Microstory 569: Brooks Clothing Opens in Kansas City

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History has taught us that there are about a hundred people on this planet who display extraordinary abilities. That number is expected to rise very little as we continue through this new century. One such of these anomalies has already come and passed. In fact, Ormonda Brooks died before the fact that anomaly abilities exist was public knowledge. She was recruited by a sort of proto-Bellevue to help certain anomalies use their abilities without fear of one important thing that probably wouldn’t even cross most people’s minds. When she sewed clothes, a special oil was excreted from her hands that became intertwined with the fabric. The first person to wear this piece of clothing would also excrete oils from their skin, mixing with both the fabric, and Brooks’ oil. This would prompt a process wherein the clothes themselves would become imbued with that anomaly’s ability. No, this didn’t make sentient clothing, or even temporarily allow a second wearer to use that ability. All it did was prevent the original wearer’s ability from damaging the clothing. For instance, Serenity Theodo, who could phase through objects, would always have to concentrate in order to keep her clothing wrapped around her body while phasing through something else. Brooks’ oil, however, allows her to use her ability without worrying about this, so she can go about her day, thinking about more pressing issues. Ellen Snider’s body is designed unlike most others. She’s perfectly suited to fly around in the sky without frost building up, because her skin stops it from happening, but she couldn’t stop that from happening to her clothes. Brooks’ clothing changed all that for her.

One of the first things that certain qualified people within early Bellevue did was study people’s abilities, searching for ways of replicating them for common use. If Hosanna Katz can feel other people’s emotions, we should be able to understand his mind to create more effective therapy strategies, and yes, possibly interrogation techniques. Ling Guo helped engineer a universal translator, and a number of anomalies helped us crack interdimensional travel. Not surprisingly, early scientists realized how useful Ormonda Brooks’ ability could be; how many practical applications it could have. Paired with technology that mimicked Otto Vann’s ability to remove oxygen from the area, suddenly firefighting didn’t have to be all that dangerous. Law enforcement no longer need wear heavy body armor, because their standard uniform would be more than enough...as long as that uniform was modified with a synthetic version of Ormonda Brooks’ oil. A new store has opened in Kansas City, servicing all of North America, called Brooks Clothing. This clothing store does not carry the latest fashions, nor the cutest baby shoes. It is reserved exclusively for work uniforms. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, other first responders, steelworkers, and many others, will be able to order in bulk special clothing with a variety of uses. Electricians will be nearly impervious to electrical shocks, while general construction workers won’t be able to accidentally nail their hands to a door frame, as long as they wear their protective clothing. These uniforms are extremely regulated, requiring a long and complex application to even be considered as a customer. Since Bellevue still owns the patent of this advancements, there is also a long and complex process for becoming a legal vendor, of which there is currently none besides the Bellevue-backed Brooks Clothing location. Others may come in the future, and if so, could open up new markets, such as anti-sweat clothing for runners, or better swimsuits for competitive swimmers. For now, though, you’ll only be able to get your hands on this technology if your job field is considered to be one of the more dangerous, and your employer has been approved.

Microstory 477: Floor 8 (Part 2)

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New Machinist: Hey, Old Machinist, could you help me clean the LC-10J?

Old Machinist: I keep trying to tell you people that I’m new here. I didn’t have anything to do with the windows. I don’t know anything.

New Machinist: Uh, yeah...but didn’t you have these machines over at the other building?

Old Machinist: No, we were still using 10Gs. And I’m sorry for blowing up at you. Yes, I could figure out how to clean it, I’m sure it’s not that different. But why would you want to? We’re on lockdown. About the only benefit to that is that we’re not expected to do any work.

New Machinist: I know, but I’m bored out of my mind. I was working fourteen hours on an oil rig back when those were a bigger deal. Idle hands, and all that...

Old Machinist: So were you let go? Because of the push towards renewables?

New Machinist: No, I quit because of renewables.

Old Machinist: Ah, yes, you could see the writing on the wall.

New Machinist: Well, the thing about the writing on the wall—which makes it different than which way the wind is blowing—is that someone has to write it. Then, for it to have any impact, enough other people have to read it. If only a few people take notice then it doesn’t really mean anything. The only way the future survives is if we protect it. Over the last several years, I consistently grew ashamed of my work. We were holding progress back for the entire world, and our logic behind it was that such work was our livelihood. And that’s a very good reason; one that’s pretty hard to argue with. I used it for years. Then at some point, I had to realize that the only way Big Oil stays in business is if guys like me keep working for it. I had to take a stand. I had to be strong enough to risk losing everything. And it worked. Here I am, in a better job with shorter hours, and dental. I went from sucking up oil from the ocean to oiling up machines that are slowly learning to replace me. I guess I’ve not come far when you put it like that.

Old Machinist: You’ve done better than me. I’ve never taken a stand on anything. I’ve never risked anything. I don’t know what it’s like to be ashamed, because I’ve never allowed myself to be in a position to make any major mistakes. I’ve never really lived.

New Machinist: You’re young. You have time.

Old Machinist: That’s right, I am young. I’m a millennial, and I know when I’m not wanted. Like you said, these machines are replacing us, so why would I stick around?

New Machinist: You’re going to quit?

Old Machinist: I don’t think I have a choice. I think I need to go back to school.

Microstory 175: Ormonda Brooks

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The problem with anomaly abilities is that they are generally limited to the biology of the anomaly. Fictional representations of special abilities more often than not have a character who can somehow magically use potentially destructive abilities without damaging their clothing—or rather, they won’t even bring it up at all. If a character can transform themselves into liquid form, but can’t transform other objects, then why exactly is it at all believable that their clothes are somehow exceptions to this rule? Sometimes, the person with powers, or an associate of theirs, will science their way into a special kind of clothing that adapts to the wearer. A pyrokinetic will, for instance, always be wearing a special suit that can withstand extremely high temperatures. Which is great, except that they make no mention of the fact that such an astonishing invention could have other uses, like—oh, I dunno—for firefighters? Gee, thanks for making an impervious suit of armor for our hero to wear. Think you could make more, and maybe pass them out to law enforcement officers, and other first responders? That’d be great. Ormonda Brooks was one of those kind of anomalies whose ability only helped other anomalies. Whenever she sewed a garment, a special kind of oil was excreted from her hands that imbued that garment with the properties of whichever anomaly wore it first. This oil would combine itself with the natural oils of the wearer, and become literally tailored for them. This was, by its very nature, not useful to all anomalies. Hosanna can sense other people’s emotions, regardless of what he’s wearing. Quang can autocalculate measurements of things around him, but that never has an effect on his clothing. In contrast, however, Blake Williams would benefit from one of Ormonda’s pieces, because the vibrations from the earthquakes he absorbs and dissipates damage normal clothes, and force him to change after every one. This example isn’t that big of a deal, but for Diane Ghoti, who can spontaneously generate fire, the gift of a Brooks suit was extraordinarily helpful. These garments always took a long time to make, because Ormonda was not a particularly gifted sewer. And at first glance, the oil could not be used for preexisting clothing, or harvested and utilized by someone else. But with time, such harvested samples were studied and replicated beyond her death from old age. And they gave rise to a host of other applications.