Part 47 (1/2)
Talk presented March 16, 1987, by Dr. Sharon Pao K'ang-sh'i of the Harvard University Department of Metabiophysics.
Gentlepersons of the Society, I thank you. I shall come directly to the point. Research by our team at Harvard indicates that metahuman abilities, the colloquially called ”superpowers” engendered by the Takisian wild card virus, are exclusively of psychic origin, and in all but rare cases are exercised through the instrumentality of psi psi.
(Session called to order by Chairperson Ozawa.) I understand that my preceding statement might be considered a rhetorical excess of the kind perpetrated by certain of my predecessors, which caused the still-fledgling field of metabiophysics to be considered a pseudoscience of the caliber of numerology and astrology by a number of serious scientists. Yet honesty, and the press of empirical evidence, compel me to reiterate: metahuman abilities are specialized forms of psychic power.
We now have a better idea of just what wild card did to its victims. In so-called ace cases the virus appears to have acted first by enhancing innate psychic ability, which gave direction to the overall progress of the gene-code rewrite. This explains the high degrees of correspondence between the personalities and proclivities of known aces and their metahuman abilities-why, for example, devoted pilots such as Black Eagle acquired powers including that of flight, why the obsessed ”avenger of the night” Black Shadow has such control over darkness, why the reclusive Aquarius presents a half-human, half-delfin appearance and can in fact transform himself into a sort of super-Tursiops. A microscale telekinesis appears to be one of the mechanisms by which wild card effects its changes, enabling the subject subconsciously to choose, or at least influence, the nature of the transformation she or he undergoes.
I understand the enormity of the implication that people might, in some sense, have ”chosen” to draw a joker or black queen. Speculation in that direction is, however, beyond the scope of our present researches.
One of the great puzzles of the post-wild card epoch has been precisely how the alien virus, however advanced the technology that produced it, was able to give certain individuals the ability to violate well-established natural laws, such as conservation of ma.s.s and energy, the square-cube law, the inviolability of the speed of light itself. At the time the virus was unleashed, science was inalterably hostile to the existence even of psychic powers-justifiably, given the lack of compelling experimental corroboration for such phenomena. It has now been compelled to accept people being able to project fire and lightning, to transform themselves into animals, to fly, or to contrive mechanical appliances that enabled them to do these and similar things in flagrant disregard for principles of mechanics and engineer- ing.
Of course, even by 1946 clues were available in the theoretical reaches of quantum physics. In fact, then-modern technology, up to and including nuclear weapons and the fusion devices in the process of development, was largely based upon quantum mechanics, much of the work being done on the basis of ”we know it works, but we don't know how how.” Given the impetus of the reality of wild card, psi powers were quickly given a quantum mechanical rationale; ”action over distance” without apparent recourse to the strong, electroweak, or gravitic forces being a feature, for example, of the curious interconnectedness of particles that have interacted, postulated by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen in their famous ”paradox,” and established with some finality by the Aspect experiment in France in 1982. . . .
. . . A fairly obvious instance of TK-based power is shape changing. The subject-in almost all cases subconsciously-rearranges her or his component atoms to produce a gross structure that differs considerably from the original: for example, Elephant Girl's rather unsettling transformation into a flying Elephas maximus Elephas maximus in apparent violation of the ma.s.s-energy conservation principle. At least in the case of Elephant Girl, this is explained by subconscious TK on the subatomic level; Ms. O'Reilly can apparently summon into being a cloud of virtual particles and maintain them in existence immensely longer than they would normally exist. (A discussion of virtual particles is, of course, likewise beyond the scope of this presentation. I refer the interested to articles concerning, for example, the particles that ”carry” the strong interaction, and that for an infinitesimal instant violate the conservation principle.) As part of restoring herself to her original appearance, Ms. O'Reilly permits the virtual particles that made up the ”phantom” ma.s.s to lapse into nonexistence. in apparent violation of the ma.s.s-energy conservation principle. At least in the case of Elephant Girl, this is explained by subconscious TK on the subatomic level; Ms. O'Reilly can apparently summon into being a cloud of virtual particles and maintain them in existence immensely longer than they would normally exist. (A discussion of virtual particles is, of course, likewise beyond the scope of this presentation. I refer the interested to articles concerning, for example, the particles that ”carry” the strong interaction, and that for an infinitesimal instant violate the conservation principle.) As part of restoring herself to her original appearance, Ms. O'Reilly permits the virtual particles that made up the ”phantom” ma.s.s to lapse into nonexistence.
It was Elephant Girl's ability to fly in defiance of all known aero-nautical principles that sparked the line of inquiry leading to the conclusions expressed in this paper. Simply put, Elephant Girl's, Peregrine's, and all all known aces' flight or levitation is simply a variation on TK. In this sense, the Great and Powerful Turtle is the archetypal flying ace, in that he acknowledgedly flies by means of his telekinetic ability. But no trick of physics would permit Elephant Girl's ears or even Peregrine's magnificent wings to uphold even a small human in flight, to say nothing of a full-grown Asiatic elephant. They, like the Turtle, fly through use of mind power alone. . . . known aces' flight or levitation is simply a variation on TK. In this sense, the Great and Powerful Turtle is the archetypal flying ace, in that he acknowledgedly flies by means of his telekinetic ability. But no trick of physics would permit Elephant Girl's ears or even Peregrine's magnificent wings to uphold even a small human in flight, to say nothing of a full-grown Asiatic elephant. They, like the Turtle, fly through use of mind power alone. . . .
. . . Energy projections provide another th.o.r.n.y problem simply explained by-again-TK. Jumpin' Jack Flash appears to project blasts of flame from the palms of his hands, and moreover can manipulate the fire the produces in remarkable ways. But this individual does not actually project the flame, in the sense that it is not emitted from his own body; in point of fact, it isn't strictly speaking flame. His TK enables him to regulate the Brownian motion of the circ.u.mambient air. He creates a ”hot spot” of highly excited particles approximately one micron from the flesh of his palm, and then uses TK to direct the resultant stream of incandescent gas.
. . . Superluminal-flight powers present a special case. In most cases (and it's beneficial to keep in mind that each wild card transformation is unique) the individual with the capacity for light-speed or faster-than-light travel has the ability to emulate a single photon, or tachyon in the latter instance, becoming a ”macrophoton” or ”macrotachyon” in a manner similar to the ”macroatom” devices University of Suss.e.x researchers under Terry Clark, which can emulate the behavior of a single boson. The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps that conveyed the wild card virus to this planet, as well as the humanoid alien known as Dr. Tachyon, employed the same principle for their superluminal drive-which led to the coining of the word by which the only earth resident not born on this planet is known to this day.
Faster-than-light travel has proven of only limited utility to aces to date, owing to limits of duration and the problems of navigation over long distances, so far insuperable to our technology. Or so we infer from the fact that no ace has ever journeyed beyond the limits of the solar system (present orbit of Neptune) and returned. . . .
. . . A salient feature of the so-called ”gadgets”-antigravity belts, dimensional portals, armored suits-is the fact that none of them can be replicated. On disa.s.sembly and examination they're often found to make no mechanical or electrical sense. Each is a nonreproducible result. This explains why some enterprising gadget-master hasn't marketed, say, a personal light-speed flying belt, or an antigravity forklift. Only the creator could make one that would work Only the creator could make one that would work. In some cases, the components consist of ludicrous a.s.semblages of debris, up to and including apple cores, hairpins, and the torsos of Barbie dolls. Others consist only of a diagram diagram of a circuit, which, like the chimerical Hieronymus machine, work as an actual circuit ”should.” of a circuit, which, like the chimerical Hieronymus machine, work as an actual circuit ”should.”
The explanation is, once again, a manifestation of psychic ability. The creator has in effect impressed himself upon his work in a meta-physical (in the current scientific meaning) sense. This explanation makes sense of the frequently observed phenomenon that there seems to be a limit to certain ”gadget-masters'” creativity, that they will sometimes have to disa.s.semble an old device to get a new one to work. This explanation also makes it simple to predict that attempts by governments all over the world to replicate the astounding Modular Man android are doomed to failure, unless one or more contract the services of ”wild talents” of their own . . .
. . . A feature of almost all aces is a higher-energy metabolism than ”normal” humans possess. Some seem able to summon up the energy to fuel their abilities from within themselves, or (for want of a better way of putting it) from the Cosmos. Others either need external sources of energy to power their talents, or find themselves aided by the availability of such sources. The black strongman known as the Harlem Hammer, for example, finds it necessary to consume a substantial amount of heavy-metal salts in his diet to maintain the high-level reactions of his metabolism, as well as a number of ”bone-seekers” such as strontium-90 and barium-140, which seem to be replacing the calcium in his bones, giving them greater-than-normal durability and strength. Jumpin' Jack Flash draws strength and sustenance from exposure to fire and heat. Others derive their extrahuman energy from ”batteries,” which generally prove to be of the same genus as the Hieronymus-type devices. Whatever the source of this energy, no ace has yet been discovered who could not exhaust her or his supply, in a reasonably short time, by intensive exertion of metahuman abilities. Some can ”recharge” simply by resting for a time, others actually require an external power supply. Again, each case is unique. . . .
Further confirmation of the ”psychic” hypothesis comes from the case of the so-called Sleeper, who possesses a different set of meta-abilities every time he awakens from sleep. Any other model for the function of ace powers would have difficulty accounting for this phenomenon. . . .
My colleagues and I are willing, in sum, to go so far as to say that psi can account for all observed ace abilities-and that no other explanation can. . . .
WILD CARDS.
THE MIKE ZECK GALLERY.
Frontispiece: Dr. Tachyon and Albert Einstein meet shortly before the world is forever changed by the release of the ”Wild Card” virus. Dr. Tachyon and Albert Einstein meet shortly before the world is forever changed by the release of the ”Wild Card” virus.
Gallery t.i.tle page: When a dangerous, teleporting ”Ace” goes on the loose, there ”Comes a Huntsman” named Yeoman to track him down. When a dangerous, teleporting ”Ace” goes on the loose, there ”Comes a Huntsman” named Yeoman to track him down.
Page 411: Jetboy and Dr. Tod battle to the death atop the ”Wild Card” virus bomb in ”Thirty Minutes Over Broadway.” Jetboy and Dr. Tod battle to the death atop the ”Wild Card” virus bomb in ”Thirty Minutes Over Broadway.”
Pages 412413: In ”The Sleeper,” Croyd Crenson watches in horror as the streets of New York erupt in chaos shortly after the ”Wild Card” virus is unleashed. In ”The Sleeper,” Croyd Crenson watches in horror as the streets of New York erupt in chaos shortly after the ”Wild Card” virus is unleashed.
Page 414: The Four Aces (clockwise from left: Braintrust, The Envoy, Black Eagle, and Golden Boy) at the height of their popularity. The Four Aces (clockwise from left: Braintrust, The Envoy, Black Eagle, and Golden Boy) at the height of their popularity.
Page 415: A down-on-his-luck Dr. Tachyon watches as the Volkswagen Beetle ”sh.e.l.l” of The Turtle pa.s.ses overhead in ”Sh.e.l.l Games.” A down-on-his-luck Dr. Tachyon watches as the Volkswagen Beetle ”sh.e.l.l” of The Turtle pa.s.ses overhead in ”Sh.e.l.l Games.”
Page 416: Who's the Wild Card pimp that's a s.e.x machine to all the chicks? ”The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato” provides the answer. Who's the Wild Card pimp that's a s.e.x machine to all the chicks? ”The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato” provides the answer.