Gemini

Gemini is a genetic modification process developed by Mazdak and Praxis Heavy Industries to artificially bestow SLC-Expressive abilities on people.

Known to All

Nothing about Gemini is common knowledge to the general public.

Known to Some

NYPD, SESA, WOLFHOUND: SLC-Expressive kidnappings around the world grew in significant numbers starting in 2015. On a handful of rare occasions an SLC-Expressive individual would show back up after months with no memories of where they had been and no longer possessed an ability or the Suresh Linkage-Complex.

Known to Few

RAYTECH, SESA, WOLFHOUND: Praxis Heavy Industries developed Gemini at the request of Adam Monroe. It functions by stripping an Expressive ability from one target and transferring it to another. The process takes hours and is extremely painful for both the donor and recipient. Many Gemini recipients did not survive the process.

SESA: The Mazdak organization along with the Ghost Shadows Triad perpetrated most of the Gemini kidnappings. Mazdak and the Ghost Shadows now offer the potential to "become" an Expressive as a reward for service within their hierarchies.

RAYTECH, SESA, WOLFHOUND: Some Gemini recipients are capable of receiving multiple abilities, granting them powers similar to that of a Mosaic. Nearly all recipients of multiple Gemini procedures perished.

SESA: The exact procedure for Gemini involves a fluid transfusion from the donor to the recipient utilizing a synthetic drug based off of Refrain. The Gemini process removes SLC ability from one individual and confers it upon another. It does so by exploiting transposase recognition sites native to the prion-like gene locus. In the first step, the corresponding transpoase is introduced into the donor subject, causing the prion-like gene to be excised. Some of the excised sequence is released into the bloodstream, from which it can be isolated and amplified. After this treatment, the donor subject has no functional prion-like protein and therefore is SLC-N. Donor subjects cannot receive new abilities from the Formula or Advent, but may from genetic manipulation abilities and as a Gemini recipient.

In the second step, a combination of the desired prion sequence, transposase, and HERV-K are injected into the recipient subject. The transposase integrates the prion sequence at potentially any recognition site in the genome, not just the original locus; this allows multiple abilities to be conferred on a single person. Gemini improves on Advent by using a version of HERV-K that is not capable of integrating itself into the genome; thus the necessary kickstart is provided for SLC-N recipients, but the virus is eventually degraded rather than running wild. HERV-K is not required in someone who is already SLC-E, but is typically included anyway for convenience of production.

Because Gemini only transfers the prion-like gene sequence, abilities copied from the same donor will always have the same broad 'type', but features and quirks differ between recipients.

Recipients of multiple Gemini abilities have an overabundance of prion-like protein, which eventually leads to neurodegeneration. This progression can potentially be forestalled by periodic SOD treatment. Recipients of a single ability are more apt to have tolerable expression and be long-term viable.

Known Gemini Recipients:

Gemini

Related Storylines:
(Book 2, Volume 2) The Dragon

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