Terradigm
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Terradigm | |
| Player: @Miyuki-chan | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Terra/Yuri |
| Known Aliases: | Terraitor |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 17 |
| Height: | 5'1" |
| Weight: | 98 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Purple (dyed); Black (natural) |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Chinese-American |
| Occupation: | none |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown |
| Known Powers | |
| Minor magical power | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Above average intelligence and fitness | |
| Equipment | |
| Four powersuits | |
| Speech in dashes represents Yuri, while lack of dashes indicates Terra or another personality (see below) | |
Contents |
History
This story is about one person, and so is about a great many people.
The War
In another world than the one we know, there was another Paragon City. As is often the case with parallel worlds, this was very similar to ours, but with key differences. The Rikti did not invade, The Freedom Phalanx was never formed, and Statesman and Lord Recluse did not exist. Everything else that sets this world apart stems from those three factors. The world as a whole was as it is here, but Paragon City existed as the sole 'neutral ground' between villains and heroes. Because of the absence of the Rikti, medical transporters did not exist, and so the battle between good and evil was far more costly. This changed with the signing of a treaty between the corporations, syndicates, governments, and interest groups that fought for economic and political control throughout the world. By terms of the treaty, Hero and villain groups defined as 'military in nature' were both forbidden, as well as any hostile actions by either side. The heroes, of course, respected the law, and the villains, fearing retaliation, reluctantly did likewise. Until the day The High Eight were formed. Eight Archvillains, five of which do not exist in this world, combined their forces in defiance of the neutrality treaty, and conquered Paragon City in three days, while the world watched. No other power dared to move against them, for fear of exposing itself. For five years, the entire city was ruled by The High Eight, and all who defied them were destroyed, or worse. Then, one day, a young girl with magical power decided that she'd had enough. She sought out others with powers like her own, and formed the first ever Supergroup in that Paragon City: The Zodiac Girls. Eleven others she found, and together they began to spread the idea of revolution. The High Eight quickly learned of their intent, and attempted to crush them early. But The Zodiac Girls were ready, and they ambushed and overcame the force sent against them. Emboldened by their victory, The Zodiac Girls rallied all who would come, from supers to honest cops, and they began a battle against crime that soon escalated into an all-out war. For three full years, The Zodiac Girls engaged in shadow warfare, ambushing street thugs, hijacking weapon deliveries, and raiding criminal businesses. But it wasn't until a team of supers sunk one of the cargo ships used to empty factory waste into Independence Port that The High Eight once again convened to move their full might.
The Battle
An ultimatum of surrender was issued, and the combined forces of The High Eight gathered in Founders' Falls, some 500,000 strong. With roughly half that number, Yufi made her move, the last one The High Eight had expected: she attacked Founders' Falls. Ten Zodiac Girls were left, five did not survive the battle. Crey agents met cops in bloody firefights. Clockwork whirred through the skies above the harbor like locusts while aerial heroes tried to fight them off. Massive Council warships decimated clockwork and heroes alike, while thousands more clockwork were assembled and launched from their massive holds. By nightfall, Founders' Falls lay in ruins. But by dawn, the balance had shifted in the heroes' favor. A daring group of police officers had inflitrated the Crey warehouses on the dock, and stolen a large number of crey powersuits, which they turned upon their former owners with devestating effects. The aerial heroes had been grounded by the never-ending clockwork menace, while the ships bombarded the shore. That changed the moment something came out of the water that noone had expected: a massive red tentacle. Lusca, who had been driven far east and south by the pollution to its home, had had enough. With a terrible strength, Lusca wrapped the ships, one by one, in it's massive tentacles and crushed them, dragging the ships, the guns, and the clockwork factories to the depths, never to rise again. It was then that The High Eight decided that it was time to intervene... personally. On the roof of the tallest building still standing, the eight remaining Zodiac Girls fought the eight archvillains in a battle to the death. All other fighting subsided as The Zodiac Girls fought The High Eight. Three of the girls were killed in the struggle, leaving Yufi, her lieutenant Yumi, the easygoing Yuni, the fey Yuki, and Yuri, who was critically injured. At the end, when it seemed fate would favor the villains, Yufi turned her considerable healing powers inward, and fought, despite wound after terrible wound, against three of the archvillains at once, finally succeeding in utterly destroying their minds. The remaining archvillains were dispatched by Yumi and Yuki, and their minions scattered or surrendered at the fall of their leaders. Good had finally triumphed, and the day was won.
The Departed
But the day was not over. For even as the forces of good celebrated their victory, a black something streaked across the air overhead. Dark as the depths of midnight, it fell through the noon sky and stopped before Yufi, who had reached her physical and mental limit in the battle that had just occured. As all eyes gazed upon the blackness, it took shape. It took the shape... of Yufi. It spoke in her voice words that none but her understood, and then, without waiting for a response, it attacked. The fight was short and one-sided. Even at her best, Yufi knew she was no match for this dark Yufi. So, she did what any true heroine would do: she sacrificed her life to save her friends. Or rather, she tried. For when the power of her light met the power of pure darkness, both collapsed, along with their users, into nothingness. Shock and horror filled the Zodiac Girls, whose numbers had dwindled now to four. Shortly after, the group suffered another blow, one which effectively ended the group forever. It was discovered that Yuri, jealous at the other girls, and resentful of her place as the 'last' Zodiac Girl, had been the one to betray them to the High Eight when they had newly formed, so many years ago. In truth, it was on Yufi's orders that she'd gone to the villains, and led their forces into the ambush. However, with Yufi gone, she had no way to prove her innocence. She was cast out of the group, and the normally calm Yumi lost control and pierced Yuri with an ice needle which missed her heart by inches. Less than a year later, the remaining three girls recieved information from a sorceress, whose name is inconsequential, that Yufi was still alive, but trapped in another Earth. Although Yuni and Yuki remained skeptical, Yumi jumped at the information and accepted her offer to be sent to the 'other world'. Despite her friend's warnings, Yumi proceeded with the ritual, and was gone before the day's end. Two days later, Yuki also disappeared. Having learned that Yufi was still alive, Yuki was pulled into the other world by her own fey magic to fulfill the terms of the wish she had granted Yufi many years ago: to fight at her side, wherever she may be, and whenever she may need it. Yuni eventually got bored, stole a dimensional travel machine (her magic was never very impressive), and set off to find her friends. But this is not any of their stories. Yuri, without her friends, without her cause, without the respect of the city, was left with nothing but bitterness, loneliness, and anger. Over time, these things consumed her. She learned to hate the world, and to hate herself, and as her hate grew, her latent magic powers gave it form. Her feelings became a psionic entity calling itself Hate, and took control of her. Under Hate's influence, Yuri sought only revenge, and to that end, she acquired a powersuit capable of bridging the gap between worlds in her first act of true murder. The suit turned out to be much more than just a standard powersuit. It took her memories, storing them within itself, so that only she could wear it, and the two set off to commit four more acts of murder.
The Fallen
Yuri, it transpired, would never find her friends. She wound up in a new world, in our world, without her memories, but with the same hatred still trapped inside her. Without reason or explaination, Yuri lashed out at the world around her. Hero and villain alike were slain; in the Rogue Isles, her constant and vicious attacks against Arachnos forces earned her a six million dollar bounty within four months. In Paragon City, entire raves were found dead, ostensibly of superadine use, while heroes went missing in the night, never to be seen again. Her rampage continued, unchecked, until she was discovered by a young Chinese-American girl late one night, in a warehouse on King's Row. This girl was named Terra, and she was our world's exact duplicate of Yuri. Terra escaped that night, and, terrified of what she had discovered, spoke of it to noone. But as the months went by, she began to slowly learn what her other self was, and what she was doing, and finally, she acted. With a suit built for her by one of her best friends, who had already been fighting crime under the name of Softwire with a suit of her own, Terra set out to find and defeat her 'evil double'. Night after night she chased Yuri, with no success. On the rare occasions that she did find her, Terra found she could not match her double's strength, nor her speed. Finally, one night, the news reported a young boy, no older than seven, who had been found dead on a playground that morning. Terra knew at once who it was, and resolved then to destroy her, or die trying.
The Opposed
As it happens, Terra did not die. Though not her double's match in direct combat, Terra was clever, and Yuri was now blinded by hate. Terra killed Yuri that very night, and Yuri, seeing herself at last as a true champion against evil, died without regret. Terra took Yuri's suit to Softwire, who warned her against wearing it. One test was enough to prove her right: Yuri's memories still existed in the suit, and although they did not turn her into a killing machine, they still pushed Terra towards the hate that had consumed Yuri. Only by concentrating on her own memories was Terra able to free herself from the rage. Yet it was too close a thing, and she decided never to wear the suit again. She broke this vow once, in an attempt to test whether her own suit was manipulating her personality in the same way. This lead to the murder of another two Arachnos soldiers, and a near breakdown for Terra. Unable to consult Softwire, she turned to a friend she had met while tending at Pocket D: the mysterious and cold Dr. Greta Tod. Dr. Tod brought Yuri's personality to the surface, and came to the conclusion that it was not the suit, but Terra herself, fueled by Yuri's memories, that desired such pain and destruction. Ever the opportunist, Dr. Tod encouraged Terra to work out her difficulties and fears by donning Yuri's suit and moving to the Rogue Isles. What's more, Dr. Tod offered to sponsor her for Sigma Iota Nu, her sorority house, so that she (Dr. Tod) could monitor Terra's progress and attempt to help her reconcile her dichotomous personality. The doctor explained how she planned to use her 'Salvation Engine' to make a copy of Terra's body so that both Terra and Yuri could exist independently of another. In truth, the doctor desired nothing more than to give Yuri total control, and to see her rise to her 'rightful place' in the world: astride the prostrate forms of those too weak to seize power, or too foolish to use it.
The Resolved
It all came to naught, though, in the span of two nights. The first was a result of Yuri becoming inebriated after Terra did not emerge during one of their classes, thus making Yuri feel like a fool. Under the influence of brandy, Yuri had a confrontation with Lumena and Cassandra Jacobs, the latter of which she attempted to choke when her hate rose to the surface unexpectedly. Despite this, Lumena and Devanna Jade (one of Yuri's closest friends) led her to finally realize that she no longer desired to kill. Distrusting her suit, Yuri went to the club the next day without it, and was attacked from behing by Cassie over a misunderstanding. Blind and bleeding, Yuri called for Doctor Tod, who stitched her wounds, but did not return with her. Instead, a friend of hers, who kept her psychic abilities a secret, allowed Yuri to see through her eyes. Thus did the psychic discover Hate inside Yuri's mind, and after a psionic battle against the creature, defeated it, leaving both herself and Yuri wounded. With Hate gone, Yuri and Terra reconciled and became almost one person, but there was still one obstacle left. Turning to the last, and most dangerous option, Yuri returned to the SIN building and confronted Dr. Tod, telling her of the reconciliation, and how both Terra and Yuri now desired to fight for good in the world. Dr. Tod was furious. Cursing Yuri, she told her of her plans to use the 'Salvation Engine', which was not a cloning machine, but the same device which the Fifth Column had used to twist Greta Tod into the cold, uncaring machine that she is today. Horrified, Yuri nonetheless asked for a favor, knowing the risk she took in doing so. She asked Dr. Tod if she could contact someone in another dimension using a sample of their blood. Unable, or unwilling, to do so, Dr. Tod called the Crimson Conjuress, leader of SIN, who reluctantly agreed to do so, at the doctor's behest. Through the ritual, Yuri spoke again to Yumi, for the first time in many years, she knew peace.
The Present
Terra and Yuri are still slightly different personalities, although Yuri now speaks in the same voice as Terra (the voice change having been a direct result of Yuri's hate). For a while, after all the events that had happened to her, Terra doubted that she was meant to be a hero, and returned to being just a normal girl, turning in both her suits to Softwire. This lasted several weeks, until Terra had conversations with a robot named Min and yet another version of herself from yet another alternate dimension. Her other other self gave her another suit, which Terra found herself using to help others without hesitation. Emboldened by these events, Terra joined Vanguard, eventually gaining enough favor with them to have a new set of armor custom-made for her. She has retrieved her other two suits from Softwire, although Yuri's suit is still registered as a dangerous villain, and so is not often worn. Terra's current goals including rescuing Dr. Tod from her personal demons and proving to DJ that people have the potential for great good, as well as for terrible evil.
Suits
The Mae Special
This is Terra's default suit, designed by Softwire. It's green and black with standard, three-pronged claws. It comes equipped with a variety of common tools (screwdriver, welding torch, bottle opener, etc.) and an advanced sensor array, incuding a visor that lets her detect many invisible things, see multiple spectrums, and look information up via a wireless computer. The boots have a complex series of colloid pistons (the patent is one of many owned by Softwire in secret) that allows her to leap great distances, and these same pistons are found throughout the suit, giving Terra the ability to react far faster than normal. The personality on this suit is actually hers, though it gives her more courage when she wears it only because she believes it does. Terra sometimes refers to this suit as 'The Super Jumping Swiss Army Knife'. ((Note: if you go by levels to determine power, Terra without her suit would be a level 1. In this suit, she would be roughly level 20. Themesong: Back to Baltimore - Counting Crows))
Yuri's Armor
This is Yuri's default suit, which was designed by the late Dr. Nimitz. It's black and pink with flatblades, rather than claws. This suit has a full face shield, which can wrap around the entire head if needed, and can supply fresh oxygen for up to seven hours. This suit is far stronger than the Mae Special, and, while wearing it, Yuri can lift an object the wieght of a semitruck above her head and throw it. The flatblades on the suit usually remained sheathed, and come out only for a moment when Yuri strikes someone with her fist. The result is an effective, if messy, attack. The boots of this suit use an unknown technology to provide temporary lift, resulting in jumping ability similar to the main suit. Even with Hate gone from it, wearing this suit still seems to incline Yuri towards violence and quick-temper, although nothing near the 'Murder Machine' it was once known as. ((Note: in this suit, Terra is roughly level 30. Themesong: Force Ten - Rush))
Zodiac Armor 'Aquarius'
This is the armor of a Magical Yuri from yet another world, given to Terra as a gift for helping it's owner to return home. It's black and cyan, and resembles enforcer armor in design. The claws are a series of short blades that extend from the ends of the gloves. It is made of an unknown material, and most of it's technology is a mystery, even to Softwire. What is known is that it allows the same leaping ability as the other suits, strength rivalling Yuri's suit, incredible agility, and exceptional protection against damage by means as yet unknown. The personality of this suit is honorable, and courageous to the point of recklessness. ((Note: in this armor, Terra is level 50. Themesong: Porcelina of the Vast Oceans - Smashing Pumpkins))
Custom Vanguard Armor
Terra had this armor custom-made after proving herself to Vanguard against the Rikti. It's white and emerald and the only suit which covers her entire body. Like most Vanguard armor, it is made primarily of impervium, although a number of spots are weave, rather than solid plating, to allow for more flexibility. It has a full helmet, rocket boots, and energy blades capable of slicing through steel like butter. ((Note: in this armor, Terra is level 50. Themesong: Norfair Tenement Blues - The Neskimos.))
Relationships
Friends
((This is not an all-inclusive list.))
- Softwire (alt)
- Phoneme (alt)
- Mitsu Tanaka
- Devanna Jade (DJ)
- Lumena
- Lisa Deing
- Crushing Violet (Angie)
- Minerva Buster
- Raine Heartfall
- Nephilim-01
- Sightless Sword (Kat)
- In Absentia ((Greta Tod))
- Cassandra Jacobs
Enemies
((Important: IC enemies do NOT reflect on my OOC feelings towards the players. The fact is that I have to have a certain level of respect for the player to even consider their character worth being my enemy.))
- Crimson Conjuress (and, to a lesser extent, the other Sigmas, to whom Terradigm is now KoS)
- Greta Tod (yes, she's in both categories)
- Clerisy
- Power-Buster (although they haven't met, PB has injured both Softwire and Phoneme, Terra's two best friends)
