Author: Kirk Baldridge
Rating: PG-13 to R
Feedback: Yes, please. The more the better. KirkBwriter@juno.com.
Distribution: You want it? Take it. Just let me know where it is.
Spoilers: Nothing. This is an Altiverse, or Alternate Universe, story so it will only relate to people, places or things from the show in bizarre ways that have little to do with the show itself.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I'd treat them better than... some people.
Summary: In this Altiverse story, Sunnydale is not a haven for demons and magic, although both do still exist, but rather a gathering place for super beings.
Note: As you may have guessed from the summary, this is a radical departure from anything I have ever written about the Buffyverse. I am going to be using the main Scooby characters, and some of their major villains and/or guests stars, but they will likely be playing radically different roles than you are used to. Basically, think of their names and faces and perhaps personality traits as displayed on the show, and then forget everything else you feel you know about them. This is my interpretation of the Buffyverse, Marvel Comics style.

1954 - A scientist's female assistant is exposed to an unknown form of radiation during an experiment, and soon develops the ability to turn herself invisible. She goes on to a successful espionage career.

1956 - A woman in Roswell, New Mexico disappears for a week, and turns up with no memory of what happened to her and the ability to pass through solid matter.

1961 - Two twin sisters hit puberty, and during their birthday celebration one bursts into flames that do her body no damage while the other generates ice that freezes one of the guests.

1964 - A government agency is formed, called the MIB (or Mutation Investigation Bureau) to study these and an alarmingly large number of other reports of humans developing remarkable abilities, dubbed superpowers thanks to the proliferation of comic books. It's believed by many in the private sector that many of the super-people are employees of the Federal Government, which is later revealed to be true.

1969 - Scientists discover a previously unknown human gene active in every superhuman, which is believed to be responsible for some if not all of the super powers. It doesn't escape public notice that not a single man has ever been reported to posses superhuman abilities. Research continues.

1973 - The SRC, or Superhuman Research Commission, formerly known as the MIB, release findings indicating the so-called S-Gene is indeed responsible for allowing and in some cases even spontaneously triggering human mutations and that it can only be found in women. Superwomen now number in the thousands and are found in all parts of the world; and male political, law enforcement, and criminal figures begin to panic. Not surprisingly, the former two are soon replaced by non-powered (and in a few rare cases super-powered) women, while crime also benefits as much as it suffers. Many women turn to an easy life of crime using their powers while others seek to help, or take a stand against those who hurt, kill and abuse Normals or Norms.

1975 - The Women's Empowerment Act is passed, by the now sixty-eight percent female Congress and fifty-one percent female House of Representatives. Among other things (such as full legalized gay marriage) superwomen are granted the same legal rights as their non-powered counterparts, including a specialized legal status for those women who claim a 'secret identity' to protect themselves and their families.

1981 - The first publicly-acknowledged, Federally-sponsored superhuman organization is established as a special arm of the Secret Service. Code-named WARBIRDS, they're assigned to protect the President from superhuman threats. They are the first, but by no means the last, women to hold such a position.

1989 - Jacilyn Benson, formerly known as Thundera, is the first superhuman, not to mention woman, elected as President of the United States. Her Vice President, Marjory Hannigan, was once known as Quickstart. All but two members of their cabinet were also women, a tradition that was to last through the next decade.

1995 - The small California town of Sunnydale becomes a superhuman hotbed when it is discovered that there is an otherdimensional vortex there which radiates energy that can trigger the activation of S-genes, even in women who previously demonstrated no family history. A special organization known as the Council is established there to observe and research the phenomenon, and for its protection a rotating number of superhumans is assigned to the facility. Two in particular, Thunderbolt and Lightshield, go on to distinguish themselves.

2005 - A new recruit, fresh from the Council's Training Academy, is assigned to the Facility.