Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown C.M.B
UNSTRI Case File 00498-B (C.M.B. - Tier V Active Containment)
SUBJECT DESIGNATION: “Reactor”
Name: Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa
Classification: C.M.B. Confirmed – Internalized Core Mutation
Status: Contained / Cooperative / Global-Level Energy Asset
Medical Level: Red Class – Radiological Threat with High-Stability Profile
FLASH REPORT
Transcription: Emergency Medical Intake – Ebeye Atoll Forward Quarantine Bay
[Recording begins]
She walked in barefoot. Charred wetsuit, soaked with reactor coolant and seawater. Skin glowing faintly under the fluorescents. Eyes like warning lights. No Geiger alarm was necessary—the instruments all screamed the second she stepped in. We had five seconds to run or trust the suit's seals.
I asked her name.
“Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa,” she said. Calmly. Then added, “I think I’m going to explode if I don’t breathe slower.”
We got her into the containment shell. Barely. She apologized as the lead walls closed—
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save them.”
She didn’t cry. I think she was afraid the tears might be radioactive.
—Lt. Juno Cadence, UNSTRI Biohazard Triage Officer
MEDICAL REPORT: INITIAL FINDINGS
Subject: Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa
Affliction: Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.), Tier V – Stable Internal Reactor
Mutagenic Origin
Combination exposure to engineered mutagenic compounds and high-yield radiation.
Incident occurred aboard vessel Pacific Inquiry during falsified research operation overseen by rogue metascientist.
Only known survivor of multi-subject exposure. Other victims died of acute cellular rupture, radiation poisoning, or anomalous metabolic acceleration.
Physiological Alteration
Subject’s biology has restructured to house an internal cold fusion matrix within the cellular lattice of all major organ systems.
Core output self-regulating under stable emotional conditions. Spikes observed during elevated heart rate or stress.
Geiger-Müller readings at baseline: Elevated but contained.
During emotional surge (recorded): Gamma radiation exceeded combat-zone safety thresholds.
Visible Physical Indicators:
Eyes: Luminescent amber with inner pulsing. Intensity fluctuates with heart rate.
Hair: Restructured pigment and follicle density; magenta-black coloration appears stable.
Skin: Tawny-bronze tone with faint, circuit-like bioluminescent fractal marks across thorax and upper back (active during fusion cycle).
Muscle mass: Densified; subject exhibits significant strength increase without external gear.
Psychological Evaluation
High resilience and cognitive stability post-transformation. No dissociative or delusional episodes recorded during containment.
Displays survivor’s guilt and restrained emotional affect. High empathy index despite traumatic exposure.
Expressed clear concern over radiological impact on others; requested lead gloves during debrief to avoid accidental harm.[br] Risk Assessment
Subject exhibits potential for catastrophic reactor breach if emotional regulation is lost.
Suit under development by Wright Tech International for energy redirection and emotional regulation interface—prototype codenamed C.R.A.D.L.E.
Recommended: Full-time monitoring, conditional field deployment under UNSTRI authorization, psychological support, and ongoing containment therapy.
Summary
Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa is the first confirmed case of internally stabilized C.M.B. as a cold fusion engine. While her mutation renders her biologically inhuman in fundamental ways, she remains cognitively intact, morally grounded, and operationally sound.
She is not a monster.
She is not a weapon.
She is a survivor forged in betrayal, powered by grief, and committed to ensuring what happened to her never happens again.
SUBJECT DESIGNATION: “Reactor”
Name: Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa
Classification: C.M.B. Confirmed – Internalized Core Mutation
Status: Contained / Cooperative / Global-Level Energy Asset
Medical Level: Red Class – Radiological Threat with High-Stability Profile
FLASH REPORT
Transcription: Emergency Medical Intake – Ebeye Atoll Forward Quarantine Bay
[Recording begins]
She walked in barefoot. Charred wetsuit, soaked with reactor coolant and seawater. Skin glowing faintly under the fluorescents. Eyes like warning lights. No Geiger alarm was necessary—the instruments all screamed the second she stepped in. We had five seconds to run or trust the suit's seals.
I asked her name.
“Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa,” she said. Calmly. Then added, “I think I’m going to explode if I don’t breathe slower.”
We got her into the containment shell. Barely. She apologized as the lead walls closed—
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save them.”
She didn’t cry. I think she was afraid the tears might be radioactive.
—Lt. Juno Cadence, UNSTRI Biohazard Triage Officer
MEDICAL REPORT: INITIAL FINDINGS
Subject: Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa
Affliction: Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.), Tier V – Stable Internal Reactor
Mutagenic Origin
Combination exposure to engineered mutagenic compounds and high-yield radiation.
Incident occurred aboard vessel Pacific Inquiry during falsified research operation overseen by rogue metascientist.
Only known survivor of multi-subject exposure. Other victims died of acute cellular rupture, radiation poisoning, or anomalous metabolic acceleration.
Physiological Alteration
Subject’s biology has restructured to house an internal cold fusion matrix within the cellular lattice of all major organ systems.
Core output self-regulating under stable emotional conditions. Spikes observed during elevated heart rate or stress.
Geiger-Müller readings at baseline: Elevated but contained.
During emotional surge (recorded): Gamma radiation exceeded combat-zone safety thresholds.
Visible Physical Indicators:
Eyes: Luminescent amber with inner pulsing. Intensity fluctuates with heart rate.
Hair: Restructured pigment and follicle density; magenta-black coloration appears stable.
Skin: Tawny-bronze tone with faint, circuit-like bioluminescent fractal marks across thorax and upper back (active during fusion cycle).
Muscle mass: Densified; subject exhibits significant strength increase without external gear.
Psychological Evaluation
High resilience and cognitive stability post-transformation. No dissociative or delusional episodes recorded during containment.
Displays survivor’s guilt and restrained emotional affect. High empathy index despite traumatic exposure.
Expressed clear concern over radiological impact on others; requested lead gloves during debrief to avoid accidental harm.[br] Risk Assessment
Subject exhibits potential for catastrophic reactor breach if emotional regulation is lost.
Suit under development by Wright Tech International for energy redirection and emotional regulation interface—prototype codenamed C.R.A.D.L.E.
Recommended: Full-time monitoring, conditional field deployment under UNSTRI authorization, psychological support, and ongoing containment therapy.
Summary
Dr. Alise Mahelani Paoa is the first confirmed case of internally stabilized C.M.B. as a cold fusion engine. While her mutation renders her biologically inhuman in fundamental ways, she remains cognitively intact, morally grounded, and operationally sound.
She is not a monster.
She is not a weapon.
She is a survivor forged in betrayal, powered by grief, and committed to ensuring what happened to her never happens again.
Transmission & Vectors
There are far too many vectors to list. C.M.B. is not caused by a single agent, but rather is a potential failure state inherent to nearly every known method of artificially inducing superhuman transformation. Whether through science, magic, psionics, or exposure to the unknown, the risk is always present—lurking behind every experiment, accident, or "miracle."
Common vectors include:
Unstable Super-Serums: Including government prototypes, black market formulas (e.g. Triple-Ex, PsychZero), or field-enhancement drugs.
Cosmic and Exotic Energy Exposure: Cosmic rays, chronotronic fields, gravitic anomalies, dimensional breaches, and unknown radiation sources.
Genetic Manipulation: Recombinant DNA splicing, hybrid organism infusion, and Chimera-class experiments.
Bioengineered Parasites: Symbiotes, mutagenic viruses, and living power-infusers with incomplete host compatibility.
Mystical and Esoteric Triggers: Artifact overloads, ritual misfires, or uncontrolled psionic awakening.
Environmental Contamination: Industrial runoff from supertech facilities, magical fallout zones, or containment failures.
In short: if it has the potential to give you powers, it has the potential to ruin you too.
Common vectors include:
Unstable Super-Serums: Including government prototypes, black market formulas (e.g. Triple-Ex, PsychZero), or field-enhancement drugs.
Cosmic and Exotic Energy Exposure: Cosmic rays, chronotronic fields, gravitic anomalies, dimensional breaches, and unknown radiation sources.
Genetic Manipulation: Recombinant DNA splicing, hybrid organism infusion, and Chimera-class experiments.
Bioengineered Parasites: Symbiotes, mutagenic viruses, and living power-infusers with incomplete host compatibility.
Mystical and Esoteric Triggers: Artifact overloads, ritual misfires, or uncontrolled psionic awakening.
Environmental Contamination: Industrial runoff from supertech facilities, magical fallout zones, or containment failures.
In short: if it has the potential to give you powers, it has the potential to ruin you too.
Causes
The genesis of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is as varied and complex as the super-sciences and metaphysical forces that birthed it. Unlike traditional diseases, C.M.B. is not caused by a single pathogen, chemical, or event—it is a category of extreme biological collapse triggered by failed or unstable attempts to induce superhuman transformation.
There is no singular cycle or incubation timeline. In some cases, the effects manifest instantly and violently—bones reforming mid-sentence, skin sloughing off as it hardens into metallic shell, the victim howling as their voice warps into something inhuman. In other cases, the onset is slow and insidious—minor changes accumulating over weeks or months, until the victim no longer recognizes their own reflection.
There is no singular cycle or incubation timeline. In some cases, the effects manifest instantly and violently—bones reforming mid-sentence, skin sloughing off as it hardens into metallic shell, the victim howling as their voice warps into something inhuman. In other cases, the onset is slow and insidious—minor changes accumulating over weeks or months, until the victim no longer recognizes their own reflection.
Symptoms
The only consistent symptom of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is transformation. Victims undergo irreversible physiological and/or psychological changes, diverging from their original human form—often permanently. The extent of mutation varies wildly, from the purely cosmetic to the utterly monstrous, and no two cases are ever exactly alike.
Physical Manifestations
Some individuals are visibly altered in subtle but permanent ways—glowing veins, odd-colored skin, clawed fingertips, or eerily symmetrical facial features. Others develop more dramatic traits, including hardened or scaly skin, vestigial limbs, prehensile tails, animalistic features, or bioluminescent patterns that respond to mood or power use.
In more extreme cases, the body mutates beyond recognition:
Limbs twist into unnatural angles or split.
Organic matter becomes glass, crystal, molten metal, or sentient plastic.
Heads balloon or shrink, faces melt, or torsos restructure in impossible configurations.
Some victims become encased in permanent armor-like hide or fur, unable to feel touch the way humans do.
Milder cases may retain a human shape with odd details: multi-lobed or finned ears, slitted or mirrored eyes, extreme hair color or patterning, or hyperflexible joints that bend like contortionists.
Many are permanently locked in these forms. Even shapeshifters often find they can’t return to their previous appearance—C.M.B. redefines their biological “default.”
Psychological and Neurological Effects
C.M.B. doesn't stop at the skin. Many sufferers experience deep cognitive changes:
Emotional dysregulation is common— outbursts, dulled empathy, or total emotional disconnection.
Sensory distortions or enhancements may emerge, often accompanied by chronic pain or disorientation.
Personality drift, memory displacement, or fractured self-identity can leave victims feeling like strangers in their own minds or body.
Some develop a god-complex or exhibit obsessive behavior around their new form, treating themselves as avatars, monsters, or divine errors.
In the worst cases, victims lose language, reason, or humanity altogether—reduced to instinct-driven husks or dangerously unpredictable anomalies.
There are even those whose metaphysical identity changes—legally, biologically, or spiritually. DNA no longer matches official records. Fingerprints vanish. Dreams become shared memories with something else. In these cases, even loved ones report an uncanny sense that the person “didn’t come back the same.”
Ongoing Side Effects
C.M.B. is not a one-and-done event. Many victims may experience:
Chronic fatigue or pain, as their bodies struggle to function with mutated systems.
Addiction to stabilizing agents, such as energy fields, custom serums, psionic regulators, or external batteries.
Genetic instability, with new mutations triggered under stress—what some call “mutation cascade.”
Unstable powers, which surge, fizzle, or fire off without warning.
Auras of unease, whether due to pheromonal shifts, unnatural body language, or psionic wrongness that repels others on a subconscious level.
In extreme cases, victims may continue to mutate for the rest of their lives.
The Lucky ones if they can be called that are stable in form and powers but will never physically be human again.
“One day I had weird eyes and glowing skin. Thought that was it. Next week? I grew bone spikes, hurt like hell when they tore through my skin. Doctor says it’s stabilizing. My gut says I’m still changing.”
— unnamed, mutation cascade victim, presumed deceased
Physical Manifestations
Some individuals are visibly altered in subtle but permanent ways—glowing veins, odd-colored skin, clawed fingertips, or eerily symmetrical facial features. Others develop more dramatic traits, including hardened or scaly skin, vestigial limbs, prehensile tails, animalistic features, or bioluminescent patterns that respond to mood or power use.
In more extreme cases, the body mutates beyond recognition:
Limbs twist into unnatural angles or split.
Organic matter becomes glass, crystal, molten metal, or sentient plastic.
Heads balloon or shrink, faces melt, or torsos restructure in impossible configurations.
Some victims become encased in permanent armor-like hide or fur, unable to feel touch the way humans do.
Milder cases may retain a human shape with odd details: multi-lobed or finned ears, slitted or mirrored eyes, extreme hair color or patterning, or hyperflexible joints that bend like contortionists.
Many are permanently locked in these forms. Even shapeshifters often find they can’t return to their previous appearance—C.M.B. redefines their biological “default.”
Psychological and Neurological Effects
C.M.B. doesn't stop at the skin. Many sufferers experience deep cognitive changes:
Emotional dysregulation is common— outbursts, dulled empathy, or total emotional disconnection.
Sensory distortions or enhancements may emerge, often accompanied by chronic pain or disorientation.
Personality drift, memory displacement, or fractured self-identity can leave victims feeling like strangers in their own minds or body.
Some develop a god-complex or exhibit obsessive behavior around their new form, treating themselves as avatars, monsters, or divine errors.
In the worst cases, victims lose language, reason, or humanity altogether—reduced to instinct-driven husks or dangerously unpredictable anomalies.
There are even those whose metaphysical identity changes—legally, biologically, or spiritually. DNA no longer matches official records. Fingerprints vanish. Dreams become shared memories with something else. In these cases, even loved ones report an uncanny sense that the person “didn’t come back the same.”
Ongoing Side Effects
C.M.B. is not a one-and-done event. Many victims may experience:
Chronic fatigue or pain, as their bodies struggle to function with mutated systems.
Addiction to stabilizing agents, such as energy fields, custom serums, psionic regulators, or external batteries.
Genetic instability, with new mutations triggered under stress—what some call “mutation cascade.”
Unstable powers, which surge, fizzle, or fire off without warning.
Auras of unease, whether due to pheromonal shifts, unnatural body language, or psionic wrongness that repels others on a subconscious level.
In extreme cases, victims may continue to mutate for the rest of their lives.
The Lucky ones if they can be called that are stable in form and powers but will never physically be human again.
“One day I had weird eyes and glowing skin. Thought that was it. Next week? I grew bone spikes, hurt like hell when they tore through my skin. Doctor says it’s stabilizing. My gut says I’m still changing.”
— unnamed, mutation cascade victim, presumed deceased
Treatment
There is no known cure for Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.)—only management, containment, or mitigation. Once the transformation has stabilized, it becomes the new biological baseline for the subject. Restoration to prior human form is, for most, a fantasy.
The only hope for most are Genetic Stabilizers and these must be applied before too much damage has been done and utterly fail if the change was caused by magic or other forces not easily quantifiable to super science. They also have little to no effect on extreme cases.
The only hope for most are Genetic Stabilizers and these must be applied before too much damage has been done and utterly fail if the change was caused by magic or other forces not easily quantifiable to super science. They also have little to no effect on extreme cases.
Prognosis
There is no standard trajectory for Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.). The condition is as individual as the victims it afflicts—its onset, severity, and long-term effects shaped by the origin of the transformation, the subject’s physiology, and sheer unpredictable cosmic or scientific chaos.
Some individuals stabilize. Others spiral. Many exist in a gray space in between.
The course of C.M.B. varies drastically from person to person, with outcomes that span the full spectrum of tragedy, horror, and reluctant survival. A noble hero forever trapped in a body of living iron—stable, functional, yet forever alien—is just as much a victim as the deranged scientist who dissolves into a sloshing, amorphous mass of unstable matter. So too is the once-proud super soldier, now marked by crimson eyes, fang-lined jaws, and viridian skin—forever altered, but still recognizable as human in thought if not in form. C.M.B. does not discriminate in how it remakes the flesh; its cruelty lies in its unpredictability.
Some individuals stabilize. Others spiral. Many exist in a gray space in between.
The course of C.M.B. varies drastically from person to person, with outcomes that span the full spectrum of tragedy, horror, and reluctant survival. A noble hero forever trapped in a body of living iron—stable, functional, yet forever alien—is just as much a victim as the deranged scientist who dissolves into a sloshing, amorphous mass of unstable matter. So too is the once-proud super soldier, now marked by crimson eyes, fang-lined jaws, and viridian skin—forever altered, but still recognizable as human in thought if not in form. C.M.B. does not discriminate in how it remakes the flesh; its cruelty lies in its unpredictability.
Sequela
The primary consequence of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is the conferral of some form of enhanced ability, altered state, or superhuman trait. Ironically, many of these powers—granted at the cost of human form and stability—are inconsistent in their utility, potency, or reliability.
Some victims are left with abilities so minor or situational they border on useless: the ability to taste electromagnetic fields, glow faintly when anxious, or phase slightly into the floor but only when sneezing. Others, however, emerge from the trauma wielding immense power—gravity manipulation, energy absorption, or unstoppable regenerative metabolism—but are so physically or mentally altered that the gift becomes as much curse as blessing.
As with all things related to C.M.B., there is no pattern, no fairness, no proportional exchange. The cost is not weighed against the reward.
Some victims are left with abilities so minor or situational they border on useless: the ability to taste electromagnetic fields, glow faintly when anxious, or phase slightly into the floor but only when sneezing. Others, however, emerge from the trauma wielding immense power—gravity manipulation, energy absorption, or unstoppable regenerative metabolism—but are so physically or mentally altered that the gift becomes as much curse as blessing.
As with all things related to C.M.B., there is no pattern, no fairness, no proportional exchange. The cost is not weighed against the reward.
Affected Groups
Any biological lifeform is a potential victim of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.)—period.
Humans, animals, uplifted species, clone-stock, Extras, even certain plant-based organisms have all demonstrated vulnerability to mutagenic destabilization under the right (or wrong) conditions. The unifying factor is biology—if it lives, breathes, metabolizes, or thinks in a biological frame, it can break.
This indiscriminate reach is part of what makes C.M.B. so feared: it doesn’t matter if you’re a trained soldier, a street-level junkie, a psionic whale, or a domesticated housecat. If you're exposed to the wrong energy, serum, ritual, or dimension fracture, you're a candidate.
There are even unconfirmed reports of AI-integrated cyborgs undergoing hybrid C.M.B. events, where organic interface systems mutate beyond control, dragging synthetic systems into biofeedback loops. While rare, such events have prompted widespread concern in transhumanist and bio-mech communities.
Humans, animals, uplifted species, clone-stock, Extras, even certain plant-based organisms have all demonstrated vulnerability to mutagenic destabilization under the right (or wrong) conditions. The unifying factor is biology—if it lives, breathes, metabolizes, or thinks in a biological frame, it can break.
This indiscriminate reach is part of what makes C.M.B. so feared: it doesn’t matter if you’re a trained soldier, a street-level junkie, a psionic whale, or a domesticated housecat. If you're exposed to the wrong energy, serum, ritual, or dimension fracture, you're a candidate.
There are even unconfirmed reports of AI-integrated cyborgs undergoing hybrid C.M.B. events, where organic interface systems mutate beyond control, dragging synthetic systems into biofeedback loops. While rare, such events have prompted widespread concern in transhumanist and bio-mech communities.
Hosts & Carriers
In the vast majority of cases, C.M.B. is not communicable. There are no traditional hosts or carriers—the condition is a consequence of individual exposure, not a transmissible infection.
However, rare exceptions exist—and they are the stuff of nightmares.
There have been confirmed incidents involving mutagenic pathogens: weaponized bacteria, anomalous viral strains, and symbiotic organisms capable of inducing C.M.B.-like transformations in others. These so-called “mutation vectors” function like biological agents, spreading horrific alterations through physical contact, fluid exchange, or aerosolized exposure.
Notable among these was the Alaska Alien Spore event, a fungal mutation vector that occurred in remote Alaska, which caused cascading mutations across multiple species before containment.
Thankfully, such carrier-based outbreaks are extremely rare, often burning out quickly or being neutralized by global Special-health task forces. Most known mutagenic organisms have proven unstable, unsustainable, or too unpredictable to be of strategic use—though some extremist groups and rogue nations have still tried.
Today, any sign of transmissible C.M.B. is treated as a Class Red Biohazard Event, warranting immediate quarantine, containment, and in extreme cases—eradication of exposed zones.
However, rare exceptions exist—and they are the stuff of nightmares.
There have been confirmed incidents involving mutagenic pathogens: weaponized bacteria, anomalous viral strains, and symbiotic organisms capable of inducing C.M.B.-like transformations in others. These so-called “mutation vectors” function like biological agents, spreading horrific alterations through physical contact, fluid exchange, or aerosolized exposure.
Notable among these was the Alaska Alien Spore event, a fungal mutation vector that occurred in remote Alaska, which caused cascading mutations across multiple species before containment.
Thankfully, such carrier-based outbreaks are extremely rare, often burning out quickly or being neutralized by global Special-health task forces. Most known mutagenic organisms have proven unstable, unsustainable, or too unpredictable to be of strategic use—though some extremist groups and rogue nations have still tried.
Today, any sign of transmissible C.M.B. is treated as a Class Red Biohazard Event, warranting immediate quarantine, containment, and in extreme cases—eradication of exposed zones.
Prevention
The only reliable method of preventing Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is complete avoidance of mutagenic exposure. There are no vaccines, no universal countermeasures, and no guaranteed safety protocols. Whether derived from unstable super-serums, anomalous energies, experimental gene therapies, or arcane artifacts, the risk is always present the moment the human genome is pushed beyond its natural limits.
Many organizations claim to have “safe” augmentation procedures—but history tells another story. Even the most controlled environments have produced breakdown cases, often due to overlooked variables, hidden mutations, or unforeseen interactions between body and power source. The harsh truth is simple: if you're rolling the dice with superhuman transformation, C.M.B. is always on the table.
Many organizations claim to have “safe” augmentation procedures—but history tells another story. Even the most controlled environments have produced breakdown cases, often due to overlooked variables, hidden mutations, or unforeseen interactions between body and power source. The harsh truth is simple: if you're rolling the dice with superhuman transformation, C.M.B. is always on the table.
Epidemiology
Unlike conventional diseases, Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is not contagious. It does not spread through the air, water, or touch. There are no patient zeros, no infection curves, no incubation models, at least not in the vast majority of cases—at least not in the traditional sense.
In nearly all cases, C.M.B. is triggered by intentional or accidental exposure to mutagenic agents: unstable serums, corrupted gene therapies, anomalous energies, dimensional events, or esoteric feedback loops. These are not ailments that pass from one person to another—they are consequences, the price of tampering with forces meant to remain untamed.
In nearly all cases, C.M.B. is triggered by intentional or accidental exposure to mutagenic agents: unstable serums, corrupted gene therapies, anomalous energies, dimensional events, or esoteric feedback loops. These are not ailments that pass from one person to another—they are consequences, the price of tampering with forces meant to remain untamed.
History
The first recognized cases of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) emerged in the late 1930s, at the dawn of the Modern Age of Specials. These early incidents were rare—isolated cases of costumed heroes or villains whose transformations didn’t go according to plan. Back then, society wrote them off as "tragic accidents," "science gone wrong," or simple cautionary tales. Some were buried in government files. Others became the stuff of pulp horror serials and war-era propaganda.
But as the science of power-granting evolved, so too did the risks.
The Second World War saw a surge in super soldier programs, often rushed, brutal, and secretive. Many experimental subjects did not emerge as icons of justice or battlefield demigods—but as twisted, broken things best forgotten. It was during this period that whispers of C.M.B. became more widespread among military and intelligence circles.
Then came the Silver Age of Specials—an era of mass proliferation. Super-science left the lab and spilled into the streets. Black market enhancement drugs, rogue inventors, cosmic anomalies, unstable power sources, enchanted relics in dime-store magic shops—power became a commodity. And with it came the exponential rise in C.M.B. incidents.
By the 1970s, the term “C.M.B.” was codified in most global Special-Health response protocols. The World Parahealth Organization (WPO) released its first Mutagenic Event Classification Guide in 1974. By the 1980s, entire quarantine zones existed to house the mutated and misbegotten. And yet—despite rising awareness, cases only increased.
While monstrous beings have always existed in the background of human myth , the Golden-to-Silver Age transition marked a cultural shift: monsters were no longer myths, no longer the exception. They were side effects. They were survivors.
Today, C.M.B. remains one of the greatest and most feared risks of artificial superhuman empowerment. It’s an ever-present specter for ordinary people who fear being caught in the crossfire of something unknowable. Yet paradoxically, in the shadows of society, some pursue it deliberately—seeking to shed their humanity in hopes of becoming more, no matter the cost.
But as the science of power-granting evolved, so too did the risks.
The Second World War saw a surge in super soldier programs, often rushed, brutal, and secretive. Many experimental subjects did not emerge as icons of justice or battlefield demigods—but as twisted, broken things best forgotten. It was during this period that whispers of C.M.B. became more widespread among military and intelligence circles.
Then came the Silver Age of Specials—an era of mass proliferation. Super-science left the lab and spilled into the streets. Black market enhancement drugs, rogue inventors, cosmic anomalies, unstable power sources, enchanted relics in dime-store magic shops—power became a commodity. And with it came the exponential rise in C.M.B. incidents.
By the 1970s, the term “C.M.B.” was codified in most global Special-Health response protocols. The World Parahealth Organization (WPO) released its first Mutagenic Event Classification Guide in 1974. By the 1980s, entire quarantine zones existed to house the mutated and misbegotten. And yet—despite rising awareness, cases only increased.
While monstrous beings have always existed in the background of human myth , the Golden-to-Silver Age transition marked a cultural shift: monsters were no longer myths, no longer the exception. They were side effects. They were survivors.
Today, C.M.B. remains one of the greatest and most feared risks of artificial superhuman empowerment. It’s an ever-present specter for ordinary people who fear being caught in the crossfire of something unknowable. Yet paradoxically, in the shadows of society, some pursue it deliberately—seeking to shed their humanity in hopes of becoming more, no matter the cost.
Cultural Reception
Public perception of Catastrophic Mutagenic Breakdown (C.M.B.) is complex, conflicted, and heavily shaped by context. Most societies view those afflicted with C.M.B. as tragic figures—the high price paid for humanity’s pursuit of power, progress, or survival.
Those who retain their minds, identities, and values despite grotesque or inhuman appearances are often quietly revered. In comics, news media, and pop culture, they’re portrayed as suffering heroes, modern martyrs of the metahuman condition. Many are seen as heroes whose monstrous forms underscore their moral strength.
But not all are given such grace.
Victims of C.M.B. who sought power for its own sake—black market junkies, rogue scientists, megalomaniacal thrill-seekers—are frequently portrayed as cautionary tales, their fates seen as poetic justice. "He asked for godhood and became a mosnter instead" is a common phrase in both tabloid journalism and moralizing sermons.
In daily life, reactions range from sympathy to discomfort to fear. Some C.M.B. sufferers are legally protected and supported by specialized aid programs. Others are shunned, denied service, or driven into self-exile. Many wear disguises, cloaks, or illusion fields just to pass as human in public spaces. In certain jurisdictions, visibly mutated individuals are required to register or carry biometric licenses.
Some underground cultures—particularly the Baddies, Villaincore, Syndikidz movement and certain transhumanist sects—actively glorify C.M.B. as a symbol of rebirth, transcendence, or rebellion against the status quo. To them, shedding humanity is an evolutionary step, not a loss.
But for most? C.M.B. is a warning. A horror story with a face. A reminder that even in a world of heroes and miracles, not every origin story has a happy ending.
Those who retain their minds, identities, and values despite grotesque or inhuman appearances are often quietly revered. In comics, news media, and pop culture, they’re portrayed as suffering heroes, modern martyrs of the metahuman condition. Many are seen as heroes whose monstrous forms underscore their moral strength.
But not all are given such grace.
Victims of C.M.B. who sought power for its own sake—black market junkies, rogue scientists, megalomaniacal thrill-seekers—are frequently portrayed as cautionary tales, their fates seen as poetic justice. "He asked for godhood and became a mosnter instead" is a common phrase in both tabloid journalism and moralizing sermons.
In daily life, reactions range from sympathy to discomfort to fear. Some C.M.B. sufferers are legally protected and supported by specialized aid programs. Others are shunned, denied service, or driven into self-exile. Many wear disguises, cloaks, or illusion fields just to pass as human in public spaces. In certain jurisdictions, visibly mutated individuals are required to register or carry biometric licenses.
Some underground cultures—particularly the Baddies, Villaincore, Syndikidz movement and certain transhumanist sects—actively glorify C.M.B. as a symbol of rebirth, transcendence, or rebellion against the status quo. To them, shedding humanity is an evolutionary step, not a loss.
But for most? C.M.B. is a warning. A horror story with a face. A reminder that even in a world of heroes and miracles, not every origin story has a happy ending.
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