The Remorseful Rogue/Early Biography
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Early Biography: Before, During, and After Arachnos
Ro's Parents, Her Birth, and "Rogue"
Rosemary's parents were Doctors Tina and Anthony Cline, researchers for GIFT in Atlas Park of Paragon City. Though highly-respected, the Clines lived in a modest home on the outskirts of Atlas and led quiet lives. Rosemary Ann Cline was born in Boston, Massachusetts during a conference given by her mother, and was delivered by her father outside Mercy Hospital.
Though her parents were decidedly "natural" people, possessing no gifts except their exceptional intelligence and dedication to their jobs, Rosemary was regarded as extra-special from the time she was a toddler. She seemed to be able to absorb peoples' knowledge and abilities, "borrowing" this from people through light physical contact. Her parents first noticed this after giving their daughter affectionate hugs or kisses, then watching in disbelief as she began to converse with them about things they learned at work that day, or mimicked her mother's dance steps from her ballroom classes on the weekends, or recited lines from plays from her father's years in local theatre as a young man. Rosemary's method of absorption would eventually change, not requiring physical contact, but it would take years of focused concentration (and one tragedy) before that would happen.
Amazed by this, Rosemary's parents suspected their daughter might have been affected by their prolonged work at GIFT and her mother's continued research while she was pregnant, but it was never proven. Her parents refused to put Rosemary through endless testing, and did not reveal to anyone of what their daughter was capable. The doctors Cline simply accepted their daughter, affectionately called "Ro," for who she was.
Rosemary’s father, a fan of the X-Men comics, gave his growing daughter the nickname "Rogue" in honor of his favorite character, whose powers his daughter seemed to be able to emulate. However, unlike the comic book character, her touch was not harmful to others. This nickname would later go on to mean much more than an allusion to her powers.
The Death of Ro's Father and Growth of Her Powers
Tragedy struck Rosemary early, and ironically it was the very death of her father that caused a surge in her powers, making them stronger than ever. When she was seven years old, her father was killed in a bizarre lab experiment gone awry. Upon investigation headed by Antonio Nash's associates at Paragon PD, they discovered fragments of Arachnos ammunition left behind in the rubble. Anthony Cline's death was officially ruled an assassination, most likely due to his conduction of research on the Fortunata (and whether their psychic powers were of mutation or magical origin) which he wrongly believed was top secret. After her father's death, Rosemary learned to detest Arachnos sooner rather than later.
Spurred by her shock and anger, her powers seemed to rapidly strengthen, allowing her to absorb gifts and knowledge for much longer periods of time, although still not indefinitely. She was even able to absorb without actually touching people now (for which she was thankful, being of a shy nature, and tired of shaking hands and patting shoulders). She could take on someone's extensive knowledge of Shakespeare or vehicle repair, for example, by talking with them from across a room for several minutes, and not even have to be conversing about the bard or cars to do so. This lead to possibilities that Rosemary had some psionic or psychic power as well.
Her absorption of knowledge, whether taken physically or intellectually, lasted much longer than that of physical gifts such as stamina or strength - possibly because of her good memory and her own intelligence, and sometimes these things she "borrowed" became permanently entrenched in her memory. Still, it began to take much longer periods of either kind of contact for her to be able absorb information or talents at all, especially if she hoped to retain it indefinitely. A half-hour of touch or conversation in the pursuit of knowledge yielded hours upon hours of retention (if not permanency); the same amount of time in pursuit of physical gifts yielded only fifteen minutes or so of ability.
These approximations of time grew steadily as Rosemary herself grew. During her adolescence it became as powerful as it ever would. Still saddened by the murder of her father, and hurt by her mother’s growing neglect of her, Rosemary's ability seemed to double or triple when she was in a black mood. She began to use these times of depression as footholds for expanding her powers. Going back to the idea of possible psychic power, during this time Rosemary discovered she had some kind of ability - all her own, and not borrowed from anyone, since she did not know anyone personally who could do this - to sense the feelings of others around her, "borrowing" emotions and taking them onto herself (not on purpose - it seemed to just happen to her, which made her resent it). She could also occasionally catch snippets of peoples' uppermost thoughts (which she dealt with better). This was a gift Rosemary kept all to herself, secret from even her mother.
She zipped through high school with fine grades, and none due to cheating, though that would have been easy for Rosemary considering her gifts. However, Ro's mother was still the only one who knew about Ro's absorptive abilities, and no one else suspected she possessed anything other than a finely tuned intellect and a studious, introverted personality. Though a loner by nature, Ro had the curious ability to influence other students to help her, with volunteer work or class projects, for example. This could also be reversed to help hinder those she didn't like, mainly teachers and school bullies. Rosemary was not a "gang leader" of any sort, but seemed to possess a talent for getting people to see things her way. It is not known if this is another aspect of her mutation abilities, or simply force of personality she inherited naturally from her father, an intelligent and influential debater.
Regardless, with an interest in English literature and human biology, Rosemary graduated a year early and in the top five percent of her class. and went on to enroll in Paragon City University in Steel Canyon, planning to become a researcher like her father had been.
Rosemary continued to practice strengthening her abilities while not in class. Separated from her mother, and realizing her bad attitude may have been some of the reason for their estrangement, she began to contact Dr. Cline regularly and make attempts at gaining back her mother's attention and trust. She also began to research the history of Arachnos heavily - perhaps making the same mistakes her father had. For after her freshman year, Ro was planning to continue her education and reconcile with her mother when it was all swiftly cut short by the very people she loathed and studied.
Arachnos Intervenes: Ro's Abduction and Her Mother's Murder
Since late 2004, Tina Cline had begun working at the GIFT headquarters in Galaxy City with Prince Kiros Nandelu. She was continuing her husband's work on Arachnos, but was not being as productive as she could have been. It seemed depression and a flirtation with alcohol and sleeping pills had begun to take their toll on Dr. Cline.
In the late spring of 2006, Ro took her break and went to stay with her mother, who had just moved into a new condominium. Feeling lonely at school, Rosemary was hoping to reconcile with her mom and become close to her again. The reunion started off well, but by the second day they found themselves arguing all night, with an inebriated Tina suddenly blaming Rosemary for all of the family's faults and for Dr. Anthony Cline's death. The two angry women were suddenly interrupted when a break-in occurred. This is where the details of Ro's past become murky.
Bystanders report seeing what they believed was an Arachnos flier looming over Dr. Tina Cline's condominium building. A woman in an adjacent building, Shauna Dufresne, told authorities that she saw Ro and her mother dragged from a window by two slender women dressed in black and purple, and wearing very distinct flat-headed helms. It is likely that these women were Night Widows under the command of Ghost Widow. The Widows took the two captives, screaming and fighting, up to the Arachnos flier and, once their quarry was inside, the vehicle left the scene and flew eastward. After the authorities were called to the scene, they could not find any evidence that the women had been kidnapped, other than hearsay from the aforementioned Ms. Defresne. The Arachnos flier was not reported seen anywhere else, and Dr. Tina Cline and her daughter Rosemary were finally deemed missing persons after a week of their disappearance.
Dissenting individuals who once worked within the upper echelon of Arachnos report that the two women were brought to Grandville, paraded down the long immigration plaza to the tower, and taken to the upper rooms. It is said that they were brought before Lord Recluse himself, who immediately strangled Tina Cline and had her body removed from his presence. In an out of character show of mercy, just before condemning Rosemary Cline to the same fate as her mother, he suddenly took a liking to the young woman and spared her life. It's suspected that Recluse knew about Rosemary's powers and decided to keep her alive for study; others think it was more likely because he was admiring of Rosemary's apparent complete apathy toward her mother's brutal murder. Recluse backed away and, putting his rage aside, decided to place Rosemary in the care of Ghost Widow.
Despite her disdain of her mother, Rosemary obviously still despised Arachnos for what they had done to her father. Certain leaked Arachnos files state that she was taken to Mercy Island to talk with the Ghost Widow, where she was somehow convinced that a citizen's life within Arachnos would be better than her mother's fate. Now realizing for the first time that no one else was looking out for her, she apparently decided to put the past behind her - for a little while, anyway - and accept Recluse's strange pardon.
Rose Widow
"She had become like they are... She had taken his hand."
- "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," Blue Oyster Cult (and many others who have covered it)
It is confirmed that Rosemary Cline lived as a citizen in Grandville for about a year. Citizens reporting tips to Cap Au Diable's Amanda Vines of WSPDR said that she was seen coming from the central tower many times, so it's assumed that was her primary place of residence. She was also seen in Mercy Island at the Lonely Tower nearly as many times - it's said that perhaps it was her "home away from home."
In either place, Rosemary was always escorted by Wolf or Crab Spiders and did quite a fair amount of walking the safer streets of Grandville (and later, Mercy) her first few weeks there. She was always described as a pale, bosomy young woman in a white dress, or white blouse and skirt (sometimes flowered), and black ballet flats or pumps, with long dark hair and dark blue eyes. Most residents, well-off as well as poor, were scared not just of her escorts, but of her as well. Who else could walk along as she did without being as black inside as the great man in the tower?
However, Rosemary often surprised those who thought that way. An extraordinary story is often told about her as a new resident: Soon after her arrival, Rosemary was observed visiting the safer parts of the Gutter neighborhood in Grandville, brought there by a Crab Spider. She was seen buying a spider web necklace from an old vendor at the street market. Terrified of what her Spider escort might do to him, the vendor told her to take it for free when she confessed she had no money card yet. Instead of effectively stealing the pendant, it was said that she managed to get the Spider assigned to her to lend her his money card so she could buy it properly. When Rosemary got back to the central tower, she thanked the Spider in front of Lord Recluse and asked to have his money card credited. It was said that Recluse was so pleased to see Rosemary wearing the necklace, a sign of what he felt was loyalty to Arachnos (and to himself), that he did not fault the Spider for paying a man instead of taking what he wanted, and even commended him on what Recluse felt was the Spider's excellent ability to accommodate whom he was assigned to serve and protect.
Shortly after this incident, Rosemary began to be known as the Rose Widow. It's assumed she was called this first by Lord Recluse - who would address her as such in front of his generals - then by Ghost Widow in front of her Night Widow attendants, and finally citizens began to whisper it in hushed tones as they saw her walking down the street wearing her necklace.
Despite Rosemary's unexpected "Rose Widow" title, it was never really known exactly what Rosemary's position was within Arachnos in any of the more useful offensive or defensive facilities. Although her association with Ghost Widow and her Night Widow and Fortunata attendants was frequent, and after her escape her darker abilities emulated that which is learned by those women, it's more likely that she was simply around them long enough to absorb or learn some of their power without actually being trained. After a time, rumors circulated that she was simply a "project" of Recluse and Ghost Widow's - Pygmalion, Arachnos-style. It's even said that, shortly after her arrival to see Ghost Widow the first time, she met with the Fortunata Kalinda, Lord Recluse's most trusted seer, to see how well she would end up fitting in with her "hosts."
Forgetting the My Fair Lady aspect of it all for a minute, some wonder now about what could have happened if Rosemary had been near Kalinda long enough to learn of what the seer was capable. It's staggering to think what Rosemary might have become - or what she might have done - when she eventually decided to leave.
Besides the Widow, Rosemary was seen making the acquaintance of Recluse's other top agents when she had occasion to be introduced to them by Recluse. She was mostly ignored by the shark-man Captain Mako and his apprentice Barracuda, yet greatly disliked by Black Scorpion and his lover, Silver Mantis. The latter two were often heard speaking derisively of Rosemary, both in her presence and out of it - although they rarely kept up their banter in front of Lord Recluse, fearing what he might do (even though they both pretended not to care in front of others). And while Scirocco, the Desert Wind, did not notice her very much, he certainly did not disapprove of her the way those two did. It's suspected this was because of his known fondness and respect of Ghost Widow.
In addition, Scirocco's apprentice Ice Mistral took well to Rosemary. They became friends, and the two of them were sometimes seen at the plaza in Grandville, or walking the grounds of Fort Cerberus in Mercy Island, often accompanied there by Ghost Widow's guardian Wretch there. They often dined together at the Italian restaurant La Voglia Matta inside the Golden Giza (housing the stage where Johnny Sonata played while the audience ate) and, on occasion, they made trips to Pocket D, the pocket dimension nightclub. While Rosemary was generally quiet at the D, preferring to remain a wallflower instead of drinking or dancing, Ice Mistral seemed to be quite proud of her companion and often introduced her to strangers - and enemies - as "the Rose Widow" (possibly helping spread her name around the Rogue Isles). Rosemary usually seemed embarrassed by this but occasionally, when irked by someone's personality, she would introduce herself. These times were usually the only ways Rosemary announced who she was, leaving what exactly she did as an enigma.
In any case, it seems that Rosemary lived a quiet, sometimes exciting, and very privileged public life in Grandville... and a very mysterious one behind the doors of the central tower.
A Mutating Change of Heart
No one really knows why the Rose Widow decided that a life guarded by the Rogue Isles' greatest conquerors could be suddenly thrown away for a life of running from them... except the Rose Widow herself.
One month before her final escape from Arachnos, the Rose Widow was reported missing and possibly taken captive. It seems she had been out again exploring Grandville with some Bane Spiders as escorts when they were ambushed by a brave pack of Arachnoids. After interrogation, locals who had witnessed the event said that the Spiders were instantly defeated by the mutants, and the Arachnoids made off with the Rose Widow down into the Gutter. Immediately, Lord Recluse sent wave after wave of his troops to cull all known Arachnoids in the area, hoping to scare them into returning the Rose Widow - if they hadn't already done away with her yet. For three days no one knew of her whereabouts, or whether she was alive.
Finally, after those three long days, the Rose Widow emerged from the Gutter battered, but safe and alive. She was escorted to the central tower and not seen in the public again until her escape a few weeks later.
Again, Arachnos dissenters speculate it's possible that, during her capture by the Arachnoids, the Rose Widow learned about certain connections between Lord Recluse and the Arachnoids and could not handle this truth. Many might think how strange it is that she might overlook the assassination of her loving father, the brutal murder of her mother before her own eyes, and Recluse's general tyranny over the Isles - but this news about the Arachnoids would be the final straw in her dalliance with the Spiders.
Escape from Arachnos, Rejection from Paragon
Rosemary Cline left the Lonely Tower in Mercy Island in the very early morning of June 10th, 2007. It was a very quiet, very well-handled escape until she made it down to the Rogue Isles Ferry to Port Oakes and was told she would not be allowed to leave. No one knows who the men who assisted her were - it's possible they are the same ones who travel and fight with her today - but by the time the woman and her three companions had departed from the island, two Wolf Spiders were teleported to the hospital for severe injuries and three Fortunata Seers followed shortly after. The first one to awaken - oddly missing her stiletto boots - was brought to Recluse where she showed him a vision of the Rose Widow leaving with three cowled men, former Spiders.
Two days later, an obviously very disturbed young woman, with mussed hair and dirt on her face and clothing, entered the office of the Freedom Corps in Atlas Park and began to tell a wild story. At first it was not believed that she was the person who she said she was - reports of Rosemary Cline's death had come back with her mother when she had been kidnapped over a year before. Her mother's body had washed ashore in Paragon, her hyoid bone crushed and a very strong hemolytic toxin residue still in her body. Rosemary was able to identify photos of her mother and when she was able to provide proper fingerprints to identify herself, Longbow agents took her into a briefing room and heard her story.
Six hours later she was literally laughed out of the office by the attending officer. The other agents who heard her case were by different degrees fascinated, bowled over, or disgusted. No one knows why they refused her asylum, but Rosemary Cline was later heard saying in the Zig that "They couldn't imagine that I'd come to my senses and want to be let back in. I was pretty stupid."
In the end they didn't even arrest Rosemary Cline for her association with Arachnos. They did not offer her a place to stay or options for the future. She was turned out into the street the same way she had come.
"The Remorseful Rogue," The Zig, and A Last Escape
The next day, an odd robbery in Atlas Park took up most of the airwaves and newspapers with the headline "Missing GIFT Darling Rosemary Cline Dubbed 'The Remorseful Rogue' in Botched Bank Job."
Apparently, a woman dressed in a khaki-colored trenchcoat, blue skirt, and black leggings with knee-high stiletto boots entered Paragon City First Bank and brandished a handgun. Very shakily, she asked the customers to move out of the way and the tellers to empty their tills. Then, she made a very odd request: that the manager contact the PPD and tell them to come arrest her. He did as she said, and ten minutes later police were entering the bank. They approached her cautiously, asking what her name was. Customers in the bank during the robbery later told reporters that she very quietly and reluctantly choked out the word "Rogue." With that, she was disarmed, cuffed, and arrested. Within a day, she was already sentenced to Ziggursky Penitentiary in Brickstown for attempted robbery. When the judge asked her why she would commit such a crime, she could only say "I have no place else to go."
Ironically, Rosemary only spent two days in prison. A large-scale breakout was staged by none other than Arachnos, assumed to have found her whereabouts. Terrified when she heard news of the arrival of Arachnos, Rosemary attempted to hide but was brought out of her cell by other female prisoners. Introduced to several people along the way, she realized she was being systematically removed from the prison. When she arrived in the yard and was met with an Arachnos pilot and Operative Jenkins she knew there was no escape.
When the flyer landed in Mercy Island an hour later, Rosemary was brought to Fort Darwin where she was told she would see Kalinda the Fortunata again. However, a scuffle between several villains distracted the guards assigned to protect her, and she was able to slip away without their immediately knowing, grabbing an Arachnos issue automatic rifle in the process. She ran until she met a man named Matthew Burke, who happened to be conversing with one of the men who had helped her escape from Grandville. It was a wild coincidence, but a lucky one. Burke assured her he wasn't involved with Arachnos in any way, and invited her to work for him until she could get back on her feet. She and her associate from Mercy, Operative Thorne - once a Crab Spider, freed from his cybernetic spider limbs by extensive surgery at the Cap au Diable Face store, and most likely the Crab who helped her with her necklace during her first days there and also one who helped her escape - decided this was a much better fate than what Arachnos held for them.
And so Rosemary Cline, formerly the Rose Widow, became the Remorseful Rogue - a rogue for her father and for the things she had done, and remorseful of all of it.
Back to The Remorseful Rogue.
