Theme Primer/Introduction
When it first became apparent that significant numbers of people had spontaneously gained inhuman powers, a wave of apocalyptic panic swept the world. Commentators predicted a new dark age, in which superhuman gangs would rove the earth, laying waste to civilization and enslaving the human populace. People flocked to stores to stock up on water and non-perishable foods. Abandoned backyard fallout shelters were rebuilt. A new paranoia was born. Monsters were among us.
Within time mutants managed to live up to the hysteria as well. Murder cases naming mutants as suspects became widespread news stories, while other mutants went on sprees of looting and destruction. Still, some mutants did everything they could to pretend to be normal, refusing to use their powers or even acknowledge them. Still as the abuse of these inhuman powers continued to gain public attention the fear and panic grew with it. The governments needed to take action, but it seemed that nothing they could do was enough. Mutants were to hard to combat. They were to hard to detect. There were just to many people. Even worse…as the mutants grew stronger their grasp on sanity seemed to weaken and their genetic makeup seemed to change. As time progressed more and more reports of grotesque, misshaped mutants began to surface. Before long monsters were not merely figments of the imagination. They were among us. And every single mutant was a ticking time-bomb.
Many governments began projects hoping to better understand the mutations that lead to the development of powers with the hope that they could find a way to neutralize or even reverse the effects before full mutation occurred. One of those men was Luis Quade. He believed that the only way to fight a mutant, was to understand a mutant. It was his theory and his studies that first launched what would eventually come to be called the 'da Vinci Project'. It would eventually become one of the most guarded secrets the country's government would ever know.
Using artificial womb simulation, the Project produced thirty-five fetuses, all carefully designed to carry the mutant gene. Of the fifty-five, only four lived through the gestation process only to perish at various points during the project. While this farming attempt was ethically questionable and a failure, the research that came from the study was ground breaking and gave Quade the knowledge he needed to try again. In 2007 the Project was approved by the United States government and received substantial funding. The study of anamorphology was born and the world looked on as they continued to harbor fear of their new brethren.
During this time of fear and panic many people cashed in on the introduction of mutant kind. Many movies, television series and even books features mutant villains, most disgusting and monstrous looking, furthering a subconscious mistrust in the human populace (and in turn causing outrage in the mutant population). Commercials reminded parents to be vigilante of mutations in their teens, hotlines and support groups sprang up by the thousands. Hate crimes grew in numbers, particularly those focused on those ignorant enough to admit to being a mutant. Mutant gangs walked the streets…and human police officers stood little to no chance against them. This was the world that many came to know.
It was not until 2010 that the world would get it's first ray of hope against mutants. Quade tried again, and this time of the fifty-five, the Project produced thirty-five fetuses that not only survived full gestation, but thrived. Each individual subject was named and numbered. Science has made it possible to not only create a living being from a bit of tissue and a few strands of DNA, but the early stages of gestation flew by at an alarming rate, only to slow as the subject reached the pubescent stage of development. It was at this stage that mutations seemed not only strongest, but most stable. The body was strong, the mind was a sponge. These would make the perfect weapon against the mutant menace. Quade, now with the substantial financial support of the government, sought to not only nurture their bodies, but their minds as well. He combed the states and beyond for the brightest minds in psychology, education and any other fields that seemed imperative to create well rounded soldiers. These were more than test subjects to this man. These children were the future. His greatest masterpiece.
By 2013 the da Vinci Project was in full swing. Trained, taught and prepared for anything they may encounter, the projects are the countries only line of defense against the mutant lurking among the pubic. They exist in the shadows, faceless protectors directed by the government that created them. But is there more to the mutants than they are willing to tell the public? What caused the mass mutation? Why do the project directors keep the Projects so restricted and what will happen when the Projects begin thinking on their own?
