[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

[Davies]

Shinji Higashikata

In Japan's underworld, the mystics speak in terrified tones about the Shēngxiào, a dark agency of powerful entities who destroy any who dare oppose them, except for that person. They speak in frustrated tones about the Ghost Sweepers, the group who seems to act with the blessing of the mundane state and has ruined so many clever schemes, often with the assistance of that person. And from time to time, someone will start talking about that person directly, and be quickly silenced, out of sheer paranoia that doing so will attract the attention of the greatest mystical power in Japan.

Higashikata Shinji was one of the founders of the group that became known as Ghost Sweepers, just over a decade ago, and was installed as its leader because of his vast and undefined mystical powers. Eventually, he retired from that position to take up an advisory role within the Yokoyama Group, out of concern that his vast power would cause disaster if used so freely as it had been. Nevertheless, he remains willing to exert himself, when matters call for it, descending to lend his aid to the organization he helped to found.

It's all a crock, a farce. Deception and delusion reign supreme even among those who imagine that they know the hidden truths of the world. Higashikata was (and is) a confidence artist who got caught up in the events that created the Ghost Sweepers. Realizing that he was completely helpless in the face of the powers and principalities that the team was confronting, he created a myth about his own vast power and wisdom, employing it as a defense and a weapon. When they were succeeding, it was through the use of his power, too subtle for any of them to detect. When they were failing, it was despite the best efforts he was putting forth, and yet if they just kept trying, perhaps he, and they, could break through.

And it worked, for years. Eventually, he was moved upstairs to exert his powers for the financial benefit of the Yokoyama Group. This was what he'd been angling for the whole time. He doesn't have to do much, just make oracular pronouncements and take the credit that people are far too willing to give him for their own success. For this, he's paid an almost embarrassing amount of money and could live like a king. Of course, that would attract far too much attention, and so he lives simply and modestly.

There's just one problem -- this life is pretty darn boring. Actually, there are a lot of problems besides that. When we practice to deceive, we often start by fooling ourselves, and the truth is that Higashikata Shinji is not nearly as much of a greedy and selfish person as he likes to think. He was (and is) badly frightened by what he learned through the Ghost Sweepers' cases, but he didn't use his talent for deception to escape from this situation. (Admittedly, he had no idea where he could go that the opposition couldn't find him.)

Instead, he used those talents to help others who could successfully oppose these forces, and often worked to keep them on their feet and saved their lives. Most of those who were his colleagues, especially Sayo Asagiri, have Higashikata figured out, but respect his courage and well-hidden conscience enough to avoid ruining his mystique. They often end up suppressing groans when he shows up to 'help out' due to his boredom, but he continues to use his wits and ridiculous talent for telling plausible lies for their benefit, so they in turn continue to protect their former captain, no matter what.

Shinji Higashikata -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 4 | AWE 5 | PRE 4

Powers:
Vast and Undefined Mystical Abilities, The Likes of Which You Cannot, Nay Dare Not, Imagine: Actually doesn't have any - 0 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2 (English, Korean, others, [Japanese is native]), Leadership, Set-up, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt, Teamwork 2, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+9), Insight 6 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 3 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+7), Stealth 5 (+6), Treatment 2 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 0 + Advantages 21 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 108 points

Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Profit--Motivation. Responsibility--Actual Motivation. Friendship (Ghost Sweepers organization.) Reputation (vastly powerful mystic.) Secret (complete fraud.)

 

[Davies]

Mysterica

Between the lingering effects of the final battle between Alphatron and El Imán, more than forty years ago, and the fact that two members of the Powerhouse live there, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Denver sees more than its fair share of superpower activity. Even during the height of the Insurgency, there was a small team of self-proclaimed superheroes resident here, the Mile High Marauders -- who were unfortunately neither all that competent nor blessed with much good fortune.

But their legacy continues right into the present day in the form of Denver's many masked 'fraternities'. Most of these are neither criminal groups nor alliances of would-be superheroes, just small, private assemblies of superpowers who know each other and hang out together. While some of the frats publicize their activities, usually in hopes of recruiting more members, others are very averse to public attention. And whenever there are groups trying to keep their activities private, there will inevitably be those who are trying to find out what's going on.

Bobbi Catrell is a junior reporter for Denver's KWGN-TV news, and wants to be one of the hosts of the primetime news program. In order to bring this about, she knows that she's going to have to report on a major story. And she believes that the best way to do this is to infiltrate the frats, discover their secrets, and publicize them. Therefore, she has created the identity of 'Mysterica' a masked mystery-woman, and is posing as a would-be superhero. While doing so, she's run into Polymorph a few times, who has bought into her act completely and regards her as a trustworthy ally.

Of course, the thing about pretending to be a superhero is that you will run into situations that require a superhero. Recognizing this, Bobbi has acquired and trained with a unique weapon that she dubs a paintgun. (Not a paintball gun, that's something else.) It shoots a stream of reddish paint at a target, which stings but doesn't cause actual injury, and can (if properly directed) leave the target temporarily unable to see. Mysterica generally uses this to slow opponents down so that she can escape, but has sometimes used it to put one in a situation where she could defeat them by other methods, having taken a few krav maga lessons.

Despite the fact that Bobbi is pursuing this course for what is absolutely the wrong reason, she's not totally heartless. She frequently finds herself feeling sympathy for people who get caught up in these sorts of situations, and will, when possible, try to help them. And, when confronted with genuine villainy, she'd oppose it to the best of her ability. But on the other hand, she'll always put her own ambitions ahead of such matters.

Ironically, Bobbi's activities are attracting a fair amount of media attention from other reporters, which is actually making her goal a bit harder. The frats that she wants to infiltrate obviously don't want to be associated with someone who's always in the news!

Mysterica -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 3 | AWE 2 | PRE 2

Powers:
Paintgun: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge; Dazed & Vision Impaired, Stunned & Vision Disabled), Extra Condition, Instant Recovery, Limited Degree; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 6 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Taunt, Tracking.

Equipment:
Car - 10 points

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Attack: Paintgun 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+6), Vehicles 2 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Paintgun +7 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 5.

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 6 + Advantages 16 + Skills 28 + Defenses 11 = 94 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Secret Identity. Soft-hearted.

 

[Voltron64]

Only a matter of time before she either becomes up a superhero for real or ends up as the story herself with the press doing to her what she wants to do with the frats.

 

[Davies]

Only a matter of time before she either becomes up a superhero for real or ends up as the story herself with the press doing to her what she wants to do with the frats.

Or both.

 

[Davies]

Madame Menagerie

From Cynthia Smith's early youth onward, it was clear that she had a special rapport with the animals of her family's ranch in Texas, made most dramatically clear when she calmed a panicking horse by simply whispering to it, at the age of thirteen. That was also when her father took her into his confidence and revealed that long ago, when her family had been aristocrats in Bavaria, many of her ancestors had possessed her talent and the ability to call on the powers of the animals. Cynthia had no idea what to make of this; it sounded like a fairy tale or a myth.

By 1957, as figures of fairy tales or myths had become widely known, the notion seemed much more plausible. But her 'power' remained frustratingly mundane -- she could understand animal motivations and help them to understand her own, but not much else. Her father's stories suggested that physical training might be the key to unlocking the more dramatic abilities, so she pushed her limits in search of that key. Finally, just a bit before her eighteenth birthday, Cynthia found her breakthrough, running among the horses and kept their pace.

Of the animal powers she could call upon, those of the tiger seemed most generally useful, and so she designed her costume to use tiger patterning when she made her debut as Madame Menagerie, the first female superhero. Soon after her debut, she had her first clash with the man who'd become her nemesis, a delusional hunter named Emil Larrimore who'd acquired a so-called magic helmet that granted him various powers, notably weather control, decided that he was the embodiment of the Norse god Ullr and so had to hunt all the wild beasts of the world, especially Madame Menagerie. While their conflicts were fierce, the Madame always prevailed, usually on her own but sometimes through the help of her allies.

In 1961, Madame Menagerie helped to fight off an Atlantean attack on Galveston, part of the civil war that was fought among the undersea people, with the assistance of the Futurian, in their first meeting. She was subsequently invited to join the Institute when it founded in the aftermath, and became quite friendly with the time-leaping speedster. It was frequently assumed that the two of them had a romantic connection, as they often worked and socialized together, but the truth was that Jason Conrad was still awkward and uncomfortable around women, and Cynthia was unwilling to make the first move in the relationship. Thus, they remained only friends, despite themselves.

Sadly, that relationship came to an end in 1968, during the Agents of Destruction's attack on the city of Detroit. She and the Futurian discovered the megabomb that Humpty Dumpty had set to destroy the city and both the Institute and the Agents. While attempting to disarm it, the Futurian was knocked out by a booby trap set to prevent anyone from doing so. With little time remaining on the countdown, Madame Menagerie exerted her powers to the utmost, drawing on the power of a dragon and flying the bomb out over Lake Michigan to minimize the damage. She was the only known fatality of this episode, and the first and only member of the Institute to die in action before 1971.

While almost certainly atomized by the explosion, Exelion has theorized that there is some connection between Madame Menagerie and the much later superpower known as Havfrue, though he has yet to determine the exact nature of that link ...

Madame Menagerie -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 2 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Animal Mimicry: Variable 9 (animal traits), Continuous, Subtle - 73 points

Typical Settings:
Eagle: Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate 2; Enhanced Advantages 10 (Close Attack 4, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Senses 3 (extended 2 rapid vision) - 45 points
Gorilla: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Close Attack, Improved Hold); Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 10; Impervious Toughness 6; Movement 2 (swinging, wall-crawling) - 44 points
Tiger (Default): Strength-based Damage 3; Enhanced Agility 8; Enhanced Fighting 8; Leaping 6 (250 feet); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 45 points
Whale: Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 8; Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [aquatic]); Senses 5 (accurate extended ultrasonic hearing, low-light vision); Swimming 7 (120 MPH) - 45 points

Advantages:
Animal Empathy, Attractive, Benefit 1 (well-off), Defensive Roll, Fast Grab, Improved Initiative, Skill Mastery (Insight), Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+15/+7), Athletics 3 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+15/+7), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+6), Stealth 5 (+15/+7).

Offense:
Initiative +14/+6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Tiger Claw +15 (Close Damage 5)

Defenses:
Dodge 14/6, Parry 16/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 73 + Advantages 8 + Skills 22 + Defenses 20 = 156 points

Offensive PL: 10*
Defensive PL: 10*
Resistance PL: 7*
Skill PL: 10*

Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Friendship (the Futurian.) Nemesis (Ullr.) Secret Identity.

Note: Character concept by Voltron64.

 

[Voltron64]

In 1961, Madame Menagerie helped to fight off an Atlantean attack on Galveston, part of the civil war that was fought among the undersea people, with the assistance of the Futurian, in their first meeting.

Not quite, the two of them had regularly teamed-up quite a few times since 1959.

Anyways, great work and definitely syncs with how I imagined her.

 

[Davies]

Alphatron

The Conqueror, filmed between May and August, 1954, is regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, and certainly the least impressive work of its star, actor Marlon Brando, horribly miscast as Genghis Khan. It is also noteworthy, if that's the right word, for what some have described as an epidemic of cancer cases among the cast and crew, supposedly due to having been filmed at several locations in Utah (as well as studio shoots shot on soil imported from these locations) downwind from an active nuclear test site. How much of an influence this factor had on what happened will likely remain controversial for some time to come.

What isn't controversial is that one Rodney Ritter, born almost exactly nine months after the filming to an uncredited stuntman on the production and his wife, a member of the catering staff -- of whom only she developed cancer, incidentally -- was the only person associated with the film to develop superpowers. (As far as is definitely known, at least.) That he possessed greater-than-human strength and toughness was apparent to his parents even in his childhood, and they learned that he could fly on his own power when he was thirteen. At his parents' urging, Rod kept his powers a secret, intending to join the Institute when he was an adult.

The outcome of the Battle of Vietnam was a shock to his expectations, but Rod responded with determination, making his debut as Alphatron, the Atomic Avenger, just nine months afterwards. While effective against what opposition he faced, and managing to keep his powers under tight control, he was regarded with skepticism by a public who'd just learned how dangerous self-proclaimed heroes could be. Unsettled by this reaction, Alphatron attempted to improve his reputation by agreeing to work with several other 'new' superheroes in an attempt to join the Institute.

This turned out to be something of a fiasco, especially after one of the group turned out to be a villain pretending to have reformed, and another was revealed to be an alien infiltrator. The Institute chose to dissolve rather than accept any new members; Alphatron and the other genuine heroes looked like laughingstocks in the after math. Nor were his attempts to convince them to stick together as a new organization of superheroes all that effective, though the phrase that he used -- "We are members of a very unique fraternity." -- would echo, later on.

Three years later, Alphatron would die in battle with El Imán over the city of Denver. For some time before that, he'd been experiencing increasing difficulty keeping his so-called atomic power under his control, frequently manifesting small bursts of energy that damaged the area around himself. The explosion of the Magno-Helm apparently triggered the largest such outburst yet, incinerating both hero and villain and expelling radioactive, mutagenic substances across a good portion of the city. There have been occasional attempts to memorialize Alphatron in Denver, but the damage that was done by that final battle has left him with an almost toxic reputation there, though some of the city's 'frats' consider him their unwitting founder.

Alphatron -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 6 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 2 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 2

Powers:
Atomic Power: Array (20 points)

• Atomic Blast: Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
• Atomic Bonding: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Hyperdensity: Growth 6, Density (Strength +6, Stamina +6, Dodge -3, Parry -3) - 1 point
• Intangibility: Insubstantial 4 (affected by mystical attacks) - 1 point

Atomic Propulsion: Flight 7 (250 MPH), Aquatic - 15 points
Atomic Senses: Senses 8 (acute energy awareness, darkvision, microscopic vision 4) - 8 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Science 5 (+6), Intimidation 7 (+9), Perception 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Atomic Power 6 (+8)

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 12/6)
Atomic Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Atomic Bonding -- (Ranged Burst Area Will 6)

Defense:
Dodge 8/5, Parry 6/3, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12/6, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 46 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 16 = 130 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Secret Identity. Uncontrolled Power (after 1974.)

 

[Davies]

James Graham

Much of the story has already been told. The truth of the matter is that it wasn't the death of his mentor -- and so many other people whom he respected and admired -- that made James Graham abandon the identity of Masque. It wasn't even any actual failure on his own part. What finally made him dump the long underwear was the fact that his personal nemesis, the man whose skills had driven him to seek out additional training from other fighters besides the Cowl, had managed to hand the Tong that employed him a more serious setback than the Cowl and Masque had managed in more than a decade.

So he became a private investigator, at first working independently and later employed by the Carter Detective Agency, putting the skills that he'd developed to good use and trying to make some justice in an unjust world. When old friends sought him out, he would help them, but he wouldn't put doing that ahead of helping his actual clients. There was only so much that a man could do, and so he chose to focus on the small things instead of the big flashy ones that got headlines. And for a while he was happy, as his job took him all over the world, even to Africa a few times.

Then Sarah Blade came into his life, and everything changed. James tried to tell himself that he wanted to be a big brother to her -- she was sixteen years younger than he was, after all! -- but that was not the nature of the relationship that either of them wanted. When their daughter Leah was born, he was a bit horrified to do the math and realize that by the time she was out of high school, he would be half way through his sixties, assuming the best possible world -- which this clearly wasn't. He retired from the agency to focus on caring for her.

Unfortunately, the world would not let him be. In 1996, James was contacted by the people who were forming Argus. They needed his help, specifically certain connections he'd established in West Africa during his career as a detective, in order to prevent yet another madman from engaging in yet another villainous scheme. James wanted to say no, but what they showed him made him genuinely afraid for the first time in years, and the thought of something like this happening in the world his daughter would inherit finally made him agree. He expected to be back home in about a week with a story he wasn't supposed to share but would.

The mission was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong, did, and James was thought killed in action by those who managed to make it back to their headquarters. In fact, he'd survived, but the bastard who took him prisoner did a very good job of making him regret that fact. Kept as a slave, tortured physically and mentally, thinking that it was very likely that he would never see Sarah or Leah again, he took what comfort he could in the company of another prisoner, and ultimately found the strength to help her make an escape attempt.

He did not, does not, know that she succeeded. He does not know that he has a second daughter, born in Ghana.

Eventually, the monster who claimed to own him crossed the wrong people and wound up dead. James managed to escape in the confusion, and made his way to Spain. He'd lost all track of time during his captivity, and was stunned to learn that it was 2007, that a second age of superheroes was under way He was considering how to return to the United States when he came upon a small item in one of the newspapers he was consulting, about the recent murder of one Sarah Blade.

Since then, James Graham has lived quietly in Barcelona, occasionally employed as a consultant by some local private investigators, and doing everything in his power to avoid anything that will remind him of the innumerable failures of his life. He regards the fact that he's been spared senility with some additional regret. Eventually, something is going to let him know that the world is not done with him yet. What he will do then is anyone's guess.

James Graham -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 4 | AWE 3 | PRE 6

Powers:
Fast on His Feet: Speed 1 (4 MPH) - 1 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Critical (Unarmed) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (Arabic, French, Spanish, Swahili, others), Power Attack, Startle, Takedown 2, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Car: Size Large; Strength 5; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 8; Toughness 8 - 10 points

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 5 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+12), Insight 8 (+11), Investigation 8 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+12), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+8), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 5 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 3 + Advantages 20 + Skills 40 + Defenses 15 = 142 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Dislikes Using Guns. Family (Sarah and Leah Blade) Temper.

For his current PL 4 incarnation, subtract 3 ranks from all physical abilities and Fighting, drop all powers, drop all Combat advantages, reduce all skills by 5 ranks and reduce Will to 6.

 

[Voltron64]

He did not, does not, know that she succeeded. He does not know that he has a second daughter, born in Ghana.

Her mother wasn't wrong about the father being a good man, if anything, she was understating things. And I feel one day, sister must eventually meet sister.

Since then, James Graham has lived quietly in Barcelona, occasionally employed as a consultant by some local private investigators, and doing everything in his power to avoid anything that will remind him of the innumerable failures of his life. He regards the fact that he's been spared senility with some additional regret. Eventually, something is going to let him know that the world is not done with him yet. What he will do then is anyone's guess.

Help out of course, it wouldn't be any other way.

And if his final fate be sacrificing himself to save others or a more peaceful one, surrounded by reunited friends and loved ones, either way it will be well-earned.

 

[Davies]

El Gato

Growing up in Denver in the early 60s, Carmen Alejo was always aware that she had an unusual talent in the form of a sense for danger. Not until she turned fifteen did she develop the rest of her mutations, with her fingernails growing into sharp claws over the course of a week and her strength, endurance and agility all increasing rapidly. She managed to hide these divergences from her friends and family, but she knew that she had to do something with these talents. Neither criminality nor heroics really appealed to her all that much, though, so she took her time developing a costume, practiced her skills, and waited to see what else fate would throw her way.

Only a few months later, she was out exercising in her costume when she happened on the scene of a fight between Madame Menagerie and her nemesis, Ullr, who both happened to be in Denver that weekend. The Madame seemed to be on the ropes for once, and -- somewhat ironically, given her image -- Carmen felt inclined to come to the aid of the underdog. (Well, given the Madame's tiger image, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.) She turned the tide of the battle in Madame Menagerie's favor, and the superhero thanked her and encouraged her to continue fighting the good fight. Carmen kept her doubts to herself.

Only a few months after that, Madame Menagerie was dead. Watching the news about her state funeral, Carmen realized that now she had to make good on what the older woman had said to her. That day, she officially became El Gato, the masked defender of Denver, with some ideas of one day joining the Institute in the Madame's place. Of course, fate had a few more tricks to play on that score.

In 1974, El Gato was one of the younger heroes who attempted to join the Institute in its last days, and went through the confusion and tumult that followed. In the aftermath, embarrassed and ashamed, all that she wanted to do was go home to Denver and forget this had ever happened. Yet something in Alphatron's words about their 'fraternity' resonated with her, and she agreed to at least keep in contact with him, even if she thought the team idea was pretty played out.

Three years later, El Imán went on a rampage in Denver, and El Gato knew that fighting him directly was beyond her abilities. So she contacted Alphatron and asked for his help, watching them fight while trying to protect the civilians on the ground below. She wasn't watching them when they exploded, but she certainly saw the aftermath. No one else ever knew that she'd brought this about, or that she felt enormous guilt over what had happened because of it.

In the years afterward, the thrillseeking and wisecracking El Gato vanished, replaced by a grim figure who acted as the self-appointed 'sheriff' of Denver and policed the various small groups of mutants that grew up in the aftermath. She served as a member of the Mile High Marauders when they were established in 1983, and remained with them right up until they fell apart in 1991. In the interim, she also developed a strong enmity with the local vampire, Carmilla, frequently managing to thwart her schemes even if she never quite managed to destroy the monster. El Gato was also one of the first superheroes to come to blows with a young Jodie Crowley.

She left Denver for an extended period between 1988 and 1991, returning in even more of a bad mood than usual, which contributed to the Marauders falling apart. El Gato barely noticed this, continuing her lonely vigil. Sometime in this period, she started the custom of referring to the superpower communities of Denver as 'frats', which continues right up until the present day. As the second age of superheroes got underway, she was a bit amazed that she was regarded as one of the founders of Denver's community, but used this authority to keep them from harming those uninvolved in their internecine squabbles.

She was killed during Cerebron's invasion, blasted to cinders by a heavy drone. What almost no one knows is that, shorty before her death, she crossed paths with Trouble, who had only just realized her connection to the invaders. On learning this, El Gato 'encouraged' (really commanded) Trouble to head further north and join up with some of the more powerful heroes who were planning on taking the fight to the invaders. "All I have are these claws, and they won't be much use there," she said.

No one gave El Gato a state funeral. No one has built any statues to her. But it seems likely that she sleeps the sleep of the just.

El Gato -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 4 | DEX 1 | FGT 7 | INT 1 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Catlike Balance: Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 1 (Safe Fall) - 4 points
Catlike Senses: Senses 4 (acute tracking olfactory, danger sense, low-light vision) - 4 points
Claws: Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical - 2 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Claws 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Claws +9 (Close Damage 4, Crit 19-20)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 10 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 11 = 96 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Loner. Nemesis (Carmilla.) Secret Identity. Temper.

Note: By the mid 80s and early 90s, the PL 8 version of el Gato had developed a Healing Factor (Enhanced Stamina 2; Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5.) She also learned a number of Languages (notably Mandarin) and improved all her skills by two ranks. Her motivation changes to Reluctant Responsibility. By 2000, she was PL 9 and had improved her active defenses by two ranks as well.