Sportie
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Before trying to be a hero, try to be healthy. | |
| Sportie | |
| Player: @Wendy | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Defender |
| Security Level: | 36 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Sara Carlson |
| Known Aliases: | Sportie, Speedy Sara |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 21 |
| Height: | 6 foot |
| Weight: | 141 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | Dyed Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | U.S. Citizen |
| Occupation: | Former Olympic Athlete, Trainer for young athletes |
| Place of Birth: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Dating |
| Known Relatives: | Timothy Carlson (Father), Sandie McDowell (Mother) |
| Known Powers | |
| Empathy (Healing Aura, Heal Other, Resurrect, Fortitude, Absorb Pain, Recovery Aura, Regeneration Aura, Clear Mind, Adrenalin Boost), Archery (Snap Shot, Fistful of Arrows, Blazing Arrow, Stunning Shot), Flight (Hover, Fly), Leadership (Assault, Tactics), Concealment (Stealth, Invisibility). | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Even before her powers emerged, she had a keen eye and performed at Olympic and World Championship levels in Track and Field events. | |
| Equipment | |
| A jump pack (unreliable), a Pocket D VIP card (for those quick trips), vitamin supplements and emergency medical supplies, a few mementos, and her costumes. She has a variety of bows for her different outfits. | |
| ' | |
Contents |
A Morning Run
Breathe, evenly. Pace yourself, don't pant. Panting wastes energy. One foot in front of the other.
Talos Island was a lovely place to live. High rises with spectactular views of the water surrounded small parks and shopping arcades, and it was a small enough neighborhood that one could walk from one end of the isle to the next, easily.
She wasn't interested in walking, though. She was running, bow and arrows strapped across her back. She did this every day, a little warm-up exercise to get her ready for the day's work, a four mile run in thirty minutes.
She could run faster, much faster, if she wanted to, but that wasn't the point. There was a challenge in using only her body's natural speed, and not, as she would put it if someone asked, cheating by using powers when they weren't needed.
Breathe evenly, pace yourself, don't pant. One foot at a time, look ahead at the terrain.
Looking ahead, she frowned. Three tattooed men, dressed in martial arts garb and bristling with weapons, were accosting a woman in a nurse's uniform.
Tsoo. That will cut into my time.
She came to a stop, drew her bow, and loosed three arrows in a second and a half. She might not be on the level of Manticore... ...yet... ... but she hit what she aimed at, always in the X-ring. Her skill had earned her several Olympic medals in archery events, before her powers surfaced.
This time was no different. Two of the tattooed thugs immediately dropped to the ground, writhing in pain, disabled by the arrows. The third arrow also hit, but the angle of his body and speed at which she'd loosed it shifted the impact by half an inch, turning a disabling strike into a mild annoyance.
Rushed that last shot. Take your time, there are no bonus points, this is not a speed event.
She nimbly dodged out of the way of the shuriken whipping toward her through the air, nocking another arrow automatically. She aimed, as the black-clad, burly thug charged towards her, and loosed.
This time, there was no deflection, no error. The third of the thugs collapsed.
She smiled and put her bow away, pulling out teleport tags as she walked towards them.
"Now, boys, you should take up a more healthy hobby, like swimming."
The nurse blinked and looked around, saw her, and said gratefully, "Thank you! I'm so glad you happened by, Sportie! This is the best thing that's happened to me in a week!"
"You're welcome." Sportie grinned, as she tagged the three thugs.
Breathe, evenly. Pace yourself, don't pant. Run a little faster, you have some time to make up.
She left the scene of the fight behind as the bodies shimmered and disappeared, thinking about the one she loved, hoping she'd be home.
It was just another morning run on Talos Island.
History
The Early Years
(( Work in progress ))
Burning Bright
((work in progress))
The Torch's Flame
Relighting the Fire
Sara's class was out on the sports field for the sports period, and Coach Mila was calling out the order in which the girls would race.
Sara wasn't paying much attention. She could still easily outrun all the others in her class, boys and girls both. Sure, she loved to run, loved the feeling of sprinting down the track, of winning. But the effort required to compete on a national level, on an international level, she'd grown sick of a year ago, the way the constant training kept her from living a normal life, the way it consumed every waking moment...
"Sara, you're on the outside track, since you're still our resident champion."
...she'd wanted to live a normal girl's life, but she found it a bit shallow.
There was a little laughter from the other girls, but a few softly spoken words in a brightly malicious tone from one of the other girls caught Sara's attention. "Yeah, the champion of getting fat."
She clenched her jaw, the only sign she'd heard the mean words. It was just jealousy, she told herself. She might have stopped competing, but she was still in great shape.
Sara won the race, of course, easily outdistancing the others despite being on the outside track. For the first time in several months, though, she went up to the coach afterwards.
Coach Mila looked inquiringly at Sara. "Is there something you want, Sara?"
Sara asked, "Coach, what was my time?"
Mila nodded, "It's been a while since you asked me that." She turned the clipboard around and held it out for Sara to see.
Sara read her time and blinked in disbelief. "But, that says I lost almost two seconds off of my average?"
The coach shrugged and said indifferently, "Well, dear, it's still far better than anyone else in this class, or even in this school. That's something to be proud of, right?"
Sara turned away, feeling stung. "Yes, coach." She said, and walked away, thinking.
Behind her back, Mila smiled. She knew what effect her tone would have on her best athlete. She'd watched Sara for years, and hoped this would be a good kick in the pants to get her back into competition. Mila hated to see such potential being left to waste. And it wouldn't hurt the school's reputation or her athletic budget to be able to claim a national, or even an international champion.
Her mother had picked her up after school, and Sara had responded to her mom's questions about the day with short answers, getting grumpier as the ride home continued.
Sara knew she was in great shape. She knew she hadn't gained weight, beyond what her growing, changing body naturally would. She knew she wasn't... fat... just curvier, and she was determined to prove it.
She stomped into the house, dropping her pack in her room and going to the bathroom. She took a shower, put on her bathrobe, and opened up her weight logbook. The last entry was dated almost ten months before.
She made a quick calculation, pencilled in the result, and then stepped on the very accurate medical scales.
For a moment, she didn't believe the result. She stepped off the scales, then on them again. The result was the same.
Even accounting for the weight of the robe, the scales said she was fifteen pounds over what her weight should be.
The girl was right. Sara was gaining weight, and it was hurting her performance.
Sara sat quietly through dinner, thoughtful, listening to her mom and dad talk about the day.
Her dad turned to her and asked, "So, Sara, how was school today?"
Sara bit her lip. "It was okay. Dad?"
"Yes, Sara?"
"Do you think Coach Victor will train me again?"
Her dad grinned, and her mother smiled. "I think he'd be very happy to see you back. Do you want to, though?"
Sara nodded. "Yes. I think, I'd like to compete again."
"See, Sandie? I told you Sportie would be back." Her father, beaming, leaned over and hugged Sara tightly.
Sportie returned the hug, and said, "Just, I'm not training on Sundays anymore, okay?"
Her mom came over and gave her a hug too. "That's a good idea, Sara. I always thought you needed more time to yourself, and not push yourself all the time."
Sportie smiled and hugged her mom back. "I should have listened."
Already, Sportie was beginning to look forward to the talk with Coach Victor. It would be tough, but she would compete soon, and she could see herself in her mind's eye on an Olympic podium, a gold medal around her neck, waving in triumph to the crowded stadium...
((work in progress))
A New Beginning
((Work in progress))
