Microstory 561: Bellevue Publicly Condemns GRC Growth

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Years ago, the first superheroes flew straight out of the comic book pages and into our skies. The first one had no special abilities, but she was able to mimic them with the use of technology built by an ancient superadvanced race. The next two heroes each came with the same ability; the ability to use other people’s abilities. More would show up later, but it was these two that we knew could help protect us the most. Our worry, however, was that they would one day die, and their power would be lost with them. So a group of scientists came together with a plan. They would study the genetic makeup of Pantera and Candelabra, like Bellevue already was. But they weren’t trying to replicate their abilities via technology, they were just trying to copy them into artificial substrates. These are known as the Genetically Resampled Clones; or GRCs, for short. Genetically resampling is a form of engineered procreation wherein, instead of two parents combining their genes to create an offspring, only one parent’s code is deconstructed and reassembled in a randomized order. The hope was that these clones would carry with them the same genetic markers Pantera and Candelabra accessed for their special abilities, but also be independent entities, rather than perfect duplicates. Basically, the rogue science team wanted to create an army of superheroes, with a stockpile of abilities, that could share the burden of protecting our planet, and do so indefinitely. The ethical ramifications of their experiments were always in question, which is why they conducted them in secret. Even once Bellevue discovered their unsanctioned and underground laboratory, they weren’t sure how to handle it. The right policies and regulations simply hadn’t been implemented to determine whether, or how, this type of research could move forward. They had no legal right to just shut them down, so they began an investigation, and opened a dialogue with the scientists. All involved, however reluctantly so, have today determined that these experiments were unethical, and are now considered illegal. Rumors have suggested that some of the scientists’ experiments were successful, and that some of these clones remain today. If they do exist, Bellevue has not revealed what will happen to them. The documentation for the exact laws that will be passed in this regard can be found either on Bellevue’s, or the Confederacy’s website.