BlazingCoconut

"Ouch" Zhu said with real sincerity, imagining what it would have felt like to hit a fence over and over. She continued to get back up on the balance beam, and became very well acquainted with the new mat, enough so that she really appreciated it being there. Certainly it saved her from looking like some kind of battered fruit by the end of it. "Did you appreciate it?" she asked after falling for the tenth time or so. "Being forced to stand on a fence? I mean, now... I'm sure you understand how useful it was. But did you resent being forced to do something so hard and painful?"

Saturday's were usually pretty lazy days at Claremont, especially in the morning. While not quite at college levels, Friday nights were certainly a time when the students let their hair down and Saturday mornings were usually brilliant times to sleep in. Especially when the New Jersey weather was a cold and snowy as it was. However, unlike many of her slumbering contemporaries, she enjoyed Saturday mornings for another reason. The library, which was impressive on so many levels, was typically empty and allowed her both solitude and as many resources as she wanted. She had on her black pea coat which covered multiple layers to keep her warm. A fluffy scarf and mittens made the outfit practical and in her mind, cute. With a backpack slung over her shoulder she was heading back to the dorms, humming a little tune to herself.

She looked at the balance beam again before climbing up too it. For the second time in a few days, she came to the realization that dresses were likely not going to be very practical for her career as a hero. Flying with Rev had been her first embarrassment and this had the potential to be the second. As she got up she wobbled back and forth, windmilling her arms in the air trying to catch her balance. With a small squeak, her flailing arms failed to provide sufficient counterbalance as she tumbled to the mat below arms and legs splaying akimbo. She looked back up to Giang with a rueful smile, "I think it's going to take some real practice." Knowing that she was likely going to fall a number of times, she rubbed her backside and stood up, she giggled a little at her plight, "is this going to be a long session? If so, I probably need to wear bubble wrap."

Alexa put a hand on Lexa's knee, seeing her nervous look, "it's okay. I was joking, I know you're straight and narrow the whole way." She looked at the gel covering Lexa's hands, "well, I haven't tested it completely, but the compound should be good all the way to 80 degrees Celsius. Although, ultra violet radiation will break it down quicker, I think beach time is probably something that would work. Not that the beaches of New Jersey would be all that fun this time of year. Maybe a water part instead?" Satisfied that she hadn't made her friend uncomfortable, "oh? Are you going to study art here? Do you draw a lot?"

SFX looked down the tracks forlornly. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that the train signals had gone out. However, she still was no closer to determining if the bad people were on the train, or were they in the car. It seemed really unlikely anyone could know the precise time that a car would be crossing the tracks. Yet, there was proof that someone had set up for that specific scenario. "I don't know!" she whispered urgently back into the phone. "The signals have been disabled and I can't get the operational in time..." She looked around trying to come up with some idea short of derailing a train moving at high speed. Then she hit on an idea that might buy them some time. "I got it! I think I can make the car stop for long enough to have the train go by. Be ready to stall them, or even help them... they're about to have car trouble." Looking back a the car, she smiled as she issued series of commands to the botnet. Unseen, a sharp column rose out of the ground underneath the car and attempted to puncture one of the rear tires. As soon as it got far enough to puncture the tire, she issued the next command to disassemble it and leave a nail in it's place. Or at least something that was very close looking to a nail.

"Wait!" Alexa exclaimed totally ignoring the rhythmic name, "we could make a car with a cool red light on the front and a semi sentient AI powering it!" Dreams of Knight Rider reruns flashed through her head, one of the many American series that she had watched from China. "It would totally lead to solving crime while looking great on the beach... or was that another TV show?" Then she paused, "hold on one minute! Did you say steal?"

Zhu looked at the woman balancing on the beam skeptically, "you... want me to balance on that?" Taking off her Pea Coat, she folded it carefully and set it on a bench in the room. She had never possessed the easy grace of her mentor, and while she wasn't clumsy, that looked to be a rather daunting challenge. "Balance on that while standing..." she tried to emulate the pose while standing on the ground, holding it for a moment before having to put both legs down to catch her balance."...like this?" The question wasn't a challenge to Tsumani's request, but appeared to be more rooted in the young girl's confidence issues. As was evidenced by her hesitancy as she climbed up on the balance beam and shakily stood there. "You're sure about this?..."

Alexa blushed as she shook her head, "you two are as bad as one another!" Her smile never left her face, "so besides control, what are you going to study? I have classes for learning more about all of that..." she said waving at the baffling array of parts, machines, and schematics that were neatly organized on her desk. "But I'm also getting a full set of college prep courses. I mean, are you planning on college? Or have you thought about that far ahead?"

Being a third wheel was something that Zhu had sadly more than enough experience in. She had already interjected her opinion into the conversation when she should have remained silent and observed the situation. However, even that strategy had proven to be... problematic. The heroes around her had more experience than her few forays into defending Lincoln from some of the many street toughs who preyed on the businesses and citizens. They were talking about Magic. Not the kind that she could create with her nanobots or her holoprojector. Instead, the real pulling a rabbit out a hat kind. She looked to Aquaria, then to Siren and Phantom. They were talking of items that were created long ago, and in a culture that she had no reference too. Idly, she scanned the web for Lemurian information before finally giving up at the sites which had nothing but conjecture and hypothesis. Stepping over to Singularity, who had remained silent in the conversation she gathered up the courage to speak to her, "do... you understand any of this?"

Feeling better that she has at least laid bare her soul to her mentor, she followed along, <"I was hoping that you would say something like that. When I first heard of this school, I wanted to be here because I wanted to learn more. Figure things out that I couldn't on my own. All my life I wanted to be an effects technician... like the people that worked on Star Wars, or the Avengers. Make things that people want to see. Make them happy. I mean, I still want to do that, but after moving here, I guess my priorities changed. I figured that I could do some real good."> As they walked through the populated areas of the gym, she had to smile at some of the other students. The normality of the situation was in stark contrast to what most of them had the capability of doing, <"I'm lucky to be working with you to make it happen.">

Heri, hope things are well and you are missed. Get better and hope to see you back soon! Well back regularly!

Zhu took a deep breath, trying to calm the swirling emotions. It took two tries before she could properly speak, <"thank you very much... I worry about these things. It's hard when, well everything else has come easy. I've worked hard, but it seems so simple. Whether it's school, or movies, or inventions. How do you study to not be terrified when someone who can crush you without thinking turns their attention on you?"> She breathed again, breath coming out in a heavy white cloud, and wiped at the corner of her eye, <"I'm sorry, I'm not making much of a good first impression.">

"Just looking at this Serpent Crown... would cause someone to transform!" SFX exclaimed with a real sense of panic. She had no desire to transform to anything like Devil Ray had. While she liked Aquaria, she wasn't ready to share a species with her. "Is there a cure? Has anyone tested any visual filters to prevent that from happening? What's the effective range? Or for that matter the duration of the glance?" Then she froze, realizing she had just interrupted some of the most accomplished heroes in the world. Her brain, one of her best assets, had not bothered to check on her common sense. Of course they had thought of those things. She was certain that they would have. It was just that she wanted to get information and she was certain that the internet wouldn't have much that was accurate.

Zhu stopped in the path as they approached the gym. There would be students in there, and she wasn't sure she wanted what she was going to say be available to prying ears. Or, more likely, ears which had far too much sensitivity for their own good. She waited a moment, composing her thoughts as this was not the easiest thing to confess. Biting at her bottom lip, she couldn't quite eet Tsunami's eyes as she started talking quietly. <"Well, it's more of why I froze up... I mean, look at all of the students here. They're strong, and tough, and have all sorts of powers. I mean, I met someone who could turn into a bear the other day. A real bear! Lexa, my roommate, is part machine. I know she doesn't always like that, but she's really strong and is made of metal! I don't have any of that.> She swallowed, trying not to let it show how much this bothered her. Actually, what made it probably worse was that she had never really even articulated it to herself either. <"I guess... what I'm trying to say, is that I'm scared. I mean... I'm a 17 year old girl who's smart. I know that I have some great inventions that help and logically I know that it's about the same thing. But I just see some of the people that are causing problems, and if my technology isn't there, or doesn't work... who am I to try and stand in the way?"> She kicked at some ice on the sidewalk, looking down at the patterns her foot was making in the snow. <"I'll understand if you don't want to work with me... I think I might not be the heroic type.">

Edits Made: Per Discussion with TA: (1) Nixed Conductor as an Extra to Damage 3 (2) Added the Static Cling power to enhance Grapple. Per TA Forum Comment (1) Changed Leaping and Speed Desciptors (2) Animate Object changed name to Machine Automation (3) Added descriptors to powers

Power Level: 7 (105/114PP) Unspent Power Points: 9 Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / - 2 Damage, +2 Defense / -2 Toughness In Brief: Down on her luck ex Russian Gymnast Catchphrase: Theme: Alternate Identity: Joule (Secret) Birthplace: Yegoryevsk, Russia Residence: Bedlam Base of Operations: Bedlam Occupation: Part Time Gymnastics Coach Affiliations: FSB, Russian Gymnastics Federation Family: Description: Age: 23 (DoB: 09/30/1994) Apparent Age: Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5'4" Weight: 106 Lbs Eyes: Hazel Hair: Brown A very fit young woman with shorter brown hair that she often wears pulled back. She has a very pretty face and delicate looks. As a gymnast she has wonderful poise and a smooth flowing walk. She shares the build with many gymnasts, being very petite in body. Her clothes are a mixture of very nice items left over from when she was touring with the Russian team, and a collection of hand me downs and thrift store bargains which is what she seems to be able to afford lately. When confronted with a problem, she has a serious expression on her face and often looks nearly ready to cry. Often times she looks world weary as if she is expecting the next shoe to drop, which it often does. History: Aliya was targeted at a very young age to be part of a Russian genetics program. Given a serum that altered her DNA and made her far more athletic along with her more esoteric abilities, she was groomed by the Russians to be both a spy, and a member of their Gymnastics team as a cover. Mostly separated from her family, she was practically raised by her coaches and taught by the FSB and military specialists how to fight, and more important how to get information important to the Russian government. For a time, she was quite successful in this, making notable inroads on a global scale, even if she never quite won an Olympic medal. In fact, her handlers were insistent that she didn't win too many accolades or her primary function as a spy would be compromised. As a spy, she was used for minor things and while she never participated in high level espionage, her success in Gymnastics overshadowed this. All of these years of planning were ruined in an instant when her latent powers manifested themselves in a very aberrant way. At the World Championships in Glasgow she was performing her routine when suddenly the judges scoring machines went haywire, attacking the panel and numerous other machines went haywire, attacking fans and judges alike. With her hands crackling with electrical power, the world knew that Aliya was not competing as a normal. Further testing revealed what had been concealed by blockers and other drugs, that Aliya was an engineered human designed to compete at the highest levels. The World Federation banned her from the sport and she returned to Russia in disgrace. However, the FSB was not disappointed with this. They had spent too much time and money on Aliya to consider her finished. Stepping up her training in Systema and trying to increase her espionage capability they began a very rigorous routine to make her the best spy possible. Yet every time they stepped up their efforts, something seemed to go wrong. An instructor would come up lame, equipment would fail, Alyia's powers would short out the facility, always something. After several frustrating years, they abandoned thoughts of placing her as a high level agent and instead set her up as an Asset in Bedlam to help with a number of unsavory tasks. Her ability to cause Chaos around her was a major determinant in her placement as it was hoped she might even become a destabilizing force in the area. Either way, they would get their return on investment. After arriving in Bedlam, Aliya found that life in America was not quite what she had imagined. With little support from the state, she was forced to get a job as a part time Gymnastics Coach. it's barely enough to cover the bills if she rotates which ones to pay on a weekly basis. While she's tried to get better work, or resettle in a better place, nothing she tries seems to work. Instead, her life, which has been a series of disasters, continues in the fashion of a train wreck. Her life seems to be long stretches of drudgery, barely treading water, punctuated by brief moments of stark terror and stressful demands from her homeland. Personality & Motivation: Surprisingly, Aliya is still a cheerful person. However, she comes off as world weary if she is talked to for very long. There is an ever present sadness and a weight on her shoulders that pervades even the times when she's quite happy. Her fierce sense of competition will not let her give up and if life kicks her down more than once, she will get back up again and keep trying. She realizes that she is a focal point for trouble and has decided to help as many people around her as she can... even while she often is sticking a dagger in their backs as she carries out assignments for the Russians. Powers & Tactics: Aliya has a good background in Systema. Her goal is to get to grips with an opponent and apply submission holds and other techniques to subdue an opponent. She will occasionally use her animation powers to confuse or harry foes where she can. Power Descriptions: Aliya's powers are usually announced with the crack of lightning and thunder. Her attacks have a halo of power around her hands and feet when she strikes with them and machines seem to carry more electricity than they should be capable of. Complications: From Russia with Love - Aliya has been placed as a Russian asset in Bedlam. As a failed spy and gymnast, the government calls on her to do... things. Just my Luck - Luck has seemed to plague Aliya all her life. Whenever things get too good, or too comfortable, something goes wrong. Her powers have a habit of manifesting at just the wrong moment. Jobs disappear, items are lost, villians escape, cameras catch her doing something that looks wrong even if it isn't. Look at Me - While Alyia is not incredibly famous, she was on the Russian Gymnastics team and was part of a scandal. Her picture has made the news and she often is recognized as that girl. Red Heat - Trouble has a way of finding Alyia. If she's walking down the street, there's likely a mugger or someone who wants to do her harm. Riots start up around her and chaos seems to just like to begin wherever she is. Look Who's Talking Now - small microcharges of electricity, especially when anxious, can make mobile phones and computers freeze up just at the wrong moment... Flatliners - Alexa's powers have a habit of failing her at the worst moments, when they do she needs to use extra effort or find a large power source to amp up Abilities: 4 + 12 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 2 = 28PP Strength 14 (+2) Dexterity 22 (+6) Constitution 16 (+3) Intelligence 10 (+0) Wisdom 14 (+2) Charisma 12 (+1) Combat: 6 + 6 = 12PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +9 Melee, +3 Ranged, +3 Base Defense: +9 (+3 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +18 (+3 from Static Cling) Knockback: -0 Saving Throws: 3 + 3 + 4 = 10PP Tou + 3 (+3 Con, +5 w/ Defensive Roll) Fort +6 (+3 Con, +3) Ref + 9 (+6 Dex, +3) Will +5 (+1 Wis, +4) Skills: 60r = 15PP Acrobatics 12 (+18) Language 1 (Russian [Base], English) Notice 8 (+9) Perform (Dance) 6 (+8) Stealth 4 (+10) Search 8 (+8) Bluff 7 (+9) Diplomacy 4 (+6) Escape Artist 2 (+8) Investigate 2 (+2) Feats: 20PP Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus 6 Defensive Roll Dodge Focus 6 Grapple Finesse Improved Grab Improved Trip Improved Throw Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Up the Wall Powers: 10 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 3= 20PP Machine Automation 2 ("Static Charge"; Feats: Progression 2, Horde) [10PP] (Mutation, Electrical, Machines) Damage 3 ("Discharge Strike"; Feats: Mighty, Stunning Attack) [5PP] (Mutation, Electrical) Leaping 1 [1PP] (Training) Speed 1 [1PP] (Training) Enhanced Trait 3 ("Static Cling"; Trait: Grapple) [3PP] (Mutation, Electrical) Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC 17, Toughness Damage Discharge Strike Melee DC 20, Toughness Damage Stunning Attack Melee DC 15, Fortitude Stun Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (15) + Feats (20) + Powers (20) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/114 Power Points

"OMG! Lexa!" Zhu squealed next to her, pushing at the arm of her friend, which, as expected, didn't move a millimeter. That was the problem with having an impossibly strong best friend. "You did not just say that to him, did you?" Blushing on behalf of her friend's innuendo, she still giggled at her bravado. "I totally can imagine that". How many people would expect to come face to face with a bear? Especially in the city!" Folding her legs under her, she tucked the hem of her skirt under her knees in a nod to modesty as she continued, "so what kind of bear? I think you said you were attacked by a Polar Bear, but is that what you turn into?"

As they stepped outside, Zhu pulled her wool Pea Coat tighter around her. The frigid New Jersey had a windchill hovering just 10 degrees Fahrenheit above zero and it was just shy of painfully brisk. Wrapping her scarf around her neck, she wondered where they were heading, but she didn't presume to ask. Mentorship was definitely something that she had been culturally ingrained with and while perfect adherence to their eccentric methodologies wasn't required, respect and deference was. She did hope that they were not going far as her leggings were not quite up to the nearly arctic winds. <"Well... I wish to be a hero. Someone who protects and helps people, but I fear I am not really up to the task. Last month I... was part of a fight with a Deep One, more or less. That's not the point. It's that while others were busy reacting, I couldn't even remember the simplest bubble sort. That's something everyone should be able to do in their sleep, and yet I froze up."> She had been embarrassed by that and other times where she just couldn't do the most basic and simple things. On one side, she had access to powers that most people couldn't dream of. Yet on the other, she was nothing more than a teenager.

Often times, being smart was as much a curse as a blessing. It was hard to relate to people at times and at times her peers has shunned her because she just had different interests and activities than they did. Today, she was happy for that 'curse'; the Headmistress had asked her to come in for a meeting this afternoon. The exciting part was that she was to meet a mentor, which was something that Claremont often fostered from it's students. The difficulty was that she was going to miss two classes which while excused, did not excuse her from the work that was assigned in them. That was why she didn't mind being different today, because she was well over 8 weeks ahead in all of her classes, even with the increased difficulty that had been assigned to her. Of course the downside was that she tended to over analyze everything, which at this moment was centered on what exactly she should wear to greet her mentor. She twirled left then right, looking at the dress she was testing, giving it a critical eye in the full length mirror. Was it too short for a mentors meeting? Did she need to have something more active on? Did the color match her eyes? With a sigh, she stripped off the outfit and tried on another. This process repeated itself four or five times before she finally settled on a short white cotton dress that clung to her thin body paired with black leggings and calf length boots. It was hopefully enough of a combination of formal, fun, and still able to be active if she needed too. Not that she was overly athletic. She was a runner at best and athletics had often escaped her otherwise. Realizing that she was nearly starting to get late, she picked up her purse and dashed out of the room to the administrative building. Luck, and her stamina built up from countless morning runs was with her as she arrived just before Headmistress Summers and another woman walked down the central staircase to meet her. What surprised her was that her mentor was both Asian, and spoke Mandarin! She tried not to grin as she made sure to bow lower than her new mentor did and responded, <"No, the honor is mine! Thank you for your time, which I am sure is as limited as everyone's. I really appreciate you offering to help me... because I think I probably need more help than many students here."> Then looking over to the Headmistress, she apologized, "I'm sorry Headmistress, I should use English..."

With the danger of imminent consumption being put aside at least for now, she relaxed. That was the thing about Lexa, she put people at ease with her natural enthusiasm and buoyant spirits. They had been rooming together now for a couple months, but she couldn't imagine living with anyone else. Yes, the aforementioned messes were a thing, and perhaps Alexa had gone a little overboard when she had both organized and labeled Lexa's sock and underwear drawer. To her it had seemed efficient, but in retrospect, not everyone thought the same was as she did. Still besides some minor quibbles, it had been the best month she could remember by far. "Well, we probably will see it sooner than later. Once you get your schedule, we can see which classes you are in. My guess is that you are going to have a powers and responsibilities class. It's basically required and I'm pretty sure it's what they use to get baseline's on all of us. Have they given the schedule to you yet? I know that your mom wanted some time to talk to the Headmistress, so maybe not."

SFX suppressed her inner geek as she did her best not to look like a fool, "yes please, that would be very nice." Of course the truth of the matter was that she was already so far ahead in her classes that extra credit wasn't really needed, but that wasn't the point. Siren had just congratulated her which was one of those moments that she wanted to remember forever. It the woman had asked her to dance naked through the hall singing folk songs she likely would have! So correcting her on not needing extra credit seemed more like an ungrateful insult. She listened to Aquaria's response and interjected before her brain could tell her to let the established heroes discuss, "I'm sure they just want to help him. Whatever was happening looked very painful based on the nerve clusters that the transformation was centered around."

Zhu looked over at Rev with a questioning look, the demeanor in the room had changed with the question. Usually the tradition of, 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' was very alive and well in Claremont when it came to powers. Although, thinking about it, there were more than a couple of people who had some cool powers with some horrific origin stories. It sounded like Jack's story wasn't as nice as her own. Having people treat a little odd wasn't anywhere near as terrible as being eaten by a bear. If that bear was still with him, that had to be... awkward? "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. That sounds terrible..." she paused, "so you change into a bear? Like a real bear? Didn't you say you were here to learn control?" The last bit was said as she subconsciously slid back on the bed and a little closer to Rev. She was very truthful when she said that it sounded terrible and she didn't want to have a first hand experience with it either.

Alexa grinned, embarrassed at his gregarious nature. She was not used to people commenting on her looks at all. It was just not something that happened, at least until today. However, she was glad to see him kiss Rev's hand and she gave her roomie a very knowing wink as he did. The skin looked like it stood up to a much closer inspection that she had anticipated it getting and was thrilled that it did. "If you haven't guessed, Jack is is from Russia and is going to be attending here. He wanted to see things before deciding if he was going to stay on campus or not. Although... I haven't asked him what his powers were yet. I'm assuming you have them, right?" she said then walked over and plopped down on the bed next to Rev, folding her legs under her before continuing, "Lexa is the best, don't let her fool you. I'd probably be dumped in a toilet somewhere if I couldn't pick up some lessons in cool from her."

Need to clean up the formatting... but putting up here for discussion. Had to make dinner and don't want to lose the work. Power Level: 7 (105/105PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / - 2 Damage, +2 Defense / -2 Toughness In Brief: Down on her luck ex Russian Gymnast Catchphrase: Theme: Alternate Identity: Joule (Secret) Birthplace: Yegoryevsk, Russia Residence: Bedlam Base of Operations: Bedlam Occupation: Part Time Gymnastics Coach Affiliations: FSB, Russian Gymnastics Federation Family: Description: Age: 23 (DoB: 09/30/1994) Apparent Age: Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5'4" Weight: 106 Lbs Eyes: Hazel Hair: Brown A very fit young woman with shorter brown hair that she often wears pulled back. She has a very pretty face and delicate looks. As a gymnast she has wonderful poise and a smooth flowing walk. She shares the build with many gymnasts, being very petite in body. Her clothes are a mixture of very nice items left over from when she was touring with the Russian team, and a collection of hand me downs and thrift store bargains which is what she seems to be able to afford lately. When confronted with a problem, she has a serious expression on her face and often looks nearly ready to cry. Often times she looks world weary as if she is expecting the next shoe to drop, which it often does. History: Aliya was targeted at a very young age to be part of a Russian genetics program. Given a serum that altered her DNA and made her far more athletic along with her more esoteric abilities, she was groomed by the Russians to be both a spy, and a member of their Gymnastics team as a cover. Mostly separated from her family, she was practically raised by her coaches and taught by the FSB and military specialists how to fight, and more important how to get information important to the Russian government. For a time, she was quite successful in this, making notable inroads on a global scale, even if she never quite won an Olympic medal. In fact, her handlers were insistent that she didn't win too many accolades or her primary function as a spy would be compromised. As a spy, she was used for minor things and while she never participated in high level espionage, her success in Gymnastics overshadowed this. All of these years of planning were ruined in an instant when her latent powers manifested themselves in a very aberrant way. At the World Championships in Glasgow she was performing her routine when suddenly the judges scoring machines went haywire, attacking the panel and numerous other machines went haywire, attacking fans and judges alike. With her hands crackling with electrical power, the world knew that Aliya was not competing as a normal. Further testing revealed what had been concealed by blockers and other drugs, that Aliya was an engineered human designed to compete at the highest levels. The World Federation banned her from the sport and she returned to Russia in disgrace. However, the FSB was not disappointed with this. They had spent too much time and money on Aliya to consider her finished. Stepping up her training in Systema and trying to increase her espionage capability they began a very rigorous routine to make her the best spy possible. Yet every time they stepped up their efforts, something seemed to go wrong. An instructor would come up lame, equipment would fail, Alyia's powers would short out the facility, always something. After several frustrating years, they abandoned thoughts of placing her as a high level agent and instead set her up as an Asset in Bedlam to help with a number of unsavory tasks. Her ability to cause Chaos around her was a major determinant in her placement as it was hoped she might even become a destabilizing force in the area. Either way, they would get their return on investment. After arriving in Bedlam, Aliya found that life in America was not quite what she had imagined. With little support from the state, she was forced to get a job as a part time Gymnastics Coach. it's barely enough to cover the bills if she rotates which ones to pay on a weekly basis. While she's tried to get better work, or resettle in a better place, nothing she tries seems to work. Instead, her life, which has been a series of disasters, continues in the fashion of a train wreck. Her life seems to be long stretches of drudgery, barely treading water, punctuated by brief moments of stark terror and stressful demands from her homeland. Personality & Motivation: Surprisingly, Aliya is still a cheerful person. However, she comes off as world weary if she is talked to for very long. There is an ever present sadness and a weight on her shoulders that pervades even the times when she's quite happy. Her fierce sense of competition will not let her give up and if life kicks her down more than once, she will get back up again and keep trying. She realizes that she is a focal point for trouble and has decided to help as many people around her as she can... even while she often is sticking a dagger in their backs as she carries out assignments for the Russians. Powers & Tactics: Aliya has a good background in Systema. Her goal is to get to grips with an opponent and apply submission holds and other techniques to subdue an opponent. She will occasionally use her animation powers to confuse or harry foes where she can. Power Descriptions: Aliya's powers are usually announced with the crack of lightning and thunder. Her attacks have a halo of power around her hands and feet when she strikes with them and machines seem to carry more electricity than they should be capable of. Complications: From Russia with Love - Aliya has been placed as a Russian asset in Bedlam. As a failed spy and gymnast, the government calls on her to do... things. Just my Luck - Luck has seemed to plague Aliya all her life. Whenever things get too good, or too comfortable, something goes wrong. Her powers have a habit of manifesting at just the wrong moment. Jobs disappear, items are lost, villians escape, cameras catch her doing something that looks wrong even if it isn't. Look at Me - While Alyia is not incredibly famous, she was on the Russian Gymnastics team and was part of a scandal. Her picture has made the news and she often is recognized as that girl. Red Heat - Trouble has a way of finding Alyia. If she's walking down the street, there's likely a mugger or someone who wants to do her harm. Riots start up around her and chaos seems to just like to begin wherever she is. Look Who's Talking Now - small microcharges of electricity, especially when anxious, can make mobile phones and computers freeze up just at the wrong moment... Flatliners - Alexa's powers have a habit of failing her at the worst moments, when they do she needs to use extra effort or find a large power source to amp up Abilities: 4 + 12 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 2 = 28PP Strength 14 (+2) Dexterity 22 (+6) Constitution 16 (+3) Intelligence 10 (+0) Wisdom 14 (+2) Charisma 12 (+1) Combat: 6 + 6 = 12PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +9 Melee, +3 Ranged, +3 Base Defense: +9 (+3 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +15 Knockback: -0 Saving Throws: 3 + 3 + 4 = 10PP Tou + 3 (+3 Con, +5 w/ Defensive Roll) Fort +6 (+3 Con, +3) Ref + 9 (+6 Dex, +3) Will +5 (+1 Wis, +4) Skills: 60r = 15PP Acrobatics 12 (+18) Language 1 (Russian [Base], English) Notice 8 (+9) Perform (Dance) 6 (+8) Stealth 4 (+10) Search 8 (+8) Bluff 7 (+9) Diplomacy 4 (+6) Escape Artist 2 (+8) Investigate 2 (+2) Feats: 20PP Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus 6 Defensive Roll Dodge Focus 6 Grapple Finesse Improved Grab Improved Trip Improved Throw Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Up the Wall Powers: 10 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1= 20PP Animate Object 2 (Machines, PFs: Progression 2, Horde) [10PP] 'Static Charge' Damage 3 (Electrical, PFs: Mighty, Conductor, Stunning Attack) [8PP] 'Discharge Strike' Leaping 1 (Athletics) [1PP] Speed 1 (Athletics) [1PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC 17, Toughness Damage Discharge Strike Melee DC 20, Toughness Damage Stunning Attack Melee DC 15, Fortitude Stun Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (15) + Feats (20) + Powers (20) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/105 Power Points

As they had walked through the residence hall, Zhu had made sure to show Jack the lounges, the main office, mail room, laundry room, and practically every other feature of the well appointed building. She had been praying that it had given Rev enough time to get back to the room. So seeing her friend waking up from a "rest" was a very welcome sight for her, although she wasn't sure what the room mate code was for bringing people back to the room unannounced. <"Wait what?!"> she said in Russian before exclaiming the same in England, "Wait... what?! Why do people assume that I'm... I mean I would... with the two of us!" She spluttered and stammered a bit more before taking a deep breath, "Lexa, this is Jack... he's a potential student at Claremont and I'm giving him a tour. The headmistress asked me too." One side of the room was ordered clutter, with varying machines in differing states of completion in organized piles. The single bed on that side had a pink comforter and was tidily made, although her clothes from yesterday were setting on top. The walls were covered with pictures of China or scientific principles. The desk had several computers wired in a conglomeration, which blinked and pulsed with no keyboard or monitor visible.