Microstory 163: Hankford Apolomure

This is an experimental Bellevue Profile microstory. The introduction can be found in Microstory 101. More to follow.

While the ancient rogue scientists were long ago experimenting with Generation Alpha anomalies, they came into contact with an ethical opposition. Though there was no official regulation of scientific endeavors, a small faction of moralists took it upon themselves to prevent people from breaking the laws that they felt should have been in place, and were in fact in place at one time. They traveled the globe and either put a stop to those they considered to be criminals, or tried to guide them towards a path of righteousness. Unfortunately for them, the organization ultimately responsible for anomalies was their most powerful opposing force. The regulators knew that they would not be able to stop them, so they built a failsafe device. One of their bravest associates volunteered to undergo a new experiment. Hers was the only anomaly bloodline not technically connected with the others, though they did have to steal the chemicals and technology from the rogues, which meant that the ability they attempted to imbue her with was already in another bloodline. Their intention was to foster all subsequent generations of the original volunteer, but time had other plans. Years later, Hankford Apolomure was activated with a stable version of the ability, but had no knowledge of its history. He was capable of recognizing other people’s abilities, understanding how they worked, and most importantly, dampening them, or even taking them away. But since the regulators had not been able to keep track of his ancestors, he was born with no preconceived notions regarding his purpose, and assumed that he was just like any other anomaly. He ended up pursuing a career in genetics and biochemistry, and contributed to the needs of Bellevue by heading their science department, and his ability was just a bonus. Even though his ability led to an innate understanding of itself, and all of its components, Hankford never once used it to remove someone else’s ability. He considered that a violation of a person’s right to their individuality, even if it meant that they were a danger to society.