Asunder

Asunder is a Level 50 Spines/Electric Armor scrapper and is a member of The Challengers. She has genetic markers that indicate she would have possibly been born a mutant, though the extent of her abilities was never determined. Tyler and her twin sister, Elizabeth, suffered from complications while their mother was pregnant with them. Determined to save both of her children, Dr. Alison Ricci used her expertise as a geneticist to alter her daughters' bodies to ensure they would be born alive and relatively healthy. The experiments ensured the twins' survival, but a series of unexpected consequences complicated the results. Elizabeth remained frail and prone to sickness, but her health mysteriously improved as long as Tyler remained close to her sister. The Riccis moved to Italy a few years after the twins' birth and remained there until Liz died suddenly in 2009. Tyler has recently moved to Paragon to pursue a career as a hero.

"...The scientific community remains interested, if not skeptical of Dr. Alison Ricci's claims. No one can doubt that her twin daughters are genetic anomalies. They both exhibit abnormal abilities even at just ten weeks of age. Unnamed sources have hinted at anything from some kind of electrical manipulation to accelerated growth and development. However, confirming the multitude of rumors has been difficult. Ricci has only allowed specific doctors at the Johns Hopkins medical school to examine her children since the family left the facility's hospital back in late August. Neither Johns Hopkins nor the doctors who have studied the Ricci twins have offered comments aside from confirming that the girls have had their genetic structures modified and that the consequences of those modifications have not been fully evaluated.

Outside observers have been critical of both Ricci and Johns Hopkins. Dr. Alexander Weston, a prominent researcher based in Paragon City, Rhode Island, has been particularly outspoken about the veracity of Ricci's claims. "To say that you have found ways to tap into the unused potential of human DNA is somewhat misleading. There's a reason why our DNA functions the way it does, and the field is really in its infancy. Details are so scant from Alison and her associates that I have to wonder if the whole thing isn't a hoax."

Weston is not the only one to doubt Ricci's story. Religious and political leaders have also weighed in about the Ricci twins. David Santelli, a pastor based in Houston, Texas, has led calls for congressional investigations into Alison Ricci's actions. "If what Dr. Ricci says is true, then she has violated the laws of God and man. Humans were created in God's image and to tamper with that image is spiritually dangerous."

Alison Ricci has remained relatively silent about the science behind her claims, but she has repeatedly defended her daughters in numerous interviews. "My children were sick. They were dying, and I wanted to save them. Some people have said that I created abominations when I used my knowledge as a doctor and geneticist to fix them. That couldn't be further from the truth. My girls are not abominations. They're miracles, that's what they are...."

"We caught up with Salvador Ricci at his new home in Milan, not far from one of the channels flowing from the Po River. The thirty-eight year old artist looked relaxed and well rested. He showed us the renovations he and his wife Alison have been working on since the couple relocated from the United States earlier this year. The house reflects Ricci's love for the smooth lines and bright colors so often seen in his paintings and sculptures. After a tour of the home and gardens outside, we sat down to ask Ricci some questions about his new post at the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan, his work in the United States, and his family.

Art Monthly (AM): You were in the US for almost ten years, working in Washington D.C., and New York City. How does it feel to be back in Italy?

Ricci: Oh, it's wonderful. I loved the United States, but it's very good to be back. The food, the culture. There's really no place like Italy, and Milan is such a lovely city.

AM: Your wife and daughters are American. Do you think they'll like Milan?

Ricci: Of course! How could they not? Both my girls are fluent in Italian, and Alison is learning. She's very excited to be working at one of the hospitals here. We're very happy.

AM: Do you think the controversies surrounding the twins' birth will affect your work at the museum?

Ricci: I don't see why it would. I was asked to join the museum because of my talent and my vision. Not because of my wife or daughters. Frankly, I don't see how any of that is relevant to people here or this magazine.

AM: Artists usually draw on their lives for inspiration. Do you feel the ostracism and negative press in the United States will make your work different then?

Ricci: I think you're over-exaggerating the difficulties. Certainly, the backlash against Alison and the twins from certain sectors of American society was hard to deal with, but we're a family and we love each other. We can weather a little criticism.

AM: So you didn't accept the position at the Gallery because of recent congressional investigations into Dr. Ricci's genetic alterations to your daughters?

Ricci: Look, anytime you have people poking into your private life, you feel conflicted. On the one hand, you're a public figure and you expect others to be interested. Especially when there's controversy. But on the other hand, all the speculation and accusations about my children were painful. They didn't ask for any of it. You want to protect them, but the investigations you're talking about weren't anything more than rumors. Our decision to move to Milan was based on my longtime desire to design exhibitions and wanting to expose our children to more of the world. Of course we want to be somewhere we belong, somewhere we can be happy...but we were happy in the US. And we'll be happy here...."

"...Fashion shows began in New York last month and continued in London and Paris before beginning in Milan. Major designers are showing off their spring and summer collections with the usual whirlwind of colors, fabrics, and glamor. However, one of the biggest stories this year has not been who designed what, but who's wearing the clothes. Elizabeth Ricci, a sixteen year old born in America and raised in Italy, has attracted most of the attention with her long legs and startling blue eyes. The young model first appeared in print ads for Bello Mondo Designs last year. She's gone on to walk the runways for every major designer this season and has a new spread coming out in Vogue early next winter.

Elizabeth's rise to fame began before she was even born. Her mother is Dr. Alison Ricci, a geneticist who made a name for herself in the late 1980s when rumors surfaced that she had experimented on her twin daughters while they were still fetuses. Subsequent reports have confirmed that the Ricci girls suffered from an unidentified disease and that their mother worked with several other researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland to correct the life-threatening illness. Few details have emerged since the initial controversy in the early 1990s, and interest in the story faded when the Riccis relocated to Milan in 1994.

Regardless of Elizabeth's first claims to fame as a child, very few people doubt that she's on her way to becoming a fashion icon. Her grace and poise on the runway translate easily to film and photographs, making her an attractive candidate for a wide range of media. Fashion photographer Nicholas Mandretti first discovered Elizabeth while he was working in Milan and used her for one of his spreads. Since then Mandretti has gushed over Elizabeth whenever offered the opportunity. "Liz is a stunning beauty, but there's more than that. She's got an innocence and vulnerability that make every shot she takes something special. When you look at her, you just have to love her. You can't help it. Elizabeth Ricci is going to be a major figure in the fashion industry, there's no doubt...."

"...The marriage between Italian banking heir Wesley Scarlatti and fashion model Elizabeth Ricci last month looked more like a walk down a Parisian runway than the small, intimate wedding sources had been talking about for weeks. A whirlwind romance and an even shorter engagement did not stop the bride and groom from having an extravagant ceremony on the banks of the Po River, not far from Milan. The couple both wore Elie Saab, reportedly given to them as gifts from the Lebanon-based designer. The bride's sister, Tyler Ricci, wore Roberto Cavelli...."

"...Something about "what God has joined together" always seems so outdated given the average length of celebrity marriages. Take for example the recent union between Wesley Scarlatti and Elizabeth Ricci. Sources close to their wedding last month are hinting that the fairy tale courtship and ceremony were anything but a prelude to Happily Ever After. Scarlatti and Ricci were first seen together in the early days of January 2008. Spotted in cozy embraces at various vacation spots around Europe for several months, the couple managed to avoid the public eye with uncharacteristic adeptness. Neither Ricci nor Scarlatti have been shy about posing for the camera, particularly Wesley who's better known for seducing beautiful women than committing to a monogamous relationships with them. When word leaked that the couple had gotten engaged shortly after Easter, the European social scene took a long pause to absorb the news of a marriage between one of the wealthiest bachelors in Italy and his much younger fiance. The tongues haven't stopped wagging since, and apparently the May-December romance isn't the only thing that's causing unabashed speculation.

According to insiders who know Ricci, Wesley was actually dating Elizabeth's sister, Tyler, before he began courting Liz. Tyler Ricci has been reluctant to embrace the spotlight unlike her famous twin. Though the two sisters were never far apart, Tyler seemed uninterested in modeling even while she remained Elizabeth's constant companion. Sources inside the Scarlatti-Ricci camps have said that the relationship between the twins has been strained and increasingly hostile for months. Tyler's absence at Liz's fashion shoots since the wedding seem to confirm what insiders have been hinting at - the inseparable sisters have been separated for reasons that very likely have something to do with Wesley Scarlatti...."

"...I know you and dad are worried, Mom. But it's just too much for me to stay in Italy or even Europe right now. I miss Liz with every fiber of my being. And I'm so incredibly angry at Wesley and his tyrannical father to even consider talking to them. They forced Liz to cut contact with us...even though they knew she would die without me around her. She needed me to stay healthy. If you want to believe they were trying to cure her, go right ahead. I think they're dirty, vicious liars. My sister...your daughter...is dead, either because of incompetence or malice. I miss you, and I love you. I just don't know how you can stand to be friendly with the Scarlattis after all of this. You seemed as unhappy about Wes and Liz as I was. She left us, then she left modeling, then she left everything she knew to be with him. Did you ever consider Wesley didn't want to use his daddy's resources to free her? That maybe...just maybe he wanted to cage her in? At least with me, none of us ever had to worry that I would hurt Liz or abandon her. But that's all Wes did. He hurt her. He hurt me. And now he's hurting you by pretending to be the grief-stricken widower. I'm telling you, Wesley Scarlatti and his father are not what they seem. They broke Liz, they broke me, and now they're trying to break what's left of our family...."

"...We haven't seen you in months, Tyler. We haven't talked to you in weeks. You insist on only writing letters, which I find completely bizarre behavior I might add. It's the twenty-first century! I'm your mother, and you're my daughter. I have a right to see you and be with you. Please let your father and I come to New York to visit you. We're worried you've become depressed and are slipping into a downward spiral. Liz wouldn't want you to seclude yourself from us, honey. Please. Think about it? We can spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together. It will be our first without Liz. Do you really want to go through that without us? I know this is so hard for you, but it's hard for us too.

One more thing. Al called me again. He's still very interested in having you as a client, despite your colorful rejections of his offers to be your agent. I know you don't like him, but he's family and he was always good to Liz. He got her the best jobs and made sure she wasn't too over-worked. I'm well aware that you don't care for the spotlight or modeling, but think of all the good you could do as a hero? You're tailor-made for this, Tyler. You have gifts I can't help but marvel at, and you've always talked about how you wanted to make a difference in the world. Couldn't this be your chance? Sure, you'll have to do a few photo shoots, but Al can probably get you into one of those high profile groups in Paragon City. What's a little make-up when you can get the opportunity to use your powers to help the world? Just think about it, sweetheart...."

• Asunder's full name is Tyler Shannon Ricci. She was born on August 6, 1989, in Baltimore, Maryland. Tyler was six minutes younger than her sister, Elizabeth. She is 5'7" and weighs approximately 138 pounds.

• As part of an agreement she made with her agent, Tyler does modeling for several European fashion houses, primarily in Italy and France. However, she tends to do more photo shoots than runway work owing to her height.

• She is fluent in Italian, French, English and is conversational in Thai.

• On August 22, 2012, Tyler got engaged to Grant Miller on a beach somewhere in Hawaii. The two were married on November 28, 2012, under a gazebo in the winter chalet in Pocket D - the place where they first met! Their wedding was officiated by their good friend, Johnny Turbo. (Even though he had been injured in a fight earlier in the evening.)

• Tyler is the proud owner of a German Shepherd she recently rescued from a local animal shelter. Well. Sort of rescued! Grant actually went for her since Tyler was afraid she'd end up adopting half the shelter.

• There is a tattoo of Thai script on her lower back, inked in black and green. For those who actually know Thai, it says "Unbroken."