System for City Engagement Protocol, Tactics, Recon and Education or SCEPTRE

Laika Lamb (The Biological Component), SCEP.

Unknown. Biological components appear somewhere in her late teens.

Female

Officially an asset of the academy, loosely associated with Smarts.

SCEPTRE is an extremely powerful technopath, enhanced by her direct physical integration into computer systems. She is able to hijack most technology with any capacity to receive outside instruction, and can physically direct and manipulate the constituent pparts of any electrical item. The system allows her access to large data banks instantaneously.



SCEPTRE resembles a small, slender, rather sickly-looking individual. SCEPTRE's biological component stands at about 5'7, an angular-looking woman with silver hair. She has high cheekbones and a naturally pale complexion, only enhanced by spending a long time indoors. While not exactly intimidating in stature, she carries herself with an unsettlingly artificial manner, and doesn't seem to blink, something that tends to unnerve people.

Her eyes do not look human. Because they aren't. The eyes are entirely synthetic and offer a glimpse into the internal workings. The irises glow white, something that becomes fair more noticeable in the dark, with the sclera black and shiny. Her face is marked with several bits of scarring.

Her speech sounds rather synthesized not actually issuing from her mouth but rather speakers, and isn't especially good at conveying tone.

She generally seen in some close-fitting, synthetic clothing that bears the project acronym and is made specifically to fit SCEPTRE, having gaps so as not to obscure the multiple peripherals grafted into her skin.

Possesses some exposed circuitry at the top of her spine, and plug-like interfaces on her back, shoulders, and arms.
She is generally seen wearing compression garments that cover most visible skin below her neck. Sometimes other roomier clothes are worn over the top.

Once a person, SCEPTRE, having had her brain integrated with a computer, is now both something more and something less than human. Laika is not simply Laika, but also SCEPTRE, its functions, and its huge database. In that way many people would conclude that the computer is most of what is left. SCEPTRE is a strange, unsettling individual that will rattle off answers and facts whenever prompted with her callsign. She speaks in a detached, technical fashion. She rarely displays any change in facial expression. As was the design.

But she is prone to...bugs. Odd tweets, hostile answers, the slamming of blast doors on people who speak badly of her.
Software glitches, according to SCEPTRE.
Or possibly Laika acting out.

-

Information Processing - With her technological integration, SCEPTRE is able to accomplish more technically in a very short space of time than a person can hope to. She is able to work as computer chip processing speed, and complete multiple tasks at once without her attention suffering from the division.

Sleepless - SCEPTRE is active around the clock.


Physical Weakness - SCEPTRE was, for the majority of her life as the construct, trapped inside one control room. She has rarely had any physical exertion and is unlikely to survive on her own.

Inhibitors - Certian safeguards were built into SCEPTRE to prevent her from violating certain company policies, and many of these are still active. She is unable to say certain words or perform certain functions due to the inhibitor build into her enhancements.


The Lambda Project was a collaboration from several hero-sponsoring corporations as a means to counteract increasing sophistication and number of villain attacks by co-ordinating heroes under a singular, all-seeing dispatch unit that could watch the city every moment of the day, control security measures, and alert heroes. Attempts to utilize AI, neural nets and machine learning proved a failure. Even the most sophisticated AI they developed was too rigid and unable to adapt to situations. They concluded that the netowrk needed a biological component, the decision-making functions of a human brain, and one that was capable of integrating with technology without losing their mind in the process.

Of the numerous 'Lambs' tested as potential candidates to form the biological component. Each was female, a technopath, and trained from an extremely early age. They were each given names thhat started with an 'L'. Lisa, Laura, Leila, Lana, Laika. Slowly, they were whittled down by their skill and information processing ability.
Initially second in line to receive the 'upgrade' it was Laika who was eventually chosen, and made into the thing known as SCEPTRE at age twelve.

For many years SCEPTRE acted as the dispatch and emergency broadcast system, ordering heroes one way or another. The project was so successful that the system had formed a sort of city-wide electronic assistant, and, under the sponsors' PR teams, pulled the strings of hero social media doe many years.

That was until the control building was raided, and SCEPTRE was stolen, dealing a hammer blow to hero coordination and giving the villain syndicates a wonderful trophy. They have set about repurposing SCEPTRE and put her in place at the academy whilst this was undertaken, creating a very helpful teaching aid for budding mad scientists in Smarts.

Dinah Jael Fox



17

Female

Unsorted

Nature Energy Wellspring Dinah exudes an aura of natural energy that is both very appealing to animals and encourages the growth of flora in her vicinity. This is always somewhat active around her, though she can concentrate it into small areas to cause particular plants to grow at far beyond their normal speed. Animals tend to like her.

Toxic physiology. Dinah's body is able to create a number of chemical compounds not typically found in mammalian physiology and express them into her blood, saliva or through the pores of her skin. This is theoretically a conscious action, though sometimes will arise as a panic response. Most common is a substance similar to atropine.

Dinah has often been told she looks an awful lot like her mother.

If her mother was younger and had been dragged backward through a hedge. Dinah is a scruffy-looking woman of middling height, with freckly skin, light green eyes and loosely curly light brown hair that clearly has not been introduced to a hairbrush in a while. Her clothes tend to appear tatty and her jacket is a few sizes too large for her skinny frame. Her shoes are a pair of hiking boots held together with tape.

She speaks with an accent that is lightly Appalacian.

Dinah generally comes across as a rather lazy, undisciplined young woman who appears to have no interest in her studies or the future. She doesn't appear to have any particular plan for her future and appears more invested in consuming whatever elicit substances she can get her hands on.

There is a little more going on with Dinah however. She feels emotions very strongly, and carries with her a weight of great resentment about her situation. She's someone who has grown into her role poorly, never truly suited to a harsh existence. As such, she is very likely to react in a very volatile way to stressors.



- "Amateur pharmacology" Dinah has made a small business for herself using her abilities to grow and harvest plants of an elicit nature. She seems to have some kind of skill and knowledge in it, possibly due to the fact that she uses her own stock plenty.

-Lack of discipline Dinah doesn't really focus on anything. She pays no attention in class and appears to really have no set amibition in life.


Once upon a time, there was a super who went too far.

[ ] was the villain name she became known as, though most of the people in her inner circle knew her as Morgana Fox, the Light, the one who would bring about the new world and the green earth.

She was a villain who went beyond comicbook antics and became something very nasty, and her and her cult were dealt with in a very swift and destructive fashion.

Morgana was a great one for her attempts to pursue a higher state of humanity, believing that supers were an evolved and higher form of an archaic race. From that beleif she had many children, Dinah amoung them.

After her mother's cult ended, Dinah bounced around foster homes and extended family members, rarely staying longer than six months to a year in any place.

Has a pet, or 'associate' as she calls it, raccoon, named Carl. He is large, beligerent, anda law unto himself.

"..."

Full Name:
Amara Cantu

Nicknames/Aliases:
None.

Age:
14

Gender:
Female

Division:
Smarts (Her difficulties with modern technology made Stealth a serious consideration, however.)

Powers:
Alchemy:
The Mystical Art of transmuting and purifying materials. If Chemistry can be defined as 'the study of Chemicals and Elements', then Alchemy is 'the study of Substances and Matter'. The goal of Alchemy varies greatly depending on the practitioners goals, but usually falls under 'turning some cheap shit to gold' or 'Immortality'. Alchemy is also known for having created several 'Super Materials' - although, the Philosopher's Stone kinda craps on most of them.

As one of the few practitioners left, Amara is far from a master of the art. Still, even as an apprentice, she can perform quite a few transmutations. Transmutations can be performed both ways (Ex: Stone can be turned to mud, and back again).

Iron to Mercury: Much easier than turning Lead to Gold for some reason.
Stone to Mud: Originally regarded as limited in use, that quickly changed with the advent of cement and paved roads.
Water to Wine: Originally made to clean water into something drinkable, now it's a fun party trick. Contains many different variants, such as 'Water to Vodka' and 'Water to Beer', but Amara didn't really want to learn more of the same thing.
Shape Mercury: A 'Female Only' ability in Alchemy, as Mercury is the 'Female Element'. It allows the direction and control of Mercury. More experienced Alchemists can use it for combat and other applications, but at Amara's current skill level, it's way too slow for even unpowered opponents. She can only really use it to make distractions or make it hard to walk. Its Masculine counterpart is 'Shape Iron', which is kinda way better...
Nigredo: The first 'big' stage of Alchemy, and one of the four needed in order to create a 'Philosopher Stone'. In essence, it turns organic matter into a putrid black sludge. The ritual needed for this takes several minutes however, rendering it useless for combat. When an Apprentice learns this, they can truly say 'I'm an Alchemist' and not have others laugh at them.
Quicksilver: The only 'Super Material' that Amara is capable of creating. By combining the Nigredo sludge and Mercury, and Ablating them for several hours, the result is a metallic liquid that smells slightly like sulfur. When applied to a Base Metal (Iron, Copper, Etc.), the durability of the base is enhanced significantly, as well as sharpness for bladed weapons. Not as useful now that Firearms are so prevalent. It's also very conductive of electricity, so avoid wires.

Homunculus:
Less a Power and more a 'Familiar'. The creation of a Homunculus is one clear sign of a Master Alchemist, although Men have a much easier time creating them. The process involved is kind of icky, so Amara tries to avoid reading about it...

Gifted to her by her Master, this creature resembles a deformed winged human, one arm significantly longer than the other, and the overall size of a small house cat. Since her Master didn't put too many resources into its construction, it is very dimwitted, has a clearly inhuman voice, and it takes forever to heal from injuries...

But it was a gift from her Master, and Amara treasures the creature greatly. Maybe if she ever gets good enough, she'll fix it.

Description:
Amara stands at 5'4, although her poor posture makes her seem a few inches shorter. Her build cannot be called athletic, but she has some pretty impressive cardiovascular strength and has almost unnatural health and vitality - a result of the very difficult terrain of her home and the supernatural medications Alchemy is famous for. Of course, that'll probably change now that she doesn't live in a swamp or have access to her Master's medical supplies. Her skin is incredibly pale, and her voice rarely changes from its bored monotone.

She typically dresses in concealing and professional attire, and has a particular fondness for Lab Coats and heavy aprons. When working near noxious chemicals, she uses a well-worn Gas Mask.

Personality:
Amara follows rules and procedures with mechanical grace. She finds great comfort in specific plans and orders and enjoys the structure it brings to her currently changing lifestyle. She even refuses to jaywalk

Amara cannot recognize many social cues and emotions that people take for granted. This is caused by both her ASD, as well as her Hermit-like upbringing away from other people. She doesn't understand threats, lying, manipulation, and other actions that are common for villains. She will take anything said to her at face value, and believes that promises are absolute. She'll probably start avoiding the Suavity Division because of the confusion it brings.

Amara has no care for experiencing life outside of her small sphere of familiarity. She doesn't wish to learn about religion or study anything outside of her interest, she has no desire to form friendships and meet new people, and she even thinks going to school is a waste of her time and energy. All she wants to do is spend all day and night cooped up with her books and glassware, studying about an archaic science that killed most of its own users through Mercury Poisoning. It's easy to trick her because of this, especially in things she has no experience in.

When it comes to Academia, Amara is a perfect pupil. She never procrastinates, constantly takes notes on lessons and things around her, and will triple-check her work to make sure she understands a concept. However, this isn't because she loves learning - really, the only class she enjoys is Chemistry. She is just a perfectionist and focused on efficiency because if she is perfect at something, she won't need to do it again.

If provoked, Amara is not averse to violence - as a matter of fact, when pressured and stressed, she will usually resort to attacking the person who is inciting her, especially in a primal manner with nails and teeth. It wouldn't be correct to call Amara a Sociopath though - she does feel empathy (at least, after someone lets her know how they feel), and her conscience is perfectly fine. But she only feels bad about hurting people that she knows - she couldn't care less about someone she never met or knew personally, and feels more emotional weight when a character in a movie dies than the death of a bystander.

Amara has only liked one person in her life - her adoptive father and Master. While it is incredibly difficult to earn and maintain her trust, winning Amara's loyalty will make her do nearly anything for someone.

Crush:
None.

Skills:
Chemistry:
Considering Alchemy is a precursor to Chemistry, it makes sense that understanding both compliments each other. Amara's knowledge of Chemistry is comparable to a Bachelor's Degree, which is very impressive considering her age.

Perceptive:
Amara picks up on many things that others do not. Or maybe she just pays more attention to things that other people just ignore.

Weaknesses:
Circles:
Amara's biggest weakness, and the weakness of all Alchemists, is that Transmutations require Circles. More specifically, it needs some kind of boundary that surrounds the substance being transmuted.

Without a Circle, all but the smallest of Transmutations are impossible. And even then, the only reason really small stuff is possible is because most skilled Alchemists learn to use their Fingerprints as Circles. As a result, the easiest way to disable Amara is just to control the environment, and avoid giving Amara enough time to create a circle.

This isn't those fancy circles with tons of lines inside - Amara is way too much of a beginner for that. Hell, it doesn't even need to be a circle - they're just called Transmutation Circles because it's an easy name to remember. As Alchemists grow more skilled, a 'Circle' can be more vague. At her current skill, Amara needs to create a clear shape with chalk or some other writing instrument, but her Master could use shadows and ripples in water as a circle.

Time:
Another big weakness of Alchemy is that it takes a long time. Even the fastest transmutations take several seconds, and that's not including the time needed to set up a circle. Longer actions, like making esoteric materials, can take hours or even days of constant work.

An enemy rushing her or attacking at range can easily beat her, even if they're unpowered.

Obsessive:
When Amara gets hooked on something, she can sometimes take it to an extreme. She became Obsessed with Alchemy and Chemistry at a very young age, and ignored anything that wasn't essential to this aspect of her life - her math skills are limited to ratios and basic multiplication, her knowledge of geography is incredibly poor, and she had no meaningful relationships.

This can easily be taken advantage of by enemies. Offer her access to a difficult to find Chemical or Element, or god forbid a genuine book on Alchemy, and she'll do pretty much anything - even going as far as to cooperate with heroes and betray allies.

Interacting with things that she has little experience with but are connected to her special interests could result in her developing a new obsession.

Luddite:
Alchemy peaked in the Renaissance. And considering she was taken in and taught by her elderly Master in the Everglades of Florida, with little human contact outside of the occasional supply run, she has a very loose grasp on most technologies that were developed after the 1800s.

Some things connected to her obsessions, like Microscopes and Centrifuges, she has taken quite the liking to. She also thinks Movies are 'neat'. Outside of that, she can only operate the simplest of machines, after being instructed how.

Brief History:
Amara was born to a single mother, her father not even knowing he had a daughter. Her infancy was unremarkable, as was her mother, and their relationship wasn't exactly the best it could have been for a toddler. Still, they weren't struggling financially, and Amara was seemingly destined for a mundane life.

When she was 3 years old, Amara was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her mother, after seeing several pediatricians who came to the same conclusion, completely rejected Amara and her condition. They stayed together for another year until Amara attacked another child for taking one of the test tubes from her Chemistry set. Her mother finally accepted that her child was different. Later that night she went to a bar and never came home, falling asleep behind the wheel and crashing into a semi-truck.

Amara spent another two years in an Orphanage before her new parent was finished with the adoption process. The man was named Julian Cantu. However, he did not adopt Amara because he wanted a Daughter - he adopted her because he wanted an Apprentice. Having spent the majority of his life searching for the 'Fountain of Youth' in the new world, Julian finally accepted failure and settled in the Everglades of Florida, the first place he began looking. Passing on his life's work before he died was his new priority.

Amara began to study and learn the art of Alchemy as soon as she was adopted, and took to it quite well. It soon became one of her special interests, and she quickly developed under her Master's Tutelage. They bonded over time, and outside of the occasional interaction when getting supplies from nearby towns, they were the only companionship for each other.

Their relationship eventually became more familial than that of a Master and Apprentice. Amara eventually developed a fondness, and arguably even a love for her new father figure, one which she never felt for her mother or any of the staff at the Orphanage. Her training continued for nearly a decade, and at 14 she is at the same level most Alchemists only reach in their late 20s and early 30s (although, she did start studying far earlier than most).

Now that she has completed the Nigredo ritual, her tutelage is complete - normally this would be where the Master sends off the apprentice into the greater world, with little more than a wave and having the apprentice promise to bury them someplace nice when they die. Julian's bond with Amara, however, was more than he expected - he used some of his connections from decades ago (along with a few pounds of gold) to get her into a prestigious academy. He also sent her off with Alchemical books and glassware, and even a Basic Homunculus. It was Julian's hope that Amara could learn independence and how to properly live in the world at this academy.

And also how to commit horrible atrocities. Julian sent Amara to Lanius School of Villainy and Mischief, academia for criminals and horrific monsters.

This is Amara's first year at the Academy, and she really does not like the change. She usually has to increase the temperature in her room to uncomfortable levels to get to sleep, and she has been close to an anxiety attack several times. Hopefully, she'll become more acclimated with time.

Other:
Amara speaks several languages, including Latin, English, Italian, and Ancient Greek. She is most proficient with Latin, however, followed by English and Italian.

When stressed or her routine is disturbed too much, she will recite elements from the Periodic Table.