The 1950s were a difficult time for the United States. Post-war internationalism coupled with a fear of Communism's spread forced the American government to go to extreme measures to protect itself. One of these measures was Science City Zero.
Located somewhere in the American Southwest, Science City Zero was a top-secret research installation. Human subjects were brought in - usually political dissidents, reactionaries, vagrants, drinkers and, well, anyone who was generally disapproved of - and used to test the limits of biotechnology and the human body.
Subjects were rendered invisible, grown to giant sizes, had their brains replaced with energy fields, and resurrected from the dead, for starters. The grounds were patrolled by atomic dogs and giant ants, and getting out was nearly impossible.
The lead scientist in Science City Zero was Randall Dowling, one of the greatest scientist of the time, who had an obsession with metahumans. He was not one himself, but aspired to it, a personality flaw that would eventually make him one of the most powerful people on the planet. His work was backed not only by the U.S. Government, but also by private concerns, the Hark Corporation being chief among them.
By the end of the decade, unable to sustain such atrocity, Science City Zero was shut down and quickly evacuated. Much of the equipment and research were left behind, but undiscovered until the site was investigated by Planetary on a tip from a young woman named Allison, who had been a subject there.
Some subjects left Science City Zero alive, but changed. Some developed metahuman abilities, and passed those on to their children. One such child was Ambrose Chase of Planetary, who could bend the laws of physics in his vicinity. Other descendants of Science City Zero were recruited by Jim Wilder to serve as the crew of a long-buried Bleed-ship.
Though the facility is long abandoned, its legacy is far from finished.
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