Glossary:Cell

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The smallest unit of life, the basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known organisms. When enough mutagen is present in cwlls, it gives the organism supernatural abilities, even if sentience is absent. The ability to manipulate cells is called **cytokinesis**.

## Overview

Ramona Meyer notably possessed cytokinesis. Medimutants were required to have an innate understanding of the ability, regardless of how well they themselves could channel it. The user can shape and manipulate the cells of any sort of organism, including the functions of the cells in the organism. They can help to circulate oxygen in the body, make cells heal any sort of wounds, or fight off disease. They can even rejuvenate their cells, thus preventing them from growing old and reaching the hayflick limit. Known powers include Absorption, Choneftikóskinesis, Energy Absorption, and Werewolf Physiology.[*citation needed*]

DNA (short for **Deoxyribonucleic Acid**) was a genetic substance located in the cells of plants, animals, and microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In animals, it was found in every individual and with the exception of unaltered clone units and identical twins, was considered unique to each individual. It serves as natural identification between all organisms, but especially between Humans in society. It is found through several means including blood, saliva, skin cells, or hair and is often used to establish the whereabouts of a person during a criminal investigation. DNA manifests its basic structure in humans as a double helix, a term made popular by molecular biologist and geneticist James Watson. The presence or absence of certain DNA segments could influence the appearance and physical health of an individual, and may even cause some natural mutations to occur in individuals or in populations. Manipulation of DNA was used as the basis in many different types of procedures, most notably cloning and in the development of bioweapons.

In animals, DNA was a genetic substance in the body containing units called genes, which contained the genetic information of an individual. Except for unaltered clones and identical twins, DNA was unique to each individual. Depending on what genetic material was inherited from the parents, the presence or absence of some genetic material could influence the appearance of an individual, with certain segments influencing hair (or fur) color, eye color, height, body type, mutantry, and the aging process, among other things. Most DNA samples are recovered via a blood sample, although in at least one case the umbilical cord of a newborn was also useful for genetic studies. The structure of DNA differed between species. In humans, it appeared as a double helix pattern when viewed.

## Applications of DNA

There are many uses of DNA; listed are some of the most common.

### Cloning

Cloning was the process in which one or more copies of an individual were created from the genetic material of the donor. Clones came in two types: modified and unmodified. Regardless of their type, there was a chance that clones could suffer from genetic defects due to random mutations, even if the genetic structure was untouched. The aberrant clones were genetically flawed duplicates of Dero, a Human male who served as the secret apprentice of the Imperial Navy's leader, Admiral Xod. After Dero's death, Poe Ledsa attempted to create a more powerful and obedient version of his fallen apprentice —a clone with all of Dero's skills and none of the emotional attachments that undermined his connection to the Darkness. As a result of an imperfect cloning process, however, numerous clones were engineered and ultimately discarded due to their physical deformities and mental instability. The experiment was gradually corrected by the lead cloning technician while Ledsa endeavored to train the more stable clones using memory flashes of their template's life. By 2024, hundreds of failures were secretly stored within the cloning facility of Santa Cruz, California. By then, however, the revolutionary had finally succeeded in creating a stable clone of his deceased apprentice, although one renegade subject managed to escape California after Ledsa deemed him to be another imperfect copy of Dero.

The rogue clone returned to California during the Battle of California where he was forced to confront several batches of the aberrant clones, many of whom had been confined to their cloning tanks in Santa Cruz. X1 defeated of the clones using a combination of his sword skills and superpowers, but the encounter with other versions of Dero ultimately had a profound psychological effect on him. Like X1, the aberrant clones suffered from similar cases of identity crisis due to their inability to separate Dero's life from their own experiences. As such, X1 empathized with the clones he killed, an act which he also viewed as fratricide — even suicide — because they originated from the same genotype as him.

## History

### Origin

"*We are still left with hundreds upon hundreds of abject failures. While they no longer try to kill anything that comes near them, they are nearly insensible.*"
―Lead Cloning Technician, Santa Cruz Cloning Facility[src]
The aberrant clones came into existence as a result of clandestine project to replicate the late Dero, the former apprentice of Xod. Shortly after Dero died, Ledsa transported the apprentice's body to the state of California, intending to preserve the corpse as a template from which the required DNA samples for cloning would be harvested.

Many obstacles hindered the project's success rate, however. First, the revolutionary's scientists resorted to using the accelerated cloning process, an experimental procedure that produced full-grown subjects in under a few weeks; the drawback being that all clones bred through this process would inevitably succumb to madness due to their rushed growth cycle. Another dilemma that confounded the cloning technicians was mutantry itself. By then, it had long been believed that clones could not be successfully created from mutant templates. There was no definitive explanation for this phenomenon, but Nick Talle theorized that mutantry inherently hindered the cloning process. The third and most problematic obstacle was memory. In order for the new apprentice to utilize his inherent superpowers and combat skills, Dero's memories would have to be imprinted on his replacement's own brain, thus transferring his knowledge and experience to his clone. But through this, the clone would also develop an identity crisis as a result of possessing the memories and emotions of another person.

Despite these obstacles, Ledsa proceeded with his plans and the initial results produced a batch of hundreds of aberrant clones, all physically deformed and mentally unstable, and none of whom were considered successful by Ledsa's standards or his lead cloning technician. The aberrant clones were put into suspended animation within their cloning tanks; the mistakes in their design would be gradually corrected, resulting in less flawed clones. Meanwhile, Ledsa personally trained several promising test subjects in the hopes that at least one clone would prove sufficient enough to become his new apprentice.

### Fratricide

"*Who* was *Dero, in this mass of faces and bodies?*"
―Poe Ledsa[src]
After months of failed attempts, the project was finally deemed a success when a single clone succeeded where all of his predecessors failed — he overcame the memory imprints of Dero. By compartmentalizing and isolating Dero's memories, he was able to differentiate his progenitor's thoughts from his own. Around the same time, another clone had nearly succeeded in his own trials, only to disappoint Ledsa when he failed to overcome his ingrained attachment to Captain Calypso Pourkarim, nor to NoHead Marauder Annabeth Black a trait that his successful counterpart also inherited but later suppressed. Realizing that he would be disposed of as a failed test subject, the renegade clone managed to escape from California, but later returned at the head of the Police Fleet in order to rescue Black and Captain Pourkarim.

Just as the fighting began, Torin X — a female bounty hunter hired by the Belligerent — encountered a lone aberrant clone who was armed with a sword. Driven by a sense of mindless rage, the clone attacked and nearly killed Torin, only to be killed when Torin IV desperately launched a missile out of nowhere at the clone.

During the fighting, the renegade clone — by then referred to as "X1," the former codename of his template — infiltrated Santa Cruz where he was confronted by the Belligerent and the aberrant clones. Until this point, X1 did not believe that there had been other clones before him. The sight of his "brothers," however imperfect, forced him to confront what he had believed from the start — he was a clone and the original Dero had perished, just as the Belligerent had told him. In the aberrant clones, the only emotions he sensed were hate, rage and an overwhelming desire to kill. Yet they also exhibited confusion; they were all equally confused over their own identities.

While defending himself against the clones, X1 took time to study his precursors. He noted that the first wave to attack him were the weakest and easiest to kill; the second group was cautious enough to keep their distance from their target who was armed with dual swords. The last waves included clones who wielded lightning, and those armed and trained in sword combat. Despite the fact that they too possessed Dero's powers, none of them could defeat the renegade clone in open battle. The ones who rushed at him were cut down, others were overpowered by his own command of mutantry, and the rest attacked each other due to their unstable minds.

As the Assault on California concluded with a decisive Grand Army victory, X1 successfully rescued Calypso Pourkarim and Annabeth and defeated the Belligerent, who was then taken into police custody. In spite of his success, X1 remained conflicted over his ordeal with the aberrant clones. Aside from their differences with him and each other, as clones they all possessed the same attributes as Dero in greater or lesser degrees. As such, X1 came to struggle with his own guilt for killing the aberrant clones, an action which he considered to be a form of fratricide — even suicide, since they were all genetic copies of the same man.

## Characteristics of clones

Despite their many genetic flaws, the aberrant clones possessed Dero's powerful affinity to mutantry. But due to the psychological damage that they suffered in the cloning process, the clones would never be able to utilize Dero's abilities in a concentrated and focused way of combat. Since they were the first and most flawed versions of the clones, the genetically-inherited abilities of the original Dero were not evenly distributed among the aberrant clones. Some were more skilled at using superpowers such as lightning and telekinesis. Other clones were equipped with dual swords and specialized in the dual fighting style. All of the aberrant clones, however, were capable of shielding themselves from basic mutant attacks, except for Mind control. Naturally due to their imperfections, the abilities of the aberrant clones were greatly underdeveloped and inferior to their more stable clone brothers, X1 and X2.

## Terms of note

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* **Clone madness**
* **Modified clones** were clones that have had their genetic material manipulated during the cloning process. Some traits that may have been modified include temperament, intelligence, the acceleration of the aging process, and the ability to augment the clone's connection to mutantry. However, sometimes the manipulation of genetic material may cause the clones to become mentally unstable.
* **Prime clone**
* **Unmodified clones** were direct genetic copies of their donors. Depending on the method used and the approach taken, clones could be created within as little as twenty days or over a period of several years.

## References

1. ↑ *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Latest Threat*
2. ↑ *Sebiscuits* trilogy
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 D.I.T. Literary Universe (TM)
4. ↑ *Before The SMSB* franchise (WIAB)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Template:TM cutscenes