For a hundred years, the world has not seen the likes of the creatures known as humans. Once bustling cities and thriving communities now lay long abandoned, with nature having reclaimed much of what was once lost to it. In the region that was known as Oregon, USA, hidden deep below the surface of the earth lies a secret laboratory containing hundreds of stasis pods. Inside each pod is an earthly animal, having been mutated long ago to a more humanoid form. Each of these creatures has spent the last hundred years in a dreamless sleep, unaware of their own existence or purpose.
Until now.
All at once, the pods open and the creatures inside them awaken. Almost simultaneously, they cautiously step out into the lab, looking around at each other in confusion. Suddenly, one of them speaks. "Where are we?" The wolf that spoke surprises himself with his sudden ability to speak this strange language, as do the others. Just then, a silver sphere with a single mechanical eye in it's center enters the room.
"At last!" It says with a female voice "It's finally time!"
"Time for what?" A skunk anthroid asks "And who are you?"
"If you all will follow me, all your questions will be answered."
The newly awakened mutants followed the sphere to a passageway that lead to the surface, where the sun shined bright and warm upon an open field. Once they were all outside, the sphere began to project a hologram of a strange creature that almost looked like some kind of ape, wearing glasses and a white coat.
"Greetings, my creations." The hologram said "My name is Dr. Henry Straude. By the time you receive this message, I will be long dead, as will the rest of mankind. No doubt you are confused and have many questions, and I shall answer them as best I can. This world that you now inhabit is known as the Earth. Long ago, it was inhabited by creatures like me known as humans. They were an intelligent but violent and aggressive race, who couldn't even go ten years without starting a war with each other over one petty thing or another. I grew weary of the neverending violence and greed of my own kind. I realized that if this world was to ever truly have peace, humanity would need to be eliminated. So, I took two of each animal I deemed necessary, and injected them with a mutagen I created, to create all of you standing here right now. I put you all in a sort of deep sleep underground so you would one day be able to inherit this world. I created a specialized toxin that spread though the air and water, that only affected humans. By now, there should be not a single one of them left to taint this world. The toxin should have fully dissipated at this point, so you need not worry. I leave you now with ATHENA, my robotic assistant. Her data banks contain all you will need to know to rebuild this world, as well as guidelines to avoid the mistakes humans made that lead to their extinction becoming necessary. Farewell, my children. I know you'll do me proud.".
With that, the hologram vanished. The mutants all looked at each other for several moments, before one, a cat, spoke up. "So, what happens now?" "Now, you begin the work of rebuilding the earth." Said ATHENA, "It will take time and no small amount of effort, but Dr. Straude made sure to give me every possible tool you'll need."
With that, the dawn of a new era began.