Speculative Fiction

A 1-post collection

Challenge #00822-B091: Ordinary Super

“They all think they’re six foot tall and wearing the Superman suit”. Police officer’s explanation.

They called it God Complex, and it disconnected the mind from its pain. Like GHB, it caused harm, but it also made its victims think they could do anything. And, worse, people who took it regularly… began to gain strange powers.

Which soon became a problem for the officers.

“FREEZE!”

“Don’t shoot! I’m white!”

Officer Klein blinked. It must have been a trick of the light that lead him to believe. Oh my god I almost shot a real person... “Sorry, sir,” he said, holstering his weapon. “Mistaken identity. We were alerted to a criminal presence in this area. Have you seen a black man carrying a grocery bag full of stolen goods?”

“No sir. This is my shopping. Here’s the receipt.” And it was a receipt. Even later, when the spell wore off. Legally purchased with real money.

“Thank you. Have a good evening.”

It happened like that, all over the United States. People on God Complex yelling, “Don’t shoot! They’re white!” And, criminal or innocent, more people survived their encounters with the police.

Courts could not scan or screen for God Complex. As far as chemical make-up was concerned, it was invisible when compared to normal biochemistry. And an amazing amount of court cases and appeals came out in favour of the defendant when anyone on GC shouted “That man/woman is white!”

An astounding amount of racism revealed itself.

Lawyers started taking it in order to get their clients tried as rich white men. The victimised took it to convince their oppressors that they were no longer oppressable. People who thought they were victimised took it and suffered an extreme personality change when they had the epiphany that their lives beforehand were their own fault.

The only real downside was the heroics.

People on it, apparently, thought they were Superman. And in that vein, more people died by attempting to save others than ever before.

But then, there’s a downside to everything.

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