| Tezla
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| Player: Arachnid95
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| [[Image:|300px|]]
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| Biographical Data
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| Real Name:
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Taranee Jones
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| Known Aliases:
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Tezla, Tez
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| Gender:
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Cis-Female
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| Species:
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Enhanced Human
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| Ethnicity:
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African-American
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| Place of Birth:
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Vibora Bay, FL, USA
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| Base of Operations:
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Millennium City
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| Relatives:
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Confidential
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| Characteristics
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| Age:
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26
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| Height:
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5' 8"
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| Weight:
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134 lbs.
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| Eyes:
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Blue
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| Hair:
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Dark Brown
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| Complexion:
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Dark
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| Physical Build:
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Slim
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| Physical Features:
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Star Tattoos On Arms/Chest, Knife Scar on Left Shoulder
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| Status
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| Fame:
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| ██
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██
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██
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██
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██
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██
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██
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██
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██
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National
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| Alignment:
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| LG
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LN
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LE
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| NG
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TN
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NE
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| CG
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CN
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CE
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| Identity:
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Secret
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| Years Active:
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3
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| Citizenship:
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Millennium City, US, Earth
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| Occupation:
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Superhero, Mechanic
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| Education:
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High School
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| Marital Status:
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Single
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| Known Powers and Abilities
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- Electrokinesis
- Electric Teleportation
- Electromagnetic Levitation
- Enhanced Strength
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| Equipment and Paraphernalia
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- Skintight Suit
- Goggles
- Hoverbike
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| Physical Attributes
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Strength
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Weapon
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Durability
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Armor
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Speed
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Reflexes
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Resistance
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Stamina
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Dexterity
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Agility
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Combat
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Regen
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| Non-Physical Attributes
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Energy
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Psionics
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Telepathy
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Willpower
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Sorcery
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Tech.
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Intel.
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Knowledge
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Charisma
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Bravery
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| MaekadaBoxSlim created by @Maekada
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Background and Origin
Early Life
Taranee Jones was born on May 11, 1976 in Vibora Bay, Florida, to parents Maia and Vincent Jones.
Her father was an engineering professor at the local university, and often assisted experiments in the campus lab. He also, however, was frequently away on sabbatical. Taranee spent most of her time with her stay-at-home mother.
Taranee's early childhood was quite uneventful, until the age of eleven, when tragedy struck, and her world was turned upside down.
Taranee's parents were tragically killed one night in a car accident, leaving Taranee alone. Per her father's will, she was left in the care of his colleague and good friend, Professor Jackson Wise. Though shaken and grief-striken by her parents' untimely death, she attained a sense of normalcy with her surrogate father, who did his best to raise and teach the young girl.
At age sixteen, in the midst of spring cleaning, Taranee discovered a misplaced letter to her father among a few of his old belongings. It's contents were quite shocking: its message was threatening, mentioned debts owed by Professor Jones, and was signed by a Dr. Phillip Adder. Most concerning was the stamp--the insignia of VIPER.
She brought the letter to Wise, who, after a failed attempt at deflecting, was finally forced to tell his young ward the truth.
Taranee's father, as it turned out, secretly worked for VIPER. The time he spent away on "sabbatical" was in fact time spent working on projects for the nefarious organization. The pay was plentiful enough that his wife and child were well cared for, but it cost him his moral integrity. Eventually, feeling guilty, and wanting to distance himself from the organization for the sake of his family, he tried to back out, and that's when he received that threatening letter. Mere days later, he and his wife were dead--an apparent accident, in reality an assassination, engineered by VIPER to punish him for trying to leave.
Wise explained that he, too, had had history with VIPER, but that he had successfully left many years ago. He had been attempting to help Taranee's father leave, as well, when they were killed, and had been protecting the girl from further retaliation.
Shocked and appalled by the knowledge of bother her father's and surrogate father's dealings with such a criminal enterprise, Taranee ran away that night, packing a bag and leaving under cover of darkness. By the time Wise knew she was missing, the girl was long gone. Without any means of support, however, Taranee quickly had to resort to desperate measures for survival. Though she balked at her father's sordid past, and the evil dealings of VIPER, she felt justified in turning to petty crime here and there to stay afloat.
Criminal Career
What at first was a matter of survival quickly turned into something more. Taranee's crimes began small--shoplifting, picking pockets, dine-and-dashing. But she wasn't always successful at evading consequences, and spent many a night in jail.
It was during one of these stints that she first met Daniela Rivera, another youth like herself who was driven to crime as a means of living. Daniela, however, had bigger ambitions, and had more serious crimes in mind. When the two were released, they forged a partnership, and began a year-long spree of crime.
They started with burglary and auto theft, then escalated further, committing several counts of armed robbery. At the height of their careers, they were pulling off full-on heists together, and became so skilled as to evade capture for months.
During this time, their partnership grew as well, from professional to romantic. The two of them were madly in love, a Bonnie and... Bonnie... for a new era. Together, they were unstoppable. Blinded by love, and addicted to the thrill of the criminal lifestyle, Taranee didn't even consider, at least consciously, that she was following down the same path as her father, in falling into criminal enterprise.
There were, of course, certain points on which they disagreed, such as the use of violence: though always armed, just in case, Taranee never once harmed anyone over the course of their crime spree, while Daniela had fewer compunctions, and took no issue in hurting those who got in their way. Fortunately, Taranee was the brains of the operation, and carefully planned their heists such that violence was never necessary.
Sadly, no plan is perfect, and one fateful night, Taranee's plans went astray in a way that would alter the course of both young women's lives forever.
The Vibora University Incident
On August 3, 1985, Taranee and Daniela planned a rather unusual heist. Rather than stealing money or valuables, they were hired by a mysterious client (their identity yet to be confirmed), who tasked them with the theft of data from Vibora University. They would have to sneak into the school's science lab, download the requested information, and get out, ideally without being spotted or tripping any alarms.
Taranee was, understandably, uncomfortable with the idea of carrying out a heist so close to her home, and at a location so steeped in history for her. But the money was too good; with the amount they were being paid for this job, they'd be set for life. Daniela even implied the idea that the two of them could settle down, and retire from their life of crime together.
Thus convinced, Taranee finally agreed, and the two of them drew up the plans. The university laboratory was no easy mark; with multiple layers of security systems, breaking into the lab would prove to be a difficult task.
Taranee was no slouch when it came to planning, however. She managed to hack her way through the security systems, allowing the pair to slip inside undetected. Soon, they were securely in the school's lab, and were well on their way to another successful heist. Unfortunately, however, in all their planning, there was something she'd failed to plan for: late workers.
As they were downloading the data, a movement out of the corner of her eye spooked Taranee, who whirled around, drawing her pistol. To her horror, she found herself leveling her weapon at Professor Wise.
A tense moment passed, as the professor stood with his hands in the air, and Taranee stood, hands shaking as she aimed her gun at the man who had raised her. She knew that his presence threw the whole plan out of whack, and that the only way to salvage the situation would be to eliminate their only witness... but she couldn't bring herself to shoot him.
Daniela, of course, was less hesitant, and with her girlfriend paralyzed with dread, she drew her own weapon and fired at Wise. Fortunately, he was quick enough to duck, and her bullets didn't find their mark... but they did ricochet off the metal wall, and hit something else.
Nearby, Professor Wise's latest project was sitting on a table, plugged into the wall: an experimental ion generator, fueled by tiny amounts of nuclear material and capable of outputting millions of watts of electricity per minute. As the bullets struck it, they breached the containment field, and arcs of electricity began sparking out of the machine, one of which struck Wise in the chest, stunning him.
Daniela called to her girlfriend to run, and made a break for the door herself. But Taranee was unable and unwilling to leave her adoptive father behind. Dropping her gun, she ran to assist him, helping the weakened man to his feet. He told her to run, to get herself to safety, but before she could even register his words, the generator exploded catastrophically.
The blast hit Taranee directly as she shielded Wise with her body, and knocked them both unconscious. The shockwave decimated the building, reducing it to rubble.
Daniela, who had gotten clear of the building, ran to dig Taranee out of the remains of the building, and was able to carry her to safety before emergency crews came to investigate. Taranee remained unconscious for several days following the incident, during which Daniela kept the pair of them hidden in their hideout.
Confession and Arrest
Taranee awoke a few days after the incident, Daniela hovering at her bedside. She was badly bruised, and had suffered a minor wrist fracture, but otherwise was unharmed. She did notice, however, an odd buzzing noise that seemed to come from within her head, and felt oddly... energized.
Daniela explained that while she was out, Taranee had been... sparking. Blue shocks of electricity would arc from her skin on occasion, and Daniela had to be careful when touching her or risk getting a shock. Daniela seemed slightly concerned about this, but also intrigued.
She'd heard of people gaining superpowers before, in similar incidents, and the idea that Taranee might have developed some of her own spelled good things for their growing criminal enterprise. With an electrokinetic on their side, there'd really be nobody who could stop them!
Taranee, however, wasn't concerned with that at the moment. She had to know if Professor Wise was alright. Daniela was reluctant to say anything, and deflected her girlfriend's inquiries at first, but Taranee wasn't to be dissuaded. Finally, Daniela relented, and told her what she'd heard on the news.
Firstly, it seemed that they'd gotten away scot free; the authorities had no idea there was anybody at fault for the destruction of the Vibora University science building. They chalked it up to an accident--one of the experiments misfiring. The only casualty... Professor Wise.
He was still alive, fortunately, but in very bad shape. The explosion had rendered the man comatose, a state he remains in to the present day, and even if he were to awaken, it was unlikely that he would ever be able to walk unaided again, thanks to spinal damage suffered in the building's collapse.
Daniela framed this as a good thing. Wise was, after all, the only witness to their crime, and he'd likely never be able to tell anyone. But Taranee was wracked with guilt. This was her fault. The person she loved most in the world was nearly dead, and it was because she'd gone astray, and turned to a life of crime. Even as Daniela carried on, making plans to discover the extent of Taranee's power and best use it for their exploits, Taranee knew what she had to do.
She admitted to Daniela that she didn't want to do this anymore, and that the right thing to do would be to turn themselves in. Daniela, obviously, disagreed. This disagreement led to a heated argument, which then escalated into a physical altercation when Daniela attacked Taranee with a knife, stabbing her in the shoulder. The electrical current now running through Taranee's body flowed into the knife, electrocuting Daniela and sending her shooting across the room, where she fell unconsious.
Heartbroken and hurt, Taranee did what she felt was right. She placed a call to the Vibora Bay Police Department, and within minutes, officers were raiding their hideout. Both women were placed under arrest, with Daniela struggling and cursing Taranee the entire time.
Once in custody, Taranee confessed to everything, from their meeting to the university incident. She would later testify to the entire affair in court. Daniela Rivera was sentenced to a total of thirty-seven years in prison, while Taranee received a lighter sentence of 15 years, for her cooperation.
Taranee still didn't feel great, of course. She felt guilty for Dr. Wise's condition, was heartbroken at the end of her relationship with Daniela, and now she was alone in the world, and about to spend a long, long time in prison.
Being as she had become superhuman, she was immediately sent to Stronghold Prison in the Southwest Desert, while Daniela was sent to Florida State Prison. But as fate would have it, neither woman would serve out their full sentences. Two years into her sentence, Taranee was visited by a man claiming to be an agent from UNTIL, with a rather intriguing offer.
Redemption and Heroic Beginnings
The UNTIL agent identified himself as Director Jason Graham, head of a very special program within UNTIL. He explained to Taranee that his program, called Project Angel, sought out superpowered individuals with criminal records, and offered them a chance at redemption as heroes.
Given the emergence of her powers, and the cooperative circumstances surrounding her case, Taranee was an ideal candidate for the program. If she agreed, UNTIL would train her in the use of her powers, assign her to a task force, and employ her as an agent in the field for a period of time. In return, UNTIL would take care of her criminal record, and guaranteed her amnesty for her actions. It would be a chance to start anew, and all she had to do was say yes.
Taranee felt she had a responsibility to atone for her crimes, and had been fully prepared to sit out her sentence in Stronghold. But she realized that perhaps using her new powers to help others might be a better way to pay back her debt. She agreed, and within the week, she had been released from Stronghold into the care of UNTIL.
At a top-secret UNTIL facility in Kansas, Taranee was taught to control her powers. She learned quickly; after a few weeks, she was able to release electric current from her fingers with ease. Within two months, she had learned to focus her power into arcing bolts. At six months, she discovered she could levitate and move at speed by interacting with the earth's electromagnetic field, and at the end of her first year, she had learned to transform her entire body into electricity, allowing her to teleport short distances.
By this point, feeling that she had mastered her abilities sufficiently, Project Angel deemed her ready for the field. She was assigned to a special team called Division Seven, consisting of other superpowered ex-criminals under the supervision of UNTIL soldiers and overseen by Director Graham himself. It was at this point that she was also assigned a codename: Agent Tesla, named for her electrical prowess. She wasn't fond of it.
For two years, Division Seven was sent across the globe to handle various threats. As Agent Tesla, Taranee was instrumental in several strikes against VIPER, the prevention of a Qliphothic incursion in Southeast Asia, the apprehension of a would-be despotic ruler in Bolivia, and the evacuation of New Orleans prior to its destruction at the hands of a supervillain-generated hurricane.
Through it all, Taranee was noted by Project Angel as being compassionate, efficient, and eager to help others. At the end of two years, most of Division Seven was deemed ready for graduation, and its members were recalled to Project Angel headquarters, commended for their service and their efforts at rehabilitation, and at last released to enjoy their newfound freedom.
Taranee, though, wasn't ready to call it quits. She'd learned to love the thrill of heroism as much as she'd loved the thrill of crime--even more so, in fact. And besides, she still felt the gnaw of guilt at the thought of what she'd done to Professor Wise, and even though UNTIL considered herself pardoned, she did not. She decided, shortly after leaving Project Angel, to devote her life to the benefit of others.
Taranee moved to Millennium City, feeling she would have the most opportunities there. She crafted a costume and persona for herself; the name "Tesla" had grown on her a bit, but she still wanted to put her own flavor on it. Thus, she made her debut as the new superhero Tezla, and has since been administering her own electrifying brand of justice in Millennium City, hoping that one day, she would be able to forgive herself for her sins--and that the Professor would one day be able to forgive her, too.
Powers and Skills
Powers
Electrokinesis - Tezla's main power, and the one for which she is named. She possesses the ability to generate vast amounts of electrical energy, and project it from her body to varying degrees and effects. Ordinarily, she will generate up to a certain amount of power passively, and quickly regenerate that power once it is spent. She can, however, also absorb electricity from nearby sources if she so chooses. She has to be careful, however, as overcharging herself too much causes her significant discomfort, and could potentially kill her, if she takes in too much.
Her energy levels are reflected in her personality and mannerisms; when running on full, she is as energetic emotionally as she is literally, full of attitude and moxie. When she's running low, she becomes more lethargic and tired, and when completely out of charge, will pass out from exhaustion.
Over the years, Tezla has achieved a great amount of control over her electrical discharge. In a quick scuffle, she may simply let her power flow freely from her fingers, arcing to nearby targets of its own volition. She can also, however, focus her attacks, pumping a single target full of volts in a highly-damaging electrical arc. Among her most devastating attacks is her ability to rally a huge chunk of her energy, focus it at her hands, and release it as a tremendous bolt of lightning. It often leaves her winded for a moment, but it's an effective way to clear a room! Also in her repertoire are the ability to form spheres of hovering electricity that linger in the air; the formation of an electromagnetic shield, which can deflect most projectiles sent her way; and, as a last ditch effort, a blinding flash of energy that leaves her enemies stunned and unable to focus on her.
Teleportation - Among her most dramatic abilities, Tezla has the ability to, for a short time, transform her entire body into electrical energy, and "teleport" short distances by arcing from one point to another. This requires significant concentration on her part, but over time she's mastered it.
She can only arc to points within her line of sight, and has a more difficult time maintaining accuracy the further away she attempts to arc. The furthest she's ever arced is two hundred feet, and that was mostly by accident.
When she arcs, a short-ranged but powerful electromagnetic pulse is emitted at both the point of dematerialization and the point of rematerialization. Any electronic equipment near either point is subject to interference, and may short out. Furthermore, any electronics she passes near or through as she arcs may suffer similar effects. Any technology on her person has to be specially designed with insulated components to avoid being fried by her arcing.
Electromagnetic Levitation - By producing an electromagnetic field around her body, Tezla is able to interact with that of the Earth in such a way as to allow her to levitate off the ground. With practice, she has been able to manipulate this field to allow her to move at speeds up to sixty miles per hour, hovering mere inches above the ground.
Enhanced Strength - Although particularly potent among her abilities, Tezla does possess a degree of super strength proportional to the amount of charge she has built up. At full charge, she is strong enough to lift a car over her head with some effort.
The precise mechanisms behind this strength are unknown; she does not possess either the physicality or the durability characteristic of other strength-enhanced superhumans. One theory is that it is a subconscious manipulation of the electromagnetic field, allowing her to move massive objects with greater ease than with muscle power alone.
Skills
Mechanical Knowledge - Thanks in part to her father's line of work in engineering, Taranee from a young age possessed a fascination with machinery. During her partnership with Daniela Rivera, this was channeled into mechanical expertise, fixing up and modifying getaway vehicles. Tezla knows her way around a car, and especially loves working with motorcycles.
Expert Driver - Picked up during her criminal career. Tezla knows how to operate a wide variety of vehicles from ATVs to sports cars, tanks to formula 1 racers... again, motorbikes are a favorite. She's even learned to pilot a helicopter, although that experience didn't go well and she'd rather not try that again.
Street Smarts - Having lived on the other side of the law, and having had to support herself on the streets, Taranee has the experience and knowledge necessary to operate in an urban environment. Although some other superheroes may outclass her in academic knowledge, few are as savvy as she is when dealing with street-level issues.
Creative Writing - Taranee is a rather skilled wordsmith, and writes poetry in her spare time. She's too self-conscious about it to share, though.
Rock Guitar - Taranee can shred like nobody's business.
Gear and Equipment
Costume - Tezla's suit is designed to afford her the greatest amount of control possible over her electrical discharge. The main body is insulated, so as to prevent unintended arcing from her skin. The bracers and boots are more conductive, as she discharges most of her power through her hands and feet (when levitating, specifically). She can, of course, force electricity through the suit with little effort if needed.
Goggles - Her goggles' purpose is twofold: to afford her a degree of identity protection, as with a mask, and to shield her eyes from the bright glare of her power. Without them, the constant blue light emitted from her electric discharge tends to exhaust her eyes.
Communicator - Used to keep in touch with other heroes as needed. Hers is specially designed with insulated components, to prevent it from being destroyed when she arcs.
Hoverbike - A vehicle of her own invention, Tezla uses this for quick transport, lengthy chases, and joy rides. It is, of course, electric, and is in fact designed to run off of her own charge. It uses the same principle of electromagnetic levitation that she is capable of using herself, but is much faster, at the cost of being slightly more draining.
Relationships
Lovers
Prophetess - Recently, Tezla has begun working with an earth-bending hero known as Prophetess, who claims to have time-traveled from a possible future. Tezla and Prophetess hit it off very quickly, with the two of them having much in common--both intelligent, both originally from Vibora Bay, and of course, both eager to use their abilities to help others.
It is unknown precisely when they began dating, but it's quite clear that the pair of them are smitten with each other. Details of their relationship are scant, as Prophetess in particular prefers to keep things private, but they have gone so far as to confirm that they are indeed romantic partners as well as heroic partners.
Friends/Allies
Division Seven - Tezla bonded well with the other ex-cons of Division Seven. Sadly, of the five original members, she remains friends with only two: Richard Teak, codenamed Agent Leo, a feline superhuman who now operates in Scotland, and Victoria Chen, codenamed Agent Armstrong, a super-strong brawler who retired from action following her graduation, and remains inactive to this day. One of the two remaining members, mentalist David Reed (aka Agent Whisper) is now deceased, having tragically taken his own life four months after graduation. The last member is now among Tezla's villains (see "Enemies" below).
UNTIL/UNITY - Even after her time with Division Seven and Project Angel, Tezla continues to offer her services to UNTIL as a member of UNITY, occasionally lending her abilities to missions for the organization. Chief among them is the retired Director Graham, with whom she remains a very close friend; the two meet up for drinks every now and again.
The Champions - Although not exactly "friendly" with the Champions, she counts them among her allies. She likes Ironclad, Witchcraft, and Kinetik well enough, and had a brief crush on Sapphire (nothing she was interested in pursuing, though). For reasons she can't quite put her finger on, Defender gives her weird vibes, and she definitely prefers to keep her relationship with him purely professional.
Black Mask - Though they've not worked together extensively, Tezla greatly admires Black Mask, and considers her to be a more than worthy defender of her beloved Vibora Bay. She is, however, reluctant to share details of her past with her, in particular the Vibora University incident.
Juryrig - Tezla is quite fond of Juryrig. They don't work together very often, but she loves chatting with him about their mutual interest in mechanics and science. The two often share tech tips with one another, and enjoy looking over each others' inventions (although she's not yet worked up the courage to let him take a peek inside her beloved hoverbike).
The Amazons - Tezla is among the members of a Millennium City-based superhero team called the Amazons, and she considers them to be her closest friends and allies. Also on the team are heroes Sonic Falcon, Steel Maiden, Megara, Mothgirl, and Miss Violet.
Enemies
Trauma Queen - Tezla's arch-nemesis, who is none other than her former lover and partner, Daniela Rivera. After her arrest, Daniela was able to escape prison and flee the state. With her criminal empire now nothing more than a pipe dream, and with no other prospects, she joined up with VIPER, hoping that they would be able to assist her with her criminal ambitions.
During her time with VIPER, she was commended by her superiors for being a particularly savage and bloodthirsty combatant. Seeing greater potential in her, her NEST leader recommended her for supersoldier experimentation. Daniela underwent a procedure that, through a combination of cybernetics and genetic mutation, gave her immense strength, durability, and ferocity, but did not diminish her intellect and cunning.
She continued to serve VIPER for a number of years as a living weapon, but after a while began to feel that she wouldn't be able to grow much more within their ranks.
Her first attempt at resignation was rebuffed, as VIPER were naturally uninclined to lose such a powerful asset.
Her second attempt was more successful; it is, after all, hard to say "no" when you've been beaten to a bloody stain on the ground amidst the smoldering ruins of what once was a VIPER base.
With all she'd learned from VIPER, Daniela set out to forge her own empire once again. At first hiring out her services as a mercenary, she quickly rose to the top of the global underworld food chain, her infamous sadism and brutality earning her the nickname Trauma Queen. Eventually, she had her own cadre of mercenaries under her employ, all answering to the might of Trauma Queen.
Then one day, word of a new, electrifying superheroine in Millennium City caught her ear. When she laid eyes on this "Tezla" in the news, she recognized her old flame immediately--and that flame ignited a fury in her beyond imagining. Gathering her men, she relocated to Millennium City, vowing revenge on the woman who betrayed her, and she won't rest until her ex-partner and ex-girlfriend is an ex-person...
Singe - Even before she got her powers, Rachel Calvin was a pyromaniac. She worked for a while as an enforcer for the New Purple Gang, using her beloved flame to burn buildings, evidence, and people who the gang needed gone. One fateful night saw her burning down a warehouse filled with chemical byproducts of drug manufacture. Her blaze ignited a particularly violent batch of fluid, and the resulting explosion sent her flying and set her alight with blue chemical flame.
The fire left her burned over ninety percent of her body, but it also catalyzed her powers. She gained an immunity to heat and fire, and the ability to conjure and control flame. The accident left her even more deranged, and as the villain Singe, she became one of the most feared and dangerous criminals in Millennium City. Even the New Purples didn't want anything to do with her anymore; they were too afraid of her.
Fortunately for them, they didn't have to figure out a way to fire her without being "fired" themselves. When Trauma Queen arrived in Millennium City, Singe was at her side immediately, attracted to her ferocity and wanting to be a part of her rampage. Now, she is Trauma Queen's right hand woman--and, some say, her new paramour.
Pierce - The final member of Division Seven, Benjamin Teller. Codenamed Agent Manticore at the time, his powers weren't nearly as flashy as the others' were, but were nonetheless highly useful. His senses were superhumanly acute, with his hearing and vision orders of magnitude more powerful than those of ordinary humans. He could see in the dark as clearly as in broad daylight, read text on a page up to three thousand feet away, and hear both ultra-high and -low frequency sounds, usually only audible to animals.
Where he really shined as an asset was what he did with those senses. He was a highly skilled tracker, impossible to sneak up on, and had taught himself to wield a bow and arrow with deadly accuracy.
The problem was that, to him, humand made the perfect quarry. He viewed other people as something to hunt, and felt no remorse about taking human lives. He felt that anyone who was "weak" enough to fall to him deserved to die by his hand. It was, in fact, for a string of murders that he was originally imprisoned.
Although he never directly threatened his teammates, his persona was nevertheless unsettling to the rest of Division Seven. Taranee expressed concerns that he was unhinged, and too dangerous for the field.
Ultimately, she was right; during a mission in West Africa, while Teller was supposed to be doing reconnaissance, two young children were found with their throats slit, their mother pinned to the wall of their hut by an arrow through each eye. Teller swore up and down that it wasn't his doing, but Taranee herself testified during the resultant inquiry that she was one hundred percent certain that it was Teller's handiwork. Project Angel agreed; the bodies matched his previous MO. Teller was failed out of the program, and sent back to Stronghold to serve the rest of his life sentence.
During transport, however, the tracker was able to slip his restraints and overpower the guards and driver. He escaped into the Southwest Desert, eager for more prey to hunt.
When Taranee later made her appearance as Tezla, he saw a chance to right what he felt was a wrong against him, blaming her for his being washed out of the program. Amused by her colorful costume and new codename, he decided to follow suit: as the fatal assassin Pierce, he remains one of Tezla's most deadly foes.
VIPER - Naturally, VIPER is an enemy to all superheroes. But to Tezla, the animosity is personal--they were, after all, responsible for her parents' death. She is all too eager to fight them wherever they rear their serpentine heads.
In particular, she wants to find the Dr. Phillip Adder who had written to her father before his death. He has, as of yet, not been identified, and she longs to bring him to justice.
Electrocide - Tezla's Multifarian counterpart. In that world, she electrocuted her girlfriend and partner in crime after gaining her powers, so she could be the sole head of their growing crime syndicate.
She was forced to lay low once Citizen Harmon and the Conquerors took over, waiting for a chance to strike and take over... but her plans changed when Tezla came through and defeated him for her.
Immediately taken with the idea of fighting herself, she followed Tezla back to Millennium City, eager to murder her counterpart and take over our "softer" world instead.
"The Client" - One thing about the Vibora incident still haunts Tezla: the mysterious client who first sent her and Daniela to steal that data. They were never given any details as to the importance of the data, or what they wanted it for, and to this day she wonders what would have happened had they succeeded in stealing the data for them. She knows only one thing about this client: based on the amount of money they would have paid the pair of them for the job, they must be someone absolutely loaded with money.
One of her theories is that the whole job was a set-up by VIPER, intended to wrap up the loose end in the affair with her father, but this is little more than an idea, as there's little evidence to suggest this is the case. Her hope is that she will one day be able to uncover the mystery of who this person was, and what they wanted with that data...
General Perception
Most people tend to like Tezla. She's fiery, she's energetic, and she gets the job done. Her approval ratings in Millennium City are very high; people like seeing her bring villains to justice, and trust her to keep them safe.
Of course, nobody is universally loved; there are those who have their problems with her. Some are concerned that she's too weak to properly defend the city, while others dislike the destructive nature of her powers. There are a few people who have had their phones bricked because they happened to be near her when she was arcing, and are none too happy about it. But these naysayers are in the minority.
Her outreach work is well known, and she receives high praise for it. Seeing such a compassionate approach to stemming low-level crime definitely helps her approval ratings, and while there are always a few who would rather she simply beat up every criminal, most commend her for being able to help those who are struggling and just trying to survive. More perceptive people have deduced the fact that this compassion comes from a place of experience, and put together that, although the details are not known, she must have come from a background of struggle herself.
Her criminal past is not public record--UNTIL was thorough when expunging her record. The few people who might recognize Taranee as having once been half of a dastardly duo are either imprisoned criminals themselves, or have been paid off to keep their mouths shut. Tezla still worries that her past will get out, though, especially when her enemies are already so familiar with it; should Daniela herself decide to air their dirty laundry, there isn't much she'll be able to do about it. All she can do is keep being a hero, and hope that, if the truth ever does come out, the people will forgive her for her past sins.
Trivia and Miscellany
- Because of the link between her powers and her energy levels, Tezla sometimes has trouble sleeping when she's running on full. Thus, she has a habit of discharging her electricity into a specially-designed receptacle for it every night before bed, to make sure she's nice and tired. It recharges as she sleeps, so she wakes up fully juiced and ready for the day.
- Tezla's body is constantly humming with electricity. She hears it buzzing in her head at all times, and anyone who gets close enough to her will hear it, too. She's gotten used to it, of course, and is mostly able to tune it out.
- For reasons unknown even to her, Taranee is terrified of clowns. They just really freak her out.
- When not fighting crime, Taranee still makes herself useful to the superhero community as the go-to mechanic for super vehicles. Other heroes will regularly bring their motorbikes, cars, hover tanks, jets and rocket ships to her for tune-ups and repairs, and she always leaves them running as smoothly as the day they were made.
- Tezla loves seafood, and her favorite food is crab legs. In contrast, she doesn't have much of a sweet tooth at all, and in fact dislikes most sweets.
- In her spare time, Taranee is a ravenous reader. She keeps a rather extensive library in her home, and reads a wide variety of genres. Her favorites are mysteries, with Sherlock Holmes being a particular favorite.
- Due to the incident with Professor Wise, Tezla is petrified, to the point of inaction, of harming innocent bystanders. She has no problem unleashing hell on deserving adversaries, but she'd rather let a thousand villains go free than accidentally jolt a civilian with a stray arc of electricity.
- As a favor, UNTIL has taken over medical care of Professor Wise, and he receives treatment at no cost in return for Tezla's service. She visits him regularly, and maintains hope that he will awaken one day.
- Division Seven was the end of UNTIL's Project Angel. The project was shelved following Reed's suicide and Teller's escape and return to villainy, the higher-ups deeming it too dangerous and not successful enough to be worth the funding. Tezla championed for its continuation, but was unsuccessful. No data exists regarding the first six Divisions or their members.
- Tezla isn't averse to using her powers for fun. On karaoke nights with the other Amazons, her uniquely electrified rendition of AC/DC's Thunderstruck always slays. Figuratively of course.
