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[design by Irismoon]
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In the realm of dark mirages, all things are reversed. On the other side of the mirror, evil is good and good is evil. This is a universe where angels thread lightly and where this writer is queen and high priestess. In this upside-down environment, Adam can be mistaken for a rattle snake and Mason is doing his very best to clean up the mess of an epidemic that threatens to wipe out humanity as we know it. On this flat planet, a man is depodded by his archenemy’s best supporters and forms new alliances, a woman finds her true love under a polymer faux skin, and strange orange-eyed children climb up walls in the depths of a laboratory. Beyond the boundaries of this world, there be dragons.
Dark Mirage is a consumate writer, a scientist on her own right and a Mutant X fan with a twist: her eyes that see everything and her quick mind takes nothing at face value. With piercing wit and caustic humor, she deconstructs the canon universe, leaving bare its characters, its plots, its history. Then, she goes on and puts it all back together again, only backwards. And it makes one heck of a lot of sense.
Succinct, direct, clear, Dark Mirage never wastes words. For her, less is more and she never tells, only shows. And what this analytical chemist presents us is the best concocted alternate universe in all Mutant X fandom, one with no loose ends. There, everything is tied up firmly and there are no plotholes. But be warned, Gentle Reader, her plot bunnies have teeth, and they are sharp.
So, enter at your peril... through a glass, darkly.
BTW, Dark Mirage doesn’t own Mutant X main or supporting characters. Nor does she own April Dancer, the property of whatever corporate entity now owns MGM’s material. She is master of her own original characters and stories, though. Sue her and us also at your own risk and make your lawyers very happy and even richer than they already are.
Falconia
The Stories
1987 “The Orange-Eyed Children in Sublevel A”
1990 “The Prince of Genomex”
1991 “Landfills of the Heart”
1992 “Mr Creepy”
1995 “The Study”
2000 “Heroes of Science”
2006 “Sunday Afternoon”
2006 “Strange That I Should Meet You Here”
2007 “Old Friends”
2007 “Musings from the Long Cold Sleep”
2007 “Caught in the Twilight”
2007 “Alliances Old, Alliances New”
2007-2008 “Strange Dark Alchemy”
2008 “Not Taken to Heart”
2009 “Separate the Sorrow”
The Secret Journal of Mason Grey Eckhart 2006-2007
Why Mason?
“While nothing is easier that to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him.” Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Why think about an obscure villain in an even more obscure syndicated series, known for its eye-candy heroes, plot holes, and discontinuities?
Why? Because it’s fun, because Eckhart was the only source of intentional humor in Season 1, and because the supposed heroes of Mutant X are either yawn-inducingly wooden (Adam) or so dazzlingly beautiful (Adam’s mutant followers) that they are annoying and cloying.
Casual viewing of Season 1 of Mutant X supports only one view of Mason Eckhart, that he is evil and rotten down to the last corrupted, damaged cell in his body. Driven by hatred of his former friend Adam and of the mutated humans Adam helped to create, Eckhart schemes, murders, plots, manipulates, and smirks his way through 22 episodes. Rarely has evil on television been so much fun to watch.
Observe a little more carefully. Most everything Eckhart does is calculated for the effect he can have upon other people. There are some unguarded moments, few but telling, hinting of a human being buried deeply inside. Inconsistent writing of the character does not help. A suggestion there may be more to Eckhart is found at the (Tribune Entertainment created and paid for) faux website www.genomex.net, which contains a large amount of background information about all of the characters, but much of it is about Eckhart.
If someone wants to believe Mason Eckhart was born rotten, they are free to imagine him drowning his twin Marcus at the age of eight. Taking the same genomex.net biographical details, an opposite set of conclusions may be drawn, and some insight into the character gained.
Most everything possible was done to present Eckhart unfavorably. He looks peculiar, progressing through Season 1’s evolving collection of white wigs, has odd mannerisms (putting his face down inches away whenever he examines something—one has to wonder if he is years overdue for an eye exam) and is both stiffly formal and extraordinarily rude. He can threaten with a glance.
The standard series explanation is that Eckhart is rounding up mutants “just because they’re different”, which even in the context of the series is not true since many of these individuals are dangerous to society in general. Out of control mutants abound, hazards to the larger society. As Adam notes, some of them think they are gods, and Brennan, who cannot be unique, uses his abilities in criminal pursuits. The message of Corporations Bad, Over-aged Adolescents with Rampant Emotions Good is laid on thickly, and eventually mires down the whole concept with doublethink. There is also a heavy lacing of anti-intellectualism, and here Eckhart loses again since words are his weapon of choice.
The more one sees of Adam dominating his band of mutant followers and their unthinking obedience to his wishes, one is left to wonder if the universe of Mutant X is really as it seems. Just how certain can one be that Adam is the Good Guy and Mason Eckhart is Satan’s Handmaiden?
To believe that Adam is good, you must believe that despite being the smartest man in the world, he spent 20 years at Genomex without realizing his research was not being used to help sick children at all, but to create mutants. This is not credible. People working at Adam’s (presumed) level of expertise are not shunted off into a corner. Typically they have a good grasp of what their entire group is doing. Not only is Adam a holder of multiple advanced degrees, he directed much of the research, and was the hand-picked choice to succeed Dr Paul Breedlove, Genomex’s founder. Further, Adam invented the stasis pods and subdermal governors, which he finally admits in “A Breed Apart”. Neither device has a place in the treatment of children.
A universe with a crippled, odd-looking villain with genetically enhanced, gorgeously lovely and infallible good guys sounds like a plot line of worthy of the Third Reich.
Think again. Turning the world of Mutant X 180 degrees is not only possible, but yields a universe more interesting than the tube version. Eckhart makes a fascinating, deeply flawed hero, profoundly damaged physically and emotionally. Scenes originally intended one way take on whole other meanings when viewed from this other vantage.
Theories abound about Eckhart’s motivations, including a plan to take over the world. However, not once in S1 does he mention ambitions beyond Genomex or the GSA. Most plausibly, Eckhart believes rounding up and containing the Breedlove/Adam mutants, to spare the world their problems, to be his life's mission. In fact, he says as much towards the end of “I Scream the body Electric”, during a confrontation with Adam:
Mason
Never did know when to stop, did you?
Adam
We’re both guilty of relentless tenacity, Mason. It’s something we’ve always had in common.
Mason
True. But while you chase your horrific dreams of rescuing these laboratory mistakes, my passion is in the service of humanity.
Adam
A grim and limited vision of humanity, defined by your narrow mind and pathetic perspective.
<break>
Mason
You and your freaks are threats to everything I hold dear.
Adam
These so-called freaks are the products of Genomex’s recklessness.
Mason
What? Am I supposed to be wracked by guilt?
Adam
No, I never expect guilt from you, Mason. It’s too much to ask of a sociopath.
Mason
Now, that’s what I’ve always admired about you, Adam: your utterly perverse sense of reality.
No background information is presented to put this confrontation into perspective, but based upon the timeline generated from canon material, watch the scene while keeping in mind:
1) Adam is the technical person actively involved in creating mutants
2) Mason is NOT a technical person at all, but a graduate of West Point with a background in military law
3) Adam started at Genomex on 13 Oct 1978
4) Since he was born in 1962, Mason cannot have started there much earlier than the mid-1980s…after most of the mutants were created. Mason is part of the clean-up crew, as he indicates to Breedlove in “Shock of the New”.
5) We’re told that Adam and Breedlove created about 1000 mutants, the last as defective, damaged, and ultimately doomed as the first. Making the same error 1000 times is very stupid science.
The audience knows none of this, and is presented the scene as damning evidence of Eckhart’s vile nature. For me, it is one of the foundations of the argument that Adam-is-an-overemotional loon, attempting to shift blame to someone else as he struggles with his guilt.
The exchange takes on a very different meaning once you understand which of them created the “anomalies” and who is trying to spread those problems as widely as possible—and who is trying to slow down or stop the problem.
Adam sounds irrational in this context, not at all the intended dashing hero.
There is another emotional outburst from Adam in “The Meaning of Death”, worth studying as Adam makes unsupported statements:
Adam
This infection that’s just killed this woman could wipe out every new mutant in a week. Now, I might be able to beat it but I don’t stand a chance if I have t0 fight you at the same time.
Mason
What are you suggesting?
Adam
A truce, to accomplish a common goal.
Mason
Do you honestly believe I’d shed a single tear if your freakish monstrosities were wiped out?
Adam
If the new mutants disappear, so does the GSA, Mason. Overnight, you’re obsolete.
Mason
Obsolescence in the wake of total victory is a mixed blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.
Adam
But what about you? You lose your bete noir, your reason for living.
Mason
I’m deeply touched by your concern for my welfare, Adam.
Adam
For a man who is completely defined by what he hates the most, this could be your undoing.
Curiously, Eckhart’s organization seems to be the greatest employer of mutants, dozens, maybe hundreds of them. Despite Adam’s claim that Eckhart hates mutants, the ones who work for him do so with dedication and loyalty. This contradiction is never explained, and one is left to conclude that perhaps Adam does not know what he is talking about.
Adam can run on at the mouth as much as he pleases, but watch these encounters carefully: he consistently fails to derail Eckhart from his purpose. Maybe that’s because Eckhart knows after years of working with Adam, that he is full of sound and fury, best ignored.
One other interesting confrontation occurs in “Dancing on the Razor”, the original, intended season finale. Adam and his kids show up, flex their mutant muscle, but for once, the GSA shows up with overwhelming force, outnumbering the mutants two to one and could have won this one, if two heavily armed agents were focused on each mutant, one to destroy the mutant and the other to possibly be destroyed. (Adam doesn’t do anything—he can be ignored). Eckhart backs off because this fight isn’t worth anyone’s blood. Adam spoils for a fight anyway, ever emotional.
Careful genetic engineering with specific goals such as longer shelf life, and self-generated pesticides holds great promise. Possibly the greatest promise is held by crops engineered to produce vitamins or essential amino acids absent from the original crop. Such transgenic crops exist now. Implications for a hungry world are obvious.
Transgenic humans are another story. Introduce enough non-human DNA, and the resulting individual will differ sufficiently from homo sapiens to be considered another species, with all that implies. Producing many classes of transgenic humans could be a matter of making many different species. With sufficient differences, they will make sterile offspring, as nearly all mules are sterile, or no offspring at all.
MX universe mutants are transgenics created randomly, with changes continuing to alter their DNA. The latter part is Fictional Bad Science, but for the sake of discussion, accept it as a possibility.
One of the basic principles of genetics is that characteristics providing individuals a survival advantage tend to become more common in a population. The Genomex-created mutants have obvious advantages. Left alone, they will bequeath their DNA to future generations, and in greater and greater numbers.
Unfortunately, the Genomex mutants have problems beyond their transgenicity. Their genetic material is continuing to change, eventually leading to illness and an early death.
Bluntly put, the proliferation of the Genomex mutant DNA is nothing less than a slow-moving plague, with the potential of destroying humanity, leading to the extinction of the species and the loss of everything we ever created.
Who is acting in the interests of humanity?
The answer isn’t Adam.
Adam isn’t “preparing the world for mutants” because there is no preparation for the acceptance of a slow-moving, inevitable plague. He’s foisting his ruinous mistakes on the world, ignoring their long-term problems. He knows they are dangerous; after all, he invented controls for them, the subdermal governors and the stasis pods.
Adam seems locked into a combination of behaviors driven by the mindset of continuing his own genetic studies, becoming something of a cult leader admired by the anomalies he created with Breedlove (members of Mutant X have few or no connections to anyone but Adam), and assuaging his own guilt.
Adam probably isn’t evil, but he’s misguided and a hazard to humanity. He’s fond of labeling others “sociopaths”, but the most appropriate application of the term is to Adam himself.
There is something unseemly and cruel in the way Eckhart’s infirmities are a fit subject for humor by Adam’s kids, especially in a society so careful in using euphemisms to avoid offending anyone maimed, malformed, or in any way different.
On the other hand, there is something heroic about Eckhart’s refusal to give in to afflictions, his persistence in making daily adjustments and accommodations to living in the world of whole people. Corporations faced with a multiply handicapped employee injured on company time on company property by the actions of another employee (Adam) typically will settle a good deal of money on the injured employee, and they don’t expect them to keep working. The fact that Eckhart does continue to work speaks to the seriousness of his purpose, whatever it is, and to his character.
I do not believe that ‘everything is relative’. I do believe in right and wrong, and in good and evil. I know also that a lie, repeated often enough, becomes accepted as truth, and that good people can be compelled to do terrible things. Few humans are born evil. The exceptions, serial killers and sociopaths, are fortunately rare.
So, if you are not born wicked, how does one become as cold, calculating, and aloof as Mason Eckhart? No matter what your beliefs or intentions, things may happen beyond your scope of control that will permanently alter you and your perception of the world. I personally know how deeply dark experience can change one. My written incarnation of Mason Eckhart is a profoundly damaged individual who was once someone else.
Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps Eckhart is rotten just because he is inhumanely evil, but I think not. These stories are not about making excuses for the devil, but about the strange, dark alchemy of the human heart.
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Date
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Timeline
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Stories
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04 July 1931
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Kurt von Schuler (Dr Paul Breedlove) born, Salzburg, Austria
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1934
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Eleanor Singer born
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1959
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Adam (Kane) born
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April 1961
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Dr Eleanor Singer & Dr Paul Breedlove marry
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06 June 1962
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Marcus & Mason Eckhart born
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1968
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Gabriel Ashlocke born
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1970
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Marcus Eckhart drowns
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1971
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Adam enters Stanford
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~1972
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Danielle Hartman born
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13 Oct 1978
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Adam begins at Genomex
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1984
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Mason Eckhart graduates West Point, marries, starts at Genomex
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1987
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“The Orange-Eyed Children in Sublevel A”
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1989
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Dr Eleanor Singer dies
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1990
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“The Prince of Genomex”
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1991
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Incident X
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“Landfills of the Heart”
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1992
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Catherine Hartman born
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“Mr Creepy”
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1995
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“The Study”
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1998
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Adam leaves Genomex
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2000
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“Heroes of Science”
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2006
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“Sunday Afternoon”, “Strange That I Should Meet You Here”, “Old Friends”
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2007
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Dr Paul Breedlove murdered; S1
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“Between Floors”,“Musings from the Long Cold Sleep”, “Caught in the Twilight”, “Alliances Old, Alliances New”
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2008
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S2
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“Strange Dark Alchemy” (begins in 2007), Not Taken to Heart”
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2009
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S3
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“Separate the Sorrow”
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2013
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“Nor All Your Tears”
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2014
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Marcus Grey
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Interview with Dark Mirage
How did you happen to write stories in the Mutant X universe?
A majority of fans accept Mason Eckhart at face value. Few things in fiction are as lame and annoying as villains who are rotten just Because They Are Rotten. They need motivations as much as any other character. Eckhart screamed for an explanation.
After digging around the www.genomex.net website, I had a lot of biographical details that I wove into the story first written, “Musings from the Long Cold Sleep”. I also realized the data in the Tribune faux websites allowed a case to be made for turning Mutant X 180 degrees. Mason makes an interesting hero: he is devoid of charm and utterly dedicated to a difficult, distasteful mission.
Prior to Mutant X, I had never written fanfiction.
What is the theme (themes) of your stories?
The miserable hell of being oneself. Identity. Duty. Honor. The ephemeral and misleading nature of superficial charm. My incarnation of Mason is not a nice man, but he is a good one.
Who/What are your influences? Are these influences present in any of the Mutant X fanfiction you have written so far?
Chiefly the personal observation that many of us are not what we seem, and that almost everyone has a surprise lurking in them. Some people carry around a lot of surprises; assumptions should not be made about anyone.
What other kinds of things have you written?
For very many years, I’ve been writing a series of fantasy novels. I believe I have about 300,000 words written. I need to get serious about finding an agent.
I was a part-time reporter for the Arabian Horse World in the 1980s. I went to stakes races, took photos and interviewed people, and then wrote up the races. I wrote a promotional booklet about racing for the International Arabian Horse Association.
I have also written a lot of analytical chemistry methods, which turns out to be good training for a fiction writer. Method writing demands excruciatingly exacting exposition. Everything has to be there in text. You’ve succeeded if the final result can be read and used by strangers with no need for clarifying questions. This disciplines one to write with succinct brevity, with no more and no less verbiage than a story requires.
Name your favorite writers.
In the fantasy genre, Paula Volsky. She deserves to be much better known.
In the writing of English, Winston Churchill. He was a master of English prose.
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to write?
Write. A lot. Rewrite. Listen to the negative comments. Anyone who will honestly critique your work is a treasure. Then go rewrite some more.
What are your favorite aspects of Mutant X?
Mutant X raises some fascinating questions. I doubt if the people who wrote the episodes have any idea of this, and they are certainly not going to tackle them. (They don’t understand what a mutation is!)
Your least favorite aspects?
Inconsistent, contradictory writing. The fans know the premises and characters better than the writers.
And of course, the complete trashing of Mason in Season 2. He is not the character from Season 1.
Do you admit to your friends that you watch Mutant X? That you write stories set in the Mutant X universe?
They know, and they don’t understand. They really don’t understand Mason.
What would you like people to know about you?
That I am a nerdette, and proud to be one. There are few nerdettes my age or older, and I worked very hard to acquire credibility. TV and movies present a peculiar stereotype of technical/science people that I’ve never found in real labs, which are much more like those in Mason’s Secret Journal. Most of us have good senses of humor. The group I presently work with spends the day in banter; the mood is anything but cold, humorless, or grim. We only get serious when the poobahs from corporate HQ drop by.
And that Dark Mirage was the Thoroughbred filly 3-y-o champion of 1968. She campaigned at 800 pounds (which is a small horse) but she outran her taller sisters and won the filly triple crown that year.
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Dark Mirage Shrine
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In winning the 1968 Coaching Club American Oaks, Dark Mirage left Secretariat’s full sister Syrian Sea distanced in third. She’s not even in the picture. Dark Mirage was a good filly; unfortunately, she died in Florida while scheduled to be bred to Dr Fager, 1968’s Horse of the Year in four different categories, and probably the fastest Thoroughbred to look through a bridle.
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The Sun Never Sets on PureMX.net
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