Vigil Universe

These all sound like odd names but they describe the types of superhumans in the Vigil Universe.

The first superhumans in the Vigil Universe were Variants, individuals born with superhuman abilities. The first Variant emerged in the early 1950’s. Russia was noted to have the first documented superhuman, Gregor Kirilenko. His demonstration of superhuman strength marveled citizens of the USSR while mortifying those in United States. There was some controversy as to whether he was in fact the first, given that there were no formal records in other developing countries of their own superhumans.

America followed behind with Duane Newman, born in 1953. His telepathic abilities gained the attention of the attention of the United States government. He was recruited by the U.S. military for strategic purposes even though he was only 12 at the time. Much of his government involvement was kept under wraps; both because of his age and also his race. Fearing the backlash from the American public if they knew that the first home-grown superhuman was Black, the government made sure to keep his identity secret. It wasn’t until records were later declassified that this part of history was discovered.

Looking to replicate Variants’ God-given gifts, governments around the world began enhancement experimentation on normal humans. The United States dubbed their program, the Super Human Actualization Research Program, or SHARP for short. Many of the results were catastrophic, leaving many dead or horrifyingly disfigured and maimed. But there were some glimpses of success. These successes were called Augments. These individuals were enhanced biologically, others technologically, while some had a combination of both.

The most curious group of superhumans to emerge in the Vigil Universe were the Contingents. These individuals gained their incredible abilities through shear accident—no special genes at birth, no experimentation. These individuals, for lack of a better term, stumbled upon their abilities. Contingents by far are the smallest group due to the random way by which they acquire their abilities. What is known so far is that amongst most Contingents, derivatives of the wonder metal Duritium catalyze the acquisition of their powers. Scientists are still looking into how this association works but nothing definitive has been found yet.

The world of Vigil will introduce you to all these various superhumans and how they interact with the real world. Specifically, the political, social and economic impact of their existence in the world. Strap in because it’s going to be a wild ride