What Are Black Market Superpowers?
Black market superpowers are illegal genetic enhancements created and distributed outside the regulated frameworks of licensed biotech companies like Aspera. Unlike legal potentias, which are rigorously tested for safety and efficacy, black market enhancements are often manufactured using untested methods, stolen technology, or counterfeit materials. These enhancements are not only dangerous but also undermine the trust and integrity of the genetic engineering industry.
Key characteristics of black market superpowers:
- Unregulated Materials: Often contain unstable or harmful genetic sequences.
- Unsafe Installation: Performed by unlicensed operators, leading to high risks of complications.
- No Deactivation Protocols: Legal potentias safely deactivate over time, shedding effects with no lasting traces. Black market enhancements lack this, making them unpredictable and risky.
- Targeted Marketing: Often sold to vulnerable communities or criminal organizations looking for an edge.
How to Identify Illegal Genetic Enhancements
Detecting black market enhancements can be difficult, but there are telltale signs to watch for:
- Unusual Side Effects: Legal potentias have minor, well-documented side effects, but black market enhancements can cause severe reactions such as chronic pain, mutations, or neurological damage.
- Lack of Documentation: Legal enhancements come with clear medical records, safety guarantees, and activation protocols. Black market versions often lack any form of legitimate paperwork.
- Unregistered Clinics: If the enhancement is offered in an unlicensed facility or a non-clinical setting, it is almost certainly illegal.
- Suspicious Pricing: If the price seems significantly lower than market rates, it’s likely a counterfeit or illegal product.
- Chemical Jammers: Black market users often use jamming devices to avoid detection by Sniffer drones. These devices can appear as large boxes mounted on rooftops, or poles, or hidden in inconspicuous areas. Look for suspicious activity in shady neighborhoods or individuals behaving secretively around such apparatus. If you encounter these signs, report them immediately to local authorities.
The Risks of Using Black Market Superpowers
The dangers of black-market genetic enhancements cannot be overstated. Using these illegal potentias puts users and those around them at significant risk.
Health Risks
- Severe Side Effects: Illegal enhancements often cause unpredictable genetic damage, resulting in chronic illness, cancerous mutations, or even death.
- No Deactivation: Without regulated safety protocols, these powers can bind permanently to DNA, causing irreversible genetic changes. Such modifications may even be passed down to offspring, leading to unpredictable consequences.
Legal Risks
- Criminal Charges: Possession or use of black market potentias is a felony in most jurisdictions, with penalties ranging from heavy fines to imprisonment.
- Community Endangerment: Users of illegal enhancements can inadvertently harm bystanders, escalating gang activity or endangering public spaces.
Social Risks
- Isolation: Users often face stigmatization and exclusion from legal frameworks, losing access to licensed clinics and support networks.
PSA: How to Report Black Market Activity
If you suspect black market activity, take the following steps:
- Document the Evidence: Note the location, time, and any visible signs of illegal activity.
- Avoid Confrontation: Never engage directly with individuals suspected of possessing illegal enhancements.
- Contact Authorities: Report your suspicions to local law enforcement or call the dedicated Aspera Tip Line for Black Market Activity at 1-800-ASP-ALRT. For more information on how Aspera collaborates with police to combat superpowered crime, click here
Remember: Reporting helps protect your community and ensures that these dangerous technologies do not endanger innocent lives.
Building a Safer Future
Aspera remains committed to combating the proliferation of black market superpowers. Through partnerships with law enforcement and the use of advanced detection technologies like Sniffer drones, we aim to create a safer environment where the benefits of genetic engineering are accessible and secure for all.
Explore the challenges of black market enhancements and their impact on society in Potentia: The Genetica Saga. Available now.
One Response