Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman

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Black Superman took the helmet and examined it.

The finished product differed somewhat from the original design, but only in its exterior appearance. The internal coil arrangement remained unchanged.

It was probably an adjustment Magneto had made to facilitate his own magnetic output.

After obtaining Bill Johnson’s consent, Black Superman secured the helmet onto his head.

Since it had been hastily assembled, it looked rather ridiculous, but there was no doubt about its functionality.

Magneto placed a hand atop Bill Johnson’s head and exerted a slight force.

Instantly, Bill felt his mind become startlingly clear—so clear that he found himself unable to think at all.

The sensation wasn’t painful, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant either.

His eyes became vacant as he stared blankly ahead.

Magneto, however, was having a far rougher time.

The helmet not only transformed magnetic fields but also filtered out excessively extreme magnetic forces.

As a result, more than half of Magneto’s output was effectively wasted.

To maintain the helmet’s magnetic stimulation at a consistent intensity, he had no choice but to increase the amount of power he was supplying.

Given that, it was hardly surprising that he looked increasingly strained.

Suddenly, it was as though both men reached a critical threshold at the same moment.

With a shout, Magneto collapsed from exhaustion.

Fortunately, Mystique reacted quickly and caught him before the elderly man could hit the floor.

Bill Johnson wasn’t doing much better.

His head drooped limply as though his strings had been cut, and he fell unconscious on the examination table.

Black Superman immediately began checking the volunteer’s vital signs and conducting various examinations.

Nearby, Magneto was helped into a chair.

Weak and exhausted, he asked,

”Well? Did it work? Was it a success or a failure?”

Using a sampling needle, Black Superman collected a blood sample from Bill Johnson’s fingertip and placed it under the electron microscope.

A moment later, he said,

”It looks like the X-Gene has been activated.

”But I’ve never observed this stage before, so I can’t really say what’s happening right now, or whether the final outcome will be a success or failure.

”Let’s keep him in bed for a day, hook him up to monitoring equipment, and put him on a glucose drip.

”That said, using that helmet seems to have placed a tremendous burden on you. Have you thought about why?”

Magneto asked,

”Does it really need to be adjusted?”

”Of course it does. Transforming a single person nearly killed you.

”And you want to transform all of humanity?

”Even if we ground you up into juice, bones and all, it still wouldn’t be enough.

”I designed this helmet on the fly. There must be room for improvement.”

”Fair enough. Let me think about it.”

”Let’s go into the lab. It’s too noisy here.”

Black Superman pointed toward another room.

Magneto readily agreed.

After all, there was a crowd of mutants who apparently had no interest in sleeping or having fun, all gathered around Bill Johnson’s bed watching the spectacle.

The place felt more like a marketplace than a medical facility.

Taking a deep breath, Magneto forced himself to his feet.

In the end, Selene had to come over and support him before he could make it into Black Superman’s temporary laboratory.

Before discussing the helmet, however, Magneto directed his first question toward Selene.

”Do you think it succeeded?”

Helping him into a chair, Selene drew a card from her Tarot deck and held it between her fingers.

It was The Sun, upright.

”Don’t worry. It succeeded.”

Then she added:

”From our perspective.”

The implication was obvious.

The mutation had succeeded, but the resulting power might not necessarily satisfy the person who received it.

Curious, Black Superman asked,

”Selene, can you predict what ability Bill Johnson will get?”

”I can’t.”

”Then how do you know the outcome won’t be entirely satisfactory from his point of view? If you can’t predict it, don’t tell me you’re actually relying on Tarot cards.”

Sliding The Sun back into the deck, Selene revealed a sly, fox-like smile.

”The scale of the disturbance caused when a mutant awakens is, in a sense, a reflection of that mutant’s potential ceiling.

”After awakening, most mutants spend their lives studying their powers. Aside from learning control, their ultimate goal is to approach the state they experienced during their awakening.

”Only a small number of mutants manage to train themselves close to that limit and push beyond it.

”Of course, quite a few have also lost control and gotten themselves killed trying.

”Does that explanation satisfy you?”

Black Superman nodded.

”I see.

”Well, there’s no point worrying too much. By my estimates, we’ll know the result within a day or two.

”Right now, the magnetic device is the more pressing issue.”

As the two discussed the matter, Black Superman realized he had overlooked something earlier.

Magnetism did not exist independently.

In science, it belonged to the field of electromagnetism.

Where there was magnetism, there was electricity.

That had been the missing piece.

The electrical energy generated by the coils could reshape magnetic fields, but controlling that electricity so that it harmed neither user nor subject was every bit as difficult as maintaining a stable magnetic-field pattern under continuous output.

After a lengthy discussion with Magneto, they revised the helmet’s design yet again.

From there, the conversation naturally shifted toward methods for transforming larger numbers of people simultaneously.

The process used today involved both injections and specialized helmets.

Surely they couldn’t build an assembly line and force all of humanity to queue through a factory—entering as ordinary humans and exiting as mutants.

After much discussion, they discovered that a device similar to the one from the X-Men films would actually be the ideal solution.

The X-Gene Activation Drug could be dispersed as an aerosol and inhaled by the population.

Then a magnetic-field amplifier could broadcast the required magnetic pattern over a large area, activating everyone’s X-Gene at once.

Still, Black Superman and Magneto only discussed the concept in broad strokes.

Magneto had practically worked himself into collapse today and wanted to rest early.

Black Superman was more than happy to head home sooner as well.

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The next day, when Black Superman returned to the Brotherhood’s secret base, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere was unusually lively.

People naturally loved gossip and excitement.

Still, mutant gossip seemed like something best avoided.

Black Superman did his best to suppress his curiosity and quietly walked along the wall.

Unfortunately, one of the younger mutants standing at the edge of the crowd spotted him and immediately shouted:

”Black Superman’s here!”

The crowd instantly erupted.

”Come see Bill’s power!”

”This is all your doing!”

”Get over here and take a look!”

...

So the test subject from yesterday had already awakened?

Black Superman found himself curious as well and pushed through the crowd.

At the center stood the same dejected middle-aged man from yesterday.

Only now, his hair and eyebrows shone with a brilliance as eye-catching and dazzling as neon lights.

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