Others had their own ideas. Looking for a low-cost way to destabilise communist gains in Latin America, the CIA set about recruiting from the handful of captured supervillains in American custody. Slaughter was sent into Latin America with orders to spread terror, but the serial killer slipped his leash and went rogue. By the time the outside world learned what had happened, several years later, he was responsible for thousands of deaths.
1986 saw widespread changes in the law as America struggled to adapt to the existence of superhumans. The first parts of what would eventually become SARA were written into law, insisting that active superhumans register with the government and—more controversially—banning the practice of dressing up as a superhuman without actually possessing superpowers. On a lighter note, DC Comics won a lawsuit against ‘Superman’—a superhuman who wore a Superman costume—and managed to convince another superhuman to act as a mascot for the company. Finally, the first version of the SDI was brought into existence by President Reagan.
The first Superhuman Era came to an end in 1987-88 when Slaughter’s activities in Latin America became public knowledge. Fireman, then the leader of the ‘Americans,’ left his post to track down Slaughter and publicly beat him to death, following up with a press conference that placed the blame for the rampage on the current Administration. Vice President George H.W. Bush, formerly Director of the CIA, took most of the blame, torpedoing his chance of succeeding President Reagan. Fireman quit government service altogether and vanished somewhere into flyover country.
This led to a series of tectonic shifts in global politics. Most notably was an alliance between Latin American superhumans against the United States, who served as the front men for an anti-American alliance that eventually included every Latin American state. In Iraq, Saddam was overthrown by a superhuman in the wake of the disastrous Iraq-Iran War, who proceeded to put Iraq on a more stable footing for the future. Almost every country in the world saw superhuman activity, some managing to cope with it successfully, others almost losing control of their affairs to superhumans.
President Cheney’s election in 1992 can be fairly said to start the second Superhuman Era. Cheney oversaw the strengthening of the SDI, the creation of what would eventually become Team Omega and the creation of a legal environment that worked to channel superhuman energies in more productive directions. Many superhumans would become celebrities, famed for being superhuman rather than anything else, with corporate backing that ensured that they got a wonderful life in exchange for toeing the line. Superhumans more willing to enter government service were directed towards the SDI, or a handful of ‘black’ units that took advantage of superhuman abilities. Given the fact that there were roughly 5000 superhumans in the world at the time, it served to prevent a greater upheaval. Other nations were less lucky.
1995-1996 saw the final collapse of South Africa, isolated after news of Dr. Death’s experiments became public. Thousands of whites fled the country as South Africa fell apart, while hundreds of superhumans went north, hiding themselves in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Death himself was taken into custody by an American SF unit and eventually vanished under mysterious circumstances.
It was merely the first wave of chaos that threatened to tear the world’s fragile balance of power asunder. Russia started making its first steps back onto the world stage, backing the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and providing arms and equipment to Latin America. Saudi Arabia finally collapsed into chaos and was largely annexed by Iraq. America and Iran started mending fences that would lead to a reluctant alliance to maintain the balance of power in the Middle East. Bangladesh, of all places, became a major regional power. China started reforming, only to be threatened by demands for more reform from its underclass.
Disaster nearly fell in 2009, on the verge of a United Nations Conference on the African Situation. Put simply, a superhuman with a unique power—the ability to turn off superpowers possessed by others—was pushed into involvement with a plot to trigger a superhuman crisis that would reshape politics in the United States for years to come. The power-drainer would kill several victims, including Marvin Lofting (America II), before finally being stopped by Matt Tracker of the SDI. Much of the truth of the affair was covered up by the SDI, which resumed its search for a second superhuman with similar powers. The UN conference failed, unfortunately, paving the way for Hope’s creation of the Saviours.
There is no clear consensus on the origin of superhuman powers. Theories range from Nazi experiments back in World War Two to the unlocking of previously-dormant potential in the human genetic code, or meddling by aliens or other advanced entities. There is also no way to predict who will become a superhuman, or what powers they will develop. All that can be said with any confidence is that the transformation normally occurs when the victim is pushed right to the limit.
Generally, superhumans are classed according to strength and resilience, ranging from Level 1 to Level 5. The handful of superhumans with powers that seem to defy the standard scale are classed as Level X and regarded (rightly) as extremely dangerous. Mostly, superhumans are classed by the SDI when they register and undergo training to prepare themselves for a superhuman life.
The Superhuman Activity Regulatory Act (SARA) provides the legal background to superhuman registration and control. Superhumans who wish to use their powers in a public setting are required to register and undergo formal training, which can lead to a career as a public servant and deputized police officer. Those who have higher-level powers are generally encouraged to join the SDI. Superhumans who wish to remain unregistered are expected to refrain from using their powers in a public setting, a rule that has been harshly criticized by, among others, the ACLU, on the grounds that it discriminates against superhumans.
Table of Contents
Team Omega Cover Blurb
Author’s Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-OneThis
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
C
Afterword
The World of Team Omega
Team Omega Page 46