COVID-20. Mutated individuals seem to categorize themselves into fields irrespective of their careers or scholastic desires. Doctors now found themselves drawn to engineering, artists laying down their tools only to have near perfect knowledge of the inner workings of the body.
Some children simply became catatonic, lost entirely to their knowledge and information running through their minds. Pharmaceuticals were developed, but they had to be administered almost immediately for those newly mutated that entered this state. Many were simply left to live out their short lives in repurposed nursing homes. Medical resources stressed as they were, it was only a matter of days before the beds would be available again.
Like the leaders of the Japanese island nation, other countries attempted to develop their own think tanks of the mutated hyper-intelligent. Most were squirrelled away in underground bunkers, hoarding their knowledge, trying to protect themselves from their own intelligence vulnerabilities while trying to keep their governments running. The field of study specialization inherent in the mutation was indeed vulnerable, but what everyone wanted was something like the very first case, and so that became the watch word: Riku’s Riku, Metacog, Sage. A generalist that could unlock any mystery, solve any problem. Of course, much like a bully on a playground that doesn’t have what another has, the “if I can’t have it, no one can” mentality arose.
If the world was enamored with the hyper-intelligent, the appearance of the telekinetics was an altogether different response. Elemental post-mutates were already on the scene, and their abilities seemed very much tied to the raw elements themselves. Telekinetics seemed unencumbered with such requirements.
Stories of telekinetics coming into power seemed much like the other elemental tales- a state of rage or fear, perhaps a vivid dream, extreme stress and the mutation would reveal itself. In most cases, it was benign. A parent finds their sleeping child levitating above their bed along with books and other various objects in the room. “Burns,” they were called, controlled, deliberate, seemed more parlor trick than anything else, and they were received with open arms by the general populace. Then the “Bursts” appeared. It became a such a regular occurrence that news stations gave it a section all it’s own. The script was always the same, “Explosion on 5th and Fairway as another “Burst” telekinetic came into her power. The family of Steven and Jane Woodson is survived by….” Scenes of houses missing rooms, stories of cars exploding in traffic started to become common on the outlets.
Gone was the warm affection for the telekinetics, regardless of their type. “Burst” or “Burn” they were all dangerous in the eyes of governments and society. To make matters worse, a “Blast” class was rumored to exist that had the raw power of the Burst with the stamina of the Burns. It did not take long before governments leaned on the hyper-intelligent to develop means and ways to capture the telekinetics.
In the end, it was the hyper-intelligent that formed the shackles for the post-mutates of every sort. Benign questions asked to think tanks, they were too engrossed with the problem of protecting the population from the rogue individuals abusing their powers that they did not realize what the ultimate goal was. Structures called “Care Centers” were built and the artificers smiled and celebrated their accomplishment.
Their corpses still smiled as they were piled up. It would not do to have post-mutates that designed the prisons held within them.
It all started rather benignly, teens and adults just felt they wanted to be outside, or swimming, or wanted to get more piercings. For a time, some of those receiving the viral treatment seemed to want to return to nature or other base elements. Difficult for most people were those that seemed drawn to fire, needing a candle or lighter lit at all times, but eventually it became normal. Then, it wasn’t.
The first manipulation of an element stunned the world. A teacher tried to take a lighter from a student, only to be taken from the school grounds in an ambulance with third degree burns on his arms and face. Soon after, the testing began. Not only were the “Elementalists,” as they called them, most comfortable in and around their element, but it seemed they could control the nature of the world’s building blocks. This control came at a high metabolic cost as well as lowering of body temperature.
Elementalists that abused their bodies and their gifts by manipulating large amounts of their element or used their powers for extended times very often ended up in the hospital complaining of cramps and lethargy. What physicians called Exhaustion due to Elemental Overuse- Pre-Comatose(EEOPC), was lovingly termed “eFreeze.” Elementalists found that the duration they used their powers, the amount of the element they were wielding, and the distance the element was from them had different impacts on how fast they would hit Pre-eFreeze. Some of the more unstable Elementalists tried to push a wall of fire on someone, or a HydroEL attempted to move an Olympic sized pool only to wind up permanently comatose.
Extensive testing revealed the following: element is manipulated by the Elemenatlists, not generated by them; access to the element is vital- Hydro, Aero, and Geo Els have lots of access to their element, Pyro and Electro types tend not to. Pyro can snuff out, move, or enhance fire, but it is fuel dependent- but they can control burn rate such that if a log is burning, Pyro’s have the ability to wield as much fire as that log was going to produce. A Pyro and a tank of gasoline is a terrible thing.
Scientists also discovered the dampening effects the elementalists had on one another: Fire v Water, Air v Earth, Metal v Wood, and Electric v Water and Wood. Enhancing skills were also identified and placed into teams. Australian SpecOps relied on a group called StormMakers, a team of three Elementalists- an Aero, Hydro, and Electro. With their powers combined, they could build and wield storms against their enemies.
Rumors of Elementalists being able to take on characteristics of their element existed, but no one could claim any real knowledge of them. Just like every other tale in the PNW, there was always another Sage in the Wood. Right now, survival is the game, so most EL have yet to make the journey to see the Elementalist that might actually help them.
In the end, they were rounded up by the PeaceMakers and placed in camps designed by the Artificers. Each element was placed in a room/cell that not only dampened their powers, but was meant to separate them from in entirely. Pyro’s lived in cells of permanent showers of water, Geo’s were suspended from the ground and unable to touch their element, and Aero’s were buried in the deepest level of the prisons with highly regulated air.
Created by Zycon Pharma Labs in Great Britain, this antiviral treatment to COVID-20 had unintended side-effects. The antiviral agent sought to utilize the body’s endocrine system and parasympathetic nervous system by genetically hyper-activating the pineal gland of the brain. (which was once described by René Descartes as “the principal seat of the soul”).
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) is the antagonistic pair to the Body’s Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). Together they form the body’s entire Nervous System. The SNS is responsible for the body’s “Flight or Fight” response: Sweating, heart rate increase, adrenaline, and full-body activation. The PNS, or “Rest and Digest” response dictates control over visceral organs, glands, and tissues. Via the pineal gland, it also has a direct impact on hormone production. The PNS triggers tears in the eye, saliva production, and activating the endocrine system via the pineal gland.
Zycon thought that it could backdoor its way into a treatment for COVID by altering the body’s nervous system and the pineal gland which acted as a traffic controller to the endocrine system. Instead, the Pharma company created a mutation in humans that would activate intuitive awareness normally associated with fortune-tellers, penny-dreadful psychics, and new age occult.
Some became extraordinarily empathic, absorbing or influencing the emotions of the world around them. Others became the psychics normally associated with crystal balls, incense, and gaudy jewelry. Intuitive gift manifestations happen in two ways that came to be known as Pull/Push powers. Pull powers were receiving or absorbtion aspects of the mutation (receiving intuition or guidance, absorbing the emotions of others). Push powers related to influencing or directing the Intuitive’s prerogative/mood/etc onto a recipient via the same skill pathway.
Intuitives are mostly forced into using their mutations reactively. To proactively use the enhancement, they must move past the Beta-wave (awake/alert) brain patterns and into Delta(dreamless sleep), Theta (meditation), Alpha (calm/relaxed), or even Gamma (REM sleep/high-cognitive).
The Peacemaker strain of mutation originated from the anti-virals produced in the United States. Based on research centering around the endocrine system. Using shared research with the British the American team took a different tact instead looking to tap into the power of the adrenal gland.
The anti virals once injected were designed to create a hypoxic environment for the virus thereby eliminating it, or at the very least weakening it to the point that it was no longer fatal. The results were amazing and the anti-virals has a 95% success rate. Equally amazing we’re the side affects of the treatment. The glands that were targeted mutated on a genetic level as did the hosts.
For chasers and hunters the adrenal glands kicked into high gear enabling initially leaving them patients on edge until their bodies adjusted to the new normal. Some of which came away with speed and hyper reflexes while others experienced heightened senses.
Brawlers pituitary were affected more so, generating human growth hormones and strengthening bone, muscle and connective tissue. Because of their size the adrenal gland did not leave the brawlers on edge but enabled them to tap into strength and muscular response not seen ever before in humans.
Their abilities were quickly harnessed by the Sanguinis Pura. They served to track down and capture other mutates and helped to imprison them. However feeding an alligator only works until you run out of food, and it wasn’t long until the Peacemakers were the only free mutates roaming the landscape.
Soon after the Pures targeted them, tricked them, and starved them into imprisonment.
The Sanguinis Pura are a group of survivors who did not receive anti-viral inoculations of any kind. They were first discovered as the virus mutated and government mandated antibody testing was initialized. They managed to survive the initial outbreak and the ensuing mutation. They were lauded as hero’s and the reason that humanity would continue on. Many volunteered early on for stem cell harvesting and research. Once volunteers were exhausted the Pures were rounded up by forced and pressed into service and detained agains their wills.
However, they watched in horror as friends and family were taken by the virus due to supply shortages of the anti-virals. But far worse were those who received the treatment and as a result of that treatment mutated on the genetic level and developed additional gifts. The post-mutates as they called them collectively began to show signs of biological evolution.
Their hatred for these factions is as pure as the blood coursing through their veins. They watched as these people not only survived the disease, but came out stronger on the other side, while those they loved perished slowly and painfully.
A man fueled by rage rose through the ranks to organize and lead the Pures. But still waters run deep, a quiet calculating man his hatred runs boiled just beneath his calm exterior. Charismatic and charming he has rallied many to the cause and turned a sentiment into a movement and a gaggle into an army.
The Order of the Sanguinis Pura was formed with a religious undertone, the crossroads of theology and science. The Pures viewed the Post-Mutates as an abomination. Sacrilegious in violation of the laws of nature and God. These zealots will be satisfied with nothing less than the extermination of these scientifically altered humans.
The Pures rose to power as the God ordained leaders of humanity as they saw it. Using sheer force of will and superior numbers they seized power. They began to round up the mutated members if society and place them internment camps.