Alloy Girl
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| Alloy Girl | |
| [[Image:|300px|]] | |
| Invulnerability / Street Justice Tanker | |
| Player: User:Bit-Player | |
| Activity Level: High | |
| Basic Information | |
| Real Name: | Adrienne Krupp |
|---|---|
| Aliases: | Alloy Girl |
| Titles: | None |
| Rank: | ' |
| Physical Identifiers | |
| Species: | Homo Sapiens |
| Sub-Type: | Science |
| Gender: | Female |
| Apparent Age: | 21 |
| Height: | 6' 0" |
| Weight: | Appx. 1000 lb. |
| Build: | Athletic |
| Complexion: | Smooth |
| Eye Color: | Steel gray |
| Hair Color: | Platinum Blonde |
| Distinguishing Features | |
| ' | |
| Biographical Data | |
| Birthdate: | 1 December 1990 |
| Birthplace: | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Nationality: | US Citizen |
| Residence: | (Current)Paragon City, RI |
| Occupation: | Sponsored superhero |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Legal Status: | No Criminal Record |
| Relatives & Associates | |
| Confidential | |
| Known Powers | |
| Metal flesh. Extremely tough, resistant to injury. Superstrength. | |
| Skills & Abilities | |
| Outgoing personality, Extraordinary physical strength, Extreme durability. | |
| Equipment | |
| PPD Issue multi-channel communicator, Standard clothing, personal items. | |
Alloy Girl got her start at age 18, on the streets of her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. She soon caught the eye of the city's chamber of commerce, and was hired to be the face of a campaign to revitalize the city's flagging steel industry. Even though the effort was unsuccessful the exposure to the press and the rarity of superpowered beings in the area shot her into the public eye. Now, the young heroine has stepped up onto the world spotlight, taking on common hoods and supervillains alike on the rough streets of Paragon City.
Contents |
Rise to Fame
Glass to Iron
Alloy Girl, born Adrienne Krupp, was born a mutant. However, her mutation wasn't of the empowering type. It instead caused her bones to be extremely brittle. Through childhood she lived in a fog of pain and medication, often in a wheelchair. Her desperate parents' health insurance eventually stopped paying for the constant hospital visits. That's when they were approached by Dr. Gary Gates, an orthopedic surgeon developing a treatment for similar disorders.
Adrienne traveled to Philadelphia for the treatment. The procedure involved altering the chemistry of the patient's bone cells to have an affinity for Iron precipitates instead of calcium. The second stage of the procedure involved the actual infusion of an iron-laden solution to be metabolized and deposited into the bone.
The treatment appeared to be going well, until Dr. Gated noted that not only were her bones being reinforced by the iron, but her skin was beginning to take on a shade of gray as well. Adrienne didn't appear to be in any distress, so the experimental procedure continued.
Adjustments
A week after the treatment, the changes in Adrienne's body were startling. The small, frail girl had become a literal woman of steel. The ludicrous amounts of heavy metal in her body weren't causing any ill effects at all. The recovery wasn't perfect, however. Adrienne's bones had been broken countless times. Arms, legs, ribs, back, neck... And over time had occasionally healed out of alignment or just plain wrong, despite her doctors' best efforts. The treatment had set these problems in steel. She still required her pain medication to function, and would be plagued by back and neck trouble for the rest of her life.
Side Effects
The treatment had changed Adrienne's appearance profoundly. Pale skin was replaced by a layer of gleaming iron. Unknown to Dr. Gates at the time, the metal had also permeated the rest of her tissues. Her nerves fired faster, her and her muscles were were incredibly tough. Her hair began to take on a silvery sheen at the roots, as did her fingernails.
The return home was problematic. Her increased weight nearly immobilized her parents' small car. The furniture could no longer support her - she spent her final years of high school sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
School was less of an issue than she expected. The same problems with her weight existed, yeah, but she was suddenly popular due to her new appearance. It was during her senior year that she started to entertain the idea of becoming a superhero.
The Alloy Girl
It was during her senior year that she had her first taste of the hero life. Having recently gotten a job working weekends at a local restaurant, she'd gone to cash her very first paycheck. While she waited in line a pair of masked men burst through the door, one with a knife, one with a shotgun. The Gun-wielding robber ordered everyone to the floor while the unarmed one passed a large sack across the counter, demanding money. Everyone present got down on the floor as ordered.
Except for Adrienne.
She instead walked toward the robber with the gun. He ordered her to stop, but began backing away from the metal-skinned woman. As she got close, he pointed the gun at her face, only to have her grab the barrel, her hand crushing it flat like a hydraulic press. When he fired the shotgun blew apart, leaving his hand a bloodied mess. The accomplice had seen this and had drawn his own weapon, a nine millimeter handgun. He fired as he approached behind her, but the bullets were stopped cold by her armored skin. She felt nothing more than a light tap on her back with each bullet impact. She turned to face him, lashing out with a backhand that sent the gun flying and shattered his forearm. She dragged the two groaning robbers out of the bank by the collars of their shirts, and into the hands of surprised police officers.
She was an immediate hit. Pittsburgh already had a few minor superheroes, but the lack of serious crime had kept them on a relatively low profile. This gleaming new heroine was dubbed "The Metal Maiden", the "Woman of Steel", and "The Alloy Girl" by the different news agencies. Eventually 'Alloy Girl' stuck, and despite Adrienne's protests, she became a public darling almost overnight.
The Public Eye
After the incident at the bank, Adrienne began to venture forth at night. She managed to foil several robberies, as well as intervene in a local gang conflict. She started making headlines with each new exploit until the week following her graduation from high school, when she was approached by the Pittsburgh Business Association and asked to feature in a series of televised ads aimed at revitalizing the city's steel industry.
The televised ads caught the eye of news agencies and magazine editors all through the region, and soon Adrienne was showing up for news interviews, local talk shows, and radio programs. She also landed a spot as Miss August in an NHRA Sponsored swimsuit calendar, holding a car over her head.
Alloy Girl was easily the most recognizable face among Pittsburgh's tiny superhero community, and she continued to find a steady income from modeling, public appearances, and work with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office as a 'Special Commission' reserve deputy.
Paragon City and the Future
At age 21 Alloy Girl left her hometown for Paragon City. After fighting street toughs and petty criminals, the transition to fighting opponents with superpowers of their own was difficult. She continues to hold her own, but she's defeated frequently by some of the more experienced underworld elements. She continues to aim high, though, and who knows what the future will bring?
---
Her Powers, and how they work
Basics
The iron is bonded to her on a cellular level. Her body's cells are genetically unchanged, but they're now supported by an internal latticework of iron in a honeycomb-like structure connected the cell wall, which also has a layer of the metal. The presence of the metal and structures somehow leaves the cell's functionality unaffected. Or in the case of her nerves, bones, and musculature, it actually enhances the cells' efficiency by an order of magnitude.
Armored Skin
Her epidermis is composed of dead cells, just like any other person. In Adrienne's case those cells are still full of elemental iron, and collapse after the cells' death, resulting in a smooth, seamless skin that appears and funtions as a layer of solid steel armor. The tissues below are slightly softer, but still armored. As a result, nothing short of an anti-tank rifle will even pierce her skin. This still leaves her vulnerable to other weapons such as cutting torches, some types of energy weapons, and heavy anti-armor weapons.
Super Strength
Adrienne's condition gives her immense physical strength. Though not as strong as some of the higher-tier superheroes, Alloy Girl can stagger giant robots, punch through walls, and toss cars around with ease. She's stopped at least one runaway train in her short career, and has been seen on video holding up the damaged corner of a burning apartment building while the residents were rescued by firefighters.
Training and Ethics
Though still an amateur, Adrienne has learned a surprising amount of moves while on the street. She's also attended courses in self defense, as well as the standard Defensive Tactics training for police officers. She continues to build her knowledge base as she gains more experience.
To date, the Alloy Girl has never killed anyone, intentionally or accidentally. As she stated in one interview:
"I know they can't really hurt me, so all I have to do is walk up and grab 'em."
She's made it a point never to strike opponents in the head or back when she can avoid it. Even with all her power and protection, she's a believer in 'minimum force'. She won't put up with blatantly illegal activities when she sees them occurring, though she's more tolerant toward nonviolent criminals.
Disadvantages and vulnerabilities
Aside from the metal she's a normal 21-year-old human. She's particularly vulnerable to drowning. Weighing in at half a ton, she can't swim at *all*, even with her increased strength. Her body depletes its resources rapidly, and she depends on a steady supply of dietary supplements to maintain herself. Even with a strict exercise regimen, she tires easily.
On a more personal level, Her metal body has forced her to improvise at times. She regularly visits an auto-body shop to keep her skin in good condition. Her chiropractor now uses sledgehammers, an air hammer, and an electric winch to make adjustments. On the rare occasion she sustains a wound, she can't be stitched up. Instead the damage has to be painfully welded closed. She can no longer donate blood due to heavy iron contamination. Her furniture had to be specially made to support her immense weight, and her parents' car had to be modified with extremely heavy shocks.
Most telling, though, is her personal life. Unable to have any sort off relationship for sixteen years of her life because of danger to herself, NOW she has to contend with being a potential hazard to her date. Past relationships have ended with broken bones, teeth knocked out, damage to partners' vehicles, and various other awkward situations. She no longer pursues romantic relationships, instead opting to focus on support and encouragement for close friends. That said, she keeps a lighthearted, cheerfully flirty attitude.
