From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Another Universe 1.2 Early Life 1.3 The Time-Dilation Incident 1.4 Sogra: Fast-Forward 1.5 Freedom Imprisoned

Background

Another Universe

In another universe, Mikki Overmeyer'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.

Her husband Detective Chet Overmeyer had just happened to stop by to pick Mikki up and was able to shield her from the blast, saving her life and the life of their unborn son. Chet was however killed. Mikki was devastated, but for her son's sake, she soldiered on. Though the funeral and the months afterward, she gained strength from the fact that she was have a son.

When the time came, and Ricky entered the picture, Mikki strived to give him the best life she was able. She, however, found the explosion in the museum had affected her. She began to have visions of alternate realities. When Doctor Chris Graham, a friend of hers and Chet's, found out, he decided to invite her into his project. The two started the company World Windows, Inc., a company that became Portal Corporation's primary rival in interdimensional research.

Early Life

Mikki remained in Sogra, but drove to work at World Windows in the next town over. Ricky might have grown up with a rather normal life for a young boy. This path was altered, however, when the Rikti attacks came. His mother knew beforehand, due to her psychic abilities. As the Rikti war drew on and it was clear Earth was losing badly, Mikki took Ricky over to another universe. Here he met the father he never had.

Unfortunately, he lost his mother in the Rikti attacks. The Chet of this new universe took Ricky to his parents, where Ricky stayed until he was officially adopted by them. He began the life he might have had in his home universe had fate not intervened. Fate, however, can be a cruel mistress and would soon intervene again.

The Time-Dilation Incident

Ricky grew in years from the toddler to a boy quickly approaching the big one-oh. A normal boy his age, he went to school, hung out with friends, played sports. However, under the quaint little town was a whole other story.

Underneath Sogra a research facility had been built several years before by the scientist Lily Fordham. Lily was performing experiments of quantum mechanics and temporal phenomena. However, meddling with the forces she was playing with made Lily a bit unstable.

For the most part, Lily was harmless enough. Driven primarily for knowledge, her danger was only that she began to reach too far too quickly. Her first mistake caused radiation to leak from her compound. The inhabitants of Sogra were evacuated to nearby cities. It wasn't too long before investigators declared the town safe and people started moving back.

Then the second accident hit. A time-dilation device overloaded and enveloped the entire town and some of the outlying farmlands and forests. The town was declared off limits.

Sogra: Fast-Forward

When the time-dilation field was expanded, only a few inhabitants of Sogra had returned. Ricky, only ten at the time, was at the school playground with a few friends. As it was summer, no school was actually in session, they were simply using the basketball court.

As the town was quarantined on the outside, few new people arrived. Everyone inside was pretty much left to themselves. Then Lily activated a quarantine of her own. The perimeter of the time-dilation was guarded by her personal security force. As long as no one came near the compound or tried to leave, she let them all alone.

The town went on fairly normally at first. Then panic set in. The town broke into anarchy soon enough with gangs of ruffians setting themselves up as the local powers. It wasn't too long before the kids trapped in the town started joining the various gangs. Ricky was no exception.

Being of Mu blood, Ricky was noticed by one of the gang's leaders. He had been tracking such people and Ricky was on his list. He soon gathered the known Mu descendants and trained them as his personal lieutenants. Ricky grew up with the training of an assassin, utilizing his inner Mu ability to surround himself in Mu energy, protecting himself and, more importantly, cloaking himself.

Freedom Imprisoned

Nine months went by outside, but twelve years had come and gone inside the field. Finally, the outside world had been able to breach the field safely. Lily's compound was invaded by a joint force of heroes and military personnel. Her equipment was safely disengaged and the field dissipated.

All the while, the heroes and military were rounding up gang members and sending them to prison to await investigation and trial. Ricky escaped. He headed for where his "father" had gone, Paragon City.

Paragon, however, was not Sogra. There was a police force and heroes that could deal with super-powered villains. It wasn't too long before Ricky was caught and sent to Prison. He was there a year before Arachnos broke him and other so-called Destined Ones out.

Ricky began work for Arachnos then. He continued as a loyal assassin for Arachnos, following his orders and getting his job done.