Mutants have been around for years,
and for a while, they were accepted members of society. Simple products of evolution, certain people were born with gifts that normal humans couldn't begin to fathom being able to accomplish. Most joked about the idea of superheroes and described these abilities as "powers" on the streets. Some, of course, didn't trust this advantage. Regardless, it wasn't abnormal to see somebody on the street corner cooling their glass of lemonade with their hands, or a shop owner doing the work of three men all with his mind. They were your brothers, your sisters, your neighbors, your teachers... They existed, and everyone knew it. America was prospering, life was content for most, and the economy continued to grow.

Then disaster struck.
America became too comfortable with their place as top dog. They became a bullying country, certain that nothing bad would befall them. On the evening of April 05, 2009, a cybernetic attack on the United States took place, wiping out every computer system in the country, and taking over those belonging to the military. Our own bombs attacked us, the economy crashed overnight, and within days America went from super power to third world country. The rich suddenly found themselves dirt poor when the computers recording their monetary earnings erased every cent; business after business went bankrupt. Soon crime was on the rise, and people had to jump through hoops to survive. In the wake of the destruction, a scape goat was needed.

They blamed mutants.
People that used to dine with their mutant neighbor soon started to attack them. Murders became the norm, and with as much chaos as there was, most went ignored. The bad economy made way for crooked cops, the rise of gangs and mafias, and, of course, every scumbag looking for a pay day to run rampant. The U.S. government, determined to build an army and get revenge, and the resources for the most powerful army was just staring them in the face. They began abducting mutants off of the streets to bring them back to a secret division known as Operation X to perform experiments on them. They were looking for ways to boost powers, but more importantly, they needed a way to control the mutants they captured. The danger was fierce, so those with powers took a variety of measures to escape persecution. Some denied what they truly were and attempted to live their lives in the new world as normal humans, hoping to never slip up in front of the wrong person. Others banded together and hid in a mostly ruined part of the country that used to be Manhattan that is rumored to be haunted, radioactive, and all other sorts of crazy superstitions (most created by the mutants living there to keep normal humans away). Still others thrived in the new dog-eat-dog world, using their powers to swindle people out of their money.


In 2020, it gets worse.
All things prior to 2009 have been eradicated from the computers, but the country slowly starts to rebuild. Eventually, people start to figure out how to survive almost normally. Computers are relied upon less, new jobs are created to take the place of robotics, and people have figured out ways to cut corners due to the shortages of items at different times--and gas at all times. Used to this way of life, people become ignorant to the allocation of funds to Operation X, which has used ten years to develop a method of brainwash that has so far proven foolproof. Each expendable test subject brings them a step closer to creating the power boosters, and an even darker world lay on the horizon for the ostracized mutants as their friends disappear--and sometimes reappear as their enemies. It forces most to head for the Broken City, as dubbed by those who founded it, a mostly underground city that looks worse than the world surrounding it but works enough to keep them alive.