Alphas

Nobody knows who the first alpha scientist was. Their gradual emergence from the ranks of their scientific peers doesn’t seem to have a specific inflection point, though most will say that until the dawn of the internet age, mad geniuses like the alphas didn’t have a way to communicate and congregate. Nobody can point to the first use of the term alpha to describe the growing faction of super-scientists and engineers that make up their ranks. Indeed, there’s some contention about what it means to be alpha.

Some say it signifies their rightful place as leaders, others point to alpha test software and say it means they’re buggy, erratic, and not ready for prime time. Either way, they wield a dizzying array of devices and augmentations that more than make them a match for the magically enhanced hybrids.

Alpha powers include:

Bio-Cybernetics: Alpha science can rebuild you. Better, faster, stronger. Or it can put a transmitter in the brain of your favorite animal test subject so you can directly hijack its nervous system.

Genetic Engineering: Alphas are tinkering with the human genome in ways that many would call irresponsible or even insane. Hard to argue with the results though, even if they are somewhat short-lived.

High Energy Physics: Many alphas have cracked some idiosyncratic version of cold fusion, and harnessed its power to make plasma cannons, dimensional portals, and jetpacks.

Hyper-Tech Mechanics: Alphas have ways of folding three dimensional objects into five dimensions to save on space, allowing them to pull a lot of technology out of their pockets in an emergency.

Mind/Computer Interface: The ability to plug one’s brain directly into a computer has myriad possibilities for an enterprising alpha. Some of them are even legal.

Nano-Robotics: Creating self-replicating nanoscopic robots is the sort of thing an alpha might do. Sometimes, they even think through the consequences of their powers. But the ability to manipulate matter at a molecular scale is too appealing for some to pass up.