Welcome to a universe where anyone can be hero.

Background

In January 2021, A clandestine group of scientists, funded by an ultra-secret organization made a universe changing discovering, breaking the known laws of physics, time, physicality, and life as we know it. They have confirmed the existence of a new substance, sub-atomic in nature, but when brought to an excited state through near light speed acceleration and atomic collisions, transforms itself and creates Meta V particles ^TM, an element that itself travels faster than light and crosses inter-dimensional boundaries.  This new element creates particle-energy signals that have been confirmed by the Meta Hero Project ^TM.  These particles, when harnessed in larger quantities through the Meta V Particle Accelerator, form a unique, transformational substance that can be imbued into objects and infused into living organism resulting in energy signals that trigger remarkable new attributes.

By way of introduction and history, a tachyon, tachyonic particle, or as it was originally proposed in 1962 by O. M. P. Bilaniuk, V. K. Deshpande, and E. C. G. Sudarshan as “meta particle” and later changed to tachyon in 1967 by Gerald Feinberg, has long been considered a hypothetical particle that always moves faster than light. Most physicists have believed that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. The belief is that should such particles exist, they could be used to build a tachyonic antitelephone and send signals faster than light, which (according to special relativity) would lead to violations of causality.

In relatively simple terms, causality means that a cause and its effect are separated by a time-like interval, and the effect belongs to the future of its cause. If a time-like interval separates the two events, this means that a signal could be sent between them at less than the speed of light. On the other hand, if signals could move faster than the speed of light, this would violate causality because it would allow a signal to be sent across space-like intervals, which means that at least to some inertial observers the signal would travel backward in time.

Despite theoretical arguments against the existence of faster-than-light particles, experiments have been conducted to search for them. No compelling evidence for their existence has been found. In September 2011, it was reported that a tau neutrino had travelled faster than the speed of light in a major release by CERN; however, later updates from CERN on the OPERA project indicate that the faster-than-light readings were resultant from “a faulty element of the experiment’s fiber optic timing system.

But unbeknownst to the rest of the world…

In 2012, an unknown group of ultra-wealthy patrons, uber connected individuals and super talented members of the scientific community, formed the Faster Than Light (FTL) Consortium to finance, manage and secure world changing projects.  In 2017 the FTL Consortium secretly funded and brought together a small group of leading scientists in physics, chemistry, and biology, together with biomechanical engineers, metallurgists, and physicians that had been working independently, to take the original CERN research, re-engineering the processes that led to dismissing the original failure of the experiments and to find solutions that would change the future of the cosmos.

Based on early data findings from the lead group of scientists that proved the potential for monumental discovery, in 2020, just ahead of the plague that would grip the globe, construction was completed on a secret deep-water facility below Crater Lake, in Crater Lake National Park located in south-central region of Oregon in the western United States housing a small but ultra-powerful Meta V Particle Accelerator.

Crater Lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot-deep (655 m) caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of a volcano Mount Mazama.  It is the deepest lake in the United States and ranks 9^th in the world for maximum depth and 3^rd for mean (average) depth.  Fairly remote due to its location in a National Park but visited by over 750,000 people a year, making the FTL facility, while primarily below the surface, effectively hiding the operation in plain sight.

Crater Lake has an elevation of 1,883 m (6,178 ft) above sea level.  Since there are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake, and given its remoteness, it is easily accessible by FTL members, scientists, construction and resupply missions, employees, consultants, and various officials, via FTLs prototypical Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTAL) whisper crafts through hidden landing and forwarding base facilities on Wizard Island, located near the western shore of the lake.

Getting its name from its cinder cone shape, Wizard Island has an approximate size of 128 ha (316 acres) and is nondescript and unassuming to those that visit the lake as tourists but hides super lifts, gantries and hydraulic landing platforms that are only operated in the cover of darkness.  Another Crater Lake features, Phantom Ship, is a natural rock pillar, located near the southern short of the lake hides the electronic surveillance hub for the facility, tracking both air and ground activity in the area and linking to a private satellite network that monitors all Terran and terrestrial communications as well as all Meta Hero Project activity globally.

Scientific, Facility, Training Team Leaders

Made up of an international group of experts in their respective fields, the Crater Lake Facility could boast, if public, one of the greatest assemblies of scientific, military, communication, computer, training, and weapons experts in the world.

The Origin of Meta Heroes

After the initial discovery of Meta V particles and the quick formation and installation of a beta Meta V Particle Accelerator in the deep-water Crater Lake Facility, which produced early, but encouraging results, a small accident occurred in early June 2021.  While working in her molecular biology lab with her lovable and affectionate German Shepherd service dog, Mister P beside her, Dr. Chi Lin Wong accidentally spilled just over a nanogram of Meta V Particles into the dog’s water dish.  Later in the day, just after Mister P refreshed himself, Chi Lin noticed that he begun to shiver and stumble, which after a minute or so, quickly subsided, and Mister P very quickly returned to his happy, helpful self.  Just to be certain that everything was alright with her beloved companion, Chi Lin brought Mister P to Dr. Salama Jones, the team’s world-renowned veterinarian and zoologist.  After a careful examination, Dr. Jones decided that a series of MRI sequences would be best to try and rule out any permanent damage of issues to Mister P.  As soon as the dog was sedated and strapped to the MRI horizontal bed (as a 2 floor matching unit was also available in the facility), and Gadolinium, or better known as Gad, was introduced by intravenous injection as a non-toxic paramagnetic contrast enhancement agent, Mister P was gently thrust forward into the humming chamber of the MRI unit. Unbeknownst to everyone the combination of T1 weighted electromagnetic pulses, the Gad and Mister P’s ingested Meta V particles set off a chain reaction that would forever change the world as we know it.

Originally called NMRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging), but “nuclear” was dropped to avoid negative associations an MRI relies upon the affect that certain atomic nuclei can absorb radio frequency energy when placed in an external magnetic field. The resultant evolving spin polarization of the technology induces an RF signal in a radio frequency coil and thereby be detected and displayed in the diagnostic room adjacent to the unit itself.  In clinical and research MRI, hydrogen atoms are most often used to generate a macroscopic polarization that is detected by antennae close to the subject being examined.  Hydrogen atoms are naturally abundant in humans and other biological organisms, particularly in water and fat throughout the body. For this reason, most MRI scans essentially map the location of water and fat in the body. Pulses of radio waves excite the nuclear spin energy transition, and magnetic field gradients localize the polarization in space. By varying the parameters of the pulse sequence, different contrasts may be generated between tissues based on the relaxation properties of the hydrogen atoms therein.

As the sequencing continued, from all indications, everything looked normal on the MRI’s displays and Dr’s Jones and Wong, together with the technician, saw nothing out of the ordinary. Unknown to all concerned, the effects of accelerated Meta V particles in combination with the macroscopic polarization of Mister P’s hydrogen atoms and the Gad as a catalyst, something strange, spectacular, and wondrous was happening inside of Mister P – the Meta V transformation process was underway.  As the process finished, everyone thought, from all observations, that Mister P was fit and ready for his continuous duties as a service dog, a friend to all, and the unofficial facility mascot.

While Mister P was 6, an advancing age for a larger dog, but certainly not old for his breed, over the next few days, he seemed more puppy-like than he had been in years.  Always rather playful, Mister P had an abundance of energy that everyone noticed, and it wasn’t until almost 5 days after the ingestion of Meta V particles and the MRI, along with the Gad, that something mesmerizing took place!

While in the Crater Lake facility’s underwater complex’s artificial solarium, an area that looked like a parkette in any major city, and with Mister P being a bit rambunctious wanting to play fetch over and over again, tiring out Dr. Wong as she had to use a small fishing net to scoop up the ball on the ground from the seat of her wheelchair, she sternly told Mister P that she had to go back to work and that this would definitely be the last throw.  As Dr. Wong threw the ball in the air, instead of waiting for it to bounce off the ground as usual, Mister P jumped into the air, to a height of about 3 meters (10 feet) and caught the ball in his mouth and then just hovered there, literally midair.  Enjoying himself immensely, Mister P rolled over casually in flight and then returned to the ground and brought Dr. Wong the ball.  Everyone in the solarium froze and waited for what seemed like an eternity, but Mister P acted as if nothing happened.

Over the next few days, other new traits started to manifest themselves, as not only could Mister P fly and hover above the ground, but his fur also started to feel denser, and initial test showed that it was exuding properties like Kevlar®.  Cutting a small amount of fur from Mister P, which took a diamond coated blade, and then carefully weaving it into a patch, showed that it was strong enough to stop an armor piecing bullet.  But what was really dazzling is when Mister P got excited, he vanished, completely! It was only after Dr. Wong had been calling him insistently for almost 5 minutes, she then decided to squeeze his favorite toy emitting a sound which got Mister P to reappear and return to what appeared to be his normal self.

That was more than enough for all concerned, and while the entire team was focused intently on what could have made these events happen, they quickly doubled their efforts.  They surmised that it was likely some kind of effect in connection with Meta V particles.  After a thorough review of the recorded sessions in Dr. Wong’s lab, they showed that she may have accidentally released some minute quantity of Meta V particles and somehow Mister P had come in contact with them.  This was the smoking gun they needed!

While the initial negative effects subsided almost instantly, it was discovered by carefully retracing all the steps that were taken that the combination of almost random acts, including probable ingestion, administration of Gad and the effects of the T1 weighted MRI sequences causes Meta V particle effects to become pronounced.

But would it work on humans?  What about other creatures?  Could it affect other items that weren’t potentially biological?  These were just some of the questions that everyone needed answering and the FTL Consortium, while generous, was not a patient lot.

Although the team was used to taking years to develop theories, work on experiments, and test and retest results, the remarkable effects on Mister P and then other test animals then led to test household items and weapons in combination with a coating of Meta V particles Computerized Tomography or CT scanning which resulted in enhanced attributes for non-biological items.  It seemed that Gad was only required for biologics and that a coating in combination with CT scanning drew out active attributes in non-biological items.

In just a few short weeks since Mister P had taken his first flight, his fur had stopped amor piecing rounds and he had dematerialized, the team had gone from animal and non-living tissue to being ready for their first human based experiments and everyone wanted to be the Alpha test.

Marc “Lucky” Lucas was the FTL expert in all types of weapons and warfare.  Originally graduating with a master’s degree in mechanical engineer, Lucky realized he had a fascination with weapons, tactics, and combat.  Training privately, he became proficient in both building and using almost every kind of blade and type of firepower and with his engineering background, started to invent weapons.  He also studied around the world the most ancient, holistic, and deadly fighting styles and was an expert in practically all of them.  Lucky was a physical fitness nut, and a man with both an analytical and animalistic mind.  As a result of thorough due diligence, a battery of physical and mental tests and based on his overall acumen, Dr. Vinetti, with the support of the leadership team and the FTL Consortium, who remained anonymous except for their Charge de Mission or diplomatic envoy, Penelope Bennet, who was the only one who communicated with this illusive group that had endless political connections and the deepest global pockets, chose Lucky as the human Alpha test subject.  It was going to take a lot in a short period time to be ready to conduct this experiment, and as was always the case, with the generous and ongoing support of the FTL Consortium, the team wanted for nothing when it came to talent or equipment, or really anything, come to think of it.

So, there it was, Lucky would be the first human to become a Meta Hero.

On the first day of July, in the year 2021, mankind took the next leap forward in evolution with the creation of a human Meta Hero.  The go-Alpha team was assembled in a hermetically sealed, multi-level Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) which eerily looked like 1 of the 3 design submissions in 2009 for the European Sample Curation Facility (ESCF) that was to be built in Vienna. This type of BSL-4 can filter unknown biohazards down to 10 nanometers and was modified to filter to less than 1 nanometer to ensure that no Meta V particles could escape the lab. Generally reserved for sample specimens like those returned from space exploration or meteors falling to earth, the BSL-4 facility has been built to contain a working lab, MRI unit, surgical suite, crew quarters and amenities, a fully stocked galley with filtration system fed directly from the lake, comm center with its own state of the art server farm, rivaling any small cloud installation and a biological unit containment section, essentially a fancy holding facility.  If needed, this section of the facility could remain self-sustaining for months at a time.

At 10:28 am GMT, the lab fired up and by 11 am GMT all hands were ready to proceed. In his mind, Lucky was already a true Alpha specimen born ready and his slightly elevate heart rate, at 62 beats per minute, effectively that of a super athlete in a mildly heightened state, was evidence that he was excited.

Strapped down for his own safety, Lucky was wheeled into the surgical suite at precisely 11:15 am GMT and hooked up to a bevy of electronics.  With an IV drip in place and a mild sedative administered, Dr. Xeta Juarez, the team’s Medical Director and Lt. Eve St. Clair, the facilities Head Nurse were monitoring all Lucky’s vitals for any minute change in breathing, blood pressure, blood gasses, temperature, brain activity and heart rate.  At exactly 11:28 GMT, an hour after the lab came to life, Lucky was given precisely 3 nanograms of Accelerated Meta V Particles intravenously, as the team had estimated that Mr. P weighing in at a trim 41.5 kilograms or about 93 pounds had ingested about 1 to 1.5 nanograms and Lucky at a Heavyweight boxer class of 91 kilos or just about 205 pounds likely needed the proportionate increase to illicit a response.  The response was almost immediate, Lucky died.

Once Meta V particles reached Lucky’s heart and pumped to his brain crossing the blood brain barrier, entire body went haywire and completely shut down.  Or so it seemed to everyone in the room!

Lucky’s body was trying to decide what was invading his being and what it was going to do with this new substance.  As the seconds ticked by and the medical team frantically tried to revive him, little did they know that he wasn’t just going to be saved, but he would be the most amazing human being that ever lived.

One minute and then two and still no reaction.  For all intents and purposes, Lucky was fading away from the team, never to return.  Then, at 2 minutes and 39 seconds after his body ceased to function, Lucky’s body began to shake violently, so much so that the straps on his left side snapped and it took 4 people in the room to hold him to the operating table.  After 2 more minutes the shaking stopped, and his body began to glow like the sun without generating almost no heat, and everyone had to turn their heads away from the blinding light.

As the glowing subsided and Lucky’s vitals started to return quickly to normal levels, Dr. Vinetti, in agreement with Dr. Juarez, made the immediate decision to transfer Lucky to the MRI.  Injecting Gad into his veins and setting the machine for a T1 weighted set of sequences, Lucky’s entire body was mechanically slid into a new, enhanced standing version of the machine, which took up a portion of the second floor of the BSL-4 facility.  Once fully immersed and the began MRI humming, again Lucky’s body began to glow, brighter and hotter and so much so, that it looked as if the MRI would set fire or melt any moment.  They pushed the machine and let it run its full set of sequences, and like the events of Mister P’s sequencing, the team saw no anomalies on the displays.  Once the machine was shut down, again Lucky’s body and vitals returned to normal, and he was transported to the containment section where remote surveillance and a group of trained professionals, including Dr. Juarez and Lt. St. Clair, kept a close eye on the patient.

A couple of hours later, Lucky was awake and eating and not less than 8 hours later, late that July 1^st early evening, it seemed to Lucky and the entire FTL medical team that nothing had ever happened.  3 days later on July 4^th, Lucky was released from the containment section and the BSL-4 lab, as all tests indicated, or so everyone believed, that whatever toxic reaction his body went through, it may have shed the Meta V particles and a week later Lucky was cleared for active duty.  Lucky was monitored daily, but by all indications, he seemed as if nothing had happened.

July 11^th, 2021, will be the day that everyone in the Crater Lake facility will remember and it is the stuff that legends are made of because it’s not every day, or any day, that a Meta Hero is born.

On that fateful day, Marc “Lucky” Lucas had just finished his early morning 10 km run on the indoor track and was getting ready for his sparring session with Col. Yuri Gregonovich, Military Attaché and Ops Lead, who in his own right was an almost perfect human specimen.  Colonel Gregonovich was a multi-disciple black belt and an expert in weapons and tactics, and like Lucky, and an excellent boxer.  As the 2 heavyweights enter the ring and the bell rung, life as we know if on earth was never going to be the same.

As Yuri systematically tried to find an opening to Lucky’s defenses, he finally broke through and connected a right hook that caught Lucky square on the chin.  Most men would have crumbled to the mat from the power of that punch, but Lucky countered and caught Yuri as he stepped into a left hook of his own.  Staying square on his feet, Yuri could take a punch!  This back and forth continued until the bell went and the fighters took a breather in their respective corners.

At the 2^nd round break, and just before the bell rang for the 3^rd round, Lucky started to feel a bit funny.  His ears weren’t really ringing, but they were starting to hear things that didn’t seem to be there, and his eyes were starting to play tricks on him.  As he started to blink, it seemed that Yuri began to fade in and out and it was if he could see right through him.  Shaking it off, Lucky bounced up and got ready for the final round of this morning’s exercise routine.

As the fighters began to go back and forth, each finding slight openings and connecting with their gloves to headgear and other parts of the body which was all remotely recorded both as telemetric data and video for future playback and training, something unbelievable happened.  Lucky’s defensive reflexes seemed to double and then triple in speed and Yuri seemed to be punching at a figure that was there one millisecond and then gone the next.  It all happened so fast that it took several “air” punches for both fighters to realize what was happening. Then all hell broke loose. Lucky’s glowing returned, intensified and then he just disappeared as if he was never there.

While Yuri was left with his mouth hanging open, Lucky was instantly transported to the weapons depot halfway across the complex.  He felt fine, but not only was he still glowing, but he could hear everything and see a spectrum of auras around people and objects in the depot and could glean information about each one of them as if he had on VR glasses.  On top of that, his fitness band showed it was about 30 minutes earlier than it had been when he last looked at the digital display on the wall behind the ring.  As strange as this was, this was to be Lucky’s new normal.

As the FTL security patrol with Dr’s. Vinetti and Juarez in tow reached Lucky, a good 32 minutes later, which, according to normal time, was presumably 2 minutes after he originally disappeared.  Although he had been sitting quietly in a remote part of the weapon depot trying to figure out what happened, Lucky seemed perfectly normal, except for the slight glow, but everyone knew that nothing was normal, and things were never going to be the same.  Today was the day that Meta Heroes had become a reality.

Right now, this is your opportunity to become a Meta Hero and for some, Meta Villains, as you take the journey to see what skills, powers, and attributes each of you may gain from your infusion of Meta V particles and the journey beyond.

As you go through your training and improve your ranking, you’ll have the opportunity to connect and team up with other Meta Heroes, gain power and skill points and learn to use your newfound attributes.  You’ll also have the opportunity to engage with Lucky and his team as they, along with the FTL Consortium, imbued objects with Meta V particles and powers to support you and your future teammates as you undertake activities and missions across the cosmos.

What are you waiting for? 

Welcome to a universe where anyone can be a hero!