Miss Ultimate
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Contents |
History:
Though not originally from Praetoria, the energy being now known as Miss Ultimate stumbled upon the troubled planet in the wake of the Hamidon Wars. Curious, the alien observed the people for some time at a distance. Eventually a PPD Detective within the Department of Special Investigations discovered the alien presence, and established communication.
Praetor Berry’s top bio-researchers were allowed to study the alien being, and came to two interesting conclusions: infusion of the alien’s energy into human subjects appeared to endow them with extraordinary strength and resilience. Additionally, the energy also seemed to destroy samples of Devouring Plague cells. In exchange for it’s cooperation, the alien was permitted to inhabit the psyche of an unsuspecting woman named Lisa Cortright. By taking over the young woman’s consciousness, the alien gained access to motor controls, and also human emotions which were completely unfamiliar.
In time, the alien grew quite fond of Praetoria and it’s human container. Rather than leave the planet and continue on her travels, she elected to join the ranks of Powers Division under the name “Miss Ultimate”. While working to maintain peace and order, she also enjoyed the attention and celebrity that came with the job. It was that, more than anything else, which kept her on the small world. Out in the vast empty reaches of space she was alone, but here she was Miss Ultimate - the much-loved darling defender of Praetoria.
Keeping the peace was easy work, by her standards, and it paid off in extensive media coverage, throngs of reporters and fans, and VIP access to hedonistic parties at Studio 55. Life in the Powers Division was very good...
However, with the arrival of Primal Earth forces in Praetoria, Provost Marchand contacted Miss Ultimate and asked her to travel to Primal Earth. He reasoned that because Miss Ultimate was well-loved in Praetoria, she would make a good impression among the citizens of Primal Earth. He did not, however, truly understand her motivation for aiding Praetoria, and Miss Ultimate's actions in Paragon ranged from heroic to disastrous (more often the latter).
In time, a Praetorian agent, named Alison Shaw (jokingly referred to as Ms. Tyranny by Longbow) tracked down Miss Ultimate on Primal Earth, with the intent of bringing her back to Praetoria for behavioral adjustment to ensure she would be not be a threat to Emperor Coles invasion plans. While on Primal Earth, Miss Ultimate was persuaded to join up with a nefarious group of villains in the Rogue Isles known as Entropy Legion, and Alison Shaw struck a deal with the Legion’s head, Radium Blight, to have Miss Ultimate delivered into a trap.
Although the trap went off without a hitch, and Miss Ultimate was captured and taken back to the Behavioral Adjustment Facility, the results of this would prove calamitous for young agent. While Alison observed Miss Ultimate in a containment cell, the BAF was breeched by operatives from Primal Earth. Emergency power went offline, and the restraint system necessary to keep Miss Ultimate subdued was shut off. In an instant, Alison was nearly destroyed by Miss Ultimate.
Having undergone some BAF treatments, an unusual thing happened to Miss Ultimate; the consciousness of woman had resurfaced, and was now in control of her own body once again, along with the powers of the alien parasite. For years now, the psyche of Lisa had bore silent witness to the actions of her alien captor - able to experience everything, but unable to do anything about it. Now she was free, with extraordinary power at her disposal, and a serious axe to grind…
Lisa returned to Primal Earth, still wearing her BAF suit, and broke into the Entropy Legion headquarters to settle her score with Radium Blight. However, the Legion’s master managed to calm her down, amazingly enough, and even convinced her to re-join the Legion.
Personality:
While under the control of the alien presence residing her in her, Miss Ultimate was best described as entirely self-serving. The alien portion of Miss Ultimate completely lacks a human sense of morality, empathy, or sympathy. It "loved" the citizens of Praetoria because they showered it with attention for defeating threats against the State, not because it was really concerned with their welfare.
The original identity of Miss Ultimate, a woman named Lisa, has since emerged and taken over as the dominant personality. She is intelligent but selfish, and obsessed with material wealth and appearances. In many ways, her newly emerged identity is not much of an improvement over the old one, and possibly worse, since she is smarter and less easily deceived than the alien. The reality is that Lisa is not completely in control of herself, although she does not realize it. The alien presence contaminates her thoughts and drives her to act selfishly.
Powers and Abilities:
Miss Ultimate has extraordinary strength, and is able to channel and deliver concentrated bursts of energy, mostly at close range. The source of this power comes from the energy being inside, which also projects an energy field that shields the human host from harm. This protection is extraordinarily resilient and can even protect her body from the harsh environment of space. Additionally, Miss Ultimate is known to deliver bio-electrical discharges.
Weakness:
Because of her self-serving nature, Miss Ultimate is rather prone to manipulation, if the manipulator understands and plays upon her motivation correctly. It should be noted that this does not imply Miss Ultimate is simple-minded, stupid, or clueless - it would be dangerous to assume so, as she can be extraordinarily violent.
