| "That project was more than my life's work. It was my life. I lived and breathed by it. I had my husband and son genetically modified. It was all I ever thought about for thirty years. It's not easy to lose something like that, you know? I wanted it to mean something, and not just for the sake of science. For my dear Clark, murdered by something I created. For Seth, a product of my own ignorance. I wanted it to mean everything. But it didn't. Our breakthroughs were mediocre at best, and we failed at containing our mistakes. They had every right to shut us down." -statement made during radio interview 
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ESCAPES
→ Albert Jones ALTERCATIONS → Hurricane Emily |
→ The Abendroths |
 Founded: 2005Located: Frye Island, Maine Security Level: Inactive. At one time was of highest degree Shutdown: 2038 Evacuated: between 2038-2040 Occupants: Less than 10 at the moment. Most ever documented: 400 It was the turn of the century. American scientists were hustling to ensure their spot in the genetics race. The idea of forced evolution was unheard of. It was impossible to manipulate one's gene's to have better senses, to be faster, to heal at an accelerated rate. This was an accepted conclusion to many failed attempts during various secret projects. But one scientist wanted one more go. He gathered a small group of like-minded individuals and set out to prove the opposite of what so many before him had deemed true: that humans could be genetically altered to have advanced abilities. They started with no funding. They pooled their savings, gave up their careers and cut themselves off from the world. They faced humiliation with every failed experiment, though it wasn't until they started using actual humans that it became crucial to succeed. The first bodies they tried to alter were vegetables. This proved unsuccessful. It was difficult to tell if anything was happening to a body that was virtually lifeless. Second, they tried the elderly. Only those with a death wish volunteered and they almost felt bad giving them what they wanted. Almost. These experiments proved unsuccessful as well. All subjects were unable to sustain any altered cells. Most died immediately. The others, shortly after. The group was discouraged, as any would be. Were they chasing the impossible? It was beginning to look like it. But then, in late 2005, one of the scientists by the name of Abigail Enders unethically volunteered her husband for genetic alteration. She felt the direct relationship she obtained with him would be enough motivation for her to succeed. Her logic, surprisingly, was right. Under the guise of a routine process, Clark Enders successfully became Patient Zero. His evolution wasn't clear at first. His symptoms were similar to those of the flu. They lasted until his body stopped rejecting the altered cells. And then, he was normal again. Or as normal as could be assumed. They tried the same on eight more, all husbands, wives, and even children of the scientists. Unbeknownst to them, under similar misleadings, they were altered. They had the same reaction as Clark. Flu-like symptoms, and then nothing. It wasn't until years later for most of them, that any indication that they had been genetically mutated showed. Most abilities were triggered by a traumatic event, but a few were just turned on, as if by a switch. They shared their progress with the government, earning a special grant and the permission to test on infants intended for adoption. Most were altered in the womb during amniocentisis. It was easier that way, less painful for the children. Then, the scientists adopted them, raised them as their own to monitor them. Setting up homes in a remote part of the country, they built a community around their labs. Frye Island officially became Ground Zero for super-modified humans. Patients were given free roam around the island, but were not allowed to leave without supervision. The ferries to and from the mainland were controlled to run sporadically, if at all, and special measures were put in place to insure the safety of everyone working and living in the town. For nearly 30 years, everything ran smoothly, or as smoothly as something can run without results. And then, suddenly in 2030, it was as if everyone's powers exploded at once. Most of the teenagers were going through puberty, a correlation the scientists eventually found to relate directly to power discovery and/or manifestation. As the body quickly changed and grew, so did the mutation. And suddenly, things weren't running so smoothly anymore. Several incidents occurred over the course of the next few years. Many deaths, even more accidents, and more questioning than the scientists were comfortable with. Some of the experiments even found out they were being monitored, and made others aware. The high adoption rate on the island was discovered, leading to suspicion of what exactly was taking place. And, of course, an arrival of a Special Ops team (albeit anonymous at first) sparked several debates and quizzical stares. In 2038, when the Project was outed and subsequently shut down, many of the mutants developed trust issues. It took over two years to completely evacuate all the occupants of the island. The schools struggled to stay open, but many educations suffered during that time. Luckily, Hobbs Community College, the college located on the Island, was accredited and all degrees earned at the institution remained valid. Abigail Enders lost all respect as a scientist and was forced, in 2045, to declare bankruptcy. |
Apart from the contractual funding provided by the United States Government, The Genome Project benefited from many private investors. Peculiarly, these donations to the 'science' behind the Project were coming directly from it. About fifty percent of the funds coming in came from the scientists themselves. A portion of their salary was signed away to Abigail Enders and her dreams of creating a genetically modified super-human. If those investing weren't of the scientific kind, they signed on with other talents and expertise. 
Arthur Bacchus, one of the Projects biggest private funders. |
Most notable for the disbandment of the Project is Special Agent John Gomes. Leading a special ops team (consisting of five men and one woman) to the Island to investigate health and safety concerns, abuse of funds and authority, and violations of rules and regulations, he was almost single-handedly responsible for it's demise. Over the course of six months, John documented observations of gross misconduct, examples of mishaps, and unfortunately, two deaths at the Project's expense. Upon reporting back to the CIA, the scientists, including Abigail Enders, were given a generous warning, which they failed to take heed of. Several months later, Charles Elwood was observed misleading the board of directors and outside investors on the happenings on the Island. After many more infractions, and several years of evidence, the Project was shut down.
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