Psyentist

Safety, Fun & Learning (in that order)

Elaine was nowhere near the classification level necessary to even know about the presence of semi-legal alien technology in the lab, but nonetheless one day she stumbled into a room where a bizarre Rikti artefact had been set up on a workbench. Elaine had just checked into this section of the lab looking for supplies, rather than having to go through the lengthy requisitioning process. Her shortcut was to prove a pivotal point in her life. The lab sealed, and seconds later she heard... and felt... the Rikti technology powering into life. It detonated with a psychic shock that shook the lab, and Elaine passed out as the wave engulfed her.

After Hours

When she awoke the second time, she was securely fastened down. The panic and voices had died down to a trickle. Everything had a strange, pinkish tint to it, and has become aware she was looking at the world through a pair of goggles. Slowly a medic approached her. She could hear a stream of questions from him, mixed with reassurances that she was safe, and that they were trying to look after her. She'd had an accident. It took her a few seconds to realise that his mouth hadn't moved. "I want you to relax" he said softly, but she'd already heard everything from him that she needed to know. She could see herself as he saw her. Pink energy flowed from her eyes like flames, her mind bursting with unleashed psionic powers.

The next few days were filled with trauma, adjusting to the change. She could hear the surafce thoughts of people, and was prone to emitting psionic energy, and throwing things around with her mind. It took time and silence to restore a measure of control. A psychic hero vitied her. He helped with guiding her through a series of tests and techniques to focus her newfound powers. Paragon Atomic Systems were quick to pick up the bill for her rehabilitation, and provided a safe environment. Her family lived in Michigan but were flown in to visit her at the company's expense, once she was in control of her powers enough to see them. She wore the goggles to help her focus the excess psionic energy that her brain produced, the side effect being the constant pink glow from her eyes.

Three weeks after the incident, she was able to leave the medical facility and Martin Reece met with her to offer her a job. Lacking any other means to support herself, she accepted, but waived her rights to sue the comapny as part of the deal. The incident with the Rikti tech was ruled an accident, and Vanguard carried out inspections to ensure no similar technology was in the wrong hands.

By day Elaine used her powers to benefit the company simply by helping researchers and engineers communicate their ideas. Her telepathy allowed her to transmit ideas around and to help people understand one another. During this time she learnt a great deal by working with specialists and researchers from many different backgrounds and disciplines. Eventually though, Elaine came to believe that she was benefitting only herself and P.A.S, and that she should use her powers for a greater good.

She used her new salary to construct a makeshift costume, and registered as an "After-Hours" hero, helping patrol and secure the streets when her dayjob was done.

Elaine took on her role as "the Psyentist" initially as a simple matter of civic duty, but over a few months it became clear to her that the city, maybe even the world, was facing serious threats. Gradually she requested more and more leave to cover her crimefighting activities, and her work began to suffer. She suffered injuries that required additional time off, and was once kidnapped and held in Striga Isle for several days by Council operatives.

Over time it became clear that she would have to choose between work and being a hero, but financially she couldn't just quit P.A.S. She was torn by the decision. Her patrols of the seedy districts of the city had led her to saving lives and rescuing people from the violent gangs that seemed able to operate openly in these areas. She'd helped dyne addicts one day, and fought off aliens the next. In comparison her work at the labs was just turning a profit for the company.

Everything changed when she took on Crey Industries. Following the trail of some doctors performing illegal human experimentation, she discovered that the operation was part of a Crey project. At first shocked that a multinational like Crey could be so riddled with corruption, Psyentist initially approached the corporation with evidence detailing what had taken place in some of their labs. She was able to speak directly to Countess Crey about her concerns and the evidence she had gathered. Assured of the Countess' intent to root out the evildoers in her company, Psyentist left convinced that her job was done.

Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt

Elaine quickly pieced together the evidence. Countess Crey had turned her expose against her, and used her position at P.A.S to take out a rival corporation. Crey released details that they had also bid to run the Terra Volta reactor, and claimed that the super-powered industrial espionage was intended to ensure they did not win the contract which was due for renewal.

Her employment was immediately terminated, and as a super-powered suspect she was thrown into the Zig to await a hearing.
Elaine recieved an unexpected visit. A hero calling himself Cryo Havoc snatched Elaine from custody and took her to Independance Port, explaining that he had intel which suggested she was innocent. He gave her a modified version of her suit, incorporating force field technology that he utilized himself. He offered to turn over everything he had to the police, but in return he asked for her help at the Terra Volta plant.

While she had been incarcerated the P.A.S staff had been shipped out from Terra Volta and only a skeleton crew remained to oversee daily operations. Cryo Havoc explained that the mercenary group known as the Sky Raiders had been hired by Crey to attack the reactor and make it look like P.A.S had been siphoning fuel for the black market, and running a dangerous operation. With Crey as a common enemy, Cryo Havoc was counting on Psyentist to help him keep the whole mission quiet.

Arriving in the nick of time, Psyentist and Cryo Havoc met with a handful of heroes who had taken it upon themselves to step up patrols around Terra Volta as a precaution. They led them through the Sky Raider assault, freeing the workers taken hostage and gaining access to the core by means of passcodes that Cryo had in his posession. Sensing that he wasn't being completely honest with the team, Psyentist decided to try and delve into his thoughts, asking him about his identity to try and prompt surface thoughts that she could scan. She was shocked to discover that Cryo was none other than Martin Reece, CEO of Paragon Atomic Systems, and her now ex-boss. Before she could reveal this however, the reactor alarm sounded. The Raiders had breached the core and dropped the containment fields.

In their botched attempt, the Raiders had inadvertantly caused the reactor to become unstable. The hero team struggled between fighting off the Sky Raiders and feeding coolant into the system, but eventually the core tipped into criticality and began to release deadly doses of radiation. Knowing that the lives of everyone in the city would be at risk, the Psyentist threw everything she had into forming a bubble around the core. Using the enhanced suit Cryo had provided for her she was able to hold the core together long enough for the others to capture the Sky Raider commander and for Cryo to activate the emergency measures that would stabalize the reactor. Exhausted by the herculean strain of using her powers the Psyentist collapsed into a coma.

Human Technology will
Render You
Obsolete

Recuperated but now jobless, the Psyentist picked up where she left off, tackling crime and now well aware of the threat Crey posed to the people of Paragon. She began to notice changes however, and found that her powers had increased greatly since her ordeal at Terra Volta. Day upon day the strength and control she had over her abilities grew. In just a few weeks her power levels increased five fold. It didn't go unnoticed. One of the heroes she had worked with at Terra Volta put her name forward to a supergroup for membership, and she found herself with a fully-paid job as a superhero.

Since then the Psyentist has been hard at work both in the fight against evil, and in the research labs, helping to develop technologies in the battle against crime. Her detective skills and psionic powers make her a force to be reckoned with, and she frequently provides assistance to other heroes to thwart evildoers. She has helped Portal Corp improve gate technology, joined Vanguard to resist the Rikti, and matched wits with the criminal genius King Brain. She has even helped out Cryo Havoc in some of his adventures since, but has staunchly refused his open ended offer of a job. She is a spokesperson for several agencies which seek to educate the public about science and rational thinking, and a close friend of Stephen Sheridan.