Work Text:
Time span: Beginning of human evolution- present
Universe:
Humans have evolved from small hunter/gatherer tribes in to the more modern society of today. Over the course of that evolution we have moved away from the environments and life styles that our species evolved in, but those aspects have been retained in humanity. Social queues may have changed how we choose to interact with each other in the current world, but biologically we are still very much the hunter/gatherer nomads of our ancient past.
This is where Sentinels and Guides come in to play. Evolutionarily speaking successful tribes would each have a Sentinel/Guide pair in them; this pair would be an extra layer of protection for the tribes serving in a variety of ways. The Sentinel, with their extra senses and heightened adrenaline responses, would serve as an early warning system for a tribe. They would be able to detect predators, fresh water, food sources, and would help to insure the defense of the people from both external and internal threats. The Guide, with their empathy and logical nature would be able to negotiate peaceful conduct between the peoples; they would serve as healers, negotiators, mediators, and would be the perfect balance to their Sentinel.
Most Sentinels and Guides are male. Through study of the human genome in modern times scientists have discovered that the trait for Sentinel and Guide abilities is an X-linked mutation of the genome. Because of this, for a female to be Sentinel or Guide the genes would have to exist in both her maternal and paternal lines. While female Sentinels and Guides do exist they are rare and the behavior they exhibit has different priorities than their male counter parts.
Studies regarding Sentinels and Guides have shown that if the pair has a sexual relationship their bond is stronger. In our ancient past these pairs were readily accepted as it was known that the pair would be able to provide a high benefit to the tribe without having to worry about adding an additional resource burden of multiple children to the tribe. They would help care for the children in the tribe as a whole, and occasionally, to insure future generations, they would reproduce with a designated female known as a “carrier” who would hold an honored place in the society.
It wasn't until we approach more modern times; especially after the establishment of the Christian church do you begin to see the demonization of homosexual pairings. As society grew and humans began to move from small groups of people living and striving for a common goal the knowledge of Sentinels and Guides became something that was rarely talked about or acknowledged by the rulers/scholars/priests of the time. We can still see traces of the Sentinels and Guides in the written history, but the relationship is often seen as warrior companions, or deep friendships, these relationships were not labeled for what they were and common knowledge of Sentinels and Guides was lost to time as so many traditions have been.
This all changed in the years between 1996 and 1999. At this time the Blair Sandburg, an anthropologist who was studying for his doctoral degree in Cascade, Washington, was able to find evidence of the Sentinel/Guide phenomenon. After studying the writings of Sir Richard Francis Burton and exploring the world, often visiting the tribal cultures that exist to this day, Blair was able to put forward a theory that there were people out there whose senses were heightened and who would be using these skills much like the Sentinels of old did, to protect the tribe. Conclusive evidence came about when encountered Detective Jim Ellison of the Cascade Police Department.
During Blair’s time studying and helping Jim Ellison with his abilities Blair was killed by a Sentinel that had been driven mad by her senses and inability to stabilize the input she received from the world around her. Upon discovering Blair’s body Jim was able to contact his spirit animal and bring Blair back to life, this awakened Blair’s latent Guide abilities.
After the discovery of an actual Sentinel/Guide pair several government agencies across the globe became interested in the phenomenon, especially S.H.I.E.L.D., who, since the loss of Captain America in 1944, had been trying to recreate a super soldier who could help defend the country/world against any threat it may face.
Because of some negative events that occurred after Jim Ellison was revealed as Sentinel, a society was established to represent the interests of Sentinels and Guides. The society was established through the U.N. in an attempt to help Sentinels and Guides globally. This society is called The Protectorate as it is their mission to protect the protectors. The Protectorate has established safe houses/buildings in all major cities where Sentinels and Guides, or those who think they may be a Sentinel or Guide, can go for protection, education, training and testing. Through their efforts laws have been established that make it illegal to compel Sentinels or Guides to be tested without permission, it is a voluntary process and the exact DNA sequences that are linked to the phenomenon are only known to top scientists and law makers in an attempt to protect those who may be given a test against their will. The Protectorate also has medical facilities to aid Sentinels and Guides in need, for example, if an un-bonded Sentinel has a “zone out”, an episode where they seem catatonic, but in actuality have become so focused on a single sense that they rest of the world disappears from their senses, the Protectorate has a safe space for them to come back to themselves. The Protectorate also publishes information for the general public to educate them on Sentinels and Guides and the needs that these people have. They also have lobbyists and other representatives at all levels of government to help regulate the relationship between non-Sentinels and Guides (or “mundanes”) and the Sentinels and Guides themselves.