Artwork by Juggertha
Imitation
Player: Chrysame
Origin:	Mutant
Archetype:	Scrapper
Security Level:	50
Personal Data
Real Name:	Cara Deacon
Known Aliases:	None
Species:	Human
Age:	26
Height:	5'3"
Weight:	102
Eye Color:	Grey
Hair Color:	Brown
Biographical Data
Birthdate:	November 14th
Place of Birth:	Paragon City
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Adam Deacon (father, deceased), Evelyn Deacon (mother, committed, deceased), Cain Deacon (brother)
Known Powers
Ability to mimic the powers of other Superheroes. Ability to generate claws. Possesses super reflexes. Burgeoning control over all forms of electricity. Flight. Running speeds in excess of 60 mph when combined with super reflexes.
Known Abilities
Exceptionally well-conditioned. Hand to hand combat. Computer hacking skills.
Equipment
STORM issued standard equipment. Heavily customized comm unit including stealth capabilities. Base transporter. Access to technological, biological and magical based weapons.
Footnotes
Evelyn Deacon was a talented artist in her youth. For many years she was committed to Havenwood, a mental facility just outside Paragon City. Cara is a coffee fiend and can be found most mornings at the Lucky Cup in Kings Row. She is a beer snob and will openly mock you for drinking "sissy ass beer."

Imitation was created by User:chrysame (global handle: @chrysame). She has evolved into an Emma Peel like character with hints of Batman, Hawkgirl, Black Canary and a whole lot of fiesty. She has developed a very different voice from the one I first conceived. Imi took control and told me where she wanted to go. It's been a fun ride so far! Currently in play is another version of Imitation called Imitation Electric who is an Elec/Elec blaster.

Personality

Cara is a study in contrasts. Sometimes forthright, sometimes shy. She has few close friends but those she has have earned her complete loyalty and trust. Cara has been described as "exact". As much as she would like, she is not a romantic. She deplores emotional highs and lows preferring things stay on a even keel. If a conversation gets too personal or emotional she will shut it down rather than deal with it. She is easily irritated.

Cara is entomophobic (fear of bugs and insects) to a severe degree.

Abilities

Imitation by MMOart

Cara's family always had the odd mutant here and there. A cousin who could create tiny snowflakes and ice pellets, an uncle who could take a punch that would destroy a tank. Cara and her older brother showed abilities, too. Cain had amazing, unbelieveable reflexes, incredible speed and agility. He had only to see and touch a weapon and he was it's master. His little sister could copy any power from any mutant or magic user. Even if that person never used that power she could grab it and use it. Cara could only hold a finite number of powers. When she copied one over that limit the oldest power she had imitated would disappear. Her family gave her the nickname, Imitation.

Cain Deacon/Schism

Smart, handsome and devilishly charming, Cain Joseph Deacon walked on water in the eyes of his family. His little sister idolized him and he adored her. Six years older than her, Cain didn't mind having her tagging after him unless he was hitting on a girl. Then, he would and could be cruel in his rejection of Cara. But, isn't that the way with teenage boys and little sisters?

In college, Cain used his mutant abilities to save a group of students. The local paper printed the story of the dashing hero. Area television channels showcased the attractive young man on various news programs and talk shows. A small idealistic hero group recruited Cain and he eagerly joined their organization.

Cain rose quickly within the ranks of the group. He was christianed Schism. He was popular and seemingly embodied all the traits they expoused; honor, compassion, trust and courage. The Deacons were proud of their son and Evelyn, their mother, began to create scrapbooks to chronicle Cain's achievements. Periodically, Cain would sneak young Cara out of their parents house to accompany him on an "easy" mission. He taught her how to fight and how to move. When she did well, he lavished her with praise. When she did poorly, he patiently corrected her. No one knew about these secret outings, not their parents nor Cain's hero group. It was something special between the siblings.

The Sewers

A little over ten years ago, Cain snuck Cara out of the house to accompany him on a routine mission in the sewers of Paragon City. He explained that he was bored and just wanted to clear out some Vahz. Cara was happy to join him and pick up some more pointers. She copied his super reflexes power and carried a set of her brother's knives. This section of the sewer was more bug-infested than usual but Cara didn't mind. She wasn't "girly" about bugs. The Vahz weren't numerous and the pair swept through the tunnels quickly.

They took a break in a tiny section of the sewers bracketed by two narrow open doorways. Talking and laughing, they were sharing a bottle of water when masked men flooded both doorways attacking the pair. Cain and Cara fought methodically, incapcitating many of the men quickly. They took a few hits, especially Cain, as he stepped in front of his little sister in an effort to protect her. Cara yelled at him to call for help. Cain never responded. To this day, Cara doesn't understand why he didn't call for backup.

Their remaining opponents stepped back creating a small aisle leading to the now surrounded siblings. A gorgeous raven-haired woman dressed in silver and gold spandex walked towards them. She never spoke. The woman strode up to Schism and caressed his face before she punched him in the gut. Cara smiled, that was it...a punch? Cain took bigger hits then that routinely. When the woman drew back her hand Cara saw the claws dripping with her brother's blood. As if in slow motion, Cain fell. Bugs swarmed over him. What happened next is a blur. Cara remembers growing claws, copying the woman but retaining her brother's relexes. She is sure she attacked the woman and the remaining men but can't recall anything further.

A few hours later, Cain's hero group arrived and found Cara near the entrance of the sewer. She was badly injured and drifted in and out of consciousness for days. Cain's smashed communicator was discovered surrounded by several dead masked men. His body was never found. Schism was given a hero's funeral while Cara remained in the hospital.

Aftermath

The months after Cain's death were filled with physical therapy and psychological analysis. Cara had lost her mimicking ability and was locked into the powers of her deceased brother and his killer; her claws and Cain's super reflexes. When she was released to her parents care she found her father coping with the loss of his son through the numbing effects of alcohol. Her mother was unraveling mentally, unable to deal with her firstborn's death and her daughter's part in it.

It came to a head a year later not long after Cara's seventeenth birthday. Her father, Adam, was home having lost his job due to his uncontrolled alcoholism. Both parents sat in the living room, her father watching golf while sipping a tall glass of bourbon. Her mother stared blankly ahead, withdrawing further and further inside herself. Cara entered the room just as her father was putting down his drink. Drunk and unsteady, he misjudged his placement and the glass skittered off the table. Cara reacted fast. Using the super reflexes she'd copied from her brother she easily caught the glass without spilling much of the liquid. Both parents stared at her and her use of Cain's powers. They exploded in rage and pain, screaming at their daughter. Her father rose to his feet and came after Cara, blinded by the booze and his grief. As he raised his hand to strike her, Cara flashed her claws. Fear and loathing flashed over his face before he sat back down without a word and reached for his drink.

The next day, Cara packed her things and left. She never returned to that house nor has she seen her father since.

The Lean Years

Posing to earn some much needed cash (Artwork by McKinney)

Cara doesn't go into details about her life for the next eight years. She slowly built up a reputation as someone who could get the job done for a reasonable fee. The job being recovering artifacts, rescuing kidnapping victims and anything else that required discretion. Cara lived very frugally. She had no real friends and dated only very very casually.

When she was twenty-five she made the decision to reach out to her parents. Imitation located her mother in a state run mental facility. Her mother had been committed when she'd been arrested for attempted arson of the church the Deacon's had attended when Cara was little. Her father wasn't around during that incident and there was no record that he had ever visited Evelyn. Obviously, Adam Deacon had been out of the picture for some time. Cara made arrangements to have her mother placed in Havenwood, a very progressive and expensive institution outside Founders Falls.

It meant Cara would have to work even harder to afford the exorbitant fees. She took any work she could drum up. She lived more frugally cutting out even the smallest luxuries. At one time things got so lean she was forced to pose for some hero "cheesecake" photos in order to pay the bills. But, they were tasteful and the money was good. During this time, her reputation as a no-nonsense, efficient and discreet merc for hire grew. She occasionally turned down jobs and could demand a higher payday. By now Cara was used to living a rather spartan lifestyle. Any excess earnings were put aside to provide a small cushion for those not so flush times. Unfortunately, that small cushion was rapidly devoured by the continuing jump in fees at Havenwood.

On the Job. (Artwork by B. McKinney)

STORM

Imitation is a member of Storm, an emergency response group. They tackle jobs that are deemed high risk. Not long ago, Cara resigned her position as Director of Intelligence. While she's still affiliated with the group, most of her time is spent running freelance jobs on her own. Ever since Gold Cop left for Boston and an undercover assignment, she's felt less and less connected to the organization. It was only her respect (although poorly shown) for Gold Cop that allowed her to function well in a group setting. His absence has had a greater impact on her then anyone is aware.

Cain Deacon, Revisited

Long story short: Cain is alive. The incident in the sewers was an illusion created by his psychic girlfriend, Mai Ling. She used her powers to implant memories in Cara so Cain could disappear a hero. Some things couldn't be faked. The injuries Cara sustained in the sewers were quite real. There is some question as to whether Mai Ling actually possessed any type of claws which were and are the basis of Cara's signature power. Perhaps Mai Ling was able to create claws psychically or perhaps there were never any claws. Cara has never considered the question seriously. The answer could be too difficult to handle.

While Mai Ling is now deceased, Cain still roams the Rogue Islands. He visits Paragon and does nothing to hide his presence from his sister. He's convinced that Cara needs him and that only together can they reach their true potential. This is despite the fact that Cara killed his love, Mai Ling during a botched kidnapping attempt.

Recent Developments

Evelyn Deacon took her own life in April of 2009 while a resident of Havenwood. Cara mourned the loss of her mother on her own without revealing the events to her friends. Even now, while some have become aware that Evelyn died they aren't aware of the details. Cain was obviously aware of their mother's passing as he claimed Evelyn's ashes from the crematorium just hours before Cara arrived to retrieve them.

Sometimes, Cara considers finding her brother and taking him up on his offer. Usually, a long punishing run will rid her of the notion.

Trivia

• Cain Deacon gave his little sister a necklace with a tiny butterfly charm when she was a little girl. He always called her, "Butterfly." She still has the charm.
• On her days off she likes to go to flea markets and yard sales looking for old wood furniture. She's outfitted her apartment with the pieces she's bought and refinished herself.
• Her coffee drink of choice is a large soy mocha latte with an extra shot.
• Cara's friend, Lotos Rose, gifted her with a beautiful long haired tabby cat. She named the kitten, Fred the She Badger after a joke the friends shared.