The scientist has not been forthcoming with accurate information about the Protos. We’ve assembled a little information through observation and through interviews. Any additional information will be most welcomed.
Proto Note #1. The Protos were cast away one at a time. Some were too young to remember where they came from, and most are unaware that there are any other Protos out there. The scientist just assumed they would die when left on their own, so even he doesn’t realize there are Protos loose in the world.
Proto Note #2. To create the Protos, the scientist mixed human DNA with that of other species to try to create beings that combined the best attributes of each species. Unfortunately the creatures usually wound up with the least obviously useful traits and got discarded.
Proto Note #3: The Protos are created in batches. With each batch the scientist becomes a little better at it. Protos in later batches are more aesthetically pleasing and have more obviously useful attributes. However, to date none of the Protos have lived up to the scientist’s standards.
Proto Note #4: Unbeknownst to the scientist, some Protos have hidden secondary traits based on their genetic mix. They manifest in times of stress and in time may cause the Proto to evolve into something new. These Protos look exactly like other Protos, except they glow in the dark.
Proto Note #5: With one exception, first batch of Protos were obvious failures to the scientist and were discarded before they gained sentience. They must make their way in the world with no knowledge of who they are or where they came from. The later batches were more promising, and the scientist kept many of them around for longer. They’re aware that they were created, and then rejected. Which would be worse?
Proto Note #6: Protos vary in size, but they generally appear to be at the midpoint between the average sizes of the creatures their DNA came from. A cross between a Newfoundland dog and a starfish would be the size of a small dog. However, most Protos are actually very young, have been living in stressful conditions and are likely to be malnourished. If they find a happy home, who knows what they might grow into?
Proto Note #7: Protos, at least those from the first and second batches, pose no threat to humans. Misunderstandings occur because their physical appearance is often frightening and their behavior is sometimes strange. But really, they want nothing more than love, acceptance, and a safe place to live. In other words, they’re just looking for home
Proto Note #8: Within a batch there were often revisions, so many Protos have near-identical copies of themselves somewhere in the world. Sometimes many copies. Very few of them are aware of this fact, however.
Proto Note #9: All the original Protos were albinos. The scientist didn’t think to give them skin pigment until later in the process. Being completely lacking in aesthetic sense, however, the colors he chose were often random and strange.
Proto Note #10: Is conflict inevitable? With each batch of Protos, the scientist comes closer to his dream of creating superior beings. But this is a man who callously discards his creations just because they disappoint them. The “superior beings” may in fact be as monstrous on the inside as the early batches were on the outside. Will the first Protos bow to the new Protos as their masters? Or will they unite to stop them?
