A personal history of mutation side story: the conversation.

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So here we are again; this is the fun part. A little short, but it is what it is.
Standard disclaimer rules apply, don't hate me cause I'm beautiful, etc, etc.

(File taken from the files of X-ray, a Devisor in the employ of the CIA, obtained under the freedom of information act. Said file is to be appended to the journal mentioned above in the interest of being as thorough as possible, in the hopes that future generations will be better informed about the psychological motivations of the subjects involved.)

"Kinder to let him sleep for now." X-ray stated as the fatigue seemed to catch up to the young man he was introduced to as Myrc.

"Agreed, though how he can sleep in that thing is beyond me...a better question might be how is he not a twitching screaming mass of pain."

"Simple, he can sleep due to the fatigue; His body is experiencing a rapid transformation, fatigue is common enough in normal puberty. The second answer is the same as the first; slower puberties are typically painful off and on as growth occurs. His body is protecting him from massive amounts of pain by switching off his pain receptors; otherwise we'd have to sedate him. Quite a marvelous adaptation really, to have even partial functionality while undergoing a transformation of this magnitude this quickly. The pelvic bone reshaping alone...."

"Well...it's certainly better than some of the other options. Think we should have our talk now?"

"Certainly, no time to waste. You're free to come back in, he's asleep."

Lance corporal (retired) Archibald Campbell walked in, followed by Agent (retired) Marigold Campbell and their second son, Ian Campbell.

"Well? How bad is it?" Mary asked her two of her oldest friends.

"Definitely mutation, as you thought, and severe. Myrciels' EEG and lepton counts are insanely high. Judging by what you told me, it's all but certain he's a Devisor of considerable power. Preliminary mental stimulus tests pin his IQ at near 300. There is no telling how high it will be by the end; her brain is actually refolding or rewrinkling itself...and making the visual cortex smaller, along with the auditory system and olfactory receptors. They are already much smaller, and the excess space made is already more brain."

Archie Campbell asked; "For the record, how does that compare to you? Or most Devisors?"

"My own IQ is in the 200 range; most Devisors are a bit more, or around there. Usually it's the power itself that adds the effect; What Devisors really do as best as anyone can tell, is locally ignore certain laws of physics around them. in much the same manor of mages. As long as the explanation makes some kind of sense, the device can be created, such as Dr Arclights' anti gravity platforms or the death rays you see commonly now from just about everyone. To be honest, your child scares me. Never have I seen such strong readings, from anyone; not even the icicles."

"Careful what you say X-ray, not everyone is cleared here."

"Quite right, quite right...at any rate, her ability is scary, but is coming with its own share of problems as well."

"Wait a second;' Ian interrupted, 'you keep saying 'her'."

"Yes, getting you all used to the idea; her transformation was easy to deduce; she will be fully female by the end of the week. The real problems are medical. Most Devisors are hardly at the peak of physical health, but most have few purely physical issues. in other words, most are out of shape, if physically fit persons otherwise. Myrc's scan revealed something unusual in that respect; the beginning of an unusual form of anemia; her iron count in her blood is low, and I suspect dropping. Untreated this could lead to random loss of consciousness, coma, possibly even death, though I believe the regeneration will save her life should the condition progress that far. Treatment is easy, iron supplements, high iron diet, and potentially medication and transfusions. Oh that reminds me...here, she will need this."

He passed a box to Agent Campbell. Agent Campbell gave X-ray a hard look.

"Anything else, or should we get to the real talk we need to have?"

"One more thing; Some Devisors have a Deidricks, a form of mental illness that leads to bouts of megalomania; you'll need to watch her for the signs. You know the ones. Also most Devisors tend to enter a sort of fugue state just before they build something; Don't be alarmed if you see it. You can break them sometimes, but not
necessarily all the time. It's not advisable to break them that often anyway; there is some research to support a correlation between these states and the strength of the mutation; or Devisor gene itself. In Myrc's case, being too gung ho about breaking them could cause her harm...I just can't say yet, but it's something to be aware of."

"Noted. Now what do I need to do to insure my child is protected?"

"oddly enough, from past villains and organizations, you should be clear. Most of those type respect the 'no families' rule religiously. Only the most rabid are likely to try, and those even the villains will ostracize or seek to kill.The real issue is governments and the mutant commission office, I'd say. For those, I can and will help, and if you call in a few of your other favors, 'facial'...you should be able to keep her as safe as anyone can be on this dirtball. If all else fails, you could try Whateley."

"It's far too early to think about Whateley; Myrc is likely to be a mess physically and emotionally for some time to come, and I wouldn't send an enemy into that place unprepared, let alone one of mine. Perhaps after some time to adjust. But for now, I just want her safe from any odd disappearances. That would not do at all."

"Ahh, heard the rumors about the MCO and the rest of the alphabet soup? I've heard the same ones. Suffice it to say, 'I know a guy'. I'll call him, you call Terrance like I know you plan to, and we can get them both assigned to this case, watching each other, and know the situation will be handled correctly. Between that, the DOD, and the VEEP, we should be fine."

"Good, I'd hate to suddenly remember things I'd forgotten."

"It's too bad the lummox over there can't help."

"Careful Ray, I've kicked your ass before, I'll do it again." Archie took a threatening step.

"Yes, that will certainly help; perhaps you can also run away from this world yet again? You'd only have to leave a child behind this time."

"Ray. Stop it now."

"...Sorry Mary. I guess I'm still bitter. Any thought as to what you're going to tell them? One really needs to know a few things, and the other is currently hanging on our every word."

"As little as possible; neither know anything, and if Ian talks about anything hes heard in this room, he will live to regret it."

Ian wilted under the combined stares.

"I won't say anything, I swear. So um, Myrc's gonna be a girl?"

"Yes Ian, Myrc will be a girl soon."

"heh heh heh..."

"Archie...I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Mary, it couldn't be helped."

"Helped, perhaps not, but we both know it's my fault nonetheless. And for that I'm sorry."

"No, none of that talk now.' Halleck spoke up; 'Only useful dialogue here. We are all agreed on this course of action? For the record I am, I think Myrc can
only benefit from the experiences to be learned in this town, and free of the stifling atmosphere of whateley."

Archie spoke up: "Yes I think we are all agreed. One other thing though; school?"

"I think it's obvious she will have to call in sick the week; it should be possible to hide her new condition by having her pose as someone else if you want."

"Calling out sick for the week is acceptable; Hiding though, is out I think. Too many have already seen just enough to put two and two together, should we try to feed someone a silly story and hope for the best. If the villagers show up with pitchforks, well, we just call Frankenstein's monster."

"Surely you don't mean..."

"Myrc is my child; if I have to I'll call the devil himself."

"Are you sure Mary? He'll be a target; a large one."

"That is what the whateley option is for; but I refuse to let a bunch of ill mannered hicks run me or mine out of town without a fight. Besides, Myrc is made of sterner stuff than most. Just a feeling I have that this is the right decision."

"OK, all agreed then. Time to wake the dreamer."

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Comments

So, now we know what her

power and weaknesses will be. Will she adapt to her new body, or lash out in anger over the change?

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

I now see...

...what you meant by your "looking over my shoulder" comment :)

Evidently, while this lot know about Whateley, they don't know Whateley (and presumably don't have much contact with those within the organisation that do, e.g. Flashlight and Weasel - probably courtesy of internal rivalries between departments / teams). It's hardly a stifling atmosphere, everyone's in the same boat (in Myrc's case, one cottage more than the others), and gadgeteers / devisors can rent (or create if they have the know-how) their own personal lab space in the tunnels.

While bullying does, inevitably go on, if this is set in 2007 or later there won't be the Alphas to worry about, while if anyone is stupid enough to persistently bully her, The Order of the Worn Wrench will dish out their own brand of justice (since the Administration's line is that you should avoid being bullied in the first place, and if you can't avoid the attention of bullies, flee the scene rather than fight back. Bullies and victims are equally likely to end up in detention, although the victims usually have a lesser sentence).

Given Myrc sounds as though she'll be high powered, it'll be interesting to see whether she follows in the footsteps of many others and has a supervillain fight before arriving on campus... :D


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

Again, that shoulder. I think

Again, that shoulder.

I think you're stalking me somehow. As for the 'stifling atmosphere comment, you have to realize that most of this is point of view. What you are reading is Myrc's view, and now, the view of the parents, in part. Their experiences shaped their attitudes on whateley. So perhaps the real question isn't that they said it...but why they said it?

As for my own view, I feel that making a school filled with super powered hormonal teens has a few drawbacks...in such a pond if youll forgive the analogy, the fish might have a tendency to forget their pond
feeds into a very large sea, and instead focus on the other pond fishies, as the only ones that matter.

In cannon you do seem some evidence of this, and not just from the Alphas.

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oops i didnt see this till now

Sadarsa's picture

Cant believe I've missed this all these years. It was pretty interesting, though being prior military myself one thing stood out glaringly. No one retires at Lance Corporal, it's only a step up from Private and most LC's are about 18-20 years old. Retiring at that age can only come from a medical retirement, something horrible and permanent like loosing a limb.

But that's just a minor detail, i enjoyed the read, even if it was 4 years latter!

~Your only Limitation is your Imagination~

Some questions answered

Jamie Lee's picture

This chapter answers a few questions about why mom and dad know so much about what Min is going through, and why they are not blowing the roof off the house because of Myrc's transformation.

It also explains why no nut job has tried to snatched her or family members or friends in order to force her to work for them.

It also explains why Whateley wasn't their first choice to help Min learn how to control her devisor ability, though in some ways they are right, thinking about the sex starved Ros and that sicken little group called Wondercute. And a few others. And the constant atmosphere of combat. And with Min's anemia it's doubtful she'd make it through any of the self defence classes or the end of year combat runs. Except for that shove of Gordon's, no one has attacked Min or done anything else except support her. That small town can help her with what she needs most, love and support, and not add more like what's added at Whateley.

Mary, Archie and Ian were in conference with X-Ray but have withheld that from Min. Why? Doesn't she have the right to know what she'll be facing, both physically and medically? Min has questioned, several time, why she's given certain foods over others, getting the only response that she's anemic.

Min has already reasoned that her parents are withholding information from her but not why. Maybe it's time she get the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Others have feelings too.