Penelope Unbound
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Prometheus, Titan of Greek Mythology, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the mortals. Zeus became livid with the actions of the Titan and ordered him bound below the Earth. It was his daughter, Penelope, that dared to release her father. Prometheus, known for his wily intelligence, bestowed his wisdom and smarts upon his daughter. She became Penelope the Unbound. Her wisdom, beauty, and power rumored through the lands.
It is for her that Morgan Penelope Reynolds was named.
| |
| "...this fallen angel is the illegitimate daughter of art and science..." (Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll, Abney Park) | |
| Morgan Reynolds | |
| Player: @Germaine | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 40 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Morgan Reynolds |
| Known Aliases: | Rachel Chinton, Annabel Crowley, Viktoryia Petronovna, Vivian Chalais |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 21 or 23, depending on the information |
| Height: | 5'10" |
| Weight: | 145lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Amber |
| Hair Color: | Orange |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Language & Cryptology Student |
| Place of Birth: | St. Ansgar, Iowa |
| Base of Operations: | Steel Canyon, Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | William Reynolds (father); Gretchen Chalais-Reynolds (mother); Ian Reynolds (half-brother) |
| Known Powers | |
| Fire/Energy | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Flight | |
| Equipment | |
| None | |
| Footnotes | |
| None | |
Contents |
Out of Ashes
"Fallen down, I wake up From the nightmare I've become. Fallen down, for you." ~Out of Ashes, With Dying Words
The Beginning
July 1987 Gretchen and William had been dating for some time. She knew about his violent streaks, but she was certain that she was the cause of it. It had to be her fault--why else would he hit her so much? When she finally got the courage to tell him she was 8 months pregnant, she thought for sure he'd kill her.
He didn't.
There was no tirade. There were no blows. The strong man standing before her simply crumpled and wrapped her in his arms, holding her closely. "...my son is gone..." he whispered. She did not know what to say. She knew how William treated Ian. Frankly, she was surprised Ian had stayed as long as he had. "I'll do better with this one," he vowed.
The Move
July 1990
William decided a change of scenery would do the family good. The three of them lived in peace and tranquility. True to his word, William's tirades had subsided, mostly, and the three-year old girl smiled brightly. She was a bundle of energy and his pride and joy. Paragon City would be the perfect place for his perfect family to live their perfect lives.
But, times were tough...
Times were very tough. The perfect family found their perfect lives turned imperfectly upside down. William had trouble finding a job. Gretchen managed to get a waitressing position at an Italian place in King's Row. The scraped and saved what little money they had for food and rent and utilities. As the depression began to overtake William, he forgot his vow of change and soon, it mattered very little what Gretchen did.
It was always wrong.
If Morgan cried, he'd tell her to stop--or he'd give her a reason to cry.
He always kept his word.
The Departure
By the time Morgan was 16, she had shown an unparalleled aptitude for cryptology and languages. She was quite a brilliant child and had even skipped a grade. Still, on the morning after her sweet-sixteenth, she walked out of her house with a single suitcase. She left a note for her mother--"Dear Mom. I love you. I'll miss you. I can't live with him anymore."
Rise of the Phoenix
"...Follow me down I'm broken apart in the end Starring appalled there's no resolve Behind a wall And ashes to ashes we fall..." ~And Ashes Will Fall, Deadstar Assembly
Wanderings
The streets were no place for a teenaged girl, but it was all Morgan had. She managed to avoid the Rikti, the PPD, the heroes...and anyone that resembled William Reynolds. For nine months, she wandered through the streets. She sought solace inside one of the churches. She stayed with friends. She scavenged for food.
Her perfect life was a thing of distant memories--distant, fading memories...
The Council
She found herself in Independence Port in February of 2003. It was there she heard a man speaking on one of the street corners. At first, she thought he was trying to spread the "Good News" about the "Messiah," but as she neared, she realized his words were much different. He spoke passionately about the cause and fighting the good fight. She smiled as he deftly persuaded his listeners to volunteer for the Council--it would change their lives!
Excitedly, she ran to him as he stepped from his platform. She grabbed his arm and looked up into his face, pleading with him to allow her to join.
He stared at her a moment, then shook his head no. "You're a girl. And you're too young."
Crey Industries
Disheartened, Morgan let the man's arm slip from her hands as he walked away. She knew she could do the job--she knew it. She turned and sadly began walking. Meandering. Wandering. That's when she saw a glowing sign for Crey Industries. Pushing through the door, she went straight for the applications. Her eyes were puffy from the tears she cried at being almost instantly rejected--again--by someone she thought would understand and accept her. When the application asked for her age, she said she was 18. What was a year and a few months?
Before she left, a pleasant woman spoke to her. Glancing at the skills on the application, she questioned Morgan about her languages. When Morgan responded and elaborated on her ability to learn a language quickly and speak as if it were native, the woman smiled larger. "I believe we do have a place for you here. Welcome to Crey Industries, Morgan. Let us help you help us..."
The Sins of the Father
"Once upon a time And not so long ago When things were much more simple And time would travel slow There came a righteous stranger With a bible in his hand To educate the sinners And liberate their land..." ~Sins of the Father, Ub40
Contact
July 2008
Morgan climbed the stairs to her apartment. Things were going well. Her training was progressing nicely--slowly, but nicely. She was learning how to control the fire that burned within her veins. She was learning how to tap into the potential energy her body stored, waiting to release--to explode. She proudly donned the blue and yellow suit of the Paragon Protectorate. And on this day, she smiled at the fact that she was the top of her unit. She'd done the best and progressed the fastest. Truly, Crey Industries were quite proud of their project.
That's when she saw the note on her door. She frowned. Plucking it from its resting place, she opened it and read the brief, unfamiliar script: "Morgan. Call me. Dad."
Dad?
He was dead. She didn't have a father. She didn't have a family.
Did she?
The notes continued. Then there were mysterious numbers on her pager. She never called them back. She never contacted this "Dad." Why should she? He was probably trying to scam her. Just wanting to take advantage of her. She'd have to inform Crey Industries of the security breach and move. Again. It had happened once before.
August 28, 2008
Morgan woke up and smiled. She'd reached 21 years of life. She never thought she would. She couldn't remember why she never thought she'd live to see 21, but she was glad she had. She got out of bed, got dressed and headed for the lab. There was more training to do and more tests to run. When she entered the room however, no one else was there. Just her. And the Captain. "I'm sorry, Penelope, the program has been discontinued. Funds were reapportioned. Your debriefing is scheduled for the end of next week."
Debriefing?! Her blood ran cold. She stood, stunned, and blinked a few times, then turned and exited the room. She walked by a debriefing room and glanced inside. There was her friend Traci. Traci, sadly, was one of the lowest ranking members of the Project. They debriefed her, alright...Traci's screams haunted Morgan's dreams...
Debriefing
She called the mysterious number that persisted on her pager. "Steel Canyon. Come alone." Both agreed.
There, on a park bench behind Icon, Morgan Penelope Reynolds met with William Reynolds--the man who claimed to be her father. She couldn't remember him. At all. She was sure it was a plot by Crey to "debrief" her.
As he walked away, a hero quite literally fell from the sky. Ascalon touched down nearby and noticed the pretty girl's sad countenance. He pressed her for information. She held him at bay--he was the enemy. ...wasn't he...?
Survival
One question remained. How does one survive in a life where decommissioning meant death? She had to fight. She had to persuade. She had to convince her superiors of her irreplaceable usefulness.
...think of the possibilities a cryoptographer and linguist could offer...
Rebirth
"Rebirthing now I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me. Breathe for the first time now I come alive somehow..." ~Rebirthing, Skillet
Of Life
Shattered.
Everything she was so confident of was shattered in one instant. The life she knew prior to Crey was little more than fuzzy impressions. She knew William was bad. She didn't know why. She refused to call him "Dad." He would remain William Reynolds. He told her the evils of Crey Enterprises. Of the drugs that were killing people...of the heroes being killed and cloned...of the Count...
Shattered...
Everything she was so confident of was shattered...
Of Love
Ascalon--Matthew Hostetter--managed to swoop into her life, quite literally, and turn it even further on its end. He was strikingly handsome and had an interesting presence about him. Part of him was unsure and awkward, but there was a part of him that was confident and knowledgeable. He followed his instincts and his heart.
She wished she could do the same.
She, as she claimed, had no heart. She couldn't feel. Crey had decommissioned that aspect of her brain. No emotions. Just heartless and thoughtless mayhem. She was programmed to destroy. That was why they'd hired her. That was why they'd selected her for the Special Project. That was why they'd performed the surgery--altered her DNA--created a bio-weapon.
He still believed in her. He trusted her. He valued her. He treasured her. That's why when he said he needed to go to Germany to trace the history of the sword that gave him his powers, she made out an expense report and solicited Crey Industries to sponsor the trip for the two of them. She was taking him with her so as not to jeopardize her safety. It was always wise to have a second pair of eyes. She was, of course, correct--but Crey wasn't to be fooled quite as easily.
They spent two wonderful weeks in Germany and she actually found herself learning to care and love...at the very least, like...
(( To follow along with this story, please feel free to follow the story here. ))
Sadly, after much introspection and an unexpected proposal, Morgan felt life was moving too fast for her, so she ended her relationship with Matt. The two are still friends and he was the only one to remember her birthday...
Of Family
William spoke of a family that Morgan once knew... The one she left at 16.
The one her half-brother, Ian, left at 18--the month before she was born.
She had to find him--to seek him out--to see if William really was telling the truth. She enlisted Matthew's help to verify the information from William. All of it was true--Ian Allen Reynolds, born June 18, 1969. William and Gretchen's wedding August 1, 1987. The birth of their daughter, Morgan Penelope Reynolds, August 28, 1987.
William said Ian was missing...he figured him dead. But, if Morgan was still alive...and William had found her...there was still hope--hope of finding a kindred spirit.
...she'd always wanted a brother...
