Colossus

As its name implies, the Colossus are giant, statue-like beings from unknown origins that have appeared on Earth. They have destroyed major cities and killed tens of thousands of humans that led to the establishment of HERO and the Champions to fight against them.

## History

### Fall of Washington DC

The first Colossus appeared in the American capital of Washington DC during the year 2026. Ten minutes after its appearance, it self-destructed, destroying a major portion of the city and killing more than ten thousand Americans. Six months passed and during that time, the United States President attempted to pool resources into research for a solution to stop another Colossus attack. However, world leaders from countries like France and Spain dismissed the Colossus as an isolated threat and the President had to rely on corporate donations to fund the necessary research that was being led by HERO, a new organization that only included the United States and the Philippines at that time.

### Fall of Paris & Madrid

Another Colossus then appeared in the French capital of Paris and ultimately self-destructed in less than fifteen minutes. Only a week later and the French Prime Minister announced his resignation after enraged citizens protested him for his dismissal of the Colossus threat that took the lives of twenty thousand French citizens. And only three months passed when another Colossus appeared in the Spanish capital of Madrid that self-destructed despite the Spanish Air Force's attempt to stop the being that claimed more than fifteen thousand lives.

### Fall of Moscow & Beijing

Six months passed and research was still ongoing when the Colossus appeared simultaneously in the Russian capital of Moscow and the Chinese capital of Beijing. Nuclear missiles were utilized against the Colossus, however conventional weapons did not prevent either of them from inevitably self-destructing, killing more than a hundred thousand people. This eventually resulted in the countries that were directly affected by the Colossus threat to abandon old rivalries and work together by pooling all their resources into accelerating the research that compared the material from the ground zero areas to the gold that was mined from the Laguna province of the Philippines.

### Creation of the Champions

A final breakthrough was achieved three months later when it was discovered that the gold emitted frequencies similar to that of the human nervous system. So, scientists manufactured prototype devices called nodes that they surgically implanted on the nape of Iraq War veterans by connecting the nodes to their nervous system. And only a few days have passed before the subjects displayed regenerative capabilities as well as enhanced strength and speed. So, with time before the Colossus invaded another major city shortening, the subjects underwent immediate and intense training to enhance their new found abilities further and prepare them to fight against the Colossus.

### Colossus Invasion of Manila

It was the fifth month and the nodes were still under experimentation when a Colossus appeared near the Filipino capital of Manila where it destroyed three warships. Despite needing more data on the nodes, the subjects were quickly deployed by transporting them onto an aircraft that synchronized with the subjects' nodes and allowed it to travel to Manila at the speed of light. In less than a few seconds, they reappeared in the capital city where they used their enhanced abilities to fight the Colossus. They soon were able to expose the core before destroying it and ultimately defeating the Colossus, saving the city and thousands of lives. It marked the first victory humanity had against the otherworldly beings and it soon led to the establishment of the Champions, a new military branch that was dedicated to protecting humanity from future Colossus attacks.