[CHAR] Crisis Mars: Evolution [Super humans on Mars]

[Sep]

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C R I S I S M A R S

E V O L U T I O N

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Introducing:

Wonderland as Evelyn Morris
Vietmyke as ARTEI-0014
Heat as Ray Villarreal
Sep as Cassandra Wells
azyrules as Ardelia Zahra
bluetommy2 as Yoshiro
6slyboy6 as Tobias Thane

[Wonderland]

Name: Evelyn “Evie” Morris
Alias: n/a
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Appearance: Evie is a young woman, long dark hair, brown eyes. She is 5'4 and slender. She has small hands, but rough from working a sewing machine in the factory and her nails are always short because she bites them. Her clothes are home-made, either by herself or her mother, or something she has stolen from the factory. Her hair needs a good brush, but she never really pays any attention to it. She normally has it tied up or at least pushed back from her face.

Picture

Abilities

Abilities: Evie's superpower is invisibility. She has yet to control it, mostly finding herself phasing in and out of visibility. She knows when it is happening because she feels a sensation, almost like pins and needles. Her mother is the only one who knows about it, as she walked into Evie's room one day to find her standing in front of the mirror, invisible from the waist down. Her mother of course screamed. This jolted Evie's concentration and she became visible. Evie has been practising trying to stay fully invisible for longer periods of time, because at present she can only be completely invisible for about a minute before a hand or foot reappears. Her mother hates her practising in the house, but Evie uses her invisibility quite often to sneak in and out. More recently, Evie discovered if she is touching someone or something else, the invisibility can spread to them to.

Skills and Flaws

Skills: Evie is good at calming people down. She is softly spoken and she can see a situation from a variety of viewpoints. This comes from years of arguing with her brother and always managing to diffuse any situation. Evie has a passion for reading and is very literate. She would often spend whole days in the library studying up on anything and everything. Evie is also good at running, making sure she stays in shape, she runs anywhere from 5-15km a day.

Flaws: Evie has never used any kind of weapon or been in a fight. If it came down to fight or flight, flight wins every time for Evie. Evie is also very stubborn and always likes to do things her own way. Evie struggles to trust people, mainly because she doesn't want to get hurt when they die or leave her.

Background

Background: Evie was born in 2179 in New London. Her parents were working class, both of them working two jobs just to get enough money for food for the family. Evie has one older brother, Justin. Her childhood was mainly normal, they lived in a small house just on the outskirts of the "bad" part of town. Her father always used to joke that they had the best house in a bad neighbourhood. Her mother always used to sigh. Both her parents worked in a factory during the day time, making clothes. Her mother would sneak clothes home for the children, luckily never getting caught. Her father worked as a security officer in the evenings, while her mother worked on some kind of "hotline" out of the parents bedroom at night. Evie could her her mother whispering away at late hours.

Life ticked along in the Morris household, things staying the status quo for sometime. Justin wanted to work for the Lorne Corporation because he thought it would be his only chance to move up in the world. He applied many times for a job but never got accepted. In 2195, Evie's father died in an accident at the factory. The family plummeted into a depression, emotionally and financially. Evie's mother quit her night job and Justin took over her father's job at the factory and as a security officer. Things weren't really the same without their father. Evie finished her education and joined her mother at the factory, thinking there wasn't any other way to live.

In 2198, when the riots began, Justin got swept up in the movement. He quit both his jobs and spent all his time organising protests, attending marches and riots. Their mother always tried to tell him to be careful, but he didn't listen. One night in September, during one particularly nasty protest, Justin was killed. The circumstances of his death were never revealed. He just never came home and Evie had a lot of questions that remained unanswered.

When Mars shook in 2200, things started to change for Evie. She didn't know what initially, but things started happening around her. People she knew began disappearing and she noticed herself that she had changed.

Sample Post

The alarm clock went off at 5am, same as it did everyday. Evie could hear her mother moving around in the other room. She could tell the light from the hallway had been turned on, as the glowing yellow light crept under the bottom of her bedroom door. She silenced the alarm with the flick of a switch and quickly jumped out of bed. She threw on her running clothes before her body had a chance to react to the cold. She pulled on her tatty running shoes and opened the door, trying to stop it creaking. She walked down the hallway, past her mother's door, which was slightly ajar. Evie could see her mother sitting on the edge of her bed, picture of her late husband, Evie's father in her hand. Evie didn't want her mother to see her, so she slipped past and out the door.

The air outside was crisp, cool. There was a light wind that blew in her face and she made her way down the street. She had a set route, that only varied depending on the distance she wanted to cover. Today would be a long run, 10km at least. She slowly worked her way into a steady jog, not wanting to overdo it before she hit the middle kms, the hardest part. She liked being out in New London when it was early, when most other people were still asleep. There was a quietness to the city that didn't happen at any other time of the day. There was a stillness that she never seemed to get used to.

Evie's route took her past the factory she worked at, black smoke pouring out the top at all hours of the day. She had never worked the night shift, but she assumed it was just as boring as the day time. As she ran past the factory, she wondered if there would ever be anything else for her to do in life. It seemed that like her parents, she was destined to work there forever, or at least until another tragedy struck. But maybe things were changing now. Since the shake, the management of the factory had been giving lots of overtime to staff. Her mother had been working double shifts some day. It was like they were desperate to get clothes made in case they needed to shut down. And of course, there were trying to replace members of staff that had disappeared since the shake. Evie had heard whispers, rumours about what happened, but nothing confirmed.

Evie could theorise all she liked, but she never got any answers. It did give her something to think about on her runs though. An hour later, Evie returns home, having just come short of her 10km target. She is drenched in sweat but feeling refreshed. Her mother is in the kitchen now, preparing breakfast. Evie slips past into the bathroom to get ready for work. She showers quickly and gets dressed, knowing her mother would want to leave for work as soon as she was ready. Evie stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, tying her long brown hair up.

"Evie, hurry up. We need to go." Her mother called from the kitchen. Evie didn't acknowledge her, instead continuing to stare at herself in the mirror. She turns to leave, but pauses. Her fingers begin tingling, that weird pins and needles sensation. She looks down at her hand, and she can see it is slowly changing into the colour of the carpet. No, she isn't changing colour, she is just becoming transparent. Evie turns back to the mirror, focusing on her hands, her arms, her upper body. Slowly, her reflection disappears.

"Evie, come on. We will be late!" Her mother calls, even louder now, footsteps coming down the hall. Evie stops looking in the mirror and the tingling sensation dissipates. She grins to herself, "still got it" she thinks. Then she sighs, and leaves the bathroom, off to work for another day.

[vietmyke]

ARTEI-0014

Name: ARTEI-0014 'Artie'
Age: 10 Months
Gender: None, though is occasionally referred to as 'he' by its human operators. Artie's vocalizer uses a deep, male voice pattern.

Appearance:
As an AI, Artie has no specific body, outside of a cylindrical AI-core housed deep within one of the USF's most secure facilities, though he regularly transmits his 'consciousness' to an A-1 Tactical enforcer unit. A-1 tactical enforcer units are less common than the more ubiquitous X3 robotic infantry units. the A-1 Tac-Enforcer stands in at 7 feet in height, though their effective height while in a combat stance is closer is closer to 6'8" and weighs just under a ton when fully equipped. The A-1 Tac-Enforcer is a highly advanced droid, designed specifically for handling riots, as well as engaging tactical combat scenarios, and is surprisingly mobile and agile for its size. Using advanced cyberlimbic technologies to create a single body, The body itself is made up of advanced electronic circuitry housed within a EMP-cased shell of advanced artificial servomotors and processors. The artificial body is then clothed with diamond-carbon weave kevlar, and additional high strength alloy armor plates are equipped on the body making the A-1 highly resistant to small arms fire, natural hazards, and explosives.

Capabilities:
Built into Artie's specific A-1 shell, is a suite that allows Artie to control other A-1 and X3 units in the field. Artie's combat shell is EMP-shielded. The A-1 Tactical Enforcer is able to use almost all U.S.F. standard equipment, and comes with its own built in weaponry.

• STAKEN Medium Machinegun - A heavy battle rifle typically used by the USF, the STAKEN fires advanced, chemically powered 7.62mm rounds with considerable velocity and accuracy. It features a fire rate of 750 rpm, and is usually uses a 50 round box magazine. The A-1 units typically use the STAKEN linked to a large ammunition reserve on its back carrying 1000 rounds.
• R36 Shotgun - While often used as a full weapon by most troopers, the A-1 units utilize R36 shotguns as sidearms. These powerful shotguns are semiautomatic and and feature a 12 round magazine. The narrow spread of these shotguns allow them to be used even at range, and can load a variety of shells, from standard shot, to slugs, electrostun, rubber, and suppression foam. The R36 also has a front plate for door breaching.
• mini-launcher - Built into the wrist of the A-1's left hand is a 40mm munitions launchers. Capable of launching any USF standard 40mm grenade, the A-1 typically loads stun/flash grenades for riot situations. The mini-launcher has an internal magazine of three.
• Electrical Whipcord Built into the wrist of the A-1's right hand is an electrified whipcord launcher. The whipcord is often utilized to capture and incapacitate fleeing targets.
• Suppression Foam - Built into the under-wrist of the A-1 is a suppression foam system. Suppression foam is the USF's primary method of combating riots, spraying dissidents with rapidly congealing, electrified foam to immobilize and incapacitate unruly citizens. The suppression foam has only a mild effect on armored units, but can severely hinder the movements of vehicles as well.
• Punch-pads - A sheath of armor plating that can deploy around the 'fist' of the A-1, protecting the top and 'knuckles' of the manipulator, allowing it to engage in melee combat without damaging its less sturdy manipulators.

Personal Skills:
Highly mobile and capable in both long ranged warfare and CQC combat. His tough construction makes him extremely durable and difficult to overwhelm with sheer force alone. Artie capable of taking considerable punishment. He has the logic and computing skills of a supercomputer and has the ability to control multiple X3's at once.
Personal Weaknesses:
As one of the first attempts to mass produce AI's, Artie is prone to the occasional glitch. He also occasionally expresses conflicting opinions, and exhibits less compliance than many Corporates would like.

History: Advanced Reconnaissance and Tactical Electronic Interface, Serial number 0014, commonly referred to by his USF handlers as 'Artie', is a prototype Artificial Intelligence unit created by the Lorne Corporation for the USF, with the intention of mass producing capable and efficient, yet cheap AI. Highly classified and only created in limited numbers as of now, each ARTEI unit is typically bound to a human "Operator", either a USF Squad leader, or Hunter unit, to provide it with tactical as well as strategic advice. ARTEI is capable of re-tasking local robotic units in order to provide further aid.

ARTEI-0014, commonly known as Artie by development teams as well as the few ground teams its been in contact with was the first ARTEI unit to complete standard testing 5 months after its creation. 0014 then spent the next 4 months conducting classified raids against various pirate forces in order to continue gathering combat data and combat experience. ARTEI-0014 has spent the last month at a holding facility, where he maintains guard over a select group of unique humans.

sample post

MARSSOC - U.S.F. Special Operations Command
Sub-Level B2, Advanced Robotics Laboratory
New London, Mars

The Advanced Robotics lab was a hub of activity, as various scientists and technicians walked back and forth. Some carried holo-tablets, while others stood and conversed with one another, under the watchful eyes of heavily armed marines at every door, all the while the steady hum of electrical systems and robotics permeated the lab. The lab itself was a pristine white, stark white and gray metal and machinery covering the entirety of the lab, illuminated by bright lights, and contrasted by the glow of blue holo-displays. The only things that appeared out of place in the otherwise clean lab was the presence of a gaunt, scarred, military type man, and a quartet of massive deactivated A-1 Tactical Enforcer units in the center. The A-1s were currently plugged into a series of large computers, dozens of cables connecting their backs, and various other parts of their bodies to the powerful super machines.

"So what exactly am I looking at here, Doctor Santoro?" the military man asked with a heavy southern drawl, his scarred face obviously skeptical. "You brought me down here because you said you had something vital to my... reclamation, efforts. All I see here are A-1 enforcers. Handy, but hardly anything new."

"Well General Tawes," Dr. Santoro replied, explained, with all the air of a patient teacher explaining a concept to a poor student, "As you know, the VI's that the A-1 and X3 units utilize, while effective at their designed tasks, are relatively incapable of independent thought- as they are supposed to be. As a result, they're poorly prepared to handle the spontaneity of our... subjects."

"What we propose is the utilization of something considerably more advanced, to help you in your mission. Something more capable of thinking on the fly."

"So... are you implying, that we use an AI?" General Tawes asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing at the Doctor.

"Yes, general, that is exactly what we're implying."

"You damn eggheads know that this is illegal, right?" General Tawes growled quietly, stepping closer to the doctor so only he could hear.

"We are well aware of the legality of AI on earth, General. But rest assured that the AI will be obedient to their operators. Furthermore, the situation here on Mars is rapidly falling out of control, is it not? The sooner we can resolve this issue, the better, don't you think?"

The general glowered at the smug doctor for a moment before finally conceding. With a dismissive wave of his hand, the general took a step back as Doctor Santoro nodded to the other scientists and technicians, who quickly began typing rapidly onto their consoles. The lights in the lab dimmed for a moment, as power surged into the bodies of the A-1 units. The front center one whirred to life, the operating lights on its back, head, and body blinking.

//INITIALIZING...
ARTEI-0014 ACTIVE_
SHELL TYPE: A-1 TACTICAL ENFORCER_
WEAPONS SYSTEMS: ACTIVE_

'ARTEI-0014. ACTIVE.' The massive A-1 unit spoke, its vocalizer deep and bassy. 'AWAITING ORDERS.'

[Heat]

Ray Villarreal

Name: Ray Villarreal

Alias: N/A

Age: 32

Gender: Male

Appearance: Ray stands just under six feet tall, his frame muscular and strong like that of a top athlete. His dark brown hair is buzzed short, his face is almost never cleanly shaven, he currently sports a goatee with accompanying stubble. He tends to wear clothing that doesn't make him stick out. Black boots, dark blue jeans, a grey t shirt and a leather jacket one of his more common styles.

Abilities: Ray's only superpower is teleportation. He is only in the most basic stages with the power, able to teleport himself across a room or a few blocks away with relative ease. He is unable to do anything more than that at the current strength of his powers. The act of teleportation is near instantaneous, once he has the location in mind he is able to teleport to it. He is able to teleport through walls, though the thickness of the walls can cause him trouble. A flimsy wooden wall is easy, a military grade steel one is a different story.

If he has his hands around someone, then he is able to teleport them with him, it also applies to objects but only those he can hold in his arms or are on his person. He is still inexperienced with the power and has only teleported from and to floored areas. Teleporting onto a plane, a moving car or into the air itself is not something he has tried and might not end well.

He also retains his speed when teleporting, for example if he teleports out of a car then he still moves as quickly as the car is. It allows him to pack a huge punch but must be careful to avoid inadvertent self harm.

Stress or pain causes problems with the power, as does tiredness or sickness, if he is affected by any of these then his teleportation tends to not be perfect, he could intend to teleport one place and instead go a different one accidentally, or not even move. Using the power too much in a short span causes him headaches, the more usage the more painful they are to him. In extreme cases where he overuses the power this can lead to his death.

Skills:

• His body is in top shape from consistent exercise.
• Trained and skilled in the use of firearms, best with semiautomatic pistols.
• Ray is a talented hand to hand combatant, knowing a few forms of martial arts he learned while in the military.
• Has a tactical mind, often surveys a situation before putting himself into it.

Flaws:

• Ray is as durable as a normal human being, in fact he's entirely a normal man expect for his teleportation power.
• He has a cynical outlook, never fully trusting anyone else. All that really matters to him is himself and his own life. Not the easiest person to get along with and one with not a ton of friends.
• He's a moral nihilist, in other words he doesn't believe in morality. Morals are a societal construct, nothing is inherently wrong or right to him. He does what is right for himself. If it benefits him to do something, he'll do it.
• Ray has been known to use people, when he's done with them he tosses them aside, often faking compassion or friendship while using them. Lying comes easy to him.

Background:
Ray Villarreal was born on earth to a lower middle class family in the state of California, an only child. He didn't have a lot of money growing up, but was not dirt poor. His father was an ex marine, as was his father's father and so on. In other words, it was expected that one day Ray would become a military man. His parents fought a lot growing up, often striking each other out view from their son. His father was a very strict man, one that disciplined Ray harshly, beating him when he acted wrongly.

The young Ray was not much of a student, though he passed all of his classes, he just never cared much for school. He got in with the wrong crowd whilst in high school, partying, doing drugs, drinking, committing petty crimes. Right after finishing high school he enlisted in the Marine Corps, his father pushing him towards it, though Ray was not against it.

While in the military Ray showed talents for such a life, his father had taught him how to use a gun, that part of the training was a breeze. He fit in remarkably well with the mantra, following orders and commands, though not out of a like for them but rather to avoid the consequences of not doing so. It's too bad there was not a war going on, he would have jumped feet first into it. He did his four years of service then was honorably discharged, taking the first flight to Mars that he could, eager for new opportunities on the new world.

Ray arrived on Mars as the dissent on the world began to grow, he landed a job in security for one of the wealthy mining corporations. The occupation paid well enough and with the rising tensions he wasn't often bored while at work. For a few years he held the job until he quit it and entered the less 'official' ways of living. At first it was as a bodyguard, protecting important people against the rising tides of society, then mercenary work as violence become more common.

He didn't pick a side when the UN increased its military presence, anyone that offered him enough money he would align himself with. Ray was a freelancer to the very core, making more money than ever. He would do whatever he needed, killing, robbery, assault, all common deeds. He was passed out when the planet shook, it was unusual to him, but earthquakes were nothing out of the ordinary back home.

He thought nothing of it until he teleported for the first time, unknowingly doing it, disappearing from his apartment into the hallway just outside of it. At first Ray thought that he had been drinking too much and was just hallucinating, then he did it again, consciously. It made him happy to have such a gift, in his line of work it would fit just perfectly, though he is still learning how to use the power and has to be careful.

Sample Post:
The sounds of the city could be heard in the distance as Ray Villarreal walked down the street. A moment ago he was on the furthest outskirts of the city, a few blocks away but even now he was treading alongside the edge of New London's limits. He was in a warehouse district at the latest hours of the day, most of the workers had gone home to their families. He wasn't here for any of them, there was a wanted man he had been sent after, Jack MacAleese, some hotshot gangster who no longer found himself calling the shots. A two-bit drug dealer who thought he mattered. Ray had been tracking the man for days and narrowed down where he liked to hang out and sell his poisons.

Four figures came into his view as he popped around a fence, they hadn't noticed him moving towards them. The empty building behind them provided shade where they could commit the shadiest of deals. As Ray moved closer, in clear view of all four, one of them broke away after a handshake with another, a drug deal had just been made. Ray slowed in his walk, his eyes upon the departing man as he got into his vehicle. The three remaining criminals had their own eyes on Ray, one of them with a smile on his face. He was also the shortest one and the marked man, the two around him were his muscle, it was MacAleese.

"Can I help you, my man? Unless you're asking for directions I think you know what you're here for." MacAleese said as he flashed a cocky smile. He didn't know what Ray was actually here for.

"You made a bad deal a few weeks back, ripped off some very angry people. They want an apology and some reimbursement." Ray replied as he stopped in his step a few feet away from the group. His eyes finally leaving the departed man's vehicle as it sped off. No there would be no witnesses.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The dealer replied. One eyebrow raised, the smile evaporating.

"Carrozza, you made a deal with him, weren't truthful on your end of it. He sent me to find you and convince you." Ray said, as he locked eyes with MacAleese.

"Who are you to be making demands of me, punk? If you can't count, there's three of us and one of you," MacAleese shot back, then popped open his jacket to show that he was packing heat. His two brutes did the same, each of the with handguns. It was to be expected. "Why don't you just back off and leave, I'll forget this happened, you can tell Carrozza that same message. Back off."

"I was told you wouldn't listen to reason. I'm glad, it's more fun doing it my own way." Ray said, a smile appearing on his face before he disappeared. Making use of his recently acquired teleportation ability.

"What the fu-" MacAleese stated as the man had literally just vanished before him. Unless he was some kind of hologram, it didn't make any sense.

Still didn't when he heard the gunshot and the first of his goons dropped to the floor. He turned to find Ray behind the now dead man, his own pistol still raised as he pulled the trigger, taking out MacAleese's second companion. Holograms didn't do that. The drug dealer reached for his own piece, his hand shaking as he did so, Ray noticed the action and once more teleported, leaving the fool there with his gun raised at nothing. Then he felt someone throw a hard kick into his side from behind, right to the kidney which caused him to drop his gun.

"Let's go for a ride." Ray said from behind, taunting the marked man as he placed his hands firmly around him before they both were teleported away. MacAleese now looked down to see a grave dug in front of him, the perfect size for his body. His eyes looked around him, the freak had transported them both away from the city. There was only red dirt around them.

"Come on man, we can work something else. You don't need to do this. I can p-pay you a lot of cash if you let me go." MacAleese said as he felt the cold steel of a gun's barrel press against the back of his head.

"Not as much as it would take for me to spare you." Ray replied with another smile, then fired his pistol, the shot ringing out as MacAleese dropped dead right into his pre-dug grave. The super powered man kicked some dirt onto the corpse, not nearly enough to hide the body. He didn't care about that part, he would be gone by the time they found the dead man.

With another smirk Ray holstered his pistol then teleported once more, this time back towards the city, his head starting to ring from the usage of his powers. It wasn't anything some pills and booze couldn't fix.

[Sep]

Name: Cassandra "Cassie" Wells
Alias: N/A
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Appearance: Typically wearing a flight suit (Which consists of a highly durable material clinging to her skin coloured light grey), when off duty she wears anything that isn't a flight suit.
Abilities: Cassandra Wells is physically enhanced in that she can travel at incredible speeds. Her max speed is 750MPH (She has not reached this speed yet), this lets her to outpace almost all land based vehicles and even some vehicles that are airborne. This has it's own drawbacks of course, she needs to wear a flight suit (or similar item of clothing) when traveling at high speeds or it just ends up burning. While she also heals faster (to withstand the damage done by her traveling so fast) she also has an increased metabolism. While this means she can eat whatever she wants without getting fat it is a huge money drain as she needs to keep her sugar levels up in order to function.

Her powers are weakened in the extreme cold and exhaustion is a real cause for concern. Not to mention at the end of the day she is just someone that moves really fast, she can't punch extra hard or anything. It's all about the speed._{For those thinking she's like the Flash, think more like the YJ version of Kid Flash where he can't phase through objects or anything, he can just run fast.}

Skills:

• Reaction Time: Combination of her abilities and training she can react to situations in the blink of an eye.
  Pilot by trade: She has received pilot training by the U.S.F which allows her to pilot almost any craft smaller than 500m.
  Peak Physical Condition: As a requirement for flight training her body remains in good physical condition.
  Intelligence: While she's no stellar genius she is well educated.
  Military Training: In the end, she's trained to think outside the box. She isn't the best tactician around but she's better than the untrained eye.

Flaws:

• Confidence: In the air she rules supreme. On two feet she lacks anything that resembles confidence.
• Hearing: She is partially death in her right ear.
• Visual Aid: She saw combat against Pirates in Lunar Orbit in 2198 and her vision was irreparably damaged. As such she has goggles permanently affixed to her face. If they are damaged, disrupted or removed. She is blind.
• Personality: She's hot headed and stubborn, a typical pilots personality.

Background:

2173: Cassandra Wells was born to John Wells and Elizabeth Wells, both active servicemen for the U.S.F.

2178: Cassandra starts going to School, being raised in Gateway she becomes fascinated with Spacecraft. Cassandras younger brother 'Ryan' is born.

2179: Ryan passes away due to complications, the family is hit hard.

2180: Cassandras mother returns to active service.

2185: Cassandras mother is killed in the line of duty. Her father throws himself into his work.

2189: Cassandra decides, against her fathers wishes to become a pilot in the U.S.F

2191: Cassandra enlists in the U.S.F to join it's Naval Forces in order to become a pilot.

2193: Cassandra graduates one of the top students in her class, being assigned to the U.S.F Reliance.

2195: Cassandra sees active combat for the first time between Mars and Earths Moon. She is promoted to flight leader.

2198: In an engagement against pirates near Earths Moon, Cassandra is hit and 'goes down'. Shipped back to Mars she receives the best medical care available, however she looses both her eyes and partial hearing in her right ear. She resents the U.S.F for not replacing her eyes (Which they have been known to do for victims from Earth).

2199: With Rehab Cassie re-enters service... flying dropships and gunships for the U.S.F Peacekeeper Corps.

2200: The Quake happens, and after things calm down Cassandra begins noticing that her lap time increases exponentially. At this point she can manage to run at around 250MPH. So far she has managed to keep her abilities secret.

Sample Post: My Sample post will be the one to kick off the IC. If you all want I can still do one.

[ayzrules]

Ardelia Zahra

Name: Ardelia Zahra
Alias: N/A
Age: 35
Gender: Female

Appearance:

Ardelia has wavy dark brown hair hair that is usually tied in a high ponytail and pulled away from her face or in a messy braid. On rare occasions, she lets it hang free, the wavelets cascading down her back. Ardelia has lively chocolate-brown eyes and tanned skin. She is rather tall, standing at five feet and eight inches, and weighs about 130 pounds. Ardelia likes to wear make-up; she is rarely seen without at least some mascara on, and she absolutely adores a particular lipstick that goes well with her skin tone and hair color. Ardelia always seems to have a playful smile on her face and prefers to wear bright, eye-popping colors. She frequently experiments with cosmetics and clothing, which doesn't always end so well-but that does nothing to deter Ardelia in the slightest.

Abilities: Ardelia is able to "see" people's emotions in their auras-translucent clouds of color that surround everyone, Ardelia herself included. Certain colors mean certain emotions, and flickers and shifts in the colors of an aura indicate changing emotions or mixed emotions. More often than not, there is also an overall "background" color that signifies what the person's general personality is like. As with actual people, auras can only be seen when some part of the person is visible, despite the fact that Ardelia finds the auras to emit a slight glow. For example, Ardelia would not be able to see the aura of somebody completely covered by a blanket, no matter how thin that blanket is. Although Ardelia technically has no limit to the distance at which she can see auras from besides the limits imposed by her eyesight, they all tend to blur together into one giant blob of moving colors with no meaning whatsoever when she is around large crowds.

Ardelia also can subtly alter the emotions of others by changing the colors in the auras with her mind. The most she can do is intensify or water down an emotion-she cannot change love to hate or anger to sadness, but she can make someone go from happy to ecstatic or slightly scared to terrified. Doing this requires the aura to be visible and can drain energy very quickly.

These abilities, though related to sight, does not come as naturally as sight. Ardelia has to "turn on" the auras, which takes two or three minutes at the very least and a good deal of concentration. Once the ability is activated, it does not require a significant amount of energy to maintain, but after an entire day with the ability turned on Ardelia is usually exhausted. The maximum amount of time she has gone with the ability switched on is sixteen hours. Falling asleep automatically "turns off" the ability.

Skills:
*Even without the auras switched on, Ardelia is very perceptive of others' feelings
*Ardelia is a people person and has good social skills
*Ardelia considers herself pretty good with make-up and has, in her opinion, a great taste in fashion
*Sketching from life
*Painting with watercolors-although Ardelia is certainly no professional, she has a knack for it and considers it one of her favorite things to do
*Running in heels and applying make-up while operating a vehicle
*Fashion design-Ardelia has always had an eye for color and composition that just sort of came naturally to her
*Ardelia is able to speak both English and Spanish fluently

Flaws:
*Thinking objectively-Ardelia tends to let her emotions get in the way of things
*Ardelia can be flighty and gets distracted often when she doesn't genuinely care about something
*Ardelia can be very, very chatty to the point of being flat-out annoying
*Ardelia is not the best at thinking ahead, as she prefers to live in the present and deal with things as they come
*Ardelia can be unbelievably petty and irrational, even when it is uncalled for (this goes back to the fact that she frequently lets her emotions cloud her judgement)

Background: Ardelia was born to an upper-middle class family in New York City. Both of her parents had moved to New York City from Puerto Rico before she was born. Ardelia has a brother who is three years older than her and a younger sister who is five years younger than her. Growing up, Ardelia led a fairly typical life. She went to school, dated, made friends, and so on. Ardelia was very artistic. She loved playing dress-up as a little girl, and this eventually led to her to begin seriously pursuing fashion design as a career. She had always had a natural eye for the aesthetics and what lip gloss worked with what skirt and the like. Ardelia majored in fashion design in college, and graduated with good grades.

After graduating, Ardelia quickly found a job at a minor clothing company and slowly worked her way up the ladder. Her big break came in 2195, when she was offered a position in a design firm that was partnered with the Lorne Corporation. Ardelia jumped at the chance, but she soon found herself faced with the most difficult decision of her life: whether or not to move to New London, the Martian city that Ardelia had never once in her life even dreamed of setting foot on. If she wanted the job, that was precisely what she had to do-move to New London. Apparently, there was a growing demand for consumer products on Mars, and people like Ardelia would meet the demand perfectly.

Ardelia ultimately decided that she was willing to make the move in order to keep the new job that paid far more than her old one. By 2196, she was settled into a small but comfortable apartment with a well-paying job in New London. Adjusting to New London took a while, but Ardelia soon settled into a familiar rhythm and decided that Mars was not bad at all.

Ardelia didn't think much of the subtle prejudices present in New London-in fact, she didn't even notice them until the UN began to maintain an increased military presence on Mars. Ardelia was not one to stir the pot when the law was concerned. She stayed under the radar and went about her life normally. None of the unrest seemed particularly related to her-she was a fashion designer, for Pete's sake, not a politician. Sure, she read about the protests in the news and everything, but it all seemed sort of...distant.

That certainly changed after the quake of 2200. Ardelia had been on her home from work when suddenly, there were flashing colors surrounding the people on the streets. The colors were versatile and variegated, flowing fluidly in their own little bubbles or writhing desperately, surging with energy or stagnant and lifeless. Ardelia thought she was hallucinating and took a nap. When she woke up, the colors were gone. But a couple hours later, they were back, and Ardelia began to become more and more confused. She noticed that there were colors that surrounded her as well, and watched in awe as the swirling shades of green and orange that indicated confusion changed to energetic waves of bright blue and shimmering gold. Ardelia seemed to instinctively know what the colors represented-the bright blue and gold, for instance, indicated fascination. Ardelia started to secretly experiment with the auras, finding that she could even manipulate the auras of others, to some degree. She has not told anyone about the colors for the fear of being labelled as crazy or insane, and the news of the UN imprisoning people who had exhibited superhuman abilities has reinforced Ardelia's promise to herself to keep the auras secret.

Personality-wise, Ardelia is bubbly and outgoing. Her friendly, cheerful disposition is well-liked by her peers, and Ardelia has never had a lack of friends. Ardelia is optimistic and a tad impulsive, with an "everything will be alright" attitude towards life. Ardelia relies more on her heart than her brain and frequently has no other explanation other than "it feels right". She can talk about anything and everything for hours on end. Some tend to find this incessant chatter exceedingly irritating, which Ardelia is not always the most aware of. She is a kind and sweet person at heart, though her more mean-spirited side can get the best of her at times.

If Ardelia is not always aware of how much she talks, she is aware of the feelings and thoughts of others. Ardelia is naturally "people-smart" and is good at picking up subtle hints that indicate shifts in emotions in others. Ardelia also is somewhat of a risk-taker, at least when it comes to her fashion choices. She is always boldly trying something new when it comes to her hair, make-up, or outfit.

Sample Post:

It was no ordinary day at work. Representatives from the Lorne Corporation would be coming to pick out designs to mass-produce. Ardelia stood anxiously by the rack of clothing that she had designed herself. She glanced down at her hands-a nervous turquoise danced a frantic Irish jig with vomit-green. Ardelia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and she watched as streaks of ocean blue shot through the vomit-green. Out of the corner of her eye, Ardelia glimpsed the stern-looking representatives from the Lorne Corporation walking her way, and she straightened up, smoothing out her skirt and plastering a smile onto her face.

Curious yellow-orange surged through the aura of the more relaxed representative, while a bored light gray filled that of the second representative. The third had a slight tinge of vivid magenta moving languidly through his otherwise dark blue aura. Would it be wrong to...you know...right now? she wondered to herself. Ardelia looked on as the curious yellow-orange became infused with a subtle gold. I suppose it wouldn't hurt, she thought a tad mischievously. Ardelia concentrated on the gold, willing it to intensify. After a couple moments, the gold seemed to explode out all at once, "droplets" of it landing all throughout the representative's aura.

Ardelia felt a sense of excitement as the first representative turned to her. "You are the designer?" she asked. Ardelia noted that the representative was rather young-looking, despite the fact that Ardelia knew the woman was in her fifties.

Ardelia grinned. "Yes, I am," she said politely, giving the representative a dazzling smile.

"What's your name?" the representative questioned, and Ardelia didn't need the auras to know that she was entranced by Ardelia's designs.

"Ardelia Zahra," she replied, doing her best to hide her excitement.

The representative beamed. "Well, Ms. Zahra, I have to say that your work is the best that I have seen in years now. David, could you please write this down..." the representative trailed off, motioning for the second representative-the one with the bored light grey aura. Ardelia detected a flicker of orange surprise that materialized in the aura.

"I can't believe that no one has thought of this before," the first representative continued, gesturing toward the eye-catching floral print skirts and lacy tops. "It's a blast from the past, to be sure, but retro is all the rage nowadays. I'll definitely be in touch!" And with that, the representatives were off and on their way, examining the work of Ardelia's colleagues.

A low whistle sounded from behind Ardelia. She spun around, only to come face-to-face with Anya, one of her co-workers. Dark-haired Anya wore chunky earrings and big bangles and burgundy lipstick. "That one really liked your stuff, huh?" Anya asked, chuckling.

Ardelia felt a slight twinge of guilt. Doing this isn't fair to the others, she thought. However, Ardelia did not voice her concerns, simply smiling at Anya. "Yeah. Whoa, I was totally not expecting that, and I honestly have no idea what to make of it," she replied. "How's everything going with you? Did any of them say something?" she questioned, changing the subject to Anya's designs.

Anya nodded happily, her eyes twinkling. "Granted, they weren't as enthusiastic as they were with you, but I think that I've got a deal coming through," she answered.

"Oh my gosh! That's amazing!" Ardelia gushed, genuinely ecstatic for her friend. Ardelia could tell that Anya was overjoyed as well-her aura was enveloped in a sunny yellow-gold. She was quite literally glowing.

Ardelia lowered her voice as she caught sight of a few stern looks being shot her way. It probably was not the best idea to be loudly congratulating a friend while the representatives were still in earshot, now that Ardelia thought about it. "Listen. After all of this is done, let's go out and get lunch?" Ardelia said.

Anya nodded, letting a cheeky grin slide onto her face. "That sounds wonderful," she responded, giving Ardelia a playful wink before walking away. Ardelia let her gaze fall down to her hands-bubblegum pink and daffodil yellow popped like firecrackers in her aura. She sighed contentedly. Life was good.

[Bluetommy]

Yoshihiro

The UN are quite a pushy bunch, too bad pushing a cactus is never recommended.

Name: Satsuna Yoshihiro

Alias: "The Incredible Cactus Man" (Colleague nickname, based on an incident where he revealed his bone spikes through his skin, causing severe damage to a pushy mugger's hand)

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Appearance: Varies, his ability to change his height (very slightly), face(Cheeks and chin), and other small tics leave his true appearance unknown, but due to uncontrollable factors, portions can be seen. He is around 7'3". He is a natural brunette, though currently his hair is dyed blonde. Yoshihiro is muscular, despite being quite lean. He has hazel eyes. Currently, his face rests with high cheekbones, small eyes, and a small chin, a blonde beard grown over it. He is around 220 pounds.

Abilities: Manipulation of skeletal structure and increased bone, bone marrow, and associated cell healing factor. Yoshihiro is able to produce weapons from his own bone, and change facial appearance and bone density. Yoshihiro is able to survive massive blunt force trauma, though cutting and stabbing are just as fatal. Despite his ability, Yoshihiro is unable to heal tissue at the same rate, leaving him bloodied and torn if he is forced to go all out, and he is just as susceptible to bleeding as everyone else, as such, he is suited more towards a quick attack than the long haul. Yoshihiro's bones may also have issues setting if broken, forcing him to break them into place himself or seek surgery. As a result, Yoshihiro requires a high calcium diet, based mostly on milk and cheese, though he is a fan of cereal.

Skills: Yoshihiro is a military man by trade, trained in close combat and marksmanship, however, he left active service soon after a mission that traumatized him. Yoshihiro has spent most of his adult life working with machinery, and is skilled in the operation of it. As a youth, Yoshihiro trained in German fencing, and is in possession of a (Blunt) old earth Zweihander.

Flaws: Yoshihiro is unskilled in the operation of firearms, having not used one in quite a time, he also has difficulty holding one due to his PTSD. He also is unilingual, speaking only English, leaving his ability at disguise somewhat weakened. He suffers from PTSD

Background: February 2172: Born on New London to an American woman and a Japanese man, who was killed in a depressurization accident.
April 2190: Entered UN armed forces
September 2192: First mission
December 2192: Disastrous UN mission traumatizes Yoshihiro, leading him to retire from active service to join Gryphon International Engineering Services Inc become an engineer
March 2193: Promoted
April 2193: Promoted
June 2193: Promoted
July 2193: Attacked by Protester outside New London home, suffering severe spinal injuries and sent into a coma.
February 20 2200: Awakes with new abilities, leaving his hospital bed walking and speaking.
February 29 2200: Kills New London soldier in scuffle, arrested, but broken out by militant resistance called YPRU (Young People Rise Up), joins the group soon after.

Sample Post:

"What even are you?" The soldier sounded afraid, even though his cocky tones seemed to unbalance that. Yoshihiro looked at him, a thin man with a gun, not more than eighteen at most. Yoshihiro felt grossly afraid of himself as the X-ray found the fact that his neck was regenerating it's broken vertebrae. What was he? A monster? His body was growing bone faster than he could feel, was he going to turn into a sideshow attraction? A head the size of a beehive? "The incredible beehead man", the only job he would get would be at the circus, and those were few and far between these days. These days... what day was it? Last thing he remembered was landing on the stairs, a popping in his neck, and then sleep, few dreams, fewer thoughts. Had he been in a coma? When he'd awoke, they'd immediately come over to speak to him, and upon realizing that he was able to walk, the nurse had seemed deathly afraid.

"Calm down, I'm a doctor, there's an explanation to this." The soldier bit his lip. "Is there?" The doctor looked at the X-ray in silence for a few moments, before speaking slowly. "Hell if I can find it." Those words... too familiar, Yoshihiro remembered those words from... that mission. Immediately he began sweating, his heart beating faster and faster, his limbs writhing. "Calm down son! You-" A pained breath left the doctor's mouth as Yoshihiro kicked him in the throat in his writhing, he was unaware, but realized something was wrong, someone had hurt the doctor, someone was coming to kill him! He leapt from the bed, throwing a palm towards the position that the doctor had crouched down from, unfortunately the doctor stood at the same time, and Yoshihiro's palm met the man's chest. He lowered the hand at his throat, and it fell limply to the ground. Yoshihiro felt a wetness on the palm, and a red had began to spread across the doctor's clothes, before he fell, leaving Yoshihiro's arm extended. Hyperventilating, Yoshihiro slowly turned the palm towards his face, and he saw the blade, it came from the middle of his hand, bathed in the doctor's blood. His head turned, horrified to the soldier, who clutched his chest, tears running down his cheeks in fear.

"What... are you?"

[6slyboy6]

Tobias Thane

Tobias Thane

ALIAS:

Blink

AGE:

23

GENDER:

Self Explanatory

APPEARANCE:

Tobias stands above 6 feet (around 184 centimeters) and weighs 82 kilos. He was gifted by life with an amazing look and body too. Girls think she is sexy and with his boxed beard he can charm most of them. He isn't shy to do so either. Thanks to the daily workout he is in a good physique too, just like anyone who does sports on a daily basis. Tobias is a rich kid, and so he dresses like a rich kid. he is never late to adapt to the newest trends, thought he is not particularly "hipster" (if that still exists in 2200).

If out to train his ability Tobias wears a red and white biker suit, with a helmet of matching colors. He also uses sap gloves whenever he knows that he will run into trouble.

ABILITIES:

Tobias has the ability to spontaneously dislocate himslef and those with him to any place in his line of sight, or immediate surroundings, AKA Blink. Though he can blink up to a hundred meters on a completely flat and uninterrupted terrain if in line of sight, his ability to Blink to his surrounding are has been limited to 1-2 meters so far, if he can't see it. It is also easier for him to blink to placee where he has been before. When Tobias Blinks, he carries any items he wishes to with himself, including his clothes. The process itself is painless and is instant, but it burns calories at a quick rate, making it tiring to Blink too many times. the fact that he just began using his powers means that it takes longer and longer until he can Blink again, as his body is getting more tired and tired. After the initial Blink, Tobias needs about half a second to jump again, and after that it will require roughlly 0.1-0.2 seconds more to cast each jump. Around the 10th Blink that means that each Blink is about 1 seconds. More Blinks will mean that the average Blink time will grow exponentally. Since he got his ability, he has been constantly improving the number of blinks he can make in a short period of time. The obvious limit to this ability is that if he can't see his target he can't blink too far. When he comes too close to losing conciousness due to the loss of calories, he can no longer do Blinks. His current record is 25 uninterrupeted blinks.

SKILLS:

Tobias is a very charismatic person. He can easely seduce women and is good at convincing people that he is right. He has spent loads of time on the street, running away from his home along with attending to offical events his parents went to. he can speak to about any person, and is usually the one to talk in a group. He is also a top notch athlete. He used to do parkour, usually running away from security trying to take him home. And lastly he was trained in Krav Maga, and taught how to shoot a gun. He wasn't really interested in either, but he knows a bit about both.

FLAWS:

Selfish and Arrogant, Tobias thinks he is perfect. The rich kid syndrome if you would. He usually underestimates others, and this can lead some awkward moments when he is called rude. His general lack of interest in learning has led to him being under educated in many areas. He is not stupid, but he doesn't know capitals, or even countries, and doesn't know classical things, not to mention history. He was always more interested in science education. Thobias isn't stupid, but he isn't the most intelligent person either. He is not good at plannning cause of this, but at least he can easely improvise.

BACKGROUND:

Thobias was born as the son of Teodor Thane, the CEO of Enson Corporations, and such he has always lived a prosperous life in the rich areas of Mars. He could always ask for anything, and he always got it. When his mother was alive he was always in the middle of everything and his parents always found some time to play with him. But after his mother passing away when he was 6, he and his father distanced themselves from each other. Thobias did school stuff and went to parties, whilst his dad attended to offical stuff. Sometimes his dad brought Tobias to events such as weddings and dinners but he never enjoyed it.

From elementary school, Thobias has always lived a rebellous life. He used to be on the baseball team, being one of the fastest runners in school. Passing with a normal score, once in High School Thobias became the most famous kid in class. He always had a girl or two by his side, and he went around town with his gang doing "fun". Later he started to do parkour, and skateboarding. Always coming back late, and having bad grades, his father sent out guards to get him home after school, and prevent him from doing bad things. However this made Thobias even more furious and he often sneaked out from school unnoticed to evade the guards.

When he turned 16 he got a motorbike, and since he uses that as his primary method for travel. He just loves the speeding of it, and can't get enough of the thrill. Not to mention being a real lady magnet. Near this time he started to do 1G training to better practice his parkour. Twice every week, he did a training painful after the Martian 0.3G. That said after a few months he has stopped feeling pain on the trainings and had better conditioning than a lot of other kids. During the next couple of years, he has spent many time on the streets, dealing drugs and running errands for a few friends in teh business, generally away from home whenever possible to avoid all the bullshit about his behaviour. He has always loved his dad, and he didn't want to bother him with his own things either. After the shake of Mars things turned to hell, and his dad has been always on the phone and away with some reason.

He discovered his ability on an otherwise fatal night. After running away from one his guards he aimlessly ran around town. When he was heading back home near Evening his foot slipped and he fell down a building. That moment he wished really, really hard to be still on top of that ledge in fornt of him. Then suddenly in the Blink of an eye (pun intended) he was atop the building. He Tobias was shocked. He felt tired and exhausted, and he couldn't remember how he got home. Since he spent his time secretly practicing and perfecting his ability.

SAMPLE POST:

The rushing of the wind against his helmet was a fantastic feel. Tobias took a deep breath, and looked at the mirror to see the road behind him. The glass reflected with blue and red lights as one more cop car joined the chase. "One more. Great." Tobias laughed to himself, which was more like a muffled shake that ran through his helmet. He took a turn leading to the docks, and turned the handle to accelerate with the motorbike. The roaring sound eliminated all other noises for a second and then a sudden rush sped him up and left the cops with only dust. At least for a few seconds. His motorbike was fast, but not fast enoguh to hold the police interceptors at bay for long.
Instead of taking a direct route he decided to take as many turns as possible to avoid the authority. After all, he spent his entire life running away.

After taking the twenty or so turn, the sound of the sirens started to fade away, and it seemed as if they lost his trail. Tobias pulled down into a narrow alley and stopped the bike's engine. He removed his helmet and sighed heavely, catching air after the chase. For a second he jsut blankly stared into teh darkness and listened to the repeating sound of the cops trying to find someone who wasn't even near them. "Alrighty, let's see what we got." The dufflebag on his back made a loud sound as it hit the ground, alerting a few birs that sat on nearby poles. Not like anyone would notice now. Tobias crossed one of his fingers inside the gloves and opened the zipper. And there was it. 10 kilos of pure Black Dust, enough to spend a lifetime in prison. And no one wants to go to prison on Mars. Especially not someone who is rich. "Yes, yes, yes!" Tobias stood up and started to dance around the bag for a few seconds. The he removed the number plate from his bike, and threw it into the bag, closing it once again. Tobias chanined the motor to a nearby grate, and looked up at the night sky, before vanishing from sight, and leaving only a small pile of black dust behind.

Enson Corporation

Enson is a Mars based PMC and arms manufacturing company that control most of the weapons market, and almost the whole Lunar warehouse industry. They have the biggest standing force of all PMCs on Mars and are the lead developers in experimental weapons and cybernetic augments. Ever since the Lorne Corporation began putting out it's own V.I., Enson has put a fortune in the developing V.I. robots themselves. On Mars they are the richest and corporation, gaining massive amounts of credits every cycle. After an unfortunate accident in 2127, the UN has put sanctions on the company. To avoid further conflicts they signed a treaty that they will work together with the UN, and in exchange they will look over the incident. Now Enson supplies UN with vast amounts of small arms and equipment, improving their relations, and also gaining reputation amongst any potential buyers. UN bonds have improved ever since the riots began, as Enson is siding with Earth in this issue, providing vast amounts of weapons, whilst still maintaining an image of prosperity to the Martian inhabitants with constant displays of military power, to keep them at bay. They help occasionally in quieteing riots, in order to prevent chaos, and therefore loss of profits from mars. Nowadays most of it's operations are providing defense against pirates and raiders for different vessels, like VIPs and Traders. The current CEO is Teodor Thane, who has a slight knowledge about the people with superpowers, thought he is yet to fully confirm it.

[ravenDivinity]

Luther Ulfsson

Name: Luther Ulfsson
Alias: N/A
Age: 17
Gender: Male

Appearance:

Image

Abilities:

An increase in the connections between neurons and the promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis in Luther's brain has caused Luther to develop hypercognition and enhanced intelligence. A heightened level of brain functioning has allowed him to accelerate cognitive processes like learning and understanding; thus, with effort, information, and motivation, Luther could effectively learn a new language or a new field in science over the period of a few days rather than over the course of a few years. On the other hand, Luther has become more susceptible to the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and headaches.

In addition to his hypercognition and enhanced intelligence, Luther now possesses localized control over water, including its solid and gaseous forms and phase changes to either state. He is limited solely to bodies of water which are within view and within 50 meters, approximately the length of an Olympic pool. This ability requires more focus as the distance increases to the furthest limit, and overexertion may affect areas outside of 50 meters with the immediate effect of losing consciousness for anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Luther can manipulate the closest and smallest bodies of water with little to no effort, but higher volumes of water in excess of 1 cubic meter become increasingly difficult to manage and also require higher levels of focus. The maximum volume of water which Luther may manipulate is 10 cubic meters. When Luther relinquishes control of a body of water, the water is no longer an isolated system. Bigger bodies of water take longer to change states, so it is more efficient to focus on a small surface area than it is to affect a large expanse.

Skills:

• Natural (but below genius) intellect
• Energetic, friendly personality
• Decent singer, high vocal range
• Skilled speaker and writer and adequate artist
• English and German speaker
• Highly emotional
• Witty, comedic

Flaws:

• Bad (but improving) temper
• Nearsighted
• Not very creative
• Not incredibly strong
• Low self-esteem
• Highly emotional
• Snarky, sarcastic

Background:

2182: Luther Ulfsson is born in New London on 7 July to working-class parents, William Ulfsson and Sonica Ulfsson (née Thomson).

2190: Luther is accepted into a program for gifted students.

2196: Luther starts secondary education with the goal of eventually doing scientific research and mathematics.

2197: Luther's mother starts work as a junior staffer for the Lunar Colony. That same year, Luther's father is diagnosed with cancer.

2198: Luther writes two opinion articles for the school newspaper on the unrest in New London.

2199: William Ulfsson's cancer goes into remission. A final operation removes the cancer entirely.

2200: Sonica Ulfsson returns to Mars from the Lunar Colony. The Quake occurs, and Luther begins exhibiting higher performance in school.

Sample Post:

14 February 2200.
The holotablet on the desk displayed integral calculus, complete with a graph, some variables, and an equation. A gentle, deft touch dragged information across the surface of the device, and an index finger wrote the calculations in a bright sky blue as an occupied mind worked further and further ahead. The graph slanted on the screen as Luther penned more work on the problem, and the graph eventually morphed to show a three-dimensional representation of his work so far. Variables changed at Luther's command, and terms of equations shifted past each other like tectonic plates. The tall, youthful brunet, who stooped over the desk, mumbled his computations, and wrote his answers with elegance and speed, swiped his finger in a circle around the last number and tapped into the next page of work. In a few more months, his time in secondary education would terminate, and Luther could proceed to university.

Hallowed halls, packed seminars, scientific license, and individual freedom awaited Luther Ulfsson, and he held the duty of carrying the family into the future. Perhaps he was beyond the transient period of gradeschool education, where everyone was forgettable including oneself and where social needs were not so easily met as they were deprived by both strict codes of conduct and illusory climates of condescension. Luther could feel his hand forced at any given moment, either by the prevailing authorities or by any imagined worry. But not so, at the university. Luther bided his time until then.

Luther took a peek at the new problem before him, and he wrinkled his nose. "Disgusting."

Grabbing his glass of water, possibly Mars' scarcest commodity, Luther stepped towards his room's window which faced north, and in the sky, he could discern the star Deneb and the moon Phobos. It was very obviously night out, but New London kept moving and shining. That fact reminded Luther of something he had read online once, a 200-year-old quote, but maybe it was irrelevant.

The people were not content with the way things were, and USF presence on Mars only increased in the past few months. Just that day, 4 people went missing without explanation, but time and time again, the people in charge maintained their story that they would 'look into it.' Luther swirled the water around in his glass, and shooting an armed glare at the liquid, it tensed into ice as if he had threatened to murder it. He let it change into a liquid again and repeated his little parlor trick. The first time he had done this, Luther was crying in his room just a week before, and his tears evaporated harmlessly the moment they dripped from his face. Neurotically, Luther continued the cycle over and over again as with every habit and trial in his life, but somehow, he felt something larger ahead.

[twave]

Edith Rendel

Name: Edith Rendel

Alias: Chronos

Age: 87

Gender: Female

Appearance:


Ability: Localized time manipulation.

-Abilities Strengths: Edith is able to create pockets where time is displaced within a 2 yard radius. As time naturally progresses forward it is easiest to speed it up or slow it down. The limit of which appears to be a factor of 1000. While rolling back time within the displacement is possible she has no cognitive ability to make it happen at will. The single example being the unwitting regression of her own age which was at a much higher rate than any of her other abilities.

To help explain how things would look to our characters please see the hider below.

Time Displacement Field

Inside the Field:

Fast: Things outside the field appear slower. When something enters the field it moves at normal speed.
Slow: Things outside the field appear faster. When something enters the field it moves at normal speed.

Outside the Field:

Fast: Things inside the field appear to move faster. When something exits the field it moves at normal speed.
Slow: Things inside the field appear to move slower. When something exits the field it moves at normal speed.

-Abilities Weaknesses: Only a single area of displacement is possible at a time. If there are multiple targets but they are not close enough to each other then only one will be able to be affected. She is also not immune to the effects should she manage to be in the field at the time. Use of her abilities seems to take a toll on her mind and liberal use requires sleep to recuperate. Overextending can lead her to pass out on the spot.

Skills:

• A natural leader.
• Proficient with firearms.
• Self taught electrical engineer.
• Decent with hand to hand.
• can speak three languages (English, French, and German).
• Has a lifetime's worth of experience.

Flaws:

• Edith is not the most empathetic person.
• Not the strongest given her regression to teenage years.
• While she has had the chance to read and watch the news, Edith has been out of touch with the outside world for many years.
• Can be extremely hot headed. While her years in prison has helped mute some of that, her new found youth has her itching for action again.
• Has to reconcile with her past actions.

Background: In her prime she was the leader of a radical group that originated on Earth. They believed that use of AI would bring about the end of humanity. To be sure they were way out on the edge and would do anything to end use of such things. At first they were tolerated as nothing more than another conspiracy group filled with the paranoid. And for the most part they were right until Edith started riling them up. Just 29 at the time she had plenty of issues. Not the least of which was the mental damage done through use of drugs. Unhinged and unopposed she managed to get a small number to declare war on companies that created AIs.

Several factories were destroyed, some with people still in them. Edith and her group became public enemy number one and a manhunt began which forced them underground. One by one her followers either broke off or were captured. With the authorities getting closer she opted to go off world to Mars. Smuggled in she tried her best to fit in. But even with those breathing down her neck she attempted to destroy another facility. Her attack was thwarted however and she was captured. At 34 she was tried and convicted of multiple accounts of murder, property damage, illegal possession of explosives, and numerous other infractions. It was an open and shut case and it her sentence was life in prison.

When you're already crazy having 43 years mostly to yourself doesn't help. Even at 87 she was looking at 20 to 30 more years in the hole. That's the wonders of modern medicine for you. Even still she didn't have the spunk she once did and the facility was more than enough to keep her contained. On the occasion when a human guard would be by she could either be very friendly or shouting obscenities. Senility had had its way and it looked like she would just wither away in her cell. After the many years it had been and so far away from Earth most of the public didn't even know she was still alive.

And then the unexplainable happened. Up late one night (not that it was easy to tell the time) she drifted off into a stupor. A mutation manifesting her biological clock began to tick backward. Hours past and she went from a 87 year old woman to a youthful 17. How far back she would have gone no one knows because the process was interrupted by alarms and yelling. Abruptly ending the first action of her powers she passed out. When she awoke she was somewhere else. It was still a cell but not one she remembered. Being somewhere else wasn't nearly as alarming as finding herself a teenager again. On top of that she could think clearly again, having reversed the mental scarring of those many years ago. The only visible remnant of her former self was her white hair. Wisdom apparently did mean gray hairs.

Sample Post: Today was the day. As the minutes ticked by Edith sat anxiously, checking the clock over and over again. Despite the stress looming over her, outwardly she appeared quite cool. She'd been planning for the last year for this and she wasn't going to undermine it by showing what might be second thoughts. Lightly brushing her brunette hair out of her face she took her earpiece off the counter before her and set it in her ear. There was chatter going on, her group getting everything in place.

At 1500 hours the worlds would know that their movement would not be deterred. It would come at a high cost, but the cost didn't matter in her mind. The consequences of allowing AI to continue advancing far outweighed what would occur in the next few minutes. "Continue with the plan. They'll put the place in lockdown if they're tipped off." Why did everyone need to be kept on task? They knew their part and that deviation would only muck things up.

Facing the laptops they had set up, several streams were open. Some were cameras that they'd hijacked to watch what was going on. But others were watching various news channels. When this went down she wanted to see the world thought. Almost time. The teams were scrambling out but one got spotted and held up. They began yelling to Edith to delay or abort. It didn't take long before she simply took the earpiece off and looked to her two accomplices that were with her. "We're clear. Do it." Four AI manufacturing plants down.

Anti-Artificial Intelligence Movement

People have protested AIs since before they were created. There were legitimate fears that something could go terribly wrong. VIs were already not looked well upon, but they were not capable of doing things on their own. VIs were unsettling as it was, but it was not until a true AI was revealed to have been made that the movement flared up. Despite lacking any real hard evidence protests and tales of doom abounded.

At first the new technology was used in ways you would expect. Systems that could process, innovate, and troubleshoot themselves helped push more advancements. Of course they had to be applied and make a robot that could move around and do things on its own, it was a dream of inventors well before possible. Not everyone took kindly to that. They were the low hanging fruit that were easy to demonize. Some found ways to exploit people's distrust and made some decent money from the gullible, all for a cause.

They were always just a small noisy group though. That changed into more of a roar when the mechanized intelligence was given a gun for military testing. Suddenly all the good that could come from use of AIs was drown. Even though the systems had proven to be safe it did not shut everyone up. While the majority stayed within the confines of the law a small group formed in the shadows. While not ever having an official name in the public eye, they hijacked the name Anti-Artificial Intelligence Movement or AAIM. The acronym fit well because their efforts went further than simple protests, petty threats, and minor vandalism. They would target people, companies, and authorities and actually follow through. Disrupting cargo transports of companies that created AI and VI systems, a higher up nearly beaten to death outside his home, a building set ablaze, nothing seemed to be too far.

At the center of it all was 29 year old Edith Rendel. The mad woman saw the need to take matters into her own hands. What exactly motivated her against AIs or to go to such extremes was never understood. Whatever the reason she rallies the more radical individuals and the situation was treated like a war. Leaving injury and destruction in their wake the authorities began to catch up with several of them and it looked like they would die out on their own. Things got quiet and it was assumed they gave up in fear. While the hunt for them never ended there was not much urgency. They were sorely mistaken.

In a show of strength and symbolism, on the anniversary of the creation of AIs, four factories were blown sky high. Two of which were in operation at the time, meaning it would have been occupied by employees. A true manhunt began with a vengeance. Nothing was spared in the effort to bring to justice those that perpetrated the attack. While the leader had evaded immediate capture many of her followers were caught. AAIM dissolved rapidly. News of Edith's capture and incarceration on Mars seemed to close the book on this bloody chapter. In the time since, AI creation has been made illegal and has largely shelved. While some still distrust AI and VI, the barbarism disillusioned many from doing or saying much about it.

[6slyboy6]

(To be edited to look nice)

Alexis

Name: Alexis Lena

Alias: N/A

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Appearance:



Lena ain't exactly your "good girl". Some say it's her personality that catches some, whilst others say that her one liners make them go crazy. But they all agree that you can't get by Lena without checking out her clothes. Definetly one of an "unique" fashion, Lena dresses up colorfully, wearing light clothing even when it's cold. Nothing hard to move in, things that can fly with teh wind's blow. Reainbow beanies, rainbow shirts and rainbow clothes are what you can find in her wardrobe. Always pretty, but not too fancy clothes, shoes that are teasing, but not inappropriate, accessories that are eye catching, but not completely weird. Her hairstyle is just all messed up, yet still maintained in a complex way, only she can understand. For everyone else it's just punk. And there is always that one chewing gum that she gets from somewhere.

Personality:(why don't we have it, am I right?)
Lena is a very flexible and hot headed person. She can get upset really quickly and dive head first into any fight. That said she isn't a big fan of needless agression against innocent people. She has a thing with being extremely judgemental. As much as she shows a smile every day, as much she wants to rage and let out all her anger. It's easy being her friend normally, but there is a time and place when you want to stand back from her. Since her powers, her eyes also glow when angry. She doesn't give crap about risks and she had natural curiosity.

Abilities:
Lena can harness the power of Aerokinesis, the power to fully control air, wind, and different gaseous elements. All this power resting on the shoulder of one person, it's incredibly hard to master a skill that relies on the control of a constantly changing substance. From turning over billboards and trucks, to creating soundwaves, sonic booms, or even suffocating people within the blink of an eye, Aerokinesis offers a whaleload of different possibilities. It is, however really hard to do so. It requires a signifcant mental activity, which is not only very tiring for thta person, but it quickly resolves into headache, migrane and nausea if teh person is not yet in control of the wind. The more that person can merge with the flowing sensation of the air, the better it can control it's abilities, and sustain their abilities longer. Lena has many issues with this ability right now, thought she trains herself 24/7. She can lift a newspaper, or possibly throw over a cardboard box, but any bigger feat makes her nauseous very quickly.

Skills:
-Lena is a very outgoing personality. She can easely talk her way into and out of situations, and has absolutely no problem holding a conversation for hours.
-She is VERY agile, and it really is all really thanks to her training in Capoeira. With this she can easely ride her hoverboard, and get the hell outta dodge if needed.
-Has experience in burglary and such.

Flaws:
-Whilst Agile, she isn't a very though person. She might punch harder than what she looks like, but it takes only one or two hits to take her down, and lay her on the floor.
-She is afraid of heights due to her accident, and refuses to go any higher than a few meters above ground. This is especially funny to watch when she accidentally goes over a ledge with her hoverboard and just starts screaming under she gets closer to the ground.

Background:
When lena was born, her parents were on a spaceship, heading to a Martian space habitat. A high orbital station for families that could afford to see the beautiful blue sunset on Mars every 2 hours, and for those who worked all their life at Enson. Her parents were weirdos. Always about safety, and how the Martian cities are stinky and are riddles with crime. Until she was 6 Lena and her parents lived in a special habitat which provided 1G to anyone who lived inside it. Albeit very nauseous thanks to the Coriolis effect, Lena had an enviroment to grow up in, where her bones and muscles could build up, and help her the rest of her life. After that point, they moved into the station's 0G part, the biggest one, where Lena had to learn to manouver around. And practice makes perfect as they say, Lena became very good at the Zero Gravity movement.

As if she did it all her life, by the time she was 8 Lena crossed the tunnels of the station at light speed. She began her studies aboard the station, destined to be a doctor. However one year later, when she was 9, she and her parents had to leave the station, as his dad was fired from Enson, and they had to move to the Planet's surface. But if life hits you once, it will hit you again. During the descent, their shuttle got damaged, and crash landed near New London's spaceport. Lena survived, so did her parents, but this event left a great scar inside her. She broke her first Sacral Cordex so she had to undergo extended therapy inside a hospital. Medicaal science could bring her kness back soon, but she still had to learn to walk once again.

It was this time, she began turning into the colorful person she is now. Lena and her parents had to struggle daily, but Lena didn't want to bother anyone else with their bad life. She cheered up her parents, and just became a person you'd want to be along with. Still afraid of the area they lived in, and unable to accept her accident's markings on her legs, she started learning Capoeria. It was a long way, but eventually, when she was around 14, her feelings in her toes and kness came back, as if her body healed completely due to the extensive training. This just gave her life a new meaning, ever destined to do something, and achieve goals in life, because if you try, you are likely to succeed. Learning and training hard, sometimes going out to parties, that's how her life was spent for a long time. Well, not exactly. She had a grudge against Enson, and whilst going diwn that road, she grew to hate the USF and Lorne too. She is a rebel, and constantly goes to the riots, and break into military installations. She has gotten some basic gear to do it too.

It was Lena's 18th birthday that her parents gave her the hoverboard she now calls "Rocinante". Thanks to a contract with a big corporation now they could afford to live a normal life. Lena had more time to spend, go to more palaces, and train with her hoverboard. At first people laughed at her trying and failing to stay on teh board, but soon she became quite the sight at the skatepark. The hoverboiard being a rare sight for starters, her skills soon matched those of professionals. Her body knew every move from Capoeria, and used the skills she achieved in Zero G, to achieve the perfect skating combo.

Now, a few years later, Lena is the same girl we grew to love, maybe a bit more attractive, but the same cheerful person nonetheless. During teh shake of Mars she was using her hoverboard, and at first it seemed funny how people struggled to stand still, but after stopping to see what's going she understood what was happening. For a second she felt that both ground and air betrayed her since she was born. Just good old space left for her. And then when she got her powers, she was amazed. Not because how accidentally she gained them, or how cool it was, no, but because she never expected one of her worst fears to become her ally. Present date, she is living an ordinary life, with an extra. However, she has heard many stories about people going missing.

Note: Lena's eyes glow blue whenever she uses her abilities. A weird thing she noticed not so long ago after she acquired her powers. She can do this even if she isn't using her powers if she wants to, but it isn't a thing she toggles, rather thinks about it, and as long as it is in the back of her head, it remains glowing blue.

Sample Post: Will do later.

[twave]

Lydia Nguyen

Name: Lydia Nguyen

Alias: Cyborg

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Appearance:


Ability: Technological assimilation - She is able to absorb technology and make it as if it were part of her own body. It of course requires physical contact and must be something small enough to be handled. So while she could probably interface with heavy macherey, she cannot outright assimilate anything larger than herself. The range of control that she has of things she assimilates depends mostly on its complexity and her understanding of how it works. Simple tools are more likely to respond on command than a complex technology will.

While she is able to expel most technology that she has assimilated there are a few that are not as simple to remove. Such as the first pieces of technology adsorbed which were a glove created to manipulate and program complex electronics, a exo-arm typically used when lifting heavy objects, and the experimental Lorne V.I. she had been working on. Two are visible by the dark tips of the fingers on her left hand and the metal rail embedded in her right arm and back respectively. Having unwittingly added them to her body they have become functionally permanent. The other tech she is unable to remove are the nanites that have joined with the cells of her body, effectively making her techno-organic.

Skills:

• Advanced technological skills.
• Still requires basic human needs but can go much longer without them.
• The Lorne V.I. allows her to process information much more efficiently and connect with local network systems.
• Her right arm is capable of lifting nearly 100lbs.
• Thanks to the nanites physical injury is not as life threatening most of the time.

Flaws:

• Not the most socially capable.
• The Lorne V.I. actually causes her to act like a machine on occasion. Even take orders from time to time.
• Other than her right arm being augmented, she is average strength wise.
• The V.I. being being integrated means that the is susceptible to hacking.
• Far too trusting of her employer.

Background: Lynda is by trade an engineer and programmer. While not the top of her field she does boast an impressive list of accomplishments, including making her own simple V.I. as a collage project. While she did freelance work for a brief time it was her technical prowess that eventually landed her a job with the Lorne Corporation. Always seeking new talent the woman was green but showed promise. It also kept her out of competitor's hands which was all the more important in Mars' market.

Luckily the bid paid off as Ms. Nguyen took to the job like a fish to water. Not always the most social it was not uncommon to find her buried in her work. Her dedication and attention to detail eventually awarded her the opportunity to work with the R&D team. Everyone was always doing R&D on some level but the actual team dedicated to it got the chance to build and try all the latest advancements. Of course it's not all it's cracked up to be. If anything it requires more to be sure you aren't just wasting company time. Plus a breakthrough doesn't happen every day.

When the planet tremored a month ago it was actually rather frightening. Something happening on that scale was unheard of and in Lynda's mind, not something to take lightly. But after the initial shock and surprise things just seemed to go back to normal. She'd heard rumors that people were beginning to exhibit unusual abilities. The idea of such sounded absurd and just another story that someone on too much of something made up. Life went on as usual.

And it was just another day at the office that Lynda's world was turned on it's head. They had been testing a new V.I. system but it had run into complications. Donning an exo-arm as per usual she disassembled the heavy mechanization and took the "brains" back to her workstation. She put a glove on the other hand that Lorne employees would use to make adjustments without having to expose the delicate electronics contained inside. Having made the adjustments she was running simulations when the stream ended abruptly. Glancing at the device in her hand it had sunk halfway into her palm. Backing away from the desk she tried to pull the V.I. back out but was too late. It was then that she noticed her right arm had locked up, the exo parts that braced her arm and back becoming part of her endoskeleton. It felt like the parts were crawling in her skin before falling numb. The whole process took less than a minute and it took her several more to actually notice that the glove had a similar fate.

While there was no telling exactly what just occurred there, but there was also no denying that it had. The entire floor she'd been working on was monitored and the equipment would surely be listed as missing with her name on the list. Maybe Lynda was a little strange in the head but she, after calming down, immediately reported the incident to her employer. Even without evidence she wasn't inclined to lie. She had just fused with technology and could control it. At least the arm and programming glove worked. Plus where else would she go to study and diagnose her condition. All the equipment she would need to even start was here.

Needless to say Lorne Corp was intently curious about what had happened. Escorted away from all other staff she was put into confinement like many others had been. However in this case Lorne was keeping her hidden not only from the public, but also from the USF. They were not about to let an asset like this slip through their fingers. Much to their surprise and ultimate relief the woman cooperated with very little resistance. She actually was doing most of the work for them and reported her finding voluntarily. Given different technologies to try and repeat the circumstances did not seem to be working. Sizing down several times the only other success was the introduction of nanomachines. On contact Lynda's ability took the small machines and integrated them with her cells. Over a couple of days the new nano-cells replicated across the rest of her body. It was noted that a couple times it appeared that the V.I. had become active and had just as much control of Lynda as she had of herself. She was the closest example of the fusion of man and machine. The implications were enormous and it began to dawn on Lynda that the "freedoms" she had now were likely to come to an end eventually.