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Verra Valinova "Velocity"
- Basic Information -
Superhero/villain Name - Velocity
Civilian Name - Verra Valinova (Presumed Dead)
Origin city/Planet - Central City, Earth
Hometown - N/A
Sex - Female
Race - Human
Height - 5'6"
Weight - >:|
Age - 27
Birth Date - May 20, 1994
"Velocity strikes a pose for the Central City Bulletin shortly after foiling the nefarious Captain Cold" - June 6th, 2010Costumed Appearance - (As her current costume differs from her debut)
Electricity crackling across pink and white, much of her look remains unchanged from those better days of her debut and certainly no one would mistake her for another hero for it. The long years since the Two Month war have shown that it is necessary to adjust and adapt to a more hostile world though, and as such she can no longer afford the flirty and whimsical look of yore. With the help of one of the few friends left to her and an ally within the Justice League, she was able to refine a new and more advanced suit before her disappearance. This suit just like before easily fit within the locket always about her neck, though was designed for more long-term use and direct combat. As expected of a speedster, the material is highly flame-retardant, resistant to high-friction, shock-proof and is even proof against small-arms fire. What's more is that the micro-circuitry within monitors her vitals at all times, linked to both the JL satellite in case of emergency and the smart bracelet on her wrist to display to her any issues. Aesthetic-wise she still wears the short skirt that she is known for, the pleats usually crackling with that signature electricity, bulletproof though it is. She has chosen to wear some actual pants and sleeves though, as well as including a full facemask and cloak for traveling through the wastes.
Non-Costumed Appearance -
Just like most of those heroes who have fought and survived through the Two-Month War and the intermittent conflicts since, Velocity wears the scars of that life plainly and is no longer the bright-eyed youth that she was when it all began. The emerald of her eyes have hardened just that little bit, no longer seeing the good in others and instead seeking out their intentions before speaking. Physically she's filled out a bit more, though refrains from showing off. All said though, due to her meta-human regenerative powers and the speed-force coursing through her she barely looks a day over twenty despite being quite a few years past it, and the marks of battle remain solely upon her mind. Her hair has grown a bit longer as well, no longer able to be held back by a mere ribbon or just let loose and instead left in a single braid both in costume and out.
Icon - Stylized lightning bolt
Costumed Personality -
"There are two Velocities, the one who struck the people as a personification of what we should strive to be, of the best in all of us and the good in our hearts… And the one who witnessed the depths of man's greed for power, of the wickedness in our hearts and lost everything..."
It is said that there is a distinct divide between the heroes of the last decade and those rising now. Where in one there is a rising star and hope to change the world, an optimism that belies their inexperience and often inability, in the other there is the cruel knowledge of what they truly face. The Two-Month War started by the Blackthorne and their dark god. The chaos of their hollow "victory" and the devastation wrought upon the world in the aftermath. They were celebrated as heroes who saved the world, but for some of them the cost was simply too high. One in particular emerged from the flames and ash different from before. Where once there was that self same hope and brilliance, it was now dulled and her fire a smoldering ember that struggled to remain alight. Verra Valinova or Velocity. One was presumed dead with the rest of Central City when the Coven decimated much of the midwest to create their own paradise. The other struggled to cope with the loss of everything she had known for her entire life. Even the Justice League who she had come to find companionship in, and a certain red-masked antihero could not truly see the effect it had on her until one day she was simply gone. She chose isolation and contemplation in order to better understand her role as a hero, what little contact she has had with people since the Two-Month War seeming to be merely out of obligation as Velocity. That is not to say that she is cold or unfeeling, or that she is incapable of showing that brilliant smile of before… Just that "Central City's Sweetheart" has lost a bit of her light and is on the journey to find it again in something.
Abilities and Equipment
- Skills
Polyglot - Due primarily to her "Speed Mind" abilities, Verra is conversationally fluent in multiple languages, and is easily capable of learning others. At the current moment(2021) she speaks English and Russian natively, and is fluent in French, Latin, Atlantean, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
- Powers
Speed Force Conduit -
Much like homo magi, the source of Verra's powers is something beyond herself, a dimension full of energy that seems to be the very fundamental force behind space and time. This dimension has gone by many names throughout time, though it is universally known as the Speed Force. People like Verra don't just have a connection to this realm as the magisters do, they rely on the leylines to channel their arcane powers and without them magic would simply continue on as normal. Speed Force Conduits on the other hand, serve a mutually beneficial purpose. Their powers are both a gift to the user, and a very necessary action for the Speed Force itself, serving as a release valve for the indescribably vast energies within the dimension. This is why there is always at least one speedster somewhere in the multiverse, running as fast as they can.
Superhuman Speed -
The primary power of a Speed Force Conduit, incredible speed. Because of the vast energies suffusing their body a speedster, as they are often called, is able to move at speeds beyond normal human ability. While at first she was able to achieve the speed of a mere mach 35 in the first few months of discovering her powers, she has since seen a steady growth after the events of the Two-Month War. Feats that require the use of special structures to channel her speed are now just for convenience, as with enough space she can punch holes through reality and time itself making her among the fastest in the entire multiverse.
Superhuman Stamina -
Along with superspeed, comes the ability to sustain it for long periods of time. Verra's superhuman stamina means that what would normally exhaust normal humans, is as easy as rolling out of bed. It takes excessive use of her powers to break a sweat, and pushing the limits to even come close to tiring her.
Superhuman Reflexes -
Another ability that comes paired with being a speed force conduit, is that of being able to perceive and react to things at superhuman levels. In an instant everything seems to slow down just for her, and she can easily dodge and redirect most direct attacks. No one is flawless though, and Verra's reflexes are only as good as her sense of awareness.
Accelerated Healing -
Down to the cellular level, Verra's body is in tune with the speed force and infused with its energies. Among the many other benefits and abilities, is that of greatly enhanced healing. What would take weeks for normal humans to heal from, she can do in mere hours if not minutes, and even some of the mortal wounds are just a setback. Accelerated healing can be a double-edged sword however, in that she has to be extra careful when dealing with broken bones and making sure to set them correctly as fast as possible before new bone growth occurs. Otherwise the bone would have to be broken again.
Electrokinesis -
Lightning. She can throw lightning from her hands. Well, it's not actually lightning, more like the electrostatic build up of energy bleeding off her body from the speed force when she's running at high speeds. With a little bit of effort she can directionalize the current that surrounds her, usually towards something that needs zapped.
Enhanced Mental Processes -
Moving at superspeed is one thing, reacting another, but being able to understand everything is something that could become quite difficult. Luckily for speedsters, their minds are also accelerated to process information as fast as they receive it. As quickly as she can turn the pages in a book, Verra can read and understand it. While initially unable to retain more than fragments of information attained in such a way, over time speedster minds are capable of speed-learning entire subjects and referencing it later as if they had known it all along. In her years since the Two-Month War, she has been able to reach these levels, having a photographic memory capable of near-perfect recall.
Enhanced Senses -
Even without immersing herself in the speed force, Verra's senses are vastly enhanced by its energies. This leaves her able to see things unfold as if in slow motion in front of her, hear whispers across the room and detect the subtlest changes in temperature or charge around her.
Molecular Acceleration -
Through practice and a stronger connection to the speed force, she has managed to achieve control over the basic elements of her body, allowing her to be able to vibrate at specific frequencies to phase through objects.
Speed Force Aura -
While running at high speeds the speed force envelops her body in an aura of energy, bleedoff from the buildup of kinetic energy that shrouds her and allows others traveling alongside her to be protected by the intense forces.
- Gadgets
Velocity's Locket -
A rather trivial looking thing, the small heart-shaped locket almost perpetually affixed around her neck is actually the source of Velocity's costume. With but a small charge through her skin and against the advanced alloy of the casing, the suit deploys before her where she can change out of her more civilian clothes and into it, stowing away the latter until after her work is done.
- Civilian Occupation
N/A - At the current moment Verra/Velocity is living off the grid and traveling around the world. Her civillian identity is assumed to have perished with the other residents of Central City.
- Character History
Daughter of the infamous mercenary Julianna "Reverie" Valinova and Iosef Valinova life began at a swift pace for the woman who would one day become the fastest woman in the world. Born in Russia in the city of Saint Petersburg, the military life would have been something she picked up as well eventually. Each year it seemed they moved to a new city, new experiences for Verra as she developed and learned to walk and talk. Despite all of that though she had a brilliant spark within her, never having trouble with fitting in or making friends. Already she was a rising star when her family moved back to America and settled in Central City. A year passed, then two and she had begun to learn the new language and starting to lose the accent as her parents watched and ensured she had the life they couldn't have. Then tragedy struck as her father passed, at first the death sudden and unexplained but later finding that it had been the result of long-term polonium poisoning from consistent handling of the material.
Her mother took it hard, descending into drink and taking on more dangerous and less than legal jobs in order to keep herself distracted from the pain, unaware that her daughter was coping in her own ways. For her it was the schoolwork and finding a more productive outlet, knowing that what her mother was doing was self-destructive and trying to keep up appearances for the both of them. Each year afterward she seemed to keep moving up, acing tests, getting placed in more advanced classes and somehow fitting in cheerleading in between all of it. Those small personal victories added on one by one, showing off to her mother what she was doing and always seeking to make her proud. Eventually though she would find that one thing that struck her, and when it did there was no looking back. In middle school she took track and cross-country on a whim, trying out for the team and placing easily. There she found her passion, at first running to get better and medal for the team, then just to enjoy it and in the end it was the only thing that could bring her calm. A pair of running shoes, open skies and fresh air became an anchor of normalcy for her even as the world changed and strange forces moved in the background.
Then, twelve years ago she crossed paths with one that would change her life forever. On one of her many runs along the trails north of the city, she had found herself a bit farther out and later than normal. It had already gotten dark when she realized she was well away from home and needed to head back, and not even thinking about it she took a shortcut through the forest to get back to the city faster. Little did she know that there was a good reason why hikers were advised to stay on the main trails and avoid the side paths, park services aware of strange anomalies within the darker woods that tended to lead even the most seasoned and prepared astray. Storm clouds built overhead as she ran down twisting paths, eerie lights flashing within the darkness and in the sky as it felt like the air was becoming charged. Even as things began to feel very wrong she pushed on, knowing that if she turned back to find a different path it would only make her even later and risk getting lost instead. She didn't even notice that as she pushed on, the rain seemed to fall slower and slower until it stopped all together. It was only when a bright flash lit the sky and she watched the slow uncoiling of a lightning bolt falling towards her that she realized the rain drops around her had stopped moving. In slow motion the bolt arced towards her, where she stood mesmerized by the brilliant light, strange colors spilling outward as it got closer and closer. Part of her knew that she should move out of the way, but another also knew that it had already been done. That she had already been struck well before the bolt hit and knocked her unconscious.
A month later Verra awoke in Central City hospital. Flower arrangements surrounded her bed, cards addressed to her and wishing a swift recovery as well as a familiar face asleep nearby. Altogether it was just as strange a situation as the forest from her last memory, and it took a few tries to explain entirely what happened. All she could feel was a strange liveliness to her body, as if full of energy and unable to sit still. Despite being told that she had been in a coma for a month, that her heart had stopped multiple times and no matter what the doctors did there was no explaining how she wouldn't have a heartbeat for minutes at a time and suddenly start again. Unfortunately just waking up from her coma wasn't quite enough to be released, and it took a few more days of nurses fussing over her, doctors making concerned and confused faces at charts and of course an endless stream of visitors from school. Finally when it seemed clear that she was fine and her mother had leveled a few oddly specific threats she was allowed to return home.
To say everything went back to normal would have been a lie, and a few times Verra has joked about it when among closer friends even if she didn't reveal what exactly happened to her. School work caught up fairly quick, a few weeks passed and once again she was back to running for the team without any idea that each step came that much quicker than the last. Somewhere deep inside though she knew that she was changed. Things that left her winded before seemed a breeze, her memory became sharper and even though she was fairly quick on the ball with new concepts things seemed all that much easier. A little concerned by that alone, she started to look for ways to press herself, wanting to know the answer to a question she wasn't even sure she wanted to ask. And then it happened. One moment she was stood at the bottom of a hill, a soft exhale and pressing back against the block to start her practice run. Then she was at the top a mile away and with electricity crackling from her fingers and toes. It was as if she crossed that distance in an instant, but she remembered clearly every step. The way things seemed to just stand still as she ran by, the surge of energy through her body.
The crack of the sound barrier breaking rushed to meet her, blowing back her hair and answering the question she didn't dare ask. That night when she was struck by lightning she had been changed, she had become something more than human. A metahuman. At that time reports had been coming in more and more of people with extraordinary powers, and while every kid dreams of such things, to actually have them was something else entirely. On one hand she was positively giddy at not just the thought of having something truly special, but also the sheer scientific possibility before her. Yet… She had been changed, and part of her wondered if she was still Verra Valinova. A month passed by, and that doubt was washed away when she chose to simply accept what she was and try to do like others with her gifts, to help her fellow man.
For a short time she simply went in and out of dangerous situations, moving with such speed that even professional equipment couldn't capture an image of her and all anyone was left with was a blur across the screen. A robbery here, a mugging there, police standoff, bank heist, the more she showed up to intervene the more focus there was on trying to identify the pink blur that kept showing up around Central City. Eventually she would be seen, and as she had yet to actually do more than move really fast and cover her face, someone too clever for their own good would have eventually identified her. Verra knew this all too well and had been working here and there on coming up with something to conceal herself. It came to be revealed in the spring of 2010 when she finally stopped long enough in front of a camera to be seen. Pink and white, a short skirt and the smile that became almost as much a signature as her name and the lightning bolt on her chest. "I'm Velocity!"
Then in October of the same year, everything came to an end. Those forces who had been working in the background came to light in a violent way, sparking a two-month war that led the young hero to work alongside six others in a desperate stand against evil. Each fight took everything she and her newfound companions had, testing each to the limits of their abilities and thensome. For Velocity it was even harsher, as while some like Grim and Wonder Woman had years of experience to fall back on, she was making do with sheer willpower and ability. No one was as hard pressed as her, often having to run between besieged cities to save civilians caught in the crossfire, enter into a battle in progress to provide support for soldiers or her companions, or simply come back home to keep the streets clean. It seemed as if she was everywhere all at once, but as the days turned to weeks, and those weeks shifted from one month to two, the wear started to weigh upon her. Then victory came, but at a staggering cost.
The Three-Horned God was driven from Hub City and back into the midwest, only to sear reality with chaotic magicks that rent earth and steel all the same. A scar was left upon the continent and the world as a whole, a slap in the face to the seven heroes who fought bitterly against the foul creature. None felt it more than Velocity though. As fell light shone upon the horizon, corrupting and destroying everything in its path all she could think of was her home out there somewhere in the chaos. Central City lay in the heart of the devastation, and when it had finally ended nothing remained except ash and ruins. The staggering loss changed the young heroine even if the effects wouldn't be clear for some time afterwards.
After the Two-Month War things returned to a strange normalcy. People, scared as they were of the new world, slowly went back to work. They settled into their patterns and adapted. Other threats rose up and were handled, each one taken care of by what the people had called "The Justice League". Seven Wonders of the World as some referred to them, but slowly her smile faded and she started to be seen less and less active among the more civilized parts of the world. By the time the others noticed the change, she had already taken her new suit and disappeared into the wastes left behind by that war. Here and there word comes back of a heroine who arrives in a flash out there among the forgotten, assisting people who either can't make it to the safer regions or won't leave the homes they grew up in. Some think she was simply too young to have gotten involved with being a hero, that it was the fate of everyone who wears a mask. Others who know of the World-That-Was remember Central City's Sweetheart and understand the pain in her heart. Only a couple truly know though, and for one there is still a single voicemail left unheard in her phone.
Nemesis: Depression
Allies: Arsenal
Team: The Justice League
