‘Twisted: The Science of Peculiar Powers’

by Sylvia Funkstone

Available now from Barnes & Noble, RRP $19.95

Recommended for readers 10 to 14

Mysteries and Divines

So far in this book, we have talked about peculiar powers that come from many places; from people who are born able to use a “standard” power in a special way, to people whose powers are shaped by their own special genetics, to people whose powers have changed because of an accident, a chemical reaction, or a change in their body or mind. But there is another type of peculiar powers other than the ones you’ve already read about – a type which is at the same time the rarest, the most famous, and the most difficult to study. These are, of course, powers which from the moment they first materialise are absolutely, utterly unique.

There are not many people – possibly only enough to count on one hand – in recorded history whose powers fall into this category. Amongst scientists who research superpowers, these people are called “Divines”. This is not a very helpful name, as it can wrongly give the impression that the people with these extraordinary powers are some extra level of supernatural, maybe even gods. This is not correct; underneath their gifts they are still ordinary humans, with the same feelings and fears and flaws as you or I. But the powers they possess are extraordinary, and often so powerful that they place those who have them in a category all their own.

The first and most obvious person who comes to mind when discussing unique powers is Walter Reid, a.k.a. Captain Dawn. In all the years since the Aurora Nirvanas, no other person has possessed Captain Dawn’s power of unlimited energy, which not only gives him enhanced strength, speed and the ability to fly, but which is constantly released from his body, shrouding him in an almost impenetrable shield. This golden energy is so potent that, when released, it can destroy almost anything, and has led to his moniker, “The Power of a Hundred Suns” – which while unlikely to be technically true (nobody is really suggesting that Captain Dawn actually has energy equivalent to a hundred stars stored within his body) certainly gives an idea of the amount of power we are dealing with.

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The second and third unique abilities in this category will also be familiar to fans of superheroes. “The Brothers Darkness” – twin brothers Charles and Edward Lewis – were supervillains fought by the Legion of Heroes in 1981 and are collectively the only other people to definitively be classified as “Divines”. Charles’ power, which is still not understood properly to this day, was to create darkness; Edward’s power was to control it.

The powers of The Brothers Darkness is a mystery that has troubled scientists since the moment it was discovered. This is because, scientifically speaking, there is actually no such thing as darkness – there are only places which are not, at that moment, reflecting light. But to the shock of all observers, what Charles Lewis was able to create was darkness – a pitch black, crushingly heavy darkness which seemed to consume light from everything nearby. This singular phenomenon, although extensively recorded, has never been properly explained, and perplexes scientists even now. The ability was so shockingly powerful, and such a fundamental violation of our understanding of the laws of physics, that it left researchers no choice but to make it the second power to ever earn the title “Divine”.

From there, the list of “Divines” which have ever been identified becomes less clear-cut. There are some who argue that people who possess powers others also have, but whose strength with those powers is so beyond what anybody else can do, should be included in the “Divine” category. Elsa Arrendel, famously, when asked about the definition, responded that the Legion of Heroes had three Divines: Captain Dawn, herself, and another person who she failed to specify. It is not clear who she meant by this, or if it was even accurate. But certainly it is arguable that there are people out there whose powers are unique in how strong they are, and who overshadow others with the same ability in a way beyond any skill or training.

Then, there are people who seem to have unique abilities, but whose powers do not seem to have the same strength or impact. As a foremost example of this, take Liverpool resident Charlotte Bell. Charlotte is, to the best of current knowledge, the world’s only “Historiographer” – a person with the ability to touch an item and to know what has occurred nearby and where that item has been.

The implications of Charlotte’s power – which have been thoroughly tested and confirmed to be real by both Scotland Yard and the FBI – are staggering. Prior to discovering Charlotte, there had never been any confirmed record of a person whose powers involved time; neither the ability to travel through time itself, nor the ability to see what was going to happen in the future. But Charlotte’s ability, which supernaturally allows her to see the past in a way which defies all logic, opens the door for the question; are other time powers possible? Are there other Divines out there, waiting to be discovered, or waiting to be born? If it is possible for someone to have power over something as fundamental as energy, or darkness, or time, what else is possible? Matter? Reality itself? Death?