WTNewWorldOrder:Timeline
Up until the appearance of the anomaly in July of 2011, the world's history appears to have continued on in the same course that it has in the 'real' world.
Timeline of the setting
July 27, 2011: Spatial anomaly noted in Low Earth Orbit. It is geosynchronous with central Siberia.
August 3, 2011: A human shaped figure falls from the anomaly. Her fall is tracked by professional astronomical instrumentation. Beyond the scientific documentation, the only other documentation is a couple of amateur videos of a humanoid figure’s descent. The anomaly closes.
August 5, 2011: The figure, who has gained the name ‘Zenita’ [Zenith] amongst Russian UFOlogists and others they talk to, is retrieved by a taskforce of United Nations scientific personnel. These personnel will form the core around which The United Nations Extranormal Taskforce, or UNET, is formed.
September 1, 2011: General Charles Redekar of South Africa is appointed Director of UNET. UNET remains high security clearance but nonetheless becomes the primary international organization for study of ‘meta-natural’ matters.
Next 11 months: Sporadic reports of people with extraordinary abilities are beginning to pop up world wide. Officially these are dismissed. Fringe elements latch onto the Zenita figure as the cause of this. Many of these begin to coalesce into ‘The Church of the Falling Star’, which begins to preach of the coming ‘Age of the Angels’; Zenita is called “the new Star of Bethlehem” and a sign of the coming savior. National organizations for metahuman issues are discreetly formed in the United States, Russia, China, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and other G20 nations. These organizations have greater or lesser degrees of cooperation with UNET depending on individual policy. The United Kingdom’s Project Torchwood is expanded from its post WWII days as part of this initiative. As part of this it begins to expand into closed tunnels unused since the war. During one of these excavations, the robotics lab of Dr. Alexandra ‘Alex’ Russell is found, along with Dr. Russell. This discovery is classified under the State Secrets Act. Dr. Russell is rehired by Project Torchwood.
July 27, 2012: Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics are interrupted by the Mekaniak, who launches his attack during the torch lighting ceremony. Announcing himself from the PA system, the madman sends forth robotic soldiers that he had repurposed from electronic and mechanical systems in the city. There are thousands of casualties and tens of millions of dollars of damages in the ensuing chaos. During this attack, several other metahumans reveal themselves to the public as they fight back against the attack and work to save as many civilians as they can. UNET and Project Torchwood go public with this incident. The Mekaniak is arrested and the robotic army is put down. In the ensuing trial he is revealed to be an Englishman from Cornwall named Samuel Rogers. He is convicted and imprisoned. Efforts are made to identify the civilian metahumans involved in order to recruit them into government service or at least keep tabs on them. William Nugent is interviewed but determined to not be a threat and dismissed. British shooting team alternate David Moss is interviewed and recruited to work for Torchwood as the personal bodyguard of Dr. Russell. Rabbit is not positively identified; there are no good facial pictures to be found. After initial widespread international panic governments worldwide move to establish they are managing the situation successfully.
August 16, 2012: The United States reveals the Patriot Squad; a 13 member team themed on the first states and answering directly to the President and Joint Chiefs. The organization remains positively regarded in the States even as anti-meta sentiment expands over the next year and a half.
Christmas 2012: The Church of the Rising Star, radical splinter group of the Church of the Falling Star, reveals its existence by staging an occupation of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Triggering riots and fighting across the city. After 8 months of anarchy and violence by multiple sides trying to use the chaos to establish control of this contested ground, Israel retakes the city and establishes martial law. The Rising Star has engaged in pro-meta terrorism worldwide ever since in order to pave the way for the Second Coming.
January 2013: Following the events in Jerusalem, Japan reestablishes its military and rapidly rearms. Chinese and Japanese military metahumans fight in the Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands resulting in a hot war between the nations. While it remains primarily limited to navel and metahuman combat in the Islands, analysts fear expansion of violence. Chinese emphasis on the Sino-Japanese conflict allows Taiwan to expand its sphere of influence.
February 17, 2013: World stock markets fall drastically after SEC officials investigating improper trading by StrexCorp CEO Luther Morgenstern reveal that he has been paying a psychic metahuman to force traders to manipulate the markets in favor of himself and his company. This revelation results in widespread fears of unknowing “fifth columnists” in governments and bureaucracies everywhere. Expansion of government spy programs result in multiple nations, but the fears of infiltration only intensify.
July 20, 2013: Argentina’s president, President Ana Andrea Irazusta, announces that all metahumans in the nation are no longer considered citizens but are instead a national resource and property of the government. Several weeks of rioting erupt, but by late August order is reestablished. Metahuman and metahuman-friendly refugees flee into surrounding nations.
August 2013: Multiple assassinations of non-Yoruba public figures across Nigeria. Responsibility is claimed by Ti Yẹ (The Worthy), an ethnonationalist cult led by a charismatic metahuman who has declared himself to be a reincarnation of the god “Olofi.” Their stated goal is an ethnically, culturally, and religiously pure theocracy in transnational Yorubaland. In the following months their target list expands to all who disagree with their plans and even, at times, members judged insufficiently “pure.” African Union soldiers are deployed but prove unable to stop the killing. However they are able to slow the depredations sufficiently for the government to remain in power.
October 2013: UNET identifies the Sons of Mithras Reborn as a major threat, selling weapons and providing mercenaries worldwide. Their ideology is unknown. Their base is unknown. The only consistent aspect is that they encourage violence in all ways and forms. The existence of this group is classified at the highest level and so far appears to be remaining a secret.
November 7, 2013: Eric Carey, a pro-meta-rights politician and rumored metahuman, is elected as Governor of VA on November 5. Two days later the anti-mutant group Humans First stages an attack on his home, successfully killing him, his wife, and his nine-year old elder daughter at the scene. His four year old daughter and six year old son end up in intensive care. The boy dies five weeks later but the girl recovers. Her grandparents move her to France to protect her against further attempts.
Late November 2013: Pro-democracy groups in Egypt rally behind Fatimah Ghaffour, an openly metahuman critic of the de facto military junta. Despite efforts of the military government to discredit her and her campaign, even banning her as a candidate for president, supporters have sworn to elect her via write-in efforts in May. If she is elected as expected, she will be the first openly metahuman leader of any nation.
Late February 2014: Rumors explode of a meta Somali warlord, Dhi’b (Wolf), taking charge of the country and establishing himself as dictator for life. Veracity of these rumors remains unconfirmed, as the borders have been shut down.
Early March 2014: Putin-backed metas appear in Crimea to ensure “correct” voting in the Ukrainian annexation; pro-Ukrainian metas flood into the area to protect voters. Multiple fights break out between the groups resulting in civilian casualties and damages to infrastructure. The vote is delayed until peace can be reestablished.
March 15, 2014: Acting on intelligence from a 'deep cover' source, UNET reaches out to England's Torchwood to begin a joint operation to disrupt an upcoming arms deal that has been organized by The Sons of Mithras Reborn. UNET agents Guillaume Berger and Gabriel [REDACTED] are assigned to join Project Torchwood agents Dr. Russell and Moss are assigned to handle the mission. This deal is determined to be set for March 18.
