There Were Giants on the Earth in Those Days...

The Advent of Parahumanity Beginning in 1936, people around the world begin manifesting strange powers which set them apart from the common man. These so-called paranormal "Talents" allow a chosen few to do the impossible -- no one really knows why. With these powers, man first took to the air without mechanical aid, first explored the depths of the sea naked and without life support, first touched the rim of space. To these Talents reality is something to be shaped and molded by the power of their mind alone. Most, however, can only warp reality in small, consistent ways, each power as unique as their own personality. In 1939, with Hitler's blitzkrieg of Poland, and the advent of the war in Europe, these few people (whose numbers are ever growing) stand poised to battle each other to the death, for their country, for their loved ones, and for the power they hope to learn to control. To the normal rank and file of humanity, these chosen few seem Godlike in their capabilities, but only the Talents know the true secret. The secret is this: the power that they have found by chance seems pale and pointless when the shells are raining down, and it is just as easy to die in the air as on the ground or in the ocean-unlike others however, you die alone, separated from your comrade by a power you didn't ask for and sometimes believe you don't deserve. To look into the face of death and not turn away is just as hard for a man who can lift a tank as for a normal Joe, and few realize that with the power comes a new fear, a fear beyond the common footsoldier, the fear of inadequacy despite ability, a fear of cowardice despite power, a fear of failure despite the possibility of victory. Few know the way your family, friends and your enemies alike look at you when you do the impossible in front of them. Few understand how the power sets you apart. How you are not human but something more, and yet, somehow, something less. There is so much more to fail at in a Talent's world without limits. This is the secret: these fears too, like the power which feeds them, are Godlike in their scope.	An early Nazi propoganda poster for the first known Talent, Der Flieger ("The Flyer"). The poster says "The Flyer, One Kingdom, one Superman." "Übermenscentag" means literally "Day of the Supermen."
Der Flieger prepares to "Sonic Boom" attack Polish calvalry near Krakow. Der Flieger was known as "Piorun" or "Bolt of Lightning" by the Polish. After knocking most of the Polish airforce out of the air with his power, Der Flieger became a favorite of Hitler.	Talents In the countries of the Allied nations during World War II, the term Talent is used to describe anyone with paranormal abilities. In other countries and cultures, parahumans are sometimes called by different names (though Talent remains a popular term which is often used in non-English speaking countries to describe the phenomenon), French superhumans are often referred to as Savants. British superhumans are sometimes called "The Few" in reference to Winston Churchill's famous speech about the Battle of Britain: "Rarely has so much been owed by so many, to so few..." Indian superhumans are called Viddyharas, and Jewish superhumans are called Nephilim. In the Axis, German superhumans are called Übermenschen, while the few Japanese superhumans are called Kaji, and Italian superhumans are called the Benefacete. The term "Talent" was introduced in the New York Times on February 14, 1940 by reporter Stephen J. Whelan. Whelan was researching and writing about the growing population of superhumans in the world, and during his studies found a book published in 1932, called Wild Talents, written by Charles Foy Fort. This book catalogued the strange and unusual occurrences, including psychic phenomenon and unusual medical conditions. Fort implied that much we call "supernatural"might actually be the manifestation of some unknown and "wild talent" which humanity naturally possesses. Whelan took Fort's writing to heart and wrote in the last section of his article:
"If the powers reflected in Fort's book could be called "Wild Talents," I suppose what we are seeing now could simply be called "Talents." Perhaps this is not an example of a new array of human experience, but the honing of some inherent and secret human skill which is just now coming to light." The public took to his shortening of Fort's phrase and soon the word was inextricably wound into the phenomenon itself. Still, before its introduction many phrases were used to describe the Talent condition. Early on Talents were called superhumans, parahumans or supermen. Sometimes these old phrases are still used, but it is rare.
The scientific community still tends to call them parahumans ("para," meaning "other" in Latin), and some newspapers still print headlines using the word "super" in them, just to drum up sales, but to the public, the amazing people who can do the impossible will always be just plain old Talents. Talent Against Talent In combat Talents are quite effective against normal humans. Many powerful Talents can sweep through dozens, even hundreds of heavily armed humans before falling in combat, but when two Talents clash, things get very interesting. First of all, when Talents attempt to use their powers directly on other Talents they report a feeling of "resistance" or "interference" lessening or preventing the use of their ability. This resistance never happens when a Talent is attacking a normal human. Sometimes during one of these struggles, no one knows why, one Talent will suddenly overwhelm another with their power, while the other's power fails, almost as if strength were transferred from one to the other by some unknown mental process.	Der Feuermann ignites an ammumition cart with his Talent while two G.I's run for it. (Photo circa 1944)
The Talent power in question must be used in a direct assault on another Talent to be affected by this defensive struggle, otherwise, the power just works. For instance, a Talent could try to prevent another Talent from shooting him with heat rays from his eyes, but he could not prevent another Talent from hefting and throwing a tank at him. The heart of the matter here seems to be what is affected. In one instance, the Talent himself is affected by the heat rays and so his inherent ability will "defend" him, in the other, only the tank is affected, nothing about its deadliness comes from the attacking Talent (except its untoward flight through the air as a weapon.) Second of all, when two Talents see each other, and one or more is using their powers, each automatically knows the other is a Talent. Sight and the attempt to activate a power are the necesarry elements here. Without both of them, a Talent can remain anonymous and invisible, even right under the nose of other Talents. Third of all, surprise attack negates any struggle between powers. If you are unconscious of an Talent attack, the "defensive power" cannot work against it. An ambush with Talent powers is just as deadly to a Talent (at least initially) as it is to a normal human being. This makes combat between Talents just as deadly (if not moreso) than combat between normal troops. Whichever Talent has the advantage of surprise, can stay hidden, and is well prepared, will most likely win, or at least cause a lot of casualties before being killed. Do you Have What it Takes? Do you have what it takes to be a Talent? Can you survive the hedgerows of Normandy or the tunnels of Corregidor? Can you use your powers with enough skill and enough wisdom to live to fight another day? Or will you let the Axis engulf the globe like a cancer, beginning a new dark age from which mankind, and even Talentkind will never again rise?
Never before has the plight of freedom been more dire....