From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Contents 1 Early Life 2 Adult Life 3 Alternate Universe 4 Origin 5 Rikti Invasions

Early Life

Small town Indiana can be peaceful or boring, depending on your point of view. For Cheston Overmeyer, living in a town of 1500 was normal. He was born in the next town over, since his town had no actual hospital, but he lived in Sogra for all his childhood and teenage years. His parents were neither rich nor poor. His father, Dale, owned the local hardware shop and his mother, Veronica, at the library. One thing that was apparent from early on was that Chet had an inherent need to help people. He was a natural guardian, always defending those who were picked on. Otherwise, he was an average kid, mostly getting Bs in school up until he graduated with a healthy 3.4 GPA.

After graduating high school, he moved to South Bend to attend Indiana University there, majoring in Criminal Justice. It is there he met the woman who was to be his wife, Michaela Strong. Mikki was a young journalist with a special interest in photography. Throughout their time in college, the two were practically inseperable, much to the amusement of their friends. Mikki soon found herself a nice career as a photographer, while Chet continued his courses.

Adult Life

After Chet's graduation, the two were married in a small ceremony in Chet's hometown, where he procured a nice job at the local police department. This, however, is where the story that could have been about a nice young couple growing old together takes a drastic turn. Chet had proved himself well in his chosen field, earning himself a spot as a detective. Mikki worked in the next town over as an archivist photographer for a museum. Both were doing well, Mikki was pregnant with their first child, and all seemed to be going well for the two.

However, Mikki's museum had procured an object of value, unbeknownst to anyone. An old Civil War sword that merely came as part of a Civil War set was targeted by both a thief of arcane artifacts and a local warlock trying to obtain more power. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, working late to finish photos of the set before taking her maternity leave, Mikki was at the museum well after closing hours. The thief and the warlock both tried to steal the sword at the same time, began a fight with Mikki in the middle, and accidentally set off a magical explosion that took out the entire museum and several neighboring buildings, not to mention the fires that spread out from there.

Chet was devastated. After two days of grieving, he showed up to work despite protests of his colleagues and captain. Assured that we would be fine, they reluctantly agreed on the condition that he wouldn't be distracted and he would attend regular meetings with the psychologist. Chet moved on with his life, devoting his life to his work. After a couple of years, he packed up and moved to Indianapolis, taking up a job as a police detective there. He had a nice little life, doing what he had always wanted to do. However, it was not as fulfilling as it could have been. His wounds were not healed, only buried.

Alternate Universe

After a year, the pictures started. One day he came into work and on his desk was a manilla envelope with only "Detective Overmeyer" and "19990421-1345" written on it. He didn't bother trying to decipher anything, he glances around to see if any of his collegues were watching him. When no one was, he opened the envelope and inside was single Polaroid picture of a dead woman, stabbed to death with blood pooled around her. On the bottom of the picture was written an address.

After questioning his captain, he found that no one knew who put the envelope there. The number was obviously a date, possibly with a time following it. Except that twenty-first was the next day. He shrugged and took some backup to the address shown. When he knocked at the door, the woman in the picture answered, not quite as dead. After it was clear she was as disturbed by the picture as anyone else, the department lent her some police protection, viewing the picture as a threat of some sort, photo manipulation or something.

The next day, at 1:40pm, a would-be convenient store robber was chased out by a manager wielding a shotgun. He fled toward the house that the not-dead woman lived in, but was deterred by the presense of police. Chet saw this and knew then what the picture was. A message from the future. He looked at his watch, "13:45." He shook his head in disbelief. So it was true.

The next picture came with a note that told him not to involve the department any longer. He considered this, then decided that it would probably be best to investigate the picture on his own time. After that many pictures came in his mailbox at home, always in a manilla envelope, always with his name and a date/time written on it. Always he would be expected to same a person or group of people. Occasionally he'd have to stop a building from being destroyed. Usually he was successful, sometimes he wasn't.

Origin

The last picture he got had the normal "Detective Overmeyer" and "20010729-1415," but it contained another message. "URGENT!" He opened the package, pulled out the picture and viewed a building. He recognized it as an old police station that was now used as a storage facility for the area's police and fire services. Written beneath it was the instruction, "Do not go!"

He shrugged and shook his head. So he wouldn't go there. He hadn't planned on it anyway. He was off the next day, had plans, and would be nowhere near the place. Except he was called in to work the next day. As predicted, he was sent to help investigate a break-in at the storage facility. He tried to get out of it, but it was apparently an important investigation. He couldn't really say no, so he decided he'd play it careful.

During the investigation, Chet kept glancing around. Someone might call him paranoid, but is it really paranoia when you know something is going to happen? Along with the semi-paranoid glances came glances at his watch. As 2pm came closer, he became more nervous, waiting for the events to unfold. However, nothing happened. Even up to the minute of 2:15, all seemed well.

Then it happened: an explosion. Chet's paranoia kept him distracted enough that he wasn't where he would have been had he been going about his business unimpeded by thoughts of impending doom. Thus, Chet survived the explosion, though not unharmed. He was rushed to the hospital where he awoke five days later, tubes seeming to run everywhere. His eyes focused on a nurse, who was startled when she looked down to see him looking up at her.

The nurse asked him if he could hear and understand her, to which he replied only with a faint nod. She explained to him what had happened: that he was the only survivor of the explosion, that he had been unconscious for five days, a layman's explanation of what was still wrong with him. He somehow managed to receive only minor fractures in his bones, but the primary problem was the internal bleeding and damage incurred from the jostling about as he was thrown into a wall. There was also the concussion.

After taking notice of certain readings, the nurse went to inform the doctor that he was conscious. A few moments later, the doctor arrived and asked him if he felt okay, if he needed stronger pain medicine. He merely gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't feel pain, but he felt different somehow. But maybe that was just due to the fact he was just in an explosion five days ago. The doctor asked him if he had any questions, to which he again shook his head. The doctor told him to get some rest and if he felt okay the next day, they would talk. Chet was happy to oblige.

The next day, Chet awoke and glanced around the room. Still the hospital, so it wasn't a nightmare. He stared at the far wall, his thoughts toddling around his head until the nurse stopped by. She smiled at him politely, did her tasks, then left. Soon after, the doctor was back, introducing herself as Doctor Pell. She asked if he felt better and he nodded. She told him that was good and asked him if he knew why he was here, and he again nodded. She told him that his memory being intact was a good sign, too. She asked him if he had any questions and he hesitated. She noticed this and arched her eyebrow inquisitively. He finally nodded and spoke, his voice raspy, "Things feel wrong," was all he said, not knowing how else to explain it.

Doctor Pell nodded slightly. "We have noticed some unexplained brain activity and unknown biochemical processes. We're monitoring the anomalies, but neither has proven to be harmful in any way." She repeated, "It's a good sign that you're awake." After a couple more days of rest and observation, he was released from the hospital. He tried to go back to work, but his boss would have none of it. He was told to take a few days more to rest and recuperate. He protested at first, but eventually admitted to himself that his boss was right.

When he got home, lying on the kitchen counter was a manilla envelope. Instead of the normal "Detective Overmeyer" and a date, was his familiar name, "Chet." He opened the envelope and pulled out a picture of him sitting in his chair in the living room. He still looked beat up from the explosion in the picture and he tossed the picture and envelope on the counter in anger. Whatever was happening, he didn't like this anymore.

He went in and slumped into his chair in the living room and stared at the blank television screen. Then he heard the voice, "Hello, Chet. Please don't be afraid." It sounded faint and feminine. As he thought more on it, it sounded a lot like... Mikki? "No, go away!" he called out to the voice. "Enough of this!" Then the voice came back, stronger this time, and most definately from within his own head. "Don't be alarmed, Chet. We need to meet. Face to face. Tomorrow." He shook his head and called out at the voice in his head, "No! Leave me alone!" The voice was silent. He glanced around the room and snorted to himself. He just wanted to rest. He went to his bedroom and fell asleep almost before his head hit his pillow.

When he awoke, his body ached and the first thing he did was took a soothing shower. As he went in to make himself some breakfast, he noticed that the envelope and photo from the night before were gone and in their a place a note. "Meet me at Ricardi's." The writing was Mikki's, but that was impossible. Ricardi's was a small cafe down the street, so he grabbed his wallet and was out the door. He needed answers.

And answers he would obtain. There in the corner was Mikki. Or a woman who looked a lot like her. Seated beside her was a young boy who looked up at him as he walked in the door. The boy was obviously Mikki's child, the facial features very apparent. But the eyes... The boy had Chet's eyes. Chet walked over the table and was only able to say, "I don't understand."

The woman looked up and gazed directly into Chet's eyes as she spoke, "No, I'm not Mikki. At least not your Mikki." She explained to him that she was from an alternate Earth. In her Earth, her Chet was with her that night at the museum. Her Chet was able to get her out of the museum just as the explosion occurred. He was pummeled by debris from the explosion, shielding her and their unborn son. However, the mystical effects of that explosion infused her with magic. Aside from her telepathic ability, she now gets visions from the future, snippets of scenes of what is to come. At least that's what she thought at first. Turns out she was peering into the future of an alternate world, Chet's world. She was able to learn to project an image from her mind to a Polaroid film before it was done developing itself.

So, she started sending these pictures through a small window between worlds after she saw him in one of her visions, still alive. She worked at World Windows, Inc., Portal Corp's major rival in her world. A company she helped create. She told him that usually the world they see through the viewing window were drastically different in some major way. There's a world where Nazis won WWII and America is under Reichsman's fist, Reichsman being an alternate version of Statesman. There's a world where humans have all evolved or mutated into grotesque monstrosities that could barely be called human anymore. There's a world where all the major superheroes are supervillains led by the evil Tyrant, another of Statesman's alternate selves. An Earth where all intelligent life spontaneously died, leaving their spirits behind in a confused mockery of their previous lives. But what interested her the most was Chet's world. An Earth very much like hers, with comparatively minor differences. It seemed so improbable to her that the world could be so similar despite constant divergences.

So she told Chet about her life since the museum explosion. About their son, Richard Dale Overmeyer. About how she helped found World Windows, Inc. with a friend they both knew in collage. A friend who, in Chet's world, disappeared without a trace a couple years ago. They chatted about their lives and during the exchange, Mikki furrowed her brow and winced. Chet immediately asked her what was up and she told him she just had a vision, odd cause her visions usually happened when she was dreaming. She looked beyond Chet at a man who just walked in then at Chet.

She quietly said, "This might sound odd to you... But the explosion the other day changed you." He nodded slightly. "I've, uh, felt different." She probed his mind with his permission and she nodded slightly. "Here," she told him as she nuged an image into his head, an image of the man behind Chet holding a gun pointed at Ricardi, then an image of Ricardi having been shot. Then she showed Chet the first again, then altered the second picture so that Chet was there, arms raised in supplication to the forces of Nature, and a wind knocking the gunman over. Then another picture of Chet shocking the guy into unconsciousness with electricity from Chet's hand.

Chet furrowed his brow and stared at her. Keeping quiet she told him, "Imagine you are holding a gun. You will your finger to pull the trigger. Except you're willing the air to rush at the man and knock him down. Then do the same with the electricity." The gunman stepped up to the counter as his place in line came to the front. He pulled the gun, but Chet stood up. "I'm Detective Overmeyer, you don't want to do this." As the man turned toward Chet, he copied the gesture from the image and willed the air to rush at the man. And it did, knocking him over along with blowing napkins and other trash from tables. He didn't hesitate as he pointed his hand at the guy and let loose an arc of electricity, knocking the man out before he could recover his gun.

Chet just stared for a moment in disbelief. Ricardi was just as shocked. Chet and Ricardi stared at each other for a moment before Mikki broke the silence. "Chet, he's not going to stay out forever." Chet nodded and called the police. There weren't too many superheroes running around Indianapolis, but of course they weren't unheard of. He was registered with the department as a metahuman, but was still allowed to serve on the force. He was licensed to use his abilities as any other weapon he might carry on the job. It wasn't long before the governor recognized Chet for his abilities, granting him the rank of Captain and extended his jurisdiction to the entire state.

Under Chet, who took the new rank and called himself Captain Indiana, a small squad of superpowered officers was assembled from around the state. Though they were all given state-wide jurisdiction, most worked primarily where they had come from. The squad gathered only when the need arose. Mikki still helped him from time to time through the World Window, but generally they had their hands full in their own worlds.

Rikti Invasions

Most people remember May 23rd, 2002, as the introduction of the Rikti. Chet, however, was introduced to them a day earlier via a telepathic vision from Mikki. A vision where she told him that danger was coming to cause havoc on his Earth. She showed him the lights, but she didn't know what they meant. Only that they elicited dread from her, a dread Chet could feel via the telepathic link. She showed him a Rikti footsoldier, but at that point the link was severed, feedback giving him a headache before he passed out.

He awoke the next day, but it was too late. 7:30pm had arrived and the Rikti were already launching their invasion. Mikki was there with Ricky and she told him that they had to find a place to remain safe, as her world was already overrun with Rikti. They had destroyed everything and the superheroes were unable to stop the invasion. Fortunately, things would turn out better on this world. It took a while, but the Rikti were turned back. It cost the world a lot, and it cost Chet the life of a friend. Again he lost Mikki.

Though they had a different quantum signature, genetically speaking Ricky was Chet's son. He went through all the legal matters to have the boy placed with his parents, grandparents Ricky had never known in his world. Chet would be too busy in the coming months, perhaps even years, to be able to care for the child. He was going to Paragon City to do what he could to help the City of Heroes retain its status as a beacon of hope in the world.

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