Anomalous Space Object

The Anomalous Space Objects, or ASOs, are eight meteorites containing the virus that created the Gaiaphage. They are the main focus of the Monster, Villain, Hero trilogy, as they give the morphers their power.

Creation
Millions of years before the series begins, a species of aliens who loved life created a virus and infected a moon with it. They then proceeded to blow up the moon, creating a large number of meteorites that were sent flying through space.

The virus allowed the Dark Watchers to watch everything that was going on around where the virus was infected, and instead of creating life, it merely caused alternate forms of the beings it spread to. The alternate forms are influenced by the thoughts and personality of the person who consumes the virus, as well as any other DNA it manages to pick up. Morphing and demorphing completely heal the Morpher, although it does not cure them of poison. While in space, the virus fed off of hard radiation.

ASO-1
Eight meteorites were caught in the gravity of a small star - the sun. They started to orbit the sun until they were caught in the gravity of the Earth. ASO-1, however, was nineteen years ahead of the others, as it had been caught in Jupiter's gravity. It hit the nuclear power plant in Perdido Beach, instantly killing Taegan Smith. It slowly absorbed his DNA, and when it had gained consciousness, it took control over one of the workers at the plant and forced him to cause a nuclear meltdown. However, it had been using Peter Michael Ellison's power, which it had given him as he was in a world of his own and could teach it things without knowing it. Pete stopped the meltdown and created the FAYZ, and the virus named itself - the Gaiaphage.

After Gaia Soren-Ladris was killed, the Gaiaphage lost consciousness, although there were shards of it still in the mineshaft until they were retrieved by Thomas Peaks. The creature had turned into millions of tiny green crystals.

ASO-2
ASO-2 was the first of the other meteorites to arrive, at roughly ninety thousand miles per hour. It was predicted to land in the North Sea just off the coast of Scotland but bounced when it landed, carrying it six miles. It bounced a second time for another two miles, and struck a rock outcropping on the Isle of Islay, still moving at incredible speed. It broke apart, and only 60% was recovered. The rest was either scattered across fields and woods. A small chunk was found and eaten by Sean Macbeth which later morphed into a nightmarish version of the hungry caterpillar, killing 17 people until being shot by a missile from the government.

ASO-3
Martin Darby was tasked with calculating where ASO-3 would land, and he discovered it would land in a cornfield in Iowa. However, his daughter Shade changed his results to Nebraska and stole the rock with her friend Cruz Rojas. Erin O'Day had learned of the original location by seducing Martin Darby, and she and Justin DeVeere retrieved a remnant of it.

ASO-4
ASO-4 landed in the mountains on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, a Kazakh interpreter was paid and threatened to give this information to the Haqqani Network, a dangerous group of terrorists. They stole the rock from the SEALs, who were hoping to stay unnoticed by nearby hostile tribes, but were uncertain as to what it was. They seem to have figured it out, as one of them gains the ability to morph into an unknown creature that can turn people inside out, later calling himself "the Supreme Caliph of the Universe" in Hero.

ASO-5
A ship called the Okeanos Explorer set out to retrieve ASO-5, known as the Mother Rock due to its vastly superior size. It managed to get it on board, but Vincent Vu recorded the captain typing in the combination. He stole five ounces and consumed them all raw, causing him to mutate into a giant, starfish-like creature. Vu attempted to defend the Mother Rock from Dekka, Shade, peaks, Armo, and Knightmare, wanting it for himself. The majority of the rock disappears after the Battle of Los Angeles.

ASO-6
ASO-6 was sent off course by an astronaut called Heidemarie Stafanyshyn-Piper who lost control of her equipment. This caused it to land in a different location than it was supposed to, landing off the coast of the Florida-Georgia Line. The virus created a creature that was part whale, part crab, and was longer than a blue whale, known as a Chimera. It attacked a ship, the Abbie Burgress, killing many people inside. A petty officer on board decided the best thing she could do was use nuclear weapons to obliterate everything in the area, as they were going to die anyway, and that way they would destroy the Chimera as well.

ASO-7
ASO-7 was nuked by the US government, but parts of it still landed on New York, toppling many apartment buildings and causing hundreds of people to become mutants. Many of these mutants were shot down by the New York council in panic without the mayor's authorization. The rock was presumably cleaned up by the New York council and the US government. ASO-7 also made the infamous Vector and also rock born member Simone.

ASO-8
ASO-8 has also not yet reached earth. It will land in China or northern Brazil.