Aberrant: Infinite Earth - Character - [A&A] Machine Girl

[Machine Girl]

Name: Uncertain, suspected as Ksenija Davidova

Aliases Used: Lilya Roman, Li Yuming, Lee, la Fille Mécanique, The Machine Girl

SOE Operational Codename: The Machine Girl

D.O.B.: Unknown (appears to be in her mid- to late twenties)

Place of Birth: Unknown

Gender: Female

Color Eyes: Green

Color Hair: Brown

Height: 171cm

Weight: 108kg

Race: Caucasian

Marital Status: Not married

Citizenship: As required for the current operation

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Appearance & Distinctive Features: While Lee’s fashion model good looks and significantly above-average height (for a woman in 1941) are both very eye-catching, her most distinctive features are, without a doubt, her arms, which are seemingly mechanical (though very life-like) and apparently made entirely out of a steel-like, gunmetal-colored substance that has so far defied scientific analysis. Also of note are her brilliant green eyes, for which she earned her first nickname, “Li Yuming”, or “bright jade”.

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Personality: Lee has an aggressive personality, even by male standards, and has been described many times as “volatile”. She has the hard-living, intense and blunt attitude of a career soldier, making her well-suited to the military culture she so often finds herself interacting with in these times of war.

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Known Powers: Lee is very strong, very tough, and very fast. She can disable main battle tanks with her bare hands and survive direct hits from most medium tanks and some heavy ones as well. Most notable, however, are her “biometallic” arms, which are capable of undergoing some startling transformations to aid Machine Girl in a wide variety of tasks, making her both versatile and unpredictable in the field and in combat.

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Verifiable History: The woman now going by the name of Lilya Roman does not remember her life before 1924. She was discovered in the rubble of a devastated scientific facility located in the far northern wastes of the Xinjiang province in China, alive and unharmed, but catatonic and covered in blood, and surrounded by the bodies of those who had staffed the facility before its devastation. The men who discovered her, Thomas “Long Tom” Rudwick, a prominent member of the Anesidora Society of Adventurers, and James Smith, a man of mystery sometimes referred to as “the Operative”, had met and joined forces during the course of separate investigations into the activities of a Chinese doctor, scientific genius, and sociopathic criminal by the name of Fu Yen.

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Their joint investigation had led them into the wastes of Xinjiang, and the facility where Ms. Roman was discovered. It was immediately apparent that she was a dynamic, and the two men also quickly determined that she had been the subject of experiments there – experiments on both her body and her mind – though the true nature or full scope of those experiments has never been determined. Rudwick and Smith had arrived at Yen’s facilities too late to stop whatever it was he’d been doing there and , as well, they’d arrived too late to confront or capture Yen himself, as neither he nor his body were to be found anywhere on the premises.

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As for Ms. Roman, the young woman turned out to be a blank slate – she could speak (once recovered from her catatonia), walk, care for herself, and perform most any other task that adult humans are expected to be able to perform – but she remembered absolutely nothing of her origins or past. Attempts by Rudwick and Smith to discover those origins through investigative means proved fruitless. In the end, the young woman, whom Rudwick christened “Li Yuming” (meaning “bright jade” in Cantonese, for her striking green eyes), traveled with her rescuers back to the Western world and Civilization, journeying through Tibet, then into India, and finally travelling by boat to England, and after to America.

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In both England and America, elements of each country’s governments received them with great interest, and Li Yuming spent some months in the care of each. In both cases the young woman was studied extensively as her hosts attempted to understand just what exactly had been done to her at the ruined laboratory in Xinjiang. While little real progress was ever made on this front, the research did lead to some important insights that would later play their part, both in the development of certain varieties of aetherfiber, as well as in the development of certain aspects of aetherlabe technology.

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Afterwards, the young woman was welcomed into the company of Rudwick’s associates of the Anesidora Society of Adventurers. The Anesidorans were at the forefront, and were the best-connected, out of a handful of similar, all- or mostly-dynamic “societies” and “leagues” that rose to prominence during the first and second decades of the 20^th century, after the earliest appearances of dynamics around the world. While the majority of these groups were little more than social clubs for those who were “more than human” (or, in the worst cases, those who simply believed they were superior to humans), the Anesidora Society, originally founded in 1849 by a group of extraordinary, but non-dynamic, individuals, had managed to attract members who were genuinely interested in bettering the world around them. By 1924 the Anesidorans were generally well-regarded by most of the Allied Powers and, in later years, many of their members would go on to join various political, intelligence, and military branches of several of those countries. More than a few of them are still alive and serving in these times of war.

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For her part, Lee – as the Anesidorans took to calling her, after the Cantonese name Rudwick had given her proved too exotic (and too difficult to pronounce) for most Westerners – proved herself a valuable member of the Society and a useful freelance dynamic agent of more than one Allied government. For thirteen years, from mid-1924 through early 1938, Lee traveled extensively on behalf of the Society, undertaking many adventures, solving many puzzles and mysteries, exploring lost ruins and strange, far-off lands, and getting involved in more than one incident of international significance. During these formative years of Lee’s post-amnesia life she formed contacts with many groups and individuals all over the world – contacts that have stood her in good stead in recent years – made many friends, and almost as many enemies, and even managed to uncover a few facts about herself and her old life along the way.

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In late 1938 the Anesidora Society for Adventurers finally disbanded, closing its doors for good. Its members had all agreed that the world had both grown and, paradoxically, shrunk, and that it had changed dramatically in the decades since the Society’s founding, and that, with threats of war looming on every horizon, the time had passed for groups like the Anesidorans. Some of its members simply retired from the adventuring lifestyle, as they were already old even by dynamic standards, while others ventured out into the world and took their places within the governmental or military agencies of various governments as they prepared for inevitable war.

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“Long Tom” Rudwick traveled to Africa as part of a cartographic venture into Saharan Africa that just happened to give them a great many opportunities to observe activities within Italian Libya. Meanwhile, Lee, now going by her current alias of Lilya Roman, traveled to Europe with James Smith and another Anesidoran, a British aristocrat and expatriate named Sir Oliver Ripley, where they joined up with certain intelligence initiatives of the British and French governments. Lee took a position as a forward observer of Soviet Russia’s movements in the Balkans, and as an “agent of unrest”, moving between Poland and Lithuania until mere weeks before Germany’s invasion of the former nation and the official start of the Second World War.

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At the orders of her superiors, Lee withdrew from Poland and the Baltic States region, traveling south-southeast and entering Germany near Breslau and, as German troops entered Poland, engaged in activities of sabotage as she continued to make her way southwards. Crossing the German border again, Lee entered Moravia near Olmütz and cut eastwards, passing through Bohemia and using the cover of the Böhmerwald to enter the heart of Nazi Germany proper. Through many dangers and narrow escapes, she passed directly through Munich and Innsbruck, finally entering Switzerland through Leichtenstein via the Inn river. Through Switzerland, Lee passed into France without incident, entering the country mere months before its invasion by Germany.

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Lee’s contacts in British intelligence had her officially assigned to the British army forces present during the invasion, and she fought in several battles during the Fall of France. Her participation in the utter failure of the French, British, and Belgian Forces to repel the German invaders from France comprises perhaps the greatest failure in Lee’s career, and memories of that time still haunt her today. In the end, Lee was evacuated on one of the last boats to leave Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo.

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Upon returning to England from Dunkirk Lee was offered, and accepted, a position with the Special Operations Executive as one of their field agents and given the operational codename “The Machine Girl” (taken from a nickname, la Fille Mécanique, given to her by French forces during her recent battles). Not long after accepting this assignment, Lee was sent to Africa, possibly to join Rudwick and his team, though her precise whereabouts between August and late November of 1940 are difficult to determine. She resurfaced with a vengeance in December, however, attached to the 7^th Armoured Division of the Western Desert Force at the start of Operation Compass. During her time with the 7^th, Lee participated in the battles of Sidi Barrani, Bardia, Derna, and Beda Fomm.

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With the destruction of the Italian Tenth Army, Lee’s superiors in the SRO pulled her from frontline combat duty once again and reassigned her elsewhere…

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Suspected History: In the years since her discovery in the northern wastes of Xinjiang, Lee and her associates in the Anesidora Society have managed to uncover several traces of her origins, though few of them can be proven to any degree of certainty. Aside from the general paucity of information, what has been uncovered honestly makes Lee reluctant to search any further. The history of her former self does not appear to have been a flattering one at all.

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Evidence so far gathered seems to point to her having been the daughter of a woman named Alexandra Davidova who was a Russian immigrant and prostitute living in Shanghai, China during the latter years of the 19^th century. Lee’s actual date of birth (and thus her true age) have yet to be determined, but it is reasonable to assume that she is between 40 and 55 years of age. The precise year – let alone month or day – of Alexandra’s death is still uncertain, as is the nature of her relationship with her daughter. Lee’s real name appears to have been Ksenija Davidova.

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It seems that Lee may have been a dynamic from an early age, as “Ksenija”, by all accounts, was a well-known and notorious enforcer, bodyguard, and “companion” of various local crimelords during a period between 1910 and the first years of the 1920’s. There are hints that she may possibly have been active in a similar capacity during the years leading up to 1910 as well. Her whereabouts from about 1922 or 1923, until her discovery by Rudwick and Smith in Fu Yen’s compound – or what her relationship, if any, with Yen was – have yet to be determined.

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The true nature and full scope of the experimental procedures performed on Lee in 1924 have never been determined to anyone’s satisfaction. Presumably Yen could explain them, but he has yet to be apprehended and has not volunteered any information in the interim. What has been determined is that Lee was implanted with “super science” technology of dynamic origin and design (probably Yen’s). Her arms and, indeed, much of her internal structure, are comprised of a material variously designated as either “hypermetal” or “aethermetal” by those who have studied it that shares a number of characteristics with aetherfiber. In point of fact, studies on the material by British and American scientists led to breakthroughs in the designs of some of the earlier varieties of aetherfiber, and observations of the way the material responds to Lee’s neural signals led to significant improvements in aetherlabe technology’s data transmission rates as well.

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Allies:

· Thomas “Long Tom” Rudwick: One of the leading members of the Anesidora Society during its heyday in the 1920’s, Long Tom Rudwick is a cartographer and geologist by trade, and an adventurer extraordinaire by inclination. In addition to his skills as a map-maker and geologist, Rudwick is also a noted expert on several Near and Far Eastern cultures, and is a highly regarded linguist as well. Rudwick was, by far, the most far-ranging, well-traveled, and field-experienced of the Society’s adventurers. Presumably his friends know the answer, but the continued rumors as to his being a dynamic remain unanswered at present.

· The Operative: Though he is known as “James Smith” to his friends and close associates, this is clearly an alias of the man sometimes referred to as “the Operative” – and only one of dozens they have known him to use. While it is possible that, at the highest levels of the world’s most powerful governments, there are those who know who Smith really is or who he really works for, neither Lee nor anyone Lee knows has ever met any of these people. As far as most can tell, the Operative works for whomever he needs to be working for at the moment in order to gain the necessary degree of authority and resources to achieve his objectives, which are rarely obvious or easy to fathom. He is a dynamic with psychic abilities.

· Dash “The Black Death” Cody: Born in Wilmington, NC, Dash Cody was one of the first black combat pilots in history. Known as “The Black Death”, he flew for the French during WWI and racked up one of the highest kill counts in the war. After the Armistice he found his way back to America and was accepted into the Anesidora Society where he became their go-to pilot. Cody is also a highly proficient mechanic, capable of repairing, modifying, and improving nearly anything with an engine in it. He is currently enlisted in the United States Air Corps (which will become the U.S. Air Force on 20 June 1941), where he is lending his expertise both in the training of the Air Corps’ first African American troops, and in designing and implementing innovations and improvements in military aircraft.

· “Ethereal” Ruby St. Dennis: Miss St. Dennis has been a fixture of the New York social scene since before many younger folks can remember; like many dynamics, she has aged very well, and shows no signs of slowing – or settling – down. Known for her ability to turn invisible (thus her sobriquet), her sharp tongue and quick wit, her keen intelligence, and her great beauty (the other reason she is described as “ethereal”). She is not merely known, but renowned for her talents as a freelance reporter and sleuth, and for an ability to get herself into trouble that is only outmatched by her ability to cause trouble for her enemies (and all too often, it must be admitted, her friends as well).

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Noteworthy Contacts

· The Anesidora Society: Though now disbanded, many of its members are still active in the world, and are always willing to lend what aid they can to one of their own.

o Lamont Mason: The President of the Anesidora Society from 1920 until its final year of operation in 1938, Mason is an industrialist, a millionaire, a dynamic, and a well-known philanthropist, as well as one of the Society’s foremost adventurers and detectives. These days, he is mostly active as a maker and provider of military and industrial equipment to the Allied forces in the War, but he is also known – by those who make it their business to know such things – as a reliable source of intelligence on various industrial enterprises going on behind enemy lines in both Europe and Asia.

o Sir Oliver Ripley: Sir Ripley is a British expatriate and aristocrat, who was living in New York at the time of Lee’s introduction to the Anesidora Society. At present he is acting as a double-agent for British intelligence agencies disguised as a member of the Vichy French government. Though somewhat older, and with a rather more staid reputation, he is sometimes compared with his fellow member of the aristocracy, James LaHaye, due to his reputation for being charming and suave in manners, yet engaging in some very “course” behaviors, much to his family’s chagrin. Also like LaHaye, while Ripley is known to be a dynamic, the precise natures of his abilities are not readily apparent to most.

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Enemies:

· Dr. Fu Yen: A dynamic – probably one of the earliest – and a genius. Also a criminal mastermind, and a sociopath and sadist of the first order. Yen’s criminal enterprises are some of the largest, best connected, and most dangerous in all of the Far East, and since the early 30’s he has been gaining footholds in the Near East, and in a few locations in the West. Yen never took losing Lee very well, and he’s taken all of the damage that she and her associates in the Anesidora Society have caused his operations over the years even worse. He is Lee’s oldest – and by far her most dangerous – enemy, and he has the very unpleasant tendency of showing up (or rather, of having small armies of his thugs show up – Dr. Yen is not much of a fighter) where she least expects him to and at the most inopportune times.

· Dr. Blake Ironheart: A former Anesidoran, like Lee, Dr. Ironheart is a dynamic who is everything a normal human is not. He is stronger, faster, tougher, smarter, more perceptive, better looking, and more emotionally aware than any normal man or woman. And he is a monster. Ironheart was expelled from the Society several years after Lee’s acceptance for performing experimental brain surgeries on captured criminals, attempting to “rehabilitate” them through medical science. The results were… troubling. After his expulsion, the doctor’s ethical standards quickly degenerated, and today he finds work in Nazi Germany – in large part because he is wanted for crimes committed in nearly every other Western nation. For reasons that Lee doesn’t fully understand, Ironheart has a personal vendetta against her and has made it clear that he will kill her if given the chance.

• Jan Silbermond: Also a dynamic, Silbermond is a German arms dealer and one of the most amoral criminals in that business. Though his extreme narcissism and almost complete lack of empathy can make the man seem one-dimensional at times, he is nonetheless a highly competent individual, with an enhanced intellect and a profound ability to “think on his feet” that together form a powerful complement to his generally superhuman physical abilities. Silbermond has been making a bad habit lately of selling weapons to any and all sides, however, and this practice may soon come back to bite him.

[Machine Girl]

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
STR: ●●●●● (Brawler)
DEX: ●●●●● (Coordinated)
STA: ●●●●● (Unyielding)

MENTAL ATTRIBUTES:
PER: ●●●● (Gut Feeling)
INT: ●●●● (Excellent Memory)
WIT: ●●●● (Iron Nerves)

SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES:
APP: ●●●●● (Exotic)
MAN: ●●●● (Forceful)
CHA: ●●●

ABILITIES:
Might: ●
Athletics: ●●●●
Drive: ●●
Firearms: ●●
Legerdemain:
Martial Arts: ●●●●● (Kung Fu x2)
Melee: ●●●●● (Savate x2)
Pilot: ●
Stealth: ●●● (Quiet)
Channeling:
Endurance: ●●●
Resistance: ●●●
Awareness: ●●●
Investigation: ●● (Deduction)
Academics: ● (Archaeology)
Computer:
Demolitions: ●
Engineering: ● (Repair)
Gambling: ●●
Intrusion: ●●● (Security Procedures)
Linguistics: ●●●●● (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, German, English)
Medicine: ● (First Aid)
Science: ● (Quantum Theory)
Survival: ●●
Meditation:
Rapport: ●●
Tactics: ●●●
Weave/Shaping: ●●●●
Intimidate: ●●●
Style: ●
Interrogation: ●●
Streetwise: ●●● (Information)
Subterfuge: ●●
Command: ●●
Instruction:

BACKGROUNDS:
Allies: ●●●●
Backing: ●●
Cipher: ●●
Clearance: ●●
Contacts: ●●●●●
Hypermetal: ●●●●●
Reputation: ●●
Resources: ●

Quantum: ●●●
Quantum Pool: 40
Taint: 4
Willpower: ●●●●● ●

Health Levels:
Bruised 0 (12min / 5hrs): ●●
Hurt 0 (12min / 14hrs): ●
Injured 0 (12min / 1day & 8hrs): ●
Wounded 0 (12min /6days): ●
Maimed -1 (36min / 1week & 5days): ●●●
Crippled -2 (1.2hrs / 2weeks & 4days): ●
Incapacitated (2.4hrs /1month): ●

Soak
Stamina: 5/2
Mega-Stamina: 3/2
Eumetal: 7/7
Armor: 6/6

Base Total: 8/4
Power Total: 21/17
Maintained Total: N/A

Initiative: 10

Movement:
run: 18m/36m (22kph/43kph)
sprint: 38m/72m (46kph/86kph)


Combat Styles:
Fanzi Quan (Kung Fu, Northern/External) (Martial Arts x2): block, kick, strike, dodge
Savate (Melee x2): dodge, hold, weapon strike, clinch, quick attack
Associated Advanced Techniques: dancing crane method (equiv. drunken boxing), iron hand, weapon forms (chain, club, body shift weaponry)
Non-Associated Advanced Techniques: stop hit

Merits:
Eumetal Attuned (2)
Sexy (1)

Flaws:
Enemy 1 (-6; imprisoned, godlike power – wants her imprisoned and/or “removed from play”, but not necessarily dead)
Enemy 2 (-4; dead, roughly equal in power – wants her dead, but lacks the power and influence of enemy 1)
Ichor (-1: blood is clear before oxygenation; slowly turns black after oxygenation)
Overconfidence (-1)

Aberrations: metal arms (bulging muscles variant)

Mega-Attributes:
Mega-Strength: ●● – punishing strike
Mega-Dexterity: ● – enhanced movement
Mega-Stamina: ●●● – adaptability

Mega-Perception: ● – EMV

Powers:
Armor: ●●
Body Modifications: extra health levels (x2 maimed)

Body Shift: ●●
Quantum Bolt: ● – armor piercing

Experience & Build Points

Freebie Points: 24/24: Net gain of +9 bonus points from flaws taken, minus merits taken. 6 points spent on willpower. 1 point spent on backgrounds. 8 points spent on combat style specialties. 9 points spent on advanced techniques.

Nova Points: 40/40: 5 points spent on attributes. 8 points spent on abilities. 3 points spent on backgrounds. 4 points spent on tainted mega-attributes. 9 points spent on mega-attributes. 6 points spent on armor. 2 points spent on tainted body shift. 3points spent on tainted quantum bolt.

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Experience Points: 40/25: 10 points spent on Mega-Stamina 3. 7 points spent on Mega-Perception 1. 5 points spent on Body Shift 2. 3xp spent on Extra Health Levels (x2 Maimed) Body Modification.

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Experience Awards 2013:

XP for Participation (April) - 10

XP for Birthday in April - 10

XP for Participation (Oct) - 10

XP for Participation (Nov) - 10

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