Mutant

A mutant (also known as "Homo superior") is a human born with a genetic anomaly that grants them an extra-normal ability not possessed by mainstream humanity. This anomaly is known as the "X-factor."

Overview
Human mutants were created by a star-faring race of humanoid aliens called the "Celestials." Approximately one million years ago they came to Earth and performed genetic tests and experimentations on Earth's highest lifeform, the nascent human being. Testing the versatility of human genes, one of their experiments was the implantation of a dormant DNA complex which would one day permit benevolent mutations of phenomenal capacity in humanity. The gifts endowed by the presence of this X-factor can be minimal, to phenomenal; such as the abilities of any well-known powerful mutant hero or villain, for example, many of the X-Men, or former members of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

The first recorded mutant on Earth was Selene, shown to have been active during the Hyborean Age (roughly 14,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C.) Apocalypse followed millennia later, born in 30th Century B.C. Egypt. As Apocalypse went into hibernation, only a handful few mutants emerged such as Sabretooth, Mystique, Wolverine, and a few of others. As the 20th Century A.D. came into view more and more mutants were being born. In recent decades, with the advance of the Atomic Age, mutants have become more prolific in numbers, possibly due to the minute worldwide increase in radiation levels.

Currently is estimated that from one in 25,000 to one in 10,000 persons are mutants (numbers depend on the area, mutants tend to congregate in cities). An estimated 20,000 mutants live in the United States, and 250,000 to 500,000 worldwide (and some studies place the number at twice that).

Biology
Mutant powers are not necessarily genetically encoded. Fundamentally, all mutant powers can be regarded as simply different manifestations of the same base ability. That ability is the possession and unconscious manipulation of a biology-altering EM field that locks into a particular type of superhuman ability upon activation.

The "X-factor" that mutants possess is a DNA complex that causes mutants to have certain anatomical characteristics in their brains that humans don't have. Mutants have several new neurotransmitters, unique neural wiring, and wholly new organelles in the neurons. This special neuroanatomy causes the brain to create a special electromagnetic field that exist as a semi-sentient energy-based lifeform. The lifeform takes form as an inconspicuous energy pattern linked to the natural electromagnetic field of a mutant's body. Since the EM field lifeform permiates a mutant's entire body, it innately possesses an intrinsic understanding of all aspects of physiology (including DNA) to a degree that is beyond human comprehension. The semi-sentience of the EM field is tied into a mutant's own consciousness and as a result, its actions are based on the mutant's subconscious will and even biofeedback caused by the mutant's current environment. Because of this connection, at some point during a mutant's puberty (although for some rare mutants, it is while in the womb), the EM field takes signals from the mutant's emotional/psychological state, as well as their individual genetic structure, stress hormones, and immune system messengers to alter the mutant's physiology in way that will imbue them with a superhuman ability that might be useful to that particular mutant at the time of manifestation. This means that the environment (both natural and social) and the thoughts/psychological state of a mutant at the time of manifestation have a direct and formative impact on what type of ability will be developed.

The first manifestations of these abilities are often triggered by a period of heightened emotional stress.

Alpha Mutants
Alpha mutants have powerful, advantageous mutant traits and no disadvantageous flaws. Perhaps the most feared of mutants, alphas look completely human yet have some of the most powerful abilities recorded. Common belief is that Homo superior will eventually be formed by all alphas, and therefore alphas are the epitome of mutantkind. Currently it is estimated less than 10% of all mutants are alphas, although given they look human the percentage might be somewhat greater.

Beta Mutants
Betas are not weaker than alphas in what power regards, but they are not perfect. Along their advantageous mutations they have minor flaws, sometimes merely cosmetic, but that hinders them in some significant way. It is believed about 10% of all mutants are betas.

Gamma Mutants
Gammas are also powerful mutants, having some impressive gifts, but along with those powers they also have major flaws that make their lives hard, often miserable, and many times, shortened. Roughly 10% of all mutants are gammas, and they are usually easy to recognize, as they are often saddled with important physical defects.

Delta Mutants
Delta mutants lack the impressive powers of alphas, but share their lack of flaws. Deltas are mutants with small abilities of little use under most circumstances. The number of deltas in the world is unknown, but it is assumed they are at least 50% of all mutants, and the number could be far greater because a good number of deltas don't even know they are mutants.

Epsilon Mutants
Epsilons are the unfortunate ones among Homo Superiors. Epsilons often have minor superhuman traits, but those are overshadowed by crippling major flaws that makes a normal life for them almost completely impossible. It is believed about 20% of all mutants are epsilons, but often is very difficult to distinguish them from gammas.

Omega mutants
Omega mutants are those with the ultimate power, the baddest of the bad, the supermen of urban myth. 'Omega' is not a scientific classification for Homo Superior, but a popular label that is usually applied to powerful alphas. 'She is an Omega' and 'I have the Omega power!' are mutant slang terms to talk about how 'cool' someone or his or her powers are. Omega, flatscan (derogative for human, does not 'spike' in the electroencephalogram to detect mutants), gene-joke (derogative for mutant), etc, are new terms one can hear in the streets of New York when mutants are talked about.

Synergy
Although mutants have always existed, they were very, very rarely true Homo superior, and therefore they didn't had superpowers. Homo superior is not just a mutant, they are a new race of hominid, and they have special racial traits that are just now being discovered slowly. Among some subtle psychological and physiological differences with humans, mutants have several extraordinary, almost mystical qualities, besides their superpowers. For instance: it is a proven fact that the presence of 'active' mutants tends to cause others who have the X-factor to manifest their own powers. This explains the sudden emergence of mutants just a few years ago, not by an insulated event here are there, but as a sudden wave of manifestations that shocked the world. At first there was just a handful of cases, young mutants with weak powers, but in less than a year major cities all over the world had small numbers of superpowered mutants. Then they began to appear in smaller cities, and finally even in rural communities. It took a while to find out why, but now it is know that there is some kind of synergic effect that triggers the manifestation of powers in people that probably would never have manifested otherwise. As mutants became more common and moved among human towns and villages, other mutants became aware of their true nature.

And there is more, of course, it seems mutants have a kind of social instinct that pushes them to gather together. For instance: Mutant couples are far more common that they should give the small numbers and dispersion of mutants, to the point that they are more common than human-mutant couplings. There is some kind of instinct that pushes the Homo superior together that has nothing to do with pheromones or any other known form of communication and that probably is related to the EM field lifeform that imbues the superhuman abilities. Some sociologists dismiss this later phenomenon as nothing more than the normal minority group social dynamics, but many now theorize there is some kind of psychic connection between mutants that involves the special EM field.

It is also theorized that mutant powers reinforce each other in some degree, allowing groups of mutant to master their powers more easily and to a greater degree they would when alone. This same synergic effect also seem to make mutants want to form their own communities, often leaving behind their human families, and foster human paranoia to a great degree.