The truth of mutation

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Of the various lifeforms in our galaxy, one of the strangest ones is The Living Nebula. A being spanning millions of miles, it is comprised of telepathically-linked cells floating in space, in such a low density so as to be all but undetectable.

Despite the Living Nebula's nigh-intangible nature, it fears the Berserkers - the robotic locusts' ability to devour everything in their path makes them a threat even for a being so unconventional. Unfortunately for the Nebula, it is slow-moving, unable to reach relativistic speeds at which to escape from the galaxy. Nor is it capable of stealth; psychic activity is what connects its cells together, and robots as advanced as the Berserkers would no doubt be able to detect it.

On the run to save its life, the Living Nebula reached the solar system. With no other alternative, it enacted a desperate plan: Unable to fight the Berserkers itself, it would try to build mankind into a force capable of fighting them.

This plan was made somewhat more complicated by the fact that humans, unlike the rest of the galaxy, were unaware of the Berserkers' threat. On several occasions, the Living Nebula attempted to contact them, warn them of the coming doom, convince them to take arms. Unfortunately, it lacked the power to communicate with beings of our density. All attempts to establish telepathic links went completely unnoticed by mankind (in fact, telepaths would probably be surprised to learn that the monotone hum they constantly perceive and tend to forget about is caused by the Living Nebula's thought process). Its biggest and final attempt at communication was the creation of an intangible herald - one which it hoped could act as a bridge between itself and the humans. Unfortunately, the being so created, while it could interact with humans (to the point of even joining the Global Champions uner the name Phantom), was just as unable as them to perceive the Living Nebula.

Giving up on communication, it settled for modification. While to act on large objects, the Nebula could still move individual particles around. With its advanced understanding of physics, it began modifying the DNA of human fetuses, giving them superhuman powers. It was hoping that the presence of those mutants would kick-start a super-powered arms race across the planet, which would hopefully lead to a power so great, it could drive off the Berserkers. Given how powerful the Berserk swarm is, that plan has never seemed very realistic (the Nebula never gave it more than a on-in-a-million likelihood of succeeding - probably a lot less), but it remains better than no plan at all.

(It also ought to be noted that it has been getting more and more skilled at creating superhumans - hence why newly-crafted mutations tend to havea higher power level than the original ones or their descendants.)

The Living Nebula may feel some remorse for the chaos and destruction that it has indirectly caused by starting the age of superheroes, but it does not intend to stop. After all, what are a few ruined cities, compared to the coming robotic apocalypse?

Plot seeds:

• The Living Nebula may play a role in the Dark Dawn scenario. If someone, somehow, manages to establish communication with it, the alien entity will probably be more than happy to reveal the existence of the Berserkers...