jonberger

As she matured into womanhood
Jean found himself maturing
in other ways she didn’t understand.
Her body was changing, certainly,
but her mind was doing things
that simply made no sense.

She could lift hundreds of pounds
from across the room
juggle dozens of objects
manage a Rube Goldberg contraption
– as much of one as she could imagine –
if she concentrated.
She found her concentration improving with practice.

This was not normal, she knew.
No one else could do this sort of thing
not even the others in the school for gifted youngsters
she had taken to attending.
Qualified and impressive as the guys were
none of them were carrying things with their minds.

She didn’t mind being unique in that way.
She did wish she wasn’t the only female on campus.
She hopes a change is gonna come.

If I was just about the most powerful super-terroriststhat the world has ever seen
and I kept being shown up by a bunch of snotty teenagers
who didn’t have an inch of the might that I had
and then I joined them
and then I fought them
and then joined them
and fought them
oh, and of course their leader is my best friend
– did I fail to mention that? –
and I get a bunch of pals
(a whole country, in fact)
but that country is genocided
along with me
only I faked my death
so I could perform one of my greatest terrorist acts
only to be killed again
except oops! It wasn’t me
it was just the person I was pretending to be
pretending to be me.

I’d say it made more sense at the time
but it really didn’t.

Anyway, if all of that shit happened,
that’d be fucked, right?

Yeah, that’d be fucked.

Over time, you realize the value of certain soft skills.
We knew all along that Doug was special
with his inimitable ability to speak to anybody
but we didn’t connect to how valuable it was
to speak to like, everything.
When we figured out he could program anything
or talk to any species of animal or plant or alien
let alone all the peoples of Earth
Doug’s stock rose around here considerably,
let me tell you.

Everybody wanted to hang with the boy
– and I mean everybody.
This turned out to be better than telepathy
as he could communicate over a wider swath
of the universe.
It was incredible.
Doug became the backbone of outreach.
The backbone of, essentially everything.

I wish I could explain how important Doug is.
Luckily, Doug can.

Think of it:

you’re born with the ability to wish what you want
but you don’t know you have that ability
and you’re raised in a house absent wealth
absent security
absent many of the basic needs.

You could imagine anything you desire
but who could imagine that they have that ability?
So you live in poverty
live destitute
until somebody suggests to you
the merest possibility of what you can do
and you begin to believe in yourself
and you start to get wise to the reality
you can create with a snap of your fingers.

You start making things happen
all around you.
Things that are good for you
bad for others.
Then things that are good for more folk
because you feel better about yourself
and you want to spread the love
and in so doing you recognize more
of what you’re capable of again
and the power within grows
and you get a real sense
of the fantastic.

This is you.
This is everyone, really,
but this is mostly you
because you’re especially special.
You.

Some of their supernatural abilities
are like each other’s.
Piotr’s steel skin protects him
like Gunther’s force field
or Hisako’s psionic projection
or even Fred’s incredible fat.

They’ve all built defenses to survive
in pretty similar ways
that look excitingly different.

You can mix and match them
if you want.
Some people do.

I find they tend to repel each other
that like and like
mostly are in different places
or different sides.
Isn’t that just the way
or does it just seem
to be written like that?

He used to be able to make slushies at will
but things have changed.
Now he can sheath the planet in ice
if he wishes.
he can become an army
of ice warriors
and control them in combat carriers
careening against competitors.

Serious power up for this kid.
He’s invulnerable
he’s eternal
if he wishes.
He’s old man winter now.
He’s changed a lot in his super-hero history
from the youngest, faceless, blandest
in a team of lookalikes
to an invincible elemental gay god
and it’s only getting more interesting from here.

It was not easy
but when he could get away
from the pressures of prying eyes
he could release his bonds
and remove his shirt
and then he let go and fly.

People couldn’t see.
They would never allow that,
to see him rise above them
pumping into the air
high above them
rising beyond what they could ever do.
It would never go over.

Insulated as he was
they would shatter him in moments.
His wealth would not protect him
his beauty would not save him.
His wings would be torn from him immediately
and he’d be struck upon a cross if they ever knew

so he had to be careful about where he flew.
It was only on family property
with special staff who could be trusted
and electronics-damping equipment on.
Money could handle a great deal
of what was necessary
but self-control was still required.

It was not easy,
but the times he could get away
to be free and soar to the heavens
were well worth it.

Being born warped was badbut not as bad as being born a Mortimer.
He could make something of himself
with his abilities, but his name?
That would doom him forever.

Mortimer found himself craving attention
and felt little for himself
so sought big figures to take care of him.
He joined organizations
that might not have had his interests in mind.

Little Morty had skills that kept him in great
with groups up to no good.
The little man strong-armed for respect.

Surprisingly, it worked for everyone involved
and the weird boy had some kind of happiness.

It wouldn’t last long.
Crews like Mort’s didn’t have a way of lasting
and they fell apart
and soon after, so did our guy himself.
Without a community, what was he?
What could he call himself
without anyone to bolster him?
M still has no answer for that.

He thinks he was the first of a great many thingsbut he’s not.

The first sea-born/land-born hybrid?
Hardly.

The first mutant?
Not by millennia.

The first super-powerful villain to ever attack the world?
Probably not the first to attack Manhattan
– though perhaps the loudest.

He is probably the most brazen
in a great many categories
the most powerful
in some others
but he is not the power he thinks he is
the original he thinks he is.
Of course

that can be said for so many others as well.

He knows when you’ve been sleeping.He knows when you’ve been bad.
He knows everything he wants to.
He is fucking aware
but with so many people to keep tabs on
what makes you think he is thinking about you?

There’s a world out there to look in on
why would you be so interesting?
He’s a busy man, ma’am,
why’re you gonna hold his interest?

He could be controlling the minds of presidents
make superstars act out his psychodramas
or have businesses make deals in favor of the people.
He could do anything.
Why is Charles Xavier considering you?