Gods Among Men

In my universe, there are two superior species on the planet, humans and deities. To know what deities are you need to look back thousands of years. Millennia ago, when the world was new, there were ancient, powerful beings. They were race of their own. Somehow they all died, but lived on in memory as what we now worship today as ‘gods’. Each religion worships their own subset of these gods, be it through Grecian (not-so) mythology, the millions of gods in Hinduism, the gods of ancient Japan and so on and so forth. The sub-race we refer to as ‘deities’, and not gods because that would make them sound infallible which they most certainly are not, are reincarnations of such beings. We believe that deities, are born on the same day as the same exact time as an ancient being, thus becoming their reincarnation. That is the only plausible theory we have as there is no genetic component to this sub-race, most are born to human parents. Deities are imbued with the abilities of their past lives, they differ physically from typical humans, they tend to be taller, they seem to reflect their past selves in appearance, and they all are physically stronger and faster than a normal human being. They are particularly difficult to kill, for varying reasons depending on their previous lives, but not impossible. This plus their innate supernatural abilities, they are often a powerful cocktail of potential just waiting to be utilised by governments as soldiers and weapons. Deities hide within our society, for two reasons. The first reason being that wars have started and ended, because of and fueled by deities. Most are probably innocent, they are simply tools used by the government to gain power. However, the vast majority of the public don’t see it this way. Most likely because of media influence, many believe deities are trouble makers, pursuers of chaos and destruction so naturally they are social outcasts, often hiding their status. The second reason, is the world’s government’s relentless pursuit for more weapons, gaining power and territory by using these tools in battle. There are many rumours regarding what happens to deities that are sent to government facilities, either they are deemed useful or are… discarded. Thus, deities hide their existence as much as they can, keeping this secret from their friends and extended family, who may at any time when feeling suspicious report them to the government for collection. Like many reporters, I had an unquenchable thirst for a good story. Constantly obsessing over the next big scoop, the ratings, the fame and the glory. I didn’t care how I obtained a story, I only thought of what it could do for my career. At the crest of my career this story blew into my peripheral like a nuclear warhead. I simply couldn’t ignore it, so I chased it and I chased it until finally it did something that no other story ever had or ever will do. It quenched my unquenchable thirst. It doused the flames in my belly that drove me to relentlessly pursue and defeat. It forever changed me, it forever changed the lives of millions, be it for the better or worse, that is not for me to decide. That is for you. You, my reader, it is your choice to either accept or reject this story. To peruse the evidence, find the justification and lay down your judgement. This story, an entity that has consumed my entire being and will forever leave me a shell of the person that I once was, is at your mercy. This story isn’t like most other stories you hear or read about. No, because, first of all, I am not the protagonist nor the hero of this story. In fact, there is no hero in this story. If there were a hero, someone to save the day, someone to save her, then it would have been a very different story indeed. This story, this all tragedy, this proclamation of hubris and its unending consequence, is about her, I am merely the medium through which this story needs to be told. You might be wondering who she is. I am the single most knowledgeable entity on this planet regarding her, the incident and what led up to it. And yet, I do not even know her real name. All I know is her code-name: GAIA.