Sigma Zero
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Sigma Zero | |
| Player: @Swallow | |
| Origin: | Science |
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| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Valerie Price |
| Known Aliases: | ' |
| Species: | Human/cyborg |
| Age: | Looks to be early- to mid- twenties. |
| Height: | 5' 11" |
| Weight: | 293 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | None |
| Place of Birth: | ' |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None |
| Known Powers | |
| Energy melee, cyborg toughness, medium-efficiency flight, and nanite-enhanced regeneration | |
| Known Abilities | |
| ' | |
| Equipment | |
| ' | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Background
Genesis
It all started when Crey Industries accepted the task of executing the testing and development stages of a new cybernetics system for a mysterious client. In addition to the funding required to construct the cybernetics system, Crey was paid a handsome sum to keep the entire deal quiet. Whoever the client was, they were less than eager to be caught associating with Crey. Not caring about the petty details as long as they were getting paid, Crey Biotech began their work on Project Sigma. Crey scientists soon discovered that it would be extremely dangerous to install the Sigma cybernetics core into a live human being; it was likely that their client had failed to find anyone to volunteer for the operation, and that that was another reason that they had contacted Crey Industries in the first place. Crey, on the other hand, had no problems with finding “volunteers”. Several employees were “volunteered” to be outfitted with the Sigma cybernetics core; however, none of them survived the operation. Crey’s finest surgeons looked into the matter, and determined that a typical human being had a roughly 0.5% chance of surviving the brutally invasive procedure. Unable to waste too much money to keep trying until they succeeded, they decided instead to find someone who would be more likely to survive the operation. Enter Valerie Price.
The Life and Death of Valerie Price
Valerie was just an ordinary college student. She studied hard, partied hard, and generally lived a busy life. Unbeknownst to her, she was actually a mutant, albeit with a relatively minor mutation. Bullets didn’t bounce off of her, but she was born with a particularly robust immune system that made her much less likely to receive infections or suffer from internal injuries. Because her father had worked as an accountant for Crey Industries several years ago, they had her DNA sequence in one of their databases. It didn’t take them long to track and abduct Valerie, shipping her away to one of their underground labs. There, she was taken to an operating room along with two other strangers who happened to have the same mutation that she did.
The operation itself took about three weeks. They carved out several of her internal organs, replaced her bones with impervium ones, and amputated her forearms, to name just a few steps. Throughout the process, her brain was also heavily modified to remove a great majority of her past memories as well as instill a loyalty to Crey. At the end of the three weeks, the three test subjects were removed from the life support systems that had kept them alive throughout the operation. In a matter of hours, all of them were declared dead. As the doctors examined the corpses to see what exactly had gone wrong, they were alarmed to find that Valerie’s vital functions had suddenly started back up, and furthermore, she was recovering at a phenomenal rate. The project was declared a success. Valerie Price was dead, but Sigma Zero was born.
A New Life
Of course, it wasn’t over yet. They still had to test their newest creation before they could begin manufacture of the Sigma One series. Sigma Zero was subjected to countless combat tests, additional surgical modifications, and excruciating physical tortures. The mental condition she had undergone could only go so far, and it wasn’t long until she secretly longed to either escape or die trying. One day, during yet another bout of combat testing against some Power Tanks, Sigma Zero showed them the full extent of her abilities. After defeating her training opponents, she proceeded to bull rush the security guards and break out of the containment chamber. Unfortunately for her, her supervisors had seen this day coming, and already had a safety. They remotely activated an emergency lockdown function on her core, which disabled her cybernetics core. Confident that Sigma was now helpless, they were in for a shock when she wearily staggered to her feet, and made a run for it. They sent their remaining security forces, but it was already too late: Sigma had already made it out of the laboratory and now found herself in the outside world.
Now, she found herself at a bit of a loss. Although she could feel hunger and fatigue, she didn’t actually need food or sleep, or anything else, for that matter. So, she just wandered around without a purpose, like a lost puppy, until she stumbled into a strange man who called himself Maestoso Tuono. His tone of voice was formal, almost stiff, but Sigma also felt instinctively that this was a man whom she could trust. He offered her a home and a purpose as part of a new group that he was calling The Valiant Six. She gladly accepted his offer, and began her career as a superheroine.
Personality
Before the operation, Valerie was a cheerful, energetic girl. Although her memories were erased, her personality has not changed much since then. She is a little more somber, and has a more methodical way of thing, but she still maintains her ideals. No "sacrificing the few to save the many", despite the cold logic of such a policy, she would rather save the few and the many. Despite what she suffered at the hands of Crey scientists, she still believes that mankind is innately good; however, she is not naive enough to trust everyone she meets. Once her trust is gained however, her loyalty is unwavering. She is straightforward when she speaks, and although she appreciates humor, she was never really known as "the joker". For some reason, she has a need to feel that people like her, and to this end she is very self-conscious. Perhaps it was the constant analysis and testing that she had gone through during her time at Crey, but she often feels the need to prove herself worthy. While not lacking in self-confidence, she is sometimes overly critical of herself and tends to push herself too far.
Specifications
Nanite Blood
Valerie’s body is composed of 56.4% organic material, and 43.6% synthetic, allowing herself to call herself “mostly human”, a term she prefers over "cyborg". A large part of her organic portion consists of her cardiovascular system, which remained intact. In addition to her blood cells however, are millions of tiny nanomachines that work together with Valerie's mutation to give her astounding regenerative capabilities. These nanites work on both organic and non-organic matter, they simply need to be exposed to the damaged area and given time in order to return it to its original, undamaged state.
Fusion Core
The most vital component in Sigma Zero's schematics is her fusion core. Even more important than her heart, the fusion core is the only thing she needs to stay alive. It is responsible for providing the energy for every function of her body, including armaments, self-repair, and neural processing. A tiny fusion battery is supplemented by the reactor turning food matter (Sigma can still eat) entirely into energy. A secondary function of the fusion core is the manufacture of additional nanites, both to replace the ones lost through normal wear and tear, and to pump extra nanites into Valerie's body when the situation gets more dangerous.
Processor
Valerie's brain was heavily modified, and also linked to a computer portion that has been seamlessly integrated into her organic brain. This allows her to control her cybernetic parts with a mere thought, as natural as it is for normal people to move their legs. It also has a background process that takes in the things that Valerie sees with her eyes, and assess its threat as enemies. When the threat level is high, the fusion core automatically increases the nanite count in her bloodstream.
Energy Gauntlets
The main weapon of the Sigma model, it draws upon the energy generated by the fusion core to power up the fists, in order to inflict extra damage in addition to Sigma Zero's cybernetically enhanced strength. When times get desperate, the gauntlets can send the fusion core into overdrive, powering the fists with devastating amounts of energy at the cost of overheating the fusion core and doing major damage to Sigma Zero herself. Recently, Valerie has upgraded the gauntlets to allow them to fire short-range flares of energy. These gauntlets can be removed with the right tools, but the Sigma operation had Valerie's forearms amputated, so the only thing underneath the gauntlets is her impervium skeleton. Still, because they are so bulky, in the course of Valerie's non-crimefighting life, she keeps them off.
