Red Queen
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Red Queen was made moments after my first character - King of Spades during Pre-Beta. Her name was inspired by the name of the hacker in a short in The Animatrix. She grew to become a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kitty Pryde, and Ghost in the Shell. Though she was technically second, she was essentially shared co-main status with King of Spades and hit 50 first.
| |
| Hack the Planet. | |
| Red Queen | |
| Player: @TopHat | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Samantha Carroll (former name unknown) |
| Known Aliases: | Sam |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 22 |
| Height: | 5'9" |
| Weight: | 115 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Hazel |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | US Citizen |
| Occupation: | Student of Paragon University and Technical Assistant at D.A.T.A |
| Place of Birth: | Confidential |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, Rhode Island |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | unknown doners |
| Known Powers | |
| Photographic reflexes and memory, perfect body control, cyber-telepathy | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Genius level intellect, a skilled hacker, mathematician, software engineer, and experience with advanced technological equipment | |
| Equipment | |
| A specially costumized laptop with AI name Alice, ant-grav boots, and a visor with a built in screen, infrared and night-vision | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Affiliations
- Fairy Fire (A strange friendship)
- Alice (Artificial Intelligence, partner, and friend)
- Frost Sampson (Friend and teammate)
- Doctor Blight (Friend and teammate)
Supergroup: The Defenders of Paragon
Personality
She is a loner and has difficulty trusting or getting close to others. When working, Red prefers to work with computers rather than people as she thinks they are inefficient and slow her down. Always reluctant to ask for help, Red will often depend on herself, then Alice, and when all else fails - her team. She wants to seem strong and hides many of her insecurities with sarcasm. Deep down she is always trying to prove something to everyone including herself. Sam may sometimes seem rude or to dislike others but often times it is a result of her not knowing how to interact in a social situation. Those who are arrogant or who portray the "boy-scout" persona often irritate her.
Character History
Lab Rats
While growing up in a quiet suburban town of Paragon City, Sam was considered a mathematical and computer genius by the adults around her. She was always a secluded child and her overly protective parents preferred it that way. Her spare time was often spent alone reading or on her computer. By the time she was 17 Sam was a skilled software engineer and hacker. She had a collection consisting of random files from every system she hacked for fun. Eventually she took on the task of Crey Industries and discovered that her parents' names were listed as employees of one of Crey's classified sectors. Curiosity drew Sam in and she opened the file and thereby altered the course of her life.
She discovered that her parents were illegally testing a new procedure on humans. The goal was to create a human who could directly interface with computer systems by integrating electronics in the brain and central nervous system. There were many failures and the program was in its third generation. The past showed that the aging process could not be accelerated without severe damage to mental stability and very strange and unpredictable side effects. It was therefore decided to create three new subjects who would grow up under the supervision of the five scientists. They would be given as normal a development as possible in order to ensure that the brain integrated properly with the electronic components. Sam dove further and found the progress reports of each subject and discovered that she was one of the three.
Feeling frightened and betrayed, Sam instantly ran from her home with nothing more than a few books, a change of clothes, and her life's work - her laptop Alice. It wasn't long before Crey realized what had happened and in hours Agents were tracking her via a device embedded in the system they put within her body. It was that night that Red discovered exactly what she could do with her body and she was able to out maneuver the Agents far better than they had expected. While on the run she discovered that she did not need to use conventional interface to use Alice and that she could in fact "talk" to her. Sam became a runaway and with her newfound abilities was able to just narrowly escape Crey's attempts for a few months. However, she knew she would not be able to keep it up for long nor did she know who she could turn to for help. Anyone could be an agent and Sam could not afford to stay in one place for long. Then Alexander Dagger stood within the doorway of the abandoned warehouse she was using as a base for the night and gave Sam a proposition.
Dagger Corp
Alexander offered Sam a position in his company - Dagger Corp. Dagger Corp specialized in capturing technological and scientific breakthroughs from heroes and villains alike and commercializing them. They had monitored the latest Crey project and had noted that Red escaped their supervision. Dagger was there to collect. He offered a removal of the tracking device in exchange for allowing Red's physical abilities to be analyzed and her signing a contract with his company as a "researcher." She would be trained as their agent and be tied to them permanently but she would be safe from Crey. Sam agreed.
For a year she infiltrated systems and bases of both heroes and villains and learned to use her powers for espionage. In exchange, Dagger Corp protected Red and helped her destroy all her parents' research. However, she soon grew tired of being on Dagger's leash and she resented stealing from civilian companies and heroes. She was heavily monitored by the corporation but Queen began leaving cryptic messages in Malta and Council bases that she hit. Sam became an informant to the organizations and strung them along for months to find the people who were stealing their information. A plan began to form and in 2002 Sam orchestrated an attack on Dagger HQ by both villain groups. They crashed through the base's weak points and chaos ensued. During the attack, Red began working on destroying all information Dagger had gathered on the experiment that had created her and to shut down the company for good. She came face to face with Dagger himself and they clashed in an evenly matched battle. An explosion at the HQ's foundation turned the tied and Sam was able to gain the upper hand. Dagger disappeared underneath a pile of burning rubble and Sam took one last glance of that chapter of her life before turning to run.
(The Following if a story of a mission Red had while working with Dagger Corp written by Gabriel's Fury at the Guru forums. This was the inspiration for the entire section of Red's history.)
The Defenders of Paragon
The Defenders of Paragon had taken a devastating blow to their ranks in the battle against Alexia and were looking for new blood. Though she was only 18 at the time, Sam decided she would show them what she was made of. She'd been through a lot and felt that it was time to take a calculated risk and depend on a group to guard her back. The elder Defenders were impressed by her audition and extended an invitation to the young girl. When they asked her what her alias was she took inspiration from her favorite literary work - Through the Looking Glass - and named herself Red Queen.
Though Red Queen has been an aloof member she she has worked beside the group on many occasions and will always respond to any call for help. Though "friends" may be a strong word, she has formed a bond with her teammates and has watched many come and go. No one has heard her admit it but The Defenders is the only family Red has and she will always remain a part of it. There are some members who have gotten to know who she is and they are the few that have gotten through her emotional defenses. The Defenders have helped her rise to become a well-respected hero of Paragon.
London Trip
In 2006 Red Queen began working with a shadowy informant known only as White Rabbit who gave Red information on Crey Industries. Though she never trusted him, his information always proved accurate and with his help she was able to shut down many operations and facilities early on. Finally, White Rabbit offered Red Queen evidence that would give her enough leverage to possibly destroy Crey Industries. However, he was in London and a could not leave without alerting the enemy so Red Queen picked up her bags and left without thinking to leave word with The Defenders.
Because Red had never left the country before, she arrived a day earlier than the scheduled meeting to give her some time to experience the city. Red was on guard but she was unaware that the individual known as White Rabbit was watching her the moment she entered the city and knew her movements. On her first night there, she returned with a bag full of vintage books to a cheap hostel and White Rabbit decided to pounce. A grenade specifically designed to deal with Red Queen smashed through the window but instead of exploding, it sent out a special EMP that fried Alice and severely impaired Red. She found her cyber-telapthy shut down, her body control impaired, and her mind very confused. Crey agents came soon after and attempted to take the girl in her weakened state. Still, in her condition she used the now useless laptop as a weapon and used the martial arts she remembered to fight her way to the window. She made an escape by jumping to a flagpole and then the ground but hurt herself in the process. A parked motorcycle on the street caught Red's eye and she pushed the owner out of the way to beat her retreat. However, White Rabbit was anticipating her movements.
Back in Paragon City, Alice II booted up after the destruction of its primary system. From what information should could remember and the fact that she could not contact Red Queen, Alice realized that she needed to inform The Defenders of Paragon. The alarm was set off and a meeting was called in The D. When the available members arrived they saw no one but Alice projected herself on the main screen to explain the situation. She gave them Red's last location and a team consisting or Heather Wind, Red Switchblade, Night-Club, Knightward, Xanatos, Frost Sampson, Cyborg Robbie, and The Mystic came together to find what happened to their teammate.
In London Red sped far away from the hostel and ditched the bike to lay low before she picked up another vehicle. Worry set in. She was alone and powerless. She couldn't remember the layout of the city and its streets clearly in her mind so she could not figure out the best way to cut her way to the airport. However, two individuals were tracking her in the shadows every step of the way and just as she tried to cut through an alley, they attacked. They were girls the same age as Red. One was a flawless marksmen and shot both of Red's legs while the other unleashed a wave that paralyzed Red's body while causing extreme pain. However, she was still able to hear what was said as the two women picked her up to transport Red. They were the two other specimen's had created in Red's generation but they were both inferior. The variations in their design had proved faulty. The marksmen was named Sally and was completely devoid of emotion and had limited decision making abilities like a computer, depending entirely on the other's instructions. Stephanie was the other's name and she had the ability to short-circuit any nervous system she had close contact with. The downfall of this was that she was constantly in terrible pain and had formed an addiction to painkillers, which drove her thoroughly mad. The two were not with the Crey agents but had discovered the plot to recapture Red while in their storage cells and decided to break out in order to prove themselves and possibly discover how to fix themselves with the information they'd gain from Red's body.
They brought the paralyzed Red Queen to White Rabbit, who was surprised and yet pleased by the initiative of the two wild cards. Red was horrified to see a face she had long thought dead - Dagger. He revealed himself to be White Rabbit and said that after his company had been reduced to nothing he decided he would get his revenge by working with Crey to return their property. Though Red Queen had destroyed the main files on her abilities, he had his own personal files on how to neutralize each on of his company's agents. That had allowed him to create the grenade that neutralized her powers and he orchestrated the White Rabbit persona to take her down. Red was locked away and transported to the London Crey facility.
In the meantime, The Defenders were conducting a full search of London for their comrade. They followed what trail they could from the hostel but finally came to a dead end. However, Alice was able to pick up a signal she thought was very much like Red Queen while being completely different. She led the team to Sally and Stephanie having a drunk in a London slum. The two battle the group and were able to break an escape but they had led The Defenders close enough to where they needed to be. The pub was close to the abandoned warehouse that was the front for the Crey facility and Heather Wind was able to pick up a faint psychic impression of Red Queen since Red's mental defenses were disabled. The heroes made a full attack on the facility and came face to face with Dagger and an army of Crey agents. Stephanie and Sally also made an attack on the group from behind. Being on the losing side of a battle was not to Dagger's liking and he decided to set off bombs he had planted himself in case Crey betrayed him. Heather soon picked up his thoughts and was about to warn her team when Stephanie incapacitated her. To her surprise, Sally punched her out and with difficulty stuttered out a warning to the Defenders and pointed them to Red's cell. When they asked her to come with them she shook her head and sat at her "sister's" side.
In the end, The Defenders escaped the collapsing facility - including Red Queen. They had lost track of Dagger in the chaos and assumed Sally and Stephanie to be dead. Back in Paragon, Red Queen became far more open with her teammates and as her secret identity was less crucial for her, being that Crey already knew it, she began to relax her guard. She still wonders if the girls she met still live and thinks of them with a sort of pity. Also, she remains vigilant of Dagger and Crey's attempts to gain retribution. However, she no longer feels like she must always look over her shoulder. After her trip to London she realized that she had a group at her back that she could count on if ever she needed a hand.
Graduation
In 2006 Red Queen received the Heroes of the City badge from the Statesmen. In 2007 Red Queen graduated Paragon University and she is currently interviewing for jobs with major tech companies. Also, she has begun to offer her services as a source of information and technical expertise to the hero community.
Powers
Cyber-telepathy
The ability to interact with any electronic device using only her mind. This connects Red Queen to the internet constantly and enhances her hacker abilities to levels beyond a normal practitioner. At first, she had difficulty organizing the streams of data and Alice helped her by taking on many processes. However, Red Queen has achieved full control of her abilities, turning her mind into a super-computer. She can access multiple systems simultaneously, multi task a huge number of processes, calculate complex problems in her mind, and remember everything that she sees or downloads. Now she easily infiltrates and manipulates many advanced computer systems with no need of her laptop.
Photographic reflexes
Though Red was never athletically inclined her first application of her powers was copying martial arts moves she saw in movies and used by her enemies to defend herself. This ability has also matured. Fighting alongside and against many of Paragon City's top martial artists, Red has effectively mastered a huge list of different styles and techniques. In combat she uses a mixture of them and when facing an opponent she analyzes their movements and formulates a way to counter it.
Body Control
The electronic components integrated into her brain and central nervous system gives Red Queen conscious control over her body and its movements. Her superhuman ability to calculate the mathematics of a scenario allows her to make every one of her movements precise and as efficient as possible. All her movements are corriagraphed for maximum effect. This control also extends to her mind. When necessary, Queen can stop herself from registering emotions and telepathic penetration of her mind is extremely difficult due to the will she has over it and the mental barriers she has erected.
Equipment and Gadgetry
Alice
At first, Queen's abilities were centered on advanced software engineering. Her life's work is the AI that is her partner - Alice. Alice has a distinctive personality of her own, which is logical, motherly to Red Queen, and friendly to everyone else. It's often been noted that she is nicer than Red Queen in some cases. A partial copy of her programming is in the laptop that Red Queen always carries but the main copy exists in a server within Red's apartment. The laptop accesses this version when it is required to access more advanced functions or the main library of files concerning the villain and hero community. Red has also hidden a copy within the main computer of The Defenders of Paragon HQ. If the other two version are lost or damaged the last one activates. Every twelve hours the versions synchronize and update all information including what experiences they may learn about human beings and the way they interact. Alice has many safeguards that ensure she is not used improperly by others but she is willing to help those that she considers to be Red Queen's allies. She has thousands of files of classified information that Red Queen has collected concerning heroes and villains of both Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.
Visor
Early in her career Red could not mentally organize the stream of information she was able to access. For that reason she created the visor she wears. It had a computer screen that would display the electronic information she received and she included night-vision, infrared, and the ability to zoom in on images.
Anti-Gravty Boots
Though by now Red Queen has understood and improved upon the original model, her original anti-gravity boots were given to her by Bayne of The Defenders of Paragon as a method of transportation. She has since gotten used to them and after the first pair were destroyed in a battle with Crey, she built her own with upgraded jump distance and power efficiency.
Battle Armor
While interning for D.A.T.A one summer Red Queen began to assimilated knowledge of advanced technology used by the villains and heroes of the city. In the course of a few months she understood the workings of the most complicated of machinery and was able to begin engineering her own. Using information "borrowed" from Crey and D.A.T.A files, Red began work on her own armor. It has gone through many models. The current Red Armor provides lightweight protection, slightly enhances strength and physical speed, and further insulates Red's mind from outside effects. The armor incorporates her anti-grav boots, the functionality of Red's Visor, and it increases Red's hearing.
Vulnerabilities
Red's biggest weakness is her inability to trust or allow herself to depend on others. Though she's a very calculating person, her enemies have been able to catch Red off-guard on her many solo missions. Also, a strong enough EMP has been shown to disorient Red Queen and dampen her powers. How badly she is effected is proportional to the power output of the pulse.
To contact this character's creator
- In-game: @TopHat
- CoH official forums: TopHat
- CoH Guru forums: TopHat
