TM 378: a time something blew up in your face.
Oh.
The gas.
Yes.
People do ask about that.
I don’t usually answer in words.
I will admit to being caught off-guard. Then again, the Bat-Man had been hitting me, over and over again. Any normal man would have been afraid long before the canister discharged. I am not normal.
Still, I was startled - I have excellent reflexes despite my imperviousness to non-chemically induced fear - and reacted in exactly the wrong way, inhaling a healthy dose of my own serum. Intellectually, I knew I was about to experience an amygdala hijack, that a storm of my own brewing was about to disrupt all neuronal communication in my brain, but I was helpless against it. Reflex. Response. Primal. Fear.
The world tilted. In the words of Aldous Huxley, the doors of perception opened, but opened under my feet, and I fell screaming into nightmare. In retrospect, I think what I resent most is the lack of control - that is of course, a desired effect when I use the serum on purpose, but to have it thrust upon me was unwelcome indeed.
If nothing else, it serves as a reminder that fear is nothing but weakness. The Bat-Man may have used my weapon against me, but in the end, I defeated myself. Never again, I assure you. I’ve built up quite a tolerance; more’s the pity, as I do find myself missing the exhilaration, in my quieter moments.
But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. Scream all you like - I don't mind. I've gotten used to the sound.
The gas.
Yes.
People do ask about that.
I don’t usually answer in words.
I will admit to being caught off-guard. Then again, the Bat-Man had been hitting me, over and over again. Any normal man would have been afraid long before the canister discharged. I am not normal.
Still, I was startled - I have excellent reflexes despite my imperviousness to non-chemically induced fear - and reacted in exactly the wrong way, inhaling a healthy dose of my own serum. Intellectually, I knew I was about to experience an amygdala hijack, that a storm of my own brewing was about to disrupt all neuronal communication in my brain, but I was helpless against it. Reflex. Response. Primal. Fear.
The world tilted. In the words of Aldous Huxley, the doors of perception opened, but opened under my feet, and I fell screaming into nightmare. In retrospect, I think what I resent most is the lack of control - that is of course, a desired effect when I use the serum on purpose, but to have it thrust upon me was unwelcome indeed.
If nothing else, it serves as a reminder that fear is nothing but weakness. The Bat-Man may have used my weapon against me, but in the end, I defeated myself. Never again, I assure you. I’ve built up quite a tolerance; more’s the pity, as I do find myself missing the exhilaration, in my quieter moments.
But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. Scream all you like - I don't mind. I've gotten used to the sound.