Whizkid
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Whizkid, wearing self-built SHOK suit, April 2008 | |
| Whizkid | |
| Player: @Beta Ray | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 22 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Dr. Gwendolyn Wharton |
| Known Aliases: | Gwen |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 12 |
| Height: | 4' 10" |
| Weight: | 89 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Physics Professor |
| Place of Birth: | USA |
| Base of Operations: | Providence, Rhode Island, |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Dr. Gregory Wharton (father), Dr. Eileen Wharton (mother), Wesley (brother, age 8), Wade (brother, age 10 months) |
| Known Powers | |
| Electrical field generation and manipulation, genius-level intelligence, super speed | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Mechanical & electrical engineering, written Japanese, Piano | |
| Equipment | |
| SHOK powersuit, INFO scanner, various self-built gizmos | |
| Holds multiple Doctorate degrees | |
Contents |
Origin
Gwendolyn Marie Wharton was born to Dr. Gregory Wharton and his wife Dr. Eileen Wharton, both physics professors at the University of Rhode Island. At only 5 months old, baby Gwen spoke her first word ("reactor!"), and her parents were delighted that they might have a little genius on their hands. They didn't know the half of it.
One night, the Whartons came home from lecturing to find that their precocious 14-month old child had pulled apart and re-assembled the family computer. They were a good deal more shocked to find that it ran faster than before, had more memory, and no longer needed to be plugged in.
Gwen's thirst for knowledge, and rate of self-paced education, were staggering. At 3, she beat her father at chess. At 4, she spoke fluent English, and began to teach herself Japanese, the better to read robotics schematics and cutting-edge astrophysics journals. At 7, she received her high school diploma (via correspondence). At age 8, the family relocated briefly to New Haven, Connecticut so Gwendolyn could attend Yale. By 10, Gwen graduated with honors from the Doctoral Programs, with degrees in Electrical Engineering, Cybernetics, and Theoretical Physics.
The family, now bigger by one with the birth of baby Wes, moved back to Rhode Island, this time to Paragon City, and the Whartons accepted staff positions at AIT, the Atlas Institute of Technology. One evening, the school's Chancellor sat in on one of Dr. Greg Wharton's lectures, and was surprised to find a red-headed ten-year-old sitting in the front row, taking detailed notes, correcting her father on the occasional formula or pointing out more efficient circuit designs. After some consulting with her parents, the Chancellor offered Gwen a professorship as well, and there are now three Dr. Whartons teaching Physics at AIT.
As many Paragon youth do, Gwen developed a fascination with superheroes. She studied their adventures and their powers. She had a special fascination with technology-based heroes, studying their gadgets and powersuits like some girls her age might study fashion or pop music. She casually mentioned to her parents a few times that perhaps she could be a superhero. She could design and build almost any machine she could conceive of. Surely she could build a suit, maybe some weaponry and be a hero! But her parents, normally so accommodating, so willing to let her set her own pace and chart her own path, said "NO" in very certain terms. They thought it would be too dangerous.
The family knew that Gwen's mind was unusual, even superhuman. But they rarely used the word "mutant", until one day in 2007. A day at the Talos seaside turned dark when a skirmish between Freaks and Sky Raiders spilled into a civilian crowd. Bullets and sharp blades sang through the air, and people ran to the city or dove into the sea, crying out for a hero. In the midst of the chaos, the Whartons became separated from their children. The smoke cleared and they saw with horror that Wesley, only six years old, had wandered into the fray, and was trapped between a gang of Freaks and a Sky Raider Captain as they closed for battle.
Suddenly, blue blasts of electrical power leaped from all over, striking the villains, putting them down for the count, and caging those who tried to flee. The people on the beach breathed a sigh of relief - finally a hero had arrived to save them. But there was no hero. There was only Gwen, sparking among the fallen criminals, crackling with electricity, her new mutation manifested by the stress of the attack and the primal need to save her little brother.
The Whartons were forced to admit that their little baby, who they often told that she could do anything she wanted, probably could be a hero just as good or better than anyone. They reluctantly gave their permission, and Gwen took the name "Whizkid", which is what most of the AIT faculty already called her.
Powers
Hyper-Intelligence
Whizkid is vastly intelligent, far beyond normal human capabilities. She has a near-perfect understanding of most scientific fields, and learns new subjects with surprising speed. An MRI scan as part of her AIT-mandated physical revealed NO dormant areas of her brain.
Electrical Field Generation & Manipulation
Whizkid can project and shape electrical fields from her body to stun, incapacitate, or harm criminal foes. The source of these fields, whether interdimensional, or created by some process or reaction within her, is at present unknown.
High Speed Travel
Gwen has recently displayed the ability to travel at high speeds on flat or largely level surfaces. The method of this high speed locomotion is unknown, though Synapse has theorized that it uses electrical fields to accelerate/decelerate, and to keep her only lightly in contact with the ground. Whizkid has been observed to travel at speeds of 90-95 MPH on open ground or deserted highways. She obeys all traffic laws and makes appropriate hand signals.
Hobbies and Interests
Mechanical and Electrical Design
Due to her hyper-intelligence by mutation, Gwen is extremely skilled at designing and building mechanical and electrical devices. She can build nearly anything she can think of, often quicker and cheaper than a commercial concern or tech lab could. She will almost always give her inventions a clever name or anagram for a title. Some of her recent projects include:
•SHOK Suit - Super Hardened Overfold Kevlar
A protective battlesuit that cushions Gwen from most physical and energy attacks. She is constantly adding new systems and circuits to the suit, expanding or changing its capabilities.
•SPOT - Solar Powered Orbital Transmatrix
A small satellite that provides free power and mobile phone service to the town of Granite Hill, PA, Population: 330. Self-launched from the family backyard.
•INFO Scanner - Infrasonic Neural Frequency Oscillotron
A hand-held scanner that Gwen uses to obtain biometric, chemical composition, and power-level readings from carbon-based beings. The INFO scanner has no screen or external displays. It transmits all data to infrasonic nodes on the SHOK suit, which relays the information to Gwen via optical projection or subsonic voice feedback.
Videogames
Gwen owns every videogame system ever produced, or has built comparable emulators. She enjoys playing games of all types, and often receives Japan-only import versions of games from her many pen pals overseas.
Allies and Acquaintances
(Held for further expansion)
